The Church of England a True Church, Title page – To the reader
THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND A true Church: PROVED In a Diſputation held by JOHN BASTWICK Doctor in Phyſick, AGAINST Mr. WALTER MONTAGUE in the TOWER.
Buy the truth, and ſell it not, alſo wiſdom, inſtruction, and underſtanding,
Prov. 23. v. 23.
Where there is no viſion the people periſh, but he that keepeth the Law, happy is he.
Prov. 29. v. 16.
Publiſhed by Authority.
LONDON, Printed for A. Crooke and I. Rothwell, and are to be ſold at their ſhops in Pauls Church-yard. 1645.
To the Reader.
Chriſtian Reader,
IF thou deſire to know the occaſion of the enſuing diſcourſe betweene mee and Maſter Montague, (of whom I may ſay this, although he be an enemy, that hee is both generoſus & doctus adverſarius) thou ſhalt not onelyonly be fully ſatisfied of the neceſſity of the publiſhing of it, but mayſt alſo finde the true Church by the eſſentiall and undeceivable notes of the ſame, the which whereſoever they appeare doe abundantly prove and delucidate it to be a true Church: Now when they are to be found in the Church of England, as in all the reformed Churches, it may truely be concluded of them all, that they are true Churches, from the which there is no juſt ground and cauſe of ſeparation. As for the Church of England, I may ever affirme this (as I have in the following Treatiſe evinced) that ſince the Apoſtles times, the Goſpell and the ſaving truths thereof have never been more purely preached, and more chearfully received, imbraced, and believed, and the Sacraments more duely adminiſtred, and the Name of God more truly invocated and called upon, then now in the Church of England: & that all thoſe that live in it, owe their converſion to the Miniſtery of the ſame: ſo that with all good reaſon wee may infer, that, that Church that teacheth the knowledge of the onelyonly true God, and whom hee hath ſent Jeſus Chriſt, John 17. and is able to build them up in their moſt holy faith, is a true Church and where ſalvation may be found. And therefore not onelyonly thoſe of the Church of Rome, that do calumniate her, and all the reformed Churches for hereticall, are in a great errour and blame-worthy: but more eſpecially thoſe that had the worke of regeneration wrought in their hearts by her miniſtery, and owe their converſion to her, and yet doe aſperſe her with odious tearmes abſolutely denying her to be a true Church: all ſuch, I ſay, are likewiſe to be reproved, and have for this their temerity a great deale to anſwer for, before God and all good men: for by theſe their expreſſions, they doe not onelyonly proclaime their owne unthankefulneſſe unto Almighty God, but their undutifulneſſe and ingratitude unto their mother, and their uncharitableneſſe towards their brethren, whom they account of as a company of Inſidels denying communion with them, in holy things, though every way as good and as holy as themſelves: by all which their proceedings, they doe not onelyonly caſt filth in all their faces, and expoſe themſelves to the ludibree of the world, and bring an odium upon the whole Church, but are a cauſe of diviſion and ſchiſme in the ſeamleſſe garment of Chriſt, and give a great ſcandall to the enemies of the Goſpell, and to all ſuch as love the truth in ſincerity without faction, contrary to the Apoſtles rule, who exhorts all Chriſtians to take heed that they give no offence to the Jew nor to the Gentile, nor to the Church of God. But that all men may ſee I charge none falſly, nor wrong them not in any thing, I ſhall here recite ſome expreſſions of their principall leaders and teachers (for to enumerate them all, would be an endleſſe worke) as I had them from their owne mouthes in the preſence of others, and as I finde them in their printed bookes. By word of mouth, they ſay, That the Church of England is an arrant Whore, and Strumpet, and that ſhe that was once a Whore can never be preſented unto Chriſt as a chaſte Spouſe: then the which what could be more contumelioſly diſgracefully and untruly ſpoken, eſpecially when it is uttered by ſuch as had the worke of grace and converſion wrought in their hearts, by the miniſtery of the Church, (if they have any grace, or were ever truely converted) though now they have diſobediently deſerted and forſaken her. In print thus they declare themſelves, concerning the Church of England, and all believers and their fellow brethren in it. That the Church of England is a true whoriſh mother, and that they that are of her, are baſe begotten, and baſtardly children, and that ſhe neither is, nor never was truely married, joyned, or united unto Jeſus Chriſt, in that eſpouſall band, which his true Churches are, and ought to be, but is one of Antichriſts Nationall whoriſh Churches and Cities, ſpoken of Revel. 16.19. &c. That the Church of England is falſe and Antichriſtian, and as ſhee is a falſe and Antichriſtian Church, ſhee can never make true Officers and Miniſters of Jeſus Chriſt: and abſolutely deny, that converſion and confirmation, and building up in the waies of God are wrought by the Miniſtery of the Church of England: for how (ſay they) can they build them up in that, which they themſelves are ignorant of, and enemies unto? For as Jannes and Jambres with ſtood Moſes, ſo doe theſe men alſo reſiſt the truth, being men of corrupt minds and deſtitute of the truth, &c. This is their Dialect and further they aſſert, That as they have taken paines by the Word of God, and demonſtrable arguments grounded thereupon to prove the Church of England Antichriſtian; ſo they promiſe to all the world, that they will in the ſtrength of the Lord of Hoſts, for ever ſeperate from Cuurch Miniſtery, and worſhip of England, and all and every one of them as Antichriſtian and falſe And conclude, that all the Miniſters of the Church of England are not true Miniſters of Chriſt, but falſe and Antichriſtian Miniſters, and that our Religion neither is the true Religion, nor that it leads men the true way to ſalvation, and they affirme that they groundedly and abſolutely deny that either the Church of England is or ever was a true Church. And from many ſuch premiſes as theſe, they exhort all good people that are in the boſome of the Church of England, as they love their owne inward peace, and ſpirituall joy, to withdraw their ſpirituall obedience and ſubjection from her. Others of them eſteem no better of their brethren then of Inſidels, Ʋnbelievers and Heathens, and proclaime them in their writings publiſhed by authority, to be men who deny, diſclaime, and preach againſt Chriſts Kingly government over his Churches, men unconverted or at leaſt converted but in part, wanting the maine thing, to wit, Chriſts Kingly Office: men viſibly out of the Covenant of grace, who have not ſo much as an outward profeſſion of faith, who deny Chriſt to be their King, to whoſe perſons and infants, the very Sacraments and Seales of grace with all Church-communion, may and ought to be denyed. And this is the language and opinion of many, as their Pulpits can witneſſe, and their Pamphlets declare, in the which they ſignifie unto us likewiſe, that they have not ſpoke all they can plead for themſelves, and againſt us, but that they doe keepe a reſerve donee ad Triarios redierit res, untill it come to a dead lift, in caſe they ſhall be brought before Princes and Rulers to give an account of what they do or deſire. Theſe are their formall words, and farther adde, that we put them upon too unreaſonable a taske to ſatisfie us in all that they do and deſire. Whereas Saint Peter in his firſt Epiſtle chap. 3. commands all Chriſtians to be ready to give a reaſon of their hope to every one that ſhall demand it of them. And as by ſuch expreſſions as theſe, it doth evidently appeare they jugle, and deale not candidly with their brethren, and according to the revealed Will of God, and the example of Paul, who delivered unto the Epheſians the whole counſell of God, and kept no reſerve, donee ad Triarios redierit res, untill it came to a dead lift, and that he was brought before Kings & Rulers; but publiquely and privately from houſe to houſe, night and day, taught them the whole counſell and will of God, and withheld nothing that concerned them to know or practice, nor never ketp any reſerve, Act. 20. So alſo they publiſh their uncharitableneſſe and unchriſtian dealing towards their brethren whiles they not onelyonly conceale from them, and keepe a reſerve of ſuch things as they pretend are conducible to bring them to ſalvation, and to a more perfect knowledge of Jeſus Christ and of the good will, pleaſure, and waies of God: but whiles they un-Church, un-Chriſtian, and un-Miniſter them likewiſe, and make them all no better then the off-ſcouring of the earth, and a company of cast-awaies, which they doe in word and deed, as their daily practice doth teſtifie, and manifeſt to all men, when they ſeparate from our Congregations and aſſemblies, and proclaime us all a falſe and an Antichriſtian Church, and enemies of Jeſus Chriſt and his Kingdome. Now that I may manifeſt unto all the World, that the Papiſts who accuſe our Church to be hereticall doe moſt impiouſly and malignantly abuſe us, and that all other that deny the Church of England to be a true Church, doe alſo moſt maliciouſly, and falſely traduce us, and belie the truth, and for the convincing of both their errours, and maintenance of the truth, and in the juſt defence of the Church of England and for the proving of her a true Church, and for the ſtopping alſo of the mouthes of all gainſayers, I have publiſhed the following diſcourſe, which if thou Chriſtian Reader ſhalt peruſe without a prejudicate opinion, I doubt not but thou wilt finde arguments ſufficient to prove the Church of England a true Church, and firme reaſons alſo, to continue conſtantly in the communion and fellowſhip of the ſame, and to abhorre thoſe unwarrantable waies of ſeparation, howſoever in their mildest and ſweeteſt diſcourſes, they account of all ſuch as now ſtand up in the defence of the truth againſt the errours of the times, as of a company of Wolves, Beares, Lyons, and Tygers, (for this is the language they give us, and that in ſuch bookes as in which they profeſſe meekeneſſe of ſpirit) with whom they ought to have no fellowſhip and brotherly communion. And if thou through the bleſſing of God upon the reading of it, ſhalt reape any benefit by it, I ſhall deſire thee to give the glory to God, who hath uſed me as an inſtrument, and to eſteeme of him, who as he is, and ever ſhall be filius Eccleſiae Anglicanae, ſo thy ſervant for our Maſters ſake,
JOHN BASTWICK.