Defense and Justification of Tithes and Infant Baptism, Dedication 2 – Dedication 3
TO ALL THE Reverend, Godly and Faithfull Miniſters & Ambaſſadours OF JESUS CHRIST, in ENGLAND, Whether moderate Presbyterians, Independents, or of different Judgments, The Bleſſings of Truth, Peace and Love, with oneneſſe of Spirit, and Protection in the Lord Jeſus.
Reverend Fathers, & Brethren,
IT is a ſacred and certain Truth, witneſſed by the Spirit of God in holy Scripture, and manifeſted in the various turnings of the wheels of Gods Providence in all ages, that the Lord Jehovah, the Omnipotent, all-ſufficient and only wiſe God doth and will order all things for his own eternal Glory, and the everlaſting happineſs of his Church and Children, beloved in the Lord Jeſus. But yet the diſpenſations of God, and the foot-ſteps of his infinite wiſdom are ſomtimes ſo obſcure and dark, that our blind and weak eyes are not able to ſee the cloud of his Gracious protection walking with us by day, nor his pillar of fire to give us light in the night. So that a troubled and trembling ſoul is ſomtimes amazed and conſtrained to cry out with that great Apoſtle, Oh the depth of the riches both of the wiſdom and knowledge of God! how unſearchable are his judgments, and his waies paſt finding out! And ſomtimes with the Prophet to reaſon the caſe with God, in a time of trouble, fear, and danger; O Lord how long ſhall I cry and thou wilt not hear, even cry out of violence and thou wilt not ſave? Why doſt thou ſhew me iniquity, and cauſe me to behold grievance, for ſpoyling and violence are before me, and there are that raiſe up ſtrife and contention. It is apparent that ſince the fallen Angels left their firſt habitation; and by the ſubtilty of the Serpent, tempted and overcame our firſt Parents, to break that firſt Covenant, and to ſin againſt God, and loſe that happy eſtate wherein they were created, and ſince God was pleaſed to publiſh the ſecond Covenant in that Goſpel-promiſe, the ſeed of the woman ſhall break the Serpents head, that old Serpent the Devil & Satan, and the ſeed of that Serpent, the wicked of the world, diſcovered at full that enmity that is in them, againſt the ſeed of the woman, the ſervants of the moſt high God, the ſons and daughters of the King of Glory, in Chriſt the Redeemer: The Lord hath proſecuted his deſign according to his eternal councel, for the ſalvation of his people, and to this end, as he himſelf preached the Goſpel at firſt, and revealed his mind and will to our firſt Parents in Paradiſe, ſo he conſtituted Chriſt his only begotten Son, to be the Anointed, the eternal High Prieſt and Prophet and King of his Church: And this Prophetical Office, as Christ did exerciſe and execute himſelf, ſomtimes before, and ſomtimes ſince his coming in the fleſh; ſo did he call and ordain his holy Prophets and Apoſtles, part before, and part after his reſurrection, yea, after he aſcended up on high, and led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men, he gave ſome to be Apoſtles, and ſome Prophets, and ſome Paſtors and teachers, for the work of the Miniſtry, for the edification of the body of Chriſt, untill we all come in the unity of the Faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, and unto the meaſure of the ſtature of the fulneſſe of Chriſt; and hath promiſed to be with them to the end of the world. And for their comfortable maintenance and encouragement, although the great God his Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, after he had created the world, and gave to Adam and his poſterity the Lordſhip and dominion over the creatures, (to hold upon his and their good behaviour) of the Lord himſelf their Creator, as chief Lord of all; yet the Lord did never give all to Adam or to his poſterity, but hath reſerved a ſpecial part to himſelf (as he did the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the garden of Paradiſe) this ſpecial part to be for his worſhip and ſervice, and the maintenance of his Miniſters and Ambaſſadors to the end of the world, as is fully proved (to my underſtanding) in this following Treatiſe. But as God hath proſecuted his deſign to further the ſalvation of his people, and maintenance of the Goſpel, and Goſpel-Miniſtry, ſo hath the Devil and his Angels and ſervants had their deſign to hinder the Lords great work by all ſubtill frauds, and open hoſtility to their power, the wicked to this end have laboured to get and keep in their hands Gods reſerved part: They robbed God of old, before the coming of Chriſt, and they have robbed God ſince, and their plots and deſigns ſtill are to rob the Lord Chriſt and his faithful Godly Miniſters and Ambaſſadors to the utmoſt of their abilities, both in theſe Nations and other Parts, where the Goſpel of Chriſt is, or hath been preached. It was the policy and practiſe of Julian that Apoſtate Emperour, that he might more eaſily deſtroy the Goſpel and Goſpel-Miniſtry, to deſtroy and take away their Maintenance. And this certainly is, and hath been the deſign of thoſe who are enemies of us the Godly and Faithful Miniſters of the Goſpel of Jeſus Chriſt, and under the name of Antichriſtian Miniſters, ſeek to deſtroy us, and our Maintenance, and perſwade many godly people againſt us, and labour to ſtir up the godly Magiſtrate, yea, the Parliaments and powers of the Nation, to take away our Tithes, and to allow us no ſetled Maintenance, but that we ſhould live of the Charity and almes of the people, that we might be ſtarved as anti-Chriſtian Miniſters (as ſome of them have expreſſed themſelves to me) although it is evident, none are more zealous and laborious to bring down the Kingdom of Antichriſt, and to ſet King Jeſus upon his Throne, than we are; not by blood, as ſome dream we would have it, but by the powerful preaching of the Goſpel of peace, and our winning of ſouls to God; not by blood (I ſay) for this is, and hath been the nature and deſign and practiſe of Antichriſt, that whore of Babylon to be drunk with the blood of the Saints & Martyrs of Jeſus Chriſt fulfilling the Prophecy of our Saviour, that the time ſhould come that whoſoever (of the blind wicked world) ſhould kill his Miniſters and Diſciples, ſhould think they did God good ſervice, & theſe things ſhall they do unto you (ſaith Chriſt) becauſe they have not known the Father, nor yet me. This is that which divers ſeduced ſouls have lately diſcovered to be their deſire and deſign; not only that the faithful witneſſes may propheſie in ſ…ckcloath, by taking away their Maintenance, but be ſlain, lie dead, and unburied in the ſtreets, to the rejoycing of the wicked damnable world. But the Lord hath wonderfully preſerved us to this day, bleſſed be his Name. The many Pamphlets lately written and printed againſt Tithes, or any ſetled Maintenance to the Miniſters of Chriſt, and the Petitions delivered to many Parliaments, by that Generation of men (poor deceived ſouls) confirm this to the full. But the Lord hath yet put it into the heart of the Parliament not to deſtroy, but to defend the Faithful and Godly Miniſters of the Goſpel, and their juſt Maintenance, eſtabliſhed both by the Laws of God and the Land, for which let us praiſe God, and pray to the Lord ſtill, to be ſo preſent with them as to guide and rule their hearts, that our wiſe Senatours may rather eſtabliſh and increaſe the maintenance of the Godly and Faithful Miniſters of Chriſt in the Nation, than take away or diminiſh any part of it, for this will be not only for the honour of the Parliament, but for the Glory of God and good of the Nation, whatſoever ſeduced Spirits would perſwade to the contrary; for whom let us pray as Chriſt did for his Perſecutors, Father forgive them, they know not what they do. And my beloved Brethren, let us who are the Lords remembrancers, give God no reſt, nor day, nor night, till he eſtabliſh his Goſpel and Faithful Miniſters and their juſt maintenance, and by enabling us by the aſſiſtance of his bleſſed Spirit to perform conſtantly our duties in our ſeveral places, that his and our Jeruſalem may be made a praiſe in the earth. But if our adverſaries, & the adverſaries of the Goſpel ſhould prevail againſt us, & all ſhould be taken away (though they cannot take Chriſt away nor Heaven away,) Let us labour to live by Faith, and depend upon God, who hath provided for many of us, when we had loſt all, preſerved our lives, when we were in eminent dangers, and will preſerve us to his Heavenly Kingdom. In the mean time, Honoured and Reverend Brethren, let us labour by wiſdom and power from Chriſt, to fulfil our Miniſtry which we have received from the Lord, to preach the Word in ſeaſon and out of ſeaſon, to Catechiſe and inſtruct our people in the firſt Principles of the Oracles of God, and this both publickly and from houſe to houſe, often to confer with them, and to build them up, and confirm them in the knowledge of Chriſt, that if it pleaſe God they may know the Lord, as the truth is in Jeſus, that they may walke as becometh the Goſpel of Chriſt, and manifeſt the truth of their Faith, by fruitfulneſſe in all good works; that they and we may by our holy and righteous lives, put to ſilence the malevolent ſpirits of all our adverſaries, and bring forth abundantly like trees of righteouſneſſe the planting of the Lord, that God may be glorified. And for our ſelves (eſpecially) let us by the Grace of God, endeavour the unity of the ſpirit in the bond of peace; and although our light be not equal in all reſpects, yet let it be far from us by our diviſions, to rent in pieces the ſeamleſſe coat of our Lord and Saviour, but rather in love enlighten, and by our frequent communion ſtrengthen one another, that though they ſpeak evil of us, as the wicked and deceived ſouls have done of the Prophets and Apoſtles, yea of Chriſt himſelf, yet ſeeing our holy lives, & faithful performance and diſcharge of our duties in our Miniſterial Office, they may be convinced, and glorifie God in the day of viſitation, knowing that if we fight the good fight of Faith, and keep the Faith, and be faithful to the death, there is laid up for us the Crown of righteouſneſſe which the Lord the righteous Judge ſhall give us at that day, and not to us only, but to all them that love the Lord Jeſus, and wait for his appearing. Which that we may perſevere to do, and enjoy, is the moſt humble, hearty and daily prayer of
London, June 18, 1659. Your moſt unworthy Brother and Fellow-Labourer in the work of Chriſt, Immanuel Bourne.
A Defence & Juſtification OF
Miniſters Maintenance by Tythes,
Humane Learning,
Infant Baptiſm, and
The Sword of the Magistrate.
In a Reply to the Anſwer of ſome Anabaptiſts, or Antipedobaptiſts, Declaring their Grounds of Separation.
For John Darker and Tobias Watſon, and the Thirty Congregations of Antipedobaptists; The bleſſing of Truth with freedom from Errors, and falſe foundations, if it be the will of God in Chriſt Jeſus.
FRIENDS,
FOr ſo I deſire you may be in and for Chriſt, hoping better things of ſome of you, and ſuch as accompany ſalvation, although for the preſent too many of you appear to be Adverſaries, if not Enemies to the Truth of the Goſpel, and to the Godly faithful Miniſters of Chriſt in England, and in other parts of the Chriſtian world.
Unto the Paper I ſent (Novemb. 11. 1658.) unto one of you living within the limits of the Town, and amongſt the People to whom God in his Providence hath called me to preach the Goſpel, I received your Anſwer in writing Decemb. 8. in one ſheet of paper, with a Confeſſion of thirty Congregations; and I conceive you have conſulted with your Church (as you eſteem it) and other Congregations of your opinions to give anſwer unto my Demands, and it was my deſire you ſhould ſo do, that I might know your ſtrongeſt Arguments or Grounds of your Separation from our Reformed and Reforming Congregations; that if it be the will of God, I might convince you (by the help of the Spirit of Truth) of the weakneſs and error of your Grounds, and your eyes might be enlightned to ſee you have been deceived, and now be per…waded to return and joyn with our Reformed and Reforming Congregations, for your edification in the Truth of the Goſpel, and good of your Souls, which I pray for
And friends, I have read your Anſwer, and am ſorrowful to ſee ſuch pride of ſpirit, ſelf-conceit, and vain boaſting, That your foundation-principles, of the Church of God (as you eſteem your ſelves) have Scripture proof, as clear as the Sun at noon day, without the help of Conſequences or Illuſtrations, with ſuch raſh cenſurings, and uncharitable, unchriſtian expreſſions, telling me I alledge Scripture out of ignorance, or weakneſs, and that I am like the Tempter, who brought Scripture againſt Chriſt, and that the old Romiſh principle groweth ſtill in the hearts of many of us, to make Reaſon to be our Rule, and caſt away the Scriptures; And your comparing me to Popiſh D. Story, in his plea againſt Philpot the Martyr. But whether your vain boaſting be a truth or falſhood, Thil. 1.27.and whether your raſh cenſurings and unchriſtian charge be as becometh the Goſpel of Chriſt, I leave to God, and your own better enlightned conſciences to judge; and the Chriſtian Reader to conſider.