The Bloody Tenant Washed and Made White in the Blood of the Lamb, Part 2 · Chapter 11
TO CHAP. XI.
IN this Chapter, the Examiner propoundeth a ſecond, third, fourth, and fifth Reaſon, to prove that, (which I deny not) to wit, That a neceſſitie lyeth upon godly men, before they can be fit matter for Church-fellowſhip, truely to ſee and humbly to bewaile their ſpirituall bondage under Antichriſtian pollution, and withall to obtaine ſome power and ſtrength from Jeſus Chriſt to bring them out of it.
This I ſay, I deny not, nor ever did. But this neceſſitie I conceive to be Neceſſitas praecepti, (as they call it, or officii) as that which is the commandement of God, and the duty of godly men to doe: But not Neceſſitas medij ad finem, ſuch a neceſſitie, as without which a godly perſon cannot be a member of the Church, unleſſe the ſpirituall bondage under Antichriſtian pollution, doe ſo farre enthrall him to Antichriſt, as to ſeparate him from Chriſt as he is the Head of the viſible Church. Which what it is, we ſhall have fitter occaſion to ſpeake of in the ſequele.
To his ſecond Argument I would therefore Anſwer, that as an holy Altar and Temple to God, could not have been built to God in the midſt of Babylon, but the Builders muſt come locally out of Babel to build it in Hieruſalem: So a Church of Chriſt cannot be built to God, but by ſuch Builders as ſpiritually come out of Antichriſtian pollutions and inventions, at leaſt out of ſuch pollutions as keepe them ſtill in Babel, and detaine them under Antichriſt, and ſeparate them from Chriſt.
To his third Argument, I would grant all that he ſaith in it to be true: But how he applieth it to inferre his concluſion, he neither expreſſeth, nor is it eaſie for me to gather. If his meaning be, that Luther, and other godly perſons, might not be received into Church-fellowſhip in thoſe dayes, becauſe they ſaw not the bottomleſſe gulfe of all thoſe Antichriſtian corruptions, which the Lord hath ſince diſcovered; It is a concluſion that I durſt not inferre, nor will he be ever able to make good. It is not alwayes full Moone in reſpect of ſpirituall light with every Church of God in all ages alike.
To his fourth Argument, taken from my own Practiſe; In that I doe not receive all Perſons, eminent for Grace and godlineſſe, forthwith to the fellowſhip of the Lords Supper, till upon their entrance into Covenant, with a Confeſſion of faith, &c.
I would anſwer, it is not becauſe I thinke ſuch perſons are not fit matter for Church eſtate; but becauſe they yet want a fit Forme, requiſite to Church-eſtate.
His laſt Argument, is taken from a famous Paſſage (as he calls it) of a ſolemne Queſtion put to me, and to the other New-Engliſh Elders, unto which I with the reſt did anſwer Negatively, That if godly perſons coming over hither did refuſe to ſubmit to our way of worſhip and Government, that then they could not onelyonly not enjoy Church-fellowſhip together, but not be permitted to breath and live in the ſame common ayre and Common-wealth together.
To which I anſwer; 1. That it is ſuitable to his wonted boldneſſe, to affirme that of me which is more then he knoweth, and indeed more then is truth. For though he ſay, that Mr. Cotton, and the New Engliſh Elders returned that Anſwer: yet the anſwer to that Queſtion, and to all the other thirty-two Queſtions, were drawne up by Mr. Mader, and neither drawne up nor ſent by me, nor (for ought I know) by the other Elders here, though publiſhed by one of our Elders there. Howſoever, the ſubſtance of that Anſwer (not which Mr. Williams rehearſeth, but which Mr. Mader returned) doth generally ſuite with all our mindes, as I conceive.
2. In particular; The Anſwer which our reverend and beloved brother Mr. Mader did returne unto that Queſtion, I have read it, and did readily approve it (as I doe the ſubſtance of all his Anſwers) to be judicious, and ſolide. But this I muſt needs profeſſe, that his Anſwer to this Queſtion is notoriouſly ſlandered, and abuſed by the Examiner.
For 1. There is no word at all in that Anſwer, that denieth permiſſion to ſuch godly perſons to live and breath in the ſame ayre of the Common-wealth. Let the Anſwer be peruſed; It is too long for me to tranſcribe; the Book is publiquely extant, and obvious: and ſee if there be a ſyllable ſounding that way.
2. In that Anſwer he diſtinguiſheth (out of Mr. Cartwright, and Mr. Parker) touching matters of Church Diſcipline, and maketh ſome to be the ſubſtantiall and immutable, others of a more accidentall and circumſtantiall nature.
In the former, he doubteth not but that we and all the godly Miniſters in England ſhould accord (if they were here;) as beleeving, that either we ſhould ſatisfie them in our way, or they us in theirs; ſo as there would never be Queſtion, whether we ſhould embrace one another as Siſter-Churches.
In the latter, to wit, in matters circumſtantiall, we are all taught of God, Placide ferre aliud ſentientes.
3. When the Examiner maketh it his own caſe, not to be permitted to live and breath in the ſame ayre and Common-wealth, though Mr. Cotton, and others, moſt incenſed, gave him a teſtimony of godlineſſe, &c.
Let him be pleaſed to look back, to what hath been formerly laid open, and he will finde this Inſtance of himſelfe wholly impertinent. For the caſting of him out of the Common-wealth, ſprung not from his difference in matters of Church Diſcipline. It was well knowne that whileſt he lived at Salem, he neither admitted, nor permitted any Church-members, but ſuch as rejected all Communion with the Pariſh Aſſemblies, ſo much as in hearing of the Word amongſt them. And this libertie he did uſe and might have uſed to this day, without any diſturbance to his Civill or Church-Peace, (ſave onelyonly in a way of brotherly diſquiſition;) but it was his Doctrines and Practiſes which tended to the Civill diſturbance of the Common-wealth, together with his heady and buſie purſuite of the ſame, even to the rejection of all Churches here. Theſe they were that made him unfit for enjoying Communion either in the one ſtate, or in the other. When he reckoneth me, and me onelyonly by name, (as one of the moſt incenſed againſt him) I reckon it as one of his uſuall exorbitant Hyperboles: unleſſe by Incenſed, he meane one that with ſome others, were moſt kindled, and ſtirred up to endeavour his ſatisfaction. And then his terme Incenſed, though it be not an Hyperbole, yet it is an Acurology.
Neither doe I remember, that he hath any cauſe to ſay, that I gave him a Teſtimony of godlineſſe.
For his godlineſſe, I leave it to him who is the ſearcher of hearts: I neither atteſted it, nor denied it.
Every brother in the Church, though he may be called a brother in Chriſt, as Chriſt is the Head of the viſible Church: and being caſt out of the Church, though he may be admoniſhed as a Brother, and ſo have ſome reference ſtill to Chriſt, yet godlineſſe requiteth a Participation of the Divine Nature, (I ſpeake in Peters ſence, 2 Pet. 1.4.) by the power of the Spirit of Grace, conforming us to fellowſhip with Chriſt, and his Churches: the which things have not ſo evidently appeared to me, (I ſpeak it with griefe) either in his ſpirit, or in his way theſe many yeares. And yet I deny not, others may diſcerne more Power of Godlineſſe in him, then I doe, and may ſpeake of him accordingly. But it was no uncharitable ſpeech of Paul, to tell the Galatians, and that before all the Churches, that he ſtood in feare of them, Gal. 4.10. The life of faith (from whence ſpringeth both the truth, and the Power of Godlineſſe) is very repugnant to Self-fulneſſe, foreign; Faith emptieth a man of ſelf-confidence, and maketh him apt to acknowledge with Agur, Truely I am more fooliſh then any man, Prov. 30.2. But the Lord help us to tremble before him: If he leave us (though but a while) to our ſelves, we can ſoone learne to reigne as Kings, (like the Corinthians) without Church-Officers, or the Ordinances of Chriſt, 1 Cor. 4.8.