A Defense of Sundry Positions of the Congregational Way, Position 23
POSITION XXIII.
The particular Congregation takes Chriſt for her only ſpirituall Prophet, Prieſt and King, Deut. 18.15. Acts 737. Pſal. 110.4. Heb. 5.4. Iſai. 9.6, 7. Rev. 15.3.
To make good this charge, you ſay, Anſwer.
Seven or eight (you ſay) are the feweſt will make a Church; but five or ſix, yea, any one particular Saint, though out of Church-fellowſhip by excommunication, may take Chriſt for his only ſpirituall Prieſt, Prophet and King, &c.
How comes it to paſſe (Brother) that your margent that hath in moſt places born witneſſe to your Text, reſerves it ſelf in deep ſilence, Reply. as if it were afraid to be acceſſary to this wrong offered to the Brethren of the Congregationall Way? That the Congregationall Way, eatenus, in that it is Congregationall, is conformed to the will and lawes of Chriſt appoined by him, as King of the Church, delivered by him in his Word, as Prophet of the Church, we conſtantly affirm, and ſhall be ready to juſtifie before all the word, till we be convinced of our errour in that particular. That the ſtated Claſſicall, Provinciall, Nationall, and Oecumenicall Way of Church-government importing a power of juriſdiction in point of Ordination, Excommunication, &c. over particular Congregations, is not ſutable to the Will of God delivered by Chriſt as Prophet, nor to the Laws of God delivered by Chriſt as King of the Church, as it is ſutable to our light: So we ſhall endeavour pro virili noſtro according to our power, with all meekneſſe and brotherlike affection to defend, as God ſhall give opportunity. But that ever we have read in the writings of any Congregationall man, truly ſo called, as they ſtand in oppoſition to others of a different judgement, both upon the right hand, and on the left (with whom alone you profeſſe in your Preface to have to do;) I ſay, that ever we have read in the writings of any Congregationall man, theſe places applyed to prove the Poſition, as it is by you controverted, that is to ſay, that the particular Congregationall Church takes Chriſt for her only Prophet, Prieſt and King, (as if in theſe his Offices he were ſo only hers) that no five or ſix, or one particular Saint, though out of Church-fellowſhip; no Claſſicall, Presbyteriall, or Nationall Church, no not the Nationall Church of the Jewes it ſelf, doth (or notwithſtanding ſome failings in government may) take Chriſt as their only ſpirituall Prieſt, Prophet, and King, as we do not remember; ſo in whoſe Sack ſoever this cup of abomination be found, yea, though it be in Benjamins, let him ſuffer according to his demerits. But if any of us have thus expreſſed our ſelves, whereby we have made all particular Believers, not joyned to ſome Congregationall Church, the renowned Scotiſh and Belgick Churches, and all other reformed Churches not Congregationall, yea, the Nationall Church of the Jews it ſelf, (at leaſt as you would inſinuate) ſtrangers from the Commonwealth of Iſrael; yet are we unjuſtly condemned by you, we mean, in that ſenſe, in which Salvian, ſaithaL. 7. de Gub. Dec. p. 282. Socrates, when he writ a book, perſwading that all mens wives ſhould be common, was unjuſtly condemned by the Judges: Injuſtè damnatus dicitur, à judicibus, & verum eſt; Rectius vuim haec talia praedicantem genus damnaret humanum. In like manner we ſay, we ſhould be unjuſtly condemned by you, for all the Churches of God, yea, all the people of God might deſervedly condemne us.
2. But ſuppoſe it cannot be made out by you, that ever any Congregationall man, truly ſo called, held the Poſition you ſpeak of in the ſenſe inſinuated in your examination: where then is your ingenuity that you profeſſe in your Preface? viz. If any of the Brethren ſeem in my apprehenſion to come neerer the truth then others, I willingly take notice of it? Is this your willing taking notice of our neereſt approaches to the truth, to faſten upon us an imputation of wreſting ſo many Scriptures to the maintenance of an opinion that never entered (as we verely believe) into the hearts; and we are confident, is not to be found in the works of any Congregationall man? which if it be ſaid, and that you cannot make out the contrary, it is well for you that you lived not in that over rigorous age ſpoken of by Ludovicus Vives in Commentary upon Auguſtine, Lud. Vives in Auguſt. de Civit. Dei, l. 2. c. 9.de Civitate Dei, in which it was a capitall fault, and puniſhable with death, to write or act any thing derogatory to the good name of any man. For you have indeavoured to caſt the odium of the moſt deteſtable pride and cenſoriouſneſſe upon many thouſands, Miniſters and People, that are of a precious anointing for learning, or piety, or both, and in particular, of a ſingular eminency for that rich grace of humility; yea, ſuch a blot have you laid upon them, whileſt you ſay, that we cleerly him, that Chriſt doth exerciſe his Kingly, Prieſtly, and Propheticall Office only in Churches meerly Congregationall; yea, that Chriſt did offer himſelf a ſacrifice for all the members of a Congregationall Church, and only for ſuch, (a thing of the greateſt abhorrency to our thoughts, if it fall on this ſide blaſphemy againſt the Holy Ghoſt) ſuch a blot I ſay you have laid upon them, that you will not eaſily wipe off; for Machiavels rule is too true, Calumniate fortiter, ſaltem aliquid adhaerebit, Slander boldly; at leaſt ſomewhat will cleave.