A Defense of Sundry Positions of the Congregational Way, Position 5
POSITION V.
When a viſible Church is to be erected,This is not unlike the Anſwer to 32. q. p. 8, 9. the matter of it ſhould be viſible Saints and Believers, 1 Cor. 1.2.
True, ſo it ſhould; when an Army is to be raiſed, a City begun, Anſwer. a Family ſet up, much more when a Church is to be erected or continued, the matter of them ſhould be viſible; yea, reall Saints, beloved of God, elect, bleſſed, Deut. 38.14. Iſai. 1.21.26. Acts 16.34. Rom. 1.7. Epheſ. 1.1.2, 3.4. And we heartily wiſh they were all ſuch.
1. The meaning of the Poſition is this: Reply. Viſibility of Saintſhip is requiſite to warrant the ſetting upon ſuch an action as erecting of a Church; elſe the action for the nature of it is naught, might not be performed; Better no Church erected, then not of viſible Saints: The rule is broken, ſin committed. Is this granted by you? If ſo, why is the poſition quarrelled at, ſeeing it is all that is aſſerted?
2. But why do you jumble theſe actions together? The raiſing of an Army, the erecting of a City, the ſetting up of a Family, and the erecting of a Church? As if they were actions of a like nature? As if viſibility of Saintſhip to them all, were of like neceſſity? Do you conceive that the matter of an Army, muſt either be viſible Saints, or there muſt be no Army raiſed? The matter of a city, viſible Saints, or no city erected? Doth the nature of thoſe actions neceſſarily require any ſuch qualification in the ſubject perſons performing them, that without ſuch qualifications the ſubject perſons are in a ſtate of incapacity, according to Gods true ſcope and intention to ſet upon ſuch actions? Wee know you hold it not. Heathens may raiſe Armies, and wage war, and not ſin becauſe they do ſo, if the cauſe be juſt. They may erect cities, (and remain Heathens ſtill) and not ſin becauſe they do ſo, for it may be their duty ſo to do; but may they erect a Church to God, and remain Heathens, and not ſin in doing ſo? An Atheiſt and prophane wicked perſon may buy and ſell, and labour in his Calling, and not ſin becauſe he doth ſo, becauſe it is his duty; but may he be one to erect a Church of, and to partake in the ſeal of the Lords Supper, and be an Atheiſt and viſible perſon ſtill, without ſin? Men need not be Believers and Saints to warrant them to perform civill actions, or ſome religious actions, for irreligious wicked perſons, while in that ſtate, are called to them; but to do them with acceptation, and ſo as to be accounted righteous in the doing of them, they muſt be Believers and Saints. But to erect a Church, which is Chriſts body, and is called to have communion with Chriſt in his body, and blood in that Supper which he inſtituted, is an action of another nature, and requires faith and holineſſe in the perſons that conſtitute it, to warrant the conſtitution of it. For Church ſtate being holy, and the Ordinance of it holy, either the ſubject perſons muſt be holy alſo, or all will be grievouſly prophaned, and God foully diſhonoured.
But why do you ſay, They ſhould not only be viſible, but reall Saints; except it be to caſt another miſt before the eyes of the ignorant? For, if an Army were to be raiſed to fight on the Purliament ſide againſt the Cavaliers, you would ſay, it muſt conſiſt of viſible friends which ſeem ſincere and cordiall, elſe let it not be raiſed at all; but you would not ſay it muſt conſiſt of reall friends, for then it would not be raiſed at all: For, if it muſt conſiſt of reall friends, God muſt be the raiſer of it, and not man, who alone knoweth who are reall friends: So of a Church, if it muſt conſiſt only of reall friends, God alone muſt erect it, and man muſt not meddle with it.
And though we reade theſe phraſes, Beloved of God, Elect, bleſſed, yet either they received theſe denominations from the judgement of Charity, becauſe they ſeemed to be ſuch, as Phil. 1.7. or if there were infallibility, it was applicable only to a party within the Churches whom the Apoſtle diſcerned to be ſuch, and not to the whole Church.
Yet we dare not uſe unſcripturall wayes and means for the procuring and preſerving of Church-members ſanctity; Anſwer. To be wiſe and holy above the rule, is to be fooliſh, prophane, preſumptuous, ſuperſtitious. Could you ſhew us out of Scripture, that the Church muſt examine perſons that come to be admitted, and that they muſt make any other declaration then profeſſing of faith and repentance: and that the Congregation ought to reject ſuch, of whoſe ſincerity and ſanctity they are not ſatisfied? and that the want of this care in the firſt conſtitution of a Church, doth nullifie it or make it unlawfull for men to joyn to it, or continue in it, and that it is neceſſary to know, that a Church was conſtituted of viſible Saints, before he can in faith joyn to it, we ſhould not differ about the ſanctity of the members.
Here is a deep charge of ſome things practiſed by us, Reply. to preſerve the Churches ſanctity and purity, to be fooliſh, prophane, ſuperſtitious and preſumptuous; And there are inſtances given, in examination of perſons, whether there be the works of Grace wrought in their hearts, or no, &c.
We anſwer for our ſelves:
Firſt, there are ſome things fathered upon us, which we hold not: as,
1. That there muſt be ſome further declaration beſides profeſſion of faith and repentance. We contend for no ſuch thing, but conceive profeſſion of faith and repentance, if in the judgement of charity it may be accounted reall, if there be any thing that may ſerve to give witneſſe unto it, that it is not meerly verball, may be judged ſufficient.
2. That the want of care to try the ſincerity and ſanctity of men, doth nullifie the Church; This is an opinion which we renounce as none of ours.
3. That we muſt know that a Church was conſtituted of viſible Saints before we can in faith joyn to it. We hold flatly againſt ſuch an aſſertion, and do believe a judgement may be made from the preſent faith and order which any Church holds forth, whether it be ſafe or unſafe to joyn to it, or to continue in it.
Secondly, there are other things which ſome Churches hold and practiſe, which we think cannot be condemned: As that a Church muſt examine perſons that come to be admitted, whether the work of grace be wrought within them or not. Your ſelf will now admit none (of whom you doubt) to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, till you have firſt examined them of their knowledge; and why may not we examine them of their grace? Is the Lords body diſcerned by knowledge moſt, or by grace? Faith is a grace, and faith is the beſt diſcerner of the Lords body; and if we can but finde grace, we ſhall be ſure to finde knowledge: The Scripture ſaith, Let a man examine himſelf; yet you think not that ſufficient, unleſſe you examine him; if it be no Scripturall way to examine others, why will you be ſo ſooliſh, prophane, preſumptuous, ſuperſtitious? A ſtranger comes to the gate of a Garriſon town, profeſſeth to be a friend, yet except there be ſomething to witneſſe the truth of that profeſſion, he is examined over and over again; and it is ſtrictneſſe that ſhewes faithfulneſſe to the State: And ſhall we be more remiſſe and careleſſe when we receive perſons into the Church, then we are when we receive them into a town? Our too much credulity may ſhew too little fidelity in the matters of Chriſt, as well as in the buſineſſe of men.
Beſides, if the Church be not a common receptacle of all perſons, but that it conſiſt of a ſelected number, and ſome are received, and others rejected, then there are certain rules of reception and rejection. And then there muſt be a triall made by ſome, whether perſons be qualified according to thoſe rules; and this the light of nature teacheth, and the rules of Reaſon lead to it; though there ſhould be nothing in the Scripture expreſly mentioning it. The moſt ſutable means ſerving moſt fitly to atchieve ſuch ends, are alwayes enjoyned in the ends, though they be not particularly expreſſed. But what think you? Is it not as lawfull to try perſons that would be Churchmembers, and make ſome profeſſion in words of ſaith and repentance, but hold forth nothing which may probably give witneſſe to the reality thereof, as it was lawfull and commendable in the Epheſians to try falſe Apoſtles, which profeſſed in words to be true Apoſtles? Rev. 2.2. And is it not as reaſonable for a Church to ſeek ſatisfaction, concerning the reality and ſincerity of ſanctity from perſons of whom they doubt, as it was juſt and equall for the Church at Jeruſalem to ſeek ſatisfaction concerning Saul, whether he were a Diſciple in truth or in pretence only? Acts 9.26, 27.
But you will ſay, there was cauſe of ſuſpicion and jealouſie in them, concerning him, becauſe they knew him formerly to be a deſtroyer of the Church.
And may not we ſay, there is cauſe of jealouſie, when we know externall profeſſion of faith and repentance to be ſo common, and the fruits which are worthy of it, Mat. 3.8. to be ſo rare and ſcarce to be found?
If the Goſpel and Chriſtian Religion was brought into England in the Apoſtles times, then it was like it was conſtituted of Saints, Anſwer. Church-covenant p. 37.as well as the Church of Corinth, &c.
Becauſe it is uncertain what Congregation was at firſt conſtituted of Saints within this kingdome, and what was not, Reply. we neither juſtifie nor condemn the conſtitution of any; but judge according to the preſent ſtate of them. And if we ſee any viſible Saints (as doubtleſſe there are many in ſome Congregations, and united alſo amongſt themſelves,) we could wiſh they were all ſuch; and in the mean time, for the ſake of thoſe few whom we ſee, ſo united, we acknowledge them a Church, and in all things ſo farre as they carry the ordinances uncorruptly we deſire to have fellowſhip with them.
The Text in 1 Cor. 1. rather ſhewes what the members of the Church of Corinth were at the time of Pauls writing to them, Anſwer. then that they were on ought to have been viſible Saints, at the firſt erection of that Church; yet it ſhewes not, that all the Church-members he writes to, were viſible Saints; for many known evill livers were known Members; The denomination of Saints, is a parce meliore, that is, from the better part, &c.
The Text ſhewes what they either were at firſt, Reply. or ought to have been, or what ſome of them were at that time, and ought all of them to have been, viz. ſanctified in Chriſt, called to be Saints, as Hemingius, Gualter, Pareus upon that place do note, for they ſay, a definition of a Church may thence be fetched. And what rule ſoever there is in Scripture requiring that any be Saints, the ſame rule requires that all be Saints. And there may many Arguments be brought to hold it forth:
1. The end of Church-fellowſhip is not converſion, but edification, Epheſ. 4.11, 12. Acts 9.31. For if it were converſion, then all uncoverted ones, whether they make profeſſion of faith and repentance or no, might enter in, that thereby they might attain one end for which they enter; as we know. Becauſe one end of the preaching of the Word is converſion, therefore all may partake of it, Jewes, Turks, Heathens, becauſe they may attain one end whereto it ſerves. It is ſuppoſed then that the perſons that enter into the Church are converted already.
2. Excommunication is an ordinance in the Church, and one end of it is, to recover perſons that are deſperately ſick, and ready to die; it is in the uſe of it as phyſick, 1 Cor. 5.5. and therefore ſuppoſeth the perſons to whom applied to be alive, therefore all Churchmembers are to be reputed in the judgement of charity, to be living ſtones, 1 Pet. 2.5.
3. If excommunication be an ordinance to throw forth viſible ſinners, of all ſorts, then the Church ſhould conſiſt of viſible Saints. 1. It appeareth that all ſcandalous groſſe ſinners ought to be caſt out from 1 Cor. 5. and that all other ſinners which are not ſeandalous, if they will not be healed of their leſſer faults, and brought to repentance, ought to be duly proceeded againſt untill at laſt it come to an excommunication, Matth. 18.15, 16, &c.
He writes to the Church called to be Saints, Anſwer. or called Saints, not to the Saints called to be a Church, or to the Church conſtituted of Saints: which expreſſion rather of the two proves there was a Church, before they were Saints (See verſ. 1. Paul called to be an Apoſtle,) then that they were Saints before they were a Church.
He writes to the Church of God; Reply. and can there be a Church of God, before there be Saints? What a Church of God is that, which had no viſible Saints in it when it was firſt conſtituted? Surely, except you will ſay, they were a Church of God while they were Heathens, you muſt confeſſe, that profeſſing to be turned by the power of the Goſpel in a time of perſecution from the ſervice of Idols, to imbrace the living God in Chriſt, they muſt be judged viſible Saints at the firſt when they were a Church of God. And theſe words (Paul called to be an Apoſtle) will not avail you; for Paul was a man, and a Chriſtian too, before an Apoſtle; but what would you have the Church of God to be before they were viſible Saints?
But how appeareth it that all the honourable Titles and Epithets given Paul, Anſwer. are given with relation to Church-members? The Corinthians were enriched by God in all utterance, &c. Will you thence conclude, that all Church-members muſt be ſo, &c.
There are ſome names which ſhew the intrinſecall nature of the things to which they are given, Reply. and they do agree to all of that kinde. As if one ſhould write to the Army of ſuch a Generall, called to be ſouldiers, this name ſhewes the intrinſecall nature of the thing to which applied. Such is the name Saint, when applied to the Church of God; but there are other names which are extrinſecall, and ſuperadditionall to the nature of the things given to, and ſeparable, and may be in ſome, and not in other of that kinde: As if one ſhould write, to the Army of ſuch a one enriched with gold and ſilver, apparell, this is extrinſecall and caſuall, and may agree to ſome Armies, and not to others; ſuch are the Epithets, 1 Cor. 5. inriched with wiſdome, utterance, &c. Concerning the names, Elect, &c. we have anſwered them before.