Gangrena Part 3, Theological tract · Part 7 – Letter 18
To the Saints in the order and fellowſhip of the Goſpel.
MY deare ones in the Lord Jeſus, I ſalute you, deſireing him who is our head and husband, our life and liberty, our all and in all, to gather up our ſoules more abundantly into the glorious unity and fellowſhip of the Son of God, that you may not live upon theſe lower things, which are but inſtruments to conveigh light …nd love unto us, I meane even Ordinances or the like, which indeed are but as a ſhell without the kernell, further then wee enjoy Chriſt in it. My deare ones, you are in my heart continually, and my deſire is to be with you as ſoon as poſible I can, to impart ſome ſpirituall gifts unto you, and to enjoy fellowſhip with Jeſus Chriſt in you; but what is this? your are upon the heart of Chriſt, nay, ingraven upon his hand, and ſhall be had in everlaſting remembrance before him. I am much in haſte at preſent, the Poſt being coming forth of Town, only I have ſent you theſe few lines and two Books here incloſed, as a remembrance of my love: I deſire to be remembred to all my deare friends with you, and at preſent reſt and remaine
Your deare Brother in the faith and fellowſhip of the Goſpell. Tho. Collier. London, May 2. 1646. To his Friend William Heynton Buttler in the Caſtle at Taunton theſe.
DEare Brother in the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, with the reſt of our deare friends with you, my kind love remembrd; my deſire to you is that you will receive this bearer Maſter Reeves as a deare friend, for he is a Member in the order and fellowſhip of the Goſpel with the Saints in Taunton: I need not tell you of the oppoſitions here in Taunton; our Brother will tell you the particular paſſages; our Governour does labour to beat us down, and doth ſay, that any meeting in private, is meerly to croſſe the publike meetings, and that it is not out of tenderneſſe of conſcience, but damnable pride that we do; but this doth not any way cauſe us to draw back, or ſadden our ſpirits, for our ſpirits are carried above the feare of men. All our friends are in good health, ſo I remaine
Your deare Brother William Hayward. May 16. 1646.
MOſt kind and loving Brethren and Siſters in the Lord Jeſus, my indeared love remembred unto all the Saints; unto you I writ which are called unto the Lambes ſupper, who are arayed in pure fine linnen, and ſhining, which is the righteouſneſſe of Saints; grace be with you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jeſus Chriſt; be ye alſo patient therefore, and ſettle your hearts for the coming of Chriſt is at hand, which are kept for an inheritance immortall and undefiled, and that withereth not, reſerved in Heaven for you; and though if wee will have Chriſt, we muſt be tried, it ſhall be found unto our praiſe and honour and glory at the appearing of Ieſus Chriſt. I rejoce that the Saints of Taunton, do break forth and t…ll of the in-comings of God in Chriſt upon your ſouls, having gone through many trialls and perſecutions; you may ſpeak the more of the free love of God in Chriſt, preſerving you, and giving you your life for a prey; I do deſire Chriſt to declare more and more the hidden things of God by his free grace in Chriſt; yee have not choſen Chriſt, but I have choſen you, John, 15. 16. And I rejoyce that Chriſt is beginning to ſet up houſe-keeping, and his Saints ſhall not want while Chriſt have one penny; Come buy without mony gold tried and white raiment, and anoint thine eies with eie-ſalve that thou maieſt ſee: Chriſt hath made us ſet together in heavenly places; and in the third of the Galatians Yee being baptized into Chriſt have put on Chriſt; and the Church, I meane the Saints, who are Chriſts Temple, is ſtill travelling in birth untill Chriſt be formed in them; and the ſpirit of God will not forſake you, untill your mortall bodies ſhall appeare before Chriſt to be glorified; then them than winne Saints to Chriſt are called Angels, Revel. 2. and Angels flie in haſte, ſo I reſt,
Yours, as you are Chriſts, Nicholas Bodis.
There was another Letter alſo taken about this Sims, written from one John Pool, for the ſtrenghtning of the Saints in Taunton to ſuffer perſecution, comforting them, that ſeeing that Chriſt by as great a power as that which raiſed him up from the dead, had brought them into the way, they might bee aſſured that by that ſame power he would carry them through that way to the wayes end: But the Letter being but weake, and having only generall things, I will not trouble the Reader with any more of it.
THere is one Mr Tandy a great Sectary, who hath been in the North parts and at Yorke, with whom a godly and learned Miniſter of Yorke, by writing and Letters paſſed between them, hath had ſome debates a…out P…dobaptiſme, and hath maintained againſt him theſe Theſes or Poſitions.
1. That the Covenant that God made with Abraham and his ſeed, Geneſ. 17. was the Covenant of Grace or new Covenant.
2. That there is an outward being in this Covenant, which doth intitle to the ſignes and ſeales of it.
3. That Circumciſion was, and Baptiſme is a ſigne, and ſeale of this Covenant.
4. That Infants being the ſeed of Abraham were in that Covenant, and ſo were circumciſed; and ſo Infants being the ſeed of beleevers (whether in truth or in profeſſion only) are within this Covenant, and therefore are to be baptized.
I have ſeen Letters that have paſſed between them, 'tis too long to ſet down the grounds, and the R…li… given by this learned Miniſter to him about the point of Poedobaptiſme, the Jewiſh Sabbath, with other of his conceits: I ſhall briefly extract a few paſſages out of Maſter Tandies Letters which I have taken out of the originals themſelves, they being ſent to me; but firſt of all I ſhall give the Reader an extract of that Letter ſent from that learned and godly Miniſter to a worthy Member of the Houſe of Commons, acquainting him with the true proceedings between them, and wiſhing they might be communicated to me.
SIR,
Not being able (as I wrote the laſt week) to ſend my Sermons about Poedobaptiſme, I have ſent ſome Papers whereby you may perceive ſomething that hath paſſed betwixt me and an Anabaptiſt, yea (as his owne writings will ſhow) more then an Anabaptiſt. He was a Miniſter before theſe times, and is (as I have heard) by name mentioned in Maſter Edwards his Gangr…a. I wiſh he had a …ight of his Letters, whereby he might have a more clear… and full character of the m…; then yet perhaps he hath: … ſaid that he doth earneſtly deſire all to give him what information they can in this kind, and truly I think he deſerves to be incouraged, and aſſiſted all that may be. It is a ſad thing, and much to be deplorud, that ſuch boldneſſe and activity ſhould be ☜in ſo many to b…oa…h and abe… ſuch …rid and monſtrous Errors (as it ſeems) are now daily vented …nd maintained, and that ſo few ſhould be fo… valiant for the truth, ready to ſtand up in defence of it.
SIR,
LEts lay aſide tradition, cuſtome, the reputation of learning, and all ſelviſh reſpects, and let ſpeake and write ſo as knowing that we muſt ſhortly account … Jeſus Chriſt for all that we build, whether it be hay or ſtubble, gold or wood. For my part I am thus farre convinced by comparing Gods cleare providence, and ſome propheſies in the Revelations, which viewed together ſhow me whereabouts we are, that I am confident within theſe very few yeers I ſhall ſee him wh…m our ſoul loveth, and much will it go to my heart if I either oppoſe a truth, or maintaine an error. Sir, lets look about us, the vaile is not yet taken off, in ſomething moſt good men have been blinded, it may be in this for one, 'tis good to be tenderly jealous; pardon me that I thus exhort you, I ſee ſo many temptations that ſtrongly invite even godly men to contend for Poedobaptiſm, and ſo farre do I ſee alſo into the myſtery of Antichriſts ſitting in the Temple of God as God, that I cannot but give a caution to the godlieſt man upon earth that undertakes the defence of this practiſe.
Fourth day of the week. Yours Philip Tandy.
SIR,
I Received yours as I take it upon the third of this week: I could not get retirement and leaſure to peruſe it till this ſéventh. I accout it a Sabbath dayes work to plead for truth, and I am heartily content that Jeſus Chriſt who ſearcheth the ſecrets of all hearts, ſhould be both judge of it, and of my heart in diſcuſſing it. Now in this Letter Maſter Tandy fals upon ſpeaking to thoſe Theſes ſent by Maſter C. as that the Cov…nant mentioned, Gen. 17. was the New Covenant, which Maſter Tandy denies, and in his Anſwers to theſe Theſes towards the énd of his Letter ſaith thus. That as in Circumciſion which was a peculiar worſhip to the time of the Law nothing was done in it but by command, ſo in Baptiſme which is a peculiar part of the Goſpel worſhip nothing is to be done but by peculiar warrant now; ſince then the command of Chriſt bears nothing, but the Baptiſme of Beleevers, none but ſuch are to be baptized; nor they neither as the caſe ſtands now, till we ſee ſome come abroad with a clear Commiſſion, A Seeker.to go about ſuch a work. At the cloſe I would wiſh you amongſt other things, to conſider this: Suppoſe the Saints as they were gathered by the preaching of the Goſpel in the Apoſtles dayes had been ſtill in all ages to this day carefull to baptize none but Beleevers, and had kept themſelves in as much as lay in them pure from receiving any other into their communion, and had worſhipped God ſolemnly upon the old ſeventh day, as upon Gods Sabbath. I would faine know what fault you could find with this Church ſo doing. Sir, if I can gaine leiſure, which I confeſſe is very ſmall, I will endeavour either before or after my departure hence, to let you ſee according to that which the Lord hath revealed to me, how the myſtery of iniquity vailes us, nay and the whole world beſide.
Yours unfeinedly P. T.
THe Miniſter formerly ſpoken of ſends to M Tandy a large and full Anſwer to this laſt Letter, wherein he confutes him in all particulars expreſſed in his Letter, which Anſwer becauſe tis ſo large, conſiſting almoſt of a ſheet of paper cloſe written, I ſhal ſorbear to print, and ſhall only give the Reader a ſmall part of it, viz. that which he ſaith to that part about Circumciſion and Baptiſm.
You take it for granted that Chriſts command bears nothing but the baptiſm of beleevers; but how will this be proved? That Chriſt commanded beleevers to be baptized, ye & only beleevers being of age when they enter into Covenant, this is granted; but that therefore abſolutely none but Beleevers (actuall Beleevers) by Chriſts command are to be baptized, it followes not. If Chriſt had continued Circumciſion ſtill, ſaying, G… &c. circumciſe all Nations, He that beleeveth and is circumciſed ſhall be ſaved; Circumciſion had been to be adminiſtred to Beleevers, and only to Beleevers in reſpect of ſuch as were of age, when they would be admitted into Covenant; yet ſhould not this exclude Infants (being the children of beleevers, and ſo in Covenant) from Circumciſion. So neither are ſuch infants excluded from Baptiſme, becauſe Chriſt ſaid Go, &c. baptiſe all Nations, He that beleeveth and is baptized ſhall be ſaved. When Circumciſion was in uſe, faith was required in men of yeers, before it might be adminiſtred to them, Rom. 4. 11. yet this hindred not, but that it was to be adminiſtred to children. The Covenant being the ſame now as before, and only the ſigne and ſeale changed, viz. Circumciſion into Baptiſme; as children were in the Covenant before, and therefore received the ſigne and ſeale that then was, viz. Circumciſion: except we finde them excluded and debarred (which we do not) in all reaſon they are to be in the Covenant now, and therefore to receive the ſigne and ſeale that now is, viz. Baptiſme; The Covenant being inlarged, viz. to all Nations, ſhould the ſigne and ſeale of it be ſtraitned, viz. to them that are of yeares? yea an inlargement of the ſigne and ſeale we find, viz. to females, but a reſtriction of it to thoſe of yeares we do not find: Yea when Chriſt bids baptize Nations, Matth. 28. 19. does not that comprehend Children? are they no part of the Nation? And if the Children of beleevers be not in the Covenant, and to receive the token of the Covenant, then ſhall there be no difference betwixt them and the Children of Inſidels, that one ſhall have no more birth priviledge then the other, but the Apoſtle teaches otherwiſe, 1. Cor. 7. 14.
A Letter of Mr Tandy, to the Miniſter upon receipt of the above mentioned Papers.
Sir,
I Am making ready for my departure hence, and I have only ſo much leaſure as to read yours, by reaſon of the multiplicity of occaſions that take up the reſidue of my ſtay. How God will be pleaſed to afford me ſucceſſe in my endeavours with you I cannot tell, but I will not be afraid to ſay that I am ſure I defend the truth, and yet not I but the ſpirit of God that is within me; I know what conſtruction you will be apt to make of this expreſſion, but I will reſerve my defence, till I receive my fore-ſeen objection. I ſend you this to promiſe you (as God ſhall enable me) an anſwer to your Papers, but you muſt not expect it ſuddenly, becauſe I know not what urgencies I may be put to, when I come to my journies end: By this which I have received, I ſee you beginne to be in ſome heate; you commend me for my free dealing; whether you do it ex animo, as liking my freedom indeed, I leave it to God to judge, that ere long will make the world know wherein they do amiſſe; but in the interim let me tell you, that after the way that you call Judaiſm, worſhip I the God of my Fathers; And I truſt in God either to drive you into a neceſſity of denying there is any Sa…both day at all to be obſerved, or elſe of granting that which I contend for to be the right; And if you do the former who is the Antinomian? Where is the fourth Commandement? If you do the latter, its very probable we ſhall meet in the other controverſie, ſince 'tis acknowledged that they both hang on a ſtring. Sir, ſince you commend freedome, I am emboldened to uſe a little more; Expect before God end this quarrell that he hath with the Land, that God will bring all our hearts to ſubmit with willingnes to his truth, or elſe he will conſume us. The Lord in his mercy look upon us, and cauſe us to ſee the things which concerne our peace; which is the deſire of his ſoule who is
Yours whereſoever you are Chriſts, P. T…ndy.
A Copie of a part of a Letter written by a ſhee Sectarie.
Deare Brother,
TO fulfill your deſires, I here give you a few anſwers to your propoſitions: Firſt, for this propoſition, what diſorder will this produce if there be not prayer in families?
Anſw. If whole families be Saints then you may pray with them, and pray as often as the ſpirit moves you; But this is the miſery, we have taken up things upon truſt, and done what wee thought good, and have not eyed the rule and direction of the word.
2. Prayer is a naturall thing, for it is a principle of nature in all men to call upon God, ſo do Turks and Heathens; but God is a God of knowledge, and what is not of faith is ſinne; ſo though the wicked pray, they being unbeleevers, their prayer is ſinne: Paul in the Acts reproveth the ſuperſtitious ignorant worſhip of them there, when he found their ſuperſcription to the unknowne God, whom, ſaith he, yee ignorantly worſhip, him declare I …nto you; ſo that ignorant people they cannot pray, they muſt have God declared unto them.
3. Wee have no example nor precept in all the Goſpel for Saints to pray with unbeleevers; when Chriſt prayed he took his Diſciples apart; indeed he taught and exhorted all; ſo the Saints in the Acts they prayed alone from the world; and Chriſt ſaith goe preach the Goſpel to all, he doth not ſay goe pray with all; and Chriſt nor his Apoſtles never prayed with the world; the Apoſtles taught in their Synagogues and expounded in their Aſſemblies, but not a word of praying with them; and experience teacheth us how our hearts are ſtraitned, and how wee limit the ſpirit (if I may ſo ſpeak) when we pray with unbeleevers, and faith commeth not by praying with them, but by preaching, for faith commeth by hearing: I know no word for the Miniſters praying with the world, nor Saints to joyne with them.
Object. But Chriſt gave thanks: The Apoſtle Paul gave thanks before them all.
Anſw. Chriſts thankſgiving was ſometimes miraculous, for by his bleſſing the creature he did a miracle; ſo the Apoſtle's was too, as farre as I know; for you know how wonderfully after hee and all with them were preſerved: Or if we may give thanks with them, it is becauſe all have a right to the creatures reſtored them by Chriſt, that in a way of exhortation or praiſe a Saint may informe them therein of their right by Chriſt.
Object. But what ſhall they do that have families, ſhall they be as Heathens? doth not the word ſay that he will pour out his w…ath upon the Heathen, and the families that call not upon his Name?
Anſw. That makes nothing for it, for it is not ſaid that the Heathen and theſe that know him not, ſhall call on his Name; this is not for it, but to ſhew the miſery of theſe that cannot; ſure it is ſweet for Saints to eye the rule for all that they do: Sure I do not write this that I would diminiſh any of the unbeleevers priviledges; for Chriſt Jeſus knowes my heart is more pitifull unto them then ever; but I finde in the word that the Goſpel muſt be preached unto them, they muſt be exhorted and pitied and prayed for, and Saints muſt ſhine before them by a holy —
The reſt was torne away by a Sectary, it was ſigned M. D.Plymouth, the 5. day of the ſecond monethmonth. 1645. And ſubſcribed thus, To her Loving Brother Nicholas Couch in Dartmouth, This Couch is an Enſigne in Dartmouth.
Animadverſ. on this laſt letter by way of Confutation.
Thankſgiving is made a part of Prayer as well as the other three Petitions, Interceſſions, &c. 1 Tim. 2. 1, 2. v. Acts 27. 35. Paul gave Thanks to God in the preſence of them all, where in the Ship by many paſſages of that chapter, Acts 27. particularly the two firſt verſes it is evident they were not beleevers, and ſo Chriſt Joh. 6. 10. 11. v. gave Thanks among them all, and ſet aſide the Diſciples, ther's no ground to think any of them were beleevers, but called the multitude, men, and ſuch like phraſes, not Diſciples: in 1 Corinth. 14. where the publike meetings of Chriſtians are ſpoken of, and ſeverall parts of worſhip deſcribed, as Singing, Praying, Propheſying, unbeleevers are ſpoken of as coming into thoſe Aſſemblies where theſe parts of worſhip are performed, and they are not excluded from being preſent at one more then another, nor beleevers commanded to ſuſpend Prayer upon their coming any more then Propheſying, but the chapter carries it as free to come in at all, and the Church free to performe Praying and Singing as well as Propheſying, notwithſtanding unbeleevers preſent, compare theſe Verſes together, 14, 15, 16▪ 22, 23, 24, 25. As for thoſe Anſwers in this Letter, that Chriſts Thankſgiving was miraculous, &c. they are meer ſubterfugies, and by the ſame reaſons men might argue againſt all giving of thanks before meat, ſaying theſe examples of Chriſt and Paul were miraculous, and ſo not binding, but with theſe compare 1 Tim. 4. 3, 4, 5. verſes, how mea…s are to be received with Thankſgiving, and ſanctified by Prayer (ſpeaking of meats and drinks) and then conſider Chriſts and Pauls example, and it will ſhow tis for our practiſe, beſides tis ſuch a Thankſgiving as hath Prayer and Petition in it for a bleſſing, as is cleare from the fifth verſe, tis …ancti…ied by Prayer, and Pauls Thankſgiving in that twenty ſeven of the Acts had Petition and Prayer in it, not only for the meat, but to raiſe up their dejected minds in the Ship almoſt killed with griefe, vide Calvinum in locum, Acts 27. 35. & lori…m.