Concerning the Church of Jesus Christ Upon Earth, Section 8
Sect. VIII.
FRom what hath been ſaid in relation to the Solution of the Fourth Queſtion, it appears that the firſt conſtitution, or planting, or gathering of the Churches in England was right and orderly, according to the Scripture-rule, and way of the Apoſtles, in that caſe; from whence I conclude with that Reverend Divine Mr. Cotton, (as before) that the great work of the Miniſters of Jeſus Chriſt in England now, is not to conſtitute and gather Churches anew, as if there had never been any before: But rather to labour to reform and purge and purifie thoſe Churches which were at firſt founded and built upon the foundation of the Apoſtles and the Prophets, Jeſus Chriſt himſelfe being the chief Corner ſtone: I ſay to reform & purifie thoſe from that droſs and tin, thoſe many corruptions which time & neglect of diſcipline hath contracted.
Therefore I ſhall declare what I conceive as to the way that every particular Church ought to take in this caſe; That is what is now to be done by every particular Church in this land that deſires to be a true reformed and refined Church of Jeſus Chriſt.
It muſt needs by all be granted, that we have, even all the particular Churches and Congregations in this Land, Rom. 3.13.I ſay that we have all ſinned and come ſhort of the glory of God, that our unfruitfulneſſe under Ordinances, our neglect of diſcipline, our not ſanctifying the Sabbath, our careleſſe and unchriſtianlike converſations might juſtly have provoked God to have ſent us a bill of divorce, to have ſent his Meſſengers to us with a Loammi and a Loruhamah, plead with your mother, plead, for ſhe is not my wife, Hoſ. 2.12.neither am I her Husbend.
Therefore, ſeeing we ſtand charged before God with ſo many high and heinous provocations, it is ſurely high time for every particular congregation in England, that is called by the name of a Church, and deſires truly to be ſuch, to meet God in the way with a peace-offering in their hands, that the juſt indignation of the Lord may be turned away from them, that they fall not by their iniquities, and become as dung upon the earth.
We read of the * prodigall ſon after a long time of diſobedience to his Father, Luk. …1.17that when he came to himſelfe, he bethought him of this way to be reconciled to his Father again, I will go, ſaith he, unto my Father, and will ſay unto him, Father I have ſinned againſt heaven & before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy ſon; Thus he humbling himſelf, and confeſſing his fault, his father welcomes him gladly: This my ſon was dead and is alive, was loſt and is found.
Here is a patterne, not onelyonly for one prodigall ſonne or daughter, but for a prodigall aſſembly, or Congregation alſo to be reconciled to God their Father.
Let a particular Church or congregation of people, that by their turning of grace into wontonneſs and abuſe of ſpirituall mercies, have given God juſt occaſion to diſown them: I ſay, when theſe come to themſelves, to have a ſight and ſence of their own ſtate, and of the danger thereof, that is of their not being reconciled to God, and cleaving more cloſe to him, let them gathering themſelves together;
Firſt, Humble themſelves before God, freely confeſſing their many provocations, the want of love, of zeal, of holy walking according to the Statutes and Ordinances of the Lord Jeſus, their breach of Covenant with God, which they made in Baptiſme, let them ſay, Father we have ſinned againſt heaven and before thee, & are not worthy the name of thy Church, or to be called thy people; let them confeſſe the ſins of their forefathers, the generations before them, let them humble themſelves for theſe, and their own imitation of them; Thus did the Church of the Jewes in the dayes of Nehemiah, and Ezra, being ſenſible of their Backſlidings and Spiritual Fornications, and the danger they were in by reaſon of theſe; They aſſembled themſelves, they confeſt their ſins, and the ſins of their fathers, confeſſing God to be juſt in all that he brought upon them, Howbeit thou art juſt in all that is brought upon us, Neh. c. 93 3Ezek. 10.9.for thou haſt done right, but we have done wickedly.
Secondly, Let every particular Church or Congregation renew their Covenant with God, even that Covenant they made with him in Baptiſme, to forſake the world, the fleſh, the Devil, profeſſing their ſorrow and repentance for the breach of it, and ſolemnly engaging to obſerve it better for the time to come, in keeping a more ſtrict watch over themſelves, and one another, in forſaking all ungodlineſs and worldly luſts, and living more ſoberly, more godly, more righteouſly in this preſent world, as becometh Chriſtians & the profeſſed Members of the Church of Jeſus Chriſt: Thus did alſo the Church of the Jewes; you heard before that in relation to their better reformation and turning to God, they aſſembled themſelves together, and humbled themſelves before the Lord, confeſſing their ſins and the ſins of their fathers, and to this they added a ſolemn renewing of their * Covenant, Nehe. 9 38. 9 2.or a new engaging to God to walk more orderly before him for the time to come.
Thirdly, Let them ſeparate themſelves from Achans; I mean, let every particular Congregation of Gods people put out from amongſt them all the openly ſcandalous, ungodly, and prophane, for theſe are botches and boiles of a Church, the dead and withered branches, which ought to be cut off by the ſentence of excommunication, 1 Cor. 5.1, 2. Rev. 18.4. Nehem. 9.38.