Separation Examined, To the reader
TO THE READER.
Chriſtian Reader,
I Shall briefly give you an account what moved me to undertake this taske: 1. I obſerved it very common among Chriſtians, when we have beene ſpeaking about ſome Miniſter, godly, eminent, &c. againſt whom no objection can be made; but if he were a man of the Presbyterial judgement, they would make ſleight account of him. Hee? He is a Presbyterian, and if you have ſaid ſo, Presbyterian is crime enough; hence to ſeparate from a Presbyterial Miniſter, though never ſo able and godly, they thinke it no offence at all; this made me ſearch what they had to ſay againſt theſe Presbyterial men, whether their grounds for ſuch contempt were ſolid, as alſo for their ſeparation.
2. I received two Letters from New England from a worthy Divine, one ſome longer time ſince, the other but lately, in which there were theſe paſſages: In the firſt, which was writ after the overthrow of Duke Hamilton he hath this paſſage, We doe not know what to pray for in your behalfe: God hath removed adverſaries, fought miraculouſly for you againſt the Scots, and put the power of things into ſuch hands, as have beene moſt active for the godly party, and yet your condition is as miſerable as ever, the Lord helpe, for vaine is the helpe of man: I much feare, you that are the godly Miniſters, have beene too paſſive, and not ſo zealous againſt Errours and Hereſies, as you ought, and therefore it is juſt with the Lord, to let in theſe inundations of helliſh opinions upon you, which damp all power of Religion, whereſoever they become; though I am not worthy to be reckoned among the godly Miniſters, yet my conſcience doth not accuſe me of this fault, I am rather judged a man too ſevere. In his other Letter, which came at the end of this Summer, he wrote thus:
It's the wonderment of this ſide of the world, that you that are godly, and may agree, yet will not. Neither doth my conſcience accuſe me in this point, I hope I ſhall cleare it by the enſuing Diſcourſe.
3. Among the many crimes charged upon the Independent Churches, I have noted theſe two eſpecially; 1. That they are but a backe doore for Errours and Hereſies. 2. That they regard nothing but their owne intereſt, ſo long as they have their liberty, though there are Miniſters as godly, able, and learned, and many hundreds of true viſible Churches in the Nation beſides theirs, yet they regard not them, nor their comfort; being therefore ſet downe by Mr. Edwards in his Catalogue of Independents, I thought I would cleare my ſelfe of all theſe things, and though I be but amongſt the meaneſt, and not worth the regarding, yet to diſcharge my ſelfe, and to have my ſpirit free, when ever God ſhall viſit us for theſe Diviſions, Errours, Hereſies, &c. [for what can we expect but ſome rod, if we continue in the frame we now are in?] I have made bold humbly to addreſſe my ſelfe to our Congregational Divines, to be ſeech them, to take thoſe offers, which the Presbyteriall brethren make for agreement, that ſo we may ſtrengthen one another againſt the common adverſaries, that trouble our Reformation.
I thought to have taken occaſion here to cleare my ſelfe from what Mr. Edwards had writ concerning me, but the man being dead, I rather let it alone, (for ſin, I thanke God, he hath charged me with none) I know, if ever the Lord bring ſuch an unworthy wretch as I am to heaven, I ſhall not beare Mr. Edwards a grudge for what unkindneſſe he hath offered to me here. But whereas Mr. Edwards hath branded me for an Independent; ſome of (miſerable) Colcheſter have told me that I have altered my principles; but I know no reaſon why the one ſhould charge me to be an Independent, nor the other for departing from my principles; for I never declared any thing in publike, but onelyonly once, which was concerning the matter and forme of a viſible Church: for the government of the Church never troubled me, but how to have the people reformed, and ſcandalous perſons debarred from the ſeales of the Covenant, and perſons brought into a poſture fit for Diſcipline, but what is this to Independency? Once alſo I expreſſed this, that I conceived, a Church organized, and walking regularly might execute all the power of the Keyes within it ſelf. I never expreſſed any thing more there concerning Church-worke, but did labour to keep alive the old truths, which I found my heart had more need of, then to preach about Church-government in ſuch a Towne, as that was. But if you ſay, though I did not expreſſe it openly, yet I was an Independent in my judgement: but how can men charge me with that, whi…c neither in publike, nor private they ever heard me expreſſe? but then to deale plainly I ſhall ſet down what manner of Independent then I was, and then you ſhall ſee how much I am altered. In theſe points I did joyne with the Congregational-men.
Firſt, I thought none but viſible Saints to be fit matter for a Church.
Secondly, So the Belgick Churches.I thought a promiſe from the people to ſubject themſelves to Church-diſcipline was of very great concernment, to carry on Diſcipline with ſtrength and comfort, as likewiſe to ſubject themſelves to all other Ordinances, as became Chriſtians.
Thirdly, though I did owne the Churches of England for true Churches, yet becauſe for want of Catechiſing and Diſcipline, they were overgrowne with ignorance and prophaneneſſe: I did deſire the groſly ignorant and prophane to ſtay a while, before I gave t heir children the ſeale of Baptiſme, that having got knowledge, and converſation freed from ſcandall, the Ordinance might be adminiſtred with more comfort.
Fourthly, I thought that if Churches were now conſtituting, the Officers ſhould not receive any into Church-fellowſhip againſt the conſent of the people, giving ſufficient proofe againſt them.
Fifthly, I thought the Officers ought not excommunicate any perſon, If the people did not conſent to them [not that a Church muſt be obſtructed, if two or three have a minde to be croſſe.]
Sixtly, I thought a particular Church organized to be the firſt ſubject of the power of the Keyes, and according as Mr. Cotton held it out: but this I did not expreſſe publikely.
Seventhly, I did ſomewhat queſtion whether the Officers of one Church had power to excommunicate in another Church.
But in theſe points I was no Independent.
Firſt, I could not be clear that the people were the firſt ſubject of the power of the Keyes.
Secondly, neither that the Fraternity had power to ordain formally.
Thirdly, that a Miniſter ſhould preach onelyonly as a gifted broth er out of his owne place.
Fourthly, I could not conſent to have the godly people taken away from a godly Presbyterian, into an Independent Church.
Fifthly, I could not approve that Independent Churches ſhould refuſe to communicate with Presbyteriall Churches, though there were good ſtore of viſible Saints, for want of an explicite Covenant.
By this time, I hope I ſhall be no ranke Independent: But where is then my thanging of my principles? let theſe men prove it, for I am the ſame ſtill, onelyonly ſince I read Mr. Hudſon, I doe ſomewhat waver about the firſt ſubject of the Keyes and this is all my change.
That my minde may be cleared againſt whom I write; I obſerve Separatiſts are not all of a ſize; ſome ſeparate from Miniſters & Churches, and get into their private houſes, owne no officers, but pleaſe themſelves with their owne gifts and opinions; theſe are the perſons whom I chiefly aime at, as ſuch that ſo trouble us, that no Church-diſcipline can hold ſo long as they ſtand.
Others live in places where there are viſible and reall Saints, the Miniſtry godly, and able, yea, it may be called to the place by theſe perſons, but becauſe they cannot have all they would picking a quarrell with the Ordination of their Miniſter, &c. they chooſe ſome other Miniſter in ſome other Towne, and ſo depart from the Prebyterial to a Congregational Church, continuing ſtill in the ſame Pariſh; It is well theſe men hold up Ordinances and Officers, yet the grounds of their practice the enſuing Diſcourſe will try. I am ſure, peace and unity among Churches cannot poſſibly ſtand with this practice; it is very ſad that we ſhould not yeeld a little, where we may, nay where we ought, for peace with our brethren whom we cannot but judge holy and ſincere.
If there ſhould ſometimes fall out a quotation ſomewhat ſharp, yet I pray doe not thinke that I apply it to all Separatiſts, but to ſome among them, who may deſerve it.
What ſucceſſe my poore endeavours ſhall finde, I know not, I looke for little good they ſhall doe amongſt the Separatiſts, who with an imperious ſcorn neglect to liſten to, or read any thing, which tends to overthrow their practice; and though they be ſo confuted, as they are not able to anſwer a word, yet they ſcorne to acknowledge their error, and returne to the Congregations, from which they have ſeparated, which to me is a clear demonstration, that however theſe men pretend conſcience, yet it is no ſuch thing; for were theſe men lead by a pure conſcience, conſidering how they ſeparate from holy men, ſuch alſo as have beene inſtruments of their ſoules good, conſidering alſo how they weaken their hands, grieve their ſpirits, they would heare, read, pray, take any courſe, that they might be ſure to be found in the truth. Act. 13.36.But I leave the ſucceſſe to God, my deſire was, to ſerve my Generation, and there I reſt.