A Rejoinder to Mr Drake, Part 2 · Section 2
Sect. 2 THe ſecond Objection is from mens unfitneſſe; unto which I anſwered 1. On the Churches part.2. On the Receivers. For the Church in admiſſion, I ſay, here is no validity, and he acknowledges it, p. 113, 114. For Abſolute unfitneſſe, hee ſayes, is not the rule of his ſuſpenſion. But 1. Viſible unfitneſſe.2. That unfitneſſe, he tels us, they are to diſcerne.3. That tryall is to be by the Elders.4. Then diſcovered, they muſt be kept back.5. And if intrude, cenſured. So likewiſe p. 115. If looke, ſay he, then judge; if judge, then enquire; (for elſe he cannot be like to diſcern who are infants) if enquire, then execute, &c.
Anſw. Here is a pile of Buildings, faire, and coſtly, yet all is loſt by miſtaking the ground whereon he hath ſet it; for it is not viſible Reall worthineſſe upon tryall, but viſible Relative worthineſſe (if I may ſo expreſſe it) or external Covenant Relation, gives a man right, and is the ground of admiſſion; ſo long as hee hath his evidence of Baptiſme, and Memberſhip, you muſt diſprove his right if you exclude him, and not hee prove any other.
2 I require nothing be intruded on us without Scripture; Here is a catalogue of Magiſterial Doctrine, but I pray, where are his proofs? what Scripture hath he for it? Its true, the Apoſtle admoniſhes 1 Pet. 3.15. Be ready alwayes to give an anſwer to every man that asketh you, of the reaſon of the Hope that is in you: But 1. What is that in order to the Sacrament?2. The place there does clearly ſpeak, as to the defence of our Faith in caſe of perſecution, and Mr. Drakes triall is no Inquiſition.3. Hope is taken objectivè, for Chriſtian Doctrine; not ſubjectivè, for the Truth of Grace he would inquire into. But ſuppoſe he urge it, as an office of common charity; doth all this follow upon it ſtreight? will he preſently up and ride? Is there no more to be proved? This is right as ready, as the Schollar for his Journey, he wanted onelyonly Boots, and Spurs, a Cloak, a Horſe, Bridle and Saddle, for hee had gotten a Switch.
Hee objects, When God ſaies, let a man ſo eate, how dare any ſay, let him eate, though not ſo?
Anſw. Who knowes not to return, when God ſaies, let a man ſo hear, ſo pray, the caſe is the ſame? I ſay ſtill a man muſt doe both, there is no eſcape (without ſin) otherwiſe. But when Chriſt ſaies, Doe this, how dare Mr. D. ſay, Doe it not, while inſtead of Examine, and ſo eate, hee commands, let a man examine, and ſo not eate; Let the unregenerate abſtaine. His Argument is this, The Scripture ſays, let a man ſo eat, ſo pray, ſo hear, therefore he muſt not pray, hear, or receive, unleſſe ſo. The weakneſſe whereof is apparent, 1. Becauſe Affirmatives are not excluſive.2. Mans impotency cannot annihilate Chriſts Authority.
If the viſibly unfit will thruſt in, it is the Churches duty not to let them murder the Lord of Glory, unleſſe Mr. H. be of Cains Religion, &c.
Anſw. 1. One good proofe were better then many ſuch untoward ſpeeches.2. Our Saviour Chriſt I hope was of no ſuch Religion, yet did not he keep away Judas.3. Though we are to watch over, admoniſh, and bee keepers of our Brethren, it is within the compaſſe of divine Precepts: But this precept, Keep thy neighbor from the Sacrament, is to my beſt remembrance, none of the ten Commandements.4. The caſe is ſtill the ſame here as in other Ordinances, unleſſe you can ſhew me any difference put in Scripture.5. Thoſe the Church ought not to admit, ſay others upon this, we ought not to joyn with, and if the Miniſter neglects his duty, yet muſt we doe ours, and ſo they ſeparate from us. And therefore laſtly. I would have ſuch know how to diſtinguiſh between an action ſub genere entis, and ſub genere morum; we admit or allow none to receive unworthily, nor hear, or pray unworthily; but we admit them to hear, to pray, and to receive, and exhort them to doe it worthily. We partake with others in actu phyſico, but not in actu morali, neither in our admiſſion, or communication.
For the Receivers part, I laid downe three things.
1 A natural man cannot do any thing as he ought, yet doth not that nullifie his duty; Invocation is a duty of the firſt Commandement. The unregenerate man doth but take Gods Name in vaine when hee prayes, which is expreſly againſt the third; yet doth not the third Command make void the firſt. Mr. Drake excepts the Supper is not converting is Prayer; I ſay otherwiſe, they are a like; But with all, the rule we are to walke by in all duties is not the Event, but the precept, which alone conſidered evacuates his plea; for as we muſt not doe any evill, that good may come of it; ſo muſt wee doe our duty, Gods Precept muſt be done ſtill, though evil come of it.
page 116. A natural man muſt hear, pray, though he cannot rightly, becauſe they are converting, not ſo receive.
Anſw. But firſt, Is it not a ſinne to heare not rightly? Secondly, Becauſe hearing the word is a means of converſion, doth that diſpence with the ſinne of hearing unworthily, and make it become no ſinne? Thirdly, If he ſinne in doing it, then is he bound to doe that, in doing whereof he ſinneth; and if he be, he muſt not omit the duty to avoid ſin. And what doe I ſay more concerning receiving the Sacrament?
2 Every man muſt doe what he can; hee anſwers, true but this is morally impoſſible, becauſe unlawfull; I reply, what Chriſt bids Doe, cannot bee unlawful becauſe it is done, but for the defect onelyonly of the Doer, and therefore that failing it to be amended, but the duty ſtill to bee done. The doing of a thing not rightly, is but partial, but the not doing at all, total diſobedience.
3 There may be a difference between a worthy Receiver, and Receiving worthily; The diſtinction, as Mr. Pembles, he acknowledgeth good; In the uſe and meaning wee differ. It cannot bee ſaid of any that are legally unworthy, that they can legally eat worthily; and if I conſtrue it onelyonly, a man may be legally unworthy, yet Evangelically receive worthily; it is not ad idem, and the comfort is loſt; but if it ſtand thus, that a man may bee Evangelically unworthy, yet receive worthily in his kinde (to wit, as oppoſed to receiving unworthily in the Apoſtles ſenſe) ſo that it may pleaſe God to worke upon him by it; It is as full of ſweetneſſe as ever it can hold, that will have you examine your eſtates, and be ſenſible of them, and ſo come as condemning your ſelves, both legally unworthy, & Evangelically unworthy, yet waiting on Chriſt to make you worthy, as knowing you can never bee ſaved on other termes, and being ready to ſay with the Lepers, 2 King. 7. Why ſit we here untill wee dye? If we enter into the City, the famine is in the City, and we ſhall dye there, and if we ſit ſtill here, we dye alſo. If we forſake Gods Ordinances, or remaine in our condition, we are ſure of death; Now therefore let us fall into the hands of Jeſus Chriſt, Convert thou us, and we ſhall bee converted, if he ſaves us alive, we ſhall live, and if he kils us, we ſhall but dye.
If any approve not the diſtinction, which yet I hope no man will grudge me, Docendi gratia, it will bee all one to hold without it, that a man is to bee accounted to receive worthily, that makes an effectual uſe thereof, according to his condition, whether regenerate, or not; and conſequently that all within the Church, may bee reckoned viſibly worthy, as well as viſibly in Covenant, or viſible Saints, although as hee leads mee the termes, in reference to trial, and evidence, I am forced to follow him, and oppoſe his ſenſe thereof.
Page 117, How many are there outwardly pious, who upon trial might eaſily be uncaſed to live in ſome knowne ſinne? Each of theſe fearing to be uncaſed before the Elderſhip, no wonder they are averſe to trial, leſt their ſheeps-cloathing ſhould bee pulled off, and themſelves diſcovered to be ignorant, prophane, or hypocritical. So page before 49. The denial hereof, muſt needs vex hypocrites, who by this meanes are pryed into, and uncaſed. Conſider this with ſuch places, where he intimates that the Church is to require evidence, and try every profeſſor as to his ſincerity, page 17. and that otherwiſe, they ſhall be partakers of their ſinnes, if they doe not ſtudy, the diſcovery of perſons unworthy, page 120. and the people likewiſe, if they doe not endeavour to keep them from receiving, page 109.
Anſw. I pray read, ponder, and lay ſuch expreſſions to heart, if it be not a ſad thing, to have ſuch grievous fears taught us by the precepts of men? Alas Sirs! Is not the Miniſters calling heavy enough? Are not his conteſts, and hatred more then he can undergoe already? Is not that ſerious duty of the receivers to examine themſelves, worke enough to take them up? And is there any Scripture that enjoynes men to pry into others fitneſſe and unſitneſſe, or prevent ſinne in order to this Sacrament, more then other duties? What a burden will men bring on tender ſpirits, which if wee ſhould doe curſorily, and negligently, and yet make conſcience of it as neceſſary, it will but bring a curſe on us, Jer. 48.10. and if wee ſhould goe to doe it ſeriouſly, what everlaſting difficulties, and troubles will it create for us? This is ſuch a terror cannot bee borne, while as the Iſraelites ſprinkled their door poſts with bloud in the Paſſeover, that they might eſcape death; here is the bloud of the Sacrament as it were ſprinkled upon every ſoule that none may eſcape the guilt of it, but muſt be made fellow-murderers of Chriſt (as hee ſadly termes it) if any viſibly unworthy bee admitted. For my part, if others will needs lay ſuch ſtrictneſs here on, I can but reverence them, the very ſhadow of holineſs is to be feared, but I can never thinke that the doore of the Sacrament (even to the Receivers owne part) is to be held quite as narrow as the doore to heaven, ſo long as the ſame men will maintaine that neceſſary diſtinction of the Church viſible, and inviſible.
Page 118. If Mr. H. object ſuch perſons ought to be excommunicated, then it ſeems, wee offend rather in being too favourable then too rigid, that onelyonly ſuſpend them, &c.
Anſw. This favour of his, which he ſo often ſpeaks of in ſuſpenſion, when yet he holds a man cannot be debarred any Ordinance, but actual receiving in the greateſt cenſure, is methinks, juſt like the good woman, when the man fell off the houſe with an hatched by his ſide, and broke his necke; what a great mercy is it, ſayes ſhee, he had no more harme?