Of Liturgies Power of the Keys, Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
3 Poſition.
That the children of godly and approved Chriſtians are not: to be baptized, untill their Parents be ſet members of ſome particular Congregation.
4 That the Parents themſelves, though of approved piety, are not to be received▪ to the Lords-ſupper, untill they be admitted as ſet members.
Reply. WHat is here premiſed to prevent miſtakes, doth ſeem more to raiſe, then to abate ſcruples. You refuſe not all communion with all that are not Church-members, and ſo much they profeſſe who formerly have gone for, and profeſſed themſelves Separatiſts from our aſſemblies; you doe not appropriate theſe priviledges of the ſeals onelyonly to members of your own Churches, &c. If you mean onelyonly that the Sacraments adminiſtred in other Churches be true for ſubſtance; it is no more then you will confeſſe of Rome. If you deny not fellowſhip with them in the ſeals, and to receive them to the Sacrament, your judgement is againſt your practiſe, or you exclude the Churches of England from the number of true Churches.
Anſw. We ſee not how ſuch ſcruples could be raiſed without great miſtake of our meaning, our expreſſions were ſo plain and diſtinct. For,
1 What if ſome Separatiſts admit private communion with ſuch, yet they reject your Churches and Miniſtery as null, which we doe not. And many of them have refuſed alſo ſuch private communion.
2 We marvail how you could fall into ſuch a miſtake, as to ſuppoſe we onelyonly allow the truth of Sacraments for ſubſtance in other Churches, when we ſpeak in the ſame ſentence of receiving ſatisfaction by Letters, or otherwiſe concerning thoſe we admit to the ſeales; which plainly ſhew we ſpeak of communion with ſuch Churches.
3 Concerning fellowſhip with thoſe Churches, we may admit members of them to the ſeales with us, when we cannot always joyn with them in their adminiſtrations, by reaſon of ſome ſinfull corruptions, wherein we muſt have actuall fellowſhip with them; as your ſelves would not joyn, in caſe you muſt kneel at the Lords-ſupper.
4 Concerning the Dilemma. We anſwer; 1 Our practice is not croſſe to this profeſſion. For ſuch as come recommended from forein Churches, and give ſuch ſatisfaction as is meet, we doe receive; and ſuch as have wholly caſt off all relation to Engliſh Churches, and live amongſt us, we have looked at as ſcattered ſtones, till they joyn ſome where in a Church; and themſelves generally ſo judge of themſelves; but if any will hold to their memberſhip in England, and come orderly to communion with us, we have not, no… ſhall not under that notion refuſe them, if they be fit for the ordinances; and therefore we exclude not the Engliſh Churches out of the number, and herein we deal no otherwiſe with them, then with the members of our owne Churches.
Reply. All poſſible care to keep the ordinances of God from contempt, we allow and commend, ſo you deny not Church priviledges, to whom they are due, nor the name of Churches to ſuch as God hath bleſſed with meanes of grace, and have r…ceived the Tables and Seales, and entred Covenant with God. Your liberty to receive ſuch ſatisfaction as is meet, is not queſtioned, nor whether you are to keep the bond of the ſpirit inviolable according to order: but whether this be according to▪ order, to exclude from the Sacrament true viſible Chriſtians, or known recommended Chriſtians, formerly members of viſible Churches amongst us, and their children; and to put ſuch difference between them, and ſuch as are in your Church order.
Anſw. 1 If the learned Author would hold to what here is granted, we hope this controverſie would ſoon be at an iſſue; but it will appear after this order allowed binds onelyonly in caſe of the Miniſters to diſpenſe Sacraments, but Chriſtians are left at a looſe end, in reſpect of combining themſelves unto particular Churches according to the order of Chriſt, which is the thing wee plead for.
2 We have not denyed the name of Churches to ſuch as are ſaid to have plentifully the means of grace, Tables, Seales, and Covenant.
3 Concerning the ſtating of the queſtion, too much liberty is taken, as in other caſes; for neither in the Poſition, or in our Anſwer, doe we limit the queſtion to members in our Church order, (as here it is called) but expreſly extend the ſame to other Churches of Chriſt, though through error or humane frailty, defective in matters of order, yea, to the members of any true Church, as in the Anſwer is ſaid. 2. Concerning ſuch as come over, and are for a time without Seales, it is not becauſe we refuſe communion with them, as being members of your Churches known, or recommended Chriſtians, as you ſay. For if any godly man remaining a member in any true Church with you, or elſwhere, come ſo recommended, or be well known to the Church, we never under that notion refuſe any, but giving ſuch other ſatisfaction as is meet, ſhall readily receive them, as we always profeſſe, and therefore we muſt ſtill call for attendance to the ſtate of this queſtion in its right terms, viz. whether the children of godly parents, or themſelves though of approved piety, are to be admitted to the ſeales, not being members of ſome particular Congregation, or untill they be ſuch.