An Appeal to the Churches of Christ for their Judgment, Letter 1 – Text
To all thoſe, who looke for New Heavens, and a New Earth, wherein dwelleth Righteouſneſſe, haſtening unto the Kingdome and patience of Jeſus Chriſt, when ſhall be a Reſtitution of all things, which God hath ſpoken by the mouth of all His Holy Prophets ſince the world beganne.
DEarely Beloved in the Lord, Called and faithfull, Followers of God as deare Children; we, ſurely the meaneſt, and moſt worth-leſſe among you all, have very lately, (ſuch lingring Spirits we have, O how loath to come out of our Sodom!) asked the way to Zion, with our faces thither-ward; and out of that broad way, we are pulled, the Lord being mercifull to us, in laying …ld upon our hand. And now we ſpeake often one to another (The Love of Chriſt conſtraining) and to as many as will heare us, ſaying, Come, and let us joyne our ſelves unto the Lord in a perpetuall Covenant, that ſhall not be forgotten.
But ſee! and no more but what ye have ſeene, and doe ſee all the day long, how many Adverſaries from without, as many and more dangerous from within, ſtill ſtill oppoſing, contradicting, and blaſpheming, how many? yet Bleſſed be our God and Father of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, we faint not; He, that at the firſt laid hold upon our hand, will hold us by the hand; It is enough; Wee ſhall never looke backe to Sodom more, though our hearts, left to themſelves, are as bad as whoſe are worſt, and could eaſily forgett Lot's wife; and thoſe many, who have drawne back unto perdition.
But not to detaine you long here. We may ſay as Luther ſaid, He did not finde the rude and raſcall Company ſo averſe from, contrary to, and ſet againſt the Lords worke, in his dayes, as he did, you know, whom. We leave others to their own experiences in theſe matters. This is ours; Wee finde none ſo oppoſite to us, as are the Miniſters of the Goſpel, all and every one of them, that are of Mr Humphs: perſwaſion; (farre be it from us to meane or point to any other, whom we love, and honour heartily.) To open our matters morefully unto you, Thus it is; We are queſtioned, yea charged by a godly Miniſter, as we ſuppoſe, who yet doth ſenſe and Practiſe with Mr Hs: That our way is not right, becauſe averſe from and contrary to (indeed it is, as the two remoteſt extreams are to) the ſaid Miniſters his way and perſwaſion, In point of Church. Adminiſtrations.
Now we ſuppoſe, ye have read or heard, what that Gentlemans perſwaſion is, and how much he hath ſaid for it; how much alſo foure Worthies of the Lord, one after another, have ſaid againſt him, withſtanding him to his face. Indeed ſo much they have ſaid, and ſo clearely from the Scriptures, That to us, it ſeemes as much a wonder, That Miniſters of the Goſpel ſhould, after all this, commend that way, bend to it, walke-on in it, ſpeak for it, draw Diſciples after them (with ſo much eaſe and delight, to walke together with them, that is no wonder) as it was to heare a Pope commended, the very plague alwayes of the Chriſtian world; And Hildebrand, among that curſed crue, extolled for a very holy Man, and a Panegyrick written of him; And yet, though he was, ſay their own men, the worſt of all men, ſo bad, that we ſhould bluſh to heare how bad he was, why yet, All the world wondered after the Beaſt? Whence we have concluded, That there is no perſon ſo vild, but his own have loved and commended him. Nor any errour ſo groſs, nor opinion ſo deformed, nor example ſo pernicious, but as it is the more agreeing with the world, and to that principle within us, which drives us to incline towards it; ſo hath it alwayes found many Patrons ſtanding. up in their might for it, and many following after it. And therefore our wonder ceaſeth as to that matter. For
1. The Scripture muſt be full filled. A Carnall Miniſtery alwayes hath been, now is, and now is the time of their manifeſtation we hope, (which being well ſet is ſetling.) That they doe belong to that Out. Court, where the charge is, Leave it out, Meaſure it not. And
2. This their way, which is their folly, muſt needs be, as very taking with themſelves, ſo muſt it be juſtified and maintained by them, being Calculated meerly for a Carnall intereſt. And
3. As taking with the people, as that can be, which is moſt pleaſing and taking; as ſweets with us which choak us; and graſſe with ſheep which rotrs them; for what more pleaſing than is this, To wallow in every mire of ſinne like a Swine; and yet to be wellcommed to the Lords Table as a Saint? No marvaile that many turne-in hether, and follow theſe pernicious wayes. So our wonder ceaſeth.
We crave leave to proceed, That we may give you an account, why wee, the pooreſt of the flocke, have appeared againſt this way? Becauſe after all this, theſe, the Lords Worthyes have ſaid, We are queſtioned and charged, as aforeſaid, that we walke by a fancy, if we doe not walke that is ſenſe and practiſe with Mr Humphs: and thoſe Miniſters of his perſwaſion and practiſe, which is an abhorring to our Spirits. And now in point of Duty to our God, to our ſelves, to our Brethren, whom we love, as our ſelves, we could not be ſilent; For *Si accuſaius non reſpondeat, aut crimininis convictus, aut cerſe ſuſpectus videatur.Silence, when we are charged, either makes a full conviction, or ſtrengthens ſuſpicion. Truely we ſaw it clearely our Duty, to vindicate that, which ſhould be more pretious to us, than the Gold of Ophir; The Glory of God; The honour of His Houſe; our owne credit, in diſaſperſing our ſelves, and giving witneſſe to our wronged innocency, as we could; our Brothers eternall good was alſo full in our eye; as it is in our heart, the weale, or proſperity of his everlaſting Soule.
This farther account, we muſt give of our worke, the expoſing of it, to the view of the world; it amounts to a great volume, containing 60 ſheets, and more, which few or none of our Rank, whom yet we have a ſpeciall eye of Reſpect unto, have ſpare money to gett, or ſpare time to reade; ſo as we are conſtrained to ſend it forth by peece-meale, part after part, eight in all, which, we Conceive, may be made entyre, and compleate, containing diſtinct Subjects. And we begin, for the ſame reaſon, with the Epiſtles, which ſhew the occaſion, Contents, drift, ſcope, and end of the whole, and every part; That Epiſtle to the Chriſtian Reader we judge, of much concernment to him, and may ſuffice for his Information, in the higheſt matters, though he could reach to no more.
Wee have yet farther Reaſon, which mooves ſtrongly with us to doe as aforeſaid in the ſending forth of our Matters peece after peece. (The maine and chiefeſt we omitt, being a point of Diſcretion we thinke ſo to doe; Only it may ſuffice to know ultra poſſe non eſt eſſe. What more is left to you to think) for
1. The matters we are upon, and manner of handling them will not down with the people (we ſpeak after our Country manner) no more than Gall and Worm wood will; yet we ſpeak not this in reference to our Country ſtile or Dialect, but in reference to the Truths here, which ye know are biting, ſtill, yea tormenting Viritates mordaces.fleſh and blood. Indeed our matters are rough and harſh, not one ſmooth word, as fleſh will ſay, all along (yet, we hope, through Grace, that ſtrengthneth, we are not wholy unacquainted with Pauls holy craft, and bleſſed guile) for we feare God, and ſeek to pleaſe Him, and our Neighbour for his Good to Edification. Now they, that, with Ahab, count nothing good but what deſtroyeth them ſoule and body anon-after, though it ſeeme good now at preſent, God forbid we ſhould pleaſe ſuch, for they cannot be pleaſed but with Deceits, Propheſies of wine & ſtrong Drinke. So now few will read us. The Gallioes of theſe times, looſe and prophane Libertines, theſe regard none of theſe things; Carnall Goſpellers, formal profeſſors, thoſe regard as little: What or whoſoever Rebukes ungodlineſſe, or would advance the power of godlineſſe, is an abomination to them: Smooth upon ſmooth runs ſmoothly away; And that which is ſweet, goes down ſweetly. More of that which is ſweet (ſaid Chryſoſtomes hearers of old, as He tells us) though it choak us.
Yet O that they could conſider the later end, what a ſower farewell ſweet will have. O that they could bethink themſelves what will become of them in that day, when the haile ſhall ſweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters ſhall overflow the Hiding place, and the well-built wall, in conceit, ſhall be rent with a ſtormy wind in His fury, when it ſhall be ſaid, Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it? Iſa. 28. 17. Ezek. 13. 11, 12. And
2. Good Miniſters, and a good people, not a few, as in charity we are ready to Judge, will ſtick at our matters; for our affections cannot eaſily fall-in there (the greater is our fault, if not our crime) where our judgement falls-out. And
3. In the laſt place; we are indeed the pooreſt of the flock, truely and indeed leſs than the leaſt. And ever the leſs any one is, the leſs regard will be had to what he ſaith (It would goe to the heart of them, if it were ſo with their God, but with Him the fatherleſs find mercy, a gracious wellcome, yea a glorious acceptance, but we were ſaying) The worth of the ſpeaker, addeth weight to his words; for as the man is, among men, ſuch is his ſtrength, and as his worth is, ſuch is the worth of his words. This onelyonly we can ſay, and we truſt in ſingleneſſe of heart we doe ſay it, That (1) we love the Lord Jeſus Chriſt in ſincerity. And (2) That our intentions are ſingle, and cary level, in deſire and endeavour, to his Glory, and our Brothers everlaſting good. And then we may conclude, ſo may you with us, as a worthy man concludeth for us all, The ſingleneſſe of the intention, is the Sacrificium, Medullatum. Mr. Jen. upon Jude 371.ſweet of a performance, and makes it even a Sacrifice with MARROW.
Here we break-off, commending you to God, and the Word of His Grace, praying with all prayer together with you; That He, who is able to build-us-up, and to give us an inheritance among all them who are ſanctified, would make us perfect, ſtabliſh, ſtrengthen, ſettle us; for ſo an entrance ſhall be miniſtred unto us aboundantly, into the everlaſting kingdome of our Lord and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt, Amen.
Seen, alowed and ſubſcribed by their Paſtor,
HEZEKIAH WOODVVARD.
A faithfull Account given-in by faithfull Brethren of the ſame minde, way and judgement, in the matters of Chriſt; To a faithfull Miniſter of Chriſt (as it is meet for them to think) upon his earneſt requeſt, or rather Charge, That they would give him Scripture-grounds or reaſons of their judgement and practiſe, ſomewhat different, if not Contrary to his,
In Reference to theſe particulars.
I. To Free admiſſion of all Infants to Baptiſme, and growne-perſons to the Lords Table.
II. To the obſervation of that Day we commonly call Chriſtmas-Day.
III. To Formes of prayer; ſpecially the Lords prayer; and foure Queries thereupon.Relating
IV. To a Nationall Church, whether ours is as the Jewes was?
V. To the principles of Infant Baptiſme.
VI. To the power, The Law of a Relation written upon the heart of Miniſters and people by the finger of God, hath to make them walke with a right-foote in the way of God.
Theſe are digeſted into ſeaven Sections; the Contents whereof you have in the Epiſtle to the Rev: Miniſters.
Job 32. 17, 18. I will anſwer alſo my part, I alſo will ſhew my opinion; for I am full of matter, the Spirit within me conſtraineth mee.
Jer. 23. 28. He that hath a Dreame, let him tell a dreame? he that hath my word, let him ſpeake my word, faithfully: What is the Chaffe to the Wheat, ſaith the LORD?
Titus 1. 9. Holding faſt the faithfull Word, as he hath been taught, that he may be able by ſound Doctrine, both to Exhort, and to Convince, the gaineſayers.
1 Pet. 3. 15. Be ready allwayes to give an anſwer to every Man, that asketh you a reaſon of the hope that is in you, with meekneſſe and feare.