The Lords Table Not for All Comers, Treatise · Chapter 1
CHAP. I.
SECT. I.
THis being a matter of ſuch high concernment to be cleare-in, we will premiſe a few things here alſo to cleare our way into it, and firſt;
1. That we little thought, any Godly Miniſter would have put this to Queſtion, Whether all perſons, pell, mell, tag rag, as we commonly ſay, how ignorant, how prophane, how notorious ſoever for their Deboiſerie, are to have admittance to the Lord's Table by priviledge of Infant Baptiſme; Surely this Queſtion, de Juro, would have been exploded, when our times were at worſt; Archbiſhops and Biſhops at their Zenith or hight, what ever their Vicars, Curats and Parſons did, de facto, ſome of them, as very varlets, as were thoſe, they did admit; But de jure, this ſhould not have been ſo as may be collected by him, that is ordinarily verſed in the old Service-Booke: Specialle that place, which relates to the order ſhould be obſerved in th… adminiſtration of the Lords Supper, together with other Conſtitutions and Canon's, as to that ſacred adminiſtration, printed ſixtie yeares agoe, and reprinted a few yeares by-paſt. Wee will quote two places onelyonly, one out of the Canons of our Church; the other out of the Booke of Common Prayer. The 26 Canon ſtraitly chargeth every Miniſter, That he ſhall not in any wiſe admit to the Communion any of his flock, which be openly knowne to live in ſin notorious without repentance. And the Common prayer book, in the Rubrick before the Communion, commandeth, That if any be an open and notorious evill-liver, or have don any wrong to his Neighbour in word or deed, ſo that the Congregation by him is offended, the Miniſter ſhall call him and advertiſe him in any wiſe not to preſume to the Lords-Table, till he hath openly declared himſelfe to have truely repented &c. Therefore we doe not doubt, but the Miniſters of the Presbyterall way (whoſe Plat-formes for Church-Diſcipline one of us have read) will riſe up in their might againſt Mr Hs: and the men of his way and judgement, who not onelyonly admit, but plead for admittance of any body how ſcandalous ſoever, (it is a wonder, if thoſe they admit, are worſe then themſelves,) for their two pence, leave ſo much behind them, and take damnation with them; did Judas doe worſe, that betrayed his Lord and Maſter? This may minde ſome body of what he may have read, was ſpoken of an Arian Heretick, I ſhall account him a Mihi non alius quàm diabolus, quam diu Arianus.Devill as long as he is an Arian; and perhaps he may apply it to this Gentleman, the leader of that drove or herd of Miniſters, who are of the ſame perſwaſion with him; For it may be doubted, That he with his followers, have, to their power, don more miſchiefe to the Church of Chriſt, than the moſt pernicious Heretick now a dayes hath don. What! A Miniſter of Chriſt, ſpeakQui non vivit ut ipſe docuit certum id documentum eſt non eſſe Chriſtianum. and act ſo, ſo contrary to all men, who walk by the Rule preſcribed them in Gods Word? You know his practiſe, and you ſhall heare by a little, how much he ſpeaks anon againſt our Lord and Maſter, that you may know how well you have ſpoken in juſtification of him. He may preach Chriſt, but doing things moſt contrary to the minde of Chriſt, he makes full proofe he is no Chriſtian; Chriſtianity being nothing elſe but as faire and full a Chriſtianiſmus est ſimilitudo Dei quantum poſſib…ie eſt hamanae naturae. Juſt. Ma…t. orat. ad Anti. Ratio naturalis poteſt altecari ubi deficis lex.drought of God upon the Soule, as the Soule is capable off in this body of death; But ſee how juſtly Sin is called darkneſſe, it hath darkned, we feare, the very light of nature in him, or naturall reaſon, which, ſay the Lawyers, may ſpeake where the Law is ſilent, ſo naturall reaſon where the word of God is ſilent; but where the word of God ſpeaketh, reaſon muſt be dumb. Sin hath darkned that common light in the man, as may be feared; And now read him in his writings, how Croſſe he ſtandeth, and acteth to the word of Chriſt; His Bleſſed practiſe among His Diſciples, and Commiſſion given them to the worlds end; Therefore
SECT. II.
2. WE are, Sir, heartily ſory this ſhould grate ſo hard upon you, but we cannot poſſibly help-it, while you hold ſo faſt to your fore-man, & his tenent, as to free admiſſion of all (notorious for their obſtinate and affected ignorance, as ſome muſt be where all have free admiſſion) unto the Lords Table; It will fare the worſe for you, becauſe he is ſo bad; yee agree ſo well here, that we want skill to make difference betwixt you & him, therefore ye will pardon us, if, diſcerning no difference betwixt you, we make none, though full loth we are to Couple you together. But ſith you will have it ſo, ſo it muſt be, and poſſible with ſome men, it may be for your honour; but however we cannot helpe you at all, nor, we ſuppoſe, can you helpe your ſelfe, by that proviſo you ſpeake of, which the man of your perſwaſion gives you, excommunication. If a perſon, man or woman, ſo notoriouſly vile and debauched, that he is more like a Devill, than a Diſciple, then admit him not, but excommunicate him, Caſt him out. We cannot thank the man for his remedie, It is not worth ſo much (if he had been ſerious therein, which we think he was not, being againſt his own principles) for whether ſhall we caſt him? unles into the ſame place M… Hs. deſerves to be himſelfe caſt (and it is his lighteſt puniſhment; for indeed he hath offended the Lords little ones everyMath. 18. 6. one of them we thought till we thought of you) into the Sea with a mill-ſtone about his necke, for all the dry Land is a Church, as you ſo well know, and can make full proofe. In the next place
SECT. III.
3. WE would ſay in Alluſion to excellent Calvin's words,Si dimidio Chriſti convuti effemus. if we could be content with half a Chriſt, our work would quickly be at an end, and we ſhould agree; So if we could be content with an halfe Reformation (which will content the Godly party, as the halfe of her deare Child the deare mother) ye do not bid us the halfe; no, nor the leaſt part or peice of Reformation; for, making no ſeparation from the world at the Lords Table, where or when will ye ſeperate? All one at the Lords Table, and every where one. The world and you cannot be two, while profeſſedly one at the Lords Table. We will take leave to ſet downe excellent Burroughs his words, we have read or heard upon this ſubject. Whenſoever you receive the Communion with any Company, Reade Maſter Palmer, p. 100.you doe Confeſſe your ſelfe to be of the ſame body with that Company. I muſt profeſſe that I doe beleeve my ſelfe to be of the ſame Body that this drunkard is off; this Idolater, this covetous perſon is off; this whore-maſter, this ſwearer is off; joyning with them to eate Bread at the Lords Table, (where theſe uncleane ones muſt needs be where all are admitted to be) profeſſing nothing againſt them, nor taking any Courſe at all with them, for the excluſion of them, or purging of them-out: Allowance of a thing done, is as good, as a Commiſſion for the doeing of it. Therefore it concernes us very much to looke unto it, That it be an holy Communion we receive the bread and wine-in. In the laſt place
SECT. IV.
4. WE would adde this; That we are as unable to keepe ſilenceInveniar ſanè ſuperbus avarus, omnium vitiorum reus modo impij ſilen…ij non arguar dum dominus …atitur. as we are to ſpeake, as the Learned doe, obſerving, the ordinance of our deareſt Lord and Saviour, ſo prophaned; His owne order, in His owne houſe, whereof He is ſo tender, ſo blaſphemed; and by thoſe, who ſhould be moſt obſervant thereof; His ſtewards there. We profeſſe we wiſh our eyes fountaines of teares, and that our hearts could melt like wax, and ourLuth: ep: ad Staupitium. bowells yearne upon theſe ſtewards in Gods houſe, who admitt all to his Table, come who will all are welcome; Surely if they repent not of theſe horrid doings, the Maſter of the houſe and Lord of the Table, will riſe-up againſt theſe ſtewards, as once He did in Mount Perazim, He will be wroth with them as in Mount Gibeon; for by their meanes it is that a brutiſh, ſottiſh people, admitted by them to eate and drinke at the Lords Table, doe eate and drinke their owne damnation; encreaſing their guilt there, and hardning themſelves to their utter ruine, and everlaſting deſtruction. And is this nothing? Nothing ſaith Mr Hs: for which ſome other will deale with him aſſuredly, and bray him in a morter, that his folly may depart from him, who ſaith in effect, though not in terminis; It is nothing to eate and drinke damnation to our ſelves, as all muſt doe who eate and drinke unworthily, upon account onelyonly of Infant Baptiſm: For by Comming, or, raſhly, like naturall bruite beaſts, ruſhing to the Lords Table, before the word of life, hath brought life to their ſoules, they eate and drinke judgement to themſelves, and have put themſelves into an utter incapacity or impoſſibility ever to be wrought upon thereby, we meane as to the ſtrength and power of ordinary meanes, That worke on other men for their Converſion, who have not willfully perverted the holy order of the Lord, which He hath preſcribed, nor preſumptuouſly paſſed over the ordinary meanes of Converſion: They have hard hearts, that doe not melt into teares, beholding a poore ſottiſh people, encreaſing their guilt every day, and more and more hardning themſelves to their eternall ruine. Therefore for our deare Lords and Chriſts ſake, whoſe Body and Blood we cannot ſee with patience thus proſtituted to dogges and ſwine; for His Churches and Truths ſake, the onelyonly two dearely beloved and regarded in the whole world, for Soules ſake, purchaſed at ſo deare a rate, (which argues the pretiouſneſſe of them) for your owne ſakes, whoſe foot ſtands fixed in Mr H…: way (his owne) a way of ſin and death; have we ſpoken hitherto, and ſhall ſpeake in theſe matters before us, as we have beleived, And as the Church of Chriſt hath practiſed in all times, and ages, though not with that freedome and bleſſed libertie, as by the abundant riches of Gods goodneſſe now they can doe, for which liberty they bleſſe God night and day, who hath ſo changed the times; Time was, and it was a ſad time, with all the godly Miniſters and people all over the Land, when there was no barre to keepe any from the Lords Table, but one, which ſuperſtition made; And was it a juſt Greife (to borrow Mr Sanders words) then, that there was no barre; And is it your worke now to remove the Barres, yea the Lords and his Churches antient Land-markes, and lay all Common? The Lord God of gods lookes upon this, and will require it. Therefore in our tendereſt reſpects unto you, we would Caution you in our entrance to this Treatiſe, for with that or the like unto it we meane to end this; of all murther take heed of Soules De Eccleſ: lib. 2.murther, your owne or others, It is Salvians Caution. It is true your people will be very wroth with you, if you will not murther them, let them eate and drinke damnation to themſelves. The moſt cruell & bloody murther (though Mr Hs: will not beleive it) to ſuffer perſons one or more to poiſon themſelves with the Sacrament, which workes ſtrongly, and kills preſently, as poiſon mixed with the ſtrongeſt wine will doe. Vineger, you have read, 'tis filius vini, and the ſweeteſt wine degenerates into the ſharpeſt *Goſpel Co…dials to a fowle heart are th… deadlieſt p…yſon. Mr. Fo…d. Sp. Ad. 470.vineger; As there are more liberall doles of Grace in time of the Goſpell, and ſpecially given forth at the Lords Table to the worthy receivers; So are there the largeſt violls of wrath there alſo, given forth to eate and drinke downe by the unworthy receivers: very likely your people will not apply their heart to this, no not to this; But if they may not have the Lords Supper, as formerly they have had, once a yeare at leaſt (which now will not ſerve their turne) or thrice, or, ſince they are uſed to it, once a monethmonth; they will crie-out againſt you all the yeare long, and Curſe too; (to whom God hath not made it manifeſt, that they themſelves are beaſts) Theſe ignorant, unreaſonable and wicked perſons will ſo doe, if you will not ſuffer them to drinke downe a Curſe, and deſtroy themſelves for ever, if you will not take the readieſt way, to deſtroy them by admitting them ſo unworthy to the Lords Table, They will deſtroy you; at leaſt they will doe, what they can. Why but, as the Counſell is to the Parent Correcting his Child, Let not thy ſoule ſpare for his crying: So regard not their Crie, nor their Curſe neither. But, though they Curſe, Bleſſe them, which you cannot doe; but in bidding them attend diligently upon the Converting ordinance, and forbeare comming to the Lords Table, till the Word preached hath done its worke, Then come and wellcome.—But we ſhall contribute more to this, at the end of this Treatiſe. And now before we come to argue the Negative; That Children in underſtanding willfully ſuch▪ Children of Belial alwayes, are not to be admitted to the Lords Table. We will with your leave heare you make out the Affimative firſt, That Children in underſtanding are to be admitted to the Lords Table. We have heard you (we ſhall alledge nothing from what we have read) and thoſe in your way with you, make it out thus▪ and ſo this is your firſt proofe.