The Lords Table Not for All Comers, Treatise · Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
WE ſhould now in the next place, ſet downe the Charge of the Lord to all thoſe that have the Charge of the Sanctuary, of thoſe holy things there, that they make a ſeparation betwixt the pretious and the vile. But this is ſo legible every where all along the Scripture, that we might ſave our ſelves and you the trouble; And indeed this ſecond part of our worke exceeding its proportion, we will deferre what we ſhould have ſaid here to the Laſt Treatiſe. And ſo we come to that we promiſed, therewith to cloſe the reſult of this ſecond debate, as we did the former, and ſo to cloſe up this part. We have made bold to give you a word of exhortation once already, we are bold againe to give you another word, and to proceed in it, we know the manner of an humble perſon, he takes that pearle thankfully as given him from God, though brought unto him, as the good Prophets meate was, by a Raven: A reproofe to him is welcome for what he hath done amiſſe, much more an exhortation that he may not ſo doe, being taken from the mouth of God, as you ſhall finde, we hope, this to be; withall we are every one taxed to pay a Contribution towards the good of ſoules, and well-fare of That Body, whereof the Lord Chriſt is the head and the Saviour, and this we can doe no other way but this.
Sir, we can clearely ſpeake this unto you, we wiſh you Gaius his proſperity; that you may proſper as your ſoule proſpereth; They you, with your people, they with you may walke in the Truth by Goſpell rule; we doe Conſider with you, That you, being a Miniſter of note, and we hope a Godly Man, The ſame may be ſaid of you, as you reade was ſaid of a Godly Noble-Man, You are norma publica, a publique Standard unto your people, who indeed, for the moſt part, are very Apes, taken by imitation by what they heare you ſay or ſee you doe, Non ad rationem ſed ad ſimilitudinem vivimus, was the old Complaint; we take words upon truſt, our Miniſter ſaith it, and there is an end: Thoſe brave diſcreete and generous Bereans did not ſo, They heard Paul and Silas with all readineſſe of minde, yet they did not receive the word upon their word as ſpoken from them (though they might have been beleived before any) but they ſearcht the Scriptures dayly, whether thoſe things were ſo, therefore many of them beleived.
This is out of uſe in theſe dayes, whence it is there are ſo many beleivers in name, and Infidells indeed. You are, we hope, the more carefull what you ſay before them, for we queſtion not your doings out of Gods houſe, and ſo to make way to what we farther intend.
Firſt, Wee humbly entreate you, you would forbeare to doe what we know others doe, gather-up all the filths once viſible now legible in the Church of Corinth and Creete, to beare-out the filthineſſe of their owne: To alledge their want of order and good diſcipline, thereby to juſtifie their owne diſorders, and no diſcipline at all: To make their defects and faileings, to plaiſterover their owne more than faileings, their abominable doeings in God's Houſe; Remember we ſhould they had but the dawnings of the day of the Goſpell, we have the noonetide thereof; And that wee are to walke not by the darke ſide of the Cloud. And let us tremble to juſtifie ſin by ſinne, as we ſhould at that judgement, which the Lord God makes-up of ſin, puniſhing ſin with ſin. Bid your people follow holineſſe; ſtudie to be quiet, and to be pure, a courſe cleane contrary to the world, or commonly called, the Church there, they follow unholineſſe, and ſtudy impiety.
Secondly, Tremble (oh that you could) to be found in the number of the Corrupt Miniſters all over the Nation; theſe alwayes did, now doe, and alwayes will oppoſe Reformation, the Diſcipline of Chriſt in His Church, the breathings of all His Saints in the world, That all things may be done according to patterne; as viſibly held out now before them, as was that in the Mount, as to all Church-adminiſtrations.
Thirdly, And Sir, If you looke after this way, looke for perſecution in it, and from your Brethren. As ſure as it is an holy Iſa. 66. 5. Jer. 40. 7. John 16. …. Acts 26. 9.way, ſo ſure it is a perſecuted way, contradicted and Blaſphemed, and this ſpecially by Brethren. But can this diſcourage you? It was ever ſo; The Lord Chriſt was oppoſed Cheifely by the Preiſts, Scribes, and Phariſees; And Luther profeſſed that he…k 6. 26. found more enemies in the Cl…yſters, and Monaſteries, than he did out of prophane and wicked places; perſecution is as the hand that points you, there is the way of holineſſe, walke in it: If o… finde no perſecution then ye are out of the way, for ſo perſecuted they the true Prophets, pointing them to this way; but for the falſe Teachers that had bid the people runne-on in their owne way of ſin and death pleaſing in their owne eyes, all ſpake well of Act. 7. 52. 2 …m. 3. 11, 12.them. You will find it to be ſo; and fore-warned, fore-armed. And the Nominall Beleivers, titular Diſciples and Saints, ſo accuſtomed to their owne way, a looſe and evill way, the way of the world, of a Nationall Church there, theſe will deale moſt deſpitefully with you. A juſt judgement, ſhall wee ſay, or rather a fatherly Correction, (if the Father of mercies make it ſo to you) That ſo they ſhould returne your kindneſſe to them, in admitting them, when time was, to the Lords Table, upon this ſcore onelyonly, They were borne in England and Baptized there.