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<DATE>03-13-06</DATE>
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<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
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<STC T="W">H389A</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">13111184</BIBNO>
<VID>97649</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A LETTER CONCERNING SEPARATION, Written formerly by a Reverend Author; And recommended to All (e&s;pecially the truly Chri&s;tian and Hone&s;t-minded) Members of the Separation within this Di&s;tracted and Divided Kingdom.</P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Rom.</HI> 16. v. 17.</BIBL>
<P>Now I be&s;eech you, Brethren, Mark them which cau&s;e <HI>Di|vi&s;ions,</HI> &amp;c.</P></Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>Jude.</HI> 19.</BIBL> 
<P>The&s;e be they who <HI>Separate</HI> them&s;elves, <HI>Sen&s;ual,</HI> having <HI>not</HI> the <HI>Spirit.</HI></P></Q>
<Q><BIBL>2. <HI>Cor.</HI> 13. v. 11.</BIBL>
<P>&mdash;Be of one Mind, live in Peace; and the God of <HI>Love</HI> and 
<HI>Peace</HI> &s;hall be with you.</P></Q>
<P><FIGURE>
</FIGURE></P>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed for <HI>W. D.</HI> 1681.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="publisher to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>The Publi&s;her to the well-minded Reader.</HEAD>
<P>THe Demeanor and Language of the Conceited Zealot &s;ays, <HI>Stand by thy &s;elf, come not near to Me, I am Holyer than Thou:</HI> That of the Phari&s;ee, <HI>God I thank thee, that I am not as other men are.</HI> The &s;entiments and expre&s;&s;ions of both combined, make one <HI>Mo|dern Separati&s;t.</HI> Saint <HI>Paul's</HI> Dialect on the other hand is, <HI>We be&s;eech you, Brethren, mark them which cau&s;e Di|vi&s;ions, and avoid them.</HI> And his motive is founded on this Rea&s;on, That he who Loveth not his Brother whom he hath &s;een (and can hebe &s;aid to love his Brother who &s;eparates and divides from him?) how can he love God whom he hath not &s;een? Our Ble&s;&s;ed Saviour has therefore (who be&s;t might) umpired the bu&s;ine&s;s, and a&s;&s;ured you, That <HI>by this &s;hall all men know you to be his Di&s;ciples, if you love one another.</HI> In the name, and for the &s;ake of our Common Saviour, I call upon you my <HI>Brethren</HI> of the <HI>Separation</HI> (unle&s;s you value them who abu&s;e the Holy name of Je&s;us more than Je&s;us him&s;elf) That you weigh and duly ponder our Ble&s;&s;ed Saviours words, and &s;tudy the Advice of his Apo&s;tle St. <HI>Paul.</HI> And you will then upon mature calm thoughts not be &s;o ready to inveigh again&s;t the <HI>MISCHIEF</HI> of <HI>IMPOSITI|ONS,</HI> as to abhor the <HI>UNREASONABLENESS</HI> of <HI>SE|PARATION.</HI> In a word, &s;ince <HI>Charity</HI> is the mo&s;t exten&s;ive, and <HI>Humility</HI> the foundation of all Chri&s;tian <HI>Graces;</HI> whether it be more equal, That the <HI>E&s;tabli&s;hed Laws Eccle&s;ia&s;tical</HI> &s;hould vail to <HI>private humour,</HI> or you our brethren of the Separation, kindly and mode&s;tly &s;ubmit your &s;elves to the&s;e <HI>Laws,</HI> let your own <HI>private Con&s;ciences</HI> be the <HI>Sole Judges.</HI></P>
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<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>To Mr. <HI>Smith</HI> and Mr. <HI>Rob.</HI> Ring-leaders of the late <HI>Se|paration</HI> at <HI>Am&s;terdam.</HI></HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Ep. 1. <HI>Setting forth their</HI> injury <HI>done to the</HI> Church, <HI>the</HI> Inju&s;tice <HI>of your</HI> Cau&s;e, <HI>and</HI> Fearfulne&s;s <HI>of their</HI> Offence: Cen&s;uring <HI>and</HI> Ad|vi&s;ing <HI>them.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>_WE <HI>hear</HI> of your <HI>SEPARATION,</HI> and <HI>Mourn;</HI> yet not &s;o much for <HI>You,</HI> as for your <HI>Wrong:</HI> You could not do a greater <HI>Injury</HI> to your Mother than to <HI>flie</HI> from Her. Say &s;he were <HI>Poor, Ragged, Weak;</HI> &s;ay &s;he were <HI>Deformed;</HI> yet &s;he is not <HI>Infectious:</HI> Or if &s;he were, yet &s;he is <HI>yours.</HI> This were Cau&s;e enough for you to <HI>Lament</HI> her, to <HI>Pray</HI> for her, to labour for her Redre&s;s; not to <HI>Avoid</HI> Her: This unnaturalne&s;s is &s;hameful, and more heinous in you, who are reported, not <HI>Parties</HI> in this Evil, but <HI>Authors:</HI> Your <HI>Flight</HI> is not &s;o much as your <HI>Mi&s;-guidance.</HI> Plead not: This fault is pa&s;t excu&s;e. If we &s;hould <HI>All</HI> follow <HI>You,</HI> this were the way, of a <HI>Church</HI> (as you plead) imperfect, to make <HI>no Church;</HI> and of a <HI>Remedy</HI> to make a <HI>Di&s;ea&s;e.</HI> Still the fruit of our <HI>Charity</HI> to you is, be&s;ides our <HI>Grief, Pity.</HI> Your <HI>Zeal</HI> of Truth has <HI>mi&s;led</HI> you, and you others; a <HI>Zeal,</HI> if <HI>Hone&s;t,</HI> yet <HI>Blind-folded,</HI> and led by <HI>Self|will.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Oh that you loved Peace but half &s;o well as Truth!</HI> then this <HI>Breach</HI> had never been; and you that are yet <HI>Brethren</HI> had been &s;till <HI>Compa|nions. Go out of Babylon,</HI> you &s;ay; the Voice not of <HI>Schi&s;m,</HI> but of <HI>Holine&s;s.</HI> Know you where you are? Look about you, I be&s;eech you, look behind you; and &s;ee if we have not left it upon our Backs. She her &s;elf feels, and &s;ees that &s;he is <HI>Abandoned;</HI> and complains to all the World, that <HI>we</HI> have not only <HI>for&s;aken,</HI> but <HI>&s;poyl'd</HI> Her; and <HI>yet</HI> you &s;ay, <HI>COME O&V;T OF BABYLON.</HI></P>
<P>And except you will be willingly <HI>Blind,</HI> you may &s;ee the <HI>Heaps</HI> of her <HI>Altars,</HI> the <HI>A&s;hes</HI> of her <HI>Idols,</HI> the <HI>Ruines</HI> of her <HI>Monuments,</HI> the <HI>Condemnation</HI> of her <HI>Errors,</HI> the <HI>Revenge</HI> of her <HI>Abominations.</HI> And are we <HI>Yet</HI> in <HI>Babylon?</HI> Is <HI>Babylon Yet</HI> among <HI>us?</HI></P>
<P>Where are the <HI>main</HI> Buildings of that <HI>ACC&V;RSED CITY?</HI> Tho&s;e high and proud Towers of that <HI>&V;niver&s;al Hierarchy, Infallible Judg|ment,</HI> Di&s;pen&s;ations with the Laws of God, and &s;ins of Men: <HI>Di&s;po|&s;ition</HI> of Kingdoms and <HI>Depo&s;ion</HI> of Princes, parting &s;takes with God in our Conver&s;ion, through Freedom of Will; in our Salvation, through the Merit of our Works? Where are tho&s;e <HI>Rotten</HI> heaps (rotten, not through Age, but Corruption of Tran&s;ub&s;tantiating of Bread, Adoring of Images, multitude of Sacraments, power of Indulgencies, nece&s;&s;ity of Confe&s;&s;ion, profit of Pilgrimages, con&s;trained and approved Ignorance, unknown Devotions? Where are tho&s;e deep Vaults (if not Mines) of Pennan|ces and Purgatories, and what&s;oever el&s;e hath been devi&s;ed by tho&s;e <HI>Popelings,</HI> whether profitable or glorious, again&s;t the Lord and his Chri&s;t? Are they not all razed, and buried in the Du&s;t? Hath not the Maje&s;ty of her Gods, like as was done to <HI>Mithra</HI> and <HI>Serapis,</HI> been long agone offer'd to the publick laughter of the Vulgar? What is this but to go, yea, to run (if not to flie) out of <HI>Babylon?</HI> But as every man is an hearty Patron of his own Actions, and it is a de&s;perate Cau&s;e
<PB N="2" REF="3" MS="y">
that hath no Plea) you alledge our comorting in Ceremonies, and &s;ay, &s;till we tarry in the Suburbs. Grant that the&s;e were as ill as an Enemy can make them, or can pretend them: You are deceived, if you think the Walls of <HI>Babylon</HI> &s;tand upon <HI>Ceremonies.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Sub&s;tantial Errors</HI> are both her Foundation and Frame.</P>
<P>The&s;e Ritual ob&s;ervations are not &s;o much as Tile and Reed, rather like to &s;ome Fan upon the Roof; for Ornament, more than u&s;e: not parts of the Building but nece&s;&s;ary Appendances. If you take them otherwi&s;e, you wrong the Church; if thus, and yet depart, you wrong it and your &s;elf: As if you would have per&s;uaded Righteous <HI>Lot</HI> not to &s;tay in <HI>Zoar,</HI> becau&s;e it was &s;o near <HI>Sodom.</HI> I fear, if you had &s;een the Mony-changers in the Temple, however you would have pray'd or taught there: Chri&s;t did it, not for&s;a|king the place but &s;courging the Offenders: And this is the Valour of Chri&s;tian Teachers: To oppo&s;e Abu&s;es, not to run away from them: Where &s;hall you not thus find <HI>Babylon?</HI> Would you have run from <HI>Ge|neva</HI> becau&s;e of her Wafers? Or from <HI>Corinth,</HI> for her di&s;order'd Love Fea&s;ts? Either run out of the World, or your flight is Vain. If expe|rience of Change teach you not, that you &s;hall find your <HI>Babylon</HI> every where, return not. Compare the place you have left, with that you have cho&s;en: Let not fear of &s;eeming to repent over-&s;oon, make you partial. Lo, there a common harbour of all Opinions, of all Here|&s;ies; if not a mixture. Here you drew in the free and clear Air of the Go&s;pel, without that odious compo&s;ition of <HI>Judai&s;m, Arriani&s;m, Ana|bapti&s;m:</HI> There you live in the &s;tench of the&s;e and more. You are un|worthy of pity, if you will approve your mi&s;ery. Say, if you can, That the <HI>Church</HI> of <HI>England</HI> (if &s;he were not yours) is not an Heaven to <HI>Am&s;terdam.</HI> How is it then, that our Gnats are harder to &s;wallow, than their Camels? And that whil&s;t all Chri&s;tendom magnifies our happine&s;s and applauds it; your handful alone, &s;o dete&s;ts our Enormi|ties, that you de&s;pi&s;e our Graces? See whether in this you make not God a lo&s;er.</P>
<P>The thanks of all his favours is lo&s;t, becau&s;e you want more: and in the mean time, who gains by this Seque&s;tration, but <HI>Rome</HI> and <HI>Hell?</HI> How do they in&s;ult in this Advantage, that our Mother's own Chil|dren condemn her for Unclean, that we are dayly weakened by our Divi&s;ions, that the rude multitude hath &s;o palpable a mortive to di&s;tru&s;t us? Sure, you intended it not: but if you had been their hired Agent you could not have done our Enemies greater &s;ervice.</P>
<P>The God of Heaven open your Eyes, that you may &s;ee the unju&s;tice of that Zeal which hath tran&s;ported you: and turn your heart to an endeavour of all Chri&s;tian &s;atisfaction: otherwi&s;e, your Souls &s;hall find too late, that it had been a Thou&s;and times better to <HI>&s;wallow</HI> a <HI>Ce|remony,</HI> than to <HI>rend</HI> a <HI>Church:</HI> yea, That even Whoredoms and Murders &s;hall abide an ea&s;ier An&s;wer than <HI>SEPARATION.</HI> I have done if only I have advi&s;ed you of that fearful threatning of the <HI>Wi&s;e man. The Eye that mocketh his FATHER, and de&s;pi&s;eth the Govern|ment of his MOTHER, The Ravens of the Valley &s;hall pick it out, and the young Eagles eat it.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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