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<DATE>2008-3-3</DATE>
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<NAME>Elspeth Healey</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A DEFENCE OF Chri&s;tian Liberty To the LORDS Table; Except in ca&s;e of Excommunication and Su&s;pen&s;ion.
Wherein many Arguments, Queres, Suppo&s;itions, and Objections are an&s;wered by plain Texts, and con&s;ent of Scriptures.
As al&s;o &s;ome Po&s;itions an&s;wered by way of a &s;hort Conference which the Author hath had with divers, both in Citie and Countrey.
All which are profitable to inform to truth, and lawfull obedience to Authoritie.</P>
<P>By <HI>John Graunt,</HI> who beareth witne&s;&s;e to the Faith.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Jerem. 10. 23.</BIBL>
O Lord, I know that the way of Man is not in him&s;elfe, it is not in Man that walketh to direct his &s;teps.</Q>
<Q><BIBL>1 John 2. 26.</BIBL>
The&s;e things have I written unto you concerning them which &s;educe you.</Q>
<Q><BIBL>2 Tim. 3. 13.</BIBL>
But evill men and &s;educers &s;hall wax wor&s;e and wor&s;e, deceiving and being deceived.</Q>
<P><HI>Publi&s;hed according to Order.</HI></P>
<P>London Printed for <HI>Humphrey Robin&s;on,</HI> and are to be &s;old at the three Pigeons in <HI>Pauls</HI> Church-yard. 1646.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>THE PREFACE TO THE READER.</HEAD>
<P>_OUR Lord once asked a que&s;tion of his Di|&s;ciples; <HI>Are yee able to drink of the Cup that I &s;hall drink of, and to be baptized with the Bapti&s;me that I am baptized with?</HI> In the an&s;wer he a|grees with his &s;ervants, that it &s;hould be &s;o with them, <HI>Mat. 20. 22. 23.</HI> And as this was the ca&s;e of <HI>James</HI> and <HI>John;</HI> &s;o it was <HI>Peters</HI> and all the faithfuls al&s;o, and is now, and ever was Gods &s;er|vants ca&s;e and condition, to &s;uffer with him, as truly as they &s;hall reigne with him. For as the &s;hadow followes the naturall body; &s;o afflictions follow the Church, the children of Truth, his my&s;ticall Body. And as there is an univer&s;all daily proofe of this truth; &s;o in particular at <HI>Woolchurch, Anno 1645.</HI> for a mode&s;t and privat te&s;timony of the the Witne&s;&s;es of &s;ound Doctrine, the te&s;tifier thereof was te&s;ti|fied again&s;t with contempt and reproach, which for the truths &s;ake he hath patiently born, not rendring evill for evill, or railing for railing, but contrariwi&s;e ble&s;sing, knowing that the Lord calls his &s;ervants thereunto, that they may inherit a ble&s;sing. And notwith&s;tanding the Pari&s;hioners his &s;uffering, he being not thereby di&s;couraged, went on in di&s;covery of the truth, and in oppo&s;ition of the
<PB REF="3">
mi&s;takes, &s;o that the que&s;tions were brought to publication in a &s;mall &s;hort Treati&s;e called, <HI>Chri&s;tian liberty to the Lords Table:</HI> again&s;t which authorized Tract I have recei|ved divers exceptions from &s;everall friends, yea, friends, which doth the more take my affection: And the &s;aid excep|tions under differing notions, as below are mentioned. All which, with my defen&s;ive an&s;wers to each, I again pre&s;ent with open face to the world. And in conclu&s;ion, a briefe recitall of &s;ome &s;hort Di&s;cour&s;es I have had in my journey in the Countries with &s;uch as are oppo&s;ite to the pre&s;ent government. And becau&s;e &s;ince the time my &s;mall Taper was lighted, there hath ri&s;en a man of much eminency, a burning glory, a &s;tarre of great &s;hining, holding forth with Scripture, Lear|ning and Arts, the &s;ubject and matter of my meditations, yet the manner being different, and my phra&s;e, &s;tile, and know|ledge like my &s;elfe, low and mean, I therefore commend my thoughts to &s;uch of my own capacity, ca&s;ting my mite into the Lords Trea&s;ury, and thru&s;ting in my weake and mean Sickle of plain workman&s;hip into the Lords great harve&s;t, praying that all that read it with the &s;ame affection that I write it, may gain the like benefit.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="discourse">
<PB N="1" REF="3">
<HEAD>A Defence of Chri&s;tian Liberty to the LORDS Table.</HEAD>
<P>_THE fir&s;t thing I received by way of oppo&s;i|tion to my book, were &s;ix Arguments.</P>
<P>My fir&s;t Argument again&s;t your Treati&s;e (&s;aith my friend) called, <HI>Chri&s;tian liberty to the Lords Table,</HI> is this:</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the Scripture doth not te&s;tifie of any particular man converted by the Sacra|ment alone: Therefore it is a rea&s;on to me to beleeve the Sacrament doth not convert.</P>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="response">
<HEAD>My Defence to your fir&s;t Argument.</HEAD>
<P>Friend, by your fir&s;t Argument you &s;eem to divide between the Scriptures and the Sacrament (in the&s;e words, <HI>By the Sacrament a|lone</HI>) which is a mi&s;taking the point in hand: For my book is inti|tuled, <HI>Chri&s;tian liberty to the Lords Table;</HI> the Title thereof &s;hew|ing and preaching the quite contrary: for there can bee neither Chri&s;tians &s;o called, nor Sacraments &s;o in&s;tituted where there is no Scriptures. And that this might have been under&s;tood by you, con|&s;ider the Texts of the Old and New Te&s;tament alledged for proofe, with the place, Preacher, and hearers in&s;tanced, at <HI>Woolchurch</HI> in <HI>London.</HI> Secondly, there is no example that the reading the Scrip|tures doe convert: &s;hould any man beleeve therefore the Lord doth not many times convert by reading? We have no expre&s;&s;e Scrip|ture to te&s;tifie that <HI>Peter, James</HI> and <HI>John,</HI> with the re&s;t of the A|po&s;tles by name, were outwardly baptized; &s;hall we therefore not beleeve it? We doe not read that the Apo&s;tles, Evangeli&s;ts, or Di&s;ciples of Chri&s;t, did once or ever u&s;e the Lord prayer, although he commanded it, <HI>Luke</HI> 11. 2. is it therefore un<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">awfull to u&s;e it? And that the Supper of the Lord is a teaching Ordinance, as it is a
<PB N="2" REF="4">
confirming ordinance, we &s;hall have many times occa&s;ion to cleare in making my defence.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="argument">
<HEAD>His &s;econd Argument.</HEAD>
<P>I doe not read in Scripture that the Sacrament was admini&s;tred to any Chri&s;tian A&s;&s;embly, till &s;ome of that A&s;&s;embly were begot|ten to God by the word of truth, which makes me beleeve that it was for the Saints &s;akes onely when it was in&s;tituted and admini|&s;tred; and &s;o to confirm and not to convert, but to commemorate and &s;trengthen.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="response">
<HEAD>My defence to your &s;econd Argument.</HEAD>
<P>I doe not read in all the Scriptures that the participation of the Lords Supper was denied any common beleever for want of &s;peci|all faith, and not being a &s;pirituall Chri&s;tian: for although God did in a &s;peciall &s;en&s;e in&s;titute and ordain all his ordinances for his elects &s;ake for their regeneration and confirmation, their &s;pirituall communion with God in Chri&s;t; yet I affirm, that among the&s;e faithfull, the outward and common Chri&s;tians did in the Apo&s;tles times, &amp; may now communicate in the outward &amp; common things of the word &amp; Sacraments: for <HI>they that gladly received the word, were baptized, and continued in the Doctrine, Sacraments and Prayer, Acts</HI> 2. 41, 42. And as it was thus at <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> &s;o it was at <HI>Samaria, Acts 8. Corinth, Ephe&s;us, Colo&s;&s;e,</HI> and in all the Churches of the Saints. And therefore the outward &s;ignes of the Sacraments were not or|dained for the Saints onely, but it is with Chri&s;tians in our time, as it was with <HI>Abraham</HI> and his &s;eed, that is, the elect, in the&s;e words, <HI>Gen. 17. 7. I will be thy God, and the God of thy &s;eed:</HI> but the outward &s;ignes of the covenant belonged to all his &s;eed ingenerall, and to the &s;eed of all others that came to acknowledge the truth, and be|leeve the Scriptures.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="argument">
<HEAD>His third Argument.</HEAD>
<P>Becau&s;e the right u&s;e of the Sacrament is onely and alone with the faithfull; they onely have &s;pirituall communion with the Lord, in who&s;e remembrance it was in&s;tituted.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="response">
<HEAD>My defence to your third Argument.</HEAD>
<P>In my defence to your &s;econd Argument, the inference and con|&s;equence thereof is, that the u&s;e of the Lords Supper is not for the Saints alone: for although the Saints have the bli&s;&s;e and be&s;t u&s;e of the Sacrament, yet not the onely u&s;e. And as they have a &s;peciall right, as &s;piritual Chri&s;tians, by faith to eat Chri&s;ts fle&s;h, and drink
<PB N="3" REF="4">
his bloud to their confirmation: &s;o the unregenerate elect and common Chri&s;tians have a true right to the communication of the outward &s;ignes to their information and in&s;truction, among&s;t the faithful. For as the Pa&s;chal Lamb was generally to be eaten by both &s;orts of beleevers, <HI>Exod. 12. 43, 44. Circumci&s;e him</HI> (&s;aith the Text) <HI>and then &s;hall he eat thereof:</HI> &s;o baptize the Chri&s;tian, and let him ex|amine him&s;elfe touching the knowledge of the Lords Supper, and &s;o let him eat, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11. 25&punc; 26, 27, 28. And here take notice by the way, that this examining a mans &s;elfe is all one with the preparati|on to the Pa&s;&s;eover: for the true u&s;e of under&s;tanding the Lords Supper, and di&s;cerning the Lords body in knowing the meaning of the &s;ignes, is to lead us to repent of our &s;ins: and to repent is to eate no leavened bread; for this is to put out the leaven out of our hou|&s;es, <HI>Exod.</HI> 12. 15. And the Apo&s;tles admonition to the Church of <HI>Corinth</HI> is in effect the &s;ame that <HI>Hezekiah</HI> praieth for, that the peo|ple before they came to the Pa&s;&s;eover, might <HI>prepare their hearts to &s;eek God, and that the Lord would pardon them that were not clean&s;ed ac|cording to the purification of the Sanctuary, 2 Chron. 30. 19. For</HI> (&s;aith the Text ver&s;. 18.) <HI>a multitude of the people, even many of Ephraim</HI> and <HI>Mana&s;&s;es, I&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ehar and Zebulon, had not clean&s;ed them&s;elves, yet did they eat the Pa&s;&s;eover, &amp;c.</HI> Ob&s;erve how the Church of <HI>Corinth</HI> and the Church of the Jewes are paralleld, and although many defe|ctive in both, yet in neither any denied. And this promotes the free mercy and goodne&s;&s;e of God, that the unregenerate are not re&s;trai|ned from no outward ordinance that might further their co~ver&s;ion.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="4" TYPE="argument">
<HEAD>His fourth Argument.</HEAD>
<P>That the Lords Supper doth commemorate and confirm, is very cleare and evident from the Scriptures: but that it &s;hould be a means of conver&s;ion, that is dubious.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="4" TYPE="response">
<HEAD>My defence to your fourth Argument.</HEAD>
<P>That which with the Word doth commemorate Chri&s;ts death, that doth al&s;o &s;ignifie, teach, and &s;hew forth, or is a means to attain grace even &s;o often as it is communicated with the word, <HI>Luke 22. 19. 1 Cor.</HI> 11. 26. And this is a truth not dubious but per&s;picuous. For as by the eye the cutward &s;ight doth affect the heart within, o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> inwardly, <HI>L<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">m.</HI> 3&punc; 51. &s;o doth the calling to mind, or remembrance, as <HI>David</HI> &s;aith, <HI>P&s;al. 77. 3. I remembred God,</HI> &s;aith he, and what did it lead him to, or teach him? He gives us the an&s;wer him&s;elfe. <HI>And I was troubled.</HI> And what was his trouble but godly &s;orrow and re|pentance?
<PB N="4" REF="5">
And upon the &s;ight of the bitter pa&s;&s;ion of our Lord, which was the &s;ame death the Lords Supper holds forth to us, it is &s;aid, <HI>Luk. 23 48. And all the people which came together to that &s;ight, be|holding the things that were done, &s;mote their brea&s;ts and returned.</HI> Wherefore be &s;atisfied of the converting operation of the Sacra|ment. And the truth is, you confe&s;&s;e it in all your Arguments, in that you doe acknowledge it doth commemorate and call to mind. I pray con&s;ider what S. <HI>Paul</HI> writes to <HI>Timothy, 1 Tim. 4. 6. If thou put the brethren in remembrance of the&s;e things, thou &s;halt be a good Mini&s;ter of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> So then to call to mind, or to put men in remembrance of the truth, is a part of the mini&s;tery of the Go&s;pel, and that the participation of the Sacrament doth both, our Lord and his &s;ervant te&s;tifies, <HI>Luke 22. 1 Cor.</HI> 11. The more fuller clearing hereof, I refer to my defence again&s;t the two Mini&s;ters five <HI>Quaeres</HI> hereafter mentioned.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="5" TYPE="argument">
<HEAD>The fifth Argument.</HEAD>
<P>That the Word and Works of God are a means to beget grace, the Scriptures plentifully affirm, and they need no expo&s;ition at all; for they &s;peak out the glory of him that made them, the wi&s;dome, bounty, and goodne&s;&s;e of God which leadeth to repentance: but the Sacrament, as the Bow in the clouds, cannot without the expo|&s;ition of Scriptures; and therefore not teaching.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="5" TYPE="response">
<HEAD>My defence to your fifth Argument.</HEAD>
<P>You &s;ay God hath made his works as his word, the outward means to beget grace, and they need no expo&s;ition, for they are made of God apparent to all, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 97. 6. but you &s;ay, &s;o is not the Sacrament. Nor, &s;ay I, the written Scriptures manife&s;ted to them that have them not: but as the Rain-bow in the clouds ordained by the word of God, doth teach to the eye Gods faithfulne&s;&s;e in his promi&s;e and covenant, <HI>Gen.</HI> 9. 13. even &s;o doe the Sacraments, which are likewi&s;e ordained by the &s;ame word, inform the heart by the eye, through &s;eeing Chri&s;ts death vi&s;ibly repre&s;ented by the ele|ments, &s;o often as by the word they are con&s;ecrated, and by belee|vers communicated; and doe thereby teach, &s;et forth, and declare Gods faithfulne&s;&s;e in his promi&s;e and covenant made with man|kind in and through the death of Chri&s;t. And Bread and Wine &s;a|cramentally are to none &s;o, but to &s;uch as beleeve the Scriptures.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="6" TYPE="argument">
<HEAD>His &s;ixth Argument.</HEAD>
<P>The Word and Works which are outward means to beget grace,
<PB N="5" REF="5">
are made of God obvious to all men to &s;ee and read, to the end they may bee won to repentance; but the Sacrament may not be u&s;ed to all the world, but onely by &s;uch as beleeve Je&s;us Chri&s;t mani|fe&s;ted, which is a further ground to me that it begets not grace, but commemorates and confirms onely.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="6" TYPE="response">
<HEAD>My defence to his &s;ixth Argument.</HEAD>
<P>This Argument is of the &s;ame nature with your former, and therefore one an&s;wer may &s;erve for both: for if the bounty and goodne&s;&s;e of God be made known to Chri&s;tians by the Lords Sup|per, then by your own Argument they teach Chri&s;tians to grace, as the works of God, the whole creation manife&s;ting Gods bounty and goodne&s;&s;e, who thereby win or lead men to repentance, even that part of mankinde that have not the Scriptures, which &s;hall be more cleared hereafter.</P>
<P>Now after I had received the&s;e Arguments from a friend, there were &s;ent me from two Mini&s;ters of my acquaintance, the&s;e five <HI>Queres</HI> following.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="query">
<HEAD>The fir&s;t <HI>Quere.</HI></HEAD>
<P>Whether to teach grace and confirme grace be two di&s;tinct things or no.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="response">
<HEAD>My defence to the fir&s;t <HI>Quere.</HI></HEAD>
<P>In my defence I premi&s;e, that the vi&s;ible Sacrament cannot bee without the audible word, and &s;o I &s;ay, that the effect of both are di&s;tinct in teaching to attain grace, and the confirming and &s;tren|thening the grace already wrought.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="query">
<HEAD>The &s;econd <HI>Quere.</HI></HEAD>
<P>If they be two di&s;tinct things, whether then can the Sacrament of the Lords Supper reach &s;o as to work a change in the affections, or not?</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="response">
<HEAD>My defence to your &s;econd <HI>Quere.</HI></HEAD>
<P>What&s;oever God hath made teaching, that by his ble&s;&s;ing may effect grace to whom it teacheth it: for the Word and Covenant of life is manife&s;ted and declared by preaching, <HI>Tit.</HI> 1. 3. Now the way of preaching that was committed to S. <HI>Paul,</HI> was the Scriptures; yet he him&s;elf proves to the <HI>Romans,</HI> that the &s;ame covenant of life, and word of grace which he taught by the Scriptures, is taught to the Gentiles which have not the Scriptures, by the creatures, as <HI>Rom.</HI> 10. 8. compared with v. 18, 19, 20, 21. and <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 19. which is confe&s;t and acknowledged before in my oppo&s;ites arguments; but becau&s;e this is beyond the que&s;tion in hand, which is to cleare the teaching u&s;e of the Sacraments by Scriptures, I will therefore here
<PB N="6" REF="6">
wave the point of the creatures teaching without the Scriptures, and prove it clearly by arguments drawn from the Scriptures, that the Lord; Supper hath a teaching operation, for the &s;trengthening or confirming u&s;e no man que&s;tions.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="argument">
<HEAD>My fir&s;t Argument.</HEAD>
<P>What&s;oever doth declare or &s;hew forth Chri&s;t to a Chri&s;tian, doth teach Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>But the Supper of the Lord doth declare and &s;hew forth his death from the tree of his ignominy, to the throne of his glory.</P>
<P>Therefore the Supper of the Lord declareth and teacheth Chri&s;t &s;o often as it is communicated, even untill his &s;econd coming.</P>
<P>And ths Argument I thus prove, 1 <HI>Cor. 11. 26. For as often</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>as yee eat this Bread, and drink this Cup, yee doe &s;how the Lords death till he come.</HI> Agreeing to which is that of the Prophet<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 11. 2.</NOTE> when he &s;pake to King <HI>Darius; I will &s;hew thee the truth,</HI> &s;aid he. Did not he therein declare and teach to him the truth. So al&s;o our Lord &s;ignifying and &s;hewing the truth to the Apo&s;tle <HI>John, Revel.</HI> 1. 1. what was it but preaching and manife&s;ting the truth to him?</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="argument">
<HEAD>My &s;econd Argument.</HEAD>
<P>What&s;oever is ordained of Chri&s;t to commemorate, call to mind, or keep in remembrance him&s;elfe or his death, that preaches Chri&s;t and the benefit of his death:</P>
<P>But the communicating in the &s;ignes of the Lords body and bloud, calls him to mind, and keeps his death in remembrance to Chri&s;tians.</P>
<P>Therefore the celebration of the Lords Supper teacheth or prea|cheth the benefit of his death.</P>
<P>And this Argument our Lord him&s;elfe proveth, who&s;e te&s;timony is beyond all, <HI>Luke 22. 19, 20. This is my Body which was given for you, doe this in remembrance of me. This Cup is the new Te&s;tament in my bloud, which was &s;hed for you.</HI> I be&s;eech you mark two things in the&s;e few words for the proving the Argument; that is, fir&s;t that the Lords Supper, the participation of the Elements, they being &s;et a|part by ble&s;&s;ing, according to our Lords example, and the Apo&s;tles practice, the doing thereof is a remembrance of Chri&s;ts death. And &s;econdly, that thereby is made known and taught the Covenant of life and &s;alvation in the&s;e words, <HI>This Cup is the new Te&s;tament in my bloud:</HI> then which nothing can be thought of to prove clearer the teaching u&s;e of the Sacrament. And that what&s;oever calleth to
<PB N="7" REF="6">
remembrance the truth, preacheth the truth, is plain and apparent: For <HI>Peters</HI> putting the Saints alwayes in remembrance of the truth, thereby preached unto them the truth, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 12, 13, 14, 15.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="query">
<HEAD>Your third <HI>Quere.</HI></HEAD>
<P>Whether the act of Chri&s;t in admitting of Judas, be exemplary.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="response">
<HEAD>My defence to your third Quere.</HEAD>
<P>If the Lord did admit of wicked <HI>Judas</HI> unto the Apo&s;tle&s;hip, and &s;o to the participation of Bapti&s;me, the Word, Prayer, and to the breaking of bread, as hereafter &s;hall bee particularly proved, then &s;uch Mini&s;ters that teach that all unregenerate men are to bee kept from the Sacrament, a&s;&s;ume that to them&s;elves which neither Gods law nor mans law gives them. For the exception in the law of God, is the ca&s;e of excommunication; the exception in mans ordinance is ignorance and &s;candall.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="4" TYPE="query">
<HEAD>Your fourth <HI>Quere.</HI></HEAD>
<P>Whether there be like rea&s;ons of the Sacrament and the Pa&s;&s;eover: If there be the like rea&s;on, then it followes not that the Lord did approve of every one that came to the Pa&s;&s;eover, <HI>2 Chron. 30.</HI> they were to prepare them&s;elves before they came.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="4" TYPE="respose">
<HEAD>My defence to your fourth Quere.</HEAD>
<P>You both forget your &s;elves to ask me a rea&s;on of Gods ordi|nances, for to give a rea&s;on of them is peculiar to God alone that made them. But this I &s;ay, that there is the &s;ame u&s;e and meaning of the Lords Supper as of the Pa&s;&s;eover in the common fellow&s;hip of all beleevers, that is, Chri&s;t typified and &s;ignified by both, Chri&s;ts death &s;hewed forth and called to remembrance by both, the belee|vers informed to grace, and confirmed in grace by both; and the &s;piritual and truly faithful eat Chri&s;ts fle&s;h, and drink his bloud by both, they being both &s;acramentall for that purpo&s;e. And as under the law they were to put away the leaven out of their hou&s;es, and prepare and &s;anctifie them&s;elves: &s;o under the Go&s;pel Chri&s;tians are to examine them&s;elves, repent, &amp;c. For to keep the Fea&s;t and holy day the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks of, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5. 8. is to keep it with the unleavened bread of &s;incerity and truth, as I have briefly declared in my Admonition in <HI>Chri&s;tians liberty to the Lords Table, p.</HI> 18.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="5" TYPE="query">
<HEAD>Your fifth <HI>Quere.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>Whether can a naturall man, or a man indued with the common gifts of the Spirit, &s;o try, examine, and judge him&s;elfe, as to come worthily as the Apo&s;tle</HI> 1 <HI>Cor. 11. 28. doth drive at?</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="5" TYPE="response">
<PB N="8" REF="7">
<HEAD>My defence to your fifth Quere.</HEAD>
<P>I an&s;wer: An inward or &s;pirituall Chri&s;tian as an inward, and an outward common Chri&s;tian as an outward Chri&s;tian, may either of them di&s;cerne the Lords body to participate worthily or profi|tably, according to their different gifts received; <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">he high way, &s;to|ny, and thorny grounds, may di&s;cern the Lords body, and all the elect Chri&s;tians unregenerate, by the vi&s;ible &s;ignes thereof in the Sacrament, that therein Chri&s;t Je&s;us is manife&s;ted, giving him&s;elfe to death for mankind, and that he is the bread of life, declared and preached fir&s;t by the words of con&s;ecration and prayer, with admonitions then made by the Mini&s;ter. And &s;econdly, by &s;eeing the wine powred out, the re&s;emblance of the &s;hedding his bloud; and then &s;eeing the bread broken, the re&s;emblance of his death and pa&s;&s;ion, with the con&s;ideration of all other circum&s;tances, the vio|lence the Grape &s;uffers in the Wine-pre&s;&s;e, and the cruelty offered to the Corn both in the Mill, and in the in&s;ufferable hot Oven. And as thus the eye affects the heart, &s;o doth the &s;weet comforta|ble refre&s;hing, nouri&s;hing, delectable reli&s;hing ta&s;te al&s;o, which are all evident &s;en&s;ible in-lets to the &s;oule of the mercy and goodne&s;&s;e of God. And becau&s;e the Chri&s;tian hath received no other but common gifts, it is but information to him to the &s;peciall grace: but the good ground, the &s;piri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">uall Chri&s;tian his communion is &s;u&s;tentation and confirmation in grace to eternall life; according to his &s;peciall faith and grace received of God, he &s;piritually eats Chri&s;ts fle&s;h, and drinks his bloud, and is hereby more and more in|oculated and rooted in the true Vine Je&s;us Chri&s;t. And in this differing con&s;ideration both may di&s;cerne the Lords body, and communicate for the better and not for the wor&s;e.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<ARGUMENT>
<P>From &s;ome other friends I have likewi&s;e received di|vers objections again&s;t <HI>Judas</HI> his being pre&s;ent at the in&s;titution and di&s;tribution of the Lords Sup|per, which principally are the&s;e five following:</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>Their fir&s;t Objection.</HEAD>
<P><HI>Judas</HI> went immediatly out after the receit of the Sop, <HI>John 13. 30.</HI> Now the Sop was part of the Pa&s;&s;eover, therefore <HI>Judas</HI> was gone be|fore the in&s;titution of the Sacrament.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="response">
<PB N="9" REF="7">
<HEAD>My defence to your fir&s;t Objection.</HEAD>
<P>This objection is again&s;t the con&s;ent of the three former Evan|geli&s;ts: for they all agree and te&s;tifie that as our Lord was eating the Pa&s;&s;eover, he took bread and ble&s;&s;ed it, and the cup and ble&s;&s;ed it, which is the in&s;titution of the Lords Supper. And this hee did before they or any of them ro&s;e from the Table, <HI>Mat. 26. 26. Mark</HI> 14. 21, 22, 23. And S. <HI>Lukes</HI> witne&s;&s;e is beyond all exception, or any excu&s;e; <HI>Behold the hand of him that betrayeth me is with me on the Table, Luke</HI> 22. 21. Now <HI>John</HI> doth not at all &s;peak the lea&s;t tittle of the in&s;titution of the Sacrament; and therefore his know|ledge of that mu&s;t be included in his di&s;cour&s;e before he makes ex|pre&s;&s;e mention of our Lords ri&s;ing from Supper, <HI>John</HI> 13. 4. be|cau&s;e all the re&s;t te&s;tifie that he in&s;tituted it as they were eating the Pa&s;&s;eover before our Lord did ri&s;e from Supper, even while they were eating, at the later end of the Pa&s;&s;eover, as at the end of the fir&s;t cour&s;e at a fea&s;t, the &s;econd cour&s;e is brought in, in that in|&s;tant Je&s;us in&s;tituted the Supper of his pa&s;&s;ion. And to this agree the Apo&s;tles words, 1 <HI>Cor. 11. 25. Al&s;o he took the Cup when he had &s;up|ped,</HI> that is, before he ro&s;e from the table, becau&s;e after he ro&s;e, <HI>John</HI> te&s;tifies of other actions. And after hee &s;ate down again to them, ver&s;e 12. of other di&s;cour&s;es. And to this accords S. <HI>Lukes</HI> wit|n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;e al&s;o, <HI>Luke 22. 19. And he took the bread and gave thanks,</HI> that is, the bread on the Table provided for the Pa&s;&s;eover. <HI>Likewi&s;e al&s;o the Cup after Supper,</HI> that is, as they had fini&s;hed the &s;upper of the Pa&s;&s;eover, as above&s;aid, no di&s;tance of time, but as they were eating the one, Chri&s;t in&s;tituted and di&s;tributed the other. And as the Sop might be a part of the Supper of the Pa&s;&s;eover, being a part of the fragments untaken away from the table: &s;o was the bread and wine a part of the provi&s;ion of the Pa&s;&s;eover Supper al&s;o, which the Lord ble&s;&s;ed to in&s;titute the Sacrament with, and yet neither of them for your purpo&s;e.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>Their &s;econd Objection.</HEAD>
<P>It is &s;aid in the In&s;titution of the Lords Supper, Luke 22. 19, 20. <HI>This is my body which is given for you, &amp;c.</HI> In which words Judas could not be included: for Chri&s;t gave not his body, nor &s;hed not his bloud for him, and therefore <HI>Judas</HI> could not be there.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="response">
<HEAD>My defence to your &s;econd Objection.</HEAD>
<P>I affirm, that as Chri&s;t gave him&s;elfe to death peculiarly and ef|fectually for his elect; &s;o generally and &s;ufficiently for the whole
<PB N="10" REF="8">
world, according to that of the Apo&s;tle, <HI>If any man &s;in,</HI> (meaning, if any of the ju&s;tified elect) <HI>we have an advocate with the Father, Je|&s;us Chri&s;t the righteous, who is the propitiation for our &s;ins, and not onely for ours,</HI> (that is, for the elect) <HI>but for the &s;ins of the whole world, 1 John</HI> 2. 1, 2. And &s;o &s;aith Saint <HI>Paul, 1 Tim. 4. 10. For therefore wee both labour and &s;uffer reproach, becau&s;e we tru&s;t in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, e&s;pecially of them that beleeve.</HI> Ob&s;erve, in the general he hath given him&s;elf to be a Saviour, that by and through his death there is now a way opened to life and &s;alvation for all men, without which no man could be &s;aved. And this purcha&s;ed and purcha&s;ing life, <HI>is the true light that enlightneth every man that com|meth into the world, John</HI> 1. 9. yet notwith&s;tanding this light and remedy provided, &s;uch is the naturall oppo&s;ition thereunto of all men, which through the fir&s;t <HI>Adams</HI> offence lie damnable, <HI>Rom.</HI> 5. 18. and although the &s;econd <HI>Adam</HI> by his death, hath brought them to an e&s;tate &s;aveable; yet notwith&s;tanding this po&s;&s;ibility, (when none was before) through this new and living way by Chri&s;ts death, if God did not after a &s;peciall manner in an extra|ordinary re&s;pect make this means that is &s;ufficient for all, effectuall for his elect, they &s;hould be condemned with the reprobate world, for loving darkne&s;&s;e more then light, becau&s;e their deeds are evill: but that God of his everla&s;ting love and pitie, works his owne works in them and for them, of repentance and remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins to &s;alvation. And the reprobate part of mankind, and &s;uch as peri&s;h, they al&s;o enjoy all Gods mercies and goodne&s;&s;e, long &s;uffering and patience, life, food, and all things for the body, the Sun-&s;hine and dewing rain of Gods grace in his ordinances for their &s;oules good, which could not be enjoyed but by the death &amp; mediation of Je&s;us Chri&s;t. So that in the&s;e con&s;iderations it may bee &s;aid Chri&s;t hath given him&s;elf for all men, and his death in it &s;elfe virtuall for all, but effectuall onely for the elect.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>Their third Objection.</HEAD>
<P><HI>Matth. 26. 13. it is &s;aid,</HI> All yee &s;hall be offended with me this night. Now Judas could not be offended, therefore Judas was not there: for hee effected his treachery wilfully and for his hire</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="response">
<HEAD>My defence to your third Objection.</HEAD>
<P>In the Scriptures the tearm <HI>offence</HI> is diver&s;ly taken: there is an offence of impenitency, an offence of imbecillity, of wilfulne&s;&s;e and weakne&s;&s;e; <HI>Judas</HI> was guilty of the fir&s;t offence, of that of im|penitency,
<PB N="11" REF="8">
and all the re&s;t of the Apo&s;tles of that of weakne&s;&s;e and frailty. The Scribes and Phari&s;ees were wilfully and impenitently offended with our Lord, <HI>Luke</HI> 7. 30. who rejected the coun&s;ell of God again&s;t them&s;elves. So was <HI>Herod</HI> again&s;t <HI>John Bapti&s;t, Mark</HI> 6. 20. who notwith&s;tanding the Prophets powerfull Doctrine, which wrought &s;uch a change in the heathen King, as to re&s;pect the Prophet &s;o, as to hear him, to obey and doe many things, to honour his per&s;on with fear, and his doctrine with gladnes: yet rather then his lu&s;t &s;hould want pro&s;ecution, he will <HI>Judas-like</HI> take up &s;uch an implacable offence again&s;t him and the truth, &s;o as &s;uddenly bar|barou&s;ly to impri&s;on him, and there to murder him. Thus <HI>Cain</HI> was offended with <HI>Abel, I&s;hmael</HI> with <HI>I&s;aac, E&s;au</HI> with <HI>Jacob.</HI> The &s;everall grounds that received not the &s;eed to perfection. And ble&s;&s;ed are they to whom Chri&s;t is not &s;uch a rock of offence.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="4" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>Their fourth Objection.</HEAD>
<P>I will not drink henceforth of the fruit of the vine untill that day when I drink it new with you in my Fathers Kingdome, <HI>Matth. 26. 29.</HI> Now <HI>Judas</HI> c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">uld not be one that &s;hould drink with Chri&s;t in his Fathers King|dome. <HI>Ergo</HI> Iudas was not there when our Lord &s;pake this.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="4" TYPE="response">
<HEAD>My defence to your fourth Objection.</HEAD>
<P>The words of the former ver&s;e are the&s;e; <HI>This is the bloud of the new Te&s;tament which was &s;hed for many for the remi&s;&s;ion of &s;ins.</HI> Now of that many he &s;peaketh, in that he &s;aith, <HI>I will drink it new with you in my Fathers Kingdom.</HI> And in this di&s;tinction he might &s;peak it to the twelve when <HI>Iudas</HI> was pre&s;ent. For you may &s;ay as well <HI>Iudas</HI> was not among&s;t the twelve, when he &s;aid to them, <HI>Iohn 6. 70. Have not I cho&s;en you twelve, and one of you is a Devill?</HI> In this di|&s;tinction of election may our Saviour &s;peak in the ca&s;e of perfe|ction.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="5" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>Their fifth Objection.</HEAD>
<P>I will &s;mite the Shepheard, and the &s;heep &s;hall be &s;cattered, <HI>Mark 14. 27. And again,</HI> I will lay down my life for my &s;heep, Iohn 10 15, 17. Now Iudas could not be included, and therefore not pre&s;ent, for hee was none of Chri&s;ts &s;heep, but a traytor again&s;t the Shepheard and the Flock al&s;o.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="5" TYPE="response">
<HEAD>My defence to your fifth Objection.</HEAD>
<P>This objection extends not to the que&s;tion in hand: for the Shepheard was &s;mitten after the In&s;titution and di&s;tribution of the Lords Supper. And &s;o al&s;o after <HI>Iudas</HI> left our Lord and his A|po&s;tles
<PB N="12" REF="9">
company, and went privatly to effect and perfect his trea|cherous con&s;piracy. And yet again in the Scripture phra&s;e, there are evill &s;heep unlo&s;t, as well as good, &s;uch as are lo&s;t and found in the Scripture &s;en&s;e. And <HI>Iudas</HI> was among&s;t them, and &s;ent out with them when our Lord &s;aid, <HI>Matth. 10. 16. Behold, I &s;end you forth as &s;heep in the mid&s;t of Wolves.</HI> And the Prophet <HI>David</HI> knew well there was more bad then good men, when he &s;aid, 2 <HI>Sam. 24. 17. But the&s;e &s;heep what have they done?</HI></P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<ARGUMENT>
<P>Now while I was making my defence again&s;t all the&s;e former oppo&s;itions, I received from an honoured friend of mine, this double &s;uppo&s;ition following.</P>
</ARGUMENT>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="supposition">
<HEAD>His fir&s;t Suppo&s;ition.</HEAD>
<P>Friend, I pray con&s;ider how the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks of the Lords Supper, <HI>1 Cor. 10. 15, 16, 17.</HI> I &s;peak as to you wi&s;e men, judge you what I &s;ay, The Cup of ble&s;&s;ing which we ble&s;&s;e, is it not the communion of the bloud of Chri&s;t? The Bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Chri&s;t? For we being many, are one bread and one body: for wee are partakers of that one bread. Now who are the wi&s;e but the regenerate? Who hath communion in the body and bloud of Chri&s;t, but the faithfull? Who are the many memb<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">rs that are one body, the many grains that make one loafe, but the Saints? And therefore doth not the Sacrament properly and peculiarly belong to the Saints? Yea, onely ordained for them I &s;up|po&s;e.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="response">
<HEAD>My defence to your fir&s;t Suppo&s;ition.</HEAD>
<P>Sir, the an&s;wer lies in the Apo&s;tles words by you mentioned: for to &s;ay, <HI>For the cup of ble&s;&s;ing which we ble&s;&s;e, and the bread which wee breake, is it not the communion of the body and bloud of Chri&s;t?</HI> proves plainly, there are two things con&s;iderable in the Sacrament, the ele|ments or &s;ignes, bread and wine; the &s;ub&s;tance or thing &s;ignified, the body and bloud of Chri&s;t, of both which the regenerate com|municate; but the unregenerate, although acknowledging the common faith, they of bread and wine the &s;ignes onely. And this is plainly proved by the Apo&s;tle by the in&s;tance hee gives to the <HI>Corinthians, 1 Cor.</HI> 10. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. The multitude as well as the faithfull they pa&s;&s;ed through the &s;ea, they had equall benefit of the coole moi&s;t cloud in the heat of the day, and of the light hot bur|ning pillar in the dark cold night, and &s;u&s;tained both with the &s;ame Manna,
<PB N="13" REF="9">
Angels food. And yet none did communicate of the &s;pirituall &s;ub&s;tance the Rock and Truth, but &s;uch as were &s;piritual, and there|by could by faith eat Chri&s;ts fle&s;h, and drink his bloud: and all the regenerate and truly faithfull did &s;o; <HI>But with may of them</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) that is, with the carnall, impenitent, provoking, un|beleeving part, <HI>God was not well plea&s;ed, but overthrew them in the wil|derne&s;&s;e,</HI> notwith&s;tanding their outward fellow&s;hip and communi|on with the faithfull in the outward externall &s;hadowes. And the Apo&s;tle by way of compari&s;on, &s;eems to make the Church of <HI>Co|rinth,</HI> and the Church of the Jews in the wilderne&s;&s;e to agree in the like participation with tho&s;e that communicate, as in the things communicated, both for the quality of per&s;ons, and di&s;tinction of ordinances. And if it were not &s;o, as you would &s;uppo&s;e, then his exhortation were in vain, <HI>Neither be yee Idolaters, as &s;ome of them, nei|ther fornicators, nor tempters, nor murmurers, &amp;c.</HI> And if faulty and unregenerate Chri&s;tians ought not upon any terms to comunicate, then the Apo&s;tle in Chap. 11. would have forbidden them com|munion, whereas he u&s;es onely admonition. And therefore as for the inward and &s;pirituall Chri&s;tians, the &s;pirituall part of the &s;acra|ment is peculiar, &s;o the externall and common part is for &s;uch Chri&s;tians as are but outward and common, and ordained for them as for the Saints, as before hath been &s;hewed.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="supposition">
<HEAD>His &s;econd Suppo&s;ition.</HEAD>
<P>If unregenerate men come to communicate in the Sacrament, they in|trude and thru&s;t them&s;elves to that which God calls them not to; and &s;o therein doe that which they ought not: and therefore it is &s;in to &s;uch to come: for &s;o much &s;eems to be implied by the Apo&s;tle in &s;aying, <HI>They di&s;cern not the Lords body,</HI> and &s;o it proves to bee puni&s;hment in&s;tead of nouri&s;hment. And it may be &s;aid to them as to the gue&s;t that bad not on the wedding Garment, <HI>Friend, how come&s;t thou in hither?</HI> And their intru&s;ion to the Lords Table, is like the fal&s;e Apo&s;tles and Prophets thru&s;ting them&s;elves into all the admini&s;trations of the Go&s;pel.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="response">
<HEAD>My defence to your &s;econd Suppo&s;ition.</HEAD>
<P>The fir&s;t part of this Suppo&s;ition being an inference of the for|mer, by con&s;equence is an&s;wered already. And whereas you &s;ay, It is an intru&s;ion in the unregenerate, and &s;o a &s;in in them to come to the Sacrament, you mu&s;t &s;hew the inhibition: for otherwi&s;e the text is plain, <HI>Where there is no law, there is no tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion.</HI> Secondly, you in&s;tance the uncloathed mans coming to the Fea&s;t in the Go&s;|pel,
<PB N="14" REF="10">
I pray con&s;ider, hee was not condemned for coming to the Fea&s;t, but for being there without a wedding Garment: for the fea&s;t is all the ordinances of God which Chri&s;t hath purcha&s;ed, and freely vouch&s;afed for all men to communicate in for their &s;alvati|on, the coming to the fea&s;t is the free liberty that all beleevers have in the enjoyment of the&s;e ordinances, and to bee fed and clad with the ble&s;&s;ed &s;pirituall benefit thereof, is to enjoy the ble&s;&s;ing and &s;alvation that comes by the&s;e means ordained of God for that end: but to enjoy the admini&s;tration thereof, and not to be bettered by them, is to be there where we might have been clad, and yet con|tinue naked, fed, and are yet &s;tarved. And &s;o it comes to pa&s;&s;e, that which is a &s;avour of life to the one, is a &s;avour of death to the o|ther; the fir&s;t heareth and obeyeth, the &s;econd heareth and reject|eth. In the next place I an&s;wer, Who&s;oever taketh upon him to be a Steward of that which is anothers, being not comitted into his hands, pre&s;umes of him&s;elf, and is an intruder: but this is not pro|ved to be the ca&s;e of a beleever that is baptized, to communicate in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, therefore the in&s;tance fails for your purpo&s;e.</P>
<P>Now to put an end to all further di&s;putes upon the&s;e two points, that <HI>Judas</HI> did communicate or pa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ticipate in the Lords Supper with the re&s;t of the Apo&s;tles; and that the Sacrament is of a tea|ching u&s;e and operation, as &s;trengthening and confirming, I &s;tate both the que&s;tions affirmatively and negatively; the affirmative of both que&s;tions, that <HI>Judas</HI> was pre&s;ent at the in&s;titution and di&s;tri|bution of the Lords Supper, and that the externall elements are of teaching u&s;e, is proved plainly by the&s;e two Scriptures, <HI>Luke 22. 4. 21. 1 Cor.</HI> 11. 26. But I challenge the whole world to prove the negative, that the elements of the Lords Supper do not teach, and that <HI>Judas</HI> was not pre&s;ent at the in&s;titution. And by the way take notice that no ab&s;urdity can po&s;&s;ibly be a con&s;equence of truth, but erring and mi&s;taking admits of little el&s;e: For if the ordinance of the Lords Supper have not a teaching and informing quality, then it is u&s;ele&s;&s;e to all the unregenerate, yea to all the elect before re|g<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">neration, which is &s;uch an ab&s;urdity to affirme, that Gods out|ward and common ordinances are of no u&s;e but unprofitable: And that God ordained any thing in vain, this is &s;o gro&s;&s;e, that it cro&s;&s;es all Scriptures; for they generally affirm, that all that God hath made or ordained, &s;hew forth &amp; teach his glory, <HI>P&s;a.</HI> 75. 1. Again, if
<PB N="15" REF="10">
none but the regenerate &s;hould communicate of the Supper of the Lord, the paucity is &s;uch as the Scriptures witne&s;&s;e, that there is but one of a Citie, and two of a Tribe; yea it will al&s;o follow, that he that ble&s;&s;eth and di&s;tributeth the bread and wine, mu&s;t know the receivers conver&s;ion, or el&s;e he &s;innes in communicating it: the&s;e and an hundred more ab&s;urdities will follow, that a wi&s;e man will blu&s;h to think of. For if this be &s;o, then the &s;ame things that &s;hew forth Chri&s;t under the Go&s;pel, &s;hall not be &s;o u&s;efull to beleevers as the &s;hadowes under the Law. And this were to turn the day in|to night, the light into darkne&s;&s;e. The la&s;t thing I intended now to publi&s;h, are &s;ome few &s;hort conferences I have met with in Citie and Countrey, and all may be reduced into the&s;e two po&s;itions.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="position">
<HEAD>The fir&s;t Po&s;ition.</HEAD>
<P>That &s;elected congregations are Churches rightly ordained, and truly con&s;tituted. And that each congregation are free and independent either from other.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="response">
<HEAD>My defence to the fir&s;t Po&s;ition.</HEAD>
<P>In this fir&s;t Po&s;ition we mu&s;t con&s;ider foure things: Fir&s;t, that the gatherers and avouchers of &s;elected congregations, are Chri|&s;tians in profe&s;&s;ion, not in authority, but under Chri&s;tian authori|ty, and members of Chri&s;tian congregations, in communion in all Gods externall ordinances, and in all the&s;e re&s;pects are tho&s;e al&s;o that they gather to them&s;elves.</P>
<P>Secondly, what is meant by congregations, for a&s;much as there are three &s;orts of them; that is, fir&s;t, authorized congregations; &s;e|condly, &s;elected or covenanted congregations in oppo&s;ition to authority; and thirdly, &s;pirituall or voluntary congregation, the communion of Saints.</P>
<P>And the la&s;t part of the po&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ion is, what is meant by congrega|tionall Independency.</P>
<P>In the fir&s;t place therefore we mu&s;t con&s;ider, that all &s;elect<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">d con|gregations in <HI>England&punc;</HI> teachers and people, are Chri&s;tians in pro|fe&s;&s;ion, and already in communion and fellow&s;hip in the ordinances of the Go&s;pel, being all under Chri&s;tian Authority. And notwith|&s;tanding all this, they doe take up and a&s;&s;ume authority to them|&s;elves, &s;o to &s;elect and congregate as they doe in oppo&s;ition to an|thority, to which they are &s;ubjected of God. And for proofe of this their practi&s;e, they alledge the example of <HI>John</HI> the Bapti&s;t. <HI>Mat.</HI> 3. 1, 2, 5. our Saviour Chri&s;t, <HI>Mark</HI> 1. 14&punc; 15, 16. and the Apo&s;tles&punc;
<PB N="16" REF="11">
<HI>Acts 2. 37, 38, 41, 42. Acts</HI> 11. 20, 21, 22. Now I deny that any of the&s;e Scriptures come home to prove the &s;tate of your que&s;tion, or warrant your practice: For <HI>John,</HI> our Lord, and the Apo&s;tles, taught the doctrine of the Go&s;pel, that Je&s;us was the Chri&s;t, the Me&s;&s;iah prophe&s;ied of to &s;uch Jewes as were not beleevers, but op|po&s;ers of it and them. And &s;uch by their Mini&s;tery converted to the faith, which faith is beleeved and confe&s;&s;ed by &s;uch Chri&s;tians as you &s;elect to your &s;elves. And &s;econdly, the <HI>Greeks</HI> that were converted, <HI>Acts</HI> 11. 20. were &s;o converted from heatheni&s;me to Chri&s;tiani&s;me; but this is not your ca&s;e nor practice; for you per|vert Chri&s;tians from &s;ound and whol&s;ome doctrines, to vain jang|lings about words that edifie not. And from tho&s;e A&s;&s;embles a&s;|&s;igned by Chri&s;tian authority to &s;uch as are of your own ordaining, devi&s;ing and con&s;tituting, the matter and form thereof is not to be found in Gods word. Now if any of you all could &s;hew me a people that you have gained from among the Jewes, and from among the Heathens, to the acknowledgement and confe&s;&s;ion of the doctrine of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t; and that by your Mini&s;tery that they have not onely beleeved the truth, but obeyed it in the power of it, to the effecting in them repentance and remi&s;&s;ion of &s;innes; then I would &s;peak and change my di&s;cour&s;e to another &s;en&s;e; but in re|gard you a&s;&s;ume that which you are not, I will onely te&s;tifie unto you, that that which you doe is not warrantable by Scripture, but it is your own carnall fancy and imagination.</P>
<P>Now the &s;econd thing in the Po&s;ition is, what is meant by <HI>Con|gregation,</HI> and in the threefold di&s;tinction the fir&s;t is Authorized congregations, which are u&s;ually called Pari&s;hes; and that is to &s;ay, &s;o many Families a&s;&s;igned by authority to make a congregati|on to communicate in Gods ordinances for the &s;alvation of the people. And to that end authority hath ordained a way that their teachers, or teacher, &s;h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">uld be a man approved of for able gifts, that a time, or times in the week, is appointed that men &s;hould di|&s;pen&s;e with, neglect and lay a&s;ide their worldly imployments and affairs and meet together in the communion and participution of Gods ordinances&punc; &amp; to that end have appointed a place for prayer, reading and expounding the Scriptures, for doctrine, exhortation, and preaching, as al&s;o for communion in bapti&s;me and the Lords Supper. And are not all the&s;e things in them&s;elves good and law|full? And if they be &s;o, what ground have you then for di&s;like and
<PB N="17" REF="11">
&s;eparation? Nay, have we not ground by the word of God, to give thanks for &s;uch governors that are in authority over us? And are not their Ordinances and Rules &s;uch, without which wee can|not communicate in the outward ordinances of God? Wherefore let us acknowledge their authority, and obey their rules. But in the next place, the &s;elected congregations alledge, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6. 17. and <HI>Rev.</HI> 18. 4. for their &s;eparation and &s;election, for as much as the ho|ly Gho&s;t &s;aith, <HI>Come out from amongst them,</HI> (meaning corrupt Chri&s;tian congregations) <HI>and be yee &s;eparate, &s;aith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you.</HI> This Scripture, you &s;ay, proves the &s;tate of the que&s;tion on your part: for you &s;ay, the A|po&s;tles here &s;peake of the Antichri&s;tian church of <HI>Rome,</HI> who&s;e fil|thy unclean doctrines were &s;uch, that notwith&s;tanding they were Chri&s;tians in profe&s;&s;ion, yet Gods people could not communicate with them, but they mu&s;t (there was no avoyding it by rea&s;on of their abominable canons) be defiled with them. And therefore you &s;ay, the&s;e texts of Scriptures are a &s;ufficient ground to &s;eparate from Chri&s;tian congregations. I an&s;wer, they are a ground to &s;e|parate from &s;uch Antichri&s;tian congregations as the Apo&s;tles &s;peak of; but I require of you to prove the abomination, the unclean thing in the authorized congregations in <HI>England,</HI> and then you &s;ay &s;omething: but till that be proved, this Scripture is not for your purpo&s;e. For the Church of <HI>England</HI> by the Parliaments of refor|mation in King <HI>Edward</HI> the &s;ixt, and Queen <HI>Elizabeths</HI> dayes, &s;e|parated from the fal&s; doctrines and unclean practices of the church of <HI>Rome,</HI> and then made acts, lawes and ordinances again&s;t the abo|minable tenets, and fal&s;e devi&s;ed imagined religion, their Prie&s;ts &amp; Sacrifices, and back't their decrees with the penalty of death; yet notwith&s;tanding in proce&s;&s;e of time, the Prelaticall clergy brought in many corrupt innovations, tending to act again the old unclean|ne&s;&s;es under new pretences: yet this honorable Parliament hath roo|ted up and extirpated the Prelaticall Hierarchy root and branch, and &s;till &s;it &s;pending their wits, &s;pirits and pains, for the reforming of Doctrine and Di&s;cipline, that all congregations may bee regula|ted in and by the neere&s;t way agreeable to the word of God. Now con&s;idering all the&s;e things we enjoy under this happy authority that is over us, &amp; your condition being under this authority, and &s;o placed of God, take heed therefore, nay how will you avoid it, but that your re&s;i&s;ting this authority, you doe therein re&s;i&s;t the Or|dinance
<PB N="18" REF="12">
of God, and her in walk contrary to Gods word, <HI>Rom.</HI> 13. 1, 2. Nay. do you not fulfil the Prophe&s;ie of the Scriptures in pre|&s;umption and &s;elfe-willedne&s;&s;e, to de&s;pi&s;e &s;uch Governors, and &s;peak evill of &s;uch digniti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">s, as the Apo&s;tle foretold, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 2. 10. How can you po&s;&s;ibly cleare your way from the <HI>gain&s;aying of Core? Jude v.</HI> 11. Nay, is there not a plain parallell between him and his companies gain&s;aying, and you and your companies gain&s;ayings? <HI>Num.</HI> 16. Did not they which were under authority u&s;urp authority, and in &s;triving again&s;t <HI>Mo&s;es &amp; Aaron,</HI> tho&s;e that God had &s;et over them, did they not &s;trive again&s;t the Lord? <HI>Numb.</HI> 26. 9. I will forbeare the con&s;equence, the Lord give you grace to repent of your &s;triving, re&s;i&s;tance, and gain&s;aying; and murmure no longer again&s;t them in &s;aying they impo&s;e will-wor&s;hip upon your con|&s;ciences in requiring many things there is not a plain word for, if it be not again&s;t the word, but agreeing with the &s;en&s;e and meaning of the word, &s;ubmit your &s;elves to their rules. And if you conceive you know better then the Parliament, your way is to petition, and not to make re&s;i&s;tance.</P>
<P>The next con&s;ideration is, the Spirituall or voluntary congre|gation, the communion of Saints. The Prophet <HI>David</HI> calls them <HI>the A&s;&s;embly of Saints, the Congr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">gation of Saints, P&s;al. 89. 5. 7. The hou&s;e of Aaron his Saint, the hou&s;e of I&s;rael his cho&s;en one, the hou&s;e of Levi his Prie&s;t, P&s;a.</HI> 136. and the Apo&s;tle, <HI>the hou&s;hold of faith, Gal. 6. 10. the hou&s;hold of God, Eph. 6. 19. the hou&s;e and Church of the living God, 1 Tim.</HI> 3. 15. This church is called, <HI>The Lords body, Col.</HI> 1. 18. 24. becau&s;e it is made living by the life that is in him; &s;pirituall by his &s;pirit: for they are all begotten and born of the Spirit: and <HI>that which is born of the &s;pirit is &s;pirit, John 3. 6. as that which is born of the fle&s;h is fle&s;h.</HI> This communion and whole congregation by the Spirit of God, are all <HI>baptized into one body, and have been made all to drink into one &s;pirit, 1 Corinth.</HI> 12. 13. The&s;e are all the children of wi&s;dome, <HI>all &s;onnes of God and heires of the promi&s;es;</HI> the&s;e all by re|generation are as <HI>Peter</HI> was, made <HI>living &s;tones,</HI> and are <HI>built of God a &s;pirituall hou&s;e, a cho&s;en generation, a peculiar people, 1 Pet.</HI> 2. The&s;e are the <HI>little flock of &s;heep &amp; lambs of Chri&s;t, to whom the Father hath given the Kingdome,</HI> who by faith have both the earne&s;t and the abundant entrance into the everla&s;ting kingdom of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, ha|ving fellow&s;hip with God their Father, the Son their Saviour, the holy Gho&s;t their comforter, and with each other in joying and &s;or|rowing,
<PB N="19" REF="12">
comforting and lamenting, beleeving and hoping, &s;uffe|ring and expecting with a mutuall affection the morning and day of &s;alvation, 1 <HI>John 1. 3. 7. chap.</HI> 3. 2. The&s;e are they that fear the Lord, that receive him and his, and often &s;peak and confer one with another, that are alwayes mindful of his covenant, in who&s;e heart is his Law. The&s;e are the Lords Prie&s;ts, with whom he hath made a covenant of life and peace, who have alwayes the Lord in their thoughts, <HI>Mal.</HI> 2. and 3. chapters. The&s;e onely have received an unction from the holy One, that teacheth them all things, 1 <HI>John</HI> 2. 20. The&s;e according to the command of their Lord, <HI>give unto Ce&s;ar the things that are Ce&s;ars, and to God the things that are Gods, Mark.</HI> 12. 17. they love the Lord with all their heart, and their neighbour as them&s;elves: they are all &s;piritual, and &s;o is their com|munion and fellow&s;hip, and none but &s;uch as are &s;pirituall are of this congregation, this communion of Saints?</P>
<P>But a Mini&s;ter in the North countrey told me, the <HI>Independent congregations</HI> were this communion of Saints, which is the la&s;t par|ticular in the fir&s;t <HI>Po&s;ition:</HI> To whom I an&s;wered, His expre&s;&s;ion was very &s;trange to me: for I did not find any &s;uch name expre&s;&s;ing creatures, written in the book of life. And I am &s;ure all the Saints names are written there: Wherefore (&s;aid I) hee that gives that name to any people, and tho&s;e that take that name unto them|&s;elves, are both alike to be blamed: for there is no one nor very many creatures, can be &s;aid to be <HI>Independent,</HI> but God alone, the great creator. <HI>I am the fir&s;t and the la&s;t, &s;aith the Lord, and be&s;ides mee there is no God, I&s;aiah 44. 6. And thou, even thou art Lord alone, Ne|hem.</HI> 9. 6. There is not a Saint, nor congregation of holy ones can &s;ay one to another, I have no need of thee: for they are all mem|bers one of another, and every one the members of Chri&s;t, <HI>Ephe&s;. 4. 25. chap. 5. 30. 1 Cor.</HI> 12. I wonder that &s;o many learned that profe&s;&s;e that way, and own the name <HI>Independent,</HI> I wonder, I &s;ay, that their learning doth not afford them a more proper terme, for as much as under this notion they aim at liberty of con&s;cience. Were they not better to expre&s;&s;e them&s;elves under the names of <HI>Religious freedome,</HI> for this is the effect of your practice, which affirm in this governed church in which you are placed under au|thority, you ought to have freedome of con&s;cience to exerci&s;e your gifts, to gather a people to your &s;elves, and &s;o to make u&s;e of all the ordinances of God both for Doctrine and Di&s;cipline. And
<PB N="20" REF="13">
that no power nor authority ought to que&s;tion you for it, becau&s;e you ought to have freedome of con&s;cience. This is another conceit of humane invention. Did you ever read of &s;uch an expre&s;&s;ion in the Scriptures, &s;o applied as to free a man from all lawfull obedi|ence to authority? the con&s;equence of truth is &s;incerity, but the con&s;equence of error is iniquity: For think you not that your free|dome of con&s;cience, as you call it, which doth acquit you from all obedience to lawful commands, if you your &s;elfe &s;hall &s;o judge of it, is not your own wilfulne&s;&s;e to di&s;obey that authority that is over you, a permanent ground for the like freedome for all in particu|lar that are under you, to di&s;cl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ime your authority, upon the &s;ame terms you doe others? See in a word, how you by mi&s;taking the word, overthrow Gods ordinance of government, <HI>Rom.</HI> 13. even that which him&s;elfe is God of, for <HI>he is the God of Gods, Dan. 2. 47. &amp; the God of order, 1 Cor.</HI> 14. 33. Now to make your ab&s;urdity more manife&s;t, ob&s;erve a &s;imilitude, make the whole Kingdome of <HI>Eng|land</HI> the great nationall church, make the Parliament and a&s;&s;embly of Mini&s;ters the Ruling and Teaching Elders in this great church, your &s;elves neither of them, but under this authority. And there|fore by the law of God and man ought to live obediently to all their lawfull ordinances. You pretend by religious freedome you ought not to obey them, but rather to follow your own conceivings: Is not this your practice of di&s;obeying your Superiours, a perpetuall ground for di&s;obedience in your inferiours? For that inferiour who ever he be, that &s;aith, none above him hath power to pre|&s;cribe rules to him, his own practice for ever frees all that are un|der him from all manner of obedience to him: and &s;o for ever to e&s;tabli&s;h by this doctrine &s;uch di&s;&s;enting and contending, as that there is <HI>no &s;uch cu&s;tom in the churches of God, 1 Cor.</HI> 11. 16. for the rule of Gods church is the quite contrary, as the Apo&s;tle te&s;tifieth, <HI>Rom. 13. 7. Render therefore to all their dues, tribute to whom tribute is due, cu&s;tome to whom cu&s;tome, fear to whom feare, honour to whom honour.</HI> It is true the Saints and children of God are free, but that is in a &s;pirituall re&s;pect, by a &s;pirituall birth, <HI>The truth &s;hall make you free, John 8. 32. If the Sonne make you free, you &s;hall bee free indeed, ver&s;e</HI> 36. but with the right knowledge of this freedome, I find few profe&s;&s;ors are acquainted.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="position">
<HEAD>Their &s;econd Po&s;ition.</HEAD>
<P><HI>When we have truly con&s;tituted our church by &s;electing <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 word"> a congre|gation,</HI>
<PB N="21" REF="13">
<HI>then we &s;hall enjoy the &s;pirituall admini&s;tration of Chri&s;ts ordinan|ces in their purity, &s;etting up Chri&s;t upon his throne, to the happy enjoyment and accompli&s;hment of all the prophe&s;ies and promi&s;es foretold of all by the Prophets and Apo&s;tles.</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="response">
<HEAD>My defence to your &s;econd Po&s;ition.</HEAD>
<P>There are three things con&s;iderable in this Po&s;ition al&s;o: Fir&s;t, what you mean by <HI>Ordinances:</HI> Secondly, their <HI>&s;pirituall admini&s;tra|tion and purity:</HI> And la&s;tly, what you mean by <HI>&s;etting Chri&s;t up in his throne to the fulfilling of all the Prophe&s;ies and promi&s;es in the Scriptures.</HI> And fir&s;t for the term <HI>Ordinances,</HI> are they not tho&s;e that wee have in communion in our publick A&s;&s;emblies, prayer, reading and ex|pounding the Scriptures, preaching, and in communicating in bap|ti&s;me and the Lords Supper? Is not the word of God the &s;ame in publick congregations, as among&s;t you: the &s;ame in a common and the &s;ame in a &s;peciall admini&s;tration? Is not prayer the &s;ame in both with the &s;pirituall, the &s;acrifice of a broken heart, with the re&s;t, a pre&s;entation of per&s;ons and words? Is not bapti&s;me the &s;ame in the outward as in the inward con&s;ideration? The Lords Sup|per the &s;ame in the corporall &s;ignes, as in the &s;pirituall grace, that as the carnall Chri&s;tian through the common faith, eats the bread, and drinks the wine; &s;o the &s;pirituall Chri&s;tian by ju&s;tifying faith, eats Chri&s;ts fle&s;h, and drinks his bloud. You confe&s;&s;e all this to bee true; but you &s;ay the difference lies in the point of the purity of the ordinances, the manner of admini&s;tration and communion in them, which is the &s;econd con&s;ideration in the <HI>Po&s;ition.</HI> And you &s;ay, for want of the &s;pirituall admini&s;tration, the authorized congrega|tions have lo&s;t the purity of all Gods ordinances, and there|by continue the abominable and unclean thing among&s;t them. And you give three in&s;tances to prove this: Fir&s;t, that our Mini&s;ter<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> are not truly called: &s;econdly, &s;ay &s;ome of you, we alter the ordinance of bapti&s;me: thirdly, you all with one con&s;ent condemne us, for admitting of mixt congregations. To the fir&s;t I an&s;wer, Presbyters by the Parliament are ordained to examine, approve, and allow of mens gifts, and for their &s;pirituall gifts received of God, to appoint and allow of them therefore to be Mini&s;ters according to the Apo|po&s;tles rule, 1 <HI>Tim. 3. 10 chap.</HI> 4. 14. again&s;t which there is no o|ther externall rule to be &s;hewed in the Scriptures. And &s;econdly, whereas many of you &s;ay, we alter the ordinance of bapti&s;me, it is more then you can prove by Scripture: for although it be &s;aid,
<PB N="22" REF="14">
<HI>Matth. 28. 19. Go yee therefore and teach all Nations, baptizing them, &amp;c.</HI> In your own under&s;tanding of that place, it doth not &s;ay there|fore as you &s;ay, ye &s;hall not baptize the infants of beleevers, who you therein forbid to be brought to Chri&s;t, contrary to the com|mand of our Lord, <HI>Matth. 19. 14. Suffer little children to come,</HI> or to be brought, <HI>unto me;</HI> for &s;o much the Text inferres, <HI>and forbid them not to come unto me, &amp;.</HI> Which inhibition of yours is contrary al&s;o to Gods own ordinance and command, <HI>Exod. 12. Gen.</HI> 17. which plainly commands that which you deny, that children are to com|municate if their parents were beleevers. According to which or|dinance of God the Apo&s;tles te&s;tifie to all the world, <HI>Acts 2. The promi&s;e belongs to you and to your children, and to all that are afarre off, e|ven to &s;o many as the Lord our God &s;hall call;</HI> as if he &s;hould &s;ay, who|&s;oever God calls to beleeve, the covenant belongs to them and to their infants, as the covenant belonged to <HI>Abraham</HI> and to all &s;trangers that &s;hould come to beleeve the truth, to them and to their children al&s;o. And this is the rea&s;on that we find it written, and there are many examples of it in the Apo&s;tles times, that when a man came to beleeve the truth, the doctrine they taught them, not onely they them&s;elves but their hou&s;holds were baptized, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1. as the hou&s;hold of <HI>Stephanos,</HI> and the re&s;t. And the Apo&s;tle re&s;olves the que&s;tion to the Church of <HI>Corinth,</HI> &s;aith he to this ef|fect, <HI>If one of the parents be a beleever, then are your children holy,</HI> that is, then have they right to the externall ordinance of God; and in this &s;en&s;e the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>God hath &s;hewed me not to call any man un|holy, or unclean,</HI> that is, who&s;oever beleeveth Je&s;us Chri&s;t come in the fle&s;h, may be baptized, although before a Gentile, and they and their hou&s;hold have right to Gods holy ordinance, as <HI>Cornelius</HI> and his hou&s;hold, <HI>Acts</HI> 10. And when you can prove that the Mini&s;ter taking infants into his arms, praying for them, and wa&s;hing them in the name of Chri&s;t (or <HI>Abrahams</HI> circumci&s;ing of <HI>I&s;hmael</HI> at the command of God) is more then Chri&s;ts taking them into his arm; and ble&s;&s;ing them, then you will &s;ay &s;omething, till then you declare your own fancy, and &s;ay nothing to the purpo&s;e. And for mixt congregations as you find fault with, I pray, are you &s;ure your &s;elves are not weeds and cockle, but good corn? if your &s;elves were &s;pirituall, then you would know and under&s;tand the meaning of Gods &s;pirit, that both mu&s;t be let alone till the harve&s;t, the end of the world, as our Lord &s;aith, for till then there is no &s;eparation,
<PB N="23" REF="14">
<HI>Matth.</HI> 13. 30. but wicked <HI>Cain</HI> may bring and offer his &s;acrifice with <HI>Abel</HI> the righteous; per&s;ecuting <HI>I&s;hmael</HI> may communicate in the ordinance of God with per&s;ecuted <HI>I&s;aac:</HI> the bitter and unclean hypocrite <HI>Simon Magus,</HI> may bee wa&s;hed or baptized in fle&s;h, as well as <HI>Philip, Peter</HI> and <HI>John,</HI> and the holy ones of God, <HI>Acts</HI> 8. And although our Lord knew the Devilli&s;h treacherous heart of <HI>Judas,</HI> yet his participation in the ordinances, neither in Bapti&s;me, the Pa&s;&s;eover, or the Lords Supper, did not prejudice, nor no way hindered the &s;pirituall communion of the faithfull, for he partici|pated in prayer, <HI>Mat.</HI> 6. in preaching, <HI>Mat.</HI> 10. in bapti&s;me, <HI>Mat.</HI> 3. 15. in the Pa&s;&s;eover and Supper of the Lord, <HI>Luke</HI> 22. 14, 15, 21. and yet none of Chri&s;ts little holy ones makes your complaint; for his carnall pre&s;ence did no way detrifie their &s;pirituall fellow&s;hip.</P>
<P>And in the third and la&s;t place, we are to under&s;tand what is meant by &s;etting up Chri&s;t upon his Throne, and the fulfilling and accompli&s;hing of all the prophe&s;ies and promi&s;es witne&s;&s;ed by the Apo&s;tles and Prophets. And here now as with one con&s;ent you doe all of you unanimou&s;ly affirm, that all the Prophe&s;ies in the whole Scriptures, are fulfilled in your congregated companies, and that in doing that which you doe, in a&s;&s;uming to your &s;elves power to &s;e|lect congregations, and pre&s;cribing to them the rules of Chri&s;t, as you call them, although indeed they are rules of your own making, yet you therein &s;et up Chri&s;t upon his throne, and that your churches, wayes, and devi&s;ed order, the matter nor manner thereof, being that which is not to be found in Scriptures, yet you give it out to the world, that by you, and in your church government, is fulfilled the prophe&s;ie of the new heavens, and new earth, promi|&s;ed of God, and witne&s;&s;ed by the Prophet <HI>I&s;aiah,</HI> and the Apo&s;tle <HI>Pe|ter,</HI> the heavenly countrey and citie that <HI>Abraham, I&s;aac</HI> and <HI>Jacob &s;ought for, Heb. 11. the new Jeru&s;alem that John &s;aw come down from God out of heaven, and Sion that holy and heavenly citie, that great and &s;trong citie that God hath appointed &s;alvation for walls and bulwarkes, Jer. 23. 5. 6 chap. 34. 15, 16. Ezek. 37. 26, 27, 28. chap.</HI> 48. 35. and that of your gatherings it may be &s;aid, <HI>the Lord is there,</HI> applying to your &s;elves <HI>Sions own happines, Zeph. 3. 13, 14, 15, 16, &amp;c. I&s;a.</HI> 49. 21.</P>
<P>Is it po&s;&s;ible there &s;hould be &s;uch gro&s;&s;e blindnes in the&s;e daies, in which men &s;ay they &s;ee, and are in the light, wherfore their great darkne&s;&s;e, and all their bold avouchments like empericks, which fil market places with noi&s;es, and churches and chambers, publick
<PB N="24" REF="15">
meetings and meeting-hou&s;es with voyces, tho&s;e that have written &s;uch volumes, and printed &s;uch books to make known and advance the&s;e fal&s;e doctrines, to the belying the Prophets, the wounding, &s;caring, and killing the truth their witnes and te&s;timony, the truth of God in a word will reprove them, &s;trip them, and di&s;cover their nakednes and &s;hame to all po&s;terity, by a few que&s;tions re&s;olved by the letter of the Scriptures, which is as clear light as the Sun-&s;hine at noon dayes, and yet the&s;e flying Bats cannot &s;ee the truth and light thereof. The fir&s;t que&s;tion is, <HI>What is the throne of Chri&s;t?</HI> Se|condly, <HI>when the time &s;hall bee that Chri&s;t &s;hall &s;it in his own throne.</HI> Thirdly, what is meant by <HI>Sion,</HI> mentioned by the Prophets. And fourthly, what we are to under&s;tand of the <HI>Churches glorious condi|tion, her deliverance and perfection</HI> the Scriptures &s;o often &s;peak of.</P>
<P>Now Chri&s;ts throne is, that which he calls his <HI>own throne,</HI> as a note of di&s;tinction between <HI>his throne</HI> and <HI>his Fathers throne;</HI> and there|fore he &s;aith, <HI>Rev. 2. 21. To him that overcometh will I give to &s;it with me in my throne, even as I al&s;o overcame and am &s;et down with my Father in his throne.</HI> And of this throne our Lord &s;peaks, <HI>Mat. 19. 28. when the Son of man &s;hall &s;it in the throne of his glory, verily yee al&s;o that have followed me in the regeneration, &s;hall al&s;o &s;it, &amp;c.</HI> And of this throne of the Sonnes, and not called the Fathers, is that throne the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks of, <HI>Heb. 1. 8. But unto the Son he &s;aith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever, a &s;cepter of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e is the &s;cepter of thy kingdom.</HI> And the Prophet calls him <HI>God</HI> al&s;o, <HI>P&s;al. 45. 6. Thy throne, O God, is for ever &amp; ever, &amp;c.</HI> To this kingly throne of God there belongs a kingdom, a Church of Saints, which he wil not perfect and accompli&s;h till his return from heaven, his coming again, his appearing, which is the &s;econd con&s;ideration propounded, <HI>the time when Chri&s;t &s;hal be &s;et upon his throne;</HI> and that is then (&s;aith the Prophet) <HI>P&s;al. 102. 16. When the Lord &s;hall build up Sion, he &s;hall appear in his glory, &amp;c. Even then</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle, 2 <HI>Tim. 4. 1. When the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;hall judge the quick and the dead, then &s;hall be his appearing and kingdome.</HI> Which prophe&s;ies are confirmed for truth by our Lords own te&s;timony, <HI>Mat. 25. 31, 32. When the Son of man &s;hall come in his glory, &amp;c. &amp; v.</HI> 3. Then mark, <HI>Then &s;hal the King &s;ay unto them on his right hand, Come yee ble&s;&s;ed of my Father, inherit the kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world.</HI> Note againe, here is the reward, the inheri|tance, the kingdome, all this world long preparing and promi&s;ed, which makes me wonder, that &s;o many &s;eers have over&s;een &amp; mi&s;t
<PB N="25" REF="15">
the reading of the&s;e Scriptures, which in their literall &s;en&s;e plainly preach, that Chri&s;t &s;hall not be advanced into his <HI>own throne,</HI> in his <HI>own kingdom,</HI> till the harve&s;t at the end of this word, <HI>Mat.</HI> 13. 30. 40. And therefore the holy Gho&s;t u&s;es the future ten&s;e in all his expre&s;|&s;ions. As the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>It is the world to come whereof wee &s;peake,</HI> when he &s;peaks of the&s;e things, <HI>Heb. 2. 5 even of the throne, dominion, and kingdome of Chri&s;t.</HI> In the third place, we are to con&s;ider, how we are to under&s;tand the terme <HI>Sion</HI> in the Scriptures meaning. In which we mu&s;t mind a double re&s;pect, fir&s;t, as the term <HI>Sion</HI> is re|ferred to the Churches e&s;tate of regeneration in this pre&s;ent life. And &s;econdly, as it is referred to the Churches e&s;tate of perfection in the life that is to come. In the fir&s;t &s;en&s;e the Prophet <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> &s;peaks of her, <HI>chap. 2. 3. For out of Sion &s;hall go forth a law, and the word of the Lord from Jeru&s;alem.</HI> And again, <HI>chap. 40. 9. O Sion that bringeth good tidings, O Jeru&s;alem, that bringeth good tidings, &s;ay, Behold your God.</HI> So &s;aith another Prophet, <HI>Out of Sion the perfection of beauty, God hath &s;hined, P&s;a.</HI> 50. 2. even &s;hined forth in the clear revelation of the truth and law of life, <HI>the covenant of grace,</HI> as the Apo&s;tle &s;aith, <HI>Eph.</HI> 3. 10. The manifold wi&s;dome of God is made known by the Church, which the holy Gho&s;t calls <HI>the keepers of truth, I&s;ai.</HI> 26. a|greeing with the Apo&s;tles te&s;timony in another place, <HI>Gal. 4. 26. But Jeru&s;alem which is above, and from above, is free, and is the mother of us all.</HI> Now in another &s;en&s;e, and in the &s;econd con&s;ideration, <HI>Ie|ru&s;alem,</HI> or <HI>Sion</HI> &s;o named, is to be under&s;tood of her <HI>perfection and glory, her deliverance and &s;alvation,</HI> as <HI>I&s;ai. 26. 1. In that day &s;hall this &s;ong be &s;ung in the land of Iudah, We have a &s;trong Citie, &s;alvation will God appoint for wall, &amp; bulwarks, nothing &s;hal enter therein but the righ|teous nation that keepeth truths;</HI> &amp; the&s;e can be no other but the Saints of God. Indeed they only are <HI>the righteous &amp; holy nation, a cho&s;en, royal, ble&s;&s;ed, peculiar people, 1 Pet.</HI> 2. 9. And of the&s;e the Prophet <HI>Ezekiel</HI> &s;peaks of, <HI>None uncircu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1+ letters">ci&s;ed in heart and fle&s;h, &s;hall enter into this holy City.</HI> And this is the Citie, the glorious and magnificent Taber|nacle &s;poken of throughout the whole Scriptures; the apprehen&s;ion and contemplation of which makes another Prophet break out in|to a ravi&s;hed &s;pirituall expre&s;&s;ion, con&s;idering the exceeding glory of her to come, of whom it may be &s;aid in this pre&s;ent life, that &s;he &s;lumbers, po&s;&s;e&s;&s;es weakne&s;&s;e, contempt nakedne&s;&s;e in the fight of men, &s;eeming to die, to be for&s;aken, de&s;olate, troden down under feet, no man no more regarding her then the dirt under their feet.
<PB N="26" REF="16">
And yet in that morning of her Lords coming, &s;o exceedingly alte|red, beyond all compari&s;on, as makes the holy man, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 52. 1. make acclamation in the words of admiration, <HI>Awake, awake, put on thy &s;trength, O Sion, put on thy beautifull garments, O Ieru&s;alem the holy Ci|tie: for from henceforth there &s;hal no more come into thee the uncircumci|&s;ed and the unclean: for</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>her Officers &s;hall be peace, and her ex|actors righteou&s;nes, violence &s;hall no more be heard in thy land, wa&s;ting nor de&s;truction within thy borders; thou &s;halt call thy walls &s;alvation, and thy gates prai&s;e, I&s;ai.</HI> 60. 17, 18. Oh when can this &s;trength, the&s;e beauti|full garments be injoyed by the faithfull, this &s;eparation from the wicked, when &s;hall the oppre&s;&s;or, the &s;trong and violent, hatred of the wicked cea&s;e, and wa&s;ting and de&s;truction be at an end, but at the re&s;urrection? And where can <HI>Sions</HI> deliverance and glory be, but in the world to come, in the new heavens and new earth of the Lords own making; and not of mans devi&s;ing, wherein the righte|ous and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e &s;hall be no longer a &s;ojourner and &s;tranger, but a ruler and a dweller? <HI>Behold</HI> (&s;aith the Lord) <HI>I create new hea|vens and a new earth, and the former &s;hal not be remembred, nor come into mind, I&s;ai.</HI> 60. 17. The former are the&s;e pre&s;ent, that are defiled and polluted; but tho&s;e that the Lord hath promi&s;ed to make, &s;hall &s;ucceed the pa&s;&s;ing away and de&s;olation of the&s;e that are now, and &s;hall remain for ever unmoveable and un&s;haken. And this &s;hall he doe at his &s;econd comming, in the day of the Lord, in the day of God, as the Prophet before declareth, and as here the Apo&s;tle te&s;ti|fieth, 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3. 11. 12. This is <HI>Sion</HI> in her glory, the holy citie, the new Jeru&s;alem. And <HI>Rev.</HI> 21. 1. 2. when the beloved di&s;ciple &s;aw in the Revelation of God, the promi&s;e of the new heavens, and the new earth fulfilled, then in them he &s;aw this citie, this church in her glory, prepared as a bride adorned, that is, beautifully cloathed to marry w^t^h her husband: and the great voyce of the Lord declared it, <HI>Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he wil dwel with them, and they &s;hal be his people, and God him&s;elf &s;hal be with them, and be their God.</HI> And this is the accompli&s;hment of the covenant, the &s;alvati|on of the whole hou&s;e of I&s;rael, when the Lord &s;hall wipe away all teares from their eyes. And that there &s;hall be no more death, nei|ther &s;orrow nor crying, neither &s;hall there be any more pain: for the former things are pa&s;&s;ed away. <HI>And hee that &s;ate upon the throne &s;aid, Behold, I make all things new. And he &s;aid unto me write, for the&s;e words are true and faithfull.</HI> The&s;e true and faithfull words
<PB N="27" REF="16">
&s;hall ri&s;e up in judgement again&s;t all &s;uch blind guides that teach their followers again&s;t the very letter of the text: for though the word &s;aith, this e&s;tate of the churches perfection &s;hall bee in that time when it &s;hall be that there is no death, for that &s;hall be &s;wal|lowed up in victory, yet they dare to affirm to their deceived fol|lowers, that the glorious Citie is a fancie of their own framing, even in this life, while death as an enemie raigning over them, &s;ure|ly they cannot be &s;aid to be bright men, but blackmen, dark-men, no light men, men of this world, and not of that to come; men in the fle&s;h, and not in the &s;pirit; for the new heavens, and the new earth are the inheritance of the Saints, this new Jeru&s;alem is the City with foundations, who&s;e builder and maker is God, the better re&s;urrection, the promi&s;e, the heavenly countrey, that <HI>Abraham, I&s;aac,</HI> and <HI>Iacob</HI> lookt for, as all the other Patriarchs did, who when they were in this world profe&s;&s;ed them&s;elves pilgrimes and &s;tran|gers, as all their fathers were, <HI>Heb.</HI> 11. Now as by this that hath been &s;aid, it plainly appeares, that a multitude of unwary teachers, have perverted the Scriptures, in applying them to their carnal con|ceited meanings. And as the&s;e, &s;o mo&s;t of all other Scriptures they doe alledge: for not till the Lords coming at the generall re&s;urre|ction, can come the churches deliverance and &s;alvation, the times of refre&s;hing from the pre&s;ence of the Lord. And this Doctrine is ju|&s;tified by the te&s;timony of Gods Spirit, &s;aying, <HI>Hee &s;hall &s;end Je&s;us which before was preached unto you, whom the heavens mu&s;t receive and contain untill the times of re&s;titution of all things, which God hath &s;poken by the mouth of all his holy Prophets &s;ince the world began, Acts</HI> 3. 19, 20, 21. Heare all you that have learned to &s;peak contrary to the truth, the words and meaning of the holy M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;engers and Prophets of God, and repent, or el&s;e the Prophets them&s;elves wil condemne you. And that you may know your indictment, behold and heare what they &s;ay further in evidence again&s;t your doctrines: For thus &s;aith the Prophet <HI>Zephany</HI> of the churches e&s;tate of the life to come, which you affirm is meant of this life, <HI>The remnant of I&s;rael</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>&s;hall not doe iniquity, nor &s;peak lies, neither &s;hall a deceitfull tongue bee found in their mouth: for they &s;hall feed and lie down and none &s;hall make them afraid. Sing, O daughter of Sion, &s;hout O I&s;rael.</HI> Me thinks it is the &s;ame our Lord &s;aith, <HI>I will &s;ee you again, and wil turn your &s;orrow into joy, never again to lo&s;e it,</HI> John 16. And &s;o the Prophet goes on, <HI>Bee glad and rejoyce with all thy heart, O daughter of Jeru&s;alem, the Lord</HI>
<PB N="28" REF="17">
<HI>hath taken away thy judgements, he hath ca&s;t out thy enemies, the King of I&s;rael, even the Lord, is in the mid&s;t of thee, thou &s;halt not &s;ee evill any more,</HI> Zeph. 3. 13. Is not this the Lords return again to his church for her everla&s;ting comfort? And of this return of our Lord, and deliverance of his church, are all other Scriptures to be under&s;tood, which you have mentioned. Then and not before will the Lord perform that good thing promi&s;ed by <HI>Ieremy, chap. 23. 14. Behold, the dayes come, &s;aith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing I have promi&s;ed to the hou&s;e of I&s;rael, and the hou&s;e of Iudah. In tho&s;e dayes and at that time will I cau&s;e the branch of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e to grow up unto David, and he &s;hall execute judgement and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e in the land; in tho&s;e dayes &s;hall Iudah be &s;aved, and Ieru&s;alem &s;hall dwell &s;afely. And this is the name wherewith he &s;hall be called, The Lord our Righteou&s;nes. And in the day of the Lords return to this Citie, the Lambs wife, it &s;hall be &s;aid, The Lord is here, Ezek.</HI> 48. 15. But to leave the&s;e mi&s;takers to their great mi&s;takings, I will &s;peake one word to the ble&s;&s;ed ex|pecters, the &s;onnes of <HI>Sion,</HI> the children of hope, Be comforted, beloved, for now it is but twenty dayes and the funerall day will come of <HI>Babylon,</HI> the &s;onnes of confu&s;ion; and it will hardly ex|ceed fourty foure dayes more, but your ble&s;&s;ed expectation will be accompli&s;hed: for in the midnight of that day there &s;hall be a great cry made, Behold the Bridegroome cometh, and then ble&s;&s;ed Bride go out to meet him for evermore to enjoy him with un&s;peak|able joy, to whom be glory world without end. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<P>Wherefore he that hath eyes let him &s;ee, and he that hath eares let him heare; and he that hath attained to a good heart, let him under&s;tand.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
