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<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
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<P>A PLEA FOR M^r Strong's Church-Members; Shewing they ought not implicitely to &s;ubmit to his un|nece&s;&s;ary and doubtful Rules, Although for it he threaten to debar them from the Lords Table, or to leave them altogether.</P>
<P><HI>By Thomas Bakewell.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>1 COR. 15.58.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Therefore my beloved Brethren, be ye &s;tedfast, unmoveable, al|wayes abounding in the work of the Lord, fora&s;much as you know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.</P></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed for <HI>Iohn Dallom,</HI> and are to be &s;old at his &s;hop in <HI>black Fryers,</HI> neer Carter-lane. 1650.</P>
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<PB N="3" REF="2">
<HEAD>A Plea for M^r Strong's Church-Members; Shewing they ought not implicitely to &s;ubmit to his unnece&s;&s;ary and doubtful Rules, al|though for it he threaten to debar them from the Lords Table, or leave them altogether.</HEAD>
<P>THe Cau&s;e moving me to &s;peak my thoughts of tho&s;e Rules was this: A friend in that Pari&s;h told me, that M. <HI>Strong</HI> had impo&s;ed &s;ome doubtful Rules on his own examined and approved Communicants to &s;ub&s;cribe, and till they do it, he is re&s;olved to debar them all from the Lords Table, if not wholly for&s;ake them, although their Con&s;ciences be not &s;atisfied touching the lawfulne&s;s of it; hereupon I wrote my opinion of tho&s;e Rules, intended for Mr <HI>Strong:</HI> But another told me it was in vain; for &s;ome Mini&s;ters had written to him about it, to whom he will give no an&s;wer, nor yet di&s;pence the Ordinance, as if he were the Lord of Gods Ordinances, to di&s;pence or refu&s;e at his plea&s;ure, yea to his own approved Communicants, and al&s;o having the Pa&s;tor|al charge over them. But is this to feed the Lambs of Chri&s;t? and as a Nur&s;e, to impart if it were po&s;&s;ible his own Soul for the Babes in Chri&s;t? or as a faithful Steward, to feed the Lords family, to mo|nopolize Gods Ordinance, he being but an Emba&s;&s;ador or Me&s;&s;enger of it from Chri&s;t to them? Or is this to have the tongue of the learned to &s;peak in &s;ea&s;on to the weary Soul, to impo&s;e &s;uch penal|ties
<PB N="4" REF="3">on the Con&s;cience un&s;atisfied? Now for their &s;atisfaction I thought good to publi&s;h my thoughts of tho&s;e Rules.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t Rule, <HI>Chri&s;t hath in&s;tituted particular Churches under the Gospel; and it's the duty of Saints to gather them&s;elves into &s;uch Societies.</HI></P>
<P>To the&s;e two Propo&s;itions, I would know of him, what Churches tho&s;e be into which the Saints are not yet admitted, and into which it is the Saints duty to gather them&s;elves: Is there any Churches without Saints, or into which the Saints are not yet admitted? On|ly <HI>it is their duty to gather them&s;elves into &s;uch Societies.</HI> This kind of rea&s;oning is much like as if he had &s;aid, Chri&s;t hath in&s;tituted Bodies without Members, and its the Members duty to gather them&s;elves into tho&s;e Bodies; or Chri&s;t hath in&s;tituted Trees with|out Branches, and it is the Branches duty to gather them&s;elves into tho&s;e Trees: Therefore I demand again, what be tho&s;e Churches into which the Saints mu&s;t gather them&s;elves? I hope you will not call your &s;elf the Church, one man cannot be a Congregation, into which the Saints &s;hould be gathered, nor the Church to which they &s;hould be added: The Emba&s;&s;ador of Chri&s;t &s;hould be&s;eech men to be reconciled to God, not to him&s;elf, as fal&s;e Prophets draw Di|&s;ciples to them&s;elves, <HI>Acts</HI> 20.30.</P>
<P>To the other Propo&s;ition, what be tho&s;e Saints without the Church, who&s;e duty it is to gather them&s;elves into it? Do you mean &s;ome among the Turks, miraculou&s;ly wrought upon with true &s;a|ving grace, that they &s;hould ha&s;ten them&s;elves into the vi&s;ible Church? If &s;o, why do you not go among&s;t them, and &s;eek for &s;uch, and bring them in, to make known the mind of God unto them.</P>
<P>As for baptized Chri&s;tians, they need no gathering into the Church, they are children of <HI>Zion, P&s;al.</HI> 149.2. It &s;hall be &s;aid, this and that man was born in her, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 87.5. The Chri&s;tian Church &s;hall travel, and bring forth more children to God, then the Jewi&s;h Church did, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 54.1. And all her children do &s;eal their admi&s;&s;ion into the Univer&s;al vi&s;ible Church at their Bapti&s;m, which compre|hends all particular Churches, which are but as branches and mem|bers of it; this Univer&s;al Church was in&s;tituted by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, into which all Mini&s;ters, both extraordinary and ordinary, are placed, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12 18. and into which all Chri&s;tians &s;ealed their admittance at their Bapti&s;m, both tho&s;e children that are born of baptized parents, and al&s;o tho&s;e converted from Heathens and Infidels without, the&s;e
<PB N="5" REF="3">are all added to that one Univer&s;al Church, <HI>Acts</HI> 2.45, 47. Not to <HI>Peters</HI> or <HI>Pauls</HI>-Church, or any one &s;ingle Congregation, for then in ca&s;e of removal to another, they would need again to be baptized, &amp; their Mini&s;ters again to be ordained, yea as often as they remove into other Churches; but Bapti&s;m &s;ignifies ingrafting into Chri&s;t, and the new birth: But as a man can be born but once, and the &s;ience ingrafred but once; &s;o a Member can be but once admitted into the vi&s;ible Church, which is already done, and &s;ealed at their Bapti&s;m.</P>
<P>The &s;econd Rule, <HI>Churches instituted by Christ are to be a com|pany of vi&s;ible Saints, united into one Body by mutual con&s;ent, to enjoy a con&s;tant communion among them&s;elves, partaking in all Or|dinances, according to Gods Order, for the edification of one an|other.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> It is true, that tho&s;e of age, who are real Members of Chri&s;t, and al&s;o have &s;ealed the Covenant of Grace and their admi&s;sion into the vi&s;ible Church at their Bapti&s;m, tho&s;e I grant are true Saints, yet &s;ometimes no more vi&s;ible then tho&s;e 7000. who had not bowed the knee to <HI>Baal:</HI> Gods people are called <HI>hidden ones, P&s;al.</HI> 83.3. They have that white &s;tone, and that new Name written, which no man knows, but he that receives it, <HI>Rev.</HI> 2.17. Again, the be&s;t cannot enjoy a con&s;tant communion, there was a breach between <HI>Paul</HI> and <HI>Barnabas, Acts</HI> 15.39. And for partaking in all Ordinances, we know &s;ometimes tho&s;e that believe in Chri&s;t are ca&s;t out, <HI>Joh.</HI> 9.34. and the ince&s;tuous man partaking in all Ordinances, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.1, 2. and the Churches of <HI>A&s;ia</HI> had left their fir&s;t love, and had a name to live, and was dead, and held the doctrine of <HI>Baalam,</HI> and of the <HI>Ni|cholaitans,</HI> and &s;uffered <HI>Je&s;ebel</HI> to &s;educe the &s;ervants of God, and yet &s;till they are true Churches. Again, &s;uppo&s;e they had none of tho&s;e open abominations, yet they might have hypocrites, which are uncapable of the fore-mentioned priviledges, yet all tho&s;e are vi&s;ible Members, till they are di&s;covered, and judicially ca&s;t out. A|gain, many of the members may be infants, which may have true grace, as <HI>Iohn</HI> and <HI>Ieremiah</HI> had, yet not capable of communion, or of publike enjoyment of the Ordinances, yet members, having &s;ealed their admi&s;sion by Bapti&s;m to the parents profe&s;sion, which is the only form of all Chri&s;tian Churches.</P>
<P>The third Rule, <HI>Saints are only &s;uch, who being of age do profe&s;s faith in Chri&s;t, and yield obedience unto Chri&s;t, according to the Rule of Faith and Life taught by Chri&s;t, and his Apo&s;tles, and of
<PB N="6" REF="4">&s;uch only &s;hould particular Churches con&s;i&s;t, and of their children.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> The mo&s;t of this was contained in the &s;econd Rule, and there an&s;wered: I &s;hall hear take notice of this Rule contradicting it &s;elf, &s;aying, <HI>Saints are only &s;uch, who being of age do profe&s;s faith in Christ, and yield obedience unto Chri&s;t, &amp;c. and al&s;o of children:</HI> But can children be of age, and profe&s;s faith in Chri&s;t at the &s;ame time? it is impo&s;sible; and yet he &s;aith, <HI>tho&s;e Saints on which the Church con&s;i&s;ts are only &s;uch, and al&s;o their children;</HI> &s;o that if children be admitted to be members, it is, without all that profe&s;&s;ion, flat again&s;t this Rule, which &s;aith, <HI>the Church only con&s;ists of &s;uch;</HI> or el&s;e if children be not admitted, then al&s;o it is flat again&s;t the la&s;t clau&s;e of it. Again, if the&s;e children &s;hall be admitted members for their parents profe&s;sion, then why may they not al&s;o be admitted members, having &s;ealed their parents profe&s;sion by Bapti&s;m? If any of that <HI>Root be holy, &s;o are the branches, Rom.</HI> 11.16. unle&s;s he turn <HI>Anabapti&s;t,</HI> and &s;o make their Bapti&s;m null and voyd; and if &s;o, then they mu&s;t be again baptized at their new admi&s;sion into his Church, and renounce all their Chri&s;tianity they had before that la&s;t admi&s;sion. Again, I would know what need there is of a &s;econd admi&s;sion, unle&s;s there had been a cutting off by Excommunication, but they are not &s;o cut off, only it is his hard thoughts of godly Chri&s;tians to e&s;teem them without cau&s;e to be &s;uch; but for tho&s;e he is plea&s;ed to admit into his Church, it &s;eems their children &s;hall partake of the Lords Table without any examination, becau&s;e they are members, although flat again&s;t this Rule; and in the very next age the Ordinances of Chri&s;t will be more polluted, then in any age un|der the very Prelates, who did appoint Catechi&s;ing, in order to pre|pare children for that Ordinance; yea, &s;ome of tho&s;e Churches have admitted members more for money then for fitne&s;s, holding the poor to hard terms, although never &s;o godly, and the rich to ea&s;ie terms, although never &s;o prophane; and being once admitted, they will not ca&s;t them out, if rich, when as &s;ufficient proof hath been made, that they were common lyars, common &s;wearers, common drunkards, and Cheaters of the State.</P>
<P>The fourth Rule, <HI>The &V;nion of Church-members among them|&s;elves is not their co-habitation, but their con&s;ent to unity, in the fore-mentioned ends.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> Their Con&s;ent was given by &s;ealing the Covenant of Grace, the Sacrament of their Admittance into the Univer&s;al Church, by
<PB N="7" REF="4">which they have a right to all the fore-mentioned Priviledges; and this their con&s;ent was further ratified by their con&s;tant communion with the Church in all publike wor&s;hip, and a continual practi&s;e of holine&s;s, both in their general and particular Callings, which &s;hews their approbation of their former profe&s;sion, and all this is known by other of the Church co-habiting near to them, and they near the place of publike Wor&s;hip; but if they did not co-habit near toge|ther, and al&s;o near the place of publike Wor&s;hip, they could neither perform tho&s;e publike and private duties, nor could others ob&s;erve them, neither could the Shepherd take care of his flock, nor be an ex|ample to the flock, as he is commanded, if the &s;heep might wander where they li&s;t, and as far from his fold as they plea&s;e. But why &s;hould he break the bounds of co-habitation, if it were not to break the A&s;&s;emblies of publike Wor&s;hip al&s;o? much like to the Prelates admittance to the Lords Table, who if they brought them money for their Tokens, they neither cared where or how they lived; but the Scripture &s;peaketh of a Sabbath days journey, <HI>Acts</HI> 1.12. which is &s;o far, as with convenience they may perform all du|ties to God, both in publike and private, yet not as if co-habiting only made them members, &s;o that if a Turk or Heathen &s;hould live in one of our Pari&s;hes, that for he is &s;o living there he is a member of that Church, this is far from our thoughts, for he mu&s;t fir&s;t be admit|ed into the Univer&s;al Church, by profe&s;&s;ing the Chri&s;tian Faith, and &s;ealing to it by Bapti&s;m, and this we &s;ay gives him right to all the Priviledges of the Chri&s;tian Church in any particular place where ever he &s;hall inhabit; but till this be done, we do not look upon Turks and Heathens as Church members for living among&s;t us, al|though never &s;o godly.</P>
<P>The fifth Rule, <HI>Admi&s;&s;ion into the&s;e Churches are to be by men, according to the Rules pre&s;cribed by Christ, and their Admi&s;&s;ions and Ejection are no further ratified by Chri&s;t, then they do agree to the&s;e Rules.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> Church-officers being lawfully called, have power to act by vertue of their Call, although they do not come up in holind&s;s to the Rules pre&s;cribed by Chri&s;t; &s;o did <HI>Judas,</HI> and <HI>Demas,</HI> and o|thers, who&s;e calling, and not their holine&s;s, gave them power to act; al&s;o I grant that the&s;e Church-officers have power to admit Jews and Turks into the Chri&s;tian Church, upon their conver&s;ion to the Chri&s;tian Faith manife&s;ted to them, and al&s;o to admit Chri&s;tians
<PB N="8" REF="5">that are ca&s;t out of the Church by Excommunication upon repent|ance, and &s;atisfaction made to the Church for that offence for which they were ca&s;t out; but to make Admi&s;sions and Ejections, recei|ving in and ca&s;ting out of tho&s;e that have &s;ealed their admi&s;sion into the Church, and their ingrafting into Chri&s;t, and as yet never for|feited their admi&s;sion, or at lea&s;t the forfeiture was never taken, nor they ca&s;t out, this were cruel U&s;urpation, with a witne&s;s, to make the hearts of Gods people &s;ad, but <HI>God will deliver his people out of their hand, Ezek.</HI> 13.22, 23. and &s;o much the &s;ooner, when men ex|pre&s;s &s;o much pride of heart to &s;ay, Chri&s;t will no further ratifie their Admi&s;sions and Ejections, then they agree to the&s;e Rules, as though Chri&s;t were more tyed to their inventions, then to his own In&s;ti|tution.</P>
<P>The &s;ixth Rule, <HI>The men imployed in this work are Officers, to whom with the Body the power of the Keys is committed.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> All bodies both naturall Politicall, and Mi&s;ticall, are guided by their head, and al&s;o all power in Government, whether in Church or State, is committed to the Governours thereof, there|fore &s;aith Chri&s;t unto <HI>Peter,</HI> in the name of all the Apo&s;tles, <HI>I give unto thee the keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven, Mat.</HI> 16, 19. and likewi&s;e to all the Apo&s;tles, <HI>What ye &s;hal binde, or loo&s;e upon earth &s;hal be done in heaven. John</HI> 20.23. and after their decea&s;e they left others to &s;et in order things that were wanting, <HI>Tit.</HI> 1.5. and when any thing is ami&s;&s;e in the Churches of <HI>A&s;ia</HI> the Angel thereof is charged with it: again &s;ome mu&s;t rule, and &s;ome obey them that rule over them, <HI>Heb.</HI> 13, 7.17.24. 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 5.17, But if the keyes were given for all to act with them, over whom &s;hould they rule, neither could there by order or decencie ob&s;erved, as is required <HI>Tit.</HI> 1.5. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 14.40. <HI>Col.</HI> 2.5. For all are ma&s;ter|le&s;&s;e where all are ma&s;ters: again, the Scripture &s;aith, this puni&s;h|ment of Excommunication, was inflicted by many, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2.6. not by all, as Independents would have it, nor by one as the Pre|lates would have; again, if in any Society the governed have power to ca&s;t out the Governor, as the Governor hath power to ca&s;t them out, this would &s;oon be the bane of all Societies, the &s;ervant may then as well ca&s;t out the ma&s;ter, as the ma&s;ter the &s;ervant, <HI>Hagar</HI> may as well ca&s;t out <HI>Abraham,</HI> as he ca&s;t out her, and &s;o the &s;on may ca&s;t out the father, as the father the &s;on, which would be the ruine of Church and State immediately, yea of all Families and civil Societies.</P>
<P><PB N="9" REF="5">
The &s;eventh Rule, <HI>Church-Officers are to be cho&s;en by their Church-Members.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> It is true, that Church-members, and not Turks and Infidels, are to choo&s;e Church-officers, but through &s;ome defect all the mem|bers cannot choo&s;e them, for children, and &s;ick per&s;ons, and tho&s;e in a journey, and excommunicate per&s;ons cannot choo&s;e them; nor women, who may not &s;peak in the Church, nor &s;ervants, who do not contribute to their maintenance, may not choo&s;e them, yet all in the Church, who are not hindered by &s;uch like impediments, may choo&s;e their Officers, yea out of them&s;elves, they may choo&s;e their Elders and Deacons, for &s;aith the Text, <HI>Look you out from among your &s;elves &s;even men of honest report, and full of the Holy Gho&s;t, and Wi&s;dom; and they cho&s;e Steven, and the re&s;t, Acts</HI> 6.3.5. But tho&s;e were only cho&s;en for that particular Society where they lived, and for no other; they were not placed in the Mini&s;try, nor in the Univer&s;al Church, &s;o that if they remove to another Church, they cannot take their office with them, therefore their power to choo&s;e, and al&s;o to be cho&s;en, reacheth no further then their own Society or Congregation: But a Mini&s;ter being cho&s;en to be placed in the Univer&s;al Church, a particular Church cannot choo&s;e them for the Mini&s;try, becau&s;e, I &s;ay, their office is not there confined; but if they &s;hall remove to another Congregation, they take their office with them; yea if he &s;hould be ca&s;t out among the Heathen, he may preach and baptize, and &s;o di&s;pence all the Ordinances to them, if they will embrace the Chri&s;tian Faith; but if multitudes of other Chri&s;tians were ca&s;t among&s;t them, they can act but as private Chri|&s;tian. The Jews being returned from <HI>Babylon,</HI> found that they had no Mini&s;ters, did not make Mini&s;ters of other men, but &s;ent to <HI>Iddo,</HI> and his brethren, and de&s;ired to &s;end them <HI>Min&s;ters for the Hou&s;e of God, and they &s;ent them a man of under&s;tanding, of the Tribe of Levi, Ezra</HI> 8.17, 18. And &s;o &s;hould other Congregations &s;end to the Univer&s;ity for the like ble&s;&s;ing: <HI>When Samaria had received the Chri&s;tian Faith, the Apo&s;tles heard of it, and &s;ent them Peter and John, Act.</HI> 8.14. But the Congregation can give the Mini&s;ter no power to act; they cannot put him into the Mini&s;try which are not in it them&s;elves, nor give him power to act in other Congregations, where they have no power at all. It is not &s;aid the particular Church, but <HI>the people of the Land &s;hall choo&s;e the Watch-men,</HI> and not out of their particular Church, but
<PB N="10" REF="6"><HI>out of their Coa&s;ts, Ezek.</HI> 33.2. Now tho&s;e people of the Land may be Mini&s;ters in the Univer&s;ity, coming thither out of all parts of the Land, and yet out of their Coa&s;ts, or national Church; &s;o that hear we grant them to be Church-members, although not members of their particular Society; and it is a gracious promi&s;e, that all Go|vernors in Church and State &s;hall be cho&s;en out of the mide&s;t of them, that is, of thy brethren by Nation, and not &s;trangers, <HI>Jer.</HI> 30.21, 22. Al&s;o I grant, that a Congregation may choo&s;e their own Mini|&s;ters in relation to them&s;elves, being already in the Mini&s;try, both e|lected and ordained by Mini&s;ters before for the Mini&s;try; but a Con|gregation may not elect and ordain a Mini&s;ter into the Mini&s;try; <HI>Matthias</HI> was cho&s;en by a hundred and twenty names of men, that is, Officers, <HI>Act.</HI> 1.15. When two or three are in the Name of Chri&s;t having his Authority, they are Church-officers, with the power of binding and loo&s;ing, <HI>Mat.</HI> 18.17.20. &s;o that 120. was made up of the 70. and 11 Apo&s;tles, and other preachers, which were with them from the Bapti&s;m of <HI>John, Act.</HI> 1.21, 22. The Officers of Antichri&s;t falling, and &s;aid to be 7000. names of men, <HI>Rev.</HI> 11.13. and Mini&s;ters mu&s;t be ordained by the Presbytery, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4.14. and not by the peo|ple; yea when Deacons were cho&s;en out of them&s;elves for their pre&s;ent Society, yet they were ordained by the Apo&s;tles, they pray|ed, and laid their hands on them, <HI>Acts</HI> 6.3, 4. Thus far I grant, that the Members of a particular Church have power to choo&s;e, and to be cho&s;en, for Church-officers, but no further.</P>
<P>The eight Rule, <HI>The Officers in&s;tituted by Chri&s;t in the Church are Pastors, Elders, and Deacons, who&s;e callings and qualifica|tions are plainly laid down in the Word.</HI> Now to this la&s;t Rule I &s;hall willingly &s;ub&s;cribe, if you do not limit and re&s;train your Officers from acting, and make meer Cyphers of them, having but the bare names of Officers, and yet give the lea&s;t Member in the Congregation, as much power, if not more, to act then he, making them to puni&s;h tho&s;e whom every member but them&s;elves &s;hall think fit, giving them no power at all to judge and cen&s;ure, but to execute the cen&s;ure of all other members, whether he thinks the cen&s;ure ju&s;t or not: but Mini&s;ters are &s;ometimes called Elders in regard of their Power in the Church, and the re&s;t charged to obey them, <HI>Heb.</HI> 13.7.17.24. <HI>Tit.</HI> 5.17, and &s;ometimes they are called Pa&s;tors to feed them with knowledge and under&s;tanding, <HI>Ier.</HI> 3.15. and &s;ometimes they are called Bi&s;hops or Over-&s;eers, in regard of
<PB N="11" REF="6">their pains and labour, vigilency and aptne&s;s to teach the flock, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3.1, 2. and al&s;o to defend them from Wolves that would de|vour the flock; and likewi&s;e to maintain the Office of ruling Elders, who al&s;o are placed in the Church to &s;trengthen the Di&s;ciples and to take care that the poor be provided for of that &s;ociety, and that the Collections be gathered and di&s;po&s;ed by the Deacons, as they &s;hall appoint, for to them &s;hould the &s;tock of the poor be commit|ted, when relief was &s;ent to the Churches in Judea, it was com|mitted to the Elders, <HI>Act.</HI> 11.30. and al&s;o their work is to de&s;ide controver&s;ies, when private Brethren cannot do it, then &s;aith the Text, <HI>tell the Church, Mat.</HI> 18.17. that is, her Officers, and what they bind and lo&s;e &s;hall be done in heaven, <HI>ver.</HI> 18. now this cannot be the whole body, becau&s;e two or three may do it in the name and power of Chri&s;t, <HI>ver.</HI> 20. nor any two or three had not that autho|rity, for then the offending and the offended brethren had it, but they had it not, nor two or three more, for it was the third grada|tion, and yet but two or three, which could be none but the Offi|cers or Elder&s;hip, which is the highe&s;t appeal in a particular Church. Thus if you allow of their Offices, as well as their names, I &s;hall &s;ub&s;cribe to this la&s;t, but I doubt you will not, unle&s;&s;e you do re|nounce the latter part of your &s;ixt Rule.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="imprimatur">
<P>Imprimat.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>J. D.</SIGNED>
<DATE><HI>August</HI> 22. 1650.</DATE></CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
