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<DATE>2009-10-27</DATE>
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<NAME>Pip Willcox</NAME>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A Free, Plain, and Ju&s;t Way Concerning Communion and Excommunication, At, Or from The Lords Table. With A Chri&s;tian Account Concerning the &s;ame. With An&s;wers to the Objections to the contrary.</P>
<P>In which is &s;hewed, that the Church to day hath no more power to excommunicate from the Lords Table, then it had ye&s;terday power to &s;eparate from the Altar, unto which &s;inners were exhorted by the Church to go; whereby their prai&s;es and repentance. And that the pretended diffe|rences in Bapti&s;m, are no ju&s;t ground of &s;eparation.</P>
<P>Written by <HI>Willam Kaye,</HI> with Chri&s;tians approbation, with &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion to the general Over&s;ight.</P>
<P><HI>He taketh away the fir&s;t, [the &s;acrifice of the Altar] that he might e&s;tabli&s;h a &s;econd [Chri&s;ts &s;acrifice held forth at the Lords Table.]</HI></P>
<P><HI>Having therefore boldne&s;s to enter into the holie&s;t by the blood of Je&s;us by a new and living way, which he hath con&s;ecrated for us through the veil which is his fle&s;h,</HI> Heb. 10.1, 2, 8, 9, 19, 20.</P>
<Q>The bread which we breake, is it not the Communion of the body of Chri&s;t, &amp;c.
<BIBL><HI>1 Cor. 10.16.</HI></BIBL></Q>
<P><HI>Let a man examine him&s;elf, and &s;o let him eat,</HI> &amp;c. 1 Cor. 11.28.</P>
<P>Printed in the year, 1655.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="author to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>A Chri&s;tian account concerning the acknow|ledgement of Communion and Excommunication.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">Humbly pre&s;ented to all Chri&s;tians to judge thereof, and to undeceive &s;uch as have heard of it as fal&s;ly reported.</HEAD>
<P>TO per&s;evere in the Chri&s;tian profe&s;&s;ion, moderation, truth, and unity, &s;peaks &s;o much your experience in your effectuall calling, as that you know that it is not &s;o much a matter of ad|miration, to finde out the &s;traight way of Reformation, by following of Chri&s;t in the for-&s;aking of Antichri&s;t, as it is to fini&s;h our Cour&s;e, &s;aithfully, and orderly; for if the &s;pirit of <HI>Core,</HI> and <HI>Demas,</HI> have more place left in them for &s;chi&s;m, pride and worldlyne&s;s, as a bow over bent they will breake, &s;tart a &s;ide, or &s;hipwrake their profe&s;&s;ions.</P>
<P>Not then to plea&s;e men, but God, is to fight with the wolfe, which would devour the &s;heepe, and red Dragon which doth watch to di&s;|troy the truths which are to be brought forth, as the food for the &s;oules of Gods elect people; &s;o that a faithfull pa&s;tour mu&s;t &s;tand as a Rocke, again&s;t which the waves of the envious &s;ea of reproaches may breake it &s;elfe, as not able to breake down the &s;tandard of &s;incere profe&s;&s;ors, for who&s;e &s;ake it is the &s;pecicall duty, of ever Go&s;pel-mini&s;ter, not only Chri&s;t-like, to be &s;anctified, but al&s;o even to dare to be &s;acrificed, <HI>John. 10.</HI></P>
<P>To &s;uffer then any of the flocke of Chri&s;t to want their mo&s;t pre|cious food, as I judge my &s;elf, were ju&s;tly to condemn me to be either mercienarily unfaithfull, or politickly &s;ubtill, contrarie to &s;elf-denyall, and &s;implicitie, the &s;hining jamage of Chri&s;tiantie, that all &s;tumbling &s;tones might be ca&s;t out of the way of Gods people, I having earne&s;tly &s;ought God, to make the way to his &s;upper plaine before me.</P>
<P>As the Lord hath returned, I mo&s;t humbly pre&s;ent this Chri&s;tian
<PB REF="3">con&s;ent, concerning Communion and Excommunication as the Lords Table; with my &s;ermon Entitled the Doctrine of the martyrs Re|membred, and a Declaration, both holding foth in part, the Doctrine with &s;ome di&s;coveries of undew, negligent admini&s;trations, and cau&s;ele&s;s &s;eparation.</P>
<P>And now I do mo&s;t humbly appeale unto you in every re&s;pect fit judges, whether any Chri&s;tian that de&s;ires to be hone&s;t and faithfull to the profe&s;&s;ion which according to his light he doth acknowledge in Bapti&s;me, hath any ju&s;t acca&s;ion to complaine, that this way is too &s;trict, or that he is debarred from Receiving.</P>
<P>Or that any ought to judge one an others con&s;cience for out &s;ub|miting unto Bapti&s;me as they acknowledge it.</P>
<P>And further, in that we profe&s;s to wor&s;hip, Prai&s;e, renew our &s;elves as we have &s;inned again&s;t our Creator, and mercifull Father, in going unto the throne of Grace, as from the beginning, held forth in the new and Living way, as in Chri&s;t revealed, and in that we profe&s;s to judge no mans light, Jew nor Gentile, &s;o as to per&s;ecute them, nor to &s;eparate from any Chri&s;tian that &s;hall according to his light, that is in him, walk up to the rule in acknowledgeing his Bapti&s;me as he hath atained.</P>
<P>And in that we profe&s;s, as from the beginning, the Magi&s;trates power in the Church, and avoid all &s;chi&s;mes and factions.</P>
<P>Therefore we call the world to witne&s;s, whether we hereby give any occa&s;ion, or provoke any man though of contrary judgement to per|&s;ecute or Reproach us, if they be either hone&s;t or rea&s;onable, we de&s;ire|ing to be informed (all &s;eeing but in part) wherein we are erring from the primitine Churches: we de&s;iring, That the communion of Saints is an Article of Faith, by which God is the Father of all believers.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>W. Kaye.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="tract">
<PB N="1" REF="3">
<HEAD>A Free, Plain, and Ju&s;t Way Concerning Communion and Excommunication, At, Or from The Lords Table.</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>1. <HI>Concerning admi&s;&s;ion into Church-Communion to the Lords Table.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_ALL Chri&s;tians that &s;hall willingly acknow|ledge their Bapti&s;me, according to the mea&s;ure of Light that they have
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Phil. 3.16. comp. with Rom. 14.14, 15.</NOTE> attain|ed to, holding forth their belief in Fa|ther, Son, and Holy Gho&s;t, and &s;hall de|&s;ire al&s;o to receive the Lords Supper
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 11.28.</NOTE> up|on examination of them&s;elves, through Go&s;pel-repentance, and to
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 11.29.</NOTE> di&s;cern the Lords Body, for the &s;trengthening of their Faith, to endea|vor, to
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Mat. 5.16.</NOTE> glorifie God in the ob&s;ervation of prayer in private with
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Mat. 6.6. Act. 10.2. Chri&s;tians profe&s;s prayer both in pri|vate and pub|like.</NOTE> Lords Day-wor&s;hip, reading and hearing the Scriptures read in publike, with prayer, preaching,
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Act. 7.20. Act. 16.13, 14.</NOTE> &s;inging of P&s;almes, Fa&s;ting, and Church-Government, with approbation and &s;ub|mi&s;&s;ion to the
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Mat. 26.30.</NOTE> Magi&s;trates power therein, as well as in civil ju|ri&s;diction: That an orderly, hone&s;t, &s;ober, peaceable,
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 1.9, 10.2 Theff, 2.4.</NOTE> and humble conver&s;ation towards all men, might be pre&s;erved; ought to break Bread together with Gods people, at the Lords Table.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="objection">
<PB N="2" REF="4">
<HEAD>2. <HI>Concerning Separation or Excommunication.</HI></HEAD>
<P>ALl &s;uch Chri&s;tians, as are or &s;hall be admitted, as above-&s;aid, ought not to be excommunicated, or &s;eparated from the Lords Table for any &s;in or error, by which they &s;hall be overtaken (for which there remaineth a
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Mat. 18.15, 16, 17.</NOTE> &s;acrifice) If they &s;hall either by
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Heb. 10.26.</NOTE> private, or publike Chri&s;tian exhortation or advice be gained, &s;o as not willfully to refu&s;e to receive the Supper of the Lord, by which Chri&s;tian Ordinance they have a ble&s;&s;ed oppor|tunity, to
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Mat. 18. Prai&s;es and re|pentance are perfected by the di&s;cover|ing of Chri&s;ts body,</NOTE> perfect their Prai&s;es and Repentance.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>3. <HI>The ground why any &s;hould receive, that graciou&s;ly de&s;ire it.</HI></HEAD>
<P>ALl Chri&s;tians that would walk according to the light thats in them, by which a &s;acrifie for &s;in as in <HI>Cain</HI> and <HI>Abel</HI> was held forth from the beginning, mu&s;t expect that Chri&s;t be the &s;ame to us to day, as he was ye&s;terday to our forefathers, with further improvement of light and liberty. Therefore though by Chri&s;t the Onely
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Heb. 10.1, 2, &amp;c. 8, 9, 19, 29.</NOTE> Sacrifice for our &s;ins, the &s;acrifices of Bea&s;ts as a &s;haddow thereof are totally aboli&s;hed, yet hath he e&s;tab|li&s;hed a &s;econd in his Supper, to hold forth his Body by the ble&s;&s;ed Bread and Wine, as the Commemoration of his &s;acri|fice, which therefore ought often to be admini&s;tred in every private Over&s;ight, with the &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion to the General, for the &s;oul-uniting, reforming, and comforting of Gods people, where|ing they <HI>Jeeking the welfare</HI> of their &s;ouls, ought no more to be deprived of this hidden Manna, then to have their Bodily food taken from them. Objections to the contrary an&s;wered.</P>
<P>Object. 1. <HI>With contrary judgements in re&s;pect of Bapti&s;m there is no Communion.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> If mens judgements onely differ, in not attaining to the &s;ame mea&s;ure of knowledge in all circum&s;tances concerning Bapti&s;m (defects and imperfections in prayers, &s;inging and in the Lords Supper, ari&s;ing either through ignorance or frailty, being made perfect as well as the imperfections in Bapti&s;m, through Chri&s;ts Mediator&s;hip) therefore though with the Apo&s;tle we may condemn each others opinion, and &s;ay we know and per|ceive
<PB N="3" REF="4">by the Lord Je&s;us, that it is
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Rom. 14.14, 15.</NOTE> nothing, yet mu&s;t we not notwith&s;tanding, as the Apo&s;tle teacheth us; we cannot con|demn any mans con&s;cience in his endeavoring to &s;ubmit, as he hath
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Phil. 3.16.</NOTE> attained unto the rule: to mea&s;ure then our &s;elves by our &s;elves, and &s;o compare our &s;elues by our &s;elves, &s;o as to &s;et at nought our Brethren, whom God commands us not to judge, looking after the rule, as they have attained, is not equal. Or it is not the minde of Chri&s;t in re&s;pect of difference of judgement in attaining to the rule to &s;eparate or refer to Communicate with &s;uch as walk in imitation of Chri&s;t in all his command|ments.</P>
<P>Object. 2, <HI>The Church of</HI> Cornith <HI>did Excommunicate the in|ce&s;tuous per&s;on; and we are required, that if a brother be a drun|kard, an idolater, an adulterer, a covetous per&s;on, or extortioner, not to eat or drink with him, or bear him company.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> The Church of <HI>Cornith,</HI> or private brethren, had not power of Excommunication, and therefore <HI>Paul</HI> not leaving it to them to judge, bade them, as he had already judged, to put a|way the wicked per&s;on, as he wi&s;hed in another place they were cut off that troubled the Church; which putting away, and and cutting off, mu&s;t not be done without a fair tryal by wit|ne&s;&s;es and judgement in ca&s;e of denyal, or not except they &s;hall not be gained upon admonition; for none can be excom|municated without lawful proceeding, according to the rule,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">An Heretick was to have two admoniti|ons, Tit. 3.10.</NOTE> or appointment of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, as he hath ordered to judge any of|fender which is to be admoni&s;hed by one or more, if by the fir&s;t he be not in a private way grieved; and then to tell it to the Church, which Church by the mouth of their Pa&s;tor or An|gel, is in the name of Chri&s;t, and in Chri&s;ts &s;tead to exhort, allure and per&s;wade the offending Brother to be reconciled to God by the blood of Chri&s;ts Sacrifice, held forth in the Lords Supper;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">A man mu&s;t not be exclu|ded for impe|nitency, till he rejectth the means where|by he may be penitent, or re|fu&s;e to look up to Chri&s;t, as by the brazen Serpent.</NOTE> &s;o that the Church mu&s;t not Excommunicate before a man do wilfully refu&s;e to profe&s;s Repentance, or to Communicate: for as it was never &s;o from the beginning, &s;o it is unrea&s;onable for the Church to Excommunicate a man from the Lords Supper, if he &s;hall be penitent; as it were for a man to withhold his neighbour, that is both wounded and be&s;meared, to go to the Phy&s;ician and fountain to be wa&s;hed and cured. The Church then cannot Excommunicate a &s;inner that thir&s;ts after reconciliation,
<PB N="4" REF="5">or deprive any Chri&s;tian of his &s;piritual food, and garment of Righteou&s;ne&s;s; &s;eeing Chri&s;t is preached to &s;uch, offered to &s;uch, invites &s;uch, and &s;ays that he will not in any wi&s;e ca&s;t away any that cometh unto him.</P>
<P>Object. 3. <HI>If men be not excluded for the breach of their profe&s;&s;i|on in Bapti&s;m, but may have liberty to profe&s;s repentance, they may run from &s;in to &s;in, and &s;o continue without repentance.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> This conjecture is as unrea&s;onable, as it is to &s;uppo&s;e that to &s;uffer a man to hear the word preached, were the cau&s;e of unbelieving, though it be true that all that hear become not believers: therefore if we have the Spirit of Je&s;us, we mu&s;t not be offended with unprofitable hearers, becau&s;e it is their right and the means appointed for their &s;alvation; which to oppo&s;e them in, is to &s;hut the Kingdom of Heaven again&s;t men. So in the like manner we mu&s;t not be offended, though the&s;e that profe&s;s their Bapti&s;m, and &s;o are admitted to the Lords Table, &s;hall often receive without vi&s;ible fruit of Reformation, be|cau&s;e it is their priviledge and means of heart-Reformation and Chri&s;tian communion: for if they belong unto God, they &s;hall in his appointed time become worthy partakers; and if not, the Divel <HI>Judas</HI>-like will enter into their hearts, whereby they &s;hall per&s;ecute or for&s;ake their profe&s;&s;ion, or the external judge|ment of God will fall upon them, as it did on &s;ome of the <HI>Co|rinthians,</HI> &s;o that they &s;hall not, as is objected, long continue; for the Divel cannot endure to be long tormented with the blood of Chri&s;t held forth in this Ordinance.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="4" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>Obj. 4. <HI>This is an ea&s;ie way, or openeth the door too wide, or gi|veth too much liberty.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> It is no more ea&s;ie then our fathers that lived under the Law enjoyed, &s;ave that they were burthened with ceremonial clean&s;ings, and &s;acrificing of their flocks, whereby they gave the meat from their mouths, and we may have by Bread and Wine the &s;anctified refre&s;hments both of body and &s;oul; and therefore that the yoak is made ea&s;ie to be born, is not to be objected a|gain&s;t, but to be highly prized.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="5" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>Obj. 5. <HI>How can it be proved that the Lords Supper in all intents doth &s;ucceed the u&s;e of the Altar which is aboli&s;hed?</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> Though he hath taken away the fir&s;t, the Sacrifies of the Law offered on the Altar, yet hath he e&s;tabli&s;hed a &s;econd, <HI>Heb.</HI> 10.9, 10. the &s;acrificing of Chri&s;t him&s;elf held forth in the Lords
<PB N="5" REF="5">Supper, the New and Living way to go to the Holie&s;t by his blood, <HI>Heb.</HI> 13.9, 10.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Altar and the Lords Table com|pared.</NOTE> For as they that went to the Altar per|fected their repentance and prai&s;es, to &s;trengthen their faith in the belief of Chri&s;t the Lamb, &s;lain from the beginning, with further expectation that Chri&s;t &s;hould be revealed; &s;o in this every one that is to come to the Lords Supper is in like maner, 1.
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 11.28.</NOTE> To exaime them&s;elves to the reforming of their lives, or perfecting of repentance. 2. To
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 11.</NOTE> di&s;cern the Lords Body, once &s;acrificed for them. 3. To have their faith &s;trengthened in the remembrance of his &s;econd coming. And 4. To celebrate prai&s;e, a
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 11.26.</NOTE> fea&s;tival; &s;o that the Doctrine of the Altar,
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 5.</NOTE> and the Lords Supper held forth in the &s;econd, &s;ucceedeth the fir&s;t, or the &s;acrifice of the Altar, in all u&s;es, and intentions.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="6" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>Obj. 6. <HI>This brings us unto the old way again.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> If by the old way be meant that we &s;hould ob&s;erve that old way that Chri&s;t and his Apo&s;tles, and Primitive Churches, and their &s;ucce&s;&s;ors for &s;ix hundred yeers after Chri&s;t ob&s;erved, when were Golden Pa&s;tors,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Golden Pa|&s;tors and wooden Cups.</NOTE> and Chri&s;tians did often receive with gladne&s;s of heart, prai&s;ing God, living in &s;implicity, &s;inceri|ty, and holine&s;s; it were a mercy then to &s;ee this good and old path, for which our Martyrs contended for, re&s;tored:
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Note.</HI></NOTE> For as we have more and more digre&s;&s;ed from the old way, we have by little and little, run into the wayes of Schi&s;m, cau&s;ele&s;s &s;epa|ration, errors and profane&s;s, &s;o that Chri&s;tianity is almo&s;t brought to prophe&s;ie in &s;ackcloth, and that he that oppo&s;eth error maketh him&s;elf a prey, if not a &s;igne and wonder. Therefore if God intend to ble&s;s this Nation with his wonted pre&s;ence, when Chri&s;tians unitedly, and faithfully according to their light did communicate, then we &s;hall &s;ee the old way again re&s;tored, and &s;o we &s;hall be called the repairers of the Breaches.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="7" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>Obj. 7. <HI>We know none but you that hold this opinion.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> Then are you not acquainted with many &s;olid,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Artic.</HI> 28.</NOTE> &s;ober and zealous Chri&s;tians, the Antient Fathers, and Modern Divines, and ignorant of the Doctrine or Article of the Church of <HI>Eng|land,</HI> that have made free pa&s;&s;age to the Supper of the Lord, as ever God made to the Altar for the humble, thir&s;ty, and peni|tent, &s;o far from drawing back,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mr. <HI>Prinns</HI> Separation &s;e|parated.</NOTE> as that they did rather through zeal to their &s;ouls, compell them to communicate. But e&s;peci|ally you have not &s;een Mr. <HI>Prinns</HI> Book, our zealous and faith|ful
<PB N="6" REF="6">witne&s;s of the Truth, who hath very notably defended a new way to the Lords Table, &s;o that I know none that held the contrary opinion, but Tyrannical Antichri&s;t and &s;ome profe&s;|&s;ing Saints, for whom I mourn to &s;ee them write after <HI>Romes</HI> copy, in their private Church-di&s;cipline of exclu&s;ion from the Lords Table: As though the Church Keyes were turned into Door-bolts; and the &s;weet hony of the Kingdom of Heaven &s;hould be changed into the juice of &s;ower Grapes of the De|generated vineyard, in that penitent groans are &s;leighted by Politick &s;u&s;pen&s;ions, though they have not a letter or con&s;e|quence of Scripture, to judge of their brethrens hearts, for the &s;pace of a week, day, or hour in re&s;pect of repentance, whereby to exclude them from the Lords Supper, which is not onely called the &s;igne of that love which Chri&s;tians &s;hould have one to another;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Doct. of the Church of England.</NOTE> but it is called the Sacrament of our Redemption; In which way to &s;ee it freely and duly admini&s;tred to the glory of God in the unity and con&s;olation of all Saints and poor &s;in|ners, is the way that is onely aimed at: for the profe&s;&s;ion of which I eat my hidden Manna, in &s;uffering the hatred and re|proach of &s;ome per&s;ecuting &s;pirits.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="8" TYPE="objection">
<HEAD>Obj. 8. <HI>It appertaineth not to the Magi&s;trate to have to do in Church Government.</HI></HEAD>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> Though it be well known that the Magi&s;trate had ever &s;upream power in the Church, and that the Go&s;pel-di&s;ciples then might and were owned till Antichri&s;t oppo&s;ed them, yet it cannot be proved, that either under the Law or in the New Te&s;tament that private Brethren of any Church, ought to Judge, or rule in matters of Excommunication, or matters of Law; for then they &s;hould be Rulers and not ruled. To have then a Magi&s;trate to appeal unto, and that the Magi&s;trate with the Mini&s;ters take the General over&s;ight,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Se more of this in my Decla|ration.</NOTE> and judge all private over&s;ights, is to make them Nur&s;ing Fathers, and the Churches to grow in Grace, Truth, and Unity.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
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</TEXT>
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