<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>10-10-11</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>*Added TEMPHEAD, checked ID, and added TYPEs to DIVs in order to validate.
*Checked for GROUP tags.
*Proofed title page(s).
*Checked I / J.
*Checked ^s.
*Checked oe for ae ligatures.
*Reviewed structure.
*Checked placement and completeness of PBs.
*Checked for #s, @s, --s, mdash;, q;s, Esabque;, frac;, ABBRs, yogh (YOGH), eogon;, deg;, BLANK, N="", etc.
*Corrected $ by inserting the appropriate character.
*Checked for duplicate pages.
*Checked for missing pages.
*Checked spacing of foreign GAPs.
*Checked for amp;cs with incorrect spacing.
*Checked for LBs.
*Checked for OPENERs, SALUTEs, DATELINEs, DATEs, SIGNEDs, CLOSERs, TRAILERs, BYLINEs, ARGUMENTs, EPIGRAPHs, etc.
*Checked for TABLEs and LISTs.
*Checked for startqs, endqs and Qs.
*Checked proofsheets and made corrections. DONE 10-10-11.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A86657">
<STC T="W">H3197A</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99897350</BIBNO>
<VID>135336</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>Fifteen Que&s;tions TOUCHING CHURCH GOVERNMENT, Clande&s;tinately purpo&s;ed to, but publickly an&s;wered BY Rob. How&s;on M.A. AND MINISTER Of the TOWN and COUNTY of POOLE.</P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed for the Author, 1685.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>Fifteen Que&s;tions Propo&s;ed to, and An&s;wer'd by Mr. <HI>Robert How&s;on</HI> Ma&s;ter of Arts, and Mini&s;ter of Gods Word in <HI>POOLE.</HI></HEAD>
<P N="1">1 <HI>Q.</HI> WHether it be not the duty of every Chri&s;tian, to choo&s;e the Communion of the be&s;t Society; and whether in the choice thereof? He is bound to follow his own judgment, after the be&s;t Information he is able to attain unto, or other Mens Judgments again&s;t his own 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6. c. 7. v.</P>
<P N="1">1 A. <HI>There is no Man can judge &s;o far of Mens Per&s;ons, or hu|mane Societies, as to &s;ay &s;uch are good, or &s;uch are bad; the</HI> Phari|&s;ees <HI>were accounted by them&s;elves, and others the be&s;t of Men, while indeed they were the wor&s;t.</HI> Mat. 23. <HI>from the</HI> 13th v. <HI>and the</HI> Publi|cans <HI>(who were accounted the wor&s;t of Men) are &s;aid to go into the Kingdom of Heaven before them; Men are good or bad in them&s;elves toward God, &s;o far only as their Natures are renewed, and as they are transformed into the Image of God: And they are good and bad to us, &s;o far as they walk according to, or differing from the Word of God, the mo&s;t vi&s;&s;ible and certain rule of a Chri&s;tian Conver&s;ation.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2 <HI>Q.</HI> Whether it be not the duty of every Chri&s;tian, to with|draw from every Brother that walks di&s;orderly, not after the Tra|ditions received from the Apo&s;tles, 2 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 3. c. 6. v.</P>
<P N="2">2 A. <HI>It is &s;o? Therefore every Man or every Society of Men, that maintain erronious Principles, or live in Vicious or Wicked Practices, are to be &s;eparated from, and puni&s;hed by the Power that Chri&s;t hath given to his Church under the Go&s;pel,</HI> 1 Cor. 5.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Mat. 18.17.</P>
<P N="3">3 <HI>Q.</HI> Whether it be not Incongruous and Heterogenial, to pu|ni&s;h corporally, Men erring &s;piritually, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 2. c. 24, 25. v.</P>
<P N="3">3 A. <HI>If after all meekne&s;s and aptne&s;s to teach and patience there meant: The erring Brother will rather refu&s;e to hear, or continue to oppo&s;e; the puni&s;hing of the Body may conduce to the &s;aving of the Soul,</HI> 1 Cor. 5.5. <HI>Gold and Dro&s;s are Heterogenial, yet the fire &s;epa|rates between them, according to the Philo&s;ophical Maxim,</HI> Ignis &s;epa|rat Heterogenea, &amp; congregat Homogenea.</P>
<P N="4"><PB N="2" REF="3">4 <HI>Q.</HI> Whether &s;ecular force and compul&s;ion in things of Di|vine and Supernatural Revelation, be the way of Chri&s;t to com|pleat his Church, or whether his People be not a willing People in the days of his Power. 11 <HI>P&s;alm.</HI> 3. v.</P>
<P N="5">5 <HI>Q.</HI> Whether any one can be compell'd by &s;ecular force or compul&s;ion, to perform any one Religious duty acceptably, &s;ince God accepts not of any, but what is voluntary and of Faith, which cannot be forc'd and of what u&s;e then is &s;ecular force and compul&s;ion in Religion, but to make Men Sin or Suffer, and as for tho&s;e words u&s;ually urged out of that Parable: go forth and compel them to come in, 14. <HI>Luke</HI> 23. I pray Sir con&s;ider they that were invited and &s;lighted this kindne&s;s &s;hown, where they were compell'd: And tho&s;e that it is &s;aid they &s;hould compell, &s;how that they refu&s;ed: And I pray deal ingeniou&s;ly, and tell me whether that compul&s;ion was any other than by &s;etting before them the benefits offered, and &s;o compelling them by force of Ar|gument.</P>
<P N="4">4 and 5 A. <HI>Though &s;ecular force and compul&s;ion do not per&s;wade Mens minds, or perfect Chri&s;ts Church; yet it doth and may bring Men unto tho&s;e Go&s;pel and Spiritual means (which by the a&s;&s;i&s;tance of the Spirit) may effectually per&s;wade and &s;ave. School Boys are whipt to School, and yet for all that many of them do love their bu&s;ine&s;s and like there books, and have cau&s;e to ble&s;s God they ever were forc'd and compell'd: When I was in my Youthful Age, fear of Puni&s;hment did force me to tho&s;e Ordinances, in which I found and felt much good, and for which I &s;hall have cau&s;e to be eternally thankful; and I do more than believe that many have (by force off Eccle&s;ia&s;tical cen&s;ures) been brought to a Communion with our Church, in which they have experienced much of Gods grace and goodne&s;s, and for which they are now magnifying his Name and Spirit.</HI></P>
<P N="6">6 <HI>Q.</HI> Whether Chri&s;ts Rule to his Di&s;ciples under the Go&s;pel, be not a Spiritual Power, and whether to u&s;e the Temporal Sword in Religious matters, be not to make the Weapons of the Go&s;pel not mighty through God, according to that in 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 10.3, 4, 5. But mighty through the Maje&s;trates Power, and to arm the Church with Weapons, Chri&s;t never gave her, and to make her rather a Millitary, than a Spiritual Society.</P>
<P N="7"><PB N="3" REF="3">7 <HI>Q.</HI> Whether to &s;ay the Spiritual Power Chri&s;t hath given to the Church, for the right ordering and governing thereof, is not &s;ufficient for that end, without the aid and a&s;&s;istance of Secular Power be not to Bla&s;pheme.</P>
<P N="6">6 and 7 A. <HI>Under the Go&s;pel the Spiritual Rule of Chri&s;t, is to Go|vern his Church by his Spirit and Word, and the only Weapons of the Church are Prayers and Tears, and not Guns and Swords, &s;uch as were mo&s;t &s;hamefully u&s;ed by the Di&s;&s;enters from our Church (to the great &s;candal of Religion) in the late Bloody Tragedy of our National and Civil War, which ended in the mo&s;t barbarous Cata&s;trophy,</HI> viz. <HI>the &s;pilling of the be&s;t Blood that ever circled in meer humane Veins. As to the Temporal Sword you &s;pake off, at wor&s;t 'tis but a Rod of Church Di&s;cipline, &s;uch as the Apo&s;tle taught and order'd to be u&s;ed.</HI> 1 Cor. 5.5. c. 4.21. V. <HI>And that not in oppo&s;ition to the great Law and Rule of the Spirit, in things Spiritual and E&s;&s;ential to Salvation, but in great Subordination to that Law, and to that Rule.</HI></P>
<P><HI>If the Spirit of God under Go&s;pel di&s;pen&s;ations, work upon Mens Hearts and Con&s;ciences by the outward means of Prayer, hearing the Word Preached and Sacraments (as you will certainly own) why then that Law and Power, that enjoyns and commands attendance in the&s;e, is in &s;ubordination to the Law of the Spirit, and is both lawful and ne|ce&s;&s;ary, e&s;pecially if you do but con&s;ider, the Athei&s;m and Profane|ne&s;s, as well as the Faction and Giddine&s;s of the Age; &s;o that not to u&s;e this Power, in &s;uch an Age would be in &s;ome &s;ence to Bla&s;pheme the Legi&s;lative and Executive Power of Chri&s;t in his Church.</HI></P>
<P N="8">8 <HI>Q.</HI> Whether to force and compell Men in the Wor&s;hip and Service of God, to act again&s;t their lights and judgments be not a Spiritual Rape upon their Con&s;ciences.</P>
<P N="8">8 A. <HI>The Spiritual Rape you talk of is committed by your &s;elves, upon your own under&s;tandings, who deny to hear Chri&s;tian light and liberty &s;o plainly preach'd and proved, that wholly removes all occa&s;ion of that force you &s;pake of, to all candid and unprejudiced Hearers.</HI></P>
<P N="9">9 <HI>Q.</HI> Whether it be not the duty of all Chri&s;tians to walk to|gether, &s;o far as they have attained, and in other things wait the Revelation of the mind of God, to them that differ <HI>Phil.</HI> 2.15.16.</P>
<P N="9">9 A. <HI>It is undoubtedly the duty of all Chri&s;tians, having attained the knowledge of the Go&s;pel, to walk together in Go&s;pel Communion, and not to make Schi&s;ms and Separations</HI> Ro. 16.17. Heb. 10.25.
<PB N="4" REF="4"> <HI>And to that Scripture you &s;pake of in</HI> Phil. 2.15.16. <HI>it is altogether alien to your purpo&s;e.</HI></P>
<P N="10">10 <HI>Q.</HI> Whether in tho&s;e duties whereon Eternity depends, it be not the highe&s;t ab&s;urdity to force any again&s;t there own light, to be guided by others who are not Infallible.</P>
<P N="10">10 A. <HI>It is rather the highe&s;t ab&s;urdity in the World, for any Man in the great concern of Eternity, to tru&s;t to his own light, e&s;pecially when he hath an Infallible Light to be guided by,</HI> viz. <HI>the Scriptures Preach'd and Explained, Read</HI> I&s;aiah 8.17.18.19.20.</P>
<P N="11">11 <HI>Q.</HI> Whether it be not mo&s;t unrea&s;onable in the Concerns of Eternity, to tye Men by temporal Penalty to fallible guides, whom to follow may be their Eternal Ruin, to for&s;ake their tem|poral ruin.</P>
<P N="11">11 A. <HI>I deny the &s;uppo&s;ition, Our Church doth not tye Men (as you &s;uppo&s;e) to any fallible Guide, but only to the Infallible Spirit and word which guideth: and to the Church which is guided according to truth.</HI></P>
<P N="12">12 <HI>Q.</HI> Whether are they who &s;eparate, or who gives the cau&s;e of Separation the Schi&s;maticks.</P>
<P N="12">12 A. <HI>They who give the cau&s;e of &s;eparation are the greate&s;t &s;epa|rati&s;ts, but &s;uch as &s;eparate when and where there is no cau&s;e given are as great as the greate&s;t &s;eparati&s;t and altogether unexcu&s;able.</HI></P>
<P N="13">13. <HI>Q.</HI> Whether they who in the Exerci&s;e of Church Di&s;ci|pline, never leave calling on the Civil Maje&s;trate, to a&s;&s;i&s;t him with his &s;ecular Force, do not herein give an evident &s;ign and to|ken, that all true Mini&s;terial and Spiritual Power is dead in them.</P>
<P N="13">13. A. <HI>I know no &s;uch Men now, as tho&s;e you &s;peak of; but I have heard, and read, of tho&s;e who in the late Wars: have (in their Pul|pits with a Stentorian clamour) called to come to the help of the Lord again&s;t the Mighty; meaning the King and Church; who I &s;uppo&s;e were Mini&s;ters of the Authors Complexion.</HI></P>
<P N="14">14 <HI>Q.</HI> Whether &s;ince Offences will come, it be not every ones concern to be more than ordinarily careful, he involves not him|&s;elf in the dreadful Woe pronounced again&s;t tho&s;e by whom they come, <HI>Mat.</HI> 13.7.</P>
<P N="14">14. A. <HI>Woe be to them, who by their Ob&s;tinacy and Di&s;obedience give Offence to lawful Governours and Government.</HI></P>
<P N="15">15 <HI>Q.</HI> Whether can any think&punc; that they who per&s;ecute Chri&s;t
<PB N="5" REF="4"> in his Members, di&s;poiling them in their Goods, Impri&s;oning of their Per&s;ons, and that for their faithful adhering to the plain and undoubted commands of their Heavenly Soveraign will &s;peed bet|ter at the great Day of account; then tho&s;e whom Chri&s;t him&s;elf hath told us, &s;hall be then Rejected for not relieving his Poor Members, when in wants, in &s;ickne&s;s, or in any other Adver&s;i|ties, <HI>Mat.</HI> 25.41.42.43.</P>
<P N="15">15. A. <HI>I deny your Hipothe&s;is; and I do affirm that there is no &s;uch Per&s;ecution as you &s;uppo&s;e, if there be any thing like Per&s;ecution at this time among us, it is that of the tongue, &s;hooting bitter and &s;harp Ar|rows again&s;t &s;ober and painful conforming Mini&s;ters; who by life, and love, and labour, would convince and per&s;uade Gain &s;ayers to God and his Church, and would u&s;e no other means.</HI></P>
<P>Sir, <HI>You did lately in an earne&s;t manner in your Sermon intreat Per&s;ons candidly to rea&s;on things with you, and &s;aid if any one &s;aw you in an error, they &s;hould give you warning, and not &s;uffer you to go on in &s;in, wherefore pray accept of this in Love, and con&s;ider it well for it is intended for your good, and done without any Reflection or e|vil thought of the pre&s;ent Government according to that in</HI> Tim. 2.1, 2. v. <HI>and</HI> 1 Pet. 2.17. <HI>I Say God &s;ave the King,</HI> Amen.</P>
<P>A. <HI>The la&s;t part of your la&s;t Que&s;tion I own, and &s;hould be glad to know your name and the place of your abode, that I may receive if po&s;&s;ible &s;ome greater &s;atisfaction from your Per&s;on then I have from your Paper. In the mean time, pray Sir if the&s;e following Que&s;tions may find you, be plea&s;ed to return your An&s;wer.</HI></P>
<P N="1">1 <HI>Q.</HI> Whether the Church of <HI>England</HI> as e&s;tabli&s;h'd by Law, be a Lawful Church, and if you think this be a <HI>Noli me tangere.</HI> Pray then.</P>
<P N="2">2 <HI>Q.</HI> Were not the Martyrs in Queen <HI>Mary's</HI> days, Members of this Church, and had not tho&s;e Martyrs great Supplies and Supports from God.</P>
<P N="3">3 <HI>Q.</HI> Whether God would give &s;uch Supplies and Supports to any, but to &s;uch as were Members of a Good and Lawfull Church.</P>
<P N="4">4 <HI>Q.</HI> Whether it be not extremely &s;infull to &s;eparate from &s;uch a Church; which have had &s;uch Members, &s;o Supported and &s;o Supplyed by Gods Good Spirit.</P>
<P N="5"><PB N="6" REF="5">5 <HI>Q.</HI> Whether if tho&s;e Martyrs did &s;uffer Per&s;ecution in tho&s;e days, for Owning and Receiving the Sacraments in the Ex|ternal Elements of Bread and Wine, it be not a contradiction, that &s;uch as are now by Law forc'd to that plain duty, &s;hould be looked upon as Per&s;ecuted Lambs and Martyrs. Since 'tis the Cau&s;e and not the Suffering that makes a Martyr.</P>
<P N="6">6 <HI>Q.</HI> Whether Damnation for Re&s;i&s;ting the higher Powers, mentioned in <HI>Rom.</HI> 13.2. be not the &s;ame, if not wor&s;e than that Damnation we read of in <HI>Cor.</HI> 1.11.29.</P>
<P N="7">7 <HI>Q.</HI> And by con&s;equence not to obey the Command of Au|thority be not as great a Sin, as to Receive the Sacrament Un|worthily.</P>
</DIV1>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
