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<NAME>Megan Marion</NAME>
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<P>A LETTER FROM A PERSON OF HONOUR, RECONCILING The Di&s;&s;enting Brethren, (commonly called Independents) AND The Presbyterians, in matter of Judgment, about the &s;etling of the CHURCH.</P>
<P><HI>Sent to an eminent Divine of the A&s;&s;embly.</HI></P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed by R.A. M. DC. XL V.</P>
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<OPENER><SALUTE>SIR,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>FOr the &s;atisfaction of your de&s;ire expre&s;&s;ed in the Let|ter, I will fir&s;t lay down &s;ome grounds, which I con|ceive to be agreeable to truth, and thereupon give you the Rea&s;on of my judgment and practice.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, I conceive a vi&s;ible Mini&s;tring Church, under the Go&s;pell to be a Company of Believers, joining them&s;elves together in the name of Chri&s;t, for the enjoyment of &s;uch Ordinances, and exerci&s;e of &s;uch &s;pirituall goverment, as the Lord hath apointed for his wor&s;hip and honour, and their mutuall edification.</P>
<P>This de&s;cription doth &s;ufficiently expre&s;s what is intended.</P>
<P>An exact definition, &s;uch bodies are not &s;o Capable of as &s;ome other things may be: Neither needs it when what is meant is fully under&s;tood by both Parties; therefore in &s;uch a Ca&s;e to &s;tick upon that, doth produce rather a Litigation about words and terms, then any &s;atisfaction: If the truth of any thing herein be que&s;tioned that mu&s;t &s;tand or fall accor|ding to Scripture.</P>
<P>I call it a [Vi&s;ible Mini&s;tring] Church to di&s;tingui&s;h it from that Univer&s;all, which can be neither<HI>:</HI> except we will admit the Pope or &s;ome Image of him, &s;ome &s;uch humane device, to be it virtually, always to exi&s;t vi&s;ibly, for the per|formance of &s;uch duties as Chri&s;t hath enjoyned his Chur|ches to perform upon all Occa&s;ions of Offence, or otherwi&s;e; And yet that will not &s;erve, neither except Courts and Offi|cers be allowed, even to the Apparitors as hands in all places to &s;upply defects in this way.</P>
<P>I adde [Under the Go&s;pell] becau&s;e the Con&s;titution un|der the Law was Nationall, the Officers, Ordinances and Places of Wor&s;hip, all fitted to &s;uch a frame; and typicall; which under the Go&s;pell was changed as appeareth both by Chri&s;ts in&s;titution, <HI>Matth.</HI> 18. and all t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">e Apo&s;tles practice throughout in all places, who be&s;t under&s;tood our Saviours intention and meaning for the Con&s;titution of Churches E|vangelical being by him in&s;tructed <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">nd left authori&s;ed there|unto.
<PB N="2" REF="3">
Secondly, The matter of this Church is a Company of Saints, &s;uch whom as the Apo&s;tle, &s;o the Church that ad|mits then or joyns with them ought to think it meet to judge of every one of them that Chri&s;t hath begun a good worke in them and will fini&s;ht it. The Apo&s;tles always &s;tile them Saints, and faithfull Brethren, or the Church of &s;uch a place which is in God the Father and in the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, Saints by Calling, &s;anctified in Chri&s;t Je&s;us, the Church Elected together with them, and &s;uch like titles applyable only unto men &s;anctified: That they ought to be &s;uch in profe&s;&s;ion will not be denied, that they ought to be what they profe&s;&s;e is as evident. The power of the Church and the exerci&s;e of that power commanded by our Saviour, is for this end that Offences may be taken away, when men &s;hall appear to be other then they make profe&s;&s;ion to be, and that they may be prevented &s;o far as man can judge by keep|ing out fal&s;e brethren, that they creep not in privily: the un|ruly are to be admoni&s;hed, and if upon admonition they will not reforme, Chri&s;t directeth what cour&s;e &s;hall be taken with them. And he who is to be ca&s;t out when he is known, ought not to be admitted could hee be knowne to be other then a Saint by the Church before he was received.</P>
<P>Thirdly, The Form of &s;uch a vi&s;ible Church, I conceive to be the Relation, which by their mutuall con&s;ent is rai&s;ed between them for Spirituall Ends, by which it is that they have power of juri&s;diction: and may and ought to judge tho&s;e that are within, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.12.</P>
<P>Which juri&s;diction no man can lawfully be &s;ubjected unto, but by his own agreement. The &s;uperioritie of Juri&s;diction either in things Spirituall or Temporall (if it be not naturall as the paternall) mu&s;t be voluntarily &s;ubjected unto or it is u|&s;urped and tyrannical: Therefore to rai&s;e this Relation which gives a power of judging, there mu&s;t be a voluntary &s;ubmi&s;|&s;ion of them&s;elves one to another te&s;tified by &s;ome Act, whe|ther you will call it a Covenant, or Con&s;ent, or Agreement between fit Members for &s;uch ends.</P>
<P><PB N="3" REF="3">
This Con&s;ent and agreement ought to be explicite or the wel being, but not nece&s;&s;arily to the being of a true Church; for it may be implied by &s;uch con&s;tant and frequent Acts of Communion performed by a company of Saints joined together by cohabitation in Townes and Villages, as that the falling in of their &s;pirits into this brotherly fellow&s;hip and communion in things &s;pirituall is acted unto the true being of it, but for the want of the cleere and full ex|pre&s;&s;ion thereof among them&s;elves, the relation it rai&s;es, the power it gives them one over anoher, the dutie it obligeth them unto in the exerci&s;e of that power is ob&s;curely and little apprehended, and le&s;&s;e practi&s;ed.</P>
<P>This I conceive to be the pre&s;ent &s;tate of mo&s;t of the Churches in this Kingdome, which although they be true Churches (I do not mean it of the whole Towns) yet being too ignorant wherein that con&s;i&s;teth, and what power and priviledge they have and ought to exerci&s;e by it; they &s;uffer them&s;elves by u&s;urpers to be deprived of the exerci&s;e of this power, and thereby a mixed multitude pre&s;&s;e in among them to their own hardning, to the Churches levening, con|tracting guilt through neglect of their dutie to &s;eperate the vile from the precious &s;uffering &s;in to fret like a Gangreen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> and to the great di&s;honour of Ch<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">i&s;t (who hereby is held forth through the negligence of the Church to be an Head unto &s;uch members in the eye of the World. There is be|&s;ides through the &s;ame u&s;urpation a yoke of bondage ca&s;t upon the Churches by the impo&s;ition of many humane de|vices, both upon Officers and Members, full of tyranny and Super&s;tition; the &s;uffering whereof will cau&s;e the Lord to have many things again&s;t them, but doth not unchurch them, &s;ince many wants and many corruptions may &s;tand with the being of a true Church as all Experience &s;heweth.</P>
<P>I expect hereupon to be demanded what Rea&s;ons I can give why Seperation &s;hould be made from &s;uch Churches, which are acknowledged to be true Churches, although
<PB N="4" REF="4">
with many wants and corruptions: In an&s;wering whereof I &s;hall give you an account of that I undertook. And fir&s;t, I &s;ay this word Seperation is no &s;uch Bug-beare as many would make the world and them&s;elves believe, who hand over head without differencing things or per&s;ons, or under|&s;tanding that whereof they affirme; take it up and ca&s;t it a|broad with as little Charitie as Learning.</P>
<P>Seperation whereof we &s;peak is either from the Com|munion of the Invi&s;ible Church, <HI>Heb.</HI> 12. the Generall A&s;&s;embly and Church of the fir&s;t-borne which are written in Heaven; or from this or that particular vi&s;ible Churches Communion.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t cannot be made but by denying the faith for the Requi&s;ites unto that Communion are Faith and Love, and this is a Seperation as fearfull and terrible as they would or can make Seperation to be.</P>
<P>The &s;econd con&s;i&s;teth in refu&s;ing to joine in the externall Communion of this or that particular Church, as in their Liturgies, publike Prayers, participation of Sacraments, and this Seperation upon due Cau&s;e may be made without any more danger or ill Con&s;equences, then there is in keep|ing our &s;elves free from pertaking with other men in their &s;ins; and being made, it neither &s;eperates tho&s;e men who made it from the Communion of the Catholike Church, nor from internal Communion with the Saints of that par|ticular vi&s;ible Church, as they are Saints and Members of the Catholike Church, but only from the Corruptions of their Externall Communion, which they hold in that vi|&s;ible Church whereof they are.</P>
<P><HI>Luther</HI> made a &s;eperation from the eternall communion of all the Churches in the world, and hee with tho&s;e that adhered to his doctrine in that &s;eperation did con&s;titute Churches more pure, both in regard of their con&s;titution, and exerci&s;e of externall communion, yet none but Papi&s;ts or &s;uch in our times as linger after popery, and would be
<PB N="5" REF="4">
glad of a Captain to lead them back again into Egypt, will accu&s;e him to have made a Schi&s;me; and brand him with the odious name of a Schi&s;matick: For he &s;eperated not from believers as believers, but from tho&s;e corruptions, which were univer&s;ally &s;pread over all in the externall communi|on that then was held in the Chri&s;tian world. And this hee was bound to doe, and others with him who believed his doctrine; if they would keepe them&s;elves pure from the guilt of tho&s;e common corruptions.</P>
<P>In the &s;econd place I an&s;wer that there is a nece&s;&s;ity laid upon many, and it is (as I conceive) the duty of all that have light to &s;ee it, to &s;eperate them&s;elves from holding exter|nall communion with many Churches here in England, although acknowledged true Churches, and that for the&s;e rea&s;ons.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Becau&s;e &s;uch things are required of them to bee performed if they will hold externall communion, as they cannot practi&s;e without &s;in.</P>
<P>Secondly, If they might be free for their own practi&s;e, yet they cannot perform that duty, which by Chri&s;ts com|mand lyeth upon them as members of a vi&s;ible Church to performe and fulfil, that they may not contract guilt, and be leavened by the &s;infull practi&s;es of fellow members.</P>
<P>For the fir&s;t I wil in&s;tance in tho&s;e things which being re|tained in the&s;e Churches, and enjoyned upon all, have been ever &s;ince the reformation of Religion oppo&s;ed and witne&s;|&s;ed again&s;t by the greate&s;t Lights of this later age, both &s;trangers and of our own Nation, yea and ca&s;t out by the pure&s;t, if not by all other reformed Churches, abjured as Antichri&s;tian by &s;ome, only the&s;e which hang between heaven and earth, and are &s;till moving downwards towards the centre of their old &s;uper&s;titions, doe not onely retain them, but will &s;uffer none to joyne in externall Communi|on with them, except they will approve and practice what they do. The&s;e are the u&s;urping Hierarchie, and the popi&s;h
<PB N="6" REF="5">
Ceremonies, the devices of men, the Ornaments and dre&s;&s;e of the Romi&s;h Whore, thought decent and fitte&s;t for to a|dorn Gods wor&s;hip, not in my judgment at any time <HI>tolera|bilis ineptiae</HI> (in their u&s;e here) as one calls the Ceremonies, but at this time much le&s;&s;e tolerable as they are maintained &amp; pre&s;&s;ed, the one not by Commi&s;&s;ion from the Magi&s;trate but as a Superiour degree of Mini&s;try by divine In&s;titution, not e&s;teemed to be <HI>jure humano;</HI> the other not as idle, empty Ceremonies, but &s;erving to teach and expre&s;&s;e the inward affections of the heart: The white Linnen, what can that expre&s;&s;e, but Angelicall puritie; The Cro&s;&s;e hath its ex|pre&s;&s;ion, and what it teacheth is given unto it, Con&s;tancie in Confe&s;&s;ion of the faith, kneeling in the act of Receiving urged as a Ge&s;ture of more reverence, and fitter for that Ordinance, then that which our Saviour u&s;ed and thought Congruous to it. Unto the&s;e I will adde that Compo&s;ition of a Divine publike wor&s;hip by men, which they call the Publike Prayers of the Church, the Service book, contai|ning the divine Service. <HI>White</HI> in his Ep&s;tle to the Arch|bi&s;hop of <HI>Canterbury,</HI> before his book again&s;t the Sabbath, &s;tiles it the univer&s;all Sacrifice, which among&s;t the Jews was the daily Offering, the Morning and Evening Sacrifice. This &s;heweth what apprehen&s;ions they have of it, and in what &s;en&s;e they &s;trictly enjoine that no part of it &s;hall at any time be omitted, that &s;o the Divine Wor&s;hip which the Church hath &s;et apart and con&s;ecrated unto God may be fully ob&s;erved and performed; and then the Offering of God, the daily Sacrifice, wherein all have vote and inte|re&s;t is offered up: &s;ee his own words in the place, which is in the end of his Epi&s;tle.</P>
<P><HI>Now this Con&s;ecrate thing more holy then the &s;inglar and af|fected devotions of private Spirits, becau&s;e devoted to God by the Church and State for his publike &s;ervice, what is it but a de|vice of man? a new Cart taken up from the Papi&s;ts as the</HI> I&s;|raelites <HI>in imitation of the</HI> Phili&s;tims <HI>heretofore did to ca&s;e</HI>
<PB N="7" REF="5">
<HI>the Levits who ought to have carried the Arke upon their own &s;houlders, and not &s;uffered to be carried by beasts in&s;tead of men.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;ame thing is done here, Chri&s;t hath given gifts to men, that tho&s;e gifts may be the foundation of Offices for the Edification of his bodie: He hath given Pa&s;tors and Teachers, and therefore the Gift of Teaching the Word of Wi&s;dom, and the Word of Know|ledge by the exerci&s;e of the&s;e gifts (in the &s;everall admini&s;trations, whereto they &s;erve) he will be honoured, and by an effectuall opera|tion edific his bodie: Tho&s;e who are fitted for &s;uch Offices, and called to them, mu&s;t therefore to the&s;e ends give them&s;elves to prayer &amp; to the Mini&s;terie of the Word: In place hereof is brought in and enjoined to be u&s;ed, this new Cart which a boy of 12 yeeres old may drive, even the meane&s;t of the people if he will draw neer and fill his hand with this Service book, may be a Scribe in&s;tructed &s;ufficiently; and furni&s;hed to bring forth what is here required; &s;o that in&s;tead of Chri&s;ts way for his owne honour and his Churches edification, here is mans way brought in in&s;tead of the Gifts which he giveth and furni&s;heth men with all to be exerci&s;ed in the Mini|&s;terie: here is a compo&s;ure and frame of Divine Service pieced up together into a body by &s;ome men, which mu&s;t &s;erve in&s;teed of Gifts to all Men, and for all Times, and be enjoyned to be u&s;ed without variation, as comming from the publike &s;pirit of the Church, and thereby devoted. Hereby they doe not only &s;et their Po&s;ts by Gods Po&s;ts, but they lay a&s;ide his, and enjoine theirs only to be u&s;ed as fitter for the building.</P>
<P>If it be &s;aid Men are not prohibited to exerci&s;e the gift of prayer, nor preaching in their publike Mini&s;terie. I an&s;wer they are ex|pre&s;ly enjoined to u&s;e no Praiers but the&s;e con&s;ecrated Praiers of the Church in their publike Mini&s;terie, and this is <HI>de jure,</HI> what e|ver in &s;ome places is done <HI>de facto.</HI> And again, if wee yield, that they have authoritie to con&s;ecrate and enjoin one form, which mu&s;t not in a tittle be receded from, for &s;anctifying of &s;ome Ordinances, as in the admini&s;tration of the Sacraments; they may with as good authoritie enjoine a &s;et form for other Ordinances, as the preaching of the Word, and they have done &s;o.</P>
<P><PB N="8" REF="6">
For preaching I never yet &s;aw &s;ub&s;tantiall rea&s;on given; that might &s;hew a difference between the&s;e two, the taking authority to make a book of common publique Prayer to read which all &s;hall be tyed to in the exerci&s;e of the function of pa&s;tor and teacher, in&s;tead of praying and the taking authority to make a book of common publique Sermons, and enjoyning all Pa&s;tors &amp; Teachers, to read tho&s;e in&s;tead of preaching. But if it be unlawfull to introduce and enjoyn a publike Homily book in place of the gift of teaching, it wil be no le&s;&s;e unlawfull to bring in a book of common and pub|ique Prayers, and enjoyn the &s;ame upon all Pa&s;tors and Teachers in place of the gift of prayer. Therefore as they have done the one they may with as good rea&s;on and authority doe the other: For if the reading of Homilies, commanded in place of preaching, and all other preaching prohibited doe appear unto us unlawfull, and in that ca&s;e we &s;hould apprehend Gods Ordinance thru&s;t out, and mans device brought in in place of it, I would &s;ee a rea&s;on given why we &s;hould not have the &s;ame apprehen&s;ion of the other al&s;o, but that u&s;e and cu&s;tome hath reconciled us to the one and not to the other.</P>
<P>Here to fall into a di&s;pute of &s;et forms of Prayers in generall, and indeavour, (as Ma&s;ter <HI>Ball</HI> and others doe) to prove that &s;ome &s;et formes of Prayer, may in &s;ome ca&s;es by &s;ome per&s;ons be u&s;ed, or to aske whether all directary Liturgies appointed in &s;ome other Churches, by way of direction only not of injunction (the Officers being left at liberty, and the Churches to make u&s;e of them, or not, as they &s;ee occa&s;ion, and as their own gifts may bee excited and hel|ped thereby) be altogether unlawfull, is altogether be&s;ides the que|&s;tion, and rather changeth the &s;tate of the Que&s;tion then an&s;wereth the Objection that is made again&s;t this (to u&s;e King <HI>James</HI> his words) ill tran&s;lated Masbook, wherein &s;ome gro&s;&s;e things only are pared off, and that as being injoyned upon all Churches, and thus pre&s;&s;ed for &s;uch rea&s;ons, and with &s;uch re&s;pects and circum&s;tances, for if this may not be u&s;ed; the parties whom they &s;eek to &s;atisfie, receive no &s;atisfaction by all that can be &s;poken of the other to in|duce them to u&s;e this.</P>
<P><PB N="9" REF="6">
In the &s;econd place, if men for their own practi&s;e, could bee free and di&s;pen&s;ed withall for the&s;e particulars, yet there lyeth a duty upon every member of a vi&s;ible Church, which hee is obliged to performe, or el&s;e he wil partake of the guilt of other mens &s;ins, and this duty he &s;hall not be &s;uffered to performe.</P>
<P>This obligation lying upon every member in communion with a vi&s;ible Church ari&s;eth from the power of the keys, wherewith eve|ry vi&s;ible Church, &amp; every member thereof for his part is in tru&s;ted by Chri&s;t, and for the exerci&s;e of Church tru&s;t, as the whole body, &s;o every particular member &s;hall be accountable according to the neglect of duty therein,</P>
<P>For this end the Lord by the Apo&s;tles hath ca&s;t Evangelicall Churches into &s;uch bodies, as might conveniently meet together in one place, upon all occa&s;ions to exerci&s;e this power, as the Apo&s;tie directeth the Church of Corinth to doe, and blames them that they had not done their duty therein before, whereby it came to pa&s;&s;e that they were all leavened and became guilty, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.</P>
<P>This was the con&s;titution of all Churches that were Apo&s;toli|call; <HI>Gal,</HI> 1. 22. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 8. 1. <HI>Gal.</HI> 1. 2. The Churches of Judea, Churches of Macedonia, Churches of Galatia, and &s;uch Churches, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 14. 23. <HI>as might come together in one place, When the whole Church &s;hall be come together in &s;ome place.</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5. 4.</P>
<P>Other frames of Univer&s;all, Nationall, Provinciall, and &s;uch like vi&s;ible Churches are mens Devices and Con&s;titutions; &s;erving for and tending to an Univer&s;all Vicar, being either the &s;ame or the I|mage thereof, &s;tanding upon the &s;ame grounds and rea&s;ons of hu|mane policie, and cannot be always exi&s;tent for the remedie of Of|fences &amp; Scandals to be brought to them as Chri&s;t commandeth, but in a way of Antichri&s;tian u&s;urpation by Courts, Chancellours, Commi&s;&s;aries, Officials, and &s;uch like Officers of the Kingdome of Antichri&s;t, in imitation of earthly Kingdoms, whereof there is no foot&s;tep in Apo&s;tolicall direction or practice, but the cleane con|trarie, as appeareth in the places forecited: But after their times the my&s;terie of iniquity &s;oon brought forth, fir&s;t, the foundations of this Tyrannie, and then by degrees the intire building. This power
<PB N="10" REF="7">
therefore being placed in the whole Church Officers &amp; Members, and to be exerci&s;ed when the&s;e are gathered together, and this Church &s;uch as may for that end come together in one place, as is evident out of 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.4. When this dutie is neglected, and &s;uch power not exerci&s;ed upon due Occa&s;ions, according to the Com|mandement of our Saviour, the whole Church is guiltie and every Member, except that be done by particulars, which may keep them free from partaking in the guilt of &s;uch common neglect. I think it will not be denied but that the whole Church of <HI>Corinth</HI> was guil|tie, and every particular Member involved in the common guilt of their negligence.</P>
<P>The dutie that lieth upon everie Church by Chri&s;ts command, <HI>Math.</HI> 18. <HI>Is to ca&s;t out ob&s;tinate &s;inners who will not by the u&s;e of all due proceedings be brought to Repentance: This if they doe not, but will endure tho&s;e, who are evill, and impenitent in their evils, the Church bringeth a great guilt upon them&s;elves,</HI> 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.8. and that is the condition of mo&s;t, if not of all the Churches in this Land.</P>
<P>The ways for particular Members to keepe them&s;elves from be|ing leavened and involved in the guilt of &s;uch common &s;ins, are but two, Either fir&s;t, the doing of that for their part, which is their dutie in &s;uch a communion; or &s;econdly, if that will not be &s;uffered, or will not prevaile to di&s;claim the holding of &s;uch com|munion, and join in a more pure.</P>
<P>The nece&s;&s;itie therefore that lieth upon particulars, who live in communion with &s;uch Churches, is, either to performe that which in &s;uch a ca&s;e is their own dutie as Members of &s;uch Churches and intere&s;ted for their parts in this power, which &s;hould be exerci&s;ed according to the Commandement of the Lord to &s;eperate the vile, but by the Church is neglected; or el&s;e for their neglect al&s;o toge|ther with the re&s;t, to be involved in the guilt of this common di&s;|obedience.</P>
<P>That which is their own dutie in &s;uch a ca&s;e being equally intru|&s;ted, is, to exhort the re&s;t to obedience, to be humbled and mourne for their Offences and Scandals given by parties offending, and ob|&s;tinate,
<PB N="11" REF="7">
and for the Churches neglect to apply that Remedie that Chri&s;t hath enjoined: to profe&s;&s;e to the Church their owne readi|ne&s;&s;e to performe obedience to Chri&s;ts command, if the re&s;t of the Church will join with them; to prote&s;t again&s;t their di&s;obedience if they refu&s;e, either through negligent &s;ecuritie, being puffed up with pride as the Church of Corinth, or through the ba&s;e feare of man.</P>
<P>I thinke it will be granted that if any particular Member in the Church of <HI>Corinth,</HI> had done this in ca&s;e of the Ince&s;tuous per&s;on, he had bin free, and no way involved in the guilt of that Church, which the Apo&s;tle chargeth them all with: For which the Apo&s;tle expre&s;&s;eth to have bin the dutie of all, if any particular for his part had performed the &s;ame as far as lay in him, &amp; made publike confe&s;|&s;ion of that truth, to the edification of the re&s;t, profe&s;&s;ing again&s;t their di&s;obedience, hee had not bin leavened for the leavening and corruptions in this ca&s;e is not phy&s;icall, as one man receiveth the in|fection of the Plague from another, but onely morall; by rea&s;on of neglect of dutie; and the corrupting by ill example, working upon the &s;ame ill Principles of our evill Nature is (through the ju&s;t judg|ment of God) a con&s;equence of &s;uch neglect of dutie, which were it performed either in generall or in particular, as it is appointed for a remedy, &s;o would it be a pre&s;ervation: And I thinke &s;uch a parti|cular Member or Members in &s;uch ca&s;e might (as altogether un|leavened) keep the Fea&s;t in &s;inceritie and truth, and with comfort and profit partake of the Ordinances, notwith&s;tanding the &s;in and ob&s;tinacie of other Men, and the &s;in of that Church (in neglecting to ca&s;t them out) with which they are in Communion; yet with the&s;e Cautions.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, that they be not otherwi&s;e pre&s;&s;ed with Super&s;titions in the u&s;e of the Ordinances for their own practice:</P>
<P>Secondly, that if they cannot prevaile with the Church (by their dutie &s;o performed) to exerci&s;e that power that Chri&s;t hath given them for edification, and to keep his Temple undefiled, that the Members of Harlots may not &s;till be held forth in profe&s;&s;ion to be the Members of Chri&s;t, one bodie with the re&s;t, as partaking
<PB N="12" REF="8">
of one bread, then that they leave &s;uch externall Communion which they hold with them, if they can joyn in communion with a purer Church, where they may bring more honour to the Lord Chri&s;t, and more comfort and edification to them&s;elves and others with whom they doe walke in communion.</P>
<P>This I was willing to expre&s;&s;e by the way becau&s;e it is u&s;uall for men to fall into long di&s;putes, and bring many arguments to prove that the Ordinances are not made le&s;&s;e comfortable, or the parta|king in them made &s;infull to one man, becau&s;e of the &s;ins of other men who partake with them: They &s;et up a man of &s;traw to con|tend with all, and fight again&s;t what them&s;elves have framed. It is not the &s;ins of other men, as they are their per&s;onall acts that can ca&s;t guilt upon any but them&s;elves, but it is the &s;uffering of the&s;e &s;ins and &s;inners to pa&s;&s;e without &s;uch cen&s;ure as the Lord hath ap|pointed to be pronounced again&s;t them, by tho&s;e whom hee hath in|ve&s;ted with power to that end, which makes the&s;e &s;ins the &s;ins of the whole body, that &s;o neglect their duty enjoyned them. and here|by <HI>a little leaven leaveneth the whole lumpe.</HI> So that they either de|ceive or are deceived that agitate with &s;o much eagerne&s;&s;e, this (as they &s;ay) &s;trange opinion that another mans &s;ins &s;hould hinder any from partaking comfoitably in the Ordinances. It is not another mans &s;in that hindereth but their own (as they that will &s;ee may perceive, con&s;i&s;ting in the neglect of what (upon his &s;inning) is there duty to doe, and not in any act by him committed.</P>
<P>Now particular members are not &s;uffered to di&s;charge them|&s;elves by doing that duty which in &s;uch a ca&s;e of the Churches <NOTE PLACE="marg">This <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;cours <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">as writ|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">n &s;ome <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">ars &s;ince <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">hen the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">mes <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">ere peri|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="2 letters">us.</NOTE> neglect doth ly upon them to performe, or if they will performe it to their own acquitting, and the Churches edifying whereof they are members, they are no le&s;&s;e certain to run upon ruine in * the&s;e times, then to qrevail nothing at all with Churches &s;o con&s;tituted, and con&s;i&s;ting of &s;uch mixed multitudes as the mo&s;t are.</P>
<P>Not to make &s;uch publique profe&s;&s;ion as they thinke their duty obligeth them unto, is to live in &s;in again&s;t con&s;cience and that is, again&s;t Chri&s;tianity, to doe it to no profit and with certain ruine, when another way may be taken to prevent the &s;in and avoid the
<PB N="13" REF="8">
danger is again&s;t Chri&s;tian wi&s;dome; therefore there is a ne|ce&s;&s;ity that doth ly upon many to disjoyne them&s;elves from being members of divers Churches in this Kingdome, that the obligation which by rea&s;on of &s;uch a relation wil ly upon their con&s;cience may not pre&s;&s;e them when they cannot di&s;|charge the &s;ame, and to unite them&s;elves in member&s;hip and communion, where they may in doing and &s;ubmitting them|&s;elves mutually unto all that Chri&s;t enjoyneth them, for his honour and their edi&s;ication exerci&s;e a Communion in the u&s;e of all the Ordinances, free from the mixture of humane inventions, and antichri&s;tian u&s;urpations.</P>
<P>Suppo&s;e a congregation in this Land, &s;ome Towne or Pa|ri&s;h (to &s;peak common road language) wherein a company of godly men (Saints all) &s;o far as man can judge had united them&s;elves together by mutuall con&s;ent to walke in all the Ordinances and wayes of the Lord, without admitting the Lin&s;y-wool&s;ie mixture of any humane invention, and with re&s;olution not to be the &s;ervants of men, but to ca&s;t off their yoakes in things &s;pirituall, and exalt the Lord alone, to rule and judge in them and by them according to the guidance of his word, if finding this &s;ociety, and their cour&s;e fully to an|&s;wer the per&s;wa&s;ion of my heart concerning the way af God: I &s;hould change my habitation, and take a hou&s;e in that Town that I might thereby joine my &s;elfe to this company in Church fellow&s;hip, becau&s;e this is your darke and ignorant way of falling into fellow&s;hip here in this Land, there would be no complayning no out cry of &s;eperation, no whi&s;pering and muttering of for&s;aking the mother Church, no writing up and down to intimate the great fear there was of &s;educti|on and &s;eperation; and the &s;candall that would ari&s;e from thence, and yet I &s;hould come out thereby, from holding ex|ternall Communion with one Congregation who&s;e external communion I &s;aw &s;o many corruptions &s;o weaved into that I could not hold it and be free from them, and joine my &s;elfe
<PB N="14" REF="9">
in communion with another, who exerci&s;ed a Communion between them&s;elves free from &s;uch corruptions and bondage; And &s;hould I or others do anie more but the &s;ame thing if in one &s;treet of a Towne we &s;hould joine our &s;elves toge|ther in Communion for &s;piritual ends, and &s;eperate our &s;elves from the externall communion which is held in another, burthened with many &s;uper&s;titions, and &s;ubmitting them|&s;elves to beare the yoake of bondage impo&s;ed by men, who Lord it over them in things &s;pirituall, and all this without breaking off from internal Communion. Will any Saint a|mong&s;t them, con&s;i&s;ting in the imbracing and holding the doctrine of the &s;ame true faith and obedience, but &s;eperating alone from their corruptions and continuance in di&s;obedi|ence. Whereunto then &s;erveth the rai&s;ing of &s;o much noi&s;e, and clamour, of &s;eperation, but to give up friends into the hands of enemies.</P>
<P>I have in my plain way endeavoured to expre&s;s my judge|ment in the&s;e particulars, de&s;iring to be always ready to open mine eyes, to receive further light from whom&s;oever it &s;hall be &s;hewed unto me&punc; in the mean time I mu&s;t walke according to that I have accepting no mans per&s;on, nor giving flattering titles to man, as is &s;aid in <HI>Job.</HI></P>
<P>I pretend not to &s;o much Scholer&s;hip, that you &s;hould re|quire of me exactne&s;&s;e in Method or Expre&s;&s;ion: therefore I pray you &s;tick not upon &s;ome Expre&s;&s;ions which you may conceive not &s;o meet to winnow and fanne them by Schola|&s;tick wit. Neither quarrell me for a loo&s;e di&s;cour&s;e: I re&s;t &s;a|tisfied with expre&s;&s;ing my &s;elf to be under&s;tood; But if there be any beg'd Principles or Grounds wanting proof, or any thing inferd from Grounds too weak to maintain the &s;ame, &s;tay upon the&s;e and make that appear unto me, and I &s;hall ei|ther make them good, and able to &s;tand upon &s;olid foundati|on (at lea&s;t to my apprehen&s;ion) or quit them: Any other way of an&s;wer but this only will be received by mee as the
<PB N="15" REF="9">
fruit of an acute wit, much exerci&s;ed in Controver&s;all wri|ting, and work no other effect.</P>
<P>I expect upon your an&s;wer to be put to make good the&s;e two.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, The Con&s;titution of a vi&s;ible Church under the Go&s;pell.</P>
<P>Secondly, the power thereof wherein will con&s;i&s;t <HI>Card<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> Quae&s;tionis,</HI> all turning about upon the determination of the&s;e.</P>
<P>I &s;hall make appear what I have &s;aid, I hope not to be the fancie of M. <HI>Jacob</HI> (as you plea&s;e to &s;ay) a learned man de&s;er|ving not to be &s;lighted) nor of any man, but the truth of God having ground in his Word, and embraced for &s;uch not by Shrubs in Learning, as &s;ome may be thought to be, but by the &s;tronge&s;t and talle&s;t Cedars of Lebanon for Learning and Pietie.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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<P>Errata. Page 4. line 30, for eternall read externall.</P>
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