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<DATE>2011-03-24</DATE>
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<NAME>Alexis Jakobson</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A Touch-&s;tone, OR, Triall and Examination of a SERMON,</P>
<P>Preached by Ma&s;ter <HI>Ha&s;lewood</HI> of <HI>Sut|ton</HI> at <HI>Hone</HI> in the County of <HI>Kent:</HI></P>
<P>And upon true Touch, found to be Reprobate Silver, (Fal&s;e, and Dangerous Doctrine)</P>
<P>Wherein are handled the&s;e 3. Particulars,
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. <HI>The unlawfulne&s;s to call any Meeting-hou&s;e, the Hou&s;e of God.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. <HI>The Church.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. <HI>The Temple of God.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>By <HI>R. H.</HI> A Lover of Truth.</P>
<Q><BIBL><HI>MATTH. 15.9.</HI></BIBL> In vain do they wor&s;hip me, teaching for doctrine, the traditi|ons of men.</Q>
<Q><BIBL><HI>COL. 2.8.</HI></BIBL> Beware le&s;t any man &s;poil you through Philo&s;ophy, and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Chri&s;t.</Q>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed for <HI>Giles Calvert,</HI> and are to be &s;old at the Black-&s;pred Eagle at the We&s;t-end of <HI>Pauls.</HI> 1647.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>To the READER.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">And in e&s;peciall to the Inhabitants of the Pari&s;h of <HI>Sutton,</HI> at <HI>Hone,</HI> in the County of <HI>Kent.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_HAving a de&s;ire that the truth might not be clouded or eclip&s;ed by the my&s;terie of dark|ne&s;s and fal&s;e Doctrine: I have ventured to come upon the Stage, who am the weake&s;t that hath put Pen to paper; but knowing that God is not tied to means, but hath promi&s;ed that out of the mouths of babes and &s;ucklings he will perfect prai&s;e, was pre&s;&s;ed to make v&s;e of that &s;mall talent to his glory; though it be but plain, yet it may &s;atisfe the plain Chri&s;tian, and con|vince the greate&s;t oppo&s;er: therefore reade with de&s;ire to know, not with prejudice again&s;t the truth for the per&s;ons &s;ake; but love the truth, for the truths &s;ake; and the God of truth lead you into all truth, and keep you from every errour, which are the earne&s;t prayers, of,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Him who would be Joyfull to &s;ee Chri&s;t more exalted, An|tichri&s;t more layd naked.</HI> R. H.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="speech">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>A Touch-&s;tone.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">A Speech intended to have been &s;poken in the Pari&s;h Meeting-hou&s;e of <HI>Sutton</HI> at <HI>Hone,</HI> in the County of <HI>Kent. Decemb</HI> 1646.</HEAD>
<P>_I Shall in all humility and meekne&s;s de&s;ire liberty to &s;peak a few words concerning the Doctrine delivered la&s;t fir&s;t day in this place, in which I de&s;ire only Gods glory, the vindication of the Truth, and good of poor ignorant People.</P>
<P>You know friends and neighbours, you had one here a|mong&s;t you, that taught the Doctrine of the Go&s;pell plainly (or the greater &s;in if you know not) and not for lucre of gain, as is known to mo&s;t of you, not having received one penny from you (an ill requitall for his great pains) as God and your own con&s;cience can be&s;t witne&s;s<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> a &s;ad &s;ign you were not worthy of it; and now &s;o far as I conceive, the Lord hath, for a ju&s;t Judgement, &s;uffered one to come among&s;t you again, that (not unknown to &s;ome of you) threatned to &s;tarve your &s;ouls, and I fear it is too true, if God prevent not; and my &s;oul bleeds to think of your condition: and may be God hath &s;ent me, a poor in&s;trument, to warn you once more to come out of your ignorance, or el&s;e, for a witne&s;s again&s;t you, being a witne&s;s to the Truth that hath-been preached here, when the Lord Je&s;us &s;hall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty Angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the Go&s;pell of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, 2 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 1.8.</P>
<P><PB N="2" REF="3">It &s;eems there hath been lately taught in this place, that this is none other then the hou&s;e of God, and the&s;e are the gates of Heaven, from that place <HI>Gen.</HI> 28.17. By which doth appear gro&s;s ignorance in the party that &s;o delivered it.</P>
<P>And my Rea&s;on is:</P>
<P>Becau&s;e if we well weigh and con&s;ider the place, there was no materiall hou&s;e at all, nor any gate; unle&s;s he will make the vi&s;ionall ladder the gate or hou&s;e, or the heap of &s;tones under his head: but by the ladder was meant Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, the one end reaching to heaven &s;hewed his divine nature, and the other end to the earth, his humane nature: &s;hewing or holding forth thus much; had not Chri&s;t de&s;cended from heaven, and took our nature upon him, and gave us a part of his divine nature, we could never have a&s;cended up to heaven: but that which makes <HI>Jacob</HI> to &s;peak tho&s;e words, was the Lords pre&s;ence appearing to him, in a way of promi&s;e, in ble&s;|&s;ing of him: &s;o that indeed when God appears to any &s;oul in any place with promi&s;e of ble&s;&s;ing, there is the hou&s;e of God and gate of heaven opened to the &s;oul, and the rich trea&s;ure in that hou&s;e manife&s;ted to be his. And now for any man to rai&s;e that doctrine from Scripture which it will not warrant, nor in no wi&s;e beare, (to me) is no le&s;s then bla&s;phemy, becau&s;e it derogates from the power and &s;pirit of the word.</P>
<P>To make difference of places for the wor&s;hip of God under the Go&s;pel, as one place to be more holy then other, contradicts the practice of Chri&s;t, and his Apo|&s;tles, and Chri&s;ts own words, <HI>John</HI> 4.21. Now that which doth &s;o, is a great &s;in, (1) but that it contradicts Chri&s;ts practice, is evident, <HI>Mat.</HI> 5.1, 2. The fir&s;t Ser|mon we reade Chri&s;t preached, was on a Mountain, though at that time the Tem|ple was in u&s;e, being not rent till his death, that is, the Vaile, which is the Type, or &s;hadow, Chri&s;t him&s;elf being the &s;ub&s;tance, and <HI>Mat.</HI> 13.1, 2. He preached in a Ship, and on the Sea &s;hore, as al&s;o <HI>Mark</HI> 4.1. and <HI>John</HI> 4.20, 21. There Chri&s;t tels the woman, there was no &s;et place of wor&s;hip, and <HI>Mat.</HI> 24.1, 2. There the di&s;ciples take notice of the outward beauty of the outward Temple, not meaning the Anti|type Chri&s;t Ie&s;us, which it held forth, and Chri&s;t tels them there &s;hall not be left one &s;tone upon another, And why &s;o? To bring men wholly off from looking upon any externall and materiall holine&s;s, to the internall holine&s;s which is in and by Chri&s;t, for though the Temple was holy in regard of Gods command and appoint|ment; who commanded and gave pattern how it &s;hould; be done to a very pin and ring, and nothing of man either over or under, yet I &s;ay, for all that it was to vani&s;h, [But the holine&s;s that is in and by Chri&s;t, &s;hall never decay.] That Temple was gold within and without; either to &s;hew the glory, beauty, and pure perfection of Chri&s;t in both natures, or el&s;e to &s;hew what Chri&s;t was in his &s;pirituall Temple [his Saints] pretious grace in them, and glorious profe&s;&s;ion of the &s;ame outwardly. The wor&s;hip under the Law did con&s;i&s;t much in carnall Ordinances, as &s;acrifices, purifyings, and the like: but the wor&s;hip of God under the go&s;pel is &s;pirituall, the wor&s;hipers &s;pirituall <HI>Ioh</HI> 4.23, 24. Now here lyes the great evill, mo&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> men are un|der a legall &s;pirit, and are for carnall places, carnall wor&s;hip, and wor&s;hipers; but we dare not tru&s;t in &s;uch lying words, crying the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, <HI>Ier</HI> 7.4.2. As it contradicts Chri&s;ts practi&s;e and word, &s;o al&s;o the pra|ctice of the Apo&s;tles, both whom we are to imitate, and not our own humane in|ventions, and vain imaginations, for which certainly God will call us to accompt, and demand who required the&s;e things at our hands, <HI>I&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">.</HI> 1.12. We &s;ee Chri&s;t Ie|&s;us was plea&s;ed to poure out the gifts of the &s;pirit upon his Di&s;ciples, being met in an upper chamber<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Acts</HI> 24. compared with <HI>Acts</HI> 1.13, 14.</NOTE> (and herein Mr. <HI>Ha&s;lewood</HI> play'd the Sophi&s;ter, who &s;peak|ing
<PB N="3" REF="3">concerning the meeting, &s;aid it was not in a Hall, or Parlor, Barn, or Stable, but would not &s;peak out the truth: for I de&s;ire to Querie to him, or any other, why a Hall, or Parlor may not be every way as convenient as an upper Chamber? or a Barn, as well as the open field? but that he is plea&s;ed to flie as far off from truth as he can, for fear it &s;hould overthrow all he had &s;aid before, and lay him naked to his own &s;hame, but this is ju&s;t as Satan did by Chri&s;t, to bring half Scipture, <HI>Mat.</HI> 4 6.) And the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> preached daily in the market place, <HI>Acts</HI> 17.17. and <HI>Lydia</HI> was converted by a river &s;ide, <HI>Acts</HI> 16.3. and <HI>Paul</HI> preached from hou&s;e to hou&s;e, <HI>Acts</HI> 20.20. and in his own hired hou&s;e. <HI>Acts uit.</HI> 30, 31. And now brethren, I hope you &s;ee, or the Lord help you to &s;ee that the Doctrine then taught you is fal&s;e, and erroneous, and the Lord open the eyes of your under&s;tanding, that you may know all truths, as they are in Je&s;us: but I &s;hall &s;hew you one thing more, which is this.</P>
<P N="3">3. The promi&s;e of Chri&s;ts pre&s;ence is not tyed to places, therefore we are not to be tyed to places, <HI>Mat.</HI> 18. 20. Where two or three are gathered together in my name, &amp;c. Now, though it is true, the place &s;peaks of gathering by Chri&s;ts power (for that is meant by name) for the work of binding, or loo&s;ing (receiving in, or ca&s;ting out) yet it is true in the other &s;en&s;e, and will very well agree with Analogie of divine Truth; that if two or three godly per&s;ons meet together to &s;eek the Lord, he will be found of them: or, by two or three, may be meant a &s;mall number, Chri&s;ts-flock is but little, <HI>Luke</HI> 12.32.</P>
<P>Now to &s;peak a little what a Church is:</P>
<P>It it &s;ometimes taken for the rude multitude a&s;&s;embled, but that improperly.</P>
<P N="1">1. Negatively: A Church is no materiall hou&s;e, for that is the mo&s;t improper &s;peech, the former being more proper then this: and the rea&s;on&punc; becau&s;e never in Scripture (to my be&s;t knowledge) called a Church, therefore no fit name &s;o to call it, neither can it be &s;o taken.</P>
<P>For the&s;e Rea&s;ons:</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>Paul</HI> is &s;aid to per&s;ecute the Church, Did the Apo&s;tle go and pull the Lime and Stones in pieces? <HI>Acts</HI> 8.3. &amp; 22.4.</P>
<P N="2">2. Chri&s;t Je&s;us is &s;aid to be head of his Church <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 5.23. and is that a body fit for &s;o glorious a head?</P>
<P N="3">3. Chri&s;t gave him&s;elf for his Church, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 5.25. but none &s;ure is &s;o weak to conceive that Chri&s;t gave him&s;elf for Lime and Stone.</P>
<P N="4">4. Chri&s;t is &s;aid to nouri&s;h and cheri&s;h his Church, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 5.29. but it cannot be &s;aid &s;o of that.</P>
<P N="5">5. Chri&s;t gave him&s;elf for his Church, that he might pre&s;ent it to him&s;elf a glo|rious Church, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 5.27. but tho&s;e &s;hall peri&s;h and come to nothing.</P>
<P N="2">2. Affirmat. The Church of Je&s;us Chri&s;t in Scripture language, are tho&s;e whom he hath purcha&s;ed and redeemed to him&s;elf, as a peculiar inheritance: which Church is a company of vi&s;ible Saints, called and &s;eparated from the world by the Word and Spirit of God, to the vi&s;ible profe&s;&s;ion of the faith of the Go&s;pel, being bapti&s;ed in|to that faith, and joyned to the Lord, and each to other by mutuall agreement in the practicall injoyment of the Ordinances commanded by Chri&s;t their head and King: This definition we &s;hall explain upon occa&s;ion.</P>
<P><HI>Object.</HI> But it may be objected, that the publique place may be called the Temple of God.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> It cannot be properly called the Temple of God:</P>
<P N="1">1. Becau&s;e the Scripture no where calls the&s;e places &s;o&punc; There was never but
<PB N="4" REF="4">one Temple and that was at Jeru&s;ale which is now demolli&s;ned, and never to be reared again, which, as I &s;aid before, did type out Chri&s;t: but the Antitype being come, there is no farther need of the type: be&s;ides, that in every particular, as I &s;hewed, was of Gods appointing, and therefore might be &s;o called, but that which is by mans appointing ought not to be &s;o called, for that would be to a&s;&s;ume a pow|er to our &s;elves, which only belongs to God, which is to make any thing holy.</P>
<P N="2">2 The Temple of God in Scripture language (which is the whol&s;ome language of Canaan) is denoted to be the Saints, or &s;anctified ones, as 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.16. <HI>&amp;</HI> 6.19. 2 <HI>Cor</HI> 6.16. 1 <HI>Pet</HI> 2.4 5. <HI>Heb.</HI> 3.6.</P>
<P>Now I &s;hall not only give you tho&s;e collections from Scripture, which the Lord was plea&s;ed to bring into my thoughts, but al&s;o &s;hall give you the Synods judge|ment concerning this particular, <HI>viz.</HI></P>
<P>As no place is capable of any holine&s;s, under pretence of what&s;oever dedication, or con&s;ecration: &s;o neither is it &s;ubject to &s;uch pollution by any &s;uper&s;tition for|merly u&s;ed, and now laid a&s;ide, as may render it unlawfull, or inconvenient for Chri&s;tians to meet together, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Now if it be demanded why we will not hear &s;uch as the&s;e men be: I an&s;wer.</P>
<P N="1">1. Becau&s;e they are but blinde leaders, and then we know what the Scripture &s;aith, <HI>Mat.</HI> 15 14. <HI>Luke</HI> 6.39.</P>
<P N="2">2. Becau&s;e we are commanded to turn a&s;ide, or withdraw from tho&s;e that have a form, and deny the power, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 3.5.</P>
<P>Now I de&s;ire liberty to &s;peak a word in the behalf of my&s;elf, and many thou|&s;ands more that &s;uffer under the name of Heretiques, Schi&s;matiques, Seditious, Re|bellious, and what not, and by tho&s;e who are learned according to the Letter, and would fain be thought &s;o, as according to the Spirit, though no fruits nor effects of it at all.</P>
<P N="1">1. It was &s;o from the beginning, and will be &s;orfor Chri&s;t the great Prophet hath foretold it: Chri&s;t Je&s;us was &s;o e&s;teemed, <HI>Mat.</HI> 9.34. <HI>&amp;</HI> 12 24. and by whom was he &s;o e&s;teemed? It was by the Phari&s;ees, a &s;trict &s;ort of Profe&s;&s;ors, who fa&s;ted three times a week, and gave of all they had to the poor; but &s;ome make a wicked u&s;e of this, therefore they are &s;o &s;trict &s;ay they, they are Hypocrites; nay, but from hence we &s;hall draw Chri&s;ts conclu&s;ion <HI>Mat.</HI> 5.20. Except your righteou&s;ne&s;s ex|ceeds (not comes &s;hort) &s;hall in no wi&s;e enter into the Kingdome of heaven. There|fore if they &s;hall do &s;o much and go to Hell, what &s;hall become of them that come fore of what they did: they were &s;trict but in a formall way to be &s;een of men, or to plea&s;e men: there is nothing more like the power of godine&s;s, then a form, yet nothing more again&s;t it. Therefore the greater danger, that a man had need of a quick &s;ight to di&s;cern between them; none greater enemies to true profe&s;&s;ors, then formall profe&s;&s;ors; they cannot endure that any &s;hould go beyond them: the&s;e were Chri&s;ts enemies all along, and again <HI>Luke</HI> 23.2. There they accu&s;e him of Se|dition, and one that perverts the Nation: &amp; who were the&s;e? They were the Prie&s;ts, tho&s;e learned Scribes, which &s;hould have been for Chri&s;t, but they were mo&s;t a|gain&s;t Chri&s;t, as you may &s;ee <HI>ver.</HI> 13, 14. &amp; 23. of that Chap. At la&s;t you may &s;ee the voice of the Prie&s;ts prevailed with Pilate again&s;t Chri&s;t: you &s;eldom found them for Chri&s;t, his cau&s;e or people.</P>
<P>And if Chri&s;t was &s;o u&s;ed, can his &s;ervants expect better? No &s;ure, <HI>Math.</HI> 10.24, 25. <HI>Ioh.</HI> 15.18, 19. and &s;o <HI>Paul</HI> was accounted a pe&s;tilent fellow (that is &s;uch a one that did infect all that came neere him) a mover of Sedition, <HI>Act.</HI> 24.1, 5, 6.
<PB N="5" REF="4">and by whom? See ver. 1. <HI>Ananias</HI> the Prie&s;t, if there be any thing to do again&s;t God, and his people, be &s;ure you &s;hall find a Prie&s;t among them: thus I have proved that it mu&s;t be &s;o. And &s;o we are accu&s;ed for Hereticks, but as they could prove nothing again&s;t Chri&s;t and his members: &s;o ble&s;&s;ed be our gracious God, they can prove nothing again&s;t us, except it be in the ca&s;e of <HI>Daniel,</HI> concerning the wor&s;hip of our God, <HI>Dan.</HI> 6.4. For though we are accu&s;ed, arraigned, and con|demned, and &s;entence of death pa&s;&s;ed upon us, (daily in the publick,) yet to this day we could not come to a faire tryall, which is not Chri&s;tian-like, nay wor&s;e then the Heathen, who would not pa&s;s &s;entence till they came face to face, <HI>Acts</HI> 23.35. now the word holds forth, <HI>Tit.</HI> 3.10. Him that is an Heretick, after the fir&s;t and &s;econd admonition reject; but we cannot obtain admonition, and therefore far from ab&s;olution (an excellent Popi&s;h Tenet) but &s;ure &s;uch have forgot the rule <HI>Math.</HI> 7.12. do unto all men <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>And although they have nothing ju&s;tly to charge us withall, yet we have them, (I mean &s;uch that are time-&s;ervers, and turne any way the wind &s;its fair; no point of the compa&s;s ami&s;s: they are never out of their way, becau&s;e they were never well in.) as:</P>
<P N="1">1. To be loo&s;e and &s;candalous, in their lives, giving bad examples to their flocks, being Clubbers Drunkards, Game&s;ters, and what not.</P>
<P N="2">2. To be great incendiaries in the kingdome, the Fomentors of all our pinch|ing mi&s;eries, by their evill and wicked Doctrine, as witne&s;s the fir&s;t war with the Scots, who gave large contributions, and pre&s;t almo&s;t in every Pulpit to give towards it. But then &s;hould we not have thought their learning &s;hould have taught them more wit? No, for it is only God by his &s;pirit, mu&s;t teach true &s;pi|rituall wi&s;dome; hath not this war been a Prelaticall war? and hath not God been Ju&s;t to bring them into the pit they digged for other, and to hang them on <HI>Ha|mans</HI> Gallows? Where then is the wi&s;e, where the Scribe, where is the di&s;puter of this World? 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1.20. Did God honour them with that Reformation we have in part received? No, It was the Noble Gentry, and poor country, and City Members with their unwearied prayers cries, and tears, and Petitions, that out of the mouths of babes and &s;ucklings he might or dain &s;trength, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 8.2. <HI>Mat.</HI> 11.25. Now the&s;e fal&s;e Prie&s;ts and Prophets, are alwaies more in number then the true, and gain more in great mens favours: poor <HI>Amos</HI> he mu&s;t not come neer the Court, <HI>Amos</HI> 7.13, 14 Truth mu&s;t not come neer great mens hou&s;es: what, poor &s;hep|hards heards-men, Mecanicks, tell plain and naked truths, and think to finde friend&s;hip at Court? No, by no means, but you &s;hall &s;ee what &s;ad woes the Lord pronounceth again&s;t the&s;e fal&s;e Prophets <HI>Ier.</HI> 5.21. Chap. 14.18 &amp; 23.25. And ob&s;erve well that remarkable place, (and Oh! that it were written on every one of their garments that are &s;uch,) <HI>Ier.</HI> 23.13.14, 15, 16, 17 &amp; <HI>Ezek.</HI> 22.25, 26, 27, 28. with many more places which would take up much time to recite</P>
<P N="3">3. We charge many to u&s;urp their callings to the mini&s;tery, becau&s;e neither God called them nor the Saints.</P>
<P N="1">1 God called them not, becau&s;e they have not &s;o much as gifts, cannot pray without book; And God never called any to an office, but gave them gifts, meet for the work he called them to.</P>
<P N="2">2 The Saints did not call them, for they cannot away with &s;uch teachers, and I know no other call now, Miracles cea&s;ing, but an inward, and an outward, and power lies in the Church, not in one or two mens powers.</P>
<P><PB N="6" REF="5">Now Reader I have in &s;hort given you my weak thoughts: and fully declared un|to you what I did intend by the permi&s;&s;ion of God to &s;peak, (but I fear God hath re&s;erved &s;ome great judgement for this place) for which I am accu&s;ed, &s;entenced, and condemned already, (before my tryall) by the malignant Presbytery (I mean &s;uch who are meer time-&s;ervers (not true &s;ervers of God) that were before Ma|lignants now turned with the &s;tate, and only wait, for the tide turning again (of which we have too many) though by all that are godly, either Presbyters, or other, I know cannot but be approved, being the way of God, [that if any man hath any thing revealed that &s;tands by, the fir&s;t &s;hould hold his peace:] and becau&s;e we can|not have this Go&s;pel-Liberty, we are forced to withdraw from &s;uch, le&s;t we &s;hould be partakers of their plagues. Now all that I de&s;ire is, that the Lord would open the eyes of poor ignorant people, and that tho&s;e that are &s;pirituall, would improve their intere&s;ts to the utmo&s;t. That the Lord would be plea&s;ed to move the hearts of the Magi&s;trates, to pity poor ignorant people that want light, to u&s;e all po&s;&s;ible means for the encrea&s;e of &s;oul-&s;aving knowledge, by indeavouring to &s;end forth &s;ome godly con&s;cientious men, who&s;e eyes are not upon gain; till which time wee cannot expect a Reformation, as is expected; but a Deformation and di&s;obedience to God and man: For it is only the Go&s;pel that teacheth both: which &s;hall be the earne&s;t prayers, of,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Yours for the Service in the Go&s;pel, R. H.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
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