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<DATE>2012-05-17</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Colm MacCrossan</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed.</ITEM>
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<VID>119016</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>AN APPEAL To the Churches of Chri&s;t for their Righteous Judgement in the Matters of Chri&s;t, the concernments of <HI>All</HI> His Glory, over whom there is a Defence. <HI>Whether the way of Chri&s;t with His people be not paved-forth as a</HI> Cau&s;ey-way <HI>before them in His Scrip|tures, and to be Traced by the foot&s;teps of all His neare ones.</HI> Here you have the Epi&s;tles only. The fir&s;t to the Chur|ches, giving them &s;ome &s;hort account of their mat|ters. The &s;econd unto the Mini&s;ter who enjoyned that work. The third to &s;ome Neighbour-Mini&s;ters for their judgement therein. The fourth to the Chri|&s;tian Reader.</P>
<Q><HI>An high way &s;hall be there, and a way, and &s;hall be called the way of Holine&s;s. The uncleane &s;hall not pa&s;&s;e-over it. The way-faring men, though fooles, &s;hall not erre therein.</HI> <BIBL>I&s;a. 35. 8.</BIBL></Q>
<Q><HI>They have reproached the foot&s;teps of thine Anointed, O Lord,</HI> <BIBL>P&s;. 89. 51.</BIBL></Q>
<Q><HI>The poore committeth him&s;elfe unto Thee,</HI> <BIBL>P&s;al. 10. 14.</BIBL></Q>
<Q><L>Ip&s;a Dei Eccle&s;ia quae in omnibus e&s;&s;e debet</L>
<L>Placatrix Dei, quid e&s;t aliud qu&agrave;m exacerbatrix?</L></Q>
<Q><HI>The very Church of God [in account with men] that &s;hould</HI> walke worthy of the Lord unto all plea&s;ing, <HI>and &s;o appea&s;e His wrath, what el&s;e doe they, but by a contrary walking, imbitter His Holy Spirit, and provoke wrath.</HI> <BIBL>Salv: 3 Book page 87.</BIBL></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON;</HI> Printed according to Order for <HI>Henry Cripps</HI> in <HI>Popes-head Alley.</HI> 1656.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="preface">
<PB REF="2">
<P><HI>WE are bold, upon the account of Truth, and right of humanity, to require this of him that reads this, That he would not con|demne a part, till he under&s;tand the whole [which &s;hall be, if God permit, held-out before him in due time] If he will read any, let him read all, and forbeare cen&s;uring till he hath don reading.</HI></P>
<P><HI>But &s;o well can we ob&s;erve the perver&s;e act|ings of men, that we have concluded, we &s;hall never obtaine, what of right, we may require, and they of manners &s;hould grant: for they feare, le&s;t overcome of us, of the Truth we meane, hear|ing the lowd cry of it, like thunder in their eares, they &s;hould be forced to give-up them&s;elves, as Conquered by it.</HI> Lact. 5^t Book fir&s;t Chap.</P>
<P><HI>Every man truely fearing God [Godly in Christ Je&s;us] rejoyceth not in iniquity, but re|joyceth in the Truth; He is more than glad, He triumphs in this, That Truth hath Conquered him, and &s;o is willing, yea and more than willing, re|joycingly willing, to embrace it, and be led Cap|tive by it.</HI> Naz.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>To all tho&s;e, who looke for New Heavens, and a New Earth, wherein dwelleth Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, ha&s;tening unto the Kingdome <HI>and patience of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, when &s;hall be a Re&s;ti|tution of all things, which God hath &s;poken by the mouth of all His Holy Prophets &s;ince the world beganne.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_DEarely Beloved in the Lord, Called and faithfull, Followers of God as deare Children; we, &s;urely the mea|ne&s;t, and mo&s;t worth-le&s;&s;e among you all, have very lately, (&s;uch <HI>lin|gring</HI> Spirits we have, O how loath to come out of our <HI>Sodom!)</HI> asked the <HI>way to Zion,</HI> with our <HI>faces thither-ward;</HI> and out of that broad way, we are <HI>pulled,</HI> the <HI>Lord being merci|full</HI> to us, in laying <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="3 letters">ld upon our hand. And now we <HI>&s;peake often one to another</HI> (The Love of Chri&s;t con|&s;training) and to as many as will heare us, &s;aying, <HI>Come, and let us joyne our &s;elves unto the Lord</HI> in a <HI>perpe|tuall Covenant,</HI> that &s;hall <HI>not be forgotten.</HI></P>
<P>But &s;ee! and no more but what ye have &s;eene, and doe &s;ee all the day long, how many Adver&s;aries from without, as many and more dangerous from within, &s;till &s;till oppo&s;ing, contradicting, and bla&s;pheming, how many? yet Ble&s;&s;ed be our God and Father of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, we faint not; He, that at the fir&s;t laid hold upon our hand, will hold us by the hand; It is enough; Wee &s;hall never looke backe to <HI>Sodom</HI>
<PB REF="3"> more, though our hearts, left to them&s;elves, are as bad as who&s;e are wor&s;t, and could ea&s;ily <HI>forgett Lot's wife;</HI> and tho&s;e many, who <HI>have drawne back unto per|dition.</HI></P>
<P>But not to detaine you long here. We may &s;ay as <HI>Luther</HI> &s;aid, <HI>He did</HI> not <HI>finde</HI> the rude and ra&s;call Com|pany &s;o aver&s;e from, contrary to, and &s;et again&s;t the Lords worke, in his dayes, as he did, you know, whom. We leave others to their own experiences in the&s;e matters. This is ours; Wee finde none &s;o op|po&s;ite to us, as are the Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel, all and every one of them, that are of M^r <HI>Humphs:</HI> per&s;wa&s;ion; (farre be it from us to meane or point to any other, whom we love, and honour heartily.) To open our matters morefully unto you, Thus it is; We are que|&s;tioned, yea charged by a godly Mini&s;ter, as we &s;up|po&s;e, who yet doth <HI>&s;en&s;e</HI> and <HI>Practi&s;e</HI> with M^r <HI>H^s:</HI> That our way is not right, becau&s;e aver&s;e from and contra|ry to (indeed it is, as the two remote&s;t extreams are to) the &s;aid Mini&s;ters his way and per&s;wa&s;ion, In point of Church. Admini&s;trations.</P>
<P>Now we &s;uppo&s;e, ye have read or heard, what that Gentlemans <HI>per&s;wa&s;ion</HI> is, and how much he hath &s;aid for it; how much al&s;o foure <HI>Worthies</HI> of the Lord, one after another, have &s;aid again&s;t him, with&s;tanding him to his face. Indeed &s;o much they have &s;aid, and &s;o clearely from the Scriptures, That to us, it &s;eemes as much a wonder, That Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel &s;hould, after all this, commend that way, bend to it, walke-on in it, &s;peak for it, draw Di&s;ciples after them (with &s;o much ea&s;e and delight, to walke together with them, that is no wonder) as it was to heare a Pope commended, the very <HI>plague</HI> alwayes of the Chri&s;tian world; And <HI>Hildebrand,</HI> among that cur&s;ed
<PB REF="3"> crue, extolled for a very <HI>holy Man,</HI> and a Panegyrick written of him; And yet, though he was, &s;ay their own men, the wor&s;t of all men, &s;o bad, that we &s;hould blu&s;h to heare how bad he was, why yet, <HI>All the world wondered after the Bea&s;t?</HI> Whence we have concluded, That there is no per&s;on &s;o vild, but his <HI>own</HI> have lo|ved and commended him. Nor any errour &s;o gro&s;s, nor opinion &s;o deformed, nor example &s;o <HI>pernicious,</HI> but as it is the more agreeing with the world, and to that principle within us, which <HI>drives</HI> us to incline towards it; &s;o hath it alwayes found many Patrons &s;tanding. up in their might for it, and many <HI>following</HI> after it. And therefore our wonder cea&s;eth as to that matter. For</P>
<P N="1">1. The Scripture mu&s;t be full filled. A Carnall Mi|ni&s;tery alwayes hath been, now is, and now is the time of their manife&s;tation we hope, (which being well &s;et is &s;etling.) That they doe belong to that <HI>Out. Court,</HI> where the charge is, <HI>Leave it out, Mea&s;ure it not.</HI> And</P>
<P N="2">2. This their way, which is their folly, mu&s;t needs be, as very taking with them&s;elves, &s;o mu&s;t it be ju&s;ti|fied and maintained by them, being Calculated meer|ly for a Carnall intere&s;t. And</P>
<P N="3">3. As taking with the people, as that can be, which is mo&s;t plea&s;ing and taking; as &s;weets with us which choak us; and gra&s;&s;e with &s;heep which rotrs them; for what more plea&s;ing than is this, To wallow in e|very mire of &s;inne like a <HI>Swine;</HI> and yet to be well|commed to the Lords Table as a <HI>Saint?</HI> No marvaile that many turne-in hether, and follow the&s;e <HI>pernici|ous wayes.</HI> So our wonder cea&s;eth.</P>
<P>We crave leave to proceed, That we may give you an account, why wee, the poore&s;t of the flocke, have
<PB REF="4"> appeared again&s;t this way? Becau&s;e after all this, the&s;e, the Lords Worthyes have &s;aid, We are que&s;ti|oned and charged, as afore&s;aid, that we walke by a <HI>fancy,</HI> if we doe not walke that is &s;en&s;e and practi&s;e with M^r <HI>Humph^s:</HI> and tho&s;e Mini&s;ters of his per&s;wa&s;i|on and practi&s;e, which is an abhorring to our Spirits. And now in point of Duty to our God, to our &s;elves, to our Brethren, whom we love, as our &s;elves, we could not be &s;ilent; <Q REND="inline">For <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Si accu&s;aius non re&s;pondeat, aut crimininis convictus, aut cer&s;e &s;u&s;pectus videatur.</NOTE> Silence, when we are char|ged, either makes a full conviction, or &s;trengthens &s;u&s;picion.</Q> Truely we &s;aw it clearely our Duty, to vindicate that, which &s;hould be more pretious to us, than the Gold of <HI>Ophir;</HI> The Glory of God; The ho|nour of His Hou&s;e; our owne credit, in di&s;a&s;per&s;ing our &s;elves, and giving witne&s;&s;e to our wronged inno|cency, as we could; our Brothers eternall good was al&s;o full in our eye; as it is in our heart, the weale, or pro&s;perity of his everla&s;ting Soule.</P>
<P>This farther account, we mu&s;t give of our worke, the expo&s;ing of it, to the view of the world; it a|mounts to a great volume, containing 60 &s;heets, and more, which few or none of our Rank, whom yet we have a &s;peciall eye of Re&s;pect unto, have &s;pare money to gett, or &s;pare time to reade; &s;o as we are con&s;trai|ned to &s;end it forth by peece-meale, part after part, eight in all, which, we Conceive, may be made entyre, and compleate, containing di&s;tinct Subjects. And we begin, for the &s;ame rea&s;on, with the Epi&s;tles, which &s;hew the occa&s;ion, Contents, drift, &s;cope, and end of the whole, and every part; That Epi&s;tle to the Chri|&s;tian Reader we judge, of much concernment to him, and may &s;uffice for his Information, in the highe&s;t matters, though he could reach to no more.</P>
<P>Wee have yet farther Rea&s;on, which mooves
<PB REF="4"> &s;trongly with us to doe as afore&s;aid in the &s;ending forth of our Matters peece after peece. (The maine and chiefe&s;t we omitt, being a point of Di&s;cretion we thinke &s;o to doe; Only it may &s;uffice to know <HI>ultra po&s;&s;e non e&s;t e&s;&s;e.</HI> What more is left to you to think) for</P>
<P N="1">1. The matters we are upon, and manner of hand|ling them will not down with the people (we &s;peak after our Country manner) no more than Gall and Worm wood will; yet we &s;peak not this in reference to our Country &s;tile or Dialect, but in reference to the <HI>Truths</HI> here, which ye know are <HI>biting,</HI> &s;till, yea tor|menting <NOTE PLACE="marg">Viritates mor|daces.</NOTE> fle&s;h and blood. Indeed our matters are rough and har&s;h, not one <HI>&s;mooth</HI> word, as fle&s;h will &s;ay, all along (yet, we hope, through Grace, that &s;trengthneth, we are not wholy unacquainted with <HI>Pauls</HI> holy <HI>craft,</HI> and ble&s;&s;ed guile) for we <HI>feare God,</HI> and &s;eek to <HI>plea&s;e</HI> Him, and our Neighbour for his <HI>Good</HI> to <HI>Edification.</HI> Now they, that, with <HI>Ahab,</HI> count nothing <HI>good</HI> but what de&s;troyeth them &s;oule and body anon-after, though it &s;eeme <HI>good</HI> now at pre&s;ent, God forbid we &s;hould plea&s;e &s;uch, for they cannot be plea&s;ed but with <HI>Deceits, Prophe&s;ies of wine &amp; &s;trong Drinke.</HI> So now few will read us. The Gallioes of the&s;e times, loo&s;e and prophane Libertines, the&s;e re|gard none of the&s;e things; Carnall Go&s;pellers, for|mal profe&s;&s;ors, tho&s;e regard as little: What or who|&s;oever Rebukes ungodline&s;&s;e, or would advance the power of godline&s;&s;e, is an abomination to them: Smooth upon &s;mooth runs &s;moothly away; And that which is &s;weet, goes down &s;weetly. More of that which is &s;weet (&s;aid <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tomes</HI> hearers of old, as He tells us) though it choak us.</P>
<P>Yet O that they could con&s;ider the <HI>later end,</HI> what a <HI>&s;ower</HI> farewell <HI>&s;weet</HI> will have. O that they could
<PB REF="5"> bethink them&s;elves what will become of them in that day, when the haile &s;hall &s;weep away the refuge of lies, and the <HI>waters &s;hall overflow the</HI> Hiding place, and the <HI>well-built wall,</HI> in conceit, <HI>&s;hall be rent with a &s;tormy wind in His fury,</HI> when it &s;hall be &s;aid, <HI>Where is the daubing wherewith ye have daubed it?</HI> I&s;a. 28. 17. Ezek. 13. 11, 12. And</P>
<P N="2">2. Good Mini&s;ters, and a good people, not a few, as in charity we are ready to Judge, will &s;tick at our matters; for our affections cannot ea&s;ily fall-in there (the greater is our fault, if not our crime) where our judgement falls-out. And</P>
<P N="3">3. In the la&s;t place; we are indeed the poore&s;t of the flock, truely and indeed le&s;s than the lea&s;t. And ever the le&s;s any one is, the le&s;s regard will be had to what he &s;aith (It would goe to the heart of them, if it were &s;o with their God, but with Him the father|le&s;s find mercy, a gracious wellcome, yea a glorious acceptance, but we were &s;aying) The worth of the &s;peaker, addeth weight to his words; for as the man is, among men, &s;uch is his &s;trength, and as his worth is, &s;uch is the worth of his words. This onely we can &s;ay, and we tru&s;t in &s;inglene&s;&s;e of heart we doe &s;ay it, That (1) we love the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t in &s;incerity. And (2) That our intentions are &s;ingle, and cary level, in de&s;ire and endeavour, to his Glory, and our Brothers everla&s;ting good. And then we may con|clude, &s;o may you with us, as a worthy man conclu|deth for us all, <HI>The &s;inglene&s;&s;e of the intention, is the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Sacrificium, Medullatum.</HI> Mr. <HI>Jen.</HI> upon <HI>Jude</HI> 371.</NOTE> <HI>&s;weet of a performance, and makes it even a Sacrifice with MARROW.</HI></P>
<P>Here we break-off, commending you to God, and the Word of His Grace, praying with all prayer to|gether with you; That He, who is able to build-us-up,
<PB REF="5"> and to give us an inheritance among all them who are &s;anctified, would make us perfect, &s;tabli&s;h, &s;trengthen, &s;ettle us; for &s;o an entrance &s;hall be mini|&s;tred unto us aboundantly, into the everla&s;ting king|dome of our Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<P><FLOATEXT LANG="eng" TYPE="license">
<P>Seen, alowed and &s;ub&s;cribed by their Pa&s;tor,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>HEZEKIAH WOODVVARD.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</FLOATEXT></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="6">
<HEAD>A faithfull Account given-in by faithfull Brethren of the &s;ame minde, way and judgement, in the matters of Chri&s;t; To a faith|full Mini&s;ter of Chri&s;t (as it is meet for them <HI>to think) upon his earne&s;t reque&s;t, or rather Charge, That they would give him Scrip|ture-grounds or rea&s;ons of their judgement</HI> and practi&s;e, &s;omewhat different, if not Contrary to his,</HEAD>
<LIST>
<HEAD>In Reference to the&s;e particulars.</HEAD>
<ITEM>I. <HI>To Free admi&s;&s;ion of all Infants to Bapti&s;me, and growne-per&s;ons to the Lords Table.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>II. <HI>To the ob&s;ervation of that Day we commonly call Chri&s;tmas-Day.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>III. <HI>To Formes of prayer; &s;pecially the Lords prayer; and foure Queries thereupon.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Relating</NOTE></ITEM>
<ITEM>IV. <HI>To a Nationall Church, whether ours is as the Jewes was?</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>V. <HI>To the principles of Infant Bapti&s;me.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>VI. <HI>To the power, The Law of a Relation written upon the heart of Mini&s;ters and people by the finger of God, hath to make them walke with a right-foote in the way of God.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>The&s;e are dige&s;ted into &s;eaven Sections; the Contents whereof you have in the Epi&s;tle to the Rev: Mini&s;ters.</P>
<Q><BIBL>Job 32. 17, 18.</BIBL> <HI>I will an&s;wer al&s;o my part, I al&s;o will &s;hew my opinion; for I am full of matter, the Spirit within me con&s;traineth mee.</HI></Q>
<Q><BIBL>Jer. 23. 28.</BIBL> <HI>He that hath a Dreame, let him tell a dreame? he that hath my word, let him &s;peake my word, faithfully: What is the Chaffe to the Wheat, &s;aith the LORD?</HI></Q>
<Q><BIBL>Titus 1. 9.</BIBL> <HI>Holding fa&s;t the faithfull Word, as he hath been taught, that he may be able by &s;ound Doctrine, both to Exhort, and to Convince, the gaine|&s;ayers.</HI></Q>
<Q><BIBL>1 Pet. 3. 15.</BIBL> <HI>Be ready allwayes to give an an&s;wer to every Man, that asketh you a rea&s;on of the hope that is in you, with meekne&s;&s;e and feare.</HI></Q>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="6">
<HEAD>A Letter annexed to the&s;e Papers, when by the Brethren, they were pre&s;ented to the Reverend Mini&s;ter, requiring a <HI>Rea&s;on of their doings.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Deare Sir.</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P><HI>_THere is no little Difference betwixt us</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Opinionum va|rietas &amp; opi|nantium unitas, non &s;unt <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">.</NOTE> <HI>in opinion, none at all, we tru&s;t in Af|fection; which &s;hall appeare, we hope, on our part, in the manage of the De|bate between us all along. It were well if we could be every way accorded. And we think the&s;e words pre&s;&s;e hard upon us, to</HI> &s;trive <HI>in this thing, that there be no &s;trife at all.</HI> There <HI>was a &s;trife between the heardmen of</HI> Abrahams <HI>Cattle, and the heard-men of</HI> Lotts <HI>Cattle, and the</HI> Canaa|nite <HI>and the</HI> Perrezite <HI>dwelled then in the Land,</HI> Gen. 13. 7. <HI>They did not walke in wi&s;dome towards them that were without. The enemies of God could di&s;cerne, being quick|&s;ighted that way, There were animo&s;ities&mdash;that which &s;hould not be among the Lords own people: Therefore faith|full</HI> Abraham, <HI>be&s;tirres him&s;elfe, for it was high time, and</HI> &s;prang, <HI>or</HI> ranne-<HI>in</HI> (to <HI>u&s;e that word, and witne&s;&s;e the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">.</NOTE> <HI>ha&s;te he made)</HI> Let there <HI>be no &s;trife I pray thee between</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 14. 14. 16. 29.</NOTE> <HI>thee and me, and between my heardmen and thy heardmen, for wee be</HI> men-brethren, <HI>ver&s;e 8: This is commended to</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 7. 26.</NOTE> <HI>your &s;erious thoughts, and the Lord grant it may abide upon ours. For Divi&s;ions among brethren, makes friends mourne, and enemies within laugh and &s;corne, and hinders them that are</HI> without <HI>from making offer to come in. Let Gods</HI>
<PB REF="7"> <HI>people walk as becometh, &s;tudy to be quiet, follow after peace, act nothing while they be angry, not giving place to it, no not for an houre, for that were to give place to the Devill. The Preacher tells us, that anger re&s;teth in the bo&s;ome of fooles; and pa&s;&s;ion dwells at the &s;igne of folly; we are never angry, and &s;inne not, but when we are angry at nothing but &s;inne. Factions cau&s;e Fractions; &V;nity makes &s;trong.</HI> David <HI>pray'd heartily, &s;o &s;hall we by his grace,</HI> Lead <HI>me in a plaine path becau&s;e of mine</HI> ob&s;ervers, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 27. 11 Ene|mies <HI>we reade, who are ob&s;ervers, they note diligently what we that are men-Brethren doe: The Lord humble us for the pride of our hearts (It is likely you may pray &s;o too,) from whence comes warres and fightings among us? For untill we are well humbled, we &s;hall doe nothing well, nor can we &s;uffer, as Chri&s;tians for well-doing. The Lord humble us, &s;uch need we have to pray this prayer againe, make us vile in our owne eyes, and then it will be no trouble at all how vile we are in others eyes. And all our things &s;hall be done in Charity, (which &s;hewes us what we are <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Non facium bonas vel malos mores, ni&s;i boni vel mali amo|res.</HI> Aug. Ep: ad Maced:</NOTE>) wherein wee &s;hould abound one towards another.</HI></P>
<P><HI>We come to that now, we would &s;ay to you at the porch, or entrance to our worke.</HI></P>
<P><HI>We have an&s;wered your de&s;ire in giving you here an ac|count of your matters; how &s;hort of your expectation, or full-up unto it we know not. Only this we know, our &s;trong de|&s;ire and earne&s;t endeavours were to plea&s;e God, and our</HI> Neighbour for his Good to Edification <HI>in all we have done, keeping clo&s;e to His rule laid before us in His Word. And having &s;o done, we would hope, we have not di&s;plea|&s;ed you. This being the way, you and wee mu&s;t take if we goe right; In the</HI> active <HI>obedience, what we doe, we labour to plea&s;e God; In the</HI> pa&s;&s;ive, <HI>we endeavour, what He doth may plea&s;e us. Exceeded we have all expectations, yours and our owne, in the largene&s;&s;e of our Worke, whereunto we will &s;ay as followeth.</HI></P>
<PB REF="7">
<P N="1">1. <HI>It falls out in matters of this Nature as in building, The co&s;t and paines amounts to double as much, as at fir&s;t was intended.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>Your Brothers Book of</HI> Infant Bapti&s;me <HI>accidentally coming to our hands (for as we heard not of it, &s;o we &s;ought not for it) put us to an after-trouble, altogether as great as the former.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>If it be &s;aid, we are tedious herein, we can clearely &s;ay, it was to make Truth's cleare, we con&s;idered withall to whom we &s;peake, at lea&s;t, whom we would have to heare, poore &s;im|ple ignorant Country folke, who are taken wholy with the rind or bark, the out-&s;ide of Sacrament, to whom if you &s;peake conci&s;ely, little and &s;hort, you &s;peake nothing at all; po&s;&s;ibly a man may, though we cannot, &s;peake much in a little; but &s;urely we commonly under&s;tand but little in much: Therefore it was not be&s;ide our purpo&s;e to be &s;o large, nor beyond the marke we &s;ended to.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. <HI>You &s;peake highly of Mr.</HI> Hu^s: <HI>we &s;uppo&s;e it was in favour to his way, and in love to us, that we might walke in his way. We would &s;uppo&s;e al&s;o, thus highly you &s;pake of him, hearing much good of him, from tho&s;e that may have little good in them, we meane, you might &s;peake by heare-&s;ay, not by what you had found in him, by reading his Books, you call them too,</HI> The works of the fle&s;h. <HI>So we would &s;uppo&s;e, becau&s;e we would not que&s;tion the &s;oundne&s;&s;e of your judgement, as to tho&s;e matters you may finde in the worke he hath made. But whatever you doe, or have done, we judge of a Man by his workes, as of a tree by his fruits. And this we mu&s;t &s;ay of him, as once holy</HI> Fox <HI>of an unholy Bi&s;hop,</HI> He was a Divine little &s;ea&s;oned with the Go|&s;pell. And for his book, <HI>&s;aid that Saint on earth, long &s;ince in Heaven, I would tell him to his Teeth, were we face to face,</HI> That it is a grievous plague to the Common &s;afety of Chri&s;tians. <HI>Yet becau&s;e you might intend our</HI>
<PB REF="8"> <HI>good in mentioning, that&mdash;Man and his workes unto us (and &s;urely through grace, for we have it in us readily to comply with, and greedily to catch at &s;uch works of the fle&s;h, but through grace, we have, as others may doe, gained much good by it, to advance our Love to Gods way, and our ha|tred to his) we will returne your Love as we can, onely in this, making honourable mention unto you, of three the Lords Worthies, (we need not mention Doctor</HI> Drake <HI>to you) that have made An&s;wer to Mr</HI> Humphs: <HI>M^r</HI> Antho|ny Palmer, <HI>Mr</HI> Hum: Saunders, <HI>(who&s;e booke, hath wor|thy Mr</HI> Tho: Mantons <HI>Epi&s;tle before it) Mr</HI> John Col|lins; <HI>we mention them in the &s;ame order, they came forth, and to our hands; and not before we were Come to the Clo&s;e of our worke. The la&s;t of the&s;e, Mr</HI> Jo: Collins <HI>hath given the people an Antidote again&s;t the poy&s;on of his la&s;t booke. We heartily Commend the&s;e to your reading; knowing no other meanes, whereby to commend our Love unto you.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And &s;o,</HI> Sir, <HI>having more to &s;ay to your beloved Bre|thren, and by us as much honoured; and then to the Chri|&s;tian Reader, we will leave the matters here under Debate, to better judgement; And the Lord God of judgement be with them, that &s;hall make judgement thereof, which by the &s;upply of the Spirit is what it is, as wee by His grace are what we are. Only this we would Remember your &s;elfe, your Brethren, and our &s;elves off, That all tho&s;e matters we have, perhaps, too rigidly, or po&s;&s;ible, too ha&s;tily and in|con&s;iderately pa&s;&s;ed our judgement-upon, mu&s;t have another day of hearing, and then be called over againe. Therefore we &s;ay againe. The Lord helpe us to give up our judgements unto the Lord, that &s;o we may judge righteous judgement. And to begin at home with our &s;elves, judging there every one of us, where God hath made us Judges: And enquire in the fir&s;t place what truth is wrought in the inward parts,</HI>
<PB REF="8"> <HI>which will quickly &s;hew-forth it &s;elfe in out-workes, &s;o as others may &s;ee what is within, by what is done without, and glorifie our Father which is in Heaven.</HI></P>
<P><HI>So we heartily take our Leave of you for this time, and at this place; and Leave you and your Brethren to your owne time for peru&s;all of the&s;e matters, as they &s;hall be pre|&s;ented to your hands, and then to deale therein, as they, after &s;erious debate about them, &s;hall require.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And the Lord God pro&s;per you, and ble&s;&s;e your Labours faithfully undertaken for Him, as &s;ure He will if you</HI> La|bour <HI>earne&s;tly,</HI> to be accepted in Him, <HI>as the ambitious Man doth to clamber to the pinnacle of honour here below. And with you ble&s;&s;e all your faithfull Brethren all over the Nation, with one minde, heart, lippe, and &s;houlder, That by your and their meanes, the glorious Sun of the Go&s;pell may &s;pread all over the &s;ame, as the morning &s;preads upon the mountaines, That His people all may walke by the light thereof, as Friends and</HI> Fellow-helpers <HI>to</HI> The Truth, <HI>preaching one thing, and praying as all may agree, where|unto all the good people in all the Nations will &s;ay Amen; and wee with them, Amen and Amen.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<PB REF="9">
<PB REF="9">
<HEAD>To the Reverend and Learned, M^r <HI>John Bateman,</HI> M^r <HI>Will: Jemmatt,</HI> M^r <HI>Simon Ford,</HI> M^r <HI>Chri&s;top: Fowler,</HI> M^r <HI>Will: Brice,</HI> M^r <HI>Tho: Owen,</HI> M^r&mdash;<HI>Hartley.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Deare and honoured Sirs.</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_WE the poore&s;t of the flocke, and in the account of the World (which was, and now is, the Ca&s;e of our betters) as the filth there and off-&s;couring of all things, have found our &s;elves pre&s;&s;ed, after we had made our addre&s;&s;es to God, to appeale un|to you, who &s;tand in His &s;teede, and are Stewards in His hou&s;e, hoping you can looke off from our per|&s;ons, as meane and de&s;picable as ye can thinke us, and looke on the matters here pre&s;ented before you, of neare alliance, we judge to your office, which is to take care, that all things be done in Gods hou&s;e ac|cording to decency, and right order, as well becom|eth tho&s;e, who have this &s;till in their thoughts, how they may magnifie their office, and give up their ac|count with joy, when the time cometh they mu&s;t be no longer Stewards. This is the &s;cope we drive to, as He knowes, That knowes all things.</P>
<P>The things in&s;i&s;ted upon here, are dige&s;ted into &s;eaven Sections, foure referre to the clearing of the&s;e particulars.</P>
<PB REF="10">
<P N="1">1. Whether all Infants borne of Baptized Parents, are to have admi&s;&s;ion To Bapti&s;me?</P>
<P N="2">2. Whether all per&s;ons are to have the like free admi&s;&s;ion to the Lords Table?</P>
<P N="3">3. Whether the ob&s;ervation of the Day we com|monly call <HI>Chri&s;tmas,</HI> may pa&s;&s;e with the allowance of any true Chri&s;tian?</P>
<P N="4">4. Whether formes of prayer are good for the e|vill, or of any u&s;e for the good to teach them to pray? And in reference to the Lords Prayer there are foure <HI>Queries.</HI> 1. Whether a wicked Man may &s;ay that prayer? 2. Whether a godly-man may take it into his Clo&s;et? 3. Or a godly Mini&s;ter into his Pulpit? 4. Whether a godly Parent may teach it his Chil|dren? Together with the&s;e this is is queried and re&s;ol|ved, whether <HI>John</HI> taught his Di&s;ciples to pray by giving them formes of Prayer to &s;ay?</P>
<P>All the&s;e we have from Gods word, as we &s;uppo&s;e, re&s;olved in the Negative, being pre&s;&s;ed to give our per&s;wa&s;ion in reference to the&s;e matters.</P>
<P N="5">5. And in the fift Section have endeavoured to make full proofe, That it is the Duty of every godly Mini&s;ter re&s;olved in his Con&s;cience as to the Nega|tive in all the&s;e, to hold it forth before his people in due time and place.</P>
<P N="6">6. In the &s;ixt, after we have given a fuller account of our matters, which, for ha&s;te, was omitted in our Preface, we argue again&s;t a Nationall Church, that ours is not as the <HI>Jewes</HI> once was; and we give our rea&s;ons wherefore we contend again&s;t it; As al&s;o a|gain&s;t the principles of Infant Bapti&s;me as they are declared unto us.</P>
<P N="7">7. In the &s;eaventh, and the La&s;t, is &s;hewen how prevailing The Law of a Relation written upon the
<PB REF="10"> heart by the finger of God, is with Mini&s;ters and peo|ple to point them to, and to hold their foote fa&s;t in the way of holine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>We &s;uppo&s;e now, ye would be cleared in this fir&s;t, why we meddle in the&s;e matters? To this we hum|bly offer you a very briefe account in this place, ha|ving &s;poken largely unto it in the &s;econd part of our Preface, and fir&s;t leaves in the fir&s;t, and &s;ixt Sections.</P>
<P N="1">1. We have, through un&s;peakable grace, our fel|low&s;hip with the Father, and with His Son Je&s;us Chri&s;t; And Go&s;pel Communion one with another: And, bending towards Church-order, as the Head and King thereof, hath taught us in His Go&s;pel, we are to hold it out from His Word, having a lowde Call &s;o to doe, That <HI>our workes are wrought in God,</HI> in the power and &s;trength of God; at the Command and by the Authority of God; And that we are not afraid of the light, but readily offer our &s;elves &amp; our workes unto it; to the <HI>ballance,</HI> or to the <HI>touch&s;tone,</HI> not doubting but they &s;halbe found weight &amp; right; And that our practi&s;e &s;hall be found regular accord|ing to Gods Word in all things &s;o farre as the Father of lights hath been plea&s;ed to Communicate of His light unto us, from which we would not decline wil|lingly an hairs breadth for all the worlds good: for &s;hould we doe &s;o, we &s;hould live, not, (which is char|ged again&s;t us by one among&s;t you) by <HI>faith</HI> in Church-order, but by <HI>fancy.</HI> The matters we have been que&s;tioned about, are here debated on in the foure fir&s;t Sections; wherein we humbly give our opinion, and tell our per&s;wa&s;ion as we &s;tand fully &s;atisfied in our own mindes, who <HI>mu&s;t live by our own Faith,</HI> Rom. 14. 5. 23. We will onely repeate what hereafter wee have &s;aid to this our undertaking;
<PB REF="11"> we have been, if we may ufe that Per&s;ian word, <HI>anga|riati; Compelled</HI> to doe, as now we have done.</P>
<P N="2">2. In the &s;econd place, it is likely ye would have our Rea&s;on, wherefore we appeale to you? It was be|cau&s;e we were not willing to &s;tand to the Umperage of one &s;ingle per&s;on among you, for though with us it is a very &s;mal thing, that we &s;hould be judged of him, or of mans judgement; Yet he being of the &s;ame judgement, in point of free admi&s;&s;ion to the Lords Table (&s;o he hath declared him&s;elfe) with Mr <HI>Hums:</HI> that unworthy man, whom the Lord God we feare in his righteous judgement hath <HI>given over to a minde voyde of judgement.</HI> Therefore we have made our ap|plication to you, beloved in Chri&s;t, who can &s;o well remember, we mu&s;t all appeare, before God, give to Him an account of our doings, to who&s;e judgement, in His owne matters, we all appeale now, for to that we mu&s;t &s;tand anone after. We would adde to this &s;ome particulars more, for the further clearing our &s;elves, and our undertakings unto you. And</P>
<P N="1">1. We would &s;peake two things (which were o|mitted in our Preface to the fir&s;t Section) (1) To that <HI>remote right</HI> an Infant hath to Bapti&s;me borne of wicked parents. The judgement, you know, of Di|vines very Learned, &amp; godly, and po&s;&s;ibly your own judgement al&s;o. To this we tell our per&s;wa&s;ion, and our Faith, That a parent notorious for his Deboi&s;ery may Cut-off him&s;elfe &amp; his po&s;terity from all Church priviledges, as well now as formerly it was: When <HI>I&s;mael</HI> a member of the Church &amp; Circumci&s;ed, grew to a prophane mocking of <HI>I&s;aac,</HI> he was ca&s;t-out of the Church as unworthy to continue in that holy fellow&s;hip, <HI>Gen.</HI> 21. 9, 10, 11, 12. And <HI>E&s;au</HI> his Fathers darling being very indulgent to him; yet for his pro|phanene&s;&s;e,
<PB REF="11"> de&s;pi&s;ing his birth-right, the hand of God cut him off from the inheritance both of the birth|right, and of the ble&s;&s;ing. Whence it was, That he was deprived of Church-fellow&s;hip, and his po&s;terity deprived both of Church-fellow&s;hip and of the &s;eale of the Covenant. And &s;o <HI>Jeremiah</HI> reckoneth-up <HI>E|dom</HI> among the Nations uncircumci&s;ed, <HI>Jer.</HI> 9. 26. It is our per&s;wa&s;ion as we finde it made out by others, That a Debauched parent may ca&s;t him&s;elfe out of the Church now, and from all priviledges of the &s;ame, as &s;oone and &s;ooner now under this Go&s;pel light, than they did under the Starre-light of the Law. And (2) Tho&s;e godly Mini&s;ters, that doe admit all Infants to Bapti&s;me upon account of that <HI>remote</HI> right there-un|to, when they &s;peake <HI>de jure</HI> what ought to be, (as he that hath &s;poken la&s;t, hath &s;poken much that way) they &s;peake, as he, very &s;afely and holily, <HI>Children of Beleiving Parents &s;hould be admitted to Bapti&s;me.</HI> But when they &s;peake <HI>de facto,</HI> what is done, and allowed off to be done, here they walk at large, and give more Liberty, than, we humbly conceive, the word of God, gives them. But how&s;oever, if they can &s;atisfie their Con&s;ciences in a larger latitude, they will not, we hope, judge others that cannot &s;o doe; Con&s;cience being &s;uch a tender thing, and cannot be <HI>forced</HI> no more than a <HI>parable</HI> ought to be.</P>
<P N="2">2. We have &s;poken &s;omewhat Confidently again&s;t free admi&s;&s;ion to the Lords Table, as they u&s;e to doe who are per&s;waded, they have truth on their &s;ide; and the word of truth to warrant what they &s;ay. And indeed the more arrogantly Mr <HI>Hums:</HI> hath &s;poken to maintaine the Affirmative, the more confidently we have &s;poken in maintenance of the Negative: for why &s;hould not we be as bold for our Lord Chri&s;t,
<PB REF="12"> as he is, beyond all expre&s;&s;ion, &s;hamele&s;sly bold a|gain&s;t Him. We are per&s;waded in our &s;oules, That the Lord of glory hath written in &s;o faire and legible Characters, who are, and who are not to be admitted to His table, that He who runs may reade. We have heard of a Godly man, that &s;aid to a wanton Lady (complaining of the darkne&s;&s;e and ob&s;curity of the Scriptures, though too well acquainted with the works of darkne&s;&s;e) what more plaine than this Ma|dam, &s;aid he? <HI>Thou &s;halt not commit Adultery.</HI> So indeed we may &s;ay, what more plaine that this, <Q REND="inline"><HI>If thou</HI> take forth the <HI>pretious</HI> from the vile, thou &s;halt be as my <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 15. 19.</NOTE> <HI>Mouth;</HI> Let them <HI>returne</HI> unto thee, but returne not thou unto them. What more plaine then this? They &s;hall teach my people the difference between <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 44. 23.</NOTE> the holy and prophane; and cau&s;e Men to di&s;cerne, between the uncleane, and the cleane.</Q> And what more plaine then is the complaint of the Lord again&s;t tho&s;e Prei&s;ts, who did not doe according to their Charge? <HI>Her</HI> Prei&s;ts have violated my law; and have prophaned my holy things: how &s;o? <HI>They have</HI> put <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezek. 22. 26.</NOTE> no difference between the holy and prophane, nei|ther have they &s;hewed difference, between the un|cleane, and the cleane. What more plaine then this? <Q REND="inline"><HI>If any Man</HI> that is called a Brother be a Fornicator, <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 5. 11. 2 Joh. 10.</NOTE> or Covetous, or an Idolater, or a Railer, or a Drun|kard, or an Extortioner, with &s;uch an one <HI>no not to eate.</HI></Q> Such gro&s;&s;e &s;inners are no more to be &s;uffered in Holy A&s;&s;emblyes, then &s;wine in your garden, than toads in your di&s;hes, than dead flyes in a box of oint|ment (to u&s;e worthy Mr <HI>Burge&s;&s;e</HI> his glo&s;&s;e upon that Scripture) What more plaine than this? <HI>Ye cannot be</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 10. 21.</NOTE> <HI>partakers of the Lords Table, and the Table of Devills.</HI> What more plaine then this? <HI>What fellow&s;hip hath righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e
<PB REF="12"> with unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e? What communion hath light with darkne&s;&s;e? What Concord hath Chri&s;t with Be|lial? or what part hath he that beleiveth with an In&s;idell? And what agreement hath the Temple of God with Idolls?</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 6. 16, 17.</NOTE> <HI>Ye are the Temple of the living God, as God hath &s;aid, I will dwell in them, and walke in them; and I will be their God, and they &s;hall be my people; Where&s;ore Come out from a|mong them, and be ye</HI> &s;eperate <HI>&s;aith the Lord God, and touch not the uncleane thing.</HI> What more plaine than all this; and this which followes. <HI>There &s;hall in no wi&s;e</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Revel. 21. 27. 22. 15.</NOTE> <HI>enter into it any thing that defileth. Without &s;hall be dogges.</HI> Ye know what the Learned &s;ay of tho&s;e Scriptures. All agree, we thinke, That the hou&s;e of God, the Church of the living God mu&s;t be kept cleane by the Stewards there of. <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Leg. Aug Martor. in</HI> Re|vel. 11. 1, 2.</NOTE></P>
<P>Thus we have beleived; and thus confidently we have &s;poken in all things where we ob&s;erved the <HI>Spi|rit</HI> with the <HI>Word</HI> going before us; and herein we appeale to you, as to the Truth of the&s;e matters re|&s;olved in the Negative we may erre, as weake &s;imple men u&s;e to doe; but this we can &s;ay, we doe not <HI>erre in our hearts;</HI> if we erre, It is as a wearied traveller may doe, he erreth in his way, but &s;ore again&s;t his will, and thankes him heartily, that will tell him he is out of the way; and points him to it. And</P>
<P N="3">3. We hope, we have not done that which we ab|horre to doe, made the lea&s;t reflection of Di&s;honour upon you, or any of your brethren of the Presbyteri|an way. Some one of us have read their bookes, wherein they declare their Steward-like care to keep the Table of the Lord from prophane mixtures. And what they have &s;poken with the mouth, and declared with their pen <HI>de jure</HI> what ought to be, we would hope they performe with their hands, <HI>de facto,</HI> that is,
<PB REF="13"> they practi&s;e accordingly, as they &s;tand cleared in their judgements they ought to doe. Yet</P>
<P N="4">4. We cannot &s;ee, how the Godly Mini&s;ters can an&s;wer their God, or their own Con&s;ciences, when they can maintaine fellow&s;hip and keepe Communi|on with &s;uch as they judge not godly, being of their owne opinion and in their way; And not maintaine fellow&s;hip (it is cleare &s;ome of them doe not) with &s;uch as in charity they judge godly, becau&s;e they are not of their opinion and in their way. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Idem e&s;t mo|tus ad Imagi|nem, &amp; ad rem. Ari&s;t. Qui amat &s;u|prd, amat infrd upon, 1 Joh. 5. 1.</NOTE> A godly man loveth all that are godly; and tho&s;e mo&s;t, that mo&s;t excell in godline&s;&s;e, in them he delighteth, with them he conver&s;eth, them he honoureth. <HI>Sicut &s;e ha|bet &s;implit&egrave;r ad &s;impliciter, it &agrave; magis ad magis,</HI> If Godli|ne&s;&s;e be the rea&s;on why we love, then the more god|line&s;&s;e, the more love.</P>
<P N="5">5. We can &s;peake this clearely, though we are di|vided from &s;ome in our opinions, yet not from any in our affections, how different &s;oever unto us in their judgements. We love him, and them dearely, we oppo&s;e in the&s;e following matters heartily. We can &s;ay, and doe, as we &s;ay, love M^r <HI>Hum^s:</HI> though we doe not di&s;like only, but loath his&mdash;Scrible as we &s;hould doe &s;in or hell it &s;elfe. For &s;urely the &s;inne of Divi&s;ion is the greater, when we make Religion to Patronize it. It is the manner not of a few to divide from one another, under a pretence, as if they made it Religion to bite and devoure one another. Surely <HI>this virgin is forced,</HI> for there is nothing more contra|ry to the Name or nature of Religion, than to cau&s;e or further-on divi&s;ions. <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Dictam e&s;&s;e Religionem, quod qua&s;i in fa&s;cem Domini vincti &amp; reli|gate &s;umus dix|it.</HI> Hieron. By Religion we are made Gods bundle, fir&s;t tied to Him, then one to another.</NOTE> <HI>Religio &agrave; religando,</HI> The name caries &s;trong union with it from binding us againe to God, and to one another, after we were divided from Him by our &s;inne. We hope, we &s;hall be found
<PB REF="13"> all along &s;o farre from doing that, which <HI>Nazianzen</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Orat.</HI> 12.</NOTE> condemnes in pleading for the Truth, <HI>bely one ano|ther;</HI> we are <HI>fa&s;tened</HI> to Chri&s;t, yet loo&s;ened <HI>our &s;elves; we are for peace,</HI> yet we fight one with another; &s;o far from this too ordinary among Chri&s;tians (as if that were the way to maintaine Truth) that we &s;hall not let a rude word pa&s;&s;e from us. Yet if any &s;hould &s;ound that way, or be mi&s;taken rudely for <HI>Cuttingly,</HI> (we Engli&s;h it <HI>&s;harply,)</HI> Let it be under&s;tood as it is meant and intended, &s;poken again&s;t M^r <HI>Hum^s:</HI> onely, (again&s;t whom we could &s;harpen our words, as <HI>Paul</HI> did his again&s;t <HI>Elimas,</HI> Acts 13. 9, 10.) and tho&s;e that are fully of his way and judgement, and this after they had read his (how loth we are to call Books, ob&s;er|ving, That great Philo&s;opher, and Learned Lo: <HI>Verul:</HI> denies that name to things of that <HI>make,</HI> having nei|ther rea&s;on, nor hone&s;ty to patronize them, And &s;a|vouring wor&s;e in the No&s;trills of all the Godly, we thinke, than doe the wor&s;t excrements of the Dra|gon) whereby that rude man, ju&s;tifies his way, and in &s;o doing hath dealt rudely with our Lord and Ma|&s;ter in heaven, bla&s;pheming His practi&s;e with His Saints, when he tabernacled on the earth.</P>
<P N="6">6. If it be objected again&s;t us, That (1) we cen|&s;ure the writings of the Learned and godly; we hum|bly reply no; we cen&s;ure them not, we bring the writings of men (in reference to &s;et formes of prayer) to the Scriptures of God, the duty of every man, lay|ing them in that ballance, and trying them by that touch&s;tone, whether they hold weight, and proove them&s;elves Gold. Tho&s;e more Generous <HI>Eereans</HI> might have tru&s;ted <HI>Paul</HI> as &s;oone as any man alive, That he would not &s;peake a word, which wanted a graine of weight, yet their eares (a pair of ballances
<PB REF="14"> in the Hebrew) would weigh the words of <HI>Paul,</HI> though He had an infallible Spirit, and &s;pake by in|&s;piration immediately from heaven; <HI>Auditus &amp; In|tellectus,</HI> hearing and under&s;tanding &s;hould goe toge|ther; and that each may doe its proper worke, our eare mu&s;t try mans words, not taking them-up upon Tru&s;t. Indeed what the Lord God &s;peaks <HI>once,</HI> we &s;hould heare <HI>twice,</HI> without more to doe, onely to doe it in our lives, as tho&s;e u&s;e to doe, who have heard God &s;peake with the &s;en&s;itive eare of their bodies, and the intellectuall eare of their &s;oules; and &s;o what He &s;pake <HI>once,</HI> they heard <HI>twice.</HI></P>
<P>And, if it be &s;aid in the &s;econd place, that we doe unbecoming our meane Condition, when we take upon us to advi&s;e and Councell our betters; Let it be ob&s;erved, That our Coun&s;ell is pointed to them one|ly before mentioned; and the&s;e have as much need of it, as any per&s;ons ye or we know in all the world. Yet ye &s;hall finde, we hope, this Coun&s;ell is given in much love. And if it be &s;o taken, all will be well, though it be a Reproofe, which is good Coun&s;ell made keen and &s;harpened; and not a hairs-bredth from our Rule; <HI>Them that &s;inne,</HI> &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, 1 <HI>Tim:</HI> 5. 20. (&s;candalou&s;ly and to the offence of others, as M^r <HI>Hump^s:</HI> hath done, and as doe all that are in his way) <HI>Rebuke</HI> before all, that others al&s;o may <HI>feare.</HI> We would adde hereunto, That we know no other way to manife&s;t our Love <HI>openly,</HI> but by open Reproofe; <HI>Open Rebuke being better then &s;ecret Love,</HI> Pro. 27. 5. And to hate a brother, and not to rebuke him, are equivalent expre&s;&s;ions in that Law, <HI>Levit.</HI> 19. 17. we are a&s;&s;ured we have not brought a railing accu&s;a|tion again&s;t that Railing man; for &s;o we &s;hould not have done, had we contended with the Devill. But
<PB REF="14"> &s;o he hath done with worthy D^r <HI>Drake,</HI> taking his Lords part again&s;t that Scrible, wherein he bla&s;phemeth his Lord; and then what wonder if he raileth upon his &s;ervant.</P>
<P N="7">7. We have but two words more, and then we have done. If ye finde Art wanting here all along (It were a wonder ye &s;hould not, if you daine to looke through any part of it) it is a &s;mall want; and not unbecoming us to &s;peak like our &s;elves. We love the Cau&s;e dearely we here maintaine, relating as we judge, &s;o nearely to our Lord Chri&s;t and his people. It is better to be &s;traightned in expre&s;&s;ion, than in affection. If there be much of <HI>heart,</HI> it matters not how little of <HI>Art</HI> there be: for what &s;ome men mo&s;t admire, God lea&s;t regards, as that u&s;efull man &s;peakes <NOTE PLACE="marg">M^r <HI>Venning.</HI></NOTE> after his manner; It is good to be zealou&s;ly affected alwayes in a good thing. Zeale without knowledge wants eyes; knowledge without zeale wants feete. If it makes way at all, it is after a &s;nayles pace, coldly, heavily, dully. We doubt not to an&s;wer that man, that &s;hould &s;ay to us as <HI>Era&s;mus</HI> to <HI>Luther, You are hot like fire;</HI> as <HI>Luther</HI> an&s;wered <HI>Era&s;mus, You are cold like fro&s;t</HI> in Gods matters. We are per&s;waded Zeale is more wanting all along than is knowledge, though there may be a want al&s;o; and we well know what is the cau&s;e of that want of zeale we meane; <Q REND="inline"><HI>For they that warmed their hearts at the Fire of Gods love, thinke zeale it &s;elfe to be Coldne&s;&s;e, and Fruit fullne&s;&s;e to be barrenne&s;&s;e,</HI></Q> as &s;aid holy <HI>Sibbes.</HI></P>
<P N="8">8. If our <HI>prudence</HI> be que&s;tioned here, no great matter neither, If having le&s;&s;e of the Serpent, we have more of the Dove. I de&s;ire &s;aid <HI>Luther</HI> in his Epi&s;tle to his freind <HI>Gerbelius,</HI> to approve my &s;elfe a faithfull &s;ervant of Chri&s;t and His Church, if I cannot be a <HI>prudent</HI> one.</P>
<PB REF="15">
<P>Drawing up to a clo&s;e, we would only adde this, our only de&s;ire in reference to what we have &s;poken of our &s;elves, here or hereafter &s;hall &s;peak (for &s;o we are compelled) That it may be under&s;tood &s;poken not &s;o much to &s;hew what our <HI>Attainments</HI> are in the things of our Lord, as what in de&s;ire and endeavour, we would attaine unto. But &s;pecially, That it may be under&s;tood of them all over the Nation, who walk with a right foote in a Go&s;pel way.</P>
<P>We will clo&s;e our Letter unto you, and with you all, if it may be, in <HI>Pauls</HI> words, we thinke, we can &s;peake them heartily. <Q REND="inline"><HI>God is our record, how heartily we long after you all in the bowells of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI></Q> And <NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 1. 8, 9, 10, 11. Strive we with God in prayer for one ano|ther, and we &s;hall not &s;trive in anger one again&s;t ano|ther.</NOTE> this we pray, That your Love may abound yet more and more in knowledge, and in all judgement. That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be &s;incere, and without offence, till the day of Chri&s;t, Being filled with the fruits of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, which are by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, unto the glory and prai&s;e of God. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="15">
<HEAD>To the Chri&s;tian Reader.</HEAD>
<P><HI>_HAving named thee</HI> Chri&s;tian, <HI>we account thee one of the very be&s;t or very wor&s;t in all the world; like tho&s;e figgs</HI> (Jer. 24. 3.) If good, very good; If bad, very bad; <HI>or like the</HI> Vine (Ezek. 15) <HI>If fruitfull, the very be&s;t; If barren, the very wor&s;t; wor&s;e than thornes and bri|ars, the&s;e will &s;erve to &s;top a gap better than Ro&s;es or Ro&s;e|mary; The&s;e &s;erve for &s;ome u&s;e, &s;o not a barren Vine, nor a</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">See D. G. Tri|all of growth. p. 19.</NOTE> <HI>barren Chri&s;tian; he doth but cumber the ground, he &s;hall</HI> be taken away and ca&s;t into the fire, <HI>&s;aith the Lord,</HI> Joh. 15. 2. 6. 26. <HI>His being a branch in Chri&s;t, (which we mu&s;t ob&s;erve in pa&s;&s;age) &s;hall not help him at all, but rather further increa&s;e, and ha&s;ten his condemnation, being to be under&s;tood in re&s;pect not of</HI> internall implantation, <HI>but</HI> externall profe&s;&s;ion; <HI>he hath the</HI> vi&s;ibility <HI>of a branch, not the</HI> reallity; <HI>not by any</HI> internall communion, <HI>but</HI> outward profe&s;&s;ion, <HI>as a branch that hath no coalition with the tree, nor receiveth any juice or nouri&s;hment from it; &s;o neither hath this per&s;on any inward participation of efficacy from Christ;</HI> he is in Him <HI>by outward bapti&s;me only, but not baptized into Chri&s;t by the inward work of the</HI> Word and Spirit <HI>(in tho&s;e that are growne up to yeares, for the Spirit workes alone in Infants as wonderfully, as is the knitting and growing of the bones in the womb of her that is with Childe) whereof he gives cleare evidence, not having</HI> put-on Chri&s;t, <HI>nor walking</HI> in Him, <HI>he is not uni|ted to Him; he hath no communion with Him, no partici|pation
<PB REF="16"> from Him of life and holine&s;&s;e, therefore he mu&s;t be</HI> taken <HI>away, and</HI> ca&s;t into the fire. <HI>It &s;hall be dealt unto him as unto the barren Vine, which being not for</HI> fruit, <HI>mu&s;t be for</HI> fewell, <HI>Ezek. 15. 4. Once more and more plainly, Thou art as the</HI> Jew <HI>was, If indeed a</HI> Jew, <HI>and</HI> inwardly, <HI>he was one of the excellent of the earth. But if one</HI> outward|ly, <HI>and in name onely, he was the ba&s;e&s;t of all men. A very provocation to God, and a very abomination; for,</HI> &s;aying he was a Jew, he bla&s;phemed, <HI>Rev. 2. 9. and a very loath|&s;ome per&s;on he is among the</HI> living in Jeru&s;alem, Chri&s;ti|ans indeed, being dead while he liveth, <HI>and then con|tinuing &s;uch, how dead will he be when he dyeth,</HI> being twice dead; <HI>now dead as to that death we are all involved|in by nature; and dead to all the means of quickening,</HI> and plucked-up by the roots; <HI>in no capacity now by the &s;ent of water to revive and quicken againe, which &s;oare&s;t judge|ment can befall none but the</HI> Jewes <HI>then and</HI> Chri&s;tians <HI>now. This being a point of &s;o great and general concern|ment, In our tendere&s;t love unto Thee, we take leave to be more large that we may be more plaine about it. And truly our Drift is to remove &s;ome grand-mi&s;takes, relating to this</HI> Name <HI>and</HI> Thing <HI>we commonly call</HI> Chri&s;tian <HI>or</HI> Chri|&s;tianity; <HI>There are &s;ome errours about it, which we have heard or reade &s;ome-where, may be called</HI> Beelzebub-<HI>er|rours, being as pernicious, we thinke, and damnable, as any</HI> here&s;ie <HI>can be: &s;o as, if we are taken with them, we are fear|fully mi&s;taken, and undone for ever; We would narrow the&s;e things what po&s;&s;ibly we can. This is the fir&s;t</HI> grand-er|rour.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>That the</HI> Civil hone&s;t man, <HI>he is the</HI> Chri&s;tian|man, <HI>who attends only</HI> the Negative Commandments, Thou &s;halt not kill. <HI>He hath obeyed God therein, for he hath layd violent hands upon no man. Nor hath he commit|ted</HI> bodily adultery <HI>with Maide or Wife; he &s;tands cleare</HI>
<PB REF="16"> <HI>to God as to that matter al&s;o; nor hath he violently taken away any mans goods, a &s;in to be</HI> puni&s;hed by the Judges, <HI>he is cleare at that point too; He minds</HI> Affirmative pre|cepts <HI>as wel as the Negative, though he under&s;tandeth them not at all, in their comprehen&s;ive &s;en&s;e or latitude. This is the Chri&s;tian man though, And his negative godline&s;&s;e, he is neither drunkard, nor murtherer, whore-ma&s;ter, nor theife, &s;hall intitle him to Church-communions here, and to fellow|&s;hip with the Saints hereafter.</HI></P>
<P><HI>A grand a Beelzebub errour! That any man living under the means of &s;alvation, in&s;tructed out of Gods word dayly, &s;hould get pa&s;&s;e for a Christian, and knowes nothing as he ought to know touching the</HI> depth <HI>and</HI> breadth <HI>of the</HI> my|&s;tery of original &s;in, <HI>nor</HI> of the my&s;tery of the dutyes comprehended in Gods law, <HI>and then nothing at all of the</HI> my&s;tery of Grace <HI>by Je&s;us Chri&s;t. A Chri&s;tian, though but in his owne conceite; for he is indeed, living in a land</HI> of vi&s;ions, <HI>much wor&s;e than is the wor&s;t heathen, though you &s;uppo&s;e him a</HI> Sodomite, <HI>or a wor&s;hipper of the Devil.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. <HI>There is another mi&s;take much the &s;ame with the for|mer:</HI> <Q REND="inline"><HI>That there is a middle per&s;on or a middle &s;tate be|tween good and evil, godly (in Chri&s;t Je&s;us) and ungodly</HI></Q> <HI>(out of Chri&s;t.) The truth is, there is nothing between good and evil, light and darkne&s;&s;e, no medium of participation between the&s;e extreames.</HI> Solomon, <HI>Eccle&s;. 9. 2. rankes all in two orders, &s;o doth a greater than</HI> Solomon, <HI>our Lord and Master,</HI> Math. 5. 45. <HI>This is the</HI> dichotomie, <HI>the divi&s;ion that runnes through the whole world,</HI> righteous <HI>or</HI> wicked, good <HI>or</HI> bad, cleane <HI>or</HI> uncleane; <HI>good and evil in a remi&s;&s;e degree may be mingled in the &s;ame per&s;on, but no mans per&s;on is in a middle &s;tate between good and evil. And &s;uppo&s;e him, as here we mu&s;t, to be a Christian, he is very good or very bad, the be&s;t in all the world, or the very wor&s;t; there is not an</HI> allmo&s;t <HI>a Chri&s;tian in all the world,</HI>
<PB REF="17"> <HI>he is altogether or not at all a Chri&s;tian, &amp; then wor&s;e than can be the wor&s;t heathen in all the world. And it is a perni|cious conceite to thinke the contrary, and mindes us how Mr</HI> Smith, <HI>an able Preacher in his time, argued the dead|line&s;&s;e of that Conceite (take it in pa&s;&s;age) The woman in travel was</HI> almo&s;t <HI>delivered, not</HI> altogether, <HI>which co&s;t the life of the Mother and the Infant both. It is &s;o in Chri|&s;tianity, in a Christian land we meane, where</HI> Chri&s;t is preached, <HI>to be almost a Chri&s;tian, that is, to be altogether an heathen and wor&s;e, though the worst among the hea|thens.</HI></P>
<P><HI>It matters not then, where thou, or we ranke our &s;elves; and as little where our Mini&s;ters rank us, nor what account we have of our &s;elves, nor how our Mini&s;ters reckons of us, or deales forth unto us. What are we in Scripture account, among whom doth the word of God ranke us? we have read &s;ome-where,</HI> That Scripture-Chri&s;tianity <HI>is as farre dif|ferent from that, which pa&s;&s;eth for Chri&s;tianity in the ac|count of mo&s;t men, as the</HI> Sun <HI>is from a</HI> Glow-worme, <HI>which is but a &s;limey earth-worme, and ca&s;teth &s;ome lu&s;ter in a darke night. Therefore for the remooving of this mi&s;|take, let us heare what the holy Scripture &s;aith, Thou mayst be more chained-in than is another from running-ut into the &s;ame exce&s;&s;e of riot; but if this be all, this is nothing at all to render thee a Chri&s;tian. This is the Divi&s;ion; Thou art changed in thy nature, and in thy actions, or not chan|ged; renued in the &s;pirit of thy minde, or not renued; re|nued in the out ward-man in practi&s;e and conver&s;ation, and in the inward man in thy minde, yea in the</HI> &s;pirit <HI>of thy minde, if not in both, then in neyther of both; Thou art of the</HI> fir&s;t Adam, <HI>in whom all dye; or taken out of him by the glorious worke of the Spirit of Grace with His word, and brought-up to the</HI> &s;econd Adam, <HI>in whom all are made a|live; thou art dead or alive, dead in tre&s;pa&s;&s;es in &s;innes, or</HI>
<PB REF="17"> <HI>being quiokened by the Word and Spirit, thou art alive to God. In a word, for we would faine remoove this mi&s;take; Thou art</HI> light, <HI>or thou art</HI> darkne&s;&s;e; <HI>and doe not dreame, as thou regarde&s;t thy pretious &s;oule; for it is but a dreame that there is a middle thing betwixt the&s;e extreames, thou art marvelou&s;ly</HI> light, <HI>or marvelou&s;ly</HI> darke, <HI>light it &s;elfe or darkne&s;&s;e it &s;elfe. If light in the Lord</HI> (Eph. 5. 8. 1 Pet. 2. 9.) <HI>then how marvelous is that light! if darkne&s;&s;e, how</HI> great is that darkne&s;&s;e! <HI>When the light that is in thee is darkne&s;&s;e, and while the Sunne of the Go&s;pel &s;hines round-about thee: we &s;ay againe, how great is that dark|ne&s;&s;e, the greater and more hideous, the more glorious the light is.</HI></P>
<P><HI>And let not that which looks like light deceive thee, nor thy looking more like a Chri&s;tian than others may doe; thou wilt be the wor&s;e for that, for looking like a Chri&s;tian, and not one indeed, thou wilt looke like an</HI> Ape <HI>in Chri&s;tianity, who&s;e great deformity is, (And therefore we hold in great &s;corne to be likened unto an</HI> Ape) <HI>in this, becau&s;e he is &s;o like man. Copper, we know, is never rejected but when it would pa&s;&s;e for &s;ilver; The Devil was never &s;o like him&s;elfe as when he &s;eemed covered with</HI> Samuels Mantle, <HI>or look|ed like an Angel of light; as a Chri&s;tian in name only lookes never &s;o like a Devil, as when he lookes like a Saint at the Lords Table.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. <HI>A third mi&s;take, and if we mi&s;take not one of the greate&s;t magnitude, what</HI> Chri&s;tianity <HI>or a true</HI> Chri&s;tian <HI>is? He is one (the common conceite) that doth performe &s;ome knowne dutyes, and ab&s;taineth from gro&s;&s;e &s;ins, This is well and to be commended, but if this be all, we know who condemneth it to the lower mo&s;t hell; for what is it, in dread of that wrath that is written, &s;hall be the portion of tho&s;e familyes who call not upon Gods name,</HI> (Jer. 10. 25.) <HI>to</HI>
<PB REF="18"> <HI>pray in thy clo&s;et, and with thy family, and then goe to Church, while yet thou doe&s;t &s;peake and doe</HI> evil things as thou can&s;t, <HI>Jer. 3. 5. onely for &s;hame of the world thou ab|&s;taine&s;t from gro&s;&s;e &s;innes. All this is &s;earce Chri&s;tianity in forme, it will hardly render thee a Chri&s;tian</HI> dealba|tum, <HI>whited over to u&s;e Mr</HI> Calvins <HI>word upon</HI> Mat. 23. 27. <HI>At the most, all this and more than this makes thee but like a dead corpes, as &s;omtimes thou ha&s;t ob&s;erved &s;tuck with &s;weet flowers all over it, or like a dunghill covered with &s;carlet.</HI></P>
<P><HI>To ca&s;t-out this Beelzebub-errour, pray to God for his</HI> eye-&s;alve, <HI>that thou may&s;t &s;ee and perceive, heare and un|der&s;tand; That a forme of Chri&s;tianity is nothing in power, it is but a</HI> forme. <HI>That a name without the thing is wor&s;e than nothing; like a dreame, that an hungry man is eat|ing, who, when he is awakened, feeleth him&s;elfe hungry and &s;eeth nothing. It is like a</HI> Title <HI>without</HI> reality, <HI>a mi&s;erable comfort, to be</HI> titularly <HI>rich, and</HI> really <HI>poore. To beare-up a mans &s;elfe upon fle&s;hly priviledges is an high pre&s;umption, and the higher thou art built-up upon it, the more terrible thy ruine will be; for if the</HI> fle&s;h of Chri&s;t profiteth nothing, <HI>Joh. 6. 63. And if we now know</HI> not Chri&s;t after the fle&s;h, 2 <HI>Cor. 5. 16. le&s;&s;e mu&s;t we know a Chri&s;tian after the fle&s;h, becau&s;e he bath &s;ome carnall or fle&s;hly priviledge: Well; he is not a Chri&s;tian then who hath no more but what we may call</HI> fle&s;h, <HI>&s;ome outward thing; but he is a Chri&s;tian truly and indeed,</HI> in whom <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 13. 5. Col. 1. 27.</NOTE> <HI>him&s;elfe is the hope of his glory; for Chri&s;t without us, all that glorious Redemption wrought by him, but a broad and without doores in the world, can profit us no more, than cloaths on anothers backe, or meate in anothers &s;to|mack, or the &s;pirit of holine&s;&s;e in anothers heart; A Chri&s;ti|an indeed is Chri&s;t in the &s;oule, the</HI> Anointing of Chri&s;t,
<PB REF="18"> <HI>the</HI> new creature, <HI>the</HI> divine nature, <HI>the image of holi|ne&s;&s;e rooted in the heart, and fruited in the life; he is, as the whole Church, and every part is,</HI> the habitation of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 2 22.</NOTE> God by the Spirit. <HI>He is</HI> godly in Chri&s;t Je&s;us; <HI>the power of godline&s;&s;e is in him, and with him, his whole conver&s;ation is a meere mortification, a very hell to fle&s;h</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Perpelua na<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> violentia.</NOTE> <HI>and blood; he is &s;till offering a &s;acred violence thereunto; he prayes, and in prayer, prayes earne&s;tly; he heares, and he heares in hearing, he heares as for his life, in de&s;ire and indeavour that he may heare, and live. There is no duty he performes, but it putteth him to co&s;t; a meere out&s;ide Chri&s;tian, not &s;o, he will heare and pray, but all this he can doe with little or no trouble, all his care is for this, that his</HI> fle&s;h <HI>be put to no</HI> co&s;t; <HI>he would ra|ther performe an hundred thou&s;and Religious dutyes, than to put him&s;elfe to the torment of crucifying one lu&s;t plea&s;ant or profitable. Once more.</HI></P>
<P><HI>This Chri&s;tian indeed &s;peakes of the Sacraments, as the holy Scripture doth,</HI> contemptibly of them, <HI>when the&s;e are</HI> re&s;ted <HI>upon, and</HI> gloried <HI>in, as they are by the out&s;ide-man, this Chri&s;tian in name onely. Circumci&s;ion is</HI> nothing, <HI>and availeth nothing; Bapti&s;me as little, and availeth as little. The Pa&s;&s;eover is nothing, and avai|leth nothing. Receiving at the Lords Table is as little, and availeth as little. The new creature is all, and doth all, and receiveth all, the Lord Christ and all, our</HI> Pa&s;&s;e|over &s;acrificed for us. <HI>Thus contemptibly as the &s;acred Scripture doth, he &s;peaketh of the Sacraments, when as a|fore&s;aid. But when the In&s;titution is ob&s;erved, together with the proper u&s;e of them, and ble&s;&s;ed intendment the Lord Chri&s;t had in the in&s;tituting of them, then as the Scripture doth, &s;o doth he &s;peake gloriou&s;ly of them. And &s;o we come to the fourth.</HI></P>
<PB REF="19">
<P N="4">4. <HI>The fourth mi&s;take, as great, and deadly, as any of the former,</HI> How thou came&s;t to thy Chri&s;tianity? <HI>or how thou waste made a Chri&s;tian? The common con|ceite is, and a meere conceite it is, That to be &s;prinkled on the face with water makes us Chri&s;tians; This was our conceite, and we are &s;ure tis thine, if thou art not truely a Chri&s;tian? Thou wast baptized, and ever &s;ince in thine owne account, and others,</HI> a Chri&s;tian. <HI>Thou art not wholly, or alltogether mi&s;taken herein, yet &s;uch a mi&s;take there may he that may procure thee de&s;perate &s;orrow at the end of thy dayes, when thou art launching forth into the wide Ocean of Eternity, where thou mu&s;t continue for e|ver, eyther everla&s;tingly ble&s;&s;ed, or vn&s;peakably mi&s;erable for ever and ever.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Outward Bapti&s;me gave thee thy name</HI> Chri&s;tian; <HI>but there is a worke wrought within by the Spirit and the Word on Gods part, and faith on thine, that gives with the</HI> Name <HI>the</HI> thing, <HI>and the name without the thing is no|thing, and renders thee wor&s;e than nothing, a meere va|nity, a thing of nothing. All holy actions come from with|in fir&s;t, and thence to the outward man: A Chri&s;tian, within fir&s;t, then, &s;ure enough, he is one without. There|fore to remove this grand errour, or to doe what we can, ob&s;erve well what was hinted before, and we can but re|peat it now. It is the voice of Chri&s;t in the Mini&s;try of His Go&s;pel, heard, obeyed and beleived, that makes us true Chri&s;tians. All the Angells in Heaven, much le&s;&s;e all the waters in the Sea, are not able to turne one &s;inner upon earth, and make him cleane, that is, make him truely Chri&s;tian; but the Word in the Spirits hand, having the Lords &s;eale of In&s;titution upon it, that onely can doe it. Now put this to thy heart as thou can&s;t. Hast thou heard God &s;peaking his Word unto thee? that is, hath the Spirit.</HI>
<PB REF="19"> <HI>&s;poke the Word to thy &s;pirit, which the Mini&s;ter &s;pake to thy eare? (as farre as he could po&s;&s;ibly carry it, to the eare, and &s;o farre when time was, his hand bare the water to the face.) Hath thy heart heard the Word, has thy &s;oule been li&s;tod up to it? And in making an&s;wer hereunto the Lord God chargeth thee not to hearken what thy owne heart &s;ayth, the mo&s;t notorious deceiver, the verie&s;t jug|glar in the world; no nor what the Mini&s;ter &s;ayth, if he &s;peakes his owne words, which are but his dreames, and not the words of his God, being as his mouth and &s;tand|ing in his &s;tead. Hearken what the Lord &s;ayth in his Word, That thou art not made Chri&s;tian, if the Word in the Spi|rits hand hath not made a thorow change in thee, as well of thy</HI> nature <HI>as of thy</HI> actions, <HI>This is the onely meanes, where and when God gives them, whereby we are tran&s;la|ted from darkne&s;&s;e to light; from death to life;</HI> life <HI>and</HI> mortality <HI>is brought to light to the &s;oule by the Go&s;pels voyce, or the voyce of Chri&s;t in the Go&s;pel; which alone quickeneth the dead, awakeneth the &s;leeper, bids him &s;tand|up for his light is come; Put it then to the que&s;tion, Ha&s;t thou heard this voyce? Thou hast; Then thou art a Chri|&s;tian indeed; Thou ha&s;te not heard this voyce, Then thou art, as was &s;aid, wor&s;e than an Infidel in the remoate&s;t parts of the world, being but a wa&s;hed heathen, and doe&s;t &s;lighting|ly pa&s;&s;e over the meanes, whereby thou mightest under&s;tand thy ca&s;e, and the way to better it: And now if thou wilt &s;eale the Stone upon thy graves mouth, and make thy condition irrecoverable, (which we would be as loath Thou &s;houlde&s;t doe, as that thou &s;houlde&s;t thru&s;t thy &s;elfe upon the mouth of a Cannon charged again&s;t thy brea&s;t with a Bullet of a tallent weight) yet if thou art re|&s;olved to undoe thy &s;oule for ever, hasten (&s;o Sathan, and thy fooli&s;h heart will advi&s;e thereto, and thy Mini&s;ter will</HI>
<PB REF="20"> <HI>admit thee) together with the heards and droves of men in thy ca&s;e unto the Lords Table, to</HI> receive Chri&s;t <HI>there, whom thou ha&s;te</HI> rejected in the Go&s;pel; <HI>This will doe it, and nothing more certainly than this, for there thou &s;halt eate and drinke damnation to thy &s;elfe, not di&s;cerning the Lords body. Therefore de&s;ire of the Lord He would make thee &s;erious in this matter. Hath the Word been prevail|ing in thy &s;oule, to make thee a</HI> childe, <HI>a</HI> &s;onne <HI>or a</HI> daughter? <HI>Then thou ha&s;te the heart of a Childe to thy heavenly Father; Thou wilt breake his Commandements as willingly and &s;tudiou&s;ly as thou wilt thy bones; and of|fend Him, with full con&s;ent of will, when with the &s;ame will thou offendest the</HI> apple <HI>of thine eye; And now thou maye&s;t be a&s;&s;ured He hath the heart of a Father towards thee; Thou ha&s;te the priviledge of a Childe, a warranted right to all Church Communions here; thou art in&s;ta|ted-in and po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed-off, being new borne, all thy &s;oule can de&s;ire, open the mouth of it never &s;o wide; Onely we repeate againe, make it thy worke and thy very bui&s;|ne&s;&s;e to make this &s;ure to thy owne &s;oule,</HI> thou art borne againe. <HI>Its meere pre&s;umptione&s;&s;e, as holy</HI> Bolton <HI>&s;ayd to his deare Children when he was dying, To thinke that God will receive our &s;oules to heaven, whom He hath not renued here on earth; This being a grounded truth,</HI> for a man to be alwayes the &s;ame, <HI>he was from the womb, borne a childe under wrath, and in that &s;tate dying,</HI> is certaine and irricoverable death.</P>
<P><HI>Oh! this undoes many, even all that are undone, are undone by it; As they never dreame of a change, which death will one day make upon them, &s;o they never de&s;ire a change, that grace in this pre&s;ent life &s;hould worke on them, Therefore heare the Coun&s;ell that worthy man Ma|&s;ter</HI> Burge&s;&s;e <HI>gives thee; As</HI> Job <HI>&s;ayd of the change by</HI>
<PB REF="20"> <HI>death,</HI> He would every day waite till his change come, <HI>Job 14. 14. Doe thou &s;ay of this change by grace, I will every day pray, heare, reade, meditate, mourne and roare out before God, every day and all the day long, till this &s;pirituall change come; And doe not accept of the Mini&s;ters invitation to the Lords Table (though thou finde&s;t him very gentile and courteous this way) before this change be wrought, or in a way of working; for heare what that worthy Man &s;ayth;</HI> Heathens, Fornicatours, Idolaters, Adulterers, Theeves, Covetous, Drun|kards, Revilers, Extortioners, became wa&s;hed and clean&s;ed by the Word; <HI>but wa&s;hed Fornicatours, Idola|ters, &amp;c. we meane, Baptized Drunkards, Theeves, Covetous, The&s;e &s;it under the Word and reforme nothing, but make a &s;corne of it. What may be the rea&s;on? Why? They live in the practi&s;e of knowne &s;innes, and in the neglect of knowne dutyes, under the dayly exerci&s;e of the Word, and yet frequent the Lords Table, which hath provoked a &s;pi|rituall Cen&s;ure, and &s;orest judgement, now wholly in|flicted upon them; whence it is as the Clay under the Sunne, &s;o the&s;e become more obdurate under the Word, from which judgement the Lord deliver thee and us all.</HI></P>
<P><HI>But beware of this as thou tendere&s;t thy life, (therefore we caution thee againe,) That thou dost not goe to the Lords Table in a conceite, pre&s;umption rather, thou &s;halt receive Chri&s;t Je&s;us the Lord there, whom thou ha&s;te not received in the Mini&s;try of the Go&s;pel. Remember and forget not,</HI> The rocke &s;hall not be removed out of his place, <HI>as was &s;poken by</HI> Job, <HI>that is, God will not change the cour&s;e, which He hath &s;etled as firmely as the Rockes, or as the Earth, He will not alter His method, nor goe out of the way He hath pre&s;cribed; His Word &s;hall profit thee fir&s;t, before any thing el&s;e &s;hall or can; thou</HI>
<PB REF="21"> mu&s;t keepe clo&s;e to His way, if thou looke&s;t to attaine His end.</P>
<P>We intended more to thee, &s;o dearly we love thee, as to minde thee well, there are but two <HI>Ma&s;ters</HI> that can be &s;erved, and to which of the&s;e thou art an obedient &s;er|vant, the Apostle will tell thee. <HI>Rom.</HI> 6. 16, 17, 18. (2) And as there are but two rankes or &s;orts of people, whereof before, &s;o al&s;o but two <HI>wayes,</HI> the roade way of the world, the broad way; the roade way of the Lords re|deemed ones, the way of holine&s;&s;e, where the uncleane can|not pa&s;&s;e, nor any Lion can be, nor ravenous Bea&s;ts, being a <HI>&s;traight</HI> and a <HI>narrow</HI> way, which the&s;e cannot indure, And thou mu&s;t certainly know in what way thy foote walk|eth, for &s;uppo&s;e it the <HI>narrow</HI> way, and thou wilt finde thy fle&s;h pinched, if not tormented. (3) And that there are but two Man&s;ion hou&s;es, where thy &s;oule anon, and thy body anon after, mu&s;t dwell that long day, or night of eter|nity, the <HI>narrow</HI> way tendeth to the one, the <HI>broad</HI> way to the other; If now thou wilt conferre with fle&s;h and blood, we know what way thou wilt choo&s;e, the broad way, and hell to be thy Man&s;ion hou&s;e for ever; for though thou may&s;t have, as the wicked may have, a <HI>Velliety,</HI> a faint will for Heaven, to <HI>dye the death of the righteous,</HI> and <HI>that thy la&s;t end may be like his;</HI> yet, walking in that <HI>broad</HI> way, the &s;trength of thy will carryeth thee hell-ward, that horrid place of darkne&s;&s;e, Therefore give-up thy hand to God, having fixed thy eye upon His Word, and &s;ay, Lord plucke me into the way, and leade me in it, and &s;uffer me not to decline from it.</P>
<P>In all this we intended to be more large; And to touch lightly upon other things al&s;o, the &s;ubject matter of the fol|lowing di&s;cour&s;e, but this well dige&s;ted and pondered-on may &s;uffice; And it will be &s;ufficient, though thou reade&s;t
<PB REF="21"> not one word of the Booke; for &s;uppo&s;e thou art made a Di&s;ciple indeed, a Chri&s;tian in truth, thou wilt &s;eperate from the world, at the Lords Table, nor wilt thou <HI>eate,</HI> that is, familiarly conver&s;e with the men of the world, un|le&s;&s;e nece&s;&s;arily (as a Phy&s;itian with the &s;ick) having thy warrant for it, thou may&s;t convey good unto them, and thine owne affaires may require it. And (2) Thou can&s;t no more ob&s;erve the <HI>day,</HI> the men of the world call <HI>Chri&s;tmas,</HI> than thou can&s;t prophane the Lords day; for thou mayst have heard that one being asked whether he did ob&s;erve the Lords day, keeping it holy? <HI>Yes,</HI> &s;ayd be, <HI>for I am a Chri&s;tian.</HI> And doe you ob&s;erve <HI>Chri&s;t|mas day,</HI> to keepe it holy? <HI>No,</HI> &s;aid he, <HI>for then I were no Chri&s;tian, unle&s;&s;e in name, and that is no|thing indeed.</HI> A true Chri&s;tian <HI>flees from Idolatry,</HI> for what hath he any more to doe with Idols? <HI>And be will not put up his Petitions in anothers words, he</HI> prai&s;eth <HI>God for what he hath received, he</HI> prayeth <HI>to God for what he would receive; he confe&s;&s;eth the &s;innes he hath committed, all this with his owne mouth: He u&s;ed &s;et formes of Prayer, when time was, hee was a Chri&s;tian in name onely; but now that he is, through grace, a Chri&s;tion indeed, he remembers heartily, that a prayer by the Booke left him as cold as it found him, it had no more heate in it, than hath cold Iron or fro&s;t, and had he not layd them a&s;ide, he had proved a Christi|an when an Ape prooves a man; he bares him&s;elfe-up as formerly, upon the</HI> crutches <HI>then, as others now doe, and he was as well in his owne conceite as others now are; bare</HI> formes <HI>never put the fle&s;h to any paine; But to feele no paine, Comes, we know, from the rottenne&s;&s;e of the fle&s;h as well as &s;oundne&s;&s;e. A dead Chri&s;tian, &s;uch as he, that hath but a name that he liveth, feeles no paine, hee pre|&s;umes</HI>
<PB REF="22"> <HI>all is well with him, and pre&s;umption being a &s;inne of mans-&s;elfe flattering-heart, meets with no trouble; though he be de&s;perately wicked, that is,</HI> deadly &s;ick unto death, <HI>yet aske him how he doth, and he &s;ayes well, for he was baptized when time was, and dealt with as a Saint, he thankes his good Mini&s;ter, ever &s;ince he grew up to the yeares of under&s;tanding. But little doth he know how hardly that</HI> di&s;ea&s;e <HI>is curable, that is &s;o like to health;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ille morbus vix &s;anabitur, qui &s;anitatem vini|tatur.</NOTE> <HI>one &s;ayth,</HI> &s;eldome or never; <HI>and he addeth,</HI> None are more de&s;perate than tho&s;e, that are lea&s;t de&s;pairing in their owne &s;elves, <HI>through not of the grace of God; pre&s;umers therefore are in the more de&s;perate condition, by how much they are the le&s;&s;e de&s;pairing. But what a &s;ad thing is it that men &s;hould pre&s;ume they are rich and want nothing, when they are mi&s;erably poore and want all things, we will pitty tho&s;e deluded mad men, who are per&s;waded, they are &s;uch great per&s;ons, and have &s;uch large e&s;tates, when in the meane time they lye mi&s;erable and wretched bound up in chaines in a darke dungeon; &s;uch a &s;pirituall madne&s;&s;e is upon mo&s;t, and this renders them more mad, if more can be; they were baptized, and upon that Infant priviledge, have free admi&s;&s;ion to the Lords Table, without making the lea&s;t profe&s;&s;ion of faith and repentance, wherein it comes to pa&s;&s;e, that as they live like mad men, &s;o they are like to ciye, being &s;trong|ly per&s;waded &s;till upon principles of Infant Bapti&s;me, That, they are</HI> Di&s;ciples <HI>and</HI> Saints, <HI>while they are</HI> Drunkards <HI>and</HI> Devills; <HI>they are</HI> &s;heepe <HI>and</HI> lambs, <HI>when they are</HI> dogges <HI>and</HI> &s;wine; <HI>And call them&s;elves</HI> grapes <HI>and</HI> figges, <HI>when they are</HI> thornes <HI>and</HI> thi&s;tles, <HI>to u&s;e, and &s;o to end with that Learned Mr</HI> Burge&s;&s;e <HI>his words:</HI></P>
<PB REF="22">
<P><HI>Love, that &s;pares no co&s;t, nor feeleth any burthen, hath drawne us-out thus farre, con&s;ider what hath been &s;ayd, meditate upon it, be wholly in it, and &s;o doing, who|ever fareth ill, thou &s;halt fare well.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
