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<DATE>2014-04-28</DATE>
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<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed text and corrected markup.</ITEM>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A BRIEF SURVEY, OR, Inquiry made into &s;ome particular Proceedings of the CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. <HI>Concerning their &s;ending forth of Per&s;ons to preach unto the World, with &s;ome Que|ries touching the warrantablene&s;s thereof.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. <HI>Concerning &s;uch as refu&s;e or neglect to com|pleat their Churches with Elders, according to Chri&s;ts In&s;titution, but goe on in feeding and governing of them in common, a way of their own.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. <HI>Concerning the incon&s;i&s;tency of their Prin|ciples with their practice, that account the People of this Nation to be the World, Ido|laters and Antichri&s;tians, and yet heed them in their wor&s;hipping of God.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<Q><BIBL><HI>JOH. 15.14.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Ye are my friends, if ye doe what&s;oever I command.</P>
<BIBL><HI>JOH. 14.23.</HI></BIBL>
<P>If a man love me, he will keep my Word.</P></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed for <HI>Giles Calvert,</HI> and are to be &s;old at the <HI>Black-&s;pread-Eagle</HI> at the We&s;t end of <HI>Pauls.</HI> 1653.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD><HI>To the</HI> READER.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Reader,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_WHAT thou meete&s;t with here in the en&s;uing Di&s;|cour&s;e, had come to thy hands with three other Par|ticulars, had not the Papers mi&s;carried, by being &s;tollen, or lo&s;t, when they were near Impre&s;&s;ing.</P>
<P>The Particulars were of like nature with the&s;e here, containing 1. A &s;erious Inquiry of the lawfulne&s;s and conveniency of the Congregationall Churches (called Indepen|dents) their mixing Intere&s;t with the Pari&s;h|es in the way of Wor&s;hip, and building up their Churches in their Meeting places. The &s;econd thing was, a &s;ober Inquiry into the Cau&s;e and Rea&s;ons the afore&s;aid Churches
<PB REF="3">make no proceed to compleat their Church|es with Elders, as were the Primitive Churches, but &s;eem to content them&s;elves with one &s;ingle Elder onely. The third thing was about the multiplying of little Churches of that order, and perfecting or compleating of none, with &s;ome cau&s;es thereof, and inconveniences attending the &s;ame. Thou here &s;halt meet with three par|ticulars in this Di&s;cour&s;e, one more general than the other, and &s;o is &s;et forth by way of Propo&s;al, and making Inquiry into the war|rantablene&s;s of the thing di&s;cu&s;&s;ed; to wit, the Congregational Churches &s;ending forth per&s;ons to preach the Go&s;pel to the World, as they pretend; whereabout there are &s;un|dry Queres mode&s;tly propo&s;ed to con&s;idera|tion, all left free to the &s;earch, inquiry, and judgement of all that &s;hall read them, as God &s;hall give them under&s;tanding.</P>
<P>The other particulars doe more particu|larly concern &s;ome of the Churches; where|in if any &s;hall think there is &s;omething of the la&s;h in this Di&s;cour&s;e, they may plea&s;e to con&s;ider the occa&s;ion, to wit, the &s;low|ne&s;s and dulne&s;s of tho&s;e concerned, that
<PB REF="3">are no further yet, nor goe no fa&s;ter to the advance of Chri&s;ts glory in the Church, and yet plea&s;e them&s;elves as if they went fa&s;t enough, and fa&s;ter than others; and were gone far enough, when they are not one whit further than when they fir&s;t be|gan, <HI>As if the time were not yet come for the Lords Hou&s;e to be built,</HI> to wit, made com|pleat with all the furniture thereof, the Offi|cers and Admini&s;trators appointed by the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>It is much to &s;ee how zealou&s;ly bu&s;y &s;ome are abroad, in the mean time carele&s;s at home; how compa&s;sionate &s;ome &s;eem to be of others, and in the mean time negli|gent and carele&s;s of the good of their own relations, to whom they are tied by Go&s;pel|bonds: It plea&s;eth &s;ome to be imployed in any thing, rather than that which is their own work and duty; if Chri&s;t &s;hould &s;ay to them, <HI>Who required this at their hands?</HI> they would be many-times at a great lo&s;s what to an&s;wer: how zealou&s;ly doe &s;ome run up and down to preach and officiate to and for others, as if Chri&s;t had need of them? who needeth no mans &s;in to cau&s;e his grace
<PB REF="4">to abound; it may well be &s;u&s;pected, that it is &s;omething el&s;e be&s;ides pure zeal, that putteth men on to be in the place of Oratory continually as the Mouth of others; &s;ome with great content &s;peak, as de&s;iring to have the Churches to be Nur&s;eries, from whence to take and tran&s;plant Preachers to the World. It may be feared it will be no welcome news to the Lord Ie&s;us, that in|tended no &s;uch thing in the in&s;tituting his Church: Nur&s;eries are low and fruitle&s;s Vienyards, and if the Lord look for fruit, he will find little in them: Experience hither|to hath &s;hewed, how little the Churches are beholding to this cour&s;e: Is not that mar|velous, that a Church of &s;ome good &s;tand|ing, and full of Members, that hath &s;ent out many Me&s;&s;engers to preach into the World, yet hath no Elders nor Deacons among them, no not one? was there ever &s;uch a thing read of in the Te&s;tament of our Lord, &s;ince the&s;e Offices were in&s;tituted? are they wi&s;er than the Church of <HI>Hieru&s;alem,</HI> that cho&s;e Deacons? or then the Churches that ordained Elders by election? Surely it may be a que&s;tion worthy to be inquired into,
<PB REF="4">by &s;uch as are cautious of Church order, whether per&s;ons may continue Members of &s;uch Churches, yea or no, unle&s;s they re|pent and amend?</P>
<P>If any be offended with the publi&s;hing what is here propo&s;ed, it is hoped it's offence rather taken than given; if any profit come hereby to any, the Author hath his end, and by the knowledge thereof may be encou|raged to revive the particulars lo&s;t: If any plea&s;e to reply by way of oppo&s;ition, it &s;hall be acceptable, and &s;hall have the &s;ame Iudges; every way of man is right in his own eyes: but the righteous Lord judgeth righteou&s;ly, to whom the whole I&s;&s;ue is re|ferred.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>P. B.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="survey">
<PB REF="5">
<PB N="1" REF="5">
<HEAD>A brief Survey, or Inquiry made into &s;ome particular Proceedings of the Congregational Churches.</HEAD>
<DIV2 N="1" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CHAP. I.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>Containing an Inquiry into the warrantablene&s;s of the Con|gregational Churches, their &s;ending forth of their number to preach into the World, or for any to go voluntarily, of their own accord, to make a trade of life thereof, with certain Que|ries thereabout.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>_IT may be inquired into, not without ju&s;t ground, Whether the Congregatio|nall Churches, of what denomination &s;o|ever, have power from Chri&s;t, either jointly or &s;everally, to &s;end forth per&s;ons of their Number, or others, to go forth to preach the Go&s;pell unto the World; <HI>And that</HI> either in a roving way, or fixedly in a Pari&s;h, and to make a trade or cour&s;e of life &s;o to do.</P>
<P>The warrantablene&s;s of a per&s;ons taking on this work, either by Commi&s;&s;ion afore&s;aid, or of his voluntary accord, out of &s;ome &s;pecious pretence and zeal for the glory of God, and good of others, may al&s;o be inquired into, as no le&s;s que|&s;tionable then the former.</P>
<P N="1">1. It is here premi&s;ed, that this en&s;uing Di&s;covery intend|eth
<PB N="2" REF="6">no que&s;tioning of, or oppo&s;ition to the prudentiall care and undertaking of the Rulers of the State or Nation, in pro|viding that the people be informed in the knowledge of God, and their duty to their neighbour; onely it were to be wi&s;hed, they might have &s;ome other name then Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t, and his Go&s;pell.</P>
<P N="2">2. This intentionally medleth not with the way and cour&s;e of tho&s;e called Presbyterians, in their making and &s;ending forth Mini&s;ters to preach; ina&s;much, as be their cour&s;e right or wrong, it is more rationall upon this account, They hold|ing a large form of the Church, no le&s;s in the increa&s;e of it than Nationall, their &s;ending being into the Church, ac|cording to their account, and not out of it to the World.</P>
<P N="3">3. Neither doth this intend any oppo&s;ition to that law|full right which belongeth to every Believer, to u&s;e his Ta|lent, and to communicate the Gift they have received to o|thers,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet 4.10.</NOTE> <HI>as good Di&s;pen&s;ers of the grace of God;</HI> it being a duty that lieth on them in their place, according to &s;uch oppor|tunities Divine Providence pre&s;ents unto them; no not if a per&s;on in the place God hath ca&s;t him to live in, &s;hould be found frequent in &s;o doing, at &s;et times, by &s;et &s;peeches, com|municating his light and knowledge to others, <HI>Luk</HI> 22.32. All which are here mentioned, to re&s;trict the ca&s;e, and make it more narrow and clear, that if any plea&s;e to offer any thing to the contrary, they may do it to the purpo&s;e, keeping clo&s;e to the que&s;tion.</P>
<P>Which is the power particular Congregations have from Chri&s;t, either jointly or &s;everally, to &s;end forth of their Num|ber, to preach to the World to convert them, as they pre|tend, and to make a trade, or cour&s;e of life of it, which is the fir&s;t thing.</P>
<P>Secondly, That a particular per&s;on may warrantably, ei|ther as &s;o &s;ent, or voluntarily of him&s;elf, take on &s;uch a way and cour&s;e.</P>
<P N="1">1. For that there &s;eemeth to be no footing in the Word of God for either, the Scriptures duely weighed, our Lord Chri&s;t having not &s;poken at all concerning this,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 7.22.</NOTE> which Ne|gative Argument the Apo&s;tle counts good, <HI>Heb.</HI> 1.14. <HI>&V;nto
<PB N="3" REF="6">which of the Angels &s;aid he at any time? Paul</HI> and <HI>Barnabas</HI> when they vi&s;ited the Church, <HI>Acts</HI> 14.23. <HI>and ordained El|ders in every Church;</HI> did they &s;ay any thing of this? did they take any order, and give any direction concerning the &s;ame? They took care for the Churches, that they were provided for with Elders: but did they cau&s;e them to take of their able Brethren, and to &s;end them out to the parts near <HI>A&s;ia,</HI> &s;ent to preach unto the World to convert them? much le&s;s did they take Elders from their Charge to do it: Did that great Apo&s;tle of the Gentiles, when <HI>he &s;ent for the El|ders of the Church of</HI> Ephe&s;us, <HI>Acts</HI> 20.17. and laid &s;uch &s;trait charge on them,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 20.28.</NOTE> <HI>To take heed to the whole Flock the holy Gho&s;t had made them Over&s;eers of,</HI> &s;ay any thing concerning the Churches &s;ending out? Sure it &s;eemeth it never came into his mind, much le&s;s that tho&s;e Elders &s;hould leave the charge and care of Chri&s;ts beloved Spou&s;e, and go labour and take care for they knew not who; and &s;o &s;et up the trade of making Sermons, or &s;et Speeches, attended with Prayers, to per&s;ons that they account, according to their grounds, to have no relation to Chri&s;t, nor intere&s;t in him in their pre&s;ent condition.</P>
<P>Did the Apo&s;tle <HI>Peter in his be&s;eeching the Elders to feed the Flock, &amp;c.</HI> &s;ay any thing of this &s;ending forth?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 5.1.</NOTE> did it ever enter into his thoughts, that Churches of Chri&s;t &s;hould &s;uffer for the &s;ake of tho&s;e that have no intere&s;t in him?</P>
<P>It is &s;aid indeed, that <HI>If any man de&s;ire the office of an Elder,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 3.1, 2, 5, 7.</NOTE> <HI>he de&s;ireth a worthy work;</HI> And <HI>that the Elders are worthy double honour, &s;pecially &s;uch as labour in Word and Doctrine:</HI> but did he ever &s;peak any thing concerning them that either are &s;ent, or go of them&s;elves out of the Church, to preach unto the World? alas, there is no &s;uch thing to be found.</P>
<P N="2">2. It may be con&s;idered, how greatly this &s;ending forth out of the Church per&s;ons of able parts, or encouraging &s;uch as go of them&s;elves, ob&s;tructeth the growth of the Churches to that full compleatne&s;s in Officers and Admini&s;trations, which otherwi&s;e it might attain unto; for from hence, among other cau&s;es, it cometh to pa&s;s, that per&s;ons of able parts, and publique &s;pirits, fit for Elders and Officers in the Churches
<PB N="4" REF="7">of Chri&s;t, are wanting &s;o, as to be cho&s;en to, and to take on the &s;aid &s;ervice and charge, and one &s;ingle per&s;on is found carrying on the work, which was appointed by our Lord to be done by many; And though he thought it &s;ufficient for many, in regard of the burthen and charge of it, in a &s;piritual con&s;ideration, being for the good of his beloved Spou&s;e, yet in order to the advance and helping on this preaching way and cour&s;e, one mu&s;t &s;uffice the Churches; and a Church may think them&s;elves well, and count them&s;elves happy, that can get one of Parts and Learning, or keep him when they have gotten him; to have two &s;uch to &s;erve together as El|ders in one Church, is exceeding rare, and all this in order to the preaching to the World, that they may be provided for, and their good means enjoyed, which the Churches of Saints have not to give forth, and &s;o may &s;it alone: what great en|couragement is given to this? what little &s;tre&s;s on the other? none at all, to be a Fellow-elder in the Church, as if it were not nece&s;&s;ary, that having but one, the Church might be tied wholly to him, &s;o as he might be as a Monarch, and tie all them.</P>
<P>The worldly advantages and encouragements prevailing with very many to run out of the Church, and quit their at|tendance on God there, to &s;et up this trade and cour&s;e; yea, which is marvellous, Elders and Teachers of the Churches, that pretended <HI>the holy Gho&s;t made them Over&s;eers in his Churches,</HI> leave their charge of feeding and caring for his Churches, and betake them&s;elves to this cour&s;e; it were to be wi&s;hed we had not too many &s;ad examples of this: Is it not a great riddle, that that which they count the World and People unconverted (&s;o is their Tenet) &s;hould be preferred before the beloved Spou&s;e of the Lord Chri&s;t,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 5.25, 26. Eph. 4.8.</NOTE> <HI>for whom he gave him&s;elf, and gifts al&s;o, at his a&s;cen&s;ion, for their edifying?</HI> which gifts the Saints in his Churches ought not to be robb'd of upon any &s;uch &s;pecious pretence, as to convert the World, and help them that are without the Church, by a way and cour&s;e never appointed by our Lord Chri&s;t, who without any mens &s;in, &s;hall an&s;wer for the converting and drawing to him &s;uch as belong unto him. <HI>Joh.</HI> 6.3.7.</P>
<PB N="5" REF="7">
<P> Let this be weighed and con&s;idered of, and &s;ee if it be not found a great hindrance of the Church of her enjoyments, a robbing of them of their rights, keeping them in a low con|dition, without the full enjoyments of the ble&s;&s;ed provi&s;ion of the Lord Chri&s;t, provided for their good.</P>
<P N="3">3. This a&s;&s;uming of power to &s;end forth to preach, and the taking on this cour&s;e of a preaching way of life, is but old Popery in a new dre&s;s; at lea&s;t it is &s;o like it as four pence is to a groat; the Romi&s;h Church challenging, as from Chri&s;t, to have this power, alledging Scriptures, and the very &s;ame Scriptures, to prove their warrant for their thus &s;ending forth, doing it upon the &s;ame &s;pecious pretences, as the glory of Chri&s;t, the propagating and &s;preading the Go&s;pell, zeal and pity to poor ignorant and erring &s;ouls, the converting of them to Chri&s;t, and the faith of the Go&s;pel, enlarging the Church, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Upon the pretended grounds afore&s;aid, they &s;end forth &s;ome of their number, to wit, the Monks and Friers, the Prie&s;ts and Je&s;uits, to the Infidel and Heretick Nations, to convert and gain them to the faith of Chri&s;t, and his Church: all which notwith&s;tanding hath no foundation in, nor warrant from the Word of God, but is meerly Popi&s;h and Anti|chri&s;tian.</P>
<P>Is it not the very &s;ame in the Congregational Churches? Fir&s;t, upon the account of being Chri&s;ts Churches, to challenge &s;uch a power as Chri&s;t never gave, and then to &s;end forth thereupon, in &s;uch a way as is wholly without Divine War|rant; and to do it upon &s;uch like &s;pecious pretences, of the glory of Chri&s;t, and good of &s;ouls; as if they had taken their pattern thence, as &s;ometime <HI>the pattern of the Altar at</HI> Da|ma&s;cus <HI>was taken, to be &s;et up in</HI> I&s;rael, <HI>in the Temple of the Lord God,</HI> 2 King 16.10.</P>
<P N="4">4. The Te&s;timony of tho&s;e godly Reformers in Queen <HI>Elizabeth</HI> her time, Ma&s;ter <HI>Cartwright</HI> and others, called Non-conformi&s;ts, may be called in and con&s;idered of, and it will be found how fully they give forth their witne&s;s a|gain&s;t &s;uch Preachers, and their roving cour&s;e, as &s;trangers to Chri&s;t and his Go&s;pel, where their name is not to be found.</P>
<PB N="6" REF="8">
<P> But becau&s;e &s;ome are marvelou&s;ly taken about this &s;end|ing forth to preach, laying wonderfull &s;tre&s;s on it, as the onely choice thing for the propagating the Go&s;pel, and ex|alting the honour of Chri&s;t, not minding that <HI>his glory doth chiefly &s;hine forth in his Church:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eph. 3.21:</NOTE> It is propo&s;ed in this ca&s;e to their con&s;ideration,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 16.15. E&s;ay 8.20.</NOTE> that many times <HI>things highly e&s;teemed by men, are not &s;o e&s;teemed of the Lord: To the Law and to the Te&s;timony.</HI> Let the Churches Authority to &s;end forth be pro|duced, or the Warrant of particular per&s;ons to be &s;o &s;ent, or to go voluntarily, of their own accord, be &s;hewn, that &s;o they may be able to avoid that reproof of the Prophet from the Lord, <HI>I have not &s;ent the&s;e Prophets, yet they ran; I have not &s;poken unto them, yet they prophe&s;ied,</HI> Jerem. 23.21.</P>
<P>And becau&s;e &s;ome are much taken with the &s;eeming great fruit attending this cour&s;e, which if throughly looked into, will not be found &s;o as &s;ome take it to be, and would have it.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, Gods ble&s;&s;ing it ordinarily goeth along in his own way;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ier. 23.22.</NOTE> <HI>It is written, if they had &s;tood in my Coun&s;el, and decla|red my Word to my people, then they &s;hould have turned them from the evill of their way, &amp;c.</HI> but for the want of this they <HI>bring no profit, &s;aith the Lord.</HI> Voluntary Religion, and un|grounded Zeal, profiteth little; what it doth, it is acci|dentall, by the over-ruling power of the great <HI>Jehovah,</HI> whom we are not to tempt.</P>
<P>Secondly, The per&s;on thus employed is upon temptation, in his being thus &s;ent forth,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 4.10.</NOTE> or going of him&s;elf, <HI>He going alone, and not having a &s;econd to help him up if he fall:</HI> &s;o as &s;ad in&s;tances now as formerly, &s;heweth how per&s;ons have mi&s;|carried in this way and cour&s;e.</P>
<P>Zealou&s;ly he going forth alone on this errand, to enliven and &s;piritualize others, by little and little groweth cold, and dead, and carnall to him&s;elf, the World &s;eizing on him; he at la&s;t beginneth to think that re&s;t is good, fixeth him&s;elf in &s;ome Pari&s;h gathering, putteth forth him&s;elf to &s;ome world|ly advantage; which that he may with the more certainty enjoy, he taketh one to be Mini&s;ter there, and accordingly car|rieth him&s;elf; and &s;o by degrees he betaketh him&s;elf to do,
<PB N="7" REF="8">what he abominated the doing of formerly; &s;o as to his fir&s;t principles and te&s;timony touching the cau&s;e of the Congrega|tional Churches, he is wholly lo&s;t; it were to be wi&s;hed, that this were not too too true, by too too many in&s;tances.</P>
<P>What a &s;ad temptation was this man put upon, to be &s;ent, or to go alone from the pre&s;ence of Chri&s;t in his hou&s;e and watchfull care of the Church, upon a &s;pecious Errand, with|out Divine Warrant? where, good &s;oul, if he fall, there is no &s;econd to help him up;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccl. 4.10.</NOTE> &s;o lo&s;ing the &s;weet &s;ociety of the Saints in Chri&s;ts Church, to go to conver&s;e at large in the World, where he meeteth with many a bitter pill, and dry mor&s;ell, in&s;tead of that &s;weet content that is injoyable in the hidden Manna in <HI>Sion;</HI> he at fir&s;t may be high flown; &s;tollen waters are &s;weet; <HI>But Gods ble&s;&s;ing is in his own way; in</HI> Sion <HI>he hath appointed it, and life for evermore.</HI> P&s;al. 133.3.</P>
<P>For is it not a &s;ad thing for a &s;oul that is &s;pirituall and godly, to go from the pre&s;ence of Chri&s;t in his Church, and from the fellow&s;hip and communion of his Saints there, and to fix him&s;elf in a Pari&s;h to be their Mini&s;ter, to officiate to them in &s;pirituals, in which they have no &s;avour, when of two or three hundred per&s;ons, or more, full of ignorance and pro|phane&s;s, not two or three, if any, can be found, in whom the life of the &s;pirit, and power of godline&s;s doth appear? Is not the ca&s;e of &s;uch a one like the <HI>living in</HI> Me&s;ech <HI>and</HI> Ke|dar? <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 120.5. and his going out like that of <HI>Cain, that went out from the pre&s;ence of God, and dwelt in the land of</HI> Nod? <HI>Gen.</HI> 4.16.</P>
<P>But in as much as this concerneth many, and is contro|vertible, though many would have it for granted before it be proved; and for that freedome in judging is nece&s;&s;ary to be allowed to every one, as to any one, none having greater power then others to judge and conclude infallibly, neither can they, whatever they may pretend unto: for further con|&s;ideration, by way of looking into this matter, here are &s;un|dry Queres propo&s;ed.</P>
<DIV3 N="1" TYPE="query">
<PB N="8" REF="9">
<HEAD><HI>Q&V;ERE</HI> I.</HEAD>
<P>It is humbly Queried, by what warrant of the Word it can be made to appear, that any Congregation of Chri&s;t hath power given them from him, to &s;end forth of their number, or others, to preach unto the World, and to go up and down in a preaching way, making a trade or cour&s;e of life of it?</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="2" TYPE="query">
<HEAD><HI>Q&V;ERE</HI> II.</HEAD>
<P>Whether the&s;e &s;ent forth to preach by the afore&s;aid Churches (or going of them&s;elves) are &s;ent forth (or go) as the Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t, yea or no? And if as Chri&s;ts Mi|ni&s;ters, under what denomination of Mini&s;try in the way of their mi&s;&s;ion, how they are to be received, con&s;idering our Lord &s;aith, if he &s;end any, they that receive them receive him?</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="3" TYPE="query">
<HEAD><HI>Q&V;ERE</HI> III.</HEAD>
<P>Whether the &s;ending forth (or voluntary going) be of a religious nature, or of a civil; whether it be in a &s;piritual way, or a prudential; how they them&s;elves are to account them&s;elves, or others, to e&s;teem of them, and of their way and cour&s;e?</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="4" TYPE="query">
<HEAD><HI>Q&V;ERE</HI> IV.</HEAD>
<P>Whether the <HI>&s;ending forth of the twelve Apo&s;tles,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Math. 10.1. Luke 9.1.10.1.</NOTE> <HI>or &s;eventy Di&s;ciples by our Lord,</HI> be pre&s;idents warranting any particu|lar Church, or Churches, to &s;end forth al&s;o; or whether it be not a high kind of pre&s;umption, without a &s;peciall and par|ticular warrant from her Head and Husband, the Lord Chri&s;t, to take on the doing of it, it being too too much for her to take on her to do as he did, without warrant from him?</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="5" TYPE="query">
<PB N="9" REF="9">
<HEAD><HI>Q&V;ERE</HI> V.</HEAD>
<P>Whether unle&s;s per&s;ons were endued with &s;uch qualificati|ons as tho&s;e were endued with &s;ent by our Lord, <HI>&s;o as to be able to work miracles, namely, to heal the &s;ick, ca&s;t out Devils,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 10.8. Luk. 9.1.10.9.</NOTE> <HI>&amp;c.</HI> they may either be &s;ent forth by Churches, or go them|&s;elves, upon a golden pretence of converting of &s;ouls, and propagating the Go&s;pell of the Lord Chri&s;t?</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="6" TYPE="query">
<HEAD><HI>Q&V;ERE</HI> VI.</HEAD>
<P>Whether the per&s;ons &s;o &s;ent, or going of them&s;elves,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 10.9, 10, 11, &amp;c. Luk. 9.3, 4, 5.10.4, 5, 6, 7, 8, &amp;c.</NOTE> are not &s;trictly bound to tho&s;e rules and directions, cautions and re&s;trictions that they were tyed unto, that were &s;ent out by our Lord him&s;elf, and upon what ground they may pre&s;ume to wave them, and yet to pretend their warrants from tho&s;e pre&s;idents?</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="7" TYPE="query">
<HEAD><HI>Q&V;ERE</HI> VII.</HEAD>
<P>Whether that in the 28^t^h of <HI>Mathew,</HI> v. 19. <HI>Go teach all Na|tions, &amp;c.</HI> have any Divine Warrant in it for the Churches &s;ending forth, or for a per&s;ons voluntary going forth &s;o to preach; in as much as that is but an enlarging of their com|mi&s;&s;ion &s;ent out before by our Lord, and re&s;tricted to the Na|tion of the Jews only, to wit,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 10.5.</NOTE> <HI>the Apo&s;tles and &s;eventy Di&s;ci|ples,</HI> now the partition wall was to be taken down; and be&s;ides, they were to teach all Nations as they did, and not &s;ome little corner of &s;ome little I&s;land; and further, they were <HI>to ba|ptize, and teach them to ob&s;erve all the commands of Chri&s;t,</HI> which many of the&s;e meddle not with?</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="8" TYPE="query">
<HEAD><HI>Q&V;ERE</HI> VIII.</HEAD>
<P>Whether if the Churches have power warrantably to &s;end forth, whether they are not bound <HI>to &s;end by two and two,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 10.1.</NOTE> <HI>as Chri&s;t our Lord &s;ent his Apo&s;tles and Di&s;ciples,</HI> there being
<PB N="10" REF="10">no pre&s;ident in holy Scripture of &s;ending one alone; and the rather, becau&s;e it is &s;aid, <HI>Wo unto him that is alone, he falling there being no &s;econd to help him up again?</HI> Eccl. 4.10.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="9" TYPE="query">
<HEAD><HI>Q&V;ERE</HI> IX.</HEAD>
<P>Whether the Churches <HI>&s;ending out</HI> Paul <HI>and</HI> Barnabas <HI>to preach,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 13.3, 4.</NOTE> have in it any warrant for the Churches now &s;ending out of their number al&s;o, unle&s;s they had &s;uch a Divine Warrant as the Church of <HI>Antioch</HI> had, <HI>To whom the holy Gho&s;t &s;aid, Separate me</HI> Paul <HI>and</HI> Barnabas <HI>to the work whereunto I have appointed them?</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">V. 2.</NOTE> If the holy Gho&s;t &s;ay &s;o now to any Church, let them &s;end forth, and not fail to do it, e&s;pecially if they have &s;uch men to &s;end as <HI>Paul</HI> and <HI>Barnabas?</HI></P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="10" TYPE="query">
<HEAD><HI>Q&V;ERE</HI> X.</HEAD>
<P>Whether the examples in holy Writ,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 15.25. 2 Cor. 8.23.</NOTE> as the <HI>Church of</HI> Je|ru&s;alem <HI>&s;ending to</HI> Antioch, it being &s;aid, that <HI>the&s;e Me&s;&s;engers of the Churches are the glory of Chri&s;t,</HI> be any Divine War|rant for the Churches to &s;end forth of their number &s;o to preach?</P>
<P>In as much as they <HI>were &s;ent from Church to Church,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 8.14, 15. 2.25. 2 Cor. 8.18, 24.</NOTE> <HI>to communicate coun&s;els, to give and take advice, to &s;trengthen and confirm where they heard of the grace of God begun,</HI> and were not &s;ent to preach, or in a preaching way?</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="11" TYPE="query">
<HEAD><HI>Q&V;ERE</HI> XI.</HEAD>
<P>Whether that in the 10^t^h of the <HI>Romans,</HI> v. 13. <HI>How &s;hall they preach except they be &s;ent?</HI> have any Divine Warrant in it for the Churches &s;ending forth to preach? All &s;ending be|ing extraordinary, or ordinary; Ordinary being in and by the Church, for the edifying of the Church, not to or for the World,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 12.28.</NOTE> <HI>God hath &s;et in his Church, &amp;c.</HI> Extraordinary mi&s;|&s;ion being by the Lord him&s;elf, &s;uch as were the Apo&s;tles and Prophets of old, who were endued and furni&s;hed by him with gifts, and a &s;pirit fit for the me&s;&s;age they were &s;ent on,
<PB N="11" REF="10">a &s;pirit of infallibility, and power of working miracles, not now to be found in the World &s;ince the exaltation of the man of &s;in.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="12" TYPE="query">
<HEAD><HI>Q&V;ERE</HI> XII.</HEAD>
<P>Whether that of the vi&s;ion to <HI>Paul,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 16.9.</NOTE> <HI>A man appearing to him, &s;aying, come into</HI> Macedonia <HI>and help,</HI> have any warrant in it for the Churches &s;ending forth to preach, unle&s;s the Church had &s;uch a vi&s;ion appearing to them to require &s;uch help, and &s;uch a per&s;on to &s;end as <HI>Paul,</HI> that was an Apo&s;tle, and was endued with an Apo&s;tolique &s;pirit?</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="13" TYPE="query">
<HEAD><HI>Q&V;ERE</HI> XIII.</HEAD>
<P>Whether that of our Lord in the 9^t^h of <HI>Mathew,</HI> v. 38. re|quiring of his, <HI>&V;pon his ob&s;ervation of the greatne&s;s of the har|ve&s;t, and fewne&s;s of the labourers, to pray the Lord of the har|ve&s;t to &s;end forth labourers into his harve&s;t,</HI> have any warrant in it for the Churches &s;ending forth? it being onely an in|junction to pray the Lord of the harve&s;t to &s;end forth, and not for any to go un&s;ent, or for any to &s;end but the Lord of the harve&s;t? If the Church were Lord of the harve&s;t, it were &s;omething, but alas &s;he is not. And be&s;ides, the harve&s;t there &s;eemeth rather to be the Church then the World, for the partition wall was not broken down, nor the re&s;triction taken off, of <HI>not going to the Gentiles, but to the lo&s;t &s;heep of the hou&s;e of</HI> I&s;rael, <HI>Luke</HI> 10.5.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="14" TYPE="query">
<HEAD><HI>Q&V;ERE</HI> XIV.</HEAD>
<P>Whether that of the Apo&s;tle <HI>Peter,</HI> 1 Pet. 4.10. <HI>Let every man, as he hath received the gift, admini&s;ter the &s;ame one to another, &amp;c.</HI> have any Divine Warrant for this &s;ending, or voluntary going forth to preach? Fir&s;t, for that it relateth to gifts in general, and not to that onely of knowledge and utterance. Secondly, for that it is to be performed in and among the Saints one to another, and not to the World;
<PB N="12" REF="11">being of like under&s;tanding with that, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12.7, 8, 9, 10. it may hold forth a warrant for a general liberty of &s;peak|ing in the Church, by &s;uch as have the gift, again&s;t tho&s;e that would monopolize it to them&s;elves; but to rai&s;e a ground of a preaching cour&s;e cannot rationally be gathered thence.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="15" TYPE="query">
<HEAD><HI>Q&V;ERE</HI> XV.</HEAD>
<P>Whether per&s;ons that in regard of their youth, lowne&s;s of parts, want of humane arts and learning, are not judged meet and fit to bear the office of Elders in the&s;e Churches, nor not in a joynt way with others of greater abilities and e&s;teem, may yet be thought fit and meet to be &s;ent forth as Me&s;|&s;engers of the Churches in this Apo&s;tolique preaching way, and that alone, without any A&s;&s;i&s;tant, as if this preaching way was the le&s;&s;er, lower, and more inferiour imployment? Notwith&s;tanding, as if this preaching cour&s;e were more for the glory of Chri&s;t, and advance of his Go&s;pel (though it be out of the Church) not onely tho&s;e before, not thought fit to be Elders, but Elders and Officers of the Church of the highe&s;t degree and e&s;teem, even Pa&s;tors, quit their &s;ervice of Chri&s;t in the Church, and become wandring Stars; or fixed out of the Church, &s;o leaving the greater, and taking on the le&s;s, according to their former account; whether &s;uch principles and proceedings be not high contradictions, <HI>and yea and nay in Go&s;pel matters,</HI> having much of the &s;pirit of the world, and the prudence of it, rather then of the &s;implicity of the Go&s;pel to be &s;een, and perceived therein?</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="16" TYPE="query">
<HEAD><HI>Q&V;ERE</HI> XVI.</HEAD>
<P>Whether per&s;ons &s;ent forth by the afore&s;aid Churches, (or going of them&s;elves) being &s;uch as upon grounds from Scripture have of con&s;cience left the Pari&s;hes, as not to be continued in, may warrantably go into the Pari&s;h Meeting-places at the u&s;uall time of their A&s;&s;embling to wor&s;hip, and there after the accu&s;tomed manner of their Mini&s;ter in his officiating with them and for them, in the way of their or|dinary
<PB N="13" REF="11">wor&s;hip there; He in the Pulpit as their mouth, may make prayers to God with them and for them? then proceed to make a &s;et Speech or Sermon unto them from &s;ome part of the Word, ending with a prayer for a ble&s;&s;ing, &s;o ending the wor&s;hip and meeting at that time, di&s;mi&s;&s;ing the whole with the ble&s;&s;ing of <HI>The grace of our Lord Chri&s;t, &amp;c.</HI> The Divine Warrant of this complyance and manner is queried the rather;</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, for that there &s;eemeth to be no foot&s;teps of any of this in the holy Scriptures, from any of the examples of tho&s;e that were &s;ent out to preach.</P>
<P>Secondly, it &s;eemtth to cro&s;s the main end pretended in their going forth (to wit, the converting of them, reclaiming them, and bringing them to Chri&s;t) as &s;peaking out they are Chri&s;ts Church, per&s;ons converted, and in a good condition, whatever is &s;aid or &s;poken to the contrary, in that their wor|&s;hip is thus carried on for them by &s;uch per&s;ons, and in &s;uch manner, as is in Churches of higher claim both for matter and manner of &s;erving God.</P>
<P>Thirdly, whether by this means the worldly con&s;titution of the Church, and formall way of wor&s;hip be not kept up and carried on, and per&s;ons kept in it, to go on and do as their Fathers did before them; this formality and cu&s;tomary way of Religion and Wor&s;hip being a great enemy to the life and power of true Religion and Godline&s;s.</P>
</DIV3>
<DIV3 N="17" TYPE="query">
<HEAD><HI>Q&V;ERE</HI> XVII.</HEAD>
<P>Whether the Congregational Churches holding, as they do, concerning the Pari&s;hes in fact, leaving of them, as not to be continued in but for&s;aken; in &s;peciall tho&s;e that are high-flown in their opinion of them, counting them no other then the World, Antichri&s;tian gatherings, heaps of confu&s;ion, un|baptized Infidels, &amp;c. that have no right to the Ordinances, nor have any thing to do with the wor&s;hip of God, being &s;uch: Whether the&s;e, or any of the&s;e, can without high vio|lation of their principles, and being Tre&s;pa&s;&s;ers to their own grounds, joyn with the&s;e in their wor&s;hip, &s;o as to be their mouth to God for good things, and as from God to &s;peak
<PB N="14" REF="12">unto them in a wor&s;hip wi&s;e? Whether the practice herein do not give their judgement to lye and flat deniall? And whether to any rationall judgement they do not make them|&s;elves Tre&s;pa&s;&s;ers to their own Law?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 6.</NOTE> <HI>Thus joining light and darkne&s;s, Chri&s;t and Beliall together, and making the members of Chri&s;t not onely to become the members, but the head and chieftain of a harlot, and rebellious number;</HI> weigh the prin|ciples and practice, and &s;ee what con&s;i&s;tency you can find therein?</P>
<P>Sundry other Queries might be made concerning the a|fore&s;aid matter, as what it is to preach, what Go&s;pel preach|ing was in the Primitive times; whether our way of preach|ing and theirs be the &s;ame, in relation to preaching to the world? whether length of time and cu&s;tome have not con|tracted &s;ome corruption about this matter, as it hath done in other the like things? but for the pre&s;ent there &s;hall be no further proceed.</P>
</DIV3>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="2" TYPE="chapter">
<HEAD>CHAP. II.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>Concerning tho&s;e of the Congregational Churches, &s;pecially tho&s;e of the way called Anabapti&s;ts, that go on affectedly, as it &s;eemeth, to feed and govern their Churches without Officers, in common by a way of their own choo&s;ing, never in&s;tituted by the Lord Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>WHAT high challenge and claim the &s;aid Churches make, to be the only faithful followers of the Lord Chri&s;t in the way of his Ordinances, all others being nothing in compari&s;on of them, is &s;ufficiently known: but how fully and faithfully they do ob&s;erve the Ordinance of Chri&s;t, not|with&s;tanding their great boa&s;ting, may be &s;een for a touch, in two particulars.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, in their not compleating their Churches with El|ders, as if that were no Ordinance of Chri&s;t, had no pre&s;idents in the Go&s;pel, were not a duty belonging to them; as if
<PB N="15" REF="12">that Scripture, and other of like tendency, were <HI>Apocrypha,</HI> Heb. 13.17. <HI>Obey them that have the over&s;ight of you, &amp;c. they watch for your &s;ouls as they that mu&s;t give account:</HI> Some of the afore&s;aid Churches have onely one &s;ingle Elder, in&s;tead of Elders; and &s;ome Congregations, though numerous, and furni&s;hed with per&s;ons of great abilities in their e&s;teem, have no Elders at all (no not one) but think them&s;elves very well without, as if they were wi&s;er then our Lord him&s;elf; they affectedly, as it &s;eemeth, carry on all in common, feed and govern the Church in common, admini&s;ter the Ordinances by turns by &s;ome of the mo&s;t eminent members, &s;o going in this way of their own, though it be none of Chri&s;ts.</P>
<P>It is taken for granted, that the&s;e being no &s;eekers, hold the continuation of all Go&s;pel Ordinances, as attainable and enjoyable by the Saints, as the Church and Church-meetings to wor&s;hip, Church-ordinances, Bapti&s;m, and the Lords Sup|per, and &s;urely al&s;o <HI>Elders by election in every Church;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 14.</NOTE> as be|ing of the like nature with the former, and in&s;tituted for the profit of the Church al&s;o, as tho&s;e were.</P>
<P>Which if &s;o, how cometh it to pa&s;s, that tho&s;e that &s;peak of &s;uch high things, profe&s;s &s;uch love and faithfulne&s;s to Chri&s;t the Lord, &s;hould &s;light him &s;o in his in&s;titutions, &s;hew &s;uch partiallity towards his Ordinances as in this &s;eemeth to ap|pear, when as <HI>the Ordinances of Chri&s;t, and his appointments are to be ob&s;erved impartially, without preferring one before an|other?</HI> 1 Tim. 5.21.</P>
<P>What great &s;tre&s;s is laid by the&s;e on baptizing? and to be &s;ure to be right, they baptize over and over again; and the more to enforce this their way and cour&s;e, they catch at every Scripture that maketh mention of the name of it, though it be nothing at all to the purpo&s;e for which it is al|leadged.</P>
<P>But though it <HI>be very commendable to ob&s;erve all the Or|dinances of our Lord, and to remember all his &s;ayings of truth,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 11.1.</NOTE> yet they can give the hearing to tho&s;e places of the Word that &s;peak of the in&s;titution of Elders in the Church, and the examples and practi&s;es of the Primitive Churches, and make nothing of it; <HI>The Church of</HI> Ephe&s;us,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 20.27.</NOTE> <HI>with their Elders
<PB N="16" REF="13">that holy</HI> Paul <HI>&s;ent for to commune with,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 20.17. Acts 14.23.</NOTE> is nothing; <HI>The or|daining Elders by election in every Church,</HI> is nothing; <HI>The Elders that rule well, &amp;c.</HI> is nothing; <HI>The Elders that are among you I be&s;eech, which am al&s;o an Elder, feed the flock of Chri&s;t, &amp;c.</HI> is nothing to them, for they have no Elders to be intreated; &s;ome have one &s;ingle Elder onely, but many have none at all, but they have gifted brethren: but they dare not venture to come under the yoke of the Lord Chri&s;t to choo&s;e them Elders, the name would hurt their freedome, and be offen&s;ive to them; &s;ome old Elders of the Prie&s;tly race, that were bred up at Univer&s;ities to Ma&s;ter&s;hip, and Lordly rule, have frighted them &s;o, as they dare not adven|ture to tru&s;t any of their brethren in the way of Chri&s;t his Ordinance, no not to bear the name, much le&s;s the office or power: But the Church mu&s;t be &s;ed, and governed, and ad|mini&s;tred unto by another way of their own devi&s;ing; for though they profe&s;s to love the Lord Je&s;us, and &s;ome of his holy Ordinances, and are very zealous of baptizing, to wit, by dipping per&s;ons head and ears under the water (poor &s;ouls!) that were baptized before, touching which our Lord never &s;pake one word to them of; yet the Lord Chri&s;t mu&s;t have them excu&s;ed in this, if they refu&s;e to have his Church fed, and governed, and admini&s;tred unto his own way, they having found out a better.</P>
<P>If holy <HI>Paul</HI> were to &s;end for their Elders to commune with, as &s;ometimes he did <HI>for the Elder of the Church of</HI> E|phe&s;us, at what a lo&s;s would they be at to excu&s;e them&s;elves, in &s;ending their gifted brethren in&s;tead of Elders?</P>
<P>If any of their number <HI>&s;hould be &s;ick,</HI> and &s;hould be con|&s;cious of their duty in that ca&s;e, according to the direction of the holy Apo&s;tle, <HI>James</HI> 5. <HI>Is any &s;ick, let him &s;end for the Elders of the Church, and let them pray, &amp;c.</HI> Alas (poor &s;ouls!) at what a lo&s;s are they? they have no Elders in their Churches to &s;end for, and &s;o for want hereof cannot perform their duty, nor comfortably upon performance thereof expect the promi&s;e, that <HI>the prayer of faith &s;hall &s;ave the &s;ick.</HI></P>
<P>And is it not very much that Churches that have &s;ent out
<PB N="17" REF="13">&s;o many Me&s;&s;engers out of their numbers to preach to the world to help them, which the Lord Je&s;us never &s;pake to them about, nor required of them, &s;hould have no more care at home of the Church, of compleating that according to the Ordinance of Chri&s;t, that as yet they have not called, cho&s;en, &s;et apart, &s;ent forth, not one into the Vineyard of the Lord Je&s;us, which is his Church, <HI>E&s;a.</HI> 5. how unlike minded they are to the Lord in this: They may plea&s;e to con&s;ider, to make his Church compleat and glorious, he gave him&s;elf, he gave gifts; all their care is for others abroad, not minding the Church at home: And though there be variety of con|ceptions, and a great de&s;ire to bring forth &s;ome new thing by tho&s;e of that way, &s;ome having &s;et on foot the imitation of the greeting one another with an holy ki&s;s, the Love|fea&s;t, or Supper before the Lords Supper, the laying on of hands, yea an endeavour after the gift of miracles, which could they attain, they would be &s;ome-body indeed. Yet is this of having the Church furni&s;hed with Elders, ge|nerally &s;lighted and neglected of all, no &s;tre&s;s at all being laid thereon.</P>
<P>Matter of Argument &s;hall be forborn, as taking it for granted, that the defect ri&s;eth from remi&s;ne&s;s, and not from oppo&s;ition, although &s;ome are di&s;po&s;ed that way; for is it not a fine Quibble to &s;ay, that Elders are nothing but old men? &s;o a fine &s;en&s;e would follow of the words of the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Act.</HI> 14. <HI>They ordained therein Elders by election in every Church:</HI> as much as to &s;ay, they ordained old men to be old men, by choo&s;ing them to be old.</P>
<P>But peradventure they may have taken in another Popi&s;h opinion, of a general univer&s;al Church, of which their Con|gregations are but parts (as well as that of other Churches Authority to &s;end forth Preachers to the world) and do not hold in &s;trictne&s;s di&s;tinct particular Congregations as in|dependent to any but the Lord Chri&s;t: &s;o this Di&s;cour&s;e might be at a lo&s;s indeed: but they would be at a far greater; for if the matter &s;hould be &s;o with them, the matter of Bapti&s;m, with the great ado they keep about it excepted, they may face about, and be as before they were.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 N="3" TYPE="chapter">
<PB N="18" REF="14">
<HEAD>CHAP. III.</HEAD>
<ARGUMENT>
<P><HI>Containing a brief Di&s;covery of the contrary walking of the a|fore&s;aid Churches to their own Principles, in heading them in Wor&s;hip, whom they condemn for Idolaters, and of the World.</HI></P>
</ARGUMENT>
<P>THE &s;econd particular in&s;tance in the afore&s;aid Churches, is their general received principle and opinion con|cerning the People of this Nation that are not of their way of re-baptizing, and under, as they call it, their Bapti&s;m of total dipping; namely, that they are of the World, and no other way to be con&s;idered, that they are Infidels, un|baptized per&s;ons, &s;uch as in that &s;tate and condition have no|thing to do with any Go&s;pel-ordinances or wor&s;hip; that the gatherings of the&s;e, chiefly the Pari&s;hes, are no Churches of Chri&s;t in any con&s;ideration, but heaps of Confu&s;ion, and Antichri&s;tian A&s;&s;emblies; with which their petty Pamphlets are &s;tuffed full, as were the Writings of their Predece&s;&s;ours formerly, from whom they learned the &s;ame.</P>
<P>But now let us &s;ee how true they are to their own prin|ciples, and how an&s;werable their walking is to their own grounds, which they call the truths of the Lord Je&s;us, in fre|quently heading in wor&s;hip the afore&s;aid people, getting up into their Pulpits, and places of Oratory, carrying on and performing their wor&s;hip with them and for them, becoming their advocates and mouth to God in prayer and prai&s;es; ut|terly forgetting,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 6.</NOTE> as it &s;eemeth, that <HI>the Temple of God and Idols &s;hould not have fellow&s;hip together;</HI> yea &s;ome of their Elders become fixed Teachers to the&s;e A&s;&s;emblies, one while &s;erving that which they call the Church of God, and then by and by that which they call the World, or an Harlot; and their Me&s;&s;engers which they &s;end forth (with little warrant God knows) to preach to the world to convert them, are found thus joyning with tho&s;e in their wor&s;hip, that in their Principles they count enemies to the Lord, and rebels; and &s;o they <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 span"> in the A&s;&s;embly, and be
<PB N="19" REF="14">the mouth of the&s;e to God and men, they think all is well; as if thus to do were not a higher violation of their prin|ciples, then a per&s;ons joyning with them in a lower capacity, as a Patient, rather then an Agent or Acter in the way of their wor&s;hip, which according to their principles can be reckoned for no le&s;s then Idolatry.</P>
<P>What earthly power would take it wel, that any under them &s;hould joyn with, much le&s;s be Chieftain and Head of &s;uch as are Rebels and Traitors to them? God is a jealous God. Did the Apo&s;tles of our Lord, or any that were of the Pri|mitive Churches, enter into the Idols Temple, when the Ido|laters were a&s;&s;embled to wor&s;hip, and there officiate and carry on the wor&s;hip for them, under a &s;pecious pretence of converting of them?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 2.14.</NOTE> is &s;uch a cour&s;e <HI>the right way to the Go&s;pel?</HI> Nay, did they or any of them in the Temple or Sy|nagogues take on to be Ma&s;ters or Heads of the A&s;&s;emblies there, and carry on the wor&s;hip that was there performed? Though the Jews were otherwi&s;e con&s;iderable in their re|lation to God, then to be counted &s;imply of the world; In|deed in the Temple, and in the Synagogues they publi&s;hed the Lord Je&s;us; but that they prayed there as the mouth of the multitude, I have not read, much le&s;s that they did it in a wor&s;hip wi&s;e, or that they in the Temple or Synagogues be|gan their preaching of Chri&s;t with a &s;et prayer before, and a &s;olemn prayer, and thank&s;giving, and ble&s;&s;ing after, according to the wor&s;hip wi&s;e of the Nation.</P>
<P>The A&s;&s;emblies into which the&s;e Me&s;&s;engers and gifted Brethren go thus to preach, or make Orations and Prayers, being united to the&s;e Preachers for the time as their Head, their Leader, their Mouth, one that is their In&s;trument, acteth for them, and in their behalf, in wor&s;hipping of God, he and they making up one Body or A&s;&s;embly.</P>
<P>If this be <HI>a coming from among them,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 6.</NOTE> <HI>and a touching no un|clean thing, I am deceived;</HI> and &s;o I am al&s;o, if this come not within the reproof of the Apo&s;tle in the following words, <HI>What fellow&s;hip hath righteou&s;ne&s;s with unrighteou&s;ne&s;s? what concord hath Chri&s;t with Belial? what part hath the Believer
<PB N="20" REF="15">with the Infidel? or the Temple of God with Idols?</HI> 2 Cor. 6.14, 15, 16.</P>
<P>The judgement and practice of the&s;e (to any indifferent mans di&s;cerning that &s;hall weigh them) fighting one with the other, their practice offering to their principles the great|e&s;t affront and violence that po&s;&s;ibly can be, which &s;ome in|genuous and con&s;cientious among&s;t them&s;elves &s;ee well enough:</P>
<P>Were it not good for them either to amend their prin|ciples, or their practice, or both? indeed they have great cau&s;e to mend both, e&s;pecially their principles: for they are very har&s;h, uncharitable, unchri&s;tian, yea un&s;ound, without foundation in the Word of God.</P>
<P>But alas, though many of them &s;ee &s;omething this way, yet they mu&s;t keep up their principles, le&s;t they &s;hake and overthrow the whole building of their way of baptizing, by total dipping for Bapti&s;m &s;uch as were baptized before, which is their beloved Darling.</P>
<P>Did the Primitive Chri&s;tians go into the Idols Temples, joyn with tho&s;e there, come together to wor&s;hip, help them to carry on their wor&s;hip in the &s;olemn meetings for that end? The poor blind Jews medled not with the Samaritans: yet the&s;e, notwith&s;tanding the va&s;t di&s;tance their principles do make between them&s;elves, and others not of their way, can meddle with them in the things of wor&s;hip, under a &s;pe|cious pretence of preaching the Go&s;pel unto them; and &s;o as with <HI>Diotrephes,</HI> they may have the preheminence to be the head of the A&s;&s;embly, and mouth of, and to the whole, it &s;hall bear them out, and they &s;hall be no Tre&s;pa&s;&s;ers. O there is &s;ome &s;ecret my&s;terie in it, this being the mouth, &s;ome cordial pre&s;ervative from the pollution of Idolatry, that excu&s;eth, pre&s;erveth and bears out all.</P>
<P>For let but any of their number joyn with the afore&s;aid A&s;&s;emblies, to wit, the Pari&s;hes, when they in their wor&s;hip officiate by their own Mini&s;ters, and they &s;hall be accounted Tre&s;pa&s;&s;ers of &s;o high a nature, as to de&s;erve for their Idola|try to be ca&s;t out, as &s;ome have been: but as before, this
<PB N="21" REF="15">being the mouth, it helpeth all; and the pretence of preach|ing to convert them, &s;hall carry it out: but it doth not &s;erve to &s;atisfie all, for &s;omething of this nature hath made a breach lately in one of their mo&s;t eminent Churches, as they well know.</P>
<P>Is it not a great pity to &s;ee them that are &s;o fully &s;eparate from the world, and the Idolatries of it, as they pretend they are, &s;o to pollute and defile them&s;elves in mixing and joyning with Idolaters, and unbaptized Infidels? not hearkning to the good coun&s;el of the Spirit by the holy Apo&s;tle, <HI>John</HI> 5. <HI>Babes, keep your &s;elves from Idols, Amen.</HI> So as I &s;hall onely propo&s;e unto them the review of their principles, and more &s;erious con&s;ideration of the con&s;i&s;tency that is in them each with other, as a clo&s;e in this particular; as al&s;o concerning the uncompleatne&s;s of their Churches for want of Elders, they may plea&s;e to con&s;ider of it. And in regard of their Me&s;&s;engers, the &s;ending of them forth to preach unto the world, in which they are &s;o forward and zealous; they may do well to con&s;ult their Authority better, and to &s;ee whe|ther they be &s;ufficiently impowered by the Lord Chri&s;t &s;o to do; and withall to con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly, whether tho&s;e they &s;hall purpo&s;e hereafter to &s;end forth, be &s;ufficiently qualified with gifts, before they give forth new commi&s;&s;ions; and to &s;ee whether it be not nece&s;&s;ary for their Brethren <HI>to tarry and wait in the Church untill the holy Gho&s;t &s;hall come upon them,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 1.4.</NOTE> <HI>and they be enabled to &s;peak with tongues;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">V. 8.</NOTE> or till he &s;ay to them, as he did to the Church of <HI>Antioch, Separate me</HI> Paul <HI>and</HI> Barnabas <HI>for the work, &amp;c.</HI> Acts 13.</P>
<P>For truly it is a low and Un-Go&s;pel like thing for any to be &s;ent, or to go to &s;ome little corner of the land of their na|tivity, where the name of Chri&s;t is known already, and not to go to places and people that have not heard of him; to de|clare his name there, even to the utmo&s;t ends of the earth; but alas, poor, low and dumb Me&s;&s;engers, they cannot do it; they want the gift of tongues, and &s;omething el&s;e, &s;o as to be able to cau&s;e every Nation to hear in their language the won|derful works of God, <HI>Acts</HI> 2.6, 8, 11.</P>
<PB N="22" REF="16">
<P> In the mean time, while they are thus waiting, the&s;e Churches may do well to choo&s;e the&s;e able Brethren that are fit for Apo&s;tles and Me&s;&s;engers in a preaching way to the world, to choo&s;e them Elders and Officers of their Churches, and &s;o they would be found more compleat and Go&s;pel-like then now they are, and better fed, governed and admini&s;tred unto according to the mind of Chri&s;t: For &s;ure they cannot think them unfit or unworthy to be Elders or Officers in the Church, whom they count fit or worthy to be &s;ent forth as Me&s;&s;engers of their Churches in a preaching Apo&s;tolique way.</P>
<P>But what all that hath been &s;aid will avail, is not ea&s;y to determine; the belly hath no ears; &s;omething of humane wi&s;edom, and of the &s;pirit of the world, will, it may be fear|ed, be found making oppo&s;ition, to the perverting the &s;trait waies of the Lord.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="16">
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
