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<DATE>2014-08-25</DATE>
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<NAME>Kate Allen</NAME>
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<P> A WORD OF EXHORTATION <HI>TO O&V;R</HI> SEPARATING BRETHREN of whatever denomination, e&s;pecially tho&s;e commonly called Anabapti&s;ts, <HI>Be&s;eeching them to &s;tirre up their Hearts to an upright impartiall, and unbended con&s;idering of their Wayes, in order to their giving Glory to Truth and Peace, and to Taking hold of the &s;trength of God, in this day of our own weakne&s;s.</HI></P>
<P>The chief points, the&s;e four;</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. Twenty particulars, wherein our Brethren &s;eem to have receded from Chri&s;t Crucified, or the Go&s;pel.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Active obedience to Authority, in things, by God neither commanded nor forbidden; whether a Go&s;pel duty?</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Infant Bapti&s;me, &s;eeming to goe upon mo&s;t &s;hort and clear grounds of Holy Scripture and &s;anctified rea&s;on.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. Known &s;et formes of Prayer, whether an help to devotion in congrega|tions and families, much more proper and effectuall, then Prayer by the gift?</ITEM>
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<P><HI>OXFORD,</HI> Printed by <HI>William Hall,</HI> Anno 1663.</P>
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<DIV1 TYPE="treatise">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>A word of EXHORTATION to our SEPARATING BRETHREN of whatever denomination, e&s;pecially tho&s;e commonly called <HI>ANABAPTISTS;</HI></HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub"><HI>Be&s;eeching them to &s;tirre up their Hearts to an impartiall upright, and</HI> unbended con&s;idering <HI>of their Wayes, in order to their giving Glory to Peace and Truth, and to Taking hold of the &s;trength of God, in this day of our own weakne&s;s.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_BRethren, heartily beloved in the God of love, Chri&s;t Je&s;us: Hee, that now takes upon him, To be your monitour, is one that is peaceable in I&s;rael; wi&s;heth, with the Apo&s;tle, Grace, mercy and Peace may be multiplied unto you; &s;eeks not yours, but you; acknowledges in you, and from his heart congratulates to you, the&s;e two mo&s;t Chri&s;tian di|&s;po&s;itions, which heretofore Hee hath ob&s;erved in mo&s;t of you; name|ly, fir&s;t, That generally ye doe fear an Oath and all open debo&s;hery &amp; Profane&s;s. Secondly, That, when lately the right Church-Order and Con&s;titution in this Land, through the mi&s;take of the times, was either de&s;troyed or brought into contempt and di&s;repute, &s;omewhat neere a de&s;truction, and nothing of any worth &s;et up in &s;teed of it (as indeed nothing of any worth, but that it &s;elf, could be &s;et up) <HI>Ye</HI> yet would not be contented to live <HI>at large,</HI> and out of all both reall and &s;eeming Church Order, as <HI>many</HI> did. The&s;e dear Brethren, are two &s;uch believing qualifications, namely, &s;trict living, and great devotion to Di&s;cipline, That would ye now, <HI>with the&s;e,</HI> conform and apply your &s;elves (through the power of grace and mercy) to the e&s;tabli&s;hed way of this Nation; The advantage, ye might hereby bring to the truth of the Go&s;pel, to the peace of Chri&s;tendome, and to the eternall welfare both of
<PB N="2" REF="3" MS="y"> your &s;elves and of others, would be &s;uch, as no conceit can aforehand &s;ufficiently make out and declare.</P>
<P>To the end therefore, ye may thus (through Grace) ble&s;&s;e both your&s;elves and others, &amp; that the God of Order may love you the Sons of Order, yet more and more; Hee I verily believe; hath &s;tirred up my Spirit, to lay before you tho&s;e convictions of the un-Evange|licallne&s;s of your way, that to me truly &s;eem utterly unre&s;i&s;table. For judge, Brethren, even the meane&s;t of you, whether that way can po&s;&s;ibly be the right, which &s;eems to have all the&s;e un-Chri&s;tian things, mo&s;t truly charged upon it; namely,</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> That ye do &s;trike in with the Papi&s;ts, in the mo&s;t venomous and un-Chri&s;tian point of all, namely, Their judging and condemning all other, or, their holding all other Chri|&s;tians be&s;ides them&s;elves, to be in &s;tate of damnation; and, &s;eparating from them ac|cordingly. Thus doe the Papi&s;ts; thus al&s;o doe ye. But that in &s;o thinking and doing, both of you, doe both doe and think clean contrary to Chri&s;t Crucified, or, the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> Your rejecting of the Three Creeds.</P>
<P><HI>Thirdly,</HI> Your uncharitable affirming all the Mini&s;ters of England, to be deceivers, Impo&s;ters, &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>Fourthly,</HI> Your counting all, or mo&s;t Societies of Chri&s;tians, be&s;ides your &s;elves, to be the Revelation-Babylon: And to this purpo&s;e in your <HI>Arrowes again&s;t Babylon,</HI> making, <HI>quickly, &s;hortly,</HI> and, <HI>the time is at hand</HI> (expre&s;&s;ions in &s;undry places of that Book) to &s;ignify a Tract of time, reaching our times and even to the very end of the World; contra|ry not onely to the <HI>Truth,</HI> but al&s;o to the <HI>Scripture u&s;e</HI> of the Word, as well, as of <HI>all otber</HI> Books and Languages be&s;ide.</P>
<P><HI>Fiftly,</HI> Your Urging People to judge for them&s;elves in controverted <HI>Points;</HI> which yet by Gods Word, are left to the Rulers gather'd together in a Council, <HI>Heb.</HI> 13. 17. Com|pared with <HI>Act.</HI> 15.</P>
<P><HI>Sixtly,</HI> Your &s;lighting of Prayer and Prai&s;e and of the word di&s;tinctly read, in the A&s;|&s;emblies, as a <HI>Part of Wor&s;hip.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Seaventhly,</HI> Your Endevouring to per&s;wade People again&s;t all &s;en&s;e and Rea&s;on, That the whole Church, not onely in S. Cyprians and Tertullians, but al&s;o in Hyginus his time, was ignorant, whether the 50. or 100. years before, Infants were Baptized or no; When them&s;elves, or their Fathers, were &s;ome of tho&s;e Infants.</P>
<P><HI>Eightly,</HI> Your &s;imulation, pretending to Preach <HI>onely</HI> by in&s;piration, when ye your &s;elves know well enough, that ye doe it, not without much u&s;e and &s;tudy and conference, and tho&s;e other means and wayes, that other men take and u&s;e; And not onely by the pre|&s;ent Incitations, A&s;&s;i&s;tances, Sugge&s;tions and In&s;pirations of the Spirit.</P>
<P><HI>Ninthly,</HI> Your making all Infants uncapable of any room in the vi&s;ible Church, while&s;t Infants. A piece of cruelty never heard of, from the beginning of the World, till, about 200. years agoe.</P>
<P><HI>Tenthly,</HI> Your making no difference at all, between the Infants of believers and of Infidels.</P>
<P><HI>Elevently,</HI> Your making both Jewes and Gentiles to be now, (under Chri&s;t, and the Go&s;pel in a farre wor&s;e e&s;tate, in re&s;pect of their Infants, then they were, under Mo&s;es and the Law.</P>
<P><HI>Twelfthly.</HI> Your allowing your &s;elves in the violation of the 6. and 7. Commandements, by your endangering not the health onely, but Cha&s;tity al&s;o, of many, that ye dip.</P>
<P><HI>Thirteenth.</HI> Your making nothing of the general cu&s;tome, u&s;age &amp; practi&s;e of Chri&s;tians; clean contrary to what S. Paul does For he, in that &s;olemne debate about being covered, or uncovered in the Publick &s;acred A&s;&s;emblies, makes this his concluding, and, as it were, &s;tabbing and unan&s;werable argument; 1 Cor. 11. 16. <HI>But if any man &s;eem to be conten|tious, We have no &s;uch cu&s;tome, nor the Churches of God.</HI> For his meaning even in the opi|nion of Mr. Walter Craddock, is this; if with all this, that I have &s;aid, the conten|tious
<PB N="3" REF="3" MS="y"> among you will not be &s;atified, but will in the Holy A&s;&s;emblies, the Women be uncovered; and the Men covered; I have then to alleadge again&s;t them, this undeniable and unan&s;werable Argument, as being matter of known fact and practi&s;e, among all ci|vil as well as Chri&s;tian people; That no where is it in u&s;e for Men in the &s;acred A&s;&s;emblies to cover them&s;elves, and for Women to be uncovered. But mo&s;t &s;ignally true is this, among Chri&s;tians, There being not a Church of God any where that &s;o does. Now to go by ones &s;elfe, and in &s;uch things as the&s;e, to doe and practi&s;e in a clean different way from all other Chri&s;tians, This &s;ure mu&s;t needs be very great Arrogance, &s;ingula|rity and &s;elf admiration at lea&s;t; to &s;ay nothing of the unchartitablene&s;s, and Impiety therunto conjoyned.</P>
<P>This, Brethten, &s;eems to be the true minde and meaning of S. Paul in this place: And if &s;o it be, then Judge ye, whether your &s;lighting of the u&s;e and Practi&s;e of Chri&s;tians, be an Apo&s;tolicall and Chri&s;tian thing or no.</P>
<P><HI>Fourteenth.</HI> Your re&s;training the manner of Baptizing to dipping: Whereas 1. The word &s;ignifies wa&s;hing, affu&s;ion, or &s;prinkling, as well as dipping &amp; immer&s;ion and dow&s;ing over head and ears. 2. Chri&s;t hath not appointed the mea&s;ure of Water, nor the manner of Wa&s;hing; no more then Hee hath appointed in the Lords Supper, what quantity of Bread and Wine each mu&s;t take. And as it would be but folly for any to think, that Men mu&s;t needs fill them&s;elves full of Bread and Wine, becau&s;e it be&s;t &s;ignifies the fulne&s;s of Chri&s;t: &s;o it is no better to &s;ay, We mu&s;t be wa&s;hed all over, becau&s;e it be&s;t &s;ignifies our Buriall with Chri&s;t, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Fifteenth.</HI> Your teaching, that the Infants of <HI>vi&s;ible Church members under the Go&s;pel</HI> (or, That the Infants of <HI>Chri&s;tians)</HI> ought to have their Bapti&s;me <HI>deferred,</HI> till they come to Age; and, <HI>doing</HI> accordingly. For which your Doctrine and practi&s;e, there's no one word, or example in all the New Te&s;tament.</P>
<P><HI>Sixteenth.</HI> Your deceaving your &s;elves &amp; others with Arguments &agrave; Te&s;timonio Negative, thus, We read not in all the New Te&s;tament, that the Apo&s;tles Baptized any Infants; Therefore they Baptized none. An argument no better then the&s;e; We read not in all the New Te&s;tament, that the Apo&s;tles did in their Prayers lift up their eyes to Heaven; Therefore they never did &s;o. That they did ever make u&s;e of the Lords Prayer. There|fore they never did u&s;e it, <HI>&amp;c. A non dicto ad non factum, non valet con&s;equentia.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Seaventeenth.</HI> Your turning Scripture affirmatives into exclu&s;ives, thus; The Apo&s;tles Baptized Men and Women come to Age: that is, &s;ay ye, They Baptized &s;uch <HI>onely,</HI> and none el&s;e. They Baptized in the Name of the Lord Je&s;us; that is, &s;ay ye, In the Name of the Lord Je&s;us <HI>onely,</HI> without mentioning Father or Holy Gho&s;t, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Enarrations, no bet|ter then the&s;e; The Apo&s;tles <HI>Ioh.</HI> 21. Did eat Fi&s;h; therefore Fi&s;h <HI>onely,</HI> and never any Fle&s;h. The Apo&s;tles did Preach the Go&s;pel by Word of mouth; therefore <HI>onely</HI> by Word of mouth, and did never put it into writing. Ble&s;&s;ed are they, that have not &s;een, and yet have believed; therefore only &s;uch are ble&s;&s;ed; Therefore S. Thomas, who by &s;eeing the Wounds and Scars of the Lord Je&s;us after his Re&s;urrection came to believe, was not a ble&s;&s;ed believer, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Eighteenth.</HI> Your comforting up your &s;elves with pa&s;&s;ive obedience, that is, with &s;uf|fering what the Law inflicts, when ye do not, what it commands. But con&s;ider, Brethren.</P>
<P N="1">1. That in all the Book of God there cannot be any one believer <HI>named,</HI> nor any one Word of God <HI>noted,</HI> Warranting believers &s;o much as to doubt or di&s;pute, much le&s;&s;e to di&s;obey and condemne when once due Authority has interpo&s;ed in things indif|ferent. So that not onely di&s;obedience, but al&s;o mere pa&s;&s;ive obedience, <HI>in this ca&s;e,</HI> is ut|terly un|&s;cripturall, that is, &s;uch as has neither precept nor practi&s;e, nor Text nor fact, to warrant it throughout the whole Bible.</P>
<P>2ly. That, whereas &s;ome perhaps may think to evade the force of this Ob&s;ervation by di&s;tingui&s;hing about Things indifferent clothed with their Circum&s;tances, and Things Indifferent not-clothed with their circum&s;tances; We may &s;ure be bold to tell them afore|hand,
<PB N="4" REF="4" MS="y"> That, this di&s;tinction &s;eemes but a mere Notion, or, a di&s;tinction without a diffe|rence; Becau&s;e One part of It appeares to be entirely wanting, There being no particular things in Common life, but <HI>are</HI> clothed with Accidents and Circum&s;tances. And there|fore, If the &s;overaigne Powers may interpo&s;e in any indifferent Things, It mu&s;t be in Things indifferent, clothed with their Circum&s;tances, There being no other things at all, in Common life, for them to interpo&s;e in.</P>
<P>3ly. That Circum&s;tances, though never &s;o many, if &s;ome where in God's word they be not <HI>certainely</HI> forbidden, can never make any Thing Indiffirent, Not Indifferent, or Unfit and Unlawfull for the Soveraigne Magi&s;trate to interpo&s;e in, whether by Prohibition or Injunction, as Hee &s;ees Cau&s;e. (If indeed the Un&s;eparable Accidents and Circum&s;tan|ces be <HI>certainely</HI> forbidden, The Thing it &s;elfe we acknowledge to be forbiden to; Not in and of it &s;elfe, but becau&s;e of tho&s;e &s;infull forbidden Adhere&s;cencies. But no &s;uch, we are competently certaine, can be noted in any part of our Con&s;titution. And for the faulty Executions, that be, The&s;e are the faults of men, not of the lawes.)</P>
<P>4ly. That St. <HI>Pauls</HI> Rules about not giving offence to weak Brethren, have place on|ly in &s;uch things as the Chri&s;tian Magi&s;trate has not interpo&s;ed in, neither by Prohibition, nor Injunction; For then no Chri&s;tian Magi&s;trate had determined one way or other; Nor was there Any One <HI>then,</HI> &s;o to doe. But <HI>now;</HI> (ble&s;&s;ed be our God, who hath made &s;o many Kingdomes of the world to be the Kingdomes of the Lord Je&s;us!) The ca&s;e <HI>now</HI> is farre otherwi&s;e, as in many Soveraigneties be&s;ides, &s;o particularly in the&s;e our Indepen|dent Kingdomes of England, Scotland and Ireland. Adde hereunto 1. That the Ca&s;e, that St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaks to directly and particularly, namely, Things offered to Idols, is now no where to be met with in the Chri&s;tian world. 2. That To make Rules for Con&s;cience by Ana|logie or Proportions, <HI>when therein</HI> we have not the Ancient Church going before us, nei|ther by knowne Practi&s;e, nor undoubted Canon, &s;eemes a daring very dangerous and no|way ju&s;tifiable.</P>
<P>5ly. That the Word requires, not only Pa&s;&s;ive, but al&s;o Active Obedience from you, In all the&s;e <HI>Scripture-undetermin'd</HI> Matters, wherein the Magi&s;trate by the word may in|terpo&s;e. Now that in &s;etling the Outward wor&s;hip of God, He may and ought to put in, &s;eemes competently certaine, as otherwi&s;e, &s;o e&s;pecially from 1 <HI>Chron.</HI> 25. <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 1. 2. 3. and 2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 29. 30: for in the former of the&s;e places recorded we have a Plaine Order or Act from King <HI>David</HI> and his Captains, that is, his Councill of Officers; not only from King <HI>David,</HI> the <HI>man after</HI> Gods own heart, but al&s;o from &s;undry <HI>Ordinary</HI> men, his Commi&s;|&s;ion'd Officers: (The Great and mo&s;t Legal Parliment not then &s;itting, this extemporary Convention of Officers &s;erv'd the turne. How much more ought a mo&s;t free, full and mo&s;t deliberately cho&s;en Parliament &s;atisfie us.) I &s;ay by this Authority an Eccle&s;tical Order is no &s;ooner emitted, <HI>for prophe&s;ying,</HI> that is, for pray&s;ing, <HI>with Harps, P&s;alteries, and Cym|bals;</HI> But pre&s;ently It is mo&s;t cheerfully and univer&s;ally obeyed. The like &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion al&s;o we find in the other place, given to the ordinance of <HI>Hezekiah</HI> and his Princes for Common Prayer, or, in the literal words of the text, <HI>for &s;inging prai&s;e unto the Lord,</HI> as we now are appointed to doe by our King, his Princes and Parliament, <HI>in the words of David and of A&s;aph the Seer:</HI> for the very next words are; <HI>And they &s;ang pray&s;es with gladne&s;s,</HI> in the&s;e formes, <HI>and they bowed their heads and wor&s;hipped.</HI></P>
<P>6ly. That if Ye &s;uffer never &s;o patiently and meekly, when Ye &s;hould have obeyed Actively, &s;inne yet doth lye at the doore and upon the Con&s;cience. Becau&s;e Impo&s;&s;ible it is, that corporal outward &s;uffering &s;hould be any expiation of Inward &s;oule-&s;inne.</P>
<P>7ly. That, If ye &s;uffer as Bu&s;y bodies in other mens matters, then can ye not be in|nocent; nor, by the Go&s;pel rule, take any comfort at all in your &s;ufferings. For, when we un|derake to Judge the laws, which thing belongs only to the law makers, are we not Bu&s;y|bodies in other mens matters?</P>
<P>8ly. That, It &s;eemes to be the mo&s;t hazardous and curious point (one of them) in
<PB N="5" REF="4"> all Chri&s;tianity, Pa&s;&s;ively to Obey, without being guilty of &s;ome &s;inne or other: Becau&s;e; Thereunto the&s;e two things are found to be of Ab&s;olute nece&s;&s;ity. 1. That, we be Ante|cedently Innocent, that is, That We be &s;ure, We neither doe de&s;erve, nor have de&s;erved our &s;ufferings, by any our own Weakne&s;s or Wickedne&s;s. 2. That in our &s;uffering, We &s;inne not again&s;t any point of Chri&s;tian meekne&s;s and Patience; e&s;pecially, That we &s;peak not evill of the Power, By and under which we &s;uffer; and, That we be &s;o farre from grudg|ing at our &s;ufferings, and from de&s;iring by any indirect meanes, To &s;hift our &s;elves of our Cro&s;s, that we greatly rejoyce under it. Whether thus It be, or, when It comes to tryal, be like to be with You, Brethren, in all Re&s;pects, Your &s;elves will make the Righte&s;t e&s;ti|mate.</P>
<P N="9">9. Adde hereunto, That in things by God in Scripture neither cleerly forbidden, nor cleerly commanded i. e. in things doubtful and Indifferent, The mo&s;t con&s;cientious and prudent Believers have ever counted The &s;tate of &s;ubjection, to be the hugely Happy &s;tate, that is, That the Supreme Magi&s;trate and the laws &s;hould choo&s;e for them. For Hee, that hath the laws on his &s;ide, hath alwaies &s;ome thing of true religion to warrant him. And, Taking things upon tru&s;t from due Authority, or, Pre&s;umption in the behalfe of Authori|ty is alwaies the &s;afer: <HI>Prae&s;umptio e&s;t pro Authoritate Imponentis.</HI> And &s;ubjects ought to judge in favour of the law: <HI>Subditi tenentur in favorem legis judicare.</HI> And many the like good Rules there are to this purpo&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>Nineteenth.</HI> Your Contempt of deductions from Scripture; Contrary not only to the Pra|cti&s;e of our Lord Him&s;elfe, <HI>Mat.</HI> 2. 32; and of his Apo&s;tles, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5. <HI>v.</HI> 14. 15. 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 5. <HI>v.</HI> 17. 18: but al&s;o your own to; For, nothing either doe yee bring or can yee bring again&s;t In|fant-Bapti&s;me, It being in Scripture no where forbidden) &s;ave only certaine pretended deductions and Rea&s;onings from Scripture words and Phra&s;es. For in&s;tance, When 'ye &s;ay, Infants are not to be baptized, Yee draw it from Con&s;equence, thus; Becau&s;e there is no Command for it in your &s;en&s;e. When yee affirme the Covenant is not made with Be|lievers and their &s;eed <HI>now,</HI> as with <HI>Abraham;</HI> It's drawne by con&s;equence, Becau&s;e, &s;ay yee, <HI>Abraham</HI> is no natural Father to us, as to the Jews, and, Becau&s;e that Covenant was a mixt Covenant, &amp;c. When ye come to prove, Baptizing is by Plunging, ye argue by con&s;equence, Becau&s;e the word &s;ignifies it; Becau&s;e they went where much water was, and went downe into the water, &amp;c. And though yee greatly mi&s;take in all the&s;e and ma|ny like con&s;equences; Yet this is full <HI>ad Homines,</HI> or, <HI>Again&s;t your&s;elves,</HI> who deny con&s;equences to warrant In&s;titutions, and yet have nothing to prove your own way, but what is by con&s;equence from Scripture.</P>
<P><HI>Twentieth.</HI> Your wilfulne&s;s. Ye will not, ye &s;ay, be per&s;waded, that Infant-Bapti&s;me hath any ground in Scripture, unle&s;s ye may &s;ee &s;ome Scripture in &s;o many words affirming, That Infants <HI>were</HI> baptized, or, <HI>ought</HI> to be baptized. Is not this to &s;ay, Wee will not believe that God hath &s;poken any thing to this point, becau&s;e, Hee hath not &s;poken it ju&s;t as we would have had him? Or, We will not receive the <HI>&s;en&s;e</HI> and drift of the Scripture, becau&s;e <HI>the words</HI> are not ju&s;t &s;uch, as we thinke had been fitte&s;t? Or, We will not content our &s;elves with <HI>good grounds</HI> for the Practi&s;e, becau&s;e they are not ju&s;t <HI>&s;uch grounds,</HI> as we would have? What is frowardne&s;s and meere wilfulne&s;s, if this be not? By the &s;ame Arti|fice, yee may reject the Trinity, the Lord's day, and indeed every thing of faith, that is not in Scripture, in <HI>&s;o</HI> many and <HI>&s;uch</HI> words, as yee think had been be&s;t and fitte&s;t.</P>
<P>Upon the&s;e and other like con&s;iderations, It was, &s;ure, That One (almo&s;t your owne) did yet, many yeares agoe, thus proclaime in print; The &s;umme of All, writes Hee, that our Brethren have to &s;ay, though they make a great noy&s;e in the world, is only this; That they can find in the New Te&s;tament no &s;yllabical precept, or words of command in termes, &s;aying, Goe, baptize Infants; Or, any full po&s;itive Example, where, it is recorded in &s;o many words, that Infants were baptized. All that they &s;ay be&s;ides, is, to quarrel with our Argumens, and make &s;hift to evade the &s;trength of them; But this is the only Ar|gument, and their All to &s;peake on. For, however they talke of the Covenant, and Fle&s;h|ly
<PB N="6" REF="5"> and &s;piritual &s;eed, and &s;ome other matters; Yet this is their Great and mo&s;t &s;ucce&s;&s;efull Argument. And yet it's whole &s;trength, is nothing but this fal&s;e Principle, That no Con&s;equences from Scripture are <HI>obliging,</HI> or of <HI>Divine Authority.</HI> A principle carrying in the face of it, the&s;e three intolerable Ab&s;urdities, (among &s;undry other.)</P>
<P N="1">1. Then, No One can &s;peak Divine Truth, but tho&s;e that &s;peak ju&s;t the very expre&s;&s;ions of Scripture.</P>
<P N="2">2. Only the very letters and Syllables in the Bible &s;hould be Scripture, not the &s;en&s;e and meaning.</P>
<P N="3">3. All Prophe&s;yings (commonly called Preaching) All Enarrations, Opening, Ap|plying and expounding of Scripture, &s;hould be laid a&s;ide, as U&s;ele&s;s, if not Godle&s;s. Adde to all this; That the Way of the Church of England, which ye have left, &s;eemes to goe upon mo&s;t cleere &s;hort and certaine Grounds of Holy Scripture and &s;anctified Rea&s;on, &s;uch as the&s;e.</P>
<P N="1">1. Infants may and ought to be entered into Covenant with God, as upon other Autho|rities, &s;o particularly. <HI>Deut.</HI> 29. 11. Yee &s;tand this day All of you&mdash;Your Captaines&mdash;Your Elders&mdash;Your <HI>Little Ones,</HI> Your Wives&mdash;That thou &s;houlde&s;t <HI>enter into Covenant</HI> with the Lord thy God.</P>
<P N="2">2. When we &s;ee the Lord Je&s;us him&s;elfe counting childrens coming to Him <HI>by</HI> their be|lieving freinds, to be <HI>Very</HI> coming unto Him; We have &s;ure &s;ufficient ground to believe, That He counts al&s;o their <HI>Profe&s;sing</HI> the faith <HI>by</HI> their believing friends, to be <HI>Very</HI> Pro|fe&s;&s;ing. <HI>Phy&s;ically</HI> indeed or, According to the Phy&s;ical, &s;en&s;ible or decretive Will of God, This Profe&s;&s;ing is the act of the &s;ureties: But in Law &s;en&s;e or <HI>Morally,</HI> that is, According to his Moral, Intelligible, Legi&s;lative Will, It is the Childs own Act. Ju&s;t as when a Father puts his Childs life into a living, and ties him to take &s;uch or &s;uch a man for his Land-lord, and to pay him &s;uch or &s;uch a Rent; and if he doe not, to for|feit his e&s;tate; if he doe, to enjoy it according to the Covenants: <HI>Phy&s;ically,</HI> All this is the Fathers Act, but <HI>Morally</HI> and in the &s;en&s;e of the law, The Child is po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed of the benefit, as well as of the Burthen, as much as if he had both-known what is done, and al&s;o had done it him&s;elfe. The Accomodation to our pre&s;ent bu&s;ine&s;&s;e is &s;o obvious, that &s;carce Any &s;ure need to be holpen to doe it. For who &s;ees not that the &s;ureties, having Power and obligations from <HI>Deut.</HI> 29. 11. to enter the Child into Covnant with God, doe <HI>indeed</HI> &s;o doe? Engage him to take Chri&s;t for his Land|lord as 'twere? To enjoy and hold of him, all the Benefits of the Go&s;pel, under the Rent of Faith and Repentance and the other Go&s;pel. Ob&s;ervations? If Hee doe not pay his Rent, to forf<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">it his living? If Hee doe, To enjoy it with &s;urety and Highe&s;t comfort? &amp;c. And boldly may the &s;ureties in the Child's behalfe, prote&s;t, That it is, His de&s;ire to be baptized into the faith of Chri&s;t, becau&s;e every One may and ought to be pre&s;umed not only <HI>Con|&s;enting to,</HI> but al&s;o <HI>de&s;irous of,</HI> That, which is for his Good; As this his beeing entred in|to Covenant with his God, for certaine is No &s;mall Good to every Child &s;o enter'd; Un|le&s;s haply we dare be &s;o ab&s;urd and wicked to affirme, That it is better to be <HI>out</HI> of Cove|nant with God, then <HI>in;</HI> And, To be <HI>out</HI> of the Bo&s;ome of the vi&s;ible Church, then <HI>within</HI> it. &amp;c.</P>
<P N="3">3. In the In&s;titution of <HI>Chri&s;tian</HI> Bapti&s;me &s;ome time before. <HI>Joh.</HI> 3. <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 22. 26: and <HI>chap.</HI> 4. <HI>ver&s;</HI> 1. 2: and in the Commi&s;&s;ion <HI>for</HI> Baptizing, <HI>Math.</HI> 28. There is nothing again&s;t Infant Bapti&s;me; But rather, <HI>Math.</HI> 28. <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 19. 20. Roome purpo&s;ely left for it, becau&s;e therein Di&s;cipling by Baptizing, that is, by Engaging into the Name of Father, Sonne and Holy Gho&s;t that is&punc; unto the true Chri&s;tian Religion, is clearly &s;et before Teaching. The words, the&s;e; Beeing gone therefore <HI>Di&s;ciple</HI> all Nations, Baptizing them <HI>into</HI> the Name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Gho&s;t, <HI>Teaching</HI> them to ob&s;erve all things, what&s;oever I have, &amp;c.</P>
<P N="4">4. The Baptizing of Growne Believers is &s;o frequently noted in the New Te&s;tament, To &s;hew not the Proper and adequate &s;ubject of Bapti&s;me, but the &s;ucce&s;s and Power of
<PB N="7" REF="5"> the Go&s;pel; that, notwith&s;tanding there &s;eem'd to be in Chri&s;tian Religion &s;o many <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;urd and unlikely things, yet in very deed &s;uch rea&s;onablene&s;s as well as power was in <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">he di&s;pen&s;ation, that &s;o many thou&s;ands of Men and Women, come to <HI>mature</HI> years <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">nd judgement, and <HI>&s;ome</HI> of them the greate&s;t and mo&s;t judicious Scholars of the times, did yet very readily and deliberately engage in it, in the ordinary way.</P>
<P N="5">5. Whereas the main things, that ye &s;o much vaunt of, and &s;tand upon, are the&s;e two, your per&s;onall profe&s;&s;ing and Covenanting; both the&s;e (&s;uppo&s;e it were lawfull for every man to choo&s;e, which way he will go, whether ours or yours every &s;ober Chri&s;tian &s;ure would choo&s;e to have his Children doe, in our way, rather then in yours; becau&s;e they may be done, if not better and &s;ooner, yet <HI>as &s;oone</HI> and <HI>as well,</HI> in <HI>our</HI> way <HI>as</HI> in yours. For, whereas the time, that ye would have young Ones admitted to Bapti&s;me, is then, when they are come to be of &s;o perfect age, as to be able <HI>under&s;tandingly</HI> to pro|fe&s;&s;e, and <HI>&s;eriou&s;ly</HI> to engage; at this very point of time, our Church (according to A|po&s;tolicall In&s;titution and practi&s;e) hath ordered all &s;uch adult to be pre&s;ented to the Bi|&s;hop for Confirmation, and after that to be admitted to the Holy Communion, and <HI>not</HI> before. And whether ratifying and confirming their Bapti&s;mall vow, openly before the Church, with their own mouth and of their own accord, together with all the&s;e venerable and weighty circum&s;tances, that are or ought to be u&s;ed and &s;tood upon at the time in or|der to their being confirmed, and admitted unto the Holy Commuion, be not like to work as much upon them, and as much to prevent unworthy receiving, as would at the &s;ame time their profe&s;&s;ing &amp; covenanting, in order to their being admitted to Holy Bapti&s;|me; let any one Judge, that hath but once &s;een that ordinance di|&s;pen&s;ed <NOTE N="(a)" PLACE="marg"><HI>Augu&s;t&egrave;, cu|rat&egrave;, &s;ever&egrave; as the Now Bi&s;hop of Sa|rum, hath mo&s;t hap|pily expre&s;&s;ed the matter, in his La|tine preface, to</HI> D. Hammonds <HI>La|tine Treati&s;e of Confirmation.</HI></NOTE> So gravely, &s;o &s;eriou&s;ly, &amp; &s;o &s;everely as it ought to be. So that the whole que&s;tion, as to this point of Covenanting and Profe&s;&s;ing, is now come to this i&s;&s;ue; whether a Baptized Child, 15. years old, may not Covenant as heartily and truely with his God as an unbaptized Child of the &s;ame age and gifts? No man &s;ure of ordinary Capacity, can be much to &s;eek, which part of the Que&s;tion to take. Adde hereunto, that once already it hath been &s;ufficiently made out, and, if need be, may be again, that <Q REND="margQuotes">by this Apo&s;tolicall ordinance of Confirmation worthily admi|ni&s;tred, every Bi&s;hop in his Dioce&s;&s;e, in all likelyhood, &s;hall have really gained engag'd unto Ie&s;us Chri&s;t more by farre in two or three moneths, then all the Preachers of the Country, put 'em all together, &s;hall have done by their Preaching, throughout the <HI>whole</HI> year. So great encouragement is there, and &s;o great an Obligation lies there, <HI>upon</HI> and <HI>unto</HI> all Parents, naturall as well as Ec|cle&s;ia&s;ticall; whatever heretofore they have done, never any more, to be &s;light and Per|functory in this part of Paternall care and relation.</Q></P>
<P N="6">6. Tho&s;e words in S. Paul, el&s;e your Children <HI>are</HI> unclean, but now they <HI>are</HI> Holy; &s;eem to be direct and home for Infant Bapti&s;me. For the true meaning of them is this &s;ure; el&s;e your Children <HI>are</HI> or <HI>remain</HI> Un-baptized, but now they are <HI>Baptized.</HI> For, all other Interpretations are re&s;i&s;ted by the Scope of the Apo&s;tle, or &s;ome other weighly con&s;iderations; &s;uch as this.</P>
<P>The Holyne&s;s, that the Apo&s;tle here &s;peaks of, is a Holyne&s;s proper to the Infants of believing Parents (of <HI>one</HI> &s;ide, at lea&s;t:) But now no Holyne&s;s ir proper to &s;uch, &s;ave one|ly the <HI>Relate Holyne&s;s,</HI> of being dedicated to God and Holyne&s;s by Bapti&s;me: Therefore this is the Holyne&s;s here meant by the Apo&s;tle; And, <HI>Holy,</HI> here as much as <HI>Baptized,</HI> or, Dedicated to God and the Holy Chri&s;tian Religion by Bapti&s;me.</P>
<PB N="8" REF="6">
<P> Adde hereunto, That in the In&s;criptions of the Epi&s;tles, <HI>Holy,</HI> &s;eems to be u&s;ed <HI>al|together</HI> in this power. For what <HI>other</HI> Holynes may be affirmed of all the members of a Church vi&s;ible, be&s;ides this <HI>Relative,</HI> of being Dedicated to God and the Holy Chri&s;tian Religion by Holy Bapti&s;me? <HI>Rom.</HI> 1. 7. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1. 2. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1. 1. <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 1. 1. <HI>Phil.</HI> 1. 1. <HI>Colo&s;&s;.</HI> 1. 1. Compared with <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 5. 26. That he might &s;anctify and clean&s;e it, <HI>with</HI> the wa&s;hing (or, by the laver) of water <HI>(in</HI> the Word, or) <HI>by</HI> the Word; that is, That he might &s;anctify &amp; &s;eparate the whole Catholique Church to him&s;elf and Purify by Bapti&s;|me, as that comprehends. 1. The &s;acred Ceremony of Bapti&s;mal wa&s;hing. 2. The Word, or, The Name of the Father, Son and Holy Cho&s;t, or, The true Chri&s;tian Reli|gion; <HI>Into which,</HI> through <HI>or in</HI> the power of the promi&s;es thereof, and the obligation therein laid upon Parents, &s;o to devote their Children as well as them&s;elves, They are in very deed Baptized and engaged; And <HI>by which, having</HI> the &s;ecret powerfull a&s;&s;i&s;tances of the Spirit and Grace alwayes accompaning it, They are enabled to live <HI>Holyly,</HI> that is, according to the Intention of God, in cau&s;ing them to be thus &s;anctified and &s;eparated to him&s;elf and Purity, by the Laver of Bapti&s;me</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>Two Prolep&s;es, or Anticipations.</HEAD>
<P>The former, this; not, but that, <HI>Holy,</HI> or <HI>Saints,</HI> in other places &s;ignifies other|wi&s;e; But that in the&s;e places, and 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 7. 14. This is that power, which is mo&s;t agrea|ble.</P>
<P>The other, this; The Holyne&s;s, called foederall, or, of &s;peciall &s;eparation to God be|ing &s;ifted to the bottom, is found to be nothing, but this Relative, if not <HI>formally,</HI> yet <HI>fundamentally,</HI> namely, when Children are born &s;uch, as by the Covenant of Grace, have a <HI>Right</HI> to be made <HI>vi&s;ible Church-members</HI> (or, <HI>To be &s;anctified and &s;eparated to God and Holyne&s;s)</HI> by the Laver of Bapti&s;me, and in due time are Actually treated, accord|ing to this their Native morall&punc;right.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>A &s;ubmonition, or Item.</HEAD>
<P>Though Foederall Holyne&s;s (in the Nature of the Word) may &s;ignify the <HI>Right or Ground</HI> of being Baptized, as well as the <HI>being actually Baptized;</HI> as one would &s;ay, the Relative Holyne&s;s <HI>Fundamentally,</HI> as well as the Relative Holyne&s;s <HI>formally;</HI> Yet <HI>this</HI> and not <HI>that,</HI> is that, which &s;eems mo&s;t agreable to this <HI>happy</HI> place, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 7. 14.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, whereas ye are, many of you, again&s;t all &s;et formes of Prayer; To all tho&s;e un|an&s;wered, and indeed un-an&s;werable, Ju&s;tifications of them, that heretofore and of late have been given out, adde but this one Con&s;ideration, &s;o ea&s;y to every willing, though but very mean, under&s;tanding; namely.</P>
<P>That, whereas the great Ends of Prayer <HI>Common</HI> to two or three or more, whether in Church or family, are the&s;e two, to Act and Te&s;tify our dependance on God, and our Communion of Saints (the&s;e two, believing in God with all the Heart, and perfect chari|ty, being the things, that, for the new Covenants &s;ake in Chri&s;t, will doe any thing with Him and his Father;) When once ye have rid your hearts of all prejudices, and, by Grace, have brought them to that evennes, equity and indifferency to both &s;ides, that is nece&s;&s;a|ry; we &s;hall then make no que&s;tion, but, upon your due and &s;ufficient experience both of the one and of the other way, ye will your &s;elves acknowledge, that the&s;e two great
<PB N="9" REF="6"> graces, may not onely be <HI>te&s;tified,</HI> but <HI>acted</HI> al&s;o, and that God may be wor&s;hipped <HI>in Spirit and in truth</HI> (in the true &s;en&s;e of the Words) much more &s;urely and effectually, when all the Company aforehand know what Prayers and prai&s;es, they are to offer up to God, and al&s;o doe fully approve of the matter of them, then, when it is, as among&s;t mo&s;t of you, clean otherwi&s;e: as much as to &s;ay; when believers have nothing to doe, but to fix their mindes, and to draw out their devotion; Whether in all rea&s;on, they may not doe this much more certainly, having but this one thing to look to: then, when they have another care be&s;ides this, much more difficult <HI>for</HI> them, though if performed never &s;o well, nothing neer &s;o plea&s;ing <HI>to</HI> Almighty God, namely, For the <HI>mouth</HI> of the Com|pany to be, be&s;ides <HI>&s;teady</HI> in his cogitations, <HI>fit and proper</HI> al&s;o in his expre&s;&s;ions; and for all the Company, to &s;ee, that their under&s;tanding <HI>of,</HI> and pa&s;&s;ing judgement <HI>upon,</HI> his Elocution, doe not <HI>di&s;turb and interrupt</HI> their Heavenly mindedne&s;&s;e and devotion; Whe|ther, I &s;ay, both Speaker and Hearers, be like to an&s;wer the&s;e <HI>two</HI> cares better, then onely one of them, your &s;elves give &s;entence.</P>
<P>And indeed &s;omewhat the more confidently doe we make you your &s;elves the Judges in your own cau&s;e, becau&s;e of this late not un-con&s;iderable providence; namely, that one there is, who, being both very able and very upright and having, till about four years &s;ince, gone on very farre in your way, has now at la&s;t, after due and long trying of yours and <HI>all</HI> wayes, given up his mo&s;t deliberate Judgement, as to this Matter, in the&s;e words;</P>
<P><Q REND="margQuotes">If believers, <HI>writes Hee,</HI> were but once <HI>provided,</HI> and as it were, <HI>&s;tock't</HI> with &s;o much faith and Heavenly mindedne&s;&s;e, as to de&s;ire to act and exerci&s;e their own <HI>Infu&s;ed graces in every</HI> Prayer and prai&s;e and Wor&s;hipping out of the word of God, as God him&s;elf, rather then to <HI>hear</HI> others to act and exerci&s;e their <HI>acquired gifts,</HI> in <HI>making</HI> Prayers and Prophe&s;yings and Preachings <HI>upon</HI> and <HI>out of</HI> that Word; if once they would but prevail with them&s;elves to lay a &s;ide certain vulgar errours, &s;uch as the&s;e, that in things of diffi|culty is the greate&s;t excellency, That &s;ure and ea&s;y wayes of Wor&s;hip, cannot be the <HI>true&s;t</HI> and righte&s;t wayes of Wor&s;hip; that, becau&s;e &s;ome <HI>ca&s;ts</HI> of Men and Preachers doe require things of them, which they can <HI>very hardly,</HI> if <HI>at all,</HI> perform up to the rule, that is &s;et them, therefore <HI>the&s;e</HI> &s;ure doe &s;hew the <HI>narrow</HI> and <HI>hard</HI> way of life, the mo&s;t truely and uprightly of any; In one word, that hard and hazardous venerations, are the mo&s;t Heavenly and Holy venerations: If people would but per&s;wade them&s;elves, what is truth, That the&s;e errours are as <HI>gro&s;se</HI> as they are <HI>generall,</HI> and, being obeyed to the uttermo&s;t, <HI>as killing and pernicious, as</HI> they are <HI>plau&s;ible and catching;</HI> It would not then be long, but, by the holy and happy experience both <HI>of</HI> them&s;elves <HI>and</HI> others, they would conclude <HI>with</HI> them&s;elves, That, as in diet the &s;imple&s;t and plaine&s;t victuals is al|wayes the mo&s;t whole&s;ome and healthy; and as in curing the body, <HI>Parabilia Remedia,</HI> as oft as we can hit on them, that is, remedies at hand and cheap and &s;uch as every one may have, are found to be the be&s;t and mo&s;t effectuall: &s;o al&s;o in cheri&s;hing the Soul, that way of publick Wor&s;hip, wherein every one that will, may <HI>joyn</HI> in tongue and in ge&s;ture, outwardly <HI>(P&s;al.</HI> 95. 2. &amp; 35. 28. &amp; 63. Ver&s;. 4. 5. 6. <HI>&amp;c)</HI> as well as in deed and in truth, ;inwardly, Is that certes, which is like to be mo&s;t acceptable to God, by how much the more &s;uitable it is to what&s;oever degrees and conditions of the <HI>People of God.</HI></Q></P>
<P>To this, adde; 1. That the gift of Prayer (as they, that are mo&s;t eminently endowed with it, will readily acknowledge) is not a boon dropt into the Soul from Heaven, entire|ly, Immediatly, by extraordinary favour, and in one in&s;tant; and &s;o one &s;ure Argument of a mighty power of grace and of the Spirit in all tho&s;e in whom it appears (as mo&s;t &s;im|ple people by little and little have been brought to think); But a very acqui&s;ition of In|du&s;try,
<PB N="10" REF="7"> time, and unwearied Practi&s;e, as Preaching is.</P>
<P>2ly. That the main parts of it, are the&s;e three:</P>
<P>1ly. Confidence; gotten by venturing, long u&s;e, &s;ucce&s;&s;es and encourage|ments from acquaintance and others, as well as from God. Second; The &s;upervening pre&s;ence, or, quicknings, &s;trengthnings and &s;ecret heartnings of the Spirit; obtained by lifting up the heart aforehand for them, by re&s;olving to goe forth in the &s;trength of the Lord God, by teaching the <HI>greater</HI> cares for &s;aying and doing what may be mo&s;t plea&s;ing to God and mo&s;t profitable to the hearers, to drive out the&s;e <HI>le&s;&s;er,</HI> concerning Applau&s;e and cen&s;ure, and by de&s;pairing of any &s;ucce&s;&s;e worth &s;peaking of, unle&s;s He, in his &s;till but effectuall way, doe, in the very Act, &s;upply us, minutely, with Aides, Divine, &s;udain and as yet not appearing. Third part; a magazine of Scripture, expre&s;&s;ions fot all occa&s;ions (&s;uch as, be thou our arm every morning; cau&s;e us to take hold of thy &s;trength &amp;c.) laid up in the memory, and, after much u&s;e, offering them&s;elves upon occa&s;ion, e&s;pecially if we have had time aforehand, by meditation to rub them up, and to range and di&s;po&s;e of them in our minds, as we conceive to be mo&s;t decent and affe|cting. (for &s;o certainly, even the mo&s;t able of us doe alwaies de&s;ire &s;ome time for our preparation, e&s;pecially if the occa&s;ion be more &s;olemne then ordinary, That, they that make as though they doe not &s;o de&s;ire, doe but deceive and cheat the credulous, as well, as defile and abu&s;e their own &s;oules.)</P>
<P>3ly That one of the able&s;t defenders of the Way of the Directory, being pre&s;&s;ed on every &s;ide by a mo&s;t able Opponent, at la&s;t very ingeniou&s;ly gave out his very be&s;t defence; This namely, That he &s;aw no rea&s;on but Mini&s;ters &s;hould be engaged to <HI>Study</HI> for their <HI>Prayers</HI> as for <HI>their Sermons.</HI> Thereby plainly acknowledging, That they are the Lea&s;urely products of Humane &s;tudy, and not only &s;udaine Injections of Divine Operation.</P>
<P>4ly That the Spirit of Grace and Supplications <HI>Zech.</HI> 12. 10. is <HI>there</HI> &s;ignifyed to con&s;i&s;t in looking at Him, whom we have pierced and in mourning for him, and for our &s;innes, that brought him into that mournfull condition; as one would &s;ay, In <HI>Acting</HI> faith and Repentance rather then in <HI>uttering</HI> fit expre&s;&s;ions about and of them. And &s;o we <HI>alwaies</HI> have <HI>That</HI> about us, though we <HI>never</HI> have <HI>This;</HI> albeit our credit haply may be le&s;&s;e among &s;ome men, yet our Comfort &s;hall not, before the God of them, and of us, and of All. For &s;o great and happy a difference is there between the &s;pi|rit of Prayer, and the gift of Prayer, That, As the latter very frequently is without the former, namely, in many Learned Heads and good Wits, but un&s;anctified: &s;o al&s;o the former is as frequen<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ly without the latter, in many poore unletterd, but very devout, and humble, and true believing &s;oules. Not that we are to take no care, or to make little e&s;teeme of the Gift; But that in Prayer the maine thing we look to and after, be not the Gift of Prayer, but the Spirit of Prayer. All the other Texts, that by &s;ome have been applied to this matter, that is, To a&s;&s;erting the Nece&s;&s;ity of the Praying Gift, are found to be as unconcluding and wide from It, as this in <HI>Zecharie</HI> appears to bee.</P>
<P>5ly: That one great mi&s;chiefe of the late tying all Mini&s;ters in Publick, <HI>to Pray|ing</HI> by the Spirit, or, at lea&s;t to <HI>Pretending</HI> &s;o to doe, has been this; That thereby many Godly good-meaning Chri&s;tians have come to mi&s;-per&s;wade them&s;elves, that All &s;et formes of Prayer, are not only <HI>uneffectuall,</HI> but <HI>unlawfull</HI> too. And &s;o in their re&s;pe|ctive families, have &s;et them&s;elves to variety and effu&s;ions, mo&s;t-what &s;o very unhappy and unbecoming, that the end has been, the great di&s;like, Regrette, and Blu&s;hing not only of Friends, Children and Servants, but al&s;o of them&s;elves too. Nay hence, that greater mi&s;chiefe al&s;o; namely, When they &s;aw they could not worthily keep up their
<PB N="11" REF="7"> Family-devotions by the Gift, have kept it up no Way at all, but have let it wholly &s;ink; to the great di&s;honour of God and Religion, add to the great decay of Faith and Piety both in them&s;elves and Hou&s;holds.</P>
<P>6ly That for the&s;e Mini&s;ter, that in very deed have the gift in any mea&s;ure, They may <HI>u&s;e,</HI> and, if they think it lawfull, <HI>&s;hew</HI> it too, not onely in their families, but in the Congregation al&s;o, In their Prayer before Sermon. And the&s;e two open exerci&s;es <HI>of</HI> it, together with that of the clo&s;et (the mo&s;t proper place of all <HI>for</HI> it) may in all rea&s;on be thought &s;cope enough for the gift to walk in at plea&s;ure; without encroching and growing upon tho&s;e other times and places, which due authority has otherwi&s;e deter|mined of. E&s;pecially, when now that is by mo&s;t granted which is mo&s;t true, that God may, if not more earne&s;tly, yet as earne&s;tly be &s;ought and wra&s;tled with, by forms as by the gift.</P>
<P>7ly That to be &s;o zealous for the honour, and u&s;e of a <HI>pure Humane</HI> acqui&s;ition, as, for it, to venture upon violating a <HI>Divine</HI> command, namely, That for obedience and &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion to due authority, &s;eems a hardine&s;s &s;avouring as little of prudence and &s;ound di&s;cretion, as it does of faith and true Religion.</P>
<P>8ly That, if a man pray never &s;o readily and devoutly by the gift, yet to <HI>Him</HI> onely it is gift, <HI>but</HI> to all the <HI>company</HI> form, for as much tied and &s;tinted all they &s;eem to be by <HI>His</HI> words, as they would be, if they were the words <HI>of a Book.</HI> And hence comes it, that praying by the gift, has been mo&s;t rea&s;onably deemed to be much more fit for the clo&s;et, then for the Church, or Parlour. For, in the&s;e, <HI>to the</HI> re&s;pective companies, it cea&s;eth to be <HI>gift,</HI> and comes to be <HI>form;</HI> and &s;o had as good be very form, known and acknowledged &s;o to be. Becau&s;e, in very deed, never a whit the le&s;&s;e is it, what it is, for pretending to be otherwi&s;e.</P>
<P>9ly If any &s;ay, they find by experience, they can be much more devout and enlarged, when they hear a man praying by the gift, then in and by a form; We an&s;wer, this comes to pa&s;&s;e generally, becau&s;e great prejudice they have <HI>again&s;t</HI> the one, and greate&s;t kindne&s;s <HI>for</HI> the other way. But let them be but upright and unbended in their opi|nions, and then, as but now was hinted, upon and after due experience, find they will the clean contrary.</P>
<P>To conclude, as to the whole, doe but hone&s;tly con&s;ider, thar there is no end of di|&s;puting and arguing pro and con, That, if a man will &s;et him&s;elf about it, Hee may have &s;ome thing or other, to &s;ay again&s;t any thing what&s;oever; That the <HI>Itch</HI> of rea&s;oning, has proved the very <HI>&s;cab</HI> of Religion: And therefore, if in very deed we doe de&s;ire to keep the &s;park of faith a live in our hearts, one great care for all time coming will &s;ure be rhis, to deny our &s;elves in our boldne&s;s of que&s;tioning every thing, that we can and have a mind to; and, when that, which &s;eems to be truth, is held out to us, pre&s;ently to admit and embrace it, though never &s;o contrary to our former, whether practi&s;es or prepo&s;&s;e|&s;&s;ions.</P>
<P>And now, Brethren, the&s;e 2. Things, the groundedne&s;s of the way ye are per&s;waded to, &amp; the unju&s;tifiablene&s;s of that ye are per&s;waded from, &s;imply &amp; &s;incerely being laid to heart; ye will, we hope, now at la&s;t be very <HI>fain</HI> upon that great Legacy of Unity &amp; concord that our Lord &s;o near his death, &s;o earne&s;tly bequeathed unto us; and al&s;o take effectuall care, That in this our dear &amp; Native Country, That heavenly prayer of our dying Lord may not in vain be poured out <HI>upon</HI> and <HI>for</HI> us, Namely, <HI>That they may be one, even as we are one. I in them, and thou in mee, that they may be made perfect in one,</HI> [<GAP DESC="foreign">, into or in one thing
<PB N="12" REF="8"> or mind, I <HI>and that the World may know, that thou ha&s;t &s;ent mee.</HI> Even &s;o, come Lord Je|&s;us, come quickly.</P>
<CLOSER><SALUTE>Dear Brethren,</SALUTE>
<SIGNED>your mo&s;t affectio|nate and daily Servant at the throne of grace, <HI>G. P.</HI></SIGNED>
<DATELINE><DATE><HI>Saturday Octob. the</HI> 4. 1662.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
<PB REF="8">
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
