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Show wiU it'"'" ~e proved,-.tfrat the Church fonjijlerh of anJ mort forts or nature; of ground properry,bu~one, to wit,th• honejl and good ground. And the proper wor~ of• be Church ~oncerncth tb, proJJeritie and jlouri[bingof tbu fort ofgtau,d, Jnd 110t of the oth~r thm forts. In tbe field oft he world then are all thoft fow ofgrounds,High-waJ• Jide,jlo'!},thorney l:fearers,M well tH the honefl and good grountl. eAndi foppo(e it ••iO 11ot be {3id by the Anfwerer, that tbeje three forts of baJ gmmds were Hypocrites or Tares in the Church, . Defender. Anfw. J, But whatif the Aofwerer will fay fo ?lc may be con· trary w his fuppofall, but not to the Truth. For I demand, did not Chrill himli:lii{ -<~ho was the chiefe S::>wer)did not he Preach, and fuw the feed of the wurd to all thofe foure forts of Hearers? And yet he was the Minille~ of Circumcifion, (Rom. 15. 8.) and Preached feldome to any, but to Church· Members, Members of the Church oflfrael. Anfw. 2. h's an error tof.ty,The Church confifleth of no more forts o! Hearers, but one, the honeft and good ground : for if the children of Church-members be in the Chj,!rch, & of the Church, till they give occafion of rejeltion, then they growing up to yea res, become fame of them like the High-way-fide, others like the fto· ny,others like the Thornef, as well as others like the honeft and goo<l.ground. Anfw. 3· Though it be not the proper work of the Church to attend the profperide and fluu.~ilhing of the three forts of bad 1\fflutld, to w,i~ w~}Jfft they ~C!{'tine bad: yet it is tbeir work~ to 1eek the" c~angmg of the ~ad m~~.poo~ ground, t~at fo they may come to profper and fluun!h. For IS it not the proper work of the Church,to bring on their children ro become the fincere Peuple of God, .1s well a! to keep themfclves in that eftate? Is it not a maine Branch uf their Covenant with Qud, that as God g;veth himfelfe to be a God to theni,and to their feed,fo rhey lhouldgiveup them· fdves and their fet•d to be his People? BdiJes,hatb not God given Parlours and Teache•s, as well for the gathering together of the Saint•, as for theedification of the body ofCh,ifl? And hath he not given the Church, and the Gofpel Preac!Jed in the Church, to lye ltke Leaven in three Pecks of Meale till all be Leavened? Mat.I3·33.• Anfw. 4· Tbere is not fuch refemblance between High-way· fide· ground, and goo<l ground, as is between Tares and Whea;nor would the fervants of the Husbandman ever wonder that weeds lhould grow in the high·way-fide ground,as they do at the growing of Tares in the Field. Nor would they ever . ,ke the Qud l ion, whether they fhould pluck up weeds out of the High· w•y· lide , or ftones out of the ftony ground, or pluck up Thornes out of the Thorney. CHAl'· z;. A Reply to hit Chapt. 2 3· Still touching tbe Tarer. Difculfer. Theft Tam I {hall e-vidmtly prove to be Idolaters, and i11 particular, properly Anticbrijlianr. For jirjl, the~ Tam. a1·e fucb ft~nerr, ar areop· pojite, and contrary to the Children o1 the Kmgdome, vifibly fo declared and maniftff, ver. 38. Defender. A nfw. 1. Thefe Tares are not fuch finners as are contrary to the children of the Kwgdome;for then none lhou!d be oppol!r_e to them but they. For contraries are fuch, quorum umtm unt opp~mtr<r. But evident it is there be mor~wicked ones oppofite to the children of the Kin~do~e, then Idolaters, and Antichrifliam, to wit,r ~ ofe n<iroriouOy lfandalous wicked ones, whom the o,r..ulfor namcth in the next Chapter, Drunkard~, T hieves, unclean< Pafons. A nfw. 2• It is a ~iipf<<, a begging of the Qydhon, to f•y that " thefe Tarts are luch tnmers, a~ arc oppofite and contrary ro <he . ''children of the Kingdume, vifibly fo declared and !lla11ifefrcd ; For the Tares were not difcerned at firfl, ( zs harh been !hewed a· bove) tili the blade was fprung up, and bruu~hr furth fruit. D:fcu!fer. Thefe Tares arz the Childrw of the wick;d one;which wicl,~dnneJ tali,e to he, not the Devil/ ;for the Lord Jefm Jeemeth to m>ke tim!' dijlmB. The '(aw(faith he) are the Children of the witk.!.d one, or wrck,ednejje: I he Enemy that fowed them if the Dcvill. , Vejenoer. |