OCR Text |
Show Mafter John Cottons AlfJwer - - - - may be added, Al11 1 S·S· with 24. Where it appeareth fomeofthe members of the Church and of the Synod • held forth Cuch Dothine and Worfhip, touching the necdlitie of Circumcifion, and obfervation of the Law, as tended to the fubverfion of Coules ; and yet neither their mcmbedl1ip, nor the Eftate of the Church was thereby difanulled. The Conclufion.is ev.ident from thefc Premifes. It u a uaine thing now to aUedge,that t~ Ordinance! ofMofe! Jlllm fomet imeJ the OrdinanctJ of God, but fo the in'IJentions of Antichrijl never wer~: anti therdJ not the li~ honourabk rtjpel1 and tenderneffi to be fhewerlto the inventiom of Antichrijl, IH to the vanifhing Ordinanw of God ; For though this were of weight, in cafe I bad pleaded for the practiCe of any Anticbrifiian inventions, (which indeed was farre off, both from my meaning and words:) yet in this cafe it is whollv.impertinent. For that which I pleaded for, wat, rhecapa· bleneffe of godly Perfons of Church-eflate, notwithfianding their ignorance of Come weighty and necelfary truths : and the found· nelfe of their Church-efiatc, notwithftandingtheir ad million and tolera.tion.of Cuch ignorant members:unto which the difference of th:Jeverall objeB:softheir ignorance maketh nothing at all. For the ignorance of weighty Truths ( of one fort as well as another) necdlary to falvation, is a.finne of.like deftruaive nature, of what kinde {oev.er the Truths be. Befides, there is no need,either for the clearing of our members, or of our Church-eftate,toplead for the capableneffe of godly per· fons of Church-ellate, notwithllanding their i~;norance of the Trmhs.of God, whether more or lelli: nece!fary: For wee doe not look at it as any point of ignorance at all, for our members to be· lieve, they may partake in the gifts of the godly Minifiers in England; in hearing the wqrd of God from them. I know the Exami· ncr is vehement and peremptory in pleadinl:: for an abfolute necef fiti e, th•t godly per{ons before they doe j cyne to a true Churcb,aHdMini· Jl•ry, fhould Ji• and bewailc fo much ., may amount to cut off tbt Joule from a falfe church, ( whetber NationaU, P arifhionaU, or any other faljiJ ccn{fituted Church) Mini fie ry, Wur{hip, and Gov<rnment of it. But the voyce of God is not alwayes in every vehement and mightie winde, that rendeth mountaines, and breaketh rockes, 1.I<ing1 19~ ~~ . The Examiner is not ignorant~ that we ha'l'e fe~ua to Mafter Roger Williams. _d _be_w~a-i!-ed-N-~-ti-o-na!l,a nd Parifbionall Church-eflate, and have :taffour felves (by theGra~e ofChrill) from any invenr_ed wor-lhi or government of it ; yea ana from fuch en~ran<e Ill to the M'P "Rery or Adminifiration ofit, as was corrupt <It her by Nauo- }'r r Parifhionall Relation. Buc this is th>t which he rc quireth ~a ho (He I fay but not the Lord) that LVee fbould cut off our freulrvte s efrr, om hearing' the Mim. llery o f t h ~ p ~n'( b es · E 1 d b to ng an , as e-in\ 1 the Mini fiery of a Nationall, or Panfhionall Church, ~v~ereof both the Church-eftate is faHly confiituted, and all the Mm1fiery, Worfhip, and Government thereof falCe alfo. . But two things here may fuffice to anfwer th1s clamour. 1, Suppofe all chis were true, that he cla?'o?reth, but prooveth . yet this would I faine learne, wherem heth the finne of our ~bers in hearing the godly Minillers in the Pari~7' ? Whj,Caith he, in that tlley doe not cut ojfthemjilvu from a f alfe M•nijle.y. Now by the Minillery may be meant , m.her the office ?f the Mini!lery,or the exercife of the offic~, and gtfts of the Mm1Rery • From the ~ffice, and from the cxerctfe of the office, our mem~:s have cut off themfelve!,partly by fubmitting themfelves to a Mlmfteryoftheir own EleB:ion in thefe Churches, and par_tly by fu~mitting themfelves to no aB: of their MinifleriaJ.I ~ffice In Eng!an ' but whatan Indian, or any P•gan mig~ c partake m, who yet 11 cut "offfme enough from fellowfbip in thetr office. . C . a: • 0 atl: of dilunion, and fomcwhat more vwlent, utttngau,.u a . · h Th fi h d k h ( ·c nuy be) the Examiner reqmret . e mne e an eene,t en I !i hM' ·11 · · n char etb u n our members in heoring uc 1111 ers! IS umo ' g ~ . h them A,nd what (ball wee fay , IS there no orcommnmon Wll • - d h M' •n • En 1 d Communion between our members,atl t e murers Ill g •n ' whom they doe heare ? · b Y d b I tr . F. I There is a natur _.n communiOn etween h f1. s ko u t edn cl . ho r re· r. the one givet h counf ie 1 1 ,or • fl ~l' 0 In rue I n, t e pea er an t Je ea . h . receiveth it. or rep.roofe, or comfo rt; and the ot ei T h d 2 There is a moral! Communiun between a eac e ra ~ a lear~er ; and doubtldfe' our hearers may !came many preCIOUS Truths from them. 1r fi · · 11 Com· 3 What lhalll fay further; Is there not a 10 ha pmhtuap h . h P h d the Hearer w ep t e reac er munioa between t e reac er an I 'p - d the Hea-communicateth many fpirituall and heaven Y omt!,an Anfw.l , . rer receiveth them?· |