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Show J06 cJWafter John Cottons .Asf-wtr 'to CHAr. XXI. ITwu my-ferious and unfeij~ned end~avour,in my Letter which rho Ex•miner hath anfwered, to have removed thofetwo Rumbling block< out of his w~y,which I perceived .had mrned him off. from holding fellowiliip with thefe Churches. The former was' '!be"""' of fit m liter of ou.· Churchu : The latter, Our-difrefPeEJ t! the feparate Churchu in England, u!Jil!r a.ffliaion , when nevtrtheleffi •ur [elves praEJi[e feparation in p~ace. . From the beginning ofhil tenth Chapter,he hath endeavoured to fallen the former of there Rumbling blocks, that it may ftilllie in his way, and fhnd (as an everbfl:ing wall of.par.cition) between m. y.'hich nevertbelelfe I have ( as you fee) through the bel~ of <;;ltrt!l~deavoured to dig through the fandinelfc thereof, that if it wer~ the holy will of God, it mij~ht fall downe (like the walles of Jef'lCho.) before the Arke of the Lord, and .neither dctaine him, nor others, from Communion with us. The la~ter Rumbling block , .he goeth about to re-eftabli(h in this, and the following Chapter-a to the end of his Booke; Come we therefore. to. confider, whether ther.:..may be any hope, of removing thia.!lumbling Wock alfo, .and ·the e!labliiliment thereof by the !amehelpe. The !lumbling block lieth fomewhat broaqer, then at fir.lt was propounded. _The Examiner takes it -as a great offence; 'th•t-WI wal~ between Chrift ·and Anticbrift. I. !"f'allif~ fe!a;ation here, and not ttpent!ng '!four preaching, ••rul przntzng·agat7)jl Zl_'n .our own Cou11trey. ., z. In rep!~4clung btmfolfe at S•lem, .snd.otbm,for fopar4iiofl, ?• ~" par.ttcular, ~hat my. {e/fehave co~ctived and JP•~n, 'Ibat jep4· rattan., a W<!JI, whzch God h~tb not profPered; M if (faith he) the tru:h of the Cburc]Jes depend<4 up~n the coUMtenanct of men,,. '!]>on ouJrr>~ rd peace •nd Iiberti<. . To ih~ firfl o~tbefe lanii;ver~ in my L~tter,'Ibat in Jlead•fha~ t•?g hetwrxt_ Chrifl, and Anttclrrijl, the Lord hath guided"' to walke wtth an _,...n foote between two ext.reames : fo that we neither defile •ut JeltJtJ wttb the remnantt of poUution in other Churches· nor dae we fof tb~ remnaHfl ofpoUution, rmotmce the Churches thcmfol~es,nor the bol] • Jbmgs of God <~mongq them • rr>bi~. our,felvu hfi'.IJ• found powerfu~ to fal'llallon. tQ 1'4afltr Roge:r"\W;.";;ill:lia:m::s:-.------=--- ------- f•!"~!ion. 'lhi< modtr--;,t;;i"{o j,;rre IH we batJe k.,ept, it in preaching or punting, we ba'llt J•tn< no cn.[e to r<f'tnt of it; B,., if arl) Jballjhrw 111 c•fe, rt?h) "'' Jbould reprnt ofit,we JbaU d<jirt tb r<f<ltt of it, yea a~d to repertt,tbatD't rtpmted no Jefl1ftr, , , Tbe Examiner here undertaketh to prove thi! midd/, walkjng to be naleffi tben baiting, ofJObich ,., have '""fe to repent. 1\nd this he endeavour! to prove to me, out of mine own Coufcffionw. Firjl, faith he, M'. Cotton himfe/fe confof{eth, that no N.tionall Provinciall, Viocefan, or P arifh Church, wherein fame t rue!y.gadly ar~ not, ar< true Churches. Secondly, Heprallifeth noCbUI'ch-ejlate-, but fuchiH u c.nfliJuted onefJ of godly perfons, nor admitteth any tmr£generat<, or ungodly pe,... [0111. Thirdly, H. conftjfoth, that 4 Church ofChrift cannot be conjlitu• ted of fuch god!y per[ons, who are in bondage to the inordinate love of tbe world. Fourthly, 'lhal if a Church conftft •ffoch, G.ds peop!~ oughl to [epa-rate from them. RepiJ. If thefc( which he calleth confeltons ofM'.Cotton) have ~en ftumblings to )lim, t fhall(hy the helpeofChrifl) foonc remove them out of his way. For I doe profeffe, that I never made ~ny fuch Confdlions, bot looke at them all as contrary to my Judgement, both in former times and to this day. For the fir It, Though there were no truely godly perfons in a Church, yet if there be (uch as profetfe godlinelfe ( fuch as they call vi!ible S1ints) to meete together in a Congregation to worfhip the Lord, and to edifie one another in the admini!lr~tioll of his holy Ordinances, I doe beleevc there is truth ofCbu ch-eflate. , It is true, I doe belecve, ami conftlfe, tb>t God r<quiCI'tll more then profeOion of godlinelf<,evcn Iince ride of hQlineOe in Chwchmembers, and it is no rm·allrinnc in them , if it be wan ring; But what iffome, ifmofl, if all bdetve not? Sb,U rheir •mbeliefe m•~• the f•irh nfGoJ of nonerffiU? God forbid{ Rqrn.3. 3, 4· I fan hypccrit'Clll Church were no Church , ,then an hypoc• i<ic• ll M.nirt< r v;ere no Mbif\er, and his admini!irations nullities. Cul;w injlit«tv.-<; in the whole !atirm1e of it, as Churche•, l''hrir1en«, Se.~", Cenfurcs,&c. they are all ord;ined f<Jr the EJ,I:ts f~ke. l'.nd the 0 o 2 E!cl:t |
