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Show Ellni "h h Church oflfrall. J_. and his three friends' and f ~ jl w~ d~' though all of them ~htcous by faitb, and all o 1 ~ ~c e :m . Cc d~ tired of .Abr.sham, yet wee read of none of them to . ar~mc1 e l nor is it credihlc they were ; for had they been Czrcumcift~, they would J!<Jt have k~pt fo deep filence ofit tfuroughoutall their conference wi~h Job, as chey doe; efpecially_ having fo otte~ occa~on co urge the poUutiott •f n.mm from the btrth.; whereof Czrc_umcifton ]lad.been a mofl: pertinent and pregnant e~dence_tocon'?-'lce the fame. And wherefore were they not all ctrcUIIfcifld, being all of them righteous by faith, but onely becaufe they had not opport7~< nitu 10 j ayne tbemftlvu to the houft 1of lfrael, to w~om onely the Cburch, and the Covenant of ~·au, u~to them and thetr feed, and the fealu of the Covenant were granted. . . Obje£1. lfit be objefud, that all that were ctrCIImCifed amongfl the people of Ifael, might come and keepe the P a§eo'!ler amongfr them : but wee here withhold the Lords Supper from them that are.baptized • .A1tfw. Our anfwer is, they that were circumcifed amongfl the Ifraeliw, might rightly keepe the P affetn~er amongll: them, becauCe the'' hole Nation of lfi"ael made but one Church, and the OJjic<rt or Minijlers of any one Synagogue (the PrieJl!, and Levites) w.cre Minifrcrs in common to the whole houfe of ljrael. In proporuon whereunto they that are baptized in any particular Church, may in like fort require the Lords Supper in the fame pardcular churcli where they are baptized, if there be no other impediment in regard of their unfitneffe to txamine themftlves ,which is a thing rcquilite to the recei'lling of the Lord1 Sllji.ptr, more then was required to the receiving of the Pa.JJeover. But now bccaufe the Churches of the new Tefl:ament are of another conflitutidn, none of themttatimaU, as the Church of lfrael was, but all of them congregatiottaU; Baptifme in me Church doth not give a man right to the Lordi Supper in ano· ther,-mtldle the Officers of one Church were the Officers of JU, (as in lfi'ael they were) or uuleffe that one Church and the Officers thereof did recommend their rigbt and powcr to another. 3· A third ground of our praCtiCe in this point is taken from the cafei)f publick,offence, which we conceive ought to be removed from ;Ul lUch as arc co partake together at the Lords Table ; fo we deale .with the members of our own Church, and fo wee deale with the .J members t'(l.~ membe~s of neighbour Churches in this Countrey: None of them are r~etved Unto the ~ords Table with us, whilefl: they lie under the fill~lt of any. publtck fcandall before the face of the Church : ForltJS our Savrours direction, that if a mm bring hit gift to tbt .Altar, atttJ there re'!'e~bm tbat hi~ brother bath ought againji bim, be · Jbould tbm le.~V< hu gift, and gne Jirj! to be reconciled to hit brother _ andthen come~nd offe!·b~gif;,Mat.5 .Z 3, 24. If this be arulefo~ aman.r ua>m prwate dtr<l1ton, 111 c~fe of priv.tte offences, it will be a rule~~[~ ror a ~b•k Chtlt"ch to dtnct' an offending brother to doe the like m cafe of a publzck,_ojfeltce : Wee doe therefore direct both the brethren of ?ur own Church, and of any othe.: Church in this Countrey, that 1f they prefent themfel vcs to. communion ·with HS at t?e Lords Table, they il10uld firll: remove fitch pub lick offence, a$Clther tbemfelver or theC/m,·cb·from whence they come, doe lie ·~ under, before the Lord, and us; that according to the ji.g11re in the lawofthePaffiovtr,oo/e~ven mufl:befoundamong ft us when wee come to fie duwne at the Lords Table together. Now thoHgh wee rather choofe to cover in jilcncr, and to mourne in Jicret, for any corruptions found in other Cbu,·ches, efpecially in thefe fo deare and nearc unto us, as the Churches of England be •, yet in thiscale,f->itbfi<lne[fo to Gorl and thetn,and the neceffaryde~ fence ~four own dne. prom dings here, confl:raineth us to confdTe ~undry pub] ic~ offences, under which our Englifh·p.:rijh ehi<rch~he, and wherem ourftlvu alfo were Jejiled,whilefl: we lived in them, and our Country-men arc defiled that come avec to us from . them. 1. I tis a publick otfence~ thatthey come ovt'l'not-as members of." lnJ particular vifzbk Chu,.ch,(tor they leave that relation where they left their habitation) but of a N14tiottall CJ.urch, whereof Chrifl: hath given us no patteme in the new T efl:ament; ·and in which he hath appointed no t:atiOil.JIJ Chtt>·chfs, nor any nationaU rvor:Jhip to he performed by them. - 2. Itis a publick offence, that thQI.1gh t~ey wer~ b.lptized in Come P~ Church in England, upon lome Covenant, or ftipulation of tlletr parents, or offome in their fiead,whom they call god-fathers •• which alfo was withoua warrant, yet generally they have conle ,; t~e Lord! 'fable without any fl•hlick.J»"-'feJJion of their own faith, or rePtll!~~ n>t,or promife of performance-Of tbrfe Chri.fti~tt dutie1phicb their p.1rmfr, |
