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Show Ma{/u Jolm Cohons /Jn(wer ---- C!/'111jiv. l. :)tun.:;:WUU!d lay; lc is llUt necc 1J.iry,th.t~ bn·e· l • :;:,;. inull Communion bet11:een the Preacher and the Heare r : N.> more then it nukerh a Matlie ln• tica ll Lumrnlmion b,. t ww1 a 1 eadcr of lhot\!Jthttin tickF,.'fnd tHe lc.rmr olt0mc p.f11• cipl<s,or Conciulions from him. But 2. l would rather anCiver otherwife. 'For fuppofe a mem!ler .of our Churchts, thcugh > ~i Gl:iie Sai~>t he.' e, yet r11deed an hypb· crit<, fhould c cc~fio>\ally hear~ a M11Hfler tn England, and by the Power of rhe Spirit of Gr•ce breathing in liis Mi1oillery,be tffetlL· ally brought home to Chrill, and by _li~ely f~i th unitetl ro hirl1: Here is a fpirituall Re!ation and Comhlurlion wrougHt between them: the one is a fpirituall Father; the other a nacurall Sonhe in the Faith. Nevertht!elfe,this l would fay, that this 'fpirituall Cciriimuriidn is Uot between this He>rer a nil this Minifier, in relpect o~ hlsOl· -fice, but in refpect of his Gifts, and of the Po.ver of the Spirit of Grace breathing in the difpenfation of fils Gifts. In wh'ich rerpiec this Communion doth not amount to Church-communion: Any !hanger might enjoy as much. Any Pagan Corinthian might come in, and hearein the Church of Corinth, 1 Cor.14.24,2). and reJP., a bleOing thereby' who yet had not Erdcliallicall Commuhldn with their Office. Alfo the Prophet Jeremy he>rd the falfc Prophet Hanani, yea (and in Come fence) faid Amen co his Prophecy: yet had he no commnnion with hi! f~lfe Office, Je•· 28. ·,,to 6. If he llill urgr, that we h.we not yet cut off our (eivds from c,)mmunlon, no not with the falfc dlice of the Mini'fiery Of E,glJnd, and wilh their Lthc Church-e!btr, in as much as we llill ret a inc their BJp· t ifme, wher<in we fitbjeaed our felves 1 o their Office, and ro their Church-dtate, (which are both falfe:) as well as their Wodh'p, and their Government. Anfw. This is a furthcrObjel'dun, then he hdd forth whilen he com:nued with us: and therefore no marvdl,if my Lettcdp<ke noth~ng to it. Bm therefore let me now propound ,mother Puin r, wl~;ch may !i1ffice buth for an Anfivcrto thisOojeltion ,asalfofor a !econd Anfwerunro the former cl.tn>Onr, and exception a~ainn hcarirlg of rh~ godly Mioillers in E,gl.md. Thc'Point is this; Th•& I doe not f<e, how the Exam;rJer c.m ju!liF.c his r, rlevous ch•rge, that their Church is fa lOy confl itu:ea, (whether Natimla11 or P•· rifhio-to M.•Jier Roger Williams. ri1hionall) and accordingly, thae their Minifler)l, Worfhip, and Clovernmem are all of them f•lfe. Faure things he chHgeth to be falfr, n Their Church conl\ittltion, Parifhionall anrl N Jtionail. 2. Their Miniflers. 3· Their Worfhip. 4· Their Govemment. For the firfi, touching the confiitution of theic Pari!hionall Churche!, let it be conlldered what I faid before, that where t htre be villbl~ Saint!,there isthe true matter of the Church; and where there is a Covenant or Agreement( whether cxplicite or implicite) 10 affemble togeth er in or:e Corogregation , to ~I'Orfhip the _Lo~d, nd to edifie one another m rhe o, dmances of Chrtl\,there IS (tor fubflanct) the true forme of a Churcl:· And wile> e there is ~he true ner and tl ue forme of a Church, tt cannot be trudy fatd, that ~~h a Church is fa lOy con!lituted. F'or there bein!1, but two caufes f hich a thing is conflituted , matter and forme : whatfoever ~.~true matter, and true. forme, is truly conflitmed. Again[\ thi! what he wtll accept I doe not kr.ow : and therefore know not how' to prevent him with ~fit aHd jufi defence. But by other!, two things are wont to be objected. • Objell. 1. From the matter of the Church. Ob]ell. 2. From the efficient caufe of the Church. . . • From the matter of the Church, tt_ts objeaed_,rhat there be ~at · onely vi!ible Saint! in the Enghfh Panfhes,but wtth them are nun\ d many ignorant, and fcandal cm perfons, dmnkards, whoreg e de' p·1rersand pezfecmonof them that aregood,Prophane [mwoenagreerrss,, tb'a t h" ave not fa much as a f?rn1< of go d h· nerur: e, b ut doo utterly deny and deride the power of tt. . • A ifi This is ind«d jufl matter of mournmg and lamentauon 1~ ~~Saints ofChrifl,and may be alfo(in due order) jufl warto a. tf r e decree of r~paration from til<ll-1, as from a corrcpt Crahn , oh tolmt c ann"o t but offend and deep Iy gli<· Ve t he r,p .tn. t o f a Ch~r;. ·· 0· ~,t downe at the Lord! Table, and driuke the bloud of thtten tLaonr,d t w"i th fuch, who may be rea.d y t h.e r.<xt d •Y to [ p.t.l I t he blcud offincere Communican>! as Pum.m Round· H·. ~ds. But whiltfl the Saints cJ Cli rifl conunue amongfl them, the mixt fellow!hip of ignorant and 1 roph >~:e r-erfor,s do~h not eva- · cuate or difJtlUlltheir Church· eflate. The flare of mahgnant and no >Come humours in the body, yea the deadndfc and ronenneffe o[~1any members in the body, though they may make the boJy - a11 |
