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Show 8o \ <.Mafter John Cottons .Anfwer an unfound and corrupt body,yet they doe not make the body no body. When the Prophet Ifai•h complained, that in the Church of ';udah, from the Coale of the foote to the crowne.of the head, there was no foundne!fe in ir, but wounds, and bruifes, and putrifying fores; yet whileft there was a Remnant among!\ them of fahhfoll Sail' ts, they were not yet no Church, they were not yet · Sadome and Gamorrll',though but for that R..emnant,they had been as Sodome, and like unto Gomorrha, Ila.1,6 .with 9· Say not though Hieruf.zlem and Judah were at that time degenerate, yet they had been at fidl an holy Nation, a faith full Citie,( Ija. 1. 21.) and fo bad a true conl\itution : which the Churches of England never had. For 1 , I might anfwer, That though in regard of forue prime members, Hierufalem was counted a faithful! Citie, and the Nation Holy, by Privilcdge of their Covenant: yet for the body of the people, Hierufalem was alwayes a City of the provocation of Gods wrath from the day they builtit,Jer. 32. 31, 32. And for the body of the Nation, M ofeJ charged them ; T ee have alwayeJ been rebeUiom againjl the Lord,jitzce the day that 1 knew you, Deur. 9. 7· 2fo And Stephen protellerh againll them; 'they h"{i alwayu wont torefiJ! the Ho!J Ghof1, tbey and thtir father~, A&.. 7· 5•· 2 . I doe not under !land , but that (according to Scriptu re) thofe corruptions which doe not dellroy a Church conllimted, the fame do not dellroy the conllitution of a Church. The Church is conflimted, and continued by tho f.me Grace. 3· Th• e:late of the Churches of E>~glalld w•s not corrupt in their fir(\ confliru•ion. B.ronim him(elfe confeffi:th, that Eugland received the Gofpel ten yea res before Rome ; and that from the Mini fie ry of the Apofi les , and Apofiolick men: who dcu!Jtlelfe conllituted the Englifh Churches:) nor after the manner of Rome, (which was then Pagan;) but after th: Apollulick Rules and PJt<erncs. This may fuffice touch ing the matter of the Euglifh Churches. Now touchln~ th e fecond thing obje&.ed, which was fro!TI the of· ficient CJufe of their confiimtion; It is fa iJ,they were gathered not Ly the preachin~ of the Gofpc', ( by which Churches 010u!d be plan ted and conl\ituted ) but by tile Prcclamation of Princes. Anfw. •· The dficie,Jt caufe of a Church is a thing without the Church, to .¥after Roger Williams. '-Ghurch and .fo no clfentiall caufe of the conllitution of a Church. ·The Pr~clamation of King H•ukJ.ab, and of the Princes, drew on multitudes of Apofiate lfraelituto the Communion of the Church at HierJ~jaiem, and many of them .in rnu~h I·ollution. : yet nei t~cr their own polluriqn, nor the Proclar'ilauon of the Kmg and Pru_lces did e¥acuatetheir·Church-ellatc,but encourage them rather ln their Church· worke, 2Chro,.. 30. S· to 9· and verfe• u ,12. ' 7•• 8, 19, zo. It was no pollution to the fccond Temple at H_mufalem, tha.t it was built by the encouragement ot t~e .Proclamauon of Cy- ·rm,Etra 1 . . . • > • • ;Anfw. 2 , > Wherefoeverthcre be ~vtlible ~a~nts gathered mto a Church, they were firfi gathered b~ the Mtmllery of the Got pel. For Proclamations cannot make Sames, but the word of th~ Go ·fpc! onely. If any.hypocrites,or timt-ferveu, doe for fe~re Jayne themfc1ves with the Saints in fuch a worke ; thouph thw fello.wfhi. p may weaken and blemilb the worke, yet It doth not de-firoy it. . f h . P "lb" 11 Cl Thus much touchinBtbeconl\imtiono ~ et; a;t tona mr· ches:Now touching their Nationall ~onfitu~uon,1t lla?det~ partly io their National! Officen,Archbtlbops,Btlbops, ana.tbetr Sel'vitors · pard y in their Nationall Synods and convocations.; and part!/alfoin~heir National! Eccleliaflicall Courts. • , The Ex• miner is not ignorant,·that (by the Grace ofCbnll) we have withdrawen our felves, and our Churc.hes a!fo from thts Natio11all Conflimtion, and fwm all Comm.umon.wuh thellh. 1 If it be laid ; But we Hiil keepe Commumon wnh t~e PartlbChurches .. ( in hcaringtheWord'there) ":ho doc fubJ e&.them! Clves to thefe Nationall.Oflicer$o Convocations, and Cour~s. Anfw. 1· Though the Parilli-Churches were lately f~b!<tl:. r_o them it was a burden (which as they did d:fcerne the mtqu·rte there~f) they groaned under, and now by the mightie Power of the gracious Redemption of the Lord Jefu•, ~~ey have lb1ken uff through the helpe of the Honorable, and R.ehg10us Prudence and Piety of the Parliament. . . . 2. Though thofe Nationall CourtS 111 thm Officers, d.'d fur many yea res tread downe the Parifh·Chu ~hcs, _ yet tbey d.d nut extinguifh their Church-ell•re. The T ox r ts pl.nnc, .T': t:amla (that is, men of Gentile-like pro ph 1nencffe, and mal!gr .. lt~e, ~'?d · L I . mrqult;c, |