A DECLARATION Concerning the great and growing evils, which from the undue admission, contempt of, with the total neglect, and causeless separation from the LORD's TABLE.  
ALSO, The Divine Right OF The supreme Magistrate Is vindicated, & that all private Oversights or particular Churches, are to be judged by the general oversight or Church-Government; and that the Magistrate may make Ordinances to command all to yield them creature-like obedience in hearing, and as new creatures to submit as they are called to the said Ordinance.  
Written by William Kaye Minister of the Gospel at S. with Christians approbation upon desire to satisfy such as deny to communicate with their Brethren in respect of circumstantial differences concerning Baptism.  
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eae of that bread and drink of that cup,  1 Cor. 11.28. 
So they established a decree, that they should come to keep the Passeover of the Lord.— Also in Judah the hand of God was to give them one heart to do the command of the King and of the Princes by the word of the Lord,  2 Chron. 30.5, 12. 
Put them in mind to be subject to Principalities, to obey Magistrates,  Tit. 3.1. 
Thou leadest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron,  Ps. 77.26. 
Christ yesterday, to day, and the same for ever,  Heb. 13.8. 
London, Printed for Martha Harrison, at the lamb in Pauls Church yard, 1655.   

The DECLARATION Concerning the Supper of the Lord.  
THere is none to be found such a stranger in Israel to what Opinion soever he pretendeth, which did never cast his eye, nor doth not contend for admission to the said Ordinance; in which way, as we shall be found faithful, or disobedient, the blessing, or judgement of God is to be expected or feared.  
Therefore seeing we desire as much to be taught, as we are in no measure constrained to declare; some pretending Christ, being unsatisfied how far the Lord after so long time of our carriage of the across, hath in some small measure taught us by his spirit to be wise to experience  

1. The evil which by the undue and negligent receiving of the Lords Supper, is, and hath been occasioned.  
Though from these two roots of iniquity( undue and negligent receiving) almost in all places inseparable, all the fruit of disobedience springeth: yet that they may be distinctly discovered, not to speak of the undue administration, which in the ceremonies may in the example of Christ speaking once for all, Take ye, &c. may easily be reformed: there is nothing we conceive can make the Lords Supper now unduly administered, then that the zealous and faithful profession( in which all should unite) hereafter partly mentioned, is not so preached, or declared and acknowledged, that thereby Jesus Christ might be so evidently set forth crucified amongst them, that the Communicants might be moved or made sensible of their intended duty, so that they might not take their own terms without preparation or profession, which all for the most part use to do; so that all that they use to say, is, That this day I am Gods servant, which for all that, is so little remembered, that meeting with their old acquaintance, through drinking, swearing, and profanations of the Lord, they do so far betray their profession, that some Christians are so far offended, as the wickedness of Elyes sons made some Israelites to loathe the sacrifice.  
And yet if the Lords Supper should be duly administered, yet if notwithstanding, as in the wisdom of Christ, the same in the often receiving thereof should not be remembered, what is this but to live above food and raiment? Is not the neglect thereof a sin? and doth not sin unrepented of, harden? Certainly though there is no absolute rule for breaking of bread, every Lords day,( though their Christian Liberty to observe it, is not be judged) yet questionless, so to neglect it as not to receive it, but once or twice in a year, makes it rather an accustomary homage which Tenants perform to their Landlords, then that it should be received for the strengthening of our faith, and renueing of our repentance.  
Betwixt therefore unduly and negligent receiving, how far the face of Christian Religion is obscured and countenanced, we need not to mention.  
And therefore if such Ministers do take notice, that pretend to baptize children in approbation of the faith of their fathers, and yet deny their fathers to communicate, as hereby to see their contradiction, it shall be their mercy, as it shall rejoice us, that the Ordinance being duly and often administered, there might be no cause of complaint of   

2. The evils which in causeless separation of believers: children of our fathers in the Lords Table is occasioned.  
WHich is such a woeful mystery of the Master-piece of Satans wil●ss, that there is no evil in openning the door too wide in admission without distinction, then it is in so shutting up the door at will and pleasure, as to make such distinctions; I am for Paul, I am for Apollo, I am for Cephas, whereby Christ is divided. Better it had been that some through blind charity had been feasted, then through self-interest, so to deny Saints their food whereby they are famished; for though in admission of all, there is too much daubing with untempered mortar; yet to deny Communion with Saints, is to break down the wall itself, to the ruin of the whole building; so then, while they pretend to separate the precious from the vile, and to observe order, the judging of the Saints in the order of baptism, so as to refuse thereupon, to give each other the right hand of fellowship, as weak or strong brethren, all is hereby so disordered, and the precious is made so vile, that in denying thus to communicate, what doth one Saint( pretend what smooth Language so ever they please) but in effect so judge anothers consciences, as to say, Thou art an art an unbeliever, thou art an ignorant person, thou art an heretic, or impenitent, with whom I ought not to communicate; so that not onely a great mystery, but such a Mass of iniquity is to be found, in causeless separation, as that nothing of the image of Christ, charity, moderation or self-denial in sitting with Judas, and eating with Publicans and sinners is appearing; but on the contrary, such rash and presmptuous judging of Saints lights and consciences, and such measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves by themselves, is so inequal, that as though the Lord were the God of the A, but not of the J, or were the Lord of the P, and not of the A or J; so that upon a free and faithful profession, admissibeing denied, not onely the little ones in Christ, but the strongest of on professors complaineth of injustice, that the kingdom of heaven is shut against men. And thus Christ is separated from his believing members, whereby the breaking of bread is the breaking of Churches, or by some is so mis-applied through causeless separation, as that some may their fear factious uniting; so that the Bishops rails did not so keep men from the Table, as the separating rails of divisions do hinder even the Churches of Christ from communicating.  
The evils therefore and judgement of God threatened for this uncharitableness, is so superlative, that nothing we know, but the parable of the great King that forgave his unjust steward that ought him ten thousand Talents, because he desired him, who notwithstanding, as voided of all charity, would not forgive his brother one penny of his debt, though he fell down before him, and begged his forbearance, for which cause the unjust steward was eternally punished, can but demonstrate the unjust and uncharitable proccedings of causeless separation of the Saints of all Churches; and yet we may fear, that these evils to some are so little discovered, that it were a mercy if we shall not be judged as accusers of our brethren; yet the Lord knows our hearts, and upon what account we are offended, not as that we make divisions, but it is our grief to see such a course taken amongst Christian brethren, as is a breach of charity, and cause of separation in the preservation of the one, as to prevent the other, we shall be known to be his Disciples, but that we have, or can( being entrusted with so small a Talent) discover the evil complained of, which we leave to other Saints to be more fully manifested.  
We humbly conceive, that if we had the tongue of men and Angels, we could not too sharply rebuk the spirit of Diotrophes, and of the Pharisees, in that as the one debars Saints from coming into the Church, so the other rebuk the Churches for sitting Christ-like which Publicans and sinners. Therefore not further mentioning the selfish pride and hardness of heart, &c. as by the fruits are appearing as hide in the causeless bowels of separation;  
We do own it to be our duty to stand in the gap, till the Lord in repairing thereof, in healing our backsliding and divisions, shall turn our mourning into rejoicing; for the more we are humbled to lay this sin to heart, the Lord doth more and more and more in mercy discover it unto us, that it is the step that leadeth to,   

3. The evils which through the contempt of the Lords Supper is occasioned.  
THe contempt of the Ordinance( seeing the undue receiving thereof brought a judgement) is such a transcendent iniquity and spiritual wickedness, that it is observable how the righteous Judge of all men hath so punished this presuptious sin, as that the Lord gave Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, Nadab and Abihu, with other Israelites and Gentiles, that according to the light that is in them, they not worshipping God, they ran into the snares to contemn the Ordinances, and afterwards to deny Magistrates, Ministers, prayer and repentance, whereby the hand of God in their temporal judgement was manifested amongst them; which seeing all is written for our learning, therefore we hope it shall be a mercy if our old acquaintance with whom we have walked in the house of God as friends, shall not like those in the time of the Prophet Malachy, be so stout-hearted to justify themselves, though they contemned Prayer and the Ordinances; Opinions destructive to the glory of God, the light that is within us, with the peace and welfare of the Church and Nation.   

4. Of the evils which through the neglect of communicating at the Lords Table is also occasioned.  
ANd though we cannot but confess, That some honoured Saints have forborn to communicate, not from contempt, but as expecting a settlement in Church-reformation; yet that there is evil in the total forbearing, some can experience, that heavenly mindedness is less esteemed, zeal more could, religious duties more formal, and the thirsting of their soul is almost in so small a measure operating, that they can find their inclinations to be indifferent, so that they have left that holy violence, by which the kingdom of heaven is obtained, whereby as the wives of Solomon drew away his heart, so by total sorbearing we are tempted, to backslide from the power of godliness; for it is a temptation indeed, not to serve God before we have attained to the height of perfection, seeing we cannot eat drink, pray, or work in, or follow our vocations, but we sin, but as we apply the righteousness of our Mediator, whereby we may go unto God our Father by faith in his sacrifice. Let us therefore, though never so weak, offer up our obedience, contenting ourselves with the height of that discovery of truth as God hath revealed.  
To cast then our eye with general Observations, upon all the evils above mentioned; may not every one that loves poor England, or that which is more to be preferred, the glory of God in the propagating of the Gospel: that is not a common Atheist, but may see the Commonwealth so endangered, the Church divided, and the very face of Christianity, like the ship in which Christ slept, so covered over with the billows of confusion, as ready to sink or to split upon the rock of causeless separations; so that it is high time, these evils or maladies considered, to think in the next place of   

5. Remedy against the evils complained of.  
THough itis without dispute, that the Lord our God is our physician, who hath the balm of Gilead to heal our sicknesses; yet it is as true, that he will not ordinarily( having decreed that man shall live by bread) find any other way then appointed to relieve him Therefore in looking upon the first, we must not overlook the secondary causes, which is the physic to be administered by the hand and oversight of the Magistrate and Ministers ordained   

One mind, or a Christian profession, in which all should unite, or thereby approve of one another as to be communicated with at the Lords Table.  
THat this is the best approved of physic, which with Gods blessing may cure the malady,( remissness or too much strictness in admission, being the greatest evil) Therefore in that one mind cannot possibly be otherwise expected, but that profession which all in baptism have before submitted unto, namely, to believe in Father, Son and holy Ghost, and to submit unto praying, reading, with hearing the word preached, singing, fasting, Lords-day worship, Church-Government, and all other the steps of Christs observations, professing also repentance from keeping of holy dayes, and all other the traditions of Antichrist and dead works of profaneness, whereupon we are exhorted to repentance, and to examine themselves how far they have walked contrary, and to look up to feast their souls, how renewed faithful appreheasion of the Commemoration of the Body of Christ, the sacrifice for their sins, and to be assured of his second coming again to their eternal glorification, that in the serious, faithful and powerful discovery thereof, Jesus Christ may be so evidently held forth crucified amongst them, that the Lords Table may be as much a judgement-seat to the presumptuous, as a Mercy-seat to the professed penitent; by which in charity, all thus, or to this effect unitedly professing, they do put on a wedding-garment; and until they shall refuse to harken, to the Church in private, and renew the same in public, as they upon this account Communicate, they ought not to be Excommunicated: for as upon Peters profession the Church, so any Church member is to be approved of.   

How far the Magistrates may remedy the evils complained of.  
Though divers of our brethren on a sudden( as if they had been bewitched) as forgetting that to deny Magistrates to bear rule in the Church, is so much the onely Doctrine of Popery, so that the Pope himself in exalting himself above all that is called God, or worshipped( which is the Magistrate) is therefore called Antichrist, against which, our martyrs  shed their blood, in confuting of which the worthy Labours of the apology of the Church of England is never to be forgotten; that this truth so much trampled upon, may be defended as formerly by all Christians, we in a most Peaceable and clear conscience do declare, That though the Magistrates were not friends to the Church in the time of the Apostles, yet the Apostles were such friends to them as believing what the Prophets foretold of their restauration, to take away the Dross and tin, as to declare the Magistrates to be Judges of unsound Doctrine, to war against Antichrist, and so to defend and over-see the flock of Christ, as that in their Government, a Godly and Peaceable life is to be prayed for, and expected; so that it is the Magistrates Divine right, as God hath Ordained, to make Laws, as good King Hezekiah did, & to command that the Law of Christ be obeied, having power to Place and displace such as disobey him, in which the life of Magistrates consisteth, of which most Glorious & necessary proceeding, that the Lord in his infinite mercy, may move the Magistrates to exercise the power, that God hath given them; so to promote the cause of God, unto which they are called, to see that in the general oversight, or Church-Government, all private over-sight or Churches being subject, they thereby may command all men to yield their creature-like obedience to hear the word preached, and as graciously called to receive the ordinances: the most pertinent example of heavenly King Hezekiah, 2. Chron. 30. is worthy to be written in letters of Gold, in that( as conscious of his duty) he made a Decree with his Princes, that all should come to the Passeover; which that from thence we may be aforded with a word of seasonable application, these & those times truly compared, let us consider,  
1. Because, Now as the Ordinances being generally neglected, Idolatry( as now, or no worship at all) did creep into the Nation.  
2. Because God brought a judgement upon the people, when they forsook the Ordinances, as for the undue receiving of the Lords Supper the Corinthians were punished.  
3. That until the Magistrates made an Ordinance to require that Gods Ordinance should be observed; the people were never before that time reformed; and though some of them laughed and scorned at the Magistrates Ordinance; yet notwithstanding, others of the elect people of God, were thereupon so humbled, and truly gave( as though no greater soul-saving Doctrine could be preached) more then the Magistrates commanding the people to observe Gods Commands. It's expressly said, That in Judah the hand of God was to give them one heart( though not reformed in circumstantials) to do the command of the King and the Princes, which was to keep the Passeover; so that we may clearly see, that when the Priests and People neglected to do their duties, then the Lord blessed the counsels & endeavours of the Magistrate. And thus we may look home, that all the supreme power that did not deny their power, nor did suffer the Ministers or Bishops to innovate and introduce idolatry, and superstition, for which God brought a late judgement upon us, did prosper; but on the contrary, the Magistrates that waved their care over the Church, for which especially as Nursing-Fathers, they are ordained, God did as lightly regard them; so that it is no less a blessing to the Magistrate, then to the Commonwealth, that they take care, that all in the Name of Christ be subject; for the candle cannot be removed out of the candlestick with the peace of the Nation; so that the promotion of reformation, especially at the Lords Table, from all the evils complained of, and threatened judgements, is an approved of most special remedy.   

A Godly ministry may remedy the evils complained of, if the Magistrates over-see them; if otherwise, itis extraordinary.  
ANd though the Ministers may with the Magistrates be blessed Instruments for the aforesaid remedy: yet if in their hearts there be never so small corruptions, Satan shall mould and act it with such advantage, that if the Magistrate doth not watch as much over the Ministers to see them do their duties, as Hezekiah was forced to command them to sing the words of David. However may we not expect that such as shall halt betwixt two Opinions, and that daub with untempered mortar, will conspire against the faithful Prophets, as they laid their design against zealous Elias? And therefore though the Ministers be Ambassadors, yet will they so come in their own Name, as that they will forget their commission, or neglect to promote it; though stewards and Pastors yet all will not feed the flock, which take the Magistrates wages, as Paul did of the Churches; and though they be a flamme of fire, yet if not mastered, it will consume itself, or become so could like that of Nadab and A●… hu in bursting forth into strange Opinions; so that if the Over-seers be contravene, it is the onely way which God hath ordained but when he gave power to work miracles, or preserve, or build his Church miraculously; for if we further shall descend and look upon the Flock, which should be the elect people of God, united, holy and peaceable, or such as are waiters to hear when God will call them; if they also be not as much watched and governed, as fed by their Pastors, as the Pastor is to be subject to the general oversight or Church-Government, how soon will they be perverted? Experience also will fully teach us, that first Corah, Dathan and Abiram upon pretence of their holiness, were therefore tempted to rebel against Moses and Aaron. Secondly, though peaceable, yet if not over-watched, they shall push not onely with the horn of doubtful disputations; but a root of bitterness, like a scab, will as the Apostle saith, cause many to be defiled. That lastly, though the flock from its union and orderly conversation, be but one; yet for want of a faithful Oversight, Paul foresees that after he was departed,( as Moses in effect  told the people that after his departure) men of themselves should arise and speak perverse things to draw away Disciples after them; so that many cannot be got( though we have no cause to complain) to sit at the Lords Table, or be brought with the fold to receive the common food from the hand of one Pastor.  
If therefore the Lord be not offended with us, if the time of his waiting for our reformedness be not nigh upon expiring, then for all our carnal security, divisions and disorders with the contempt of the Lords-day-worship, the seed of all proneness, shall but like the appearance of the enemy, awaken us, as it did zealous Nehemiah, to contend for reformation to stand to our Arms, to the abandoning of every appearance of evil, according to our place and calling.  
And therefore in the mean time in the humble and sincere discharge of our duty, we have in the name of our God, resolved to sit down and be solemnly humbled, until our gracious and wise God shall in mercy or Judgement visit a secure and back-sliding people.  
FINIS.