ILLINOIS
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
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Project Unica
Rare Book & Manuscript Library University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign 2015rt
,C OP I E
A LETTER
Written by a Friend, to one who
would be owned for Minifter of that Parifh. from whom he with-holds all Ordinances but preaching.
It may alfoferue to vindicate the faid Parity from many unjuft clamours.
LONDON>
Printed for william Ley at Pauls Chain nccr Dottors Commons.	1657»
5' r
\l>-P	Ke
CO
A Copy of a Letter, &c.
SIR,
T your fir ft coming hither I conceiv'd good hopes of fetclement to your own ando-thers concent • but now I fee no likely-hood thereof, but that the breach grows wider and wider, which I am lorry for- and the rather, for that I fear the caufe proceeds chiefly from your felf, partly in negle&ing that difcreet advice, given by Mr. ( arre/and others, Not to be over-tedious whereby you would tire your peoples patience : Exceptions alfo have been taken at fome expreflious in your Sermons out of Acts 4. 12. 1 hat the mercy of God tannat fave any-without a crucified Chrift. Its granted, That Cod hath ordained and appointed the way and means of falvation to be by faith in Jefus Chrift- but I hope you wil alfo grant this proceeded fromthe free Grace and rich mercy of God the Father: Its our Saviours own words, N> man
can come unto me except the Fati.tr draw hm. jGod the Father favesbyand through the Son, and all for his mercy. I no fooner think of falvation by Chrift, but the faving mercy of God the Father firft prefents it felf as the original and and firft moving caufe : you might ( as I conceive) more properly have faid, There is no faivatiota without mercy5 as Chrift crucified is the meritorious caufe ^ fo the love of God the Father mufc be acknowledged the onely moving caufe of mans falvation. For God fo loved the world, that he gave his cnely begotten Sor, that whofoevtr beluvetb in him jZ ft" 1 ‘ jbeuld not perifh, but have ever tailing hfefl wiih you had eX- J ° ’4 v' plained your felf in that faying.
Moreover this you lately preft once and;again,TW if we deal falfty with God,he will deal fa'fly with us. I’do not know that in any fenfe whatfoever it can be affirmed of God that
As ..... ' he5am,î,3c.
he deals falfly with any man.7 hem that deffife him he willdc~ Ifijr, and Prov.1.21), 26. itisfaid, He Will laugh at the de-jlruilton of fych as defy if? his evanje/^ and that he will fyrfake them that for fake him, &c. and all this moil juftly.Let God be true, and every manalyar.
I	underftand your deiigne is to have a gathered Church, and not to adminifter the Sacraments to any other-, a bufi-nefsof great moment-, I wiih you well advifed before you attempt it:, how can you in reafon demand Tithes, and payment of Subfcriptions, and yet refufe to perform the work of theMiniftryi You often complain of others for fi ghting of Ordinances, and at the fame time deny the admini-ftrationof them-, you will not deny them to be of C.hriils inftitution, of great ufe and comfort to believers.
But peradventureyou will fay, This Pariih affords few iuch-it were to be wifhed their number were more^but however their number is unknown to you • befides ( as I conceive) being a member of avifible Church, makes a man capable to be partaker of all the Ordinances of Jefus Chrift.
II	you will grant that which few will deny, That a particular viiible Church is a company among men embracing and profefling the Truth of Dodrine, v Salvation by Chrift, and uiing the Sacraments according to Chrifts inftitution, amongft whom fuch as are neither grofly ignorant in Dodrine,nor fcandalous in their lives, ought in the judgment of chancy to be well reputed, and admitted until they difeover themfelves otherwife^ for it’s pofiible amongft this company who confent in the Dodrine they profefs, there may be fome dead and unregenerate members, and fo may your members alfo when gathered. Matt):.7.21.hither pertain the Parables of theSeed, theTares, andlikewife the Net gathering both good and bad fiih.
Indeed the invifibleChurch isa company of thofe who are eleded unto eternal life,in whom a new life is begun here by the Holy Ghoft, and is perfected in the life to come. This is called the ( hurch of the Saints, the Sheep of Chrift, Joh. *0,28.2. i im.2.9,&c. This Church folong as it fojourneth(J)
©n earth, alwaAes lies hid in the vifible. And its called invb-iible, not that the men therein are invifible, but becaufe their faith and truth of Grace is invifible,being only known unto God and themfelves in the judgement of certainty,but to others only,in the judgement of charity.
• Thefe things being duely confidered, how can you anfwer it to God and his People, to withold from them fuch facred Ordinances profeiling to have taken upon you the care of fouls in this place, and c ot as a bare Lecturer?
It is not expected nor deiired youfhould admix of a!! pro-mifcuouily, as I faid before, fuch as through ignorance cannot difeern the Lords body, nor fuch asbepropbaneand fcandalous in their lives, whiles they remain fuch:, but as Patti charged /mothy , fo itsdefiredof you, them , ‘lo r--prove, rebxkfytxbort with ah longfuffi ting, tr-d Ddtro < ,&C 1 ‘ ' and z Tw.4. 2,5. Whileft you continue at this diftance, ^' there is no hope of good- if you would give the Parifhion-ers a meeting, that upon conference there might be(if pofli-ble) a right underftanding-,and if you be not wanting, 1 am confident they will not be wanting unto you-,I heartily wifh the A poftles charge may be all our practice, 1 7>»/.6.i 1. 7 o follow after high- Oja/tiff ,F cti b,Love,Patience,ri7‘ Meek^ ef ,
I tremble to think of the dangerous effects of divifion, fchifm and factions in a Parifh. Schifin Limply and nakedly is a breaking off from thecommur.ion of the Church in mat-tersofWorihip and Religion,upon fuch grounds as have no weight in the Word of God to allow them- as namely,when the fame faith or doctrine in fubfcantials is held^ and there is accordance and agreement in them-, yet through paflions and private ends and fancies, there is offence taken at leife matters of faft or order, and fo the Divorce is made for fuch faults in the yoke-fellow as are farfhort of adultry- as if the Members of any of thefeven Churches iliouldhave feparated becaufe of forne droffe in thofe Golden Candle-flicks. The Donanfts feparated upon that principle,.
That there was no true Church where good and bad were mixt,and that the chaffin the floor made the wheat unclean-, or that the communion of the godly was Mailed and polluted.(4)
ted by the mixture of ungodly ones amongft them. ft1	1 his was an open Schifm , both in breaking off from
the Churches of Chrift upon that reafon, and in affirming Liberty to ered new churches only,which he called the true
Churches of Chrift.
Sometime Schifm introduces Hereftev when men are run 1 Cor.tj.i3, out upon peevifhnefs of Spirit, or fome -unwarrantable grounds, they commonly run on into error of opinion and doctrine, being caught like a loofe and wandring fheep fevered from the Flock by the wolves which lie in wait for fuch.Sometimes the Schifm follows upon the error of opinion drunk in, and fo a departure from the truth is attended with departure from the focietyand communion of the Church, j tide having defcribed Hereticks, faith v. 19. Theft are they that feparatc themfelves , Mark,, ( faith ssuftwe ) in the natural Body how if a member be cut cfftcbefotil prefer, t* ly leavtth it, and it becomes a dead piece f flrjh; fo it is in the ATyftical Body of Cltrift^ thofe who feverdhenfe.ves byfchifm and fail ton from the body and their felLw-wcmbtrs, deprive themfelves of the influence of t he holy Sp rit• Pcrufe the Records of the Church, and you fhal find for the moil part, that faction hath bred hereiie, when difcontented Churchmen of eminent parts grew fingular,with-drew and Tided a-\	gainft the Orthodox, Gods Spirit left them, and they be-
^	came Authors of damnable Herefies.
This was TVc'V.iti« his cafe, afterhemr.diafadionagainft Cyprian; Don at ue after he made a fadion a gainft iMeltiadrs• airtHs after he made afchifm againft	^ and do we
not fee it daily in many of our Separates, &r. who no foo-ner with-draw and leave our publike Aifemblies , but the Spirit of God leaveth them, and they fall to ieveral different »Relation of abfurdities ? fo that if Liberty of confcience fnould obtain wcifparts ofhC a to^erat‘on (which God forbid,) its feared (in fhor t time) the world.Scft. !c maY befaidof England as it is written of Poland, *Thac 43.	it any man have loft his religion, he Thai be fure to find ic
Serm. £here, or els he may give it gone for ever, difference be- It was the fad complaint (not many yeers fince) of a re-tween good & verend Doctor, * 7 he fatal mfery (faith he) of thefe later
daysd*jeS'hath wadi nothing gooS, but in fy,nv • nothing true, but in opinion r} Religion is in a manner l Jt in the questions of R^
Igion.	*
And to inftance one more,that learned Knight Sir Walter Rawlcigh * much lamented that fuperfine and wanton age*Hi?,ory ofth= , of Liberty (as he terms it in his days) bythofe of the Fami- ^Tls mfr°h ^ lifts, Anabaptifts, and other Sectaries,, and further faith, Nuiu.io.C“’ that time wouldfoon bring topajs (if it w.re not refifted) that God would be turned out of Churches into Earns , and for» thence again out into the Fields and Mountains, and under Hedges) and the Offices rf the Mmifry (robbed of aU re-fpeSl and maintenance) be as contemptible as thefe places; all Order, Difcipline and Church-Government left to newnefs of pinion and mens fancies') je stand foon after as manj Religions would fpringup as there be Panfh Churches in England; every content ious and ignorant perfon clothing his fancy with the Spirit of God, and his imagination with the gift of Revelation, infemuch as when the truth which ts but ore, (hall appear to the ffimple multitude no left various then contrary to it felf, the faith of men will foon after die away by degrees, and all Re i igion be held in fcorn and contempt.
Indeed there is no age of the Church free, only thefe laft z T:m>4 days are moft likely to have moft of thefe dregs ^ Are not jU£je i7.'i8. thefe errors which are fo rife amongft us, either by infec-1 ting perfons of place and quality grown into that boldnefs, or by fpreading far and wide, rifen to that ftrength, that they do face, ifnotfeem able to put into danger of routing our Common faith, Publike Worihip, Authorifed Miniftry, and long expected and promifed Reformation.
Ob\ But perhaps you will fay, Many of thefe who arc charged with Schifm and Herefy, are holy men.
Ianfwer, That a holy man cannot eaiily be a Heretick, nor are all the errors of holy men to be called Herefies s though they may be hey and ftubble upon the foundation:
Again,! cannot be fo ignorant as not to know the moft fan-ctified and zealous men, are men, and fubject to carnal and corrupt affections,and may be fo far fwayed by them in their judgments, as not to be able to difeern without preju-:CO _	,
dice and partiality, Truth from Error- good men may continue infome error in Judgement, and confequently in a finful practice arifing thence, and live and dye in it,and that unrepented of, otherwife then as in the lump of their uu-known fins. It is nothonefty or fincerity that can privi-kdg men from either erring or finning It hath been obfer-ved of old that fome heads of hefefie have been well reputed for ftrictnefs and unblameablenefs of life-, we learn out of Attfttne, That PeUgitts had a very good teftimony- and Scripture tells us, They come in Sheeps cloathing, and fpeak lyes in hypocrifie^ we muft not meafure or judge of Faith by the perfon, but of the perfon by the Faith. ThatHorfe^as onefaies) of fuperftition and Idolatry, upon the back of which the Devil hath in former times made war againft the Church, is flain under him, and now he is mounted upon a freih horfeof another colour, called Liberty of Opinion, falfly called Liberty of Confidence} let’s not be ignorant of his devices.
1 wifh that both Minifiers and People may be more find tons totry the Spirits ■whether they are of God, i Job.4.1. To contend for the faith once delivered, Jude 3. To beware left we be carried away with the error of lawlcfsmcn, »¡Pet. 3.17 .To turn away from fuch as creep into houfes, and lead captive filly women, 1 Tim. 3. y. 6. Toavoid foohfh quo (lions, which are upro fit able and vain,Tit.3.9. To hold faith and a good conference, I Tim.1.19. To continue in the things that we have learned, andleenaffured of out oj thewordof God, 1 Tim. 3.14. Even thefe Truths fo well owned and prailifed in the good old Purii an-dates, in whofe times there was a people of as powerful god linefs as any in the world,practical Divinity was improved to a great height of clca * nefiand fwcctnefi-, but of late ami fee able declination from the life and power ofgodlmffe is comet pafa our practical, otirinward&clofewayesof walking with God in faith and love arefublimed unto fancies,& vapour out into fumes of flrange Opinions, and which is worft of all> wtta\e this dropfie to be growth, and conceive curfelves to be more fpiritual and refined, bccaufe more airy and notwnal.The Commandments, Confejfion of Faith, md the Lords Prayer he arufting, nay by fome held a fin to ufe them. The, Lord difeover unto its from whence we are f alien,aud incline our hearts more to truth & htlinrfi.Sir, I remain your affedionatc Friend,	K.C.
ANdforafmuch asit wasalfo delivered with aUprivacie ( not any one living foul' elfe privy to any word there ) it was expelled to have begot as private and friendly a conference betwixt us,but it was no fooner received,but by him imparted to divers of his ownparty,&I being told that many Copies ibete-of were ta^m,and not bearing f om him never fmee (it being above two months ago) although he had fcveral opportunities to have acknowledged the recek thereof ■ jo that now for prevention of mifreports and miflal^es m written Copies (contrary to my firfi thoughts) l have been containedtc expofe it to a more publi(e view.	R, c.