SECT. I.

THis being a matter of such high concernment to be cleare-in, we will premise a few things here also to cleare our way into it, and first;

1. That we little thought, any Godly Mi­nister would have put this to Question, Whe­ther all persons, pell, mell, tag rag, as we com­monly say, how ignorant, how prophane, how notorious soever for their Deboiserie, are to have admit­tance to the Lord's Table by priviledge of Infant Baptisme; Surely this Question, de Juro, would have been exploded, when our times were at worst; Archbishops and Bishops at their Zenith or hight, what ever their Vicars, Curats and Parsons did, de facto, [Page 2] some of them, as very varlets, as were those, they did admit; But de jure, this should not have been so as may be collected by him, that is ordinarily versed in the old Service-Booke: Specialle that place, which relates to the order should be observed in th [...] administration of the Lords Supper, together with other Consti­tutions and Canon's, as to that sacred administration, printed sixtie yeares agoe, and reprinted a few yeares by-past. Wee will quote two places onely, one out of the Canons of our Church; the other out of the Booke of Common Prayer. The 26 Canon straitly chargeth every Minister, ‘That he shall not in any wise admit to the Communion any of his flock, which be openly knowne to live in sin notorious without repentance.’ And the Common prayer book, in the Rubrick before the Communion, commandeth, ‘That if any be an open and notorious evill-liver, or have don any wrong to his Neighbour in word or deed, so that the Congregation by him is offended, the Minister shall call him and advertise him in any wise not to presume to the Lords-Table, till he hath openly declared himselfe to have truely repented &c.’ Therefore we doe not doubt, but the Mi­nisters of the Presbyterall way (whose Plat-formes for Church-Discipline one of us have read) will rise up in their might against M^r Hs: and the men of his way and judgement, who not onely admit, but plead for admittance of any body how scandalous soe­ver, (it is a wonder, if those they admit, are worse then them­selves,) for their two pence, leave so much behind them, and take damnation with them; did Judas doe worse, that betrayed his Lord and Master? This may minde some body of what he may have read, was spoken of an Arian Heretick, I shall account him a Mihi non alius quàm diabolus, quam diu Aria­nus. Devill as long as he is an Arian; and perhaps he may apply it to this Gentleman, the leader of that drove or herd of Ministers, who are of the same perswasion with him; For it may be doubted, That he with his followers, have, to their power, don more mis­chiefe to the Church of Christ, than the most pernicious Here­tick now a dayes hath don. What! A Minister of Christ, speakQui non vivit ut ipse docuit certum id documentum est non esse Christia­num. and act so, so contrary to all men, who walk by the Rule pre­scribed them in Gods Word? You know his practise, and you shall heare by a little, how much he speaks anon against our Lord and Master, that you may know how well you have spoken in ju­stification [Page 3] of him. He may preach Christ, but doing things most contrary to the minde of Christ, he makes full proofe he is no Christian; Christianity being nothing else but as faire and full a Christianismus est similitudo Dei quantum possib [...]ie est ha­manae naturae. Just. Ma [...]t. o­rat. ad Anti. Ratio naturalis potest altecari ubi deficis lex. drought of God upon the Soule, as the Soule is capable off in this bo­dy of death; But see how justly Sin is called darknesse, it hath darkned, we feare, the very light of nature in him, or naturall reason, which, say the Lawyers, may speake where the Law is silent, so naturall reason where the word of God is silent; but where the word of God speaketh, reason must be dumb. Sin hath darkned that common light in the man, as may be feared; And now read him in his writings, how Crosse he standeth, and acteth to the word of Christ; His Blessed practise among His Disciples, and Commission given them to the worlds end; Therefore

SECT. II.

2. WE are, Sir, heartily sory this should grate so hard up­on you, but we cannot possibly help-it, while you hold so fast to your fore-man, & his tenent, as to free admission of all (no­torious for their obstinate and affected ignorance, as some must be where all have free admission) unto the Lords Table; It will fare the worse for you, because he is so bad; yee agree so well here, that we want skill to make difference betwixt you & him, therefore ye will pardon us, if, discerning no difference betwixt you, we make none, though full loth we are to Couple you together. But sith you will have it so, so it must be, and possible with some men, it may be for your honour; but however we cannot helpe you at all, nor, we suppose, can you helpe your selfe, by that proviso you speake of, which the man of your perswasion gives you, excommu­nication. If a person, man or woman, so notoriously vile and de­bauched, that he is more like a Devill, than a Disciple, then admit him not, but excommunicate him, Cast him out. We cannot thank the man for his remedie, It is not worth so much (if he had been serious therein, which we think he was not, being against his own principles) for whether shall we cast him? unles into the same place M [...] H^s. deserves to be himselfe cast (and it is his lightest punishment; for indeed he hath offended the Lords little ones eve­ryMath. 18. 6. one of them we thought till we thought of you) into the Sea [Page 4] with a mill-stone about his necke, for all the dry Land is a Church, as you so well know, and can make full proofe. In the next place

SECT. III.

3. WE would say in Allusion to excellent Calvin's words,Si dimidio Christi convuti effemus. if we could be content with half a Christ, our work would quickly be at an end, and we should agree; So if we could be content with an halfe Reformation (which will content the Godly party, as the halfe of her deare Child the deare mother) ye do not bid us the halfe; no, nor the least part or peice of Reformation; for, ma­king no separation from the world at the Lords Table, where or when will ye seperate? All one at the Lords Table, and every where one. The world and you cannot be two, while professedly one at the Lords Table. We will take leave to set downe excel­lent Burroughs his words, we have read or heard upon this sub­ject. Whensoever you receive the Communion with any Company, Reade Master Palmer, p. 100. you doe Confesse your selfe to be of the same body with that Company. I must professe that I doe beleeve my selfe to be of the same Body that this drunkard is off; this Idolater, this covetous person is off; this whore-master, this swearer is off; joyning with them to eate Bread at the Lords Table, (where these uncleane ones must needs be where all are admitted to be) professing nothing against them, nor taking any Course at all with them, for the exclusion of them, or pur­ging of them-out: Allowance of a thing done, is as good, as a Com­mission for the doeing of it. Therefore it concernes us very much to looke unto it, That it be an holy Communion we receive the bread and wine-in. In the last place

SECT. IV.

4. WE would adde this; That we are as unable to keepe si­lenceInveniar sanè superbus ava­rus, omnium vi­tiorum reus mo­do impij silen [...]ij non arguar dum dominus [...]atitur. as we are to speake, as the Learned doe, obser­ving, the ordinance of our dearest Lord and Saviour, so propha­ned; His owne order, in His owne house, whereof He is so tender, so blasphemed; and by those, who should be most observant thereof; His stewards there. We professe we wish our eyes foun­taines [Page 5] of teares, and that our hearts could melt like wax, and ourLuth: ep: ad Staupitium. bowells yearne upon these stewards in Gods house, who admitt all to his Table, come who will all are welcome; Surely if they repent not of these horrid doings, the Master of the house and Lord of the Table, will rise-up against these stewards, as once He did in Mount Perazim, He will be wroth with them as in Mount Gibeon; for by their meanes it is that a brutish, sottish people, ad­mitted by them to eate and drinke at the Lords Table, doe eate and drinke their owne damnation; encreasing their guilt there, and hardning themselves to their utter ruine, and everlasting destructi­on. And is this nothing? Nothing saith M^r H^s: for which some other will deale with him assuredly, and bray him in a morter, that his folly may depart from him, who saith in effect, though not in terminis; It is nothing to eate and drinke damnation to our selves, as all must doe who eate and drinke unworthily, upon ac­count onely of Infant Baptism: For by Comming, or, rashly, like naturall bruite beasts, rushing to the Lords Table, before the word of life, hath brought life to their soules, they eate and drinke judge­ment to themselves, and have put themselves into an utter incapa­city or impossibility ever to be wrought upon thereby, we meane as to the strength and power of ordinary meanes, That worke on other men for their Conversion, who have not willfully perver­ted the holy order of the Lord, which He hath prescribed, nor presumptuously passed over the ordinary meanes of Conversion: They have hard hearts, that doe not melt into teares, beholding a poore sottish people, encreasing their guilt every day, and more and more hardning themselves to their eternall ruine. There­fore for our deare Lords and Christs sake, whose Body and Blood we cannot see with patience thus prostituted to dogges and swine; for His Churches and Truths sake, the onely two dearely beloved and regarded in the whole world, for Soules sake, purchased at so deare a rate, (which argues the pretiousnesse of them) for your owne sakes, whose foot stands fixed in M^r H [...]: way (his owne) a way of sin and death; have we spoken hitherto, and shall speake in these matters before us, as we have beleived, And as the Church of Christ hath practised in all times, and ages, though not with that freedome and blessed libertie, as by the abundant riches of Gods goodnesse now they can doe, for which liberty they blesse [Page 6] God night and day, who hath so changed the times; Time was, and it was a sad time, with all the godly Ministers and people all over the Land, when there was no barre to keepe any from the Lords Table, but one, which superstition made; And was it a just Greife (to borrow M^r Sanders words) then, that there was no barre; And is it your worke now to remove the Barres, yea the Lords and his Churches antient Land-markes, and lay all Com­mon? The Lord God of gods lookes upon this, and will require it. Therefore in our tenderest respects unto you, we would Cau­tion you in our entrance to this Treatise, for with that or the like unto it we meane to end this; of all murther take heed of Soules De Eccles: lib. 2. murther, your owne or others, It is Salvians Caution. It is true your people will be very wroth with you, if you will not mur­ther them, let them eate and drinke damnation to themselves. The most cruell & bloody murther (though M^r H^s: will not beleive it) to suffer persons one or more to poison themselves with the Sacra­ment, which workes strongly, and kills presently, as poison mixed with the strongest wine will doe. Vineger, you have read, 'tis filius vini, and the sweetest wine degenerates into the sharpest Gospel Co [...]di­als to a fowle heart are th [...] deadliest p [...]yson. Mr. Fo [...]d. Sp. Ad. 470. vine­ger; As there are more liberall doles of Grace in time of the Go­spell, and specially given forth at the Lords Table to the worthy receivers; So are there the largest violls of wrath there also, given forth to eate and drinke downe by the unworthy receivers: very likely your people will not apply their heart to this, no not to this; But if they may not have the Lords Supper, as formerly they have had, once a yeare at least (which now will not serve their turne) or thrice, or, since they are used to it, once a moneth; they will crie-out against you all the yeare long, and Curse too; (to whom God hath not made it manifest, that they themselves are beasts) These ignorant, unreasonable and wicked persons will so doe, if you will not suffer them to drinke downe a Curse, and destroy themselves for ever, if you will not take the readiest way, to destroy them by admitting them so unworthy to the Lords Table, They will destroy you; at least they will doe, what they can. Why but, as the Counsell is to the Parent Correcting his Child, Let not thy soule spare for his crying: So regard not their Crie, nor their Curse neither. But, though they Curse, Blesse them, which you cannot doe; but in bidding them attend dili­gently [Page 7] upon the Converting ordinance, and forbeare comming to the Lords Table, till the Word preached hath done its worke, Then come and wellcome.—But we shall contribute more to this, at the end of this Treatise. And now before we come to ar­gue the Negative; That Children in understanding willfully such▪ Children of Belial alwayes, are not to be admitted to the Lords Ta­ble. We will with your leave heare you make out the Affimative first, That Children in understanding are to be admitted to the Lords Table. We have heard you (we shall alledge nothing from what we have read) and those in your way with you, make it out thus▪ and so this is your first proofe.

SECT. I.

‘SU [...]ely all our forefathers were not all mistaken, but they gave it forth to all, all along, till within these very few yeares, which they had not done, if they had not thought it lawfull to be done.’

It is hard to prove this, nay we thinke it is impossible; Though we grant that many the excellent of the earth, did give forth theseIt is hard e­ven for good men not to be c [...]r [...]ied dow [...]e the streame, when at once they goe with the wind of example and tide of Na­ture. Read Mr. Phil. [...] Evang. [...] pag. 227, 228. &c. seales to as many as came for them, and that was just, as you say, to all; And truely much might be said to excuse these excellent of the Earth, à tanto, if not à toto. The tyranny of Custome, as a tide or torrent impetuously running all one way, and carrying all with it; The Tyranny of Bishops also, as fast friends to Christ, many of them, as were these excellent of the Earth then, and now fast friends to Anti-christ. Indeed Issachars—we had almost said, curse (but to all His God turned it into a blessing) was up­on the good Ministers, and people, they lay couching under bur­dens; and this dispirits both Ministers and people, so that with him in Tacitus, if we may alude to it, gemens, sequitur tamen, they sighed, and they groaned, yet they followed the Commande­ment. And surely we may adde this, how did they breath after Reformation in these matters? And when they saw no amend­ment, we know whether some of them went, for it is knowne in all the Earth; and how did they there, And the faithfull here wrestle with their God about these things? And what thankes [Page 8] can they Render to God for what He hath done in way of An­swer to their prayers? Time was when another Girded these faithfull men, and carried them whether they would not; but now, blessed be God, they have a blessed liberty, to Gird them­selves in the All-might of their God, according to His Glorious power, to walke whether they would in all pleasing.

This we desire to leave upon your serious thoughts, what use and improvement is made of this liberty? or whether not abu­sed as an occasion to the flesh, by men of M^r H^s: perswasion?

And yet Sir▪ we must make bold to tell you, your proofe is naught, and proves nothing, Qu [...]d [...] n [...]n [...] haeresis est etiam v [...]us consuciu [...]o. Je [...] [...] Christ is [...]y Antiquity, That He did, and that He [...]pake, said Ig­na [...]ius [...]. T [...]ll not me it was [...]stoma [...]ily so done, but tell me what ought to be done. [...], &c. so an old Phi­losopher re­proved his friend A. Ge [...]. lib. 10. c. 19. What have we to doe with th' ex­amples and wants of our Fathers? they are no rules of our faith, or for our walking; It is not what was done, but what ought to be done If such a proofe may be warranted, what evill may not be approved good and be justified? Here the Heretique Euti­ches sic à progenitoribus accipiens credidi &c. ‘"This faith have I received from my Ancestours, in this faith I was borne, and Baptised, and in the same I desire to dye:’ and yet the same faith was an errour, and no faith. Full-up to the same words said another as very an Heretique as the former; Quemadmodum ab insantiâ edoctus sum, it [...] Credidi & Credo; ‘As I have been taught from my Childhood, so I have beleived, and so I beleive still.’ And the Idolatrous Jewes say much the same; So we have done, and our Fathers before us, our Kings and our Princes, and so we will doe. But Sir, we speake to you in our Jewells words; ‘We sit not in Judgement to Condemne our Fathers, God one­ly is their Judge, and He knoweth how to deliver His owne; He was able to preserve the Bush in the midst of the flame; and Daniell in the Cave, in the mids of the Lyons; And the three Chrildren in the midst of the furnace of flaming fire; and His people Israell in the midst of the red Sea: even so was He able to preserve His owne in the midst of that deadly time of darknesse. Ignosci potuit simpliciter erranti, post inspiratio­nem veri &c. He that erreth of simplicity (as our Fathers did) may be pardoned; The times of that ignorance God might winke at. But after that once God hath inspired the heart, and revealed His truth, whosoever continueth in his errour, of­fendeth without pardon of ignorance, for he is over-borne [Page 9] with presumption and willfullnesse:’ These, we have heard, are the words of Cyprian; and this shall serve for Answer to what our Fathers did: their doeings are no prescriptions for us. The word of our God is the Rule of our practise in all things; And we humbly conceive, it lyeth open before us as to this particular, as our Cynosure or Starre to direct us; whereof anon.

SECT. II.

‘WE have heard it said, to beare you out in your doings; That lear [...]ed and Godly men, doe as you doe, at this day in point of admission to the Lords Table.’

We oppose not here, nor gaine-say what is said of their Learn­ing and Godlinesse. But this we say, That your proofe is naught still, and proves nothing. There were learned and Godly men sure among those thousands of Israell called together by King David for the removing of the Arke, and yet they put it in a2 Sam. [...]. 1 Chron. 13. Exod. 25. 14. Numb. 4. 15. & 7. 19. Cart, against the expresse Command of their God, which was that the Levites should beare it on their shoulders. Godlinesse, we see, doth not priviledge us from erring, no not in the Highest matters, the Concernments of the Lord and His Christ. And for learning, the Lord prosper it, and sanctifie it, that it may be of use to His Sanctuary; for this we finde by dayly experience (we will borrow the words of that excellent Expositor upon Job)Chap. 4 12. It is Satans worke to sollicite the Learning of men (even as an a­dulterer sollicites the beauty of women) that he may commit folly with it, and beget some monstrous birth of mischiefe and villany. We proceed to that you say in the third place.

SECT. III.

‘THat Charity commands you to account all that are borne and Baptized in England, Beleivers, Disciples, and Saints, and upon that score, as their Children are to be admitted to Baptisme, so the Parents to the Lords Table.’

As Charitable as M^r H^s: is, who hopes the Best of all, so he saith; and, say we if of all, then he hopes the Best of the worst of all; what hope hath he of the Devill? Why, If he be a Devill [Page 10] incarnate, and baptized, he shall be admitted to the Lords Table, though truely we know not well what to say more, having hinted so much to it before; yet this we will add, That Charity dothR [...]ad Mr. P [...]l­me [...]. pag. 70, 71 both heare and see, and hath a rule, whereby to judge righteous Judgement, as of a tree by the fruits; of M H: his walke in the streete, by his practise at the Lords Table; for if naught there, it is our feare, he is good no where; Thus we judge of a man by [...] Ma [...]. 16. 1 [...]. his workes. And to the thing in hand, of a beleiver by his faith; of a Disciple, by his discipline; his schollar-like submitting himselfe to the teaching of Christ; of a Saint by his holinesse. But when none of all this is visible, but the Contrary to all this, They ac­count themselves Saints, are dealt with as Saints, yet they revile the Saints, hate and persecute holinesse: then we see not why Charity should make her mantle so large, as thereby to Cover that, which is so apparent, that it cannot be hid. When the a­boundance in the heart, the Treasure there venteth or broacheth­it selfe, by the eye, tongue, or hand, then it is easie to judge, Salvâ Charitate, That the Treasure within is evill, for it bringeth Matth. [...]2. forth evill things. The Physitian judgeth of th [...] sicke mans sto­macke by his tongue, that is foule, the stomack is much fowler, being the Cause of the tongues foulenesse; When we observe the smoake breaking-out of the doores and windowes, and from un­der the tyles, we conclude, there is much smoake within and some fire also, which, if Care be not taken, will breake-out anon. I see thy heart, said one through thy hand, which acteth thy heart, bringing it forth to light. We judge the tree by the fruit, which is not rash, because it is not ours, but the judgement of the word of God. We have heard it often said to Godly Ministers and people; Ye must not judge. They might as well say, you must not heare or see. We may judge and judge the heart too. What an hell above ground that is, where we see what an hellish life there is. We may judge the thoughts of a man not yet turned from sinne to God, that those are onely evill continually (for soGen. 6. 5. we are taught to know our selves, that we may loath our selves). But now, when these evill thoughts have minted or moulded-out themselves, by words and deeds, then thoughts become visible. We know the Mint in the heart, and what stampe it beareth, for we finde it upon mens words and deeds, which are, as we may [Page 11] say, the money that is coyned there: It is probable this last said remembers you of Salvian's words; I can tell you anon (speak­ingSi [...]lt quispiam s [...]i [...]e quid in templo homin [...]s C [...]gitave [...]ūt vi­d [...] quid se qu [...] ­tu [...]. [...]. 3. p. [...] to his hearers) what your thoughts are now, you are hearing; when I observe you, so soone as you are out of Gods house, running e­very man after his profits and pleasures; I kn [...]w full well your thoughts were upon them, while you were within: What the heart thinketh, the hand and tongue minteth, was the Proverb with him; and much the same with ours; Words and workes make a cleare Commentary upon the heart: these are the hearts Heraulds, pro­claiming the fooles foolishness. Yet indeed some of your beleivers, Pro. 12. [...]3. Disciples and Saints, are so evill, that wee need not (but that we must) observe either their words or workes, for the shew of their I [...]a 3. C [...]ntenance doth witnesse against them, and they declare their sinne. as Sodome, they hide it not. To put a close to this; de [...]ccultis ju­dicat Deus, God judgeth of things which appeare not, The face of the heart being as visible to Him, as is the face to us, and the darkest roome lightsome; But we may judge of things that doe appeare: ‘As the Church judgeth not of hidden Crimes, so nei­ther the faithfull, judge of the Churches by their hidden Hypo­crisie, but by their open scandalls in doctrine and life,’ said that excellently learned man Mr Cotton. When ye see men wallowing in the pollutions of the world like swine in the mire, ye have war­rant enough to call them swine, and account them loathsome crea­tures, and to excommunicate them the Lords Table, as yee will swine from yours. Wee charge too deeply, if so deepe as the heart, before the heart hath opened its owne sinke, and discove­red its owne filthinesse; but when it proclaimes its foolishnesse, as we read, then may we heare it and beleive it.

SECT. IV.

4. YOu say you know not why there should not be now as free admission to Baptisme, and the Lords Supper, as in those primitive times, there was to Circumcision, and the Passe­over.

To this we might onely, say as before, when you mention to us that Nationall Church, we should mention to you that Nationall Deut. 33. 18. discipline. As thus; If so be the hire of a whore must not be [Page 12] brought into the house of the Lord, why should the Child borne of a whore, be brought in thither. But indeed there was provisi­on against this, for the whore, if the daughter of a Priest, was to be burnt with fire; if the daughter of a more ordinary man, thenLevit. 20. 9. Deut. 22. 21. she was to be stoned with stones, And the Adulterer with the A­dulteresse were both to dye. So Sir, your Argument holds not, nor Can it beare out, as we thinke, this Custome amongst you, admitting such Infants now (for they are admitted in their Pa­rents right) to Baptisme, begotten, as is notoriously knowne, inVid: Ames: de Const. cap. 27. l. 7. adultery, and the Parents not so much as professing repentance for the sin; And so giving some satisfaction to the Congregation thereby. Sir, The Lord will require this at these Parents hands (for so we may call them) so also at his hands who so presumptu­ously baptizeth their Infants. Nor shall it helpe him or them; That though the Child was begot in Adulterie, yet it was borne in wedlocke; So have they plaistered over that horrible sin, for which the Minister must be as responsible, we meane for marry­ing them, as he shall be for Baptizing their Infant, before an ac­knowledgement was made openly before the Congregation, for so openly had they sinned. But the Lord lookes upon this and tells us with a voyce as loud as thunder, that sith man doth not, He Himselfe will be the avenger of these things. And if the people Levit. 20. 4. of the Land—&c. for we would leave it upon your thoughts, that if you, or any brother in office with you, have been or are faulty in this matter, ye may heare and feare, and doe no more pre­sumptuously; In the shutting up of this we humbly remind you, of your owne Principles, every head of a family (being by our [...]nf. Bap. 61. principles) an Abraham to his family. But how if he be an Ish­maell, worse than an Infidell to his family, how then in point of admission of his Children to Baptisme, or himselfe to the Lords Table? must he, having blasphemed the one Sacrament, be privi­ledged thereby to blaspheme the other? or having denied and renounced his Baptisme, as the manner of some is, by his workes, making full proofe he hath very ill husbanded that pretious Ta­lent, must he be priviledged thereby to deale so with the other? Yes say you, and accordingly you deale-out unto him. But did your Lord Christ deale so with His Talents? Math. 25. 28.—But wee referre it to the sixt Treatise.

2. Now as to admission to the Passeover, which you are plea­sed to say, was free to all, which pleads for the like free admissi­on to the Lords Table. That spoken before might serve here, But, to let that passe, we verily beleive there was not such free admission to the Passeover, as you would seeme to hold-out, or take for granted; And this our beleife wee ground on the Scriptures of God as we ought, and you expect we should, and indeed Commanded us; which needed not, for God commands us so to doe; We humbly conceive there is much in this Scrip­ture we reade; When your Children shall say unto you, what meane Exod. 12. 26, 27. you by this service? That ye shall say it is the sacrifice of the Lords Passeover; Wee Collect from hence; That the persons were to be knowing and understanding persons in the matters of their God, the great Concernments of their soules, and so knowing and understanding, as that they must be able to instruct and Ca­techise their Children in those High points. Now if you finde the Parents such knowing and understanding persons; you may finde reason and warrant enough to admit them to the Lords Table; But if very ignorant, yea Brutishly ignorant, for such they are, whom you have admitted, then seeke your warrant else­where for your admission to the Lords Table; for wee are verily perswaded you will not finde it from the Passeover; The free ad­mission they had to that, Sir, be well aware what you say, and as well aware what you doe; ‘Take heed of admitting (we advise you in worthy Hildersam's word [...]) such as are knowne to the Congregation, to be ignorant, malicious, uncleane, unjust per­sons, drunkards, Blasphemers; Make not the house of God as a Common Inne, that receives Guests of all sorts, and enter­taines all alike. The Gates of Gods house are called the Gates Psal. 118. 19, 20. of Righteousnesse; None should presume to enter into them (at least you should suffer none) but such as (in profession and endeavour) are righteous men.’

But to your Alligation from their free admission to the Passe­over; To our seeming it was not so free as yours is to the Lords Table For first, some were to be Cut-off, as we read, ‘Numb: 15. 30, 31. The soule that doth ought presumptuously, whether he be borne in the Land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the Lord, and that soule shall be Cut-off from among his peo­ple, [Page 14] because he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken His Commandement, that soule shall be Cut-off, his iniquity shall be upon him; Add to this, how deep the Lord Chargeth His Priests, Ezek. 44. 7, 8. Yee have not kept the Charge of mine holy things; In that ye have brought into my Sanctuary Children of a Stanger, uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh. Then at the 9^th verse: Thus saith the Lord God, No Stranger uncircumcised in heart, nor uncircum­cised in flesh▪ shall enter into my Sanctuary; which was a type or figure of the Spirituall Sanctuary, the Church of the living God in Gospell times;’ Whence it may be cleared we think, That, if some were to be Cut-off for their wickednesse, and o­thers to be kept off from the Sanctuary, as well for legall, and ra­ther for morall uncleannesses, scandalous sinnes, then also were they kept off from the Passeover; Yet we thinke the example of Good Rulers, as to this m [...]tter, cleares this further; They had under the Law by Gods appointment, at the time of their solemne assemblyes, certaine Levites, that were porters, set by the Gates 2 Chro. [...]3. [...]5. of the house of the Lord, that none that was unclean in any thing should enter-in. And it Commands our marke what diligence was enjoyned them in their office; The porters waited at every Gate, 2 Ch [...]. 5 15. and might not depart from their service. And hath the Lord Christ lesse Care of His service under the Gospell, than He had under the Law? Judge you: And take this also along with you, if please you, that you may make righteous Judgement; None that had any legall uncleannesse upon them might eate the Passeover, Numb. 9. 6. And may they be admitted to eate at the Lords Table, who have reall uncleannesse upon them? Give your judgement here also, but looke up to God, and into His Scriptures before you judge. And if it please you, let the Scriptures be, 2 Chron: 30. 5. 7. They had not done it a long time in such sort as it was written. They had not done it as their first fathers did it; who had the pure truth Committed to them, and so worshipped the Lord God purely. But they had done it as their immediate­forefathers, who were corrupt in their worship, and so in their practise, as these had done it so did they. Bee you not like your Fathers, and like your Brethren, which trespassed against the Lord God of their Fathers, who therefore Gave them up to desolation, as [Page 15] you see vers. 7. This was good Counsell, if it had been taken well; But it was very ill taken, for when Hezekiah sent the posts from Citie to Citie through the Countrey of Ephraim, and Ma­nasseh, with this Message, That he would have a reformation, ac­cording to the first institution or patterne, and would not have them doe as their immediate forefathers had done; It is said verse 10^th; That they laughed the Messengers to scorne and mocked them: What! may we not doe as our Fathers have done? must we now be wiser than they? Yes, saith he, you must be wiser than they, and you must doe better than they, else you will shew your selves arrand fooles, and utterly undoe your selves; for your fathers were stiff-necked, and did not yeild themselves to the Lord to serve Him, and to doe as He bad them; But they would doe as pleased them, and was good in their owne eyes, and so brought all this evill upon them­selves: You must not doe as they did, for then you must suffer as they did; whom God gave up to desolation as you see. Now read how these words wrought with some of them; not a few, the Lord by His Spirit setting them home, vers. 11. There was a Reforma­tion in those matters, and things must be done according to their first institution. We hope it will teach you very much in point of admission to the Lords Table. And yet to set home your les­son, and to helpe you in your choice of fit Guests for the Lords Table. Take, in the last place, an example from Ezra, Who would have none to joyne with him in the Passeover, But such onely as had seperated themselves from the filthinesse of the Heathen, and joyned themselves to Gods people, to seeke the Lord God of Israell, Ezra 6. 21. So much to your fourth objection. You have yet more to say to justifie your Doings.

SECT. V.

‘THat you see not why you should exclude any from the Lords Table, because how know you whether they mayGod is the onely [...]wg [...]ver, and we must receive the Law from His mouth. He that will please God, must shut all his own I­maginations out of doo [...]es, and have nothing to doe with th [...]m. We never disho­nour God more than when we take up [...]n u [...] [...]o serve Him o [...]r own way; and leaving His rule make a rule for our selves. Mr. C: on Job 23. p. 405. Ab extra ordinario ad ordina­rium non valet argumentum. not be converted there? It is you know M^r H^s: conceite, and we know you have said no lesse.’

To this we say, That you give us but your word for this, but give us one word from your God, and we will give you one of our eyes; Then search againe for another word to prove that [Page 16] this sealing ordinance is converting, and give it us, and we will give you the other eye, so for two Scriptures you shall have two eyes, deare though they are to us, yet not so deare as the truth, the least jóta whereof is of more account with our God, and so with His good people, than are the visible heavens and the earth. Therefore, Sir, M^r H^s: (we would rather mention his name than yours, so much we favour you) shall not put out our eyes with his conceits, now that he hath put out his owne by his sensuali­ty. He shall not abuse us as he doth the Scripture shamefully af­ter his manner, touching the Centurions Conversion by seeing Christ onely upon the Crosse: It was as mi [...]aculous and extraor­dinary, as was the Renting of the vaile and rockes, and opening of the Graves. And he is as well able to prove, That when he last administred this ordinance, he raised dead bodies out of the Graves, as that he raised dead soules, by his administring to them the Bread and the Wine, which yet is the thing he is to prove, That Conversion, which is the raising of the soule from its grave, is wrought in this way, we meane by giving out this ordinance; It is true, The people will speake Highly of it, That they never found the Word (of Gods grace) so prevailing with them, as was that, they heard delivered to them at the graves mouth, and at the Lords Table; But he that cannot see, that this is a meere de­lusion, and devise of Satan, and our owne heart, which is blind and cannot see a farre-off, and will make us beleive a lye, That God will step out of His way and worke extraordinarily for us, while we neglect and turne our backs upon the ordinary meanes, He hath appointed for the turning the heart unto Him; We shall speake more to this in another place; for the present we say one­ly thus; That this tenet, That Sacraments doe convert, senteth strongly of Poperie, and is most unsavoury, and loathsome to every good mans heart, being assured, That

That the [...]ord preached is the great Appointment of God, to bring Christ and the soule together, never to be parted againe. Preaching is the Chariot, that Carrieth Christ up and downe the world, here is Christ for you, who sanctifieth Himselfe for your sakes, That He might doe for you, and in you all that was to be done, and to suffer all that was to be suffered, for the satisfying of His Fathers justice, and the Compleating of an everlasting [Page 17] Righteousnesse, That ye might be Compleate in Him, and who­ly sanctified through the Truth, and throughly furnished to every good worke: Then preaching Christ Crucified is the Appointment of God for the salvation of soules; so many Scriptures give-in their evidence, that we know not how many: The dead shall heare John 5. [...]5. the voyce of the Son of God (in the preaching of the Gospel) and they that heare (that is, beleive and obey) shall live. Other sheepe I have (He meanes us Gentiles) them also I must bring (be­longingJ [...]hn 10. 16. Eph. 5. 14. John 17. [...]0. 2 Tim: 1. 10. 1 Co [...]. 18. 21. 23. & 2. 14. to the Election of Grace) but how wilt thou bring them Lord? Thou art in Heaven and they on Earth, they shall heare my voice. The preaching which Christ bids His Ministers preach, is no other but Christs voice, which bids the sleeper a­wake, and arise from the dead. It is that whereby the Spirit workes faith in the soule: it is that whereby life and immortalitie is brought to light, through the Gospell. All the Angells in Hea­ven cannot convert one sinner, (it is not their office or appoint­ment from God) But the word preached (which the wisdome of the world counts foolishnesse), converteth all that are converted, being that great Appointment of God for that end. It is just so with us now, dry bones, when Conversion is wrought as once it was; And as I prophesied there was a noise, and behold a shaking Ezek. 37. 7. 10 breath came into them, and they lived and stood up upon their feete, an exceeding great Army: As then so now, and to the end of the world, life and immortalitie is brought to light, into our soules by the Gospell; It is the Chariot of Christ, of the Spirit of Christ, The saving knowledge, faith in Christ, and this by the preaching of the Gospell, Thereby the Spirit flowes into the Heart, and all with Him: Faith the mother Grace with all her daughters all at once, and all together; While Peter yet spake, the Holy Ghost fell on them all, which heard the Word, Acts 10. 44. 11. 15. The Case is Cleare; The word preached is the Appointment of Christ to quicken the dead; The Sacrament of His body and blood is His Appointment together with His Word to maintaine and quicken that life, when to sence and feeling it is in a swound and fainting away.

This being a point of high concernment to be cleare in, we crave leave to proceed farther in it in way of Answer to that may be gathered from the holy Scriptures, against what hath been last [Page 18] said; That the word of God where it is preached, is the onely meanes in the Spirits hand of Conversion. And indeed (to mention it one­ly in passage here) some Godly Ministers, as is meet for us to judge, doe ascribe conversion, not to the act of receiving, as the man of your perswasion doth; (and truely, we thinke not one godly Minister in the world is of the same mind with you) but to the exhortations and prayers in use at that time before and after the Sacrament is administred. To this we shall speake hereafter in its proper place, where we shall tell our perswasion as to that matter. So we come to that we intend here.

1. It is said, Rahab the Harlot had faith, and it saved her from perishing, yet living out of the Church she could not heare theHeb. 11. 31. Word.

To this it is answered by our Perkins of sweet and pretious memory, That where ordinary meanes faileth, God can work ex­traordinarily, by reports and rumours, Josuah 2. 9, 10, 11.

2. It is said Pauls conversion was without the Word; True; it was very extraordinary, immediate by the Lords owne Hand, yet He would put an honour upon the word of His grace, which He hath appointed for conversion. He sent Ananias unto him, vers. 11. though the great work was don; for behold he prayes. And in the next Chapter, Cornelius now converted, must send for Peter.

3. It is said, 1 Pet. 3. 1. That the husband without the Word may be won; True; Without the word, he may be gained to come to the word, to heare it by the entreaties and perswasions of the wife frequenting the meeting place, and by her good example, and Christian carriage, adorning the word, which she had heard, she might by the blessing of God, win upon him to goe along with her to the place of hearing; his body was drawn within the Church-doores without the word: but his heart could not be drawn up to God without the word, the Spirit of God and of Glo­ry accompanying the same, which is learned Bezaes interpretati­on there, the summe of it. And we conceive that we reade 1 Cor. 7. 16. fals under the same construction.

4. Before we can put a close to this, we would put a Question here, and then put it to the holy Scriptures for resolution there­unto; The Question is, ‘Whether an holy Discipline in private [Page 19] houses, we meane, a godly education there, be not sufficient to turne the hearts of the Children to God, and to worke in them a true actuall faith?’

Before we enquire farther for resolution hereunto, we would say this first; That this ruling well his own house, having his chil­dren in subjection, with all gravity, workes marveilously upon them, making such impressions upon the out [...]ard man, as that they looke not as if they had been born dead in trespasses and sins, Children under wrath as well as others. Wee will proceed a little here to witnesse the honour we give to this Despised Disci­pline in families; surely a family well Trained, disciplined or Catechised, is a very beautifull sight; as is an Army well orde­red, all and every one keeping their ranks, and doing their Duty; A rulers walke before the ruled, if according to the rule, together with his exhorting, comforting and charging every one of them, as a Father doth his children, is very winning, and gaining upon the whole family, to doe as the Ruler in cheife doth; he being truely and indeed religious, his very example is a command G [...]n. 18 19., yea a compulsion Gal 2. 14. to the ruled, so as his whole family become reli­gious too; they give good hopes that way, at least they seemeJ [...]h. 24. 15. [...]. so; at the worst they oppose not, for then they know they must be no longer there; for a Ruler sits as in a Throne within his own house, and scattereth away all evill with his eyes—For the proofe hereof we entreat the Reader to consult with the Scriptures in the Margent; ‘We will note but one example of a Ruler, whose carriage was so gratious in his family, that he made not onely his family, but his whole Court to be a Nurcery of Religion; which may minde us what Philo Jud: speaks of Joseph, he made the Prison, where he was, a little Temple for the Spirit of God to dwell in. And indeed it must be so; He that knowes how to rule his own house well, is in a good posture of spirit for publike rule.’ The same wisdome, and justice, and holinesse for kinde, onely more enlarged and extensive, acts in eyther spheare, and will regularly move in the little and the greater house. The summe is, A good Ruler, who is norma publica, is marvelously commanding for good, as an evill example is marvelously com­pelling to evill. Whence the complaints of our Godly Ministers in all ages, which commands our mark and our mourning.

We will set downe here our excellent Burroughs his words upon Hosea 4. 25. ‘Woe to such parents, whose children, if e­ver they come to themselves, shall wish rather they had been of the generation of Dragons, and off-spring of Vipers, than begotten of such parents. Adde hereunto worthy M^r Burges his words; It is a woefull curse to be borne of wicked parents, from whom the Children learne onely to curse, sweare, lie and rob, prophane opposers of God and Godlinesse. We will read M Baxters words also, I know none on earth, that play theRest. 3. 305. part of the Devill himselfe more truely than these men doe; And if any thing that walks in flesh may be called a Devill, I think it is a parent that hindereth his childe from salvation, being carelesse of his education;’ He goes on speaking terrible words to carelesse and negligent parents, as the most are, but our ears are sealed, and our consciences s [...]ared, we will not heare.

And so much to assure us, that a pious education, and holy discipline doth much where ever it is, and the want of it doth much mischiefe; but holy Doctrine doth all, thereby the New Na­ture is wrought in young and old by God; whereas by holy discipline, our old nature is but painted and varnished over, which comes now to be proved when we have set downe Mr Baxters Pag. 129. 133. words, which seeme to us to speak contrary, we will note but one passage amongst many in his booke of Baptisme.

‘The Assembly, I told you before, that gave in their experi­ences about the time and manner of Gods working grace in their hearts did most give-in that it began as they thought in youth or childhood, & in very few by the Ministeriall teaching. And for my own part, I think that if ever I had true actuall faith, it was by the benefit of education before ever I heard a Sermon.’

We would speak three words to this (1) by way of Caution. (2) By way of supposition (3) positively or Concludingly, as we have been taught by our learned Godly Ministers.

1. By way of caution, we would wish no man to trust that Conversion, whereof he can give no other Certificate, but that he was virticiously educated.

2. Suppose that a parent by his holy Discipline and pious edu­cation had converted his childe by the good hand of God with [Page 21] him; we would aske, hath he done this without the Word? It could not then be called holy Discipline, or pious education.

3. But to speake positively, and so to conclude this point, that the word of the Lord may have in all things the pre-eminence; Edu­cation or the bringing up of a childe in the Nurture and admonition of the Lord, is but the externall moulding of a man, not the in­ternall Renovation of his heart: Education fashions and frames the outside onely; Conversion, if true, the inside; Education chan­geth the actions onely; Conversion not the actions onely, but the Nature also; for the effecting whereof there must be put forth an exceeding greatnesse of Power together with the Word; once more, and to doe our Utmost to drive it home, we are borne every mo­thers child, like a wild Asses Colt, we love to be free or rather dis­solute; we cannot endure to be subdued to order, we would know no Law but our own lusts; nor rule but our own desire; nor be servant to any but our own will: Yet the Law of a virtuous edu­cation passing upon us we may be brought into some good order and under subjection; we may be canded over and seeme more than Civill: And yet there is as vast a difference betwixt what Education doth, and the word preached doth, as there is betwixt Nature and Grace, and that is greater than between a mans Na­ture and a beast. Education may pollish and beautifie, yea and rectifie Nature, put it into a pretty frame for a time; But the word preached is appointed for this very thing, to change Na­ture, to put it into a right frame, and to set it right for ever; To change a sinner into a Saint; To make a Beleever of an In­fidell. Therefore holy Cowper taking this very thing into Con­sideration, That the word preached is the onely meanes of Con­version, would alwayes as he went to Church send up this eja­culation or short prayer, Lord bow my eare that I may heare thy word, Amen. He it is, who hath an Almighty Arme, and reach­eth it forth by His Spirit with his Word, and so maketh it a Converting word, that He in all things may be Glorified through Jesus Christ, To whom be Glory Praise and Dominion for ever and ever, Amen.

SECT. VI.

‘IN the sixt place we have heard you say, that you have done your duty, when you have told your people theirs, and the danger of unworthy receiving, according to the tenour of those dreadfull words they find written, 1 Cor. 11. 27, 28, 29, &c.’

THIS is well, but not the whole of your duty, no; nor the least part. They will not beleive that there is any danger in re­ceiving, at least, such you speake of unto them, being in your ac­count, and upon the same score admitted to the Table, Beleivers, Disciples and Saints; why should they Question that, which you doe not question? Let Turkes and Pagans question those matters, and not Disciples and Saints, we meane Baptized-ones, for eo nomine &c.

But Sir▪ it is good to be serious in these matters; as to be s [...]r­vent in a cold matter is no signe of Wisdome; So to b [...] c [...]ld in an hot and fervent Buisinesse be vrayes folly W [...] mak [...] bold [...]o put three questions to you; Th' one relating to a g [...]t Lo [...]d on Earth, supposing, you to be a steward in his hous [...] [...]d le [...]ve you to make answer to this Lord. The other rela [...]ing to the L [...]rd of Heaven and Earth, whose servant you prof [...]sse your s [...]lfe [...]o be, and a steward in His house. The third shall be put to your owne soule, and as to the other so to this make you your answer, Cal­ling God to record upon your soule. The first

1. Supposing you to be a steward to a great Lord on Earth; would he take it well at your hands? That you counselled yea threatened a rude and rascall Company, nasty wretches, and not worthy to enter your Lords house, much lesse to approach His Table, notwithstanding in they would Come, which yet they Could not without your Connivance, and more, and sit downe with Him at his Lord [...]hips Table. Answer this matter to your Great Lord, and so we leave it.

2. You are a servant to your great Master in Heaven, and you say, He hath made you a steward in His house. Make your An­swer to Him, Questioning you at this great point; why have you been so carelesse what manner of persons you have admitted [Page 23] to my: Table? make Answer to Him, we leave this upon your thoughts also.

3. Put it to your owne Soule, Is it enough to warne Men? we cannot doubt but you have been warning proud men and co­vetous and hypocriticall mockers, and you know whome, and yet they have Come. Doubtlesse, Sir, you should have restrained them from drinking a Cup of poison, and from Rushing upon their owne damnation. Answer this to your owne Soule, and when you are about it, Call God to record therein. Then per­haps you may tremble at Elies doome; I will judge thy house for ever, for the iniquity thou knowest, because thy Sonnes made them­selves vile, and thou Restrainedst them not, thou didst not bend thy brow, nor frowne upon them. A good man scatters the wicked with his eye, they shall not pertake of holy things, of bread ordained for Children. This shall suffice for that.—If a Lord on Earth will not take these doings at your hand, will your Master in Hea­ven? And if your Conscience, which is as we may say the Center of the soule, placed betwixt the understanding and the will, ta­king in the Result from both: If this your Conscience acquit you not, God is Greater than your Conscience, how will you Answer Him? It commandeth your serious thoughts in debateing these matters, and then to give in your Answer thereunto.

We would remind you of this last said, thereby to Render you the more serious, That as a steward is not to doe any thing, but according to the minde and will of his Lord: so nor are you in Gods House, but according to the mind and will of Christ, recei­ving, whome He receiveth; refusing, whome He refuseth; Cast­ing-out, whome He Casteth out: whence Paul exhorted the Ro­mans to receive unto them the weake in faith upon this ground, Because the Lord hath received him, Rom: 14. 1, 2, 3. If it be said as a Learned man doth say; That the Oeconomy of a Princes house is no rule for the Government of Gods house, he is well answered, That surely 'tis a disgrace and dishonour to Gods house to be more loosely and dissolutely ordered, than is the house of any Earthly King or Lord. And though the Oeconomy of Princes houses, be no rule for the ordering of Gods house, yet, methinks, th' ordering of Gods house (the King of Kings) might be a rule or patterne (in some proportion) for the Oeconomy of Princes [Page 24] houses; and should not Stewards of Gods house blush? That these stewards should be more Carefull about their Lords house, which is but Earth upon Earth, than Gods stewards are of His house, which is Heaven upon Earth. Rejoyce ye Heavens.

SECT. VII.

‘IN the 7th place, you have this to argue for the free admission to the Lords Table: You Cannot Restraine: It is not in your power to keepe them away: we, say you, and they of your way, looke for orders from our Rulers: if they give us power, we shall see it executed, according as they shall prescribe.’

So then without a Civill Sanction, we may not expect Church-Reformation. Our excellent Jewell, speakes, we thinke, fully and not impertinently to this, as Is generally knowne to all the Lear­ned in his Epistle concerning the Councill of Trent; we will ab­stractTo segni [...]ur S [...] ­pi [...], a Gentle­man in Venice p. 859, 860. a few of his lines, though all are worthy to be heard and read of all men. ‘Then belike, it is not lawfull for any of us to beleive in Christ, to professe the Gospell, to serve God aright, to fly Superstition, and Idolatrie, except they (our Rulers) will give us leave: In humane Counsells it is the part of a wise man to expect the Judgement and Consent of men, But in matters divine Gods word is all in all; The which so soone as a Godly man hath received, he presently yeeldeth and submitteth Him­selfe; He is not wavering nor expecting others: He understand­eth that he is not bound to give eare to (the dictates of men) the Pope or Counsell, but to the will of God, whose voyce is to be obe [...]ed, though all men say nay.’ If, at the first, Christ and His Apostles had staid for a (Civill Sanction) or Councill, when had their sound gone out unto all Lands?—This is to our seeming very applicable to our purpose and may answer this your plea for a Civill Sanction from the Ruler, thereby to impower you, to keep off the grossely, obstinately affectedly ignorant persons, those sons and daughters of Beliall (that cast-off Christs yoke) from approaching the Lords Table. If the Rulers would give you power, you would doe it. Possibly he may be such an one, that is afraid to hedge-in the Sacrament, and to make it inaccessible to the scandalous and prophane; or to settle a faithfull and searching [Page 25] Minister in the place he lives in, who will, if he will approve him­selfe faithfull, make a difference, between the precious and the vile; for then he knowes, he shall but make thereby a rod (of Discipline) for himselfe to drive himselfe forth from that sacred Assembly. Therefore a Godly Minister is not to waite the Rulers pleasure, or a Civill Sanction, as we suppose.

But we crave leave to aske: doe not you derogate much fromAlas that a du­ty should be to be don, but none found to doe it; a power but non to act it; keyes but no hand to hold them, Mr. S [...]nders, p. 83. the power your Lord Christ hath given you, and entrusted you with? and from the Authority of His word? Is not that sufficient to beare you out in the ordering matters in Gods house as Ste­wards there? All power is given to Me in heaven and in earth, goe yee therefore &c. If the Ruler will doe his uttermost for your helpe in these matters, moveing orderly, and in his spheare; And having the Interest of Christ full in his eye, he shall doe well, and his worke shall be accepted; But if he forbeare, be it at his perill. You know your duty, Blessed are you if you doe it: You serve a Good Master able to beare you out, if so be you order thing; ac­cording to His mind and rule of His word. All power is His ori­ginally, and all yours is His derivatively, lay out all for Him which you have received from Him, and feare not the face of the Magistrate, supposed setting himselfe against you, you have power over him as a Steward in Gods house; he none over you in refe­rence to these sacred administrations, as the Churches records, ra­ther the sacred Scripture tells you. And you may be pleased to remember this for your great Comfort; If through grace, you en­deavour to order matters by the rule of Gods word: God will not be mastered by His owne guifts, nor make derivative power, too strong for originall power: But blessed be God, ye have no ex­cuse here, the powers on Earth, at present, are for you, give en­couragement to you. Yet that there may be no mistake here a­bout these two great hands, through which the great God con­veyeth so much good to his people, Magistrates and Ministers, we crave leave to add a little more; The Donatists did aske, as we have heard, what had the Emperour to doe with the Church? To whome it was answered, That the Emperour could not rule the Common-wealth, except he governed the Church, for the Church is a Common-wealth. So then, The ordering the matters of Religion belongs to the Care of the Civill Ruler: But then [Page 26] we must note There are two things in Religion; first intrinsecall within the Church, as to preach, Administer the Sacraments, and to ordaine Ministers, these he ought not to doe. But for those things, which are without, those belong unto him; He is to see others doe their duty, and Correct them that doe it not: He ought to set all ag [...]eing, and to reforme abuses, but not to meddle with things within the Chu [...]ch aforesaid, as to execute the same, butRead Dr O­w [...]n his Ser­mon upon Dan: p. 30. & 49, 51, 52, 53. to over-see and governe their executions; and those persons, whose proper office it is to execute them. O it is a stately sight to behold that excellent and sweet harmon [...] in state, where the Magistrate and Minister meet amiably, conspireing together, who shall doe most at the setting up of the Kingdome of Christ, and carrying on His interest through the Nation. The truth is, The Lord Christ hath been little beholding, to most Rulers; that have lived upon Earth, and He hath taken as little care of them, as they tooke little care of His honour. Yet in those seirce and perillous times, when the Rulers set themselves against the Lords Christ: There were those and not a few, who in the power of His might sett themselves in the Gap for Him, beareing up against all the power of the Adversarie, despising it and laughing it to scorne. And Luther was one of these in former times (not to mention any more, nor the Worthies of the Lord in our late ‘pe­rillous times,) In regard of my person, said he, I'le fall downe before any: But in regard of the Truths of Christ, which I ad­minister, I looke on the Kings of th' Earth as Nitts or Crum­bles of dust, (so he wrote to our Henry the 8th) For a Minister that is faithfull in the execution of his office (as said our holy Shepheard) what ever humane weaknesse there is in him, what ever power there is in others yet he is therein above Chur­ches, Kings or Angells.’ But Blessed be God, at this day, the powers on Farth are for you, ye may be as holy as ye will, as to the performing the whole service of your Ministery: Your Lord hath given you power all-sufficient; And He instruct you to sound discretion how to make a Blessed advant [...]ge thereof to His Glory and His Churches good: Amen.

Yet we cannot come off from this common plea which is plea­ded by all the herd that have M Hs: for their Leader; Wee have no power to keepe any how wicked soever, from the Lords Table, say [Page 27] they; we would entreat these men to call to remembrance, what the Lord saith touching the sanctifying Himselfe upon horri [...]le sinners, in case the Rulers did not We apply it to this in hand,Levit. 20. 4. If men to whom the Lord hath given Authority to reprove, cen­sure, and excommunicate wicked men (from communicating at His Table at the least) eyther dare not, or will not doe it; Ile take the matter into My own Hand, Ile doe it saith the Lord. And hath not He, with whom is terrible Majesty, hath He not don it? hath He not executed terrible wrath upon these unworthy Receivers at His Table? One fals from an house, breaks his bones, perhap; his neck; A second from a tree, or horse; A third is hurled into the Waters; A fourth is suffered to run his own way, and so to cut-off himselfe in the midst of his dayes; A sift is his own executioner; A sixt, and he is many, these are la [...]d in the lap of their own lusts, and now being past feeling give themselves over to lasciviousnesse, to work all uncleannesse with greedinesse; joyned to their Idols, and let alone; And hath the Lord dealt lesse severely with the Stewards of His house, who have dealt so unbe­coming stewards there? Some He hath thrust-out. And those that, through favour hold-in for a time, Is not a visible sword up­on their arme, (their power is broken) and upon their right eye their understanding is darkend. The unfaithfu [...]l Steward, the Idol-Shepheard shall be like an Idol, having eyes but se [...]ing not; He was before a blind S [...]er sinfully; and [...]ow he is a blind Se [...]r judi­cially. O the dreadfull wayes the Lord takes in the exercise of ex­communication! He that inwardly excommunicates His own dear children, as their sins may deserve, and casts them out of His pre­sence (to use the words of that excellent Divine Dr Goodwin)Child of Light p. 137. will He spare these, who dare out-face him at His own Table (prepared for His own people, followers of Him as deare Chil­dren) rushing-in thether to receive that with their hands, which they blaspheme with their tongues, and trample under with their feete; and would deale as despightfully with His blessed person now in Glory, as once their forefathers did deale with Him, when He [...]abernacled in our flesh, and was on earth amongst them: will He spare these or those Ministers, Stewards in His house, that suffer a brutish sottish people so to doe, alledging for them­selves (but will their allegation be accepted) their Lord put a key [Page 28] into their hands, but they found neyther hand nor heart to use it; because the Ruler, forsooth, did not Commission them so to doe: Commission them! A Ruler, as wee suppose, exceeds the bounds of his Commission, for which he will have no thankes from his God, if he shall Commission the Stewards in Gods house, how to manage Gods matters there; Wee are taught from the Scrip­tures of God, and from them, that hold thetherto; That in these cases, which relate to Gods house, and those sacred administrati­ons there; The Minister rather prescribeth the Magistrate, than he the Minister; He, the Minister of Christ, rather gives orders to him, than receives orders from him. Therefore to proceed to a close of this; Will the Lord spare these Stewards in the day when they must give an account of their Stewardship, who knew not the extent of their power, and therefore cannot know their duty to doe it; their power and their duty being of equal length? We will conclude in Davids words, My flesh trembleth for feare of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgements.

SECT. VIII.

‘IN the next place, we have heard that much if not most of all the evills of these times, is Charged upon the non-admission to the sealing ordinance; And your selfe have not been silent this way.’

This Charge is most unworthy a Minister of Christ; for the contrary thereunto is most true; God is disquieting of us now; He is visiting upon us the horrid Contempts offered to His word; The horrible prophanations of His day; The abhominations He hath found committed in His house, as to those sacred administra­tions there. And these are, as we have just cause to feare, but the beginning of our sorrowes, The first drops of wrath comming; The Lord God will be prodigall of our blood, because we have been so prodigall of His Son's blood, giving it to, or rather cast­ing it away upon those, who cannot but, like swine, trample it un­der-foot. Prov: 27. 7. These, you know, are Calvin's words. Son of man, Seest thou what abhominations are Committed in My house? I have sworne by the excellency of Jacob (by Himselfe) saith the Lord—for you read it every where. Indeed that Bel­lua [Page 29] multorum capitum, we beast-like people, we say as much with those rebellious and stubborne ones, or much after their manner, Jer: 44. 17. It was never better with us, then when we had our Service-booke, our Easter Communions &c. But should not you an­swer us even as Jeremy did; Did not the Lord remember these things, and Came they not into His minde? So that the Lord could no longer beare, because of the evill of their doings, and because of the abhominations, which they had Committed.

But with your patience, Sir, Give us leave to aske you Con­cerning the place where you were borne, and whereunto you wish so well, and the Good of those soules is the Travell of yours; how find you the people there? If they be as bad, as who are worst, then it is not because they are barred from the Font, or the Lords Table; for there you know the veriest varlet in the Towne, (if there be any such which perhaps you question) may have ad­mittance with his Children to Baptisme; and, if he please may come at the day appointed to the Lords Table, as freely as you may come to an Inne, and set up your beast in the stable; And if you were questioned about your owne Towne, where you give freedome enough to these fore-mentioned places, the Font, and the Table, for you are of M [...] Hs: perswasion; Wee beleive you could speake little of the good you have wrought among them, by indulging that liberty to bring their Infants to Baptisme, and anon after themselves to the Lords Table, ignorant though they are some of them, whome ye so freely admit, as is ignorance it selfe. Nay, Sir, to tell you our faith in these matters, we verily beleive, That Ministers generally all over the Nation, having mightily obstructed their Gospell-worke in the Conversion of Sinners, by suffering them to Come to the Table of the Lord, there to receive Christ in the bread and wine, before they could give any evidence they had received Him by the word of hearing; we meane, by the preaching of the Gospell: You suffer them to step-over the Converting ordinance, and admit them to the seale­ing ordinance, and now you may preach till your lungs are spent, and doe no good among them. Indeed this is our faith, and which relating to such things, that are the highest concernments of Gods Glory, and good of His people, we may not keepe in to our selves. The great worke and buisinesse of preaching is, you know, to [Page 30] bring Christ and the soule together; To call them in, who are without; then to confirme and strengthen them being brought in. Now you should, (it is our faith) waite Gods time till this be done; till He hath, by His Word and Spirit gathered a Church out of a Church (we know this sounds harshly in your eares, but why should it so) till He hath gathered His Church out of your Church (since you make it as wide as the little world in England) till He hath taken them out of the world, and added them to His Church, set them in a safe Act [...]. 4 [...]. [...]. sure and immoveable state, fa [...]t upon their Rocke Christ, as Mount Zion, fast for evermore. Doe you goe on now to doe your worke, preach the Gospell, and leave the Rest to God, patiently waiting His time. But in the meane time, you shall never make us beleive, had you the tongue of an Angell, That wicked and unreasonable men (for they have no faith, which is the reason of the soule) are the worse, because they are denied, the Seales of the Covenant; But much worse (which may be) because they are admitted to pertake of those before their time; for as once it was, so it is now, together with the bread and wine, John 13. 2. & 29. 30. the Devill enters them too, and now see them in their walke, and you see Devills incarnate; no difference in their walke, for as they see him doe, so doe they, onely they have flesh and bones, so hath not he.

SECT. IX

IN the 9th place, and so to tell you all that hath been, to our best remembrance, told us, thereby to justifie your doings in Gods house, as to the handing forth those sacred things there, ‘If the people may not be suffered to come to the Lord's Table to receive there, as they expresse it, They will not come to the place of hearing to receive the word there, drive them from th' one place, and they le drive you from th' other; or, if that they cannot doe, they will not come at you; or, if they doe come, they will cast your pearles, whereof you are dispensers, the word of God, or Counsells thereof, behind their backes, they will not hearken to you.’ Mat. 7. 6.

To this we would reply these foure things, and first by way of Question.

1. How would this have sounded in the Apostles eares, Com­missioned by their Lord to preach unto the Heathen, should these Heathen have sayd to the Apostles, ‘If ye will not Baptize us first, we will heare none of your preaching;’ We say, how would this have been taken by the Apostles, supposed those Heathen had spoken unto them these words? Verily, for so it seemes to u [...] the Heathen people now adayes, speaking after the rate of those words, before suggested, speake the very same thing; And how u [...]reasonable and wicked they shew themselves to be in so speak­ing, is left upon your thoughts, with this earrest request, that your thoughts may be serious.

2 We thinke it will be granted, That the Gospell is the grea­test Treasure or Talent of price, that can be entrusted with the Children of men, It is that, which listeth up a people, (whether ye speake of a Nation, or a man onely, we allude to that in Job) as High as heaven. ‘It is the rod of His p [...]wer, the [...]c [...]pt [...]r of His [...]ob 34. [...] Kingdome, the grand Instrument (we will borrow that excel­lently Learned man's words) whereby He accomplisheth all His [...] designes in the world, whether they be for life or for death, 2 Cor. 2. 16. He hath given that a right to take possession in His Name, and authority of all that He will owne in any Nation under heaven.’ Now if this be rejected by us, we will have none of it, unlesse upon our owne termes, and order of our own appointment, give us the Body and Blood of Christ first; As if we would say, give us the seales of the Covenant, but for the Cove­nant it selfe (opned unto us in the Gospell) we will have none of that. We were saying, If the Gospell of the Grace of God be put a­way, Acts 20. 24. Acts 1 [...] 26. [...]. Ma [...]h. 21. 41. and driven with all our might from us, as that, which is most loathed by us, or hatefull to us, we shall be miserably destroyed anon, as those Despizers, for we are pointed at there—.

But vestra res agitur You know your Lords order, how ten­der He is of it, and the judgement that is written shall be their portion, who will remove the bounds, that you may not doe like them. Yee can take it into your Consideration, and put it upon ours, That if This Rich Talent, we called the Gospell, so laded with pearles, be not used and improved first; no other Talent can; nor can we expect any other Talent given to us (in mercy) no more than we can another Gospell.

For the Lord doth not say as we foolishly may dreame, and doe according as we have dreamed; The man hath not improved his Talent, nay he hath abused it: What though, give him ano­ther Talent; No, ‘Take therefore the Talent from him, and give Math 25. 28. it unto him which hath ten Talents.’ The onely wise God will not doe as His unwise Stewards doe (if He will owne them for His) as to Gospell Administrations: The man hath denied re­nounced his Baptisme, being abhominable and to every good worke reprobate; What though, Admit him to the Lords Table not­withstanding. Wee will close with this, and so come to the next. Till the Word hath prevailed with us, nothing can, till that hath done us good, nothing shall. While the word of Christ is trod under-foote in the hearing place, so is the sacred Blood, repre­sented at His Table: We cannot reject Him at one place, and receive Him at another; our soules are as full here as there; and therefore cannot but loath, trample-upon Christ that honey-combe Prov. 27. 7. there, as here, as at th' one place of hearing, so at th' other of Re­ceiving. Therefore

3. Be not you carefull about this, whether we will heare or whether we will forbeare; ‘Preach the word, be instant, in season, 2 Tim. 4. 2. out of season, reprove, rebu [...]e, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine;’ This is your Charge from the Lord, And be you as­sured you shall never make us attend with the eare, giving all Di­ligence, till you have bored the eare; And to bore the eare you have no other meanes for it but to preach the word, thereby to make us obedient in word and in deed. Doe not Entertaine such a thought as this, but shew your selves men. (1) That we can be brought into Love with the Gospell, or to receive the Gospell in love, by giving us admittance to receive at the Lords Table; What can we receive there more than at our owne Table, unlesse it be a Curse, having not received Christ in the Gospell first? (2) That we can be brought over to Christ by any other wayes or meanes, but what are of His owne appointing, for His blessing accompanies those meanes, as doth His Curse those presumers, who thinke to compasse their Ends by meanes they have shaped, without the least shape of reason, according to their owne under­standing, most contrary to Gods word, and an abhorring to His Spirit: Therefore if you have the least hope to prevaile with men, [Page 33] prevaile with God first by prayer, That you may take the way He Himselfe, hath by His Word and Spirit paved forth before you; for be you well assured, He will not goe out of His owne rode way to meete with you or your people in your by-pathes. In the last place,

4. And to reply a word from the Lord to those stout words mentioned at the beginning, They will drive away the Word from them, and the Preachers of the Word, if they will not suffer them to receive at the Lords Table.

Heare we what the Lord saith to these, I will cast them away as Rubbish, filth, and dirt is cast away: So He saith by His Pro­phet, My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken Hosea 9. 17. unto Him; such as will not hearken to the word of God, GodRead Mr. Ca­ [...]yl upon Job 8. 20. p. 124. Psal. 50. 16. will cast away; why? They cast God away, when they cast the word of God away. They cast the Covenant behind their backes, while they hate Instruction; No wonder God casteth them be­hind His backe (a dreadfull place for our persons, but a glorious place for our sins) For the wickednesse of their Doings, I will drive them out of My house. They that drive, shall be driven with the Tempest of the Lord, as the Thistle-downe, dried stubble, parched leaves or chaffe before the whirle-wind. God will drive them out of doores, when they drive His Truth out of their hearts, for they would drive it out of His house, And the God of Truth out of the world. What they cannot possibly doe, they will endea­vour what possibly they can to doe. A good Minister will drive these from the Lords Table too, they shall not come neare that, till it can be made to appeare, The word of Gods Grace hath come neare to them, and set them in their right mind. So we have Concluded from Scripture premises, and so proceed.

SECT. X.

10 IN the last place, we crave leave to tell you our Jelousie as to these matters, and we entreate you to account it a godly jealousie, which is this, That there is somewhat more pre­vailes with you to give such, free Admission, as aforesaid, than all those nine Reasons, you have given us before, and this is it (to tell you our Jealousie) when it pleased God to reveale His Son [Page 34] in you (such is our hope) that you might preach Him among the [...] Heathen (truely we meane, for we must be plaine in these mat­ters, we call a spade a spade) your Beleivers, Disciples, and Saints (heathen they are as you heard and worse, till your preaching is come unto them in power) have not you with your Brethren, conferred at least with flesh and blood, what way you are to take with your people in point of Admission to the Font and Lords Table? You must Answer this to God, sith you are Stewards in His house, and should know how to behave your selves there (with regard enough to that holy guile which is allowed you) for certainly to Him you must make Answer. We humbly in the feare of our Lord tell you our Jealousie; For this we know (we are flesh and blood too) persecution is a very sore thing to the flesh, and therefore all its care, desire, and endeavour is how to Escape it; Now there is no way for a man, that will live godly in 2 Tim 3. 12. Christ Jesus to escape it, if he will avoid it, he must as to that per­ticular Cease to be Godly, and so he Conferres with flesh and blood; and taking that for the man of his Counsell, he must choose [...]ob 26. 21 iniquity rather than affliction. It is our Godly Jealousie, that you and your. Godly Brethren in the same way with you, have Con­ferred too much with flesh and blood about those sacred admini­strations, and so to avoid persecution, have done as ye doe, given free admission as aforesaid; If you did not as you doe, you should anger the best men in your Parish, as they are in account among us now adayes: and so you should have their purses shut, and their mouthes wide open against you, like Cannons mounted; This is sore to flesh and blood, and therefore Consulting with it; it will direct you another way, to save it selfe from persecution; give their Children Baptisme, and themselves the Lords Supper; and all shall [...]e well, their purses shall be opened and their mouths shutt, unlesse open to blesse and pray for you, dealing so kindly with them; but take heed of their blessing you, and your blessing your selfe in such a way with them: and you may remember this with it, That some mens Cursing are as good as their blessings, and you shall prosper better under them; To put a close to this, This is our perswasion from what we see and heare; should the Gospell come to us like an Angell, with a sword in his hand, and with fire in its mouth to kill our lusts and consume them utterly, [Page 35] yet we should never be troubled about it, no nor regard it in the least, If our Minister would give us the Lords Supper, before this killing worke were done; what he did in the Pulpit, he would undoe all at the Table; If he would preach hell to us from th'one place, we would take heaven to us at th'other; he shall never make us beleive, That we are heathen and worse; not, that we are all Children of wrath, and are every day and houre of the day damneing our soules, while we are treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath; he shall never make us beleive this, while he puts a Cup of Blessing into our hands. And yet if he doth not thus, he shall be the white and marke for wrath & envy to shoote all their arrowes against you, which flesh and blood cannot en­dure; yet doe not Conferre with it (it is our Jealousie, [...]e doe) ye shall never please God then, nor your people for their good to Edification. It is the greatest enemie we have in the world, the Devill and Satan himselfe not excepted; ye are no debtours to the flesh, and owe it nothing but mortification, as ye tell your people we hope. Well thus we judge of the Holy way, and blessed are they that walke in it; flesh and blood must never be Consulted with about it, it is an adversary, yea a torment to it, as the holy way is an adversary to the flesh, and a Torment to the same.

Thus we have heard you argueing, the affirmative for free ad­mission to the Lords Table, you will allow us the same patience while we argue the Negative, That this free admission to the Lords Table so ordinary amongst us is not according to the mind of God, and prescript of His word, holding forth our Rule be­fore us, and thus we Argue it.

SECT. I.

THey are not to be admitted to feast at the Lords Table, who turne their backes upon the feast of the Gospell: we meane thus; They must not be suffered to Come toT [...]t feast to which sinners are invited, is one [...] the decla­ration of the Word and mind of God in the Gospell; The word of grace i [...] the greatest feast which God makes his peo­ple, Mr Ca­ [...]yl upon Job 23. p. 411. the Lords Table, there to receive Christ Jesus the Lord in the bread and wine, who reject Him and make light of Him in the tenders and offers of the Gospell; We ground this upon those knowne Scriptures, whereon we shall dwell a little, Math: 22. 2.

Luk: 14. 16. where we have the Lord of Heaven and Earth, the King of Glory intending to His Church and people the high­est preferment, that is imaginable. He will give His Son, the Heire of the Kingdome to be His Bridegroome. Now because there is a marveilous disproportion, as her present Case is, betwixt this Bridegroome and the Bride, as vast a disproportion as is betwixt Heaven and Earth, yea we may say Heaven and hell: and at as huge a distance they stand too, This Bridegroome and this in­tended Bride, as heaven and hell doe, and such a gulfe betwixt them. Beside all this, This intended Bride is a very ill-favoured and froward peice, and as proud as she is uncomely, and as will­full also as will it selfe; and, as sure as death, she will refuse life, she will have none of the match; He shall not be her Bride­groome; who then? Any but Hee; and the truth is (but nullum tempus occurrit Regi) The Lord of time may take His own time, and when He pleaseth) shee hath made her own choice and is married already, and wonderously shee is satisfyed in her match: But now here's much to doe, first to breake this match, and make it null, then to make it an abhorring to her soule, that shee was so hasty, carried-on so headlong in the buisinesse of so high Con­cernment, and then to make her fitt and prepared for her Bride­groome; then to give her free and full and hearty consent to Come together, never to be parted more. Now to effect all this God the Father maketh a sumptuous and glorious feast like Himselfe, the Lord of glory, wherein He holds forth to the world the a­bundant riches of grace and of glory by His Sonne Jesus Christ. And this we doubt not to call the feast of the Gospell, whereby this Bridegroome maketh love to His Bride, That shall be; and, be­cause He is too high and stately, yea and too glorious too, to woe in His owne person, besides that His terrour would make her a­fraid, Prov. 9. 3. He hath His Para-nymphs and spokes-men for Him, who are His Maidens, Ministers, and Preachers of His Gospell. And this we take to be the scope of this Parable, which you know, Nihil probat ratione circumferentiae, sed tantum ratione Centri, we must observe whereat it drives, and wherein it Centers: And we take in two rules here first: for the sensing of parables and similitudes; and then one thing, which is spoken against the ar­guing therefrom.

1. We observe their true scope and intendment, and not toIn il [...]is quae me­taphori [...]è dicun­tur, non oportet accipere simili­tudine [...] secun­dum omnia. wrench and tenter it beyond that; which, were against the Rule, we not angariari parabolam, in Compelling it to goe farther then it would.

2. What things are spoken of God [...] after the man­ner of men, are to be understood [...] in a sense becomeing God; now in the third place.

3. We would take off an objection here before we proceed to our Argument drawne from this Parable, That there is no ar­gueing Theologia Sym­bolica non est argumentativa. Dr. Owen. p. 440. from Parables, Similitudes are not argumentative; True; ‘saith that excellent man, Similitudes argue not, beyond th'ex­tent of that particular wherein their nature, as such,’ doth con­sist. The intendment of Christ in every parable is warily to be observed; Therefore, though a Learned man, Aquinas himselfe, as we have heard, hath said as aforesaid, and better Divines than he; yet by his leave and their favour, we thinke the speech is nei­ther Logicall, nor Theologicall, that is, as we are told neither good Logicke, nor good Divinitie: Not good Logicke, for Comparata etiam ficta arguunt, and if they doe argue, then they are argu­mentative and prove something, as sure as operating is working; Nor Good Divinity for if all Scripture be profitable [...],2 Sam. 12. 1, 2 [...], for doctrine and reproofe, then Symbolica also ar­guing by parables: If not, why would Christ and some Prophets2 Tim. 3. 16. before Him, and John th' Apostle after Him, delight so much in Symboles and parables, if they were not doctrinall, and argu­mentative; These things we thought necessary to premise before we could argue from the Scriptures; first to cleare the sense of them, and what their scope is, and that we have good warrant to argue from them; and secondly, to make it cleare that M^r H^s: is cleare beside the scope; when he will have the feast there to be solemnized at the Lords Table, belike because Luke calleth it a Supper, so wise a man he is, and so rationall a schollar in divine matters: for he will have the invitation be as generall, come ye all to the Lords Table. But now he will contradict himselfe, and speake against his owne experience. He invites all, and admits all to the Lords Table, and who refuseth to Come? But there the bulke of the Jewes mane light of the feast, and their invitation to it, and went their way, they all with one Consent (saith Luke) [Page 38] made their excuse, they had matters of more Concernment, as they thought, than that feast We read also how despitefully they used the servant sent to Call them in; It is certainly the feast of the Gospell, that meets with such opposition; and as certaine it is That none of us Gentiles will Come-in to This feast neither, to re­ceive Christ there, till we see need of Him; and that He hath no need of us; for we are in our owne eye [...], being Convinced there­of by the Word and Spirit, poore, maimed, halt and blind; or ifLuke 14. 21. Revel. 3. 17. you please, wretched, miserable and naked; being Convinced that such we are, In we come then, and not till then, before thus Con­vinced. Thus we stand out contradicting and Blaspheming, and dealing as despitefully with the Lords Messengers now as once they did: But you finde it not to be so with the Guests you in­vite to the Lords Table who refuseth to Come? or who deales despitefully with you, inviting them to Come? we can name hundreds of those, we thinke, thousands, who deale despitefully with the Lords Messengers, that will not suffer them to Come to the Lords Table; while they Contradict and blaspheme Christ offered them in the Gospell. And so having cleared our way, the sense and scope of this Parable, we argue from it against this free admission to the Lords Table.

‘That they who turne their backes upon Christ offered to them in the Ministery of the Gospell must not be admitted to Communion at the Lords Table.’ We take this to be so cleare to every one that hath not put out his owne eyes, nor is blinded with light, that to argue it further were to hold a Candle before the Sunne. Yet this more we will say; They that tread His most precious blood underfoote tendered unto them in the Gospell, will deale with Him as swine like offered unto them at His Ta­ble; not possible they should reject Him at one place and receive Him at another, They goe from the place of hearing full of them­selves, they goe as full to the place of receiving; Then it must needs follow, that they loath the honey-Comb, they trample it un­der-foote,Prov. 27. as in the one place so in th' other.

You will say, how doe we know that? we are to hope well of all men; they come to the place of heareing.

We answer you to that in anothers words, to one that said he kept his Church, so may your dogge too: Yea but we heare, so [Page 39] may your dogge too, a sound. Truely Sir, this is not our English, though yet we allow it, knowing it to be a truth; Alas, Sir, you know they were in the hearing place, and they were hearing, while they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulders, and stopped their eares, that they should not heare; Yea they made &c.Zach. 7 11. 12 They did not shutt the eare against audience, but they did shutt the heart against Obedience; hearing in Scripture account is obey­ing, is beleiving, if we obey not what we heare, we are not said to heare, as you know it is clearely made out to us from John 5. 37. & 8. 47. by our Lords owne testimony; And truely, Sir, you must, (if there be a must) to doe your duty, examine your people at this point, whether they have, through their eares, received Christ into their hearts, before you admitt them to the Lords Table? But we may Contribute more to this hereafter, onely this we have cleared in the (1) place against this your free admission to the Lords Table, That they, (and they are the Greatest num­ber) must not have admittance thither, that have refused Christ, yea rejected Him in the Ministery of the Gospell; for why should those tremenda mysteria be so prophaned? why should those be be dealt with swine-like by swinish men? worse than if trampled under-foote in the face of the Congregation.

SECT. II.

‘WE argue from the Covenant of Grace and mercy by Jesus Christ, that He will be a God and a Father unto us, very gracious for His Son's sake.’ And that we may argue it more Clearely, we should give our minds to Consider, That there is an height and depth, and length and breadth of grace, love and mercy in this Covenant of God with us. It is that, which the Saints have laid up (to use excellent Preston's words, whereby he yet speaketh) for the foundation of all their Comforts: It hath been the Corner Stone, upon which the Saints have been built from the beginning of the world to this day. There is no ground we have to beleive we shall be saved; no ground to beleive any promise of God shall be made good unto us; that we shall have the price of the high Calling of God in Jesus Christ, and those Glorious riches of the inheritance prepared for us in Him; we say there is [Page 40] do ground at all but on this Covenant. All that our Ministers teach us from day to day are but Conclusions of this Covenant, they are built upon this, God hath made a Covenant, with us in Christ, and we are in Covenant with Him. He is our God in Christ, and we His people through Him, and have accesse to Him by one Spirit. Now hence we argue, THEY THAT ARE who [...]y ignorant of all this, and will be so, turning their backes up­on the meanes of Gods appointment, whereby to make knowne this Covenant to the Children of Men, and say in their heart (the language whereof the Scripture speaketh) We have made a Covenant with Hell, and with death are we at an agreement; these manner of persons thus sottish and brutish as we have heard, have nothing to doe with the Seales thereof. But thus sottish and brutishly ignorant are they, for whome no other plea can be made for their admission to the Lords Table, but that they were borne in England, and Baptized there; This therefore is our faith, as to this point of admission, That it is the duty of e­very faithfull Minister of Christ well and throughly to examine their people what knowledge they have of this Covenant, at least what breathings they have after it, and to make out their interest to it in the conscionable use of the meanes appointed by God for that Glorious end before they Give, admission to the Lords Ta­ble, or Bring their Children to Baptisme. In our Earthly mat­ters, as Conveyances of Land, houses, and the like, we know how bootlesse it were for us to have nothing to shew for our rights and just title to them, but a Seale without a writing, or a Cove­nant without a Seale; And whereas it is said, we open the Cove­nant to the people, and so we discharge our duty, and leave them to examine themselves at that point, for so they are Commanded; But let a man, i. e. every man examine himselfe, and so let him eate. 1 C [...] 11. 28. This presupposeth that, which is most false, saith Learned Beza; ‘That all are able, diligent and willing to examine themselves, and so upon that supposition to be admitted to the Lords Ta­ble.’ We will deferre this to another place, where we shall find this very Scripture assured us, ‘That ignorant persons are no [...] Bez. more to be admitted to the Lords Table, than are Children or madmen.’ So we leave this, taking it fully proved, that they who are wholy ignorant what the Covenant is, or what it mean­eth, [Page 41] are not to have admission to receive the signes and seales thereof; or as our little Catechisme hath it, They that have no inward Grace, cannot tell what to make of the outward signe.

SECT. III.

THey are not to be admitted to the Lords Table, who can­not possibly receive any thing there but bare Elements bread and wine, they cannot receive profit by it, not having faith to mingle with it; faith is a necessary ingredient in every Service we doe performe to God, or to our owne Soules; The word spo­ken to us profits not unlesse we mingle it with faith. The wordHeb 4. 2. spoken out from us, The word of prayer prevailes not without faith, It is like a Gun discharged without a Bullet, which makes a noise, and doth no execution. So in receiving at the Lords Table, if we doe not put out the hand of faith, we receive no more there than at our owne Table; faith is to the soule, what the eye, eare, mouth, hands, feete are to the body; No Spirituall good comes into our soules till Faith by the Word and Spirit comes in and fetcheth it in; And no good can come forth, till faith putts it forth, be it word or deed; If faith be not wrought in us, the Spi­rit and Word hath had no work upon us; for that is the first grace in the order of time, and to our apprehension faith comes in first, and drawes all other graces after it, it enliveneth and quickneth the soule, it is the Spring of spirituall life in us; it is the first grace of all; it is set downe in stead of all, and indeed so it is. If we have faith, if we can beleive nothing is impossible to us, to doe or to suffer, when God calls us thereunto; It was a Sad time with the Thessalonians, and Paul was sadded at it, and faine would he know how the case stood with them, specially how it fared with their faith, when I could no longer forbeare, I sent to know your faith, 1 Thes: 3. and when good tideings were brought us of your faith, we were exceedingly comforted: for I know full well so long as you stand fast in the faith, ye shall stand like Mount Zion in the world, an everlasting foundation mauger all the powers and policies of Hell-Gates wide open against you. To open this a little and to pro­ceed in it, Because indeed it is the very hinge upon which all shall turne; When the holy Spirit comes in to the soule, conveyed in [Page 42] thither by the word (the Spirit the Hand of God and Christ. His Vicar or Agent here on Earth, does nothing in an ordinary way without the word, The word can doe nothing without the Spirit, it bringeth all at once along with Him; All Spirituall things needfull to Salvation; And that the soule may take fast hold on them, and appropriate them to Himselfe, saying, all these are mine. The Spirit with the Word (for He will not worke alone as the Word cannot) workes faith there, and faith workes up the soule to Christ, for it is the Spirits working.) Its chiefe and maine ob­ject. And now drawes or suckes from that Breast of Consolation all that is desireable, suitable, satisfactory, and most pleasant to her. But this is the thing. Faith lookes first to Christ, the person of Christ, the fountaine, the Spring-head, the Treasurie, the mine of Gold. Faith lookes to the person of Christ first, it knitts the soule to Him, then it lookes to all the good things we have by Him, a world of good things in Him, a world of good things from Him, All that tends to Grace and Glory: Yet it is the person of Christ, that the soule of a Christian principally lookes to. The whole word of God, all the divine truths therein revealed, are the object of faith to direct, order and sway our lives; But yet these are not the object of faith, when we looke for peace, for Conso­lation, for forgivenesse of sinnes, and reconciliation with God; Then faith lookes to Christ fixedly, wholely, solely.

These things being premised we returne to our Argument.

First, They that have not received faith (the Guift of GodFaith is the Mother Grace, where that is in Truth, there is true knowledge, unfaigned live, and Gospell Re­pentance, The graces required in every true Communicant. John 20. sent unto us by the hand of the Spirit with the word) can per­forme nothing pleasing to God, nor can they receive any thing from God, but a Cup of wrath; if they continue faithlesse and unbeleiving, They have not received Faith, no not by all those meanes appointed by God as Conduit-pipes to convey faith and every Grace unto them; they have not received faith, true sa­ving faith, they cannot receive Christ, a true and saving Christ, a King and Prophet to Rule, governe, and teach them, and a Priest to save and Redeeme them (a false Christ and he is many, they may Receive by a false faith) they must have a true faith, before they can receive a true Christ, with all the benefits of His blood-shed for them; a true faith leades them unto this storehouse or Treasury; brings them up to this fountaine opnod for sin and [Page 43] uncleannesse; layes the soule in that Jordan, cleanseth and washeth it there, bids it wash and be cleane, bids it drinke and be drunken Cant. 5. 1. Eph. 5. 18. with wine, whereof is no excesse, i. e. be aboundantly satisfyed. But without faith none of this can be, It being the very bucket, the mouth of the soule. So that a man comeing without faith to the Lords Table, is like a vessell cast into an Ocean of waters, that hath no mouth to let any-in: So then without faith, without Christ, and then Aliens to the Common-wealth of Israell, and Strangers from the Covenant of promise, having no hope (well set and setling) and without God in the world. Now are these to be admitted to the Lords Table, persons without faith, and then with­out any saving grace, for faith is first in order of nature? Answer this to God, see if He will accept of your replie, which we may heare anon. Wee proceed,

Secondly, They that have no faith are not to be admitted to the Lords Table, not onely because they receive nothing there, but because they fearefully prophane the Holy things there; They have no knowledge of those things, none at all; and none they looke after, their soule is not good, it is starke naught, as darkeProv. 19. 2. as a Dungeon, for what should enlighten it; as noysome and loathsome as an open Sepulchre, or a vessell wherein is no plea­sure,Prov. 13. 5. for what should discover this their filthinesse to them, that they may appeare such in their owne eyes? that doe not beleive, Rom 15. 31. [...]. are disobedient, rebellious, imperswadable ones, unreasonable and wicked men, that is the Apostles Character of them; and he makes cleare proofe of it in these words they have no faith. Are2 Thes. 3. 2. [...]. they at the Lords Table? they are out of place sure, as a swine is when he is in the Parlour; absurd men, so Erasmus Englisheth it, though Beza liketh it not: Quod mihi quidem absurdum vide­tur. But our Learned Reinolds liketh it well. The Apostle saith he calleth men without Faith Absurd men, because it is an unrea­sonable and sottish thing for a workman to be without his chei­fest Instrument, and that is universally requisite to every one of his workes; a husband-man without a plow, or a builder without a rule, preacher without a Bible, or a Christian without faith, are things equally absurd and unreasonable. What reason have we to plead for those unreasonable men to be admitted to the Lords Table, more than we have for the admitting of swine into [Page 44] our Parlour? uncleane ones will make all things like themselves, as uncleane too, to themselves we meane.

Thirdly, Persons that have no faith are not to be admitted to the Lords Table, because they cannot shew the Lords death there.1 Cor. 11. 26. [...] This Scripture Mr. H [...]: hath corrupted af [...]er his māner with his glosse. It is a grave and a weighty word that we English shew, and we would rather leave it to you to unfold to your people, wh [...]ch may require one hou [...]es worke But in a word, a worthy receiver, that brings faith with him, he doth with all thankesgiving and praise shew forth the excellencies of Christ, and the Glorious benefits of His bloodshed upon the Crosse, the Bounties of His Goodnesse, and Beauties of His Holinesse, making an ostentation of them un­to the world, preaching to every one as he can; This this is it wherein every true Christian is to glory, and he orders his life ac­cordingly; The import of that word as we suppose. Now they that Come to the Lords Table, and have no faith, are no more able to shew the Lords death there, than a man of Clouts stuffed with Straw is able to gaine the victory in the day of warre.

Fourthly, And to run over these Grave matters, he that comes thither and brings no faith with him, must needs receive unworthily, that is, other [...]ise than is meete such mysteries shouldNeh. 27. be received. And therefore shall be held as guilty before God as Judas was, who betrayed the body of our Saviour, or as the Jewes were, who so villanously abused Him, Binding His hands, spitting in His sacred face▪ and crowning Him with thornes, and as the Souldiers were; who peirced His sides, and spilt His blood, He shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.

Fifthly, Free admission is not to be given those, who cannot examine themselves about their faith, that is, search, digg, goe downe into the fouldings of their soules, to enquire what their estate is; what it is to be out of Christ, or what it is to be in Him; Infantes furio­sos, & in verbo Dei minime inst [...]uctos. Bez. they cannot examine themselves about these matters, no more than Children can for they are Children in understanding; no more than mad men can; for these are mad upon their Idol, ropro­bates, disallowed of God, in a state of reprobation. We will com­mend you to Beza's Annotations, or rather those to you, which we thought to have been large upon, being so full to our pur­pose.

Sixthly, Why should faithlesse men, worse than Infidells, be­cause [Page 45] borne and bred in England, a land of visions, be suffered to come to the Lords Table? They cannot discerne the Lords Body; they can put no difference between that bread, which represents the body of Christ Crucified, and Common bread at their owne Tables; nor between the wine there Sealeing to a worthy recei­ver, a full discharge from all his sins in the blood of Jesus Christ: No difference can he make betwixt this wine and common wine: And now being suffered to come to the Lords Table, he there drinks downe a Cup of damnation in stead of salvation; a cup of cursing, in stead of a cup of blessing; and seales the Stone upon his graves mouth, where he lies rotting in sinne, as dead bodyes in their graves, He eateth and drinketh damnation to himselfe, not Verse 29. discerning the Lords body.

1. As you have received mercy and now would shew mercy unto everlasting soules, admit not these faithlesse, these unreaso­ble and wicked ones, that cannot shew forth the Lords death, cannot examine themselves, have no discernining of the Lords bo­dy, admit them not to the Lords Table. They have no faith, then they must be full of themselves, as a vessell being full, and running over, they cannot Eate and drinke there any other thing but damnation to themselves. This Scripture also Mr H^s: the pa­tron of fornicators and prophane persons, as was Esau, fearefully abuseth, plucking out as he can, the sting of it, so as the most bruitelike person may come to the Lords Table, and not be stung by it; oh prophane man and past shame! he and his booke stink­eth in the nostrills of the Lord and of his people, as the worst ex­crements of the Dragon doth.

2. And now Sir, we will spare you the labour, if please you, in making a reply to this; and ours in making Answer thereunto. This we heare is ordinarily said; They were borne and Baptized in a Church, and therefore beleivers: we like not to make an Answer to such a foppery; why! but they say they beleive the same with the former, they say it with their tongues, what say they with their hands; such are their words, what are their workes? They may say so and Blaspheme in so saying, as was hinted more than once.Rev. 2. 9. I pray you observe it, and let this mocke-faith goe, unlesse you will whip it like a vagrant, and send it backe to the Devill whence it came; We have been speaking of that faith, which gives reall [Page 46] union, and communion with Jesus Christ, and of necessity brings forth good workes, as a good tree, good fruit, he beares upon a good roote, or rather the roote him, he is planted in Him, he beares upon Him; Come; when all is said this must stand, Let a man beleive truely, and truth of beliefe will bring forth truth of holinesse; A true faith, a true hope; true love, true obedience, all in Truth; when faith is in Truth, that is, truely set, and fixed upon its chiefe and proper object Christ Jesus the Lord. O how doth man boast himselfe to be some body, when he is nothing, nay worse than nothing, but knowes it not: A Beleiver, when he is worse than an Infidell; And how secure doth he lye, (he is ma­ny) under the shadow of a false faith, more secure (such is his pre­sumption, he is very Confident) than a true beleiver, such is his infirmity, lyes under the shadow of a true faith. You may heare these speake like Saints, and see them, if you narrowly marke them, live like Devills; so that if their word [...] doe not bewray them, their workes quickly will; outside Christians, i [...]side Hea­thens; O it is good, and but your duty, Sir, to observe men and search them narrowly, before you admit them to the Lords Ta­ble, for all men have not faith, no not they, many of them, that1 Thes. 3. 2. make a profession, and a shew of it; You may meete with not a few sottish, and brutishly ignorant, and then not so meete to sit at the Lords Table as a swine properly so called is to sit [...]t yours: You may meete with some also, that have a pearle (of know­ledge) in their heads, & their hearts as full of poyson, and dead­ly hatred against the Gospell of the Kingdome, and true heires thereof in Christ, true Gospellers, as the most venomous Serpents are. Protestants in doctrine, Recusants in lives, having a tongue professing for the Truth, and a life professing against it; faire out­sides, but within as noysome as a dunghill, or an open Sepulchre▪ which yet savoureth with them as a Garden of Spices, or bed of Roses; something resembling an Heaven in shew, when they have an Hell with-in, the heart we meane; so you may say, have the excellent of the Earth too; but to them it is an Hell, as their dung­hill smells like a dunghill; but to those their hell is their heaven here, as their dunghill smells with them as aforesaid, a most cer­taine Character of a polluted wretch.

We would not be mistaken here, we censure no man, we judge him not, we dwell at home, and our selves must we judge. But upon due search thus you'le finde it to be, even as we have said, and ye may have found it so by experience; we may put downe this for a Conclusion; If faith bring Christ the fountaine of Grace into the heart of a man, he can no more walke in darknesse (of sin and ignorance, there is a darknesse of Spirit of sorrow, where­in a Childe of light may walke, and you have an excellent booke of it, but) no more walke in darknesse than he can doe, that couldIsaiah 50. carry the Sun in his hand; and he may as well carry fire in his bo­some, and not feele it burne, as carry true Grace in his heart, and not cleanse his life; But Counterfeits in Grace, and con­tented to continue such, and to hold sin, the least sin-fast, shall become Saints, when an Ape comes to be a man, and Copper be­comes Gold, which is never rejected, but when it would looke like Gold. Beleive it you doe, a beleiver can no more be without Holinesse, than can a godly man be without godlinesse, or a true Christian without Christ; or than can the Sunne be darke, or the fire Cold. We shall crave leave to speake further to you about these three grave matters; The feast of the Gospel, The Covenant, And Faith; but we shall deferre it till the Last, and therewith close-up this Treatise. We proceed now in our argueing against this free admission to the Lords Supper. In the fourth place.

SECT. IV.

IT is not according to the practise of Christ, He gave it to Dis­ciples onely, (it is not possible, we conceive, to make it out, That He gave it to Judas, yet if it could be made out, we have enough to say, were this a place for it) He gave it to Disciples onely (Judas himselfe, if there, looked like a Disciple, being ve­ry like one) and by so doing, he prescribes his Ministers what they are to doe (so we conceive) as to those administrations toEa quae perspi­ [...]ua sunt, diffi­cilia sunt [...] ­ticis Mark. 14. 23. the worlds end. And here we are not bold to say, that M^r H^s: your Champion, doth fearefully pervert Scripture, wrest and Crooke His blessed Lords practise, to the Countenancing of his owne cursed and crooked doings, and they all dranke of it; Well, what then? his inference now (hold your Nose if you cannot en­dure [Page 48] the deadly stinke of the Dragons excrements) Therefore let all Come that will Come to the Lords Table.

Good, Sir, Give us leave to pause a little, while we take these things into our thoughts; is there not a Cause we should so doe? When we heare this Reasonable Creature, we call a man, a schol­lar, and a Minister too, as he calls himselfe and would be called, speake thus unreasonably, as if he was as much wanting of Reason as he is of Grace; unreasonably said wee? Is it not too slight a word, doth not he speake blasphemy? doth he not blaspheme the Blessed practise of our Lord and Saviour, which He hath set as a patterne for all His people to practise after? And they all dranke of it. So may ye, all ye drunkards; and yee, all ye uncleane per­sons; and you, all you worse than Infidells; and you all, despisers of the Gospell; and yee all, that never thought of any other Cove­nant, but that which ye have made with sin, death, and hell; And ye all, that have faith, though it have no more life, than a polish­ed Stone, hewen timber, or a doore-naile, no-matter how dead it be, 'tis a faith, that will serve the turne to entitle them to these holy things, drinke ye all of this, as we read those Disciples did, and they all dranke of it. But Sir, is not this Blasphemy? Wee are willing to make you Judge here, because you judge so well of the man; Come in here all ye of the world, for whome that sacred per­sonJohn 17. 9. never opned His mouth and prayed; Come in hither ye knowne enemies of the Crosse of Christ, ye belly-servers, ye that minde Earthly things, drinke ye all of this; ye that Crucifie to your selves the Son of God afresh, and put Him (as they doe by theirHeb. 6. vile usage, and abhominable Conversation) to an open shame, drinke ye all of this; and ye all, who have trodden under-foote, as they can, The Son of God, and have counted the blood of the Co­venant, (wherewith they professed themselves sanctified) an un­holy Heb. 10. thing; and have done little lesse than despight to the Spirit of Grace: All ye drinke of this: And to make a round number, and full, and so to fill the Table, that as there is no want of roome, (for a nationall Church is wide enough, and rich for supply,) so there may be no want of Guests, Come ye all ye stiffenecked and uncircumcised in heart, and eares, yee doe allway resist the Holy Ghost, as your fathers did so doe yee. What though? ye see what provisions are made for you notwithstanding; All ye drinke all of this, for the bread ye have taken already.

Sir, we have proceeded hitherto with some regret, yea with some indignation to our soules; yet for the Close hereof, we be­seech you Consider, That by the gracious allowance of their Lord and Master, they His Disciples all dranke of it. The Lord Himselfe putting the Cup into their hand, but these all afore-mentioned have drunke and dayly doe drinke of it by Man's Allowance. Drinke ye all of this, said Christ Jesus the Lord, and what He bad them doe they did it, and they all dranke of it. Drinke ye all of this, saith This-man, without any the least warrant from God, and how readily is he obeyed? what he bad them doe they did, and they all dranke of it; Though he that bad them, and they that did as they were bad, have done and still doe as Crosse and Con­trary to the mind of Christ, as He Himselfe is to Beliall, or to Anti-christ, which is to be argued in the fift place, so soone as we have put downe this for a conclusion, That God hath not onely given us His Word for a secondary rule of Righteousnesse to walke-by, but Himselfe, and His Son, the Highest patterne, the primative or Originall prototype, the clearest Copy without blot, the fairest example of Holinesse. Whence we conclude, That Christ Jesus our Lord is both the principle and patterne of Holi­nesse, The principle within His people; the patterne of Holinesse, without or before them. Therefore will all His servants, who in desire and endeavour approve themselves Faithfull, doe as He did, following-on in his steps. He that saith, He abideth in Him, ought himselfe also to walke even as He walked, 1 John 2. 6.

SECT. V.

AS this free and Common admission is contrary to the prac­tise of Christ, so it is as it must needs be, contrary to the mind of Christ; we are forced, as we conceive, to argue distinctly from these, the practise and mind of Christ; though His practise Cleareth His mind, as His mind His practise; But yet we shall argue differently from it, and we shall be breife in it It is cleane Crosse and Contrary to the mind of Christ; why? Because it is so pleasing, and well agreeing, and full-up to the minde of the world, free admission to the Lords Table is. The mind of Christ and the mind of the world, commonly called the Church there, [Page 50] doe stand as Crosse and Contrary each to other, as doe heaven and hell, the greatest opposites; or remotest extreames; What is the mind of Christ, cannot be the mind of the world, and what is the mind of the world, cannot be the mind of Christ, but most Contrary thereunto; And to make full proofe of it, let a Mini­ster that hath the mind of Christ, as every Godly person hath, and then liveth-up to it, as it is revealed to Him in His Word, and acteth thereafter, in giving out, or with-holding those sacred signes and seales of His body Crucified, and His blood powred forth, he shall finde, that he tormenteth the dwellers on the Earth, the Common people commonly called the Church there, who have no other plea for their Church-ship, but that they were once washed. The mind of Christ, no other than the Spirit of Christ in His word, is unto sensuall men, not having the Spirit, as the morning is to the evill doer, even as the shadow of death. But let a man doe Contrary to the minde of Christ, and give out to these ignorant Brutish ones, and will be such, the fore-mentio­ned, water to their Babes, bread and wine to themselves, and he gratifies them in the highest way of Gratification; he gives them their hearts desire, and now from that day forward, they will put on high account upon themselves, they will not thinke of them­selves below the thoughts their Minister rates them at, they will account themselves, sith he hath accounted them such first, Be­leivers, Disciples, and Saints. You remember who he was, that, when he would doe a man a mischeife, he would Give him a sute of apparrell, as rich as silver and gold could make it, and now the man (a proud creature, and the worse he is the better he thinkes of Himselfe) values himselfe, his inside we meane, according to the Rate of his outside, and so as the Beasts you read of, ingentes rollunt animis; he was proud by nature, more proud by accident, now that he is put into such a dresse. The application is plaine, Take heed Sir, of dressing up the people at the Lords Table, (though they delight as much to be dressed, as ever a childe in yeares did, in new and fine Clothes) in a Saints dresse, because he was borne and Baptized in England, whereas they cannot make it out they ever heard a word from Christ, yet that onely is pre­vailing to make Saints, being obeyed and beleived. You under­stand the purpose of this, and therefrom how contrary your do­ings [Page 51] are to the mind of Christ; for can that have any agreement with the minde of Christ, which hath so full an agreement, with the minde of His enemies and adversaries all over the Nation? We proceed.

SECT VI.

ALL are not to be admitted to the Lords Table, because all are not visible Saints: But none but visible Saints were to be admitted to Communion at the Lords Table, as you so well know, that know so well the Church Stories, And those primitive practises: And truely we are loth to minde you in those thingsNe accedant ni­si examinati. Calv. Ep. 278. E [...]it in exami­ne ratio arcea [...] ­tur, donec pro­fectum ostende­rint. you are or should be able to instruct us, however your practise be Contrary; But this is the thing we cannot reach-to, that you un­derstand these things so well, and your practise be not so well, be­cause commonly intellectus currit cum praxi & praxis cum intel­lectu; Therefore we doubt there is some failing in your under­standing, because you have not given it-up to God, If so you should know they were trained up and Catechised first, and yet they staid a while before admittance, till they could make proofe, that they were taught, and so they had gained some Competent knowledge of those things they were there to receive, together with their repentance toward God, and their faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. And you can tell us moreover, for we are in Com­parison with you but Children, and as yesterday in these things, That huge personages, Emperours and the like, have thrust as presumptuously unto that Table as did Ʋzziah the King, to burne2 Chron. 26. Incense before the Lord; or as men and women of the world or Church there, Children of Disobed [...]ence, doe now adayes; but have been withstood, as he was, and as these should be, we thinke, by the Ministers of the Lord, and thrust away with the breath of tthose words spoken to Ʋzziah; ‘It belongeth not to you, Sir, how great soever you are at your owne Table, to thrust into this, before you have given satisfaction to the Church of Christ, for your abhominable doeings against Him.’ So they thrust him and them away, and so they were reproved, as you should thrust away your nominall Beleivers, Disciples, and Saints, members of the world the Church there, whose Christian Name doth adorne them, as a [Page 52] Jewell doth a swine in his snout. But thus it was once, visibleDu [...] promiscuè qu [...]slibet admit­tunt porcis & canibus &c. Calv. Ep: 278. Saints were to be admitted, (and surely if there be a Communion of Saints on Earth) there they should be seene at the Lords Ta­ble, and why now visible Devills?

SECT. VII.

IN the 7th place, we would mind you of what the Lord God of hosts saith to them, that will contend with Him; Remember the Battle, doe no more. If you will contend for this free admission, you contend with God, to whome you must answer this with o­ther matters. He saith and so say His faithfull Servants with Him; Ye shall not prostitute these sacred things to swine and dogges. But what shall we more say, time would faile us, to tell what Chry­sostome had rather suffer, even the spilling of his own heart blood, rather than give out the Seale of the same to non-Disciples, pro­phaners of it, how high and great soever. We purposely passe o­ver what Cyprian, Martyr, Musculus, Marlorate, Ambrose, See Marlor: on Revel. 11. 1, 2. and those fore-mentioned, about free admission to Baptisme, what these said and did, as to these matters, very much to our purpose; We will onely heare what Zanchi speakes to this, and Calvin after him, because it is urged very much, That you doe your Potitur a me cura, in Cura­tio. duty when you bid your people beware; No saith Zanchi, ‘yee doe not your duty, you neglect the best part of it, and so you pertake of their sinnes, suffering unworthy ones to pertake at the Lords Table; yee draw upon your selves Eli's vengeance, by giving such an allowance, When you doe not frowne upon these, scat­tering them with your eye; you violate Charity and are guiltie of iniquitie, your owne and their's, when you suffer men to damne themselves with a Sacrament, when you might restraine; yea yee are guilty of their damnation, as we are of that man's death, whome we suffer with his sword to stabb himselfe, out of whose hands we could have kept that Instrument of death;’ so farre Zanchi. And give us leave to adde a word more thereunto, because we know it is the Ministers common plea, we warne all our people, mention unto them the fiery indignation of the Lord against unworthy receivers; This will not doe; you admit them under the notion of Saints, why should they thinke themselves [Page 53] Devills? You may threaten hell to them, but they will take hea­ven,Read Mr. Coll. p. 14. and thinke they have good right so to doe, while you bid them take and eate, take and drinke—you know what followes; They never swallowed wine so sweetly at the Taverne, as they doe now damnation at the Lords Table; But they thinke not so, be­cause you have brought them into such a fooles Paradise, by ma­king them beleive they are what they are not, no more than an Ape is a man; Beleivers, Disciples in name onely are Saints in­deed. O Sir, what ever others doe, be you aware here, what you suffer the people to doe: give them scope here, we mean full liber­ty, or free admission, like a rope long enough to a wicked man, and you may tell your selfe what he would doe, by what you have seene him doe so often; You know no creatures almost, but man, loves that, which will be its owne bane; indeed we have heard say that sheepe catch at that grasse most greedily, which soonest rotts them; we are sure it may be said of us men, what the Greeke Father said of some in his time; Give us that which is sweete, though it choake us; wine at the Lords Table; Why? be­cause of the sweet words which follow; but how mistaken! one­ly wretched man seekes a blessing in a direct way to a Curse; happinesse, in the way to misery; life in the way to death; hea­ven in the way to hell. If you consider all this, you will doe more than give your people warning against the next Communion day. You will tell them and assure them, you have Scripture warrant for so doing; That they must shew more for their Admission to the Lords Table, than this, That they were borne and Baptized in a Church, or else they shall be dealt with as doggs and swine, And droven from the Lords Table, as we drive swine from ours, And you cannot doe them a greater reall favour, than so to deale with them; And to presse you and your brethren of the same per­swasion with you unto this, we will remember you of Calvin's Cal [...]: lib. 4. cap. 12. sect 5. words; That a Minister, who admitteth unworthy persons to Communicate at the Lords Table, is altogether as guiltie of Sacri­ledge, as if he should prostitute to dogges the Blessed Body of the Lord Sacramentally in the Bread.

And to prevent this horrid usage, and Contempt done to that blessed thing, he thus prescribes and expects it to be done: Epi [...]l. 302. Gas­pa [...]i oleviano. ‘Let no person be admitted to the Lords Table, till he hath professed [Page 54] his faith; and put it not off to the day before the Supper be ad­ministred; But goe to the man's house, if he hath one, and looke over his family, let him give you an account what order he observeth in his owne house, and at his owne Table, before he be admitted to the Table of the Lord; and how peaceable and helpfull he is among his neighbours, and note well how well he ruleth his Children and Servants, whether he hath these in subjection with all gravity; observe also this with it, or else you observe nothing to purpose, whether there are not some sloathfull and wicked persons in his house, who would runne to the Lords Table, but are very slacke and more than slugges when they should goe to the place of hearing:’ We see now how truely it was spoken of him, he would choose an hundred deathes, rather than suffer the prophanation of the Lords Sup­per. This is so full to our purpose, that we thinke fitt to make a full point here; and Come in the next place.