PURITANS AND HUGUENOTS. 417 XXVI. Puritan' and Huguenot,2 &c., and therefore they do not CHAP. amiss to decline the odium of it in what they may. But by the rigidness of Separation they do not so much mean the difference, for our churches here in New England do the same thing under the name of secession from the corruptions found amongst them, as the other did under the name or term of separation from them. Only this declines the odium the better. See Reverend Mr. Cotton's Answer to Mr. Baylie, page the 14th.3 That some which were termed Separatists, out of some mistake and heat of zeal, forbore communion in lawful things with other godly persons, as prayer and hearing of the word, may be seen in what that worthy man, Mr. Robinson, hath published in dislike thereof. YOUNG MEN. We are well satisfied in what you have said. But they differ also about synods. 1 See note on page 12. The origin of this word is unknown. Some have thought it was derived from a French and faulty pronunciation of the German word eidgnossen, which signifies confederates, and which had been originally the name of that valiant part of the city of Geneva, which entered into an alliance with the Swiss cantons in order to maintain their liberties against the tyrannical attempts of Charles III. duke of Savoy. These confederates were called eignots, and from thence very probably was derived the word huguenots. The Abbé Fleury says, Ils y furent appelés Huguenots, The du nom des Eignots de Genève, un 3" Neither was our departure 418 NO SYNODS AMONG THE SEPARATISTS. CHAP. ANCIENT MEN. It is true we do not know that ever they had any solemn Synodical Assembly. And the reason may be, that those in England living dispersed and' could not meet in their ordinary meetings without danger, much less in synods. Neither in Holland, where they might have more liberty, were they of any considerable number, being but those two churches, that of Amsterdam and that of Leyden. Yet some of us know that the church [of Leyden] sent messengers to those of Amsterdam, at the request of some of the chief of them, both elders and brethren, when in their dissensions they had deposed Mr. Ainsworth and some other both of their elders and brethren, Mr. Robinson being the chief of the messengers sent; which had that good effect, as that they revoked the said deposition, and confessed their rashness and error, and lived together in peace some good time after. But when the churches. want neither peace nor light to exercise the power which the Lord hath given them, Christ doth not direct them to gather into synods or classical meetings, for removing of known offences either in doctrine or manners; but only sendeth to the pastors or presbyters of each church to reform within themselves what is amongst them. "A plain pattern," saith Mr. Cotton in his Answer to Mr. Baylie, page 95, "in case of public offences tolerated in neighbour churches, not forthwith to gather into a synod or classical meeting, for redress thereof, but by letters and messengers to admonish one another of what is behooveful; unless 'Here something seems to have been omitted. XXVI. upon such admonition they refuse to hearken to the CHAP. wholesome counsel of their brethren." And of this matter Mr. Robinson thus writeth in his book, Just. page 200,1 "The officers of one or many churches may meet together to discuss and consider of matters for the good of the church or churches, and so be called a Church Synod, or the like, so they infringe no order of Christ or liberty of the brethren;" not differing herein from Mr. Davenport and the principal of our ministers. YOUNG MEN. But they seem to differ about the exercise of prophecy, that is, that men out of office, having gifts, See the title of this book in note on page 40. 2 John Davenport, born at Coventry in 1597, a graduate of Oxford, and vicar of St. Stephens, in London, came to New England in 1637, with Theophilus Eaton and Edward Hopkins, and with them laid the foundations of the colony of New Haven, in 1638. In 1668, in his 71st year, he removed to Boston, to become the pastor of the First Church, and there died in 1670. See Wood's Athen. Oxon. ii. 460; Mather's Magnalia, i. 292 -302; Winthrop's N. E. i. 227, 404; Hutchinson's Mass. i. 82, 115, 215; Emerson's History of the First Church in Boston, pp. 110-124. But the most ample and satisfactory account of Davenport will be found in Prof. Kingsley's Centennial Discourse at New Haven, and in Dr. Leonard Bacon's Historical Discourses. These works contain also a noble vindication of the principles and character of the Puritan fathers of New England. This religious exercise, in which laymen publicly taught and exhorted, was early practised in both the colonies of Plymouth and 420 PROPHESYING AN ANCIENT PRACTICE. CHAP. may upon occasion edify the church publicly and open XXVI. ly, and applying the Scriptures; which seems to be a new practice. ANCIENT MEN. It doth but seem so; as many things else do that have by usurpation grown out of use. But that it hath been an ancient practice of the people of God, besides the grounds of Scripture, we will give an instance or two. We find in the ancient Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius, lib. vi. cap. 19, how Demetrius, bishop of Alexandria, being pricked with envy against Origen, complaineth in his letters that there was never such a practice heard of, nor no precedent to be found, that laymen in presence of bishops have taught in the church; but is thus answered by the bishop of Jerusalem and the bishop of Cesarea: "We know not," say they, "why he reporteth a manifest untruth, whenas there may be found such as in open assemblies have taught the people; yea, whenas there were present learned men that could profit the people, and moreover holy bishops, who at that time exhorted them to preach. custom) propounded a question, to may learn, and all be comforted." It was for encouraging a similar exercise among his clergy, that archbishop Grindal incurred the displeasure of Queen Elizabeth, and was for a time suspended from his see. It should be remembered that this was the scriptural sense of the word prophesying; and that prediction is not its only signification, appears from the title of one of Jeremy Taylor's Works, "The Liberty of Prophesying.' See Savage's Winthrop, i. 50, 91; Mass. Hist. Coll. iv. 136; Prince's Annals, p. 407; Fuller's Ch. Hist. iii. 6-18; Peirce's Vindication, part i. pp. 92-96. THE LIBERTY OF PROPHESYING. 421 XXVI. For example, at Laranda Euelpis was requested of CHAP. Neon, at Iconium Paulinus was requested by Celsus, at Synada Theodorus was requested by Atticus, who were godly brethren, &c."1 The second instance is out of Speed's Cloud of Witnesses, page 71. Saith he, "Rambam or Maymon records, that in the synagogues, first, only a Levite must offer sacrifice; secondly, but any in Israel might expound the law; thirdly, the expounder must be an eminent man, and must have leave from the master of the synagogue; and so contends that Christ, Luke iv. 16, taught as any of Israel might have done as well as the Levites; and the like did Paul and Barnabas, Acts xiii. 15." If any out of weakness have abused at any time their liberty, it is their personal faulting, as sometimes weak ministers may their office, and yet the ordinance good and lawful. And the chief of our ministers in New England agree therein. See Mr. Cotton's Answer to Baylie, page the 27th, 2d part. "Though neither all," saith he, "nor most of the brethren of a church have ordinarily received a gift of public prophesying, or preaching, yet in defect of public ministry, it is not an unheard of novelty that God should enlarge private men with public gifts, and to dispense them to edification; for we read that when the church at Jerusalem were all scattered abroad, except the Apostles, yet they that were scattered went every where preaching the word." 1 See Doctor Fulke also on Romans the xi. in answer to the Rhemists.-Bradford's Note. Dr. Fulke, master of Pembroke Hall, Cambridge, wrote in 1685 a learned confutation of the Rhemish 2 Some word is here omitted. viii. 4. xi. 19. XX. 21. |