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Cant. i., iii., and v. chapters, abhorred to turn aside to other flocks, worships, &c., and to embrace the bosom of a false Christ, Cant. i. 8.

CHAP. IV.

Peace. The second distinction is this :

The second distinction

"In points of doctrine some are fundamental, without discussed. right belief whereof a man cannot be saved; others are circumstantial and less principal, wherein a man may differ in judgment without prejudice of salvation on either part."

may err from

Truth. To this distinction I dare not subscribe, for then I should everlastingly condemn thousands, and ten thousands, yea, the whole generation of the righteous, who since the falling away from the first primitive Chris- God's people tian state or worship, have and do err fundamentally the very funconcerning the true matter, constitution, gathering, and visible worgoverning of the church. And yet, far be it from any pious breast to imagine that they are not saved, and that their souls are not bound up in the bundle of eternal life.

We read of four sorts of spiritual, or Christian, foundations in the New Testament.

damentals of

ship.

of spiritual

First, the foundation of all foundations, the corner-stone Four sorts itself, the Lord Jesus, on whom all depend-persons, doc- foundations. trines, practices, 1 Cor. iii. [11.]

2. Ministerial foundations. The church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Ephes. ii. 20.

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Στοιχεία, θε μέλιοι. The

3. The foundation of future rejoicing in the fruits of obedience, 1 Tim. vi. [19.]

4. The foundation of doctrines, without the knowledge six founda- of which there can be no true profession of Christ, accord

tions of the

Christian re

ligion or worship.

Coming out of Babel, not

mystical.

ing to the first institution, Heb. vi. [1, 2,]—the foundation, or principles, of repentance from dead works, faith towards God, the doctrine of baptisms, laying on of hands. the resurrection, and eternal judgment. In some of these, to wit, those concerning baptisms and laying on of hands, God's people will be found to be ignorant for many hundred years; and I yet cannot see it proved that light is risen, I mean the light of the first institution, in practice. God's people in their persons, heart-waking (Cant. v. 2), in the life of personal grace, will yet be found fast asleep in respect of public Christian worship.

God's people, in their persons, are His, most dear and local, but precious: yet in respect of the Christian worship they are mingled amongst the Babylonians, from whence they are called to come out, not locally, as some have said, for that belonged to a material and local Babel (and literal Babel and Jerusalem have now no difference, John iv. 21), but spiritually and mystically to come out from her sins and abominations.

If Mr. Cotton maintain the true church of Christ to consist of the true matter of holy persons called out from the world (and the true form of union in a church government), and that also neither national, provincial, nor diocesan churches are of Christ's institution: how many thousands of God's people of all sorts, clergy and laity, as they call them, will they find, both in former and later times, captivated in such national, provincial, and diocesan churches? yea, and so far from living in, yea or knowing of any such churches, for matter and form, as they conceive now only to be true, that until of late years, how

the The great iglate God's people

norance of

concerning

few of God's people knew any other church than parish church of dead stones or timber? It being a marvellous light, revealed by Christ Jesus, the Sun righteousness, that his people are a company or church of church. living stones, 1 Pet. ii. 9.

of the nature

of the true

and all the

ratists, halt

true and false church

parish es, and con

sequently

parish not yet clear

in the fun

and damental

matter of a

de- Christian

church.

And, however his own soul, and the souls of many Mr. Cotton others, precious to God, are persuaded to separate from half sepa national, provincial, and diocesan churches, and to assemble ing between into particular churches, yet, since there are no churches in England, but what are made up of the bounds within such and such a compass of houses, that such churches have been and are in constant pendence on, and subordination to the national church: how can the New English particular churches join with the old English parish churches in so many ordinances of word, prayer, singing, contribution, &c., but they must needs confess, that as yet their souls are far from the knowledge of the foundation of a true Christian church, whose matter must not only be living stones, but also separated from the rubbish of anti-christian confusions and desolations.

CHAP. V.

Peace. With lamentation, I may add, how can their souls be clear in this foundation of the true Christian matter, who persecute and oppress their own acknowledged brethren, presenting light unto them about this point? But I shall now present you with Mr. Cotton's third distinction. "In points of practice," saith he, "some concern the weightier duties of the law, as what God we worship, and with what kind of worship; whether such,

The true mi

nistry a fun

as if it be right, fellowship with God is held; if false, fellowship with God is lost."

Truth. It is worth the inquiry, what kind of worship he intendeth for worship is of various signification. Whether in general acceptation he mean the rightness or corruptness of the church, or the ministry of the church, or the ministrations of the word, prayer, seals, &c.

And because it pleaseth the Spirit of God to make the damental.; ministry one of the foundations of the Christian religion, Heb. vi. 1, 2, and also to make the ministry of the word and prayer in the church to be two special works, even of the apostles themselves, Acts vi. 2, I shall desire it may be well considered in the fear of God.7

The New English ministers examined.

First, concerning the ministry of the word. The New English ministers, when they were new elected and ordained ministers in New England, must undeniably grant, that at that time they were no ministers, notwithstanding their profession of standing so long in a true ministry in old England, whether received from the bishops, which some have maintained true, or from the people, which Mr. Cotton and others better liked, and which ministry was always accounted perpetual and indelible. I apply, and ask, will it not follow, that if their new ministry and ordination be true, the former was false? and if false, that in the exercise of it, notwithstanding abilities, graces, intentions, labours, and, by God's gracious, unpromised, and extraordinary blessing, some success, I say, will it not according to this distinction follow, that according to visible rule, fellowship with God was lost?

7 ["It is not truly said, that the Spirit of God maketh the ministry one of the foundations of Christian

religion, for it is only a foundation of church order, not of faith, or religion." Cotton's Reply, p. 8.]

prayer,

which yet

prayer cast ten against by the New English.

Secondly, concerning prayer. The New English minis- common ters have disclaimed and written against that worshipping off, and writof God by the common or set forms of themselves practised in England, notwithstanding they knew that many servants of God, in great sufferings, witnessed against such a ministry of the word, and such a ministry of prayer.

Peace. I could name the persons, time, and place, when some of them were faithfully admonished for using of the Common Prayer, and the arguments presented to them, then seeming weak, but now acknowledged sound; yet, at that time, they satisfied their hearts with the practice of the author of the Council of Trent, who used to read only some of the choicest selected prayers in the mass-book, which I confess was also their own practice in their using of the Common Prayer. But now, according to this distinction, I ask whether or no fellowship with God in such prayers was lost?

Truth. I could particularize other exercises of worship, which cannot be denied, according to this distinction, to be of the weightier points of the law: to wit, what God we worship, and with what kind of worship? wherein fellowship with God, in many of our unclean and abominable worships, hath been lost. Only upon these premises I shall observe: first, that God's people, even the standardbearers and leaders of them, according to this distinction, shipped God have worshipped God, in their sleepy ignorance, by such worships. a kind of worship as wherein fellowship with God is lost;

8 [In his Reply, Mr. Cotton affects to have forgotten these admonitions and arguments; but Mr. Williams, in his rejoinder, reminds him that once, when riding together in company with Mr. Hooker to and from Sempringham, Mr. Williams did thus address Mr.

Cotton, whose reply was to the effect,
"that he selected the good and best
prayers in his use of that book, as
the author of the Council of Trent
used to do." Cotton's Reply, p. 8;
Williams' Bloudy Tenent made yet
more Bloudy, p. 12.]

God's people

have wor

with false

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