The Lords Table Not for All Comers

SECT. I.

THis being a matter of such high concernment to be clear-in, we will premise a few things here also to clear 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 profane, how notorious soever for their Deboiserie, are to have admittance to the Lord's Table by privilege of Infant Baptism; 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, Curates and Parsons did, de facto, 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-Book: Specialle that place, which relates to the order should be observed in th • administration of the Lord's Supper, together with other Constitutions and Canon's, as to that sacred administration, printed sixty years ago, and reprinted a few years by-past. We will quote two places only, one out of the Canons of our Church; the other out of the Book of Common Prayer. The 26 Canon straitly chargeth every Minister,

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 Lord's Table; It will fare the worse for you, because he is so bad; ye 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 loath we are to Couple you together. But since you will have it so, so it must be, and possible with some men, it may be for your honor; but however we cannot help you at all, nor, we suppose, can you help yourself, by that proviso you speak of, which the man of your persuasion gives you, excommunication. If a person, man or woman, so notoriously vile and debauched, that he is more like a Devil, than a Disciple, then admit him not, but excommunicate him, Cast him out. We cannot thank the man for his remedy, 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? unless into the same place M • H ^s . deserves to be himself cast (and it is his lightest punishment; for indeed he hath offended the Lord's little ones every one of them we thought till we thought of you) into the Sea with a mill-stone about his neck, for all the dry Land is a Church, as you so well know, and can make full proof. In the next place

SECT. III.

3. WE would say in Allusion to excellent Calvin's words, 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 half Reformation (which will content the Godly party, as the half of her dear Child the dear mother) ye do not bid us the half; no, nor the least part or piece of Reformation; for, making no separation from the world at the Lord's Table, where or when will ye separate? All one at the Lord's Table, and everywhere one. The world and you cannot be two, while professedly one at the Lord's Table. We will take leave to set down excellent Burroughs his words, we have read or heard upon this subject. Whensoever you receive the Communion with any Company, you do Confess yourself to be of the same body with that Company. I must profess that I do believe myself 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; joining with them to eat Bread at the Lord's Table, (where these unclean 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 doing of it. Therefore it concerns us very much to look unto it, That it be an holy Communion we receive the bread and wine-in. In the last place

SECT. IV.

4. WE would add this; That we are as unable to keep silence as we are to speak, as the Learned do, observing, the ordinance of our dearest Lord and Savior, so profaned; His own order, in His own house, whereof He is so tender, so blasphemed; and by those, who should be most observant thereof; His stewards there. We profess we wish our eyes fountains of tears, and that our hearts could melt like wax, and our bowels yearn upon these stewards in God's house, who admit 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 means it is that a brutish, sottish people, admitted by them to eat and drink at the Lord's Table, do eat and drink their own damnation; increasing their guilt there, and hardening themselves to their utter ruin, and everlasting destruction. And is this nothing? Nothing saith M ^r H ^s : for which some other will deal with him assuredly, and bray him in a mortar, that his folly may depart from him, who saith in effect, though not in terminis; It is nothing to eat and drink damnation to ourselves, as all must do who eat and drink unworthily, upon account only of Infant Baptism: For by Comming, or, rashly, like natural brute beasts, rushing to the Lord's Table, before the word of life, hath brought life to their souls, they eat and drink judgment to themselves, and have put themselves into an utter incapacity or impossibility ever to be wrought upon thereby, we mean as to the strength and power of ordinary means, That work 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 means of Conversion: They have hard hearts, that do not melt into tears, beholding a poor sottish people, increasing their guilt every day, and more and more hardening themselves to their eternal ruin. Therefore for our dear Lord's and Christ's sake, whose Body and Blood we cannot see with patience thus prostituted to dogs and swine; for His Churches and Truths sake, the only two dearly beloved and regarded in the whole world, for Souls sake, purchased at so dear a rate, (which argues the preciousness of them) for your own sakes, whose foot stands fixed in M ^r H • : way ( his own ) a way of sin and death; have we spoken hitherto, and shall speak in these matters before us, as we have believed, And as the Church of Christ hath practiced in all times, and ages, though not with that freedom and blessed liberty, as by the abundant riches of God's goodness now they can do, for which liberty they bless 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 bar to keep any from the Lord's Table, but one, which superstition made; And was it a just Greife (to borrow M ^r Sanders words) then, that there was no bar; And is it your work now to remove the Barres, yea the Lord's and his Churches ancient Land-marks, and lay all Common? The Lord God of gods looks 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 mean to end this; of all murder take heed of Souls murder, your own or others, It is Salvians Caution. It is true your people will be very wroth with you, if you will not murder them, let them eat and drink damnation to themselves. The most cruel & bloody murder (though M ^r H ^s : will not believe it) to suffer persons one or more to poison themselves with the Sacrament, which works strongly, and kills presently, as poison mixed with the strongest wine will do. Vinegar, you have read, 'tis filius vini, and the sweetest wine degenerates into the sharpest vinegar; As there are more liberal doles of Grace in time of the Gospel, and specially given forth at the Lord's Table to the worthy receivers; So are there the largest violls of wrath there also, given forth to eat and drink down 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 Lord's Supper, as formerly they have had, once a year at least (which now will not serve their turn) or thrice, or, since they are used to it, once a month; they will cry-out against you all the year 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 do, if you will not suffer them to drink down a Curse, and destroy themselves forever, if you will not take the readiest way, to destroy them by admitting them so unworthy to the Lord's Table, They will destroy you; at least they will do, what they can. Why but, as the Counsel is to the Parent Correcting his Child, Let not thy soul spare for his crying: So regard not their Crie, nor their Curse neither. But, though they Curse, Bless them, which you cannot do; but in bidding them attend diligently upon the Converting ordinance, and forbear coming to the Lord's Table, till the Word preached hath done its work, Then come and welcome.—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 always, are not to be admitted to the Lord's Table. We will with your leave hear you make out the Affimative first, That Children in understanding are to be admitted to the Lord's Table. We have heard you (we shall allege nothing from what we have read) and those in your way with you, make it out thus▪ and so this is your first proof.

SECT. I.

It is hard to prove this, nay we think it is impossible; Though we grant that many the excellent of the earth, did give forth these seals to as many as came for them, and that was just, as you say, to all; And truly much might be said to excuse these excellent of the Earth, à tanto, if not à toto. The tyranny of Custom, 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 Issachar’s —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 Commandment. And surely we may add 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 known in all the Earth; and how did they there, And the faithful here wrestle with their God about these things? And what thanks can they Render to God for what He hath done in way of Answer to their prayers? Time was when another Girded these faithful 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 walk 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 : persuasion?

And yet Sir▪ we must make bold to tell you, your proof is naught, and proves nothing, What have we to do 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 proof may be warranted, what evil may not be approved good and be justified? Here the Heretic Eutiches sic à progenitoribus accipiens credidi &c.

SECT. II.

We oppose not here, nor gain-say what is said of their Learning and Godliness. But this we say, That your proof is naught still, and proves nothing. There were learned and Godly men sure among those thousands of Israel called together by King David for the removing of the Ark, and yet they put it in a Cart, against the express Command of their God, which was that the Levites should bear it on their shoulders. Godliness, we see, doth not privilege 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 sanctify it, that it may be of use to His Sanctuary; for this we find by daily experience (we will borrow the words of that excellent Expositor upon Job ) It is Satan's work to solicit the Learning of men (even as an adulterer solicits the beauty of women) that he may commit folly with it, and beget some monstrous birth of mischief and villainy. We proceed to that you say in the third place.

SECT. III.

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 Devil? Why, If he be a Devil incarnate, and baptized, he shall be admitted to the Lord's Table, though truly we know not well what to say more, having hinted so much to it before; yet this we will add, That Charity doth both hear and see, and hath a rule, whereby to judge righteous Judgment, as of a tree by the fruits; of M H: his walk in the street, by his practice at the Lord's Table; for if naught there, it is our fear, he is good nowhere; Thus we judge of a man by his works. And to the thing in hand, of a believer by his faith; of a Disciple, by his discipline; his scholar-like submitting himself to the teaching of Christ; of a Saint by his holiness. 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 holiness: 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 abundance in the heart, the Treasure there venteth or broachethit self, by the eye, tongue, or hand, then it is easy to judge, Salvâ Charitate, That the Treasure within is evil, for it bringeth forth evil things. The Physician judgeth of th • sick man's stomach by his tongue, that is foul, the stomach is much fowler, being the Cause of the tongues foulness; When we observe the smoke breaking-out of the doors and windows, and from under the tyles, we conclude, there is much smoke within and some fire also, which, if Care be not taken, will break-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 judgment 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 hear 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 sin to God, that those are only evil continually (for so we are taught to know ourselves, that we may loath ourselves). But now, when these evil thoughts have minted or molded-out themselves, by words and deeds, then thoughts become visible. We know the Mint in the heart, and what stamp it beareth, for we find it upon men's words and deeds, which are, as we may say, the money that is coined there: It is probable this last said remembers you of Salvian's words; I can tell you anon (speaking to his hearers) what your thoughts are now, you are hearing; when I observe you, so soon as you are out of God's 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 works make a clear Commentary upon the heart: these are the hearts Heralds, proclaiming the fools foolishness. Yet indeed some of your believers, Disciples and Saints, are so evil, that we need not (but that we must) observe either their words or works, for the show of their C •• ntenance doth witness against them, and they declare their sin. as Sodom, they hide it not. To put a close to this; de • ccultis judicat Deus, God judgeth of things which appear not, The face of the heart being as visible to Him, as is the face to us, and the darkest room lightsome; But we may judge of things that do appear:

SECT. IV.

4. YOu say you know not why there should not be now as free admission to Baptism, and the Lord's Supper, as in those primitive times, there was to Circumcision, and the Passover.

To this we might only, say as before, when you mention to us that National Church, we should mention to you that National discipline. As thus; If so be the hire of a whore must not be 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, then she was to be stoned with stones, And the Adulterer with the Adulteress were both to die. So Sir, your Argument holds not, nor Can it bear out, as we think, this Custom amongst you, admitting such Infants now (for they are admitted in their Parents right) to Baptism, begotten, as is notoriously known, in 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 help him or them; That though the Child was begot in Adultery, yet it was borne in wedlock; So have they plastered over that horrible sin, for which the Minister must be as responsible, we mean 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 looks upon this and tells us with a voice as loud as thunder, that since man doth not, He Himself will be the avenger of these things. And if the people 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 hear and fear, and do no more presumptuously; In the shutting up of this we humbly remind you, of your own Principles, every head of a family (being by our principles) an Abraham to his family. But how if he be an Ishmaell, worse than an Infidel to his family, how then in point of admission of his Children to Baptism, or himself to the Lord's Table? must he, having blasphemed the one Sacrament, be privileged thereby to blaspheme the other? or having denied and renounced his Baptism, as the manner of some is, by his works, making full proof he hath very ill husbanded that precious Talent, must he be privileged thereby to deal so with the other? Yes say you, and accordingly you deal-out unto him. But did your Lord Christ deal so with His Talents? Math. 25. 28.—But we refer it to the sixth Treatise.

2. Now as to admission to the Passover, which you are pleased to say, was free to all, which pleads for the like free admission to the Lord's Table. That spoken before might serve here, But, to let that pass, we verily believe there was not such free admission to the Passover, as you would seem to hold-out, or take for granted; And this our belief we 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 do; We humbly conceive there is much in this Scripture we read; When your Children shall say unto you, what mean you by this service? That ye shall say it is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover; We Collect from hence; That the persons were to be knowing and understanding persons in the matters of their God, the great Concernments of their souls, and so knowing and understanding, as that they must be able to instruct and Catechize their Children in those High points. Now if you find the Parents such knowing and understanding persons; you may find reason and warrant enough to admit them to the Lord's Table; But if very ignorant, yea Brutishly ignorant, for such they are, whom you have admitted, then seek your warrant elsewhere for your admission to the Lord's Table; for we are verily persuaded you will not find it from the Passover; The free admission they had to that, Sir, be well aware what you say, and as well aware what you do;

But to your Alligation from their free admission to the Passover; To our seeming it was not so free as yours is to the Lord's Table For first, some were to be Cut-off, as we read,

SECT. V.

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 again for another word to prove that 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, dear though they are to us, yet not so dear 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 favor you) shall not put out our eyes with his conceits, now that he hath put out his own by his sensuality. He shall not abuse us as he doth the Scripture shamefully after his manner, touching the Centurions Conversion by seeing Christ only upon the Cross: It was as mi • aculous and extraordinary, as was the Renting of the veil and rocks, and opening of the Graves. And he is as well able to prove, That when he last administered this ordinance, he raised dead bodies out of the Graves, as that he raised dead souls, by his administering to them the Bread and the Wine, which yet is the thing he is to prove, That Conversion, which is the raising of the soul from its grave, is wrought in this way, we mean by giving out this ordinance; It is true, The people will speak Highly of it, That they never found the Word (of God's grace) so prevailing with them, as was that, they heard delivered to them at the graves mouth, and at the Lord's Table; But he that cannot see, that this is a mere delusion, and devise of Satan, and our own heart, which is blind and cannot see a far-off, and will make us believe a lie, That God will step out of His way and work extraordinarily for us, while we neglect and turn our backs upon the ordinary means, He hath appointed for the turning the heart unto Him; We shall speak more to this in another place; for the present we say only thus; That this tenet, That Sacraments do convert, senteth strongly of Popery, and is most unsavory, and loathsome to every good man's heart, being assured, That

That the • ord preached is the great Appointment of God, to bring Christ and the soul together, never to be parted again. Preaching is the Chariot, that Carrieth Christ up and down the world, here is Christ for you, who sanctifieth Himself for your sakes, That He might do 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 Righteousness, That ye might be Compleate in Him, and wholly sanctified through the Truth, and thoroughly furnished to every good work: Then preaching Christ Crucified is the Appointment of God for the salvation of souls; so many Scriptures give-in their evidence, that we know not how many: The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God (in the preaching of the Gospel) and they that hear (that is, believe and obey) shall live. Other sheep I have (He means us Gentiles) them also I must bring (belonging to the Election of Grace) but how wilt thou bring them Lord? Thou art in Heaven and they on Earth, they shall hear my voice. The preaching which Christ bids His Ministers preach, is no other but Christ's voice, which bids the sleeper awake, and arise from the dead. It is that whereby the Spirit works faith in the soul: it is that whereby life and immortality is brought to light, through the Gospel. All the Angels in Heaven cannot convert one sinner, (it is not their office or appointment from God) But the word preached (which the wisdom of the world counts foolishness ), 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 breath came into them, and they lived and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great Army: As then so now, and to the end of the world, life and immortality is brought to light, into our souls by the Gospel; It is the Chariot of Christ, of the Spirit of Christ, The saving knowledge, faith in Christ, and this by the preaching of the Gospel, Thereby the Spirit flows 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 Clear; 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 maintain and quicken that life, when to sense and feeling it is in a swound and fainting away.

This being a point of high concernment to be clear 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 said; That the word of God where it is preached, is the only means in the Spirits hand of Conversion. And indeed (to mention it only in passage here) some Godly Ministers, as is meet for us to judge, do ascribe conversion, not to the act of receiving, as the man of your persuasion doth; (and truly, we think 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 administered. To this we shall speak hereafter in its proper place, where we shall tell our persuasion 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 hear the Word.

To this it is answered by our Perkins of sweet and precious memory, That where ordinary means faileth, God can work extraordinarily, by reports and rumors, Joshua 2. 9, 10, 11.

2. It is said Paul's conversion was without the Word; True; it was very extraordinary, immediate by the Lord's own Hand, yet He would put an honor upon the word of His grace, which He hath appointed for conversion. He sent Ananias unto him, verse. 11. though the great work was don; for behold he prays. 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 hear it by the entreaties and persuasions 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 go along with her to the place of hearing; his body was drawn within the Church-doors 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 Beza's interpretation there, the sum of it. And we conceive that we read 1 Cor. 7. 16. falls 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,

Before we inquire farther for resolution hereunto, we would say this first; That this ruling well his own house, having his children in subjection, with all gravity, works marvelously upon them, making such impressions upon the out • ard man, as that they look not as if they had been born dead in trespasses and sins, Children under wrath as well as others. We will proceed a little here to witness the honor we give to this Despised Discipline in families; surely a family well Trained, disciplined or Catechised, is a very beautiful sight; as is an Army well ordered, all and everyone keeping their ranks, and doing their Duty; A rulers walk before the ruled, if according to the rule, together with his exhorting, comforting and charging everyone of them, as a Father doth his children, is very winning, and gaining upon the whole family, to do as the Ruler in chief doth; he being truly and indeed religious, his very example is a command , yea a compulsion to the ruled, so as his whole family become religious too; they give good hopes that way, at least they seem 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 evil with his eyes —For the proof hereof we entreat the Reader to consult with the Scriptures in the Margent;

We will set down here our excellent Burroughs his words upon Hosea 4. 25.

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 mischief; 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 down Mr Baxter's words, which seem to us to speak contrary, we will note but one passage amongst many in his book of Baptism.

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 child by the good hand of God with him; we would ask, hath he done this without the Word? It could not then be called holy Discipline, or pious education.

3. But to speak 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 child in the Nurture and admonition of the Lord, is but the external moulding of a man, not the internal Renovation of his heart: Education fashions and frames the outside only; Conversion, if true, the inside; Education changeth the actions only; Conversion not the actions only, but the Nature also; for the effecting whereof there must be put forth an exceeding greatness of Power together with the Word; once more, and to do 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 seem more than Civil: 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 man's Nature and a beast. Education may pollish and beautify, yea and rectify 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 forever; To change a sinner into a Saint; To make a Believer of an Infidel. Therefore holy Cowper taking this very thing into Consideration, That the word preached is the only means of Conversion, would always as he went to Church send up this ejaculation or short prayer, Lord bow my ear that I may hear thy word, Amen. He it is, who hath an Almighty Arm, 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 forever and ever, Amen.

SECT. VI.

THIS is well, but not the whole of your duty, no; nor the least part. They will not believe that there is any danger in receiving, at least, such you speak of unto them, being in your account, and upon the same score admitted to the Table, Believers, Disciples and Saints; why should they Question that, which you do not question? Let Turks and Pagans question those matters, and not Disciples and Saints, we mean 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 sign of Wisdom; 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 house • •• 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 own soul, and as to the other so to this make you your answer, Calling God to record upon your soul. 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 counseled yea threatened a rude and rascal Company, nasty wretches, and not worthy to enter your Lord's house, much less to approach His Table, notwithstanding in they would Come, which yet they Could not without your Connivance, and more, and sit down 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 careless what manner of persons you have admitted to my: Table? make Answer to Him, we leave this upon your thoughts also.

3. Put it to your own Soul, Is it enough to warn Men? we cannot doubt but you have been warning proud men and covetous and hypocritical mockers, and you know whom, and yet they have Come. Doubtless, Sir, you should have restrained them from drinking a Cup of poison, and from Rushing upon their own damnation. Answer this to your own Soul, and when you are about it, Call God to record therein. Then perhaps you may tremble at Eli's doom; I will judge thy house forever, for the iniquity thou knowest, because thy Sons made themselves vile, and thou Restrainedst them not, thou didst not bend thy brow, nor frown upon them. A good man scatters the wicked with his eye, they shall not partake 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 soul, 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 do anything, but according to the mind and will of his Lord: so nor are you in God's House, but according to the mind and will of Christ, receiving, whom He receiveth; refusing, whom He refuseth; Casting-out, whom He Casteth out: whence Paul exhorted the Romans to receive unto them the weak 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 Economy of a Princes house is no rule for the Government of God's house, he is well answered, That surely 'tis a disgrace and dishonor to God's house to be more loosely and dissolutely ordered, than is the house of any Earthly King or Lord. And though the Economy of Princes houses, be no rule for the ordering of God's house, yet, methinks, th' ordering of God's house (the King of Kings) might be a rule or pattern (in some proportion) for the Economy of Princes houses; and should not Stewards of God's house blush? That these stewards should be more Carefull about their Lord's house, which is but Earth upon Earth, than God's stewards are of His house, which is Heaven upon Earth. Rejoice ye Heavens.

SECT. VII.

So then without a Civil Sanction, we may not expect Church-Reformation. Our excellent Jewell, speaks, we think, fully and not impertinently to this, as Is generally known to all the Learned in his Epistle concerning the Council of Trent; we will abstract a few of his lines, though all are worthy to be heard and read of all men.

But we crave leave to ask: do not you derogate much from the power your Lord Christ hath given you, and entrusted you with? and from the Authority of His word? Is not that sufficient to bear you out in the ordering matters in God's house as Stewards there? All power is given to Me in heaven and in earth, go ye therefore &c. If the Ruler will do his uttermost for your help in these matters, moving orderly, and in his sphere; And having the Interest of Christ full in his eye, he shall do well, and his work shall be accepted; But if he forbear, be it at his peril. You know your duty, Blessed are you if you do it: You serve a Good Master able to bear 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 fear not the face of the Magistrate, supposed setting himself against you, you have power over him as a Steward in God's 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 endeavor to order matters by the rule of God's word: God will not be mastered by His own gifts, nor make derivative power, too strong for original 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 ask, as we have heard, what had the Emperor to do with the Church? To whom it was answered, That the Emperor 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 Civil Ruler: But then we must note There are two things in Religion; first intrinsical within the Church, as to preach, Administer the Sacraments, and to ordain Ministers, these he ought not to do. But for those things, which are without, those belong unto him; He is to see others do their duty, and Correct them that do it not: He ought to set all ag • eing, and to reform abuses, but not to meddle with things within the Chu • ch aforesaid, as to execute the same, but to over-see and govern 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 do most at the setting up of the Kingdom 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 took little care of His honor. Yet in those seirce and perilous times, when the Rulers set themselves against the Lord's Christ: There were those and not a few, who in the power of His might set themselves in the Gap for Him, beareing up against all the power of the Adversarie, despising it and laughing it to scorn. And Luther was one of these in former times (not to mention anymore, nor the Worthies of the Lord in our late

Yet we cannot come off from this common plea which is pleaded by all the herd that have M Hs: for their Leader; We have no power to keep any how wicked soever, from the Lord's Table, say they; we would entreat these men to call to remembrance, what the Lord saith touching the sanctifying Himself upon horri • le sinners, in case the Rulers did not We apply it to this in hand, If men to whom the Lord hath given Authority to reprove, censure, and excommunicate wicked men (from communicating at His Table at the least) either dare not, or will not do it; I will take the matter into My own Hand, I will do 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 falls 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 himself in the midst of his days; A sift is his own executioner; A sixth, and he is many, these are la • d in the lap of their own lusts, and now being past feeling give themselves over to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness; joined to their Idols, and let alone; And hath the Lord dealt less severely with the Stewards of His house, who have dealt so unbecoming stewards there? Some He hath thrust-out. And those that, through favor hold-in for a time, Is not a visible sword upon their arm, (their power is broken) and upon their right eye their understanding is darkend. The unfaithfu • l Steward, the Idol-Shepherd 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 dreadful ways 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 ) will He spare these, who dare out-face him at His own Table (prepared for His own people, followers of Him as dear Children ) rushing-in thither to receive that with their hands, which they blaspheme with their tongues, and trample under with their feet; and would deal as despitefully with His blessed person now in Glory, as once their forefathers did deal 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 do, alleging for themselves (but will their allegation be accepted) their Lord put a key into their hands, but they found neither hand nor heart to use it; because the Ruler, forsooth, did not Commission them so to do: Commission them! A Ruler, as we suppose, exceeds the bounds of his Commission, for which he will have no thanks from his God, if he shall Commission the Stewards in God's house, how to manage God's matters there; We are taught from the Scriptures of God, and from them, that hold thetherto; That in these cases, which relate to God's 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 do it; their power and their duty being of equal length? We will conclude in David's words, My flesh trembleth for fear of thee, and I am afraid of thy judgments.

SECT. VIII.

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 profanations of His day; The abominations He hath found committed in His house, as to those sacred administrations there. And these are, as we have just cause to fear, but the beginning of our sorrows, The first drops of wrath coming; The Lord God will be prodigal of our blood, because we have been so prodigal 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 abominations are Committed in My house? I have sworn by the excellency of Jacob (by Himself) saith the Lord —for you read it everywhere. Indeed that Bellua multorum capitum, we beast-like people, we say as much with those rebellious and stubborn ones, or much after their manner, Jer: 44. 17. It was never better with us, then when we had our Service-book, 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 mind? So that the Lord could no longer bear, because of the evil of their doings, and because of the abominations, which they had Committed.

But with your patience, Sir, Give us leave to ask you Concerning the place where you were borne, and whereunto you wish so well, and the Good of those souls is the Travel 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 Lord's Table; for there you know the veriest varlet in the Town, (if there be any such which perhaps you question) may have admittance with his Children to Baptism; and, if he please may come at the day appointed to the Lord's Table, as freely as you may come to an Inn, and set up your beast in the stable; And if you were questioned about your own Town, where you give freedom enough to these fore-mentioned places, the Font, and the Table, for you are of M • Hs: persuasion; We believe you could speak little of the good you have wrought among them, by indulging that liberty to bring their Infants to Baptism, and anon after themselves to the Lord's Table, ignorant though they are some of them, whom ye so freely admit, as is ignorance it self. Nay, Sir, to tell you our faith in these matters, we verily believe, That Ministers generally all over the Nation, having mightily obstructed their Gospel-work 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 mean, by the preaching of the Gospel: 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 do no good among them. Indeed this is our faith, and which relating to such things, that are the highest concernments of God's Glory, and good of His people, we may not keep in to ourselves. The great work and buisinesse of preaching is, you know, to bring Christ and the soul together; To call them in, who are without; then to confirm and strengthen them being brought in. Now you should, (it is our faith ) wait God's 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 ears, 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 sure and immovable state, fa • t upon their Rock Christ, as Mount Zion, fast for evermore. Do you go on now to do your work, preach the Gospel, and leave the Rest to God, patiently waiting His time. But in the mean time, you shall never make us believe, had you the tongue of an Angel, That wicked and unreasonable men (for they have no faith, which is the reason of the soul) are the worse, because they are denied, the Seals of the Covenant; But much worse (which may be) because they are admitted to partake of those before their time; for as once it was, so it is now, together with the bread and wine, the Devil enters them too, and now see them in their walk, and you see Devils incarnate; no difference in their walk, for as they see him do, so do they, only 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 justify your doings in God's house, as to the handing forth those sacred things there,

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

1. How would this have sounded in the Apostles ears, Commissioned by their Lord to preach unto the Heathen, should these Heathen have said to the Apostles,

2 We think it will be granted, That the Gospel 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 speak of a Nation, or a man only, we allude to that in Job) as High as heaven.

But vestra res agitur You know your Lord's order, how tender He is of it, and the judgment that is written shall be their portion, who will remove the bounds, that you may not do like them. Ye can take it into your Consideration, and put it upon ours, That if This Rich Talent, we called the Gospel, so laded with pearls, 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 Gospel.

For the Lord doth not say as we foolishly may dream, and do according as we have dreamed; The man hath not improved his Talent, nay he hath abused it: What though, give him another Talent; No,

3. Be not you careful about this, whether we will hear or whether we will forbear;

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 Lord's Table.

Hear 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 unto Him; such as will not hearken to the word of God, God will cast away; why? They cast God away, when they cast the word of God away. They cast the Covenant behind their backs, while they hate Instruction; No wonder God casteth them behind His back (a dreadful place for our persons, but a glorious place for our sins) For the wickedness 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-down, dried stubble, parched leaves or chaff before the whirl-wind. God will drive them out of doors, 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 do, they will endeavor what possibly they can to do. A good Minister will drive these from the Lord's Table too, they shall not come near that, till it can be made to appear, The word of God's Grace hath come near 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 entreat you to account it a godly jealousy, which is this, That there is somewhat more prevails 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 Jealousy) when it pleased God to reveal His Son in you (such is our hope) that you might preach Him among the Heathen (truly we mean, for we must be plain in these matters, we call a spade a spade) your Believers, 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 Lord's Table? You must Answer this to God, since you are Stewards in His house, and should know how to behave yourselves there (with regard enough to that holy guile which is allowed you) for certainly to Him you must make Answer. We humbly in the fear of our Lord tell you our Jealousy; 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 endeavor is how to Escape it; Now there is no way for a man, that will live godly in Christ Jesus to escape it, if he will avoid it, he must as to that particular Cease to be Godly, and so he Conferres with flesh and blood; and taking that for the man of his Counsel, he must choose iniquity rather than affliction. It is our Godly Jealousy, 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 do, given free admission as aforesaid; If you did not as you do, you should anger the best men in your Parish, as they are in account among us nowadays: and so you should have their purses shut, and their mouths 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 self from persecution; give their Children Baptism, and themselves the Lord's Supper; and all shall • e well, their purses shall be opened and their mouths shut, unless open to bless and pray for you, dealing so kindly with them; but take heed of their blessing you, and your blessing yourself in such a way with them: and you may remember this with it, That some men's Cursing are as good as their blessings, and you shall prosper better under them; To put a close to this, This is our persuasion from what we see and hear; should the Gospel come to us like an Angel, with a sword in his hand, and with fire in its mouth to kill our lusts and consume them utterly, yet we should never be troubled about it, no nor regard it in the least, If our Minister would give us the Lord's Supper, before this killing work were done; what he did in the Pulpit, he would undo all at the Table; If he would preach hell to us from the one place, we would take heaven to us at the other; he shall never make us believe, That we are heathen and worse; not, that we are all Children of wrath, and are every day and hour of the day damneing our souls, while we are treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath; he shall never make us believe this, while he puts a Cup of Blessing into our hands. And yet if he doth not thus, he shall be the white and mark for wrath & envy to shoot all their arrows against you, which flesh and blood cannot endure; yet do not Confer with it (it is our Jealousy, • e do) ye shall never please God then, nor your people for their good to Edification. It is the greatest enemy we have in the world, the Devil and Satan himself not excepted; ye are no debtors 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 walk 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 Lord's Table, you will allow us the same patience while we argue the Negative, That this free admission to the Lord's 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 Lord's Table, who turn their backs upon the feast of the Gospel: we mean thus; They must not be suffered to Come to the Lord's 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 Gospel; We ground this upon those known 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 Heir of the Kingdom to be His Bridegroom. Now because there is a marvelous disproportion, as her present Case is, betwixt this Bridegroom 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 Bridegroom and this intended Bride, as heaven and hell do, and such a gulf betwixt them. Beside all this, This intended Bride is a very ill-favored and froward piece, and as proud as she is uncomely, and as willful also as will it self; and, as sure as death, she will refuse life, she will have none of the match; He shall not be her Bridegroom; who then? Any but He; and the truth is (but nullum tempus occurrit Regi ) The Lord of time may take His own time, and when He pleaseth) she hath made her own choice and is married already, and wonderously she is satisfied in her match: But now here's much to do, first to break this match, and make it null, then to make it an abhorring to her soul, that she was so hasty, carried-on so headlong in the buisinesse of so high Concernment, and then to make her fit and prepared for her Bridegroom; 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 Himself, the Lord of glory, wherein He holds forth to the world the abundant riches of grace and of glory by His Son Jesus Christ. And this we doubt not to call the feast of the Gospel, whereby this Bridegroom 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 own person, besides that His terror would make her afraid, He hath His Para-nymphs and spokes-men for Him, who are His Maidens, Ministers, and Preachers of His Gospel. And this we take to be the scope of this Parable, which you know, Nihil probat ration circumferentiae, sed tantum ration 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 to wrench and tenter it beyond that; which, were against the Rule, we not angariari parabolam, in Compelling it to go farther then it would.

2. What things are spoken of God 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 after the manner of men, are to be understood 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in a sense becomeing God; now in the third place.

3. We would take off an objection here before we proceed to our Argument drawn from this Parable, That there is no argueing from Parables, Similitudes are not argumentative; True;

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

We answer you to that in another's words, to one that said he kept his Church, so may your dog too: Yea but we hear, so may your dog too, a sound. Truly 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 ears, that they should not hear; Yea they made &c. They did not shut the ear against audience, but they did shut the heart against Obedience; hearing in Scripture account is obeying, is believing, if we obey not what we hear, we are not said to hear, as you know it is clearly made out to us from John 5. 37. & 8. 47. by our Lord's own testimony; And truly, Sir, you must, (if there be a must) to do your duty, examine your people at this point, whether they have, through their ears, received Christ into their hearts, before you admit them to the Lord's Table? But we may Contribute more to this hereafter, only this we have cleared in the (1) place against this your free admission to the Lord's Table, That they, (and they are the Greatest number) must not have admittance thither, that have refused Christ, yea rejected Him in the Ministry of the Gospel; for why should those tremenda mysteria be so profaned? why should those be be dealt with swine-like by swinish men? worse than if trampled under-foot in the face of the Congregation.

SECT. II.

SECT. III.

THey are not to be admitted to the Lord's Table, who cannot possibly receive anything 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 do perform to God, or to our own Souls; The word spoken to us profits not unless we mingle it with faith. The word spoken out from us, The word of prayer prevails 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 Lord's Table, if we do not put out the hand of faith, we receive no more there than at our own Table; faith is to the soul, what the eye, ear, mouth, hands, feet are to the body; No Spiritual good comes into our souls 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 draws all other graces after it, it enliveneth and quickeneth the soul, it is the Spring of spiritual life in us; it is the first grace of all; it is set down instead of all, and indeed so it is. If we have faith, if we can believe nothing is impossible to us, to do or to suffer, when God calls us thereunto; It was a Sad time with the Thessalonians, and Paul was sadded at it, and fain would he know how the case stood with them, specially how it fared with their faith, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, 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 turn; When the holy Spirit comes in to the soul, conveyed in 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 do nothing without the Spirit, it bringeth all at once along with Him; All Spiritual things needful to Salvation; And that the soul may take fast hold on them, and appropriate them to Himself, saying, all these are mine. The Spirit with the Word (for He will not work alone as the Word cannot) works faith there, and faith works up the soul to Christ, for it is the Spirits working.) Its chief and main object. And now draws or sucks from that Breast of Consolation all that is desirable, suitable, satisfactory, and most pleasant to her. But this is the thing. Faith looks first to Christ, the person of Christ, the fountain, the Spring-head, the Treasury, the mine of Gold. Faith looks to the person of Christ first, it knitts the soul to Him, then it looks 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 soul of a Christian principally looks 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 look for peace, for Consolation, for forgiveness of sins, and reconciliation with God; Then faith looks to Christ fixedly, wholly, solely.

These things being premised we return to our Argument.

First, They that have not received faith (the Guift of God sent unto us by the hand of the Spirit with the word) can perform nothing pleasing to God, nor can they receive anything from God, but a Cup of wrath; if they continue faithless and unbelieving, They have not received Faith, no not by all those means 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, govern, and teach them, and a Priest to save and Redeem 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 leads them unto this storehouse or Treasury; brings them up to this fountain opnod for sin and uncleanness; lays the soul in that Jordan, cleanseth and washeth it there, bids it wash and be clean, bids it drink and be drunken with wine, whereof is no excess, i. e. be abundantly satisfied. But without faith none of this can be, It being the very bucket, the mouth of the soul. So that a man coming without faith to the Lord's Table, is like a vessel 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 Israel, and Strangers from the Covenant of promise, having no hope (well set and settling) and without God in the world. Now are these to be admitted to the Lord's 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 reply, which we may hear anon. We proceed,

Secondly, They that have no faith are not to be admitted to the Lord's Table, not only because they receive nothing there, but because they fearfully profane the Holy things there; They have no knowledge of those things, none at all; and none they look after, their soul is not good, it is stark naught, as dark as a Dungeon, for what should enlighten it; as noisome and loathsome as an open Sepulcher, or a vessel wherein is no pleasure, for what should discover this their filthiness to them, that they may appear such in their own eyes? that do not believe, are disobedient, rebellious, imperswadable ones, unreasonable and wicked men, that is the Apostles Character of them; and he makes clear proof of it in these words they have no faith. Are they at the Lord's 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 chiefest Instrument, and that is universally requisite to everyone of his works; 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 Lord's Table, more than we have for the admitting of swine into our Parlour? unclean ones will make all things like themselves, as unclean too, to themselves we mean.

Thirdly, Persons that have no faith are not to be admitted to the Lord's Table, because they cannot show the Lord's death there. It is a grave and a weighty word that we English show, and we would rather leave it to you to unfold to your people, wh • ch may require one hou • es work But in a word, a worthy receiver, that brings faith with him, he doth with all thanksgiving and praise show forth the excellencies of Christ, and the Glorious benefits of His bloodshed upon the Cross, the Bounties of His Goodness, and Beauties of His Holiness, making an ostentation of them unto the world, preaching to everyone 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 Lord's Table, and have no faith, are no more able to show the Lord's death there, than a man of Clouts stuffed with Straw is able to gain the victory in the day of war.

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 meet such mysteries should be received. And therefore shall be held as guilty before God as Judas was, who betrayed the body of our Savior, or as the Jews were, who so villainously abused Him, Binding His hands, spitting in His sacred face▪ and crowning Him with thorns, and as the Soldiers were; who pierced His sides, and spilled 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, dig, go down into the fouldings of their souls, to inquire what their estate is; what it is to be out of Christ, or what it is to be in Him; 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 faithless men, worse than Infidels, because borne and bred in England, a land of visions, be suffered to come to the Lord's Table? They cannot discern the Lord's Body; they can put no difference between that bread, which represents the body of Christ Crucified, and Common bread at their own 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 Lord's Table, he there drinks down a Cup of damnation instead of salvation; a cup of cursing, instead of a cup of blessing; and seals the Stone upon his graves mouth, where he lies rotting in sin, as dead bodies in their graves, He eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

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

2. And now Sir, we will spare you the labor, if please you, in making a reply to this; and ours in making Answer thereunto. This we hear is ordinarily said; They were borne and Baptized in a Church, and therefore believers: we like not to make an Answer to such a foppery; why! but they say they believe the same with the former, they say it with their tongues, what say they with their hands; such are their words, what are their works? They may say so and Blaspheme in so saying, as was hinted more than once. I pray you observe it, and let this mock-faith go, unless you will whip it like a vagrant, and send it back to the Devil whence it came; We have been speaking of that faith, which gives real union, and communion with Jesus Christ, and of necessity brings forth good works, as a good tree, good fruit, he bears upon a good root, or rather the root him, he is planted in Him, he bears upon Him; Come; when all is said this must stand, Let a man believe truly, and truth of belief will bring forth truth of holiness; A true faith, a true hope; true love, true obedience, all in Truth; when faith is in Truth, that is, truly set, and fixed upon its chief and proper object Christ Jesus the Lord. O how doth man boast himself to be somebody, when he is nothing, nay worse than nothing, but knows it not: A Beleiver, when he is worse than an Infidel; And how secure doth he lie, (he is many) under the shadow of a false faith, more secure (such is his presumption, he is very Confident) than a true believer, such is his infirmity, lies under the shadow of a true faith. You may hear these speak like Saints, and see them, if you narrowly mark them, live like Devils; so that if their word • do not bewray them, their works 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 Lord's Table, for all men have not faith, no not they, many of them, that make a profession, and a show of it; You may meet with not a few sottish, and brutishly ignorant, and then not so meet to sit at the Lord's Table as a swine properly so called is to sit • t yours: You may meet with some also, that have a pearl (of knowledge) in their heads, & their hearts as full of poison, and deadly hatred against the Gospel of the Kingdom, and true heirs 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; fair outsides, but within as noisome as a dunghill, or an open Sepulcher▪ which yet savoreth with them as a Garden of Spices, or bed of Roses; something resembling an Heaven in show, when they have an Hell with-in, the heart we mean; 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 certain Character of a polluted wretch.

We would not be mistaken here, we censure no man, we judge him not, we dwell at home, and ourselves must we judge. But upon due search thus you'le find it to be, even as we have said, and ye may have found it so by experience; we may put down this for a Conclusion; If faith bring Christ the fountain of Grace into the heart of a man, he can no more walk in darkness (of sin and ignorance, there is a darkness of Spirit of sorrow, wherein a Child of light may walk, and you have an excellent book of it, but) no more walk in darkness than he can do, that could carry the Sun in his hand; and he may as well carry fire in his bosom, and not feel it burn, 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 look like Gold. Beleive it you do, a believer can no more be without Holiness, than can a godly man be without godliness, or a true Christian without Christ; or than can the Sun be dark, or the fire Cold. We shall crave leave to speak further to you about these three grave matters; The feast of the Gospel, The Covenant, And Faith; but we shall defer it till the Last, and therewith close-up this Treatise. We proceed now in our argueing against this free admission to the Lord's Supper. In the fourth place.

SECT. IV.

IT is not according to the practice of Christ, He gave it to Disciples only, (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 only ( Judas himself, if there, looked like a Disciple, being very like one) and by so doing, he prescribes his Ministers what they are to do (so we conceive) as to those administrations to the worlds end. And here we are not bold to say, that M ^r H ^s : your Champion, doth fearfully pervert Scripture, wrest and Crooke His blessed Lord's practice, to the Countenancing of his own cursed and crooked doings, and they all drank of it; Well, what then? his inference now (hold your Nose if you cannot endure the deadly stink of the Dragons excrements) Therefore let all Come that will Come to the Lord's 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 do? When we hear this Reasonable Creature, we call a man, a scholar, and a Minister too, as he calls himself and would be called, speak thus unreasonably, as if he was as much wanting of Reason as he is of Grace; unreasonably said we? Is it not too slight a word, doth not he speak blasphemy? doth he not blaspheme the Blessed practice of our Lord and Savior, which He hath set as a pattern for all His people to practice after? And they all drank of it. So may ye, all ye drunkards; and ye, all ye unclean persons; and you, all you worse than Infidels; and you all, despisers of the Gospel; and ye 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, hewn timber, or a door-nail, no-matter how dead it be, 'tis a faith, that will serve the turn to entitle them to these holy things, drink ye all of this, as we read those Disciples did, and they all drank of it. But Sir, is not this Blasphemy? We are willing to make you Judge here, because you judge so well of the man; Come in here all ye of the world, for whom that sacred person never opned His mouth and prayed; Come in hither ye known enemies of the Cross of Christ, ye belly-servers, ye that mind Earthly things, drink ye all of this; ye that Crucify to your selves the Son of God afresh, and put Him (as they do by their vile usage, and abhominable Conversation) to an open shame, drink ye all of this; and ye all, who have trodden under-foot, as they can, The Son of God, and have counted the blood of the Covenant, (wherewith they professed themselves sanctified) an unholy thing; and have done little less than despite to the Spirit of Grace: All ye drink of this: And to make a round number, and full, and so to fill the Table, that as there is no want of room, (for a national Church is wide enough, and rich for supply,) so there may be no want of Guests, Come ye all ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart, and ears, ye do allway resist the Holy Ghost, as your fathers did so do ye. What though? ye see what provisions are made for you notwithstanding; All ye drink all of this, for the bread ye have taken already.

Sir, we have proceeded hitherto with some regret, yea with some indignation to our souls; yet for the Close hereof, we beseech you Consider, That by the gracious allowance of their Lord and Master, they His Disciples all drank of it. The Lord Himself putting the Cup into their hand, but these all afore-mentioned have drunk and daily do drink of it by Man's Allowance. Drink ye all of this, said Christ Jesus the Lord, and what He bad them do they did it, and they all drank of it. Drink ye all of this, saith This-man, without any the least warrant from God, and how readily is he obeyed? what he bad them do they did, and they all drank of it; Though he that bad them, and they that did as they were bad, have done and still do as Cross and Contrary to the mind of Christ, as He Himself is to Belial, or to Anti-christ, which is to be argued in the fifth place, so soon as we have put down this for a conclusion, That God hath not only given us His Word for a secondary rule of Righteousness to walk-by, but Himself, and His Son, the Highest pattern, the primative or Original prototype, the clearest Copy without blot, the fairest example of Holiness. Whence we conclude, That Christ Jesus our Lord is both the principle and pattern of Holiness, The principle within His people; the pattern of Holiness, without or before them. Therefore will all His servants, who in desire and endeavor approve themselves Faithful, do as He did, following-on in his steps. He that saith, He abideth in Him, ought himself also to walk even as He walked, 1 John 2. 6.

SECT. V.

AS this free and Common admission is contrary to the practice 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 practice and mind of Christ; though His practice Cleareth His mind, as His mind His practice; But yet we shall argue differently from it, and we shall be brief in it It is clean Cross and Contrary to the mind of Christ; why? Because it is so pleasing, and well agreeing, and full-up to the mind of the world, free admission to the Lord's Table is. The mind of Christ and the mind of the world, commonly called the Church there, do stand as Cross and Contrary each to other, as do heaven and hell, the greatest opposites; or remotest extremes; 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 proof 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 signs and seals of His body Crucified, and His blood poured forth, he shall find, 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 sensual men, not having the Spirit, as the morning is to the evil doer, even as the shadow of death. But let a man do Contrary to the mind 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 think of themselves below the thoughts their Minister rates them at, they will account themselves, since he hath accounted them such first, Believers, Disciples, and Saints. You remember who he was, that, when he would do a man a mischief, he would Give him a suit of apparel, as rich as silver and gold could make it, and now the man (a proud creature, and the worse he is the better he thinks of Himself) values himself, his inside we mean, 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 dress. The application is plain, Take heed Sir, of dressing up the people at the Lord's Table, (though they delight as much to be dressed, as ever a child in years did, in new and fine Clothes) in a Saints dress, because he was borne and Baptized in England, whereas they cannot make it out they ever heard a word from Christ, yet that only is prevailing to make Saints, being obeyed and believed. You understand the purpose of this, and therefrom how contrary your doings are to the mind of Christ; for can that have any agreement with the mind of Christ, which hath so full an agreement, with the mind of His enemies and adversaries all over the Nation? We proceed.

SECT VI.

ALL are not to be admitted to the Lord's Table, because all are not visible Saints: But none but visible Saints were to be admitted to Communion at the Lord's Table, as you so well know, that know so well the Church Stories, And those primitive practices: And truly we are loath to mind you in those things you are or should be able to instruct us, however your practice be Contrary; But this is the thing we cannot reach-to, that you understand these things so well, and your practice 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 proof, 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, Emperors and the like, have thrust as presumptuously unto that Table as did Uzziah the King, to burn Incense before the Lord; or as men and women of the world or Church there, Children of Disobed • ence, do nowadays; but have been withstood, as he was, and as these should be, we think, by the Ministers of the Lord, and thrust away with the breath of tthose words spoken to Uzziah;

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, do no more. If you will contend for this free admission, you contend with God, to whom you must answer this with other matters. He saith and so say His faithful Servants with Him; Ye shall not prostitute these sacred things to swine and dogs. But what shall we more say, time would fail us, to tell what Chrysostom had rather suffer, even the spilling of his own heart blood, rather than give out the Seal of the same to non-Disciples, profaners of it, how high and great soever. We purposely pass over what Cyprian, Martyr, Musculus, Marlorate, Ambrose, and those fore-mentioned, about free admission to Baptism, what these said and did, as to these matters, very much to our purpose; We will only hear what Zanchi speaks to this, and Calvin after him, because it is urged very much, That you do your duty when you bid your people beware; No saith Zanchi,

And to prevent this horrid usage, and Contempt done to that blessed thing, he thus prescribes and expects it to be done: