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penfation

FTER that the Lord God in his own The End of appointed Time had feen meet to put an the Law and BeginEnd to the Difpenfation of the Law, which ning of the was delivered to the Children of Ifrael by the Golpel difMinistry of Moses; through and by whom he did recited, communicate unto them in the Wilderness from Mount Sinai divers Commandments, Ordinances, Appointments, and Obfervations, according as they are teftified in the Writings of the Law; it pleased. him to fend his own Son the Lord Jefus Chrift in the Fulness of Time, who having perfectly fulfilled the Law and the Righteoufnefs thereof, gave Witness to the Difpenfation of the Gospel. And having approved himself, and the Excellency of his Doctrine, by many great and wonderful Signs and Miracles, he fealed it with his Blood; and triumphing over Death, of which it was impoffible for him to be held, he cherished and encouraged his despised Witneffes, who had believed in him, in that he appeared to them, after he was raifed from the Dead; comforting them with the Hope and Af furance

B 2

The divers Sorts of

ftles Days.

furance of the pouring forth of his Spirit, by which they were to be led and ordered in all Things; in and by which he was to be with them to the End of the World, not fuffering the Gates of Hell to prevail against them. By which Spirit come up. on them, they being filled, were emboldened to preach the Gofpel without Fear; and in a fhort Time Thousands were added to the Church; and the Multitude of them that believed were of one Heart and of one Soul, and great Love and Zeal prevailed, and there was nothing lacking for a Seafon.

But all that were caught in the Net, did not them that prove good and wholesom Fish; fome were again were called to be caft into that Ocean from whence they were in the Apo-drawn: Of thofe many that were called, all proved not chofen Veffels fit for the Master's Ufe; and of all that were brought into the great Supper, and Marriage of the King's Son, there were that were found without the Wedding-Garment. Some made a Shew for a Seafon, and afterwards fell away; there were that drew back; there were that made Shipwrack of Faith, and of a good Confcience. There were not only fuch as did backflide themselves, but fought to draw others into the fame Perdition with themfelves, feeking to overturn their Faith alfo: Yea, there were that brought in damnable Herefies, even denying the Lord that bought them. And also of thofe Members that became not wholly corrupt, (for fome were never again reftored by Repentance :) There were that were weak, and fickly, and young; fome were to be fed with Milk, and hot with trong Meat; fome were to be purged, when the old Leaven received any Place; and fome to be cut off for a Seafon, to be fhut out, as it were, of the Camp for a Time, until their Leprofy were healed, and then to be received in again.

-Morcover

The Order

Moreover as to Outwards, there was the Care of. the Poor, of the Widow, of the Fatherlefs, of the in the Strangers, &c. Therefore the Lord Jefus Chrift, Church of who is the Head of the Body, the Church, for Outward, the Church is the Body of Chrift, and the Saints are the feveral Members of that Body, knowing in his infinite Wisdom, what was needful for the good ordering and difpofing all Things in their proper Place, and for preferving and keeping all Things in their right Station, did in the Difpenfation and Communication of his holy Spirit minifter unto every Member a Measure of the fame Spirit, yet divers, according to Operation, for the Edification of the Body, fome Apoftles, fome Teachers, fome Paftors, fome Elders: There are old Men, there are young Men, there are Babes. For all are not Apoftles, neither are all Elders, neither are all Babes, yet are all Members: And as fuch, all have a Senfe and Feeling of the Life of the Body, which from the Head flows unto all the Body, as the Ointment of Aaron's Beard unto the Skirts of his Garment. And every Member has its Place and Station in the Body, fo long as it keeps in the Life of the Body; and all have need one of another: Yet is no Member to affume another Place in the Body, than God has given it; nor yet to grudge or repine its Fellow-Member's Place; but to be content with its own: For the uncomely Parts are no lefs needful than the comely; and the lefs honourable than the more honourable; which the Apostle Paul holds forth in 1 Cor. xii. from Verse 13, to 30.

Rents and

Now the Ground of all Schifms, Divifions or The Rents in the Body is, whenas any Member affumes Ground of another Place than is allotted it; or being gone Divifions. from the Life and Unity of the Body, and loofing the Sense of it, lets in the Murmurer, the Eye that watches for Evil, and not in holy Care over its Fellow-Members: And then, instead of com

ing

The Sub

Spirit.

ing down to Judgment in itself, will ftand up and
judge its Fellow-Members, yea, the whole Body,
or those whom God has fet in a more honourable
and eminent Place in the Body than, itfelf.
Such fuffer not the Word of Exhortation; and ;.*
term the Reproofs of Inftruction, which is the
Way of Life, Impofition and Oppreffion, and are
not aware how far they are in the Things they
condemn others for; while they fpare not to re-
prove and revile all their Fellow-Members: Yet .
if they be but admonished themfelves, they cry
out, as if their great Charter of Gospel Liberty was
broken.

.

Now, though fuch, and the Spirit by which tilty of that they are acted, be fufficiently feen and felt by, Thoufands, whofe Hearts God has fo established, as they are out of Danger of being intangled in that Snare; and who have Power and Strength in themselves to judge that Spirit, even in its moft fubtile: Appearances: Yet there are, who cannot fo well withstand the Subtilty and feeming Since-. rity fome fuch pretend to, though in Measure they have a Sight of them; and others, that cannot fo rightly diftinguish between the Precious and the Vile; and fome there are that thro' Weaknefs, and Want of true Difcerning, may be deceived, and the Simplicity in them betrayed. for a Seafon, as it is written, With fair Speeches and Smooth Words they deceive the Hearts of the Simple.

Therefore, having according to my Measure, received an Opening in my Understanding as to thefe Things, from the Light of the Lord, and having been for fome Time under the weighty Sense of them, I find at this Inftant a Freedom to commit them to Writing, for the more Univerfal Benefit and Edification of the Church of Christ.

Now,

Now, for the more plain and clear opening and The Heads understanding of thefe Things, it is fit to fum up treated of, this Treatife in these following general Heads, to

be confidered of:

viz.

Firft, From whence the Ground and Cause of this I. Controverfy is, the Rife and Root of it.

...?

Secondly, Whether there be now any Order and II. Government in the Church of Chrift.

Thirdly, What is the Order and Government III. which we plead for. In what Cafes, and how far it 'may extend. In whom the Power deciffive is, and how it differeth: And is wholly another, than the oppreffing and perfecuting Principality of the Church of Rome, and other Antichriftian Affemblies.

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SECTION II.

Concerning the Ground and Caufe of this:
ASCONTROVERSY..

WHENAS the Lord God by his mighty The first

2

of the hea

of the Lord

Power began to vifit the Nations with the Dawning Dawning of his heavenly Day, for thus I write un- venly Day to thofe that have received and believed the Truth, defcribed, and that he fent forth his Inftruments, whom he had fitted and prepared for his Work, having fafhioned them not according to the Wisdom and Will of Man, but to his own heavenly Wisdom and: Counsel, they went forth and preached the Gofpel in the Evidence and Demonftration of the And breakSpirit: Not in the enticing Words of Man's Wil- ing forth. dom; but in Appearance as Fools, and mad, to thofe that judged according to Man. But their Words and Teftimony pierced through into the inner Man in the Heart, and reached, to that of

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God in the Confcience; whereby as many as were fimple-hearted, and waited for the Redemption

of

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