Inlet of all Communion of the Body, for his Judgment or Opinion in Matter of Faith; then what Blafphemies fo horrid, what Herefies fo damnable, what Doctrines of Devils, but might harbour itself in the Church of Chrift? What Need then of found Doc- The trine, if no Doctrine make unfound? What Need of Manner of convincing and exhorting Gainfayers, if to gainfay Abomina. be no Crime? Where fhould the Unity of the Faith be? Were not this an Inlet to all Manner of Abominations? And to make void the whole Tendency of Chrift and his Apostles Doctrine? And render the Gospel of none Effect? And give a Liberty to the unconftant and giddy Will of Man to innovate, alter, and overturn it at his Pleasure? So that from all that is above-mentioned, we do fafely conclude, That where a People are gathered together into the Belief of the Principles and Doctrines of the Gospel of Christ, if any of that People fhall go from their Principles, and affert Things falfe and contrary to what they have already received; fuch as stand and abide firm in the Faith, have Power by the Spirit of God, after they have used Chriftian Endeavours to convince and reclaim them, upon their Obftinacy to separate from fuch, and to exclude them from their fpiritual Fellowship and Communion: For otherways, if this be denied, farewel to all Christianity, or to the maintaining of any found Doctrine in the Church of Chrift. But fecondly, Taking it for granted, that the Church of Chrift, or Affembly of Believers, may in fome Cafes, that are Matter of Confcience, pronounce a pofitive Sentence and Judgment without Hazard of Impofition upon the Members, it comes to be enquired, In what Cafes, and how far his Queft, I. Power reacheth? I answer, first, as that which is moft clear and Answer. undeniable, In the fundamental Principles and Doctrines of Faith, in cafe any fhould offer to teach otherways, as is above declar'd and proved. But fome Confidera- III. any some may perhaps acknowledge that indeed, if fhould contradict the known and owned Principles of Truth, and teach otherways, it were fit to caft out and exclude fuch: But what judgest thou as to leffer Matters, as in Principles of lefs Confequence, or in outward Ceremonies or Gestures, whether it be fit to prefs Uniformity in thefe Things? For Answer to this, it is fit to confider, Firft, The Nature of the Things themselves. Secondly, The Spirit and Ground they proceed from. And Thirdly, The Confequence and Tendency of them. But before I proceed upon thefe, I affirm, and that according to Truth, that as the Church and Affembly of God's People may and hath Power to decide by the Spirit of God in Matters fundamental and weighty, without which no Decifion nor Decree in whatever Matters is available, fo the fame The Deci- Church and Affembly alfo in other Matters of lefs Matters of Moment, as to themfelves, yet being needful and lefs Mo- expedient with a refpect to the Circumftance of the Church Time, Place, and other Things that may fall in, obligatory. may, and hath Power by the fame Spirit, and not fion of ment in otherways, being acted, moved, and assisted, and led by it thereto, to pronounce a positive Judgment: Which, no doubt, will be found obligatory upon all fuch, who have a Senfe and Feeling of the Mind of the Spirit; though rejected by fuch as are not watchful, and fo are out of the Feeling and Unity of the Life. And this is that, which none that own immediate Revelation, or a being inwardly led by the Spirit, to be now a Thing expected or difpenfed to the Saints, can, without contradicting their one Principle, deny; far lefs fuch, with whom I have to do in this Matter, who claiming this Privilege to Particulars, faying, That they being moved to do fuch and fuch Things, though contrary to the Mind and Senfe of their Brethren, are not not to be judged for it; adding, Why may it not be fo, that God hath moved them to it? Now if this be a fufficient Reafon for them to fuppofe as to one or two, I may, without Abfurdity, fuppofe it as well to the whole Body. And therefore, as to the first, to wit, of Truth. The Nature of the Things themselves. If it be Confidera. fuch a Thing, the doing or not doing whereof, that tion 1. is either any Act, or the Forbearance of any, may bring a real Reproach or Ground of Accufation Against the against the Truth profeffed and owned, and in and Reproach through which there may a visible Schifm and Diffenfion arife in the Church, by which Truth's Enemies may be gratified, and itself brought into Difefteem, then it is fit for fuch, whofe Care is to keep all right, to take Inspection in the Matter, to meet together in Fear of God, to wait for his Counfel, and to speak forth his Mind, according as he fhall manifeft himself in and among them. And this was the Practice of the primitive Church in the Matter of Circumcifion. For here lay the Debate: Some thought it not needful to circumcife the Gentiles; others thought it a Thing not to be difpenfed with: And no doubt of thefe,/for we must remember, they were not the rebellious Jews, but fuch as had already believed in Chrift); there were, that did it out of Confcience, as judging Circumcifion to be still obligatory. For they faid thus; Except ye be circumcifed after the Manner of Mofes, ye cannot be faved. Now what Courfe took the Church of Antioch in thefe Cafes? Acts xv. 2. They determined, that Paul Church as and Barnabas, and certain other of them, fhould go un- fends a to Jerufalem, unto the Apoftles and Elders about this Cafe to Je. Question. We must not fuppofe they wanted the Advice Spirit of God at Antioch, to have decided the Mat- from the ter, neither that, thefe Apoftles neglected or went from their inward Guide, in undertaking this Journey; yet we fee, they judged it meet in this Matter to have the Advice and Concurrence of the Apoftles The Antioch rufalem for Elders. and and Elders, that were at Jerufalem, that they might be all of one Mind in the Matter. For there is no greater Property of the Church of Chrift, than pure Unity in the Spirit, that is, a Confenting and Onenefs in Judgment and Practices in Matters of Faith and Worship, which yet admits of different Meafures, Growths, and Motions, but never contrary and contradictory ones; and in these Diversities of Operations, yet ftill by the fame Spirit, the true Liberty is exercised, as fhall be declared hereafter: Therefore prayeth Chrift, That they all may be one, as he and the Father is one. Το which Purpose alfo let these following Scriptures be examined: Rom. xii. 16. Be of the fame Mind one towards another. 1 Cor. i. 10. Now I beseech you, Brethren, by the Name of our Lord Jefus Chrift, that ye all speak the fame Thing, and that there be no Divifions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the fame Mind, and in the fame Judgment. Ephef. v. 21. Submitting yourselves one to another in the Fear of God. Phil. ii. 2. Fulfil ye my Foy, that ye be like minded, having the fame Love, being of one Accord, of one Mind. And yet more remarkable is that of the Apostle Paul to the Philippians, Chap. iii. Verse 15. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded; and if in any Thing ye be otherways minded, God fhall reveal even this unto you. Verse 16. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the fame Rule, let us mind the Jame Thing. Verse 17. Brethren, be Followers together of me, and mark them which walk jo, as ye have us for an Example. So here, though the Apoftle grants Forbearance in Things, wherein they have not yet attained; yet vators of God. yet he concludes, they must walk fo, as they have Pretenders him for an Example, and fo confequently not and Innocontrary, or otherwife. And therefore, we conclude, judged by that whereas any in the Church of God pretending the Power Confcience or Revelation, fhall arife to teach and practise, however infignificant or fmall in themfelves, whether Principles or Practices, yet if they be contrary to fuch, as are already received as true, and confirmed by God's Spirit in the Hearts of the Saints, and that the introducing of thefe Things tend to bring Reproach upon the Truth, as fuch, as are not edifying in themselves, and fo ftumble the Weak; those who have a true and right Difcerning, may in, and by the Power of God, authorizing them, and no otherways, condemn and judge fuch Things: And they fo doing it, it will be obligatory upon all the Members, that have a true Senfe, because they will feel it to be so, and therefore fubmit to it. And thus far as to the Nature of themselves. tion 2. ceeds not God, to be Secondly, as to the Spirit and Ground they pro- Confidera. ceed from. Whatsoever Innovation, Difference, or divers Appearance, whether in Doctrine or Practice, proceedeth not from the pure moving of the Spirit of God, or is not done out of pure Tenderness What proof Confcience, but either from that, which being from the puft up, affecteth Singularity, and there-through Spirit of would be obferved, commended, and exalted; or withstood from that, which is the Malignity of fome Humours and denied. and natural Tempers, which will be contradicting without Caufe, and fecretly begetting of Divifions, Animofities, and Emulations, by which the Unity and unfeigned Love of the Brethren is leffened or rent; I fay, all Things proceeding from this Root and Spirit, however little they may be fuppofed to be of themselves, are to be guarded againft, withstood, and denied, as hurtful to the true Church's Peace, and a Hindrance to the Profperity of Truth. If |