APPENDIX. Numb; 1V. Ignorance, Ihould I fay orwrite never fo much more. They have contemned fó many excellent Ruler,, and Pafliors, tingle andAffembhes, far wifer than I, and fo cwt. foriouly condemn almoft all the Body or Church of Chrift on Earth, that I ana not fo vain as to expelt to efcapetheir Cenfure. Even in New-England, not only Mr. Mgt.: , Mr. Norton, and filch other fingle Independent Minifters, livedand died inlathented Separation, and warning the Land againft it as their danger , but their Synods have been at much trouble thereby, and left their Healing Determinations end Teftimony againft that Dividing Spirit and Way. They that would fee more, may read a fmall Book of Mr. Philip Ply's for Hearing the Parilh Preachers; and a bigger Book of Mr. John Tombes (the greateft and moft learned Writer againft Infant.Baptiftn) vindicating the Lawfulneti and Duty of joyning in ordinary Communion in Word, Prayer, and Sacrament with the Perifn- Churches. Dr. Thomas Goodwin on Ephef. I. Seem. 36. (sag. 48S explain, ing fame Words in the foregoing Sermon. * 'I' was underftood as if I raid, That all ?atilt; Cherries and Miniftersgeneral íyere JI Churches and Minißersof Cbrifl, fach as with whom Communion might be held. I Paid not fo : I waswary in my Expreffrons. I will only fay this to you about it. There is no Man that defireth Reformation in this Kingdom (as the generality of all godly People do) but will acknowledge and fay, That multitudes of Parifhes, where Ignoranceand Propbaneneßoverwhelmeth the Generality, Scandalorfnoe and Si- mony the Miniftero themfelves, that thefe are not Churches and Minifters fit to be held Communion with. Only this The Ordinancesthat have been adminiftreef by them (fo far wemuff acknowledge them, that they) are not to be recalled or repeated again. But here lyeth theQueftion, my Brethren, and my meaning : Whereas now in fame Parilbesin this Kingdom, there are many godly Men that do cm/hardy give themfelves up to theWorfhip of Godin publick, and meet together in one place to that end, in a conftant way, under a godlyMinifter, whom they themfelves have cboleen to cleave to, (though theydidnot cboofe him atfirft) There , notwithftanding their mix- ture and want of Difcipline,I never thought for my part,but that they were true Chur- ches ofCbrifl, and Sifter-Churches, andfo ought to beacknowledged: And the con trary was the Errour that I fpake againft. Secondly, For holdingCommunion with`them, I fay, as Sifter-Churches, occaftoaally as Strangers, Men might bold Communion with them: And it is acknowledged by all Divines, that there is not that Obligation lying upon a Stranger, that is not a Member ofa Sifter-Church, to findfault in that Church, or in a Member ofit, as dotti on the Çhurch it felt, to which one belongeth. I will give you myReafons that moved me to fpeak fo much. It was not limply to vent my own Judgment, or (imply to clear my felf from that Errour : but the Reafons, or rather the Motives and Confiderations that flirted me in it , were there. Firft, If we Ihould. not acknowledge there Churches, thus flared, to be true Churchesof Chrift, and their Minifterstrue Minifters, and their Orderfucb; and hold Communion with them too, in the Sence fpoken of, we mutt acknowledge Na Church in all the lteformedChurches ; None of all the Churches in Scotland, nor in Holland, nor in Germany ; for theyare All as full of mixture as ours : And to deny that to our ownChurches, which we do not to the Churchesabroad, nothingcan be more abfurd : And it will be very hard to think that there hath been no Church fince the Reformation. Secondly, I know nothing tended; more to the peaceable Reformation among aie, than to break down This Partition-Wad: for there is nothing provokes. more than this cloth, to deny fach Churches to be trueChurches of Chrift. For do but think with your (elves, and I will giveyou a familiar Example: You come to a Man whom you think to bea godly Man; you tell him, He bath there and thefe Sins inhim, and they are great ones: It is as muchas he can bear, though you tell him
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