1 354 I____ ~ ____ D_E_C_A_D_._V_L_______---- ____ --- I notoricuily coverous,proud,oppr<tling,cruell,fuperflifct1S: cur S.vi< urfear«< nor A 1 polluting,in joyningwith them; and was fo farre frcm feprating himfel[e ,'that bee called and fent others to th<m. But a little Leaven leavens the whole lumpe : it is true; by the infn':tion ofir,fin,where it is unpunill:>ed,fpreaceth; it fowreth allthofe whofe hands are in it,not others.IfwediOike it,dete!l,defilt,reprove,&mcurne for it,we cannot be tainted: the Corinthian Jove-fea!ls had groffe and finfull diforder: yer you heare not NNifay,Abft4irJfrom tht S4Crlf11tf11 tilJ thtfe be rtformed;Rather he enjoynes the ocr,and controules the abufe: God hath bidden you heare and receive: fhew me,where he bath faid,excepr othersbe finfull.Their uncleannefle can no more defileyou,than yourholineffe can excufe them. Bur while I ccrrmnnicate(you fay) I content;God forbid. It is finne,notto cafr outthe deferving: bm net yours; who madeyou a Ruler and a Judge ?The uncleane mull befeparated;nm by the peop!e: Would you have no di!lintlion betwixt private and publike perfom?, What flrange B confuGon is this? And what otherrhan theold note ofcorah and b~s company, Tte tal;t t•om•ch vpnn J••,feeing all theCongregation is holy,every one ofthem,and the Lord is mong them: wherefore then lift ye up your feh·es above the Ctln!(regarion ofrhe Lord? Wharis(ifthisbenot)ro make a MonOerofChri!ls body? he is the he•d,his Church the body,conli!ling ofdivers limbs. All have their feverall18calrie1 and imployments;nor every one,all; who would imagine any man fo abford, as to fay,that this body fhould be all tongue, or all hands; e;·ery man a Teacher, every man aRuler? AsChri!l had faid to every man, Goete4ch, and r>hofe Jimm }tt wwil: How fenfelelfe are thefe rwo extreams? Ofthe Papifts,that one man h;rh the keyes: Of the Brownills,that every man bath tbrm. But thefe priviledges and char!(esare given to the C~urch: True;to be executed byher Governours: the faculty oflr eoch isgiven to the wholeman, but rheufeofit to the proper inflrumenr. Man fpe .keth, but by his rong)l<;ifavoicefhould be heard from his hand,eare,foor, it wereunnatu· C rail: Now if the tongue fpenke nor when it ought, fhall we be fo foolifh as to blame the hand?Bntyon fay ; iftheronguefpeak not,or fpeake ill, thewholeman fmarteth; theman finneth:I granrir,butyoafhal fer the natural bodyon toohard araclc,ifyou !lraine it in all things, to the likeneffeofthe fpiriruall,or civil!. Themembersofthat beingquickned by the famefoule, have chargeofeach other; and thereforeeither !land or fall together: It is nor fo in thefe. Ifthen notwirhltandingunpunithed fins, we may joynwith the trueChruch: Whether is ours fach? Y oi1 doubt,and your fo· licirors deny:furely,ifwe have n!any enormiries,yer noaeworfe than rath and cruell judgement; lecthem make rhis a colour to depart from themfelves: there isno letfe woe to themthat call good evill. To judgeoneman is bold and dan~erous. Judge then what is it tocondemne a wholeChurch;God knows, as muchwithout caufe,as D witbout fhame. Vaine menmay libel!againft rheSpoufe ofChri!l: her husband never divorced her:No,his love is !!illabove their hatred,bisbldlingsabove theircenfures:Doebut alke them,were we ever the true ChurchofGod? I fthey deny it;Who then were fo? Had God never Church upon earth, lince theApo!lles time, till Bar· roW and Grwnvoodarofe? And even then fcarce a number? nay, when or where wos everany man in the world (except in the fcbooles perhaps ofDM41HI or Nov41Nt) tharraught their dofrrine;& nowftill bath he none,but in abliod lane at Amfterddm? Can you think this probable? If they aftirme it,when ceafed we?Are not the points controverted !lill the fame? The fame government, the fame dochine?Theirminds arechanged,not our e!lare: Wbohatb admonifhed,evir.ced,excommunicatedus;& when?Allthefemu!lbedone.Willit not be a fhametofay; thotFrafJciiJoh,fon,as E he rooke power to excommunicate his brmher, and Father; fo had power to exccmmunicate his Mother, theChurch? How bafe and idleare thefe conceits? Are we then Heretickscondemned inour felves? Wherein overthrowwe rhe foundorion? whatotherGod,Saviour,Scriptures,}u!lificarion,Sacramenr•,heaven,do they t..ch betides us? Can all theMatlersof Separation,yea can all theChurches inChri!lendome,f<t forth amore exquifire and worrhy confeffionoffaith, than iscontained in the Articles of theChurchofEn!(land? Who can hold thefe and be hereticall? Or, frcm whichofthefe are we revolted?But to make thisgood,theyhave taught you to f•y,
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