[ EP I ST. V. A lf•y,thJt every truthin Scripture is fundamemall; fu frn!<full is errour ofabfurdit 'cs; 1 Wbereoffrill one breejs another moredeformed thln tr felfe. That TToph 111111 was lefeat Miletum fick, that Pau/iCioake wzsleft at Troas,that Gaitu, Pauls hoa!t,(alured the Komanu, that Noba/wasdrnnke, or that Than11r baked Cakes, and a thou· rand ofthis nature are fundamemall :how large is theSeparatills Creed, th•t bath all theCe Articles? Ifthey fay all Scripture is ofthe lame Author, ofthe fame authority; fo fay we,but not ofthe fame ufe: is it as neceffary foraChrifiian to know that Peter hafted withone Simon a Tanner in Joppa,as that JefusChrif! theSonne ofGod was borneofthe Vir~in M4r1 I What a monfter is this ofan opinion, that all truths are equal!? that this fpitimall houfe lbould be all foundation , no wals,no roofe? Csn no manbe favcd bm he that knows ~very thing in Scripmre? Then both they and we are excluded: heaven would not havefomany,a; their Parlor at Afhjierdam.Can any B man be faved that knows nothingin Scripmre ? It is far re from them to be fo overcharitable to aflirmo it : you fee then that both all truths muft not ofneMoffity be known and fame mnf!;and thefe we juftlycall fundamenral!:which who fo holdeth, all his h~y and fiubble(through themercy ofGod)condemnehim not: fil ii he bath right to theChurch on earth,and hope in heaven:but whether every truthbe fundamentall,or necelfary? difcipline(you fay)isfo: indeed necdfdfy to the well-beingof . aChurch,nomore:it moy be true without it,nor perfe/1. Chriftcompares hisSpoufe to •n Army with banners:as order is to an Army,fo is difcipline to the Church: ifthe troops be nor well mar!holled in their feverall rankes, and move not fonvard according to the difciplineofwarre,ir is an Army Ctill:confufion may hinder their fucccfic, it cannot berea~•e themoftheir name: it is,as beautifull proportion ro the body,an C hedr,ero avineyard, awall to acity,anhem to a gocmenr,feelingro anhoure. It moy be a body,vineyard,city,garmenr;houfe,withom them: itcannotbewell and perfed: yet which ofour Adverliuieswill fay we have nodifcipllne? Some they ~rant, but not the right :as ifthey faid; YourCityharh a Brick W31l indeed,burir!hould hove one ofh11,wn ftonc; )'OurVineyard ishedged, but it lbould be paled and ditched: whilerhey caviil ar what we W3nt,wethankGodforwhar we have; and fu muchwe have,in fpight ofall derra11ion,as makes us both 3true Church, and aworthy one. Bur the moinqn3rrell isa~ain(l ourMinftery,ond formeofworlbip : let thefe be examined;this is the circle oftheir cenfure. No Churcb,therefore noMiniflery: and no Minil!ery,therefore noChurch: unnatural! fons,tbat fpit in the faceofthofe f;~i riruall Fathers that bego• them, and theMother that bore them. What would they have I Have we not competent gifrs from above,for fo great 3funaion? Are we all D unlearned,unfoflicienr?Not " man that knows ro divide the word aright?As PaN I to the Corintht, Is it fo thatthereisnot one wife man among(l us? No man will af!irme it : fome ofthem have cenforedonr exceffe in fome knowledge; none,our dcte/1 in all: Whatthen? Have we not a true deGrerodoe faithfull fen icetoGodand his Chmch? No zeale for Gods glory? Who bathbeen in our heartsto fee this?Who dare urtJTpe upon God,and condemne our thoughts? Yea, we appcale to that onely Judgeofheam, whetbcrhehachnotgiven us a fincerelougin!! for ther,ood ofhis Sioo:he!ballmake the thoughts ofall hemsmanifeft!lnd then !hall every nnn hac·c praifeofGod. Ifthenwe have both ability and will 10 rublikegood : our inward calling(which is the main·point)isgood and perfecr;for theoutward,what wane we? Arewe not firft (after good rriall) prcfentcdand approved by the learned , in our Colledges,<xamir\edby our Church-governbrs,ordain'd by impofition of hands of the Elder!hip,allowed by tbeCongre~ations we are fee over? Doe we nor labonr \n word and docrrine? doe we not carefully adminifter theSacramentsofthe Lord J eE ,fus? have we not byour poblique meanswonne many fonles to On~? what fhould l ~ehave and doe more? All this, and yet no trueMinifters? we p1tfevery little m be Judged ofthem,or ofmans day: hut ourOrdainers(you fay)are Amichriflian:.fure· ly our.cen(u.rers :ueunchriflian: tho \•le fbonld granrit,'=>me ofn~ were bapriz""d hy H<ret!Cks: tS theS•cratnent •nnihilatcd,and muft it be redonhicd? Howmuch lefT e / Ordination,which is bmanoutward admiflion to preach the Gofpdl? God fm bid that we lhou!d thuscondemn theinnocent: more handswere laid upon m, than one ------------------~----·------·0_____-
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