preached, and yet baptism neither administered nor mentioned. The gospel being good tidings to siuners, upon the account of free grace through Christ; but baptism, with things of like nature, are duties enjoined such a people who received the gospel before. I speak not this because I would teach men to break the least of the commandments of God, but to persuade my brethren of the baptized way not to hold too much thereupon, not to make it an essential of the gospel of Christ, nor yet of communion of saints. He sent me not to baptize." These words are spoken with holy indignation against them that abuse this ordinance of Christ. So when he speaketh of the ministers themselves, which also they had abused; in his speaking he, as it were, trampleth upon them, as if they were nothing at all. "Who then is Paul? and who is Apollos? He that planteth is not any thing, neither is he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase," 1 Cor. iii. 5, 7. Yet for all this, the ministers and their ministry are a glorious appointment of God in the world. Baptism also is a holy ordinance, but when Satan abuseth it, and wrencheth it out of its place, making that which was ordained of God for the edification of believers the only weapon to break in pieces the love, the unity, the concord of saints, then what is baptism? then neither is baptism anything. And this is no new doctrine, for God by the mouth of his prophets of old cried out against his own institutions when abused by his people-"To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to me? saith the Lord: I am full of burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats. When you come to appear before me, who hath required these things at your hands, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination to me; the new moons and the sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am even weary to bear them," Isa. i. 11-15. And yet all these were his own appointments. But why then did he thus abhor them? Because they retained the evil of their doings, and used them as they did other of his appointments-viz., for strife and debate, and to strike with the fist of wickedness, Isaiah, lviii. 4. Wherefore when that of God that is great is overweighed by that which is small, it is the wisdom of them that see it to put load to the other end of the scale, until the things thus abused poise in their own place. But to pass this, and proceed. Ninthly, If we shall reject visible saints by calling, saints that have communion with God, that have received the law at the hand of Christ, that are of holy conversation among men, they desiring to have communion with us as much as in us lieth, we take from them their very privilege, and the blessings to which they are born of God. For Paul saith, not only to the gathered church at Corinth, but to all scattered saints that in every place call upon the name of the Lord, , that Jesus Christ is theirs, that Paul, and Apollos, and the world, and life, and death, and all things are theirs, because they are Christ's, and Christ is God's. But, saith he, let no man glory in men, such as Paul and Cephas, though these were excellent, because this privilege comes to you upon another bottom, even by faith of Jesus Christ. "Drink you all of this," is entailed to faith, not baptism; nay, baptized persons may yet be excluded this, when he that discerneth the Lord's body hath right and privilege to it, 1 Cor. xi. 28, 29. But to exclude Christians from church communion, and to debar them their heaven-born privileges for the want of that which yet God never made a wall of division between us, 1. This looks too like a spirit of persecution, Job, xix. 25–29. 2. It respecteth more a form than the spirit and power of godliness, 2 Tim. iii. 5. 3. This is to make laws, where God hath made none, and to be wise above what is written, contrary to God's word and our own principles. 4. It is a directing of the Spirit of God. 5. It bindeth all men's faith and light to mine opinion. 6. It taketh away the children's bread. 7. It withholdeth from them the increase of faith. 8. It tendeth to harden the hearts of the wicked. 9. It tendeth to make wicked the hearts of weak Christians. 10. It setteth open a door to all temptations. 11. It tempteth the devil to fall upon those that are alone, and have none to help them. 12. It is the nursery of all vain janglings, backbitings, and strangeness among the Christians. 13. It occasioneth the world to reproach us. 14. It holdeth staggering consciences in doubt of the right way of the Lord. 15. It giveth occasion to many to turn aside to most dangerous heresies. 16. It abuseth the holy scriptures, it wresteth God's ordinances out of their place. 17. It is a prop to Antichrist. 18. Shall I add, Is it not that which greatly prevailed to bring down these judgments which at present we feel and groan under; I will dare to say, it was the cause thereof. Tenthly, and lastly, Bear with one word further. What greater contempt can be thrown upon the saints than for their brethren to cast them off, or to debar them church-communion? Think you not that the world may groundly say, Some great iniquity lies hid in the skirts of your brethren, when in truth the transgression is yet your own? But I say, what can the church do more to the sinners or openly profane? Civil commerce you will have with the worst, and what more have you with these? Perhaps, you will say, We can pray and preach with these, and hold them Christians, saints, and godly. Well, but let me ask you one word further-Do you believe, that of very conscience they cannot consent, as you, to that of water-baptism? And that if they had light therein, they would as willingly do it as you? Why then, as I have shewed you, our refusal to hold communion with them is without a ground from the word of God. But can you commit your soul to their minis U Per try, and join with them in prayer, and yet not If you object, that my principles lead me to have communion with all; I answer, with all as afore described, if they will have communion with me. OBJECT.-Then you may have communion with the members of antichrist? ANSW. If there be a visible saint yet remaining in their church, let him come to us, and we will have communion with him. QUEST.-What! though he yet stand a member of that sinful number, and profess himself one of them? ANSW. You suppose an impossibility; for it cannot be that at the same time a man should visibly stand a member of two bodies diametrically opposite one to another. Wherefore it must be supposed that he who professeth himself a member of a church of Christ must forthwith, nay, before, forsake the antichristian one; the which if he refuseth to do, it is evident he doth not sincerely desire to have fellowship with the saints. But he saith he cannot see that that company to which you stand opposite and conclude antichristian is indeed the antichristian church. If so, he cannot desire to join with another, if he know them to be professedly and directly opposite. I hold therefore to what I said at first, that if there be any saints in the antichristian church, my heart and the door of our congregation is open to receive them into closest fellowship with us. OBJECT.-But how if they yet retain some antichristian principles? ANSW.-If they be such as eat out the bowels of a church, so soon as they are detected, they must be either kept out while out, or cast out if in; for it must be the prudence of every community to preserve its own unity with peace and truth; the which the churches of Christ may do, and yet, as I have shewed already, receive such persons as differ upon the point of water-baptism, for the doing or not doing of that neither maketh nor marreth the bowels or foundation of church communion. OBJECT.-But this is receiving for opinion sake, as before you said of us. ANSW. No; we receive him for the sake of Christ, and grace, and for our mutual edification in the faith; and that we respect not opinions, I mean in lesser matters, it is evident, for things wherein we differ are no breach of communion among us; we let every man have his own faith in such things to himself before God. I now come to a short application. 1. Keep a strict separation, I pray you, from communion with the openly profane, and let no man use his liberty in church relation as an occasion to the flesh; but in love serve one another, looking diligently lest any root of bitterness (any poisonous herb, Deut. xxix. 18,) springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled. And let those that before were reasons for my separation be motives to you to maintain the like; and remember that when men have said what they can for a sinful mixture in the worship of God, the arm of the Lord is made bare against it. 2. In the midst of your zeal for the Lord; remember that the visible saint is his, and is privileged in all those spiritual things that you have in the word and live in the practice of, and that he is to partake thereof, according to his light therein. Quarrel not with him about things that are circumstantial, but receive him in the Lord as becometh saints; if he will not have communion with you, the neglect is his, not yours. But, saith the open profane, why cannot we be reckoned saints also? We have been christened, we go to church, we take the communion. Poor people! This will not do; for so long as in life and conversation you appear to be openly profane, we cannot, unless we sin, receive you into our fellowship, for by your ungodly lives you shew that you know not Christ; and while you are such by the word, you are reputed but beasts. Now, then, judge yourselves if it be not a strange community that consisteth of men and beasts. Let beasts be with the beasts; you know yourselves do so; you receive not your horse nor your hog to your table; you put them in a room by themselves. Besides, I have shewed you before that for many reasons we cannot have communion with you. 1. The church of God must be holy, Lev. xi. 44; xix. 2; xx. 7; 1 Pet. i. 15, 16; Isa. xxvi. 2; lii. 11; Ps. cxxviii. 20; Ezek. xliii. 12; xliv. 9. 2. The example of the churches of Christ before hath been a community of visible saints, Rom. i. 7; 1 Cor. i. 2; Ephes. i. 1, 2; Col. i. 1; 1 Thess. i. 1, 2; 2 Thess. i. 1. Poor, carnal man, there are many other reasons urged in this little book that shew why we cannot have communion with thee. Not that we refuse of pride or stoutness, or because we scorn you as men. No; we pity you, and pray to God for you; and could, if you were converted, with joy receive you to fellowship with us. Did you never read in Daniel, that “iron is not mixed with miry clay"? (Dan. ii. 43;) no more can the saints with you in the worship of God and fellowship of the gospel. When those you read of in the 4th of Ezra attempted to join in temple work with the children of the captivity, what said the children of Judah? You have nothing to do with us, to build an house to the Lord our God, but we ourselves together will build unto the Lord God of Israel, &c., Ezra, iv. 1—3. I return now to those that are visible saints by calling, that stand at a distance one from another, upon the accounts before specified: brethren, close, close; be one, as the Father and Christ are one. 1. This is the way to convince the world that you are Christ's; and the subjects of one Lord; whereas the contrary makes them doubt it, John, xiii. 34, 35; xvii. 23. 2. This is the way to increase love, that grace so much desired by some, and so little enjoyed by others, 2 Cor. vii. 14, 15. 3. This is the way to savour and taste the Spirit of God in each other's experience; for which, if you find it in truth, you cannot but bless (if you be saints) the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 1 Thess. i. 2-4. 4. This is the way to increase knowledge, or to see more in the word of God; for that may be known by two that is not seen by one, Isaiah, lii. 8. 5. This is the way to remove secret jealousies, and murmurings one against the other; yea, this is the way to prevent much sin, and greatly to frustrate that design of hell, Prov. vi. 16-20. 6. This is the way to bring them out of the world into fellowship that now stand off from our gospel privileges, for the sake of our vain janglings. 7. This is the way to make antichrist shake, totter, and tremble, Isaiah, xi. 13, 14. 8. This is the way to leave Babylon, as a habitation for devils only, and to make it a hold for foul spirits, and a cage only for every unclean and hateful bird. 9. This is the way to hasten the work of Christ's kingdom in the world, and to forward his coming to the eternal judgment. 10. And this is the way to obtain much of that, "Well done, good and faithful servant," when you stand before his face. "I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation; for I have written a letter unto you in few words," Heb. xiii. 22. |