learned to be) i. e. hereticks. Thus the Arians dealt by the Christians in the primitive times, as we find in Salvian, who complains thus of them: In tantum se Catholicos esse judicant, ut nos titulo hæretica pravitatis infament; which words would rightly fit our tongues in reference to our Romish adversaries, who (speaking and writing a mere contradiction) call themselves Catholicks, when, indeed, they are not truly so. It is a term proper only to the universal church of Christ, dispersed and scattered over the face of the whole earth. They are a particular church, and thererefore, whilst they stile themselves (indeed, it is stilo novo) Catholicks, they speak as much, or, in effect, as if a man should say, a particular universal, or universal particular, which is absurd, and against the rules of logick. Therefore, in that, they appropriate to themselves the name of Catholicks, they do this as falsly, as when they fasten upon us the name of hereticks, which is a term disgraceful and odious. Lord, open their eyes, that they may see the truth, and inflame all our hearts with a greater love of it, that, knowing what we believe, and practising what we know, we may, at the last, be crowned amongst those, who, with that invincible Athanasius, have contended earnestly for the truth, even to the loss of their lives and liberties. This is enjoined by St. Jude, ver. 3, and a clear description of such an heroick spirit we find, Heb. xi. 37. It. c. x. 34. Which things were written for our instruction, that we, being compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, should resist even unto blood, and strive against heresy and hereticks, men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth; from such separate yourselves, 1 Tim. vi. 5. Converse not with such pestilentious persons. This, too, was the wise counsel of the blessed martyr Ignatius, who (as we read in Eusebius) used to go from house to house, through all the churches in the diocese, admonishing and intreating the Christians to abstain from the society of known hereticks, who, like || pitch, defile the weak, with the least touch of private conference. § Beware of false prophets, &c. THE THIRD QUERY. Whether it be lawful (or allowable by the word) for any to frequent conventicles, forsaking the publick meetings of Christians in churches. AS there is a peevish industry in wickedness, to find or make associates, so** it is a commendable and industrious piece of virtue or goodness to oppose the attempts of wickedness, especially those of schismaticks, who, not contenting themselves with the bounds of their own impieties, never rest till they have corrupted others with the poison of their ungodly tenets. And I cannot but grieve to see the once brave spirits of our nation (shewed in the subduing the Genevising Scots) suck in with Athanasius cont. Mundum. Raimund cont. Athanasium, vid. Ribadin. in vitâ ejus. Heb. xii. 1. & 4. Euseb. lib. 3. cap. 30. Eccl. xiii. 1. Mat. vii. 15. S: pertinacia insuperabiles vires habere conatur, quantas debet habere constantia? &c. Aug. Ep. 167. festo. greediness the positions of the new Jesuitising Englandians, who are infected with the venom of old moth-eaten heresies, which have lain asleep for a long while, but are now awakened and revived by the prince of darkness, and transported into our church. The ground (as I bumbly conceive) of all the enormities and loose opinions amongst us, is, the discountenancing and discouraging of the publick ministry, and the crying down of churches (vox diabolum sonat, Ron Deum certè) as if there were none other, but those, that are spiritual when, as we find upon record, both in the word and in ancient writers, there were material churches †, houses built and set a-part for the publick worship of God, wherein the Christians solemnly met at the least once a week; this was the practice of the primitive times, even in the days of the apostles, and continued from them to us through all ages by uninterrupted successions, There is a fable, amongst the mythologists, of a maiden, and a lion, who fell in love with her, and she promised out of fear to yield to his desires, on condition that she might first knock out his teeth; which he presently yielded to, and was by her immediately destroyed. Thus the only aim of the devil, and his associates, is not only to pluck out the teeth of discipline (the wall) but even the tongue of sound doctrine, which is the heart of the church. This he now endeavours, by stopping the mouths of God's lawful ministers, and sending out his Shemaiahs, Nehelamites, his dreaming chaplains, who dream of a form of government never thought of, nor intended by Christ, and, having no commission to preach, thrust themselves into conventicles, where they vent their dreams, and propagate their fancies, to the destruction of many poor well-meaning Christians. Concerning the unlawfulness of which private meetings (congregated by men, who have no calling to teach, and in opposition to the unity and uniformity of our national church) I shall now, in all love and tenderness to the souls good of the unlearned, enlarge my thoughts, and de. liver my opinion, which I trust will be embraced by those, who shall peruse this short treatise without a partial prejudice; which, like a curtain drawn before a window, shuts out the light of truth,and keeps darkness in; it harbours errors and mistakes, which breed hatred and dissension. First, take a conventicle, for a meeting of men and women in a private house upon the Lord's-day, then when they should join with the people of God in a church appointed for God's publick worship and service thus to convene and meet (though in times of restraint) without a lawful minister to head that body, and by enjoined prayers and preaching to sanctify the work, is held utterly unlawful. Which I shall prove both by the word of God, the practice of Christ, together with the authority of fathers, and interpreters of the holy scriptures, as also by arguments drawn from reason, which commonly (if not perverted) is a sure guide, and a good judge. First, then, if we weigh the truth, in the balance of the sanctuary, if we look into the scriptures, we shall find a flat prohibition to the contrary, as Heb. x. 24, 25. Let us consider one another to provoke to 1 Cor. xiv. 35. + xi. 22. Diatribe, + Vide a full and learned discourse of this in Mr.Medes Jer. xxix. 24. Jude 8. love and good works, not forsaking Tv invayy, the congregation, as the manner of some is, but let us exhort one another, &c. Upon which place Esthius (a modern and learned interpreter*) hath this gloss. Qui conventibus ecclesiasticis, &c. or, 'they, that withdraw themselves from the publick congregation, are in danger of an unavoidable and fearful ruin; for that thereby they make a schism in the church, (the doing whereof is most dangerous and displeasing to God) and ingender sects:" (so Esthius on the text.) Whereby they do worse by Christ, than the persecuting Jews; they divide his seamless coat, and give an occasion to the adversary, of rejoicing and triumphing over the church. Therefore Ignatius in his epistles exhorts †, and that with much earnestness, the Christians to frequent the church, to be often present and seldom absent from the meetings of God's people there, lest that, by their continued absence, they fall at length from the faith, having first lost their love to God and his saints. Which love is commonly chilled by the cold breath of conventicles, where hatred and malice (against those of a contrary judgment) with sedition is commonly hatched and fomented, as hath been found by sad experience in this sinful nation. I might here accumulate the testimonies of other interpreters upon this place, to confirm this truth concerning the unlawfulness of conventicles. Cornelius à Lapide writes thus upon this text, much to our present purpose. The apostle (says he) by this word inowaywyn, intelligit cœtus ecclesiæ et conventus fidelium ad sacram synaxim, et ad verbum Dei precesque publicas, &c. i. e. He understands the meeting of the church in publick prayer, in receiving of the holy sacrament, and to hear the word. Hos ergo conventus apostolus vult frequentari, &c. Therefore the apostle would have these publick meetings frequented, that so men and women may make a clear and open profession of their faith, which is a great means to beget mutual love and affection in those, who agree in the same faith with us'. By this open profession we likewise encourage and incite others to profess the same faith, to worship the same God, in that manner, and after that way, as it is done by us, who hereby shew ourselves to be an example of good works. And examples we know are more prevalent than words or precepts. They have a greater influence upon men's practice in a way of conformity and obedience. Besides the forenamed Ignatius amongst the fathers, Chrysostome, Theodoret, Theophylact, and Oecumenius interpret this text in the same sense with à Lapide and Esthius; who, indeed, light their candle at those bright burning tapers, whom God did set up for the good of his church, to enlighten it, and to direct it in the ways of truth. And|| he that despiseth them (with the rest of the ancient fathers) despiseth God who sent them. The second scripture proof against private meetings, as before were defined, is this, Mat. xxiv. 26. Wherefore, if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desart, go not forth; behold, he is in the secret places, iv Toïç Tameìos, believe it not. Most of the ancient fathers (there • Qui conventibus ecclesiasticis per fastum et superbiam sese subtrahunt, proximi sunt graviori ruine. Est. in loc. + Ignat. in Ep. ad Ephes. & Smyrnenses. Illi publici cœtus et mutui congressus mire fovent fidem et charitatem, quæ in secessu et separatione diuturniori languescit, &c. Cornel, a Lap. N Luke x, 16. fore, now despised, because they are enemies to heresies) as Origen, Augustine, and others interpret this place of the private corners of schismaticks and hereticks, who labour to draw the people's minds from the love of the public congregation, and engage them to their private meetings, whereby they commonly entangle them in their errors and heresies. Therefore if they say, as the Donatists once did, that Christ is only amongst them in their crypts and conventicles, believe them not, for they do contrary to the precept and practice of Christ; he wills or enjoins us to +confess him and his truth before men, i. e. to make an open profession of our faith, both in times of persecution and peace. He himself ever taught publickly, as he witnessed of himself before Pilate; he did so teach us this lesson, that truth seeks not corners, but loves the light (therefore it is sometimes called light in the holy scriptures. Eph. v. 8. Walk as children of the light, Vid. Act. xxvi. 18.) But they, that§ hate the truth, delight in darkness, dare not say that in an open congregation, which they spawn and vent in a conventicle or private meeting. There fore avoid them, join not with them, beware of making a schism in the church or making that rent wider, which was first begun of late by the presbyterians; adhere not to schismaticks, whose portion, without a deep repentance for so great a sin, as wounding Christ's church, shall be after death in the land of darkness, because they loved darkness rather than light. I never read that saying of Augustine**, but with horror and dread, when I considered the common guilt, Foris ab ecclesiâ constitutus et separatus à communione unitatis, et vinculo caritatis, æterno supplicio punireris, etiamsi pro Christi nomine vivus combureris, i. e. He, or she, that out of pride or peevishness, separates himself from the body of the church,' (whose members are knit together by the ligaments of one faith and bond of love) that man shall be punished with everlasting torments, although he should die in the flames, and be burnt for the name of Christ.' Such biting truths as these are the cause, why schismaticks and hereticks love not to read the fathers, nor vouchsafe so much as to name them in their sermons or writings. "Therefore let no man deceive you with vain words, for, for such things, cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Be not then companions with them: For ye were sometimes darkness, but are now light in the Lord, walk as children of light.' Eph. v. 6, 7, 8. And conform yourselves to the + example of our lord and master Jesus, who preached in the synagogues and the temple, notwithstanding they were places full of disorder and corruption. He called the temple a den of thieves, and are there not too many in ours? §§ The doctrine of the law was then corrupted by the ups, the false glosses of the scribes and pharisees, and is not the doctrine of the gospel as much corrupted by ours? Besides all this, they were loose and wicked in their lives, witness that charge of our Saviour, to his followers and auditors, against the Jewish doctors, Do not after their works, &c. *** Notwithstanding all these corruptions and deformities in the Jewish church, yet our Saviour Christ made no separation from it, but came and preached in those places of publick concourse, where the seducers and false teachers were. If this example and practice of our Saviour will not convince and startle into fear and obedience the separatists of our age (both teachers and disciples) I know not what will do it. If Christ should have trod in their steps, been led by their fond opinion, he would have made a sepa ration,and fled from the society of theJews, and not so much as once gone into the temple, or taught in their synagogues, but he did otherwise; and from what he did we may conclude, that the practice of those phanaticks, who separate themselves from all assemblies, or publick places of God's service, pretending either a want of gifts, or a defect of holiness in the ministers, I say, the practice of such men doth speak them to be thoes antichrists, which the apostle St. John mentions in his first epistle, Now there are many antichrists, whereby we may know it is the last time. They went out from us, &c.* i. e. They turned separatists, and therefore antichrists, because they went flat against the practice and precept of Christ, who commands us by his apostle† 'to be of one heart, and of one mind, to think and speak, and do the same thing (in good) to love as brethren,' who forsake not one another's company, and desert not their family, when they discover any infirmity in their father, or any deformity in their mother, but keep close to both in observance and humble duty. We may have communion or fellowship with men's persons in publick worship, and not partake in the guilt of their sins. Ille communicat malis, qui consentit factis malorum :' He communicates with the wicked, that consents to their wickedness; abhor and forsake his sin, then mayest thou without fear or danger communicate with a wicked man. 'Si malos odistis, vos ipsi mutamini à scelere schismatis. Si malarum permixtionem timeretis, opatum inter vos in apertissima iniquitate viventem per tot annos non teneretis.' Thus Au- . gustine bespeaks the Donatists; so may I the men of our times; if you hate the ungodly, shew your hatred towards yourselves by repenting and turning from your schism and heresies; and, if you fear the mixture or company of the wicked, shun the society, and abhor the persons of your leaders by whom you are seduced and corrupted. A third argument, against such meetings in private on the Lords-day, may be deduced from the intent and scope of the fourth commandment, whose morality, in the judgment of all both fathers and modern writers, consists in this, that God be worshiped in the congregation with publick service in an open confession of our faith, and a profession of our love and thankfulness to him for all his mercies and blessings, those which concern ours ouls, and those which respect our bodies, &c. But to wave this and other arguments, which might be produced to confirm my former thesis, I proceed to reasons against conventicles. First, Reason suggests this truth to our spirits, that our souls, being, as it were, so many sparks of the || Deity, the breath of God, are more § precious than our bodies, which are clods of earth, and by nature cages of uncleanness; by so much greater ought our care to be towards those than these mortal bodies. Now no man, that hath a treasure of 1Ep, Joh. c. 2. v. 18, 19, Phil. i. 27. ii. 2. Grea. ii. T. |