the church, then out of the world by fire and sword, unless they would communicate with them in their sin; thus were they used. So that the Romanist cannot charge the Protestants with schism for leaving their communion, any more than a man that thrusteth another out of doors, can be offended at his departure. Yea, when the Reformed did set up other churches, it was after all hopes of reformation were lost and defeated. And the princes, magistrates, pastors, and people, were grown into a multitude, and did in great numbers run to the banner which God had displayed because of his truth, and so could not in conscience and spiritual safety live without the means of grace, and the benefit of ordinances and church societies, lest they should be scattered as sheep without a shepherd, and become a ready prey to Satan.

And then this separation which was so necessary, was carried on with love and pity, and with great distinction between the corruptions from which they separated, and the persons from whom they separated; and they had the same affection to them, and carried it all along just as those that are freed from Turkish slavery, and have broke prison, and invited the other Christian captives to second them; it may be they have not the heart and courage to venture with them; though they leave them fast in their enemies' chains, and will not return to their company, they cease not to love and pity them, though it were because of their fear they did not enjoy the like liberty themselves.

Thirdly, As to the continuance of this separation. It was made upon good grounds, and it is still to be continued upon the same grounds. The Romish church is not grown better, but worse; and that which was before but mere practice and custom, is since established by law and canon; and they have ratified and owned their errors in the Council of Trent. And now antichrist is more discovered, and God hath multiplied and reformed the churches, and blessed them with his gifts and graces, and the conversion of many souls; surely we should not now grow weary of our profession, as if novelty only led us to make this opposition. If we shall think so slightly of all the truths of God, and the blood of the martyrs, and all this ado to bring things to this pass, that Christ may gain ground, and we should tamely give up our cause at last, as some have done implicitly, and others shrink, and let the Papists carry it quietly; it is such wickedness as will be the brand and eternal infamy of this generation. If Hagar the bondwoman, that hath been cast out, should return again, and vaunt it over Sarah the lawful wife, the mischiefs that would follow are unspeakable. God permitted it to be so for a while in Queen Mary's days, and what precious blood was shed during that time, we all know; and shall we again return to the garlic and onions of Egypt, as being weary of the distractions of the wilderness, and expose the interest of Christ merely for our temporal good, which we cannot be secured of neither? Therefore, since this separation was not unjust, without cause; nor unnecessary, without sufficient cause; and since it was carried on with so much meekness and Christian lenity, and since Rome is not grown better, but worse rather; surely we have no reason to be stumbled at for our departure from that apostatical church.

In short, this separation was not culpable, it came not from error of mind: "they went out from us, but they were not of us" (1 John ii. 19); not from corruption in manners: "These be they who separate themselves, sensual, not having the Spirit (Jude 19); not from strife and contention,

like those separations at Corinth, where one was of Paul, another of Apollos, &c. (1 Cor. i. 12); not from pride and censoriousness, like those that said, Stand farther off, "I am holier than thou" (Isa. lxv. 5), not from coldness and tergiversation, as those that forsook the assembling of themselves together, because they were in danger of this kind of Christianity (Heb. x. 25), but from conscience; and this not so much from the Christians, as from the errors of Christians; from the corruptions, rather than the corrupted; there is no reason we should be frighted with this suggestion.

But now, because the separation is good or evil according to the causes of it; let us a little consider the state of Rome when God first summoned his people to come out of this spiritual Babylon; and if it be the same still, there is no cause to retract the change.

The state of it may be considered, either as to its government, doctrine, or worship; the tyranny of their discipline and government, the heresy of their doctrine, and the idolatry of their worship. And if our fathers could not, and if we cannot have communion with them without partaking of their sin, it is certain the separation was, and is still justifiable.

First, As to their government. Three things are matter of just offence to the Reformed Churches.

1. The universality, or vast extent and largeness of that dominion and empire which they arrogate.

2. The supremacy and absolute authority which they challenge.

3. The infallibility which they pretend unto.

And if there were nothing else but a requiring a submission to these things, so false, so contrary to the tenor and interest of Christianity, this were ground enough of separation.

1st, The universality of headship over all other churches; this the people of God neither could, nor ought to endure.

Suppose the Romish church were sound in faith, in manners, in discipline yet, being but a particular church, that it should challenge such a right to itself, in giving laws to all other churches at its own pleasure; and that every particular society which doth not depend upon her beck in all things, should be excluded from hope of salvation, or not counted a fellow-church in the communion of the Christian faith, this is a thing that cannot be endured.

That the Pope, as to the extent of his government and administration, should be universal bishop, whose empire should reach far and near throughout the world, as far as the church of Christ reacheth; this, as to matter of fact is impossible, as to matter of right is sacrilegious. As to matter of fact it is impossible, because of the variety of governments, and different interests, under covert of which the particular churches of Christ find shelter and protection in all the places of their dispersion; and therefore to establish such an empire that shall be so pernicious to the churches of Christ which are harboured abroad, it is very grievous; and partly by reason of the multitude and diversity of those things that belong to governments, which is a power too great for any created understanding to wield. As to matter of right, it is sacrilegious: for Christ never instituted any such universal vicar, as necessary to the unity of his church. But here was one Lord Jesus, and one God, and one faith, but never in union under one Pope. And therefore we see in temporal government, God hath distributed it into many hands, because he would not subject the whole

world into one, as neither able to manage the affairs thereof, or brook the majesty of so large an empire with that meekness and moderation as becomes a creature. It is too much for mere man to bear. Now, religious concernments are more difficult than civil, by reason of the imperfection of light about them; and it would easily degenerate into superstition and idolatry: therefore certainly none but a God is able to be head of the church.

2ndly, The authority of making laws; consider it either as to matter or form; the matter about which it is exercised; or the authority itself: their intolerable boldness, and proud ambition, is discovered in either. As to the matter about which this power is exercised, for temporal things, God hath committed them to the care of the magistrate; and it is an intrusion of his right, for the Pope to take upon himself to interpose in civil things, to dispose of states and kingdoms; a power which Christ refused: "Man, who made me a judge over you?" (Luke xii. 14.) As to matter of religion, some things are in their own nature good, and some evil; some things of a middle nature, and indifferent. As to the first, God hath established them by his laws; as to the other, they are left to arbitrement, to abstain and use for edification, according to the various postures and circumstances of times, places, and persons; but so, that we should never take from any believer, or suffer to be taken from him, that liberty which Christ hath purchased for us by his blood. It is a licentious abuse of power, not to be endured. We are to "stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free" (Gal. v. 1). The Apostle mainly intends it of the observance of the ceremonial law, which was a bondage, because of the trouble and expense. Oh, but then the price wherewith Christ bought our freedom, should make us more chary of it, and stand in the defence of it with greater courage and constancy, whatever it cost us. The captain told Paul, that his liberty as a Roman was obtained with a great sum (Acts xxii. 28). Now the court of Rome doth challenge such a power, that it commandeth and forbiddeth those things which God hath left free, as distinction of days, meats, marriage, according to their own pleasure (1 Tim. iv. 3). Nay, sometimes dispenseth with that which God hath expressly commanded or forbidden; and then what doth it but make him equal with God, yea, superior to him? That physician possibly may be borne with, that doth only burden his patient with some needless prescriptions, if for the main he be but faithful; but if he should mingle poison with his medicaments, and also still tire out his patient with new prescriptions, that are altogether troublesome, and costly, and nauseous, and for the number of them dangerous to life, it behoveth his patient to look to his health. And this is the very case: the Pope doth sometimes make bold with dispensing with God's laws, and doth extinguish and choke Christian religion by thousands of impositions of indifferent things, which is not to be endured.

And then as to the authority itself; according to the eminency of the lawgiver, so is his authority more or less absolute. Therefore, when a mortal man shall challenge an authority so absolute, as to be above control, and to give no account of his actions, and it is not lawful to say to him, What doest thou? or to inquire into the reason, or complain of the injury, this is that which the churches of Christ cannot endure; therefore they had just ground and cause of withdrawing, and making up a body by themselves, rather than yield to so great encroachments upon Christian

liberty; to receive the decrees of one church, and that so erroneous and imposing, without examination or leave of complaint.

3rdly, That which grieveth, and did grieve, and cause this withdrawing, is both Papal infallibility and freedom from error. That any church which is made up of fallible men, should arrogate this to themselves (especially the Romish, which of all churches that ever Christ had upon earth, is most corrupt), that they should fasten this infallibility to the Papal chair, which is the fountain of those corruptions, this they look upon as a great contradiction, not only to faith, but to sense; and as hard a condition as if I were bound when I saw a man sick of the plague, and the swelling and tokens of death upon him, yet to say he is immortal, nay that that part wherein the disease is seated, is immortal. This was the burden that was imposed upon the people of God, that they should yield to this.

Secondly, Come to their heresy in doctrine. To rake in this filth, would take up more time than will comport with your patience. It is almost everywhere corrupt; the only sound part in the whole frame, is the doctrine of the Trinity, which yet the schoolmen have entangled with many nice and unprofitable disputes, which render that glorious and blessed mystery less venerable. We must do them right also in this, that they grant the doctrine of Christ's satisfaction, and that he not only died for our good, but in our stead, and bore our punishment; they grant the trath of it, but deny the sufficiency of it: so mightily weaken, if not destroy it, while they think it must be pieced up by the sacrifice of the mass, human satisfaction, by the merit of works, purgatory, and indulgences; but in all other points of religion, how corrupt are they. That which most offends the Reformed Churches, is their equalling traditions with the Scripture; yea, their decrying and taxing the Scriptures as obscure, insufficient, and as a nose of wax, pliable to several purposes. Their mangling the doctrine of justification, which we own to consist in the imputation of Christ's righteousness received by faith; and they plead, in the works of righteousness which we have done; and so, if the Apostle may be judge, make void the grace of God (Gal. ii. 21). And then the merit of works, not expecting the reward of them from God's mercy, which becometh Christian humility; but from the condignity of the work itself which bewrayeth their Pharisaical pride. We say that sins are remitted by God alone, exercising his mercy in Christ through the Gospel, towards those that believe and repent. But the Papists say, pardon may be had by virtue of indulgences, if a man give such a price, do this or that, say so many ave-maries and pater-nosters, though far enough from true faith and repentance. The one savours of the Gospel, the other of the tyranny of the Pope of Rome, that hath set himself in the place of God, and substituted his laws instead of the laws of Christ. So their portentous doctrine of transubstantiation, that a priest should make his Maker, and a people eat their God. I could represent the difference of both churches, both in excess and defect. In excess, what they believe over and above the Christian faith. The true church believes (with the Scripture, and with the primitive churches) that there is but one God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to be religiously invocated and worshipped. They plead, the creature, angels, and saints, are to be both religiously invocated and worshipped. The Scripture shows, that there is but one surety and mediator between God and man, he that was both God and man, Jesus Christ. They say, that the saints are mediators of intercession with God, by whose merits

and prayers we obtain the grace and audience of our supplications. The Scripture saith, that Christ's propitiatory sacrifice offered on the cross, is sufficient for the plenary remission of all our sins. They say, the sacrifice of the mass, which the priest under the species of bread and wine substantially (that is, by consecration into the body and blood of Christ offered to God), that this is available for the remission of sins both of quick and dead. That the remission of sins obtained by Christ, and offered in the Gospel to the penitent believer, is bestowed and applied by faith, this is the opinion of the Scripture. They say, remission of sins is obtained and applied by their own satisfactions and Papal indulgences. That true repentance consists in confession of sin with grief, and desire of the grace of Christ, with a serious purpose of newness of life, this is the doctrine of the Scripture. They think, that to the essence of true repentance, there is required auricular confession, penal satisfactions, and the absolvence of the priest, without which true faith profiteth nothing to salvation. Again, the Scripture teacheth this doctrine, that the ordinances confer grace by virtue only of God's promises, and the sacraments are signs and seals of the covenant of grace to them that believe: and they would teach us, that they deserve and confer grace from the work wrought. The Scripture teacheth that good works are such as are done in obedience to God, and conformity to his law, and are completed in love to God and our neighbour. They teach us, that there are works of supererogation, which neither the law nor the Gospel requireth of us; and that the chief of these are monastical vows, several orders and rules of monks and friars. The Scripture teacheth us, that God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, is only to be worshipped, both with natural and instituted worship, in spirit and in truth and they teach both the making and worshipping of an image, and that the images of saints are, to be worshipped. The Scripture teacheth, that there is but one holy apostolical catholic church, joined together in one faith, and one spirit, whose head, husband, and foundation, is the Lord Jesus Christ, out of which church there is no salvation: and they teach us, the church of Rome is the centre, the right mother of all churches, under one head, the Pope, infallible and supreme judge of all truth; and out of communion of this church, there is nothing but heresy, schism, and everlasting condemnation. Instead of that lively faith by which we are justified by Christ, they cry up a dead assent. Instead of sound knowledge, they cry up an implicit faith, believing as the church believes. Instead of affiance, they cry up wavering, conjectural uncertainty.

Thirdly, Come to their worship. Their adoration of the host, their invocation of saints and angels, their giving to the virgin Mary and other saints departed, the titles of mediator, redeemer, and saviour, in their public liturgies and hymns; their bowing to and before images; their communion in one kind, and that decreed by their councils, with a non obstante Christi instituto, notwitstanding Christ's express institution to the contrary; their service in an unknown tongue, &c., are just causes of our separation from them. But it is tedious to rake in these things. So that unless we would be treacherous to Christ, and not only deny the faith, but forfeit sense and reason, and give up all the lusts and wills of those that have corrupted the truth of Christianity, we ought to withdraw, and our separation is justifiable notwithstanding this plea.

USE.-Here is reproof to divers sorts: 1st, To those that think they may