Lastly, how famous is that passage of that solemn question put to Mr. Cotton and the rest of the New English elders, by divers of the ministers of Old England, eminent for personal godliness, as Mr. Cotton acknowledgeth, viz., whether they might be permitted in New England to enjoy their consciences in a church estate different from the New English; unto which Mr. Cotton and the New English elders return a plain negative, in effect thus much, with the acknowledgment of their worth and godliness above their own, and their hopes of agreement; yet in conclusion, if they agree not, which they are not like to do, and submit to that way of church-fellowship and worship which in New England is set up, they cannot only not enjoy church-fellowship together, but not permit them to live and breathe in the same air and commonweal together;[248] which was my case, although it pleased Mr. Cotton and others most incensed to give myself a testimony of godliness, &c.[249] And this is the reason why, although I confess with joy the care of the New English churches that no person be received to fellowship with them, in whom they cannot first discern true regeneration and the life of Jesus, yet I said, and still affirm, that godly and regenerate persons, according to all the former instances and reasons, are not fitted to constitute the true Christian church, until it hath pleased God to convince their souls of the evil of the false church, ministry, worship, &c. And although I confess that godly persons are not dead but living trees, not dead but living stones, and need no new regeneration (and so in that respect need no felling nor digging out), yet need they a mighty work of God’s Spirit to humble and ashame them, and to cause them to loathe themselves for their abominations or stinks in God’s nostrils, as it pleaseth God’s Spirit to speak of false worships. Hence, Ezek. xliii. 11: God’s people are not fit for God’s house until holy shame be wrought in them for what they have done. Hence God promiseth to cause them to loathe themselves, because they have broken him with their whorish hearts, Ezek. vi. 9. And hence it is that I have known some precious godly hearts confess, that the plucking of their souls out from the abominations of false worship, hath been a second kind of regeneration. Hence was it, that it pleased God to say concerning his people’s return from their material captivity, a figure of our spiritual and mystical, that they should not say, Jehovah liveth who brought them from the land of Egypt—a type of first conversion as is conceived; but, Jehovah liveth who brings them from the land of the north—a type of God’s people’s return from spiritual bondage to confused and invented worships.
CHAP. XII.
Now whereas Mr. Cotton addeth, that godly persons are not so enthralled to anti-christ as to separate them from Christ, else they could not be godly persons:—
Christ considered two ways, first, personally, and so God’s people can never be separated from him.
I answer, this comes not near our question, which is not concerning personal godliness or grace of Christ, but the godliness or Christianity of worship. Hence the scripture holds forth Christ Jesus first personally, as that God-man, that one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, whom all God’s people by faith receive, and in receiving become the sons of God, John i. 12, although they yet see not the particular ways of his worship. Thus was it with the centurion, the woman of Canaan, Cornelius, and most, at their first conversion.
Secondly, as head of his church, and so he is often lost and absent from his spouse.
Secondly, the scripture holdeth forth Christ as head of his church, formed into a body of worshippers, in which respect the church is called Christ, 1 Cor. xii. 12: and the description of Christ is admirably set forth in ten several parts of a man’s body, fitting and suiting to the visible profession of Christ in the church, Cant. v.
God’s people cannot serve a false Christ and the true together.
Now in the former respect, anti-christ can never so enthral God’s people as to separate them from Christ, that is, from the life and grace of Christ, although he enthral them into never so gross abominations concerning worship: for God will not lose his in Egypt, Sodom, Babel. His jewels are most precious to him though in a Babylonish dunghill, and his lily sweet and lovely in the wilderness commixed with briars. Yet in the second respect, as Christ is taken for the church, I conceive that anti-christ may separate God’s people from Christ, that is, from Christ’s true visible church and worship.[250] This Mr. Cotton himself will not deny, if he remember how little a while it is since the falsehood of a national, provincial, diocesan, and parishional church, &c., and the truth of a particular congregation, consisting only of holy persons, appeared unto him.
The church before Luther. Rev. xiii.