Impossible for the answerer to be ignorant of their church estate, as Mr. Cotton pretendeth.
But how could I possibly be ignorant, as he seemeth to charge me, of their state, when being from first to last in fellowship with them, an officer amongst them, had private and public agitations concerning their state and condition with all or most of their ministers, and at last suffered for such admonitions to them, the misery of a winter’s banishment amongst the barbarians? and yet, saith he, “You know not what we have done, neither have you admonished us of our sinfulness.”
CHAP. XX.
Mr. Cotton.
A third scripture which I produced was Haggai ii. 13, 14, 15, desiring that the place might be thoroughly weighed, and that the Lord might please to hold the scales himself, the prophet there telling the church of the Jews, that if a person unclean by a dead body touch holy things, those holy things become unclean unto them: and so, saith he, in this nation, and so is every work of their hands and that which they offer is unclean; whence I inferred, that even church covenants made, and ordinances practised, by persons polluted through spiritual deadness, and filthiness of communion, such covenants and ordinances become unclean unto them, and are profaned by them.
Mr. Cotton. Mr. Cotton answers, “your purpose was to prove that churches cannot be constituted by such persons as are unclean by anti-christian pollutions; or if they be so constituted they are not to be communicated with, but separated from. But the prophet acknowledgeth the whole church of the Jews to be unclean, and yet neither denies them to be a church truly constituted, nor stirs up himself or others to separate from them.”
The church of the Jews a national church truly constituted, therefore not to be separated from.
Answer. I acknowledge the true constitution of the church of the Jews, and affirm that this their true constitution was the reason why they were not to be separated from: for being a national church, ceremonial and typical, their excommunication was either putting to death in, or captivity out of that ceremonial Canaan. Hence Shalmaneser’s carrying the ten tribes captive out of this land, is said to be the casting of them out of God’s sight, 2 Kings xvii. [18,] which was their excommunication.
Death and captivity in the national church, typed out spiritual death and captivity in the particular.