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demn you for separating so far *. As if you could not be enough out of Babylon, unless you be out of yourselves. Alas, miserable Countrymen, whither run you? Religion hath but his height, beyond which is error and madness. He tells you true: your station is unsafe either you must forward to him, or back to us.

The crime of Separation, how great.

Sep." The crime here objected is Separation, a thing very odious in the eyes of all them from whom it is made: as evermore casting upon them the imputation of evil, whereof all men are impatient. And hence it cometh to pass, that the Church of England can better brook the vilest persons continuing communion with it, than any whomsoever separating from it, though upon never so just and well grounded reasons.

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I OBJECTED separation to you: yet not so extreme, as your answer bewrays: a late separation, not the first: my charity hoped you less ill, than you will needs deserve. You grant it odious, because it casts imputation of evil upon the forsaken. Of evil? yea, of the worst; an estate incurable and desperate. He is an ill physician, that will leave his patient upon every distemper: his departure argues the disease helpless. Were we but faulty, as your Landlord Churches, your own rules would not abide your flight +. Hence the Church of England justly matches Separatists with the vilest persons. God himself doth so: who are more vile than trons of evil? yet no greater woe is to them that speak good of evil, than those that speak evil of good; Is. v. 20. So, wise generals punish mutinous persons, worse than robbers or adulterers. So Korah and his company, a story cunningly turned upon us by your Martyr, for their opposition to Moses, were more fearfully plagued, than the idolatrous Israelites; Num. xvi. 31. Exod. xxxii. 30. These sins are more directly against common society; the other, more personal: and, if both have like iniquity; yet the former have both more offence and more danger. And, if not so, yet who cannot rather brook a lewd servant, than an undutiful son, though pretending fair colours for his disobedience? At least, you think the Church of England thinks herself God's Church, as well as your Saints of Amsterdam. You, that so accurse apostacy in others, could ye expect she should brook it in you

But, your reasons are just and well grounded: Every way of a

*Charact. of the Beast, written by M. Smith. Pref. "Be it known therefore to all the Separation, that we account them, in respect of their constitution, to be as very a Harlot, as either her Mother the Church of England, or her Grandmother Rome is, &c." Iterato baptizatus scienter, iterato Domimum crucifigit. De Con

secr. Dist. 4. Quivis &c.

† Vid. Johnson's Preface to his Enquiry.

M. Penry, in his Disc. of this subject,

Se

man is right in his own eyes; Prov. xxi. 2. Said we not well, that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a Devil, say the Jews? What schism ever did not think well of itself? For us, we call heaven and earth to record, your cause hath no more justice than yourselves have charity.

SECT. 3.

The Kinds of Separation, and which is just.

Sep." And yet Separation from the world, and so from the men of the world, and so from the Prince of the World that reigneth in them, and so from whatsoever is contrary to God, is the first step to our communion with God, and angels, and good men; as the first step to a ladder, is to leave the earth.”

YET there is a commendable and happy Separation from the world, from the Prince and men of the World, and whatsoever is contrary to God: who doubts it? There were no heaven for us, without this: no Church; which hath her name given by her Father and Husband, of calling out from other *. Out of the Egypt of the world doth God call his sons.

But this separation is into the Visible Church from the world; not, as yours, out of the Church, because of some particular mixtures with the world: or, if you would rather take it of profession, out of the world of Pagaus and Infidels, into the Visible Church; not out of the world of true, though faulty, Christians, into a purer Church.

That I may here, at once for all, give light to this point of Separation, we find in Scripture a Separation either to good, or from evil.

To good. So the Levites were separated from among the children of Israel, to bear the ark, and to minister; Num. viii. 14. Num. xvi. 9. Deut. x. 8: so the firstborn, firstfruits, and cities of refuge; Exod. xiii. 12. Lev. xxiii. 10. Deut. iv. 41: so Paul was apagiaμév, separated; Rom. i. 1. which some would have allude to his Pharisaism, but hath plain reference to God's own words, Acts xiii. 2. Separate me Barnabas and Saul †. Though this is rather a destination to some worthy purpose, than a properly called separation.

From evil, whether sin or sinners.

From sin so every soul must eschew evil, whether of doctrine or manners; and disclaim all fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, whether in himself or others: so St. Paul charges us to hold that which is good, and abstain from all appearance of evil; 1 Thes. v. 21, 22: so Jeremiah is charged to separate the precious doctrine or practice from the vile; Jer. xv. 19.

* ἐκκλησία. † ἀφορίσατε δή μοι Σαύλον.

Vide Tremel, et Jun.

From sinners, not only practised by God himself, to omit his eternal and secret decree whereby the elect are separated from the reprobate, both in his gracious vocation, sequestering them from nature and sin; as also in his execution of judgment, whether particular as of the Israelites from the tabernacles of Korah, Num. xvi. 26. or universal and final of the sheep from the goats, Matt. xv. 46: but also enjoined from God to men, in respect either of our affection, or of our yoke and familiar society; 2 Chron. xix. 2: whereof St. Paul, Be not unequally yoked with infidels: come out from among them, and separate yourselves; 2 Cor. vi. 14, 17.

In all this we agree. In the latitude of this last only we differ. I find you call for a double separation. A first separation, in the gathering of the Church; a second, in the managing of it: the first, at our entrance into the Church; the second, in our continuance: the first, of the Church, from Pagans and Worldlings, by an initiatory profession; the second, of lewd men from the Church, by just censures.

You speak confusedly of your own separation: one while, of both; another while, of either single †.

For the first, either confess it done by our baptism, or else you shall be forced to hold, we must rebaptise: but of this constitutive separation anon.

For the second, of sinners, whether in judgment or life, some are more gross, heinous, incorrigible; others less notorious, and more tractable: those other must be separated by just censures; not these. Which censures if they be neglected, the Church is foul; and, in your Pastor's word ‡, faulty; and therefore calls for our tears, not for our flight.

Now, of Churches faulty and corrupted, some raze the foundation; others, on the true foundation, build timber, hay, stubble: from those, we must separate; from these, we may not. Peter's rule is eternal: Whither shall we go from thee? thou hast the words of eternal life; John vi. 68. Where these words are found, woe be to us, if we be not found!

Amongst many good separations then, yours cannot be separated from evil: for, that we should so far separate from the evil, that therefore we should separate from God's children in the communion of the holy things of God; that, for some, after your worst done, not fundamental corruptions, we should separate from that Church, in whose womb we were conceived, and from betwixt whose knees we fell to God; in a word, as one of yours once said §, to separate not only from visible evil, but from visible good, as all antichristian; who, but yours, can think less than absurd and impious? Grant, we should be clean separated from the world; yet if we be not, must you be separated from us? Do but stay till God

* Nulla cum malis convivir vel colloquia misceantur; simúsque ab iis tam Separati, quàm sunt illi ab Ecclesia Dei profugi. Cypr. 1. i. Epist. ad Corn. 2. + Character of Beast. Pref. Johnson's Enquiry.

§ H. Cl. Epistle before Treatise of Sin against the Holy Ghost

have separated us from himself. Will the wise husbandman cast away his corn-heap for the chaff and dust? Shall the fisher cast away a good draught, because his drag-net hath weeds *? Doth God separate from the faithful soul, because it hath some corruptions her inmates, though not her commanders? Certainly, if you could thoroughly separate the world from you, you would never thus separate yourselves from us. Begin at home: separate all self-love, and self-will, and uncharitableness from your hearts; and you cannot but join with that Church, from which you have separated.

Your Doctor would persuade us, you separate from nothing but our corruptions: you are honester, and grant it from our Church. It were happy for you, if he lied not, who, in the next page, confutes himself; shewing that you separate from us, as Christ from the Samaritans, namely from the Church, not the corruptions only; and not as he did from the Jews, namely from their corruptions, not from their Church ‡. His memory saves our labour, and mars

his discourse.

SECT. 4.

The Antiquity and Examples of Separation.

Sep.-"The Separation we have made, in respect of our knowledge and obedience, is indeed late and new: yet is it, in the nature and causes thereof, as ancient as the Gospel; which was first founded in the enmity, which God himself put betwixt the Seed of the Woman, and the Seed of the Serpent; Gen. iii. 15.”

YET, if not equity, it were well you could plead age. This your Separation, in the nature and causes of it, you say, is no less ancient, than the first institution of enmity betwixt the two Seeds. You might have gone a little higher, and have said, than our first parents' running from God in the garden, or their separation from God by their sin.

But we take your time; and easily believe, that this your late Separation was founded upon that ancient enmity of the Seed of the Serpent with the Woman's. That subtle Devil, when he saw the Church breathe from the persecutions of tyrants, vexed her no less with her own divisions; seeking that by fraud, which by violence he could not effect §. Hence all the fearful schisms of the Church, whereof yours is part. This enmity hath not only been successively continued; but also too visibly manifested by the actual, but wilful, separation of heretics and sectaries from the Church, in all ages. But I mistake you: yours is as ancient as the Gospel.

What! that Evangelium Æternum, of the Friars, whose name

* Neque, propter paleam, relinquimus aream Domini; neque, propter pisces malos, rumpimus retia Domini. Aug. Ep. 48.

† Ans. Counterpoison, p. 2.

§ Euseb. Hist. Ecc.

Counterpoison, pp. 7 and 8, &c.