A78779:25
The door of truth opened
The door of truth opened: or, A brief and true narrative of the occasion how Mr Henry Burton came to shut himself out of the church-doors of Aldermanbury: published in answer to a paper, called, Truth shut out of doors: for the vindication of the minister and people of Aldermanbury, who are in this paper most wrongfully and unjustly charged; and also for the undeceiving of the underwriters, and of all those that are misinformed about this business. In the name, and with the consent of the whole church of Aldermanburie.The door of truth opened: or, A brief and true narrative of the occasion how Mr Henry Burton came to shut himself out of the church-doors of Aldermanbury: published in answer to a paper, called, Truth shut out of doors: for the vindication of the minister and people of Aldermanbury, who are in this paper most wrongfully and unjustly charged; and also for the undeceiving of the underwriters, and of all those that are misinformed about this businesse. In the name, and with the consent of the whole church of Aldermanburie.
London: printed for Christopher Meredith, 1645
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
4. Fourthly, It is taken for granted, that M. Calamy in his Fast Sermon, Septemb. 24, 1645. did call upon his people to be ashamed and confounded, as for divers other things, so amongst the rest for this, That whilst the Parliament is sitting, and labouring to settle ⟨p. 6⟩things, and while the Assembly of Ministers are studying to settle Religion, and labouring to heal our breaches, should be separating from us; Thus much he confesseth he said. But now whereas it is added he should say, 1That this is a sin to be ashamed for, That while a house is a purging, men should separate from the defilements, and not wait to see what the purging will be. He conceives this to be either the wilful, or ignorant mistake of his Notary. And he desires M. Burton would name another witness, if he can: For the Apostle saith, Receive not an accusation against an Elder, under two or three witnesses. He never thought, much less preached, that we should join with a defiled Church in her defilements. It is one thing to join with a Church in her corruptions: Another thing to separate from a true Church, because of some defilements that may be in it. And this is that for which we think people ought to be ashamed and confounded; Because for some few, (and those but supposed) defilements they separate not only from defilements, but from the true Churches of Jesus Christ, and engage themselves into separated Congregations, and do not wait and tarry to see what Reformation the Parliament will make. And this is no more then five (as we remember) of your brethren have written, as their judgement in print. And therefore what M. Burton writes in his margin, to prove that every one ought to day, before to morrow, to separate from present defilements, is but to fight with his own shadow. For though we must separate from the defilements of a Church, yet we are not to separate from a Church, for every defilement that is in it. The Church of Corinth had many defilements in it, as many we believe as the Church of Alderman-bury; And so had divers of the Churches to which Christ wrote. And yet neither Christ, nor his Apostles doth persuade the people to separate from those Churches, because of the defilements. And if this doctrine were true doctrine, we believe men will soon find cause to separate from some of their Churches, 2as well as ours.