Reason. 3.
If those who be visible Saints, be not those that are only fit to be
A survey of the summe of church-discipline. Wherein the vvay of the churches of New-England is warranted out of the vvord, and all exceptions of weight, which are made against it, answered : whereby also it will appear to the judicious reader, that something more must be said, then yet hath been, before their principles can be shaken, or they should be unsetled in their practice. / By Tho. Hooker, late pastor of the church at Hartford upon Connecticott in N.E.
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- A survey of the summe of church-discipline. Wherein the vvay of the churches of New-England is warranted out of the vvord, and all exceptions of weight, which are made against it, answered : whereby also it will appear to the judicious reader, that something more must be said, then yet hath been, before their principles can be shaken, or they should be unsetled in their practice. / By Tho. Hooker, late pastor of the church at Hartford upon Connecticott in N.E.
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- Hooker, Thomas, 1586-1647.
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- London :: Printed by A.M. for John Bellamy at the three Golden Lions in Cornhill, near the Royall Exchange,
- M.DC.XLVIII. [1648]
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"A survey of the summe of church-discipline. Wherein the vvay of the churches of New-England is warranted out of the vvord, and all exceptions of weight, which are made against it, answered : whereby also it will appear to the judicious reader, that something more must be said, then yet hath been, before their principles can be shaken, or they should be unsetled in their practice. / By Tho. Hooker, late pastor of the church at Hartford upon Connecticott in N.E." In the digital collection Early English Books Online 2. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A86533.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 9, 2024.
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Page 17
members, then those who are not visible Saints, that is such who in the judgement of rationall charity, are gracelesse persons for the present, and give up themselves to the swinge of their distempers, they may be members.
The consequence is beyond dispure, for contradicents divide the breadth of being.
If visible Saints onely be not; Then non-visible may be.
But this draws many absurdities with it: For then such who to the judgement of charity are members of the devil, may be conceived members of Christ. Those, who to the eye of reason, are servants to sin, may be servants of righteousnesse and of Christ: and those, who are under the kingdome of darknesse by the rule of reasonable charity, by the same rule, at the same time, they may be judged under the kingdome of light. Those may be counted fit to share in the covenant and the priviledges thereof, as Sacraments and Church society, who are strangers from the covenant, and without God in the world. All which are absurdities, that common sense will not admit.
If it be replied, that all these may be verified of cunning hy∣pocrites not yet discovered.
I answer: The Argument leaves no place for the appearance of such an objection: for the terms in open expression are pointed directly against such, that in the judgement of charity were not Saints: and then the difference is exceeding wide. Those that are darknesse, and the servants of sin inwardly, may to the view of charity seem to be light, and servants of Christ outward∣ly, and yet in charity be led by light. But that he who in his outward practice should appear to be a slave to sin, and subject to the kingdome of darknesse, should yet be conceived to be a ser∣vant to God and subject to his kingdome: Surely charity must not onely pluck out her eies to see by anothers spectacles, but loose eies and spectacles and all, and cease to be charity; yea be turned into folly and madnes.