1. ABOVE seventy years have passed away, since one of us, and above sixty, since the other of us came into New-England, and hav|ing obtained help from God, we continue to this day.
We are therefore capable to make some comparison, between the condition of the churches, when they were first erected in this country, and the condition into which they are now fallen, and more falling every day.
But we wish, that in making this comparison, we had not cause to take the place, and the part of those old men, that saw the young men shouting aloud for joy, at the new temple, Ezra. 3.12. Ancient men that had seen the first house; when the foundation of this house •as laid before their eyes, wept with a loud voice.
2. We are under a daily expectation of our call to ap|pear before our Lord Jesus Christ; and we have reason to be above all things concerned, that we may give up our account with joy unto him. That we may be the better able to do so, we judge it necessary for us to leave in the hands of the churches, a brief testimony, to the cause of God and his people in this land. And this the rather, because we are sensible that there is risen and rising among us, a number who not only forsake the right ways of the Lord, wherein these holy churches have walked, but also labour to carry away as many others with them as they can.
We are also informed, that many younger men of great worth, and hearty friends unto the church-state of the country, scarce know what interpretation to put upon it; but find it a sensible disadvantage unto them, that the elder men are so silent, and remiss upon the manifest occa|sions, that call aloud for us to open our mouth in the cause of churches that we should be loth to see led unto des|truction.
3. We that saw the persons, who from four famous colo|nies, assembled in the synod, that agreed on our platform of Church Discipline, cannot forget their excellent charac|ter. They were men of great renown in the nation, from whence the Laudian persecution exiled them; their learn|ing, their holiness, their gravity, struck all men that knew them with admiration. They were Timothies in their houses, Chrysostomes in their pulpits, Augustines in their disputations. The prayers, the studies, the humble en|quiries, with which they sought after the mind of God, were as likely to prosper as any mens upon earth. And the sufferings wherein they were confessors for the name and the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ, add unto the argu|ments which would perswade us, that our gracious Lord would reward and honor them, with communicating much of his truth unto them. The famous Brightman had fore|told, Clariorem lucem adhuc Solitudo dabit, &c. God would yet reveal more of the true church-state unto some of his faithful servants, whom he would send into a wilderness, that he might there have communion with them. And it was eminently accomplished in what was done for and by the men of God, that first erected churches for him in this American wilderness.
We do therefore in the first place, earnestly testify, That if any who are given to change, do rise up to unhinge the well established churches in this land, it will be the duty and interest of the churches, to examine, whether the men of this trespass, are more prayerful, more watchful, more zealous, more patient, more heavenly, more universally conscientious, and harder students, and better scholars, and more willing to be informed and advised, than those great and good men, who left unto the churches what they now enjoy: If they be not so, it will be wisdom for the children to forbear pulling down with their own hands, the houses of God, which were built by their wiser fathers, until they have better satisfaction.
It is not yet forgot by some surviving ear-witnesses of it, that when the Synod had finished the Platform of Church Discipline, they did with an extraordinary eleva|tion of soul and voice, then sing together, the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, in the fif|teenth chapter of the revelation: God forbid, that in the loss of that holy Discipline, there should be hereafter occasion to sing about breaking down the carved work of the houses of God, with axes and hammers; or take up the eightieth psalm for our lamentations.
4. It was a joy unto us, to see and read, a book which the reverend president of our college lately published, un|der the tittle of 'The order of the gospel professed and practised by the churches of Christ in New-England:' A book most highly needful, and useful, and seasonable; a most elaborate and well composed work, and well suited unto those two worthy designs; 1st. the maintaining the congregational-church-discipline; and 2dly, the main|taining the sweet spirit of charity and communion towards reforming presbyterians, who are our united brethren. But we must here withal testify, that in that worthy book, there is nothing obtruded upon the churches, but what they who were here, capable of observing what was done sixty years ago, do know to have been professed and prac|tised in the churches of New-England; (except in one or two) then and ever since, until of late, some who were not then born, have suggested otherwise. Yea, tis well known, that the churches then publickly maintained those princi|ples, in several judicious discourses, which were never con|futed by any men whatever, unto this present time. And we do therefore most heartily commend that book, of the order of the gospel, unto the perusal and acceptance of the churches of the Lord.
5. It was one of the songs (as the jewish masters tell us) in the seat of the tabernacles, Blessed be our youth, which have not made our old men ashamed. But alas, we that are old men must confess ourselves ashamed, when we see after what manner some of our youth, have expressed and behaved themselves, and with what scoffs they have assault|ed the order of the gospel, in some things lately pub|lished, and scattered about the country: which have been so far from answering the arguments brought for our church order, that they have been by the wonderful pro|vidence of Christ, made useful to establish the minds of serious christians, in those very points, which they see so weakly and so rudely opposed. We have taught our children in the catechism, called milk for babes, that there is to be a covenant of God in the churches, wherein they give up themselves, first unto the Lord to be his people, and then to the elders and brethren of the churches to set forward the worship of God, and mutual edification. And it cannot but be grievous unto us, as well as unto all seri|ous christians, for my children of New-England, scorn|fully to vomit up their milk with scoffs upon that and other sacred actions in our churches, too horrible to be repeated.
If they take from us, one of the songs among the anci|ent Jews, they would however leave us room for one of the sighs uttered by a rabbi among them; the worst fruit which we eat in our youth, excelled the best which we now eat in our old age, for in our days the world is changed.
6. Concerning all sinful attempts to overturn the or|der of the gospel, hitherto upheld in the churches of New-England, and to spoil that glorious work of God, which we have seen him doing, with a series of remarkable pro|vidences, in erecting such congregational churches in these ends of the earth; we would now therefore bear our testimony, that they are doubtless displeasing to our Lord Jesus Christ, who walks in the midst of these golden can|dlesticks, and they will prove bitterness in the latter end.
And this we declare with the more concern upon our minds, because of an observation, so plain, that he that runs may read it.
It is too observable, that the power of godliness, is ex|ceedingly decaying and expiring in the country; and one great point in the decay of the power of godliness, is men• growing weary of the congregational church-discipline, which is evidently calculated to maintain it.
If that church-discipline were more thoroughly and vigorously kept alive, even by those that make profession of it, it might be hoped, that the Lord would sanctify it, for the revival of all godliness in the land.
But if this church-discipline come to be given up, we think it our duty, to leave this warning with the churches, that probably the apostacy will not stop there: For the •ame spirit that will dispose the next generation to change their way, in one point, will dispose them to more, and more changes (even in doctrine and worship as well as in manners) until it may be feared, the candlestick will quickly be removed out of its place.
7. We do therefore humbly propose it, unto all the churches, as a great expedient, for the preservation of our church-state, that more prayer (even in whole days of pray|er set apart for that end) with other appointed means, may be used in the churches to obtain from the Lord, the out pourings of the spirit of grace on the rising generation. If so rich a blessing were obtained, (and our heavenly fa|ther will give his holy spirit unto them that ask it) and if the rising generation might be a praying, pious, devout and regenerate generation, there will not be such danger as now there is, of their easily giving away the precious legacy which their fathers (now beholding the face of the Lord Jesus Christ in glory,) left unto them, or of their doting upon innovations fatal to the order of the gospel among us.
8. Now as aged Joseph said, I die, and God will surely visit you: even so, we the unworthy servants of the Lord, whose age bids us every day look for death, and our call to that world, where to be is by far the best of all, do con|clude with our prayers unto the Lord for these holy churches, that he would surely visit them, and grant much of his gracious presence and spirit in the midst of them; and raise up from time to time, those who may be happy in|struments of bringing down the hearts of the parents into the children. The Lord bless these his churches, and keep them stedfast, both in the faith and in the order of the gos|pel, and be with them, as he was with their fathers, and never leave them nor forsake them.