assemblies Ministers immediately sent them of God and inspired with the holy Ghost every one of the which had the Keyes of the Kingdom of Heaven given them by Christ himselfe with a promise to be with them to the end of the world and that whatsoever they loosed on earth should be loosed in Heaven and whatsoever they bound on earth should be bound in Heaven and that his spirit also should leade them into all truth the which Ministers likewise taught them whatsoever Christ had commanded them and that dayly in the Temple and in every house Ergo all and every one of those Assemblies and Congregations respectively and severally taken were true and compleat churches properly so called For the Major no well grounded Christian will deny it especially the Independents cannot gain say it for if two or three met together in the fellowship of the Gospell and in Christs name make a true visible church as those of the congregationall way hold and teach then much more where two or three hundreds are met together in the fellowship of the Gospell and in the name of Christ and in the which also they partaked in all the saving and sealing Ordinances as in the preaching of the Word and Prayer and in the Sacraments of Baptisme and the Lords Supper and that by lawfull Ministers and Officers appointed and sent by God himselfe I say by far better reason such a congregation is a true and visible and compleate church properly so called as all rationall and intelligible men will easily conclude and therefore this cannot be denied by the Independents especially when as I noted before it is their owne Doctrine taught in all their writings and Preached by every one of the congregationall way and confirmed by their own daily practice And to passe by many books writ of late by the Ministers of New-England and some of the Independent Ministers here amongst us I will only at this time pitch upon one who hath in my opinion dealt more candidly then any of his brethren for he kepes no reserves Donec ad triarios redierit res but sets downe plainly what they hold I will make bold therefore with his new blasing lights lately set up upon that learned Beaken called Truth gloriously appearing from under the sad and sable cloude of obloquy In the which treatise pag. 22. and 23. the author in the name of all the Independents declares their judgement concering this businesse whose words I will set down at large desiring to deliver their minde in their own expressions rather then in mine that they may not hereafter accuse me to have pickt and chose what made most for me and against them and left the rest His words are these Object It may possibly here be objected how will it appeare that so small a number as two or three joyned together in the fellowship of the Gospell do constitute a visible Church Answ It will appeare evident by this insuing argument Christ hath given his power and promised his presence to two or three ioyned together in the fellowship of the Gospell therefore two or three so joyned together do constitute a visible church The Antecedent is proved from the Words of Christ Matth. 18. If thy brother offend thee tell him of it if he refuse to heare thee take two or three if he heare not them tell it to the church if he neglect to heare the church let him be unto thee as an Heathen and a Publican I say unto you whatsoever you shall binde on earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatsoever yee shall loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven Loe Here 's their power given them by Christ The presence of Christ is promised by them vers 20. Where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the middest of them The consequent cannot be denied for what people in the world may be called a church if they may not to whom Christ hath given his power and promised his presence If the gifts of Christ be of any force if the power of Christ be of any efficacy then they have a right to be so called Neither is this destitute of learned men who have given their suffrage to it Humfred de religione vera conservanda pag. 24. Ecclesiam cum dico non unum aut alterum sacerdotem aut ministrum sed legitimum ac Christianum catum nomino et innuo Besides the definition of a visible church will prove the consequent A visible church is a mysticall body whereof Christ is the head the members be Saints called out of the world united together into one congregation by an holy covenant to worship the Lord and to edifie one another in all his holy Ordinances This definition though it properly looke upon a compleate church it is appliable to two or three that are joyned together in the fellowship of the faith of the Gospell 2 Object But is it like that two or three there is taken for the church mentioned vers 17. to which Christ hath given his power Answ I do not say that it is alwaies so taken for because the church doth frequently consist of many but this I say that it may be so taken as the very coherence of the words shews Beside it will further appeare thus if two or three may meet together clothed with Christs power and honoured with Christs presence then two or three may be the church mentioned vers 17. but two or three may meet together clothed with Christs power for they meet in his name as the text speakes 1. e. clothed with his power for name signifieth power in severall Scriptures Prov. the 18. 10. Philip. 2. 10. and honoured with his presence and therefore two or three may be the church there mentioned 3. Object But such a company being destitute of Officers can be no church Answ If it had been said they could have been no compleate church I would have consented But to say that they are not a compleat church therefore they are no church is a Non sequitur A man that wants a hand or foot or both is notwithstanding a man though a maimed man Officers do not concurr to the esse or being of a church but to the bene esse or well being of a church for otherwise put case the Officers of a church dye then must the church be unchurched and so Toties quoties as such a thing happens which in times of mortality may be often Againe a company of believers ioyned together in the fellowship of the Gospell hath the matter and forme of a church even before it hath any Officers and therefore is a Church without them it hath the matter of a Church a company believing 1 Cor. 1. 2. Ephes 1. 1. and it hath the forme of a Church viz. a combining and uniting of themselves together into one body by the bond of an holy Covenant I have spoke some thing the more in this particular to strengthen
and as the House of Commons sends to the House of Lords and the House of Lords to the House of Commons by their Messengers and as all businesses are to be done in the Name of the States and in the name of either Lords or Commons so those little sucking congregations and churches though they consist but of 10. or twenty a peece although never an one of them knowes any more what belongs to government then the horse Master Knollys preaches on when he goeth into the Countrey yet they send their Officers in the name of the Church to any other of their Churches upon any difference or about any of their Grolleyes with as great State and Grander as if they were very absolute principalities and they use by the report of those that have seene the manner of their carriage in their imployment in imitation of greatnesse the same garbe and gestures that Embassadours or those that carry a Message from the House of Commons to the House of Lords usually do making their honours and conges and they are such bunglers at the work as those that have seene them say it is one of the ridiculosest spectacles that ever was beheld for they make a thousand Jackinaps tricks and act their severall parts with such affectation of State that experienced men and such as well know what belonges to the entertainment of Embassadors affirme that they never beheld any thing so fanaticall It is reported that Iohn Lilburne my Scholler is Master of the Ceremonies amongst them and teaches them their postures of Court-ship If ever there were any people in the world that trampled all government both Divine and Humaine under their poluted feete or ever made a scorne of authority I may truly say the Independents are the â—en and yet they applaud themselves in all their actions and sticke not to say by these their doings they set up the Lord Christ upon his throne in his Kingdome and in their houses and compt all those that differ from them of their congregationall way as enemies of the Lord Iesus and of his kingdome and esteeme of them as of a company of Infidels and yet they have neither precept nor president for their so doing but St. Diotrephes in all the holy Word of God which constituted a Presbytery in every Church and committed the government of all the congregations under each Presbytery into the hands of a Common-councel and Colledge of Elders as that Church Saint Iohn write unto can witnesse which was governed by the conjoynt consent of them all in which Saint Iohn was a Presbyter and therefore writ If he came he would remember Diotrephes deeds which abundantly declareth that Saint Iohn acknowledged a Court a settled government in every church whether the members might have recourse for redresse of any abuse or scandalls and therefore took no more upon him then belonged unto his place and this shall suffice to have answer'd to Master Knollys his last whibbling cavill and to have spake of this point of controversie between us in this place I shall answer methodically to all his other evasions in their due places which the reader shall finde as they are scattered through the booke for he is very immethodicall in all his pamphlet where I will set downe Master Knollys his owne words But in the meane time it is sufficiently confirmed out of the Word God and out of all the Scriptures above quoted that all the churches we reade of in the New-Testament were so many corporations in Christs kingdome which were to be governed by a Common-councell of Presbyteries And so for many yeeres after the Apostles times they were Governed Communi consilio presbyterorum as our brethren the Independents do confesse and prove by antiquity and humane authority which weapon I wonder they will contend with in deciding of Gods matters which are only out of his holy Word to be proved which is to be the rule of our faith But it seemes Saint Ambrose his authority pleaseth them well though if we looke into it it makes much against them He lived as the author that cites him saith within the fourth Century His words are these upon the 1. of Timothy Synagoga postea ecclesia seniores habuit quorum sine consilio nihil agebatur in Ecclesia Quod qua negligentia obsoleverit nescio nisi doctorum desidia aut magis superbia dum soli volunt aliquid videri Take with it his own interpretation The Iewes Synagogue saith he and afterwards the Christian church had Elders without whose counsell nothing was done in the church which by what neglect it grew out of use I knew not unlesse it were perhaps the sloth or rather pride of the teachers whilest alone they would seeme to be some body However it is acknowledged by their owne testimony that in the Apostles time and many yeares after the Apostles nothing was done in the church without the Councell of the Presbyters So that it is evident the Primitive churches were governed by the joynt and common councell of the Presbytery and the people had nothing to do with it We may adde here unto Saint Ambrose Saint Ieromes testimony who in his Commentaries upon the first chapter of the Epistle of Paul to Titus largely declaring himselfe as in many other places concerning the occasion of the change of that government established by the Apostles saith Idem est ergo Presbyter qui Episcopus antequam diaboli instinoâ—u studia in religione fiâ—râ—nt diceretur in populis ego sum Pauli ego Apollo ego autem Cephe communt Presbyterorum consilio Ecclesiae gubernabantur c. In the which words he acknowledgeth by the first institution all Churches were governed by the common councell of the Presbyters and not by the advice of the people Yea the very Canons of the Pope in the first part and the 95. distinction giving the reason why the Presbyterian Government came to be changed and the Hierarchiall was put in the place affirmeth that it was through faction and for the avoyding of further Schismes and rents in the Church and cities using the very words before quoted out of Saint Ierome and confesseth that before that time the Churches were governed Commum consilio Presbyterorum not by the people or any one Prelate but by the Presbytery and their councell And if humaine authority were needfull in this businesse I might make a volume with their very expressions to prove the novelty of the Hierarchicall government and that of the peoples jurisdiction assuming the Authority of governing into their hands and the Antiquity of the Presbytery and that by the enemies own confession Bet I am resolved to cleave only unto the Word and sound reason deduced from thence for the deciding of this controversie being sorry that there was so much as occasion of naming humane authority in a point of Divinity As for the Presbyterian government in the sense that I understand it there is nothing more
it I am so well assured that it is Gods Ordinance as I am of any point in Religion But as I said before if men may argue after this way The Presbyters in the Apostles times did miracles and sâ—ake with strange tongues and their Schollers and Disciples did the same doe you likewise and then we will acknowledge you to be true Presbyters otherwise wee will not Thus the Jewes might have argued against all their Prophets as against Isaiah Ieremy Ezekiel c. Moses and Elias fasted forty dayes and forty nights and did many miracles do you so and then we will beleeve you are true Prophets and sent to us of God otherwise we will not beleeve you to be true Prophets Yea all the wicked and ungodly men of these times may argue thus also God gave unto his Church Apostles Evangelists Prophets c. and they spake all strange tongues and divers languages and did many miracles but you and your Congregations have neither Apostles Prophets nor Evangelists nor ye have not the gifts of Tongues nor yee can do no Miracle Ergo you are not the true Church The Primitive Christians and the servants of God in those times had the gifts of Tongues and Prophesie and the holy Ghost came down upon them and they spake by direction from God his infallible truth and Gospell whose speeches were not tyed to time and to one speaker but many spake one after another by Interpreters as it is at large set down in the 1. of the Corinthians chap. 14. vers 27. 28 29 30. c. So that they spake infallible truth by direction from God But you have none in your Congregations so miraculously inspired with sundry languages and divers tongues nor ye do not speake infallible truths by direction from God nor you cannot cure diseases nor do miracles Ergò your religion is not the same Religion nor your Congregations the true Church shew us these miracles and then we will beleeve you to be the true Church otherwise we may not we dare not acknowledge you to be the true Church Again they may argue thus The Apostles and Primitive Pastors and Teachers preached freely and laboured with their own hands and were helpfull to the necessities of others and were not burthensome and exacting from others and spake ex tempore by direction from God but your Ministers in your Congregations do not preach freely nor labour not with their own hands nor are not helpfull to to others necessities but are rather burdensome and exacting from others nor they do no miracles nor speake not immediately by inspiration and ex tempore but by Study and out of their Bookes and are confined to time and speake not in strange tongues and languages one after another by Interpreters Ergò Your Ministers are not Gods Ministers nor your Congregations the true Church nor your people true Christians for you want all those things that the Primitive Christians and the Primitive Churches had There is a Pamphlet lately come out and highly esteemed and prised amongst many full of such consequences as these which if they hold good against the Presbyters they may also for ought I know be of equall validity to overthrow not onely all Christian Congregations but indeed all Christian Religion But briefly to answer We look upon the Apostles and Primitive Presbyters as men miraculously and extraordinarily gifted and as wonder-working men for the confirmation of the truth of the Gospell to all succeeding ages and we consider in them and in the Christians of those times something extraordinary and temporary as their working of miracles and speaking of strange tongues and gifts of healing c. And those we conceive were to continue no longer in the church then for the confirmation of the truth of the Gospel Christ himselfe proclaiming those blessed that believe without seeing of miracles speaking unto Thomas Iohn 20. 29. Because thou hast seen me saith he thou believest blessed are they that have not seen and have believed So that miracles now are not ordinary and we are tied to the written Word But we consider likewise in the Apostles and Primitive Presbyters that that was permanent and to continue in all Ministers and Presbyters in succeeding ages to the end of the world and that was the power of order and preaching and the power of jurisdiction that is of ruling which is not denied by the most learned of the Independents themselves and this I have proved by the Word of God to be transacted over to all Christian Churches whose Presbyters have that power given unto them neither will the Learned Brethren deny it whatsoever the ignorant may do Yea the very name of a Presbytery as I said before if we look through the whole Scripture signifieth a Magistracy or Signiory or Corporation invested with authority of governing and ruling and such a counsell and company of men as upon whom the government under Christ is laid and to be extended so far as their jurisdiction extendeth and as far as by common consent it may make for the good and edification of the church and for the safety of the same And such was the government of all those churches of the New Testament which were as so many Committees their limits and bounds prefixed them as at this dayall Committees through the Kingdom have in their severall Hundreds Rapes Wapentakes and Cities to whom the ordering and government of those places that are under them are committed so that all that is done or transacted must be done by the joynt consent and councell of the whole Committee not any particular man or any two of them severally considered by themselvs can make an order but that order onely is binding which is made by the joynt consent and common agreement of them all or the greatest part of them assembled together Even so all those particular Congregations that are within the compasse and jurisdiction of the severall Presbyteries are to be ordered and governed by the common and joynt councell of the severall Presbyters or the greater part of them For this was the order the Apostles established appointing in every City a Presbytery and when they had so ordered the Churches they set them all to their severall imployments the Presbyters to command and all the people and particular Assemblies and Congregations under them to obey neither is it ever found in the holy Scriptures that the people were joyned with the Presbyters in their Commission So that they that oppose this government resist Gods Ordinance And if we looke into all the Epistles writ by the Apostles to the severall Churches we shall finde in them That they enjoyne all the severall Congregations to yeeld obedience to their Pastors and Rulers over them and signifie unto them that they owe unto them double honour especially such as labour in the Word and Doctrine that is they must yeeld unto them not onely due reverence and subjection and obedience to their councell and just commands in the
as yet any particular visible formed churches for all these severall congregations are but so many branches of that one catholicke visible church and a branch and a member of a church is not a church properly so called in my brother Burtons Dialect and therefore wee have no true visible churches or church bodies upon earth properly so called this I say will necessarily follow upon my Brother Burtons unsound Principles and this his opinion which I am confident upon his more serious thoughts and when he makes not such haste as he confesses he did when he writ this his book against me he will acknowledge to be very erroneous But if he shall against all reason undertake to maintaine the same doctrine concerning the Catholicke visible church he doth about the church of Ierusalem I am assured he will be highly condemned by the learnedest of his party as well as by the universall consent of all the judicious Divines in the world who I know are of a contrary judgement But I say if upon mature deliberation he shall acknowledge and grant that the severall congregations or churches of believers mentioned in the Scriptures as that of Corinth Ephesus Galatia c. and their own severall congregations in their new gathered churches howsoever he will not grant that title unto our assemblies I say if he shall but accord that both the primitive churches and their new congregations be churches properly so called or church bodies though but so many branches and members of the Catholicke visible church which yet is but one and the same church then likewise of necessity it will follow and he must yeild unto it that all those severall congregations and assemblies in the church of Ierusalem were churches properly so called though but so many branches of that one and the same particular church because as the learned know all particular congregations and churches that partake in all the Ordinances as they are similar parts of the whole church so they doe all partake of the name and nature of it and are all of them churches properly so called and therefore by the very same reason I say all those severall congregations and assemblies in the church of Ierusalem being parts of that Nationall city or Presbyterian church that one and the same church as partaking both of the name and nature of that church are all of them churches properly so called one of those conclusions I affirme will necessarily follow from my brother Burtons principles And for the better evidencing of what I have said I will adde a few words more by way of a corollary that whatsoever the whole church at Ierusalem had in it to make it the first formed church properly so called the same had all the congregations and assemblies respectively and severally considered to make every one of them churches properly so called And therefore if the whole church at Ierusalem may challenge the name of a true formed church as the Independents acknowledge then the severall congregations and assemblies respectively and severally considered might do the same and were churches properly so called For if the whole consisted of visible Saints so did every one of those severall congregations and assemblies consist of visible Saints And if the whole had the blessed Apostles in it and Christs seventy Disciples and all sorts of church Officers so had every severall congregation and assembly of that church though but a part and a branch of the whole And if the whole church inioyed all the saving and sealing ordinances and all acts of worship and continued stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking bread and in prayer so did every one of those congregations and assemblies severally and respectively considered And therefore when all the branches of that one particular church at Ierusalem viz every congregation and assembly severally considered and as a part were equall to the whole church in all priviledges immunities and in whatsoever is required for the making of a true formed church so that there was nothing wanting to either of those congregations that the whole church partaked in and injoyed or could challenge for the making it a compleat Church then it followeth and that necessarily that if the whole church be a true formed church and a church properly so called as the Independents confesse that all those congregations assemblies severally considered were churches properly so called This I thought good to premise And now I come to make good what I undertooke which is to prove those severall Assemblies in the church of Ierusalem to be churches properly so called which I do by this argument All such assemblies congregations as daily met together in diverse companies in the Temple and in Solomons Porch and in severall private houses in the fellowship of the Gospell and in the name of Christ and clothed with his power and honoured with Christs presence being all believers and Saints and such as gladly received the word and were all baptized and continued stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in the breaking of bread and in prayer and injoyed amongst themselves in their severall congregations all the saving and sealing Ordinances and all Acts of worship and whatsoever priviledges and immunities the whole church partaked in and the which the Independents themselves repute and thinke sufficient for the making and constituting of a formed church and who also had amongst them in those severall assemblies Ministers immediately sent them of God and inspired with the holy Ghost every one of the which had the keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven given unto them by Christ himselfe with a promise to be with them to the ende of the world and that whatsoever they loosed on earth should be loosed in heaven and whatsoever they bound on earth should be bound in heaven and that his spirit also should leade them into all truth the which Ministers likewise taught them whatsoever Christ had commanded them and that daily in the Temple and in every house all and every one of them respectively and severally taken were true and compleate churches properly so called But in the church of Jerusalem there were many such assemblies and congregations as dayly met together in diverse companies in the Temple and in Solomons Porch and in several private houses in the fellowship of the Gospell and in the name of Christ and clothed with his power and honoured with Christs presence being all believers and Saints and such as gladly received the Word and were all baptized and continued stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in the breaking of bread and in prayers and injoyed amongst themselves in their severall congregations all the saving and sealing Ordinances and all acts of worship and whatsoever priviledges and immunities the whole church partaked in and the which the Independents themselves repute and thinke sufficient for the making and constituting of a formed church and who also had amongst them in those severall
peoples hands and of which there is neither precept nor president in all the holy Scriptures for this distinction of Officers they call for in all churches and many other things they rigidly exact of us for the compleating and forming of a church after the New-Testament forme were not in the church of Ierusalem the mother church and yet it was by my brother Burtons confession the first formed church and that in the judgment of all the Independents besides himselfe a perfect church at that time But because he requres of me to shew him distinct Officers and Members united into one body respectively in all the severall congregations in the church at Ierusalem without which he affirmeth they were no formed churches properly so called I desire of him likewise that he would shew me that distinction of Officers and Members in that whole church that he demands of me in its parts without the performing of the which all that he hath written is nothing and he must of necessity grant that the church at Jerusalem was not a church properly so called if that distinction I say of Officers and Members be essentiall to the compleating of a church or churches For he confesseth at that time he calls it a formed church they had no Deacons and all the Independents that ever I have seene or talked with say they reade of no Elders in the church at Ierusalem till the 12. of the Acts which was a long time after the first forming of this church and we reade not at any time of any particular Pastor or of any Doctor or Teacher ioyned with that Pastor as is usually in the churches of the Congregationall way but that upon all occasions all the people applyed themselves to all the Apostles and and said Men and brethren what shall we doe and that they continued in the Doctrine and fellowship of all the Apostles and that all things were transacted by the common Counsell of all the Apostles and that they all laid their hands in the Ordination of the Deacons upon each of them we heare nothing I say of any particular Pastor or Teacher or of any Elders all this while and yet by my brother Burtons Doctrine it was a formed church then and we neither heare nor reade also any thing of an explicit particular Covenant which the Independents call the forme of a church neither doe we reade of many things they now rigidly require of all such â—s desire to be Members of their new Congregations practised in that Church I shall therefore cordially desire of my brother Burton seeing the underwriters his tributaries have given him leave as he saith in his Truth shut out of doores that he should baulke no truth he shall meet with in the plowing up of the Scripture but should Preach every truth I say he having obtained this Christian liberty of his Benefactors and truth being now no more in prison that he would candidly and plainly without any reserve Doâ—eâ— ad triarios redieritres tell me the next time I heare from him who was the particular pastor in the church at Ierusalem who was their particular Doctor or Teacher who were their Elders who were their Deacons seeing my brother Burton denieth any congregation to be a church properly so called if it have not its distinct Officers and Members united into one church body respectively for these are his words therefore I put him upon this to prove and without proving it all that he hath hitherto writ both in this book and in his vindication will all prove but waste paper to use his own language I am confident he will not say that Iames or Peter were their Pastor or Teacher or that any of the Apostles were the Pastor or Teacher of that particular church for they were the Universall Pastors of the visible Catholicke church and were extraordinarily sent into all the world as the Scripture recordeth therefore they could not be either the particular Pastors or Teachers of that church for as the Independents teach they must be fixt and should not leave their charge and Flocks neither can my Brother Burton tell which were their Elders for the Independents say they reade of none in the church at Ierusalem till the twelfth of the Acts and therefore according to their doctrine they then had none and it seemes to be my brother Burtons opinion â—or he â—aith the Church at Jerusalem wanted that part of discipline of casting out of corrupt Members which if they had had Elders they could not have wanted and for Deacons my brother Burton acknowledgeth that at that time he calleth it a formed Church they had none So that by this I have now said I beleeve it will be a difficult if not an impossible thing either for him or any of his fraternity to shew me that distinction of Officers and Members in the whole Church at Ierusalem which he requires I should shew him in the several branches congregations without the which notwithstanding according to his learning it cannot be a Church properly so called and so then the church at IerusaleÌ„ it self was no church properly so called Therefore when he is at plow again as now I understand he is I desire him that he would furrow up this truth unto me and shew me that distinction of Officers and Members withall I desire to be resolved how he comes to make this distinction of Officers and Members united into one church body respectively to be the forme of a Church when his brethren of the congregationall way make an explicite particular covenant to be the forme of a Church and the Members and Officers to be the materials onely of a Church All these truths I desire and that earnestly that my brother Burton at his next going to plow he would lay open and discover unto mee and then I will conclude of him that he is a singular tiller and a very good husbandman in Christs field his Church or otherwise hee will never be fit either to make a compleat Independent Country courtier or an absolute Independent Gentleman but he shall be a Haberdasher in the small wares of Independency and with those I perswade my selfe he will be best able to trade with But in the mean time till I heare from him I will affirme that if it be true he saith That the Church of Jerusalem wanted Deacons and Church discipline and an explicite particular covenant and many other good things they require of us for the compleating of a church or churches properly so called then that Church was not perfect and compleat and yet we read not that the Saints of those times made any separation from their publike Assemblies and Congregations though they wanted Officers and Discipline and many other things required now by them so that we may learn from those primitive and holy Christians that we ought not to forsake the publike Assemblies of the Saints for want of some part of Discipline or for want of some Officers
possessions and goods and parted them to all men as every man had need and that they continued daily with one accord in the Temple and that they brake bread from house to house and did eate their meat with Gladnesse and singlenesse of heart Thus the Holy Ghost describeth those three thousand converts unto us as not onely skilfull in the theory of church-fellowship but also exceedingly well verst in the practicall part of it whether therefore in this particular also in that J. S. saith it is suspicious that the three thousand converted at once were not so soone instructed in Church fellowship as converted when the Scripture reporteth the contrary it be not to give the Spirit of God the lye I leave it to the judgement of all the godly and impartiall Râ—aders who I am confident will give their verdict against I. S. For certainly there is no act of church fellowship that was omitted by them and although I love not such as will groundlessly be suspicious as I. S. is here and those of his Fraternity yet I am confident the Independnnts will never be induced to imitate the example of those three thousand and I have very good reason to make mee continue in this beliefe for what I already know in their daily practises and therefore they are rather to be suspected that they are not well instructed in church fellowship they make notwithstanding so great a noys about therefore whether this be not a great temerity in these men thus upon all occasions not onely to censure their christian brethren that live harmelessely by them but to suspect all those that were converted by the Baptist and the Apostles themselves before Christs death yea and to suspect even those three thousand also that were converted by Peter after Christs ascension and to adjudge both Pastors and people to bee all ignorant what church government and church fellowship was I leave it likewise to the judgement of the prudent advised Reader And yet this is the daily practise of al the Ill dependents thus to speake of them all as if they had not learned their lesson as well as the congregationall Predicants and their disciples and knew not how to cast them into a church mold after the New Testament forme and to instruct them concerning church fellowship when not withstanding it is recorded of those Ministers that they revealed the whole counsell of God and whatsoever was needfull to be knowne or practised by all christians to the end of the world Acts the 20. and therefore could bee ignorant of nothing that tended to edification and the building up of beleevers in their most holy faith But yet notwithstanding I. S. and his brethren are still full of suspicions and yet never satisfied in any thing that can be produced out of the holy Scripture to confute their erroneous novelties for although I had sufficiently confirmed my first proposition and proved by both Scripture and reasons that all those that were baptized by John and Christs Disciples were good Christians and true Believers and that there were many Congregations of Beleevers in the Church at Jerusalem yet I. S. page 11. sayes He is not satisfied by any thing that hath been alledged by me that the Church of Ierusalem consisted of many Congregations and Assemblies and that upon the scruples before instanced And Mr Knollys in his 11. page affirmeth the same So that it is certain these men are resolved never to be satisfied though things be never so evidently proved unto them And it is no wonder that there is at this day such a brood of creatures in the world for there has ever been a generation of such men in all ages that will never be satisfied Christ the great Doctor of his Church with all his blessed Apostles and faithfull Ministers could never satisfie the Jewes but they ever resisted his spirit Acts 7. Neither can the holy Scriptures now satisfie all gainsayers but they will still be doubting amongst the which Sir I. S. and Saint Hanserdo with many of their fraternity may well be numbred But for all such Christians as whom the god of this world hath not blinded their eyes that they should not see the glorious light of the Gospel of truth I am confident they will be satisfied that I have sufficiently proved that there were many Congregations and several Assemblies of beleevers in the Church of Ierusalem from that satisfaction they will learn to abhor the errors of all the sectaries and straglers of our times and to decline shun their company and fellowship And for all such as they are that will receive the good seed of the word into good and honest hearts I desire ever to satisfie them and not those that are resolved to be ever scepticall and ever learning yet never attaining or coming to knowledge or at least withhold the truth from others in unrighteousnesse And for all such I shall not much study to give them satisfaction as being a company of unreasonable men from whom we ought daily to pray to be delivered for all such the Lord hath given over to strong delusions that they should beleeve a lye because they received not the love of the truth that they may be saved 2 Thess 2. Notwithstanding I say I have very little hope ever to satisfie any such and therefore may be thought to go about an impossible worke if I should indeavour it yet that all men may sâ—e my fairer dealing with I. S. because he saith that he hath not been satisfied with any thing alledged by me that the Church of Jerusalem consisted of many Congregations and Assemblies I will therefore adde a few reasons more or at least call some of the former briefly to his minde which I am most assured if there were no other in the whole book would perswade any rationall man that there were many Assemblies and Congregations of beleevers in the Church of Jerusalem which if they cannot yet satisfie him I am confident they will satisfie and content others And to the reasons I shall produce I will also adde some testimonies of those of his own party for his farther satisfaction or conviction at least All such as have read I. S. his learned works know that he hath not only cut of all those that were baptized by Iohn and Christs Disciples before Christs passion and ascension from the Church of Ierusalem but razed them out of the Kalender and Roule of the Saints absolutely denying them so much as the very name of Christians all this I say those that have read his scruples very well know They know likewise that he granteth there were three thousand converted by the first Miracle and Sermon of Saint Peter though he uncharitably saith That it is suspicious that they were not so soon instructed in Church fellowship as converted So that here by his own confession we have a very ample Congregation consisting of three thousand and six score persons And in the same
as hee was President in that Councell in the 15. of the Acts and it stands with very good reason for many yeares after he continued still the prime man in authority there amongst the Presbyters and knew very well the condition of all the Beleevers there and what numbers and multitudes of Disciples there were Inhabitants in that Church all which sufficiently demonstrateth that hee had his residence continually or for the most part in Ierusalem so that Paul comming thither to the Feast as it is related Acts the 21 chapter was informed by him not onely that there were many ten thousands of Beleevers in that Church but what those Disciples had heard concerning his preaching which sheweth not onely that Saint Iames had his aboad in that Citie but that those beleevers likewise were dwellers and inhabitants there and that now hee had very good acquaintance and familiarity with them yea which is more at that very time that Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem with those almes Peter and Iames were then in that Citie if not other of the Apostles also as the twelfe chapter of the Acts abundantly sheweth and without doubt they all joyned with the Presbyters and in a Common-councell ordered how the Alms should be disposed of by the Deacons to the necessity of the Saints yea it doth most necessarily follow what so ever Mr. Knollys and those of his Fraternity shall be able to say to the contrary for the Scripture recordeth that the reliefe was sent to the Presbyters through Iudaea Ierusalem was the Metropolis citie in Iudaea and in the 12. chapter v. 25. it is related that Barnabas Paul returned from Jerusalem whither they had carried the almes so that many of the Apostles being at that time in Ierusalem and the princiall and chiefe Presbyters in that Church amongst the other Presbyters it may not bee credited that they I say being the prime Magistrates and Governours did sit still and leave the rule ordering and government of that Church to other of their fellow Presbyters and them of inferiour ranke but they also acted their parts in the government at that time as well as at others and therefore I say when the disposing of the treasury of the Church or State is an Act of soveraigne power and belongs only to those that are in authority in either and when all the Apostles and Presbyters governed that Church by a Common-councell and joynt consent and when the almes were sent unto all it necessarily followeth notwithstanding all Master Knollys his garrulity that my Argument out of that Scripture will ever stand good to prove that the sending of the reliefe to the Elders makes good these two things the first that the Presbyters were the onely men in authority there and secondly that the Apostles and Presbyters of that Church governed and ruled it by a Common-councell and Presbytery yea Master Knollys his owne words confirmes mee in my opinion who saith it is not denyed by the brethren that the Presbyters in all Churches were the men in the government of the Churches in which they are Elders so that all businesses of publicke concernment were to bee transacted and managed by the common consent and agreement of them all and not by the determination of any one particular Presbyter in either of those Churches much lesse by any other persons or people in them but the Presbyters And this shall suffice to have spake concerning the confirmation of my first Argument grounded upon that Scripture that the reliefe and almes were sent unto the Presbyters of Ierusalem And now I come to what he hath to say against my second argument by which I proved my third proposition which is this as he himselfe set it down in the 12. Page of his book They that in the holy Scripture are called Presbyters and acted and ordered things in a joynt body and common Councell with the Presbyters and exercised that ordinary power committed to them in the 18. of Matthew they acted as Presbyters But the Apostles in governing the Church of Ierusalem consisting of many Congregations and Assemblies acted and ordered things in a joynt body and common Councell with the Presbytery of that Church as Presbyters Ergo the church of Ierusalem was Presbyterially governed and by a common Councell of Presbyters The Major and Minor of this Syllogisme being proved saith the Doctor the conclusion will necessarily insue Thus Master Knollys relates this Argument wholly passing by all the rest And to this argument he first thus replies I know not saith he that the brethren ever deny ed that the Church of Ierusalem was presbyterianly governed So that he assenteth unto the conclusion which is all I contended for by that argument So that by this it followeth that the people had no hand in the government for they are not Presbyters by office And yet such is his ambition to be thought some body in the art of disputation that he quarrels the forme of my Syllogisme and takes upon him to shew me how I should have framed it aright but all those that know indeed what really belongs to learning will easily perceive the man doth but babble and if I should spend time in trifling with him about forms moodes and figures in Syllogisms who knows no more in Logick then the horse he preaches on I might be thought as vain as himselfe therefore intreating him hereafter to learn his Grand-dame to suck and not mee to make Syllogisms passing by all those his grolleries I will set down what he hath farther to reply to this argument in the 13. page and then answer to that and after I have done with him I will come to I. S. that learned Gentleman and profound Clerk Master Knollys to this argument thus farther answereth Though the Apostles saith he were called Presbyters in the Scripture yet it followeth not that they acted as Presbyters but as Apostles Act. 15. And they cannot therein be a pattern and president for Presbyters First because the Apostles had the care and charge of and over all Churches 2 Cor. 11. 28. But the Presbyters had the care and oversight of some one Church onely as Ephesus Act. 20. 28. or Philippi Phil. 1. 1. and this the Doctor often inserts in his book That all the Churches we read of in the New Testament though they were presbyterially governed were Dependent upon their severall Presbyters page 12. And secondly because this would make the Presbyters Independent indeed for so the Apostles were in the government of all the Churches the Presbyters of Jerusalem of Ephesus and of all the Churches were Dependent upon the Apostles and the Apostles only Dependent on Christ by whose holy spirit they were alwaies guided in the government of their churches and therefore they said Acts 15. 28. It seemed good to the holy Ghost and us And though the Doctor say the Presbyters might say so as well as the Apostles because the Elders and Presbyters are mentioned there The
saith my Brother Burton The people had authority of admitting and rejecting members as well as the Apostles and Presbyters and therefore those primitive and Apostolike Churches onely are to be a patern of imitation to all Christians and Ministers of governing by and not that of the Baptist and by this their craft and juggling and by these fallacious means and unwarrantable wayes my Brother Burton Hanserdo Knollys and I. S. with all the fraternity of the Ill-dependent Predicants having prepossest the people with a prejudicate opinion against their faithful Ministers as if they affected a lordly power over them and more then Prelatical They have I say by this craft so infatuated them that there is scarse left an ear open in many of them to hear the just defence of the Presbyterians or an eye to see or read what they can say for themselves and against all their calumnies which wickednesse and deceitful dealing of the Ildependents itinetary Preachers is unexcusable But because my Brother Burton not onely carps at the example of Iohn the Baptist but likewise at those I brought of the Eunuch of Paul of Cornelius of Lydia and of the Goaler Mr. Knollys also joyning with him in this good service and skirmish the which after that both himself and Absurdo Know-lesse for so he may truly be called had spent their breath and strength to evade and yet perceiving evidence of truth in them so apparently perspicuous as it dazzled their eyes they cry out that those were extraordinary examples and not binding because those being baptized were not admitted or received members into any particular Church but into the Catholike visible Church and therefore say they those examples are not for our imitation we look onely for the example of such Churches as were cast into a Gospel-Form and into the mould of the New Testament-Form Now what a heighth of wickednesse is it in these men thus to trifle for the deluding of the simple people and to pretend unto them that there are divers wayes of admitting of members into Christs Church one way of admitting members into the Catholike visible Church and another of admitting members into a particular Church when in truth there is no difference for he that is a member of any particular Church is a member of the Catholike and so on the contrary as by the examples both ordinary and extraordinary by me produced is sufficiently apparent for they were all admitted after one and the same way and I had two examples of receiving in members into Churches constituted after the New Testament Form as that of Jerusalem and Damaseus both Churches according to the Gospel-Form and there were there three thousand received members at one time in the church of Jerusalem without any of those conditions they require at their members hands and Paul also was received a member of the Church of Damascus upon the same terms that all the rest were and therefore the example is bindingly presidential And these two examples are taken no notice of but are passed by and all the other counted extraordinary by them And the people by this means are deluded and miserably abused Now can there be a greater imposture or deceit in any that pretend unto Religion and honesty then that in these men When they say in their writings upon all occasions produce us some examples of Churches according to the New Testament Form wherein any members were admitted by the Ministers sole authority and without the consent of the people and without those conditions we require of all such as are to be admitted members into our Churches and then you do some thing Can there I say be a greater deceit in any men then this of theirs to make the people beleeve that there hath never been any such example produced when notwithstanding I had set that example of the Church of Jerusalem and that of Damascus both constituted after the Gospel-Form before their eyes in both of which their members were admitted by the sole and alone authority of the Ministers of those Churches without the consent of the people or without any of those requisites they now demand of their members in all their new gathered Churches By which their proceedings they make themselves guilty before God and all men of indirect dealing and of withholding the Truth from the people in unrighteousnesse and manifestly declare unto the world that they are resolved against all the Light of the Truth obstinately to persist in their erroneous wayes which is the greatest height of impiety and wickednesse in the world and no lesse then to resist the Spirit of God For if there had been but the least dram of candor and fair dealing in them they would never have uttered such words and had there been but any Christian honesty and love to the peace of the Church in them they would not have passed by the Church of Ierusalem and that of Damascus unsaluted and without taking any notice of them and fell upon the examples of the Eunuch Cornelius Lydia and the Goaler and then pretend that they were extraordinary But that all men may see my fair dealing with them and if it be possible that I may undeceive the deluded people I will in this place to gratifie my Brother Burton and Absurdo Know-lesse set before their eyes the examples of the two Mother Churches in their Gospel-Form viz. that of Ierusalem Samaria that so by the mouth of two witnesses the Truth may the better be confirmed Now because they took no notice of the Church of Ierusalem in my former Book but passe it by as not worth the regarding I shall desire them at this time and all those that read this Book duly to consider how members were admitted there not onely at one time but always And I shall desire them likewise seriously to weigh the practice of that Church in the admitting of their members the example of which according to their doctrine must ever be followed and imitated And because my Brother Burton says That the other Churches also are to be taken in for the making up of a compleat patern I will produce two other formed churches after the New Testament Form among the Gentiles and them eminent ones that there may be no want of witnesses for the confirming us in the right way of gathering Churches and for the receiving in of members First therefore I shall intreat the Reader to look into the second chapter of the Acts where he shall finde at the first admiâ—sion there were three thousand souls taken in and made Members of that Church by the sole power of the Apostles and where the people had no voice in the admission of them neither was it required that they should walk sometime in fellowship with them that they might have experience of the truth of their conversion neither was it required of them that they should make every one of them a publike confession of their faith and bring in the evidences
and cryed out against it as an intolerable violating of Gods Law and asserted that it was enough to provoke the Lord to anger against the whole Land and write bookes and divine Tragedies upon Sabbath-breakers and Profaners of the Lords day and those that permitted the profanation of it which with the godly of those times was reputed their immortall honour how unsufferable a thing therefore is it I say now in these very men to pleade for a toleration of all Religions that could not then tolerate sports on the Lords day by which not onely the fourth commandement would be brake but all the commandements of both of the first and second Table without doubt they have a great deale to answer for before God for by the doctrine wee have learned from our Law giver and King the Lord Jesus Christ who is not changeable though they be they that breake the least ef Gods commandements and teach men so to doe whatsoever they esteeme of themselves that they set up Christ upon his Throne and whatsoever opinion men have of them they are the least in the Kingdome of Heaven and have much to answer for before his Tribunall for these their wicked dealings and truly it exceedingly saddeth my heart when I think of them how fearefully they are fallen and what a scandall and blemish they are to their holy profession that thus Chamelion like change their forme upon every occasion But how much more is it intolerable then in those men that have the name of Rabbies amongst those of the congregationall way and that would make the world beleeve they are the onely Saints for those to make themselves merry when the godly and faithfull Ministers of the Gospell out of sorrow and griefe of soul spread before the Lord the blasphemies of the times as good Hezekiah did the blasphemies of Rahshekah that it may move the people to mourning and sackcloth and to humble themselves under the mighty hand of God for the diverâ—ing of his Judgements that do for these their blasphemous tenents hang over the land I say how intolerable a thing is it in such men to make a sport at it and as Solomon speaks of the wicked in his time whom he calls fools to make a mock at sin Yet such there are as Cretensis by name amongst the rest is one of them who makes himselfe merry at these blasphemies and writes books in justification of those wicked and ungodly men and calls their damnable practices the infirmities of the Saints accouÌ„ting of them as Saints and holy men whereas the good and zealous Prophet Ieremiah ch 9. cryeth out at the beholding the abominations of his times far inferio to those of our dayes saying Oh that my head were waters and mine eyes a fountain of teares that I might weep day and night for the slain of the Daughters of my people Oh that I had in the wildernesse a lodging place of wayfaring men that I might leave my people and go from them for they be all adulterers an assembly of treacherous men And they bend their tongue like their bow for lyes but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth and they know not me saith the Lord. Here we see the posture of the holy Prophet we find him armed and clad with mourning to behold the profanation of the truth and we have here also his great complaint that at that time there were not any valian for it upon the earth If now this glorious Prophet were in the world and amongst us here in England and should behold those damnable blasphemies that are every where venâ—ed by the sons of Belial in these times should see how few upon the earth are valiant for the truth yea how they labour for a toleration of all Religions how would his spirit be moved how would his soul be perplexed within him to see it and what fountains of tears would he pou e out to the Lord quenching of the fire of his wrath and indignation against them but how much more would it perplex and trouble hâ—s soul to see any that should write yea publish books wherein they do not onely make themselves merry at those blaspnemies and count them the infirmities of the Saints but proclame them Saints that perpetâ—ate all these wickednesses and write most scurrilous â—ailing and vilifying books and Pamphlets against his holy servants that are valiant for the truth counting them speaking disgracefully and contemptibly of them but thimbles full of dust without all controversie it would sad his soul to the very death and so indeed it should trouble the souls of those that are truly godly to behold such lawlesse wickednesse not only to go unpunished but to find favor and applause even of those that are Masters of the Assemblies Truly howsoever out of the infinite patience of God these men are yet suffered yet I am most confident he that wil come wil come and not tarry to reveng his own quarrel the quarrel of his servants that are valiant for the Truth And I wil take the liberty to say thus much to St Cretensis that reverend learned and ever to be honoured Master Thomas Edwards who he so much vilipendeth and slighteth calling him a thimble full of dust will walk like a noble lyon when he like a Curr or Bandogg shall go bawling by him and withall I would advise him to take heed of that thimble For two or three fillips more of it upon his great noddle may so stagger him as he may happily never recover again and for ought I know or can discerne God may make halfe a thimble full of that dust to put out his eyes and the eyes of half the Independents and Sectaries in England For most assured I am that all such as in the name of the Lord as he doth come out against such notorious enemies of God and his Truth as Cretensis and his associates are will be able to confound them all and by the power of his might be ever strong enough to deal with the whole Army of them and with all those grolls and â—ynnies that take their part and appeare in their wicked cause I will therefore rather advise Cretensis not gyant like to fight any longer against the Truth but to humble himselfe for what he hath already done under the mighty hand of God whom he with his complices abetters have so highly provoked to wrath and anger against this poor tottering Kingdome It is not Cretensis with all his foul language shall ever be able to bespatter the immaculate reputation of learned and godly Master Edwards who hath in Gods cause ever shewed himselfe valiant for the truth and stood in the gap against the errors of the times and hath lift up his voice like a trumpet which will be for his immortall praises when too too many of his brethren which will not be for their honour were silent We finde it Matthew 13. ver 24 25. When the man had
this thy Book doth shew for all their talk That in Truths paths thou persever'st to walk Thy blamelesse life and godly conversation They cannot stain with slandrous exclamation Fight still the fight of faith most certainly There is laid up for Thee in heav'n on high A Crown of righteousnesse which at that day The Lord the righteous Judge shall give and say To Thee Come blessed of my Father take The kingdome I prepared for thy sake From the foundation of the world and shall Then Crown thy head with glory immortall S. B. TO The Victorious Worthy M r John Bastwick D r in Physick and Captain in the Presbyterian Army upon His industrious and learned Book intituled The Vtter Routing of all the Independent Army c. TRiumphant Victor Thou hast won the day And Routed Legions too without a fray Or shedding blood Thy deep mysterious skill Hath been always to Cure and not to kill Thou 'st purg'd their melancholy that began To make all Zeal their own complexion Their Il-dependent Choler 's cool'd by thee And Spleen and Sanguine may Religious bee While they take leave to rage and rail upon Thee as thou wert the Whore of Babylon Then thou couragious Captain undertake To vanquish Error for Christ's Churches sake Arm Thee with Samsons strength or Davids thus Like Paul fight Thou with beasts of Ephesus Then sound a charge utterly Rout all those Peace-Church-disturbers Separates that expose Our Zion like to Sodome what they 're able Raze down Christ's Churches to erect their Babel On Thee a furious Rabbie fouly fals Beats up Thy Quarters All their Generals Hanserdo Knollys namelesse I. S. Burton Have not a Scripture weapon that can hurt One Arm'd as Thou art their fury to abide With Arguments by Gods Word justifi'd The Scriptures Thou unvail'st we can behold Their sacred Truths Thy works do plain unfold Their mysteries Thou with th' Apostles keyes Unlockst Christs Churches hidden Treasuries In this Thou hast all Sectaries overthrown Now they 'll cry out of Persecution To whom th' dissenting brethren do accord Who with Hugh Peters keyes Paul Hobsons sword Advance they will boldly march madly on For all Religions a Toleration Which to Christs faithful Spous doth bring great scandal Such wasting New Lights shew Theeves in the candle Who from Christs fold His Church the fat sheep steal Saints Converts Zealots Rich-men in our Weal 'T is better grow in grace like thriving Lambs Then in short time become such hurtfull Rams But Thou well prove'st their sacrilegious theft Christ nor His blest Apostles ever left Them such a Pattern th' issues of thy pen Shews their false Lights to all enlightned men And in their new ways thou hast them pursu'd So close that Thou their Champions hast subdu'd Routed their Army all their force and might They have's to rail They are too weak to fight George Lindsey THE ERRATA In the Epistle to the Reader PAge 1. line 14. expression read expressions P. 2. l. 3. election r. affection ibid. l. 9. new r. knew P. 3. l. 31. Independent r. Independents P. 15. l. 29. unihilate r. annihilate In the Book PAge 6. line 7. papisticiae read papisticae ibid. l. 15. Hrivie r. Privie P. 9. in some copies in divers lines Pounties Porporations Pompanies read Counties Corporations Companies P. 20. l. 20. his time r. in his time ibid. l. 26. in some copies how saith God r. how saith he P. 129. l. 18. Syllogism r. Syllogisms P. 256. l. 18. given or them r. given them or P. 373. l. ult Punies r. Ninnies P. 374. alribiadian r. Alcibiadian P. 635. l. 19. hollownes read holiness The Reader in his wisdome will both discern and pardon the other literal escapes in the printing To the Ingenuous READER Christian Reader WHEN it was but noysed abroad after my returne from my last imprisonment that I was writing against Independency it would exceed beliefe if I should relate the indignation of all that party and their severall expressions of the same against me so that at that time there were no lesse nor fewer ignominious calumnies cast upon mee nor more variety of virulent censures given out against me then were uttered by them all to my disparagement upon the late comming forth but of the Title and Frontispice of the ensuing Discourse many of them affirming that I was a vaine glorious wicked fellow that I was mad that I was a base rogue and that I deserved hanging and that I would never be quiet till I were hanged with innumerable other unchristian expression of like nature So that it seems it is a greater piaculum by farre now to write against the Independents and Sectaries then scandalum magnatum was a few yeares since Truly at that time I could scarce passe by any of them as I cannot at this day without some contumely or other all which I beare with patience And amongst others I could never meet my Brother Burton but he would alwayes after his salutation in a deriding and scornefull manner aske me when my Book came forth telling me that he expected some Monster It seemes he thought I was bringing forth such a prodigious brat as he not long after laid at my doore which though it were a Monster indeed borne with teeth and nayles and did nothing but scratch and bite me yet comming from his loynes my Brother and quondam Fellow-sufferer I gave it entertainment and for the love I beare to him I have ever since danled it upon the knee of my election Now as soone as I had satisfied his expectation and sent him my Booke so long looked for he very liberally expressed his thankes for it and his opinion concerning both it and my selfe and that with many opprobrious words amidst others he asserted I was crased in my braine and that I had need of some hellebore and spake of me as an Apostate and a Persecutor who before he new my differing opinion from him both prayed for me and immoderately praysed me such is the uncertainty of all that is under the Sunne there being no stability in any creature and withall hee triumphed that he would give me a speedy answer making nothing of what I had written as it is usuall with all the Independents to vilipend and slight whatsoever the Presbyterians either speake or write and meeting with an other Independent not many dayes after he told me that there were twenty pens at worke against me and that I should have my hands full And howsoever it was some moneths before I heard from any of them in print yet all that interim they whetted their tongues against me like so many Razors Swords and Arrows to wound me in my reputation yea there was scarce a weapon in all the arsenall of calumny that they used not against me Now after some moneths one Hanserdo Knollys comming to me told me he had writ a moderate Answer unto my Booke complayning that the Presses were all shut against them though the whole Kingdome
know and their daily scriblings in print can witnesse the contrary whereupon to take away if it were possible all occasion of their calumnious tongues I writ unto Reverend and Learned Master Cranford intreating him that hee would for the stopping of all their mouths license his Booke which he willingly to pleasure me condescended unto giving his reason withall in writing under his owne hand why he made such a transgression the which Master Knollys concealed wherein he dealt not candidly for it gave great occasion to the Sectaries to traduce Master Cranford not a little And after this was printed came forth an other Pamphlet by one I. S. called Flagellum Flagolli or Doctor Bastwicks quarters beaten up which was the cause of the Title and Inscription of this Booke and I being not many weeks after at Westminster some asking me there why I had not yet replyed unto them I answered not in a triumphing manner as my brother Burton relateth but merrily yet in respectful terms that I understood my Brother Burtons Booke was comming forth against me and when once that appeared I would answer them altogether This is all as I remember was spake by me Now they having their Emissaries and Lisners in all corners it seemes some of them over-heard that which was spoken by me which they related to my Brother Burton in other language then I uttered it the which provoked him a fresh as he saith page 1. in arâ—nam descendere and to take both my bookes in hand and so una fidelia duos parietes and although he was disswaded from fowling his fingers with my Post-script as hee confesseth yet being as hee saith bound by a double ingagement the one for the cause the other for his person he hasted at length as fast as before hee was slow to give me an answer to them both and howsoever I had not so much as named him in either of my Bookes but onely sent him them he having desired it yet he being not capable of the good counsell that was given him by his friend fouled not only his fingers with me but the whole man soule and body picking a groundlesse quarrell with me telling me though I named him not that I had vellicated him and pluckt him by the very beard and as the Prelate of Canterbury said once that when I writ against the Pope I meant him so my Brother Burton imagined I meant him because in my Post-script pag. 44. I had these words that not onely the Novices Younkers and Fresh-water souldiers but grave men in their great white-basket-hilted Beards with their swords in their hands came out to fight against their brethren for their Independency c. which merry expression of mine though I spake in the number of multitude he applying unto himselfe affirmes that I meant him as if there had beene none amongst the Independent in white-basket-hilted beards but himselfe which moved him to great choler and indignation against mee and so inraged him that he sheweth nothing but passion through his whole Booke as will easily appeare to every one that readeth it in the which he tels mee that the Wise man saith Prov. 20. ver 29. 16. 31. the beauty of old men is their gray head yea a crown of Glory being found in the way of Righteousnesse which I shall ever assent unto but if a gray head be found in the way of error Schisme and Vnrighteousnesse then that place is not for his purpose Now I shall referre these two Questions or Queries to the judgement of all solid Christians First Whether or no my Brother Burton be found in the way of Righteousnesse Secondly Whether Independency be the way of Righteousnesse And to begin with the first in the second page of his Booke he promiseth me that I shall not find with him so much as a white staffe to lift up against me and yet in the seventh pag. he comes out against me with Phocions black Hatchet which is his Pole-axe with which he fals upon me soule and body cleaving both my head and heart sparing no part of me and in the same second page he promiseth me that he will answer me in the words of truth and sobernesse and in the spirit of meeknesse and love These are his words who would not thinke that should heare him speak but that he herad the sweet voice of Iacob yet if hee looke but into his Booke before he commeth halfe way to the conclusion he will soone see the rough hands of Esau and well perceive that he answers me in the words of error and passion and in the spirit of bitternesse insolency and hatred and that he hath learned that Lesson well Calumniare audacter aliquid haerebit calumniate boldly something will sticke which he hath done with as much acrimony as I thinke any man ever did against a Brother and quondam Fellow-sufferer all which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hard and harsh termes I can no lesse then spread before the Lord the Righteous judge ever remembring Regium est male audire cum bene feceris Now whether or no my Brother Burton in breaking thus his promise with me in all respects and dealing so unrighteously and injuriously with mee though he come out in his beautifull Gray Head be found in the way of Righteousnesse and be one of those men Solomon speaketh of I referre it to the judgement of the Learned But before I passe on to my second Querie I shall take liberty to make use of some of Reverend and Learned Master Calamies words for the more corroborating the judgement of the Reader concerning this first question He in his just and necessary Apology against my Brother Burtons unjuct invective concerning Truth shut out of doores page 2. hath this expression concerning my brother Burton His words saith he are swords and speares rather then words Hee fights with his heeles rather then with his head and kicks rather then argues and whips rather then answers Scarce any man since Montagues Appeal hath written with more bitterness I may say of him as Dr Rivet doth of Bishop Montague Non potest vir ille sine convitiis quenquam a quo dissentit vel in levissimis nominare Rivet Apol. this man cannot so much as mention any one from whom he differs in opinion though it be but in the slightest matters without reproach And as Plato said to Diogenes when hee trode upon the pride of Plato thou treadest upon my pride with a greater pride So saith Master Calamy doth Mr Burton tread upon me and whatsoever is blame-worthy in me with a pride more then episcopall and surely if to be railed upon and reviled be sufficient to bring a man into discredit then I must be esteemed as the dung off scouring and filth of the world c. Thus that learned man truly spake of my brother Burton whose faculty chiefly lies in abusing most men that differ from him though but in the least things But what Mr Calamy says of
they allow of that doctrine proclaming themselves to be the only Saints the holy people and the godly party the generation of the just and separate from their brethren as impure creatures Therefore the Independents do not walk in that old way of righteousnesse the old Puritans of ENGLAND walked in who made no separation in the worst times from the publike Assemblies or ever refused to pray with their Christian brethren and therefore in this point they have not outstripped them nor overgrown them from which I boldly conclude that herein that Predicant did abuse the world in saying that there is no difference between the Independents and the old Puritants of ENGLAND For the old Puritans were humble self denying men and the Independents are pharisaicall boasters of their own holinesse and sanctity and therefore in this their way is not the way of righteousnesse but a great aberration from it Again the old Puritans of England though never so learned and never so sufficiently furnished with all accomplished abilities of divine knowledge which many of them by their indefatigable pains study and industry and by their prayers unto God night and day and by their continuall waiting upon the Ordinances and Gods blessing upon all their endeavours had attained unto so that they were taken notice of by all men both in the Universities and amongst all the learned to be incomparable men many of the which I could name yet not any one of them ever preached either in publike or private without great study and prayer yea and without a speciall call and they alwayes with Saint Paul exercised their Ministery in fear and much trembling 1 Cor. 2. ver 3. saying with him 2 Cor. 2. 16. Who is sufficient for these things Those holy and godly Puritans though transcendently learned yet were always conversant in all holy duties especially in preaching and prayer with fear and trembling thinking themselves never sufficiently enough provided for for those duties And truly Saint Paul's example is worthy alwaies to be looked upon who though he were immediately inspired by God himselfe and had alwayes the assistance of his spirit and ten thousand times more learning then all the Independents put together yet he preached alwayes with fear and trembling and cryed out who is sufficient for these things Now if we compare the Independents and their Predicants with the old Puritans of England we shall find the old Puritans alwaies and in all things imitating the example of holy Paul and the other Apostles in their Ministery which they had a command to follow Phil. 3. ver 17. who intruded not themselves rashly upon the Ministery as the false Apostles and Seducers usually did and as all the Independents and Sectaries daily do they cryed out who is sufficient for these things and how can any preach except he be sent Rom. 10. saying No man taketh this honour unto himself but he that is called of God as Aaron Hebr. 2. 4. Those old Puritans were all men of Saint Paul's spirit they durst do nothing without a call nothing without great study nothing without their parchments and books imitating Saint Paul in this who would alwaies have his parchments with him that is his books bring me my parchments saith he they preached not without fear and trembling this was the continuall practice of the old Puritans they could never be seen in a Pulpit before they had some dayes prepared themselves by prayer and study and yet after all this they would then cry out Who is sufficient for these things Whereas all the Independents and Sectaries assert that every man may preach and every man of them is sufficient and many also hold that women may preach yea and to manifest that they are all sufficient for these things and for the dispensing of the great mysteries of Heaven which the very Angels desired to pry into they run through Town and Country and wheresoever they come get up into the Pulpits and preach with such impudencie impiety and blasphemy as it is not lawfull to name their very doctrines being so destructive to all piety goodnesse and good manners and Ruffian like they go in their hair and apparrel and so insolent and proud they are that one would rather take them for Luciferians then Saints and such unbeseeming expressions they have in their prayers to God as would terrifie a truly consciencious and godly man to hear them as not long since one of them in London publickly speaking unto God in his prayer said Right Honorable Lord God which kind of expressions as they are blasphemous so ridiculous exposing Religion and the sacred Ordinances of God to ludibry and derision But yet this is the dayly practice of the Sectaries through the Kingdome far different from that of the old Puritans of England and therefore in this point of fear and reverence and of an holy awe of Gods divine Majestie and a reverend adoring of the ministery and mystery of the Gospell the way of the Independents is not that either of the holy Apostles or of the old Puritans there being as vast a difference between them as between light and darknesse and therefore the way of Independency in this particular also is not the way of righteousnesse but the way of rebellion and impudency Againe the old Puritans of England had all of them a reverend opinion of all in authority and did ever beleeve that there was no power but of God and that all powers were ordained of God Rom. 13. and they beleeved that every soule ought to be subject to the higher power and that whosoever resisted the power resisted the Ordinance of God and for that their Rebellion they should receive to themselves damnation and they ever believed that every soule ought to be subject unto authority not onely for wrath but also for conscience sake this was the Doctrine of the old Puritans of England and their practice in yeelding continuall obedience to them and praying for them is knowne to all men yea they did acknowledge that as all power was given unto Jesus Christ in Heaven and Earth Matth. 28. Psal 2. so they did beleeve that all power in Church and State was derived from him as the head of all Principalitie and power who had said Prov. 8. 15. 16. By me Kings raigne and Princes decree justice by me Princes rule and Nobles yea all the Iudges of the earth c. this doctrine the old Puritans of England had learned and taught and were obedient unto as having precept upon precept for it as from the words above quoted out of the thirteenth of the Romans so out of 1. Pet. chap. 2. verse 13 14. who said submit your selves to every Ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be to the King as supreme or unto Governors as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evill Doers and for the prayse of them that doe well for so is the wâ—ll of God that with well doing yet may
the most uncivilized people living they usually railing of me to my face and such of them as I know not nor never to my remembrance saw before their assaulting of me and they that carry themselves fairest towards me either puffe in my face as they passe by me thinking to provoke me or else make odd faces at me or stare on me as I passe by them like a hare in a forme and they have often professed unto many that they had as leive meet the devill as me and said that I was a devill and that I looked like the devill and like Cain and a thousand more such expressions they have upon all occasions in their mouthes concerning me besides whatsoever they have published in their Pamphlets and besides all their filthy and infamous language they dayly use to the defaming of me and mine But this is not my condition alone but so they deal with all those faithfull and godly Presbyterian Ministers all which confirms me in my opinion calling them ugly fellows and bland asses and Presbytyrants and loading them with all manner of reproaches so that they have made them all through the Kingdome so hatefull and infamous as they cannot dwell safely in their houses where there is any increase of them and all that I now write can sufficiently be proved by many witnesses which passages of theirs towards all corroborates me in my perswasion So that by these barbarous practices of all the Sectaries and by these their uncouth sounds they have so scared and terrified the people that now the name of a Presbyterian is formidable to many and it is enough to hinder any from preferment that they can but blast with the name of a Presbyterian and this also hath been generally observed that there is scarse a man found to have been familiar at any time with any of the Sectaries that if he once come to declare himself to stand for the Presbytery that ever they could endure after whatsoever love they seemed to shew towards him before that time yea it is farther observed that scarse ever any man of what rank or fashion soever he were that familiarly conversed amongst them that they have not afterwards betrayed or blasted their in honor and reputation yea I could tell many a sad story to the deterring of any Presbyterian for ever being familiar with any of that brood and I shall ever be able to prove that when some of them that were poor unlearned and obscure men yet for their seeming holiness have by great Parsonages been entertained in their families and whom they made their principall companions these most ungratefull and treacherous fellows have made use of this their noble courtesie and humanity but to find how they stood affected to Independency and when they perceived that they were not for their purpose though otherwise they were very moderate men yet they raised many infamous reports of them yea they so blasted them in their honours as they could never after recover their reputation So that it is a wonder to me that any cordiall reall and solid Presbyterian will familiarly converse with them when they have dayly so many sad presidents of their treachery before their eyes And for my part I wonder how any truly godly people dare come in their company much lesse hear them preach especially when they pray they may not be led into temptation and when they have a speciall command to take heed of all seducers and are so frequently in holy Scripture forewarned to decline all society with them which they according to Gods command ever ought to avoyd For Saint Paul speaking of false teachers in the fifth of the Galatians wishes that they were cut off and in the first chapter of the same Epistle v. 8. 9. he faith there that if an Angel from heaven should preach unto them otherwise then he had taught them that they should account him accursed therefore surely he would not have any of Christs Disciples and Scholers familiar with false teachers and such as teach the people otherwise then Paul had taught them which all the Sectaries do and much more ought all those that know the doctrines and practices of the Sectaries of our times how dangerous a generation of men they are in all respects and how many have bin utterly ruined undone in their souls and in their estates and reputations by their familiarity with them to shun them Surely it is a great provoking of God when they know his blessed Will who hath said Matth. 15. 7. Beware of false Prophets which come to you in sheeps clothing but inwardly are ravening wolves that yet they will not take heed of them but run after their preachments for this is indeed to thrust themselves into temptation and put themselves upon needlesse danger to the ruining of their own souls and the souls of those that are commitâ—ed to their charg in their families whom they are by Gods command to bring up in the nurture and fear of the Lord and to instruct in the way of truth and righteousnesse which the Sectaries do not walk in as I have sufficiently proved both in my Epistle to the Reader and through my whole Book and therfore ought to be shunned and declined whatsoever seeming holinesse and sanctimony they pretend to the World Without doubt the deceivers in Pauls times were as seemingly holy as any of our Itinerary and Independent Praedicants for he saith of them that like the devill they transformed themselves into angels of light and appeared like the Ministers of righteousnesse and the Pharisees in Christs time seemed very glorious outwardly as our Saviour speaketh of them and yet he commanded all his followers to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the leaven of Herod he would have none of his Disciples famâ—liar with them but injoyns them all to take heed of their doctrines And Saint Paul 2 Tim. 3. 1 2 3 4. saith that the last times wil be perillous and dangerous times in regard of the false teachers that should then arise and after he had made a description of them that they might know them which in every thing agrees with the Sectaries of our times he saith of those seducers that they shal be lovers of themselvs covetous boasters proud blasphemers disobedient to Parents unthankful unholy without naturall affection covenant breakers false accusers that is in the Originall devils incontinent fierce despisers of those that are good treacherous heady high minded lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God having a form of godlinesse but denying the power thereof Now after he hath deciphered them he gives all men a speciall command to avoyd their society saying from such turn away he injoynes all men not so much as to hear them And compares them to Jannes and Jambres those sorcerers who withstood Moses and says of those seducers that they also like them would resist the truth they being men of corrupt minds and reprobate concerning the faith
manner these men argue except say they the Presbyters by the imposition of their hands upon their Disciples can inable them on a sudden to speake with strange tongues to foretell things to come and heal the sicke c. we will not acknowledge them to be true Elders but let them do all these things by the imposition of their hands and then wee will acknowledge them for a true Presbytery See the vanity of these men and the instability of their faith by their own confession miracles will make them believe any thing if we may credit their own words though never so contrary to their judgement and to the faith once delivered to the Saints It is well known to the Learned that the Apostles and those Primitive christians had extraordinary and wonderfull gifts that ravisht the world then into admiration and it is confest also by all understanding Christians that those wonder-working miracles were but temporary as the miraculous feeding of the people with Manna in the Wildernesse where they were fellow-commoners with the Angels and continued but till they came into the Land that flowed with Milk and Honey So those miracles of the Primitive christians continued but for a time till the Gospell and the truth of the Christian faith and doctrine was confirmed and established which being once done and the holy Scriptures which were to be the rule of faith to the end of the world being left to posterity and to which we are tyed and commanded not to be wise above that which is written 1 Cor. 4. 6. and forbid in Gal. 1. 8 9. to believe otherwise then we have been taught though the Apostles or an Angell from heaven should teach otherwise after I say the Doctrine of the Christian Faith and Religion was confirmed the ordinary working of Miracles ceased And it is said of Antichrist in 2 Thess chap. 2. That he shall come with strong delusions and lying wonders and with all deceiveableness in them that perish because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved So that I cannot sufficiently wonder to see the dealing of these men who in these dayes expect and look for miracles to confirme their faith when notwithstanding we are forwarned to take heed of all false delusions and commanded to the contrary Shew us some miracles say they and then we will believe you are true Presbyters So dealt the Jewes with Christ What signe shewest thou that wee may beleeve in thee But when Christ had shewed them signe upon signe and miracle upon miracle were they ever the more convinced Did those miracles create beliefe in them No surely but rather hardned them and made them blaspheme When he cast out Devils they say he did it by the Prince of Devils So without doubt if the Presbyters had those gifts of miracles that they could gratifie these men with daily prodigies and workes of wonder they would then say they came with lying wonders and with the working of Satan and they would make the world abhor them the more There is an old saying that hee must rise early and never goe to bed that will please all men and truly it would be not onely difficult but an impossible thing for any State or great Councell were it never so wise to please all the people under them God himselfe nor Moses nor Aaron his servants could please the Israelites though they saw never such wonders continually before their eyes to confirme their authority yea they told Moses and Aaron to their faces that they tooke too much upon them And afterwards they cast off Gods own government God himselfe as the Lord complains to Samuel in 1 Samuel and would set up a governement after the modell of their owne braine as it is at large set downe in that Booke And not long after they changed the manner of Gods worship in Ieroboams time and taught the feare of God as the Lord complaineth Isay 29. after the precepts of men and rejected Gods commandements as Christ saith Matth. 15. and Marke 7. So that what they thought best in their owne eyes that was ever best pleasing unto them They would not content themselves with the Written Word though they were never so often by Moses and all the rest of the Prophets commanded to cleave unto it saying to the Law and to the Testimony Isay 8. Even so it is now in these dayes they content not themselves with that Ordinance that is set downe in the Written Word but say Come shew us some miracles and then wee will beleeve you are a right Presbyterie Our Saviour speaking to the Jewes concerning Saint Iohn the Baptist and Himselfe Iohn saith hee came neither eating nor drinking and ye say behold hee hath a Devill the Sonne of Man came both eating and drinking and ye say hee is a Wine-bibber a friend of Publicans and Sinners So that whatsoever method or way God used to convert them they cavil'd against it and were never satisfied alwayes resisting the Spirit of God as Stephen told them in Act. 7. So now in these our times they looke for miracles and a new way of teaching But all good Christians are forbid to listen after or to give heed to miracles and are sent unto Moses and the Prophets Luke 16. and are commanded to search the Scripture John 5. Yea our Saviour himselfe in the person of Abraham Luke 16. saith That if men will not beleeve Moses and the Prophets they will not be perswaded by miracles and I am confident that could the Presbyters doe all those miracles these men desire they would the more reproach them and exclaime against them and affirme they wrought by the Devill as the Jews told our Saviour he did I must confesse I am of a contrary opinion to these men not only in the matter of miracles but in all external performances for I am instructed in the holy scriptures that the Devill can transforme himselfe into an Angell of light and that the Deceivers and false Teachers shall come forth in sheeps clothing and for outward appearance shalequalize if not exceed the faithfullest truest Pastors and Ministers of Christ and therefore we are in speciall commanded to take heed of such and for my particular if any men whatsoever of never such seeming sanctity sufficient abilities unblameable life should come forth and teach any other Doctrine of Faith Manners or Government then that I have been taught in the holy Scripture and should confirme this their Doctrine with never so many miracles I will still continue stedfast in the Doctrine of the Apostles and cleave unto the written Word and will never beleeve contrary to that though I should undergoe the greatest misery or be exposed to the greatest want by it that any man ever saw for I know that all these momentary trials and afflictions are not worthy that exceeding weight of glory that shall be revealed And for this very point of the Presbytery in that sense I take
one of them that followed Christ and beleeved in him at which the Scribes and Pharisees were offended and sought how they might destroy him but saith the Scripture they feared him because all the people were astonished at his doctrine that is they beleeved it verse 18. another company was those that were the Disciples of Iohn the Baptist and they accompted Iohn a Prophet indeed as all the men of Ierusalem did verse 32. and either of these companies were so great and powerfull as they kept all Christs enemies in awe so that they were affraid of the people of either party and therefore there was then a very City of believers in Ierusalem and they Inhabitants and that in Christs time and they had been baptized by Saint Iohn for all Ierusalem went out and were baptized by him So that now I assure my selfe every but ordinary understanding man will gather that there was an innumerable multitude of believers in Ierusalem and more than could meet in any one place or a few if they had been put together when there were two such potent parties there as either of them kept the very enemies of Christ the Magistrates and Rulers yea Herod himselfe in awe which a few thousands could never have done and all these were Inhabitans of Ierusalem and well known to the Scribes and Pharisees to be Christs and Iohns Disciples and all beleevers as wee shall more abundantly prove in the following discourse and therefore my Minor doth now stand firme That there were more beleevers in Ierusalem and that by the very ministry and baptisme of John then could meet in any one place or a few and that there wâ—â— an infinite number of beleevers and a very City of beleevers which Mr Knollys denyeth and in so doing gives the spirit of God the lys and contradicts the holy Scripture and opposeth all sound reason and all this to maintain the fonde opinion of Independency And this shall serve to have spoke by way of answer to what Mr Knollys had to reply to my first arguments concerning the multitudes baptized by John the Baptist I will now give an answer to what I. S. hath to say against this argument of whom I shall take the liberty by way of preface before I come to my Reply to speak something and yet no more then shall be thought fit and agreeable to sound reason and so much the rather I do it because this man greatly vanteth himselfe and because his answer is highly esteemed of amongst many of the congregationall way who I confesse are much to be blamed that they suffer themselves to be deluded with such fellowes never examining their writings but taking all for oracles they vent and thinking it enough that there is any thing come out against a Presbyterian in way of answer though there be nothing more destructive to their own opinion as I am confident it will appear to all judicious men that these answers of Mr Knollys my Brother Burton and this I. S. are And for I. S. I may say thus much of him that he is yet vainer then Mr Knollys in his answers for he candidly denyeth upon all occasions the Minors of my Syllogismes and then gives some sucking reasons for this his denyall but this I. S. hath nothing of a Scholler in him for all good Schollers and Disputants will set down the arguments of their adversaries in their full strength and as they are in the Copy and then either deny the Major or Minor or both or distinguish and after they have shewen the fallacyes of the arguments if there be any then by their art and learning they will shew the weaknesse of them and so evade the dinte and force of them this I say is the method not onely of all accurate Disputants but of every ordinary jangler if he at least pretends any thing to learning But I. S. hath not so much ingenuity in him as to do any thing of all this but first sets down my arguments in an obscure way and to the halves so that the unlearned Reader cannot perceive the strength of my reason and then in a confused manner gives in his answer in the name of all the Independents which upon due examination I am confident will appear to all learned men to be nothing but a packe of blasphemies and contradictions as being a meer fighting against the truth and a giving of the spirit of God the lye as in the sequell will be evidenced Our Saviour in the 3 of John verse 20. 21. saith That hee that doth the works of darknesse shunns the light but he that doth truth cometh to the light c. Truly I may justly accuse I. S. and his fraternity of this sin that they not only shun the light themselvs but hinder others also from it and do whatsoever in them lies to keep men from the knowledg of the truth and from prying into their errors that by this means they may atttain unto their own ends and therefore they not onely dispâ—rage all the Presbyterians and with their calumnies labour to make them odious to the people as so many railors and persecutors for so they call us that they may neither hear their Sermons nor read any books written by them or any thing penned against their Novelties by those of that party and all this to abuse the simple people that by this their art they may with-hold the truth from them in unrighteousnesse And in this facultie are all the Independents very expert who cunningly either pick and choose or curtalize and adulterate all a guments that are brought against them or else totally passe them over with slightings when they can no way with any reason reply unto them And as they are generally void of all good learning and sciences so there is neither ingenuity candor or honesty amongst the most of them these excellent graces and vertues being now strangers to those of the congregationall way amongst the which fraud and juglings and all manner of dissimulation and railing are the only master pieces of their craft by which they maintain and uphold their way and foment their errors for should they deal fairly with us and not disswade the people from reading our books and hearing our godly and painfull Ministers and would they but set down our arguments and reasons in their full strength the people would not onely speedily see their errors but relinquish them And therfore they all take speciall care to keep the people in ignorance and amongst those Artificers and Crafâ—s-men of that new Goddesse that Diana of Independency this J. S. though in all good learning he be a very novice yet in this craft of jugling he is pretily expert And that all men may see I do not falsly accuse him I will first set down the sum of my arguments taken from the multitudes baptized by Iohn the Baptist and and then set down in what terms he delivers them with his vain and impious answer to them
all meet in any one place or a few and that in John the Baptists and Christs dayes and all this without any mistake or Paradox but from very good reason which if this Puny Divine I. S. had beene guilty of hee would never have beene so unadvised as to have opposed the Scripture it selfe and all solid and learned men in speaking so rashly And now I referre all that I have hitherto said by way of reply to Master Knollys and I. S. to the judgement of the learned to consider whether there is either honesty or reason in these men who to maintaine their fond errors wil deny or affirme any thing though never so repugnant to the Scripture and to the very light of reason and all this only to mislead the ignorant people and this is all that I. S. hath to say against my Arguments drawn from the Baptisme of Iohn and Christs and his Apostles Ministry by which I proved that in the very dayes of John the Baptist and in Christs time there were then many more beleevers in the Church of Jerusalem then could all meet in any one Congregation Now for the following Arguments by which I proved it was much more impossible for them to meet together after there were daily added so many thousands to the Church after Christs Ascension by the miracles and Ministry of the blessed Apostles and Christs seventy Disciples and the other Ministers of those times I. S. doth not so much as meddle with them but saith pag. 10. That he had thought to have bestowd as much time on the rest but that other considerations forbad him and because as he saith there were those so able already ingaged in the Dispute these are his words And in his wise Epistle to me he saith that his health forbade him Now what a vaine fellow is this to vapour that he had whipped me out of the field and beat up my quarters and quartered my book and taken hold of the pillars of my discourse and shaken them and overthrowne my building as yee may see at large in the title page and in his Epistle to mee and yet in the tenth page of his Booke the place above quoted and in the same Epistle hee confesseth his indisposition of body and other considerations forbad him to bestow any more time upon the Booke and saith in expresse termes he left the worke to others whether therefore this be not a worthlesse and witlesse Fellow to brag and glory of a victory and beating up of a mans quarters when hee hath only flung a squib or two at them a farre off and then cowardly and basely ran away pretending sicknesse as fresh water souldiers commonly use to doe I leave it to the judgement of others to consider But of I. S. I may truly say thus much that hee is a meere quagmire of ignorance and wicked impudency and farre unfit for any serious or solid imployment much lesse to be a Captaine or Commander in Christs Armies I doe not deny but hee may make a prettie souldier at an Independent Festivity and I beleeve that were it to shake or pull downe the pillars of a March-pane or to beat up the quarters of a Custard to breake up a Wood-cock or to storme a Venison Pastie or to plunder a Banquet that in the Militia of good cheer he would doe very well but notwithstanding I would have I. S. being now in a course of Physick and of an infirme body to use some moderation when hee comes where good cheer is stirring and therefore because hee thinkes that my judgement in such matters may be worthy of some account for so hee intimateth in his learned Epistle I would advise him for a time to feed upon Snayl pyes and Mushromes and of those kind of creatures hee may find abundance about the Wels at Tunbridge that low kind of diet is best for him if he followes this now in the spring but some weekes and drinks lustily of the waters there they will wash him till hee be cleane and fit for my fingring againe and free him from his Frensie and make him as cleane and neat as he saith my Postscript hee left in those waters will be And this is the counsell I give unto I. S. gratis for all his learned paines in beating up my quarters And so I have done with him at this time I have now a few things yet to answer to what Master Knollys hath to say to those Arguments I rayse from the Ministry of the Apostles and the multitudes converted by them after Christs Ascension which yee shall find punctually set downe in their due places I will now therefore take a survey of the numbers that were added to the Church and to those Beleevers that were converted by Iohns Christs Ministry by the powerfull preaching and miracles of the Apostles after Christs Ascension and from the divers places I shall gather out of the Acts of the Apostles frame such arguments as shall make it yet more evident that there were such multitudes in the Church of Ierusalem as they could not all possibly meet together at one time or in one place or roome or in one Congregation to injoy all the Ordinances and partake in all acts of worship but must necessarily be distributed into divers congregations and assemblies if they would all be edified and that before the persecution wee reade of in the Acts 3. 1. and in the persecution and after the persecution But before I come to the proofe of the particulars I must answer to some objections made by our brethren the Independents the first of the which is out of the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles from which they indeavour to prove that the number and multitude of Beleevers in the Church of Jerusalem was not so great but that they might all meet in one roome or place and in one congregation to partake in all acts of worship The words on which they ground their Arguments are these and in those dayes Peter stood up in the middest of the Disciples and said the number of the names together were about an hundred and twenty men and brethren c. From whence they conclude that the whole Church in Ierusalem that is to say all the Beleevers did meet in one place for in this number of names they would have all the whole Church in Ierusalem included or confined which to moe is a wonder that such learned men as many of them are should so argue for this must be the scope of the Argument if they intend to prove That the whole Church in Jerusalem and all the Beleevers there were not so numerous but that they might all meete in one place and partake in all acts of worship and that these in Peters Company were all that Church and all the Believers that were in Ierusalem this I say must of necessitie be their meaning or else their Argument concludes nothing to the purpose The invalidity of the which
not despise But for all such as pharisaically boast themselves of their own righteousnesse God will despise and resist especially when they come far short of the Pharisees righteousnesse who fasted ordinarily twice or thrice a week and gave tythes of all they had and were very bountifull and charitable to the poor and did many other things praise worthy whereas all the Il-dependents are so far from giving tythes of all they have as they would not willingly that any other should give them writing books to the contrary and that bitter ones and for the many other acts of holinesse in the Pharisees as fasting deeds of charity the world knows they are not so frequent in them towards their poor brethren that dissent from them but in running from sea to land and from one place to another to make Proselytes and seduce the people they are very like the Pharisees and in boasting and glorying of their own righteousnesse in this they â—qualise if not exceed the Pharisees and Justiciaries of old and if they repent not God will have a controversie against them for God resists the proud and will give grace unto the humble and in the 30 of the Proverbs ver 72. God saith there That there is a generation pure in their own eyes and yet they are not purged from their filthynesse Gods people were ever humble but the Il-dependents are not as will by and by appeare in the sequell The third part now to be proved viz. That the Il-dependents do both falsly and pharisaically boast themselves when they call themselves the pretious and holy servants of God c. Now that they boast and glory of their own holinesse and that they are the onely people and the godly party all that are acquainted with their language and have heard their Sermons and have seen their books can bear witnesse with me of the truth of that I now charge them with neither can the Il-dependents themselves deny it And that they falsly glory and boast of their own righteousnesse holinesse and sanctity is my taske now to prove which by the grace of God I will do running through all and every severall branch of their gloriations And to begin with the first when they call themselves the onely pretious servants of God and the godly party in this their glorying I say they as falsly as Pharisaically boast which will evidently appear if we duly examine who in Gods dialect are a holy people and the onely holy servants of God In the 1 of the Corinthians chap. 7. ver 34. The Apostle there describes who are the holy people they saith he are such as care not for the things of the world but for the things of the Lord how they may be holy in body and spirit They were such as being bought with a price studyed how they might glorifie God in their bodyes and in their spirits which were the Lords 1 Cor. 6. ver 20. And how they might cleanse themselves from all filthynesse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesle in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7. ver 1. The holy servants of the Lord are such as present their bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto God as their reasonable service and that from the consideration of Gods great mercyes unto them Rom. 12. ver 1. They pressed toward the mark to the high calling of God in Jesus Christ Phil. 3. 14. Whose conversation was in Heaven ver 20. Those Saints minded not earthly things but being contented with food and rayment they esteemed godlinesse the greatest gain 1 Tim. 4. Gold and silver saith Peter I have none Acts 3. He studied onely to be holy and regarded not the world The life of all the godly and holy party was above in heaven according to that of Solomon Prov. 10. They were not groveling upon the earth nor regarded not the things of this life they were changed from that they were before they were now no longer conformable to this world but they were transformed by the renewing of their mind that they might prove what is that good that acceptable will of God Rom. 12. ver 2. According to that of Paul Eph. 23. 24. They were renewed in the spirit of their mind they had put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse Yea they were renewed in knowledge after the Image of him that created them Coloss 3. ver 10. In a word all the truly holy and godly party have an universall change wrought in them their understandings witts and affections are changed they are all heavenly the whole frame of their lives and conversations are changed they are all heavenly so that they by all their actions declare they are such as really minde nothing but heavenly things they are mortified men they seeke not great things nor they intangle not themselves with earthly businesses they onely mind heavenly things where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God Coloss 1 2 3. No sooner was Levi called from the receipt of custome but hee relinquished and left the world and followed Christ The same did Zacheus distributing that hee had liberally to the poore and manifesting to the world by giving full satisfaction to all men that could say they were damnified by him that now hee minded nothing but heavenly things the things of the Lord how he might be holy in body and spirit which were the Lords and this was the practise of all the holy servants of God in all ages they were heavenly minded lowly humble meeke they were of one mind having compassion one of an other they loved as brethren they were pittifull and courteous they rendred not evill for evill or rayling for rayling but contrariwise blessing knowing that they were thereunto called that they should inherit a blessing they refrayned their tongues from evill and their lips spake no guile they eschewed evill and did good they sought peace and ensued it 1 Pet. 3. verse 8 9 10 11. they loved without dissimulation they abhorred that which was evill and cleaved to that which was good in honour they preferred one an other Romans 12. verse 9. in Lowlinesse of mind they esteemed of others better then themselves Phil. 2. ver 2. 3. they wete all heavenly minded men who regarded no worldly things neither doe we ever reade in all the sacred Scriptures that any of the holy Prophets or Saints of old were taken up with the world or aspired to the Honours and Dignities of the same but chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God then to injoy the pleasures of sinne for a while yea they esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches then all the treasures of Egypt they chose rather to wander about in deserts in sheeps skins and goats skins naked despised and contemned in the caves and dens of the beasts of the earth then to dwell in the greatest affluency of worldly things they slighted all the world and all the Glory of it
exposed themselves to any miseriâ—s and hazards rather then in the least worldly pleasure to insnare their affections in things below as the eleventh chapter of the Hebrewâ—s doth fully declare Now if wee looke upon the generality of the Il-dependents wee shall find them void of all the above-named graâ—es as being men most addicted to the world and worldly things and that when shee is in her old age so that it is ordinarily observed that howsoever they call themselves the holy people and godly party there is none more covetous none are more taken up with the pleasures and bravery of the world none more envious and malicious none more proud haughty supercilious none more greedy and having then they none more worldly so that ye shal find them at the receipt of custom through the kingdom meer Toule-gatherers which was amongst the Saints of old counted a trade incompatible with holinesse and godlinesse for Publicans generally were all esteemed the worst and wickedest of men yet I say the Independents at this day for the universality of them are taken notice of for their worldly mindednesse so that through the whole Realme you shall find them in all the Excise offices in all the custome houses and in all the gainefull places and imployments by Sea and Land in all the Committees in all gainefull offices in the Army and through all the Courts of the Kingdome neither are there any that aspire more to all places of honour in all parts of the Land then they and make more use of their friends by running riding and letters for the hindring of any other but themselves in attaining places of Dignity and Emolument wheresoever they are vacant as daily experience teacheth us and as it can be proved by a cloud of witnesses yea so notorious are their covetous and ambitious designes to all men that the very Malignants can say that they have got all the rich plunder into their possessions and have made themselves wealthy with the spoyles of others and especially those that came out of New England have beene taken notice of amongst others to have bought things plundered of mighty worth at small rates and have sent them over thither in so much that the very Cavaliers and Gentlemen of good ranke and place have told mee that if ever they got the day they would make a voyage into New-England to demand their plundered goods of them And it is well knowne what vast summes of money they have gathered through the Kingdome of godly people under pretence of relieving the poore Saints there and for the sending over boyes and young children and so they have all of that party bestirred themselves in getting of monies under the pretext of good uses and buying of plundered Goods as if they had studied nothing but the getting of earthly things so that wheresoever there is any money stirring or any gainefull offices thither doe the Independents fly like a company of flyes upon a gald Horses backe yea their very Ministers have got all the gainefull Lectures through towne and countrey many of them having two or three very profitable ones at once the least of which by report would maintaine two or three Families when as many more learned then themselves cannot get bread to put in their childrens bellies so that they are generally cryed up and other godly and painefull Ministers are despised through their calumnies and craft so that all men may easily perceive that the world and they are very good friends whereas the holy people of old cared not for the things of the world and for bravery and gallantry all manner of voluptuousnesse they exceed all men yea the very Daughters of Ierusalem never minc'd it more Isay the 3. then the Independents wives and daughters doe nor never injoyed greater pleasures then they in so much that it is one of the infallible notes of the Il-dependents both men and women to exceed all others in bravery and delicacy never was there such a gallant Generation of Saints since the world began yea their very Ministers and their Dames go rather like Ruffians then the holy mortified people of God matrons of old in so much that some of the Il-dependents themselves were heard say when my last booke came out in my owne defence against Iohn Lilburne where I made my selfe merry with them at the which so many of them stormed against mee with indignation at that time I say some of the Independents were heard to say that what Doctor Bastwicke had writ merrily was too too true for the truth is say they they are too much given to their pleasures and to good cheere many of them are abominably proud and covetous and gaping after honours and riches and are so unbridled in their expressions and so disorderly in their carriages and many times so insolent in their behaviours as they justly give offence and scandall both in word and deed to many that otherwise would have harboured better opinions and conceits of them and that that I now say and a great deale more can be proved and amongst other things they related that they being present at the Committee of examinations never saw any man more injuriously abused by any then I was in so much that they admired my patience I could carry my selfe at that time so calmely towards them So that if need be I shall be able to produce good witnesses from amongst the Il-dependents themselves that by their testimony shall make good this my charge against them for their worldly mindednesse and extreme pride and insolency and their unchristian dealing towards their brethren I shall not want the witnesses also of some and they of good quality that have fallen off from walking with them who are ready to attest that the sole and chiefe moving cause of their disliking their companies was for the very reasons I have now specified who will affirme that they could not continue in so costly aud chargeable a Religion they having found a cheaper way to Heaven it will also be proved that whereas many before they came acquainted with them and to be of their Fellowship they could for three or foure hundred pounds a yeare maintaine themselves and their families and doe a great deale of good to many distressed people and indigent and persecuted Christians but since they grew into acquaintance with those of the congregationall way what with the entertainment of them and their party and presents and what with their frequent relieving of those of that Fraternity it hath stood them in eight hundred nine hundred a thousand pounds yearely yea some times more so that it has beene admired how they have subsisted and it is well knowne that one of their chiefe designes is to get into their societies the chiefest and richest people every where and especially the more honourable women by meanes of which they exceedingly strengthen their party for those poore creatures not diving into the subtilty of
they spake not the truth in their hearts all such therfore as contrive all the mischief they can against those whom at every word they call brother and good brother yet write whole bookes to the defaming of them and killing of their good name which is worse then the murthering of their very bodies they are so farre from being Saints as they are like Cain that wicked one that slew his brother ver 12. all such therefore as say one thing and practise the contrary are double-minded men and a Generation not of the just but unjust for they speake not the truth in their hearts when therefore all the Independents in words pretend love unto their Presbyterian brethren and seeme to honour the Parliament and the Scots and their godly brethren the Ministers and yet seeke by all meanes possible they can to render them all odious to the people to baptize them into the hatred of all men and write scurrilous and defamatory books against them all to this very purpose and rejoyce at any evill that happens to any of them or to heare of any breach or division amongst them and labour to make it greater and will not so much as pray with them or pray for them but have beene heard in their publick congregations say and that in their prayers Now Father we should come to pray for the Parliament and the Assembly but they are not worthy the prayers of the Saints thus they speake unto God himselfe of the Parliament and Assembly in their owne congregations and will not vouchsafe them so much as their prayers as can sufficiently be proved and yet to the world they pretend they honour the Parliament and Assembly and love all their Presbyterian brethren and wish them all happinesse when all their actions words and Pamphlets proclame the contrary for it is well knowne that the whole scope of most of their imployments is to traduce the Parliament and their government and to make the Scots and all the Presbyters their brethren the most hatefull people in the world as if all their indeavours were to bring the people under an unsupportable slavery and a greater yoake of tyrannie then that of the Prelates this is their very language in all their discourse and writings yea often in their meeting places by which they have so inraged the people every where against all our godly and painefull Ministers that they are looked upon with an evill eye through Citie and Countrey and yet they pretend love unto them in words and call them brethren at every turne and their godly brethren and yet would sterve them if they could and both in their writings and preaching and disputes labour to take away their good name yea their livelyhoods their Tythes the only maintenane by which they should support themselves and their families all which their dealing is abominable dissimulation So that when they most court them and faune upon them with the title of brother and good brother and shew them some outward courtesies they had most need to take heed of them for then they plot mischiefe and speake not the truth in their hearts and therefore the Ill-dependents are no true Saints for they speake not the truth in their hearts But to goe on to the other characters of the true Saints they saith the Holy Ghost verse the 3. Back bite not with their tongue nor doe evill to their neighbour nor take up a reproach against their neighbour In this verse there are three other characters together of true Saints as in the former ver The first they backbite not with their tongue the second they doe no evill to their neighbour the third they receive not a reproach against their neighbour they will not entertain indure or take up or beleeve an evill report against their brethren for they that are Saints indeed know that they that receive stoln goods into their houses or doe assent unto a Thiefe are as equally guilty as the thiefe that tooke them away now all such as make it their chiefe imployment to traduce their neighbours and defame them and speake evill of them and fouly reproach them with all manner of contumelious and disgracefull language calling them the profest enemies of Jesus Christ and his Kingdome the Antichristian brood the lims of Antichrist using a thousand such scurrilous and unchristian reproaches against the Presbyterian brethren in tongue and pen and doe all manner of evill unto them in word and deed and write libellous bookes against them and receive and imbrace all manner of evill reports against them yea hunt after such and seeke for them that they may have matter of slander against them and give eare to Tale-bearers and busie bodies against the word of God and will imbrace the acquaintance of the most impious peoyle in the world as can be proved and give eare and credit to the calumnies and reproaches of profest Atheists in any thing they shall falsely report against any of their Presbyterian brethren all such in Gods dialect are no true Saints for they that are Saints indeed back-bite not with their tongue they doe no evill to their neighbour nor they will not receive a reproach against their neighbour much lesse against those that are in authority and dignity Now I say if it can be proved that the Independents make it their ordinary and daily practise not only to traduce back-bite and doe evill and receive a reproach against their fellow brethren but doe all these evils also against those that are in dignity and authority and are made Rulers and Governours of the people and over themselves it follows that they that doe all these evils and all those that assent unto them in their so doing are not Saints indeed in Gods esteeme now that the Il-dependents are guilty of all these crimes the many Pamphlets lately set forth by them as those published by Iohn Lilburne and my brother Burton and all the other scurrilous and libellous Bookes set forth by those of that party and countenanced by them doe sufficiently witnesse And here I shall desire of any man ingenuously to tell mee what it is to back-bite their neighbour and do evill to them and to receive a reproach against them if speaking defamatory words of them all and writing and publishing of libellous Bookes against the great Councell of the Kingdome and those in authority be not to back-bite their neighbour Certainly such words and books as accuse the Parliament of Injustice tyrannie and of exercising an arbitrary power over the people against Magna Charta and the Petition of Right and the priviledges of the subject and make them all as bad as Strafford and the Prelate and such words Pamphlets and writings against the House of Peeres and Commons as tend to the defaming of them and their just power and government and to disaffect the people against them and to stirre up a faction against their just authority and to make them odious to all men
sent to Samaria by the Apostles Act. the 8. and Paul and Barnabas were sent from Antioch by that Church there to Ierusalem and from Jerusalem they were sent againe to Antioch Syria Galatia so that they were as much dependent as any other Ministers of the Gospel and therefore M. Knollys is altogether in error in asserting that the Apostles were independent neither is that true also that the presbyters were dependent upon the Apostles any farther then they commanded in the Lord for there was a speciall caution caveat made to the contrary not only by Christ himselfe who said to all his Followers and Disciples beware of false Prophets and false Christs but also by the Apostles themselves and that in the Synod at Ierusalem Acts the 15. who bad all the Gentiles beware and take heed that they listned not to any as comming from them unlesse they taught according to the word of God and their decrees yea Saint Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians Gal 1. verse 7 8. gives them and all Christians a speciall charge that if hee himselfe or any of the Apostles or an Angell from heaven should teach otherwise then hee had taught them that they should account him accursed and the same doctrine hee delivereth to the Corinthians 2 Cor. 10. and 11. charging them to take heed of fals Apostles although they transformed themselves into the Ministers of Righteousnesse and injoynes Timothy and Titus to doe the same and in them warnes all Christians to beware of false Teachers though they come in the name of Apostles if they bring not the doctrine of Christ and teach not according to sound words and the same doth Saint Peter in his Epistles and Saint Iohn in all his Epistles and commandeth them withall that they should not receive them into their houses nor bid them God speed and the same doth Saint Iude in his and the Church of Ephesus Revel the 2. verse 2. is commended for discovering and casting out the false Apostles by all which and many more proofs and reasons that might be alleaged it is apparently evident that the Presbyters did not depend upon the Apostles themselves but upon Christ whose Ministers and Angels they were and the stars in his right hand Apocalyp the 2. verse 1. who had their authority and Commission as well from Christ as the Apostles themselves had theirs and who preserved and protected them as well as hee did the Apostles bidding them not to be affraid what man could doe against them as the second and third chapters of the Revelations sufficiently declare and therefore they were all dependent upon Christ and not upon the Apostles as Master Knollys fondly saith who were their fellow servants though in a higher degree and order and if wee duly consider the transaction of all the busines in the Synod at Ierusalem Acts 15. the Presbyters were as much guided by the spirit in that Councell as the Apostles themselves as I said in my Argument and shall by and by by Gods assistance more abundantly prove that all the world may see the vanity of Master Knollys who thinkes all men should take for an Oracle every word that fals from his pen though it be never so erroneous and never so lyable to exception and just controule as that other of his expressions is where he saith that the Apostles were alwayes guided by the spirit in the Government of their Churches in the which words there is a twofold error for Peter was not guided by the spirit neither when Christ called him Sathan neither when he denyed his Master nor when he temporized amongst the Galatians besides the Churches were not the Apostles Churches as he erroneously and ignorantly speaketh but they were Christs golden Candlesticks Revel 1. ver 20. who walked amongst them And the Apostles professe 2 Cor. 4. ver 5. that they preached not themselves but Jesus Christ the Lord and themselves the servants of the Church for Jesus his sake and in the first of the Corinthians chap. 3. ver 21 22 23. Therefore let no man glory in men saith the Apostle for all things are yours whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas or the World or Life or Death or things present or things to come all are yours and ye are Christs and Christ is Gods If the Churches therefore be Christs golden Candlesticks and his Churches and his houses as Paul in the 1 of Timothy averreth ch 3. ver 14 15. where he saith These things I write unto thee that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thy self in the house of God which is the Church of the living God the pillar and ground of truth if therefore I say Churches be the houses of God and the Churches of the living God and the golden Candlesticks of Jesus Christ and he be the Lord of them and there be also a speciall prohibition given by Christ himselfe to all his Apostles and to all ministers that they should not Lord it over his people as the Princes of the Gentils did over them that were their subjects how then can Mr Knollys say that the Churches were the Apostles Churches Every man I conceive that hath any ordinary understanding that with deliberation shall read Mr Knollys scriblings will conclude of him That he is altogether ignorant in sacred things and if he had not been a frontlesse man and without all shame he would never have published so many errors and so much ignorance as he hath done to the view of the world neither would he ever have said that though the Apostles were called Presbyters in the Scripture yet they acted not as Presbyters especially when it was proved unto him and all those of his fraternity in my first book that they acted in all acts of Government and in that Synod at Jerusalem Acts 15. as ordinary Presbyters But because Mr Knollys is not yet satisfied about that point nor perhaps never will be for the more ample satisfaction if not to him at least to others I will here prove that point a little more fully viz. that the Apostles acted as Presbyters in an ordinary way as the other did and after I have done that I will briefly also answer Mr Knollys his grolleries concerning the fufferage and votes of the Church and people in that Synod in Ierusalem But first I will prove that the Apostles in the debate and controversie in the Synod and in that whole businesse did not act as Apostles with a transcendent and infallible authority but as Presbyters in such a way as makes their meeting a president and pattern to ordinary Councels and Synods For first Paul an Apostle and Barnabas though both extraordinary men and indued with an infallible spirit yet were at that time sent to Ierusalem by the Church of Antioch ver 2. as servants of that Presbytery who willingly and in obedience to the order of that Church subjected themselves to their determination which they would not have done had they acted as
of the Arraignment of Mr Persecution in many more of their scurrilous writings plead for a toleration of all Religions under pretence of liberty of conscience whatsoever they be as Judaisme Turcisme Popery Paganisme and all manner of sects and for the confirming of this their diabolicall tenent they bring in the example of the heathen Nations who suffered all Religions amongst them and the example of Poland Transsylvania and Holland those pantheons of all Religions add tell us of the Parable where Christ commanded that the Tares and the Wheat should be suffered to grow together till the harvest the day of judgement And use or abuse rather some other places of Scripture which as they conceive make all for a toleration of all Religions To all which their pretences I shall at this time briefly anwer after I have set down some grounds out of holy Scripture and produced some examples of Gods dear children friends and servants out of the same which must be the warrant of all Christians to follow to the end of the world for whatsoever was written before was written for our learning 1 Cor. 10. Rom. 15. and by the Word of God and from the example of Gods servants we are ever taught that diversity of Religions amongst Christians ought not to be tolerated And first to begin with Abraham the Father of the faithfull and his seed whose examples all that are his and their children ought to set before their eyes for imitation The Lord called Abraham as it is in Joshua 24. out of his Father Terah's house and from his kindred when they served other gods and made a Covenant with him as it is at large set down in the 12. of Genesis and in divers other places of the same book and in speciall in the 17. of Genesis verse 1 2 3 c. where the Lord reneweth his Covenant with him and his seed and sets down the conditions of his Covenant with Abraham which was that Abraham should walk before him and be perfect and that then he would be his God all sufficient to provide for him and protect him wheresoever he came which covenant the Lord ever kept with Abraham and his seed delivering them out of the hands of all their enemies when they served him according to the conditions of the covenant walking uprightly before him as he will do to all his children to the end of the world walking in father Abraham's steps and of Abraham the Lord says this in the 18. of Genesis ver 17 18 19. Shall I hide from Abraham that which I doe seeing that Abraham shall become a great and a mighty Nation and all the Nations of the earth shall be blessed in him for I know him that he will command his children and houshold after him that they shall keep the way of the Lord to do Iustice and Iudgement that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him c. In these words we have Gods testimony of Abraham in the which he gives this witnesse of him that he would command his children and houshold after him that they should keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgement Then it is manifest that Abraham tolerated neither in his children nor in his houshold any Religion contrary unto that that God had taught him nor suffered no idolatry nor Sects in his family for this had not been to walke uprightly before God for it had been unjust dealing with God so to have done for Abraham and his seed were to walk perfectly and sincerely before God and therefore he would never tolerate all Religions or the worshipping of a false God or the worship of the true God after a false manner which also is Idolatry for this had not been to do justice and judgement but Abraham set up the true worship of God wheresoever he came as the whole story of his life doth abundantly declare And so did Isaac after him and Jacob after him as in the 33. of Genesis doth appear where Jacob said unto his houshold and to all that were with him put away the strange gods that are among you and be clean and change your garments and let us arise and go up to Bethel and I will make there an Altar unto God who answered me in the day of my distresse and was with me in the way which I went and they gave unto Iacob all the strange gods that were in their hands and Iacob hid them under the Oak that was at Sechem and the terror of God was upon the cities which were round about them and they did not pursue after the sons of Iacob In these words we have a president for imitation with the fruit and benefit that doth redound to all those people and Nations that set up the true worship of God and root out all Idolatry and false worship out of their families and Countries for Jacob gives no toleration in his house nor amongst his people for all Religions or for any other but that which God himselfe had appointed he sets up the true worship of God and that onely within his Jurisdiction and buries all the Idols of what price and how rich soever they were and he found the comfort and benefit of this his so doing for the Lord for this his faithfull service blessed him and protected him from the fury of all his provoked enemies for the terror of God was upon them all so that they durst not pursue him And if we take notice in our reading of the holy Scriptures we shall find and that through the whole Word of God that the Lord ever followed that people and those Kings and governours and their whole Kingdomes and Countries with speciall blessings and singular favours that purged their Country from idolatry and all false worships and struck a terror into all their enemies round about them neither did they ever purge their Countries from Idolatry and root out Idolaters but the anger of the Lord was presently appeased by it and it is alwayes recorded to the eternall praise and honour of those Kings Rulers and Judges that were most forward in reformation and that set more throughly upon that good work of reformation and those that did things but to the halves in reformation have not so honourable a testimony in holy Scripture as the other and that God hath ever been pleased when Idolatry hath been rooted out and Idolaters put to death there be many presidents of it in the Word of God Amongst others that in the 32. of Exodus how highly was God displeased there with the making of that Calf and how well was he pleased when execution was done upon the contrivers and authors of that Idolatry that place sufficiently declareth yea in the 13. of Deuteronomie the Lord declaring how much he detesteth Idolatry and all false worship giveth a dispensation to children for disobedience to their parents who by his law they are bound to obey in Gods matters so
into the true Religion and forces them by stripes and corporall punishments to imbrace it which is recorded to his immortall praise and for all Christian Magistrates imitation so that he abhorred the toleration of all Rel gions and as David would not suffer a Lyar in his house so good Nehemiah would not suffer any of a contrary Religion to be under his government hee had learned this Lesson from God himselfe Deut. 4. and Deut. 6 and Deut. 11. Deut. 13. c. This renowned Governour and Magistrate was not affraid to constraine them to doe that which was for the glory of God and according to his will and for the good of their owne soules and for the good of the whole Land and the safety and peace of them all and yet I beleeve Nehemiah knew as well what belonged unto tender consciences as any Independents now living and hee understanding that the heart of man was deceitfull above all things and desperately wicked Jer. 17. v. 9. that conscience being but a branch springing from that deceitfull and desperately wicked root knew also that there could be nothing in it but evill that continually and therefore tooke that liberty upon him to constraine their wicked consciences to conforme to the commandements of God and to submit themselves to his most holy Lawes and Statutes and to that way of worship God had injoyned his people which is the duty of all Parents and Magistrates who by Gods command and this example of good Nehemiah's may at any time use the rod of correction and by it make rebellious and stubborne children and people conforme themselves to the commandements of the Lord and to his true worship and this duty they are bound unto by the Law of God if they urge them to nothing but what God hath declared to be his will in his blessed Word And truly it is not to be passed over without serious taking notice of it how zealous this good Nehemiah was against all sinne and false worship and how adverse hee was to a toleration of all religions under his government for hearing them speake but the language of Ashdod hee by and by reviled them and fell about their eares and forthwith constrained them and that by stripes to embrace the true worship of God But if this good Nehemiah were now living here amongst us and should heare not onely the language of Ashdod but the language of hell out of every mouth and see the abominable practises of the Sectaries of our times and should heare their hellish and blasphemous and hereticall doctrines of denying the Trinity and the Deity of Christ and slighting the holy Scriptures and many such desperate doctrines how may wee thinke would his righteous soule be troubled with it and how would hee bestirre him in cudgelling these fellowes into the true Religion and making of them serve God according to his own appointment and not after their own fantasies as they all now doe without all controversie good Nehemiah would baste them to the purpose and all such as should side with them and especially hee would belabour all such well as should write bookes in defence of such and should call them Saints and their damnable blasphemies the infirmities of the Saints I say I am most confident that were good Nehemiah in our times and had hee that authority hee had then in Ierusalem hee would baste them all to some purpose and make and force them by cudgelling of them to be conformable to wholesome words and I am most assured he would pull off Cretensis his blew beard qui ne pilum boni viri habet and knock him soundly about his hairy scalp And St. Quarter-man also he would have some good slaps as he deservs over his great pate all the rest of these hereticall dangerous Sectaries would by him be constrained with beatings to yeeld obedience to the authority of Gods word and hee would make them know themselves and this indeed is the duty and place of all Magistrates and Parents and Masters of Families neither to suffer or tolerate such fellows in their houses nor Countries for this would but bring judgements upon the land much more ought every man to detest all such as should labour to bring in a toleration of all Religions when we see what misery came upon all Israel by Solomons toleration of them there But the Independents say there is no presidents of any corporall punishment layd upon any under the New Testament for matter of Religion that Magistrates should follow but I conceive the example of our Saviour may suffice for their imitation Who Joh. 2. whipped the buyers and sellers out of the Temple for merchandizing there and therefore laid corporall punishments upon them And truly if the Magistrates now should whip all the buyers and sellers of their new and blasphemous doctrines out of their severall new Temples and Churches I am confident it would be very pleasing unto God and Christs example would justifie and hold them out in this their so doing for who can they better imitate then the King of his Church Yea we see corporall punishment threatned against the Church of Pergamos and Thyatira c. and afterwards inflicted upon them by God himself for suffering those false Prophets and Teachers amongst them Yea we see Act. 13. that Bariesus for but labouring to hinder the Proconsull from hearing the Gospell was by Paul strucken with blindnesse for it by God himselfe to teach all Magistrates that those deserve punishment that hinder the preaching of the faith but much more those that corrupt it ought to be punished And we have another example of corporall punishment for when there was no Magistrate to punish those exorcists those sonns of Sceva the Lord suffered the devill which could not enter into a swine without his permission to be his executioner and to lay corporall punishment upon them for abusing his name and his authority All which may teach all men how much God is displeased with all such as corrupt his worship and service and would bring in a toleratiou of all Religions and may serve to instruct all Magistrates in their duty for the punishing of all false and herericall Teachers and Seducers And truly if ever there were a time that called for an establishment of one Religion and a setled Government with Uniformity in a Church and State and a Suppression of all Heresies Sects and Factions from the Magistrates hand and a punishing of all false Teachers now it is when by the sad effects already of divisions and variety of opinions we may well perceive what ruine will come upon the three Kingdomes if there be a toleration of all Religions granted for divisions and factions especially in Religion have been fatall to Kingdomes and Commonwealth in all ages as the holy Scriptures and all Histories relate The consideration of which makes me take the liberty to recite a story I heard of a great Nobleman in Queen Elizabeths
for in such termes they usually expresse themselves Now when the occasion of this scandall and offence is taken away by the care of the Ministers and all Superstition and Popish Ceremonies and all will worship is also rooted out and when the Gospell is truly and faithfully by them preached both in season and out of season and the Name of God truly invocated and the Sacraments duly and rightly administred what just cause have the Independents now either of separation or of traducing either Ministers or people of being enemies of Christ and his Kingdome when by all their indeavours they onely seek the advancement of him and his Kingdome amongst them I have so good an opinion of all moderate minded Christians that when they shall seriously weigh and consider what I have here writ and truly and faithfully set down that those of them that have formerly been alienated from them will again being now undeceived return every one of them to their own Pastors by whose Ministry they have been converted and that all other understanding men will not only have more charitable thoughts both of the Ministers and Beleevers of the Church of England but will likewise look more narrowly into and examine more diligently all those new wayes and by finding them out to be indeed but new will seek for the old way and walk in it And truly it stands all men now in hand that desire the welfare of the whole Kingdome yea the safety tranquillity and felicity of three Kingdomes and the peace of them all and the quiet of the Church and the prosperity of Zion and indeed the peace of their own families and a good accord harmony love and unity amongst brethren to seek for the old way which hath the promise of peace which can never be preserved where differences and diversities of opinions with a toleration of all Religions are allowed of for they tend to nothing but dis-union and to a violation of all bonds of true and cordiall affection for they can never love such as they have a command to shun nor never really affect such mens companies and acquaintance whom they are ever jealous of that they will seduce their wives children and families therefore I say that all people may not onely seek for but finde that old way of peace shall ever be his prayer that wisheth that all men may be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth AN APPENDIX In the which all the reproaches and truth-gainsaying calumnies so injuriously and causelesly cast upon me by my Brother BURTON my Quondam Fellow-sufferer are all wiped away with the spunge of Innocency in this my true Answer unto him In the which also all such passages as hee so exceedingly exaggerates and cryes out against in my Preface and Postscript are cleared from his clamorous surmises and my Integrity vindicated from all his traducing Inferences and forced Conclusions Brother Burton IN the beginning of your Epistle to the Reader say you This answer was long agoe so conceived in the wombe as the slow birth may seeme to have out-gone his due time Truly it had beene good for you and farre more for your honour and for the honour and glory of God and for the honour of your holy profession that the wombe of this your Booke had beene its grave for it hath not onely given great scandall to many but sadded the hearts of multitudes of Gods people that formerly truly loved and honoured you But men that make more haste then good speed have cause at leisure often to repent as you one day must doe for this untimely birth of your deformed and monstrous brat To the matters of Argument concerning your opinion in answer to my Booke I have in the foregoing Treatise made my Reply in this Appendix I am to make my just defence against some false accusations and soule aspersions with which you have bespatterd mee through your whole discourse but should I summe up all the revilings scornings vilifying unsufferable and unchristian language which those of your Fraternity after I had declared my selfe to be none of your party before any of my Books came forth did and still doe provoke and salute mee with even in the open streets to the shame of their profession yet in the 27. page of your Booke approved of they would rise to a volume But I have learned with the Apostle Paul to passe through honour and dishonour through evill report and good report as a Deceiver and yet true 2 Cor. 6. 8. being therefore nothing moved with their raylings I spread them before the Lord and for brevitie sake will not here repeate them I shall onely take a note of some passing by many of the unbrotherly reproaches false accusations and bitter invectives poured out from your selfe whose Schollers it may be thought the others are and I will unfaynedly answer you in the words of truth and sobernesse and in the spirit of meeknesse and love But first give mee leave to say that from you of all men I least expected much lesse deserved such hard speeches I having beene not only a sufferer with you which ingageth a personall respect but alwayes ready and forward in the worst and most dangerous times to appeare in your defence to my owne great detriment and dammage and as a faithfull friend have stucke close and been serviceable unto you since as can sufficiently be proved when your protestation protested was questioned all which challenged a Christian circumspection even in reproving of humane frailties Now things being thus betweene you and mee how exceedingly doth it aggravate your offence in scandalizing my name as you have done For mine owne part when out of zeale to Gods Glory and my servent desire of Syons peace I write against that new way you walke in and justly blamed in generall naming no man the unwarrantable writings and censures published and laid upon all who in their judgements dissent from Independents though truly Godly affirming that they are but converts in part that they are enemies to Christs Kingly office and set up Christ as a pageant King that they neither professe nor confesse Christ but with the Iewes say wee will not have this man to raigne over us observing also in the Frontispices of their Bookes writ in defence of Independent errors these words Thinke not that I am come to send peace upon earth I came not to send peace but a sword c. Matth. 10. 34 35 36. and that in a time of so great distractions when your party have subtilly spread Schisme Faction and caused fraction and division through the Kingdome and considering withall how ready tumultuous and turbulent people are especially upon such advantages as these to misapply Christs words as all men may see and by their daily expressions plainly perceive they doe and from that text are easily perswaded to beleeve they have good ground and warrant to fight against their Christian brethren to maintaine errors and their owne whimsies I
corrupt Courts in the Kingdome yet even in those Courts there was an appearance of justice in this kind so that if any man had any just exception against any mans testimony if it did not totally overthrow their witnesse which it many times did yet it so enervated their evidence that it was never so valid and prejudicall to him as otherwise it would have been as you your selfe can witnesse it was in my cause in the High Commission Court where I making it appear by sufficient witnesse that Thomas Newcomin and John Danet and Richard Daniel had formerly been expunged in the Chancery for Knaves and had for that out of malice put me up into it were all my adversaries and perjured varlots their testimony by the whole Court was rejected and they were by them all accounted a company of Knaves all over soul and body for so some of the Court said of them and I was onely condemned for my book And this part of Justice in many causes remained even in those Courts in the worst of times in all Courts of the world there was ever leave and liberty given unto the accused to make his just defence and bring in the evidences of his own innocency and non-guiltinesse his just exceptions against both his accusers prosecutors and witnesses and this by the very law of nature for so said Festus that it was not the manner of the Romans to condemn any before they had been brought face to face with their adversaryes and that they had bin fully heard what they could speak for themselves for otherwise if they had condemned any without either of the former conditions they had not proceeded according to law nor condemned them judicially Fourthly those that are judged judicially and according to the Lawes of God and nations they must ever be within the jurisdiction of that Court and of those that judge them and under their Lawes Neither doe any wise Judges take any cognizance of things without their jurisdiction and if any should bee so unjust or unadvised to attempt any such thing the party accused hath the benefit of his Appeal as wee see in the cause of Paul when hee appealed from the Tribunall of the Jewes to Caesars Barre And all men know that the Courts of one Countrey doe not judge and condemne the subjects that dwell in an other and that are under an other government yea the Courts secular and the Courts Ecclesiasticall even in the same Kingdomes and Common-wealths doe not intermeddle with one an others imployments except it be by speciall appeale which is granted unto them by some caution upon just occasions but they leave each Court to the managing of those causes that are of speciall cognizance there and within their jurisdiction for otherwise it would breed confusion speedily in a Country and therefore those distinct Courts and Jurisdictions take the cognizance of those things onely that are peculiar and proper to themselves and within their spheare and never intermeddle and exercise any power over others that are out of their jurisdictions be they never so facinorous or accused of never so high a crime yea if any information or accusation be put up against any man into any Court be it true or false if the Judges conceive that the parties impleaded against belong unto an others jurisdiction they will send them thither to be judged and decline sentencing of them and this method of judgement the very Law of nature teacheth all men yea Pontius Pilat though a most wicked and unjust Judge yet understanding that Christ was of Galilee of which Herod was the Tetrarcke or Governour and conceiving him to be under Herods jurisdiction he sends him forthwith unto Herod intimating that the examination and tryall of his cause peculiarly belonged unto him if Christ were judicially to be proceeded against Yea Paul himselfe saith What have I to doe to judge those that are without Those that were without in Pauls opinion and under an other jurisdiction hee professed that hee had nothing to doe with them The fifth thing required for the judiciall proceeding and handling of any cause is this that they that are to be Iudges may not be both parties witnesses prosecutors Iury and Iudges in the same cause for it they be they cannot be said judicially to give sentence All that I now write unto you Brother I am confident your conscience tels you is just and true Now in all nations and well governed Kingdomes and countries if there have beene any faylings in either of these conditions and requisites the subjects have the benefit of the Law against both their Prosecutors and Iudges and may appeale unto the King or supreame Court of judicature in the Kingdom crave justice there against such Iudges and such proceedings and if they cannot obtaine justice there God will call them to an account one day for it for in the judgement of all men such proceedings have ever beene counted illegall and unjust and all those Iudges that have at any time given sentence without observing those rules and conditions did never censure any man judicially neither can their judgement be said to be judiciall in any just mans understanding Now Brother if your proceeding against mee be examined by these rules and by such men as are judicious and truly godly without faction you will not be thought judicially to have censured condemned me for it is most certain you have not in all the carriage of this busines beene a judiciall Iudge for in this your sentence you have gone against all the Lawes of God and nature yea against the practice of the most corrupt Courts in the world in that you have accused me arraigned me and condemned mee without either Articles Bill Libell saving your owne Booke allegation or information and without any lawfull citation into your Court or any Court you have also condemned mee before I knew who were my Accusers and that without hearing mee ever speake for my selfe yea you have condemned and adjudged me an innocent man withou any lawfull witnesse for as I am not conscious to my selfe of ever having done any thing that deserves convention before any Court of Iud icature in this world much lesse to have sentence given against mee so I am most assured that if ever these your dealings against mee shall be brought to a tryall and a judiciall hearing indeed as they may be if the time once grows more quiet I shall make it clearly and evidently appeare that the ground of this your beastly accusation brought against me viz. that I am a scandalous Walker to the shame of the very name of Christian Religion did first arise from one of the most infamous notorious creatures though an Independent that now lives upon earth for all manner of villanies a shame dishonor to her name kindred known to be one of the most prodigious impudent Whores that is this day in the world except the Whore of Babylon and yet