shadow of whose wings I have ever found there is only safety whose blessed assistance in all calamities they that trust in him may be most assiâ—ed of His patronage now and his defence is my shield whose cause and the honour of whose kingdome at this time I contend for And howsoever in all my life in all humane learning I was never so wedded to my own resolves but upon better reason I could easily be divorced from them yet in Gods matters if an Angell should come from Heaven and teach me that that there were another way to happinesse then by that new and living way the blood of Jesus Christ who was the Lambeslaine from the beginning of the world I would count him Anathema Or if an Angel should tell me there were a new way of worshipping God and serving him then that which God himself hath set down in his holy Word I would account him accursed for I have learned to believe God and Faith upon their word and bond without any either Angelicall or Humane reason or the authority of Counâ—els and Fathers and whatsoever I finde a warrant in Gods Word for I have learned to cleave close to it against all humane reason supposing such men none of Gods nor Faiths truest friends that will not believe them upon their own word and bond except they have reason humane authority Councels and Fathers and â—aine traditions joyned with them for sureties Again if any man should go about to perswade me that there were any other government established in the Church of God then an Aristocraticall and a Presbyterian one I should notwithstanding all humane reason to the contrary submit my self to that kind of government as being most confidently assured that it is warranted in Gods Word which all Christians are bound for ever to make the Rule and Square both of our faith manners and government And here I must minde all those that shall read this Book that this is no new opinion of mine but that which I have once and again suffered for and if ever they have read my Elenchus religionis papisticiae or my Flagellum pontificis or my Apologie or any of my Latine Books in all those they will finde that the cause of all my sufferings was this and this only That I maintained that all Churches were to be governed by an Aristocraticall and Presbyterian government which in those Books I have clearly and fully through Gods assistance made good Yea in in my answer to the Bill of Information put up against me in the Star-chamber they shall have some reasons I gave there of this my tenent to the Lords of his Majesties Hrivie Councell and Judges in the Star-chamber so that I stand to my principles and am no starter And if then amongst Gods people it was thought an opinion worthy the suffering for and my Christian brethren deemed me worthy of honour for it and afforded me their prayers and shewed me and mine in all our distresses many curtesies when we found little favour from our own brethren which their humanity I must never forget but with all due thankfulnesse for ever acknowledge I say if then this my opinion was thought Orthodox and worthy of their applause I see no good reason why a truth then should not be counted a truth now for the Word of God out of which I had it is the same and if it were good then it is good now for the change of mens minds cannot change the truth but it must be ever truth but this my opinion I learned out of Gods Word then which shall be for ever by his gracious assistance the warrant of my beliefe and practice This Word therefore I desire all my Christian Brethren in the deciding of this question now agitated amongst Gods people and his faithfull servants concerning Church-government to take into their hands and with those noble Bâ—reans to sit down and examine whatsoever shall be said on either side according to the holy Scrigtures and I intreat them also to lay aside all passion which Religion has no need of and all vain-glory and bitternesse which is a dishonour to our holy calling and in the spirit of meeknesse and with a Virgin judgement not ravisht with any previous or anticipated opinion to come and approach to the Altar of truth and so consider and examine which of those two opinions the Brethren on both sides now sacrifice themselves unto be the offering that will best endure the firy-tryall 1 Cor. 3. 13 14 15. viz. Whether the Presbyterian government Dependent or a Presbyterian government Independent both now laid upon the Altar be the acceptablest service and best pleasing sacrifice This is granted on all sides and of necessity it must be yeilded unto that that Oblation is the best and most acceptable that is offered up by faith without which it is impossible to please God and that sacrifice only is offered up by faith which is according to his Word and has its warrant from his revealed will which is the rule both for worship and the government of his Church we are to be guided by The Brethren on both sides agree about the rule in deciding of this Coutroversie and make the written word the rule They agree also about the materials both acknowledging a Presbytery the difference between them is only about the mould and manner of the offering I will therefore state the questions between us and shew wherein we differ and then set down my own opinion with my reasons and after endeavour to be a Moderator for the determining of this unhappy difference which hath been an occasion of so much rejoycing to the common Enemy There is a two-fold question between us they call the Presbyterians and our Brethren they tearme Independents The first is concerning the government of the Church viâ— whether it be Presbyterian Dependent or Presbyterian Independent The second question is concerning the gathering of Churches but of that in its due place The first question is whether many Congregations or Christian Assemblies commonly called Churches in our dialect in the which there are all the acts of worship or all Ordinances as the pure preaching of the Gospell the due and right administration of the Sacraments the true invocation of God Discipline rightly executed and all other performances which make for the essence and form of a true Church and in the which assemblies likewise they have all such officers and helps of Government as in their severall places being rightly imployed may serve for the edification of the same and mutuall comfort and benefit of each other and the preservation ofall as Presbyters doth preaching and ruling and Deacons and all other Officers I say the question between us and the brethren is Whether all these severall Congregations and Assemblies may be accounted but one Church or make but one Church within their Precincts and be to be under the government and rule of one Presbytery or a Councell or Colledge of many
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
wee might never looke for happy dayes nay it can be proved that some of the Independent Ministers have made it part of their imployment to run from one place to an other to preach their errors and in their Sermons to bring the Gentry and Nobility into the hatred of the people accusing them as the cause of all our calamities publickly declaming against them as the basest Gentry and Nobility in the world saying in expresse words that howsoever Noble-mens Mothers were knowne yet their Fathers were Grooms or some base fellows that they were nothing but drosse dresse drosse and this they have spake in great and crowded Assemblies all the which speeches if they tend not to make the Nobility hatefull to the people and so by consequence to the ruine and overthrow of them in time I know not what can and whether all this bee not to doe evill to their neighbours I leave it to the judgement of others and how many of the Independents have vilified the great Councell let their bookes be examined and they will say I wrong them not in any thing when I affirm they labour to bring in a confusion of all things yea their words daily at the very Parliament dore can witnesse that howsoever they pretend to honour the Parliament yet they do accuse them of arbitrary and tyrannicall Government and assert that the Lawyers in the Parliament have betrayed the Liberties of the subject and this is their daily language and that it may bee the better knowne it is all extant in their printed Books by all which they do evill to their neighbours Now then if I in my just defence made use of their owne expressions to set downe the wickednesse of their wayes and to discover their bad intentions there was no just cause why any rationall man should condemne mee for it for ridentem dicere verum quid vetat Now that the Independents have so severely censured mee causelessely for this they shew they are altogether partiall and very unjust Judges and whiles they doe the greatest evill unto men that can possibly by the malice of men be done unto them which no true Saints doe for they doe no evill to their neighbours as the Spirit of God saith yet they will condemne others for but making use truly of such expressions as they themselves have falsely and causelessely used against others for I in discribing of them and their proceedings exprest my selfe but in their owne dialect and yet they fill the whole Kingdom with clamours against mee for being but their scholler The time was when I writ my Letany for to make my self and my fellow Prisoners merry in our bands that when many grave men liked it in private yet disswaded mee from making of it publick that those that are now the great Sticklers of the Independent party against all the counsell of my grave friends perswaded me to print it protesting that they thought it would doe the Prelates more mischiefe then any booke that was seriously penned against them and therefore intreated mee by all meanes that I would publish it yea they offered mee to set it forth upon their owne charges and costs and through their importunity they prevayled with mee to give them the copie and it was printed and liked so wel of by that party as they commended mee with all the prayses men could extoll and magnifie a man with as can be proved and they have often profest unto mee that they thought it was the best way of dealing with any enemies of the Church and therefore I conceive that Martin useth so much of this method in his books But indeed there have bin many and grave Divines that have writ many merry and pleasant books against the Prelates in all ages nations which have discovered their vanities more then any thing that was seriously writ by which meanes many personages of eminent quality as well as those of low degree have come to the knowledge of the wickednesse of the Papall Hierarchy which had they beene seriously penned no man would have regarded yea the holy Prophets and divine Pen-men have made themselves merry with the vanity of the false Prophets and great men of their time many presidents of the which might be produced out of sacred writ so that there is no sinne in writing pleasantly against any such as goe about to seduce and mislead the people and alienate them from their duty towards God and their obedience to those that are in authority and from their duty and love to their brethren all which are capitall evils and which no true Saints will perpetrate Now I say in this that the Independents did so well like of my Letany and the merry passages in that booke and are so highly offended at my mirth in my just defence against them that are equally guilty with those they most mortally hate and in that they so harshly accuse those expressions in my booke which I have but borrowed from them saying that none that useth such can have a dramme of grace in them in all this they are very partiall and unjust Judges and give unrighteous judgement against their neighbour which is to doe evill to their neighbour which all true Saints will not doe and they may remember that the Lord in the 29. of of Isaiah condemned such as made a man an offender for a word But of all these things in their due place When I upon an other occasion shall answer to the moderate checks wherin I shall make it appeare had those expressions beene mine owne there had beene no blasphemy in them without it be esteemed blasphemy with them to compare a company of rude and rebellious wicked people to a good creature of God when as the Holy Ghost compareth such to a Dog returning to his vomit and to a Sow wallowing in the mire withall I shall then make it evident that the conspiracy of Corah Dathan and Abiram was not greater against Moses and Aaron then this confederacy of the Ill-dependents at that time against some of the honourable Members of the Parliament But letting passe their partiality in many other things towards their owne party in whom they can see no sinne I will goe on to the other characters of true Saints indeed as they are set downe by the Spirit of God the third of which in this verse is that they receive not a reproach against their neighbors The true Saints saith the Holy Ghost take not up a reproach against their neighbours they will neither heare much lesse entertain or receive an evill reproach or calumny against their neighbours for they have learned better things out of Gods holy word as in Exodus 23. verse 1. where the Lord speaking to his owne people and all true Saints saith Thou shalt not receive or rayse a false report put not thou thy hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witnesse Neither is there any thing more forbidden through the whole Scripture then whispering
his Throne all such as these are I say make Christ a Pagent King and salute him with haile Master as the Jews did to usurpe some of their own rhetorick and learned elequence but indeed they disthrone him For what is it to disthrone a King if writing of Warning Peeces and Pamphlets against Kings service and Kings-honour be not And what I pray is it to disthrone a King if this be not to passe all acts of Government in the peoples name and to send out all their warrants and mandates in the peoples name and to command all their officers to manage all their imploiments in the peoples name never so much as mentioning or taking notice of the King in a publique act of Government Are not all these actions and passages to any rationall creature a sufficient demonstration that the King in that Kingdome is either absolutely disthroned or is but a King to them in ludibry as Christ was to the wicked Jews I am confident that all understanding men will so conclude Now when in all the new congregations those new gathered churches the Ildependents there have such amongst them that write books and that with their approbation against Iesu-Worship that is against the Worship of Iesus who is the eternall King of his Church and when every day in all their particular churches they exercise all the acts of Government in the name of their churches and not in Christs the Kings name and that against the command of Christ and his Apostles I affirm and by the grace of God I hope ever to make it good that all this is not onely a robbing Christ our Lord and King of his due honour but a blasphemous and more then a Papall usurpation and derogating from his Kingly dignity and royalty yea it is indeed a plain disthroning of Christ their King and thrusting him out of his place and putting themselves in it which whether or no it be not the highest point of contumacy rebellion and blasphemy I leave to the judgment of others as for my self I know not what either of these things be if they be not blasphemy for when I learned Divinity I was taught that blasphemy consisted in this either to give unto God that that belonged not to him and to the excellency of his Majesty divine nature or to detract from him that that peculiarly belonged either to the essence persons or glorious attributes of the diety or to give the honour properly and peculiarly due to God the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost or to any person in the glorious Trinity to any creature or malitiously or wickedly to speak evill of God his essence attributes word works c. or to do or act any thing obstinately and wilfully that is or may be derogatory to the dignity and honour of the Divine Majesty of God blessed for ever any of these things when I studied Divinity were thought blasphemy and worthy of severest punishments and those that perpetrated any of those crimes were reputed unworthy to live and proclamed blasphemers and men unsufferable and yet there are many such kind of creatures in our new gathered Churches who are guilty of all that can be called blasphemy and that rob Christ the Lord of his Worship and write against Iesu-worship blaspheme the holy Scriptures and deny the diety of Christ and the blessed Trinity c. and disthrone Christ in their new Congregations whiles they cry hail Master exercising all acts of Government amongst themselvs in the name of the Church never so much as mentioning the name of Christ the King and many more intolerable insolencies they dayly commit against the Soveraign Majesty of heaven and earth the Lord Jesus Christ our Lord and King and all these notwithstanding are counted Saints that commit these vices and malifices and great books are writ in defence of all these wicked blasphemous wretches and both their errors and their persons are countenanced and that by their great Rabbyes and Champions all which notwithstanding are in Gods dialect and in his holy Word both old and new counted abominable creatures and men unholy and displeasing unto God and the acters and abetters and countenancers of all such blasphemies and wickednesses were thought equally guilty and great and fearfull judgements were denounced against them all as it is apparently evident out of Gods holy Word and yet these great evills are counted but the infirmities of the Saints amongst our Independent masters Now then I say when the Illdefendents are guilty of all these crimes as partly acting them partly tolerating such as are both actors and abetters or conniving at them and countenancing them pretend they what they will of setting up Christ upon his Throne I hope to be ever able to make it good that they all of them disthrone Christ manifest to the world that as much as in them lies they would not have him raign over them and so make themselves guilty of that crime they lay to the Presbyterians charg whom they dayly accuse to be enemies of Jesus Christ his Kingdom and such as would not have Christ rule over them when notwithstanding the Presbyterians do and ever will by Gods divine assistance set up Christ King upon his Throne and shall ever desire that all honour and glory and praise may be given for ever and ever to the King eternall immortall invisible the only wise God the King of Saints and King of Kings and that he may solely rule for ever and that all his enemies and such as rob him of his honour and dignity may be made his footstoole in the number of which the greatest part of the Sectaries are and all such as comply with them And this shall suffice to have spoken concerning the first part of my undertaking against I. S. which was to set forth the wickednesse of the Independents and to shew how by their doctrine they rob Christ of his honour and Kingly dignity when they pretend they set him upon his Throne which is an unsufferable blasphemy in them And now I come to prove against I. S. that I undertook in the second place to make good viz. that by their doctrine they not only rob Christ of his honour but all Christs blessed Apostles Ministers and Servants of their power and leave them nothing but the name and shadow of authority which is a horrid injustice and wickednesse in the Sectaries and Independents to do which although I have briefly proved before yet I shall here again for the more full elucidation of the truth and for the better setting forth of the Ill-dependent wickednesse a little further expatiate in this business and answer to all that I. S. hath materially or with any colour to speak in behalfe of his cause where I presume he hath spake as much as he and his complices thought and conceived made for it and for which their vain and impious jangling they must one day give a dreadfull account I undertake therefore now to prove
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
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
hopes are frustrate now they labor for a toleration of all Religions which both God noble Nehemiah and Ioshua all the Holy Prophets Christ and his blessed Apostles continually were displeased with and denounced judgements against all which holy Lawes now they desire may be dispensed with to gratifie them with a ful toleration of all religions or at least with an indulgence for their new-fangled Independency which by all their indeavours they make way apace for and howsoever it was thought a thing worthy of death in Strafford and the Prelate of Canterbury that they but laboured to alter the Lawes of the Land and the Religion that was established by publick authority and for the which they both suffered the very Sectaries and Independents themselves being the principall Agents to bring them both to their end who by their tumultuous and disorderly running up daily to Westminster were never satisfied in craving justice at the Parliament against them saying that as resolution was the life of action so execution was the life of the Law and justice and would never be contented and appeased till they had obtained their desires against them and only for this very cause as they pretended that they indeavoured to alter the Lawes of the Land and the Religion established by publick authority and many of our Fugitives were as eager in that busines as any of the rest some of them standing upon the Scaffold to see the execution of them and rejoycing at the justice done upon them and yet behold the very same men are all of them guilty of the very same crime that they dyed for yea of a farre greater for the Prelate and the Earle of Strafford were adjudged for but indeavouring to alter the Religion and Lawes established in the Kingdome but all the Sectaries and Independents they have really altered Religion and have set up many new Religions and that without any authority yea they have altered both Law and Gospel rejecting all the Holy Scriptures and making nothing of the glorious Word of God as can be proved and they have not only established by their sole authority divers Religions amongst us that were never knowne before but they proclame all the Presbyterians enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ and the sons of Belial and esteeme of them as so many Infidels in no wise to be communicated with in holy things And for the fundamentall Lawes of the Land they not only speake against them as a yoake of tyrannie and bondage unsupportable to be borne but they write whole bookes against them desiring they may be altered notwithstanding all men injoy their lives and estates by them yea they write not only in general against all the laws of the land but against the very Ordinances of Parliament daily publishing Pamphlets against all their proceedings and especially they have taken great paines to dismount the Ordinance of Tythes established both by Law and a particular Ordinance of Parliament they would faine starve the Presbyterians preaching and practising hourely against the Covenant and many knowne Ordinances for whereas it was by Ordinances injoyned that none should preach publickly but such as were authorised and thought fit for the soundnesse of their Doctrine and for the sufficiency of their parts and abilities and that nothing should be printed but by authority notwithstanding these Ordinances the Sectaries and Independents both preach print whatsoever they please to the seducing of the people and for the perverting and corrupting of religion and disturbance both of Church and State and whereas by an Ordinance of Parliament the manner of government consisting of the three States King Peers and Commons hath been againe and againe confirmed established with the sitting of the Reverend Assembly of Divines and the ratifying of the Directory and for the establishing of the Presbyterian government neverthelesse they write against them all especially the King Peers and Assembly making nothing of them no nor of the â—ouse of Commons it selfe if at any time they displease them but they dash them all a peeces subverting the whole government at once proclaming the people the soveraigne Lords of them all and some of them have beene so temerarious as they have abused the whole Parliament to their faces first the King then the House of Commons and then the House of Lords slighting their authority and power affirming that they could not so much as commit any freeborne subject to prison which every Justice of peace or Constable may doe yea it is well knowne that in insolency they have exceeded all Delinquents that ever appeared before the great Councell of the Kingdome so that it may be spake to the honour both of Strafford and the Prelate of Canterbury that they both of them behaved themselves with far greater modesty and reverence towards both Houses then many of the Sectaries have done for they ever yeelded due honour and reverenciall respect unto them all both with bowed knees and gracefull and seeming language which those paultry Fellowes out of an insulting impudency denied them despising Dignities and Dominions and these creatures have had their complices to applaud them in these their Rebelliouspractises yea some of them have beene so bold as to petition the Parliament in their behalfe though they could not be ignorant how unchristianly unreverently and undutifully they behaved themselves before them which was the greatest affront that was ever offered to any Parliament and the greatest breach of the priviledge of Parliament that hath beene knowne in any nation and yet all these things have beene perpetrated by the Independents and Sectaries all which gracelesse proceedings the old Puritans of England abhorred as the way of unrighteousnesse This also can be proved that many of their Independent itinerary preachers run from place to place preaching against the Nobility and Gentry against the Citie and against the Reverend Assembly against the Directory against Tythes against the Presbytery yea against all that is called authority and against all our gallant renowned and valiant presbyterian souldiers saying in their Sermons come out yee old base drunken whoremasterly rogues shew what you have done for the safety of the Kingdome ascribing all the glory of those noble victories to their owne party Truly if I should make but a repetition of the very contents of their prayers Sermons and diabolicall practises and set downe but the very heads of them it would fill a mightie volume by all which it would evidently appeare that they are greater Delinquents against the Religion and Lawes established by publicke authority then ever Strafford and the Prelate were and greater Malignants to the State then ever the Cavaliers were yea greater enemies to all Reformation in Religion then ever appeared in the world before they were hatcht and which is not the least thing of admiration and wonder in all these creatures they are fledge in wickednesse as soone as they are disclosed Truly these their practises manifest unto the whole world that they are
if you salute your brethren only what do you more then others Do not even the Publicans so And then the Lord set before all his people his own example for their imitation to teach them to do good unto all and this was the way of righteousnesse the old Puritans of ENGLAND walked in doing good to all which the Sectaries have quite forsaken For it can sufficiently be proved that all their charity is confined to those of their severall sects So that if at any time they have been sent unto and solicited by such as knew how wealthy they were and able to relieve others and how ready also and open hearted and handed they had formerly been which was their praise and honour to the relieving of any that were in necessity especially if they were godly those men I say having no ability to relieve them they being themselves poor yet with speciall recommendations as perfectly knowing them to be such as feared God sent them to such of the Sectaries as they knew were very able and at that time very free to all those that were necessitated of their own party yet could not obtain the least reliefe from them in the behalfe of others though withall they made known unto them that those they commended unto their charity had formerly relieved many and were now brought to that great poverty that they had not bread to put in their own mouths nor their childrens bellies through the cruelty robbery of their barbarous enemies and were escaped only with their lives I say notwithstanding all the importunity of those that solicited those Sectaries and notwithstanding the great indigency and present necessity they were all in they could not extort the least reliefe from them it being replyed and answered that they had enough to relieve of their own telling them that they should go to those that were of their own party and to the Collectors in every parish saying that they must have a care of such as were in Church fellowship with them and thus they have shut up all bowels of compassion to all those that are of a different opinion from themselves especially to all those that are of the Presbyterian way as can be proved by innumerable witnesses Yea they are come to such a height of indignation against the Presbyterians and so far they are from relieving any of them as they will wish their ruine and this is the way the Sectaries now walk in which is not the way of righteousnesse nor of the old Puritans of ENGLAND for the way of righteousnesse is that they should love their enemies and do good to them that hate them Now all the Independents say that the Presbyterians hate them for so in their very prayers they intimate to God himselfe that I may now returne to that prayer I formerly mentioned made by the Homothumadon Brother at the great Venison Feast on the Lords day in one of the grand Sectaries houses where all their Church was entertained He in his prayer spake unto God in this manner Lord saith he they meaning the Presbyterians hate us because we know more of thee then they doe we beseech thee Lord give us to know yet more of thee and then let them hate us more if they will c. Here we see they complaine unto God himselfe though falsely that we hate them now if they walked in the way of Righteousnesse that God hath appointed them to walke in they should doe us good and pray for us and not be so uncharitable as to pray against us and to requite evill for evill which is the way they walke in and which was not the way of the old Puritans of England who had better learned their Lesson of love and charity But now to consider this prayer a little and some other of their expressions and the high prayses that upon all occasions they give of themselves by all which it will yet the better appeare that they are not the old Puritans of England over-grown in goodnesse and exceeding them in selfe-deniall and in all points of piety godlinesse and charity and in truth and righteousnesse for this very prayer of theirs with their other speeches and practices proclame to the world the quite contrary for I affirme first that the old Puritans never magnified their owne graces And secondly that both this prayer and many of their other prayers to God prayses of themselves are both untrue Pharisaicall and uncharitable for the Presbyterians doe not hate them as they falsely accuse them but it is they that hate the Presbyterians as all their words and actions and Pamphlets can testifie The Presbyterians as they are bound hate all false wayes but they hate not the persons of any that is the practice of all the Sectaries as it is well knowne But whereas this Homothumadon Brother said that they knew more of God then the Presbyterians it is most false for all the workes and writings of the Presbyterians in all the Reformed Churches can prove and witnesse the contrary so that the Sectaries are all of them beholding to the learned Workes and Writings of the Presbyterians for all that is in any of them worthy the name of knowledge out of whose learned Bookes they have stole it and I undertake it and shall ever by the grace of God be able to make it good that in all their preachments they deliver nothing that can deservedly be called truth but it hath beene taught by the Presbyterians before they were borne and that far better then any of them can teach it and it is most certaine that there is more knowledge in some one of Calvins Workes as that of his Institutions then is in all the Independents and Sectaries put together which very Booke alone with the Holy Scripture had it beene diligently read and studied by the people the Independents and Sectaries with all their plots and devices could never have gained an hundred Proselytes Yea if young Divines would but well reade and study learned Mr. Calvins Workes and but Gualter Tigurinus his Writings with Peter Martyrs and Zanchius passing by thousands of other most learned and orthodox Divines I say if they would but diligently reade and study these I have now named the Independents would never be able with all their skill to seduce any one of them Or did but ordinary Christians now adayes reade but Calvins Institutions and but Master Perkins upon Iude with the Holy Scripture they would quickly relinquish all their Independent companies and their new gathered Churches and would soone perceive that the Sectaries know not more of God and of Jesus Christ then the Presbyterians doe and if poore deluded soules would but carefully and seriously reade the learned Writings of our owne countrey men as the Workes of Reverend Master Richard Rogers of Master Dod Master Iohn Rogers of Dedham Master George Walker Master Bolton Master Iackson of Woodstreet Master Scudder Master Bal or any one of a thousand of our godly
that no other meanes ought or could lawfully be used but sweating them with Arguments Whereupon I being very desirous of all mens saving healths but especially of yours in regard of the particular acquaintance I have formerly had with some of you and in regard also I have beene often accused of great ingratitude towards you all though I may truly assert that not any one of you did ever shew me the least courtesie under that notion you now shew your love to any for whiles yee were my familiars yee went on in that way I now walke in and if yee then shewed me any humanity yee ought not now to upbraid me with it for I am not changed but yee I say in consideration of these things and in regard likewise I find by many symptomes the minds of many of you are exceedingly exulcerated and affected with that malady in morality yee make so loathsome in others yee being surcharged with superfluity of choler and malice and not able to containe your selves but breake forth into distemper of words and poure it out in unsavoury language so that yee may well be left to a miserere mei I pray excuse me that I use your owne dialect in all these regards I say but chiefly for your soules good and that all the world may see how gratefull a man I am to you for any former courtesies under whatsoever notion you shewed them mee I being a Phisician and very well acquainted with all your distempers and being very willing also to yeeld my best helpe for the restoring of any of you to your former sanity and soundnesse of mind offer my selfe to be your Phisician in ordinary and to follow the method prescribed by one of your brethren who it seemsknows the best way of curing your severall maladies I shall upon all occasions as I have at this time sweat you with Arguments but chiefly aâ— the times appointed and because it shall not be said I doe it out of a desire of gaine and for lucre sake that I may the better testifie my gratitude to you all I will according to my promise give you my counsell gratis only you must pay my Apothecary for the Phisick who shall use you very reasonably Now I have made good provision of it because some of your way not many weeks since being in Westminster-Hall speaking to a Reverend Presbyterian Minister in a vapouring manner said that the Independents were exceedingly beholding to me and Reverend Mr. Edwards affirming that we bred more Indpendents then any two of the Kingdom besides and this I beleeve to be true not only because I know the honesty of the man but because I find it printed by one of your brethren that Bishop Wren was not more mischievous to the Prelacy then Master Edwards hath beene to the Presbytery and because Master Weld a wonderfull learned man writ unto me not long since wondring who hired me to make so many Independents whose worthy Epistles may happily within these few weeks see the light and in this regard I doe perswade my selfe that those Independents did use such words as these to that Minister in Westminster-Hall The same Minister also related unto me moreover that they said that they understood that I was preparing some physicke for them which they doubted not but would be very operative for the breeding and increasing of Independents and for the strengthning of more and therefore they said they were resolved as soone as ever it was made ready for use they would bestow an hundred pounds upon that and Master Edward's Bookes for to send through the countrey for the breeding of Independents and contented not themselves barely to speake the words but bound themselves by a solemne protestation that they would doe it and therefore that Iâ—might farther make them beholding to me which is also some requitall for all your former courtesies I have provided physick in a very great quantity and challenge your promise for I presume that they were but the mouth of their brethren there being one of your Sagamours in the company at that time a man that cannot deny what was promised Now if you be honest men indeed and men of your word I expect performance according to your promise I will see you shall have reasonable penny worths only I must tell you that I will take order that the physicke be faithfully distributed and sent through the Kingdome into all parts according to your engagement for the breeding of Independents that it be not embezeled I will undertake that it shall carefully be sent to whatsoever places you shall appoint therefore if yee be Saints indeed as yee pretend stand to your word for I have good witnesse of it and doe not you pretend excuses for the declining of the buying of my physick for then I will conclude you are but a company of Bragadochoes neither would I have you as formerly you use to disparage it finding fault with it my method manner of dispensation saying that it is nauseous and that in my rules and directions I am full of tautologies and extravagancies and that it is poore stuffe procuring rather vomiting then sweating and that their tender stomacks and conscences cannot digest such physicke complayning moreover that it is very deare I would not have you now pretend any of these things I say it is not for your honour seeing you have passed your promise to buy it and to send it through the countrey for the breeding of Independents for you should have considered all these things before your engagements which being passed you cannot now with honesty revoke But as for the tautologies and often repetitions you so blame in my method and so much speake of you of all men ought to excuse them you your selves so often using them having little else in all your writings but tautologies and vaine repetitions especially you ought not to blame them in me when those of your partie have occasioned them by your frequent objecting the same things from severall mouths and pens for I had to deale with your whole Armie and with three of your Generals at once who had read without doubt what each other had writ against me and therefore they picking and choosing through my booke what they thought they could best deale with they might have set upon those parts of my Book that the others had said nothing against but they making the same cavils that the others had done they put mee upon severall answers But were it so that they had none of them seene what each other had writ yet they treading in the same steps and answering after their manner to the severall Arguments they opposed I was severally to reply to all their cavils that are materially made to the severall Arguments which I have faithfully done and for my part I thought it no burthen being ever willing yea resolved is often and as frequently as I find poyson laid by any destructive creature to prescribe an
of the world And this I thought fit to speak concerning the first question or controversie betweene the Presbyterians and the Independents The second is concerning the gathering of Churches and admitting of Members into Church fellow-ship communion which the Independents hold and teach must be upon these conditions First that they that are to be admitted and before they can be received into the Church they must walke sometime with them In New-England they make some walke seven yeeres before they can be received and this is their first condition Secondly before their admission they must make every one of them a particular and publicke confession of their faith Thirdly they must bring in the evidences of their conversion declaring the time when the place where and the occasion how they were converted Fourthly they must all and every one of them enter into a particular explicite Covenant Fifthly they must come in and be admitted by the consent of the whole Church Nemine contradicente so that the refusing of any of these hinders their admission and the gathering of Churches after so fashion as the French men use to speake when they learn English is the onely way as they all affirme of setting up Christ as King upon his Throne and this is the opinion and doctrine of all the Independents concerning the gathering of Churches pretending withall that they have the Church of Jerusalem for this their paterne and plat-forme which is nothing else but to abuse the Scripture as will afterwards appeare The Presbyterians on the contrary side hold and beleeve that for the gathering of Churches and for the making of any Members of any Church and for the admitting of them into Church Followship and Communion no other conditions are to be propounded to them by the Ministers for their reception into the society of the Church or to be required at any peoples hands but those that Christ the King of his Church whose voyce is only in Church matters to be listned unto and heard hath propounded viz. Repentance Faith and Baptisme And this is the beliefe and opinion of the Presbyterians concerning the admission of Members and gathering of Churches affirming that the Independents have neither Precept nor President for all their new conditions in the whole Booke of God and therefore that they ought to be rejected as their owne inventions and as the vaine and wicked traditions of their owne braine as will clearely in the following discourse be evidenced to all men And this is briefly the state of the question and difference betweene us Now before I set downe the ground and seeming warrant they pretend for this their fond opinion of Independency by which they have brought trouble and confusion upon this whole Church and Kingdome I thinke it fit I say before the handling of the whole busines to say something concerning the sorts of Independents I have to deale with and against the which all my following Arguments doe militate and I find two sorts of Independents the first are those which for distinction sake I call Homothumadons the other Burtonians Now the Homothumadon Independents that at this day swarme through the whole Kingdome if their owne brags may be beleeved are the universality of all the Sectaries who generally hold that There were no more beleevers in the Church of Ierusalem and in all other the primitive Churches within their respective Precincts then could all ordinarily meet in one Congregation to partake in all Acts of worship and from thence out of this their imaginary opinion they forme all their severall Churches calling their Assemblies the Churches of the Congregationall way and to this their opinion they sticke and cleave immoveably The Burtonian Independents of which my Brother Burton is the Corypheus and Antesignanus and from whom they have received their doctrine they hold and beleeve that there were many Congregations and Assemblies of beleevers in the Church of Ierusalem but deny that those severall Congregations were Churches properly so called This I say is the opinion of my Brother Burton and his disciples So that my first Brigade of Arguments and Forces that I have drawn out of Saint Iohn the Baptists Christs and his blessed Apostles and seventy Disciples quarters and that before Christs death with all those I have taken out of the strong garrison of Ierusalem after Christs ascension and have brought into the field to dispute this controversie and question they militate against the whole Army of the Homothumadon Sectaries that under the command of Hanserdo Knollys and I. S. their Generalls indeavored to maintain and keep this ground viz. That there were no more Beleevers in the Church of Ierusalem at first and last then could and did ordinarily all meet together in one place or Congregation to partake in all acts of worship The other companies that I have taken out of the Apostles quarters after Christs death resurrection and ascension militate against all the Burtonian Independents in the head of which Army he himselfe comes out into the field as their Generall maintaining that those severall Assemblies in the Church of Ierusalem were not Churches properly so called And he Goliah-like appears armed with his sword and Phocions hatchet which is his pol-ax bidding defiance to the whole host of Presbyterians presuming to make good this ground against them all viz. That those severall Assemblies of Beleevers in the Church at Ierusalem were not Churches properly so called challenging me by name saying Page 7. Come on Brother let you and I try it out by the dint of this swoâ—d adding moreover these words and truly I shall by the helpe of my Godmake no long worke of it I shall saith he assay with one stroke of Phocions Hatchet to cut in two the long thread of your Alcibiadian fluent and luxuriant Rhetorications Thus valiant old Harry tryumphs before the victory and even conjures it out And in this dispute betweene my Forces and all the Independent Army after a few skirmishes they shall see not only a private Duell fought betweene Generall Burton and my selfe but the fall of that their Champion with their totall rout and see their whole Army to fly and leave the field and that most cowardly though they were three to one howsoever their scattered Forces now and then make some false alarums and speake bigge words what reserves they yet have and what great things they will doe and how they will rally againe and come upon me and breake through and through to the totall routing of all my Forces They that are acquainted with the feats of Armes and expert souldiers in this Militia will well perceive that it is but selfe confidence in them all and that all their swelling words will tend to their owne dishonour I have three Generals to encounter with in the Independent Army two under the name of all the Homothumadons Hanserdo Knollys and I. S. and Henry Burton in the name of all those of his party besides some whibling reserves
And all the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord and all the kindreds of the Nations shall worship before thee And Psal 72. it is said All Kings shall fall down before him and all Nations shall serve him And Psal 86. 9. All Nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee O Lord and shall glorifie thy name Innumerable places to this purpose might be produced for the proving of Nationall Churches for all Nations are Christs by donation Psal 2. 8. Ask of me saith the Lord speaking to Christ and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession Yea they are his by conquest who hath vanquished the strong man and disarmed him and vindicated the Nations into his own possession yea they are his by purchase also viz. all the elect of them for he hath redeemed them with his precious blood 1 Pet. 1. Acts 20. Yea they are his by call for he sent his Apostles into all nations to invite them to come in Matth. 28. Marke 16. And many of them obeyed the call and are his by covenant as we may see it Revel 11. v. 15. where it is said The Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall raigne for ever and ever And Paul in the 11. of the ROM speaking unto all the Gentiles in as much as he was the Apostle of the Gentiles saith ver 17. That some of the naturall branches being broken off the Gentiles which were the wilde Olive tree were graffed in amongst them and with them did partake of the root and fatnesse of the Olive tree So that now all the Nations were equall in priviledges with the Jews in all respects so that as that was a nationall Church so are they and yet all make but one Church for there is but one shepherd and one sheep fold one Church consisting of Jews and Gentiles now as the Church of the Jews is said to be but one Nationall church because all the tribes in that Family or Nation and all the visible and publike assemblies of the same being parts of the catholicke church and living under one ecclesiasticall and civill government were by the profession of the same faith and fellowship and communion of the same worship and government united into one body ecclesiastick or ecclesiastical commonwealth So for ought I know all those Kingdomes Nations Countries and Provinces that shall imbrace the Gospel as I said before and come under the government of Jesus Christ the great high Priest and King of his church which was typified by the legall high Priest and the Kings of Judah and do yeeld obedience unto him and that government he hath appointed in his church may all of them being joyned in a particular consociation and community in any country Nation or Province or Kingdome receive their denomination from the several countries nations in which they are For the Church eatholick being an homogenial and similar body retains the name of church into what cities countries nations or Kingdomes soever it be divided into for as those many Congregations in the Church at Ierusalem made all of them but one church within its precincts and had its name from thence so may the many Parishes and Villages which being met together in their severall bounds in the profession of the same Christian faith make but one Church being all of them through that countrie combined together under one government both Ecclesiasticall and civill for as for the division of the nations it is not to be considered meerly as an humane and politicke Ordinance as many conceive and therefore would make Provinciall Churches and Parish Churches a humane invention for in the 32. of Deut. v. 8. it is said there when the most high divided to the nations their inheritance so that God was the Author of this division and gave their severall names unto them and set all their bounds and limits yea he hath set the bounds of every man as it is sufficiently proved by the Apostle Acts 17. where hee saith verse 26. that God hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth and hath determined the times before appointed and the bounds of their habitations so that the division of the whole world into divers nations and those nations into severall Provinces and Counties and those counties into so many hundreds and Wapentakes or Rapes or Tribes and all these into so many severall Parishes is said to be Gods owne appointment for he is said to have divided the nations tohave set them their bounds and therefore I can conceive no reason why Parish Churches amongst us may not as well be accounted Gods Ordinance as Parish Synagogues amongst the Iewes and why citie Churches amongst us may not as well be Gods Ordinance now as it was then for so by divine institution they were then in the Apostles times esteemed and it is well knowne that in New-England all their severall Townes as that of Plymouth Bostorne Cambridge c. have all their bounds and limits prescribed unto them and all the people within that precinct and no farther that submit themselves to that their government are said to be Members of each severall Church and of no other and yet all this is as much politick as the division of our Parishes and Cities and those Churches constituted by the Apostles in every citie village and countrey were as much politick as ours and yet are called Gods Ordinances and truly I know no good reason why our parish churches should not farre rather and with farre greater reason be of divine institution then those churches of the congregationall way for it is well knowne that all the Members in our severall Parishes dwell within such and such limits and for the most part are all well and familiarly knowne one to an other and every weeke once at least see all one an others faces and can daily meet together for to watch over one another whereas those of the congregationall way dwell many of them twenty miles one from another and some threescore miles one from another and all for the most part a great distance one from another scattered here and there so that they cannot possibly one watch over an other as is pretended and behold one an others conversation for that is impossible and therefore for my particular I know that the parochiall or parishionall assembling of themselves together for the injoying of the Ordinances hath presidents for it in holy Writ and that many both in cities and villages but wee have not one president of such congregations as are now in our new Churches in all the whole Booke of God and therefore I conclude that all our parochiall meetings are farre more of divine institution and Churches properly so called then the Assemblies of the congregationall way And by the same
Argument I may gather that the Christian Churches now through the world at least all the reformed Churches may as well be called nationall Churches as the Jewish Church was especially if we looke unto the requisites that make a nationall Church for two things are required for the making of a nationall Church first a nationall agreement in the same faith and worship Secondly a nationall union in one Ecclesiasticall body in the same community of Ecclesiasticall government as now the Church of England Scotland and Ireland have all by covenant bound themselves to maintaine the same faith and worship and by a nationall union and agreement they have accorded to be under a Presbyteriall government and this they all acknowledge to be Gods Ordinance and a way appointed by him of governing his church and that the Presbyterian government is Gods Ordinance the Independents themselves doe acknowledge but they hold only a congregationall Presbyterie and we hold and that from all reason and from the good word of God and from many presidents both Citie classicall provinciall and nationall Presbyteries and oecumenicall also upon occasions for of these kinds of Presbyteries both the Word of God and many Ecclesiasticall Histories doe furnish us with some presidents and therefore for the one wee have divine institution for it and many examples in the Booke of God but wee have neither precept nor example of that of the congregationall way and therefore it is none of Gods institutions nor none of his devices nor composures that I may use some of I. S. his Rhetoricke but a meere figment of their own braine But now I am to answer to something my Brother Burton hath to say concerning the Presbyters of the Church of England who pag. 6. 7. of his Booke If you saith he have not a good Presbyterie where shall hee viz. that is scandalized or offended goe to complaine Hee may goe and appeale higher you will say and what if the higher the worse Good Brother saith hee either provide the people of the Land an honest godly Presbytery that may be as so many Angels to gather out of Christs Kingdome every thing that offends or else let there be a tender care of tender consciences and some provision made for them that they may not be scandalized by being forced to be the companions of the scandalous Thus my Brother Burton Here is a double If propounded meerly to amuse the people for it is not unknowne to all men that the Parliament the great Councell of the Kingdome endeavoureth to cast out all scandalous Ministers so farre as their power extendeth through the Kingdome if by information and sufficient witnesses they can be proved to be such so that every conscientious and intelligible man may see there is very small ground for the doubts and feares either of my Brother Burton or any of that Fraternity that there will not be a good Presbytery set up and as little when they cannot deny but the godly if offended may goe and appeale higher for either he himselfe or they to make such a supposition what if the higher the worse If I should conclude that these doubts were conceived nourished and brought forth out of the wombe of faction my Brother Burton with his complices would call it rayling therefore to avoid ifit be possible their unjust censures I onely say thus much that both hee and all his brethren use an uncharitable way of arguing which is the best construction can be made of it for thus they may traduce any man yea any government or any way of God at pleasure with a detracting if But here lies the mysterie the onely way my Brother Burton and his associats have to advance Independency is to cloud the truth of God under darke expressions and to eclypse those shining Lights the faithfull godly Ministers throughout the kingdom that the Lord hath set up in his Church that so the people may not heare the voice of God speaking in them by which meanes the understandings of many are wrapped up in error obscurity and darkenesse as in a mantle and the ungrounded and unwarrantable notions of Independency are received by them as new Lights they being very pleasing to flesh and blood for man naturally hath an ambitious boundlesse spirit and from the beginning would not be limited by God himselfe and the Independent doctrine being without bounds teaching that it is free for men to beleeve practise and preach abroad their severall opinions calling it liberty of conscience this is such a Light that all the sons and daughters of darkenesse will willingly walke in But should the Independents obtaine their desire whereever this new Light were set up it would prove no other liberty then that which our first Parents Adam and Eve gained for their Rebellion against Gods command which was to inslave themselves and all their posterity to sinne and Satan and most certaine it is that such a liberty as the Independents doe teach seeke and joyning with all sort of Sectaries and Libertines plead and stand for would bring confusion and an irrevocable curse on those Kingdomes and countries as shall tolerate so great abominations and cause the Lord who hates Laodicean Lukewarmenesse in Religion to spue them out of his mouth Revel 3. 15. 16. But before I passe on I will take this liberty to say unto my Brother Burton that whatsoever with his Ifs hee can plead against our Presbyters may be said with much more and with farre better reason against the independent Presbyters if they be wicked or hereticall for from them there is no appeal for reliefe by any amongst them never so much wronged and therefore all such kinds of arguing against our Presbyters is as altogether uncharitable so but trifling But my Brother Burton cals upon me to provide the people of the Land an honest and godly Presbyterie from whence it appeares that in his and his brethrens account all the Orthodox faithfull and godly Presbyters in the Land at this day who differ from the opinions they have lately received are neither honest nor godly for if there be as most certaine it is there are many honest godly Presbyters provided for the people of the Land it is strange he should speak in such a manner as if they were altogether wanting for so his words doe intimate for why otherwise should he make such a request to me of providing an honest godly Presbyterie if he or they beleeved wee had a godly Presbytery already who notwithstanding he knows hath no power to performe it Truly all his Argumentations are very uncharitable no way beseeming a Brother for charity is kind and thinks no evill 1 Cor. 13. 4. 5. But were it so that it might be taken pro confesso that ther were not any such set up in this land which were to deny the Suns shining at noon-day did hee and the Independents indeed and in truth unfainedly desire such a Presbyterie should be set up established why
tongue And truly unlesse there be some controversie concerning the Interpretation or about the text as there is not here I conceive it the greatest folly in the world writing in the vulgar tongue and for the common benefit of all men to insert sentences either of Greek or Latin except very varly for it but pudders the reader that is not skilled in the languages neither do we finde that it was the custome either of the holy Prophets or any of the ancient Greek or Roman fathers in all their Writings or Sermons to use any but their vulgar tongue without it were very seldom and that with interpretation I say therefore those flashes being excepted I have punctually set down all that he had to say against any of my arguments both here and every where that neither he nor any of his party may complain that I had not set down their words in their full strength and so might fall into the same condemnation with him who hacketh and minseth my arguments at pleasure picking and choosing what he thinks himself best able to deal with either wholly omitting the other or slighting of them which is the ordinary method both of Mr Knollys J. S. and my brother Burton and all the Independents wherein they deal not fairly with me nor ingenuously nor candidly with the people for in so doing they delude them and meerly play the juglers This large discourse of Master Knollys if it be well weighed hath but little substance in it it consisting of absurdities and contraditions and flat denyalls of that which he often granteth In breife if the reader will but duly consider every passage of his answer with whathe grants in the third and the 11. pages of his pamplet he will speedily perceive that whiles he labours to confute others he gives a fatall blow to his own cause and overthrowes that opinion which both he and all those of the congregationall way labour to maintaine and withall by the examination of the particulars he will the better discerne into the futility of Master Knollys and the vanity of those of his party that beleeve take every word of his for an Oracle though it be never so distructive totheir own cause The sum of this his answer is this that I am mistaken in my comentary exposition and application of this place of Scripture These are his words It will not be amisse therefore in the first place to take notice what he denyeth in his answer and what he affirmeth with the reasons of both that the reader may the more easily perceive the vanity of error and the force and efficacy of truth First he denyeth that Diotrephes would have had an absolvte jurisdiction within himself and have had his Congregation independent and that he was the first that opposed the Presbyterian Government or that he had any particular congregation He deneyeth also that Saint Iohn knew any Court or Common counsell of Presbyters either Classicall or Synodicall to appeale to his time The reasons of his denyals are these First because saith he there is no mention made of any particular congregation Diotrephes had Secondly it is not declared what it was that Saint Iohn had writ unto the Church in his Epistle nor in any other Scripture except it were to receive those brethren which Diotrephes would not receive and therfore how saith God can the Dâ— affirme that Diotrephes asmed theypower to himself which belonged unto the Colledge and councell of Presbyters c and to prove that Diotrephes was not the first that opposed the Presbyterian government he saith had he done so then he should have been convented before them which he was not and therefore he did not oppose a Court or common Councell of Presbyters Besides Saint Iohn would then have wrot rather to the Colledge of Presbyters if they had been any such than to the Church or in writing to the Church would rather have sent him a summons to appeare at some Consistory than to warne them to take heede of his evill that they did not follow it and doubtlesse he would have written thus Diotrephes loves to be a Primate amongst you therefore when the Presbytery comes to keepe order and to meet together in a Court common Councell I will remember his deeds and informe and complaine to the Court that he prats against us with malicious words Now when neither of this was done by the Presbytry nor by Saint Iohn it is manifest that Diotrephes did not oppose the Presbytry and that Saint Iohn then knew not of any Court or common councell of Presbyters either Classicall or Synodicall to appeale to in his time And then in the third place he putteth me upon the proofe of those appeales I made mention of page 10. affirming that I cannot make them good And in the last place he afferteth that Saint Iohn wâ—it to the Church and particular congregation whereof Diotrephes was a member and that that congregation had power to judge of him and the reason of this his assertion is because saith he this Church had the same power over Diotrephes that the Church of Corinth and that of Colosse had over their members Having thus briefly set down what Master Knollys both denies and affirmes with the reasons of each I shall now answer to every severall branch in order and if I be the more large in my reply I crave pardon in regard it is not only a businesse of publicke concernment and about the principle question now in debate but that it will give the more light to the wholo following discourse For answer therefore to his reason of my mistake in my commentary exposition and application of that place of Scripture viz that there is no mention made of any particular congregation that Diotrephes had I say there was no neede of making any mention of it For if there were many Presbyters in all the Primative and Apostolicall churches and in that Church by name in which Diotrephes was Presbyter as it is evident out of all the places above quoted as out of the 14. of the Acts and the 15. and 20. and 21. of the same booke and the Epistle of Paul to Tit. Chap. 1. ver 5. and the 1. Epist oâ— Pet. chap 5. ver 1. 2. 3. and the 13. of the Heb. and Saint Iames the 5. and the 3. Epistle of Saint Iohn which Master Knollys himself acknowledgeth and if it be also apparently evident from all those severall Scriptures as it is that those Presbyters were fixed with in their particular jurisdictions with a speciall charge given them in common to looke unto the flocks committed unto their charge and to feede the Church of God which he had redeemed with his precious blood which word feede includes the Keys to wit the power of order and preaching and the authority of jurisdiction and rule and from the which charge they were not to depart as too too many of the Independent Ministers now amongst us dayly do
leaving the poore sheepe in the wildernesse I say when all these things are evident out of the holy Scripture it necessarily followeth when Diotrephes was an Elder and Presbyter in that Church Saint Iohn writ unto which Master Knollys confesseth that he had there his particular congregation and therfore there was no neede of making any mention of it for very common reason will dictate thus much to any man that if any great grasier have ten or twelve thousand sheepe and many severall walks and places of pasturage to feed them in and hath severall pastours to looke unto them all as not a few Shephards can feede ten or twelue thousands sheepe and gives them all a charge in common of looking to his sheepe and feeding them although all those severall pastours are to have a generall care of all those sheep that have his marke upon them and that are within the limits of his severall walks and grasing places yet it is to be understood that every one of them hath his severall flocke committed to him in speciall for he must not be idle over the which he is to have the particular inspection and care for the well ordering of it with this limitation that he may not wrong the flocke or do any thing contrary unto his Masters pleasure or to the dammage or prejudice of his other fellow Pastours or their flocke All this I say good reason will dictate to any rationall man and dayly experience will confirme it In the same manner things were ordered in the primitive and Apostolicall Churches all whose Elders and Pastours in them had the charge of the severall flocks committed to them in common all the which they were to governe communi consilio presbyterorum as it is by all the Independents themselves confest for all those Churches were Aristocratically and Presbyterianly governed and therefore according to the wisdome and common councell of their Elders this Presbyter had the charge of the sheepe of such a ward or walke committed unto his care and that Elder had such a Circuit committed unto his charge and a third Elder had such a precinct committed to his cure and so of the rest with this proviso alwayes that all things of publicke concernment and that tended to the common good both of sheep and Pastours should be ordered by the joynt and common councell of the severall and respective Presbyters in an orderly and well regulated way for all things in the Church were to be done in order and decency and uniformitie which could never have been if every Pastour and Presbyter and every particular congregation under them severally would have governed as pleased themselves without any reference to the Colledge or common counsell of all the Presbyters which was the failing of Diotrephes here for which he was greatly blam'd by Saint Iohn And that all those Churches were to be governed by their severall Presbytries and that the people were not to intermeddle with the government of them Master Knollys himselfe in the third page of his pamphlet and in the eleventh of the same doth accord who citing my words in my introduction to my booke deduceth from them foure conclusions which I shall by and by set downe after I have related the grounds of them Before saith he the Doctor comes to proove his four particular Propositions he saith it will not be amisse in generall to take notice that all the Churches we read of in the new testament were aristocratically and Presbyterially Governed and were all Dependent upon the severall Presbyters and produceth divers places of Scripture to prove the same and two sheets are spent wholly in proving thereof from the 12 page to the 29. These words Mr Knollys quoteth out of my book Now hear his answer All which saith he should it be granted onely proves First that in every City or Church there was a Presbytery For they Ordained them Elders in every Church Act. 14. That thou Ordain Elders City by City Tit. 1. v. 5. Secondly that as there were Apostles and Elders in the church of Jerusalem so there were Elders in the church of Ephesus Acts the 20. ver 25. and in the church of Corinth and in the church of Galatia and Philippy c. Thirdly that those severall churches were dependent upon their several Presbyteries and they were to obey them who had the rule over them Hebr. 13. 7. 17. 24. Who were their guids obey your guids Fourthly that this Presbyterian church Government God hath appointed as his Ordinance to be continu'd to the end of the World the which whosoever resisteth resisteth the Ordinance of God These are the foure conclusions Master Knolleys gathereth out of my arguments but with all adds saying that all this doth not prove that this Presbyterian Church government is dependent upon a supreame judicature to the Decrees of which they must submit themselves and their churches This saith Mr. Knollys doth not follow but of that in its due place In the mean time it will be much to the purpose a little to consider his expressions All which saith he should it be granted proves First c. to wit the four conclusions now layd down in this place I intreat the Reader to behold the vanity of the man in so speaking all which shâ—uld â—t be granted as if he did me a great courtesie and favour to yeeld unto me that which the holy Scripture in exâ—resse woâ—ds declareth o be the will and pleasure of God and that which I had out of the blessed word of truth sufficiently ev need and which no man can deny except he will deny the Scripture and Word of God which hath perspicuously and in fo mall termes set own that there was a Colledge Presbyte ie of Elders orda ned and constituted in very Church or City who were to have the rule over the people in their severall congreâ—ations within their â—râ—cin â—s w ch M Knollys himself consenteth unto as is evident by his 4 conclusions So that if ever there had been any time of denying or not granting that all the Churches of the New Iestament were all Arâ—stocratically and Presbyterianly to be govern'd and were so many severall Eccle aâ—â—icall Corpo ations and that all those Scriptures I had produced for the proof of the same had not been rightly applyed and alleadged now had been the time when this businesse was in question and agitation for Mr Knollys to have shewen his skill and to have produced the reasons of his dislike and gain-saying but when he confirmed what I proved as is manifest from his four conclusions it is a great folly in the man to say all which should it be granted when he himselfe acknowledgeth as much and in expresse terms in the eleventh page of his book hath these words It is not denyed saith he by the brethren meaning the Independents that the Presbyters in all Churches were the men in the Government of the Churches in which they were Elders These are
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
I did is not this the Christ then it is said they went out and came unto him and many of them beleeved for the saying of the woman which testified hee told mee all that ever J did but many more beleeved because of his owne word and said unto the woman now wee beleeve not because of thy saying but because wee have heard him our selves and know that this is indeed the Christ the Saviour of the world The Scripture saith they beleeved before upon the womans relation but wee now coroborated in their faith and so it was with Iohns Disciples and followers But shall there be any therefore from that bee so stupid as to thinke that any of Iohns Disciples that had the best and frequentest instruction concerning the Messias could either doubt or be scandalized at him because the people followed Christ and John sent his Disciples to him No surely none would so conclude but I. S. and his Fraternity Much lesse would they say that others did under the forme of Iohns Baptisme fight against the true Baptisme and Baptizer the Lord Iesus which is I. S. his second reason or rather folly and madnesse and upon this their wicked conceit and groundlesse opinion inferre that they were no Christians as I. S. doth For there is not any one word in all the Holy Scripture that does relate that any that were baptized by Iohn did under the forme of that Baptisme fight against the true Baptisme and Baptizer the Lord Jesus what a wicked and abominable Fellow then is this I. S. that dares thus at pleasure traduce the generation of the just and falsely accuse all Iohns owne Disciples and all those that were baptized by him to be enemies of Jesus Christ the Messias and upon this bare opinion of his to unchristian them all it may now be no wonder to any good Christian that the whole rout of the Independents unchurch us and make no Christians of us and asperse and speak all manner of evill of us at pleasure calling us the profest enemies of Jesus Christ his Kingdom seeing upon all occasions they doe the same to all those that were baptized by Iohn and Christs Disciples all which I. S. proclaims to be no Christians as his words doe sufficiently speak But from the testimony that he produceth to prove that Iohns Disciples were scandalized at Christ I gather the contrary for the reasons above specified and conclude with al that there were innumerable multitudes daily converted by Christs and Iohns Ministry were all made good Christians for it is said in the chapter quoted by him that all men came to him Iohn and they were all baptized so that not a few congregations could contain all them that came from Ierusalem for all Jerusalem came out to John and our Saviour sent this message unto Iohn in the 7. of Luke as one of the miracles he wrought that the poor received the Gospel that is not onely the poore in spirit but the multitudes of people that were poore and indigent in respect of these outward things and wanted those riches that others abounded with and he affirmes of these that they received the Gospell and imbraced the free grace and favour of God and that they were the Pharisees and Lawyers only that reiected the counsell of God against themselves but for all the poore saith he and all others that heard Iohn they imbraced the Gospel and were Gospel Christians and such as believed aright and as they ought to beleeve and therefore if the testimony of Christ may be credited they were cast into a Church mould according to the New Testament forme and were very good Christians and that in mighty multitudes for all Jerusalem and the poore received the Gospel and therefore they could not meet in one and a few congregations together at any one time But because I S. so peremptorily affirmes that were it granted that all the people received Iohns Baptisme yet it would stand me in little stead to prove the conclusion viz that they were made Christians These are his words adding with all much lesse that they were cast into a Church mould according to the New Testament forme and lest of all that they were all members of one Christian Church at Ierusalem which is one of their chiefe Arguments by which I. S. they of his fraternity uphold their opinion of Independency and by which they unchurch all other churches but their own at this day I say in all these regards I will spend the more time about this argument the which howsoever it be brought in by I. S. but as as a corallary yet it may stand for his sixth Argument and the best in the bunch to maintaine and uphold there with their way of Independency therefore I will first put his words into a Syllogisticall frame then consider the waight of the reasons contained in them All such as were not cast into a Church mould according to the New testament forme and lest of all were members of one Christian church in Ierusalem they were not made Christians but all they of Ierusalem that went out to Iohns baptisme and were baptized by him were such as were not cast into a Church mould according to the New testament forme least of all were they members of one Christian Church in Ierusalem ergo they were not made Christians This is I. S. his Argument which he sets downe by way of a corallary the Minor of which I deny affirming they were cast into a church mould as the sequell wlil shew But because by this Argument the Independents do not only unchurch and unchristian all those that were baptized by Iohn the Baptist but indeed unchurch and unchristian all the Protestant Churches through the world and all other churches but their owne I shall be something the larger in examining it with the severall termes and expressions of the same and then shew and discover the futility and vanity of it by which I am confident the errors of their wayes will the better appeare for by that it will be manifest that the Independent doctrine is but an old peece of Popery in new clothes though varnished over with fine colours that it may come forth into the world more lovely and lesse suspected and it is as little prevalent to maintaine their cause as the Papists is to uphold their Babell The Papists and the Independents here agree in these two things First They both deny that those beleevers that were baptized by Iohn the Baptist into Christ to come were formed into a Christian church or churches for we have I. S. his formall words in this his answer in the name of all the Independents confidently denying that they were made Christians and my brother Burton in expresse termes page 9. of his booke accordeth unto him saying in the name of all his brethren we take no notice of them as formed into a church or churches and pag. 16. of his booke he produceth the Papists
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
such as have built upon this foundation that upon the reading of any books or hearig of any arguments on the contrary side their hearts may not like the heart of Ahaz Isai the 7. 1. when he heard of the confederacy of Syria and Ephraim be moved as the trees of the wood are moved with the winde This is the discourse of that Author whose words I have related in their full length and extent not intending at this time to shew all the errors of them which would require a just volume though occasonally I shall meete with some of them and make it appeare that according to his discription of a church which he hath taken out of Master Cotteos booke of New England none of the congregationall churches at this day are compleate churches properly so called And if that also my brother Burton speakes be true then the very church of Jerusalem as I said before which he calles the first formed church was not a true formed church properly so called All this occasionally I hope to make evident In the meane time I will make use of such Arguments as the new lights from the Summer Ilands afforde me for the proving of my major proposition which was that All those Assemblies and Congregations met together in those severall houses at Ierusalem every one of them respectively and severally taken were churches properly so called And this I doe the more willingly because I conceive it will better sound in my brother Burtons eares and those of his party to heare one of their own great Rabbyes who they usually call Giants and tall fellowes then to heare me who at pleasure they stile a Pigmy and Dwarfe from his words therefore I thus argue If two or three met together in the fellowship of the Gospell and in Christs name and clothed with his power and honoured with his presence doe constitute a visible church as he asserteth and laboureth to prove in the name of all the Independents then much more two or three hundred met together in the fellowship of the Gospell and in Christs name and clothed with his power and honoured with his presence having amongst them also their lawfull Officers and Ministers and injoying likewise all those saving and sealing Ordinances within themselves which the Independents confesse are sufficient for the constituting of a Church properly so called then I say and that with far better reason that such a company doe constitute a compleat visible Church or a Church body properly so called but in the Church of Jerusalem there was not onely two or three met together or two or three such Assemblies and Congregations but at least twelve if not halfe twelve score yea innumerable in all and every one of the which they met together in the fellowship of the Gospell and in Christs name and clothed with his power and honoured with his presence and in all and every one of the which respectively and severally they had also their lawfull Officers and Ministers and injoyed all those saving and sealing Ordinances which the Independents confesse arr sufficient for the constituting of a Church properly so called Ergo all and every one of those Congregations severally and respectively considered were Churches properly so called This Argument is grounded upon the Independents owne Principles and upon their very words and corroborated with their owne reasons For what people say they in the world may bee 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 bee of any efficacy then they have a right to be so called Thus the Independents speake and therefore without they will renounce their owne Principles and abjure all reason and the very light of understanding given them of God they must acknowledge those severall congregations in the Church of Jerusalem to be Churches properly so called as having in every one of them whatsoever they thinke requisite and sufficient to constitute a formed Church for there were in each of them respectively such Ministers and Officers as to whom Christ had given his power and promised his presence and that to the enâ— of the world Matth. 28. vers the last They had also in all those congregations all those Priviledges Immunities and Ordinances the injoying of the which the Independents thinke sufficient to make any one of their new congregations a compleat and formed church or church body properly so called as for their Ministers and Pastors they had all the blessed Apostles amongst them and Christs seventy disciples and many other Preachers abundantly furnished with al gifts as who had gone in and out with Christ from the very beginning of his and Iohns Ministry the meanest of which was thought fit to be an Apostle as is manifest from the first of the Acts and they had amongst them also in their severall congregations many Beleevers and Saints and all of them extraordinarily gifted and qualified and such as continued stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in the breaking of bread and in prayers therefore they were visible Churches I doe not with the Author say mysticall bodies the Members of the which were visible Saints such as were called out of the world and united together in their severall congregations and that with the holy covenants of Baptisme and breaking of bread to worship the Lord in all his holy Ordinances and therefore they were so many compleat churches and churches properly so called as being joyned together in the fellowship of the faith of the Gospel and having in all those assemblies and congregations severally and respectively both for matter and forme that which the Independents hold ever sufficient to constitute and compleate churches properly so called for the matter of those congregations they were visible and miraculous Saints not ordinary ones as being inspired with the Holy Ghost and having amongst them Officers and Ministers of incomparable sanctified transcendent indowments viz the holy Apostles al the which were led into all truth by the Spirit of God who spake in them and by them infallibly who had all and every one of them the Keys of the Kingdome of Heaven viz. the power of order and jurisdiction by which they preached the Gospel and ordained and constituted all other churches and gathered and formed churches both in Ierusalem and in all other cities and countries wheresoever they came And as in all those congregations and assemblies they had the materials both for Officers and Members of true compleate formed churches so tâ—â—y had likewise that which the Independents call the forme of compleate churches properly so called to speake in their owne language for they were all united and combined together in all and every one of those severall congregations by the bond of an holy covenant or covenants as that of Baptisme and breaking of bread those sealing Ordinances and they had the preaching of the Word and prayer amongst
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
himselfe his good Friend his Lord and Master the King of Saints and King of Kings the mighty Potentate the sole and only head and Lawgiver and Governour of his Church I say if he had not been in very great haste indeed and giddy withall in his brain or in some distraction He would have taken notice of Christ and have thought him and his blessed Apostles and seventy Disciples and those likewise that were baptized by John with Christs Mother Brethren and Sisters worthy to be esteemed a formed Church or Churches yet he and his brethren passe by them all saying we take no notice of them as formed into a Church or churches so that it is no wonder they at this day take no notice of our Churches and that they absolutely deny them to be formed into a church or churches after the New Testament forme when they do the same to all the beleevers in Christs time Surely that Subject that should passe by his King and Soveraign and all his retinue and Courtiers and take no notice of him and them and should yeild him no reverence would be thought crased in his brain especially if he should in a slighting manner say He tooke no notice of them And all men that should hear such an expression from him would not onely judge such an one a very unbred man and an uncivill fellow but that deservedly he ought to be taught better manners And without doubt a King that should understand of such a Subject if he at any time had need of his favour would reply unto him Sir you woud take no notice of me and my servants go now to those for help that you think worthy to be taken notice of As the Lord said unto the Israelites who when they were oppressed by their cruell enemies and came then flying unto him for his assistance Go saith he to your gods that in your prosperity yee served and seek help from them And truly if the businesse be seriously considered this my brother Burtons and his associates dealing with Christ and his Disciples and Followers is not altogether unlike the dealing of the Israelites with the Lord at least in words For in plain termes they say we take no notice of them as formed into a church or churches so that Christ and his Disciples are very little beholding to those of the congregationall way Certainly the man was in very great haste when he uttered these words or exceedingly distemperd in his brain for otherwise Christ had been worthy to have been taken notice of if his followers had not Our Saviour speaks of some that at the last day shall say unto him Lord Lord have we not preached in thy Name and in thy Name have we not done wondrous works Mat. 7. ver 22 23. To whom Christ saith he will reply Depart from me I know you not And doubtlesse if my brother Burton and his complices deeply repent not of these their words and of all their evill dealing in seducing and mis-leading of the poor people and of making rents and schismes in Church and State but shall still persevere in the errour of their wayes and will not yet take notice of those multitudes baptized by John the Baptist and Christs Disciples and of Christ himselfe and his Followers nor of their brethren at this day through all the Reformed churches as formed into a Church or Churches it is to be feared that whatsoever both he and those of his party shall pretend As that they have preached in his name and done wondrous works in gathering of new churches and preaching up the congregationall way and publishing of new truths and setting up of new lights and placing Christ upon his Throne I say whatsoever they shall in this kinde pretend Except they all repent of this their wickednesse and uncharitable dealing towards all their Christian Brethren it is to be feared that Christ will say to them as he professeth he will say to the others I know ye not depart from me ye that worke iniquity and they all likewise perish For what can any man that hath not resigned his understanding think lesse of this so weighty a businesse but that Christ may say unto them at that day You have taught it in your congregations and printed in your bookes set forth by authority by all your consents and that upon deliberation that you take no notice of all those multitudes that were baptized by John and my Disciples to be formed into a Church or Churches These will he say are your owne words and that in capitall letters nay you deny them to be Christians for so J. S. speaketh page 8 and 9. in the name of all the brethren giving many reasons there to the contrary asserting that by the baptisme of John they were not made Christians much lesse cast into a church mould according to the New Testament forme and least of all that they were all Members of one Christian church at Jerusalem These are his expressions For which he hath been much applauded by all of that fraternity who usually say of him when he rideth through the streets there goeth he that beat up Doctor Bastwicks quarters approving of this good worke of his in unchristianing all those that beleeved in mee and were baptized by the Ministry of my servant John the greatest Prophet that ever was borne of woman and sent by me and my father to baptize them And of Mr. Burton they never speak but in high praises blessing God that he hath answered Bastwicks Book which he writ in defence and maintenace of my honour and for the reputation of all that beleeved in me and were baptized in my name So that all those books that were set forth by those of the congregationall way to my dishonour and the disrepute of my followers are approved of by you all and in them you say you take no notice of those multitudes that were baptized by John as formed into a church or churches Now amongst those that were baptized by John I was one and my Disciples and my Mother and my Brethren c. So that you slight us all and take no notice of us as formed into a Church or churches that is in plain words you are ashamed of us and deny us Now those that are ashamed of me and deny me before men and take no notice of me and my Disciples and of my Brethren and Sisters and Mother and of those that beleeved in me and followed me whiles I was upon the earth to be formed into a church or churches I will be ashamed of them and deny them and take no notice of them before my Father in Heaven to be formed into a church or churches For he that despiseth my Disciples and my Followers despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me Yea whosoever shall despise one of these little ones that beleeve in me it were better that a milstone were hanged about his neck and that he were cast into
it as the insuing places sufficiently prove Rom. 16. ver 17 and 18. Now I beseech you brethren saith the Apostle marke them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoyde them 1 Cor. chap. the 5. ver 11. But now I have writ unto you saith Saint Paul not to keep company if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator or covetous or an Idolater or a raylor or a drunkard or an extortioner with such an one no not to eat 1 Tim. chap. the 6. ver the 3. and 5. If any man teach otherwise and consent not to wholesome words even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to the doctrine which is according to godlinesse from such withdraw thy selfe and 2 Tim. chap. 3. ver 1 2 3 4 5. In the last dayes saith the Apostle shall perilous times come For men shall be lovers of their own selves covetous boasters proud blasphemers disobedient to parents without naturall affection covenant or truce-breakers false accusers or make-bates incontinent fierce despisers of those that are good trayterous heady high-minded lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God hauing a forme of godlinesse but denying the power thereof from such tâ—rne away for of this sort are they which creep into widdowes houses and lead captive silly women laden with sinnes c. Tit. 3. ver 10. A man that is an hereticke after the first and second admonition reject saith the Apostle 2. John ver 10. If there come any unto you saith Saint John and bring not the doctrine of Christ receive him not into your house neither bid him God speed for he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evill deeds And Gal 1. ver 8 9. If we or an Angell from Heaven saith the Apostle preach otherwise then that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed as I said before so I say now againe if any man preach unto you any other Gospell then that you have received let him be occursed Out of all the which places and many more that might be produced we are taught to shun and decline the society and fellowship of all such Christians as are corrupt in their doctrine or manners and such as either preach or practise otherwise then they have precept or example for in the holy word of God especially we are to have no communion with them when they not only preach another way to Heaven then that which Christ and the holy Prophets and blessed Apostles have chalked out unto us and delivered unto the Church but have joyned themselves in a wicked and unwarrantable Covenant to persist and continue in this practice for they are no Saints But such are those of the Congregationall way whose Teachers and Members are combined together to persevere in their wicked practices and courses and therefore by expresse command from Heaven we are to have no communion with such unlesse we will be found fighters against God and partake in their punishments And these places of holy Scripture with these reasons shall suffice for the proofe of the Major proposition For the Minor that the churches and assemblies of those of the congregationall way consist of Raylers Revilers Slanderers and covenant-breakers c. it is evident and well knowne to all such as are acquainted with the practise of the Independents and are verst in their doctrine and have read their Pamphlets which consist chiefly of errors untruths and right-downe raylings as amongst others those of my brother Burton and Iohn Lilburne not to mention the Pamphlets of all the other Independents the very names of which would make a booke in all the which there is little other but rayling and dangerous novelties Some of my brother Burtons and Iohn Lilburnes expressions with an other or two more which write in the name of all the Independents I will produce that by the mouth of two or three of their witnesses the truth of their proceedings in their Raylings Errors and Lyes and bad practises may be yet more evident My brother Burton in his Vindication hath these insuing words against all the Presbyterians both Ministers and people and first against the Ministers of whom hee saith that they deny disclaime and preach against Christs kingly Government over mens consciences and churches so that such a conversion as is wrought by them comes not home to whole Christ and such with their converters doe deny Christs kingly Government or at least and best they are converted but in part and that maine thing is wanting to wit Christs kingly Office And in his Vindiciae veritatis hee accuseth mee pag. 21. for taking Christs name in vaine because in my Booke I asserted that the Ministers of the church of England set up Christ upon his Throne which for mee to affirme hee saith it is to take the name of Christ in vaine his words are these And here saith he I challenge our brother for taking Christs name in vaine when insteed of finding Christ set upon his Throne in their congregations we find there no more but an Image such as Michal had made up insteed of King David or as those that in mockery made of Christ a Pageant King stripping him and putting on him a scarlet Robe and on his head a Crowne of Thornes and in his hand a reed saluting him with Haile King of the Iewes with which title over his head they crucified him therefore saith he those passages quoted out of my Booke will stand good against their opposers These are his words against all the Ministers of the Church of England Now of all the people that are not of the congregationall way and of their new Assemblies my brother Burton in his Vindication hath these words Wee exhort them saith he to set up Christ King in their hearts Wee exhort them to become and professe to be those Saints of whom Christ is King for hee is King of Saints Revel 15. 3. but they will not beleeve us saith hee they will not depend upon Christ as the only Law-giver and King over their consciences Now what would you have us to doe in this case saith hee baptize the Infants of such parents as will not in this respect professe or confesse Christ to be their King why doe you not know saith hee that no Infants have any title to Baptisme that are not within the Covenant visibly and how are they within the Covenant visibly but by vertue of their parents faith outwardly professed and what outward profession of faith is there in their parents that refuse Christ for their onely King that are ashamed or afraid to professe to be in covenant with Christ as their King if therefore the parents professe not yea refuse thus to be in visible covenant can the children be said to be in visible covenant and so to have a right in Baptisme the externall Seale of the Covenant here is an obex a barre put These are my brother Burtons owne
Religion neither is the true Religion nor that it leads men the true way to salvation And affirmes that hee groundedly and absolutely denies that either the Church of England is or ever was a true Church innumerable more such sentences might be produced out of this Pamphlet to this effect and from many such premises as these hee exhorts all good people that are in the bosome of the Church of England as they love their own inward peace and spirituall joy to withdraw their spirituall obedience and subjection from her Now here againe I appeale to all judicious Christians what the Devill the Accuser of the brethren could have spake more raylingly and falsely against the faithfull servants of God both Ministers and people then what Iohn Lâ—lburne in the name of all those of his Fraternity hath uttered against them all Surely if any Enemies Persecutors Raylers and Revilers of the people of God and false Accusers ever lived upon the earth they are those of the congrâ—gationall way and therefore they are no Sâ—ints Yeâ— when they write most mildly against the Presbyterians they call them Lyons Beares Wolves Tygers and in their ordinary language in towne and countrey they never see almost any Minister passâ— by them but they call them Baals Priests the lims of Antichrist the Antichristian brood the Devils Ministers Presbytyrants with a thousand other words of conâ—umely and of all their Presbyterian brethren both Scots and English they speake of them most shamefully upon all occasions terming them sonnes of earth sinners carnall people enemies of Christ Jesus and his Kingdom nay they revile us in the open streets when we passe by them and all that I now say the Independents themselves cannot deny to be most truly related by mee and their very bookes and all their Pamphlets are now in the hands of the people and daily read by them and they all can witnesse for mee that I have wronged them in nothing by all which that part of my Minor is sufficiently proved that all the Independents are notorious Raylers Revilers and false Accusers and therefore no Saints nor good Daemons but such as ought to be separate from and not to be communicated with in holy things as not formed into a church or churches after the New-Testament forme which ought to consist of all visible Saints And that they have caused divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine of Christ is also apparent and that from the great rents schismes and factions they have causelessely made amongst their brethren in church and state having neither Precept nor President in the whole Booke of God for any of their practises and proceedings in their new congregations and therefore this truth also being by the sad experience of all men notoriously knowne wee have a command to shun them and take heed of them as of a company of Seducers and false Teachers who so long as they persevere and continue in these their ungodly wayes they proclaime themseves to be no Saints nor good Daemons but a Generation of vipers and serpents and such as all godly soules ought to have no communion with whatsover their pretences of holinesse and sanctity be And that they are notorious covenant breakers it is most evident and apparent to all that will not wilfully shut their eyes for they have entred into a solemne covenant and oath and that made in the presence of God to labour for a through reformation of Religion in the Kingdome of England and Ireland in Doctrine Worship and Discipline according to the word of God and the example of the best reformed Churches and in expresse words also they have vowed and covenanted in the presence of Almighty God the searcher of all hearts with a true intention to performe the same as they shall answer it at the great day that they will without respect of persons indeavour the extirpation of Popery Prelacy Superstition Heresie Schisme Prophanenesse and whatsoever shall be found contrary to sound doctrine and the power of godlinesse lest they partake in their sinnes and thereby be in danger to receive of their plagnes They have vowed also with all faithfulnesse to indeavour the discovery of all such as have beene or shall bee Incendiaries Malignants or evill Instruments by hindring the reformation of Religion dividing the King from his people or one of the Kingdomes from an other or making of any factions or parties amongst the people contrary to thâ—s league and covenant And all the Independent Ministers in the Reverend Assembly did faithfully promise unto their brethren and under their owne hands by writing confirme it that they would preach such doctrines publickly only as tended to Faith Repentance and Salvation and that they would not trouble the people with any of those controversies concerning Discipline and Church-government till they saw what Plat-forme of Discipline the Parliament and the Assembly should set downe and solemnly promised also by such a time to bring in their modell and others of the Ministers of the congregationall way when they came out of New-England entring into serious discourse with some of their brethren the Ministers of the Church of England that had suffered much under the Prelates tyrannie and that indeed had indured the brunt and undergone the heate of the day of their cruelty and persecution and of whom they had experience for their faithfulnesse and constancy in the truth I say some of these fugitive Ministers after their returne entring into communication with them and demanding of them what Discipline and Government they intended now in place of the Prelaticall usurpation to establish and set up for answer they told them that their indeavour God assisting them should be to set up a Government according to the word of God as nigh as they could after the example of the best reformed churches in Scotland France Germany and Low-countries whereupon they immediately replying said if this be indeed your reall intention then in the presence of God wee give you the right hand of Fellowship resolving to stand to you and by you faithfully unto the death All that I now relate can be proved by an Iliad of witnesses Notwithstanding all these Covenants Promises and serious ingagements and that in the presence of God they have all of them blake all these covenants and promises made both to God and man and have violated them all and every one of them and have not only neglected to bring in their modell of government though promised by them and againe and againe urged to it but made factions rents and schismes in the Church and preached up the congregationall way and brought an odium and hatred of the Presbyterie amongst the people and most shamefully continually inveighd against their brethren the Presbyterians and all their proceedings and have laboured also with all their might and power to hinder the reformation of Religion and to breake the union betweene the two nations Scots and English and to bring in a toleration of all
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
have hindred their activity as those that stoned Stephen that they might be the more nimble left their garments in other mens keeping When I saw so â—ude a company and hearing withall that they were of all Religions and that they had combined themselves together by swearing to take away the life of many in the House of Commons and that their businesse might go on the better and with the greater success that whiles some of them were there acting of their parts in a disorderly and tumultuous manner others of them were in the city at a private Humiliation a speciall day being set a part to seek God as they said that they might have justice done against some of the Members of Parliament that were not favourers of the Il-dependents as Jezabell caused the Elders of Jezreell to call a Fast when shee took away the life of poor innocent Naboth This that I now say was related unto me by one of that company that not long after went out of the room who was the onely person I knew amongst them all But I not knowing the cause of such a concourse of uncivill people demanded the reason of it and it was replyed that there was not a third part of those that were to come up for the whole city would appear there in that businesse the day following to demand justice against such and such as guilty of High Treason but that now they were seeking God and in private Fasts and that some were assembled in such a mans house naming the party In this formall manner things were related unto me as the righteous Judge of the whole world knoweth all which proceedings I suppose was to do evill to their neighbours Now when I had well viewed and considered all these men and saw their complections â—arre worse then that of the Earle of Strafford and beholding all their behaviour and seeing their incivility towards all men and especially towards my selfe whom they causelesly reviled saying that they had kept mee from hanging not long since and that I had lived on their almes and that they had prayed for my deliverance out of my troubles and that now I was come home with a vengeance unto them for I was turned an Apostate and a Persecutor of the Saints so that they could not in their hearts pray for mee and many other reviling speeches they used in the presence of many honourable Gentlemen as they can all witnesse and that without giving them any occasion in word or deed as the standers by are ready to depose I say I seeing this their disorderly behaviour and withall hearing them with open mouth traduce the great Councell of the Kingdome and accusing them all of injustice affirming that their proceedings were as tyrannicall as those of Strafford and the Prelates and not onely saying it but printing it in a Pamphlet in the which they had most shamefully and falsely belyed mee as the whole Parliament knew in all which they did evill to their neighbours I in replying to that Pamphlet in my just defence thought it an abuse of gravity to use it upon such whibling Fellowes and chose rather by way of merriment to answer them then seriously to spend time about them and therefore calling to mind some of their owne expressions against the Earle of Strafford as that hee had got a blow with a French Coulstaffe and that hee looked like the belly of a Toad and remembring also what they had spake of the Cavaliers that came with the King to the Parliament that they looked like so many Furies and Fiends out of Hell and recollecting withall what they had often spake of the Ministers of the Church of England how that they ran from one part of the Kingdome to an other to get Church preferments and regarded nothing but their bellies and sought nothing but the inslaving of the King himselfe and all the Gentry and Nobility of the Kingdome that they might the more tyrannically domineer over all the people and how they had polluted all the Church of God with their idolatries and superstitions and with all manner of heathenish and antichristian defilements and abominations and remembring also many of Martins expressions against the Presbyters of the Church of England in his blasphemous Pamphlets as that of the Arraignment of Mr. Persecution and his Eccho and his Hue and Cry the which Bookes were entertayned amongst all the Independents and read with great delight they making themselves upon all occasions merry with them and especially with those expressions wherein hee bringeth in all the Presbyters and Master Simon Synod with great ironteeth and such luxuriant tushes as one might picke them with a Rowling-pin and I say I calling to my remembrance all these their expressions in which they greatly delighted and pleased themselves when at any time they inveighed against the Presbytery and studied to make them all odious to the people as they have done in all which they have done evill to their neighbours thought it not amisse to make choyce of some of their owne Rhetorick which I did purposely to find out the humour of the Cattle and that all men might see the partiality of the Independents and indeed the vanity of all unstable men in generall who are won with an apple and lost with a nut and will prayse and disprayse they know not for what and one day commend that in themselves which an other day they will condemne in any of a contrary mind and at one time extoll a man for that which upon an other occasion they will censure him for with all manner of aggravations The consideration of these things and with what disguised aspects and hideous lookes and odde complexions they appeared in all the roomes about the Committee and how they grinned at mee with their teeth made mee in the description of them use the same expressions that they had formerly done of Strafford and the Cavaliers and the Presbyters of the Church of England when both in their countenance and actions they paralleld them and say they looked like so many furies and like the belly of a Toad and as if they had got a blow with a French Coulstaffe and that one might picke some of their teeth with a Bedstaffe all which were their owne expressions and as they accused the Presbyters for belly gods so they also were very sensible of good cheere and that as the Presbyters had with their superstitions polluted the Church so they did pollute them with their scummering and pissing in them and that as they sought to inslave the Gentry and Nobility and the whole Kingdome so the Independets if they could but once attaine the mastery would doe no lesse and for this my so speaking I had very good reason being well acquainted with their language and dialect having often heard some of them say that the Gentry and Nobility had beene the cause of all the miseries of the Kingdome and that if they continued in their greatnesse
true Saint Psal 15. verse 4. saith of such an one that hee sweareth to his owne hurt and changeth not Now if hee bee in the number of those Saints and will keepe his promise hee will abandon his tenent of the congregationall way But because Master Knollys so peremptorily asserts that the brethren have not acknowledged that there were many congregations and severall Assemblies of Beleevers in the Church at Ierusalem I shall desirehim and all those of his fellowship to hear my brother Burton who esteems of himselfe as none of the weakest brethren but accounteth himselfe a Champion and therefore cometh out to dare all the world of Presbyterians and yet hee in the name of all that Fraternity acknowledgeth that there were many assemblies of Beleevers and Saints in the Church of Jerusalem and this his book is allowed of and highly approved of by many of them And if I have not been mis-informed it was licensed by their Batcheler of the black-art of Il-dependency that shotten hering in divinity who alloweth of all their other Pamphlets and sets his Imprimatur to them So that what he licenseth is approved of by them all Now I desire Mr Knollys and I. S. and all those of his society to listen unto their great Rabbi old Harry my courteous and learned brother whose words are these in the ninth Page of his Answer The first formed Church saith he we finde is in the second of the Acts which though consisting of five thousand yet it was one entire particular Church and not Churches and they continued dayly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with one accord in one place together v 1. and in the Temple ver 44. 46. growing from an hundred and twenty Acts 1. 15. to three thousand more chap. 2. 41. and then in all five thousand ch 4. 4. and all these but one Church which assembled together to hear the word in the Temple and though they wanted a convenient place so spacious as wherein to break bread or to receive the Lords Supper all together so as they were constrained to sever themselves into diverse companies in severall private houses to communicate yet this severing was not a dividing of this Church into so many distinct formall Churches or Church bodies being but so many branches of one and the same particular Church c. These are my brother Burtons words in the name of all his brethren and therefore they may abundantly satisfie Mr Knollys and all men that the brethren have acknowledged there were many Congregations of beleevers in the Church of Jerusalem But for the farther confirmation of this truth that the brethren have acknowledged there were severall assemblies of beleevers in the Church of Ierusalem I will unto the testimony of my brother Burton add the testimony likewise of another faithfull brother against whom I presume Mr Knollys can have no just exception so that this truth being confirmed by the mouth of two approved and seraphicall witnesses the brethren can never doubt of it any more and this witnesse is one Saint Hanserdo one of Saint Georges for England his Chaplaines a man worthy of esteeme who usually preacheth on horseback to the Country Courtiers all the the truth as he said of the Gospel And therefore I know Mr Knollys will give great heed to Saint Hanserdo's testimony concerning this matter and he touching this point in the tenth page of his learned book saith that the Apostles and all the Beleevers in the Church of Ierusalem met together with one accord in one place to wit the Temple and in Solomons Porch and brake bread from house to house domatim and thus they did quotidie day by day c. From the which two testimonies the one of my brother Burton the other of Saint Hanserdo all intelligible men may easily gather that there is very little credit at any time to be given to what Mr Knollys or those of his party shall affirme either concerning the judgment of their brethren or what they shall relate concerning other men For he in the name of them all asserteth these two things The first touching themselves viz. that the brethren meaning all the Illdependents have not acknowledged that there were many congregations in that one Church at Ierusalem The second concerning my selfe of whom he saith that the Doctor hath not by Scripture proved that there were severall assemblies of Beleevers in that one Church Now for the latter of his assertions I have not only from Scripture proved it but from my brother Burton and Master Hanserdos their owne concessions made it good viz. that there were many Congregations of Beleevers in the Church of Ierusalem And therefore I do to all the world accuse Master Knollys of calumny and dishonesty And for the first of his assertions viz. That the brethren have not acknowledged it for the conviction of him of an apparent untruth in this my brother Burton and Saint Hanserdoes testimonies do it for me for in their above mentioned words and that in the name of all the Independents and that in books approved of by many of that way in those I say my brother Burton conceptis verbis saith that though it was but one entire Church yet for want of a convenient place so spacious as where to break bread they were constrained to sever themselves into divers companies in several private houses to communicate And Saint Hanserdos his testimony is as full as my brother Burtons for he saith the Apostles and beleevers met day by day in the Temple and in Solomons Porch and brake bread from house to house that is they did communicate from house to house or in every house So that Saint Hanserdos witnesse to prove many assemblies is most evident So that both these brethren in the name of all their fraternity acknowledge there were may Congregations of Beleevers in the Church of Ierusalem and that in severall private houses and my brother Burton saith moreover that they were so many branches of one and the same particular Church Now I refer my selfe to all the world whether there be any regard at any time to be given either to Master Knollys or any of his faction when he and they at pleasure dare publish such notorious untruths as these for he in the name of all the Independents affirmeth that the brethren have not acknowledged that there were many congregations of Beleevers in the Church of Ierusalem when my brother Burton notwithstanding and Saint Hanserdo have in expresse words and that in the name of all their fraternity asserted That when there were but five thousand yea but three thousand beleevers for the largnesse of the Church at that time and for want of so spacious a room as could contain them all to injoy all acts of worship they were then forced to sever themselves into divers companies and that in several private houses and to break bread from house to house So that for Mr Knollys and those of his way they are not
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
Doctor might have also considered that the brethren even the whole Church the multitude how many soever the Doctor can make of them were present as well as the Presbyters Acts 15. 4. 12. 22. 23 25 27 28. and so have made the brethren the multitude even the whole Church Independent also and the Doctor might as well have affirmed that the brethren even the whole Church might say it seemed good to the holy Ghost and to us Thus Master Knollys pleaseth his own humour in heaping up a senselesse and confused multitude of words and that onely to delude the people But should I make a full discovery of all the errours of this his babble and nonsense and give a full answer to them truly I might make a very large discourse I will therefore study brevity and answer him in a few words though I will omit nothing worthy to be taken notice of But by the way I may say thus much that this his answer is nothing to the purpose and his reasons are as vain frivilous and fond as by the sequell will appear But whereas he denyeth that the Apostles though they be called Presbyters acted as Presbyters and that they cannot therein be a pattern and president for Presbyters it is a meer begging the question and a fond trifling in a serious and weighty matter when it was sufficiently proved and that out of the holy Scripture that the blessed Apostles were not onely called Presbyters but that they were Presbyters really as well as virtually which the Independents themselves deny not and that they acted also as Presbyters at Jerusalem that is as ordinary rulers and officers in all acts of government as also in that Councell in the 15. of the Acts for otherwise their example could not indeed have been a pattern of government to all Ministers and Presbytes in all succeeding ages if in either of them they had acted as extraordinary men by a transcendent and superlative power and by an inimitable authority and as men immediately assisted by the holy Ghost as when they wrought Miracles and when they writ the holy Scripture Now that the Apostles in all those acts of government were and are to be a pattern to all Ministers in the ages to come all the learnedst of the Independent tribe and all their brethren of New England do acknowledge it and take the ordination of Deacons and Elders in their new Churches from the example of the Apostles in the sixth of the Acts and the fourteenth chapter of the same book and they acknowledge and accord that Synods and Councells in like manner are one of Gods Ordinances and ground it upon the Apostles and Presbyters meeting in the 15. of the Acts and take their example for a pattern and president of gathering into Synods and Councells upon the like occasions all which they could not do if the Apostles in all those acts of Government had acted and managed them onely as Apostles and in an extraordinary way with a transcendent and infallible authority and by a speciall dispensation from heaven and as only peculiar unto themselves as miraculous and extraordinary governours So that whiles Master Knollys fights against the truth and against mee he with the same weapon wounds his own cause and overthrows the Independents doctrine who from the examples of the Apostles though extraordinary men take their ordination of Deacons and Elders and of calling Synods And therefore in the first place this may serve for the discovering of his ignorance and futility As for his reasons of his denyall that the Apostles cannot be a paterne and president for Presbyters because the Apostles as he saith had the care of all churches and the Presbyters were limited and confined to their particular charges they are foolish and vain and make nothing for the enervating or weakning of my argument for it doth not follow as the learned well know that because the Apostles in some respects were extraordinary men and rulers therefore in all acts of Government they did nothing ordinary or for the imitation of other Church governours I say this can never follow with any good reason neither will any judicious man thus argue because the Apostles were extraordinary men and officers therefore they did not the acts of ordinary governours whereas when they assembled themselves about the affaires of the Church and for the good of it it was for this very end and purpose that they might leave an example and president to the ages to come and to all Ministers that should succeed them of doing the like and therefore we are ever to consider the Apostles in all acts of government to have acted as ordinary governours and rulers and for a president and pattern to all Ministers to the end of the world But whereas Master Knollys grollishly saith that the Apostles were Independent in the Government of all the Churches and that the Presbyters of Jerusalem and Ephesus and all the Churches were Dependent upon the Apostles and the Apostles onely Dependent upon Christ by whose spirit they were alwayes guided in the government of their Churches and therefore they said Acts 15. 28. It seemed good to the holy Ghost and to us In every sentence I might say word there is an error For first the Apostles were not Independent at all no more then the Presbyters but they were ever tyed unto the word of God and his revealed will and that by Christ himself who said John 5. search the Scriptures and Luke 14. They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them Yea Saint Peter 2 Epist chap. 1. v. 19. teacheth us That we have a more sure word of prophecy whereunto we do well to take heed c. So that the Apostles themselves were tyed to the Scriptures And Paul the great Apostle of the Gentiles in the 24. of the Acts and in many other places makes the Law and the Prophets the rule of his faith professing that he beleeved all things according to them So that when Peter swarved from that rule began amongst the Galatians to halt temporize Paul resisted him to his face and accused him openly of prevarication Nay which is more so far they were from being independents that they were alwayes to follow the guidance of the spirit they were not to move but as he directed Act. 16. Yea the Apostles themselves were subject to the Presbytery at Ierusalem and were to give an account of their actions to them at any time as we may see Acts 11. where Peter was questioned and was forced to give in his answer for satisfaction the other Apostles also were subject unto that Presbyterie and gave an account how they had spent their time amongst the Gentiles yea Paul himselfe received orders from the Presbyterie in Ierusalem Acts 21. and was ruled by them yea they were not onely subject to the Church in Ierusalem but to all other Churches also and were sent on their message at any time For Peter and John were
that hee may be our sole Monarch and eternall King and may perpetually rule in his Church and have all things done in his alone name and according to his owne appointment to the judgement I say of all such cordiall subjects of Iesus Christ and to their seriousest thoughts and censures I leave the consideration of this weighty busines I am confident they will conclude their blasphemy was yet never paralleld by the very Pope himselfe or by any of his shavelings who were never yet so notoriously usurping and iniurious to Christ the King of his Church as to send out their Mandates in their owne name but all things issued out in in nomine domini hence came up the Proverbe when they heard of any thing from the Pope that they usually said in nomine domini incipit omne malum for he always pretended to do al in the name of Christ the King for that stile notwithstanding did that man of sinne ever observe and keepe continually ever setting forth his grolleries in nomine domini whereas our Independent Brethren act all their baggatelly and trifling busines in the name of their severall churches their officers ever saying when they carry or bring any learned Messages one from an other that they come in the name of the churches and what they doe they would have them know they doe it as officers in the name of the church Christs name the King of his church is never so much as heard amongst them in the transacting of their church affaires so that wee may truely say that whatsoever they pretend of setting up Christ as King upon his Throne their practise sheweth the contrary for in the government of all their severall churches they act all not in the name of Christ but in the name of their several churches so that Christ the Kings name is not so much as mentioned amongst them as wee have learned not onely from their daily practise but from I. S. and our American monstrous Divinity To all that I have said for proofe that all the Independents by their doctrine disthrone Christ and set themselves in his place whiles they most of all pretend they set him up upon his Throne I may for a corallary add their new traditions and practises which they impose upon all the Members of their severall new gathered churches as the commandments of God and as the practises of the Saints of old and injoyne them and urge them as the statutes ordinances and decrees of God yea I might here farther shew how they practice contrary unto Christ's the King and Lord of his Church commands For whereas he sending out his Disciples and Apostles setting down the conditions upon which all men should be admitted into the Church which were to repent and beleeve and to bebaptized in token of their beliese and repentance which whosoever should accept of and imbrace they should thereupon be received into Church fellowship the Illdefendents notwithstanding regard not Christs commands but unto it add their own vain traditions for the which they have neither precept nor president in all holy writ nor the practice of any well reformed church and they force men to conforme unto them or else there can be no admission howsoever they offer themselvs to do as much as Christ their King commands them to do And whereas Christ the King of his church layd the Government of it upon the shoulders of none but his Ministers to whom he had given the Keyes the Il-dependents not onely dispense with this law at pleasure but absolutely oppose it for contrary unto this law is their doctrine and practice who teach that the power and interest lies in the people and that is their part and that the Ministers are to exercise their authority and jurisdiction in the churches name and so they spoile the Ministers of their power and invest the people with it and give lawes unto the people of God yea unto the Lawâ—iver Christ himselfe whether all these dealings therefore of the Illdependents with many more paslages of the like nature that might be produced if not worse be not to disthrone Christ when they slight his Laws and prefer their own traditions before the commandments of Christ the King of his church and revile and reproach his servants and officers offering all the indignity that can be committed against men to them all I leave it to the judgement of the wise and godly Again I refer it to the wisdome of any discerning spirit to consider and judge what difference there is between the Sectaries and the Pope and his conclave in this point whenas they both assume all authority to themselves and take it from the Ministers and make them but their executioners Surely they will finde them both equally guilty and both Antichristian in rebelling in all things against Christ For Christ saith to all men that they that despise his Ministers despise him and they that despise and slight Christ in as much as in them lies they disthrone him and therefore when all the Independents dayly practice all the malifices above mentioned and that in a higher manner and strain pretend they what they will of setting up Christ upon his Throne they plainly disthrone him dishonour him which may yet further appear if we consider some of their other passages for it is well known that some of the chiefe pillars in their houses and churches those Atlasses that some of them confide so much in for their strength and so much extoll for the preaching up of Christs Kingdome and for the setting of him up upon his Throne I say some of these as it is well known have upon the Frontispices of their Pamphlets set this title Against Jesu Worship Now although it be praise worthy in any in maintenance of Gods true worship and service to write against all Idolatricall or Superstitious worship of the true God or Jesus yet it is a thing no way beseeming any Christian to write agaist God Worship and Iesu-Worship which are both commanded because that some faile and erre in the manner of the Worship of either God the Father or God the Sonne Yea it would have been thought in any Christian Nation an unsufferable thing to have tolerated the very reading or publishing of any books with such a title and inscription though the matter in them might have been good for no man much lesse a Christian oâ—ght to write against Iesu-Worship no more then he ought to write against God-Worship for Iesus also is God blessed for ever the eternall Son of the eternall Father who hath commanded all his Disciples Iohn 5. To worship the Son as they worship the Father Now then if it be an unsufferable thing to write against God-Worship no lesse intolerable is it in any to write against Iesu-Worship and all such as write such books and all such as allow of them and approve of them and their authors let them pretend what they will of setting up Christ upon
Independent way as well as any Independent in England and I farther undertake if the great Councel of the Kingdome shall call me and all the dissenting Brethren before them that I shall be better able in halfe a dayes space to deliver in what modell they would set up if they will deal ingenuously before God and the world and speak their conscience then they all put together shall be able to do I may perhaps be thought something presumptuous But J. S. his fond expressions makes me speak that I do which notwithstanding I still undertake to make good And if I have not been mis-informed there was one of the congregationall way and none of the meanest of them hearing my brother Burton speaking very trivially of me after he was gone out of his presence and passing a long with a friend of his and of the same fraternity much blamed my brother Burton saying that he had heard him speak as hyperbolically of me both for my learning and honesty as ever he heard man speak of another and added moreover that though I differed from them in opinion yet he conceived that I was the same man still in all respects that I was when my brother Burton spake so well of me and said withall that he did verily beleeve whatsoever Master Burton spake in a vilifying manner of me that I was better acquainted with their Way then he himselfe And there will be no great difficulty if occasion serve to prove all that I now say And therefore J. S. playes the child to babble thus to me who by Gods assistance and the power of his might shall be able to confound ten thousand such as he is and to teach both him and all his complices whether assembled or not assembled that their tenents are most wicked and abominable And I hope that succeeding ages will say that God inabled me to be as good as my undertaking for in his might I shall ever come out against all the Independents and Sectaries And now I come to answer to all their Replies to my Quaeries And first whereas they babble about the generall stating of the question and divide those things that I had joyned together and made but one generall question of they shew themselves but triflers and not serious Christians For I never made any doubt but that the Ministers of the Gospell may gather Churches for God in all ages sent his Prophets and Ministers for this very end to gather in the lost sheep of the house of Israel and all such as belong unto his election into his house for I know that the ordinary way to bring men to the knowledge of God and of Christ wherein consists life eternall is by the ministerie of the Gospel this I say is the ordinary meanes God uses for the perfecting of the Saints and for the edifying of the body of Christ and this I have learned from the holy Scripture Ephes 4. 11 12 13. 1 Cor. 12. 28. And therefore all the pudder that I. S. and my Brother Burton make with their grollish Interrogations about that busines is but to beate the ayre and nothing to the purpose and no answer to my Quere as the Reader may well perceive if hee lookes but backe to the question and first quere neither can my Brother Burton or I. S. make it good by any one example out of the holy word of God that the ordinary Ministers of the Gospel did ever leave their owne ordinary charges to which they are called and whereto they are fixed with a command not to leave them and that under a pretence of a new way or new light did run about to gather converted men from among converted men and so picke out of other mens folds and flocks the best and fattest sheepe and molded them into severall Congregations and Assemblies as separate and distinct bodies and Churches from them and who had no Church-fellowship with other Congregations but were independent from them and absolute amongst themselves I say and affirme that neither my Brother Burton nor I. S. nor any predicant of the congregationall way can shew me any one President of this kind either in the Old or New Testament and this was the question whether there were any such thing to be found in the Scripture and not whether the Ministers of the Gospel may gather Churches as both J. S. and my Brother Burton deceitfully make it Now whereas in the 12. page hee compareth our Churches and Congregations with the Popish Assemblies and saith that they professe themselves to be Christians as well as the Protestants and that their gathering of people out of our Ministers flocks is as tolerable as gathering them out of Popish Parishes and Assemblies for this is the drift of his reason hee dealeth most uncharitably and unchristianly with his brethren for hee himselfe in his booke called Babell no Bethell hath there by the helpe of learned Calvin and Chemnicius and other Orthodox Writers proved that the Church of Rome is both Idolatricall and hereticall and errs in the foundation and that all the Papists living and dying in that their Faith and beleefe are in the state of damnation So that they being considered in his notion are as Infidels and aliens from the common wealth of Israel and the gathering of churches out from amongst the Papists is to open their eyes and to turn them from darknesse to light from the power of Satan to God and as bringing men out of heathenish idolatry or from Jewish obstinacy from the companies and congregations of the which all Christians have an injunction to come out they being commanded to come out of Babylon Now I say in that my brother Burton compares all the Christian brethren in our congregations to the idolatrous Papists he sheweth the uncharitable opinion he hath of us all so that now it is no wonder that upon all occasions he proclames us all the enemies of Jesus Christ and his Kingdome But blessed be God We beleeve that through the grace of our Lord Iesus Christ we shall be saved as well as any Independents think they shall be saved Act. 15. v. 11. Seeing God hath put no difference between us them purifying our hearts by Faith And therefore he deals very unchristianly unbrotherly with us to compare us to the Papists especially when according to our Covenant our Parishes and Churches are purged both of the Service Book Hierarchy and all Popish Superstition as he himself acknowledgeth in the 13. page of his uncharitable Pamphles and therefore this his instance of gathering Churches out of our congregations who beleeve in God as well as they answers not to the question And for his other instance in the 13. Page Where he asks me if I know not that the ancient Church of the Jews was then a Church when the Apostles by their preaching gathered a Church out of it a Christian Church out of the Iewish Synagogues For Answer I say first that I
the fear wherewith he feared me and was afraid before my Name The law of truth was in his mouth and iniquity was not found in his lips he walked with me in peace and equity and did turn many away from iniquity for the Priests lips shall keep knowledge and they shall seek the Law at his mouth for he is the Messenger or Angel of the Lord of hosts A sufficient testimony to prove that the Ministers onely under the Old Testament had the power given them of admitting of any into the fellowship and communion of the Church and that all the people were directed to them as the Messengers and Angels of the Lord of hosts if they desired to be admitted into the Church And so Ieremy and Ezekiel as we read in the first chapters of both their Prophesies and the same may be said of all the Prophets they were sent unto the people The people were to be directed by them and the Prophets and Priests onely had that power delegated unto them of proclaming both mercies and judgements and of receiving into the Church such as should come unto them And under the New Testament in the third of Matthew we finde Ierusalem and all Iudea and all the regions round about Ierusalem going out to Iohn the Baptist and were baptized of him and admitted into the Church by him alone without the people and the substance of his Preaching with his manner of admitting of members into the Church and the conditions upon which he received them and what the people did before their admission is all fully set down in the third of Luke and the seventh And for the sum of his Preaching it is said verse the third That it was the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins And for those that came unto him as the common people the Publicans and the Souldiers they all ask Iohn what they should do And after he had instructed them severally their duties and told them upon what conditions they might be admitted it is said in the seventh of Luke Verse 29. That all the people that heard him and the Publicans justified God being baptized with the Baptism of John But the Pharisees and the Lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves being not baptized of him Verse 30. So that by Christs own testimony the Pharisees and Lawyers onely excepted all that came to him were baptized and admitted into the Church without the consent of the people And so we finde in the Gospel of Saint Iohn chap. 3. 4. yea through the whole Book That the people every where made their addresses to Iohn the Baptist and to Christ and his Apostles onely and that as many as came to Christ unfainedly were received by him and his Apostles and none upon the offer of themselves if they accepted of the conditions and were baptized were ever refused And we finde further that when our Saviour had at any time clensed and cured the Lepers he sent them to the Priests for to be admitted by them into the communion of the Church from which their noisome disease as a type of sin had for the time excluded them As for Iohn Baptist saith my Brother Burton Page 16. about whose gathering you have so bestirred your self before and to as little purpose You may observe that those beleevers in Christ then to come according to the Papists doctrine were not formed into a Christian Church or Churches as after Christs resurrection the beleevers were And when you come to visit those Christian Churches once constituted in their Gospel form by the Apostles you shall finde that the power of admitting and rejecting or casting out of members was not in the Apostles and Ministers alone but in the Churches For this read 1 Cor. 5. where the whole Church of the Saints in Corinth to whom Paul wrote were to cast out the incestuous person as also afterward upon his repentance to re-admit him 2 Cor. 2. 6 7. This one instance saith my Brother Burton is a sufficiens president for all Churches Thus he And this is all he hath to say there concerning Iohn Baptist Now although I have formerly answered and that in many places in the foregoing Treatise to every several branch of this my Brother Burtons cavil and although it be nothing to the enervating of my Argument as all understanding men will well preceive if they duly consider it yet because I perceive by his whole discourse the main designe both of himself and all those of his faction that now trouble the world with their scribbling is to deceive and delude silly souls that they may the better bring all the Presbyters into the hatred of the people as men Antichristian and more then Prelatical and as affecting a more lordly power over the people then ever the Bishops exercised over them for this is the language all their Pulpits and Pamphlets speak I say in this regard though I have often formerly fully answered to every branch of this cavil I will here say something to it for the better discovery of the vanity and triviality of the man And that I may declare unto all men how little his asseverations are to be regarded But I desire the Reader to take notice of his grolleries waving that slighting passage of his where he saith That I have so bestirred my self and to so little purpose about John Baptists gathering c. And first That he joyns here with the Papists in unchristianing and unchurching all those that were baptized by the Baptist And so in this point he is a Papist Secondly That he makes the form of a Church which he calls the Gospel form to confist in excommunication Thirdly Take notice of his peremptory assertion and in it of an other notable error where he saith You shall finde that the power of admitting and rejecting of members was not in the Apostles and Ministers alone but in the Churches And for proof of these his grolleries he quotes 1 Cor. 5. and 2 Cor. 2. 6 7. and makes the example of that Church to be bindingly presidential to use I. S. his Rhetorick to all Christian Churches Whereas in his tenth page he tells me We are necessarily to take all the Churches in the New Testament together to make up one entire and perfect Church patern These are his words there and yet here he makes the Church of Corinth to be a sufficient president for all Churches So that every one of their Instances must be a sufficient patern to all other Churches and yet when I produced the example of the Church of Jerusalem the Mother Church for a patern of Government for all other Churches he rejected it affirming that it was not a perfect patern And in that his expression also we may take notice of a parcel of good Divinity where he makes the Church of Corinth a more perfect Church then that at Ierusalem which not withstanding he sayes was the first formed Church Now if excommunication and discipline
as my Brother Burton sayes be the Gospel form of a Church and the Church of Jerusalem wanted that part of discipline then it was not a formed Church but so he speaketh of it in the tenth page where I observe a notable contradiction to usurpe his one Language And here I leave him a while to reconcile it But now to speak breifly by way of answer to these my Brother Burtons grolleries First Whereas he joyning with the Papists unchristians and unchurches all those that were baptized by the Baptist he is very erroneous in so doing and dealeth most wickedly and unchristianly with all those glorious Saints for they were as good Christians and beleevers as he or any Independents in the world As who all of them have Christs own testimony for their true faith in him and their unfained repentance towards God which are sufficient characters ever to make any people good Christians and of all them our Saviour saith Luke 7. 29 30. That they justified God and rejected not his counsel against themselves as the Pharisees and the Lawyers did that is all those that were baptized by the Baptistâ— repented and beleeved in Christ and imbraced the Promises and therefore by our Saviours own witnesse they were all good Christians as any in the new gathered Churches And therefore my Brother Burton as a notorious Papist and a calumniator ought to be reproved especially by the seven new Churches which hold That all that were baptized by Iohn the Baptist were beleevers and good Christians And this shall suffice to have spake to his first grollery His second is That he makes excommunication the form of a Church as we may see page the twentieth of his Book where answering unto my Argument by which I proved our Churches to be true Churches viz. Because the saving Truth of the Gospel of Iesus Christ was preached received and profest in our Churches To the which Argument of mine he there thus replyes If you saith he mean the whole truth of Christ it is well But do not you know saith he that there dre three special visible marks of a true visible Church The Gospel purely Preached the Sacraments duly administred and Discipline rightly practised All which marks to gather the Church of England for ought I know is yet to seek So that by these words of my Brother Burton it is manifest That in his opinion the Gospel-Form of a Church is to have Discipline rightly Practised So that where Discipline is wanting by his learning there is no true Gospel formed Church But before I answer to this his grollery I will say thus much to my Brother Burton That Discipline rightly practised is not one of the special visible marks of a true visible Church and that for these Reasons First Because the Holy Ghost who better knew the essential marks of a true visible Church then my Brother Burton yet he in setting them all down omitting that of Discipline saith Acts 2. 42. That they continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship and in breaking of Bread and in Prayers So that according to this unerring discription of the essential marks of a true visible Church Wheresoever the Gospel is truly Preached and where the Sacraments are rightly administred and where there is the true Invocation of God which is the third essential mark in Gods Dialect of a true visible Church there there is a true Church although there be no Discipline and therefore I gather that Discipline though a most excellent Ordinance and much to be desired and had long since been obtained had not the Ildependents hindred it makes not for the esse but the bene esse of a Church And I will ever beleeve the Holy Ghost in this point rather then my Brother Burton And withal I will live and die in this opinion That the Church of England is a true Church notwithstanding whatsoever all the Sectaries can say to the contrary because in the Church of England the Gospel is truly Preached and the Sacraments are rightly Administred and the Name of God is truly called upon all which if they were sufficient to make the Church of Ierusalem a true formed Church yea and the first true formed Church according to my Brother Burtons own learning then they are sufficient to make the Church of England a true formed Church But a second Reason to prove that Discipline rightly practised is not the forme of a church is from my Brother Burtons owne words for hee everywhere saith that the church of Ierusalem was a true formed church and yet shee wanted that part of Discipline of casting out corrupt Members so that Discipline there could not then be rightly practised if that church wanted that part of Discipline and if it were not there at all as hee saith and therefore for that marke it does not make for the esse of a church and for the bringing in of a Gospel forme as is said before and which is yet more if excommunication be the Gospel forme of a true visible church then all the Synagogues in Ierusalem in Saint Iohn the Baptists time were true formed churches after the Gospel forme for Synagogue and Church in the holy Scriptures are all one and in all the Synagogues they had excommunication as in many places it is evident and for instance these Iohn 9. 22. For the Iewes had argued already that if any man did confesse hee was Christ hee should be put out of the Synagogue and in the fourtieth verse in terminis it is said that they cast out the young man and in the twelfth chapter verse 35. it is said there that amongst the chiefe Rulers many beleeved in him but because of the Pharisees they did not confesse him lest they should bee put out of the Synagogue Many places more to the same purpose might be produced to prove that there was that part of discipline even in the Synagogues and that in Johns time howâ—oever it was abused as excommunication daily is amongst all the Sectaries at this day and if we duly weigh and consider all things this part of discipline was taken from the Jewish Synagogues and from them brought into all Christian Churches so that if that part of discipline be the Gospel forme of a true visible Church or one of the essentiall markes of a true visible Church as my Brother Burton saith I shall not need to take a great journey from Ierusalem and Iohn Baptists Churches as my Brother Burton would have me goe to visit all the other Christian Churches to find in them excommunication that Gospel forme of a Church I will leave that journey to their Itinerary Independent Predicants who have nothing else to doe and will content my selfe with the Christian Synagogues and Churches amongst the which John Baptist and Christ himselfe both conversed preached and performed all the offices of true Pastors and in those Synagogues and Churches of Jerusalem in all and every one of them I find the Gospel
not speedily repent for all their wickednesse and relinquish their ungodly unchristian and unbrotherly practises the Lord from heaven will shew his wrathfull displeasure upon them all for he will vindicate his honour and the honour and priviledges of his people Shall not he avenge his own Elect and that speedily Luke 17. And this shall suffice for answer to that impious cavill of my Brother Burton and Hanserdo Now for that instance that Master Knollys bringeth it quite overthroweth their doctrine for it is point banke against it and their practise For although it be not denyed but that all true beleevers may at any time make their complaint to the Church that is to say to those that are in authority in the Church to wit the Presbyters as the extreamest refuge upon just offence yet it must ever be granted that it lyeth in the brest of those that are Iudges to determine of the busines according to the allegations and probations so that those that complaine may not be both Plaintifs and Iudges this I say is so known a maxime that none can deny it Besides we must take notice that we never read inall the New Testament that the disciples ever so much as questioned any that desired to be admitted into church fellow ship or refused communion to any but Paul the reason was as the Scripture relateth because they knew that hee had beene a mortall enemy unto them and had beene a great Persecutor and were then ignorant of his conversion and therefore it is said they were affraid of him and upon the like occasion I beleeve any of the brethren in any church may doe the same and they may feare such an one and suspect him and complaine of him and that is all they can doe but power they have none to keepe him out of Church-fellowship if upon the Ministers and Presbyters examining of the busines they find that the man is a beleever and converted from his sinfull courses for by their sole authority without their good liking or the consent of the people they may admit him into church fellowship and if the people should refuse to receive him upon his assaying to joyne himselfe with them hee may appeale from them to the Presbyters and Ministers who are Gods Stewards and who have the power of the Keyes to open the doore of the church to whom they conceive are fit and for this his so doing and for the Presbyters accepting of his appeale they have the Apostles and Presbyters of Ierusalem for an example for when the Disciples feared Paul and seemed to be unwilling to admit him into communion with them Hee forth with appeals to the Apostles who upon his appeale admitted him into church fellowship according to their commission which was that whosoever beleeved and was baptized hee should be received into the church and that without the consent of the people or any of those conditions the Independents now impose upon their Members as by this very example and instance of Mr. Knollys doth abundantly appeare which makes wholly against their doctrine and practise and utterly overthrowes their tenent for most certaine it is that the power of admitting of Members and casting out of offenders lies in those mens hands only and solely that have the power of the Keyes and are by God himselfe made Stewards and Over-seers and Guids of his Church his house which when they peculiarly belong unto the Presbyters and not to the people they onely and not the people ought to have the managing of the government of the church and this hath beene sufficiently proved by the receiving in of Members both in an ordinary way and in an extraordinary manner by all the examples I have produced and by this very instance of Saint Paul alleaged by Master Knollys himselfe who when hee was admitted into Church-fellowship not onely without the consent of the brethren but against their good liking it is abundantly manifest that the people have nothing to doe with the government of the Church but that it lyeth wholly in the Presbyters hands And all this I say is clearly proved out of the good Word of God within the wals of the which it is ever safe to abide and in the action of obedience to the which all men may promise to themselves perpetuall security and this shall suffice to have answered to all that Mr. Knollys and my Brother Burton had to say to all my Arguments And by all that I have now spoke I hope it doth sufficiently appeare that there is neither precept nor example through all the Holy Scripture to warrant the practise of these men in the gathering of their new Churches and if a man will but looke a little more upon the practice of Christs seventy disciples of all the Apostles in the gathering of Churches they shall not find one footstep through the whole Booke of God of the gathering Churches after the manner of their congregating of their assemblies as for Christs Disciples they were all sent to gather in the lost sheep of the house of Israel they went not to gather in converted men from amongst converted men for they were to bring the lost sheepe into Christs fold and wee are taught there is but one Shepheard and one sheep-fold wee never read that after they were once folded and brought into the Church that any true Pastors came into the fold and flocks of their fellow-shepheards and picked out all the best and the fattest sheep and the most wholsome and molded them into an Independent Fold by themselves as separate and distinct from the others and with the which they would have no fellowship and communion in the Ordinances this was never heard of before these dayes Paul was so farre from getting away of others sheepe that hee tooke it for a dishonour to him to build upon anothers foundation Rom. 15. and preached Christ in those places where they had never heard of him before and planted the Church of Corinth himselfe and left Apollo to water it and committed all the flocks that he had gathered as that of Ephesus to the charge and care of faithfull Pastors and commands both the flocks and the Pastors and in them all Shepheards and Folds to keepe unity and love one with another Ephes 4. verse 1 2 3 4. c. and forbids them to make separations and divisions and schismes betweene flock and flock and this method hee used wheresoever hee came yea as soone as hee was converted and entred upon his ministry as wee may see in the first of the Galathians hee went into Arabia and preached there among the poore Infidels hee got not other mens sheepe from them neither did hee ever make any separation of sheepe from sheepe yea even in those flocks and churches as that of Corinth Galatia and Colosse where there were many that walked disorderly and against the rules prescribed and taught false doctrine and heresies and made schismes in the Church and were very
than the Common-Prayer to many of the precious consciences of Gods people whose duty it is in his judgement to dye in a prison before they act or stoope unto so dishonourable a thing as this is to their Lord and Master as to maintaine the black-coats with tythes whom they looke upon as the professed enemies of their anointed Christ c. These are some of his formall expressions I leave the comment of these severall passages to others neither doe I rehearse innumerable such like sentences as are daily vented to the intolerable disgrace both of all the Ministers of the Church of England and of all those beleeving christians that are under their severall charges and that in every Pamphlet in the which they proclaime all the Ministers to be the sworne and professed enemies of the Lord Iesus Christ and such as deny disclaime and preach against Christs kingly government over mens consciences and churches and for the people and beleevers in England they proclaime them to be men unconverted or at least converted but in part wanting the maine thing Christs Kingly office men visibly out of the covenant of grace who have not so much as an outward profession of the faith who deny Christ to be their King to whose persons and Infants the very Sacraments and seales of grace with all church communion may and ought to be denied c. By the which words they not onely unchurch all the congregations of England Scotland Ireland but indeed all the reformed churches and unchristian all christians but those that are in their owne independent assemblies and account them as aliens and strangers from the common-wealth of the Saints and make Christ to be no King over them or to have any Kingdome in or amongst them but onely amongst themselves in their new congregations whereas Christ ever had a church or Kingdome upon earth in all ages before they were and hath without all controversie a true Kingdome in many churches in these our dayes where they are not Had I not seene their expressions in print and the Booke in which they are uttered set forth by authority with approbation I should not have beleeved that they had all of them bin so uncharitable but finding that booke not onely printed by license but generally applauded by them all and much magnified as the frequent editions of it doe manifest I gather it is the universall opinion of them all Than the which what could bee more uncharitably and unchristianly spoken what comfort can any of the Ministers of the Church of England have in the society of these men who what soever outward seeming favour they shew to them in their hearts conceive of them as the sworne enemies of Christ and his Kingdome and as men unworthy to live and who count it a dishonourable thing to their Lord and Master to maintaine those black-coats with tythes whom they looke on as the professed enemies of their anointed Christ can I say any Ministers with joy and alacrity converse with these men no surely what reall comfort can any poor christian beleevers through the Kingdome either expect or looke for at these mens hands if they were in their power whom they declare and that in print and in their Pulpits to be men unconverted or converted but in part wanting the maine thing Christs Kingly office men visibly out of the covenant of grace who have not so much as an outward profession of faith who deny Christ to be their King to whose persons and Infants the very Sacraments and seales of grace with all church-communion may and ought to be denied can any true christians be reall friends to the enemies of Christ He saith Saint Paul 1 Cor. chap. 16. v. 22. that loveth not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathama Maranatha will any true Christians blesse those that God hath curst David said I hate them that hate thee yea I hate them with a perfect hatred And surely those that are true friends to Christ hate all his enemies now they looke upon our Ministers as the profest enemies of Christ and upon all the people under their ministery as enemies of his Kingdome and as men to whose persons infants the very Sacraments and seales of grace with all church-communion may and ought to be denied they are their own words can they therefore expect any reall friendship from them whatsoever outward curtesie they seeme to shew them no doubtlesse how can any poore christian have any delight to come amongst these men or so much as to be in their society whom they account of as the enemies of Christ and his Kingdome For my owne particular I would not willingly come in any mans company or be familiar with any that I thought a profest enemy of Christ and his Kingdome neither should I ever beleeve I could have any reall esteeme from such as thinke mee an enemy of Christ and his Kingdome It was the greatest calamity to the poore sufferers under the Prelats tyrannie and to all those distressed christians that were haled into the High-commission court or into the Star-chamber or before the Counsell-table for matter of Religion and conscience which was the lot of many thousands through the whole Kingdome that commonly their greatest enemies were those of their owne house their parents their brethren and sisters would be the chiefest calumniators and reproachers of them and that in word and deed would most despightfully persecute them denying them the common humanity of hospitality and would not so much as looke on them except it were to revile them and insult over them and would ordinarily joyne with their enemies both privately and publickly and desert them in their greatest streights as all of them can generally witnesse which not onely encouraged their enemies against them but added credit to their false acculations and calumnies for they would usually say ye may see what manner of men these are whose nighest friends are not only ashamed of but thus speake of them which was a greater affliction unto them than all the other miseries and sufferings they under-went for had they beene their professed enemies as David said they could easily have endured it and there would lesse credit and regard have beene given to their words but they were their parents brethren sisters and familiars and therefore it added more sharpely to their affliction So had they beene our professed enemies as Papists Socinians Arminians or those of the Prelaticall faction that should have proclaimed us enemies of Christ and his Kingdome and had they denyed unto us and our children the seales of grace with all church-communion it would not have troubled us but tu Brute that Brethren that fellow-sufferers in affliction that had gone up to the house of God together and had taken sweet counsell together that they should now proclaime us the enemies of Iesus Christ and deny communion with us oh let not this bee spoken in Gath and Ashkelon This is that that grieves and sads
their own and therefore if the name of Presbyters be odious in the Ministers of the Church of England no reason can gainsay it but that they also should be as odious to the people as their brethren for they also are Presbyterians But that the truth may the better appear whether the Ministers of the Church of England or the Independent Ministers be most guilty of all the accusations laid to their charge it will not be a misse to compare the practice of the Ministers of the church of England and the proceedings of the Independent Ministers together and that both for their doctrine and discipline and in their severall studies and endeavours for the advancing of Christs Kingdome and by so doing it will be easie for any to judge which of their governments and which of the Ministers are more intolerable and which of them are most guilty of those foule reproaches the Ministers of the church of England are aspersed with by their Brethren for he hath a shallow understanding and a very dim sight that cannot discern whether those that advance Christs their Kings Word and Laws onely and follow his commission and the example of the holy Apostles in their Ministeries and that of John Baptist and the primitive Preachers or those that set up their own inventions and prefer them before the Laws of Christ and have neither precept nor president for their doings in all the holy Word of God He I say that cannot judge which of these most advance Christ for their King either those that obey Christs Laws or those that observe their own neglecting Christs is of a very shallow capacity But now let us compare them together the Ministers of the Church of England preach faith and repentance the Law and the Gospell according to Christs commission given to his Apostles and they receive all into the Church that beleeve and are baptized and such as but desire to be admitted they demanding of them what they should do to be saved and in their so doing they have both precept and presidents For Christ in his commission unto them hath given them authority so to do Neither did he ever say unto his Apostles and Ministers admit none into the church although they beleeve and are baptized without they walk with you some dayes weeks moneths or years that you may behold their conversation and manner of life and after you have had some tryall and experience of them see then that they make a publike confession of their faith before the church and give in the evidences of the truth of their conversion before the congregation and enter into a private and solemne Covenant and be admitted by the consent and approbation of the Church or otherwise if they will not submit themselves to this Law and come into the Church upon these conditions receive them not into your Assemblies nor admit of them for members Here is nothing of all this in Christs Commission nor in his holy Word nor any president of the same in sacred Authority and therefore John the Baptist and the holy Apostles and primitive Ministers admitted all that came unto them and such as but demanded of them what they should do to be saved and baptized them and received them into the Church without any gainsaying or question as we may see in the third of Luke and in the seventh chapter of the same book and in the second of the Acts and no sooner did the Eunuch desire baptisme but Philip granted it the Goaler did but aske Paul and Sylas What they should do to be saved and they said Beleeve on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house and it is related that the Goaler and all his were streight way baptized Acts 16. vers 31 32 33. that is they were forthwith admitted into the Church without either walking any time with the Church for their approbation or without either making a publike confession of their faith before the Church or giving in evidences of the truth of their conversion to the congregation or entring into a private covenant and without the consent and allowance of the Church And Christ notwithstanding was imbraced by them as their Lord and King and was preached by Paul and Silas as the Lord and King of his Church and was set up upon his Throne as King by them as well as he is in any Independent Churches and yet they had none of all their new borne truths and they could then see how to set up Christ upon his Throne without their new lights and as Christ was then by Paul and Silas and the other Apostles set upon his Throne as King in all those primitive Churches so he is at this day in all the true Protestant Churches through the world as well as in any of the Independent Assemblies and yet they were and are all ignorant of their new way so that any understanding christian may gather that all their new borne truths are no way requisite for the setting up of Christ as King in his Church nor for the advancement of Christs Kingly government for if they had Christ would have put them into the Apostles Commission and the Apostles who were led into all truth by the holy Ghost who brought whatsoever Christ had taught them concerning the Kingdome of God Act. 1. into their memories would have suggested all these things The new way the new borne truth the new lights to them that they might have been recorded if they had been necessary for the setting up of Christ upon his Throne but when neither Christ nor the holy Ghost nor the blessed Apostles have prescribed any of all these to the church nor called for them nor required them of any that desire to be saved or made Members of the church whether this be not a great temerity in any men to preach all these things as the lawes of Christ I leave it to the judgement of any ingenuous minded christian and whether this be not to preferre their own inventions and traditions before the commandements of God and the lawes of Christ the King of his church and whether this be not rather to set up themselves than Christ I referre it also to any judicious and impartiall christians to weigh and consider I shall now demand of any moderate christian therefore and let him answer me candidly whether of those Ministers and people most advance the Kingdome of Christ and acknowledge him to be their onely Lord and Law-giver that both in their teaching and beleeving follow his commission and Word and teach nothing nor beleeve nothing as they are injoyned but what Christ their King commands them or those that to the commission and commands of Christ adde their own inventions and traditions and preferre them before the lawes of Christ the King and Law giver of his Church I am confident if he will deale impartially he will answer me that those Ministers and that people most advance Christ for their King
that if those of their nighest relations should go about to intice any to Idolatry or to the worshipping of false gods or the true God in a false manner or should endeavour but to bring in another Religion than that the Lord had appointed that then they should bring them forth and have justice done against them so that God abhorreth that any Religion amongst his own people should be tolerated or set up besides that he himselfe hath commanded and he had forbid in his law that any man should make to themselves any graven Image or set up any way of worshipping him but that which he himself had ordained and injoyned and commanded that they that should attempt any such thing should be put to death We see likewise what Ioshua did according to the commandment of God who ought to be a pattern to all Christians and all Christian Magistrates chap. 24. verse 14 15 16. Now therefore saith he fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in truth and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood and in Aegypt and serve ye the Lord and if it seem evill unto you to serve the Lord choose you this day whom ye will serve whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell but for me and my house we will serve the Lord And the people answered and said God forbid that we should forsake the Lord and serve other gods for the Lord our God is he that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Aegypt out of the house of bondage c. Here we may observe first that Ioshua injoynes them to serve the Lord in sincerity and in truth and that they might do that to put away all their idols he gives no toleration of all Religions and the like may be said of Ioshua Ioshua 24. 15. and that they might with the more alacrity yeeld obedience to God's command he sets his own example before their eyes with his resolution which was that both he and his houshold would serve the Lord onely and set up his worship and all the people likewise assented to do the same and gave their reason why they would serve the Lord and tolerate no other Religion because say they the Lord hath brought us up out of the land of Aegypt and out of the house of bondage and made us his peculiar people and therefore they resolved to serve him onely and tolerate no other service amongst them but that which God himself had commanded and appointed And this example of Ioshua and the people of Israel is left to all the people of God to all ages for imitation whose duty it is to set up the true worship of God only amongst them and none but that which Christ their Redeemer King and Law-giver hath injoyned them and therefore all such as would have all Religions tolerated do exceedingly forget themselves and are highly unthankfull to Christ their King and Redeemer And if we look into the story of the Judges the book following that of Ioshua when this generation was dead and that they had forgot their covenant and began to tolerate all Religions amongst them they brought down all those plagues upon themselves by it that were written in the law of Moses and for no other cause saith the holy Scripture but for that they set up those Religions the heathens had served their gods by as is manifest from the sixth chapter for when the people cryed unto the Lord because of the Midianites the Lord sent a Prophet unto them first who told them that the cause of all the judgements was because they had not obeyed the voyce of the Lord but had served the gods of the nations which he had forbidden them and afterwards he sent an Angel unto Gideon and commanded him to break down the Altar of Baal which his father had made and to cut down the Grove that was by it and to set up an Altar to the Lord In the first place Gideon was enjoyned to root out idolatry and then to set up Gods true worship onely here we finde no toleration of any Religion but the true Religion when they set upon the work of reformation and when the men of the City made inquiry after him that had broken down the Altar and cut down the Grove and would have put him to death it is related that Ioash the Father of Gideon said to all those that stood against him Will ye plead for Baal will ye save him he that will plead for him let him be put to death whiles it is yet morning if he be a god let him plead for himselfe because one hath cast down his Altar Here we finde no toleration of Baal's Religion but that they that would plead for him should be put to death and surely those that will plead for a toleration of all Religions do no lesse than fight against God But now let us see what Elias did 1 King 18. ver 21. who was counted as the Chariots and Horse-men of Israel with Baals Priests and what he said to all those of his times How long saith he to the people will ye halt between two Religions if the Lord be God follow him but if Baal be God then follow him The holy Prophet would not admit of a toleration of all Religions but when God had miraculously manifested from Heaven that Elias his Religion was the true Religion and which God in his holy Word had established all Baals Priests were put to death and that by Elias his command who said Take the Prophets of Baal let none of them escape and they took them and Elias took them and brought them down to the Brook Kishon and slew them there And so upon all reformations all other Religions were cast out but the true Religion as we may see through the whole Scripture as in the stories of the Kings and Chronicles and those of Nehemiah and Ezra and through all the Prophets and the Lord in the second of Ieremiah complaineth against his people That they had forsaken the fountain of living water that is they had forsaken the true God and served other gods and forsaken their maker and had been more unconstant than the very Heathen who had not forsaken their idoll gods and therefore for this their Rebellion and ingratitude the Prophet denounces all those plagues that were written in the Law against them as all the other Propheâ—s did for there is not any sinne in all the old Testament that the Lord more complaines of than that of Idolatry and the toleration of many Religions amongst them as is most abundantly set down both in Isaiah Ieremiah and Ezechiel Daniel and in all the other Prophets all which were written for our learning so that if the people of God shall imitate them in their sinnes they must look to partake with them in their
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
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
say I weighing all these things when I writ against erroneous and peace disturbing wayes which I tooke to be my duty yet so far was I your fellow sufferer from falling at odds with you as you seeme to intimate page 2. that in reproving sinne for which I have sacred Writ to be my warrant Levit 19. 17. I gave a reverentiall honour to the person and to manifest my respects unto your selfe because a sufferer I brought not your name upon the Theater error I confuted the danger of misapplying Scripture I declared and reprehended and so by Gods gracious assistance I ever shall and will not connive with any that hold and labour to maintaine a way that leads to error and faction But so tender I was of your repute and at so vast a distance from reproaching you with untruths to render you despicable to men that your name I spared to mention and for my description of a grave man with a white basket-hilted-beard a selfe denying man would have passed it over with silence and onely made use of it as a respectfull private reproofe For I beseech you lay aside your passion and consider a little are there not some others of your judgement that have as great white beards as your selfe which are basket-hilted beards in my Dialect a harmelesse word in it selfe and a word that you know in Love and Mirth I doe frequently use to my dearest and familiar friends and it was not counted scurrilous or offensive by any other nor by your selfe to whom I have often used this expression and you never reproved me nor were offended at it untill now because I cannot approve of your writings and way which God is my witnesse before whom I speak and who knows the secret intentions of my heart I would imbrace and walk in were there in Scripture any command precept or example for my so doing but you can never produce sound Scripture proofes for it Now Scripture clearly holds out that way I walk in practice and maintain Brother you were too too precipitate you need not have made a particular application in publike and then present your selfe to the view of the world in so great a passion as to let men see and know you are not able to disgest a merry word Alas thousands never saw your book and of them that have seen and read it happily every one took not notice of your uncharitable writings and opinions for untill you so unadvisedly rushed out and on the publique Theatre proclamed your selfe to be the man very few suspected you would have dealt so unbrotherly with your brethren who though they differ from your judgement yet are sincerely godly and have deserved well from you and layd out themselves freely for the good of you and yours above all other men as to pronounce them emenies of Jesus Christ or that you would unchristian all holy Christians and deny the saving work of grace in them true conversion because they dare not joyne with you nor approve of those opinions you have lately taken up you have not been so forward at other times to declare your selfe to be the man why now surely you conceit the subscribing your name again thereunto is a sufficient ground for men to believe that those passages and assertions are not erroneous and that it is a Piaculum in me to question the matter time season and manner of publishing such things if so you mistake your selfe exceedingly for this is an undeniable truth that you are a man subject to like passions and errors as other men are Jam. 5. 17. even your best friends being Judges And that I may discover your selfe unto your selfe I will sum up a few of your passionate expressions with your unbrotherly that I say not unchristian aspersions and slanderous accusations brought against me by name in your book that you intitle but how truly Vindiciae Veritatis which before ever I had seen or so much as heard of being in the Country when it came forth one having perused it briefly and lovingly reproved you and writ against many unworthy reproaches and slanders contained therein And I shall now again take a note of them and then clear those false accounts wherewith you have so deeply charged me which consist of severall particulars viz. You account me one that hath but fair flourishes of holinesse Page 17. An Adversary to Christs Kingdome and an open enemy and Persecutor of the Church Pag. 18. A Scandalous Walker to the shame of the very name of Christian Religion Pag. 20. Worse then a Heathen a base and barbarous man Pag. 21. One of the greatest Incendiaries in the Land Pag. 25. A dishonest man of a Serpentine practice Pag. 28. A hollow-hearted man of a shallow brain a man not onely whose heart is divided but whose head is c. Pag. 29. The reckoning in the full sum by your account amounts to thus much that I am an hypocrite an unbeleever a persecutor a profane wicked base and barbarous man an Incendiary a Knave a Serpent a Dissembler an Ignoramus a mad Man c. Oh that ever such a soul condemning heart accusing head dividing Charge should be drawn up and published by a Quondam Fellow Sufferer Is this no railing nor bitter speaking because cunningly uttered by an Independent If sober men who are godly without faction judge of this your method it will appear and by them be truly voted you have forgot the promise you made page the second for my part I leave it to the grave consideration of such And I shall now speak a little to your great charge of which a man might make a book in Folio to set forth the sinfull sinfulnesse that lies closely coucht therein with your furious smiting at my soul and body which inforceth me to say These are the wounds that I received in the house of my Friend Zech. 13. 6. Yet because from a friend and a Quondam Fellow Sufferer I presently bound them up and should have been very sparing in opening and discovering of them again could I have done it without prejudicing the life of my good name and obscuring truth but for the preservation of the one and the manifestation of the other I am constrained not to neglect to lay them open search their depth declare their danger and what evill effects may ensue and to poure in the soveraigne Balsome of a good conscience and lay upon them the plaister of innocencie which is the onely approved remedy for such desperate wounds Now for your Biâ—â— of Accusations and Defamations I here in the presence of God and before all men protest against it absolutely denying the whole charge and doe affirme that neither you nor any mortall creature can truly make any one of the least particulars thereof good against me although you have laboured hard and taken a great deale of paines to do it howsoever in the opinion of holy wise and learned men to little purpose But waving that busines a little
part of this last Querie is the same with the former for here you speake as if to slight the Independents were a sure way to obtaine favour and applause from Popish Cavaliers truly you flatter your selfe if you thinke your subtill dealing herein is not seene when as it is so notoriously known that any man who speaks against Independents may be scorned but never applauded by Popish or any that are Cavaliers for they applaud the Independents whom they hold to be more subtill and powerfull to effect the thing they chiefly ayms at and desire then themselves and it is well knowne and can be proved that they will run and goe to doe any Malignant a favour yea they will joyne with the wickedest Cavaliers against a Presbyterian to doe him a mischiefe But having cleared this truth in my Reply to your first Querie I hasten to the other part of this where you start the Question Whether the favour I received were not by my courtly compliance with Papists preferring them before Protestants c. To which I answer that my constant perseverance in holding forth the true Protestant Religion where ever I lived at home and beyond the seas is sufficiently knowne to all the godly faithfull orthodox Christians that inhabited in any of those parts where I have dwelt and so farre have I ever beene from any courtly complying with Papists or preferring them before Protestants as some in England at this day can testifie that when I lived in forraine nations my zeale was so great for the Protestant Religion that with no little hazard I have maintained it for all the while I travailed abroad and continued in Popish Countries which was many yeares it fared with mee as with the Apostle Paul while hee waited at Athens Act. 17. 16 17. my spirit was stirred in me when I saw the Cities and all the Countries wholly given to Idolatry therefore carrying my life in my hand I daily disputed with Papists and those they accounted the devout persons Priests and Iesuits against Popery maintaining the Protestant Religion insomuch as it was only the goodnesse of my God that kept me safe giving them no power to hurt mee further J answer you the Bookes that I have written against Popery in Latine and in English are yet extant and they doe witnesse and will to future generations that the Author of them disputed against and disclaimed Popery and earnestly contented for the faith which was once delivered unto the Saints Iud. vers 3. yea the many disputations I have held with Priests Jesuits and people popishly affected in England not onely while I injoyed my liberty but also when by the Prelaticall popish party J was for maintaining the true Protestant Religion and standing for the peace and welfare of my countrey cast into severall prisons viz. in the Gate-house at Westminster in the Castle of Launceston in Cornewall in the Castle in the Isle of Sylly in the Goale of Leicester in the Goale in the Citie of Yorke in Hemsley-Castle in Yorke-shire Lastly in Knasebrough-Castle in Yorke-shire Yet through Gods supporting grace in none of all these prisons could the cruelty pride and fury of men which in Yorke and Sylly was my daily portion either make me forget my integrity or daunt mee in the least for their rage and power I feared not neither did I ever forbeare to justifie godly Protestants nor decline any opportunity to dispute with Papists but improved it to the uttermost to shew the great idolatry and vanity of their Religion as many who were prisoners with mee in some of the fore-named places can testifie And I am confident that the Popish Cavaliers with whom I have beene a prisoner and others of them that have discoursed and reasoned with me in matters of Religion will give this testimony that they ever found me constant to my principles unmoveable in the Protestant Religion and as farre from complying with Papists or preferring them before Protestants what ever I suffered or under-went as light is from darkenesse in its greatest brightnesse Moreover Brother I would not that you should be ignorant how that I have beene as frequent in disputations writ as much in confutation and at all times and in all companies have appeared as forward and earnest against Papists and have ventured my life to maintaine the Protestant Religion as freely as any Independent I know in England and that in the worst of times yea when those who are now the chiefe independent Rabbies to avoyd suffering for truth would not stand to appeare in her behalfe but went out of the Kingdome and like the parents of the man that was borne blind Joh. 9. 21. Left her to speake for her selfe then J helped to maintaine truths cause and was not afraid nor ashamed to suffer in so good a quarrell but resisted her opposers Papists Prelates Arminians and Formalists in their erroneous Doctrines and Popish practises even unto blood I am become a foole in glorying you have compelled me 2 Cor. 12. 11. for so many reproaches which you have cast upon me and such groundlesse Queries could never have proceeded from any that had not beene guided should I say by a traducing spirit truly that word would come short fully to explaine and set forth the sinfull subtilty of them therefore I will not undertake to set down what spirit it was and what name it will beare I shall onely shew what it was not and leave it to such as are godly wife and experienced Christians to spell out the name thereof Now it is very evident that it was not the spirit of brotherly love that would have silenced yea annihilated such thoughts in the first conception for as brotherly love thinks no evill much lesse dares it devise and publish falshood yet more evill and greater falshood then you have not only thought as it plainely appeares but published against me and that deliberately none could ever have imagined for you render me a scandalous Walker as vile as vile can be and here you question whether I have not complyed with Papists and Popish Cavaliers and preferred them before Protestants Thus with your windie Independent policie you blast my good name raise doubts cloud my sincerity darken and overshadow my faithfull constant perseverance in the truth and wayes of God to make me be thought a man infamous and of no Religion but such dealings are absolutely contrary to brotherly love therefore it is very clear to the understanding of all that you were not guided by that spirit And as your quaeries were made without brotherly love so they seem to be altogether voyd of Christian experience being wholly filled with evill surmises scrued up to their height by the hand of carnall reason and uttered by the tongue of sinfull suspicion For I beseech you consider how it comes to passe that you who have been a Prisoner one of my Quondam Fellow Sufferers when you heare that I being a Prisoner under the command and power of
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
his own words by which he consenâ—s to that I had written to be true to wit that all the Churches of the New Testament were all Aristocratically to be governed that is that all the particular congregations under the severall Presbyters were to be moderated and regulated Communi consilio Presbyteram so that if every Congregat on and particular assembly then the pastor and Elder also of that congregation as being but a chieâ—e member of it is to be ordered and governed by the joynt and common councell of the whole colledge of Presbyters and that by Mr Knollys his own concession from which grant of his I shall now likewise deduce these ensuing conclusions which will necessarily follow out of his words and all of them fatall to his own principles and to the opinion of those of the congregationall way The first that the people are wholly excluded from Government in the Church for saith he It is not denyed by the brethren that the Presbyters in all Churches were the men in Government of the Churches in which they were Elders So that the people and Church though presbyterated as they speak have not the government in their hands as indeed they have not as never having received the Keyes nor never having been made stewards of the Church nor joyned in Commission with the Elders and therefore they can never either receive in members or cast out offenders for all these are acts of Government and belong onely to the Rulers of the Church whom the people are ever to obey in the Lord as he granteth and by this he overthrows all that which afterward he affirms that the Church or Congregation of which Diotrephes was an Elder had power over him and this is the first conclusion that of necessity followeth out of Mr Knollys his words but more of this in the sequell of this discourse The second conclusion that follows out of his words is this That the Government was not put into the hands of any one Elder with his Congregation but into the hands of many Elders that is into the hands of the whole Presbytery to wit the Court or Colledge of Presbyters so that they and they only joyntly and together had the power both to question convent and censure for M. Knollys saith It is not denyed by the brethren but that the Presbyters in al churches were the men in the government according to that of S. John If I come I will remember his deeds which he doth prating against us So that whosoever shall Diotrephes like indeavour to alter this government and assume it to themselves from the other Elders and from the Presbyters or to invest the people with it or joyn them in commission with the Elders or to arrogate unto themselves or to their particular congregations an absolute jurisdiction within themselves and an Independency from them and shall go about to disgrace and prate against the Presbyters and labour to bring them into the hatred of the people and shall take this liberty at pleasure to cast out whom they will out of their congregations or to bring in whom they please upon their owne tearmes and conditions and exercise an absolute Lordly Dominion amongst themselves over their congregations and the severall members in them all such are guilty of Diotrephes his sinne and offend in like manner and are equally to be blamed as assumers unto themselvs of that power which only belongeth to the presbytery now when all the Independents are guilty of this crime they may justly with Diotrephes be censurd and this is the second conclusion that necessarily followeth from Mr. Knollys his words The third is this that there were many congregations in all the primitive churches and yet made all of them within their severall precincts and jurisdictions but one church for so it was here in the church that Saint Iohn writeth unto where there were many Elders as Master Knollys confesseth in the which every Elder had his particular congregation as well as Diotrephes for they were no way inferiour to him so that if he had his particular congregation they each of them severally had their congregations likewise and yet they were all of them to be governed and ruled communi consilio presbyterorum which kind of government Diotrephes opposing or refusing obedience unto and affecting a Supremacy and jurisdiction to himselfe and his congregation independent from the presbytery was justly blamed by the Apostle Saint Iohn in that he prated against the presbyters with malicious words So that by all that I have now said these three positions are clearely manifest which Master Knollys denyeth viz the first That Diotrephes had a particular congregation The second that he affected an absolute jurisdicton within himselfe and to have his congregation independent and that he was the first that opposed the presbyterian government for we never read of any that prated malicious words against the Presbyterie before The third that the church that Saint Iohn writ unto was governed by the common counsell of the Presbytery at that time and that Saint Iohn did then acknowledge a Court and common councell of Presbyters both Classicall and Synodicall to appeale unto all which Master Knollys notwithstanding doth peremptorily deny But for the fuller elucidation of the truth I will first make all these propositions good from Master Knollys his own words in this his answer and then I will prove those severall appeales I made mention of page 10. and after that evidently evince that the people and congregation in any Church have not power to judge their Ministers and that it is a meare babble in M. Knollys to say that if nothing of publicke concernment were to be done without the joynt consent of the Presbytery that then Saint Iohn the Presbyter would not have transgressed so farre as to take upon him this authority over Diotrephes to tell the Church of his faults c. all these things I will methodically handle and then go on to answer whatsoever Master Knollys hath to say to all my other arguments in their due places And for proofe that Diotrephes had a particular congregation which Master Knollys saith there was no mention of waving the reasons above specified from that nigh relation that is betweene a Pastor and a flocke which is so much urged by all the Independents I say waving all those reasons I will make use of Master Knollys his owne words for it may be he will beleeve himselfe and perhaps his Disciples and followers and those of the congregationall way will give more credit to him whom they accompt very learned then to any thing I can produce out of the holy Scripture and if they will duly consider and ponder his expression they will then perceive not only his errors but how palpably he everywhere contradicteth himselfe and woundeth their cause and everteth their opinion whiles he laboureth with all his power to maintaine and defend it Diotrephes saith he opposed the brethren and forbad them
he killed a man after he had beene told and forewarned of it that it was a dangerous creature as wee may see Exod. 21. 28 29. where the Lord thus speaketh If an Oxe gore a man or a woman that they dye then the Oxe shall be surely stoned and his flesh shall not be eaten but the Owner of the Oxe shall bee quit But if the Oxe were wont to push with his horne in time past and it hath beene testified unto his owner and hee hath not kept him in but that hee hath killed a man or a woman the Oxe shall bee stoned and his Owner also shall bee put to death I say if the wilfull tolerating of but a mischievous creature to goe loose after his owner was informed of the dangerousnesse of it and that the owner himselfe was to be put to death if hee killed either a man or a woman after it how much more may wee thinke the Lord will severely punish those men that will suffer heresies and most dangerous and blasphemous opinions and idolatries to goe at liberty which with their hornes push men into hell it selfe to the destroying both of the soules and bodies of the poore people for in the fifth of the Galatians it is said that heâ—esies and idolatrie c. are amongst those sinnes that send men to perdition And we are informed by the Law of God of the deadlinesse of all sinnes but especially of those there named and God hath often taught us in his holy Law how much hee detesteth all false religions and false worships and by a speciall edict Exod. 22. verse 20. hath informed us saying He that sacrificeth unto any God save the Lord shall bee put to death so that wee cannot pretend ignorance and here is no exceptions of either persons or sexes and the same Law is reiterated in many more places of holy Writ and especially Deuter 13. where the whole Chapter is spent about the punishment of Idolaters and such as set up a false way of worshipping God and for the Morall Law many of the Independents themselves as I can out of severall of their writings prove hold that it is not alterable but it is of the same force now it was then and if they grant this as they doe they must likewise acknowledge that all the sanctions of it and penalties are also in force and that whatsoever was death by the Law of God then is by the same Law death nâ—w or else either God is changeable or the Law is altered both which I have yet so good opinion of some of them as I am confident they will not assert and therefore they must necessarily yeeld unto this if God and his Morall worship or Law bee the same and unalterable they must I say then also accord unto this that whatsoever was not then to be tolerated in Religion is not now to be suffered but severely be proceeded against Yeâ— Christ himselfe in his Epistles to the Church of Pergamos and Thyatiria and Laodicâ—a Rev. 2. and 3. as I proved before shews by threatning such heavie judgements upon those Churches for but conniving at and tolerating of Idolatry and those other filthy abominations there and by threatning with all their destruction and the killing of them and their children with the sword and the removing from them the Candlestick that is the Gospel the greatest punishment that can happen to people to be left in darkenesse and blindnesse and in the shaddow of death and in the power of Satan and to be punished moreover with temporall miseries I say all these comminations and threats sufficiently declare unto all advised Christians that Christ the Lord and King of his Church hath not altered his mind but that that Law is still in force that was made by him to his people of old yea hee hath farther declared unto hiâ— people Matth. 5. 17. 19. that hee came not to change the Law but to fulfill it and that whosoever should teach the breaking of the least of his holy Lawes should be the least in the Kingdome of Heaven Now by all those his holy Lawes made unto his people of old and by the practise of all his holy servants and Prophets hee hath declared how much hee detesteth and abhorreth the toleration of all Religions and not onely by his words often reiterated but hee hath also declared his displeasure by the punishment and immediat judgements hee laid upon Idolaters as that before mentioned in the two and thirtieth of Exodus where Moses from the Lord verse 32. said Who is on the Lords side let him come unto mee and the sonnes of Levi gathered themselves together unto him and hee saith unto them thus saith the Lord God of Israel put every man his sword by his side and goe out from gate to gate through the Campe and slay every man his brother and every man his companion and every man his neighbour here wee find according to that of Deut. the thirteenth that in Gods quarrell and for the vindicating of his honour wee may neither spare brother companion or nighest alyes So that if God would not then tolerate all Religions hee will now much lesse indure it amongst us especially when hee hath so often manifest his displeasure against us as wee may see also Number the â—5 where it is recorded how much hee was angery with his people for going into the sacrifices of the gods of the Moabites and for their eating and bowing downe to their gods and for joyning themselves with Baalpeor for it is said there that the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel and hee said unto Moses take all the heads of the people and hang them up before the Lord against the sunne that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel and Moses said unto the Iudges of Israel sâ—ay yâ—â— every one his men that were joyned unto Baalpeor verse 2. 3 4 5. This president also wee have of Gods displeasure against a toleration of any false Religion or false way of worship So that all such as pleâ—d for a toleration of all Religions shew that they have either no Religion at all or very little zeale for God Yea certainely they shew themselves all enemies of Christs Kingdome that thus violate his Lawes and trample them under their feet and that would have the Kingdome of the Devill set up every where and all Religions whatsoever tolerated amongst them which must needs provoke the Lord to anger and displeasure against that nation that doth so provoke him But how unsufferable a thing then is it in any that have the name of Christians that when they should with all their power and might oppose all innovations in Religion much more a toleration of all Religions as some of them with the hazard of their lives and liberties in former times opposed the innovations and the novelties of the Prelates and inveighed against the Booke for toleration of sports and recreations on the Lords day