argument they may be pressed upon them to draw them off their errours yet they may not be charged upon them and therefore though in the setting down of the errours and the things thereto annexed as Letters some phrases and words may not be so proper nor so good English yet the Reader must not be offended because I would relate things in their own words to take away all cavill Sixthly For the proof and manifestation of the truth and reality of the errours blasphemies and practices contained in this present Tractate that the Reader may not rest upon my bare assertion and relation of them but may have other grounds of satisfaction for their belief and so be more affected with them I propound these following particulars as grounds of proof 1. That for divers of the opinions errours and practices related there is such a notoriety of them being so notoriously known to thousands and maintained by thousands every day and every place witnessing the truth of them that to quote books written and sermons preached for them or persons holding them is to lose time and when all is alledged that can be 't is far beneath the evidences that the mentioning of the things themselves give 2. Many errours and blasphemies contained in this following Catalogue have been complained of and particulars given in by sufficient persons to the Parliament Committees of Parliament Assembly of Divines and others in authority of which errours I have had either perfect copies given me from Ministers both of the Assembly and City or relations from their mouths who have known particularly the story and truth of them which copies I keep by mee to produce if need be and out of which amongst many other papers and books I made up this Catalogue 3. Some of the errours blasphemies and practices are proved and made manifest in the narration of the Stories and Letters following the Catalogue wherein the naming of some persons places occasions of writing the persons writ unto their writing in a publick way and not in a private manner the willingnesse to have them published with many other concurrent circumstances do declare they are not feigned nor counterfeited but reall and certain 4. Of some of these errours and practices here related I my self and other persons of good note and quality have at the same time together been ear-witnesses and eye-witnesses upon the places 5. Other of these errours and opinions are in divers printed books either of the Sectaries themselves or of persons of note and worth for learning and piety who either after conferences with them or hearing them preach upon certain knowledge have printed and attested them to the world diverse of which printed books especially those made by the Sectaries I quote upon the margent by the errours 6. For any of the errours blasphemies put in this following Catalogue which have come to my knowledge by none of the former five wayes above specified which yet are not many I have had the relation of them from godly Ministers and understanding conscientious Christians with many circumstances of names places conditions time and confident asseverations of the certainty of them the relations coming to me by providence and occasionally spoken of in the hearing of others as well as my selfe and so delivered as there can be no reason in the world to think they should be false but much every way to beleeve them true And that the Reader may the more build upon the truth of all things delivered in this Book besides that account I have given him already in these six particulars I shall acquaint the Reader with the course and way I have taken to come to the truth of things and not to go upon hearsay When any things of this nature have been related to me though by persons of worth and conscience I have used to enquire of them whether they were ear-witnesses or no if not ear-witnesses who they had the reports from and how they came to know them and where and by whom and upon what occasion these points were delivered if they said they were ear and eye witnesses yet if there were but one single witnesse I have used to question who else was present and to enquire after circumstances and occasions and accordingly have gone to other persons named from one to another to find out the bottome and truth both of Opinions held and practises used where I could with wisdome and probability go to finde out and know the truth I have done it myself and where my appearing might hinder the discovery and cause persons to be shie and more reserved I have set others to enquire and directed them the way and entreated them to aske such and such questions and after particular enquiry according to concurrence of circumstances and witnesses I have entertained such things for truth or else received them as false or suspended them as doubtfull not to be asserted and that I might be the more faithfull Relator of the opinions and wayes of the Sectaries of this time and know when and where to put more or lesse weight or credit upon informations and relations I have a long time used to write down daily the same day yea the same hour when I could get opportunty of privacie the occurrences both of opinions and practises that concern our Sectaries and that in such manner and way that looking upon my papers a yeer after I can judge of what authority the relations are and accordingly I have forborn to put into this Catalogue of Errours some strange Opinions I have heard of from good hands though they may be true because I have not had the opportunity to meet with and further to enquire of some persons concerning their truth and because some whom I have enquired of could give me no further satisfaction I have taken this way to satisfie the Reader rather then all along in the severall Errours Blasphemies and Practises to lay down the particular proofs which I think the better way upon these following reasons 1. Because in many of the Errours even contained under one and the same head the proofs to be given of the truth of the thing doth arise many wayes from printed Books from Manuscripts from Sermons from preaching in private houses from Articles given in by witnesses and from others relations now to quote all these with all particular circumstances of time place c. whereby to make out a full proof would be an endlesse work and be so long and tedious that it would crosse one of my ends in this work which is to have this Discourse but short a Manuall that might be for every ones reading 2. Because some of these Errours and Opinions can be proved only from Manuscripts and relations of honest persons who were ear witnesses which Manuscripts are but in the hands of a few unknown to most of the Readers and to make references to them by quoting them in the margent the Reader were never the neerer and then every man
their lives and places so doe our Sectaries make it their study to remove worme by degrees out of places upon one pretence or other when they cannot doe it otherwise active Presbyterians of which we have too manie instances and set themselves to vex them by over-rating in Townes where they have place by bringing them into Haberdashers Hâ—ll by putting in Articles against them which they cannot prove and so putting them to chargeable journeyes and expences with abundance of such 4. The Bishops and the Court-party to bring about their ends would bring matters to such a condition and such a necessitie and then would make those necessities that condition of affaires as a ground of such and such following actions pleading the necessities and the condition of the times as their warrant so our Sectaries doe in many cases they have by their policies and wayes hindred the setling of Church-Government all this while and they plead the long delay of setling it as a ground to justifie their gathering Churches saying how manie yeares would you have us to stay when as in the Assembly Citie in all places by all meanes where they have anie interest they retard the work and so if meanes be used by Petitioning the Parliament to settle Church-Government and to suppresse the great errours then some of the Sectaries say and give out The Army will be offended when as many of the Sectaries have used all meanes and do still to bring things to that passe that we might have an Armie under the commands and in the hands of the Sectaries though blessed be God we have a Noble Generall free from sectarisme and not above one in six in the Armie that way tainted 4. The Prelaticall faction and that Court-partie were great Innovatours given to change running from one opinion to another being Arminians as well as Popish yea some of them Sociâ—inians and countenancing such and were everie day inventing some new matter in worship adding this ceremonie and the other putting downe some part of worships and altering them by substituting other as in putting down singing of Psalmes in some Churches and having Hymnes in putting downe all conceived Prayer and commanding bidding of Prayer with a multitude of such like so our Sectaries are great Innovatours as changeable as the Moon bringing into their Churches new opinions daily new practices taking away the old used in all Reformed Churches and substituting new taking away of singing of Psalms and pleading for hymnes of their own making bringing in anoynting with oyl bringing in their laying on of hands to give the Holy Ghost with severall other strange wayes and practices which the Reader shall find in this following discourse among the narrations of passages and stories 5 The Prelaticall faction and that Court-Clergie were daring bold men that durst venture almost upon any thing upon counselling to prorogue and break up Parliaments in times of danger and distraction upon putting men out of offices and places that were not for their turne and to bring in others calculated for their Meridian upon corrupting Religion and Lawes at once breaking in both upon the Truth and the libertie of the Subject at the same time upon any thing or person that stood in their way So our Sectaries many of them are daring men have attempted and been upon high businesses about counselling and drawing up Petitions for adjourning as they call it the Assembly in a time when the distractions of this Church are so infinite and things so unsetled as also have inserted strange passages into other Petitions which yet have not been presented others of the company opposing them with severall other particulars which would be too large now to relate in one word there is almost nothing which they have not and dare not venture on that stands in their light and in the way of their designes and I may say of many of the Sectaries for I do not mean all as I have said before so I say again there are some good souls meerly seduced who are not of the Faction they have overpassed the deeds of the wicked not only walked after their wayes nor done after their abominations but have corrupted themselves more than they justified the Bishops and their Faction by falling into those opinions and doing those actions in an high bold and open way which that Faction never durst do for feare of the people Next the present Malignants and the Sectaries agree in the generall thus that thorowout the Kingdome it is now notorious that the greatest Malignants and Sectaries hold together and vote together against the Presbyterians and the Reformation in all places and upon all businesses of which there are many examples in the choyce of Burgesses for Parliament in the Petition presented in London at the choyce of the new Common-Councell the grandest Malignants and the Independents joyned together to oppose and in some Committees where men of both these sorts are it is observed also but to come to some particulars The parallel between the present Malignants and our grand Sectaries stands in these 1 The Malignants have opposed the proceedings of Parliament by preaching and writing books against them reviling the Houses especially the House of Commons and many particular worthy Members by name speaking against their Ordinances constitutions as Covenant Directorie Ordination against their Power and Priviledges we know what Aulicus that grand Malignant hath done and how manie books both from Oxford and here at London hath been by the malignant partie printed and vented so also have manie Sectaries and here it would fill a great book to bring into one all the speeches with the passages in Petitions Sermons Prayers printed books that have been vented against the Parliament and particular Worthy Members of both Houses their Power and Power and Priviledges with their Ordinances and Orders in reference to matters of Religion as the Nationall Covenant Directorie Ordinance against mens preaching out of Office the Monethly Fast the Ordinance for Tithes the Orders and Directions about Classes and chusing Elders in which Sermons printed Books Discourses Petitions and other carriages of the Sectaries there have been more things vented distructive to the verie power and nature of Parliaments undermining the verie root and foundation and all their proceedings in reference to matters of Religion yea of justice and civill matters then ever have been by all the Malignants in England as ever I could heare of witnesse Lilburnes booke with that lately come forth call'd Innocency and Truth justified all the printed Letters and Papers that were printed upon occasion of his imprisonment Englands Birthright the Ordinance of Tithes Dismounted the Arraignment of Persecution and all his fellowes as Martins Eccho c. Turners Heavenly conâ—erence for Sions Saints resembling the Directory to the golden Calves of Jeroboam and affirming there are untruths contradictions to the Canonicall Scriptures errours c. And here I dare be bold to say that here have been greater insolencies and
he will be another David George Francken Socinus and be canonized for a Saint amongst those of Munster Raeâ—conia c. Quest. But it may be demanded by some What 's the matter and what are the causes that such venomour ranâ—â—rous Books as Mr. Goodwins Cretensis c. are printed and so many hard speeches in City and Countrey daily uttered against Master Edwards and his late Book intituled Gangraena is it not a Book full of Lyes nothing but Lyes is it not a Book full of venom and malice against the Saints and faithful Servants of God calling for fire and sword against the Saints Ans. 'T is a Book full of truth as will appear in the Replyes I give to the particular exceptions made against it and have in part cleared already and a Book of so much truth that I believe no Book written this hundred years having so much variety and particularity in it will be found to have more and for the proof of the truth and reality of the Errors c. contained in it I have expressed my self at large as foreseeing the Sectaries would call it a Book of Lyes in my Gangraena pag. 5 6 7 8. and as 't is not a Book of Lyes so neither of bitternesse nor of speaking evil of the Saints but a Book free from railing evil speaking against the Saints and Servants of God which at large in twelve several particulars in my full Reply coming after this Book I shew But no judicious Christian need wonder at it that the Sectaries generally give out so for they have nothing else left to say for themselves and to help their desperate cause so much discovered and wounded as 't is by Gangraena and what do they do in this case but as the Jesuits and Papists did by Mr. Foxes Book of Martyrs give out it was a Book of Lyes and writ Books to disprove some matters of fact taking advantage from some mistakes in circumstances about names places and such like to cry it down and yet all the Protestants know it was full of truths and is of precious esteem in the Church of God Just so do the Sectaries now by my Book and many of them that they might possesse the people the more against it and make that imputation That 't is full of Lyes gain credit with the people have invented many Lyes and Stories which they formally tell up and down the City and Countrey for certain and I can produce several witnesses to prove this namely Ministers and others who have come to me and to others to know the truth of them as that some of the Independent Ministers have been with me Mr. G. Mr. B. and have convinced me of some Lyes in my Book as that same of the Souldiers out of the Army have been with me about the story of Mr. Andrews and proved it false to me as that one whom I name in my Book and speak of as having some relation from the mans own mouth coming to me about it I confessed I knew him not nor never saw him before with some other such all which are meer lyes and fictions of the Sectaries so wicked and cunning are they in their generation to uphold their tottering Babel to prejudice Christians from reading and considering my Book But good Reader however falshood and slandering of men is pretended the great cause of speaking so against me and my Book the true cause of all the hatred is because there is so much truth in it Many men who answer nothing to it and others who have appeared in writing to disprove the truth know themselves and others too guilty and that in other passages where they are not named and know that I know and can prove it and that vexes them to the heart but were it indeed as many of them against their consciences give out a Book of Lyes they would not be so mad at it but I should before this time a day by some of my good Friends the Sectaries have heard of them after another manner and iâ— another place then yet I have done But in a word I apprehend these three following Reasons as principal causes both in Cretensis and others of their appearing against me in so much wrath fury and rage 1. A Vial is poured out upon the Sun the glory of their prime men is darkned both by the Antapology and Gangraena they who made themselves as the Sun in the Firmament of the Church are found by these Books not only to be as the Moon full of spots subject to like weaknesse as other men but to be in the Ecclipse fuller of blots then others yea their Sun is turned into darknesse and their Moon inâ—o blood and they who would have been thought to have been the only Saints nay Angels dropt from Heaven with new Gospel new Light and new Revelations do evidently appear by what I have written to all men who have not sacrificed the principles of their ingenuity upon the gainful service of the Independent Faction to be strange kinde of Saints if Saints The best of them appear to be spots in the profession of Religion but for many among them who yet are cried up to the Heavens they have corrupted themselves their spot is not the spot of his children they are a perverse and crooked generation Now they being men proud high-minded impatient of any check and contradiction in their way who thought alone to have had the repute among the people for sanctity holinesse and to have been Idolized by them and the contrary being so clearly demonstrated by many particular instances and proofs given in my Books no wonder that they are so mad and rage against me and finding their Kingdom full of darknesse that they gnaw their tongues for pain 2. By my Books especially Gangraena many Sectaries being so discovered by name and places of abode laid open in several of their opinions and ways will not be able for the future to do so much hurt and mischief among the people their Sheeps skins are by this pull'd over the Wolves ears and many will now shun and be afraid of them who before knew them not and this disappointment of infecting and corrupting others vexes and mads them to the heart 3. Their way and design must needs suffer much by this last Book in the esteem of all the Churches and all the godly persons who are unprejudiced yea and of all fair ingenuous men who before many at least not knowing the depths of Satan might think well of them whereas now many of them upon reading my Book have lifted up their hands and blest themselves to think what kinde of Creatures these Sectaries are saying If Independents and Anabaptists be such kinde of men do such things as this Book shews God keep us from being such we had some good opinion of their way but if they be such Merchants and have such tricks and wayes as Mr. Edwards layes down we will be none of them
Calvin Ergo justificari fide dicimur non quia fides habitum aut qualitatem in nos transfundat sed quia deo accepti sumus Cur autem fidei tribuitur tantus honor ut 〈◊〉 causa justitiae nostrae primo sciendum est esse causam instrumentaloâ— duntaâ—at nam proprâ—e loquendo justitia nostra nihil a liud est quam gratâ—itâ— Dei acceptio in qua sundata est nostra salus sed quia Dominus testimonium amoris nobis amoris sui gratiae per Evangelium reddendo illam quam dixi justitiam nobis communicat ideo fide illam percipimus Ergo quam fidei tribuimus hominis justificationem non de causa principali disputamus sed tantum notamus modum quo perveniunt homines ad veram justitiam Justitia enim haec merum est Dei donum non qualitas quae in hominibus haereat sed fide tantum possidetur neque id merito fidei ut sit quasi debita merces sed quia fide recipimus quod Deus ultro donat I forbear to English this passâ—ge leaving it to Cretensis to have a proof of him whether he will not be as false in his translations as in his quotations So those words of Calvin on Rom. 4 3. v. 6 make nothing at all to prove the Imputation of Faith and the non-Imputation of Christs righteousnesse but even upon those verses Calvin expresses several passages to the contrary as they who turn to the places may see And for Bucer Mr. Wotton himself acknowledges he was of another judgement speaking thus of him whom I perswade my self to have been the Author of this opinion of Imputation besides Reformed Divines generally not only two or three but all are against this opinion of the Imputation of faith and non-Imputation of Christs righteousnesse and for proof of this the Reader may peruse Mr. Roboroughs examination of Cretensis Treatise of Justification first part page 9 10. where he showes that all our Divines are against Faith in a proper sense Luther Calvin Bucer Pareus Ursinus Musculus c. however Arminius and Bertius were for it unto which Cretensis never to this day made any Reply though he vapors and bragâ— thus of his opinion of Imputation of Faith So also the Preface to the Churches set before the Acts of the Synod of Dorâ— showes the same by Gomarus particularly instancing in and convincing Arminius of his Hetorodoxnes from holding of this opinion that in justification the righteousnesse of Christ was not imputed but beleeving And now considering all this and much more that hath been said and written to Cretensis I cannot but wonder he should be such an impudent Cretensis as to bring these places out of Calvin Bucer Pareus and can give no other reason of it but that of Paul to Titus concerning Hereticks that the man sins in this being condemned of himself and for this Error and many more which Cretensis holds notwithstanding all his palliating and daubing I hold them so great and the differences in opinions between him and I to be of such moment that as Gomarus told Arminius he durst not appear before the judgement seat of Christ with his opinions so neither would I with Cretensis opinions nor his wayes of managing them for a thousand worlds As for Cretensis charging me with venting Errors in the point of justification whilst I was reckoning up the Errors of others I Reply Cretensis takes advantage from a word or two left out by the Printer in the margin of my Book which was not the fault of my Copy as I am ready to satisfie any man and to make it appear undeniable besides in the second impression of my Book which came forth full fourteen dayes before Cretensis Answer the mistake was amended however the sense of the word before it was amended easily shewed where the fault was though Cretensis aggravate it so high as to make it amount to Atheological and putid assertions But in one word to stop the mouth of Cretensis what I say of Justification in the margin of page 22. t is verbatim to a tittle in the new Annotations on the Bible made by the joynt labours of certain learned Divines appointed thereunto by Authority and whatever in the first impressioÌ„ was mistaken in that particular by the fault of the Printer was in the second long before Cretensis Animadversions amended by me so that the Reader may observe that Cretensis for want of matter findes fault where the fault is confessed to his hand and had I any hope Cretensis could understand Latin when it makes against his opinion of the imputation of faith and would be convinced I would turn him over to divers learned men to English their Latine sentences as Peter Martyr Lubbertus Sibrandus c. where the man should read other manner of evidence against non-imputation of faith and for imputation of Christs righteousnesse then ever he yet offered in all his sermons and discourses about justification but for a conclusion Cretensis answer me one question why did you not as well except against some other opinions named in my Catalogue viz. 84.85 as this 70. of faith in a proper sense imputed to justification you were as much named and particularized in them as in this and they call you Father as well as this but I suppose the reason you were not yet willing in publique to own those Children and so would take no notice of them though I doubt not those and other things laid down in my Book though without your name written upon them enraged you and have made you as a Bear robbed of her whelps to think that I should know so much by you Cretensis p. 27. Sect. 22. labours to clear himself from a passage I charged him with that he should utter in a Sermon against the Parliament and their power c. saying It was nothing else but a manifest and clear truth and that which had passed the trial of Presbyterian fire it self was come forth in ful weight without suffering the leâ—st damage or detriment by it and if any such gap was opened by it to slight their Authority and power he knowes no wilde Beasts have broke in at it but some Presbyterians and then goeth on according to his Dialect to inveigh against me for â—â—â—lling at the root of Parliamentary Authority and power because that I finde fault with his truth as he cals it viz. his speaking so disgracefully and contemptibly of the Parliament Reply O the impudence and incorrigiblenesse of Cretensis after so high an offence committed by him against Parliamentary Authority complained of to a Committee of Parliament upon the debate of it judged by some of the Committee to be an offence of that high nature that these words were expressed of him of his offence that he as much or rather more deserved to be hang'd then the Arch-Bishop yea the whole Committee judged it of such a nature and crime as too great for them
such and such things So in thee London in the Associated Counties in the Armies and that after a solemn Covenant to extirpate Heâ—esies and Schisms are found such and such Errours Blasphemous Opinions strange Practises so that the Reader must remember that all the following Errours Blasphemies Practises Letters be of persons in this time and in this Kingdom 〈…〉 who live and dwell among us Secondly I do not undertake nor professe in this Catalogue and Discovery to give a full Catalogue and perfect enumeration of all the erroneous Opinions Blasphemies and Practises of the Sectaries within these four last yeers so as no more can be added to them I make no doubt but many a Reader may say this Catalogue wants such an opinion that he knows of and such an opinion but only speaks of many of them and of some principall and therefore in the Title of this Discourse I call it a Catalogue of many Errours I do not say of all It cannot rationally be imagined that one man residing constantly in one place not travelling to the Armies nor up and down from Country to Country having his hands full of preaching and writing Controversies can come to the knowledge of all Errours broached in all places or can have time to read over exactly all the Sectaries to extrâ—ct all their Opinions It may rather be thus argued what a world of strange Errours c. are there held in all parts of this Kingdom when one man hears of so much if all the ministers in the Kingdom would bring in what they know or but a considerable number of Ministers as a Committee from severall parts of the Kingdom would joyn together to read all the Books to take notes of the Sermons in publike to have some observe and watch meetings in private and draw into one all the wayes of the Sectaries within these four last yeers a great volume would not contain the Errours prodigious Opinions and strange practises of these times Ther 's no question but there are many monsters conceived by some in this Intermysticall season which are not yet brought forth and others that are brought forth yet like to bastard or mishapen children are concealed from the publike view made known only to a very few being the hidden works of darknesse the time not being yet come to publish them openly waighting only for the Mid-wife and nursing mother of a Toleration to bring them fourth and nourish them But though this be not a perfect Catalogue yet I beleeve it will be found the fullest that hath yet been made of these times and give a further Discovery then yet we have had I have seen severall Books written within these four last yeers and lesse that give us a particular Relation of some Errours and blasphemous opinions as learned Master Gatâ—kers but that 's only of the Antinomian Errours Master Bâ—ily one of the learned and Reverend Commissioners of the Church of Scotland but that is only of the Independents Brownists and Chiliasts Master Pagets who relates more then any late Authors but many of them are of the old Anabaptists and old Sectaries of other Countries rather then of the new and of this Kingdom Mr. Well but his relation is cheifly of the Familists and Antinomians in New-England many yeers ago But this work as it speaks only of the Errours and Opinions in present being and in England so it discovers more then any one Book hath of the Errours held and maintained among us yea then all the Tractates extant have discovered many great Errours being in this present Treatise laid down which are not mentioned at all neither by the forenamed Authors nor any other so that this present Discourse will be a further improvement of our knowledge of the Errours and wayes of the Sectaries of our times Thirdly My intent in this work is not to make a formall confutation of these Errours and Opinions I designed not that when I first resolved the thing that would be a long and great work and not make good my present ends I hope the naming of them will be a sufficient confutation especially with the Animadversions Observations and Corallaries hereunto adjoyned I have been a faithfull gatherer together and storer up Remembrancer and Treasurer of these Errours and Practices for the good of the publike that I might in a fit season bring out of my treasure these things and discover these monsters and rocks that so they might be of some use to godly people to make them afraid of forsaking the publike Assemblies and joyning to separated Churches where these monsters daily breed Fourthly I here give the Reader a Synopsis of Sectarisme and have drawn as is were into one Table and do present at one view the Errours and strange opinions scattered up and down and vented in many Books Manuscripts Sermons conferences c. and have disposed them under certain heads and put them into their proper places in a methodicall way for memories sake that the Reader may the more easily find them The Reader cannot imagine I found them thus methodized and laid together but confused and divided lying far asunder one or two in one book some in another others in this manuscript others in that this errour vented at such a private meeting that errour in such a Sermon this opinion at such a conference For many of these opinions the very same opinions and errours are maintained and held over and over in severall books and manuscripts so that to have given them the Reader as I found them would have been to have brought the Reader into a wildernesse and to have presented to publick view a rude and undigested Chaos with an heap of Tautologies all which are carefully declined in this following discourse by joyning in one things divided and scattered by relating but once one and the same errour and practice and by forbearing to lead the Reader thorow woods and over the mountains and in stead of that carrying him directly and presently to the bird in the nest Fifthly I lay down the opinions and errours in terminis and in their owne words and phrases syllabically as neer as possible can be or I can remember them and that as themselves have expressed them in books manuscripts sermons conferences which either are extant of their own setting forth or set forth by other learned godly men in print or as I have received them from credible sufficient witnesses I doe not in this Catalogue and Discovery alter the phrases and words of the Sectaries giving you their sense in other expressions nor set down a Relation of their opinions by consequences and deductions imputing that to them which by consequences may be drawn for I hold that an unjust way of dealing with men though in errours yea many men may hold opinions who yet see not the consequences nay abhorre those consequences which yet follow upon such premisses and therefore though in a way of
c. and agree among themselves that some of them shall seem to be for Poedobâ—ptisme and in the disputation 't is maintained at first eagerly by some of their party against others of them who oppose it but then after long and great disputation at last they confesse they are by the evidence of truth convinced and before all the people give glorie to God that now they see the truth whereby the people seeing them who pleaded for Poedobaptisme confessing their errour and yeelding they knowing nothing of this precontract and deceit they also stumble question and fall yea and to spread their errours the more in some great towne where some of the Sectaries being souldiers have been quartered they have desired the use of severall houses of persons well-affected that in the afternoon some Christians might meet to confer together of some points not contenting themselves to reason in the house where quartered or in any one house that might be larger to hold many but to get a new house every day the more to infect and possesse the people with their waies and Tenets 11. All things that have fallen out and do in the Kingdomes of Victories Losses Oâ—dinances Petitions Actions Death of particular persons of all matter in Church State Parliament Assembly City they make use of it one way or other to further their designe and turne it for the furthering of their way and against the Presbyteriall Government as the businesse of Dennington Castle as the losse of Leicâ—ster upon that framing a Petition to adjâ—urne the Assembly with other particulars which I cannot now mention 12. Some of the Sectâ—riâ—s plead miracles revelations visions for their way and to confirme their doctrine as some Anabaptists at Yorke for their rebaptization that being baptized in the winter in the river Ouse the water was as hot as if it had beene in the midst of summer as healing the sicke with the anointing of oyle as giving out Christ appeared to an Anabâ—ptist and forbade her to baptize her child of which the Reader may read more in the second Letter 13. They are wont upon the coming forth of books against their way which they see take with wise men and for which both their opinions and themselves suffer to give out they shall be answered and are answering of them to keep the people in heart till they be forgotten and the speech of the booke over of which I could give many instances and so upon the new Modell when in stead of bringing that in to the Assembly they brought in pretended reasons why not they suffered much in the esteem of all unprejudiced men speaking they durst bring in none because of the weaknesse of their way then severall Sectaries gave it out in many places and to many as I can prove it and name persons too that the Modell was a printing it was certainly in the presse and all the world should see it 14. They have done and practised many strange things in reference to baptisme of children dressing up a Cat like a child for to be baptized inviting many people both men and women as to baptizing of a child and then when neighbours were come having one to preach against baptizing of children they have baptized many weakly ancient women naked in rivers in winter whereupon some have sickned and died they have baptized young maids Citizens daughters about one and two a clock in the morning tempting them out of their fathers houses at midnight to be baptized the parents being asleep and knowing nothing 15. They use to give great and glorious names swelling Titles to their books they set forth as Innocency and Truth Triumphing together as Truth gloriously appearing c. as also to their erroneous Doctrines lâ—id down in their books casting upon Truths of God odious names as The â—â—orming of Antichrist Discovery of the man of sin c. their books being just like the Aegyptian Temples whose outsides were beautifull and glorious having the inscription of a Deity upon them but within nothing but a Crocodile an Ape an Onion or some such vile mean creature 16. They are extreamly full of partiality in all their waies not allowing that to others though far more considerable for quality dignity which themselves ordinarily do speaking against that in others which they daily practise of which I will give a few instances they have cried out in Pulpits Pamphlets discourses of the Citizens Common Councell Ministers for petitioning to settle Government or humbly representing their desires O 't is an interposing medling anticipating and I know not what when as a few Sectaries Lilburne and his fellowes can appoint meetings and give notice to manie to come to them at such times and places and draw up Petitions and that strange ones too medling with manie things before the Houses and in debate not determined and against the known Priviledges of the Houses of which I might give manie instances as after the losse of Leicester in the meetings of the Sectaries this was one of the clauses of their Petitions to name such and such members of the House of Commons to be a Comittee for the raising of the Countieâ— and appointing Commanders but opposed by some godly Orthodox Citizens who saw their dâ—ift and observed well whom they named as being against the Priviledges of Parliament for them a few private persons to nominate a Committee of the members of Parliament as also that the Assembly might be adjourned thus one of the Pamphlets tell us among his Newes that inferiour Râ—presentatives which no man of understanding can interpret of anie but the Common-Councell of London must bee wary of medling or interposing by Petitions or gathering together but leave all to the Parliament but now the Sectaries foure or five hundred of them they may meet together interpose repâ—esent may speak their pleasures of and arraign the Parliament Committee of Examinations M. Speaker and other Members of the House as they did after Lilburns committing and the Intelligencer will not diâ—câ—pline them Again they may print preach speak against Assembly Ministerie for Independency against Presbytery and what not and yet if any of them be questioned or book stopped at presse 't is persecution and they cannot be heard noâ— have liberty to speak for their way whereas the same men use all means and waies against Presbyterians preaching printing yea labouring to hinder their putting forth of Answers and calling in Answers made yea endeavouring to trouble those who License books against their waies as for instance the Assembly being falsly and scandalously dealt with in a Pamphlet intit A Copy of a Remonstrance lately delivered in to the Assembly the Sectaries have used all their friends to hinder the printing of the Assemblies Answer so manie of the Sectaries at their meetings drew up a Petition to the House of Commons to have Mr. Prynns and Dr. Bastwicks bookes called in and that House to declare their sense against them and that no such books
might be writ against the godly well affâ—cted partie under the name of Anabaptists Brownists Independents and a large schedule was annexed to the Petition of offensive passages that were in M. Prynns and D. Bastwicks book I think ere long they will dare to petition that no man shall preach against an Anabaptist or name a Sectarie or speake a word for Presbyterie but themselves may preach print and say what they list And so in the case of the Letter of the City Ministers to the Assembly against Toleration and in other books yea and in Sermons that have been against the sects they have threatned and endeavoured to trouble and question the Licensers and Preachers 17. They are full of plots and projects for their way and increasing their party they have alwaies designes on foot they do nothing nor propound nothing but theres some designe or other in it they are big with many at once that if one take not another may if one misse they presently start another of which I could give manie instances and show how the hand of Ioah hath been and is where 't is little thought they use other men upon other interests and ends to do their worke they have waieâ— collaterelly and indirectly to effect their worke when it would be marred if they went in recta linea they can and ordinarily do go about to destroy businesses they seeme to plead for by propounding and putting upon ways to effect it which they know are not feasible 18. They have and do when put upon present exigents yeeld to and forbear things for the present and sometimes in appearance will seeme to go far with you and are content to lose the fore-game that they may play the aftergame better and recover all they will sometimes appeare to be yours fully till they have served their turne giving place for a time but still waiting opportunities and working in the mean time all they may and when they have counterworkt they will fetch all about again another way and make void all they seem'd to grant you and of this there are too many examples among the Sectaries manie of them taking the Nationall Covenant for that instant necessity that they might worke so as in time to destroy the end and intent of it and yeelding some arguments and debates for the present to effect their owne ends afterwards 19. They have been and are Polupragmaticall indefatigably active stirring restlesse night and day in City Countrey in all places having their agents to doe their worke and promote their caâ—se their eyes are intent upon every thing that may make for them or against them and they have a hand in every thing they are men of a hundred eyes and hands out-acting and out-working all the Presbyterians they deale with this man to take him off and worke with another to qualifie him they have got most of the weekly writers of Newes to plead their cause commend their persons cry up their actions they have sent Emissaries to sâ—verall Countreyes to preach carry Letters deale with persons for chusing of Burgesses in Parliament for their way as M. Peters and others they observe all mens tempers humours and accordingly deale with them all some with offices and places some by holding out principles suiting their lusts 20. They desperately censure and judge all men both their estates and actions who are not for them they presently unsaint them and men fall from grace ipso facto by preaching or writing bookes against their errours as M. Prynne making him worse then the late Archbishop of Canterbury and so one M. E. for writing against them they use this phrase sometimes accounted a godly man and of M. Ash they have not only in England laboured to blast him by their censures and reports but writ over into Holland that since he appeared against them God had evidently blasted him and taken away his gifts and lately upon reports raised by them no doubt that I was dead though there was not the least colour for it not being sick at all they gave it out it was Gods just judgement upon me to cut me off for preaching and writing against the Independents and at the same time they gave out that M. Calamy had broken his arme and D. Twisse a dying O saith one of their Doctors of Divinity you may see the just hand of God against the Presbyterians M. Edwards dead M. Calamies arme broke and D. Twisse a dying so that if these things had been thus we may see how they would have judged it and if such things had fallen to some of us which have to many of the sectaries which I name not to upbraid them with but to shew them their own folly as that by the plague of pestilence our children two at a time had been taken away as M. Goodwins was upon the making his house a meeting for the Sectaries and some of our eyes put out by a Pike in the street as one of Lilburns was immediately upon his Letter coming forth against M. Prynne and the Assembly and our wives stark mad as M. Peters wife wee might have expected as bad books written of us as were written by the Papists of Luther and Calvin 21. They take upon them more places then they can or do discharge and bear the names of some places which they seldome officiate and have laboured to add more places to those they have already and that both in City and Countrey so that some of them besides their places in the Assembly which they seldom attend especially this last yeare and their private gathered Churches have divers Lectures and places besides their hanging upon great men to preach before them to ingratiate themselves and getting to preach at White-hall S. Iames Westminster and other eminent places where the great ones Earles Lords and the Grandees of the time resort they do not as wee Ministers sit still expecting a call to places but they are forward men bestirring themselves to attain this place and that getting such great mens Letters in their behalfe using such Ministers of note and other persons of quality and power in Parishes to make way for them to come in pretending to preach for nothing c. and still in all these Lectures and preachings they have an eye to Churches in places most convenient for thier ends as so situated so capacious and to times when few or no Lectures else are as on the Lords day in the morning between six and seven a clocke all those Lectures at that time of the day from Stepney to Westminster they either have possession of or have strongly laboured for them yea and to have set up others on the Lords dayes in the morning at Ludgatâ— Aldersgate c. if by themselves or all the friends they made they could have effected it and so the Lord day in the evening when other Sermons are done they have gotten that Lecture at the Three Cranes and so the Lecture on Munday night
my book Cretens p. 11. p. 20.21 That when all the accused ones shall have time and opportunity to stand forth and plead their innocency Cretens pag. 6. there will be very little truth found remaining in any thing reported by me except in such things as are transgressions against no Law and indeed the whole Answer is in one kind or other a continued pleading for Baal and a calling Error Truth and Darknesse Light O the wretchednesse and wickednesse of Cretens whereas for these abominations of the Errours Heresies Blasphemies of our times known too well to all the Kingdome he should have sat down astonied mourning and sighing rending his heart crying out my bowels my bowels I am pained at the heart the man makes a sport and mock of them to make himself the Independent sons of Ieroboam who are of his own constitution merry with them using also several Artifices sophistications to elude the truth And tho this be very sad that such a man as Cretens who pretends to so much Saintship and holynesse should do thus or indeed any man who hath but the name of a Christian yet I cannot but observe a good hand of God in this as well as in the former thus to leave him as to shame him before all the world many besides my self taking notice and speaking of this in Cretens how without all distinction he speaks for most shamefully excuses all kind of Errors Heresies Blasphemies Antitrinitarians Arâ—ians Antiscripturists c. not finding any one Error or person throughout my book worthy to be blamed but in this we find no strange thing for that Scripture must be fulfilled As for such as turn aside unto their crooked wayes the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity Obs. 3. Cretensis throughout his whole Answer without excepting any one man makes al those erroneous persons Saints faithful servants of God c. whom I have mentioned in my Catalogue and though most of the instances in my Relations where I name persons and insist somewhat largely upon them be of most dangerous men of men holding most abominable horrid errors and blasphemous opinions as Writer Webb Clarkson Hich Marshall c. yet doth not Cretensis condemn speak against any one of them or separate the vile from such as may be pretious among the lower sort of sects but bundles them up among the Saints speaking of the S t s the S t s whose nakednes M. Edwards being of Satans Councel hath laid open spread a table for Satan with the shame and sorrows of the Saints so that in Cretensis Kalender Cretens p. 5. Antitrinitarians Antiscripturists Arrians Socinians Perfectists are canonised for S t s as well as Independents Brownists and Anabaptists and a man may find there St Best St Wrighter St Webb St Hieb St Clarkson c. as well as St Goodwin and his Church and no question if Saint Best shall suffer by the Parliaments authority for his damnable Heresies and Blasphemies he sha'l be a Martyr too as well as a Saint in Cretensis Kalender and be reckoned the Protomartyr of the Sectaries and in this the Reader may observe how Cretens no question against his own intention whilst the main scope of his Pamphlet is to make Gangâ—aena a lying book confirms the truth of many passages related in it namely the Independents holding with all other Sects not dividing from them pleading for them upon all occasions strengthnâ—ng their hands bringing them off from danger c. all which Cretens in many pages of his book makes good and though he had a fair occasion upon the coming out of Gangraenâ— to have casheired many out of their number there being so many foul Sects and Sectaries discovered and can never come off with honour for not taking it yet 't is evident Cretensis will not loose any one sort of Sects or any one Sectary but joyns them with himself and his own Church the Saints the faithfull servants of God and such like Obs. 4. Cretensis out of his pride and in his rage casts fiâ—e brans every where abusing and having a fling at all he comes near or takes an occasion to speak of and that not only particular single persons of approved integrity and abilities but whole societies as the Honourable Court of Common-Councell p. 49. calling them Brethren in iniquity with me for representing in their Petition to the Parliament that there were e'even meetings at least of Sectaries in one Parish in this City yea and all Presbyterians Assembled and not Assembled Had Cretensis only abused and scorned me a poor weak thimblefull of dust that in his account knowes not how to range Parts of Speech in a sentence nor to put the Nominative Case and Verb together regularly in English I could have born it and passed it by as I have done many of the like kind but who can without a check suffer this proud man to slight and scorn all kind of worthy men as if all wisdome and understanding dwelt in him alone Obs. 5. Cretensis in severall places of his Book abuses Sctipture bringing that in to serve his turn to make jâ—st and scoffs upon me and others as in pag. 9.15 c. 'T is a great iniquity in me as Cretensis would make it to abuse his Saints but no fault in him to make jests upon the Scripture Obs. 6. Cretensis Pamphlet consists of little else but great swelling words of vanity jears scoffs bitter reproaches long-winded sentences preambles circumlocutions and multitude of words without waight and matter so that if a man substract all these what remains certainly all the matter reason and strength of this Book may be writ in a gold Ring and there will hardly be enough to fill a poor weak thimblefull of dust as for example what ado doth Cretens make speaking over and over the same things spending whole pages and leaves upon that which he might have spoken answered to in three or four lines as about bowling on dayes of Thanksgiving he runs out from pag. 28 to 36. and so carps at the word meeting in pag. 36 37. Now 't is an evident signe the man could not find matter of exception in Gangâ— to work upon that he so catches at words and phrases no man who is in his wits and hath good employments will spend his time in picking of strawes and catching flies Obs. 7. Cretensis if not formally and in so many words yet virâ—ually doth animate and stir up the Sectaries to fall upon me dealing by me in opposing the errors of the Sectaries just as the Jesuits and Papists do against those who write and preach against their way telling some of their seduced followers it will be a meritorious work to kill such and take them out of the way and if Cretensis do not so what mean these words p. 19. And let Mr. Edwards know and let his conscience and compeers know that whatsoever he shall suffer whether from his
Sectaries or others in this bloudy negotiation he shall suffer not as a Christian nor with Christ but as a Malefactor and an evil-doer implying that if the Sectaries mischief or kill me for my book 't is but an act against a Malefactor and an evill-doer Obs. 8. Cretensis takes upon him to set out a Book which he cals an Answer to a Treatise lately published by Mr. Edwards called Gangraena and yet in this Answer professes that he hath not read one quarter of the Book as yeâ— and that he hath neither leasure nor opportunity to search to the bottome or sift to the bran all that the man storieth per se and per alios in his Gangraena Now I think these are the only true passages in the Book for had Cretensis read the Book thorough and well laid to heart the Contents of it and compared one thing with another which I say in my Book I think he would never have written such an Answer nor belched out such unsavory passages against it I beleeve if Cretensis had read it thorough there are such sad and serious passages in many places of the Book as would have awed his conscience but in the mean time how well becoming such a learned deep Rabbi and wise man as Cretensis would be thought to be 't is to write an Answer to a Book and to professe he nâ—ver read one quarter of it I leave to all rationall men to judge and to Cretensis himself upon a review I had thought Master Woodwards folly spoken of by many for giving his censure and judgment upon my Antapoligie before he read it over only dipping here and there would have been a warning to other men Master Edwards as weak a poor thimblefull of dust as he is not knowing according to Cretensis Grammar how to put the Nominative Case and Verb together c. would have been ashamed to have had so little wit or reason as to make an Answer to a Book and in that to declare to all the world he never read a fourth part of it but I cannot but take notice of the good hand of God in befooling Mr. Goodwin in this as in many other passages of his Answer to cause him to proclaim thus his own shame and folly to the world Obs. 9. Great Cretens a deep Divine a Teacher of Teachers as some cry him up the great lying Oracle of the Sectaries yet further 〈◊〉 out his own shame and folly in saying the far greatest part of the particulars detected miâ—e obserued by others and presented to him Cretenâ— p. 50. Is not this a strange and new way of answering Books for men to take up things upon trust from others to go by an implicite faith and not to see with their own eyes nor examine things themselves especially for a man upon things observed by others to make such a mighty businesse and to carry matters in such a scornfull triumphing way positively charging a Book with lying forgery c. as Cretensis doth what if Cretensis Saints who observed and presented matters to him being parties should out of weaknesse in judiciousnesse or partiall affection if not malice and wilfulnesse mistake and pervert my sayings where is Cretensis then I must tell Cretensis the poor weak thimbleful of dust so scorned by him as not worthy to carry his Books after him doth not use to make Answers to Books without reading one quarter of them but before he sets forth Answers he reads them many times over laying and comparing one thing with another neither takes he any thing upon trust from other mens observations which he writes as his own or can come to see with his own eyes Should Mr. Edwards in writing any of his Books or in this last have taken Cretensis slight course there 's no question but before this time Mr. Edwards had heard after another manner and in another way of his Books then he hath especially of his Antapologie and Gangraena but the poor weak thimblefull of dust that knows not how to range his Parts of Speech in a sentence c. hath more brains in this then the bushel full of dirt who though Cretensis have more guts and garbage and be better bodied yet in the opinion of wise men will be thought to have lesse understanding and fewer brains in expressing himselfe so as he hath done Obs. 10. All the materials and ground-works Cretensis makes use of and goes upon in his Answer to Gangrae to disprove the truth of things related by me as the Reader may observe are either the Testimonies of the parties themselves as Overton Cosens Kiffin Lilburn Mr. Burroughs c. which in their own case are little to be credited and if according to Cretens p. 12 rule it be no regular processe in Law to ask my fellow whether I be a theif then sure 't is no good oâ—e to ask a mans self if he be a theif or doubtful dark Answers to matters of fact that may be taken in divers senses just like the Answers of the lying Oracles of wch there are many instances as in that of Lilbur playing at Cards with many others or else his witnesses wil be found to be Sectaries Anabaptists Apprentice boyes or parties interested or such like Cretens p. 44 as for instance in Mr. Ricrofts Letter whereas my proofs of things will be found to be of another nature most of the greatest things laid down in my Catalogue known to my self and many many the Books being extant to prove them and most of my witnesses will be found to be godly able Ministers and other eminent sound substantial Christians and the worst of them of more repute more likely to know things they reported then the best of yours excepting Mr. Burroughs whom yet I shall prove to have forgot himself in writing that Paper set down by you Page 42. beside the persons whom I had relations from had no reason to speak things out of partiality prejudice but only the naked truth many things being related to others as well as to me besides few of them who writ or related these matters did them out of any design against the Sectaries but only in a way of declaring and bewailing to what passe things were come and if to all these be added what Cretensis himself grants page 26. one affirmative testimony is more valid in Law then many negative all that Mr. Goodwin hath alleaged by way of Answer is to little purpose Observ. 11. That those very things Cretensis charges me with either in my Antapology or Gangraena though most unjustly as forgery lying jugling bitternesse malice bloody negotiation against the Saints taking up reports and printing them upon weak and slight grounds obscene scurrilous writing contradictions false English nonsense with such like the man himself as in other of his Books so also in this is most faulty as the judicious Reader may observe more or lesse in one of these kindes or other throughout the whole Book
and in my full Reply I shall more largely and particularly specifie In one word Cretensis is a most ungodly Antichristian insolent proud malicious wrathful lying obscent scurrilous nonsense absurd contradictory piece Observ. 12. Cretensis in all his Books of Controversie and Answers of all sorts that I have seen and met with is of all Writers in this later age the greatest falsifier of Authors wresting them upon all occasions and that with a Gyant-like confidence against their own sense and contrary to what they are known ex professo to hold and he will not be beaten off from it as is apparent in his Treatises of Justification and in his Answer to Master Prynne and in this Book bringing in Master Ball for him in the point of Free-will Now this must arise either from that heretical genius of his that he sinneth being condemned of himself speaking lyes in hypocrisie having his conscience seared with a hot iron or else from a high flown mad fancy making things to appear which are not at all like to that mad man of Athens who thought all the Ships that came into the Haven were his though he never were sharer much lesse owner in any Ship so Cretensis sancies all learned Writers to be for him ' wheares indeed there never was any sound and Orthodox Divine for him as I shall shew more fully hereafter and divide Learned Master Gataker from him Observ. 13. Cretensis iust Cretian like fastens that upon me in my Gangraena affirming I say that which I do not as in pag. 28. Sect. 23. and doth father opinions upon me meerly from the leaving out of a word or two by the Printers over-sight Cretens pag. 23. though corrected in the second Edition and abroad full fourteen dayes before Cretensis which was either done wilfully and on set purpose against his knowledge or from his not reading over my Book but taking up things upon trust Observ. 14. There are many things in Cretensis Pamphlet which he pretends to Answer making much ado of and laboring to fasten upon me lyes nonsense c. which yet in the close after a great many high flown words Cretensis is forced to confesse them true and that both of himself and others though by many words he hath labored to pusle and cast a mist before the eyes of the Reader Observ. 15. I desire the Reader to observe that this Answer made by this great Rabbi is but snatches here and there answering Gangraena by great leaps as Leopards use to take Cretensis answers one passage out of p. 70. and then leaps to 128. taking another there and from p. 128. leaps back to p. 8. and after this sort the whole Answer is And for those pages where Cretensis fastens upon something to give an Answer unto even there he snatches takes not the whole what goes before nor what follows after so that after that rate of Answering if such kinde of Discourses must have the names of Answers how may not men elude and make nothing of the excellentest Books that ever were written by men yea of the Scriptures themselves and wrest them if they will not take one place with another and observe what goes before and what follows after And as this great Rabbies Answer is by snatches so 't is full of miserable shifts and poor evasions as among others pag. 16. Cretensis gives that reason why my Antapology hath not been Answered in 18. Moneths because the way by which light and truth should go forth into the world was hedg'd up by Clergy Classique Councelâ— as with thorns against him Now I wonder with what face Cretens can write this when as all men know the Independents have a Licenser of their own at hand Mr. Bachilor who is such a friend to all the world of Believers that certainly he cannot deny Cretensis Do not we daily see the man Licenses without either fear or wit all kinde of Pamphlets The Error of Anabaptism against Mr. Marshal the Error of Seekers in The Smoke of the Temple A pretended Answer of Mr. Saltmarsh to the Assemblies Petition and now Cretensis against Gangraena and will Mr. Bachilor with Clergy Classique Councels hedge up the way as with thorns against Cretensis Reply to Mr. Edwards Antapologiae Can Cretens think though his own deluded Church and other Sectaries may have so much Independent faith as to believe him that any Presbyterian hath so little wit as not to laugh at such folly why could not Iohn Bachilor as well leap over the hedge of Clergy Classique thorne to License a Reply to Antapologia as an Answer to Gangraena and pray Mr. Goodwin in your next account you give unto the world by publike writing give me an account why honest Iohn Bachilor could not as well leap over the hedge of Clergy Classique thorns to License a full Reply to Antapologia as to License A brief Answer to Gangraena But no more of this now Observ. 16. The Christian Reader may observe Cretensis as in this and his former Books so in all his preachings and ways to have all the characters and marks of false Prophets and false Teachers not only in his hands but upon his forehead so that if I would here enlarge I might clearly shew all that Christ and the Apostles spake of false Prophets are to be found in Cretensis but I will only instance in a few laid down by Peter and Iude in their Epistles and upon the propounding of them I know the Reader will say as face answereth face in glasse so doth Cretensis answer these Scriptures Peter saith of the false Teachers in his time that they speak great swâ—lling words of vanity and that they promise their followers liberty and Iude They are clouds without water carried about of winds raging waves of the Sea foaming out their own shame wandring stars their mouth speaking great swelling words having mens person in admiration because of advantage These be they who separate themselves sensual having not the Spirit Now I do appeal to any man who knows Cretensis either in his Writings or Preaching whether he be not a man that speaks great swelling words of vanity whether he doth not promise his followers liberty yea a universal liberty whether he be not a cloud without water â—â—ourishes and shews without substance whether he be not a raging-wave of the Sea foaming out his own shame witnesse his Answer a wandring star wandring from one opinion and Religion to another and lastly whether he be not a Separatist and sensual person without the spirit of love meeknesse humility zeal for Gods truth and of a sound minde In one word I do not think there 's any man in the Kingdom hath a more heretical head and heâ—â—e thâ—n Cretensis and unlesse God give him repentance and recover him out of those snares wherein he walks I fear if the man lives but one seven years he will prove as arch an Heretick and as dangerous a man as England ever bred and that
Cretensis design next unto that of rendring my Book and all I relate in it to be false and untrue is this The aspersing me and my Antapology and Gangraena with such weaknesse and want of all learning as if I understood neither Latin nor English nor knew not how to speak or write Reason common sense or to frame the structure of a period according the common Rules of Grammar but were a profound Ignoramus and so altogether unfit to take upon me the confutation of Errors and this he insists upon in several Pages of his Pamphlet or Answer Cretens p. 10 23 24 36. Reply Now in this what doth Cretensis else but play the Jesuit and Arminian in stead of solid Answers thus to flight vilifie me and my Books that being just the way they took against such Books as were too hard for them and knew not how to Answer as Dr. Twiss's Books against Arminians c. but whatsoever Cretensis in his rage casts upon me and my Writings my Books will speak for me and themselves in the gates having the testimony of many learned and godly men both of this and other Churches at home and beyond the Seas and could I without blushing and all suspition of praising my self relate the passages in Letters messages sent me speeches by word of mouth from great Divines both at home and from abroad concerning my Antapology and Gangraena and that not only of particular men apart but of many in a body both in City and Countrey as a common joynt act besides expressions that have faln from some Independents and Independentisâ—â— concerning me my studies in the Controversies of the Church way and some of my Books as a speech of Mr. Thomas Goodwin spoken to a Minister one Mr. T. and others then present upon occasion of some Independents slighting me and my first Book as Cretensis doth here yea passages out of some of Mr. Iohn Goodwins Answers to Mr. Prynne concerning me and my Antapology it would be a full confutation of all Cretensis hath said against me in this matter yea a clear conviction that all words of this kinde are nothing else but the venting of his spleen and passion against me and my Books But all I will say by way of Answer to Cretensis reproaches of this nature is 1. The quick sale these Books had being bought up by learned and judicious men of all ranks the last Book Gangraena being now in the Presse the third time within lesse then two Moneths unto which adding the greatnesse of the Book consisting of so many sheets with the not being exposed to sale by setting up Titles in all places of the City at Church doors Exchange c. like Wine that needs no Bush though all ways under Heaven were used by the Sectaries to blast it is an evident Argument 't is not such a weak nonsense piece as Cretensis speaks of for in these times when the Presse is so thronged with such variety of Books and many excellent pieces come forth more then men can read judicious understanding men have somthing else to do with their money and time then to buy and read Books full of nonsense contradictions and whose Authors know not how to range their Parts of speech in a sentence nor how to put the Nominative Case and Verb together regularly in English 2. I will here give the Reader a true Copy of a Letter to a tittle sent me from Eight and twenty Ministers out of one County in this Kingdom whose joynt judgement upon my Antapology and Grangraena may serve with every indifferent Reader to ballance yea to weigh down Cretensis To our Reverend Friend Mr. Thomas Edwards Minister of the Gospel SIR WEE cannot but acknowledge the great service you have done for the Church of God by interposing your self against the growing Schisms and Heresies of these times And upon conference had thereof at our weekly meetings here we have thought it our part to contribute somewhat to your incouragement by testifying how great acceptance your labors find among us who give thanks to God for you and your zeal to his truth expressed not only in your usual Sermons but especially in your Antapology and Gangraena by which you are well known to us all and we earnestly desire that you will continue the same endeavors for the maintenance of the truth and opposing of Errors And as we are very sensible of the great discouragements you are like to meet withal so we shall the more heartily commend you and the successe of your labors to Gods protection and blessing resting Your loving Brethren and fellow-labourers in the Ministery March 19. 1645. Unto this Letter the hands of twenty eight Ministers are Subscribed but I forbear the Printing of them as I do the County where they live to avoid all danger which might come to any of them from printing their Names if some Sectaries in the Army come that way as they are likely to do Now in my Reply to particulars laid down in Cretensis I shall apply my self chiefly to justifie and make good those Relations in Gangraena excepted against by Cretensis reserving other things in his Answer to my fuller Reply which Cretensis God willing shall be sure of and that to the full Cretens pag. 2. labours by all his Rhetorick and many words to insinuate to the Reader how in writing of my Book Gangraena I have said all and the worst I can of the Independents and Sectaries that whilst I charge them only with such and such crimes I do not so much charge them with these as acquit and discharge them from all others and that there 's no reasonable man but will abate and deduct and that to a good proportion from such reckonings and accounts c. much lesse will he judge such accounts short or defective in particulars and that Mr. Edwards hath but faintly informed the world how vile and bad the Sectaries are but hath justified and acquitted them from all other crimes and imputations of any worse resentment or import then those wherewith he afflicted them and consequently hath represented them to the world as better and far more deserving then far the greatest part of his own Presbyterian Generation Reply However Mr. Edwards or the Printer for him may possibly in some places of his Book print none of the truest English yet I am sure Cretensis in this Page speaks none of the best sense nor Reason that ever I read in my life but every line and sentence is so slight and weak that a man may look through and through it and the truth of it is Cretensis all along hath a multitude of bom-basted starched words priding himself therein but seldom or never in all his answers hath he any thing else witnesse his Answers to Mr. Walker Mr. Prynne and this present Passage And first for that which Cretensis speaks here the man makes good what he saith pag. 50. that he never read one quarter of my Book and
that he took things upon trust as observed by others for certainly had he read my Book over he could never have writ thus that in charging the Sectaries with these I acquit them from all others crimes and imputations and that I have represented them to the world a better and far more deserving generation then the far greatest part of the Presbyterians 1. Because in divers pages of Gangraena I expresly declare I have many more to lay to their charge stiling this Book but a praeludium and preparative to what 's behinde doth a man who accuses a guilty person at first but with two or three Articles and yet formally declares he hath many more and upon every Article pleads his liberty and power of Additionals justifie and acquit him from all others 2. Had Cretensis but read over my Book and considered what Errors Practises Blasphemies I speak of to what a nature some of them amount and of what a kinde they are that there can hardly be worse he would never have said I had dealt but faintly with the Sectaries and that the Sectaries were a better and far more deserving generation then the Presbyterians for if the far greatest part of Presbyterians be worse or so bad either for Doctrines Practises c. as I have proved many of the Sectaries to be then I must professe I will disclaim and be the first that shall câ—y out of them and will never go about to plead for them as Cretensis does for his Sectaries But supposing I had not declared my minde in this case yet all that Cretensis saith is in consequent without all strength of reason for therebe and are reserves when not thought of and wise men always in all matters of accusations and reckonings will fear there 's more behinde and suspect somthing worse though not declared at first and I would ask Cretensis whether either in impeachments or reckonings and accounts brought in to Courts of Justice against such and such men though at first but part of the Accusation be alleaged whether the accused can be secure they are justified with an high hand from all other crimes and imputations of any worse resentment or import and when one is impleaded and endicted upon the laâ—ter this be a good plea in Law to say he is free because they were not mentioned at first much lesse then will it hold in cases where there was a formal Declaration and caution entred that such Articles were but a preparatory and not the whole matter Cretensis pag. 3. makes two Challenges casting his Glove the first and second time to me first as to matter of Practise look of what crimes or miscarriages soever I have with any truth impeached the Sectaries he will produce both as many for number foul yea far more foul for nature perpetrated and done by a far lesse number of Presbyterians yea and that he will give another manner of account of the reality and truth of what he brings upon the Stage in this kinde Secondly for matter of opinion that he will discover and finde out as many Errors and Heresies and those of every whit as dangerous an Import to be at this day in a far lesse number of the Classique party yea that he could make a discovery of as many Errors and Heresies in me alone and that he doth not think the most Orthodox Presbyterian under heaven nor Independent neither erres much beneath the like number of Errors Reply I accept these Challenges and do take up the Glove both the first and second time rechallenging and defying Cretensis to make them good and by these ungodly Challenges made by him out of his great care and love of Errors to strengthen the hands of Hereticks least they should suffer losse were he Iohn of Gaunt and his Glove Iohn of Gaunts Gantlet I would take it up And first of all Reply to Cretensis the man speaks he knows not what Cretensis not having read one quarter of my Book as himself professes knows not what crimes or miscarriages Heresies and Blasphemies with the way of making them good I charge the Sectaries with and yet he will at random and blindefold undertake to finde as many in a far lesse number of my Classique Proselytes and party O what will not this man say so it may make for the Independent party Surely he will startle at nothing who dares speak thus Can you produce as many Blasphemies against Christ the Scriptures c. and finde as many horrid Opinions in Presbyterians as I have proved to be in Sectaries where will you finde among the Presbyterians such as Hich Wrighter Web Clarkson Marshal Nichols Den Oats Cretens cum multis aliis As for the condition Cretens propounds upon which he will make good his undertaking and out at which he hopes to escape to salve his lying I do for my own part accept it and am ready freely and candidly to declare my minde and judgement in all points of Religion and shall perswade others also to do the like But of this more in my full Reply where I shall shew the fallacy and shift of Cretensis in this only for the present the Reader may observe he puts in these conditions that so he may provide a Sanctuary for all kinde of Hereticks and erroneous persons a a place of retreat for himself one way or other to come off these Challenges which in the plain open field he foresaw he could never do Cretensis page 6. among other his Artifices and devices to weaken the credit of the truth of those matters laid down in Gangraena against the Sectarian party labors to possesse the Reader That for saving of my own repute and to prevent as much as might be the thorough examination of the greatest part of what Gangraena represents by way of disparagement to the Independent party I printed so many Letters without the names of their Authors and upon this Cretensis goes on vaporing and forging in his Heretical brain certain Reasons of my concealing the names of the Authors of the Letters and in sum would render me to the Reader a man to be suspected of jugling and forgery and the Letters to be void of all truth Reply As for that fallacy of Cretensis whereby he labors to delude the Reader infinuating that the Letters contain the greatest part of what Gangraena represents by way of disparagement to the Independent party and those Letters being without names the names were concealed on purpose for fear of examination of the truth of the Letters and so the Letters containing the greatest part of disparagement against the Sectaries the Sectaries are as it were at once cleared from what Gangraena faith against them I say only this That Cretensis is a man of that impudence and large conscience that he will say any thing so it may make for the Sectaries and against the Presbyterians for the Letters are not neither in number of sheets the tenth part of Gangraena neither contain they the
tenth part of the Discovery of the Errors Heresies Practises c. beside some things in the Letters are of another nature and to one of the Letters is annexed a Confutation of the matter contained in it consisting of two whole leaves of those few sheets within a few lines 2. As for that of jugling and forgery which Cretensis would put upon me the man measures me by himself and his party because that he and some of his party are used to juggle and possibly forge Letters and News invent and give our many things which never were have with the Jesuits their piae fraudes to advance their Catholike cause therefore he thinks so of me but I blesse God I am a plain man hating equivocations mental reservations plots underminings of men playing under-board carrying things in the clouds I count honesty the best policy and faithful plain dealing the greatest wisdom and the Independents will finde it so in the end however for a while they prosper by their shufling tricks devices policies as Strafford Canterbury and others did before them 3. To come to the main charge of concealing the names of those who writ me Letters and all the inferences drawn from thence I answer I have already given some Reasons for it and do adde these unto them most of the men who writ the Letters writ them not for that end to be printed knew not of nor imagined no such matter neither did I acquaint them with it and for me without their leave obtained to print their Names to the world I could not do it keeping unviolated the rules of friendship besides I well understood that were a way to cut off correspondency and Intelligence for the future if I should print mens Names publikely to the world writing in a private way to me Of all the Letters written to me there were two only which I expressed to the Authors I would print them and acquainted them with my purpose whose Names notwithstanding excepting the two first Letters subscribed I concealed with the rest for company But now that I may overthrow Cretensis Proposition and his Inferences his Foundation and his Superstructures I shall name most of them who writ the Letters to me and others as also from whose hands I received those Letters which were printed by me though not written to me The first Letter was written me from Mr. Strong a Member of the Assembly of Divines who after he had told me by word of mouth the contents of this Letter promised to send it me in a Letter and I acquainted him then what use it was for and he said he would justifie what he writ and named others in whose presence Master Denne maintained these Points The second Letter was written from Master Simon Ford to a Member of the Assembly Master Gowerâ—s from whose hands I received it and told Mr. Gowers I should print it to which he was willing and since Gangraena was printed the Author writes to me about his Letter That he will enlarge and confirm the particulars in that Letter and send it to me The third Letter was one Master Josiab Ricrasts who owns it and hath been with me since Cretensis came forth and to my knowledge is drawing up an Answer to Cretensis for so much as concerns that Letter The fourth Letter was written by a Weaver in Somersetshire one Crab if I mistake not the name and I received it from M. Rosewal a City Minister well known who will own it and make it good 't is such a mans And thus I have given an account of the Copies of all the whole Letters printed by me Now for the Extract of certain Letters written to me some other Ministers for seven of them which are the greatest part of those Extracted Letters namely all those which concern Colchester and Mr. Ellis or some others there of which Letters Mr. Ellis himself writes thus to a friend in London The aspersions cast on me and some others here by Mr. Edwards are as false as foul which because they are a great part of his Book and strength those who are here concerned in it will if God please shortly make Reply Cretensis p. 44. he who writ them is not afraid of his name neither was his name concealed for fear of an Examination of the truth of the Letters as Cretensis by reading this Letter lately sent to me from him may understand which I here print to a tittle To my Reverend and worthy Friend Mr. Thomas Edwards Minister of the Word of God Reverend Sir THere is a passage in Mr. Iohn Goodwins Book charging you with abusing Mr. Ellis of Colchester and the Saints in those parts and that he will shortly make Reply to your false and foul aspersions These are therefore to certifie you that concerning those Letters I writ unto you from Colchester I have them attested under the hands of many sufficient witnesses each particular that is material being ayerred by three witnesses at least and those of piety and judgement which attestations I shall keep by me to produce them upon fit occasions to iustifie those Letters to the world Yet it is possible he will Reply to those things as false and foul or come off with distinctions and mental reservations but these things are so evident in this Town and much more then I writ unto you as his Preaching for the pulling down of our Churches and other things that I can prove that his Pamphlet will do him no good in this place For it will not be the first time that he hath said unsaid the same things here denying and dissembling his opinions for advantage as will be testified by many witnesses by some of the Honorable Members of the House of Commons Ministers and others godly and judicious Christians This I thought good to signifie for the present recommending you to the grace of God I rest Your affectionate friend and fellow labour in the Gospel Rob. Harmar April 1646. Now by all this the Reader may see what to judge of Cretensis and his false glosses and commentaries upon the Letters Printed in Gangraena and had I Cretensis railing scoffing Rhetorick which he makes use of in this section and in many other places of his Book I might spin out whole leaves in aggravation and scoring up of lyes evil surmisings bitter words scoff and jeers expressed by Cretensis upon occasion of the Printed Letters but I forbear to contend with him in this kind truth needs not such colors though errors does to set it off The hare relation of these things is a sufficient confutation of Cretonsis and if the printed Letters of which Cretensis Master Ellis yea and Master Saltmarsâ— make such a cry of forgerie falsitie dare abide the light and their Authors are ready to justifie them the judicious Reader by this may both judge of the truth of other things contained in Gangraena and of the folly and vanity of the rest of Cretensis allegations against my Book
Cretensis knows not how his minde may change again and what New Light he may yet have and so he will stay till he dyes that we may have it altogether and without any more change Cretensis Sect 15. pag. 17.18 19. with a great many of flourishing words and a bold face labors to possesse the Reader That in my Antapology and Gangraena I have done nothing else almost but labored with might and main to call for fire from Hell to destroy the Saints to inflame the powers of this world with hatred and bloodinesse of spirit against the Sons and Daughters of God and to importure the Civil Magistrate to pour out themselves in wrath and indignation against them charging me with a bloody Negotiation in writing Gangraena inveteracenesse and Dragon-likenesse of spirit and how diametrally opposite in the cause and courses I take against Sectaries I am to Christ Paul Austin Calvin and Luther Reply Cretensis goes upon a false foundation supposing all those to be Saints the Sons and Daughters of God whom I speak against in Gangraena which is stark false and of which I shall give in my large Reply a satisfactory account to the world of that mistake for however they are Cretensis Saints they are none of Gods Saints and the man erres not knowing the Scriptures they may well go for Saints in Cretensis Kalender but never in my Creed neither go they for Saints in Mr. Thomas Goodwins late Sermon before the House of Commons but are there blotted out by him 2. What ever I speak in both my Books upon this point to the Civil Magistrate is no other but what the Scripture clearly holds out and though I have done it with affection and zeal yet not with bitternesse nor bloodinesse and I am confident that Cretensis nor all his compeers cannot in all their râ—ading shew me two Books of any Divine who proves so much and so foul things as I do in my Antapology and Gangraena written with more moderation fairnesse and with lesse bitternesse and â—et Cretensis in his 〈◊〉 Book instance in any bloody bitter passages alwayes provided he wrest not words nor leave out no part of sentences 3. The Sectaries themselves and Cretensis too will one day confesse Master Edwards in opposing Errors Heresies discoveriâ—g them and stirring up the Magâ—strates to their duty was their good Friend a merciful man one who both with fear and compassion would have saved them out of the fire and I would ask Cretensis whether are they more merciful tender that will not let little Children sick persons mad men do what they will go where they please eat what they list or they who use all good means to hinder them and provide wholsome food and medicines for them yea I am of the minde before a yeer comes about the Magistrates and Kingdom will say Master Edwards and those men who either by Writing or Preaching spoke most against the Errors Heresies Schisms of the times and Toleration and stirred us up to hinder and suppresse their growth were most merciful both to the souls and bodies of men and to the Kindoms and far from bloodinesse bitternesse or inveteratenesse 4. Whosoever doth but well read the Scriptures and observe what quick sharp passages are there recorded to have come from the mouth of Christ and his Apostles against Errors Heresies and false Teachers yea sharper and more spoken against false Doctrines and false Teachers then against bad manners as for instance Matthew 7.15 Galatians 1.8 9. and 5.10 12.2 Peter 2.1 2 3.2 Iohn 9.10 11. the whole Epistle of Iude Revelation 2.14 15 20 22 23. with a hundred other such will never blame me for bitternesse bloodinesse inveteratenesse c. furiousnesse and over eagernesse in my opposing Errors and false Teachers who according to my poor measure have endeavoured in opposing Errors to follow the Example of Christ and his Apostles though I have fallen far short of my duty in this kinde not improving my time and â—alents but wanting in that Zeal Courage Diligence requisite to this work And however Cretensis and his Compeers think I have over-done yet I have great cause to be deeply humbled for doing no more and to hie me into my Study and cry misirere mei Domine But to draw to a conclusion I shall in this case Answer Cretensis and all the Sectaries who accuse me and cry out of my eagernesse and over-doing as Luther did Erasmus charging him for too much vehemency But that I have dealt in this cause more vehemently I confesse it a fault if it be a fault yea I do wonderfully rejoyce this testimony to be given to me in the world in the cause of God And O that God himself would confirm this testimony in the last day who then should be happier then Luther who is commended by such a testimony of the age he lived in that he did not handle the cause of truth slothfully and deceitfully but vehemently enough or rather too much Then should I happily escape that of Jerem. Cursed be he that doth the work c. 5. The bitternes bloodines c. with which Cretens labours to load me will be found in Cretensis and the Sectaries and as they grow in power and number will be discovered every day more and more can any man think that Cretensis who hath so much rage and malice in his heart and so much gall in his pen as he discovers in this Book against all Presbyterians would not if he had power do as much with his handâ— and be another Bonner or another Iohn of Leyden God keep the Presbyterians out of the hands of the Independents and Sectaries when they come to have power and think they are strong enough to Master them doth not Cretensis discover his bloody mindednesse against me in the three last lines of this 15. Section inviting as it were some of his Sectaries to fall upon me preaching that doctrine to them That whatsoever I shall suffer by any Sectary for writing against them I shall suffer but as a Malefactor and an evil doer Now for proof of the bloody mindednesse persecution and liberty of Conscience which the Sectaries will give the Orthodox when they come to be stronger and of all the means they use and wayes they take to give the Presbytery liberty of Conscience I shall in my full Reply to Cretensis speak at large only for present thus much they labour to get all the power of Arms they possibly can into their hands and the command of all the great Towns and Ciâ—ies and by one way or other to turn out of place keep out obstruct blast all cordial zealous Presbyterians all which no doubt are done to give the Presbyterians liberty of conscience and now they give the Presbyterians good words viz. that they will send them packing to Rome that it were a good deed they were hanged and knocked on the head their guts goared out that they are Antichristian Priests cursed Priests
there are some Independents who were so convinced of my diligence painfulnessâ— in my work unblameable good conversation that however they love me not for opposing their way yet upon all occasions will testifie for me against the fury and violence of some But Cretensis let me tell you I wonder how you dare speake of my juglings and indirect walking when as the tricks and juglings of your party are so many and so mâ—nifest to all the world I could write a good large Book of this Subject the juglings indirect walking equivocations of the Sectaries yea of their jugling between two Places and things I could tell Cretensis now but that I must remember t is not my large Reply of his juglings and indirect walkings between his Fellowship in the Colledge and a wife both against the Statutes and I think against his oath between the two towns of Raynum and Lyn between Raynum and Yarmouth Raynum and Norwich between Raynum and London between his two Churches and Livings his Parish Church and his new separated Church between his Vicaridge of Coleman street after Voted to be Sequestred and his gathered Church as also his juglings in his Sermons and discourses saying and unsaying affirming and denying but I spare him I could tell Cretensis of Mr. Peters juglings and indirect walking for four yeers by gone between old England and new England having every Spring taken his leave in the Pulpit of old England and yet he is not gone of his jugling and indirect walking between the West and London London and other Countries to make Burgesses for Parliament I could relate also Master Wells his halting between Giles Criplegate and New England between Mr. Walker and the money for the poor childrens sending over to New England I could tell a story of an Independent Minister who sought to have and actually had about fourescore pounds for that which he never preached one Sermon for coming into the Sequestration about Michaelmas after all the Harvest was in as also of another Independent Minister who hath got well with his riding between places who had fourty pounds in ready money upon his admittance to be Chaplain of a Regiment who after he had received it never came at them nor looked after them not so much as given one Sermon or ever provided any mâ—n in his place I could tell of the juglings and shuâ—flings of the Independents about their new Model of Church-Government their many pretended excuses why they put it not forth as also of Independents juglings and indirect walkings to the rasing of their own foundation both in the point of the Sacrament and Church-Government but I spare them for the present In one word the Reader may see the clear difference between my juglings and indirect walkings between Godalming and Dunmow and the Independents walkingâ— they take 40. pounds nay 80. li. for preaching never a Sermon taking never a journey being at no cost pains nor trouble but Mr. Edwards makes three journies from London to Dunmow backward and forwards each journey being 64. miles preaches Sermons when he comes there is at a great deal of trouble in London yea and some charge for the good of Dunmow and when many pounds lies in his power to pay himself well for all this he takes not one penny nor farthing and is not Mr. Edwards then a great jugler and indirect walker Cretensis shew me but such an Independent Jugler and indirect walker guilty of his fault Et eris mihi magnus Apollo Certainly Cretensis if your informations of Presbyterian mistakes in the night and your story of a Presbyterian Angel wherewith you threaten me if I meddle any more with the Independents prove no better then the Manuscript by you which came to your hands about a yeer since concerning Mr. Edwards himself which discourseth his jugling and indirect walking between Godalming and Dunmow instead of hurting the names and reputations of Presbyterians and making them so many dead corpses they will cause the names and reputations of Cretensis and his Informers to be like so many stinking Carrions and by this one instance of Cretensis Manuscript upon which he puts such choyce special marks of truth as that the writing will be attested by good hands and if there be no remedy will be content to submit it self to the Presse Cretensis p 34. the Reader may judge of all his other informations and lawfully conclude if his Manuscripts so and so qualified be such as he could hardly have instanced in a businesse more to Mr. Edwards honour and yet according to his Manuscript is framed for his reproach what must his loose informations be by word of mouth especially taken up from Anabaptists and loose persons who care not what they say of the Orthodox godly ministers whom they look upon now as the only great block in their way of Error liberty and confusion Cretensis pag. 41. and 42. speaks of a long formal story of one Nichols living about Moor-fields c. related by me in Gangraena pag. 78 79. of which story Cretensis saith t is long the particular forgeries in it numerous beyond measure in which respect he desires the Reader to make the computation which he may do with exactnesse enough in comparing Mr Edwards Relation with some lines given in to him by Mr. Burroughs in writing anent the businesse and then Cretensis sets down what Mr. Burroughs gave him in writing which is to a tittle as followes That Story Mr. Edwards hath pag. 79 of one Nichols and of a meeting concluded of occasioned by some vile opinions vented by that Nichols where Mr. Greenhil and my self he saith was together with divers passages that he relates came from me at that meeting is all false I know no such man as this Nichols I never heard there was such a man in the world till I read it in Mr. Edwards his Book I â—o this day know of no meeting about him or any of his opinions either intended desired or resolved upon much lesse that there was any such meeting The next Lords day after Mr. Edwards his Book came forth Mr. Greenhil asked me whether I knew of any such meeting with that Nichols for his part he wondred to see such a thing in Mr. Edwards his Book for he knew of no such meeting This passage in Cretensis answer of all others especially because of Mr. Burroughs testimony given in writing under his hand besides mention made of Mr. Greenhil to in this testimony that he knew of no such meeting with Nichols but wondred to see such a thing in Mr. Edwards his Book took most with many to weaken the truth and credit not only of this story related by me of one Nichols but of many other Relations in my Book this being objected to many of my Friends you see what Mr. Burroughs hath given under his hand and therefore because of the great name of Mr. Burroughs and Mr. Greenhil which Cretensis makes use of here to make
lines I am of the mind this Manuscript of Mr. Burroughs discovers his jugling and indirect walking between the two meetings that where Master Greenhil was without Master Burroughs and that where both of them were that of a meeting concluded of such a meeting and an ordinary usual meeting more then Cretensis Manuscript will do my jugling and indirect walking between the two Towns of Godalming in Surry and Dunmow in Essex but to make an end of Master Burroughs equivocations I wish Mr. Burroughs to think often of that in Iames cap 1.8 A double minded man is unstable in all his wayes which hath been often in my mind of him he of all the Apologists in many things seeming to come neer us even as if he were ours and then flying off again I could mind him of divers passages both in the Assembly and out of the Assembly in his Sermons and Conferences wherein he of all the rest hath most yeelded inclined to us for a fit and yet at other times none stâ—ffer nor fiercer then he 2. As in Mr. Burroughs writing to Cretensis I have shown plain equivocations so there will be found in it manifest falsity and some passages that cannot be salved from lying no not by the help of an equivocation as for instance Master Burroughs speaks as of the whole together that story of Nichols not a part of the story and saith all is false which is an apparent untruth for though some part of it were false yet if any of it were true especially the major part it cannot be affirmed all is false and then though in some parts of it Master Burroughs may equivocate yet in others he cannot as for instance the first part of the story wherein is laid down Nichols maintaining to Mr. Greenhils face those wicked opinions is a part of the story of Nichols and undoubtedly true how then can that be said to be false besides it precedes those words expressed in Gangraena a meeting concluded of upon which Mr. Burroughs evades and so cannot be salved by having a reference to them and yet this is the first and one great part of that story Mr. Edwards hath of one Nichols how then can Mr. Burroughs words viz. of affirming that story Mr. Edwards hath of one Nichols to be false be in any sense justified to be true again how can Mr. Burroughs say he never heard there was such a man in the world as Nichols when as it cannot be thought but that Master Greenhill named him to him at Colonel Zacharies house and that Master Burroughs should never hear of Nichols name Mr. Greenhil and Mr. Burroughs being so familiar and Mr. Greenhil relating to him the opinions that Mr. Burroughs should never aske the mans name who held such vile opinions nor Mr. Greenhil never speak of his name seems to me very strange and if so how came Master Allen to hear and know that the opinions related to Master Burroughs were one Nichols opinions seeing Mr. Allen was not at the first meeting where Nichols was with Mr. Greenhil but only at this second meeting where Mr. Burroughs was again how can Mr. Burroughs give it under his hand that he to this day never knew of any of Nichols his opinions when as the opinions of Nichols laid down by me in the story of Nichols were told him by Mr. Greenhil and Mr. Burroughs thereupon was so affected that all those speeches fell from him about the necessiâ—y of a Government and power in the Magistrate and that over conscience c. Lastly for those two or three last lines of Mr. Burroughs namely Mr. Greenhils asking him whether he knew of any such meeting with that Nichols this being spoken of in reference to the story of Nichols set down by me in Gangraena that for his part he wondred to see such a thing in my Book for he knew of no such meeting how durst Mr. Greenhil say thus and Mr. Burroughs give it under his hand to be printed to abuse the world thus for did not Mr. Greenhil know of a meeting with Nichols which I spoke of in my Book in the former part of this story of Nichols where Nichols justified to his face these opinions and which was the ground and occasion of all the discourse related by me in the second meeting and yet Mr. Greenhils question to Mr. Burroughs and his own answer to it here set down by Cretensis as from under Mr. Burroughs hand are so set down that every Reader who will believe them believes and takes it for granted that Mr. Greenhil no more then Mr. Burroughs ever knew such a man as this Nichols nor never heard there was such a man in the world till he read it in Mr. Edwrrds his Book nor ever knew of any meeting about him or any of his opinions and so we see Cretensis though an acute man understands it so and vapors exceedingly upon it 3. It may be demanded and asked what should be the cause and what may be the reasons why Mr. Burroughs and Mr. Greenhil should thus conspire together to give such a testimony in writing as this against the story of Nichols which cannot bâ—t with all ingenuous men prejuduce them much the fallacy of it being once made known as being at the best but a grosse equivocation and a studied peece to deceive the Reader especially considering that nothing I speak of in that story of Nichols was to the prejudice and disparagement of Mr. Greenhil and Mr. Burroughs but much to their honour as being at that time in so good a temper as to be affected with the evil of Errors and wicked Opinions Now of this I conceive these three Reasons First Mr. Burroughs and Mr. Greenhils earnest and eager desire of taking all advantages and opportunities to blemish me and to render me a Lyar to the world which that they might do conceiving they had taken me tripping in a mistake though no material one nor nothing to their prejudice and so no slander nor calumny but making for their honour they prosecute it and improve it so far that to make something of it poor men their ill-will and hatred against me blinding and befooling them leads them into Equivocations mental Reservations and Untruths even to the wounding of their own reputations amongst all unprejudiced men Secondly a Design thereby to blast my Book among the people to render it odious to cause the truth of all matters of fact in it to be suspected and so to hinder the good intended by me in that Book Now Mr. Burroughs and Mr. Greenhil having a great name among many people being accounted for men of that way somewhat moderate and among the best of that party they knowing that their testimony and that in the mouth of two witnesses both being joyned together in the writing printed by Cretensis might wound my Book and from thence many would take occasion to question all therefore they catch at the least occasion to declare themselves
not read one quarter of the Book then neither knew whether hee should ever care to read it thorow or no Could hee divine of what hee had not read nor knew not whether ever hee should reade that there was ten times more behinde And besides How could Cretensis out of what hee knew not whether hee should ever read promise the Reader to give him not onely a taste but abundance Certainly Cretensis meant the far greatest part of his grapes promised the Reader should be gathered by other hands and be as hee saith of the particulars detected already observed by others and presented to him and after this rate of the farre greatest part of particulars observed by others and presented to him 't is easie for Cretensis to give Answers and I much wonder we have no more of them but that he takes almost two yeers to give an Answer to the Antapologie And no wonder Cretensis going upon an implicite faith making an Answer out of particulars observed by others without reading one quarter of my Book not seeing with his own eyes but making use of a pair of Independent Antinomian Anabaptisticall c. spectacles to write with the man is so much mistaken and sometimes takes that to be great which is little and that which is great hee cannot see at all As for that Cretensis saith that hee presumes by the taste hee hath given hee hath convinced the Reader that my vine is the vine of Sodom my grapes grapes of gall my clusters bitter c. I beleeve every Reader who is not bewitched with the Independent Schismaticall way is convinced that Cretensis hath said enough to satisfie all men that his vine is the vine of Sodom that his grapes are grapes of gall his wine the poyson of dragons and the cruell venome of asps and that generally all men say of his Answer yea some of his owne party cry out of it that it is too bitter But as for my Gangraena though objectivè the object about which the Book is exercised be the vine of Sodom grapes of gall poyson of Dragons and the cruell venome of Asps treating of and laying open the Heresies Blasphemies and Practices of the Sectaries which indeed are poysonous and venemous yet subjectivè the Discourse it selfe and the way of handling those things is healing and medicinall to cure the Reader of those stings and poysons which by eating of those sowr grapes of the Sectaries they have contracted and my Book is farre from being like the vine of Sodom the poyson of dragons that in writing of it I have plaid the part of a Physician made a precious treacle and soveraigne antidote to cure and expell poysons by correcting qualifying binding them c. laying open the Errours Heresies c. their evill danger and discovering remedies and cures proper for them which were they taken and the prescriptions followed I am confident would prove the healing of these Nations As for Cretensis profession that he hath not read one quarter of the Book as yet nor knowes whether he shall ever care to read it through or no I reply that Cretensis at once and in one breath discovers himself to be both weak and proud he shows his folly and horrible pride First his folly for what wise man that had reason and common sense though he could not Cretensis pag. 10.24 have * construed a peece of Latin write true English nor framed the structure of a period according to the common rules of Grammar would have writ so and truly this and other passages in this Answer confirms me much in that opinion which many understanding learned Divines have had of Cretensis a great while that he is no judicious rationall man as his followers cry him up but only a wordy Divine a multitude of words that 's all that being true of him which was said of Erasmus that his writings were verba non res but of this folly of Cretensis the Reader may remember what I have written page 39. of this Book and let Cretensis ever take me so writing and I will confesse my folly Seconly 'T is horrible pride and arrogancie what a proud passage is this Cretensis thinks himself so great and looks down with such disdain upon me as that he knowes not whether ever he shall care to read my Book thorough or no â—lighting it as not being worth his reading nor I worthy to carry his Books after him this speech indeed is neer akin to that in page 15. Indeed if Independent Ministers had either the priviledge of ease to preach to the bare walls and pewes in their meeting places The Independent Ministers are so taken up with preaching to great Congregations and with the resort of great persons to their houses and with the consultations they are admitted untill mid-night about great affairs and particularly Cretensis of late as 't is talked every where in London that he knowes not whether he shall ever care to read my Book thorough or no or shall ever have leasure to do it but Cretensis let me tell you how much soever you slight my Books and care not to read them thorough as too much below you yet there are your betters for all kind of learning yeers piety that care to read thorough my Books and blesse God for them and though they be of as piercing deep judgements as Cretensis yet could never find that non-sense weaknesse of judgement c. which Cretensis speaks of so often As for that Cretensis promises the Reader that a few dayes he makes no question will give the Reader more light wherewith to comprehend my darknesse implying as if more Answers were suddenly to come forth to discover the falshood of matters contained in Gangraena I reply a few dayes are past yea some weeks between seven and eight and yet there is none of Cretensis new-light come forth no Answers disproving any one particular in my Book there is a Book indeed of one Bacons come forth who both in the Title page and Book speaks of my Gangraena but he confesses the truth of what I speak of him viz. his being put out of Gloster his being received in a great mans house and his going to Bristoll since the Parliaments taking of it so that it seems by the confession of one of Cretensisâ—aâ—nts â—aâ—nts all matters are not lyes which are mentioned in Gangraena and yet before Master Bacons Book came forth I was told confidently severall times as the report of the Sectaries that was one of my lyes speaking of Master Bacons going to Bristoll whereas he had never been out of London since the taking of Bristoll But I suppose however Cretensis dayes are past and nothing is come forth to comprehend my darknesse yet I make no question but this Reply with the further Reply coming after will give light to the Reader to comprehend Cretensisâ—his â—his darknesse As to that passage of Cretensis that the farre greatest part of the particulars detected were observed by
The First and Second Part OF GANGRAENA OR A Catalogue and Discovery of many of the Errors Heresies Blasphemies and pernicious Practices of the Sectaries of this time vented and acted in England in these four last yeers Also a particular Narration of divers Stories Remarkable Passages Letters an Extract of many Letters all concerning the present Sects together with some Observations upon and Corollaries from all the fore-named Premisses By THOMAS EDWARDS Minister of the Gospel The third EDITION corrected and much Enlarged 2 TIM 3.8 9. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses so do these also resist the truth men of corrupt minds reprobate concerning the Faith But they shall proceed no further for their folly shal be manifest to all men as theirs also was 2 PET. 2.1 2. But there were false Prophets also among the people even as there shall be false Teachers among you who privily shall bring in damnable Heresis even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction And many shall follow their pernicious wayes by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evill spoken of JUDE vers 19. These be they who separate themselves sensuall having not the spirit Lutherus in Epist. ad Galat. Maledicta sit charitas qua servatur cum jactura doctrinae fidei cui omnia cedere debent Charitas Apostolus Angelus é coelo Lutheri Epist. ad Staupitium Non hic tempus timendi sed clamandi ubi Dominus noster Jesus Christus damnatur exuitur blasphematur mi pater grandius est periculum quam credant multi Inveniar sane superbus avarus adulter homicidia antipapa omnium vitiorum reus modo impii filentii non arguar dum Dominus patitur LONDON Printed by T. R. and E. M. for Ralph Smith at the sign of the Bible in Cornhill near the Royall Exchange M.DC.XLVI Reader THat thou mayest discern the mischief of Ecclesiasticall Anarchy the monstrousnesse of the much affected Toleration and be warned to be wise to sobriety and fear and suspect the pretended New Lights I approve that this Treatise discovering the Gangrene of so many strange Opinions should be imprinted JAMES CRANâ—OR TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE LORDS and COMMONS Assembled in PARLIAMENT Right Honourable and Noble Senatours I Here present you with a Catalogue or Black Bill of the Errours Heresies Blasphemies and Practices of the Sectaries of this time broached and acted within these four last years in England and that in your Quarters and in places under your Government and Power for which I tremble to thinke lest the whole Kingdom should be in Gods Black Bill I much fear lest the subject matter of this Catalogue may prove unto England unlesse some speedy and effectuall course be taken to prevent it like the Bill of Divorce given to Israel Jer. 3.8 like the Roll of the Book commanded from God to be written by Jeremiah against Israel and Judah Jer. 36.2 like the Roll of a Book sent by a hand to Ezekiel Ezek. 2.9 10. wherin was written lamentations mourning and wo or like the hand-writing upon the wall against Belshaz Dan. 5.5 the flying Roll in Zech. c. 5. v. 1 2. a curse going over the face of the whole land And unto whom Right Honourable should I present and make known these things but unto You who are the supreme Iudicatory of this Kingdom having that sufficiency of Power which only is able to remedy and redresse them who are our great Physician 's and have been wont to cure the worst maladies and diseases of our Church and State who are by God himself stiled Gods and therefore should above others lay to heart and be sensible of the injuries and dishonours done to God and his name And I humbly pray your Honours to beare with me in my addresses this way as having no other meanes but this of acquainting You with the sad state of things in our Church And yet 't is necessary You should hear of these things for as 't is said in the Prophet Jeremiah concerning the making of that Roll It may be the house of Judah will hear all the evill which I purpose to do to them that they may turne every one from his evill way it may be they will present their supplications before the Lord that he may forgive their iniquity and their sin so it may be some good may come of this Book to cause an humiliation for and a suppression of heresies and schimes as being a more free and fâ—ll discovery of our times then ever yet was made and therefore I send it abroad in this way whereby it may be read by all Judah and I doubt not but some faithfull Baruchs who are not shut up but do preach before You on Fast dayes will cause You to hear the words of this Book in the Lords house by applying them to your consciences and making them a Catalogue of sins for matter of humiliation to you on those dayes showing how far they may become yours in suffering without punishment and censure too many of them And now Noble and worthy Senatours be graciously pleased to pardon the boldnesse I shall take in dealing plainly with you in this present Epistle and not to impute it to any malignity and disaffection to your service or to peremptory saucinesse and disrespect of You for besides that some worthy Members of Parliament to whom I am known can testifie the contrary all my Actions from the beginning of Your sitting my Sermons Prayers Prayses Discourses Actings for You speak otherwise I am one who out of choise and judgement have imbarked my self with Wife Children Estate and all that 's dear to me in the same ship with You to sinke and perish or to come safe to land with You and that in the most doubtfull and difficult times not only early in the first beginning of the war and troubles in a malignant place among Courtiers and those who were servants and had relations to the King Queen and their Children pleading Your Cause justifying Your wars satisfying many that scrupled but when Your affairs were at lowest and the chance of war against You and some of the Grandees and favourites of these times were packing up and ready to be gone I was then highest and most zealous for You preaching praying stirring up the people to stand for you by going out in person lending of money in the later going before them by example And as I have been your Honours most devoted servant so am I still yours and you cannot easily lose me and I do humbly 〈…〉 self and Book at the feet of your wisedome and piety submitting both to your pleâ—sâ—re but to the matter and contents of this Book and to the present state of things I am bound and stirred in spirit to see the people so given to errour and schisme and the zeal of Gods house and glory constrains me and I can no longer forbear speaking my whole heart to you The
is not willing to be named in Print neither may I lawfully do it without their knowledge and leave besides that were the way for the future to deprive my self of the knowledge of many opinions and practises if I should print the names of every one that hath imparted intelligence to me 3. In this Catalogue of Errours under one and the same Errour which for number I make but one that I might not seem needlesly to multiply Errours and that I might contract things yet under that one Errour teere are more branches it may be two or three now though one part or branch of such an Errour as the former part is expresly set down in Books that are in many hands yet other branches are not but only have been expressed by word of mouth Now in such a case to quote Books speaking but to one part and not to the whole might question my faithfulnesse in all other particulars unto these I could adde more but these may suffice 7. Yet further to satisfie the Reader of the truth of things contained in this present Treatise and to stop the mouths of Sectaries who will be ready to put off all by giving out that this Book is full of lies and fables I do here offer upon condition that some exemplary punishment may passe upon some of the prime Seducers and heads of these Sects and some effectuall course taken for the future to remedy and suppresse these Errours to make a legall proof by witnesses and other concurrent circumstances of the most notorious and grossest matters which may of all others seem most questionable whether Errours Blasphemies or Practices set down in this following Catalogue Seventhly I premise this for the Christian Reader to remember and for preventing mistakes in this work that though I set down and joyn together all the following opinions in one Catalogue because they all agree in uno tertio in that common notion of Errour yea all agree in Independency and in forsaking the communion of the Reformed Churches yet I am far from thinking them all alike A Scholar that makes a Catalogue of Books writes down Decimo sextos as well as Folios in it because they be all Books and yet puts a great deal of difference between the one and the other so do I notwithstanding I put them together All the Errours reckoned up are not of the first magnitude nor in the highest form some are fundamentall Errours overthrowing the foundation directly many by consequence and deduction others are superstructures building upon the foundation hay straw and stubble I put a wide difference between a simple pure Independent yea a simple Anabaptist who only holds that opinion of denying Poedobaptisme and between an Arian Antitrinitarian Antiscripturist Perfectist Again I put a difference between erroneous persons that erre out of ignorance weaknesse and are seduced following those opinions in simplicity of heart as some people did Absolom and are peaceable keeping their opinions also to themselves and such persons as are wilful seducers the heads and leaders of Faction who make it their work to disturb the peace of the Church and to subvert souls In all this discourse I desire to think of Iude 22.23 And of some have compassion making a difference and others save with fear pulling them c. Eighthly I desire to forewarn the Christian Reader and do earnestly beseech him for his own good that he be not offended nor hindred from beleeving the truth and laying to heart the particulars laid down in this ensuing Treatise no not by all the clamours reproaches that may be cast upon my Book and person It cannot be expected but that Satan and the Sectaries will make it their work by all wayes possible to blast this Book to keep from reading and beleeving it as they used all wayes to reproach my last Book and to keep Christians all they could from reading it Blind and erroneous zeal is violent and what it wants in arguments it will make up in clamours lyes and speaking all manner of evil falsly of them that discover lay it open as Luther speaks the world cannot bear that the things of it should be condemned therefore from every part hatreds treacheries calumnies evill speakings are heaped to oppresse that Doctrine and those Teachers who oppose it And therefore let them speak evill as long as they will and give out 't is a railing lying peece yet let me speak to the Reader as the Apostle doth 1 Thes. 3.3 4. That no man should be moved by these afflictions for we told you before that we should suffer tribulation even as it s come to passe and ye know so now I tell you before that when you hear of all kind of reproaches ye may not be offended Iohn 16.1 Now the second particular under this first generall head is to remove two stumbling blocks out of the way to give an answer to two objections that may be made against this present work 1. Object It may be some will object and say It is not seasonable nor convenient to discover our nakednesse and weaknesse so far to the common enemy it were better concealed the enemy will make an advantage of it Tell it not in Gath publish it not in the streets of Askelon lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoyce lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph 2. Sam. 1.20 Ans. The prevailing of Heresies and Sects among us is not now to be discovered and published to the world It hath not been all this time kept within our own walls and known only to our selves but hath been a long time known abroad and at home and hath been declared by divers others both in writing and preaching before now so that I shall not divulge any secret to the common enemy all that I do is but to draw them into one that we may see them as it were at once our Errours and Schisms are spoken of far and near by enemies and friends How many Sermons have been preached before the Honourable Houses of Parliament and in other publike places speaking of the Errours of the time which have been also printed long since by command of Authority and exposed to the view of all Many Learned men have given a Catalogue of severall Errours as Mr. Gataker of many Antinomian Errours Mr Baily one of the Commissioners of Scotland of other Errours and Dr Featly Mr Paget with some others In Books upon all occasions 't is confessed by men of severall judgemens and denied by none that we have many great Errours amongst us many Errours have been complained of to the Houses of Parliament Committees Assembly and examined spoken of in the presence of many besides that some Errours are vented even of the grossest sort in Print as in Pilgrimage of Saints Bloudy Tenet Mortality of the soul Man of sinne discovered cum multis aliis Yea some of the Sectaries have in their writings published and acknowledged there are many sorts of Opinions
among us hence taking occasion to write for a Toleration of all as Anabaptists Antinomians c. and the great Historian and Chronicler of the Sectaries the Moderate Intelligencer Num. 36. who writes their lives and deaths and trumpets forth their victories and praises so immoderatly as if they did all and hath published to the world some weeks ago that there are twenty severall opinions in the Army and hath pleaded more then once for liberty of conscience for them all so that I by writing in this kind of the Errours of the time cannot be guilty of discovering our nakednesse the enemy having known so much before But why stand I to prove that our Heresies and Schisms are openly known in England when as their sound is gone into all Lands into Holland Zealand France yea to New-England The Walachrian Classis in their Letter to the London Synod complain much of Heresies Schisms Errours confusions in Religion spreading in the City which by such an expresse holy and sacred oath is bound to God to cast out all Errours Heresies Scisms out of the house of God Many Letters have been written over into Enland out of Holland from Ministers and Professours of schools men zealously affected to the cause of the Parliament complaining of the Errours Sects and Schisms amongst us which have been communicated to some prime members of the Assembly and others New-England speaks much of the Heresies Errours and all sorts of Sects amongst us wondring that the Assembly suffers them and that they do not stirre up the Parliament to supresse them Mr Shepards Letter written from thence shewes their knowledg of the heresies errours and sects amongst us so that our errours and schismes so publikely known to the world cannot be concealed from Oxford Seeing then there are so many errours and monsters of opinions spoken of in all places I cannot be taxed for the discovery of that which was before concealed but in this work am only a gatherer together of those errours that were scattered which by Gods blessing may be a meanes to keep many from falling into schisme seeing such monsters in that way and to cause many to returne when they finde that they never dreamt of nor intended Secondly supposing our errours to be known which is fully proved in any first Answer I then secondly say 't is so farre from being unseasonable and inconvenient that 't is most necessary that some Ministers who are friends to the Reformation and zealots for the Parliament should lay them open to the full by testifying against them and disclaiming them that so our enemies may not say wee favour and countenance them and one of my great ends in this Tractate is to take away occasion from the common enemy to blaspheme the Reformation and speak ill of the Parliament by our not owning them but speaking as much against heresie schisme and all errours as any of them can Thirdly I answer we should be so farre from being afraid to give the common enemy advantage by speaking against heresies and errours that on the contrary I may say we have no such enemies as those persons that broach and spread their heresies and damnable opinions these are our enemies which wee have cause to fear more then all the Cavaliers these are the Achans the accursed persons and things which are most likely to undo us and if ever the Parliament and their party be ruined which God prevent it will not be so much by the Cavaliers they could not have done it but the heresies blasphemies and schimes of some among our selves will cause it and therefore the finding of these out and labouring to have these removed is a work of great importance to the saving of the Kingdom and of great prejudice to the common enemy whose hopes and confidence are much more placed in our heresies prodigious opinions and schismes then in their own strength 2. Ob. As this book will give occasion to open the mouthes of enemies so it may cause distractions and divisions among our selves weaken the hands of many who are cordiall to the Parliament apprehending themselves to be written against besides this may offend many good persons that are not sectaries especially that Independents should be put into this Catalogue and ranked with all sorts of hereticks and schismaticks 1. I answer to this as Luther did in an Epistle of his to Spalatinus upon a like occasion Spalatinus would not have had Luther at such a time to have writ against the Papists for feare of disturbing the publike peace to whom Luther thus replies That 's excellent indeed that thou thinkest it not fit to have the publike peace disturbed and yet judgest it fit to have the externall peace of God disquieted not so O Spalatine Shall the grievous wolves come freely to the flock not sparing them and if the doggs barke to give warning of them shall they be said to disturbe the peace and cause distractions Brethren things are come to a good passe that hereticks and sectaries must do what they please and if any course be taken by preaching writing petitioning to remedy it 't is given out by Sectaries 't is a plot to make division discourage the Army disturbe the peace I say no more if this be to preserve union and peace and to be cordiall to the Parliament to let hereticks and sectaries do what they list preach writ spread their errours destroy many souls and no man must say what do they cursed be that union peace and affection to the Parliament 'T is a golden saying of Luther and worthy to bee thought of in these times Cursed be that charity which is kept with the losse of the doctrine of faith to which all things ought to give place Charity an Apostle an Angell from Heaven yea and I will add Parliaments Answ. 2. If in such a time as this and such a case when by many persons all the things of God are laid waste and made null Church Minister Sacraments Scriptures and what not men will be offended for speaking let them 't is better they should be offended then the glory of Christ should suffer 't is an offence taken and not given Christ cared not in that case that the Pharisees were offended Mat. 15.12.13.14 I wonder they are not offended at the heresies and errours daily broached and yet should be offended at the discovering and speaking against them I have more cause to be offended at this objection of theirs and their lukewarmenesse wo be unto them that broach these errours and to those that countenance them for every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up Answ. 3. I name not these things to provoke and exasperate any especially none of those who in simplicity of heart and under pretences of greater holinesse and new light are taken in these wayes for as I have writ before so I say again I put a great difference between Independency strictly and properly
his people that he is the Authour not of those Actions alone in and with which sin is but of the very Pravity Ataxy Anomy Irregularity and sinfullnesse it self which is in them 12. That all Lyes come forth out of the mouth of God 13. 'T is the will and command of God that since the coming of his Son the Lord Jesus a permission of the most Paganish Jewish Turkish or Antichristian consciences and worship be granted to all men in all Nations and Countries and they are only to be fought against with the sword of Gods Spirit the word of God and for the Parliament to use any civill coercive meanes to compell men of different judgment is one of the greatest sins that can be named 't is committing a greater rape then if they had forced or ravished the bodies of all the women in the world Yea if it be mens consciences the Magistrate may not punish for blasphemies nor for denying the Scriptures nor for denying there is a God 14. That no man was cast into hell for any sin but only because God would have it so 15. That a man had life before God breathed into him and that which God breathed into him was part of the divine Essence and shall returne unto God again 16. That we should think of our selves no better then was meet for God loves the creatures that creep upon the ground as well as the best Saints and there is no distance between the flesh of a Man and the flesh of a Toad 17. That the Prince of the ayr that rules in the children of disobedience is God and that there is no other spirit but one which Spirit is God 18. That God hath not decreed all the actions of men because men doing what God decreed do not â—in 19. That God was never angry nor displeased with man for if he were ever displeased and pleased again then there is a changeablenesse in God 20. That God loved not one man more then another before the world neither is there an absolute particular election but only generall and conditionall upon perseverance and the Scripture no where speaks of Reprobates or Reprobation 21. That the soul dies with the body and all things shall have an end but God only shall remain for ever 22. Every creature in the first creation was God and every creature is God every creature that hath life and breath being an efflux from God and shall returne into God again be swallowed up in him as a drop is in the ocean 23. That to a saving knowledge of God it sufficeth not to know him in the book of nature nor secondly as revealed in the holy Scriptures but that we must know him as abstract from his mercies and all his attributes 24. That in the Unity of the God-head there is not a Trinity of Persons but the Doctrine of the Trinity beleeved and professed in the Church of God is a Popish tradition and a Doctrine of Rome 25. There are not three distinct Persons in the Divine Essence but only three Offices the Father Son and holy Ghost are not three Persons but Offices 26. That there is but one Person in the Divine nature 27. That Jesus Christ is not very God not God essentially but nominally not the eternall Son of God by eternall generation no otherwise may he be called the Son of God but as he was man 28. That Christs humane nature is defiled with originall sin as well as ours Christ had from the birth to his death the same originall corruption as ours he took our sin into his nature as well as our flesh upon him Christ is not of a holier nature then we but in this appeares Gods love to us that he will take one of us in the same conditition to convince us of what he is to us and hath made us to be in him me thinks the beholding of Christ to be holy in the flesh is a dishonour to God in that we should conceive holinesse out of God and again a discomfort to the Saints that he should be of a more holy nature then they as being no ground for them to come neer with boldnesse to God 29. That we did look for great matters from one crucified at Ierusalem 16 hundred yeares ago but that does us no good it must be a Christ formed in us the deity united to our humanity Christ came into the world to live thirty two years and to do nothing else that he knew and blessed God he never trusted in a crusified Christ. 30. Christ was true man when he created us yea from eternity and though he had not flesh yet was he very man without flesh 31. That Christ died for all men alike for the reprobate as well as for the elect and that not only sufficiently but effectually for Iudas as well as Peter for the damned in hell as well as the Saints in Heaven 32. That by Christs death all the sins of all the men in the world Turks Pagans as well as Christians committed against the morall Law and first Covenant are actually pardoned and forgiven and this is the everlasting Gospel 33. That Christ did only satisfie for the sins against the first Covenant but not for the sins against the second Covenant as unbelief he died not for the unbelief of any 34. Christ died only for sins past i. e. before the Gospel is revealed to the sinner and the sins of men committed after conversion Christ died not for but they are pardoned by his being a continuall sacrifice 35. Every man satisfies for himselfe for the sins against the second Covenant namely unbelief because he that beleeves not the wrath of God abides upon him so that for a years unbelief a man beares a years wrath and this is all the satisfaction God requires 36. That no man shall perish or go to hell for any sin but unbeleef only 37. That the Heathen who never heard of Christ by the Word have the Gospel for every creature as the Sun Moon and Stars preach the Gospel to men and in them is revealed the knowledge of Christ crucified and sin pardoned if they had eyes to see it 38. Those Heathen that perish do perish only for not beleeving according to the Gospel they enjoy 39. Christ did not by his death purchase life and salvation for all no nor for the elect For it was not the end of God in the coming of Christ to purchase love and life but Christ himself was purchased by love that hee might make out love and purchase us to love 40. Christ Jesus came into the world to witnesse and declare the love of God to us not to procure it for us or to satisfie God as some say Christ was a most glorious publisher of the Gospel he was sent to preach the Gospel to heal the broken hearted to preach deliverance to the captives in all that Christ saith to be the end of
Lords Supper though beleevers and Saints nor their children to be baptized but onely they who are members in a Church-way 110. There is no Scripture against a mans being often baptized neither is it more unlawfull to be baptized often then to receive the Lords Supper often 111. That Christs words in the Institution of his Supper This is my body and This is my bloud are to be understood literally 112. That Christians in receiving the Lords Supper should receive with their hats on with their heads covered but the Ministers should administer it with their hats off uncovered 113. That 't is as necessary to be joyned in Church-fellowship as with Christ the Head and there 's such a necessity of entring into a Church-way as there is no expectation of salvation without it 114. That the Church of England and the Ministery thereof is Antichristian yea of the Devill and that 't is absolutely sinfull and unlawfull to hear any of their Ministers preach in their Assemblâ—es 115. That the Church of Rome was once a true Church but so was the Church of England never therefore 't is likelier the Church of Rome should be in the right in the Doctrines of Free-will universall Redemption Originall sin c. then the Church of England 116. That the calling and making of Ministers of the Word and Sacraments are not jure Divino but a Minister comes to be so as a Meâ—chant Bookseller Tailor and such like 117. That all setled certaine maintenance for Ministers of the Gospel especially that which is called Tyths is unlawfull Jewish and Antichristian 118. That Ministers of the Gospel in these dayes ought to work with their hands and to follow some calling that they may not be chargeable to the Church 119 That there ought to be no distinct order of Ministers nor no such calling of some persons distinct and separated from the people but that all men who have gifts are in their turns and courses by the appointment of the rest of the company to preach pray baptize and they are for that turn in stead of Ministers and as Ministers 120. That all dayes are a like to Christians under the new Testament and they are bound no more to the observation of the Lords day or first day of the week then to any other 121. That the Jewish Sabbath or Saturday is still to be kept by Christians for their Sabbath 122. That Christians are not bound to meet one day in seven constantly according to the manner of the Nations nor to pray and preach thus long and in this manner two or three houres according to the custome of the Nations 123. No man hath more to do to preach the Gospel then another but every man may preach the Gospel as well as any 124. That 't is lawfull for women to preach and why should they not having gifts as well as men and some of them do actually preach having great resort to them 125. 'T is a part of Christian liberty of Christians not to hear their own Ministers but to go and heare where they will and whom they think they may profit most by 126. That 't is unlawfull to worship God in places consecrated and in places where Superstition and Idolatry have been practised as in our Churches 127. That men ought to preach and exercise their gifts without study and premeditation and not to think of what they are to say till they speak because it shall be given them in that hour and the Spirit shall teach them 128. That there is no need of humane learning nor of reading Authors for Preachers but all books and learning must go down it comes from the want of the Spirit that men writ such great volumes and make such adoe of learning 129. There are some women ten or eleven in one Town or vicinity who hold it unlawfull to hear any man preach either publikely or privately because they must not be like those women in Timothy ever learning and never comming to the knowledg of the truth 2. Tim. 3.6.7 130. That t is unlawfull to preach at all sent or not sent out as in a Church-state but only thus a man may preach as a waiting Disciple that is Christians may not preach in a way of positive asserting and declaring things but all they may do is to confer reason together and dispute out things 131. That t is unlawfull for the Saints to joyn in receiving the Lords supper where any wicked men are present and that such mixt Communion doth pollute and defile them 132 'T is unlawfull for the Saints to joyn in prayer where wicked men are or to pray with any of the wicked 133. That 't is unlawfull for Christians to pray so much as privately with those though godly that are not members of a true Church but are members of the Church of England and the Assemblies thereof 134 That however conference and discourse may be had with all yet t is not lawfull to joyn in prayer or giving of thanks no not before meat with those though otherwise acknowledged Saints and godly and are members of Churches in the Church-way that aâ—e not of the same judgement and way 135. That t is not lawfull for Christians to pray at all with any others either as being the mouth in prayer or as joyning in prayer though never so godly and of their own judgements either in the publike Assemblies or in their Families unlesse such persons who prayed had an infallible spirit as the Apostles 136. That Christians are not bound to pray constantly every day at set times as morning and evening but only at such times as the Spirit moves them to it and if they finde not themselves so moved in many dayes and weeks together they ought not to pray 137. That wicked and unregenerate men ought not to pray unto God at all 138. That all singing of Psalmes as Davids or any other holy songs of Scripture is unlawfull and not to be joyned with 139. That the singing which Christians should use is that of Hymns and spirituall songs framed by themselves composed by their own gifts and that upon speciall occasions as deliverances c. sung in the Congreation by one of the Assembly all the rest being silent 140. That love-feasts or feasts of love with which the Lords Supper is to be administred also is a perpetuall ordinance of Christ at which only Church-members are to be present and to partake 141. That there is no distinction concerning Government of Ecclesiasticall and civil for all that Government which concernes the Church ought to be civill but the maintaining of that distinction is for maintaining the interests of Church-men 142. That a few private Christians as six or seven gathering themselves into a Covenant and Church-fellowship have an absolute entire power of the Keyes and all Government within themselves and are not under any authoritative power of any Classes Synods or generall Councels whatsoever they
small and few errours in comparison but in some yeares time came to vent all kind of errors almost Socinian errors and what not so our Sectaries at first were more modest but within these foure yeares especially these two last how they have growne and what they are fallen into the fore named Catalogue is sufficient proofe 3. The Arâ—inians professed reserves became Scepticks were against certainty of faith they came to have as our Divines have expressed a monethly faith nay an hourâ—ly this they now held but they know not what they might hold to morrow or the next houre this principle of uncertainty in matters of Religion the Remonstrants did hold forth in those times of the troubles of the Churches in the Netherlands that so they might overturn all forms and harmonies that was one of the scepticall rules of the Arminians Dies diem docet so our Sectaries are all for new light and reserves and multitudes of them are become meer Scepticks and Questionists and will tell you this they hold for the present but know not yet what they may see c. 4. The Arminians could not be brought to speak out a long while nor to give what they would have but hid themselves in doubtfull phrases and were feared monstri aliquid alere when they stood for and desired a Toleration upon conferences and meetings they were put to it to give in what they held and all they held they were proffered at the conference holden at Delph favour and Toleration if they would give assurance they desired only forbearance in the five Points but they could not be got to it so our Sectaries have forborne to this day notwithstanding all meanes used to set down this we hold this we will stick to 5. The Arminians in those times in the Low-Countries in some Cities and Towns where they had power persecuted the Orthodox troubled them much so do our Sectaries in Towns or places where they have power persecute godly Orthodox men especially if zealous against the Sects O how have some Sectaries vexed plagued and troubled many godly Ministers and people severall waies of which more under their particular policies factious practices 6. The Arminians had well nigh undone the Netherlands and brought all to confusion had not the old Prince of Orange been stout and wise even doing something beyond the ordinarie way of his power and upon the Synod of Dort determining the Magistrate added the civill sanction and used coercive power that Countrey had been lost so Sectaries have by their errours divisions and factions they have made among us hazarded all and if God do not wonderfully put in and be mercifull to us their waies and courses will undo us all 7. The Netherland Arminians would be Remonstrants did write against complaine of the Synod of Dort that they could not have their liberty were not well dealt with could not have so faire a hearing how many books were written how many aspersions were cast upon the Synod And have not and do not our Sectaries write against the Assembly complain by word of mouth are not their mouthes full of such speeches They cannot be heard They have not had liberty to bring in their Questions c. Is it not remarkable that the Pamphlet or rather Libell against the Assembly put forth by stealth is entituled A Remonstrance of the Dissenting Brethren so that they are the English Remonstrants 8 The Netherland Arminians when once the Magistrate did effectually set to back the Synod of Dort and were against them then they writ books in a far other stile and that power which before they so liberally measured out to them they did not a little limit and contract denying the Magistrate had any power over private meetings so our Sectaries if once the Magistrates come to suppresse their errours and false Doctrines and their private meetings we shall see how they will change their stile nay have wee not too much experience how but upon votes for Government and but upon the preparative Orders for setling Church-Government upon the overtures of it this lâ—st summer when the Order came of casting this City into Classes and a Province and an Order for choosing tryers of Elders what passages had we in Sermons Prayers of some of the Sectaries as among many to give two onely on the day of Thanksgiving for taking Sherborne castle a Sectary preached this That the Parliament was making of Lawes against the Saints and that he was not afraid to speake because he was not afraid to suffer And others preached of the great persecution that was coming and how the Bishops tyrannie would be nothing to the Presbyterians their finger would be heavier then the Bishops loynes or words to that purpose The Sectaries and the Bishops with that Court party agree 1. The Bishops and the Court party would bring off one way or other by Letters written from great friends at Court by appearing for them by removing to some other place the businesse by finding out one device or another deluding the parties who prosecuted and troubled them all those of their party that were active and able who by vertue of the Lawes conscience and courage some men in place were questioned and indangered for preaching some Doctrines of Poperie and Arminiansme c. or for some practices not legall of which many examples were in the former time fetching them out of the hands of Orthodox men who had power sending Warrants for discharge of Priests Jesuites c. and now all England over generally the Sectaries for anie of their partie that are questioned either for preaching false doctrines or for speaking unjustifiable words or for other misdemeanours do use all waies to bring them off they will use meanes to remove them from one Committee to another where they are stronger they will get Letters writ on their behalfe they will work things so as by delayes one way or another the Sectaries shall escape as much as ever the Jesuits Priests Arminians Innovators did heretofore 2. The Bishops and Court party would prefer none but their party kept out all men from all places in Church and Common-wealth though never so deserving especially if zealous or had anie great parts to stand for the truth and they would prefer their own partie though never so unworthy though little to commend them and so the Sectaries in all places where they have power bring in Sectaries though otherwise unfit into offices and places though dishonest and scandalous and set themselves with all the industry and cunning that may be to keep out godly conscientious men that are against the Sects though the publike suffer never so much for the want of them 3. The Bishops and Court-party did set themselves to worme out that being the Archbishops phrase all godly zealous able men out of places and would by one means or device watching them cast them out quite or so hamper and vex them that they were weary of
are in the practice and possession of it they may use it and do to the utmost to suppresse Errours Scandals in the power of censures in admitting of none but whom the body allowes c. and yet in the free practise of it and under it all these Errours grow and men fall from one thing to another as all men see but now those who are in their judgement for Presbyterian Government in this Kingdome they enjoy it not have not the benefit of it to censure scandalous persons suppresse any Errors or to do any Acts of Government at all but all lies waste 2. I deny that the Sectaries can show men who are Presbyterians though they want the benefit of the Government that fall into those Errours Blasphemies Practises which the Sectaries doe t is a meer flourish they can show no such thing nay I am confident that among all the Presbyterian Ministers and cheife members who have appeared and acted for that way since Presbyterians the Sectaries cannot instance in one man like to hundreds and thousands of their Sectaries either for Errours in judgement or loosenesse in life 2. T is objected t is an unchristian way to bring mens names upon the stage t is to much to speak against a way from the Practises of some of that way but to name men in print and publikly to brand them this is worse Ans. I could give many Answers to justifie this and show the examples both of Fathers and the holiest judiciousest moderne Writers who practised this as Calvin in his Tractate against Libertines naming Quintinus c. and giving reasons there by way of Answer to this very objection of naming men but I cannot now insist upon it all I will say is this for my own part t is much against my genius and temper to do it for naturally I do not love to offend any or to contend with any man but to comply and please all besides I am sensible of the hatred reproaches dangers I am liable to for doing it but a necessiâ—y is laid upon me to preserve the people and to give them warning to beware of wolves in sheeps clothing and as I hold my selfe bound in conscience to write Books to discover the errours and opinions of such wayes so to name the persons of prime notorious Sectaries who are sticklers not of all men who are mis-led or in some lesser matters mistaken and that from the example of the Apostle Paul who doth not onely name the errours wayes but the men themselves as Hymeneus Philetus Alexander Phygellus Hermogenes 1 Tim. 1.19 20. 2 Tim. 2.17 2 Tim. 1.14 15. 4.14 15. 3. Let no godly person be offended at my Book if the stile of it be quick and smart and if I speak sometimes a little sharply to Cretensis but rather let them consider how unworthily not onely unbecoming a Christian but a man hee hath dealt with mee and all Presbyterians in his Answer discovering such unsufferable pride arrogancie scornfulnesse of spirit towards all Presbyterians who fall not down to the golden calves of his opinions of Imputation of faith Independency c. as that there seems no way left to recover him but to deal a little roundly with him and lay open his folly besides the Apostle Paul speaking of the Cretians who are alwayes lyars saith Wherefore rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith In one word Cretensis in all his Answers is too like those spoken of in 2 Sam. 23.6 that must be thrust away as thorns because they cannot be taken with hands the man that must touch him had need be fenced with iron and the staffe of a spear Cretensis is a man so foul-mouth'd in all kind of filthy language that his maid had need seowr his mouth alwayes with a wisp when he goes to write any Book But to hold the good Reader no longer in the porch let we earnestly intreat thy prayers to God for his gracious assistance protection supporting of him who is resolved to spend and be spent and to run all hazzards for the truth of God and his Churchesâ— against the errours of the times yea and if he be offered up upon the sacrifice and service of your faith he joyes and will rejoyce Thine in Christ THOMAS EDWARDS THE PREFACE Christian Reader ALthough there be already at the Presse a full Reply to the pretended Answers made by Mr. Saltmarsh Mr. Walwyn and Mr. Iohn Goodwin against my late Book entituled Gangraena yea and some part thereof printed yet considering not only the three bodied Monster Geryon and the three headed Cerberus which for present I have to grapple and conflict withall but that Hydra also ready to rise up in their place therefore that I may both mortally wound the heads of these Dragons and cut off others as they are springing and strike once for all in defence of Gangrena my Reply cannot but be somewhat large and so of necessity must take up more time for the perfecting and publishing of it especially considering my imployments in frequent constant preaching besides all other occasions then at this time I am contented to be kept from coming abroad in Print And therfore for preventing the Sectaries glorying and triumphing too much in their Answers and their possessing many people against my Book as if it were a Book of lies and that I could not make proof of or give a good account to the world of what I have written as also from interpreting my silence though but during a time simply necessary to give a full Answer a repenting of writing my late Book and a retreating from that cause wherein I have so much appeared as Master Walwyn seems to do I have thought it necessary in the Interim till my larger Reply can come forth to set forth a few sheets to declare my mind to all the world and to take away all just occasion from men of speaking against my late Book Now this Book being of the same nature and kind with Gangraena besides a breif Answer to some main Objections made against it is not only an Addition of more Errours to the former Catalogue a higher Discovery of the wayes and Practises of the Sectaries a further confirmation of the truth of things contained in Gangraena but an assurance to the Reader of my Resolution and Constancie by the grace of God in opposing Errours and Sects maugre all the malice wrath and power of Hell as also a satisfaction in part to the most materiall things objected by Master Saltmarsh Mr. Walwyn Mr. Goodwin against my Book and as I am perswaded this Discourse will not be without its use for the present so I question not when my full Reply to these three Pamphlets shall come abroad of which this Book is the fore-runner and prepares the way not only all rationall and unprejudiced men who shall read and consider will be satisfied by it but my Antagonists will be laid so open and bare
as their folly and shame shall be manifested to al men and themselves and their friends for them will wish a hundred times they had been asleep in their beds when they medled with Gangraena yea Gangraena and this defence of it will prove so incurable a Gangren to them that they shall never be cured of it by all the Mountebanck quacksalving drugs and tricks of all the Sectaries of this time and though for a short time confident lying may please and take with many yet as Solomon speaks the lip of truth shall be established for ever but a lying tongue is but for a moment and as Hierom. Mendacia ad modicum placent sed diu non durant A Fresh and further DISCOVERY OF THE ERROURS and Pernicious Practises of the SECTARIES in ENGLAND HAving laid down in my Book entituled Gangraena 180. Errors vented in these times besides an Addition of some Errours mentioned in the Appendix and not enumerated in the former Catalogue I do here further present the Reader with a Catalogue of more Errours not before named neither in the first nor second Edition of my Book As also a Relation of more Stories and Practices together with some new Letters concerning them by all which it will appear that the plague of Sectarisme rages more and more putting forth Symptoms presaging death and destruction both to Church and State if not timely prevented Additionall ERROURS to the former Catalogue of ERROURS HERESIES c. 1 THat no Opinion is so dangerous or Hereticall as that of compulsion in things of Religion 2. That Kingly government among Nations and Common-wealths is unlawfull and that for Kings it cannot be said to what use they serve or that there is any use of them except to debauch and vexe a people 3. It is unlawful for Christians to eate any Swines flesh in regard the Devils once entred into the herd of Swine 4. 'T is unlawfull to eate any manner of blood in any kind of thing whatsoever and that Black-puddings are unhallowed meat and that the eating of Black-puddings is a barbarous custome 5. That the Devils never sinned nor have any sin 6. That Iudas Cain and all the damned yea all the Devils shall be saved at last and that there are no hell torments to eternity 7. Christ hath repented perfectly he hath sorrowed for sin perfectly and he hath repented for us 8. Faith is not to be the guide of Reason but Reason the guide of Faith nor is a man to beleeve any thing in Scripture further then he sees Reason to induce him 9. That children of beleevers have more then a faederall holinesse an inward reall holinesse 10. Christs presence in Heaven or that Christ is present in Heaven cannot be proved by the Scriptures 11. Some of the Sectaries do affirm and hold they have not only had Revelations but they have seen Visions also 12. The means of God revealing himself and his mind and will to his servants in reference to their salvation is immediatly by himself without Scripture without Ordinances Ministers or any other means 13. That 't is unlawfull to give thanks to God after meat received though it be lawfull to do it before eating of meat 14. That singing of Davids Psalms is blasphemy and telling of lies 15. That there is no Justification by Faith but Faith is only a manifestation of our Justification 16. That Repentance is a work of the Law and so not to be performed by Christians and that Christians have nothing to do at all but only to sit still hear and beleeve 17. Some Sectaries hold they cannot sin but if they sin Christ sins in them he does all they are acted by him in all 18. All set times of private prayers as morning and evening c. are not only unlawfull and superstitious but they are not to pray at all nor give thanks nor confesse sin but admire only the Grace of God that is all they must doe 19. That hell-fire never had been if Jesus Christ had not come 20. That Jesus Christ delivered never a soul from Hell-fire 21. That all appointed set meetings of many Christians to pray hear confer or perform any holy service whether in a Church way or out of a Church way are unwarrantable and unlawfull only occasionally if Christians meet in a street or at a house going to visit friends in civility they may discourse and talk one with another in points of Religion as they do of other matters 22. That in the first Conversion of a sinner there ought to be no sorrow nor repentance for sinne God requires none at all 23. That some Beleevers are as perfect here as ever they shall be in Heaven only they do not see the Lord here with their bodily eyes And for a conclusion of this matter namely for the enumeration of Additionall Errours I shall adde only this which I received from the mouth of a godly Minister who haâ—ing conversed with some Sectaries that are Souldiers and Troopers gave me this answer March 13. upon a question propounded by me what strange opinions do they hold They hold saith he all opinions whatsoever that are against the power of godlinesse and the honour of Christ. An Extract of a Letter lately sent me from a learned and godly Minister in Essex Good M. Edwards I Thank you for your Book Oates whom you mention in your Book hath been sowing his Tares Boolimong and wild Oates in these parts these five weeks without any controll hath seduced hundreds and dipped many in Booking River and when that 's done he hath a Feast in the night and at the end of that the Lords Supper All opera tenebrarum No Magistrate in the Country dare meddle with him for they say they have hunted these out of the country into their Dens in London and imprisoned some and they are released and sent like decoy Ducks into the country to fetch in more so that they go on in divers parts of Essex with the greatest confidence and insolencie that can be imagined M. Archer of Halsted preaches boldly against Parliament Assembly Directory Ministery and all I pray you let me hear whether there be any hope of light shining out of darknesse Ellis an Antinomian brother to Ellis of Colchester the Independent married a widow got two hundred pounds of hers made her beleeve hee would carry her to his friends in the North but left her by the way and ranne away with the two hundred pounds That miscreant seduced many Your book doth much good I shall pray God to speed your Plough who am Your assured friend An Extract of a Letter written to me last week from a learned and godly Minister in Colchester together with a Relation of a Monster lately born there of Parents who are Sectaries SIr I have sent you in this enclosed the true Story of the monstrous birth in our Town I thank you for your Book The Sectaries rage at it but it is a sign it
pray for her This one Redgwell an honest man making report of was asked if he were not at Oates his Exercise he answered no then it was demanded was not your wife there He answered if he should deny that he should sin against God and tell a lie for she he said was there but was never well since This Bearer can likewise tell you somewhat of Master Archer of Halsted Also of one Lancester of Bury a Pedler and of his opening the whole Book of Ezra at a private meeting insteed of opening his pack and of the prayer that followed his Exercise c. Of Master Erbury also c. It would be lost labour for me to make a further Relation by writing of these things seeing you shall receive the truth more fully by word of mouth and by a faithfull Relator I have no more to say at this time but that I heartily pray for you that God preserve direct and guid you and make you more and more serviceable to him and his Church in your generation and to let you know that I am Your faithfull freind and Brother From Clare in Suffolk March 30 1646. Upon conference with the Minister who brought up this Letter he related these following passages to me and I writ them presently as he spake them Master Erbury one of those Sectaries spoken of at large in Gangraena pag. 109. and 110. coming lately to Bury in Suffolk and there exercising in private he delivered divers erroneous things and at last went so high as to deny that Jesus Christ ☞ was God and that he was as much God as ever Jesus Christ was or should be One Lancester in a private meeting at Bury condemned all the Ministers of England for the Sanbaâ—â—ats and Tobiahs of this time that hindered the building of the Temple resembling himself and the Sectaries to those who would build the Temple but it was withstood by the Ministers who hindred it At that meeting there was a plain godly man a solid old Christian of Master Faircloths congregation who opposed him and God was so mightily with him that it turned to the shame and reproach of this Lancester and those who adhered to him Master Archer of Hâ—lsteed an Independent a man who hath preached much against our Ministers and Tyths at the same time or thereabouts when hee preached so against Tyths used meanes to procure to himself a great Living in Essex of two hundred pounds per annum and came to some Gentlemen of the Country for their hands to further the getting of that Living An Extract of a Letter sent me from a worthy and godly Minister out of the Country Friend YOur last together with the Book I received I must confesse when I first saw your Title I said it was none of those Aulus Gellius calls Illecebraâ— ad ligendum c. For what is a Gangraene but an abundance of corrupted bloud inflamed c. and yet for your sake I not run but read over the text and found it every way answerable And that you were indeed the Master of that Art which appointing the cure according to the cause wisely prescribes cutting and flashing scarifications washings not only with mulsum or water but Vineger and Salt unguentum Eâ—yptiacum burning Trochiskes Arsâ—nicon sublimatum and much more then you have yet applied considering not only the creeping of this Canker but that danger the whole body is in of no lesse then that Sphacelus of Atheisme which not only good and godly Master Greenham but old Bishop ☞ Lake himselfe long since prophesied would most probably over-runne this Realm rather then Papisme And why then should any speak of a Toleration except à tollendo potius quam tolerando Obsta principiis c. is one of the best Aphorisms of all the sons both of Hippocrates and Galen that I know 'T is sad very sad to see our Anglia as Spalatensis complains of his Rome turned into Africa new monsters every day such horrid blasphemies intolerable wickednesses c. Shall Vipers still be suffered to eate up the very bowels of their mother I could tell you many a sad story of some that preach pray and prate what not Independents all yea and Scholars nay Ministers yet not by Ordination The people they say make Ministers quoting Ezek. 33. v. 2. The Scriptures say they are obscure no Assemblies Synods nor generall Councells more likely to teach the truth then the Sanctuary a particular Congregation c. These words were used praying for England O blessed God we have often already prayed in thy Sons name now let us pray unto thee for thy Son clothe thus all his enemies with shame but c. An usuall strain in their prayers is as followes That God would pardon the Reformed Churches their great prophanation of the Lords day and why is this used but to make them odious Another strain Who hath gained Who hath given you so many victories but the Independents Liberty of Conscience Lord c. and all in our own Kingdom The Millenary conceit is the common subject of Sermons and a Church on earth without so much ☞ as an Hypocrite Publike thanks was given to God for that the London Petition for settling c. took no better A thousand such and other passages of no small note you may hear if you please but to visit your friends in these parts whose very souls are so vexed that I for my part am resolved if it may be to burie my self at my study and stirre as little as I can to hear or see such or the like abominations And where now is Sodom as some of their Brethren call'd old England when they went off our shore to sea using that expression farewell farwell Sodom c. And what are they but Babell-Builders whose tongues are so divided that I doubt not of the downfall of their Babylon which by interpretation saith Origen signifies that confusion Christians should out of Courage friend let Divels that must be disposest cry out we torment them before their time If ever the Jesuite will be at the hight I suppose he is very neer now who say no more but security if any thing will slay us which God forbid Thus with best salutes I rest though in haste yet heartily Yours March 30 1646 A Justification and Vindication of the truth of the most materiall Passages related in the Book entituled Gangraena from those exceptions made against them in three late Pamphlets entituled Groanes for liberty A Whisper in the Eare Cretensis alias Master Goodwin I Shall take them in order and begin with Mr Saltmarsh who first apeared in Print As for Master Saltmarsh he doth not so much as offer to disprove any one peece of matter of fact throughout my whole Book excepting that only of a woman Preacher at Brasteed in Kent of which he affirmes that 't is known to all in that place to be a meer untruth Vid. M. Sâ—lt p. 26. Now for the present I
Reply as followes reserving the greatest part I have to say till my full and particular Reply to Mr Saltmarsh and his fellowes shall come forth that as t is a strange bold assertion to affirm not only for himself but for all the Parish that they know 't is a meer untruth which implies thus much that Mr Saltmarsh does not only assuredly know all things that all the women in the Parish do but all what ever the whole Town of Brasteed knowes for else how can he say so of all the women and all the inhabitants of that place so t is an untrue assertion for some who live at Brasteed do not know it to be an untruth but beleeve it to be a truth for one Mr. Wheatly a godly able Minister who lives at Brasteed in a Gentlemans house and hath lived there this two years told me very confidently this Relation of a woman in the presence of two Ministers besides two other Inhabitants of the Town who have lived longer in Brasteed then Master Saltmarsh affirme the same and three godly Ministers living neer to Brasteed have told me also there is such a woman of whom this is commonly spoken and a Citizen in London an honest man having some relation to Brasteed and knowing the place tels me there is such a woman as is reported by many of Brasteed to be a preaching woman and he coming lately out of Kent told me that upon the way meeting with a Gentleman of the Committee who discoursing of Mr Saltmarshes denying there was any such woman in Brasteed and was speaking against my Book this Citizen replyed he beleeved it to be true and offered to lay a twenty shilling peece that there was such a woman but the Gentleman durst not and besides all this the Minister who first told me having lately been written unto about it in a Letter by way of answer stands to that Relation which is laid down in Gangraena But of this in my full and particular Reply the Reader shall receive more large satisfaction only for present from what I have now said though there be much more behinde I leave to the consideration of any judicious and unprejudiced Reader whether I had not ground enough to writ as I did and whether there be not more reason to beleeve so many affirmative witnesses then one negative who may not know all that 's done in Brasteed for such a thing may be and he never the wiser besides Master Saltmarsh being a Sectary is a party and his testimony is by me proved to be false in affirming all in that place know it to be a meer untruth whereas the contrary is the truth divers living in that Town relating the story of a woman Preacher there All that Master Walwyn the Marchant either in his Pamphlets entituled A whisper in the Eare of Master Thomas Edwards or a word more to Master Thomas Edwards labours to disprove in matter of fact contained in my Book entituled Gangraena is that I have wronged him and falsified in saying Mr Walwyn a Seeker and a dangerous man a strong head as also in my Relation of Mr Lilburn the informations given unto me of both of them being such as if they had been made a purpose to shame me to all the world Now by way of Reply first concerning Mr Walwyn himself I am confident that every judicious Reader who hath but read Mr Walwyns Pamphlets out of them will acquit me that I have said nothing of him but truth he being out of his owne mouth and writings condemned for a dangerous man a Seeker and a strong head as many who knew him not before from reading his Pamphlets have told me that he hath justified to the world what I have said of him but I shall at large make good this against the man in my full Reply to him and his fellowes following him from place to place from person to person with whom he hath conversed and from one thing to another that he hath had his hand in wherein I shall lay him open to the world and prove him to be a dangerous man yea a desperate dangerous man a Seeker and Libertine a man of al Religions pleading for all and yet what Religion he is of no man can tel A man of an equivocating Jesuitical spirit being full of mental reservations equivications as appears by the sense he hath put upon the Nationall Covenant there being hardly any Jesuit could have put a more equivâ—call interpretation upon the Covenant then himself And I desire the Reader to observe what I now say of M. Walwyn Since his first Book came forth against me I have enquired and spoken with many honest godly men about M. Walwyn who know him well and all of them with one consent and voyce though I have enquired of them apart concerning him and the men know not one another yet all agree that Mr Walwyn is a dangerous man and a desperate man For present I will only alledge two Testimonies reserving others till my full Reply which I beleeve will be full and speak home and the parties who witnesse will be ready before any Committee or Court of England if called to restifie as much The first was given me in writing March 30. 1646. subscribed by the hand of him who brought it to me and delivered to me in the presence of two godly Citizens as his hand and that which he would maintain to be truth and produce other witnesses for the proof of it when he should be call'd by Authority and t is as followes Inprimis That Mr Walwyn did say it was a sin to pray for the King and that it would lie as a sin upon the Preists so to delude the people and that he did admire at our Preists that they should stand bauling and praying for the King that God would turn his heart and say of him that he was the anoynted of God And he said they were glad to doe it namely the Ministers because if the King maintain them in their way they would cry him up to the people And M. Walwyn being asked how we should performe the Covenant we had taken to maintain the Kings honour he said he remembred no such clause in the Covenant And further he said that he did much admire at the simplicity that was in the hearts of the people that they should suffer themselves to be Governed by a King and that under such a government the Kingdome could not be safe He being asked what he thought of Mr Marshall M. Calamy M. Sedgwick and other godly Ministers he answered and said they were a company of Mountebancks and that they kept the people in ignorance and blindnesse and that they preached nothing but what we know already and that he knew no Scriptures for them to be Preachers more then other men as he named Shoemakers Coblers Weavers or Sopeboylers and the like absolutely speaking against all Congregations and Ministers and that if
their Tyths were taken from them they would soon leave their trade and said that the Apostles were tradesmen and were not chargeable to the brethren He further said that our Ministers might go and preach the Gospel to the Turks and Heathens and not to stand prating here for as he said before we knew enough already I asked him who should preach to the people and how they should be maintained if they would have them have nothing he answered he knew no Ministers that ought to be maintained but that every man that had gifts might be a Minister and use the liberty of his Conscience and he spake in the behalf of Paul Best for his Blasphemy saying that if we could not convince his Conscience we ought not to punish his body Touching the Rebellion in ☞ Ireland M. Walwyn said the Irish did no more but what we would have done our selves if it had been our case and said What had the English to do in their Kingdome and that they were a better natured people then we and said why should not they enjoy the liberty of their Consciences I told him that it was a sad thing to see how we are divided some women would not pray with their husbands and some not sit at table when they gave thanks for the creatures and servants would not joyne in prayers with their Masters nor heare them repeat the Sermons and that many of them have cast off all duties in their families he justified them all in what they did and said they could give a Reason for it and that it was their Conscience that led them to it and therefore they ought not to be blamed All this I do averre to be truth and will maintain it and can bring others to witnesse the same and have set to my hand T. C. The second was told me March 29. by a Common-Councell-man of the City of London a godly understanding and active man who related to me both the place where it was spoken and the names of some other Citizens who were present and heard it as well as himself and the Relation is as followes There being a meeting at a Tavern of some wel-affected Citizens to consider of some things in reference to the publick as they were sitting by the fire before they began to fall on the businesse they met for M. Walwyn spake of the Trinity in such a strange manner and so slightly that all the company was troubled at it and they brake off and departed without doing any thing of that they came for Now M. Walwyn I dare appeal to any indifferent Reader whether I have injured you in giving barely a brief note or touch upon you saying M. Walwyn a dangerous man and a Seeker or rather whether I did not much befriend you to say so little of you when as you deserved I should have made a long relation of you and your wayes as well as of Hich Web Clarkson Wrighter and many others But what may be the true reason that M. Walwyn was so touchie upon the naming of him in a word or two as to make a Book and bring himself upon the Stage I suppose that beside his pride and the showing of his parts it was to engratiate and endear himself to all the Sectaries by appearing and writing against a man so hatefull to them as M. Edwards is and specially at this time writing once and again for the cause of Liberty of Conscience that so being taken notice of for a strong head and true to the generall libertie of all Sects some or other of the Independents might get him a Burgess place and bring him in to be a Member of the House of Commons I am of the opinion he aimed at that knowing that Cornwell was clearing and many places there wanted Burgesses and do beleeve if a man could see the List of those who are prickt for Cornwell by the Independent party hee would find M. Walwyns name in and I am of the mind if M. Peters were asked and would tell truly it would be found M. Walwyn and Lieut. Col. Lilburn are committed to his care for Cornwwell and that he must preach at their election and besides all other reasons I have to think so this is one that both M. Walwyn and M. Lilburn were by some named and voices laboured to be made for them to have had them Burgesses of Southwark I have spoken with two godly men of the Burrow who were once or twice at a meeting about the businesse of M. Walwyns being propounded for a Burgesse in Southwarke who then opposed it as hearing from many hands that he was a dangerous man and a Seeker yea worse As for M. Walwyn saying my informations of M. Lilburn to his knowledge are such as if they had been made of purpose to shame mee to all the world I reply had hee instanced in any one particular I would have given a particular satistactory answer But it may be M. Walwyn means that which Cretensis particularizes in pag. 48. of playing at Cards that 't is false that M. Lilburn is a player at Cards and that hee protests hee never plaid a game at Cards since his coming to London Now I desire to ask Cretensis M. Walwyn M. Lilburn what they mean by since his coming to London whether the first time of his coming to London when hee came a youth to be here an Apprentice as many may take the words or since his last coming to London out of the Army abou◠twelve moneths ago or coming to London after some journey two or three months ago or which of the times he means since his coming to London Now if he speak and mean of the first that hee hath not plaid at Cards never since his coming to London when hee was a youth I can prove that is false by good witnesses and I know M. Lilburn will confesse he hath plaid at Cards since these warres I can for a need tell him where and when and produce witnesses but that needs not Mr. Lilburn on the 17. day of March last confessed to a Citizen though he had not played at Cards since his coming to London keeping himself under that equivocation yet he plaid at Cards severall times in Oxford But if he mean since his last coming to London which may be few months or a few weeks ago neither do I know how often M. Lilburn may make journeyes and return again to London that no whit infringes the truth of my Relation concerning him for I did not say he plaid at Cards this month or two but if he have often plaid at Cards since hee was a great Sectary and a stickler against the Presbyterians and the Reformed Churches within this yeer two or three of the contestation against the Presbyterian Government that makes good what I have said of him and in common acception that man may be truely said and is so called to be one who is a player at Cards
As for the extract of four or five Letters whose Authors names I have not yet mentioned ther 's no one particular matter of fact or relation of stories excepted against any of them the other Letters whose Authors I have named are the foul offensive Letters and therefore I shall spare their names till the truth of the facts related in them be questioned by Cretensis in a Rejoynder only for present I assert I have the original Letters by me under the hands of the Ministers to produce and further I make no question if the evils spoken against in those Letters might be remedied and the proof censured according the nature of their offences but the Ministers who writ them would be ready to come up and own them in the sight of the sun and prove a great deal more then they have written And for a conclusion of my Reply to this eight Sect. of Cretensis had Cretensis and his followers but a little Presbyterian faith which Sectaries so scoff at and ingenuity out of all the particulars which I have nakedly and clearly laid down they would believe that all the Letters from first to last were neither forged nor names conceal'd for fear of the examination of the truth nor because my name should be the greater and rise better by being only known but be ashamed of all that 's written in this Section especially considering Master Edwards hath brought all the names of the Writers challenged from out of the land of darknesse into the land of light and given such reason aâ— he hath for the former concealing of them Cretensis page II. makes two challenges casting the Glove to whosoever will take it up and his first challenge is that for thirty of those opinions impeached in my Catalogue of error aâ—d heresie and he will not say for how many more he will undertake to bring them off with the honor of truth Secondly for that error viz. That Faith in a proper sense is imputed to Justification and not Christs Righteousnesse he challenges all the Presbyterians one after another assembled or not assembled in England Scotland and Ireland to prove by Scriptures or by dint of Argument either That Faith is not imputed in a proper sense Reply The man from challenging me page third rises in his confidence to challenge all the world as if the man had learning and parts to deal with any man under heaven but Cretensis needed not to have gone so far I shall finde him near hand those who will deal with him without going into France Scotland and Ireland for the first of these I take up his Glove again and give him his liberty to name twenty and ten of those opinions and as many more of them as he will and do promise to enter into the Lift with him that he shall not prove them to be truths and I expect he should make good his challenge out of hand at least to set out in his Rejoynder to my Reply which of the 180. Errors he will take the Tutoridge and Patronage of And for the second Master Roborough whom Cretensis scoffs at pag. 26. by the name of Servant and Clerk takes up his Glove and desire me in my Reply to signifie thus much unto him For that jeer of Master Robor holding his peace when Master Gataker hath spoken his playing on servant and Master Justice of Peace and Clerk Master Robor passeth it by as he hath much bad language from him in his Vindication of Master Walker only he faith such gibing and jeering cost him nought It s said it runs in the blood that he had it by tradition from which is seems he is not yet redeemed for all his singular profession Master Roborough will not deal with him in that for shoe-buckles Cretensis shall have the preheminence yet doth he modestly desire an Answer to his Animadversions on M. Goodwins Book and is ready to make his writing good against Cretensis and his complices in further writing or by a dispute when and where Cretensis pleaseth This the man professeth who is meant in that jeer the Servant or Clerk that must hold his peace And as M. Roborough gave me the precedent words in writing under his hand so he added by word of mouth that he challenges Cretensis to dispute this point about Faith being imputed in a proper sense where when before whom and how he will leaving him to nominate his own time place company manner of dispute either by writing or by word of mouth by Scriptures or by dint of argument in all which Cretensis having this liberty and so the advantage of him yet M. Roborough will meet with him and dispute it as Cretensis hath stated the question and that before all the Independents Assembled or not Assembled and Master Roborough much wonders Cretensis should thus vapor and in this point challenge all the Presbyterians one after another Assembled or not Assembled in England Scotland France and Ireland when as Master Roborough who is but a Scribe of that Assembly of which Cretensis would fain have been a Member as 't is thought by wise men his great pride working upon discontent in mâ—ssing of that honor was one of the greatest cecasions of his falling to Independency professes that upon a conference dispute with him he found him weak not able to hold his ground and in a word a very sorry Disputant and Master Roborough offers in that Controversie about the Imputation of Faith to Justification wherein Cretensis boasts he is so versed as to challenge all men it Cretensis dare give him a meeting to manifest as much to all the world in the sight of the Sun and for a conclusion of my Reply to these two Bravadoes of Cretensis I desire the Reader to observe what an impudent Braggadocio this man is to mâ—ke new challenges when as yet he hath not yet accepted of old but lies miserably wounded both by his own pen and several others not having yet answered several Books written against him nor a Book he promised above 12 moneth ago to answer and therefore my advise to Cretensis is first to answer these following Books viz. that of a Quaere upon the Covenant and a Letter from I. G. to T. G. Master Roboroughs Book of Justification written against him Master Lanes a yong Merchant against that Error of Natural men may do such things as whereunto God hath by way of promise annexed grace and acceptation c. Dr. Stewart against M. S. this Reply to Cretensis and a larger Reply already in the Presse against Cretensis and my Antapologie and after he hath answered all these from point to point as becomes a Scholar with reason and words of sobernesse and not with railâ—gs Scoffs sixe footed words then to make his new challenges and defend 30. Errors and as many more as he will laid down in my Catalogue and among others for old acquaintance sake that of Imputation of Faith Cretensis page 15. promises an
damned Priests with such like all which no doubt are forerunners of the liberty of Conscience the Sectaries intend for the Presbyterians and for the proof I will give Cretensis a few instances The first is from Lynne a place well known to Cretensis concerning one Iohnson a Sectary and a Cannoneer who discoursing concerning Presbyterians and Independents said that Presbyterians would have their guts goared out and being answered that the Presbyterial government was ordered by both Houses of Parliament and that he being in the service ought not to speak against them he answered for all that they should have their guts goared out Now this and more will be averred upon oâ—th and is subscribed by four hands Iohn Feek Robert Cutâ—ord Thomas Edis Richard Robinson March 7. 1645. Thâ— sâ—cond is of my self â—old 〈◊〉 me both by a godly Minister and by a Gentleman of worth and honesty who were ear witnesses namely that that it was pity I was not hanged for an example for making my last Book and that it were a good deed I were knockt on the head A third is of another Minister a Presbyterian an active man some Independents in the hearing of â— minister who relates it said they hoped ere long to see him in Lollards Towerâ— The last I shall instance is a passage ouâ— of a Letter sent from Dover subscribed by five hands concerning an Independent there one Master Mascal that in his expounding the Scriptures with much vehemency cries out to the people against our present Ministery Your Priests your damned Priests your cursed Priests c. Now Cretensis I challenge you in all my bloody negotiations against the Sectaries as you phrase it to show in any of my Books any such passage against the Sectaries as these are or any so bitâ—ter as I can produce out of yours and other of your Saints Books as Arraignment of Persecution c. Cretensis in Sect. 18. and 19. layes down four things 1. That in the 70. Error of this Catalouge I intended to arraign his opinion concerning the imputation of Faith and non-imputation of Christs righteousnesse in Iustification 2. That I do falsly and forgingly represent the opinion by fathering that mangrel expression 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 credere upon it and which is no where used by him throughout the Controversie 3. That I charge him to quote Calvin Buâ—er affirm others for his opinion in the point of Iustification whom yet I affirm to be professedly of another judgement in the Doctrine of Iustification which he declares to be false and then quotes some places out of Calvin Bucer for the justifying of himself and disproving my former Allegation 4. He recriminates asperses and jeers at me that in my going about to rectifie the mistakes of others and being the great Aristarchus of the Errors and Heresies of the times have my self vented Atheological and putid assertions in the point of Iustification as in Gangraena page 22. in the margin and that if Calvin and Bucer be not for him but I shall stand still to deny it he must professe ingenuously that he knows no reason but to judge me uncapable of the English sense of a Latin sentence and that if I deny Calvin Bucer and others whom he quotes to be of the same judgement with him in the point of Iustification then I either shew my self to be a very illiterate man and not able to construe a peece of plain Latin or else charge Calvin Bucer and the rest with being of a judgement as contrary to themselves as to him and then quoting Calvin speaks to me If I can construe Latin to confesse in English whether Calvin be of a differing judgement from him in the point of Iustification Reply 'T is a sign Cretentis hath a quilty conscience that upon the naming of an Error about Iustification without the least reflecting upon him in any kind he should take it so to himself as to say I meant him particularly there are divers other Sectaries besides Cretensis who hold this Error whom I might aime at and did intend as well as Master Goodwin Secondly I have neither falsly nor forgingly represented the opinion in using that expression of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 credere though I should grant that to be true which yet I do not that Cretensis hath never in Sermons Disputations nor Books written by him expressed himself after this manner 1. Because there being other Sectaries besides Cretensis holding the same opinion if they have used Tò credere in Discourses and defended it that 's enough to justifie me 2 In Cretensis Books of justification 't is more then once affirmed in terminis that Faith in a proper sense is imputed to justification and not Christs righteousnesse imputed and now indeed he sayes and unsaies shuffles and cuts seems to say the same with other Divines and then presently the conâ—rary I shall show God willing at large in my full Reply 3. Tò credere used by me in setting down this Error cannot be justly termed a representing the opinion falsely and forgingly it being used commonly by all Divines that handle this opinion both by the Orthodox who writ against it and those who are for it Arminius holding this opinion used this expression as learned Gomaras in a Conference held with Arminius proved from Arminius own hand writing wherein he maintained that in mans justification before God the righteousnesse of Christ not to be imputed to justification but faith is self or Tò credere by the gracious acceptance of God to be that righteousnesse of ours by which we are justified before God yea and Mr. Wotton himself Cretensis Master speaks so but when we say faith justifies we understand ipsum credere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3. For that charge against Cretensis of quoting Calvin Bucer and and others for him when they are known ex professo to be of another judgement â—tis most true and just and a man would wonder at the impudency of Cretensis to deny it and to quote Calvin and Bucer again as he does and before I have done with Cretensis it shall appear that I will make good the charge against him and yet neither show my self a very illiterate man not able to construe a peece of plain Latin nor yet charge Calvin Luther and the rest with being of a judgement contrary to themselves but discover him to be an impudent caviller and falsifier of Authors As for those very places quoted by him out of Calvin they prove not the thing he quotes them for and therefore did wisely forbear to english them He wretchedly and miserably wrests them as that on Galath 3.6 where Calvin both in the words going before the words quoted by Cretensis and afterwards at large showes he takes faith not in a proper sense but in a Relative respecting the object and to satisfie the Reader I will quote Calvins words upon that place next immediatly following the sentence quoted by him out of
a Pike in the street upon which Cretensis makes jests as that Lilburn is able to see and read twenty untruths and ten in Mr. Edwards Book with the worst of them I answer this passage as also that of two Children taken away at a time from Cretensis are not made any thing of by me or insisted upon to upbraid them but touched only to shew their own folly in rash censuring of Presbyterians from acts of Gods Providence in afflicting by giving instances in themselves However for the truth of the thing Lilburns eye was so run into by a Pike immediately upon his Letter coming forth against Mr. Prynne and the Assembly as that he could not see with it for a great while and it was feared and commonly reported he would never see more with it but for my part I am glad to hear he can see again with it and the recovery of his sight doth no whit infringe the truth of what I have written I expressing not how long he could not see speaking only of presently after his Letter came forth but supposing his eye-sight to be as good as Cretensis expresses it yet I am sure he cannot read twenty and ten untruths in Gangraena and I suppose by this time the Reader by my Reply is well satisfied that this speech of Cretensis is an untruth and as for that jeer of Cretensis That if I had not a great beam in my own eye I might easily have seen that neither of Lilburns eyes are put out I Reply that lately in Westminster Hall I walked by Leiut Col Lilburn and eyed him well and could easily see a great blemish in one of his eyes which was not in the other and so visible that many a one in whose eye lesse is seen yet cannot see at all and I am of the minde if Cretensis do but put on his Spectacles he may see a great blemish in the eye upon occasion of the Pike running in but for my part the greatest hurt I wish to Lieut Col Lilburn is that he may not lose the eye of his soul in the wayes of Error Schism contempt of the Ministery dispising of Dominion and speaking evil of Dignities yes my earnest prayer to God for him Cretensis and other of their Brethren is That God would anoint their eyes with eye-salve that they might see and be ashamed and return Lastly for Thomas Moor a great Sectary and manifestarian that hath done much hurt in Lincolnshire which Cretensis denies by saying he doth not more believe there is any such man then he does that there is any woman-Preacher at Brasteed in Kent c. and he believes me to be the greatest Manifestarian under Heaven there being no man that hath manifested that weaknesse of judgement that strength of malice against the Saints that I have done I Reply first the Reader may do well to take special notice of the bold impudency of Cretensis who dares deny any thing if it may make for the Sectaries and 't is no wonder he denies many other things in Gangraena calling them lies forgeries when as he will dare to write thus and to deny that which is known to many hundreds and to persons of all ranks Ministers Gentlemen Citizens Souldiers This Thomas Moor does much hurt in Lincolnshire some parts of Norfolk Cambridgeshire he is famous at Boston Lynne Holland followed and accompanied somtimes from place to place with many attending him and I cannot think but Cretensis hath heard of him and that he hath some Equivocation in his words or evasions as it may be upon the word Sectary Cretensis not judging any of his Saints Sectaries or upon great Sectary as those words seem to imply A Sectary of that magnitude which he imports or else upon those words That hath done much mischief Cretensis not believing that any of his Saints can do much mischief and truly Cretensis may with as much truth deny there is any such man as Master Hugh Peters as deny what I have written of Thomas Moor and that there is such a one I have seen and have by me at this time writings of his to the quantity of almost twenty sheets for his Opinions written by Thomas Moor himself subscribed with his Name to a worthy and learned Member of the Assembly As also this Thomas Moor since these Wars was questioned and committed by the then Governor of Boston Colonel King for keeping an unlawful Conventicle at an unseasonable time in the night in the Garrison Town of Boston and for abusing and mis-calling the Governor when he was brought before him about it Secondly as for that jeer There is no more any such man then such a woman at Brasteed in Kent let Cretensis know for all Master Saltmashes bold affirmation in his late Book that the contrary is known to himself and all the Town there is such a woman who Preaches often both at Brasteed and other Towns thereabouts and besides what the Reader in justification of this may finde in this Book p. 24 25. I shall adde this as a farther proof related to me lately by two godly Ministers of Kent which is as follows Upon Mr. Saltmarshes Book call'd Groans for Liberty coming forth and denying there was any such woman who Preached at Brasteed many of the godly Ministers of Kent in that part of Kent about Town Mauling at a meeting of theirs took it in consideration to enquire and finde out the truth of that related in Gangraena but denied by Mr. Saltmarsh and entreated particularly a Minister on Mr. T. born in those parts neer Brasteed knowing the Town and the people thereabouts to make it his businesse so to search into it as that the certain knowledge of it might be reported to them at their next meeting that accordingly it might be communicated to me for the further clearing of the truth Mr. T. willingly accepted of the Motion of his Brethren and accordingly did act in the businesse and at the next meeting satisfied the rest of the Ministers that he had found out there was such a Preaching woman an Anabaptist who somtimes at Brasteed and other times at Westrum a Town neer Brasteed doth meet other women and after she hath Preached she takes the Bible and chuses a Text some Verses in a Chapter or somtimes a whole Chapter and expounds and applies to her Auditors and Mr. T. the Minister who returned this relation to the Minister knows this woman and knows this to be so One of those two Ministers who acquainted me with this being entreated to give it me under his hand hath under his hand given it me which I keep by me to produce upon any occasion so that the Reader may see both the one and the other Thomas Moor the Sectary and a woman Preacher at Brasteed and both true notwithstanding Cretensis will not believe them but makes a jeer and scoff at these as he doth at all other things Thirdly to that bitter uncharitable unchristian expression of Cretensis
concerning me that I am the greatest Manifestarian under Heaven There is no man hath manifested that weaknesse of judgement that strength of malice against the Saints which he hath done I would have Cretensis know if I would give leave to my pen I could upon these words whip him so as to fetch blood in abundance from him but I will not write a Satyr all I will say though this is a desperate provoking speech and I have much ado to forbear is this I dare appeal to the indifferent Reader Whether Mr. Edwards or Mr. Goodwin in their writings against Independents and against Presbyterians have manifested more weaknesse of judgement and strength of malice against the Saints And to satisfie the Reader and my self I desire Cretensis in his Rejoynder to shew where in any of my Books I have manifested that weaknesse of judgement to declare to all the world as Cretensis hath done that I put out an Answer to a Book of which I never read one quarter of it or writ a Book wherein the far greatest part of the particulars were observed by otâ—ers or had neither leasure nor opportunity to search to the bottom all was storied and yet notwithstanding deny all with Gyant-like confidence Cr. p. 50. or where in what pages of my Books inâ—ituled Reasons against Independent Government Antapologia Gangraena I have discovered that strength of malice against the Independent Saints as Cretensis in his Books call'd M. S. Theo-machia Answers and Replyes to Mr. Prynne A brief Answer to Mr. Edwards hath against the Presbyterian Saints and all the Reformed Churches But no man need marvel at Cretensis course language either in vilifying slighting me or in charging me so deeply who considers how he hath spared none of what condition or quality soever that have come in his way not regarding any mans age calling learning holinesse sufferings place witnesse his scornful bitter speeches against Mr. Walker Mr. Roborough Dr. Steuart yea casting fire-brands of reproach upon City Assembly Parliament and all Presbyterians and particularly upon that worthy learned and religious Gentleman Mr. Prynne the greatest and truest sufferer against those evils of that time both for matter and manner of any one man in England whom above all others notwithstanding all his sufferings and other personal worth he hath slighted and desperately censured as here he does me which the Reader may finde in Cretensis Books against Mr. Prynne and particularly in that Book Intituled Calumny araigned and cast Cretensis § 33.49 denies he holds any Errors in Justification greater then I do yea or any so great by many degrees and it will be a thousand times said before once proved that Cretensis holds any such Errors c. He charges me also in my Epistle Dedicatory to abuse the Parliament with a loud untruth That there are Eleven meetings at least of Sectaries in one Parish in this City which loud untruth he charges not upon me alone but upon the Honorable Court of Common-Councel the Lord Mayor Aldermen c. calling them Brethren in iniquity with me And further taxes me that because the Pages of my Book are not large enough to contain my shamelesse untruths therefore I quote them in the Margin of it as of Overton and Eaton and some of Cretensis Church reporting c. Reply Cretensis hath been often charged to hold Errours in the point of Justification and the particulars have been specified and proved by many godly learned Ministers both in Pulpits writings and conferences as Master Walker Master Roborough Master Calamie c. yea some Independent Ministers as Mr. Thomas Goodwin Master Burton c. have spoken against his Errours in the point of Justification using sharp and quick expressions upon discoursing of them as I can prove by good witnesses But for me I was never taxed by any man either Presbyterian or Independent for holding any Errours in the doctrine of Justification and indeed I hold nothing in that point but which is commonly laid down in the Confession and Articles of Religion made by the Reformed Churches And for the proving you guilty of Errour Master Robrough hath done it cleerly and fully in his Animadversions and Examination of both parts of your Treatise of Justification which me thinks you never having replyed unto should not have had the forehead to have boasted thus Besides also a godly orthodox learned Presbyt of the Church of Scotâ— and hath fully answered you and discovered your weaknesse as one of the Reverend Commissioners of the Church of Scotland assured me upon his own knowledge Secondly Cretensis shewes his impudencie and boldnesse in denying that which I prove by a Petition of the Honourable Court of Common Councell wherein they in terminis as Cretensis cannot deny affirm it and I suppose all men will iudge such an Honourable Court affirming it and that to the High Court of Parliament is to be beleeved before one Cretensis And of this businesse I know something for I particularly inquired of some of that Committee appointed to draw up the Petition and to make proof of things how this particular was proved and they told me it was made apparent to the Committee of Common Councell whereupon they put it in and no wise man can conceive that such a representative Body as the Common Councell in a businesse wherein they knew they had so many eyes upon them and so many enemies all the Sectaries mortally hating them for this and other Petitions would represent such a thing to the Parliament unlesse they could prove it The Common Councell knowes very well the Sectaries want not friends to possesse the Parliament against them and who watch but for such an advantage as to take them tripping thereby to render all they present in this kinde as false and if Cretensis or any of his fellow Sectaries could have disproved this 't is a wonder to me they did not When a Committee was appointed to hear and the Citie to make proof of some of the foulest things mentioned in the Petition why did not Cretensis or some of his Church then for the weakning the credit of the Common Councell and the better bringing their preaching-sisters off come in and alledg this as a loud untruth objecting that by the same reason the story of the preaching women might be false But how true soever 't is Cretensis hath a good faculty in all things that are brought against the Sectaries to beleeve nothing but to be as confident as twice two makes four that all is false Well though I will not be so uncharitable as Cretensis was to wish Master Goodwin might neither eate nor drink till he had proved what he here writes yet I heartily wish that my Lord Major and the Honourable Court would not suffer Cretensis and his Church to meet any more in their Conventicle till he had made good what he here writes which I conceive they may the more lawfully and justly doe because he doth not
only give them the but calls them Brethren in iniquity with me scoffing at a saying of mine taken out of the City Petition But this saying of his need not be melancholy for want of company it hath brethren enough in the iniquity of it and who are these brethren but the Lord Major Aldermen and Common Councell O what an insolent bold passage is this The Reader need not wonder at his foul mouth and railing Dialect against me and my Book who cares no more for this Honourable Citie I doe not see how the Honourable Court of Common Councell can let it passe without questioning him to suffer a man who lives in the Citie under their Government to abuse them thus in print I am confident if the Presbyterians lived in a Citie under a Magistracie and Government where the Governers were Independent and should have abused them thus they would have made the Citie to hot for them 3. As for that I say of Overton and Eaton for all Cretensis mincing and shuffling I shall free my self from uttering untruth for Overton said after a boasting manner unto two sufficient witnesses that now there was an answer to my Antapologie and entred into the Hall-book and they apprehend him so especially one of them as that he took order to send me word I being then in the Country that an answer was certainly printing and for my greater assurance he had searcht the book and found it entred so that I and many lookt every day for the coming of it forth and I never knew before now that books were entred into the Hall-book but just when they were going to the Presse For Eaton an Independent Milliner I do not affirm that he spake the same words which Overton did for his words were spoken many months before Overtons only he is quoted in the Mâ—rgin as an instance to make good those words in the second page of my Preface Their great words and threats of an Answer which were these that he gave out There was an Answer to my Antapologie and he had seen it and the Author of it had discovered me to be a poor weak man and my Book a slight easie piece neither good sense nor good English or words to that effect which Eaton confessed he spake before witnesses since my Gangraena came forth that 's all I say of him or meant and I suppose these are great words and threats of an Answer Only by the way I desire Cretensis to resolve me these questions and then I will give him a good account why I called Eaton an Independent namely What was the true reason that Cretensis Reply to my Antapologie being entred in the Hall-Book in Iuly last and given to the Bookseller to print was not printed but stopped And how it came to passe that Eaton if he be no Independent had the Reply to my Antapologie communicated to him to read and peruse And when Cretensis hath resolved these questions it may be by the next if he answer not truly I shall tell him the reasons of the stop and to whom else besides Eaton this Reply hath been communicated as to Master Sympson and may be tell him what Master Overton or his man or both have told a friend of mine about the Answer to my Antapologie as namely what the Licenser did upon perusing of it and of the Title given to it about The Accuser of the Brethren cast c. 4. As for the report of some of Master Iohn Goodwins Church c. I observe Cretensis denyes it not but puts it off with one of his usuall tricks That he beleeves I no more know it then declare it And indeed this is one of Cretensis jugling wayes which he makes often use of in this Book when he knowes not what well to say then he comes in with I beleeve he no more knoweth and I no more beleeve Cretens pag. 48 49. And truly 't is somewhat strange to me that he who is so hard of beliefe in divine things that he will not beleeve the Scriptures without reason and hath preached lately with much earnestnesse and violence that Faith is not to guide Reason but Reason Faith will yet in humane things beleeve any thing against all sense and reason But to put Cretensis out of doubt that I know and can prove what I say I offer Cretensis upon promise made from him and his Church that the honest men who told it out of their zeal to the cause and their rejoycing in an Answer coming and to perswade the Presbyterians to the truth of it who have alwayes much doubted of an Answer to the Antapologie shall not be censured by the Church nor looked upon with an evill eye nor hundred by this from being taken into the preferment of being a Prophet and preaching for Cretensis I will name the Minister to whom it was told and the members by whom and for encouragement to Cretensis and his Church to make this promise I will for present name the first letter of the godly Ministers name well acquainted with some of the Church namely Master B. Cretensis Sect. 26. page 38 39 40 41. spends many leaves in labouring to disprove the information given me of one Cosens of Rochester and related by me affirming that relation to be forgery of forgeries and all is forgery all over it and that in it there are well nigh quot verba tot mendacia and hee goes over seven particulars putting the lye upon each of them concluding there is scarce a clause of a sentence true in this Relation And as all along upon each particular so both in the entrance to this Answer and in the close of it he is full of jears scoffs and foul uncivill language Reply This story being the last of those related by me in Gangraena which Cretensis excepts against in his Answer and the story next unto that of Nichols and Master Burroughs if not more in some respects which he most insults upon and triumphs in I have therefore reserved it to the later end as being the last particular matter of fact I shall reply unto for the justification and vindication of my selfe against the foul-mouthd aspersions of Cretensis And I shall first speak to the manner of his Answer and confutation of this Story and secondly to the matter of it But before I speak to either of these I shall minde the Reader of that which I have often spoken of upon severall other particulars which I have replyed unto namely that hee must not look for all now that may be said lest I anticipate my larger Reply as also because there is a Gentleman out of Town whom I have expected almost this three weeks to come to London who can tell mee some circumstances in this story for proofe of some things more fully and cleerly then the Minister from whom immediately I received it And indeed I am told there is a mystery in some passages of this businesse about Cosens which being unfolded will
give more full satisfaction in some particulars to the Reader then yet I am able to doe For the manner of Cretensis Answer how unlike it is to a Minister of the Gospel and how like to one brought up in an Alehouse or in a Bowling-alley not onely on a day of publick Thanksgiving but every day in the week having their terms of art at his fingers ends Score up Tallie on and such foul-mouthd language 'T is a lie You lie A loud lie every impartiall Reader cannot but take notice and many speak openly of it and that which makes Cretensis folly and insolencie the greater and more to be blamed by every indifferent Reader is this that he gives me the lie so often in such a disgracefull scornfull way making the relation all over forgery and that there are so many lies well nigh as words in the story speaking also most confidently though falsly against the worthy Minister who told me this storie That hee Works stoutly at the forge and feeds both himself and the world with all manner of scandals and falshoods against the Independents without fear and in the close vapouring and triumphing at an excessive rate with inferences drawn from his own confutations as if all hee had said in answer to me had been Gospel when as all this high and great building is laid and raised solely upon the weak sandy foundation of Cosens his own relation Cretensis disproving the truth of my relation and sealing the truth of his own Answer in seven particulars by no other way but The man professeth that is Cosens that hee knowes no such man and this counter information I had from the mouth of the said Cosens himselfe and have the particulars under his hand Now I appeal to all the world whether any wise man would ever have made such adoe as Cretensis doth here giving the lye so oft triumphing so confidently in a businesse meerly upon the information of a man in his own case and whether this be not worse then to ask my fellow whether I be a thief Cret p. 11. namely to ask a mans selfe and upon a mans owne testimony to call an honest man a thief and to declare a thiefe an honest man especially considering besides Cosens being a party and in his owne cause hee is a man against whom there are many depositions and complaints against him for other miscarriages and misdemeanours a Copie whereof I am promised from a good hand and shall insert in my large Reply But supposing all that Cretensis saith Cosens told him should prove upon further inquiry to be true and not false the contrary whereunto I shall presently make apparent yet no wise man can excuse Cretensis of a great deal of weaknesse and folly to put so much weight as hee doth upon such a testimony and to declare so much to all the world Certainly great Cretensis is the greatest Manifestarian that I have ever met with and there is no man hath manifested that weaknesse of judgement besides strength of malice against the Presbyterian Ministers and Saints which hee hath done both in this and in many other passages of his Book as to make an Answer to a Book and professe truely he never read one quarter of the Book c. and in my opinion these acts manifest greater weaknesse of judgement farre more injudiciousnesse then the not knowing how to range parts of speech in a sentence nor to put the Nominative case and Verb together regularly in English c. And for a conclusion of what I have to reply against the manner of Cretensis confutation of this story I referre it to the judicious Readers consideration whether Master Edwards for relating a story as a Relation upon the information of a reverend godly Minister well known living also upon the place who could upon no reason be judged to do it out of partiality or for sinister ends be to be accounted a liar and to have the lye often given him or M. Goodwin for denying the whole story and affirming the contrary upon the bare word and relation of a stranger a great Sectary and a party in the cause who according to all reason cannot be thought but he will speak favourably for himself especially being such a one as a man may without breach of charity presume he will speak any thing for himselfe in his own cause when as hee did to mee in the presence and hearing of three godly Citizens alledge in his owne behalfe to cleer himself from all fault in this matter that one of the witnesses who deposed said he was hired to swear against him and had five shillings given him by one of the Justices or some about him and had three or foure cups of sack given him before he swore and was drunk when he took his oath unto whom some of the Citizens then present with me replied he had best take heed what he said to accuse the Justices of Peace that they should make any witnesse drunck or have any hand to give 5. s. to one to sweare against him and that this was noâ— likely nor to be beleeved by any wise man and I suppose if I should reply never a word more to what Cretensis hath objected against this story of Cosens I had said enough to satisfie rationall men by declaring I had my information from a person of worth and by Cretensis nothing is here brought to infringe it but only the parties own testimony who is a man also otherwayes obnoxious as I have already declared Now from the manner I shall come to the matter and for the Relation which I have set down of Cosens in the last leaf of my Book save one I received it from a Reverend Minister who is Preacher at Rochester the place where Cosens lives and a Member of the Assembly who told it me and a Common Counsell man of this City and I writ it from this Ministers mouth that I might neither forget nor mistake it and read it to him after I had done and upon reading he approved it as his sense and that which he had related But now supposing there should be any mistakes in the first relation made to this godly and learned Minister yet I reporting it just as I had it from his mouth he being a man to be beleeved and as an information only not as a thing of my own knowledge I conceive I cannot be taxed for a lyar not according to any acception or definition of a lye and if I be in this kinde to be blamed for lying I desire to know of Master Goodwin by the next in case hee have reported from Cosens a Sectary a loose person a man speaking in his own cause any thing that is untrue which that he hath done I shall infallibly prove how he will free himself from the same crime and not more justly incurre the title of great Master Cretensis then I the brand of lying which he so liberally bestowes upon
things I spake of in Gangraena all the Sectaries and Blasphemers closing with Independents and the Independents with them to make one common party against the godly Orthodox Ministers and people of these Kingdomes who are for truth and peace 3. Cretensis proceeds to infringe the truth of my Relation of the story of Cosens in five other particulars but by this part of the story which I have made good and the many particulars wherein I have disproved Cretensis especially considering 'tis all of the same complexion Cosens information being the sole ground whereupon Cretensis goes as he confesses pag. 40. the Reader may easily guesse at the rest and my Authors I with the Records produced are more authentick then Cosens bare no therefore for present I shall not enlarge further upon the third fourth fifth heads of Cretensis but reserve to my full Reply the whole Relation of Cosens being bound over by the Justices upon these blasphemies attested against him to the Sessions and of his being imprisoned for speaking words against a Member of the House of Commons dwelling in that county and of the complaint for his blasphemies against Christ exhibited to the Recorder of Rochester and of the Recorders binding him to his good behaviour out of the pious sense he had of the wrong done to Christ and the words he spake to him and of his addresse to the Committee of Kent for a review of these Depositions c. only there seems to be some interfering between the third and fourth branch of Cretensis confutation Cretensis denying Cosens to be ever under any restraint or needing any order from any in place or to any in place to release Cosens in reference to his blasphemies and yet he saith presently after upon the fight of the fore-mentioned examination taken upon oath before the Committee by the Justices the man was discharged Now I demand What was he discharged from and whether was not this discharging of the man a releasing of the man Oportet Cretensem esse memorem 4. As to Cretensis sixt branch calling that part of the relation of Cosens a loud lying Information I reply 'T is a mainifest truth and will be witnessed by many that Den Lamm and Woodman all three of them have preached in Cosens house which is so evident in Rochester that as the dayes of the moneth when they preached are known so are the names of many of the Auditours that were present and for proof of it 't is given me under hand from Rochester that Woodman himself confest it the very same day he preached before a Justice of peace and other witnesses being apprehended by the Officers and brought before him who being thus convented gave it under his hand that he would never again preach within five miles of Rochester and though Cosens saith he knowes no such man which we think upon good ground is a lie yet can he deny that Woodman hath preached in his house which is the thing asserted 5. For that last part of the relation of Cosens going to Master Clares c. for uniformity sake made a lie by Cretensis because he was set upon it to blast all for lies I reply that as the first part is confessed to be true so is the last as true though denyed for Master Clare affirmes he said he would complain of him and let Cosens be think himself what he said of Master Clare and he must confesse it As for that argument Cretensis brings why he did not threaten to complain of him and that the man dares not threaten to question any whatsoever because 't is his judgment none ought to be questioned or troubled for their judgements in matters appertaining unto God I answer 'T is a weak one and it followes not because the Sectaries principles and practices do not agree they practising many things often wherein they professe contrary How many Sectaries have we in these dayes who plead for and professe liberty of conscience which yet have not only threatned godly Ministers and Christians for their consciences but actually have brought them into trouble and punished them severall waies Surely Cretensis if you had read Histories of the Church both ancient and modern you would have sound Hereticks and Sectaries as Arians Donatists Anabaptists Socinians Arminians professing as Cosens here does who yet when they have had opportunities proved great persecuters of the Orthodox godly Ministers and wee well know by many shrewd signes and instances that if Cretensis and his abettors who have so much pleaded for a Toleration shall come once to get power in their hands they will as much tolerate Presbyterians as now they will to come into any place office employment Ecclesiasticall Civill or Military where 't is in their power to hinder them And therefore Cretensis you had need bring better Arguments to confute my Antapologie which your Sectaries give out you are upon or else you will doe the Apologists little good either in matter of fact or in answering the argumentative part of it 6. Cretensis in his animadversions and inferences made upon my relation of the story of Cosens not knowing who related it to me nor the occasion of the relation c. yet in the close of his confutation of the story of Cosens most falsly and wickedly without fear or wit brands him who related it to mee with such words as these But who is Master Edwards godly orthodox Presbyterian Ministerâ— Is hee not such a one who works stoutly at the forge and feeds both himselfe and the world with all manner of scandals and falshoods against the Independents without fear Certainly Cretensis throat is an open sepulchre and the poyson of asps is under his lips What shall be given unto thee or What shall be done unto thee thou false tongue This passage against the godly Minister who told mee this story fils up the measure of Cretensis rage lying and evill speaking and hee could hardly have spoken more untrue words then these whether hee consider the man himselfe or the manner of his relating it In one word the Minister who related this story to me is a reverend learned godly humble retired man a man who hath been many yeers of good account in the Church of God a Member also of the Assembly and a man far from forging or feeding himselfe and the world with all manner of scandals against the Independents c. and this Minister did not make it his businesse or work to tell mee this story coming to mee or ever intending to come but I going in London upon my occasions this Minister accidentally being in a shop with a friend of his a Citizen whom I knew also I spake to them as I was going by and they to mee and so in the shop exchanging a few words the Citizen asked me if my Book were come forth or when it would whereupon this Minister and I had some words about the subject of it and falling into discourse hee related this
testimonies of Letters written from many parts as also by speeches expressed of it and if Câ—etensis would confesse that 's the true reason hee is so offended with it because it hinders making of Proselytes and so for want of growing up to such a number as they desigâ—e and hope for they may misse of a Toleration and so in the issue a Domination which is so much sought for by them And for a conclusion of my Reply to Cretensis I shall turne my selfe to speake a few words to Master Goodwin and to the Reader Master Goodwin Consider sadly of what you have done in your Book Cretensis how you are become guilty and have made your selfe partaker of all the Heresies Bâ—asphemies wicked practices I have spoken against in pleading for all without any distinction as Saints servants of God and such like and speaking against with envenomed malignity that necessary usefull Book as a very pest and plague which I writ for discovery of Errours and erroneous persons that so the Saints might take heed and beware of them and in which all godly orthodox faithfull Ministers doe rejoyce and blesse God for it O wretched man to carry things so as if Errours would doe no harme to mens soules but a Book written against them that will hurt and hazzard mens soules which is all one as if a man should say Strong poyson would doe no hurt nor kill but a precious Antidote will destroy and ruine mens bodies And now good Reader I desire thee impartially and without prejudice to weigh Cretensis objections and exceptions against my Book and my Answers and then judge whether I have not wounded and laid this great Goliah of the Sectaries coming out in defiance against the Reformed Churches upon his back and whether God who chuseth the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty and things which are despised to bring to nought things that are of esteeme hath not made use of me a man so vilified by the Sectaries a poor weak thimble full of dust by the wind strongly blowing this thimble full of dust into Cretensis eyes to blinde him and befool him And yet I have not done with Cretensis but let the Reader look for what 's behind viz. my fuller Reply and what ever in this first is either omitted or not so fully spoken unto in that he may look to receive more satisfaction And I no whit doubt but that as I have now by Gods assistance made a good beginning both defensive and offensive so by the same good hand upon me I shall in the next give so good an account that I shal deal with this daring enemy as little David with Goliah stand upon him and triumph over him and give you his head upon the top of my sword And in my next I intend to dresse him up and set him out in all his ornaments and flowers in his practices opinions and wayes of promoting them in all which I shall render him and his name an abhorring to this and the following generations Since Cretensis answer there is a Book come forth written by one Mr. Bacon which Book is answered by one Mr. Corbet the man whom in that Book hee so often speaks of and it is abroad in print already What I spake of him in Gangraena hee in that Book confesses as his being cast out of Glocester and his coming to London c. speaking particularly of that which I touched only and but in generall as the Lords house in which hee lives And besides that I heare one Web hath an Answer in the Presse to what I relate of him pag. 106 107. which Answer before it went to the Presse by a providence came to my hand without ever seeking it or indeed imagining that ever Web such an Heretike and Blasphemer durst have appeared in print or been taken notice of to be in London for feare of being questioned for those things I have written of him But wee may see what sad times wee are fallen into and that the Sectaries are grown fearlesse that they dare come abroad and plead their desperate cause as Master Saltmarsh Walwyn so now Master Bacon and Web which symptome among many others makes mee feare the night and darknesse is at hand when as the wolves and the wild beasts dare come thus out of their dens whereas when the Sun arises they go to their dens The Psalmist tels us Psal. 104.20 22. Thou makest darknesse and it is night when all the beasts of the forrest do creep forth The Sun ariseth they gather themselves together and lay them downe in their dens Hence the Scripture cals wolves the wolves of the evening Zeph. 3.3 and look as the Frogs croaking and making a noyse use to be in the evening so the croaking of false Teachers resembled to wolves the beasts of the forrest and Frogs presages the going downe of the Sun and night coming But because I purpose not to trouble my selfe with giving any formall answer to it by it selfe I shall now give these Animadversions upon it First That Web confesses most of the things I relate of him only hee saith of some of them hee had recanted and disclaimed them and I should not have upbraided him but rejoyced in his conversion But unto that I reply Had not this Web since his Recantation and Release both in Citie and Countrey vented many desperate things and gone on in his hereticall wayes I should never have mentioned them Secondly That this Web rancks himselfe in his Answer among the Independents speaking of mee as being so against him out of my ill will to Independents and I finde Iohn Bachiler an Independent not onely April 1. 1646. setting his Imorimatur but helping him in his Answer mending severall things in the Answer as for example For those words I charge him with that he should say For him to say he was equal with Christ was no robberie in his Answer to that Bachiler helps this Blasphemer and takes part with him as for instance whereas Web justifies it that Gods love is the same in every respect unto the Saints as unto Christ and therefore a Saint may say he is equall with Christ and count it no robbery in every respect is blotted out by Bachiler And VVeb further pleading he might say The Saints were equall to Christ next following these words of Webs As I conceive the word of God to be my rule there is interlined under Bachilers hand these words Provided I meet with a faire and candid interpretation of my Words And so I could instance in divers other alterations so that we may see the Independents will not lose any the most blasphemous Atheisticall hereticall men but further them and joyne with them against the Presbyterians licensing their Writings helping them to conceale and deliver more cautelously their dangerous opinions Thirdly for that which is related by me in Gangraena of Webs speaking so wickedly of the Scriptures he denyes it not
but saith to this purpose How could hee say so for he should contradict himselfe in other things which he hath said and holds But to that I answer 'T is no new thing for such men as he to say and unsay affirme and deny according to the companies they come in and advantages they think they have Fourthly To that which I relate of him concerning those expressions of his We might not say God the Father God the Sonne God the holy Ghost he makes some shuffling Answer but I reply he spake so and I can produce good proof of that and all the rest If a Committee of Parliament shall be pleased to take notice of it and send for this Web and proceed against him upon proof I am ready to produce witnesses and upon his owne confession and those witnesses to make proofe Onely I desire the Reader to take good notice of one expression in his Answer to this head which shewes the ignorance both of him and Bachiler in the very principles of Religion and is not Bachiler a fit man in such a Kingdome as this to bee a Licenser of Divinitie Bookes and Controversies who besides that hee is no Minister nor well studied man is such an Ignoramus as this clearely discovers him to bee Web saying hee acknowledges the Trinitie the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost hath these words That hee acknowledges the Father is the Sonne and the Holy Ghost and to that purpose whereas wee are taught from the Scriptures by all Orthodox Divines that though everie Person be God as the Father is God the Son is God and the Holy Ghost is God yet the Father is not the Son nor the Father is not the Holy Ghost nor the Son the Father nor the Holy Ghost Now Bachiler passes this and though he mended many other passages in Webs Answer putting in words in some places blotting out words and changing some expressions for others yet hee let this passe without any correction or note upon it which no man can conceive to proceed from any thing else but profound ignorance And that the Reader may know I speak these things upon good ground I perused this Answer after it was licensed with Master Bachilers hand and compared the hand of Imprimatur Iohn Bachiler with the hand where other words were put in and found it the same hand and writ out with my hand severall amendments made by Iohn Bachiler which I have by mee in writing and then subscribed my hand under them with the day of the month when I extracted them out of the Originall Copie and one being with mee who was a witnesse of all this I also intreated his hand to attest it which hee willingly did all which I can produce to satisfie any man who desires it And for the winding up of all I have to say by way of Reply to Mr. Saltmarsh Mr. Goodwine c. in vindication of my Gangraena by this time the Reader may see what to thinke if among so many hundred particulars which are laid downe by me of Errours Heresies Blasphemies Stories c. with so much variety such a venemous virulent man picking and chusing catching and snatching having Intelligence and great resort to him from Sectaries of all sorts and out of severall parts as Essex Kent c. could yet finde so few things to question in Gangraena which yet also are justified and made good what must the whole body of the Booke be which is not so much as touched either by Cretensis or any of the rest And that which alone may satisfie any rationall man that there is too much truth in Gangraena is this that I have never been called in question to make the things good I have beene informed from good hands that some of the Sectaries have had meetings consultations and severall debates about my Book what to doe in it whether to complaine or what else and I am confident if they were not afraid that things would bee found too true and very foule and upon the through examination might hazzard the danger of bringing an old house upon their heads and the punishing of many they would before this time have tried all their friends and party to see what they could have done against mee Having finished my Reply to Cretensis Master Saltmarsh and Master Walwin as before it I gave the Reader a fresh and farther Discoverie of Errours Heresies Practices of the Sectaries So I shall finish this book with matters of that kind laying downe more Errours Heresies Blasphemies Stories Letters concerning the Sectaries concluding all with a few Corollaries drawne from the whole Book And first I shall add other dangerous Errours come lately to my hand and so the first of these Errours in this latter part of my Book is the 23 Errour 23. That Saints are justified by the essentiall righteousnesse of God and not by Christs obedience For the full proofe of this I will give the Reader verbatim to a tittle a passage taken out of a Letter written by a godly Minister in Bristoll to a godly Minister here in London wherein this Minister writing to his friends that things are prettie well here and speaking of his owne preaching there saith One of the greatest rubs in the Towne is the brâ—aching of a mad errour concerning the justification of Saints by the essentiall righteousnesse of God and not by Christs obedience which some do hold and expresse with a world of vanitie and contempt of Christ. Andreas Osiander an acute and great Divine who lived in Luthers time held such an Errour though not expressed with that vanitie and contempt of Christ as these Sectaries do now concerning which opinion of Osiander and the great abilities that were in him and his way of managing that and other opinions Schollars may be further satisfied by reading Osianders life written by Melchior Adamus and Schlusselburgius in his Catalogue of Heretikes De Secta Osiandrist 24. When either of the parties married is asleepe the other is free of the bond of matrimony sleep being in a kind naturall death for the time and by death the bond of matrimony is null so that if a woman should have to do with any other man her husband being asleep she committeth not adulterie 25. That the Apocrypha Books and particularly the Book of Esdras are Canonicall and the Scriptures as well as the Canonicall Books generally owned by all to be Scripture 26. That the people of God are a free people and what they do they should do freely and voluntarily and not be assessed and rated by the Parliament compelled to pay rate upon rate assessment upon assessment 27. That the Saints and Beleevers who have husbands or wives that are unbeleevers they may put them away and take others because God gave wives to be a meet help and the Saints are to proceed to cast of all Antichristian yoaks a chiefe whereof are unequall marriages 28. That sin is but a shadow 29. The promises
from thence but in the after-noon stay at home and some other Independents and Sectaries resorting thither on the Lords day in the after-noon they spent it in common discourse making no more of it than other dayes a great part of their discourse on the Lords day being railing against the Scots and against some of our Ministers and the books written against the Sectaries and some men whom a man could hardly have thought it of would curse the Scots saying A pox upon the Scots would they were gone we would give them any thing to be rid of them and pay them all their money in time many persons of note of the Independent Faction did often resort to this house and still they would speak most bitterly and basely of our Brethren of Scotland The Master of the Family would be often attempting to kisse this young maid watching her upon the staires and other places as going up and down and hath tempted her to be naught insomuch that the young maid spake to him Sir You have a wife of your owne why should you speak thus how dare you offer to do this wickednesse and sin against God Vnto whom this Gentleman the Independent and an Antinomian too surely replied ☞ That God saw no sin in his children that these were but sins in the flesh which Christ had satisfied for with other words to that purpose One time this man tempting her threw her all along so that she was forced to cry out and her Mistresse came in to her rescue and said Fie husband will you never leave these tricks whereupon the maid would not stay but came away and when her father heard it he would not indure she should stay any longer but had her away presently and so this young maid is converted from being an Independent and Sectarie by beholding their carriage and loosenesse blessing God she is delivered from that way and those persons she had thought the Sectaries had been such holy persons that there had been none like them till she saw both that family and many who resorted thither of the same way so loose This godly Christian tells me That his daughter is ready to take her oath of the truth of these things which she hath both seen and heard and with many circumstances hath declared to him as the names of such that resorted thither that she never knew nor heard of before with other circumstances and that he believes them to be so true as that they are past all question There is a Sectary an Independent Antinomian Taylor who stealing a whole yard of Plush from a Gentleman and some yards of Sattin from another and being found out in his sin and convinced so that he could not deny it some speaking to him how sorrie they were that such a man as he should do these things he replied as I had it from two honest men of good account to this effect that he was troubled for them to see them sorrie but as for himselfe he was not troubled One of the followers of Mr. Simpson the Antinomian said it in the hearing and presence of divers Mr. Simpson being then also present That if a child of God should commit murder he ought not to repent of it and Mr. Simpson never reproved him for it though by one present in the company he was spoken unto to doe it An Antinomian Preacher preaching in London on a Fâ—st day said It was better for Christians to bee drinking in an Ale-house or to be in a whore-house then to be keeping fasts legally Many Sectaries have said that when David lived in adulterie and murther even before his repentance he was as deare in the sight of God as ever he was at any time There is one Samuel Oats a Weaver a man I have spoken of in my former book and in this too page 10. who being of Lams Church was sent out as a Dipper and Emissary into the Countreyes Last summer I heard he went his progresse into Surrey and Sussex but now this yeare he is sent out into Essex three or foure months ago and for many weeks together went up and downe from place to place and Towne to Towne about Boâ—hen Braintry Tarling and those parts preaching his erroneous Doctrines and dipping many in rivers this is a young lusty fellow and hath traded chiefly with young women and young maids dipping many of them though all is fish that comes to his net and this he did with all boldnesse and without all controul for a matter of two moneths A godly Minister of Essex coming out of those parts related hee hath baptized a great number of women and that they were call'd out of their beds to go a dipping in rivers dipping manie of them in the night so that their Husbands and Masters could not keep them in their houses and 't is commonly reported that this Oats had for his pains ten shillings apeece for dipping the richer and two shillings six pence for the poorer he came veriebare and meane into Essex but before hee had done his work was well lined and growne pursie In the cold weather in March hee dipped a young woman one Ann Martin as her name is given in to me whom he held so long in the water that she fell presently sicke and her belly sweld with the abundance of water she took in and within a fortnight or three weeks died and upon her death-bed expressed her dipping to be the cause of her death There was another woman also whom he baptized as a godly Minister that came out of those parts and had beene at Braintry related to me from a good hand whom after he had baptized he bid her gape and she gaped and he did blow three times into her mouth saying words to this purpose either receive the holy Ghost or now thou hast received the holy Ghost At last for his dipping one who died so presently after it and other misdemeanors the man was questioned in the Countrey and bound over to the Sessions at Chenâ—ford where Aprill the seventh 1646. this Oats appeared and I had the relation I now speak of from three persons that were eare and eye-witnesses two godly Ministers and the other Gentlemen of great worth and qualitie viz. that Oats being brought before the Bench the Coroner laid to his charge that in March last in a verie cold season hee dipping a young woman shee presently fell sick and died within a short time and though the Coroner had not yet perfected his sitting upon her death all witnesses being not yet examined nor the Jurie having brought in their verdict so that the full evidence was not presented yet the Bench upon being acquainted with the case and other foule matters also being there by witnesses laid against him committed him to the Jaile at Colchester It was laid to his charge then that hee had preached against the Assessments of Parliament and the taxes laid upon the people teaching them that the Saints were a
upon all the Ordinances of Parliament in reference to the Directorie Ordination of Ministers and Church-government leaving out none but the last Ordinance about Commissioners wherein the Parliament and Assembly are usufferably reviled and railed at and particularly the Parliament charged with speaking blasphemy and being guiltie of many other crimes And lastly The Sectaries are so violent and insufferably insolent that though they abuse persons or things or do the strangest actions either against Lawes or Ordinances if they be but questioned by any in authoritie for these things in stead of confessing their offences submitting and carrying themselves peaceably and humbly they will abuse and miscall Authority to their faces yea set out printed books against them reproaching and reviling them to the open world of which I might give many instances as in the case of one Hawes committed lately by some Justices of Peace upon two witnesses testifying words spoken by him derogatory to the second and third Persons in the Trinity a book was printed wherin they are reviled and clamoured against So upon one Larner's commitment about a dangerous book entituled Londons last warning there is a book put forth aspersing the L. Mayor of London the Committee of Examination and the Right Honourable the House of Peeres And lastly upon Lievtenant-Colonell Lilburns commitment many Pamphlets were printed speaking bitterly against the Committee of Examinations and the honourable House of Comons as Englands Birthright severall printed Letters c. The Sectaries have lately put forth two pamphlets with a picture drawne and affixed to them greatly abusing all the Presbyterians The first is called Dictated thoughts upon the Presbyterians late Petitions to the Parliament the other is the book called Tender Conscience religiously affected propounding questions upon the Ordinances of Parliament The maine of the picture is an heart pictured over which is written Tender Conscience religiously affected with some verses over that and under the heart with daggers at it stands the Pope the Prelate and the Presbyter in the midst of them two with a book in his hand where Directorie is written Antichristian Presbyter written by him and the Crown under his foot he treading upon it and a dagger in his hand reaching at the heart of tender conscience but a chaine with a weight hanging at his arm whereby he is hindred and falls somwhat short of pricking tender conscience with his dagger Now I could write a book in giving observations and making a confutation of this picture and these mottoes but I must studie brevitie I will onely hint a few things 1. That I have been informed for certain and it was spoken of by some Merchants on the Exchange that in Holland the picture of an Independent is drawn and set out publikely and he is pictured thus with God written in his mouth the Devill written just upon his heart and the world written and pictured as he holding it in his armes 2. It may be this picture of a Presbyterian will cause the picture of an Independent to be drawne here in London set out with Mottoes as also what he hath under his feet c. and if it prove so 't is but just and the Independents may thank themselves 3. For the Picture it selfe of a tender Conscience which they make the Presbyterian lifting up a dagger to stab I am confident the Presbyterians are as truly tender-conscienced men as any in England yea far above the Sectaries and for the Sectaries take them generally they are far from being tender-conscienced men as I shall shew at large in my Treatise against Toleration under that head of answering that objection that tender Consciences must be â—orn with where I shall prove by many instances they are men of large consciences and have consciences like to Ostrich stomachs that can digest iron that can digest a generall Toleration of all Religions can beare with them that are evill or any thing that is wicked so it will promote the Catholike Cause and in truth in stead of being a truly consciencious people and going upon religious principles they are a meere politike Faction driving on strange designes and having ends of their own 4. Whereas they place the Presbyter in the midst of the Pope and Prelat how might they more truly have placed an Independent and other Sectaries the Independents shaking hands and complying more with Papists and Prelats than Prebyterians as I could prove by many instances of familiar passages and speeches that have passed between some Sectaries and Papists and Prelats and some speeches again of Papists and Prelats of the Independents some wherof the Reader may find in this Book pag. 16 126. 5. That of the Presbyterian trampling the Crown under his feet is a most wicked lye and confuted in the sight of the Sun by the experience of thesâ— times for who stand more for the Crowne the Kings Person and Honour his just greatnesse and his Posteritie after him than the Presbyterian partie and who are more against Monarchy the Kings Person and Honour than the Independent partie A Sectarie indeed may well be pictured with the Crowne under both his feet trampling it and breaking it all to peeces and together with the Crowne trampling the Church Ministerie and the Kingdome of Scotland under their feet and for proofe of Sectaries treading the Crowne under their feet witnesse Londons last warning commended sold dispersed up and down by Sectaries witnesse Walwyns an Arch-Sectaries speeches with othea passages of some of them as giving over praying for the King above this yeare laughing at them who pray for him as one of them praying publikely in the Church that the King might be brought in chains to the Parliament as speaking against his coming in or being received in but under the notion of a Delinquent and that he deserved to die if any man did with such like speeches 6. That of the Presbyter endevouring to destroy the â—â—nder Conscience religiously affected only hindred by a great clog hanging upon him is a wicked scandall for the tendernesse forbearance love indulgence of the Presbyterians when they were in their highest power and the Independents weak and low is known to all this Kingdome and had they been such men as the Independent Painter would make them the Sectaries had never growne to this boldnesse to make such a Picture nor these Kingdoms so troubled with them as now they are but the truth of it is a Sectarie may well be painted with a dagger thus running at the heart of the Presbyterians tender consciences religiously affected and had they not clogs upon their arms we should find it so by lamentable experience they have made violent attempts against Presbyterians and they have given out many threatning words and certainly designed and comforted themselves that ere long they should be able to crush the Presbyterians for proofe whereof besides instances already given in this Book pag. 67. I shall add two or three at present One Smart
going against the lawes of Nations joyning with the worst of men against good men labouring to sow divisions among brethren raising evill reports fomenting jealousies and using all waies in their power to ingage the two Nations in a war one against the other not caring to hazzard the ruine of all for the upholding of their faction Many of the Sectaries have forfeited all principles of ingenuity and conscience and will not stand upon any thing that may probably doe their worke for them they will take counsell of Baalzebub the God of Ekron whether they shall recover use the Devills meanes as lying breach of promises joyning with wicked men c. for pretended libertie of Conscience and upholding their way In a word they are like that Judge spoken of in the 18. of Luke which feared not God neither regarded men all they regard is the effecting of their designes and other things in order to that And â—s many Sectaries are in these too faulty and guilty so the verie best of them that I know their Ministers and others who are leaders and have been anie long time of the way and unsterstand the state of things they are extreamly faulty in patronizing all kind of Sectaries and being against all the waies of suppressing them in using all subtill politike waies and devices to hinder and delay the Reformation in joyning with bad men against what they acknowledge good in going against their owne principles razing their owne foundation besides they are verie proud lofty touchy full of equivocations reservations pretences pretending one thing and doing quite otherwise so that I may say of them with the Prophet Micah The best of them is a brier the most upright is sharper then a thorne-hedge and therefore the day of their visitation cometh now shall be their perplexity And certainly these fearfull sinnes and strange wayes especially in men who have pretended to more sanctitie and holinesse then other men having also upon those pretences of greater puritie c. gâ—ounded their great Separation and Division from all the reformed Churches must needs provoke God to visit and to punish them severely and because of his great Name which they have taken upon them and so prophaned God will be sanctified unlesse gâ—eat and speedy repentance prevent it in punishing them sooner and more remarkaâ—ly then the Prelates and their partie And therefore in the close of this Symptome of the downefall of the Sects I shall in the name of the Presbyterian party and of all those who are for the solemne League and Covenant in both Kingdomes make use of those words to and against the Sectaries which both Kingdomes upon the coming in of our Brethren of Scotland used in their joynt Declaration to and against the Popish Prelaticall and malignant party It is his own Truth and Cause which we maintaine with all the Reformed Churches and which hath been witnessed and sealed by the testimonie sufferings and blood of so many Confessours and Martyrs against the heresie superstition and tyranny of Antichrist The glorie of his own Name the exaltation of the Kingdom of his Son and the preservation of his Church and of this Iland from utter ruine and devastaâ—ion is our aime and the end which we have before our â—ies His Covenant have we in both Nations solemnly sworn and subscribed which he would not have put in our hearts to do iâ— he had been minded to destroy us The many prayers and supplications which these many yeares last past but especially of late have been offered up with fasting and humiliation and with strong crying and tears unto him that is able to deliver and save us are a seed which promise unto us a plentifull harvest of comfort and happinesse and the Apostasie Atheisme Idolatrie Blasphemie Prosanenesse Crueltie Excesse and open mocking of all godlinesse and honestie have filled up the cup of our adversaries to the brim and threaten their speedy and fearfull dâ—struction unlâ—sse it be prevented by such extraordinarie repentance as seemeth not yet to have entred into their hearts 8. Sympt is this When God hath at some times testified against them and spit in their faces as by laying open their nakednesse and fully discovering their ways by some books written by some Sermons preached by godly Ministers by casting some rubs in their way in stirring up the Citie of London to appeare against them or in disappointing some of their purposes by strange and unexpected passages of his providence from Heaven yet upon none of these occasions have they repented of their deeds to give God glorie or humbled themselves before his Ministers speaking to them from the mouth of the Lord or abated of their spirits but contrariwise have gnawed their tongues for pain blasphemed the more because of their pains and sores and stirred up themselves with so much the more industrie and subtiltie to plot and work by all kind of wayes and meanes to heale their wounds and I could give many instances how upon such books coming forth and upon such acts of providence which a man would have thought should have made them give over they have been more resolved active desperate betaking themselves to evill wayes and strange courses for the saving of themselves as aspersing and raising scandals and false reports upon the persons whom they think have wounded them as in the weekly Pamphleters venting some desperate passages and putting forth strange books upon the nick of things with many other wayes all which wise men cannot but observe in which courses they have been like Balaam Numb 22. going on their way resolvedly though the Angell of the Lord have stood in their way with a sword drawn and their feet have been crushed against the wall Now it is a great symptome of destruction and ruine to a partie or to particular persons when the hand of God is lifted up against them that they will not see and that when God wounds them instead of falling down before him they seek to cure their wounds by unlawfull means and that when he powrs our vials upon them and scorches them with great heat they blaspheme and do not repent that when hee stops them they will drive more furiously and that when hee makes mens pride testiâ—â—e to their faces they do not return nor seek him for all this This is the fore-runner of destruction in the Antichristian partie Revel 16.8 9 10 11. And this was a fore-runner of destruction in the Prelates and that partie that after their great and long prosperitie and successe when God did by writing preaching raising up of witnesses testifie against them and did by other acts of his providence crosse them in raising up the Kingdome of Scotland against them yet they would not give in nor abate and when a peace was concluded with Scotland upon the Kings first going into the North and they might have enjoyed their honours greatnesse for all that they wrought so upon the Kings returne as to procure
a compleat and formed Heresie in any faithfull man if Schisme be not joyned and so consequently it will not much hurt the Church of God But Schisme of it self even with sound Doctrine in every point is a most greivous wickednesse which exceeds all other wickednesse I might out of the Fathers enlarge and show the great evill of Schisme both in it self and the effects of it how 't is a greater evill to rend the Church then to worship Idols yea that Martyrdome it self cannot profit a Schismatick that 't is so great an evill that the bloud of Martyrdome cannot blot it out so Cypr. and Chrysost. and that God hath more severely punished it then murâ—her and other great crimes Corah Dathan and Abiram for their Schism were punished more severely with the earth opening and swallowing them up quick then Cain and then those who made an Idoll so Optatus and Augustine but I shall leave the enlarging of these and the adding of more to a Tractate I intend of the nature of Schisme only by this and all the dreadfull examples laid down in the First and Second part of Gangraena as Wrighter Clarkson Hicb Webb Boggis Oats Ienney Mistris Attaway Niâ—bols Denne c. we may learn to see that Schism and Separation are great evills highly displeasing to God and that we have great reason to shun and flye from them as from a Serpent lest wee become Monsters of men and God give us up to a reprobate sense and a spirit of Errour In a word to conclude this Corallarie what the Apostle speaks to the Corinthians of Idolaters c. long before their time that these things happened unto them for examples and these things were their examples to the intent they should not be Idolaters c. that I may say of our times that all these spirituall punishments on Schismaticks in our dayes and times are our examples to the intent that wee should not separate from this Church and set up other Churches lest God let us fall from Independency to Anabaptism and Antinomianism and from Anabaptisme to be Seekers and from Seekers to be Antiscripturists and Sceptiks yea Blasphemers and Atheists CORALL IV. HEnce then we see from all these Errours Heresies Blasphemies proceedings of the Sectaries That Magistrates Ministers and other Christians Masters of families Parents c. have been asleep and too carelesse that so many tares have been both sowed and are grown up to such an head If the Magistrates Ministers and Christians every one in their places and callings had been awake and watchfull improving their power authority gifts for purity of Doctrine and Unity the field of this Kingdome could not have been so sowen with tares nor the garden of this Church so overgrown with weeds yea briers and thorns Christ tels us in the Parable Matth. 13.25 While men slept the enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat that is the Divell takes occasion by the negligence and slothfulnesse of those that have the charge of others to doe mischiefe in Gods Church The Prophet Isaiah showes Isa. 56.9 10. that All the beasts of the field yea the beasts of the forrest come to devoure viz. Hereticks and Schismaticks resembled to wolves foxes c. enter in not sparing the Flock and the reason is The watchmen are blinde dumb dogs they cannot bark sleeping lying down loving to slumber that is their Rulers both Ecclesiasticall and Civill that should watch the approach of the enemy and be as watchfull mastives to give warning of theeves approaching to the house or wolves to the flock are either dumb or drunk or fast asleep And truely we may thank the connivance and winking of Magistrates the silence and forbearance of Ministers the want of zeal in Masters and Parents that spirit of slumber and sleepines that hath fallen upon the Kingdom for all the tares wilde oats and weeds that are grown and sprung up among us And to all the sorts of Sects in this Kingdome which I have named as Seekers c. I may add this of Sleepers and Dreamers which I am afraid are the most generall of any other there being too many Sleepers in all places and among all ranks in Citie Countrey among the Magistrates Ministers and private Christians and would to God this were the worst in this Kingdome that many both in Magistracy and Ministery were onely sleepy and heavie and that they were not in a dead sleep in a lethargie that nothing can awake them but 't is too apparent that God hath powred out upon many the spirit of deep sleep and hath closed their eyes even Rulers and Seers hath hee covered and all the Sermons Books Speeches which one would think would awaken men are as the word of a book that is sealed which men deliver to one saying Read this and he saith I cannot for it is sealed nay not onely so but this is the condition of this Church and State that many who are dead asleep as in reference to prevent or suppresse the sowing of Heresies and Schisms are awake and alive yea watchfull at midnight and waiting upon all opportunities to promote and further Heresie Schism and to hinder crosse all means for the suppressing of them witnesse the many Emissaries sent forth into most parts of this Kingdome witnesse the many books written sermons preached for them witnesse those who stand up for and use all means to bring off Sectaries when in question c. witnesse many who professe to be against Independency and for Presbytery to be with us that upon all occasions even before the Parliament and in other places heal the hurt of this Kingdome slightly and dawb with untempered morter preaching that our errours are not so many that there are them who make them to be more then they are and call Truths of God Errours and they say that in other times as in the Primitive Church c. there were greater errours and therefore wee need not be so troubled But for my part I look upon this luke-warm temper remissenesse in reference to the faith once delivered to the Saints which hath possessed so many in this Kingdome Magistrates Ministers and people as that which may hazzard all and may once more provoke God to spue out of his mouth the luke-warm Angel that is neither cold nor hot And to draw towards a conclusion of this I shall speak to those in authority in the words of the Prophet David Psal. 2.10 11 12 Be wise now therefore O yee Kings be instructed ye Iudges of the earth Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling Kisse the Son lest hee be angry and yee perish from the way The summe of which Scripture is an exhortation to Kings Parliaments and all sorts of Governours in high place 1. To lay aside pride and self-conceit of their own carnall wisdomes and with meeknesse to receive the yoke and Government of Christ laid down in his word and by their Lawes and Ordinances to
The bitternesse bloudinesse which Cretensis charges upon Mr. Edwards will be found in Cretensis and the Sectaries p. 54 55 Cretensis Errour about Imputation of Faith and not Imputation of Christs righteousnesse with his quoting of Calvin Bucer and others for him who are known ex professo to be against him made good against him p. 56 57 58 Cretensis desperate passage in a Sermon against the Parliament which he labours to clear himself from made good against him with his and other Sectaries speaking slightly and scornfully of the Parliament p. 59 60 61 62 Cretensis bowling on a day of publike Thanksgiving made good p. 63 64 The Errours and Practises of the Independents and Sectaries justly brought against them to prove their way to be naught p. 65 66 and in Epist. to the Reader p. 2 3 A clear confutation of that accusation cast upon the Author of the Book entituled Gangraena concerning his indirect walking between Dunmowe and Godalming p. 67 68 69 70 A clear vindication of the truth of that story of Nichols Master Greenhill and Master Burroughs related in the first part of Gangraena with a discovery of the jugling and equivocations of Master Burroughs writing given under his hand to Cretensis p. 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 Master Burroughs resembled by Cretensis to Achilles and Master Edwards to Troilus where see Master Edwards answer to that comparison p. 80 81 A Reply to that passage of Master Edwards being charged to abuse Mr. Ellis of Colchester and the servants of God in those parts p. 81 82 A full proof of such a Sectary as Thomas Moore though denied by Cretensis p. 86 The strength of malice and weaknesse of judgement which Cretensis hath manifested against the Saints p. 87 88 Cretensis his fearfull abusing of the Honourable Court of Common Councell p. 89.90 The clearing of that relation of one Cosens of Rochester and the confutation of Cretensis Answer in that businesse p. 92. to p. 105 Cretensis his folly and horrible pride discovered in professing he had not read one quarter of the Book as yet nor knowes whether he shall ever care to read it through or no. p. 108 Some brief Animad versions on Master Bacons Book and one Webb p. 109.113 114 115 Some Practices of the Sectaries p. 117 118 119 A relation of some more stories and remarkable passages concerning the Sectaries p. 119 to p. 125 The summe of a Sermon preached by a Sectary a Surgeon belonging to the Army p. 125 126 A Ballad made by the Sectaries of the Assembly of Divines p. 128 The Assemblies last Petition answered by Saltmarsh with the Anagram upon his name M. al 's trash p. 129 A Letter of advice to the Ministers Assembled at Westminster with the Sectaries threatning of them p. 129 A confutation of the Picture made of the Presbyterians by the Sectaries p. 130 131 132 Copies of Letters and some Extracts of Letters concerning the Sects from p. 133 to p. 142. more particularly a Letter from a learned Divine beyond the Seas shewing how London goes beyond Amsterdam in Errours and Heresies p. 138 A horrid and unheard of Blasphemy of one Io. Boggis a great Sectary p. 134 A story of a Sectary maintaining that he was Jesus Christ. p. 142 A cleere discovery how farre the Sectaries of this time have proceeded and how high they have risen p. 145 146 147 A cleere discovery of what is like to become of the Sectaries and of their way p. 148 Eight symptoms of the certain ruine and downfall of the Sectaries from p 148 to p. 159 God will honour our Brethren of Scotland to make them a great means of the falling of the Sectaries with the proof of that p. 159 160 161 A discovery of the great evill and sin of separation from the communion of the reformed Churches p. 161 162 163 164 Magistrates Ministers and all sorts of Christians have been asleep and too carelesse that so many Tares have been sowen and are grown to such an head p. 164 An exhortation to all those in Authoriâ—ty Kings Parliaments and all soâ—â— of Governours in high places to serve the Lord with feare to kisse the Son p. 165 166 An exhortation to some particular members of Parliament who are for pretended liberty of conscience and â—avourers of Sectaries p. 167 An exhortation to all those who have forsaken the publike Assemblies to returne p. 168 Some examples of Anabaptists and Independents who had forsaken the communion of this and other Reformed Churches repenting and returning p 1â—â— The great difference between the carriage of the Independents and our Brethren of Scotland p. 172 and the particulars instanced in p. 173 174 The faithfulnesse and reality of our Brethren of Scotland towards us all along from first to last p. 174 175.176 The happines of England in being joyned with them in Covenant as in other respects so that whensoever we shal come to have a Peace in al probability it will cause us to have a better a surer and a better grounded Peace p. 176 177 The names of some Ringleaders of Faction and of Errours not named in the Table of the first part of Gangraena Mr. Saltmarsh p. 20.87 124 Mr. Durance p. 124.131.144 One Tho. Colyer p. 122. One Gorton who came from New-England p. 144 FINIS Tantis tam eximijs virâ—utis ornamentis enituit tum Episcopus tum Imperator Uâ—rumque enim admitor alterum propter ingenuà Ioqueâ—di libertatem alterum propter facilem obedientiam And Theodosius speaking of Ambrose saith Aegre tandem reperi veritatis magisuâ—m Nam solum Ambiosium novi Episcopum diguum eo nomine Tantum comâ—odi reâ—pâ—ebensio a viro virtuâ—e praestanti ad hibira secum apportate solet Theo. Eccl. Hist. l. 5. c. 16 17. * Book intit Toleration Justified page 7.8 printed in this last January * Calvini Instructio Adâ—ersus Libertinos cap. 4. pag. 104. * M Salimarsh Smoak In the Temple in which are some desperate errours Book about Baptisme and calling maintenance by Tithes Iewish and Popish undeniably * Ames Animad in Remonstr Synodal Script super Artic. 5 de Persev sanctorum cap. 7. de Solomone Certum est Solomonem non introduxisse â—ut admisisse idola in demum Dei neque adegisse populâ—m ut vel â—ei verum cultum desererent vel colerent idola neque probari potest â—um in sua propria persona coluisse idola Hoc tantum cercum est de ejus idololatria quod infatuatus á mulieribus idololatricis permiserit eas construere Aquinas in Ephes. 5.12 Istis ergo nolite communicaâ—e imitando coadjuvando conlentiendo Sed certe hoc non sufficit nisi etiam eos reprehendatis Videâ—etit â—etit of the Lord Maier Aldermen and Comâ—â—nâ— of the City of London presented to the House of Peers Jan. 16. * Ex quo etiam sonte manavit ut idem Valentinianus senior sineret in Occidente inter Christianos quam quis vellet fidem
of power and command that so they may trample upon and crush them O had the Sectaries been in the place of the Presbyterians and the Presbyterians in theirs and they so dealt with by the Presbyterians as the Presbyterians have been by them I know what they must have expected from them I dare appeale to everie ordinarie common understanding yea to the conscience of the Sectaries themselves whether if they had had the Parliaments of both Kingdomes the Assemblies and Ministers the Churches and Pulpits the representative body of this Citie and the people and wee had been as few as they were in the three first yeares of the Parliament would they have suffered us to preach in their owne Churches against them and their way to have from time to time confuted their Doctrine to have preached up another Government and way against what the Parliament had voted and was a setling to have enjoyed speciall Lectures in principall places to promote a way contrarie to theirs to have drawne away their people and maintenance from them to have fallen upon the practice of setting up Prebyteriall Churches and Government Classicall Synodicall in Citie Countrey to have printed freely against their way and used all meanes to have rendred them odious among the people would they have sate still and gone without places and offices of honour power profit and suffered the Presbyterians a small partie to get into Court Armies Committees c. to increase to such a number such a strength and head as to possesse most places of command in the field and in the strongest Garrisons and Forts as also Civill offices both of power and profit yea to have a pluralitâ—e of places and offices Would the Sectaries if they had been two powerfull Armies consisting of Commanders and Souldiers for their way under Generals after their owne heart have born those things at the hands of Presbyterians which Presbyterians have done from them O no they would never have endured the hundredth part of those wrongs discouragements injuries had the Assembly consisted of Independents excepting a matter of eight or nine Presbyterians would they have endured that and put up that from the Presbyterian partie as the Assembly hath done from the Independent suffered them to spin out time so long to speak those things in the Assembly some of them have and in stead of bringing in according to Order the whole frame of their judgements concerning Church-government in a body with their grounds and reasons to bring in a Remonstrance casting dirt upon them and their proceedings Would they in New-England endure one or more Presbyterians to live among them and to go up and downe their Countrey and in chiefe Towns and places to preach against cry downe their Churches and Church-government and to extoll and cry up a contrarie way as Mr. Peters and others do here For mine owne part I am confidently perswaded and so I beleeve are all wise men that have observed the waies of the Sectaries that if they had been in the place of the Presbyterians having had their power number authoritie and the Presbyterians had been a small number as they were and should have offered to have done but the twentieth part of that in preaching writing c. against them which the Sectaries have done against the Presbyterians they would have trod them downe as mire in the street casting them out with scorn before this time of day not have suffered a Presbyterian to preach among us or to have been in any place or office militarie or civill but all would have been shut up in prisons banished or else hiding themselves in holes and corners many godly persons in some places having much ado now to hold up their heads to live by them to preach quietly to go safely in the streets and to be quiet in their houses And for conclusion of the differerence in the carriage and behaviour of the Presbyterians and the Sectaries the righteous Lord judge between them and recompence to the Presbyterians according to their kindnesse love peaceablenesse forbearance and righteousnesse and the Lord forgive the Sectaries and turn their hearts and cause their folly insolencies unrighteousnesse and unjust dealings with their brethren to be so manifest to themselves and all men as they may proceed no further Now for the particular practices of the Sectaries they are many and it would require a Tractate by it selfe to set them downe indeed I hardly know any strange practice that hath reference to their wayes but some or other of them are guiltie in one kind or another Most of their practices and wayes may be referred to these ten heads 1 To loosnesse and libertie in life and conversation 2 To covetousnesse ambition and self-seeking 3 To policies and subtiltie 4 To activenesse sedulitie and numblenesse in the prosecution of their way 5 To tumultuousnesse disorder and confusion 6 To the disturbance and overthrow of oeconomicall ecclesiasticall and polâ—ticall relations and government 7 To insolencies pride and arrogancie 8 To acts of immodesty and incivilitie 9 To power and will carrying all before them and throwing downe all that stands in their way 10 To hypocrisie under pretences of pietie and holinesse Now for the particular practices of the Sectaries I had drawne up many to the number of seventie and provided for everie practice instances for proofe and upon some of them I could write a large discourse even a book upon severall of them as of their behaviour and carriage towards the Parliament the Kingdome of Scotland the Assembly of Divines the Citie of London the Ministerie of England yea of all the Reformed Churches as of their seeking and getting into all sorts of offices and places they are any way capable of being Sequestratours Collectours Receivâ—rs Surveyours Excisers Customers Secretaries Clerks c. getting places in Court great Townes dwelling in sequestred houses freely procuring Arreares c. not a man almost of late coming into any place or office but an Independent or Independentish there being no kind or sort of preferment employment place but some or other of that way enjoy as of their plotting and labouring from the first yeare of the wars to get into their hands the sword and power of Armes by having a considerable Army which they might look upon more particularly as theirs and of their way by attempting to remove and heave at many gallant Commanders to get the command of the strongest Garrisons and places yea to make Townes of consequence that were no Garrisons to have been Garrisons as Yarmouth but I am necessitated for divers reasons to passe by wholly for the present many of their practices and others to name only desiring the Reader as hee goes along to supply the defect by calling to mind all particulars he knowes and hath heard of upon the severall heads 1. Practice They use to ascribe and attribute all the successe of things all that is done in field at Leaguers all victories brave actions to
their partie crying them up in Pulpits news-News-books conferences calling them the saviours of the Kingdomes and for this purpose they have certaine men that are Criers and Trumpetters between the Armie Citie and Countrey who trumpet forth their praises giving them the titles of Terrible c. a large book would not containe the relation of all the victories glorious actions exploits having been given to the Armie called Independent 2. Practice They give out and boast their partie to be more and greater than they are some of them will speak in all places as if all were theirs all for them they have given out as if Parliament Armies Citie of London Countrey all the godly wise judicious understanding men were theirs and will be theirs yea that the Assembly the French Churches the Commissioners of the Church of Scotland thought well of their way and so of particular persons that are prime men they have given out as if they were or are coming over to them Some of them have bragg'd that Sir Thomas Fairfax that vâ—liant victorious Commander in chief of the Parliament Forces began to have some glimmering of new light and I can prove Letters have been written over to some of their partie in Holland that Mr. Marshall was turned Independent they use to boast of their friends in the House of Commons and they will acquaint their friends in the House of Commons and they brag of a Toleration giving out their friends in the House of Commons have said they shall have a Toleratioâ— and they boast thus to awe persons and to make men afraid to speak against them or to oppose them but rather to adhere to them who are so powerfull and have so many on their side 3. Practice They appropriate to themselves the name of the godly and well-affected partie the title of Saints calling themselves the Saints that they only preach Jesus Christ and though they be Anabaptists Seekers c. yet they are the Saints this is common in printed Books Petitions Sermons Discourses what speak against the Saints be against a Toleration for the Saints meaning themselves only 4. Practice They pretend one thing when they intend quite another and it is usuall for them to pretend the publike good the benefit of the State when it is evident they intend their owne interest and strengthen of their partie they pretend peace love forbearing of all names of difference to make the Presbyterians secure negligent and to forbeare all means of setling things and yet at the same time go quite contrarie using all means and waies for promoting their own partie as they did after the losse of Leicester 5. Practice What themselves are most faultie in that they will charge upon others the Presbyterian Miâ—isters and people as making dâ—visions wanting love as breaking the peace and causing mis-rules tumults as be guilty of persecution when as 't is evident to all the world they are most faulty in these particulars and in many more and for the proof of it I Iould demonstrate it in a hundred instances 6. Practice They do on purpose having got Churches void keepe manie Churches without Ministers seeke out for none stop all they can Orthodox Ministers from coming in which they do for two reasons 1. That so they may pay no Tithes 2. That so they may have the liberty of the Pulpits for all kinde of Sectaries and mechanick preachers who come from London the Armies and other places to preach in and corrupt the people and that the people being as sheep without a shepherd may be more easily now drawne away to error and schisme and of this practice there are many sad examples in Hartfordshire Bucking Essex and that in some great market-townes as Chesham where thousands of souls are 7. Practice They have laboured and do by all waies to have no Church-Government at all setled in this Kingdome but to keep it out Or secondly if there must be any yet to have a defective imperfect loose Government and Reformation that may not be able to do the worke that so others may fall off to their way the more and for proof of this they have refused to joyn for a pure full Reformation in points according to their own principles that so one good might not hinder a greater good as was expressed and have opposed to the utmost a thorow Presbyteriall Reformation 3. They have laboured to get a Toleration granted before the Government be setled to get an exception before the rule was made and if once they had gotten that let the Presbyterians get the Government then when they could and this they stirred in and sought to effect last winter 4. Seeing they could not do this but this policy was espied they labour for a Toleration together with a Reformation that the Church-Government and a Toleration might be borne and brought forth together as twins in one day and so go hand in hand and this they are labouring for now the monster of Toleration conceived in the wombe of the Sectaries long ago they having growne big with it ever since are now in travell to bring it forth and till they could be ready and get things fitted for a Toleration they bestirred themselves so against the London Petitions that of September those of November lest Government should be setled before a Toleration and therefore one of them said to some Citizens why should you bee so hâ—sty for Government cannot you stay awhile how long said they To spring said this Sectarie hoping their toleration businesse would be readie by that 8. Practice In some Parish-Churches where the Sectaries are put in they have put downe all siâ—ging of Psâ—lms as at Elsly in Cambr. sâ— Alberie in Hartford-shire and will not suffer the Parishes to enjoy any singing of Psalms and in other places they begin to put down all Prayer in the publike Assemblies and to say there must be onely discoursing and preaching and in places where they cannot prevaile to shut out singing of Psalmes they in a contemptuous manner clap on their hats in the time of singing of Psalms and having been pull'd off put them on again yea in prayer also many of them keep on hats 9. Practice They send forth into severall Counties of this Kingdome from their Churches in London as Church-acts severall Emissaries members of their Churches to preach and spread their errours to dip to gather and settle Churches they are not content with their owne meetings on Lords-daies week-daies keeping constant Lectures in set places for all to come to that will thereby poisoning many in the City but they endeavour the leavening of all the Counties as I might give instances of Lam Kiffin with many others sent abroad yea of some sent into the North as farre as York 10. They have appointed and kept Disputations from towne to towne in the Countrey giving out the time places and questions they will dispute of as of Poedobâ—ptisme the Ministery of the Church of England
doth the more good Thus beseeching the great God to continue your courage and resolution for his name to the utmost I rest Your affectionate Brother in the Lord. Memorandum that upon the 18. day of Febr. 1645. one Goodwife Cosens of Peter Parish in Colchester brought forth two children both dead the one a perfect child the other was born without a head having upon the breast some characters of a face nose and eyes wanting one arme and the other arme being rather the stump of an arme ended in a crotch of two fingers with something like a thumb coming out of one side of it Downward one of the feet was perfect the other foot wanted a heel and had only two toes which grew forward and another toe growing out of one side of it The Father of this Monster is a Separatist frequenting their congregations an enemy to the baptising of his own chiâ—dren the Mother a hearer in the separated congregations likewise who resolved heretofore that if ever she had any more children they should never be baptized ☞ This Relation is affirmed by those of trust and understanding that saw this Monster and know the parties An Extract of a Letter sent me from a Commander now in the Parliament service dated Decemb. 29. 1645. SIR THe constant practise of many Officers and souldiers with them was to exclaime against their Ministers wheresoever we marched pressing them and their adherents more then any other they did dscourage the people generally affirming that the best of our Preachers were Popish and that it was unlawfull to heare them but did hope to see them all pact to Rome and their superstitious Steeple-houses puld down to the ground great variety of opinion was amongst our Officers and Souldiers some affirming that they had had Revelations and seen Visions al of them at liberty to argue and hold what phantasticall opinion they pleased those were the men most countenanced and soonest raised to preferment some of them would take upon them to prophesie ☞ saying they should live to see all lording power laid aside in this Kingdom In my distresse when the enemy was upon me I sent to most parts adjacent for assistance but could have none only from one place came to me forty Volunteers with some two or three Officers professing thenselves all Independents and they told me they hoped to finde me so and if I should continue still in my opinion for Presbytery they thought their labour ill spent they staid with me all night and the next day there came to them a Leiutenant a most dangerous fellow maintaining most horrid opinions as you may see by the information which is truth this Lieutenant was to preach to them in a private house which I had notice of and did prevent him which they took very ill of me and immediatly they left me and marched away with Lieutenant Since one of the chiefest of them sent me word by our Quarter-master that I should have little or no pay so long as I staid in if I did not agree and side with I finde the mâ—â—sage too true for I finde little pay or none Sir I could say much more of their practises against me and others but I should be too tedious but this more I shall adde I never marched where I heard more talk of godlynesse and lesse practise of it in my observation for they are cruell without mercy covetous without ☞ measure professing self-deniall yet leave no stone un-turned to advance there estates and honours The Lord prevent their wicked designes and keep this Kingdom from being ruined by such a wicked people Sir I rest Your servant A Relation of some passages of a great Sectarie a Lieutenant about the beginning of June last 1645. HAving had much arguing with him and his adherents in opposition to the Antinomian way in the morning wherein they seemed to glory much in the victorie though I know no cause for it at all The Lieutenant came courteously towards even in to my house as he said to take his leave of me which some of his party perceiving followed him and others taking notice of their resort followed also The subject of our discourse was about the meanes of God revealing himself and his minde and will to his servants in reference to their salvation He affirmed and maintained violently that God did it immediatly by himself without Scripture without Ordinances Ministers or any other meanes He being asked about the third Person in the Trinity denyed there was any such thing as a Trinity of persons but affirmed them to be three Offices and being demanded what he thought of Christ whether the Godhead and manhood were united in one Person in Heaven He answered only to the last word and denyed that it could be proved by the Scriptures Christs presence in Heaven and when some Scriptures were produced which had reference to his Resurrection and Ascention he replyed that it was a great question whether there was a Resurrection or not he said he did not deny it absolutly but that he made a great question of it At the parting before him I replyed to the by-standers Gentlemen if I should have come and a told you that this Gentleman had denied the Trinity of persons and Christs presence in Heaven and that he called in question the Resurrection you would not have beleeved me had not your own eares heard the same This is attested and subscribed by the hand of a godly Minister in whose persence all this was â—pken together with a Relation of the names of the other â—â—â—nesses persons of quality and worth who were all present at this Discourse and I have the Originall in my power to porduce upon any occasion A Relation of some Stories and remarkable Passages concerning the Sectaries THere is one Lawrence Clarkson a Seeker spoken of in my Gangraena pag. 104 and 105. who put forth a Pamphlet called The Pilgrimage of Saints wherein are many passages highly derogatory to the Scriptures denying them to be the rule of a Christian or that in Doctrine or Practise half of Gods glory was revealed as yet this man a Taylor and a Blasphemer preached on the Lords day March eight at Bow-Church in Cheapside in the afternoone He began his prayer to God with Right Honourable Lord God and in his Prayer he prayed that God would blesse the Kings Army and blesse the Saints both in the Parliaments Army and the Kings his Sermon was a Rapsody of nonsence This was not done in a corner but in a great and full Audience there was present at this Sermon one Member of the House of Commons if not more besides divers other persons of quality and though this Clarkson was in London some time after this and may be still for ought that I know yet was he never questioned nor called to any account for this or for his Pilgrimage of Saints as ever I could learn Saturday Marchâ—he â—he seventh a Minister who preached
at Martins near White-Hall told me that lately since my Book came forth he preaching in a Sermon against sin and the Divell a woman on the morrow came to him a Nurse-keeper dwelling in Clare street and questioned with him about his Sermon asking him his grounds for speaking of sin and the Divell the Minister brought some places of Scripture shee sleighted the Scriptures and denied there was any such thing as sin or Hell or the Divell or temptation or the holy Ghost or Scriptures shee said all the Hell that was was the darknesse of the night she denied that to kill a man to commit adultery or steale a mans goods was sin and the Minister asking her what do you make your self shee answered two severall times I am that I am All this and a great deal more was related to me by the Minister who as he said had acqainted an Earle with it and many others and I spake with one Citizen who heard this Relation from him and he promised to give it me at large in writing under his hand Tuesday March 17. on the day that a Committee of Lords and Commons came down to Guild-Hall to the Common-Councell concerning their late Petition many Sectaries from all parts of the City and Suburbs came to Guild-Hall where from about four a clock till about nine the Sectaries in severall companies and knots in the Hall 30.40 and more in some companies vented boldly and pleaded for all sorts of opinions the Antinomian opinions the Anabaptisticall opinions c. pleading for a generall Toleration of all Sects yea some maintained that no immortall spirit could sin or be capable of sin and it being objected what say you to the Divels they denied the Divels ever sinned or could sin many other horrid opinions were maintained at the same time so that 't is beleeved that never since Guild-Hall was built there was so much wickednesse and errour broacht and maintained openly in it as at that time Among many godly orthodox Christians who were at that time in Guild-Hall and opposed the Sectaries in their pleading thus for all Errours and a generall Tolleration there was one godly Citizen who told me this story of himsef that he reasoning with severall of the Sectaries against their opinions and against a Toleration the next day being the eighteenth of March an Independent Wollen Draper to whom he had workt almost twenty years took away his work from him and said he should have no more work of his because the night before this Citizen had argued against Independency saying it was a Schisme whereupon this Citizen dealt plainly with this Wollen-Draper and told him Sir will you put me by my work which is my living for my conscience is not this Persecution will you have your consciences and shall not we enjoy ours would you be tolerated and will not you tolerate us On the ninteenth of March a Pamphlet called The last warning to all the Inbitants of the Citie of London came abroad in Print which Pamphlet speaks against all Kingly government receiving the King in again and against all established Ecclesiasticall government besides many other dangerous passages in it Now this Book was spread abroad and dispersed up and down by Sectaries as for instance one Samuel Fulcher an Egge-man rebaptized by one Crab a Felt-maker was the 21. day of March examined before a Justice of Peace for spreading this Book call'd the last warning to London and confessed he had sold six or seven of them One Overton an Independent Book-seller and a member of Mr. Iohn Goodwins Church or his man for him sold many of them to severall persons as I can prove One Calvert a Sectary and a Book-seller on Ludgate-hill sold and dispersed many of these Books and so one Barber an Anabaptist boasted two dayes after the Book came forth naming this Pamphlet that there was a Book come forth had cut the legs of the Presbyterian government and asked a Citizen if he had not seen it In Nâ—rthampton-shire a great Sectary and a chief servant to a Knight of that Country would not keep the day of Thanksgiving for the Victory at Naseby but was so far from keeping it himself that he would not suffer the Knights tenants to keep it or to go to Church but made them carry dung all day as I have been informed from one who knows it certainly but what do I relating one instance when as 't is notorious that many of the Sectaries Mr. Goodwins and Mr. Saltmarshes Saints keep not at all neither dayes of publike Thanksgivings nor of publike Fasts but do all kind of sâ—rvile work and worldly businesses on those dayes yea on the publike Fast dayes feast and are eating of rost meat and good chear when Gods Saints and servants are humbling and afflicting their souls ☞ There is an Independent Minister who lives in London as I have it from two sufficient witnesses that heard it said that the Scots coming into England would hinder the Reformation of Religion here and that if he had been in England at that time when the Scots came first in he would have preached to have stird up the people against them either not to have suffered them to come in or being come in to have beat them out ☞ The same Minister discoursing and reasoning about the Church way it was answered to him by a Citizen that if it were set up in London the Independents could not expect above a twentieth part should be for it and what should become of all other people this Independent Minister replied it was no matter what became of them though they turned Mahumetans so the Church of Christ might prosper A godly Minister who came out of Essex related to me not long since that Oates was now preaching in that Country and had been there about sixe weeks sometimes keeping his Randevouze at one Town sometimes at another sometimes at Tarling sometimes at Bocking sometimes at Braintry and other places and that many loose persons of the Country follow him he preaching besides his Anabaptisticall opinions the Arminian points and this Minister spake it upon his knowledge that notorious Whoremongers and Drunkards follow him such as have been convicted by witnesses and taken notice of by the Country and are such still yet go after him where he preaches from place to place There are two Gentlemen of the Inns of Court civil and well disposed men who out of novelty went to hear the women preach and after Mistris Attaway the Lace-woman had finished her exercise these two Gentlemen had some discourse with her and among other passages she spake to them of Master Miltonâ— Doctrine of Divorce and asked them what they thought of it saying it was a point to be considered of and that she for her part would look more into it for she had an unsanctified husband that did not walk in the way of Sion nor speak the language of Canaan and how accordingly she hath practised
others and presented to him I Reply though I have animadverted upon it already page 29. in Observation 9. and also in this present Section yet I shall adde this that besides his great weaknesse in taking things upon trust and making an Answer to a Book out of other mens collections himself never reading one quarter of the Book he here proclaims himself guilty of the great crime and transgression which in many places of his Answer he loads me with and with all his railing Rhethorick aggravates against me namely of persons resorting to him to furnish him with intelligence his taking up and entertaining of reports his publishing them to the world wherein besides his contradicting other passages in his Answer as that in page 6. nor doe I hold intelligence with any man to inform my self of his haltings he shows himself faulty in laying snares of intelligence in many places and holding correspondence with severall parts of the Kingdom to receive intelligence of the miscarriages and undue deportments of all such as are Anti-Independently given and if it were not so whence comes it that so many particulars detected and observed by others were presented to him and that Cretensis hath ready by him a yeer ago a Manuscript in his hands concerning Master Edwards himself discoursing his jugling a story also of a Presbyterian Angel together with a story of the Doctorate it self of the Assembly yea that all sorts of Sectaries and that from severall places have resorted to Cretensis with presents in their hands towards the perfecting of this goodly work as Master Burroughs Liâ—utenant Colonel Lilburn Kiâ—â—in Cosens a friend of Master Ellis in London c. being like so many rivers 〈◊〉 and emptying themselves into the Cretian Sea where all these meeting make so many raging waves to beat upon and disturb the Ship of the Reformed Church all these Sectaries â— though distant from one another in places opinions yet as so many lines meet altogether in Master Goodwyn against the Presbyterians and as in this so in other particulars wherein Cretensis deeply charges me he himself is most faulty as in taxing me with immodest lascivious expressions for printing a letter where an immodest fact is related though for such a foul offence modestly expressed when as Cretensis as of himself and as his own words when free to have used any other speaks of monthly courses c. more then once expressions most immodest and uncivill For that expression of Cretensis by that time the boughs of the trees are a little more withered they will be broken off the women will come and set them on fire I answer I suppose by this time the boughs of the tree instead of being withered doe flourish more and are more fresh and green and do here bring forth new fruit and whereas Cretensis had for a 〈◊〉 cast dust and dirt upon this tree my Reply like a good shoute of raine hath washed all off making it look pleasantly smell sweet and Cretensis Answer by that time I have done with it it will not only be like boughs a little withered and broken off but like Saint Iudes Sectaries a tree whose fruit withereth without fruit twice dead and plucked up by the roots As to those words of Cretensis The day will come and is even at the doore when there will be a scarce one stone left upon another of all this false building which will not be puld down by the hand of truth I reply for all Cretensis prophesying of such a day and that even at the doore there is no such day yet come not any hand since Cretensis having pull'd down one stone from this building though it be now about two months ago since Cretensis threatned this but the Reader may see the contrary is fulfilled this day and that instead of pulling down this building of Gangraena the building is enlarged a story higher and in breadth also by the addition of this second part of Gangraena and Cretensis will finde Gangraena will bee so farre from being puld down that other buildings of the same kinde will bee framed by it and this first stone laid by mee or first building will prosper into a rowe a whole street before I and others have done with the Sectaries whereas Cretensis Babels built without any foundation and daubed with untempered mortar will fall down to the ground and be as a refuge for lies that fails and is swept away as the Spiders Cobweb And lastly to those words of Cretensis When the servants of God shall have had the opportunity to wash off that dirt and filth which Master Edwards hath now cast upon them Gangraena will be found a strumpet c. I reply The most of those persons whom I have named in Gangraena I durst not for all the world call them the servants of God thus publikely as Cretensis doth lest I should be found guilty of strengthening them in their wicked errours and practices but of my grounds in this the Reader shall have a more full account in my second Reply and therefore meaning it of such the servants of God shall have no opportunity to wash off that dirt and filth which I have cast upon them for they that are such as Clarkson Webb Wright Hich Denne Nichols Lâ—m Oats Kiffin Walwyn Marshall Ienney Mistris Aâ—â—eway cum multis aliis I may say with the Apostle serve not our Lord Iesus Christ but their own bellies and their own lusts and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple But as for some few among many whom I have named in Gangraena as Master Burroughs Master Greenhill and some such it may be they are the servants of God and Saints though wherein I have blamed them they walk as men and as carnall and not as Saints and can never wash off that dirt I have cast upon them so is Cretensis phrase without repentance and that they will finde one day when they shall come to be awakened from their wine And therefore instead of Gangraena being found a strumpet Cretensis will be found a lyar and Gangraena a chaste Lady and true Virgin and it will appear I doubt not before it be long when the time of the reigne of the Sectaries shall be over and they no more heard of unlesse it bee by way of a proverb and reproach that then Master Edwards Gangraena shall be looked upon by all as a witnesse of the truth even against Sectaries in the ages to come and as a discovery of the wickednesse and vilenesse of the Sectaries of this time And whereas Cretensis would make my Book of the linage and race of the great Woore corrupting the earth c. Gangraena is of a quite different nature and contrary linage being a great means through the blessing of God of preserving the earth from being corrupted and tainted by the fornications and poysonous principles of the Sectaries the Book doing much good as I could prove by plentifull