Testament nor sealed by the Spirit for the servants of God who are come over into New England do not think themselves more spiritual than other of their brethren whom they have left behind nor that they can or do hold forth the Lord Jesus Christ in their Ministry more truly than he was held forth in England and seeing their Ministery was a most precious sweet savour to all the Saints before she came hither it is easie to discern from what sink that ill vapour hath risen which hath made so many of her seduced party to loath now the smell of those flowers which they were wont to find sweetness in yet this is not all though it be too too vile she can fetch a Revelation that shall reach the Magistrates and the whole Court and the succeeding Generations and she hath Scripture for it also Daniel must be a Type of Mistriss Hutchison the Lions Den of the Court of Justice and the Presidents and Princes of the reverend Elders here and all must sort to this conclusion she must be delivered by Miracle and all we must be ruined See the Impudent boldness of a Proud Dame that Athaliah-like makes havock of all that stand in the way of her ambitious spirit she had boasted before that her Opinions must prevail neither could she endure a stop in her way as appeared once upon a slight occasion when her reputation being a little touched upon mistake yet so carried as she could not get the party upon that advantage which she expected she vented her Impatience with so fierce Speech and Countenance as one would hardly have guessed her to have been an Antitype of Daniel but rather of the Lions after they were let loose The like appeared in her when she could not have her will against her faithful Pastor for his opposing her Opinions as she apprehended so as neither Reason nor Scripture nor the Judgment and Example of such as she reverenced could appease her displeasure So that the Court did clearly discern where the Fountain was of all our Distempers and the Tragedy of Munster to such as had read it gave just occasion to fear the danger we were in seeing by the judgment of Luther writing of those troublous times we had not to do with so simple a Devil as managed that business and therefore he had the less fear of him but Satan seemed to have Commission now to use his utmost cunning to undermine the Kingdom of Christ here as the same Luther foretold he would do when he should enterprize any such innovation under the clear light of the Gospel so as the like hath not been known in former ages that ever so many wise sober and well grounded Christians should so suddenly be seduced by the means of a Woman to stick so fast to her even in some things wherein the whole current of Scripture goeth against them and that notwithstanding that her Opinions and Practice have been so gross in some Particulars as their knowledge and sincerity would not suffer them to approve yet such interest hath she gotten in their hearts as they seek Cloaks to cover the nakedness of such deformities as in the mean time they are ashamed to behold The Court saw now an inevitable necessity to rid her away except we would be guilty not onely of our own ruine but also of the Gospel so in the end the Sentence of Banishment was pronounced against her and she was committed to the Marshal till the Court should dispose of her Another day Captain Iohn Underhill was sent for and being charged with joyning in the said Petition acknowledged the same professing that he could see no fault in it being demanded a Rule by which he might take so much upon him as publickly to contradict the Sentence of the Court c. he alledged the example of Ioab his rough Speech to David when he retired himself for Absalom's death and that David did not reprove him for it To this the Court answered First That Ioab was then in the matters of his own Calling and being General of the Army had liberty by his Place to give advice to the King in causes of that nature but when he failed in the manner of his Speech therein he is not to be excused and therefore not to be followed Secondly Ioab did not contradict or reprove any Judicial Sentence of the King but onely an inordinate Passion Thirdly He was occasioned by an urgent necessity of the safety of the King and State Fourthly That which he spake was in private for the King had withdrawn himself Fifthly It appears that David did take it as a great miscarriage for he presently displaced him Again in our cause the Captain was but a private Man and had no calling to deal in the Affairs of the Court therefore no warrant from hence He insisted much upon the liberty which all States do allow to Military Officers for free Speech c. and that himself had spoken sometimes as freely to Count Nassaw But it was answered We are not to look at what some do tolerate but what is lawful and there may be a reason of State to connive at that disorder at some season which may not with honour and safety be permitted at another Being farther demanded how they came so many of them to be so suddenly agreed in so weighty and doubtful a case He Answered That many of them being present when Mr. Wheelwright was convict of Sedition they were sore grieved at it and suddenly rushing out of the Court a strange motion came into all their Minds so as they said in a manner altogether Come let us Petition and for his part from that time to this his Conscience which then led him to it will not suffer him to retract it The Court pittied him much and were grieved at his obstinacy that when all his Arguments were taken away he had no defence left he would yet maintain a bad cause by the light of a deluded Conscience and withal they took notice how these ungrounded revelations began to work and what dangerous consequences were like to follow of them when so many persons upon such a sudden motion had no scruple to enterprize such a Seditious action nor can be brought by any light of Reason or Scripture to see their errour so the Court when they saw no other remedy dis-franchised him and discharged him of his place but allowed him his Quarters Means There were divers who were not present when that sudden Motion or Revelation first set the Petition on foot but were drawn in after who soon found their error and did as freely acknowledge it and desired to have their names put out of it which was easily granted and their offence with a Loving Admonition remitted It had been observed a good time since that some of the Leaders of this Faction by occasion of new Disciples being inquisitive about their Tenents would let fall these Answers I have many things to tell you
Christ Scribes and Pharisees c. whereas before he was wont to teach in a plain and gentle stile and though he would sometimes glaunce upon these Opinions yet it was modestly and reservedly not in such a peremptory and censorious manner as he did then and after for they made full account the day had been theirs But blessed be the Lord the snare is broken and we are delivered and this Woman who was the Root of all these Troubles stands now before the seat of Justice to be rooted out of her station by the hand of Authority guided by the Finger of Divine Providence as the Sequel will shew When she appeared the Court spake to her to this effect Mrs. Hutchinson You are called hither as one of those who have had a great share in the causes of our publick disturbances partly by those Erroneous Opinions which you have broached and divulged amongst us and maintaining them partly by countenancing and incouraging such as have sowed Seditions amongst us partly by casting reproach upon the faithful Ministers of this Countrey and upon their Ministry and so weaken their hands in the work of the Lord and raising prejudice against them in the hearts of their People and partly by maintaining Weekly and Publick Meetings in your House to the offence of all the Countrey and the detriment of many Families and still upholding the same since such Meetings were clearly Condemned in the late General Assembly Now the end of your sending for is that either upon sight of your Errours and other Offences you may be brought to acknowledge and reform the same or otherwise that we may take such course with you as you may trouble us no farther We do desire therefore to know of you whether you will justifie and maintain what is laid to your charge or not Mistriss Hutchinson I am called here to answer to such things as are laid to my charge name one of them Court Have you countenanced or will you justifie those Seditious practises which have been censured here in this Court Hutch Do you ask me upon point of Conscience Court No your conscience you may keep to your self but if in this cause you shall countenance and incourage these that thus transgress the Law you must be called in question for it and that is not for your Conscience but for your practice Hutch What Law have they transgressed the Law of God Court Yes the Fifth Commandment which commands us to honour Father and Mother which includes all in authority but these seditious practices of theirs have cast reproach and dishonour upon the Fathers of the Common-wealth Hutch Do I entertain or maintain them in their actions wherein they stand against any thing that God hath appointed Court Yes you have justified Mr. Wheelwright his Sermon for which you know he was convict of Sedition and you have likewise countenanced and encouraged those that had their hands to the Petition Hutch I deny it I am to obey you onely in the Lord. Court You cannot deny but you had your hand in the Petition Hutch Put case I do fear the Lord and my Parent do not May not I entertain one that fears the Lord because my Father will not let me I may put honour upon him as a Child of God Court That is nothing to the purpose but we cannot stand to dispute causes with you now What say you to your weekly publick Meetings Can you show a warrant for them Hutch I will shew you how I took it up there were such meetings in use before I came and because I went to none of them this was the special reason of my taking up this course we began it but with five or six and though it grew to more in future time yet being tolerated at the first I knew not why it might not continue Court There were private Meetings indeed and are still in many places of some few neighbours but not so publick and frequent as yours and are of use for increase of love and mutual edification but yours are of another nature if they had been such as yours they had been evil and therefore no good warrant to justifie yours but answer by what authority or rule you uphold them Hutch By Tit. 2. where the elder women are to teach the younger Court So we allow you to do as the Apostle there means privately and upon occasion but that gives no warrant of such set Meetings for that purpose and besides you take upon you to teach many that are elder than your self neither do you teach them that which the Apostle commands viz. to keep at home Hutch Will you please to give me a rule against it and I will yield Court You must have a rule for it or else you cannot do it in faith yet you have a plain rule against it I permit not a Woman to teach Hutch That is meant of teaching Men. Court If a Man in distress of Conscience or other temptation c. should come and ask your counsel in private might you not teach him Hutch Yes Court Then it is clear that it is not meant of teaching Men but of teaching in publick Hutch It is said I will pour out my spirit upon your Daughters and they shall Prophesie c. If God give me a gift of Prophesie I may use it Court First The Apostle applies that Prophesie unto those extraordinary times and the gifts of Miracles and Tongues were common to many as well as the gift of Prophesie Secondly In teaching your children you exercise your gift of Prophesie and that within your calling Hutch I teach not in a publick Congregation the Men of Berea are commended for examining Paul's Doctrine we do no more but Read the Notes of our Teachers Sermons and then reason of them by searching the Scriptures Court You are gone from the nature of your Meeting to the kind of exercise we will follow you in this and shew you your offence in them for you do not as the Bereans search the Scriptures for their confirming in the truths delivered but you open your Teachers Points and declare his meaning and Correct wherein you think he hath failed c. and by this means you abase the Honour and Authority of the Publick Ministery and advance your own Gifts as if he could not deliver his Matter so clearly to the hearers capacity as your self Hutch Prove that that any body doth that Court Yes you are the Woman of most note and of best abilities and if some other take upon them the like it is by your teaching and example but you shew not in all this by what authority you take upon you to be such a publick instructer after she had stood a short time the Court gave her leave to sit down for her countenance discovered some bodily infirmity Hutch Here is my authority Aquila and Priscilla took upon them to instruct Apollo more perfectly yet he was a Man of good parts but they being better
Court answer'd that it was apparent he was the Instrument of our Troubles he must prove them to be by such accident and till then the Blame must rest upon himself for we know Christ would not own them being out of his way After these and many other speeches had passed the Court declaring him guilty for troubling the Civil Peace both for his seditious Sermon and for his corrupt and dangerous Opinions and for his contemptuous Behaviour in divers Courts formerly and now obstinately maintaining and justifying his said Errors and Offences and for that he refused to depart voluntarily from us which the Court had now offered him and in a manner perswaded him unto Seeing it was apparent unto him from that of our Saviour Matth. that we could not continue together without the ruine of the whole he was sentenced to be disfranchised and banished our Jurisdiction and to be put in safe custody except he should give sufficient Security to depart before the end of March upon this he appealed to the King's Majesty but the Court told him an Appeal did not lie in this case for the King having given us an Authority by his Grant under his Great Seal of England to hear and determine all causes without any Reservation we were not to admit of any such Appeals for any such subordinate State either in Ireland or Scotland or other places and if an Appeal should lie in one case it might be challenged in all and then there would be no use of Government among us neither did an Appeal lie from any Court in any County or Corporation in England but if a party will remove his cause to any of the King 's higher Courts he must bring the King 's Writ for it neither did he tender any Appeal nor call any Witnesses nor desired any Act to be entred of it then he was demanded if he would give Security for his quiet departure which he refusing to do he was committed to the custody of the Marshal The next morning he bethought himself better and offered to give security alledging that he did not conceive the day before that a Sentence of Banishment was pronounced against him he also suffered to relinquish his Appeal and said he would accept of a simple Banishment The Court answer'd him that for his Appeal he might do as he pleased and for his departure he should have the liberty the Court had offered him provided he should not preach in the mean time but that he would not yield unto so in the end the Court gave him leave to go home upon his promise that if he were not departed out of this Jurisdiction within fourteen days he would render himself at the house of Mr. Stanton one of the Magistrates there to abide as a Prisoner till the Court should dispose of him Mr. Cogshall THe next who was called was Mr. Iohn Cogshall one of the Deacons of Boston upon his appearance the Court declared that the cause why they had sent for him was partly by occasion of his Speeches and Behaviour in this Court the other day and partly for some light miscarriages at other times and that they did look at him as one that had a principal Hand in all our late Disturbances of our publick Peace The first things we do charge you with is your justifying a Writing called a Remonstrance or Petition but indeed a seditious Libel and that when Mr. Asp. was questioned by the Court about it you stood up uncalled and justified the same saying to this effect that if the Court meant to dismiss him for that it was best to make but one work of all for though your self had not your Hand to the Petition yet you did approve thereof and your Hand was to the Protestation which was to the same effect whereupon you being also dismissed used clamorous and unbeseeming Speeches to the Court at your departure whereby we take you to be of the same mind with those who made the Petition and therefore liable to the same punishment upon this the Petition was openly read and liberty was granted to him to answer for himself His first answer was that what he then spake he spake as a Member of the Court to which it was answer'd again that 1. He was no Member of the Court standing upon Tryal whether to be allowed or rejected at such a time as he uttered most of those speeches 2. Admit he were yet it is no priviledge of a Member to reproach or affront the whole Court it is Licentiousness and no Liberty when a man may speak what he list for he was reminded of some words he uttered at his going forth of the Court to this effect that we had censured the Truth of Christ and that it was the greatest stroak that ever was given to Free-Grace To which he answer'd That his words were mistaken for he said that he would pray that our Eyes might be opened to see what we did for he thought it the greatest stroak that ever was given to N. E. for he did believe that Mr. Wheelwright did hold forth the Truth He was further charged that at the Court after the day of Elections he complained of Injury that the Petition which was tendered was not presently read before they went to Election To which being answer'd That it was not then seasonable and against the Order of that day but the Court were then ready to hear it if it were tendered whereupon he turned his back upon the Court and used menacing speeches to this effect That since they could not be heard then they would take another course To which he answer'd confessing he spake over hastily at that time that his words were only these Then we must do what God shall direct us He was further charged that he should say that half the people that were in Church-Covenant in N. E. were under a Covenant of Works this he did not deny but said he proved it by the Parable of the ten Virgins Mat. 15. After these and many other Speeches had passed between the Court and himself by which it plainly appeared that he had been a very busie instrument in occasioning of our publick Disturbances and his justifying of Mr. Wheelwrights Sermon and the Petition or Remonstrance being seditious Writings a Motion was made for his Banishment but he pretended that there was nothing could be laid to his Charge but matter of different opinion and that he knew not one Example in Scripture that a man was banished for his Judgment It was answer'd that if he had kept his Judgment to himself so as the publick Peace had not been troubled or endangered by it we should have left him to himself for we do not challenge power over mens Consciences but when seditious Speeches and Practices discover such a corrupt Conscience it is our duty to use Authority to reform both But though a great part of the Court did encline to a motion for his Banishment yet because his Speech
instructed might teach him Court See how your argument stanâ—… Priscilla with her husband took Apollo home to instruct him privately therefore Mistriss Hutchison without her Husband might teach sixty or eighty Hutch I call them not but if they come to me I may instruct them Court Yet you shew us not a rule Hutch I have given you two places of Scripture Court But neither of them will suit yâ—…ur practice Hutch Must I shew my Name written therein Court You must shew that which must be equivalent seeing your Ministery is publick you would have them receive your instruction as coming from such an Ordinance Hutch They must not take it as it comes from me but as it comes from the Lord Jesus Christ and if I took upon me a publick Ministery I should break a rule but not in exercising a gift of Prophesie and I would see a rule to turn away them that come to me Court It is your exercise which draws them and by occasion thereof many Families are neglected and much time lost and a great damage comes to the Common-wealth thereby which we that are betrusted with as the Fathers of the Common-wealth are not to suffer Divers other Speeches passed to and fro about this matter the issue was that not being able to bring any rule to justifie this her disordered course she said she walked by the rule of the Apostle Gal. which she called the rule of the New Creature but what rule that was she would not or she could not tell neither would she consent to lay down her Meetings except Authority did put them down and then she might be subject to Authority Then the Court laid to her charge the reproach she had cast upon the Ministers and Ministry in this Country saying That none of them did Preach the Covenant of Free Grace but Mr. Cotton and that they have not the Seal of the Spirit and so were not able Ministers of the New Testament She denied the words but they were affirmed by divers of the Ministers being desired by the Court to be present for that end The matter was thus It being reported abroad That Mistriss Hutchison did flight them and their Ministery in their common talk as if they did Preach nothing but a Covenant of Works because they pressed much for faith and love c. without holding forth such an immediate witness of the Spirit as she pretended they advised with Master Cotton about it and a Meeting was appointed at his House and she being sent for and demanded the reason why she had used such Speeches at first she would not acknowledge them but being told that they could prove them by witnesses and perswaded to deal freely and truly therein She said That the fear of Man was a Snare and therefore she was glad she had this opportunity to open her Mind and thereupon she told them that there was a wide difference betwixt Master Cotton ' s Ministery and theirs and that they could not hold forth a Covenant of Free Grace because they had not the Seal of the Spirit and that they were not able Ministers of the New Testament It was near night so the Court brake up and she was injoyned to appear again the next Morning When she appeared the next day she objected that the Ministers had spoken in their own cause and that they ought not to be Informers and Witnesses both and required that they might be Sworn to what they had spoken To which the Court answered That if it were needful an Oath should be given them but because the whole Court in a manner Man by Man did declare themselves to be fully satisfied of the truth of their testimonies they being 6 or 7 Men of long approved Godliness and Sincerity in their course and for that it was also generally observed that those of her party did look at their Ministery for the most part as a way of the Covenant of Works and one had been punished about half a year before for reporting the like of them The Court did pause a while at it whereupon she said That she had Mr. Wilson ' s Notes of that Conference which were otherwise than they had related the Court wiâ—…led her to shew them but her Answer was She had left them at home whereupon Mr. Wilson with the leave of the Court said That if she brought forth his Notes they should find written at the foot of them That he had not written down all that was spoken but being ofen interrupted he had omitted divers passages then she appealed to Mr. Cotton who being called and desired to declare what he remembred of her Speeches said That he remembred onely that which took impression on him for he was much grieved that she should make such comparison between him and his Brethren but yet he took her meaning to be onely of a gradual difference when she said that they did not hold forth a Covenant of Free Grace as he did for she likened them to Christ's Disciples and their Ministery before his Ascension and before the Holy Ghost was come down upon them and when she was asked by some of them Why they could not Preach a Covenant of Free-grace She made Answer Because they had not the Seal of the Spirit Upon this the Court wished her to consider that Mr. Cotton did in a manner agree with the testimony of the rest of the Elders and as he remembred onely so much as at present took most impression on him so the rest of the Elders had reason to remember some other passages which he might not hear or not so much observe as they whom it so nearly and properly concerned All this would not satisfie Mistriss Hutchison but she still called to have them Sworn whereupon the Court being weary of the clamour and that all mouths might be stopped required three of the Ministers to take an Oath and thereupon they confirmed their former testimony Upon this she began to speak her mind and to tell of the manner of God's dealing with her and how he revealed himself to her and made her know what she had to do The Governour perceiving whereabout she went interrupted her and would have kept her to the matter in hand but seeing her very unwilling to be taken off he permitted her to proceed Her Speech was to this effect Mistriss Hutchison When I was in Old England I was much troubled at the Constitution of the Churches there so far as I was ready to have joyned to the Separation whereupon I set apart a day for humiliation by my self to seâ—…k direction from God and then did God discover unto me the unfaithfulness of the Churches and the danger of them and that none of those Ministers could Preach the Lord Jesus aright for he had brought to my mind that in 1 Iohn 4. 3. Every spirit that confesseth not that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh is the Spirit of Antichrist I marvelled what this should mean for I
notorious for familiarity with the Devil and now a prime Familist 3. This Monster was concealed by Three Persons above five Months 4. The occasion of concealing it was very strange for most of the Women who were present at the Womans Travail were suddenly taken with such a violent Vomiting and Purging without eating or drinking of any thing as they were forced to go home others had their Children taken with Convulsions which they had not before nor since and so were sent for home so as none were left at the time of the Birth but the Midwife and two other whereof one fell asleep 5. At such time as the Child died which was about two hours before the Birth the Bed wherein the Mother lay shook so violently as all which were in the Room perceived it 6. The After-birth wherein the Child was had Prickles on the inside like those on the Childs Brest 7. The Manner of the Discovery was very strange also for it was that very day Mistriss Hutchison was cast out of the Church for her Monstrous Errours and Notorious Falsehood for being Commanded to depart the Assembly Mistriss Dyer accompanied her which a Stranger observing asked another What Woman that was the other Answered It was the Women who had the Monster which one of the Church of Boston hearing enquired about it from one to another and at length came to Mistriss Hutchison with one of the Elders of the Church to whom she revealed the truth of the thing in general onely this coming to the Governours ear he called another of the Magistrates and sent for the Midwife and in the presence of the Elder to whom Mistriss Hutchison had revealed it they examined her who at first confessed it was a Monstrous Birth but concealed the Horns and Claws and some other parts till being straitly charged and told it should be taken up and viewed then she confessed all yet for farther assurance the Child was taken up and though it were much corrupted yet the Horns and Claws and holes in the Back and some Scales c. were found and seen of above a Hundred Persons 8. The Father of this Monster having been forth of the Town about a Month and coming home just at this time was upon the Lord's day by an unexpected occasion called before the Church for some of his Monstrous Opinions As that Christ and the Church together are the New Creature There is no Inherent Righteousness in Christians Adam was not made after God's Image c. which he openly maintained yet with such shuffling and equivocating as he came under Admonition c. A brief Apology in defence of the General Proceedings of the Court holden at Boston the Ninth day of the First Moneth 1636. against Mr. I. Wheelwright a Member there by occasion of a Sermon delivered there in the same Congregation FOrasmuch as some of the Members of the Court both of the Magistrates and Deputies did dissent from the major part in the judgement of the cause of Mr. Wheelwright and divers others have since censured the proceedings against him as unjust or at best over hasty for maintaining of which Censures many untruths are like to be spread abroad whereby the most equal Judges may be in danger of prejudice and so the honour not of the Court only but also of the trial and justice it self may be blemished It is thought needful to make this publick Declaration of all the proceedings with the reasons and grounds thereof so far as concerneth the clearing of the Justice of the Court. As for such passages as fell by occasion and are too large to be here inserted such as desire to know them may receive satisfaction from three or four of Boston being Mr. Wheelwright his special friends who took all by Characters we doubt not will give a true report thereof As for such as have taken offence that the cause was not first referred to the Church we desire them to consider these reasons 1. This case was not matter of Conscience but of a civil nature and therefore most proper for this Court to take Cognizance of and the rather for the special contempt which had been offered to the Court therein and which the Church could not judge of 2. In some cases of religious nature as manifest heresie notorious blasphemy c. the Civil power may proceed Ecclesia inconsulta and that by the judgment of all the Ministers 3. It had been a vain thing to refer a cause to the judgment of those who had openly declared their prejudice therein both in the Court and otherwise as by two Petitions under the hands of most of them delivered into the Court on his behalf did plainly appear 4. The heat of contention and uncharitable censures which began to overspread the Countrey and that chiefly by occasion of that Sermon and the like miscarriages did require that the Civil Power should speedily allay that heat and bear witness against all seditious courses tending to the overthrow of Truth and Peace amongst us and this only by way of entrance to the matter which now followeth In the beginning of the Court the Deputies upon the Fame of a Sermon delivered by Mr. Wheelwright upon the first day which was supposed to tend to sedition and disturbance of the publick Peace desired that he might be sent for which the Court assâ—…nting unto one of the Magistrates his special friend undertook to give him notice thereof and accordingly at the next meeting he was in the Town ready to appear when he should be called for which was not till two or three days after and then he was sent for not by the Marshal as the usual manner is but by one of the Deputies his intimate friend upon his appearance he was made acquainted with the cause why he was sent for viz. To satisfie the Court about some passages in his Sermon which seemed to be offensive and therewith a copy of it was produced and he was demanded whether he would own it whereupon he drew forth another copy which he delivered into the Court as a true copy for the substance of it so he was dismissed very gently and desired to be ready when he should be called for again The next day he was again sent for by the former Messenger About this time a Petition was delivered into the Court under the hands of above forty persons being most of the Church of Boston being none of the Petitions before mentioned which were delivered after to this effect that as free-men they might be admitted to be present in the Court in causes of Judicature and that the Court would declare whether they might proceed in cases of Conscience without referring them first to the Church To this the Court answered on the backside of the Petition that they did conceive the Petition was without just ground for the first part of it the Court had never used any privacy in judicial Proceedings but in preparation thereto by way of Examination
will be ready to draw their Swords for him like Peter for furor arma ministrat like him who when he could not by any Sentence in the Bible confute an Heretick could make use of the whole book to break his head we might hold forth instances more than enough The Wars in Germany for these hundred years arose from dissentions in Religion and though in the beginning of the contention they drew out onely the Sword of the Spirit yet it was soon changed into a Sword of Steel So was it among the Consederate Cantons of Helvetia which were so many Towns as nearly combined together as ours here so was it also in the Netherlands between the Orthodox and the Arminians so hath it been between the Calvinists and Lutherans In every place we find that the contentions began first by disputations and Sermons and when the minds of the people were once set on fire by reproachful Terms of incendiary Spirits they soon set to blows and had always a tragical and bloody issue And to clear this objection Mr. Wheel professed before-hand what he looked for viz. that his Doctrine would cause combustions even in the Common-wealth as well as in the Churches which he could not have feared if he had supposed as in Charity he well might that those who were set over the People here in both States were indeed true Christians yea he not only confesseth his expectation but his earnest desire also of such combustions and disturbances when he saith that it is the Saints desire to have the fire kindled as if he were come among Turks or Papists and not among the Churches of Christ amongst whom Paul laboured to quench all fire of contention but with the Corinthians Romans and Galatians and wished that those were cut off who troubled them setting a mark upon such as made division and a note of a carnal mind therefore this objection will not save him his offence is yet without excuse he did intend to trouble our peace and he hath effected it therefore it was a contempt of that authority which required every Man to study Peace and Truth and therefore it was a seditious contempt in that he stirred up others to joyn in the disturbance of that Peace which he was bound by Solemn Oath to preserve But here he puts in a plea that he did take the onely right way for Peace by holding out the Lord Jesus Christ in the Covenant of Free Grace for without Christ there is no peace but get Christ and we have all To this we reply first We would demand of him what he accounts a holding forth a Covenant of Grace for saving that he saith this is a Covenant of Grace that is a Covenant of Works no Man can discern any such thing by his proofs for there is not any one argument in his Sermon to convince the judgment that so it is and if we search the Scripture we find in the Old Testament Ier. 31. the Covenant of Grace to be this I will write my Law in their hearts or I will be their God c. and in the new Testament we find He that believes in the Lord Iesus Christ shall be saved and that it is of Faith that it might be of Grace but other Covenant of Grace than these or to the same effect are not in our Bibles Again Tho' it be true that get Christ and we have all in some respect yet we must remember him of what he said with the same breath that Truth and external Peace cannot possibly stand together how then would he have us believe that such a holding forth Christ should bring the desired Peace This is some what like the Jewish Corban I will give to God and he shall help my Parents or as when a poor man stands in need of such relief as I might give him instead there of I pray to God to bless him and tell him that the blessing of God maketh rich or as I give a Lawyer a Fee to plead my cause and to procure me Justice and when the day of hearing comes he makes a long Speech in commending the justice of the King and perswading me to get his favour because he is the fountain of Justice This is to reprove the wisdom of God by looking that the supreme and first cause should produce all effects without the use of subordinate and nearer causes and means so a Man should live out his full time by God's decree onely without meat or medicine this plea therefore will not hold let us hear another It is objected that the Magistrates may not appoint a Messenger of God what he should teach admit so much yet he may limit him what he may not teach If he forbid him to teach Heresie or Sedition c. he incurs as well a contempt in teaching that which he was forbidden as sins in teaching that which is evil Besides every truth is not seasonable at all times Christ tells his Disciples That he had many things to teach them but they could not bear them then Joh. 16. 12. and God giveth his Prophets the Tongue of the Learned that they may know how to speak a word in season Isa. 50. 40. and if for every thing there be a season then for every Doctrine Eccles. 3. 1. The abolishing of the Ceremonial Law was a Truth which the Apostles were to teach yet there was a season when Paul did refrain it Acts 21. 24. and the same Paul would not circumcise Titus though he did Timothy so the difference of persons and places made a difference in the season of the Doctrine and if Mr. Wheelwright had looked upon the words which followed in the Text Matth. 9. 16 17. he might have learned that such a Sermon would as ill suit the season as old Bottles do new Wine and by that in Esay before-mentioned he might have had known the Spirit of God doth teach his Servants to discern of seasons as well as of truths for if there be such a point in wisdom as Men call discretion sure Religion which maketh truly wise doth not deprive the Servants of God of the right use thereof When Paul was to deal with the Sorcerer who did oppose his Doctrine Acts 13. he calls him the Child of the Devil c. but when he answered Festus who told him he was mad and rejected his Doctrine also he useth him gently and with terms of honourable respect Tho' Stephen calls the Jews stiff-necked and of uncircumcised hearts c as knowing them to be malitious and obstinate Enemies to Christ yet Paul directs Timothy being to deal with such as were not past hope tho' they did oppose his Doctrine for the present not to strive but to use all gentleness instructing them with meekness c. 2. Tim. 2. The Prophet Elisha when he speaks to Iehoram very roughly as one not worthy to be looked at yet he shews a different respect of Iehosaphat tho' he were then out of his way and