fittest manner and Season of your coming off Therefore it seems to me your Duty freely lovingly compassionately to communicate your Reasons to your Auditors if they can prove them unsound which I am sure they cannot in the main then yield to them if they cannot then beg their Pardon for misguiding them and beseech them to return not to any Sin against God but to the Love of the Saints and the Unity of the universal Body of Christ and the Communion of Brethren 3. To return to Mr. I. Goodwin's Church again I dare not dissuade you or advise you but I would not do it if I liv'd in another Parish where I could have Lawful Communion yea or if I could live in such a Parish I would not be a Member of a Church gathered out of many Parishes in such a Place as London Co-habitation is in Nature and Scripture Example made the necessary Disposition of the Materials of a Church 4. My Thoughts still are that you should Preach the Gospel in some Congregation most suitable to you But I am very glad that you give me the Reasons of your Trouble for it is a sad kind of Work for you or another to plead against Troubles in the dark which a Man can give no Reason for 1. Your First I need say nothing to If you had ever had a Temptation to thrust in a wrong Motive into a good Cause it neither proves the Cause bad else all our Preaching were too bad or your Heart bad as you see your Sin I hope you see your sufficient Remedy 2. The Second is carnal to resist so great a Truth and Duty lest good People be displeased what are they your God God must be enough for you if ever you will have enough and it must satisfie you that he is pleased if ever you will be satisfied Tell those Christians you will not cease to Love them by Loving more nor cease any due Communion with them by having Communion with more Keep in with them by Love and Correspondency even whether they will or no even when you have left their Separation Do not reproach them when you leave them but enjoy the Good of their Communion still as you have Opportunity God's House hath many Mansions if your Friends think that their Closet is all the House convince them of their Mistake and confine your self to that Closet no longer but yet renounce it not it may be a part though sinfully divided though it be not the whole 3. The way that you are called to is God's High way and though the Churches have many in them that are dead yet have they with them as many living Members as yours and many more if these parts may be Witnesses I would not be a Member of that Church willingly that is composed of none but not able Christians though I most Love the best and delight most in their Fellowship and wish that all were such yet when I see a Church so gathered I easily find it is a wrong Constitution and not according to the Mind of Christ. I will never join with them that will have but one Form in Christ's School I would have the A B C there taught as well as the profoundest Mysteries 'T is no Sign of the Family of God to have no Children what if I said Infants in it but strong Men only Nor of the Hospital of Christ to have none Sick nor of his Net to have no Fish but Good nor of his Field to have no Tares Flesh and Blood hath ticed me oft to Separation for Ease but it s too easy a way to be of God I undergo another kind of Life you are extreamly mistaken if you think that you are put on so much Duty and Self-denial by many Degrees among your Hundred Professors as we must undergo Your Work is Idleness to ours how then is yours the streighter way 4. For Riches and gay Apparel you may help to cure Excess where you find it What! a Physician fly because his Patients are Sick O that we had no sorer Diseases to encounter than fine Cloaths If you were with me I could tell you quickly where to find Forty Families of humble godly Christians that are as bare and Poor as you would Wish and need as much as you can give them or procure them that scarce lose a Day 's Work by Sickness but the Church must maintain them And I could send you to Sixty Families that are as poor and yet so Ignorant as more to need your spiritual Help When they have sat by me to be instructed in my Chamber they sometimes leave the Lice so plentifull that we are stored with them for a competent space of time Never keep in a Separated Church to avoid Riches and fine Cloaths and for fear lest you cannot meet with the Poor I warrant you a Cure of that Melancholy Fear in most places in England 5. The next is the great Block 1. If you gather out the choicest Members that should help the rest and then complain of Parishes when you have marr'd them you do not justly 2. If you will not do your Duty in a Parish because some Ministers do not theirs your excuse is frivolous 3. If I durst have gathered a separated Church here I could have had one large and numerous enough or such as would allow me ease but I think Parish Work the best We here agree on these Four Heads 1. To teach all In which Work in my Parish I could find Work for Ten Ministers if I could maintain them 2. To admit none as adult Members without a personal credible Profession of Faith and Holiness of which I refer you to my Treatise of Confirmation 3. To exercise Discipline with these 4. To hold Communion of Churches by Associations and Assemblies of the Officers And I bless God I find not my Parish such a dead Body as you speak of Among Eight Hundred Families Six Hundred Persons are Church-Members I hope there is not very many of these without such a Profession as giveth us good Hopes of their Sincerity and none whose Profession I am able any way to disprove and this satisfieth me as God's Way and many I hope Scores there be of those that join not with us on divers Accounts that I hope fear God If you have Charity to judge that our Parishes have Christians you may have Charity to judge that they have Life and some fit for Communion How tender is Christ of his weakest Members and shall not I imitate him yea shall I judge them that am so bad my self and pluck them from his Arms that designeth it as his highest Honour to be admired and glorified in the freeness and fulness of his Grace and Love to the Unworthy 6. Your Followers Souls are by you endangered while you leave them in their Sin will it endanger them to tell them of that Danger and help them out What! to lead Men to Holy Love and Unity with the Catholick
Soldier saith It is my Commission and the High Court of Parliament saith It is the Law declared in a Court of Justice a Parliament seemeth to be the properest Judge As in Controversies of Physick who is to be believed before the Colledge of Physicians Or in Controversies of Religion who before a General Council If the House of York and Lancaster â—ight for the Crown and both Command the Subjects Arms. the poor Peasants are not able to judge of their Titles And if a Parliament shall not judge for them who shall These were the Reasons which caused Men to adhere to the Parliament in this War § 55. For my own part I freely confess that I was not judicious enough in Politicks and Law to decide this Controversie which so many Lawyers and Wise men differed in And I freely confess that being astonished at the Irish Massacre and perswaded fully both of the Parliaments good endeavours for Reformation and of their real danger my Judgment of the main Cause much swayed my Judgment in the Matter of the Wars and the Arguments à fine à natureâ necessitate which common Wits are capable of discerning did too far incline my Judgment in the Cause of the War before I well understood the Arguments from our particular Laws And the Consideration of the Quality of the Parties that sided for each Cause in the Countries did greatly work with me and more than it should have done And I verily thought that if that which a Judge in Court saith sententially is Law must go for Law to the Subject as to the Decision of that Cause though the King send his Broad Seal against it then that which the Parliament saith is Law is Law to the Subjects about the Dangers of the Common-wealth whatever it be in it self and that if the King's Broad-Seal cannot prevail against the Judge much less against their Judgment I make no doubt but both Parties were to blame as it commonly falleth out in most Wars and Contentions and I will not be he that shall Justifie either of them I doubt not but the Headiness and Rashness of the younger unexperienced sort of religious People made many Parliament Men and Ministers overgo themselves to keep pace with those hot Spurs no doubt but much Indiscretion appeared and worse than Indiscretion in the tumultuous Petitioners and much Sin was committed in the dishonouring of the King and provocation of him and in the uncivil Language against the Bishops and Liturgie of the Church But these things came principally from the Sectarian separating Spirit which blew the Coals among foolish Apprentices And as the Sectaries increased so did this Insolence increase I have my self been in London when they have on the Lord's Days stood at the Church Doors while the Common Prayer was reading saying We must stay till he is out of his Pottage And such unchristian Scorns and Jests did please young inconsiderate Wits that knew not what Spirit they were of nor whither such unwarrantate things did tend Learned Mr. Iohn Ball though a Nonconformist discerned the stirrings of this insolent Sectarian Spirit betimes and fell a writing against it even then when some were crying out of Persecution and others were tender of such little Differences One or two in the House and five or six Ministers that came from Holland and a few that were scattered in the City which were the Brownists Relicts did drive on others according to their own dividing Principles and sowed the Seeds which afterward spread over all the Land though then there were very few of them in the Countreys even next to none As Bishop Hall speaks against the justifying of the Bishops so do I against justifying the Parliament Ministers or City I believe many unjustifiable things were done but I think that few Men among them all were the Doers or Instigaters of it But I then thought that whosoever was faulty the Peoples Liberties and Safety could not be forfeited And I thought that all the Subjects were not guilty of all the Faults of King or Parliament when they defended them Yea that if both their Causes had been bad as against each other yet that the Subjects should adhere to that Party which most secured the welfare of the Nation and might defend the Land under their Conduct without owning all their Cause And herein I confess I was then so zealous that I thought it a great Sin for Men that were able to defend their Country to be Neuters And I have been tempted since to think that I was a more competent Judge upon the Place when all things were before our eyes than I am in the review of those Days and Actions so many Years after when Distance disadvantageth the Apprehension A Writer against Cromwel's Decimation recanting his great Adherence to the Parliament in that War yet so abhorreth Neutrality that he likeneth him rather to a Dog than a Man that could stand by when his Country was in such a case But I confess for my part I have not such censorious Thoughts of those that then were Neuters as formerly I have had For he that either thinketh both sides raised an unlawful War or that could not tell which if either was in the right might well be excused if he defended neither I was always satisfied 1. That the Dividers of the King and Parliament were the Traitors whoever they were and that the Division tended to the Dissolution of the Government 2. And that the Authority and Person of the King were inviolable out of the reach of just Accusation Judgment or Execution by Law as having no Superiour and so no Judge 3. I favoured the Parliaments Cause as they professed 1. To bring Delinquents to a Legal Trial 2. And to preserve the Person and Government of the King by a Conjunction with his Parliament But Matters that Warrs and Blood are any way concerned in are so great and tenderly to be handled that I profess to the World that I dare not I will not justifie any thing that others or I my self have done of any such consequence But though I never hurt the Person of any Man yet I resolve to pray daily and earnestly to God that he will reveal to me whatever I have done amiss and not suffer me through Ignorance to be impenitent and would forgive me both my known and unknown Sins and cleanse this Land from the Guilt of Blood § 56. Having inserted this much of the Case of History of those Times I now proceed to the Relation of the Passages of my own Life beginning where I left When I was at Kidderminster the Parliament made an Order for all the People to take a Protestation to defend the King's Person Honour and Authority the Power and Priviledges of Parliaments the Liberties of the Subject and the Protestant Religion against the common Enemy meaning the Papists the Irish Massacre and Threatnings occasioning this Protestation I obeyed them in joyning with the Magistrate in offering
the Importance and Consequence of the War and making not Money but that which they took for the Publick Felicity to be their End they were the more engaged to be valiant for he that maketh Money his End doth esteem his Life above his Pay and therefore is like enough to save it by flight when danger comes if possibly he can But he that maketh the Felicity of Church and State his End esteemeth it above his Life and therefore will the sooner lay down his Life for it And men of Parts and Understanding know how to manage their business and know that flying is the surest way to death and that standing to it is the likeliest way to escape there being many usually that fall in flight for one that falls in valiant fight These things it 's probable Cromwell understood and that none would be such engaged valiant men as the Religious But yet I conjecture that at his first choosing such men into his Troop it was the very Esteem and Love of Religious men that principally moved him and the avoiding of those Disorders Mutinies Plunderings and Grievances of the Country which deboist men in Armies are commonly guilty of By this means he indeed sped better than he expected Aires Desborough Berry Evanson and the rest of that Troop did prove so valiant that as far as I could learn they never once ran away before an Enemy Hereupon he got a Commission to take some care of the Associated Counties where he brought this Troop into a double Regiment of fourteen full Troops and all these as full of religious men as he could get These having more then ordinary Wit and Resolution had more than ordinary Success first in Lincolnshire and afterward in the Earl of Manchester's Army at York Fight With their Successes the Hearts both of Captain and Soldiers secretly rise both in Pride and Expectation And the familiarity of many honest erroneous Men Anabaptists Antinomians c. withal began quickly to corrupt their Judgments Hereupon Cromwell's general Religious Zeal giveth way to the power of that Ambition which still increaseth as his Successes do increase Both Piety and Ambition concurred in his countenancing of all that he thought Godly of what Sect soever Piety pleadeth for them as Godly and Charity as Men and Ambition secretly telleth him what use he might make of them He meaneth well in all this at the beginning and thinketh he doth all for the Safety of the Godly and the Publick Good but not without an Eye to himself When Successes had broken down all considerable Opposition he was then in the face of his strongest Temptations which conquered him when he had conquered others He thought that he had hitherto done well both as to the End and Means and God by the wonderful Blessing of his Providence had owned his endeavours and it was none but God that had made him great He thought that if the War was lawful the Victory was lawful and if it were lawful to fight against the King and conquer him it was lawful to use him as a conquered Enemy and a foolish thing to trust him when they had so provoked him whereas indeed the Parliament professed neither to fight against him nor to conquer him He thought that the Heart of the King was deep and that he resolved upon Revenge and that if he were King he would easily at one time or other accomplish it and that it was a dishonest thing of the Parliament to set men to fight for them against the King and then to lay their Necks upon the block and be at his Mercy and that if that must be their Case it was better to flatter or please him than to fight against him He saw that the Scots and the Presbyterians in the Parliament did by the Covenant and the Oath of Allegiance find themselves bound to the Person and Family of the King and that there was no hope of changing their minds in this Hereupon he joyned with that Party in the Parliament who were for the Cutting off the King and trusting him no more And consequently he joyned with them in raising the Independants to make a Fraction in the Synod at Westminster and in the City and in strengthening the Sectaries in Army City and Country and in rendering the Scots and Ministers as odious as he could to disable them from hindering the Change of Government In the doing of all this which Distrust and Ambition had perswaded him was well done he thought it lawful to use his Wits to choose each Instrument and suit each means unto its end and accordingly he daily imployed himself and modelled the Army and disbanded all other Garrisons and Forces and Committees which were like to have hindered his design And as he went on though he yet resolved not what form the New Common-wealth should be molded into yet he thought it but reasonable that he should be the Chief Person who had been chief in their Deliverance For the Lord Fairfax he knew had but the Name At last as he thought it lawful to cut off the King because he thought he was lawfully conquered so he thought it lawful to fight against the Scots that would set him up and to pull down the Presbyterian Majority in the Parliament which would else by restoring him undo all which had cost them so much Blood and Treasure And accordingly he conquereth Scotland and pulleth down the Parliament being the easilier perswaded that all this was lawful because he had a secret Byas and Eye towards his own Exaltation For he and his Officers thought that when the King was gone a Government there must be and that no Man was so fit for it as he himself as best deserving it and as having by his Wit and great Interest in the Army the best sufficiency to manage it Yea they thought that God had called them by Successes to Govern and take Care of the Commonwealth and of the Interest of all his People in the Land and that if they stood by and suffered the Parliament to do that which they thought was dangerous it would be required at their hands whom they thought God had made the Guardians of the Land Having thus forced his Conscience to justifie all his Cause the Cutting off the the King the setting up himself and his Adherents the pulling down the Parliament and the Scots he thinketh that the End being good and necessary the necessary means cannot be bad And accordingly he giveth his Interest and Cause leave to tell him how far Sects shall be tollerated and commended and how far not and how far the Ministry shall be owned and supported and how far not yea and how far Professions Promises and Vows shall be kept or broken and therefore the Covenant he could not away with nor the Ministers further than they yielded to his Ends or did not openly resist them He seemed exceeding open hearted by a familiar Rustick affected Carriage especially to his Soldiers in
the Saints Rest where I have not said half that should have been said and the Reason was because that I had not read any of the fuller sort of Books that are written on those Subjects nor conversed with those that knew more than my self and so all those things were either new or great to me which were common and small perhaps to others and because they all came in by the way of my own Study of the naked matter and not from Books they were apt to affect my mind the more and to seem greater than they were And this Token of my Weakness accompanied those my younger Studies that I was very apt to start up Controversies in the way of my Practical Writings and also more desirous to acquaint the World with all that I took to be the Truth and to assault those Books by Name which I thought did tend to deceive them and did contain unsound and dangerous Doctrine And the Reason of all this was that I was then in the vigour of my youthfull Apprehensions and the new Appearance of any sacred Truth it was more apt to affect me and be highlyer valued than afterward when commonness had dulled my Delight and I did not sufficiently discern then how much in most of our Controversies is verbal and upon mutual Mistakes And withal I know not how impatient Divines were of being contradicted nor how it would stir up all their Powers to defend what they have once said and to rise up against the Truth which is thus thrust upon them as the mortal Enemy of their Honour And I knew not how hardly Mens Minds are charged from their former Apprehensions be the Evidence never so plain And I have perceived that nothing so much hindreth the Reception of the Truth as urging it on Men with too harsh Importunity and falling too heavily on their Errors For hereby you engage their Honour in the business and they defend their Errors as themselves and stir up all their Wit and Ability to oppose you In controversies it is fierce Opposition which is the Bellows to kindle a resisting Zeal when if they be neglected and their Opinions lie a while despised they usually cool and come again to themselves though I know that this holdeth not when the Greediness and Increase of his Followers doth animate a Sectary even though he have no Opposition Men are so loth to be drenched with the Truth that I am no more for going that way to work and to confess the Truth I am lately much prone to the contrary Extream to be too indifferent what Men hold and to keep my Judgment to my self and never to mention any thing wherein I differ from another or any thing which I think I know more than he or at least if he receive it not presently to silence it and leave him to his own Opinion And I find this Effect is mixed according to its Causes which are some good and some bad The bad Causes are 1. An Impatience of Mens weakness and mistaking frowardness and Self-conceitedness 2. An Abatement of my sensible Esteem of Truth through the long abode of them on my Mind Though my Judgment value them yet it is hard to be equally affected with old and common things as with new and rare ones The better Causes are 1. That I am much more sensible than ever of the necessity of living upon the Principles of Religion which we are all agreed in and uniting these and how much Mischief Men that over-value their own Opinions have done by their Controversies in the Church how some have destroyed Charity and some caused Schisms by them and most have hindered Godlyness in themselves and others and used them to divert Men from the serious prosecuting of a holy Life and as Sir Francis Bacon saith in his Essay of Peace that it 's one great Benefit of Church-Peace and Concord that writing Controversies is turned into Books of practical Devotion for increase of Piety and Virtue 2. And I find that it 's much more for most Mens Good and Edification to converse with them only in that way of Godliness which all are agreed in and not by touching upon Differences to stir up their Corruptions and to tell them of little more of your knowledge than what you find them willing to receive from you as meer Learners and therefore to stay till they crave Information of you as Musculus did with the Anabaptists when he visited them in Prison and conversed kindly and lovingly with them and shewed them all the Love he could and never talkt to them of their Opinions till at last they who were wont to call him a Deceiver and false Prophet did intreat him to instruct them and received his Instructions We mistake Mens Diseases when we think there needeth nothing to cure their Errors but only to bring them the Evidence of Truth Alas there are many Distempers of Mind to be removed before Men are apt to receive that Evidence And therefore that Church is happy where Order is kept up and the Abilities of the Ministers command a reverend Submission from the Hearers and where all are in Christ's School in the distinct Ranks of Teachers and Learners For in a learning way Men are ready to receive the Truth but in a Disputing way they come armed against it with Prejudice and Animosity 3. And I must say farther that what I last mentioned on the by is one of the notablest Changes of my Mind In my youth I was quickly past my Fundamentals and was running up into a multitude of Controversies and greatly delighted with metaphisical and scholastick Writings though I must needs say my Preaching was still on the necessary Points But the elder I grew the smaller stress I layd upon these Controversies and Curiosities though still my intellect abhoâ—reth Confusion as finding far greater Uncertainties in them than I at first discerned and finding less Usefulness comparatively even where there is the greatest Certainty And now it is the fundamental Doctrines of the Catechism which I highliest value and daily think of and find most useful to my self and others The Creed the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments do find me now the most acceptable and plentiful matter for all my Meditations They are to me as my daily Bread and Drink And as I can speak and write of them over and over again so I had rather read or hear of them than of any of the School Niceties which once so much pleased me And thus I observed it was with old Bishop Usher and with many other Men And I conjecture that this Effect also is mixt of good and bad according to its Causes The bad Cause may perhaps be some natural Infirmity and Decay And as Trees in the Spring shoot up into Branches Leaves and Blossoms But in the Autumn the Life draws down into the Root so possibly my Nature conscious of its Infirmity and Decay may find it self insufficient for numerous Particles and
the 1 st 1662 nor ever since had any nor the offer of any And therefore the Law imposeth not on me the Declaration or the Assent or Consent no more than on Lawyers or Judges 2. I have the Bishop of London's License to Preach in his Diocess which supposeth me no Nonconformist in Law-sence And I have the Judgment of Lawyers even of the present Lord Chief Justice and Mr. Pollexfen that by that License I may Preach occasional Sermons 3. I have Episcopal Ordination and judge it gross Sacriledge to forsake my Calling 4. I am justified against suspicion of Rebellious Doctrine many ways 1. By my publick Retractation of any old accused words or writings 2. I was chosen alone to Preach the Publick Thanksgiving at St. Paul's for General Monk's success 3. The Commons in Parliament chose me to Preach to them at their Publick Fast for the King's Restoration and call'd him home the next day 4. I was Sworn Chaplain in Ordinary to the King 5. I was offered a Bishoprick 6. The Lord Chancellor who offered it attested under his hand His Majesty's Sense of my Defert and His Acceptance 7. I am justifyed in the King's Declaration about Ecclesiastical Affairs among the rest there mention'd 8. When I Preached before the King he commanded the Printing of my Sermon 9. To which may be added the Act of Oblivion 10. And having published above an Hundred Books I was never yet convict of any ill Doctrine since any of the said Acts of King Parliament and others for my Discharge and Justification 5. I have oft Printed my judgment for Communion with the Parish Churches and exhorted others to it And having built a Chappel delivered it for Parish use 6. I was never lawfully Convict of Preaching in an unlawful Assembly for I was not once summon'd by the Justices that granted out the Five Warrants against me to answer for my self nor ever told who was my Accuser or who Witnessed against me And I have it under the hand of the present Lord Chief Justice that a Lawful Conviction supposeth Summons And the Lord Chief Justice Vaughan with Judge Tyrrel Archer and Wild did long ago discharge me upon their declaring that even the Warrant of my Commitment was illegal because no Accuser or Witness was named and so I was left remediless in case of false Accusation 7. As far as I understand it I never did Preach in any unlawful Assembly which was on pretence of any Exercise of Religion contrary to Law I Preached in Parish Churches where the Liturgy was Read as oft as I had leave and invitation And when I could not have that leave I never took any Pastoral Charge nor Preached for any Stipend but not daring perfidiously to desert the Calling which I was Ordained and Vowed to I Preacht occasional Sermons in other Men's Houses where was nothing done that I know of contrary to Law There was nothing done but Reading the Psalms and Chapters and the Creed Commandments and Lord's Prayer and Singing Psalms and Preaying and Praching and none of this is forbidden by Law The Omission of the rest of the Liturgy is no Act but a not-acting and therefore is no pretended Worship according to Law But were it otherwise the Law doth not impose the Liturgy on Families but only on Churches and a Family is not forbidden to have more than four Neighbours at saying Grace or Prayer nor is bound to give over Family-worship when-ever more than Four come in The Act alloweth Four to be present at Unlawful Worship but forbids not more to be present at Lawful Worship And House-worship without the Liturgy is lawful worship And yet if this were not so as the Curate's Omission of the Prayers makes not the Preacher and Assembly guilty suppose it were an Assize-Sermon that for hast omitted the Liturgy so the owner of the House by omitting the Liturgy maketh not him guilty that was not bound to use it nor the Meeting unlawful to any but himself Charity and Loyalty bind us to believe that our King and Parliament who allow more than many Four's to meet at a Play-house Tavern or Feast never meant to forbid more than Four to bâ—â—ogether in a House to sing a Psalm or Pray or Read a Licensed Book or edifie each other by Godly Conference while no Crime is found by any Man in the Matter of their Doctrine or Prayer and no Law imposeth the Liturgy on any but Church-Meetings If after many years Reproach once Imprisonment and the late Distress and Sale of all my Books and Goods and those that were none of mine but another's and this by five or six Warrants for present Execution without any Summons or Notice of Accusers or Witnesses I could yet have leave to die in peace and had not been again persecuted with new Inditements I had not presumed thus to plead or open my own Cause I Pray God that my Prosecutors and Judges may be so prepared for their near Account that they may have no greater sin laid to their Charge than keeping my Ordination-Vow is and not Sacrilegiously forsaking my Calling who have had so good a Master so good a Word so good Success and so much Attestation from King Parliament City and Bishops as I have haâ— If they ask why I Conform not I say I do as far as any Law bindeth me If they ask why I take not this Oath I say Because I neither understand it nor can prevail with Rulers to Explain it And if have a good sence I have not only subscribed to it but to much more in a Book called The second Plea for Peace page 60 61 62. Where also I have professed my Loyalty much further than this Oath extendeth But if it have a bad sence I will not take it And I find the Conformists utterly disagreed of the Sence and most that I hear of renouncing that sence which the words signifie in their common use And knowing that Perjury is a mortal Enemy to the Life and Safety of Kings and the Peace of Kingdoms and to Converse and to Man's Salvation I will not dally with such a dangerous Crime Nor will I deceive my Rulers by Stretches and Equivocations nor do I believe Lying lawful after all that Grotius de Iure Belli and Bishop Taylor Duct Dub. have said for it I think Oaths imposed are to be taken in the ordinary sense of the words if the Imposers put not another on them And I dare not Swear that a Commission under the Broad-Seal is no Commission till I that am no Lawyer know it to be Legal Nor yet that the Lord Keeper may Depose the King without resistance by Sealing Commissions to Traytors to seize on his Forts Navy Militia or Treasure Nor can I consent to make all the present Church-Government as unalterable as the Monarchy especially when the Seventh Canon extendeth it to an caetèra to Arch-bishops Bishops Deans Arch-deacons and the rest that bear Office in the same not
Sin from dark and doubtful Providences which are not our Rule but only some Effects of the Will of God that as to Events are clear but as to Truth and Duty can tell us nothing or very little but in full Subordination to our Rule from which they must receive their Light And of all Providences few are darker than Motions and Troubles from our own Thoughts so many and secret and powerful Causes are there within us and about us of Misapprehensions and misled Passions that its very dangerous boldly to Judge of the Mind of God by our own disturbed Minds when it is our Duty to judge our own Minds by God's and God's Mind by his Word his particular Providences being mostly but to help the Word in working in a Subordination to it 2. I cannot be sure that know him not but I suspect by the Narrative that this is Mr. L.'s Case 1. His Heart being upright in what he had before done God in Mercy gave into his Mind that Light concerning Catholicism and Brotherly Love and other Truths contained in his Papers which tended to his Satisfaction and Recovery 2. Upon the sight of this much Truth it must needs raise some Trouble in his Mind that he had acted contrarily before and yet the Words of the contrary Minded holding him in suspence and unresolved about his future Practice at least increased his Trouble an unresolved Mind in great Matters being a Burden to it self 3. And the terrible Threats and hard Prognosticks of these Dissenters and their Censures of him might yet sink deeper For it is the way of some to fall upon our Passions instead of our Judgments and stir up Fears in us instead of convincing us As the Papists win abundance by telling them that no others can be saved as if we should be frightened to the Party that will be most uncharitable when Charity is the Christians Badge So I doubt too many do that we have now to speak of 4. The Apprehension of his Peoples Discontent and some bad Consequents to them and himself that he Apprehended would follow his Return did yet make the disturbance more 5. The long and serious Study of the Matter with much Intention might yet go farther 6. And by all these means I conjecture he is somewhat surprized with Melancholy 7. And then if that prove so its very hard to gather the Mind of God from his Disturbances for they will follow the Impresses on his own disturbed Mind But all these are but my distant Conjectures from what you write But to come nearer 3. Whether he have contracted any Melancholy or no this is my Judgment of the Causes of his Changes 1. God caused his Light and Convictions in much Mercy that 's evident by the Conformity of his Assertions here to the Word of God and the Principles of Christianity 2. Satan envyed him and others the Mercy that was given in and therefore I verily think he is the cause of his Horrors and Troubles when he thinks of returning to Unity with others and wholly withdrawing himself from the Schism My Reasons are 1. Because I know that the Work is of God and Ergo who but Satan should be against it 2. Because that Troubling and Terrifying and Disturbing the Passions is usually his Work especially when it is against God's Light God worketh by Light and drawing the Heart to Truth and Goodness But Satan usually worketh by stirring in the Passions to muddy the Judgment 3. Common Experience tells us That it is his ordinary way where once he hath got Power to give quiet in Sin and to trouble and terrify upon Thoughts of Recovery Quest. But how should he have such Power with a Servant of God This leadeth me more particularly to answer your first Question God frequently giveth him such Power over his own Servants 1. When the Service we are upon is a recovering Work which implyeth our former Guilt It was no small Sin though ignorantly committed by an honest Heart for Mr. L. to separate and draw so many with him and put so much Credit and Countenance upon a Cause that hath made such sad and miserable work among the Saints O! What Churches might we have had by this time in England if the Enemy had not made use of our dividing Friends to his Advantage and to do his Work Now you must not marvel if the Accuser and Executioner have some Power given him to be a Vexation to a Godly Man after such Guilt And indeed so few look back that fall into Divisions that Mr. L. should not grudge at a little Perplexity that meets him in the way of so great a Mercy An ingenuous Mind would not come out of so great a Sin whithout some moderate Trouble for it and for it it is meritoriously and should be intentionally 2. Especially if Melancholy give him advantage Satan that commonly worketh by that means and Instrument may do Wonders 3. And I shall tell you of some other ends in the conclusion that I conjecture at To your Second Question I say it seems to me as is said a hard thing yea impossible to judge of his Cause by these his Passions But it 's most probable by far that this Distress of Spirit is for his former Sin in separating to say nothing of Re-baptizing and that it is also a gracious Providence for some further Good that yet he knows not of To the Third Question I answer I know not the State of Mr. Goodwin's Church and Ergo can say nothing to it whether he should return thither But my Judgment is 1. That he should in Prudence a little forbear deserting his separated Church for the ends in the Conclusion mentioned 2. That when he removeth he should preach the Gospel on the Terms in the end 3. That if he must be a private Member he should rather go to Mr. Goodwin's Church than another if it be rightly constituted because he thence removed But if it be disorderly gathered out of many Parishes without Necessity were I in his case I would rather join with another Church and that in the Parish where he lives if there be a Church that is fit to be joined with if not I would remove my Dwelling to the Parish that I would join with Cohabitation is the Aptitude requisite to Church-Membership To Your Question Why his Conscience feels not this Duty I know not unless providence mean as I shall speak anon But I marvel if he feels not the Sin of his Separation To your Fourth I answer Having drawn so many into a Schism it is his great unquestionable Duty to do all that he can to get them out of it and if he cannot to leave them and partake no longer in their Sins yea and do more than this for his Recovery and theirs To your Fifth Question It is answered in the former he ought openly to disown the Sin of Separation To the Sixth If he be Melancholy let him forbear Studies if not he should
though Fear without Love be not a state of Saving Grace and greater Love to the World than to God be not consistent with Sincerity yet a little predominant Love prevailing against worldly Love conjunct with a far greater measure of Fear may be a state of Special Grace And that Fear being an easier and irresistible Passion doth oft obscure that measure of Love which is indeed within us And that the Soul of a Believer groweth up by degrees from the more troublesome but safe Operations of Fear to the more high and excellent Operations of Complacential Love even as it hath more of the sense of the Love of God in Christ and belief of the Heavenly Life which it approacheth And that it is long before Love be sensibly predominant in respect of Fear that is of Self-love and Self-preservation though at the first it is predominant against Worldly Love And I found that my hearty Love of the Word of God and of the Servants of God and my desires to be more holy and especially the hatred of my Heart for loving God no more and my Love to love him and be pleasing to him was not without some Love to himself though it workt more sensibly on his nearer Image 4. Another of my Doubts was because my Grief and Humiliation was no greater and because I could weep no more for this But I understood at last that God breaketh not all Mens hearts alike and that the gradual proceedings of his Grace might be one cause and my Nature not apt to weep for other Things another And that the Change of our Heart from Sin to God is true Repentance and a loathing of our selves is true Humiliation and that he that had rather leave his Sin than have leave to keep it and had rather be the most holy than have leave to be unholy or less holy is neither without true Repentance nor the Love of God 5. Another of my Doubts was because I had after my Change committed some Sins deliberately and knowingly And be they never so small I thought he that could sin upon knowledge and deliberation had no true Grace and that if I had but had as strong Temptations to Fornication Drunkenness Fraud or other more heinous Sins I might also have committed them And if these proved that I had then no Saving Grace after all that I had felt I thought it unlikely that ever I should have any This stuck with me longer than any of the rest and the more because that every Sin which I knowingly committed did renew it And the terms on which I receive Consolation against it are these Not as those that think every Sin against Knowledge doth nullifie all our former Grace and Unregenerate us and that every time we Repent of such we have a new Regeneration but 1. All Saving Grace doth indeed put the Soul into a state of Enmity to Sin as Sin and consequently to every known Sin 2. This Enmity must shew it self in Victory for bare striving when we are overcome and yielding to sin when we have a while striven against it proveth not the Soul to be sincere 3. Yet do not God's Children always overcome for then they should not sin at all But he that saith he hath no sin deceiveth himself 4. God's Children always overcome those Temptations which would draw them to a wicked unholy state of Life and would unregenerate them and change their State and turn them back from God to a fleshly worldly Life and also to any particular Sin which proveth such a state and signifieth a Heart which hath more habitual Love to the World than unto God which may well be called a Mortal Sin as proving the Sinner in a state of Death as others may be called Venial Sins which are consistent with Spiritual Life and a Justified State 5. Therefore whenever a justified Person sinneth the Temptation at that time prevaileth against the Spirit and the Love of God! not to the Extinction of the Love of God nor to the Destruction of the Habit nor the setting up of the contrary Habit in predominancy as setting up the Habitual Love of any Sin above the habitual Love of God! The inclination of the Soul is still most to God And he esteemeth him most and preferreth him in the adherence of his Will in the main bent and course of Heart and Life only he is overcome and so far abateth the actual Love and Obedience to God as to commit this particular Act of Sin and remit or omit that Act of Love 6. And this it is possible for a Justified Person to do upon some deliberation For as Grace may strive one instant only in one Act and then be suddenly overcome so it may strive longer and keep the Mind on Considerations of restraining Motives and yet be overcome 7. For it is not the meeâ— Length of Consideration which is enough to excite the Heart against Sin but there must be clearness of Light and liveliness in those Considerations And sometimes a sudden Conviction is so clear and great and sensible that in an instant it stireeth up the Soul to an utter abhorrence of the Temptation when the same Man at another time may have all the same thoughts in so sleepy a degree as shall not prevail And sometimes the weakness of Grace as much appeareth by making no resistance at all by causing deliberation even in Sins of Passion and Surprize as at other times it doth by yielding after dull deliberations 8. And though a little Sin must be hated and universal Obedience must prove our Sincerity and no one Sin must be wilfully continued in yet it is certain that God's Servants do not oft commit Sins materially great and heinous as Fornication Drunkenness Perjury Oppression Deceit c. and yet that they often commit some lesser Sins as idle thoughts and idle words and dulness in holy Duties defectiveness in the Love of God and omission of holy Thoughts and Words c. And that the Tempter oft getteth advantage even with them by telling them that the Sin is small and such as God's Servants ordinarily commit and that naturally we fly with greater fear from a great danger than from a less from a wound at the heart than a cut finger And therefore one reason why idle words and sinful thoughts are even deliberately oftner committed than most heinous Sins is because the Soul is not awaked so much by fear and care to make resistance And Love needeth the help of fear in this our weak condition 9. And it is certain that ususally the Servants of God being men of most knowledge do therefore sin against more knowledge than others do for there are but few Sins which they know not to be Sins They know that idle Thoughts and Words and the omissions of the contrary are their sins 10. There are some Sins of such difficulty to avoid as the disorder or omission of holy Thoughts and the defects of Love to God c.
some Errors of that Church or the like to consult of it that we may not also injuriously exclude him from our common Communion 6. In such cases of Error or Male-administratition to admonish Neighbour Ministers and Churches as also in case of any Abuse of their Pastors or choice of unsound heretical or ungodly Pastors or cherishing Seducers or ungodly Persons in their Churches or neglecting Discipline or faling to looseness or in case of Scandals among them or of Offences and Divisions among themselves or between them and some Neighbour-church or many the like cases the Advice and Admonitions of the Neighbour associated Pastors should be directed to them for their Recovery which cases single Ministers cannot so well be informed of nor perform their Duty with so much Advantage as the Association may 7. To concur in some Admonitions to the intractable and incorrigible of our several Parishes that they that will not hear their own Teachers through any Prejudice may be prevailed with by many and to strengthen our Hands and the Reputation of our Doctrine and common Duties with the People by our Unity and Concord 8. To help one another but especially the younger sort of Ministers to whom it may be as an Academy by Conference Disputations and other profitable Exercises and preaching they that ordinarily preach have need sometimes to hear and to have a Communication from their Brothrens Gifts as well as the People have from them 9. Those Ministers that scruple censuring any Offender without the consent of other Ministers may here take their consent and young Ministers that are unskilful in managing such Works may take Advice 10. We may here agree upon the fittest manner and season and persons and places in our helping the Congregations that are ignorant ill-provided or unprovided of Ministers or dangerously corrupted and may advise any Neighbour Churches that send to us to help them to a fit Minister or in the like cases 11. Because it is impossible to enumerate punctually the cases in which it is lawful to take Members to a particular Church out of another Church or Parish all Churches and Pastors shall give an account of any such Action to these Associations if any be offended with them Where it shall be enquired whether the Action be dishonourable to God and injurious to the publick Good of the Churches if it be not the Offence is removed If they find it be the Parties offending are to be admonished and if they give not Satisfaction it is to be enquired whether there be any thing in the Principles and manner of the Action that makes it an intollerable Offence to the Churches If there be then after sufficient Admonition and waiting the Guilty if impenitent are to be cast out of our common Communion or the Churches to resolve to have no Christian Communion with them But if there be no such heinous intollerable Ingredient we must be content only to admonish them and disown the Sin and continue Communion with them In like manner if any Scandal be raised of any Brother of the Association or if any have an Accusation against him we must hear them and he must be responsible and give account of his Ways though not as to his Governors yet as to his Brethren to remove Offence and to keep clear the way of holy Communion 12. It will be most regular and avoid the hurt of the Churches if Ordination of Ministers be either performed by these Assemblies on the Ministers to be ordained be here tried and approved and the Ordination to be performed in the Church to which he is ordained by such as they appoint or by the teaching Elders of that Church it self after their Approbation of the Person In these Twelve Particulars you may see what use there is of these Misterial Associations and Assemblies without medling with a superior governing Power and how great Reason there is that all sober godly peaceable Ministers should join in them even for communion of Pastors and Churches and the promoting of our common Work and Welfare 9. Let these Associations chuse their Presidents or Moderators and any fit Name by which they will call him and determine whether he shall be pro tempore or how long or fixed as long as he liveth and is the fittest according to the Judgment of the Ministers For this is not a case in which Men can be forced from their Liberty And if any will so far make use of his Advice as to be guided by him as none can deny him that Liberty of his own Mind so he must not seek to bind all others to the same Subjection but those that bring themselves to it by the same Estimation have their Liberty as he 10. Though it be not of necessity yet would it be of great conveniency and use if the Magistrate would be with us or appoint some Substitute to represent him in all our Assemblies that he may be a Witness of our Proceedings and see that we do no wrong to the Commonwealth and avoid all Suspicions that may be occasioned by Rumors But principally that he may see how far it is meet for him in any case to second us by his Power For as in many cases the Power of the Magistrate ought to be used to second the Ministry as to restrain Men from publishing demnable Heresies from disturbing the Churches Peace c. so we think it a vile abuse of Magistrates to require them to be the meer Executioners of our Sentences and to punish Men only because we have Excommunicated them before he know the justness of the cause As the Church or Ministers are Judges when the Question is whether such a Man is to be avoided rejected or excommunicated for Heresie or any Sin so the Magistrate only is Judge when the Question is whether he be to be corporally punished for Heresie or any Sin and therefore he must know the cause 11. As those Neighbour-Ministers that live at convenient Distance for such Communion should hold such Associations as aforesaid so the Communion of Christians and Pastors in special being to be extended as far as natural and moral capacity will permit it is meet that there be for more extensive Communion some more general Assemblies of the Ministers to be held by the Delegates of these Associations for matters that are of more general Concernment yea and that by Messengers and Letters we hold such correspondency with the Churches of Christ abroad as is necessary to promote the common Cause and the Love and Communion of the Saints 12. If these Associations should attempt any thing unjust and injurious to the Commonwealth or a corrupt Majority should grow in time to countenance either Heresy or Ungodliness or they should by Contentions among themselves disturb the Peace of the Churches and divide them and fall a railing at or excommunicating personately one another it is here the Magistrates Duty to interpose and reprehend and correct them and displace the unworthy and
he would first but spend two Hours in verbal Disputation in the way I had proposed viz. That he should spend one Hour in giving his Reasons for her Change and I might answer them and the other Hour I would give my Reasons against it and he should answer me And after that we would go to it by Writing But a Day or two after when I came for Answer to this Proposal the Lady was gone being secretly stolen from her Mother in a Coach and so I understood the meaning of this Offer and never could see the Face of any of her Priests § 85. At last it was discovered that the Man that seduced her and refused Disputation was this Mr. Iohnson oâ— Terret the same Man that I had before conferred and wrote with And yet when I asked her whether it were he she plainly and positively said it was not and when a Servant went after her Coach and overtook her in Lincolns-Inn-Fields she positively promised to come again and said she went but to see a Friend Also she complained to the Queen-Mother of her Mother as if she used her hardly for Religion which was false in a Word her Mother told me that before she turned Papist she scarce ever heard a Lye from her and since then she could believe nothing that she said This was the Darling of that excellent wise religious Lady the Widow of an excellent Lord which made the Affliction great and taught her to moderate her Affections to all Creatures This Perversion had been a long time secretly working before she knew of it all which time the young Lady would join in Prayer with her Mother and jeer at Popery till she was detected and then she said she might join with them no more § 86. They that stole her away conveyed her to France and there put her into a Nunnery where she is 〈◊〉 dead Not long after her departure she sent a Letter superscribed to her Lady Mother c. and subscribed Sister Anna Maria c. It contained the Reasons of her Perversion And though I knew they were not like to suffer her to read it I wrote an Answer to it at her Mother's desire which was sent to her by her Mother The Letter which I sent her the day before she was stoln away and tthe Answer to that her Letter from the Nunnery I thought meet here to insert which are as followeth The Letter to the Lady Anne Lindsey Madam THE Reasons that moved me to be so importunate with you for a Conference in your hearing with the ablest Jesuit Priest or other Papist you could get were as I told you 1. My very high esteem of your truly Honourable Mother whose Sorrow hath been so great for your Delusion that I must confess though but a Stranger I suffer much with her by Compassion And as it would much relieve her if you were recovered so if God deny her that Mercy it will somewhat satisfie her Conscience that she hath not been wanting in the use of means 2. And for your own sake whom I the more compassionate because you are not only the Daughter of such Parents but of so modest and sober a Disposition your self that I am not out of hopes of your Recovery though the Disease be such as few are cured of that catch it by relapse and desertion of the Truth I can imagine nothing but Consciousness of a bad Cause that can cause them thus to decline a Conference You say the Person well knoweth me though I know not him and dare trust himself c. why then will he not meet me to debate the Case He cannot but have exceeding great odds or advantages of me as to personal preparations for they are trained up meerly to this work I am loath to say to deceive and have all the helps that Art can afford them I was never of any Universitie nor had one Months assistance of any Tutor in all my Studies of Sciences or Theology If you can get no Jesuit Fryar 〈◊〉 Priest that will fairly debate his Cause with one of so poor Preparations and Abilities doth it not shew that they are lamentably diffident of their Cause All the Conditions or Terms that I desire to be before agreed to are but these 1. That I may one day produce my Reasons why you should not have turned Papist and therefore should return and he Answer them as I urge them And that the next day or the first if he desire it he will produce his Reasons why you ought to turn to them as you did and I answer them 2. That we may speak by turns without interrupting one another 3. That whatever Passages must be determined by Books or Witnesses that are not at hand they may be noted down and left till there be leisure to peruse them 4. That there be two Witnesses on each side of whom one to be a Scribe and as many more as he desireth And I and those with me shall be engaged to do him no wrong by any discovery of his Person to endanger him as to the Law or Governours This is all that I should oblige him to beforehand I again intreat you if one will not get another to moderate the Work I understand by you that the Person you depend on avoideth me not in any Contempt for you tell me he hath honourable thoughts of me and well knoweth me If so why will he not confer with me as well as he hath done with Dr. Gunning For Writing 1. It 's like he knoweth that I am here engaged in so much unavoidable Work that I have scarce time to eat or sleep 2. You cannot but know that by Writing it's like to be a year or many years work And themselves have cut me out Work enough already for my Pen if I had no more and now would take me off it that I might be forced to omit one I look not to live to end a Dispute by Writing so many are my Infirmities and are you content to stay so long before you have the benefit 3. If Writings will be useful to you may you not as well read what is written already Many great Volumes are yet unanswered by them 4. I have already written divers Writings against their Delusiâ—ns viz. The Safe Religion A Key for Catholicks c. A Winding sheet for Popery The true Catholick and the Catholick Church described A Disputetion with Mr. Johnson about the Successâ—â—â— Visibility of the Church and they never answered any one of them no not so much as the single Shet that ever I heard oâ— When they have answered them all let them call for more or offer writing 5. But yet rather than be wanting to you let the Person but vouchsafe 〈◊〉 this Verbal Conference first and try what we can do in a few hours there and if there shall then appear to be cause â—o prosecute it by Writing I intend not to fail of taking the first opportunity for it that greater
Works are concauses with faith in the act of Iustification Dr. Dove also hath given Scandal in that point 3. Some have preached the Works of Penance are satisfactory before God 4. Some have preached that private Consession by particular Enumeration of Sins is necessary to Salvation necessitate medii both those Errours have been questioned at the Consistory at Cambridge 5. Some have maintained that the Absolution which the Priest pronounceth is more than Declaratory 6. Some have published That there is a proper Sacrifice in the Lord's Supper to exhibit Christ's Death in the Postfact as there was a Sacrifice to prefigure in the Old Law in the Antefact and therefore that we have a true Altar and therefore not only metaphorically so called so Dr. Heylin and others in the last Summers Convocation where also some defended that the Oblation of the Elements might hold the Nature of the true Sacrifice others the Consumption of the Elements 7. Some have introduced Prayer for the Dead as Mr. Brown in his printed Sermon and some have coloured the use of it with Questions in Cambridge and disputed that Precespro Defunct is now supponunt Purgatoriuâ— 8. Divers have oppugned the certitude of Salvation 9. Some have maintained the lawfulness of Monastical Vows 10. Some have maintained that the Lord's Day is kept meerly by Ecclesiastical Constitution and that the Day is changeable 11. Some have taught as new and dangerous Doctrine that the Subjects are to pay any Sums of Money imposed upon them though without Law nay contrary to the Laws of the Realm as Dr. Sybthorp and Dr. Manwaring Bishop of St. Davids in their printed Sermons whom many have followed of late years 12. Some have put Scorns upon the two Books of Homilies calling them either Popular Discourses or a Doctrine useful for those Times wherein they were set forth 13. Some have defended the whole gross Substance of Arminianism that Electio eft ex fide praevisa That the Act of Conversion depends upon the Concurrence of Man's Freewill That the justified Man may fall finally and totally from Grace 14. Some have defended Universal Grace as imparted as much to Reprobates as to the Elect and have proceeded usque ad salutem Ethnicorum which the Church of England hath Anathematized 15. Some have absolutely denied Original Sin and so evacuated the Cross of Christ as in a Disputation at Oxon. 16. Some have given excessive Cause of Scandal to the Church as being suspected of Socinianism 17. Some have defended that Concupiscence is no sin either in the habit or first motion 18. Some have broacht out of Socinus a most uncomfortable and desperate Doctrine That late Repentance that is upon the last Bed of Sickness is unfruitful at least to reconcile the Penitent to God Add unto these some dangerous and most reproveable Books 1. The Reconciliation of Sancta Clara to knit the Romish and Protestant in one Memorand That he be caused to produce Bishop Watson's Book of the like Reconciliation which he speaks of 2. A Book called Brevis Disquisitio printed as it is thought in London and vulgarly to be had which impugneth the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity and the verity of Christ's Body which he took of the Blessed Virgin in Heaven and the verity of our Resurrection 3. A Book called Timotheus Philalethes de Pace Ecclesiae which holds that every Religion will save a Man if he holds the Covenant Innovations in Discipline 1. The turning of the holy Table Altar-wise and most commonly calling it an Altar 2. Bowing towards it or towards the East many times with three Congees but usually in every motion access or recess in the Church 3. Advancing Candlesticks in many Churches upon the Altar so called 4. In making Canopies over the Altar so called with Traverses and Curtains on each side and before it 5. In compelling all Communicants to come up before the Rails and there to Receive 6. In advancing Crucifixes and Images upon the Parafront or Altar-cloth so called 7. In reading some part of the Morning Prayer at the Holy Table when there is no Communion celebrated 8. By the Minister's turning his back to the West and his face to the East when he pronounceth the Creed or reads Prayers 9. By reading the Litany in the midst of the Body of the Church in many of the Parochial Churches 10. By pretending for their Innovations the Injunctions and Advertisements of Queen Elizabeth which are not in force but by way of Commentary and Imposition and by putting to the Liturgy printed secundo tertio Edwardi sexti which the Parliament hath Reformed and laid aside 11. By offering of Bread and Wine by the hand of the Churchwardens or others before the Consecration of the Elements 12. By having a Credentia or Side-Table besides the Lord's Table for divers uses in the Lord's Supper 13. By introducing an Offertory before the Communion distant from the giving of Alms to the Poor 14. By prohibiting the Ministers to expound the Catechism at large to their Parishioners 15. By suppressing of Lectures partly on Sundays in the Afternoon partly on Week-days performed as well by Combination as some one Man 16. By prohibiting a direct Prayer before Sermon and bidding or Prayer 17. By singing the Te Deum in Prose after a Cathedral Church way in divers Parochial Churches where the People have no skill in such Musick 18. By introducing Latin-Service in the Communion of late in Oxford and into some Colledges in Cambridge at Morning and Evening Prayer so that some young Students and the Servants of the Colledge do not understand their Prayers 19. By standing up at the Hymns in the Church and always at Gloria Patri 20. By carrying Children from the Baptism to the Altar so called there to offer them up to God 21. By taking down Galleries in Churches or restraining the Building of such Galleries where the Parishes are very populous Memorandum 1. That in all the Cathedral and Collegiate Churches two Sermons be preached every Sunday by the Dean and Prebendaries or by their procurement and likewise every Holy-day and one Lecture at the least to be preached on Working-days every Week all the Year long 2. That the Musick used in God's Holy Service in Cathedral and Collegiate Churches be framed with less Curiosity that it may be more edifying and more intelligible and that no Hymns or Anthems be used where Ditties are framed by private Men but such as are contained in the Sacred Canonical Scriptures or in our Liturgy of Prayers or have publick allowance 3. That the Reading-Desk be placed in the Church where Divine Service may beâ—t be heard of all the People Considerations upon the Book of Common Prayer 1. Whether the Names of some departed Saints and others should not be quire expunged in the Kalender 2. Whether the reading of Psalms Sentences of Scripture concurring in divers places in the Hymns Epistles and Gospel should not be set out in the New Translation 3. Whether
no great disputing Faculty but only a florid Epistolary Stile and was wholly a Stranger to me and to the Matters of Fact and therefore could say nothing to them But only being of a Bold and Roman Spirit he thought that no Suffering should deter a Man from the smallest Duty or cause him to silence any useful Truth And I had formerly seen a Latin Discourse of his against Monarchy which no whit pleased me being a weak Argumentation for a bad Cause So that I desired no such Champion shortly after he went over with the E. of Anglesey whose Houshold Chaplain he was into Ireland and having preached there some times and returning back was apprehended and sent Prisoner to the Tower where he continued long till his Means was all spent and how he hath since procured Bread I know not When he had been Prisoner about a year it seems he was acquainted with Mr. Davis who was also a Prisoner in the Tower This Mr. Davis having been very serviceable in the Restoration of the King and having laid out much of his Estate for his Service thoâ—â— the might be the bolder with his Tongue and Pen and being of a Spirit which some called undaunted but others furious or indiscreet at best did give an unmannerly liberty to his Tongue to accuse the Court of such Crimes with such Aggravations as being a Subject I think it not meet to name At last he talkt so freely in the Tower also that he was shipt away Prisoner to Tangier in Africa Mr. Bagshaw being surprized by L'Estrange and his Chamber searched there was found with him a Paper called Mr. Davis's Case Whereupon he was brought out to speak with the King who examined him of whom he had that Paper and he denied to confess and spake so boldly to the King as much offended him whereupon he was sent back to the Tower and laid in a deep dark dreadful Dungeon When he had lain there three or four Days and Nights without Candle Fire Bed or Straw he fell into a terrible fit of the Haemorrboids which the Physicians thought did save his Life for the pain was so vehement that it kept him in a sweat which cast out the Infection of the Damp. At last by the solicitation of his Brother who was a Conformist and dearly loved him he was taken up and after that was sent away to Southsea-Castle an unwholesome place in the Sea by Portsmouth where if he be alive he remaineth close Prisoner to this day with Vavasor Powel a Preacher of North-Wales and others speeding worse than Mr. Crofton who was at last released § 261. While I was in Shropshire and Worcestershire it fell out that some one printed one of our Papers given into the Bishops And though I was above an hundred miles off yet was it all imputed to me and Roger L'Estrange put it in the News Book that it was supposed to be my doing Indeed when Dr. Gunning had asked me Whether we would keep ours from the Press if they would do the same by theirs I would not promise him but told him though I supposed that none of us intended to be so presumptuous as to publish them without Authority yet I could promise nothing for all them that were absent nor could any one promise it when so many Scriveners were intrusted to Transcribe them that the King and Bishops might have Copies and whether any of those Scriveners might keep a Copy for themselves I knew not And after this most of the other Papers were printed by I know not whom to this day But I conjectured that a poor Man that I paid for writing me a Copy Dr. Reignolds's Curate was likeliest to do it to get some what to supply his very great wants but I am utterly uncertain But I had intelligence that the second Papers were in the Press and that Malice might impure it to me no more I went to Secretary Morrice and acquainted him with it that he might send a Messenger to surprize them But he told me that if I could assure him that the Bishops had not given consent I should have a warrant to search for them I told him that I knew not what the Bishops had done but he might easily conjecture Nor would I search for them but having told him left him to do what he thought meet § 262. And here I must give notice That whereas there are then printed 1. Our first Proposals for Concord in Discipline 2. Our Papers upon the sight of the first Draught of the King's Declaration 3. Our Petition and Reasons to the Bishops for Peace 4. Our Reformed Liturgy 5. Our Exceptions against the Faults of the Common Prayer Book 6. Our Reply to the Bishops Answer to these Exceptions with the Answer it self verbatim inserted 7. Our last Account and Petition to the King 8. A Copy of all their Disputation for the Liturgy with our Answers all these being surreptitiously printed save the first piece by some poor Men for gain without our Knowledge and Correction are so falsly printed that our wrong by it is very great Whole Lines are left out the most significant words are preverted by Alterations and this so frequently that some parts of the Papers especially our large Reply and our last Account to the King are made Nonsence and not intelligible But the last Paper Dr. Pierson's and Dr. Gunning's Disputation I confess was not printed without my knowledge For Bishop Morley's misreports with so great confidence uttered had made it of some necessity But I added not one Syllable by way of Commentary the words themselves being sufficient for his Confutation If I remember I will give you in the end of this Book the Errata of them all that they that have the printed Copies may know how to correct them § 263. The coming forth of these Papers had various effects It increased the burning indignation which before was kindled against me on one side and it somewhat mitigated the Censures that were taken up against me on the other side For you must know that the Chief of the Congregational or Independent Party took it ill that we took not them with us in our Treaty and so did a few of the Presbyterian Divines all whom we so far passed by as not to invite them to our Councils though they were as free as we to have done the like because we knew that it would be but a hinderance to us partly because their Persons were unacceptable and partly because it might have delayed the Work And most of the Independents and some few Presbyterians raised it as a common Censure against us that if we had not been so forward to meet the Bishops with the offers of so much at first and to enter a Treaty with them without just cause we had all had better Terms and standing off would have done more good so that though my Person and Intentions had a more favourable Censure from them than some others yet for the
Action I was commonly censured by them as one that had granted them too much and wronged my Brethren by entring into this Treaty oâ—t of too earnest a desire of Concord with them Thus were Men on both extreams offended with me and I found what Enmity Charity and Peace are like to meet with in the 〈◊〉 But when these Papers were printed the Independents confess that we had dealt faithfully and satisfactorily And indifferent men said that Reason had once whelmed the Cause of the Dioâ—esans and that we had offered them so much a test them utterly without Excuse And the moderate Episcopal Men said the same But the engaged Prelatist were vehemently displeased that these Papers should 〈◊〉 câ—me abroad Though many of them here published were never before printed because none had Copies of them but my self § 264. Bishop Morley told me when he Silenced me that our Papers would be answered 〈◊〉 long But no Man to this day that ever we could hear of hath answered them which were unanswered Either our Reasons for Peace or our Litugy or our large Reply or our Answers to Dr. Pierson's Argument c. only Roger L'Estrange the writer of the News Book hath raised out a great many words against some of them And a nameless Author thought to be Dr. Wommock hath answered one part of one Subject in our Reply which is about excluding all Prayers from the Pulpit besides Common Prayer and in very plausible Language he saith as much as can be said for so bad a Cause viz. for the prohibiting all Extemporary Prayer in the Church And when he cometh to the chief strength of our Reasons he passeth it by and faith that in answering so much as he did the Answer to the rest may be gathered And to all the rest of the Subjects he faith nothing much less to all our other Papers § 265. Also another nameless Author commonly said to be Sir Henry Yelverton wrote a Book for Bishop Morley against me But neither he nor Boreman nor Wommâ—â—k ever saw me for ought I know and I am sure he is as strange to the Cause as to me For he taketh it out of Bishop Morley's Book and supposing what he hath written to be true he findeth some words of Censorious Application to make a Book of § 266. And about the same time Sir Robert Holt a Knight of Warwickshire near Brâ—â—â—â—châ—m spake in the Parliament House against Mr. Calamy and me by name as preaching or praying seditiously but not one syllable named that we said And another time he named me for my Holy Commonwealth § 267. And about that time Bishop Morley having preferred a young Man named Mr. S Orator of the University of Oxford a fluent witty Satyrist and one that was sometime motioned to me to be my Curate at Kidderminster this Man being Houshold Chaplain to the Lord Chancellour was appointed to preach before the King where the Crowd had high Expectations of some vehement Satyr But when he had preached a quarter of an hour he was utterly at a loss and so unable to recollect himself that he could go no further but cryed The Lord be merciful to our Infirmities and so came down But about a Month after they were resolved yet that Mr. S should preach the same Sermon before the King and not lose his expected Applause And preach it he did little more than half an hour with no admiration at all of the Hearers And for his Encouragement the Sermon was printed And when it was printed many desired to see what words they were that he was stopped at the first time And they found in the printed Copy all that he had said first and one of the next Passages which he was to have delivered was against me for my Holy Common-wealth § 268. And so vehement was the Endeavour in Court City and Country to make me contemptible and odious as if the Authours had thought that the Safety either of Church or State did lye upon it and all would have been safe if I were but vilified and hated Insomuch that Durell the French Minister that turned to them and wrote for them had a senseless snatch at me in his Book and Mr. Stoope the Pastor of the French Church was banished or forbidden this Land as Fame said for carrying over our Debates into France So that any Stranger that had but heard and seen all this would have asked What Monster of Villany is this Man and what is the Wickedness that he is guilty of Yet was I never questioned to this day before a Magistrate Nor do my Adversaries charge me with any personal wrong to them nor did they ever Accuse me of any Heresie nor much contemn my Judgment nor ever accuse my Life but for preaching where another had been Sequestred that was an insufficient Reader and for preaching to the Soldiers of the Parliament though none of them knew my Business there nor the Service that I did them These are all the Crimes besides my Writings that I ever knew they charged my Life with But Envy and Carnal Interest was so destitute of a Mask that they every where openly confessed the Cause for which they endeavoured my Defamation and Destruction especially the Bishops that set all on work 1. As one Cause was their own over-valuing of my Parts which they made account I would employ against them 2. Another was that they thought the Reputation of my blameless Life would add to my ability to deserve them 3. Another was that they thought my Interest in the People to be far greater than indeed it was 4. But the principal of all was my Conference before the King and at the Savoy in both which it fell out that Bishop Morley and I were the bassest Talkers except Dr. Gunning and that it was my lot to contradict him who was not so able either to bear or seem to bear it as I thought at least his Honour would have instructed him to be 5. And my refusing a Bishoprick increased the indignation And Colonel Birth that first came to offer it me told me that they would ruine us if we refused it Yet did I purposely forbear ever mentioning it on all occasions 6. And it was not the least Cause that my being for Primitive Episcopacy and not for Presbytery and being not so far from them in some other Points of Doctrine and Worship as many Nonconformists are they thought I was the abler to undermine them 7. And another Cause was that they judged of the rest of my Talk and Life by my Conference at the Savoy not knowing that I took that to be my present Duty which Fidelity to the King and Church commanded me faithfully to do whoever was displeased by it and that when that time was over I took it to be my Duty to live as peaceably as any Subject in the Land and not to use mâ— Tongue or Pen against the Government which the King was pleased to appoint
Lives zealously and constantly continue therein against all Opposition and promote the same according to our power against all Lets and Impediments whatsoever And that we are not able our selves to suppress or overcome we shall reveal and make known that it may be timely prevented or removed All which we shall do as in the sight of God And because these Kingdoms are guilty of many Sins and Provocations against God and his Son Iesus Christ as is too manifest by our present Distresses and Dangers the Fruits thereof We profess and declare before God and the World our unfeigned desire to be humbled for our own Sins and for the Sins of these Kingdoms especially that we have not as we ought valued the inestimable benefit of the Gospel that we have not laboured for the purity and power thereof and that we have not endeavoured to receive Christ in our hearts nor to walk worthy of him in our lives which are the Causes of other Sins and Transgressions so much abounding amongst us And our true and unfeigned purpose desire and endeavour for our selves and all others under our power and charge both in publick and in private in all Duties we owe to God and Man to amend our Lives and each one to go before another in the Example of a real Reformation That the Lord may turn away his Wrath and heavy Indignation and establish these Churches and Kingdoms in Truth and Peace And this Covenant we make in the presence of Almighty God the Searcher of all hearts with a true intention to perform the same as we shall answer at that great Day when the Secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed Most humbly beseeching the Lord to strengthen us by his Holy Spirit for this end and to bless our Desires and Proceedings with such Success as may be Deliverance and Safety to his People and encouragement to other Christian Churches groaning under or in danger of the Yoke of Antichristian Tyranny to ioyn in the same or like Association and Covenant to the Glory of God the Inlargement of the Kingdom of Iesus Christ and the Peace and Tranquility of Christian Kingdoms and Common-wealths The Oath and Declaration imposed upon the Lay-Conformists in the Corporation Act the Vestry Act c. are as followeth The Oath to be taken I. A. B. do declare and believe That it is not lawful upon any pretence whatsoever to take up Arms against the King and that I do abhor that Traiterous Position of taking Arms by his Authority against his Person or against those that are Commissioned by him So help me God The Declaration to be Subscribed I. A. B. do declare That I hold there lyes no Obligation upon me or any ot her Person from the Oath commonly called The Solemn League and Covenant and that the same was in it self an unlawful Oath and imposed upon the Subjects of this Realm against the known Laws and Liberties of this Kingdom All Vestry Men to make and Subscribe the Declaration following I. A. B. do declare That it is not lawful upon any pretence whatsoever to take Arms against the King and that I do abhor that Traiterous Position of taking Arms by his Authority against his Person or against those that are Commissioned by him And that I will Conform to the Liturgy of the Church of England as it is now by Law established And I do declare That I do hold there lyes no Obligation upon me or any other Person from the Oath commonly called The Solemn League and Covenant to indeavour any Change or Alteration of Government either in Church or State and that the same was in it self an unlawful Oath and imposed upon the Subjects of this Realm against the known Laws and Liberties of this Kingdom The Declaration thus Prefaced in the Act of Uniformity Every Minister after such reading thereof shall openly and publickly before the Congregation there assembled declare his unfeigned Assent and Consent to the use of all things in the said Book contained and prescribed in these words and no other I. A. B. do here declare my unfeigned Assent and Consent to all and every thing contained and prescribed in and by the Book Instituted The Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church according to the use of the Church of England together with the Psalter or Psalms of David pointed as they are to be sung or said in Churches and the Forms or Manner of Making Ordaining and Consecrating of Bishops Priests and Deacons The Declaration to be Subscribed I. A. B. d◠declare That it is not lawful upon any pretence whatsoever to take Arms against the King and that I abhor that Trayterous Position of taking Arms by his Authority against his Person or against those that are Commissionated by him and that I will Conform to the Liturgy of the Church of England as it is now by Law established And I do declare that I do hold there lyes no Obligation upon me or any other Person from the Oath commonly called The Solemn League and Covenant to endeavour any Change or Alteration of Government either in Church or State and that the same was in it self a◠unlawful Oath and imposed upon the Subjects of this Realm against the known Laws and Liberties of this Kingdom The Oath of Canonical Obedience EGo A. B. Iuro quod praestabo Veram Canonicam Obedientiam Episcopo Londinens◠ejusque Successoribus in omnibus licitis honestis § 302. II. The Nonconformists who take not this Declaration Oath Subscription c. are of divers sorts some being further distant from Conformity than others some thinking that some of the forementioned things are lawful and some that none of them are lawful and all have not the same Reasons for their dissent But all are agreed that it is not lawful to do all that is required and therefore they are all cast out of the Exercise of the Sacred Ministry and forbidden to preach the Word of God § 303. The Reasons commonly given by them are either 1. Against the Imposing of the things forementioned or 2. Against the Using of them being imposed Those of the former sort were given into the King and Bishops before the Passing of the Act of Uniformity and are laid down in the beginning of this Book and the Opportunity being now past the Nonconformists now meddle not with that part of the Cause it having seemed good to their Superiours to go against their Reasons But this is worthy the noting by the way that all that I can speak with of the Conforming Party do now justifie only the Using and Obeying and not the Imposing of these things with the Penalty by which they are Imposed From whence it is evident that most of their own Party do now justifie our Cause which we maintained at the Savoy which was against this Imposition whilst it might have been prevented and for which such an intemperate Fury hath
Honour to that Church But it is certain that a particular Congregation with its proper Bishop or Pastors is a Church-Form of Christ's Institution § 354. II. The Second Controversie is about the Obligation of the National Vow or Covenant And here there is a Law made That every Man shall forfeit all his Estate and be perpetually imprisoned who affirmeth That there is any Obligation on him or any other from this Vow to endeavour any alteration of Government in the Church So that those that think there is such an Obligation dare not affirm it And therefore almost all that write or speak on the other side against the Obligation remain unanswered save what Mr. Crofton Mr. Cawdry and some others lightly have done because they must be answered at so dear a rate I suppose the Reader will not take my words as Assertory but as Historical herein acquainting you what it is that sticks with the Nonconformists and maketh them that they dare not say this Oath bindeth none for fear of God as they will not say that it bindeth any for fear of Confiscation and Imprisonment § 355. And here first they premise these General Suppositions which should make all Men exceeding tender of venturing further than they are sure the ground is firm § 356. 1. That Perjury is confessedly one of the most heinous sins that can be committed by Man and if this Subscription should prove perjurious or a justifying of Perjury it would bring upon them the Guilt and Misery following 1. It is an Atheistical Denial of the Omniscience or Justice of God and a taking of his Name in vain and making him the Favourer of a Lie 2. It is a treacherous Breach of Promise to him 3. It is a Sin that deeply woundeth an awakened Conscience and may drive it to despair 4. It overthroweth Humane Societies and maketh a Man unfit for Humane Converse For mutual Trust is the Foundation or Bond of Societies And he whose Oath is not to be trusted is not at all to be trusted any further than his Interest commandeth it 5. It exposeth Kings to the Fury of all that dare venture to do them hurt For if once Subjects be taught that Oaths oblige not what is there to keep them from Treasons and Rebellions but their Carnal Interests And if they be once taught that Princes take not themselves to be obliged by their Oaths and Covenants such Teachers tempt them to think that they are bound no more to their Princes as being uncapable of Trust. So that the Doctrine of Perjury that disobligeth Men from under Vows and Covenants is the most traiterous pernicious Doctrine 5. It exposeth the Kingdom Church and Religion which is guilty of it to reproach yea the greatest reproach of all its Adversaries making them worse than many Heathens 6. It bringeth the Judgments of God on a Nation For God will not hold them guiltless that taketh his Name in vain Saul's Posterity must be hanged before the Famine could be stayed because Saul had broken the Vow made to the Gibeonites by Ioshua 2 Sam. 21. And this heavy Judgment on England at this day which falleth on London and many Corporations terrifying many that read the Corporation Act which casteth all out of Trust and Power who disclaim not absolutely all obligation of the Vow or Covenant as on themselves or any other 7. And how can one that entereth into the Ministry by publick owning Perjury and Falshood ever look for any acceptance of his Ministry by Men or blessing on it or himself in it at least from God Hath God need of Lies and Perjury to his Service Shall we offer such a Sacrifice to him that is most Holy and this under pretence that we desire to serve him by the preaching of his Gospel With what face can we preach against any Sin to the People when our Declarations Subscriptions and Publick Actions have first told them that Perjury it self may be committed I say if this should prove to be perjurious the Covenant being obligatory then would these terrible Consequents follow § 357. 2. And then they say That such enormous Crimes as these should be avoided with much more fear than lesser sins as a Man will less venture upon the danger of the Plague than of the Measles or upon a desperate Precipice than an easie Fall and will avoid more a wound at the Heart than a prick of the Finger And therefore no Rational Man can expect that here they should be venturous § 358. 3. And they add That seeing Affirmatives bind not ad semper and Positive Duties are not Duties at all times therefore to a Man that is rationally fearful and in doubt of so great a sin as Perjury the preaching of the Gospel can be no Duty till those Doubts be sufficiently removed And therefore they wonder to perceive that abundance are brought to Conformity by this Argument I am sure it is a Duty to preach the Gospel but I am not sure that it is a sin to conform therefore Uncertainties must give place to Certainties For it is not a Duty to one of many hundreds to preach the Gospel but only of Ministers Nor is it any more a Minister's Duty that cannot do it without sinful Conditions than it is a Womans Duty Therefore so far as any Man doubteth whether the Terms be lawful he must needs doubt whether it be his Duty yea or lawful for him to preach No Man can be surer that it is his Duty to preach than he is sure that the Conditions of his preaching are lawful But on the other side a Man may for some time well judge that preaching is no Duty to him though he be not sure that the Condition is sinful if he have but rational cause of doubting especially when it is no less than Perjury that he feareth § 359. 4. But they say If it should prove that the Covenant is obligatory it would prove such a sin as is hard to be matched 1. For a Minister of the Gospel to be so guilty 2. And this upon pretence of Serving God 3. And this upon deliberation 4. And to declare the justification of three Kingdoms from so great a guilt even from the highest to the lowest and so to hinder them all from repenting and to Subscribe to it that their Vows oblige them not and the violation of them is no sin And if Perjury be a damning sin hereby to endeavour the damnation of so many thousands and all the Plagues and Miseries on the Land that Perjury may bring 5. And to declare against so needful a Reformation that it is no Duty at all for Rulers or Subjects to endeavour it no not if they have sworn to do it 6. And to put down all this under my Hand as some Conjurers have done that have covenanted with the Devil and given him their Hands to it All this is exceeding terrible if this Vow prove obligatory § 360. 5. In this Case they suppose that it
that professed great Respect to me and a desire to debate those Controversies with me and it proved to be Cressy the Champion that at that time was most forward and successful in Disputes And in that Paper speaking of the Pope's Licensing Whore-houses at Rome he saith that it is worse in London where are whole streets that have not so much as the Rebuke of any Penalty but when they die the Churchmen bury them as the rest with confidence that God in mercy hath taken to himself the Souls of those dear Brethren and Sisters departed I answered his Paper and to that passage said That I was not acquainted in the Suburbs towards the Court but I never heard of any such thing and if he knew it he would do well to tell the Magistrates who know it not what streets those be But for the City within the Walls my Acquaintance more enabled me to say that I did not believe that there was in all the World such a City for Piety Sobriety and Temperance And about a Fortnight after that part was burned and the rest that he accused did escape § 34. And this is the Third terrible Judgment which London suffered since the King's Return First many score of their Faithful Teachers were silenced and cast out and afterwards banished or confined Five Miles from the City And next in 1665. the Plague and other sickness consumed about an Hundred Thousand And when they began to be setled in their Habitations again the Flames devoured their Houses and their substance And it is not hard for the Reader here to imagine how many Thousands this must needs cast into utter Want and Beggary And how many Thousands of the formerly Rich were disabled from relieving them And how doleful the Case then must needs be when good people that were wont to relieve others were cast into such distress and few able to help them And at the same time so many Hundred Families of silenced Ministers to be relieved that looked to London most for Help And after the Fire the Charitable were disabled and also were in no small straits when they had a little to give between the Ministers and the distressed Citizens whom to give it to such are easilier heard of than felt And it was not the least part of the Calamity that when people saw the Number of the indigent to be so great that when they had done their best it seemed as if they had done nothing and also that on this pretence other lying Beggars pretended themselves to be Londoners it discouraged many from doing what they could and ought § 35. Among others the Famousest Person in the City who purposely addicted himself to works of Mercy was my very dear Friend Mr. Henry Ashurst a Draper a man of the Primitive sort of Christians for Humility Love Blamelessness Meekness doing good to all as he was able especially needy silenced Ministers to whom in Lancashire alone he allowed 100 l. per Ann. and in London was most famous for their succour and doing hurt to none His care now was to solicit the Rich abroad for the relief of the poor honest Londoners And Mr. Thomas Gouge the silenced Minister of Sepulchres Parish Son to Dr. Will. Gouge and such another man who made Works of Charity a great part of the business of his Life was made the Treasurer And once a Fortnight they called a great Number of the needy together to receive their Aims I went once with Mr. Ashurst to his Meeting to give them an Exhortation and Counsel as he gave them Alms and saw more cause than I was sensible of before to be thankful to God that I never much needed relief from others § 36. It was not the least observable thing in the time of the Fire and after considering the late Wars and the multitudes of disbanded Soldiers and the great grief and discontent of the Londoners for the Silencing and Banishing of their Pastors that yet there were heard in the time of their Calamity no passionate Words of discontent or dishonour against their Governours even when their Enemies had so oft accused them of feditious Inclinations and when Extremity might possibly have made them desperate § 37. But yet alas the Effect of all these dreadful Judgments was not such as might have been hoped for but still one Party cast all the Cause upon another and the two Extreams did look more at each other's Faults than at their own There was no confessing the Sin of Persecution or silencing Christ's Ministers by the one side but they justified their ways and hated those that differed from them as much as ever There was no lamenting the Corporation PERJURY by the Citizens that had taken the Declaration and Oath and had succeeded them that were put out because they feared an Oath There was no lamenting former Scandals Rebellions or Divisions by the other Extreme but the Dividers cryed out it s long of the Persecutors and the persecuters cryed out its long of the Schismaticks and it is God's just Judgment on the City that hath been so much against the King and the Bishops and God would not pardon them tho the King did So that while each side called the other to repentance they did both fly from repentance more and more And if there were not between them a sober party that lamented sin most but were guilty of least We should see no Prognosticks of any thing but utter desolation § 38. The great talk at this time was Who were the burners of the City And there came in so many Testimonies to prove that it was the plotted weapon of the Papists as caused the Parliament themselves to appoint a Committee to enquire after it and receive information Whereupon a Frenchman proved a Papist at last tho the prodigal Son of a French Protestant confest openly and constantly to the last that he began the fire hired to it by another French Papist a debauch'd fellow that was gone The Man was sent through all the ruines and shewed them truly the house which he fired where it began which then the Neighbours themselves could not easily have done For which he was tryed at the Sessions and upon his constant Confession was condemned and hanged Sir Robert Brooks being Chairman of the Committee abundance of Testimonies were received that in many parts of the City men were seen to cast fire balls into the houses and some strangers taken with fiery materials in their pockets and some that were taken firing houses were brought to the Guard of Soldidiers and to the Duke of York and never heard of afterward With more such matter out of the Countrey where Divers Papists foretold the fire And the Testimonies were shortly after Printed which is the reason why I give them to you no more parcularly And many stories go about with very credible and undenied Reports that be not in the Printed papers As that of Sir Francis Peter a Jesuited Papist who had Lodgings
c. After Baptism put Seing this Child is Sacramentally Regenerated And in the Prayer following put it That it hath pleased Thee Sacramentally to Regenerate and Adopt this Infant and to incorporate him into thy Holy Church Instead of the new Rubrick it is certain by God's Word c. put True Christian Parents have no cause to doubt of the Salvation of their Children dedicated to God in Baptism and dying before they commit any actual sin In the Exhortation put it thus Doubt not therefore but earnestly believe That if this Infant be sincerely dedicated to God by those who have that power and trust God will likewise favourably receive him c. Let not Baptism be privately administred but by a lawful Minister and before sufficient Witnesses and when it is evident that any was so Baptized let no part of the Administration be reiterated Add to the Rubrick of Confirmation or the Preface And the tolerable Understanding of the same Points which are necessary to Confirmation with this owning of their baptismal Covenant shall be also required of those that are not confirmed before their admission to the holy Communion Let it be lawful for the Minister to put other Questions besides those in the Catechism to help the Learners to understand and also to tell them the meaning of the Words as he goeth along Alterations in the Catechism or another allowed Q. WHat is your Name A. N. Q. When was this Name given you A. In my Baptism Q. What was done for you in your Baptism A. I was devoted to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and entred into his Holy Covenant and engaged to take him for my only God my reconciled Father my Saviour and my Sanctifier And to believe the Articles of the Christian Faith and keep God's Commandments sincerely all the Days of my Life Renouncing the Devil and all his works the Pomps and Vanities of this wicked World and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh. Q. What Mercy did you receive from God in this Covenant of Baptism A. God the Father Son and Holy Ghost as my reconciled Father my Saviour and my Sanctifier did forgive my Original Sin and receive me as a Member of Christ and of his Church and as his Adopted Child and Heir of Heaven Q. Do you think that you are now bound to keep this Covenant and to believe and live according to it A. Yes Verily c. Q. Rehcarse c. A. I Believe c. Q. What c. A. First c. Q. What be the Commandments of God which you have Covenanted to observe A. The Ten Commandments written by God in Stone besides Christ's Precepts in the Gospel Q. Which be the Ten Commandments After the Answer to What is thy Duty towards God add And to keep holy the Day which he separateth for his Worship In the next let to bear no malice c. be put before to be true and just In the Answ. to the Quest. after the Lord's Prayer after all People put that we may Honour and Love him as our God That his Kingdom of Grace may be set up in our Souls and throughout the World and his Kingdom of Glory may come and that God's Law and not Men's sinful Lusts and Wills may be obeyed and Earth may be liker unto Heaven And I Pray c. Q. How many Sacraments of the Covenant of Grace hath Christ Ordained in his Church A. Two only Baptism and the Supper of the Lord. Q. What meanest thou c. A. I mean that Solemn Covenanting with God wherein there is an outward visible sign of our giving up our selves to Him and of his giving his Grace in Christ to us being ordained by Christ himself as a means whereby we receive that Grace and a pledge to assure us of it To Q. What is the inward Spiritual Grace A. The pardon of our Sins by the Blood of Christ whose Members we are made and a death unto sin c. Q. Why are Infants Baptized A. Because they are the Children of the Faithful to whom God's Promises are made and are by them devoted unto God to be entered into Covenant with Him by his own appointment which when they come to Age themselves are bound to perform After the next Answer add And for our Communion with Him and with his Church To Q. What are the Benefits c. A. The renewed Pardon of our Sins and our Communion with Christ and his Church by Faith and Love and the strengthening c. In the Visitation of the Sick let the Minister have leave to vary his Prayer as Occasions shall require And let the Absolution be conditional If thou truly believe in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and truly repentest of thy sins I pronounce thee absolved through the Sacrifice and Merits of Iesus Christ. If any who is to kept from the Communion for Atheism Infidelity Heresie or Impenitency in gross sin shall in sickness desire Absolution or the Communion And if any Minister intrusted with the power of the Keys do perceive no probable sign of true Repentance and therefore dare not in conscience absolve him or give him the Sacrament left he profane God's Ordinance and harden the wicked in presumption and impenitency let not that Minister be forced to that Office against his conscience but let the sick chuse some other as he please And at the Burial of any who were lawfully kept from the Communion for the same causes and not absolved let the Minister be at liberty to change the words thus For asmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God to take out of this world the soul of this deceased person we commit his body c. believing a Resurrection of the just and unjust some to joy and some to punishment And to leave out in the Prayer We give thee hearty thanks for that it hath pleased thee to deliver this our brother out of the miseries of this sinful world And instead of it put And the souls of tne wicked to wo and miseryâ— We beseech thee to convert us all from sin by true and speedy repentance And teach us to spend this little time in an holy and heavenly conversation that we may be always prepared for Death and Iudgment And And in the next Collect to leave out as our hope is this our brother doth But in the Rubrick before Burial instead of any that die unbaptized put anythat die unbaptized at years of discretion That the Infants of Christian Parents who die unbaptized be not numbered with the Excommunicate and Self-murderers and denied Christian Burial Let the Psalms in the Parish-Churches be read in the last Translation Let the Liturgy either be abbreviated by leaving out the short Versicles and Responses Or else let the Minister have leave to omit them and in times of cold or haste to omit some of the Collects as he seeth cause In Churches where many cannot read let the Minister read all the Psalms himself because the confused
that Power which they convey to others first in themselves to convey at least in ordinando pares but are only media applicandi legem ad personam Ad 3 um To your Third Argument I answer Invaders of the Ministerial Office may unjustly take Encouragement hence but no just Encouragement is given them The best things are Occasions of encouraging Men in Sin e. g. God's Mercifulness Christ's Satisfaction the Preaching of Free-Grace c. To your Question if this be sufficient why do we not give them the Right Hand of Fellowship I answer They despise or neglect God's Order and therefore deserve not the Hand of Fellowship If God bid them go and work in his Vineyard but for Order's sake go in at this Door he that will not go in at this Door is a disobedient Servant and not to be owned till he reform But if God himself do nail up this Door there needs no express Dispensation for our not going in at it for nemo tenetur ad impossibile nisi ipse sit Causa culpabilis impossibilitatis Nor is it necessary that it be expressed that we go in at another Door for the Command of going to labour in the Vineyard is not abrogated by the locking up of that Door seeing as it was opened non ut fiat opus directly sed ut sic fiat so it is nailed up non ne fiat sed ne sic fiat and therefore the Command requires us to go in at another If by Law every Physician that Practiceth in London must be approved by the Colledge he deserves to be punisht and not taken for a Physician that will profess and practice it without the Approbation of the Colledge and every wise Patient will fear least he be Conscious of such Unworthiness as that he dares not venture a Tryal or at the best he is a disobedient Subject But if the Colledge of Physicians be dead or dissolved any worthy Man may profess and practice without their Approbation and as the law of Nature binds him to do Good so the Obligation that limited him is ipso facto dissolved cessante materia where you say that this extream necessity is their Case I answer Nothing more untrue They slight and despise Ordination they may be ordained if they would submit themselves to tryal if they be found fit But they will not Their false Imaginations create no necessity but a necessity of laying them by and receiving the Truth which is imposed on them by God or if they will call it a Necessity that is imposed on them by their Error it is but a Necessity of not being ordained while they judge it sinful which yet is none because they are still bound to lay by that Conceit but not a Necessity of being Ministers in the mean time without it Besides that as it is a Necessity of Suspension 〈◊〉 Forbearance and not of Acting so it is themselves that are the culpable Cause 〈◊〉 it and exculpa propria nemini debetur commodum If Vaux think he must blow up the Parliament and Ravailliack that he must stab a King doth this necessitate them Such a Necessity as every wicked Man brings on himself of sinning by a Custom in Sin which aggravates and not excuseth his Fault which is evident when the Case is made plain by God and only their Negligence or sinful Prejudice hindereth them from Recovery out of their Error For the Grant that you desire I say I am loath to yield that Christ hath no known Ministry on Earth that I may keep out Invaders To your Case about Apostacy I answer There are many other Cases that may necessitate an Entrance into the Ministry without Ordination besides universal Apostacy 1. So great an Apostacy as was in the Arrian Prevalency 2. Such unlawful Ingredients as are in the Romish Ordination 3. The Death or the violent Proscription of the Ordainers in one Kingdom For if all that are found to work in the Vineyard to exercise the Ministry must but go to another Land for it Poverty Weakness Magistrates Prohibition may so restrain them that not one of a Hundred could enter when God doth by the Churches Necessity call to it Much less could all the World travail for Ordaination to some Corner of the Earth As for the Churches Officers which you mention that went along in Reformation it 's true of Presbyters they were the Leaders but so few Bishops out of England that the Reformed Churches were forced to go on without their Ordination But to this Day there is a necessity of Preaching without Ordination by legitimate Church Guides in many Parts of the World and I doubt not but it is the great Sin of many that it is neglected I suppose did you consider well but the Sence of the Law Natural and Supernaturally revealed you would not be so inclinable to turn Seeker nor to expect new Miracles Apostles or Revelations upon the Supposition you make and for all your Words if it came to the Practice I do not believe that you have so hard a Heart so unmerciful a Nature as to leave this one Nation much less all the World to that apparent danger of Everlasting Damnation and God's publick Worship to be utterly cast out if I can but prove that the Succession of Legitimate Church Ordination is interrupted Ad 4 um To your Fourth Argument I answer I am as far from believing Imposition of Hands essential to Ordination as any of the rest The Bishop that was last save one in this Diocess was so lame of the Gout that he could not move his Hand to ones Head and though his Chaplain did his best to help him yet I could not well tell whether I might call it Imposition of Hands when I saw it Yet I never heard any on that Ground suspect a nullity in his Ordination Nor do I think that a Bishop loseth all his Power of Ordination if he loss his Hands or the Motion of them 1. Imposition of Hands was an old Custom in a Superiors Act of Benediction or setting a part to Office and conveying Power and not newly instituted by Christ but continued as a well known Sign and therefore not of such Necessity as you imagin 2. The End will shew much the degree of Necessity If it be evident that the End was but the Solemnizing of the Work by a convenient Ceremony then it is not essential to Ordination or Authorizing But c. Ergo 3. God did not lay such a stress on Ceremonies no not under the Ceremonial Law no not on the great initiating Sign and Seal of Circumcision without which Men were entered and continued in his Church for Forty Years in the Wilderness Your Argument is Christ hath revealed to his Church that it is his Mind or Will that his Church's Officers be set apart by Imposition of Hands Ergo It followeth that Imposition of Hands is necessary and essential to their Seperation Answ. Negatur sequela It follows a praecepto only
later is but for the former and subservient to it and a more dispensable thing and that when the Ordainers fail of their Duty which is his own Precept included herein the Person to be ordained remaineth nevertheless obliged by the other part So that while Ordination may be had this ties such to submit to it and makes it necessary as God's Order and then the whole Precept comprehensive obligeth But when it cannot be had or the Ordainer will not obey his part of the Precept the other stands in force nevertheless to the other Party The Words Men thus qualified shall be ordained hath these two Precepts in it The First in Order and Weight is Men thus qualified shall preach the Word The Second subservient is They shall ordinis gratia be ordained hereto He that is wilfully the first Divider of these Conjunct Precepts sinneth Either the Man that will Preach without submitting to Ordination when it may be had or the Ordainers that will not Ordain the Orthodox or otherwise well qualified But seeing the Word shall in the foresaid Precept doth create a double Necessity but far unequal there shall be Preaching and Ergo there shall be Ordaining it followeth from the inequality that when one ceaseth the other doth not ergo cease and so when Ordination cannot be had the Proposition which you expected remaineth alone which before was conjunct with another Men thus qualified shall Preach This was the Summ of my Answer which I do repeat verbosé nimium because you overlooked it the last time But you add I cannot yield that which you conceive we are both agreed in viz. That when the Word hath described the Qualifications of the Minister that there is no more to do but to discern and judge who is the Man that hath these Qualifications For though the Bishop should judge such a Man fit for the Ministry as discerning the Qualifications which the Word requires in him yet till he hath by Imposition of Hands Fasting and Prayer set him apart for that Work he is yet no Minister to my Understanding whatever he may be to yours To this I reply 1. I take the Form of Ordination to lye in the Authoritative Appointment and God having described the Person by his Qualifications I take the formal nature of this Appointment to lye only in the determining Judgment who shall be the Man For whether there shall be a Man appointed or not God hath not left to Man's Judgment nor yet what manner of Man for Qualifications he shall be If Ergo the lawful Ordainers say We do by the Authority given us of God judge i. e. sentence or determine that consideratis considerandis this is the Man that is qualified and so called of God to be the Pastor of this Church and Ergo require you in the Name of Christ to accept him and submit to him this Man is ordained my Judgment yea though this Determination be but in Writing So if it be directed to the Minister himself which goes first we do by the Authority given us of God Judge thee called to the Office of the Ministry and Ergo require thee to undertake it By called I mean ex parte Dei by Qualification Consent Opportunity c. which go before Ordaining Now what do you yet want ad esse Ministri â—â—ou mention but two things 1. Imposition of Hands 2. Fasting and Prayer For setting a part is done by the former Authoritative Determination But 1. Imposition you anon deny to be so necessary in disclaiming your last Argument which you seem here to forget 2. Fasting and Prayer is no doubt a mean Accident or Duty fitly conjoined but not of the Essence of Ordination I think few Men living will say that if the Lawful Ordainer do all the rest of the Work besides Prayer that it is no Ordination Prayer is one thing requisite ad bene esse and Ordination another And for Fasting I could not learn that those Bishops that I knew did always observe it but when the Ordination was before dinner time as it usually was and the Bishop went presently from Ordination to his Feast that was not the Fasting I think which you mean But how are you satisfied that we may derive our Authority immediately from the Law if there were no Succession and yet think him no Minister that hath the determinating Sentence of the Ordainer's Appointing him to the Work for want of Imposition of Hands Prayer and Fasting Ad 3 um I marvel that on so very slight Grounds you think that nothing is more evident than that the case of extream Necessity is their case who invade the Ministry among us now I told you that Nemini debitur Commodum ex propriâ culpa as the Civil Law saith I distinguished between moral Impossibility vicious and culpable and inculpable and between necessitating to Sin and necessitating to or constituting of Duty and I told you that the impossibility that lay on them of right entering was vicious or through their own Sin and God doth not cause Men to Sin I told you also that this erring Conscience might necessitate them to sin that is ensuare them that hey shall sin whether they do or not do but it can never warrant them in obeying it This was the Sense of my Speech though not the Words To explain which I desire you to observe that bonum est ex causis integris at least quoad Species if not quoad Gradus So that God requireth to a virtuous Action which shall be properly and plenarily Moral i. e. voluntary 1. That it be made due by his own Precept or Law 2. That it be apprehended such by the Intellect and so by the will elected and elicite as such So that where Conscience takes that to be Duty which is none it hath but Officium apparâ—us non verum it catcheth a Shadow apprehending a Duty which is no Duty so there may be interpretative a kind of formal Reason of Obedience in the Will the Guided Faculty in that it did will that which was presented to it as due but there wants the Matter and the Form of Obedience quoad hominem who is intelligent also yea here you must distinguish between Ignorance culpable and superable and inculpable For when the Ignorance is culpable it cannot be said that the guilty Will doth properly obedire because it was a cause of its own mis-leading by the intellect And in our Case that Ignorance is always culpable I do wonder Ergo that you should say and lay all on that Mistake that an erroneous Conscience binds as strongly as a found for the Obligation of Conscience is subordinate to God's Preceptive Obligation God makes Duty and Conscience doth but apprehend Duty So that an erring Conscience cannot make Duty entirely and materially We must not make a God of an erring Conscience much less can it make that no Sin which God hath made Sin yea make that Duty which God made Sin God's Precepts
lye thus 1. Thou shalt not run before thou art sent This is to the whole Man and no Error of Mans can repeal it Then 2. The Will must follow the right guiding Intellect This is natural and excuseth not the following of an erring Judgment Then 3. That the Will follow the practical Intellect whether right or wrong that is no Precept but the Nature of the Soul in its acting because that Will is potententia ceca non nata ad intelligendum sed ad volendum vel nolendum intellectum So that it is a most intollerable thing to grant that Man's Error can make Duty no Duty or Sin no Sin If Man must will bonum apprehensum he may necessitate himself to sin in his choice by misapprehending because then though Bonum be still Bonum yet it is apprehensum sub Ratione mali è contra and so one of the two Necessaries to right Willing is wanting but apprehending malum to be bonum doth not make it so and Ergo then the greater Necessary is wanting to the erring Conscience viz. God's Constitution So that whether you say as Durandus that Conscientia errans Ligat at non obligat or whether you say as others that ligare and obligare are all one yet still the case is plain that an erring Conscience may entangle us in Sin whether we obey or not obey it but it cannot free us from Sin or from Duty except where the case is such that God's Law hath made one and the same thing to be sin or no sin according to Mens Knowledge or Ignorance which never falls out but when the Ignorance is inculpable which is never in our Case Even while the Person erreth he lyeth under a double Obligation 1. To do the Duty or avoid the Sin 2. To judge rightly of Sin and Duty and apprehend them as they are and so to lay down his Error So that all your Words import but this An erring Man cannot choose but err or cannot overcome it But not he is ergo innocent For it is his own Fault that brought him to it and continueth him in it He that is accustomed to do evil is not innocent because he can no more learn to do well than a Blackamore can change his Skin c. 2. This Answer of yours seems again to me to be inconsistent with your professed Conviction For if you do indeed think 1. That in case of necessity the Succession is not necessary 2. And that nothing is more evident than that these Men have such Necessity then you must think that these Men are lawful Ministers which I know you do not Where the Flaw is and what Link of this Chain you will break I cannot tell 3. And when you say that the Papists may say as easily to us as we to the Sectaries that it is our Error c. and so the Episcopal Party that we will not take Orders from them I reply They may say it as easily but if as truly they conclude us under Guilt and carry the Cause Twenty Parties may say they are all in the right doth it follow that they are all so because they make the same Pretonce to it Many Parties may Plead one Medium one Scripture for contrary Opinions Are they Ergo alike sound and justifiable Thus the Scepticks and Libertines use to say You say you are in the right and Papists and Anabaptists say they are in the right Ergo What then Why they may be in the right or at least should have Liberty as well as you But it is not he that saith he is in the right but he that is so indeed that should be countenanced by the Magistrate So it is not he that hath the same Pretence but the justifiable Cause that must carry it Else what are Judges for if each Man have right that pretends to it If our erroneous Conciences make us grope in the Dark and suppose the Papists have nailed up the Door when they have not then the Sin lyeth on us But if indeed the Papists do by wicked Oaths and Engagements to Papal Tyranny and to false Doctrines supernumerary Articles of Faith and wicked Practices shut up the Door of Ordination that no Man can lawfully enter at it among them then is the Sin theirs and God will judge them for the Divisions Distractions Confusions Corruptions and Desolations which they have brought upon the Churches of Christ. Ad. 4 um I need say nothing Sir let me conclude as I begun with a request that you would prove the uninterrupted Succession for the Information of Your Brother Rich. Baxter Nov. 18. 1653. To my Reverend Brother Mr. Johnson Preacher of the Gospel at Womborne This. Mr. Johnson's Fourth Letter to Mr. Baxter SIR ALthough I had purposed wholly to have superceded from my former Undertakings as conceiving them a fruitless Speculation in regard the Ministry may be justified without them yet forasmuch as I did defie all Men alive to make full Proof that the Succession ever hath or ever shall be interrupted and upon the Occasion of this Defiance you do rather invite me than challenge me to renew my Purpose I cannot tell how I can avoid so much as my own Defiance hath engaged me to And therefore though very unwillingly I shall endeavour so far as my Defiance hath engaged me to satisfie your Desire And because I herein stand upon the Defensive and by consequence must find some Man that pretends to make full Proof of the Question before I can discharge that which now I undertake I cannot tell where to meet with such an one unless it be your self in your late Book And therefore I shall apply my self to examine your Argument whereby you endeavour to prove that the Succession hath been already interrupted But before I come to that I shall return you something to what you say in the last Papers And First whereas you tell me to my Demand that you have instanced in many English Writers who do all plead against the Papists the No-necessity of an uninterrupted Succession I answer that amongst those Authors which you quote I have none by me but Bishop Iewel and so far as I can discern from the locis allegatis aut alibi he speaks nothing at all to the Question what the other do I shall examine hereafter as I meet with them Ad 2 um Whereas you tell me that my not seeing a formal Answer to my Second Argument proceeded from an oversight of the Word shall and a Not-observation of the Emphasis in it To this I answer that it is indeed true that I did not take heed enough to the Word for if I had I should not so indifferently have sometimes used it and sometimes put an other Word in its room which may make it plain that the Word was changed through inanimadvertencey rather than by design But it was not the Not-observation of the Word but the Not-understanding of the what the Word contained in it that made
the enclosed wishing I knew how to requite your Love and answer that Favour I found with you in your large Letter which is not in vain to us-ward but of much use the Lord requite your Labour of Love I only redouble my Request for an Interest in your Prayers that God would deliver my dear Husband from all his Fears and guide him by his Light our God will hear who keepeth Covenant and Mercy for ever with those that fear him I rest SIR Your Sister and Lover in our Lord Jesus B. L. Sept. 20. 1658. For Mr. Rich. Baxter Minister at Kidderminster Dear Brother AS sure as Love is a Fruit of the Spirit the Character of a Saint yea the more excellent way and as terminated on him whom we love in the Saints is the most high and noble Grace as being the Beginning and End the Spring of all other Holy Affections and Actions and the enjoyning Act that 's next our End so far is that State to you a growing State in which you increase in Holy Love and so sure was that a declining State in which your Charity was streightned and diminished and as sure is that Doctrine of Christ that leadeth to an universal Love of Saints and that against Christ which is against it It is not the least Grief of my own Soul that in the eager Defence of that which still I judge to be the Truth I have done any thing prejudicial to my own or Brethrens Charity Upon perusal I now find that many of my Speeches in my Book of Infant Baptism have been too provoking of which I heartily repent though I dare not of the Doctrine The Frame of our Affections doth much advantage or disadvantage our Judgments and Experience is a help to both This I perceive you have found as well as I All Holy Truths must be entertained with mixt Affections with Sorrow for any thing that we have done against them and with Love and Joy and Gratitude to the bountiful Revealer of them These that you here enumerate as revealed to you are very weighty because of such a practical Nature and publick use and Ergo you must be true to them and use them accordingly they are such as leave no room for Doubting as bearing their Testimony so legible in their Forehead This being concluded that they are certain Truths it may much help you to judge of your following Troubles I shall reduce all that I have to say for Resolution to these Propositions 1. The Word of God and not the Troubles of your own Spirit is the standing Rule by which you must judge of Duty and Sin You cannot know either by your Troubles immediately but as they awaken or help you to understand that Word 2. It is Ergo most certain that none of your Troubles should in the least measure move you from the certain Truths which by the Light of this Word hath been made known to you All the Troubles in the World will not alter Scripture and make Truth to be no Truth You must not once offer to try Scripture Truths by your Feelings but your Feelings by these Truths 3. You must therefore first see whether you obey the Truth revealed to you which plainly requireth you first to manifest Repentance for so much breach of Truth or Unity or Chrity as you have seen your self Guilty of 2. And to be Guilty of the same no more Now whether you live in that Sin or out of it I leave to you to judge And no doubt but it is your Duty to do your utmost to draw all those out of it whom you have encouraged in it and as many more as you can There are but these two Questions then before you What is the Cause of your Trouble and how you should dispose of your self for the future And to the first I answer in this fourth Proposition Though we know in general that Sin is the deserving Cause and God's Wisdom and Love the disposing Cause yet it is not easy to find out the particular Sins nor the particular Design of Love but the former is the more easy by the help of Scripture which sheweth us our Sin more fully than God's future intended Works 5. But as it is certain that no Providence is to be interpreted against a Precept so as far as I can conjecture at this distance your Trouble is most likely to arise from these connexed Causes 1. From some Melancholy that hath got Advantage of your Head by the Thoughtfulness Perplexity and the first actual Disquietments 2. From Satans Temptations working on this Advantage but of the first I am no competent Judge because distant But I strongly suspect it by long Experience in Multitudes of that Distemper who few of them will believe that they have it themselves But of the second I am more confident Satan cannot trouble us when he will but 1. When Sin hath procured him a Permission and 2. When some Melancholy or Disquietments have given him an Advantage I have met with few Persons that ever fell into any Calamity by Sin but Satan did very much trouble them when they attempted the means of their Recovery The Disquietments and Horrors that seize upon most ungodly Persons when they are about coming home by Christ may be from God principally but from Satan as the Instrument of his Wrath and as permitted to try them Whenever any escape any notable Snare of Satan in State or Fact usually Satan roareth and rageth to hinder them if posible till the escape is made and then God meeteth them with further Eight and Love Pharaoh follows them into the Red Sea and God receives them and puts a Song of Praise into their Mouths on the dry Land But this first Question is not such as you need much to stick at You may easily see for what Sin its like you should have this Affliction or if you could not after a faithful Search get rid of all and sweep as clean as possibly you can and then you will remove that Sin with the rest The resolving of the next Question is your principal Business which is to know now where your Duty lyeth for the time to come For when once you are setled in the way of Duty Peace will return and the dark Face of your now disconsolate Soul be cleared up unless any deep Melancholy or unusual Providence should continue your Trouble and indeed it is not very easy to see the way of your Duty to the end but part of it is very easy 1. That you should obey the Light that God hath manifested to you and help to communicate Catholick Principles and Affections to all your People to the utmost of your Power this is certain and do all that you are able to cure uncharitable dividing Principles or Dispositions 2. That you may not live in a Practice contrary to your Doctrine is as plain and Ergo may not be guilty of continuing a divided Church though you may prudently observe the
the same all are not of the Church that are in the Parish there are three sorts of the Parish 1. Communicants and those are the Church 2. Meer Hearers and Catechical Persons and these are Candidates 3. Aliens Atheists Infidels and Papists Hereticks Men of no Church or other Churches Parish-Churches as combined parts of a Christian Kingdom or National Church thus distinguished from Aliens Auditors and not only tolerated but orderly combined maintained encouraged are the most regular Churches agreeable to Scripture Reason and Antiquity Quest. 3. Suppose the Parish-Churches should be no true Churches is it destructive to particular Churches to join with the Parish-Assemblies Answ. No who can dream that Families and Neighbours and occasional Meetings may not Worship God or that such Worship destroys Churches Did Corâ—lius's Meeting Acts 18. or those Acts 12. 12. or these that Acts 20. prayed at an Oratory nor the Water destroy the Church 2. Occasion Communicants are not bound to try the Call of the Ministers where they come and have no Vote but to take them according to visible Profession and Possession and if the Ministers should prove uncalled the Loss would be to themselves and not to the Faithful that are blameless and have right to the Childrens Bread though a Iudas or a Pharisee distribute it But the Separatists Object that pretended Churches which are not true are worse than occasional Assemblies that pretend it not Answ. 1. whether they are worse or better is nothing to this Question of destroying Churches 2. The liker they are to true Churches the liker they are to be better than those that are unlike them 3. The Officiating of a true Minister may make that a true temporary Church which is not a constant setled Church 4. It is far liker that many separating Congregations will prove no true lawful Churches for want of true Ministers and other Causes and yet it will not follow that all that join with them destroy true Churches for some under Government may do it blamelesly and they that do it sinfully may yet own true Churches every Sin destroys not other Churches 5. It is a Duty for Members of a Church to get what good they can by all Christians whether they be regular Churches or not Quest. 4. Suppose the Parish-Assemblies to be particular Churches are the Corruptions in them so great as that we must separate from them or would it not be Schism so to do Answ. There are many sorts of Separation It is Schism to call them no true Churches of Christ or such as it is not lawful to hold Communion with and to separate on that account and this I have oft proved in Print so fully that I must not now repeat it But there are many Occasions which may warrant and necessitate a meer local Separation as I have fully proved in many Treatises as if any Sin be imposed and Communion denied to those that will not Sin those Men do not separate but are driven out by Separatists or Tyrants and must not give over all Church Worship of God because Tyrants forbid it them Many other Instances of lawful local Separation I have published which I cannot find any have confuted no nor denyed Quest. 5. Whether there are not in congregational Churches such things which are not plainly instituted in Scripture Answ. Congregational is a sorry Word as here used in distinction from Parish-Churches Parish-Churches are Congregational they consist of Pastors and Christian Communicants joined for Personal Communion and Independents and Separatists much differ many Independants are against Separation the old Nonconformists both Presbyterians and Independants were judged the Parish-Churches that had tolerable Ministers to be true Churches and Independents greatly differ among themselves some are sound in the Faith and some are unfound some are for Infant Church-Membership and Covenant Grace and some against it some are for self-made Covenants and Terms of Church-entrance and Communion and for the Peoples Power of the Keys and against Ordination and many other Errors which others do renounce And remember it is one thing to be Independants by Agreement as Neighbour Churches and another thing to be dependant as Subjects on governing Churches And it is one thing to be Independant on equal Neighbour Churches and another thing to be independant on a superior Ministry The Churches of Rome Corinth Galatia Ephesus and the rest were independant on each other as to Government but they were dependant on the Apostles and Evangelists Paul Barnabas Luke Mark Silas Timothy Titus and Apollos c. as to Oversight and dependant on other Churches as Fellow-members of the same Universal Body as the Members of our Bodies are 3. I know no Churches to happy as to have nothing that is not particularly yea or generally instituted in Scripture yea and that obtruded on the People O! when will God make them wiser some Independant Ministers and Churches have Catholick Charitable Uniting Principles But the separating part who are they that have so many and great Defects and Faults as I have in my former Writing enumerated and need not here again recite but advise you impartially to review them Quest. 6. Whether every Person who doth join with such a Church doth not become as guilty of the Sin of such a Church as those do that join with the Church of England Answ. This Question intimateth that you know not what the Church of England is It is nothing but a Christian Kingdom consisting of a Christian supreme Power and combined Christians and Churches governed by that Power it is not Liturgies nor Ceremonies that essentiate the Church of England Orthodox Godly Presbyterians and Independants who deny not a Christian Kingdom of Christian Churches though differing in many thing are all parts of the true Church of England But I suppose you mean the Conformists which are but a part 2. One is guilty of the Faults of the Conformists by their bare Presence and Communion who do not consent to those Faults and if bare Presence signified Consent we must avoid Communion with all Churches on Earth for who are Sinless And all must avoid us and how shall we avoid our selves who sin in all we do 3. But when People causelesly separate and unchurch other Churches far â—ounder than their own and falsely accuse them yea and almost all Christ's Churches these Fifteen Hsndred Years as those now called Separatists usually do I think your ordinary joining with such when you may have sounder Communion is a sinful Encouragement of them in their Schism justly leaveth you under the Imputation of Schism and requireth great Humiliation and Reformation being greater than some great private Sins as publick Cases are more important than private but I am loath to say all that I judge true against the present separating Way lest I be mistaken as if I would render them odious or be against the necessary Toleration of the Week I have truly told the World near Forty Years ago that I am past
vain If they do then they prove the Duty if not the Necessity of Infant Baptism 3. Ceremonies have not so much laid on them under the Gospel as under the Law Mercy before Sacrifice is the Gospel Canon Ad 2 m 2. That Command Matth. 28. commandeth the baptizing of Disciples I doubt not but it commandeth thereby the baptizing of Infants who are Disciples and made Disciples while proselyted Parents enter them into the Covenant of God according to his express unrepealed Law and Promise 2. But suppose it did not command Infant-Baptism nay suppose it had consequentially forbidden it it proves no more than that it is a sin not a nullity 3. But suppose it had made it a Nullity how are you guilty of other mens omission of Baptism by holding Communion with them when you may at your Enterance declare your dissent from them in that point Your Argument would lead you to avoid Communion with all Churches in the World even the re-baptized that held not all that you take to be the Institutions of Christ because you are bound to hold them But when you have leave to do your own Duty if you will shun all that you think do not theirs you will abhor Catholicism Ad 3 m 1. As to Iohn 3. 5. doubtless that Text speaks of more than the visible Church even the Mystical and the Triumphant And therefore if you will from thence exclude Infants from Baptism and the visible Church you must needs shut them all out of Heaven but Christo dissentiente you shall have none of Christ's consent 2. It is both Water as the sign and the holy Covenant and Cleansing of the Soul as the thing signified that are convincingly meant in the Text. But how one only as a sign and the other as the thing signified and therefore not as equally necessary in point of means though equally commanded Alas how easily understand we such Speeches among Men. If a General say to the Rebels I will spare none of you that will not come and list himself under me every Body will understand that becoming a Soldier and the Military Engagement or Sacrament as the Oath was anciently called is the thing here signified to be absolutely necessary and the Listing or Colours but as a sign for Order and in Cases of Necessity dispensable and regarded but in order unto the thing signified Your Arguments from personal Inconveniencies are none Ad 1 m 1. Do not you startle to hear the Catholick Church called the World and a retirement into its Communion called a Returning to the World I have read Come out from among them that is the World but not Come out of the Catholick Church 2. And do you not startle to hear them call their way Strictness and the other Loosness If they mean a sinful strictness so every Vice or many may have a strictness Malice hath a strictness and Covetousness and Oppression hath a strictness and Superstition hath a strictness But if they mean it of a holy strictness are not they the strictest that are likest to Christ and most conformable to his Will and most accurate in their Obedience And is not Love the new and great Commandment Are not your People loose that are so far from holy Love and Catholick Communion God is Love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God They are strict then in opposing God and the Unity or sweet Communion of the Members of the Lord. Is it an honour to be strict Sinners and Destroyers of the Church and Holy Love Let some take heed least they be too strict to come into Heaven among so many Millions of Souls that never owned any but Infant Baptism which is I think since Christ many hundred to one that is there that never were against Infant Baptism whether do you think Christ or the Phaâ—isees were the stricter when they condemned him for eating with Publicans and Sinners and his Disciples for breaking the ears of Corn and him for Sabbath-breaking c. Sure he more accurately observed his Father's will even the blessed Rule of Love and Mercy though they were more superstitious and strict was it the weak or the strong Christians Rom. 14. 15. that were the stricter about meats and drinks and days The weak superstitiously but the strong did more strictly adhere to the Law of Christ. Do you think that Man that shall say Christ died but for half the Saints themselves to be ever the better for that strict Opinion If you are for such forbidden strictness of Practice why do you not answer it in your Opinions about Grace c. 2. You have cause to be much humbled before the Lord for bringing your People into this Snare and Misconceit and ergo should not be guilty of continuing them in it nor make the fruit of your Sin an Argument to go on Impenitently 3. So great a Truth and Duty as Christian Catholick Love and Communion is not to be bawked for fear of danger Tell you of it plainly and trust God with the Issue It 's doubt those that will turn Quakers that is Infidels or near rather than be reduced to Catholick Love and Communion are never like to come to good if you keep them where they are It 's a fearful thing that any Man should think the better of his Spiritual state because he flieth furthest from the Catholick Love and Communion of Saints that is from the Church from Christ from God from Heaven Ad 2 m Your Communion with differing Saints is not a sinning against your Opinion about Baptism nor a leaving your station You may own your way and yet own Catholick Communion Dear Brother I think the Lord of Love and Peace is laying hands on you and will have you away out of your dangerous Schisms into the Paths of Love and Peace It is Uncharitableness and Separation that hath made the Rebaptized so odious throughout the World Love breedeth Love as Heat breedeth Heat The Christian Charity that appeareth in your Lives I sensibly feel draws out my own Heart in love to you All God's Saints will love you if you will but turn into the way of Love I hear that the Rebaptized in Ireland that grew to the reputation of Turbulent in their height begin now to be thought more peaceable and tolerable than some others there that being lately in the Saddle possessed their Prosperity and unquietness O! if days of Persecution come it will cut your hearts to think how you have refused Communion with your Brethren in days of Peace If we all lay our Heads and Hearts and Hands together for God's Church and Cause it will be too little My motion to you is That you will joyn with us for a Brotherly Agreement between the Men of your mind and ours The Articles shall be but these three 1. That all that can being satisfied in Conscience with their being Rebaptized shall continue loving Communion in the Church 2. That those that cannot be brought