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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78779	The door of truth opened: or, A brief and true narrative of the occasion how Mr Henry Burton came to shut himself out of the church-doors of Aldermanbury: published in answer to a paper, called, Truth shut out of doors: for the vindication of the minister and people of Aldermanbury, who are in this paper most wrongfully and unjustly charged; and also for the undeceiving of the underwriters, and of all those that are misinformed about this businesse. In the name, and with the consent of the whole church of Aldermanburie.	Calamy, Edmund, 1600-1666.	1645 (1645)	Wing C230; Thomason E311_13; ESTC R200459	16,016	20

THE DOOR OF TRVTH OPENED OR A brief and true Narrative of the occasion how Mr Henry Burton came to shut himself out of the Church-doors of Aldermanbury Published in Answer to a Paper called TRVTH SHVT OVT OF DOORS For the Vindication of the Minister and People of Aldermanbury who are in this paper most wrongfully and unjustly charged and also for the undeceiving of the Vnderwriters and of all those that are misinformed about this businesse In the Name and with the consent of the whole Church of Aldermanburie Rom. 16.17 Now I beseech you brethren mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them 1 Cor. 11.16 But if any man seem to be contentions we have no such custome neither the Churches of God 1 Cor. 1.10 Now I beseech you brethren by the Name of our Lord Iesus Christ that all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you but that ye be perfectly joyned together in the same minde and in the same judgement LONDON Printed for Christopher Meredith at the Crane in Pauls-Church-yard 1645. THE Door of Truth opened IT hath pleased M. Burton in the later end of his Paper to call his Narrative an unpleasing discourse A fit Epithete for such a paper Vnpleasing we believe to God himself unpleasing to all meek humble and peaceable Christians unpleasing to his quondam loving neighbours and friends of Aldermanbury unpleasing to most of the underwriters and we conceive it will at last become an unpleasing discourse to M. Burton himself when the judicious and impartiall Reader shall clearly and fully understand the true grounds and causes of his discontinuing to preach his Catechisticall Lecture in Aldermanbury which before we come to declare we desire the Reader to take notice of the Title of the Narrative which is Truth shut out of doors or A brief and true Narrative of the occasion and manner of proceeding of some of Aldermanbury Parish in shutting their Church-doors against me In which Title M. Burton doth seem to assume to himself the name of Truth which is a very high and sacred Title and to make the shutting of him out of doors to be the shutting of Truth out of doors which how fit it is for any humble and self-denying Minister to speak of himself we leave it to the Reader to judge And besides This Title layeth a very heavie charge upon the Church-wardens and others of Aldermanbury as if they were now become enemies to the truth as if they had shut the Church-doors upon truth insomuch as that it is cried up and down the streets of the City Truth shut out of the doors of Aldermanbury to the great disparagement and defamation of us all so great as that we conceive it to be a high breach of the ninth Commandment and we expect Reparation And as he hopes in this his Narative that M. Calamy will finde just cause publikely to confesse at his next day of humiliation Let us be ashamed and confounded so he must give us leave to say that we expect and that more justly the like from him Especially if the Reader will be pleased to consider the Texts of Scripture that are subjoyned to the Title page In which he doth secretly seem to insinuate for to what purpose else are they there put That because he is not suffered to preach any longer at Aldermanbury upon just causes hereafter to be mentioned That therefore Truth is fallen in the streets and equity cannot enter That therefore We are a rebellious people lying children that will not hear the Word of the Lord who say to the Prophets Prophesie not right things And like to the Scribes and Pharisees who commanded Peter Iames and Iohn not to teach in the Name of Christ Now whether this be not a perverting of Scripture and an unparallel'd affront to Aldermanbury we leave it unto the unbiassed Reader to determine In the last text he justifieth himself in the words of Paul Act. 20.27 which puts us in minde of a Book written by him of his life and sufferings wherein he is pleased to compare his sufferings with the sufferings of St Paul and in many things to preferre his sufferings above Pauls sufferings And yet we doe not write this as if we would any waies undervalue M. Burtons great sufferings for which we blesse God and for which we shall alwaies honour him and we doe believe that therein he did great service to the Churches of Jesus Christ But howsoever we would desire him to remember what a Epist 11. Epist 13. Cyprian saith of many Confessours especially of one Lucianus that had endured much for Christs cause in times of persecution and yet afterwards in times of peace presuming upon their former sufferings did venture to do many things which did much tend to the great disturbance of the Church b And what he writeth to Maximus and Nicostrat●● other Confessours that after their glorious sufferings for Christ made a schisme in the Church fell away to the Novation heresie Cypr. epist 44. And what Eusebius saith of one Natalius that had endured much for the truth yet afterwards fell into a grievous errour till God was pleased by his Argels to whip him into the truth again Euseb l 5 cult But leaving the Title page let us come to the Narrative it self In which there are divers things supposed and taken for granted which are not to be supposed and many things misreported and misrepresented And therefore that the Reader may have the whole matter set before them in the right colours we are necessitated to shew what those false suppositions and false representations are And M. Burton must not be offended with us for speaking the truth We professe that we write these things with grief of heart For we know that the common enemy will take advantage by our differences but woe be to him by whom those offences come For our parts we declare to all the world that had it not been that Truth would have been quite shut out of doors by our silence we would not have answered this Narrative of Truth shut out of doors But to come to the matter it self 1. First It is taken for granted thorowout the whole Narrative That the shutting of Independency out of doors is the shutting of truth out of doors And that the desiring of M. Burton to forbear to preach his Congregationall way is to desire him to refrain from preaching the truth of God And that if M. Burton should balk this controversie he should balk a necessary truth of God and should shut up truth close prisoner And many such like expressions which will not we hope any whit move a wise and judicious Reader For an opinion is not therefore a truth because M. Burton saith it is Bold and confident assertions may work upon those that have mens persons in admiration but a wise and understanding Christian will consider not

Assembly of Ministers are studying to settle Religion and labouring to heal our breaches should be separating from us Thus much he confesseth he said But now whereas it is added he should say And that you may be sure your Scribe did mistake M. Calamies Sermon consider that one passage though of no great consequence M. Calamie said Is not this to croud people into separated Congregations And your Notary hath it Into secret Congregations That this is a sin to be ashamed for That while a house is a purging men should separate from the defilements and not waite to see what the purging will be He conceives this to be either the wilfull or ignorant mistake of his Notary And he desires M. Burton would name another witnesse if he can For the Apostle saith Receive not an accusation against an Elder under two or three witnesses He never thought much lesse preached that we should joyne with a defiled Church in her defilements It is one thing to joyne with a Church in her corruptions Another thing to separate from a true Church because of some defilements that may be in it And this is that for which we thinke people ought to be ashamed and confounded Because for some few and those but supposed defilements they separate not onely from defilements but from the true Churches of Jesus Christ and ingage themselves into separated Congregations and doe not waite and tarry to see what Reformation the Parliament will make And this is no more then five as we remember of your brethren have written as their judgement in print And therefore what M. Burton writes in his margin to prove that every one ought to day before to morrow to separate from present defilements is but to fight with his own shadow For though we must separate frō the defilements of a Church yet we are not to separate from a Church for every defilement that is in it The Church of Corinth had many defilements in it as many we believe as the Church of Alderman-bury And so had divers of the Churches to which Christ wrote And yet neither Christ nor his Apostles doth perswade the people to separate from those Churches because of the defilements And if this doctrine were true doctrine we believe men will soon finde cause to separate from some of their Churches A letter written by M John Batchelor as well as ours The time was when in print the Church of Alderman-bury was accounted a true Church even by one of his owne way And we can assure him That it is much purer now then it was then But he addes in his Margin That each man in his place and each Minister in his place must forthwithfall to a purging out the defilements not knowing what others purging may prove to be and how long we may waite when in the interim we and our house may perish in our defilements But to this we answer First That we would gladly know what these defilements are that he saith are still in our Churches Secondly How will he prove that these defilements are of such a soul-destroying nature that they that live in them must necessarily perish Thirdly Doth he not directly tell us in this passage That we must not waite to see what Reformation the Parliament will make And is not this an unexpressible prejudice to their proceedings Fourthly It is our opinion That every Minister and every man ought so to administer and so to partake of Gods ordinances as not to sin in the administration and participation of them And this they ought to doe to day before to morrow But we conceive and if it were a fit oportunity would prove that this may be done without separation from us It is one thing to keep our selves pure from pollution another thing to gather Churches out of Churches and to set up a new frame of Government according to the private judgement of the Minister and people of every particular Church This we conceive to be his practice and of dangerous consequence and for this we thinke he hath no warrant in the Word but that he ought to waite yet longer upon the Magistrates establishment The Scripture gives much power to Magistrates in purging of Churches when corrupted As we may perceive by the examples of Asa Hezekiah and Josiah But we are very glad to reade in his Margin that he makes mention of our solemne League and Covenant And we hope he will remember that he hath sworne to indeavour the extirpation of Heresy Schisme and profanenesse and to bring the Churches of God in the three Kingdomes to the neerest conjunction and uniformity c. M. Burton goeth on in repeating M. Calamies sermon according as his one onely witnesse did dictate unto him And he saith That he preached that we should likewise be ashamed and confounded that any should preach That it is Idolatry to waite upon the Parliament or Assembly and that it is above all corporall Idolatry to waite upon them till they settle a Government And here he triumphs exceedingly and insults such is his spirit as much over M. Calamy as he did before over the Parish Clerke He saith he hopes that M. Calamy will in his next solemne day of Humiliation finde just cause publikely to confesse Let us be ashamed and confounded And in another part of his Narrative speaking of the same thing he saith O that I might heare a second voice in Alderman-bury pulpit and that on the like solemne Fast day Let us be ashamed and confounded that we have bin ashamed of the truth more precious then our lives and have shut it ourt of doors c. But let M. Burton tell us whether he be in jest or in good earnest Doth he think that any meek or humble Christian will approve of this language For our parts we will not censure him but mourne for him Doth he not thinke that this is a sinne to be bewailed that it should be preached That it is worse then corporall Idolatry to waite upon the Parliament to see what Government they will settle Is this Doctrine a Truth more precious then our lives Is this doctrine a cleare and undoubted truth For so much he seems to say in expresse termes in his Narrative in these words And being at the very worst a clear and undoubted truth which words we cannot but wonder at and we believe when the Reader ponders them he will stand amazed at them Object But M. Burton saith That he did not preach as it is here set down Answ But to this it is answered 1. That now he owns it as it is heere set down as a clear and an undoubted truth 2. That M. Calamy did not name him by name But to this he replieth in his conference with M. Calamy That he needed not to name you for all that heard both you and me understand plainly enough you did mean me so fresh it is in memory But in this answer of his he doth seem ingenuously

and obtained of them upon the Tuesday morning which was the next day after to go to M. Burton and to declare the whole truth to him how it stood That M. Calamy was a stranger to the businesse That upon M. Calamies intreaty they came to him assuring of him that if he would be pleased to forbear the points in difference and to preach Jesus Christ and him crucified the doctrines of faith repentance c. they would willingly and cheerfully suffer him to preach But he answered as it is set down in the Narrative That he was not to be restrained from preaching any truth of God Now let all indifferent Readers judge whether M. Burton by his former practices and his last answer doth not willingly and wilfully shut himself out of the Church doors of Aldermanbury For though he supposeth his Congregationall-way to be the truth of God yet it is never the more the truth of God because he supposeth it And if he thinke it his duty to preach those truths which we thinke errours in Aldermanbury The same consciences that obligeth him to preach those truths will oblige M. Calamy who thinks them errours to preach against them And by this means the course and fruits of his Ministery will be much hindered and the Pulpit made a stage of contention and to speak uncertain sounds one thing upon the Tuesday another upon the Lords day We appeal to M. Burton whether ever he did or ever will give leave to a Presbyterian Minister to preach his Presbyterian opinions to his people that he hath gathered Or if any should occasionally preach them to his people whether he would not thinke himself bound in conscience to confute them We demand further Whether he doth not thinke it his duty to hinder as farre as he can that a Presbyterian Minister resolving to preach his way as supposing it the truth of Christ should be suffered to preach once a fortnight to his people And whether if he should be a means to hinder it he can be said to shut Truth out of doors Let M. Burton seriously study these questions and not thinke it hard measure that he is not suffered to doe that in Aldermanbury which he would not suffer to be done in his own Congregation But further we would have him to know that they that are for the Presbyterian government do firmly believe that that which they hold hath clear light out of the Scriptures that they are able to prove it and that the Congregational-way is an invention of man and that there is no Word of God for a Church-covenant for gathering Churches out of Churches for assuming all Church power within themselves independently And that this is a way and means to divide the body of Christ into as many schismes as there be Congregations And he must not thinke that the Presbyterian Ministers are so void of a good conscience so cruell to the souls of their people so ashamed of the truths they hold as to suffer them to be trampled under feet and their people to be seduced by one that shall preach in their own Pulpits with a profession to preach down the Presbyteriall government and they in the mean time sit quiet and betray the truth and their people by their wicked silence Adde to this what was said before about the Committee and divers other things fore-mentioned and then it will appear to all peaceable and unprejudiced Readers that there is just cause that M. Burton continuing in this minde and judgement should not continue his Lecture at Aldermanbury 7. The seventh thing that is mis-represented and mis-stated is the conference that was between M. Burton and M. Calamy in private Of which that there may be a right and full representation the Reader must know That when M. Calamy perceived by M. Burtons answer upon the Tuesday that he was resolved not to cease preaching the points in difference and as one very neer him told some of us that M. Burton would not be muzled up he sadly weighed all things that might happen hereupon On the one side he considered that in this uncharitable age even good people would be ready to censure him very deeply though never so innocent and charge him as the chief if not the sole anthour of what was done and that the times were too too full of divisions already and that there was little need of new rents and schismes And therefore he concluded with himselfe to doe all that he could with a safe conscience for M. Burtons re-admission On the other side he considered That this was done without his privity or knowledge and that the hand of God was in it and that if now he should be instrumentall for his re-admission without a promise or at least a fair overture upon good ground for he did not expect a formall promise That M. Burton would preach only such things wherein they did both agree he should for the time to come be accessary to all the mischiefs that might happen if any of his people should either be led away or if not quite led away yet puzled and ensnared by what M. Burton should preach And this his scruple was the more encreased because M. Burton had already taken one of his Congregation into his Church without ever acquainting him with it which is surely a great injury to M. Calamy and so great as that we have good cause to beleeve that few of his brethren would have done the like By this he perceived that M. Burton was resolved to catch we will not say to steal as many as he could from his Church Now here was the case of conscience How far he might be active in M. Burtons re-admission He consulted with godly learned He was told That as things then stood he could not with a safe conscience intreat for his re-admission unlesse he had some ground to believe that M. Burton would not preach his Congregationall-way amongst his people Upon this the Wednesday after this Tuesday M. Francis Shute comming to visit M. Calamy who was sick M. Calamy communicated the whole businesse to him and desired him to relate it to the Committee that they might have a right understanding of it and to endeavour that the Committee might use their interest in M. Burton to prevail with him to forbear the points in difference that so he might bere admitted How farre M. Francis Shute did manifest his dislike of M. Burtons medling with his Congregationall way in his preaching at Aldermanbury we will not relate But as M. Calamy conceives upon M. Shutes applying himself to the Committee proceeded the conference spoken of in the Narrative For M. Shute came afterwards and told him that M. Burton would come to him But he replied That as soon as he was well he would go to M. Burton But M. Burton prevented him Little did M. Calamy think that such a private conference should have been made publike and cryed up and down the City and therefore

to confesse that he said the words he denyed he said For if he said no such thing and spake nothing in derogation either of Parliament or Assembly but made honourable mention of both How is it possible that they that heard him and M. Calamy should suppose that M. Calamy meant him This very answer of his doth seem to confesse a guiltinesse But to put him out of doubt it is answered 3. That M. Calamy hath good proof of others that have preached to this effect though he had not And therefore had just cause to say so although he had not preached at all the day before It is no wonder to heare men preach up their own practice No wonder to heare those men preach against peoples tarrying to gather into separated Churches who daily gather people into separated Churches But he deeply chargeth M. Calamy in divers places of his Narrative because he did not send to him to know the truth of those things whether he preached them or no before he spake of them in the pulpit But it is answered That if indeed no other had ever preached to the same effect or if he had named M. Burton by name or if he had said it had bin preached in that pulpit the day before or if it had bin preached in another Church before other people then indeed there might be some ground and reason for this accusation But seeing that others have preached the like and M. Burton was not named and that it was about a sermon preached in his own Church before some of his own people of whose faithfulnesse he had no reason to doubt And seeing it was onely spoken in a generall way M. Burtons applying of it to himself doth give us just cause to thinke that he was guilty of it Fifthly It is taken for granted that the Church-wardens said unto M. Burton That they were sorry for what they had done if they had done amisse But they say that they did not say that they were sorry for the thing they had done but only for some circumstances about the manner of doing of it And they doe now further tell him that upon diligent search made they cannot finde out by whose authority and allowance he first came to preach his Catechisticall lecture amongst them M. Calamy saith That none ever spake to him to desire his consent And our former Church-wardens deny that ever they gave their approbation And therefore they suppose he hath no such cause to take it ill if they upon just grounds forbid him to doe that which he never had warrant nor authority from them to doe at all Sixthly And especially M. Burton takes it as a thing supposed that his sermon preached Sept. 23. 1645. was the cause and the onely cause why he was desired to forbear preaching at Aldermanbury Whereas this sermon was rather an occasion then a cause And if a cause yet not the onely nor chief cause The Reader must know that M. Burton hath often and often preached his own private opinion of Independency in his Lecture at Alderman bury to the great offence and scandall of some of us that have hereupon resolved never to heare him more because we heard such things which as we thought were contrary to truth And therefore M. Burton need not wonder what spirit haunted those wals and thresholds that so few people came to heare him in that place Surely it was the spirit of errour that haunted them and drove them away For sometimes as we are informed by those of our own Congregation that heard him he would urge a necessity of entring into a Church-way and that there is no expectation of salvation without it And that it was as necessary to be joyned in Church-fellowship as with Christ the head Another time That a member that walks out of Church-fellowship is unusefull to it self as if a foot and a leg be out of joynt it is unuseful for any that walks singly and alone without being in Communion and in a Church-way He is out of the body of Christ and so is unusefull to himself and others Again You complain you grow not in grace but joyn in a Church-way here is growth in grace A member out of his proper place growes not Another time That none ought to be admitted to the Supper of the Lord but such as were entred into a Church-way and had covenanted in a Congregationall-way And that none could receive the Sacrament aright that had not first taken the Church-covenant And that to joyn in a Church-way is more then to be a Protestant at large because they ought to watch over one another and those that refused to joyn were as Cain that are ready to say Am I my brothers keeper They that wrote his Sermons do also tell us That he made sundry Sermons to presse the necessity of gathering Churches and covenanting together They tell us likewise that he shewed how dangerous it was for men to set up Churches Provinciall Nationall or Parochiall This was Antichristian and Babylonish set up by the Pope that all in a Parish might come to Masse Another time he spake against paying of Tithes as Popish c. Such things as these he often and often as occasion served did not spare to preach and urge with great vehemency Insomuch as many of us and others of the City did resort to M. Calamy and told him that they wondered how he could with a safe conscience suffer such things to be preached which they knew to be so contrary to his judgement Upon this M. Calamy at one time got a reverend Minister of M. Burtons acquaintance to go to him and to deal mildly with him about these things and to represent the scandall of the people But all the answer as he remembers returned was that M. Burton thought himself ingaged to preach the kingdom of Christ Upon another time M. Calamy did likewise speak to one of his brethren of that way about it and all the answer to his utmost remembrance that he had was this M. Calamy you know the man and of what nature he is it is in vain to speak to him he will doe what he list And it may be he preacheth thus to see whether you will cast him out or no. At another time M. Calamy spake with another of the brethren of that way and his advice was To get a meeting of M. Burton and the rest of his brethren and they would see if they could perswade him to desist from preaching his Church-way in Aldermanbury But notwithstanding all this M. Burton continued in his Tuesday Lecture upon all occasions promoting his Congregational-way till at last upon occasion of his Sermon Septemb. 23. 1645. The Church-wardens sent to him the day before he was to preach to forbear preaching any more at Aldermanbury And this they did without acquainting M. Calamy with it whatsoever M. Burton thinks to the contrary Of which as soon as M. Calamy heard he sent for the Church-wardens