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A25655
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Anti-Cotton answered who comes with five hundred questions against two and twenty of the Examiner examind and yet leaves it out of the question that the magistrate ought to suppresse idolatry &c.
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1653
(1653)
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Wing A3488; ESTC R26486
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23,629
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39
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between advancing this Doctrine in a Nation and making a Nationall Church 2. I desire to know whether those Presbiterians that admit but one of twenty to be of their Church or those Independents that are stricter in their admission whom the Author mentions deny that the Magistrate is bound to advance the Doctrine of Grace I am sure the late proposals of divers reverent Divines manifests the contrary and the Author can assure us what New-England holds in this case It is granted that there are many flourishing Nations amongst whom the doctrine of Grace hath not been advanced Ad. 3. but I aske 1. Whether their peace and happinesse shall be so permanent as the peace of those amongst whom this Doctrine is advanced and I referre the Answerer for a resolution of this question to the 37. Psalme and whether there may not be a peace in wrath 2. It is granted that the Godly frequently suffer persecution what will the Author inferre hence If he will inferre any thing against the question It must be this viz. that the advancement of godlinesse hinders the peace of a Nation and therefore the Magistrate should not advance godlinesse in a Nation for feare of Persecution What an Heathenish Argument is this Let the great ones of the Earth take heed of being offended at the Crosse of Christ Christ saith Blessed are you when men persecute you for my names sake and rejoyce that you are counted worthy 3. This Answerer saith that all outward peace promised upon the condition of holynesse is vanisht Unto the falsity of this tenet let these Scriptures witnesse Prov. 16.7 Revel 6.14 Nav Peace is given upon this condition that we might serve God in holynesse Luke 1.74 75. I'ts true that mercy upholdeth a Throne but I aske 1. Whether such a mercy as to spare where the Lord bids to destroy will not rent a Kingdome from the Magestrates 1 Sam. 15 as the sparing of Agag rent the Kingdome from Saul 2. Whether it is not cruelty to tolerate infected persons to the infection of others Here the Answerer brings in Ansterdam for an instance which saith he hath flourished many yeares by being a receptacle of all Fugitives whatsoever 1. He might as well from the flourishing of Rome have pleaded for the erecting of an Asylum for Theeves and Robbers 2. Hath not Genevah flourisht many yeares though that City hath sheltered no Malefactors who escapting the hands of Justice have fled thither But all such have been tried and executed according to Law 3. Is New-England ever the worse for casting out some scismaticall Hereticks This Answerer haveing a sting in his taile closes with an Invective against Tythes divers men of such kind of spirits with their Invectives stirre up the People bid them cry and then bawle out upon the Magistrate for not appeasing them if such men were kept from writing we should have few of these out-cryes Question 4. Whether the Magistrate be not bound to love God with all his might and accordingly to advance his Glory with all his might And whether he doe so if he doe not put forth all his might in advancing Gods true worship and service and the chiefe good of Gods People committed to his care The Summe of the severall Answers 1. Pa. 20.21 The weapons of Christians are not carnall but spirituall 2 Cor. 10. and these are sufficient to batter all strong holds and the carnall can effect nothing but a storming the Nations into Hipocrisy 2. Pa. 10.20 Whether in the New Testament Christ hath appointed the civill Sword to be desendor of his Religion 3. Pa. 21. Whether Religion did even so flourish as under persecution Reply 1. Ad. 1. Whether the spirts intent in 2 Cor. 10. is not to set out the spirituall might of Ministers against those who disgraced their personall weaknesses Q. D. though some amongst you say that Paul Evangelist powerfully Manu Pennâ but his bodily pesence is weake his speech is contemptable yet I doe not approve of this saying for though Paul walkes in the flesh that is in this Body yet he warres not after the Flesh that is the strength of our warsare consists not in Rhetorical words and pronunciation we put not the stresse of our warfare upon these for they are carnall weapons but ours are spirituall the result of the whole is That Ministers who have no good utterance are not to be condemned or their Ministry thought weak for they come not in Word but in Spirit Thus it clearly appears that by carnal weapons is not meant the civill Sword 2. Spirituall weapons are sufficient onely sufficient to bring downe the high thoughts of the heart and Idolatry Heresy and Murders in the heart are only batterd by these weapons but if Heresy c. break forth into externall acts they may be reached and punished by the civill Sword and questionlesse this outward punishment of Idolatry c. might truly convert many as the erecting of the Gallows for Murderers hath brought many to true repentance and amendment yet I doe not deny but this rigor might make many Hipocrites dor feare Wolves might cover themselves in Lambs clothing be outwardly Lambs Yet I aske 1. Whether such Hipocrites are not better for society then Ravenous Wolves 2. Whether Idolatry Heresie Murther pent up in the heart not daring to break forth for feare of Laws be not lesse displeasing to God then when for want of restraint they break forth into the members and become reigning sins for sins of this latter sort God usually punisheth a Nation therfore the Magistrate is to restraine such sins further if such coercive power of the Magistrates be to be omitted because it makes Hipocrites I aske Why the Preaching of the Word is not to be omitted seeing that thereby many have stormed into Hipocrisie Ad. 2. 1. God hath appointed the civill Sword to defend Religion Rom. 13.34 2. The Author might as well aske why God appoining in the old time Kings to be defenders of Religion suffered so many of them to be Idolators Take heed of upbraiding God 3. If the Revelation be not Apocripha with this Author he hath cause to beleeve that Kings shall burne the Whore with Fire Ad. 3. 1. Whether the flourishing of Religion under Persecution will excuse the Magistrate from not defending of the true Religion though the Israelites encrese under the Egyptian bondage yet Pharaoh goes not unpunisht 2. I aske whether the Church is not also encreased by peace viz. Act. 2.47 Act. 9.31 Question 5. The People being bound to pray for Magistrates that under them they may had a peaceable and quiet life in all godlinesse and honesty Whether the Magistrate be not bound to doe that which the People are bound to pray that he may doe And whether he be not also bound to give himselfe up to God to be his Servant and Instument when he granteth this Prayer The Summe of the severall Answers 1. Whether these
more of Policy hath not more power in State matters then the highest States-man 3. I aske whether Magistrates may not be high in the Spirit Ad. 5. The Subject may reprove a Magistrate Nathan may reprove David yet it doth not follow that Nathan may as well command in Religious matters as David Question 7. Whether Artaxerxes did well in making a Decree for the advancement of the true wership of the true God and in causing Ezra to teach them the law of God Ezra 7. And whether the King of Nineveh did well to command his People to keepe a generall Fast and to turne from their evil wayes whereby he saved that great City Or whether he might not have done better to have left them to a carelesse liberty and so to destruction The Summe of the severall Answers 1. Whether these two Instances be not ill coupled for Artaxerxes gave free liberty of conscience to the Jews whereas the King of Nineveh forced his People to Fast 2. Did Artaxerxes compell the Jews to his Religion or the Persians to the Jews or the Jews to goe to Jerusalem 3. What can be gathered hence but that it pleaseth God sometimes to affect the hearts of Idolatrous Kings with kindnesse to his People 4. Whether this Instance makes not for Soul-freedome in that the Jewes were not forced to their owne Jerusalem As to the King of Nineveh 1. Whether examples in Scripture bind our consciences in worship 2. Whether this Example of the King of Nineveh be fit for all Nations to imitate seeing that mens consciences differ as much as the Climates in which they live Reply Ad. 1. The Answerer give us in his booke the Summe of this Question after this manner Whether Artaxerxes and the King of Nineveh did well in making there decrees he puts these two instances under one utrum whereas the Questioner makes two utrums of them Now I aske who is to be blamed for coupling of these two distinct Instances together Ad. 2. There is no such thing asserted but the Question onely is whether he did well in what he did doe or no. Ad. 3. With a little Logicke this conclusion may be gathered viz. If Artaxerxes did well in making this decree which impowred Ezra to set Judges which may judge all the people that know the Law of God and to execute Judgement upon them that would not doe them a Christian Magistrate would doe well in Countenancing and Encourage those that teach the law of the Lord and in punishing those that would not obey it Ad. 1. All the liberty that is granted them is that they might chuse whether they would goe to Jerusalem or no but those that went to Jerusalem were not left free to what worship they pleased for vers 26. whosoever will not doe the Law let judgement be executed upon him c. So noe Christians are desired to come out of Babilon but those that are willing Yet if they come out of Babylon and dwell under the Christian Magistracy and will not doe the Law of the Lord let Judgement be executed upon them Ad. 1. Whether those things that were writ aforetime were not writ for our learning Ad. 2. Pari ratione I 'le argue the Alcoran is fitter to be followed then the Bible Why did not Christ make a particular Bible to sute with the Climates according to the elevation of the People Question 8. Whether any of the Prophets Apostles yea our Saviour himselfe did ever except at the Mngistrates Authority for questioning them in matters of Religion The Summe of the severall Answers 1. The Prophets and Christ are ill coupled in this Question because the Law the Prophets were until John and so their Actions cannot be brought in as witnesses with Christ 2. Whether Christ did not except against the Magistrates power in Religion in that distinction Give unto Caesar the things that are Caesars c. was not giving Caesar his due a giving God his due what difference can there be between Gods due and Caesars due but onely that of matter of conscience Spirituall and Religious which Caesar had no power over 3. The Apostles not only refused to obey ungodly commands but even to owne the Courts of the highest in matters of Religion Act. 4.5 4. If Christs Followers should owne any Trybunall questioning them by Authority but Christs in matters of Religion it would be Blasphemy Reply Ad. 1. 1. It s true the Prophets Prophecyed of Christs comming untill John Mat. 11.13 but the substance of their Doctrine is not antiquated by Christs coming Mat. 5.17 2. I aske why the Prophets Testimony may not be coupled with Christs seeing that the same Spirit that was in Christ was in the Prophets 1. Pet. 1.11 Ad. 2. I cannot conceive what objection against the Magistrates Power can be gathered out of Mat. 22.21 the scope of the place is no more then that the maintaining of Gods service must not excuse them from maintaining the civill power for they were Caesars Subjects and therefore must pay Tribute to Caesar And though in giving Caesar his due in some sence they gave God his due because Magistracy is an ordinance of God yet this was not Gods whole due for the Ministry is likewise an ordinance of God and I thinke the payments towards the maintaining of Gods service were easily to be discerned from Caesars Tribute and might be called Gods due in a peculiar manner But none so blind as those that will not see Ad. 3.1 I aske whether the Apostles were not often accuse of Heresie before the Magistrates did they ever plead the Magistrates had no power to judge of such cases Nay is not Gallio branded for his indifferency and carelesnesse in such cases 2. I'es false that the Apostles Act. 4.5 refused to own the Court for they pleaded Non-guilty and made a defence for them selves which is a full owning of a Court. Ad. 4. Whether the Apostles by Answering to Courts that questioned them concerning their Religion were guilty of Blasphemy Whether Paul counting himselfe happy in that he should Answer before Agrippa counted it a happy thing to speake Blasphemy Question 9.10.11.12 If a beleeving Magistrate as a nursing Father recommend to his Children the wholsome Food of the Word that is able to save their Soules and encourage those that disperse and dispense it and withall forbid others to give abroad the Poyson contrary to it Whether the Examiner hath just cause to say that this is a Ground for another Magistrate to command the giving abroad of Poyson and to forbid the delivering of the wholesome Food that may save his peoples Soules Authority being given by God to Asa to advance true Religion and suppresse Idolatry which he did to deposing of his Mother Whether this were a ground for Manasseh one of his successours to set up Idolatry and a principle of Persecution whereupon he might kill those that would not worship his Idols When God made a Law that Blaspemy proved