hand for their heady and rash proceedings against their innocent Pastor lest destruction be their portion notwithstanding all their Profession 14. Par. And so do now bear our Testimony against all his Evil and all his Adherents and set our hands to the truth of it Ans To this I Answer If these Assertors and Concluders did walk like persons indued with true knowledge they should have proved the things they talk of to be evils before they had set their hands thereunto by what they have done they have manifested themselves not to be wise nor right Artists at the work of accusation Again if they could have proved what they have subscribed unto to be Evils the next work had been to have layed them down before me and made some endeavour to have holpen me to a sight thereof as well as themselves and shewn me by way of aggravation the danger of them and if I had been obstinate not to have heard some of them alone to brought two more with them and took some pains with me for to recover me out of that which they are pleased to call an Evil and if I had remained in an obstinate mind then with sorrow of heart and bowels of love told it to the Church the Church to have made some endeavour to recover me and if I would not have seen my Evil then to have set a day a part for Fasting and Prayer and to have mourned bitterly under the consideration of the thoughts of the loss of a chief Pillar of the Church and when all this work was done then in a solemn reverent and godly manner to have gone trembling at the thought of what must of necessity then have been done seeing there was no avoiding of it and consider what was to be done after all this not to reproach Nay For sufficient to such a man was this punishment which was inflicted upon many 2 Cor. 2.6 7. So that contrarywise they ought rather to forgive him and comfort him lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow wherefore I beseech you that you would confirm your love towards him I say to these people Was any of this done Was the first step taken in this work much less the last that was done to the incestuous person How may these people dread the thoughts of their present Proceedings with their former for fear God may charge them with Spiritual murder at the Day of the Lord in putting a stop to conversion-work and cause Souls to stumble I say Oh what comfort can these men have that have set their hand to such a work as this is The Lord give them a sight and true sence and sorrow yea true repentance of the same Sure by this time they may plainly see if they do not harden their hearts that they were out of the way of the Lord and with what comfort can they go to the grave with this Load upon their Consciences or what peace they can have for these their irregular Proceedings I know not and truly it is to be admired they do not yet blush at that they stile their Testimony Sure they understand not what they say for the word Testimony doth signifie amongst other things a good report from others but this which they have done is found to be of no good report therefore falsely termed by them a Testimony Again a Testimony doth also import a witnessing well but they have witnessed unto that which is Lyes Suppositions and Surmisings which is very ill therefore for to speak properly have born no Testimony against Samuel Bradley but rather have made their ignorance further appear and know not what they say in this case nor what a Testimony is and yet these persons will undertake for to pass Sentence of Excommunication upon their Pastor and that as soon as his back was turned from them was it done but never to his face And whereas they seem to reflect upon the rest of their Fellow-Members which bore a better Conscience than themselves which they call Adherents they have little cause so to do for they understand the Rules of Christ better than to run rashly and headily upon things contrary to the right Order but have waited with patience upon the Lord and have proved Fellow-feelers of their Pastors Sorrows and great Afflictions that have befallen him through the means of the persons aforesaid that are turned his Accusers though falsely and they in Conscience could not joyn with them without breach of Covenant I shall say unto these my Accusers had they been as tender of the Glory of God as these they call My Adherents they might have been made partakers of true Peace with them though by their means they are made to stand alone separated from the rest of their Brethren to their great grief and could they violate the peace of their consciences as those have done they might have been their dear Friends still Let these men be careful lest they slay the Upright in Conversation with the Sword of their Mouth namely bitter words as they have not been ashamed to do lest Wrath break forth from the Lord upon them And whereas they say They have set their hands to the Truth I ask them whether their Consciences did not prick them when they were setting their Pen to Paper so as they began with a lye they conclude with a lye also O how can these People with confidence call that a Charge which they themselves confest in the last Particular thereof to be but petty Things or call that a Truth which is stuffed up with so many Lyes Suppositions and surmising Expressions as hath been proved all along O that they would lay these sad proceedings to heart that for this Twelvemonth together they have contrived against their innocent Pastor as they have owned him to be and yet have cried him up for a Trappan at such a high hand They may see if they do not wilfully shut their Eyes that his Innocencie has so shined in this matter that the Lord hath holp him to weather the storms of all sorts they have raised upon him onely from Fears and Jealousies O what will they do when God shall call them to an account How will they be able to stand before him It is not their strong-hold of Church-Fellowship that will shelter them from the wrath of God for if he set the Worm of Conscience a gnawing their Gourd will soon be destroyed and where are they then My Prayer shall be that they may repent and the Lord forgive them for I do and for ever hereafter let them be silent and never more open their mouth to reproach and as Job said of his friends so shall I say of mine Job 16.24 I have heard many such things miserable Comforters are you all And now you may see I have diligently examined this their pretended Charge that hath occasioned such a stir in the Nation and have found it to stand upon the Foundation of Untruths
they Judge Cast and Condemn me for such a Person as hath been commonly reported but yet never could be proved I dare affirm not by God's Law consider if this be right in the sight of God let those who are my Adversaries be judge and how the Peace of the Church could be hazarded as these men tell the Nation I know not when he that spoke brought no other Doctrine then what they had before received and those few that were at the hearing thereof by their own confession were refreshed by what was delivered that to the truly understanding Christian it doth appear the Peace of the Church was rather inlarged then hazarded That so their pretended Charge is made manifest to be none at all The fifth thing I observe in the second Particular is as they say Especially to bring in such a Person as he contrary to the advice given in Acts 20. where the Elders are exhorted to feed the Church and not to ruine it Ans As to their Tautology I past it by because it cannot be proved that I brought him in to Preach and as touching the Apostles advice We are to feed the Church These Persons themselves do witness for me that I so did namely Feed the Flock of Our Lord Jesus not only in their Letter they did write to me when I was a Prisoner for the same But now also in their fifth Particular of this pretended Charge they say I made it my work to Preach three times a week besides the Church Meetings But as touching their last Term I am altogether a stranger to namely as to ruine the Church for as the Lord spoke by the Prophet to Israel saying Oh Israel thou hast destroyed thy self So do I say If they be destroyed or ruined it is done by themselves It is plainly seen that Lyes Surmisings and Suppositions is their second Particular stuffed with in this their pretended Charge that it plainly appears to such as are plain-hearted to be no Charge but a heap of falshoods 4. Par. We have great cause to suspect him very guilty of pernicious Designs against the Saints Ans This hath its dependance upon the former they do not say they charge me but suspect me and withall they would have us believe they have great cause so to do This is as false as the former for all men will believe this that if they could have shown either great or little cause they would not have spared me but without all doubt have brought it forth They talk of Pernicious Designs that I am guilty of against the Saints but nothing do they prove or can they The Reader may take notice that since this pretended Charge was hatched and patched together it is somewhat above a twelve-month And what is not one Pernitious Design discovered all this time Surely it is apprehended by such as have learned better then to live in the prejudiced mind or surmising Spirit this Babe that hath been so long in the Womb of Conception will prove an abortive at last As touching the Person whom they so much mention again and again whom they call Dangerous and Wicked as to his former Proceedings I justifie not but have rather chosen to reprove them what ever I have been thought on and laboured to make it my business to reclaim him but this I can truly say no person whatsoever in City or Countrey all the time of my society with him which was not of any long standing I do declare and affirm had not any wrong done to them by my knowledge for which I have great peace though my sufferings have been very great as to some other things in this Particular being one thing rehearsed over again I do apprehend it a superfluous thing to make a second reply thereunto Secondly As touching my Calling a Brother by Name who they say was zealous for the work of the day as if he lay in wait on purpose to catch To this I Answer As touching his zeal for the work of the day it did not very much appear forasmuch as he did not appear in the work till the day was near an end The Searcher of Hearts knows my innocency in this thing that I had no intent but what was agreeable unto the Mind of God and by this time one would have thought these persons might have seen great cause to have been deeply humbled for their evil thoughts they had against their Pastor I do now appeal to the most fearful and the most jealous Person amongst them whether to this day they have been harmed in the least by me If not as I am very confident they cannot say they have what Reason is there that S. Bradley should still remain charged upon this account to this day seeing there can be nothing of this nature proved against him but lie under scandal by reason of their unwarrantable groundless fears surmisings and suppositions I say unto these persons Is it not high time that their poor oppressed Pastor should be set free and at liberty from this bondage that he hath been exposed to by their means for a Twelvemonth together and more O when will their Goal-delivery come They will do very well to try their spirits for it may be said unto them by me as it was said by our Lord Jesus to his Disciples You know not what spirit you are of Whereas they say As if he did on purpose lie in wait to catch I answer If we take it in their own sense which will be proved to be the worst it is but as if he did they themselves cannot say He absolutely did lie in wait to catch If they had dealt fairly and honestly by me they had done well to have set down some of the particular things that were acted in a treacherous way and not keep people in the dark and act towards me as if I were conspiring some horrid things against them when there was no such thing by me thought on These kind of proceedings savour not of a good Spirit to rob their Pastor of his good name and all gathered but from their evil perswasions Would not the Heathen abhor such dealings if they should hear of them I wonder they were not ashamed to set their hands to such things to declare their weakness to the Churches abroad And whereas they say This doth deeply and effectually perswade them he could not be without very great purpose to deal very treacherously with them Answ This amounts to no Charge all this while by their own speech they cannot positively prove it but are perswaded it is so what proof is this to the case in hand by the same Rule if this may carry it I may say that these people that have reproached me causlesly and and groundlesly are turned Robbers in the High Way how so I suppose so or to speak in their own words I am perswaded it is so Surely this kinde of proof which to speak truly is no proof will not carry it here nor in
against me or else who can be a true and competent Judge in the matter in controversie Seeing I am thus put upon it I must speak though its possible I may be blamed when I have done but all things considered not blame-worthy it's like in this matter I being by the Lord and them appointed their Overseer and perceiving to my grief of heart a general neglect of the assembling of the Saints and other things did reprove this fault in general it being a general Miscarriage and what must I come under dealing for it and this brought as a Charge against me Surely when the Churches come to hear thereof and the Ministry too they will rather pity me than otherwise and have some Bowels of Compassion to me For me to be thrown out as an useless person when I was found in the way of my duty and reported up and down for a dangerous person when it cannot be proved so and to shift off the business think no way like this to make their Pastor to be thought odious by the Churches and for them bragging when they have done to say None of the Churches own him And this is the best Proof they have yet produced against their Pastor See the baseness of these preceedings First to broach abroad that their Pastor is a Trappan and put a fear upon all the Churches that none dare come at him to know what is the matter for fear of being trappan'd and then to give it out as if they had won the day Oh! None of the Churches owns him Let these men remember the Day of Judgement is at hand in which my Cause will be called over then I shall have a fair hearing and true judgement in the case shall be executed and then it shall be known who is the Offender whether S. B. or his Accusers May not this People take shame unto themselves to carry themselves so that they are worthy of reproof and when they are reproved cannot bear therewith but make endeavours to stop the mouth of their Preacher from reproving One would have thought they should have hearkened to reproof Prov. 13.18 19 25. it being the onely way to gain honour and that they might have learn'd knowledge by it If I may query a little with them Have they not scorned Reproof and their Pastor got a blot thereby O that they would well consider the words of the Wise Man He that hateth reproof shall die and forget not what he farther says Pro. 9.8 Reprove not a Scorner lest he hate thee Rebuke a Wise Man he will love thee Let these Persons consider what they have done If I had failed in this point what reason can they shew that it must be blazed about after Reconcilement may not such as are truly sober conclude who are out of the prejudiced minde that what they have done was more in malice than true love but this is altogether off from the thing for which they made their pretence to bring me under dealing as they call it though no such thing as was falsely asserted and afterward immediately denied by B. M. namely for being a Trappan So that their pretended Charge is come to nothing at last and is proved no Charge at all Their last Particular I shall answer unto containing several Branches First He is guilty of rash Passion and spiritual Pride in his carriages towards Vs in communication Answ I must acknowledge that I am not without personal offences which doth administer matter of true humbling and lying low at the foot of Christ May it not be apprehended that for want of a right Spirit of Judgement and Brotherly Love they may call that Passion which God may approve on as true Zeal if all things were considered from first to last it may upon true grounds be gathered that they are mistaken in this their rash Censure and while they judge their Pastor they are guilty of the same sin and bespatter him in the notion of passion and spiritual pride out of a prejudiced spirit they have took up against him of a sudden In their Letter of Recommendation they sent abroad to the Churches they write no such thing it is much to me that in eight or nine days time they should change their note at this rate first for to cry me up and then with all speed cry me down Whether prejudices be not the Engine that spurts out this dirty Water of Reproach upon me I leave the clear-sighted Christian to judge Secondly And to vindicate a scandalous Transgressor that was for to be dealt with by the Church Answ It will prove to these persons great advantage who accuse me at this rate in matters that were buried long ago and forgotten by me and promised so to be by them I say again It will prove for their advantage in the great Day of the Lord if they can clear themselves from slandering of their Pastor and were this true what they say how comes it to pass that we have very often met together at the Table of the Lord and how is it that they have not proved faithful if it be true what they assert in this matter to the Lord and my Soul to suffer me as they say a Lyar to be their Administrator in these weighty Affairs in the House of God Is not this their proceedings much like unto that of Children that quarrel and fall out one with another and in revenge call over things done in times past and hit them in the teeth with it Have not these done even so to fall upon upbraiding their Pastor of things done long ago Put case I had offended in what I had then done how far short do these People come of the Rule of Christ let them consider Ephes 4.32 As God for Christs sake forgave us so ought we to forgive one another but instead of forgiving how are they upbraiding O should not these things set out hearts a bleeding that these persons should rake up those things that were dead and buried long ago Thirdly They say He charged a Sister rashly in the face of the Church and to colour his evil made it a mistake to justifie the wicked and condemn the righteous To this I answer What I spake then was no more nor scarce so much as a Sister of the Congregation asserted and said she would undertake to prove it the business that was in controversie I acquainted the Church with when the person fore-mentioned began to speak whether it was by her being over-powered by some which would have born a sway and have occasioned all these distractions amongst us though it did not so become them to do I leave it to the Lord to judge whether she was not over-powered by words and other things to which I shall not speak at large lest I make their nakedness too much appear I then did declare it was found a mistake for me to say so was this to cover my evil and to justifie as they term it the
but prove a burden to their Pastor I shall omit one thing in this Particular it being such nonsense that I understand it not and shall pass to the next thing in their pretended Charge Seventhly Some of those petty things we have also at large for to be brought forth if desired by any Answ Were it not to encourage these people to come under the breach of their solemn Covenant they made when they entered into Church-Communion not to rip up matters in this kinde I should say then By all means bring them forth that the Churches and others may see what a heavy Drudge their Pastor hath been made by them and how they have had no respect to his peace but troubled and burdened him with such matters that by their own confession are counted petty Things The Christian Reader may take notice That their Charge at the best as they have declared is but a petty Charge the Reason is The matters contained therein are but petty Things and truly I do not much wonder they were so backward in letting me have a sight thereof it may be they were ashamed of their work it being but a petty Business I must needs acknowledge they have given as true a Title to their Twelvemonths Labours as could be invented and should they sit a Twelvemonth longer onely to study for a Title to send forth their pretended Charge into the World they could not choose one that would be more fitting Now Friends Seeing it hath appeared to be such a petty Business I hope your poor oppressed Pastor will be restored to his Birthright again that is to say His Good Name that hath by your means been taken from him for a Good Name is better than precious Oyntment Eccles 7.1 which you have stained by your scandalous Reports spread by your means up and down the Land of my Nativity but if you will not yet it shall work for my good and your hurt in the Day of Judgement Sure all men that have but the least spark of Grace will say it is but a reasonable thing seeing all this cry and stir about Samuel Bradley doth at last appear to be but a petty Report and could never to this day be made otherwise to appear for the most credible persons that ever had a hand to spread it abroad which have gone under the name of very good Christians neither did nor can speak any thing of their own knowledge then it remains to be but a petty Report still And when these persons have been asked Upon what grounds do you report this of the Person aforesaid their answer has been His Church has cast him out upon this very Account and now that which they have called all this while a Church Act though they had no Reason so to do is found to be at the best but a petty Surmise or Supposition What and no more No truly Then away saith the sober-minded Christian with this petty Charge for in open Court it is condemned and let their Pastor's Good Name be restored Eighthly While we were dealing with him at one time breaking forth into a wicked reviling and contempt as He had brought up a Bird to pick out his Eyes A Brother that then spake called him Black-mouth Foul-mouth he had spit the Devil all Day Answ As touching the Bird they mention of all the things I did speak that I cannot remember however it may be relished yet in one sence it is undeniably true for this man whom they make mention of was he that for two or three hours together did revile me in such a shameful manner that some there present although they were not Members yet conscientious Persons were so much grieved they had much ado to continue in the hearing of him his speaking was in such an unchristian-like manner that some there present said He did act and lock as if he had been the very Picture of Envy and he spake with such rage that to somes perceivance he looked black in the mouth then I pray consider was that to revile him when I spake nothing but the truth concerning him And put case these kinde of proceedings and great oppressions had so much prevailed with me that I had spake worse than all this who was the cause of it were not those persons that would not let me have the same liberty that a Malefactor or a Murderer shall have at the Bar that is to speak what he can for himself before he be sentenced to death but I must have my Sentence before I could be heard Oppression will make a wise man mad And did I revile him to call him Foul-mouth when he had such foul Expressions flowing from him that were not becoming him and whether he did not act the part of the Devil all the day let the wise man judge who accused his Pastor in the face of all there present and yet could not when he was put upon it prove what he said for we all know that the Devil is the Accuser of the Brethren Rev. 12.10 then you may plainly see I did not wrong him in the least to say he spit the Devil all day when he spit forth his venom of malice that he was beyond the bounds of moderation Now if they had any regard to God's Glory and their own Reputation they should not have laid open their weakness abroad thinking to let the nakedness of their Pastor be seen to all men and thereby have made manifest their own shame suppose I had acted all that which B. M. had falsely asserted was there no other course for them to deal with me than to make me odious before all ere they had examined the cause to see whether I had deserved such things at their hands But it doth appear this man with some others had a design to carry on and he thought the way to make sure work of it was to stop his Pastors Mouth for fear he should spoile his design for he with some others were resolved upon the matter to cut him off right or wrong and with all expedition too and had forgot to go to prayer first A Member that was there present which wept bitterly to see their proceedings seeing of them so nimble at the work bad them consider what they did for it was not a business of small concernment to cut off an Elder to which some replied Well then we will go and seek God the Brother that prayed was very ingenious to confess though he was one of them in the cutting-off design John Johnson by name he had no answer at all with that Benjamin Minzes did go to pray to see if he could have an answer as we may so gather by the passage and after he had done he was answered as he did say from Rev. 2.20 I have a few things against thee because thou sufferest that Woman Jezebel which calleth her self a Prophetess to teach and Seduce my Servants to commit Fornication and to eat things Sacrificed unto Idols
unsound and out of their own mouths are they cast and condemned and found Lyars and such Persons as these are not like to be competent Judges in such weighty matters and in the room of judging of others if they would judge themselves they should not be judged of the Lord. These Persons may do well to consider That God will one day ask them Why dost thou judge thy Brother or why dost thou set at nought thy Brother Rom. 14.10 We shall all stand before the Judgement-Seat of God But I shall pass to the next Particular 11 Par. He gives out That he is wronged and hath made his Appeal to the Churches but cannot be heard Answ The Reader may observe this to be a petty Charge indeed and this their pretended Charge hath been found false for to make people believe strange things of their Pastor and now come to wave the matter because they cannot prove what they have said and put us off with a Story or a Tale about the Churches As touching making my Appeal you may now see I have and not onely to them but to the whole World for the Innocent is neither ashamed to shew his Face nor his Cause though they were witness their under-hand-dealing for this Twelvemonth together and now their Actions are come to Light the Light hath manifested their Works are for the fire that must be burnt up and let these Persons labour to carry themselves better for the future lest they and their Works be burnt up together and let them take it into consideration That they have put me out of a capacity of making the Churches acquainted with their Proceedings but in this manner which I confess is not usual nor had it been so if it had not been long of themselves for the Churches have by their instigations been set against me and have been afraid of me though to this day I have given them no cause and I hope in God shall never so do for in the presence of God I declare my true love to them and not onely so but to the poor distressed and oppressed Seed of God under all distinctions whatsoever ever for through Grace I can truly say to this day though I have been rendered vile and base I have love to all Saints and my condition I have related to some that now are eminent in the Churches and made my moan to them telling them of my great Burden but what am I the better I must bear my own Burden for I see none so ready to search out the Truth of the Matter or bear the Burden with me but a few Lambs of Christ who for so doing are laid under Reproach though there is none can blame their upright Conversations justly By the wicked Contrivance of this back-biting People I perceive that fear and jealousie is got upon the hearts of all them that call themselves by the Name of the Churches of Christ I do not say they deserve not that Name but I wish rather they may And so much as to my Appeal to the Churches 12 Par. He now makes his Appeal to God and questions not but in a Twelvemonth he shall make Us and all the Churches know their evil Answ Can these men blame me for making my Appeal to God when I came on purpose to make my Appeal unto them and could not be heard what cause they have to do so I know not As touching my making of them know their Evil I might have been better than my word had not they carried it about so cunningly insomuch that I could not obtain a sight of my Charge upon no terms till the Twelvemonth came about but time enough to their shame who work so secretly that it was a wonder if not almost a miracle for me to come to the sight of this their pretended Charge but what God will have brought to Light who can by their cunning contrivances prevent for he is a God that will bring to light the hidden things of darkness 1 Cor. 4.5 as he hath done this blessed be his Name I have been charged upon several accounts but never in a right capacity to make my Reply till now and now I hope those of the Churches that have joyned in with them in their Work of Deceit will see it to be an evil and free themselves again of it seeing I have proved my self to be no Trappan but Innocent in the case and none can prove to the contrary and I hope so well of them that they do see it an evil by this time to fear a man that never did nor never doth intend them any harm 13 Par. They would make the Churches and Others believe that this is but a brief Copy of those many grand Evils for which our Brethren before and now have cut him off and cast him out for the destruction of the flesh Ans Their grand Evils as they are pleased to call them are proved most of them if not all grand lyes groundless Suppositions Surmisings and mistakes I pray what will their petty Evils as they term them prove but petty lyes if they were brought forth and to be weighed Job 3.6 7. In the Ballance of the Sanctuary namely the Ballance of Truth they will without all doubt be found to be too light they had need look very well about them for all the flourish they have made of casting me out for the destruction of the flesh what are their lying surmisings and the like but the works of the flesh These persons may do very well to see the Beam that is in their own eye Mat. 7.3 then shall they see more plainly to pull out the Mote that is in their Brothers eye The time may come that God may say unto them and to all the rest of their fellow-boasters Who hath required these things at your hands Though you are pleased to call it the work of the Lord take notice that backbiting and whispering and false-accusing are the works of the flesh called so in Scripture and not the works of the Lord Therefore all men may see they have more cause to lie low in the sight of God for this their evil practise for a twelvemonth together last past then to boast as they have done So They do but glory in their shame Phil. 3.19 for these works are not the works of God but their own which must be burnt up for God is coming with his sword to cut down all that is not of his own for with Fire and Sword will God plead with all flesh Oh that a word of Exhortation might fasten on these poor wandring Sheep that are gone a stray upon the dark mountains Jer. 13.16 that might cause them for to return to their first love or husband for then was it better with them then now Hos 2.7 and make haste lest the Lord our God make a breach upon them for that they sought him not after the due order 1 Chron. 15.13 Oh that they would repent out of