utterly false Sect. 16. pag. 7. In a parenthesis he saith If there be any difference between you and us The Libeller filling three Pamphlets with heinous charges and after and before also questioning Whether indeed there be any difference between him and me Sect. 17. pag. 8 With as insolent ignorance doth he feign me to make that which he calleth Devised Worship viz. the Liturgy to be Idolatry in my foresaid Book and now to repent of and oppose what I held And all because Disp. p. 378. I say to such as they would suspend silence excommunicate punish all such as will not pray to God in the words that they impose on them that if Reasons will not allay their impious distemper but will domineer over mens consciences and the Church of God we must leave them to him that being the Lord and Law-giver of the Church is jealous of his prerogative and abhorreth Idols Remember that I spake of none but the Clergy And is there any man that excelleth not in ignorance and rashness that would have thought here that it is a Form of Prayer or Liturgy that I call Idols or that could not see at the first reading that I call the persons only the Idols that usurp the prerogative of God And will this pittiful man still falsly insinuate or suppose that all the honest Christians or Ministers of all the Parish Churches in England are such usurping imperious Idols yea or all the Bishops either Even Martyn himself as well as Ithacius Thus are poor souls abused by deceivers Yea note that in the same disputation cited by him I largely prove the lawfulness of Liturgies and Forms and the necessity of them in some cases Sect. 18. Ib. Yet doth he again most falsly say that I have unworthily receded from what I wrote and yet addeth that I have not that he knoweth of repented of it Receded from it and yet not repented of What a forgetful self-contradicter is this man And so he thanketh God that I was heretofore stirred up to write so much which now condemneth me even for the same that I there and then did write and never repented of Sect. 19. His next subject where he saith that I argue against the Divine and self-evidencing authority of the holy Scripture is one of the visiblest lyes that ever I saw written by a man When I had not only said the contrary but told where I had voluminously proved it to give me not a word of sense in answer but write as if he had never read my reply Being to Tell the Church I must desire them to consider Whether a more Impudent studied Lye impenitently insisted in after a double detection without an answer was ever presented to their view And whether they can name me a Christian Writer in the world more infamously self-stigmatized with this vice The rest that he writeth of it I cannot perswade my self to tire the Reader with an answer to Only I note that he citeth Mr. Hildersham's words with the false intimation that I contradict them while the same worthy man is both applauded by him and suppositively taken for a Patron of Idolatry as one that perswadeth men not onely to come to Church and Common-prayer but to come to the beginning False speakers do thus ordinarily contradict themselves Sect. 20. When pag. 11. he saith that a Papist is worse than of no Religion I say no more to him but that Overdoing is the Devils last way of undoing and that such men be they that multiply and confirm the Papists Sect. 21. Ibid. p. 11. he would have you know what Religion he is of and how he meaneth to save his Disciples from Idolatry saying Had not I learned the truth of Christian Religion from better arguments and a more certain way of reasoning than any your books afford I had still been plunged in the depths of Atheism Now 1. Note that Reasoning in a certain way preserveth him from Atheism 2. That he seemeth to say that he was an Atheist by saying I had still continued so But you must not expect such base mutability from him as when he hath denied the Living God to confess it plainly and profess repentance 3. Note that he will be an Atheist still and it seems perswade the Separatists to be such till he hath better Reasons than my Books afford Now the Reasons that my Books afford are these note them Reader First from the witness of God the Creator in the frame of Nature Secondly From the witness of God our Redeemer in his supernatural Revelations 3. From the witness of God the Holy Ghost on the Scriptures and in the Soul First Printing on the Scripture the Image of Gods Power Wisdome and Goodness which is its self-evidence And next by the Scripture printing the said Image of Gods Power Wisdom and Goodness on every holy soul which none but God is able to do These three Testimonies of the Father Son and Holy Ghost is the sum of my evidence enlarged Now Mr. Bagshaw will be an Atheist still and it seems perswade the Separatists to be such till he hath better reasons for his faith than the witness of the Creator the Redeemer and the Sanctisier God the Father Son and Holy Ghost This is his zeal for the Glory of God and the Cause of Christ and the good of souls Sect. 22. Yet pag. 13. with much railing he insinuateth this abominable falshood and calumny against Christs excellent Servants that Calvin Preston Hildersham Perkins c. would have no more done in asserting a Deity and Christianity than to tell men that all is true that God speaketh in his Word and that propria luce it is evident that the Scripture is his word and that to all Gods elect he will give his spirit to discern it and thus much alone is better than all these disputes and reasonings Whereas 1. These same men have all of them said much more themselves in their writings 2. And Paul preached otherwise to the Athenians Acts 17. and to others 3. And what kind of preaching would this man make among Turks and Heathens that deny the Scriptures You see 1. He will leave out all the Natural evidences of a Deiy and of mans immortal state and so all the Principles in which we are agreed with them 2. He will leave out all the Historical proofs that these Books were written by Christs Apostles and Evangelists and are not altered since And 3. That he will leave out the use of mans Ministry in Translating or Preaching And will let the illiterate Reader look on a Hebrew and Greek Bible till propria luce they know it is of God or at least that the Minister when they say How shall I know that this is Gods Word shall only bid them read it whether they can or not and if they be elect the spirit will cause them to discern that propria luce it will shew it self to be Gods Word but if they be not elect they have
discharged me from speaking to them any more and God I think discharged me at present I saw nothing more to be attempted but with the other whose duty for Concord and Christian Love after many years silence I opened in a Treatise called The Cure of Church-Divisions But yet would not publish it without an Addition of the Duty of those Pastors that most complain against separation lest I should exasperate their minds against those that I instructed and should tempt them to overlook their own miscarriages But more of this then I there adjoyned it could not be expected that the Licenser should pass The only man that rose up against this Writing with furious indignation was Mr. Edw. Bagshaw a man that had before written against Bishop Morley's Letter published against me and lain in prison many years And gave the world a notable proof of one of the chief passages displeasing to them in my Book viz. That there is a marvellous affinity between the spirit of Persecution and of sinful SEPARATION though several opinions or capacities cause them to operate several wayes By this time I discerned the guilty from the innocent by the Cry which signified their smart I had seen so much of the workings of that spirit that I expected not to escape their sharpest censure And verily I expected neither preferment nor so much as Liberty to preach as a reward from the other side instead of the favour of those that I knew I was to lose Nor yet had I such a contempt of them or a desire to be bitterly censured and reviled as to invite men to it as the Circumcellians importuned men to kill them I foresaw that some interessed men would be angry as supposing that I would hinder their alienating work though they could not deny but that I spake the truth I foresaw that many that look but to the present day and place would say It was unseasonable and served the Prelates design not considering that their design is not to bad but that some things which seem their design do also seem the design of Christ and his Churches good and mens salvation I foreknew those that make uncharitable Divisions their very Religion would make it a part of their religious dutys to call me as bad as their distempers do incline them These things I prognosticated in my Preface As Tertullian saith of the Christians martyrdome It is more the choice of our own will than the effect of your power i. e. We dye because we will dye rather than not do our duty by the omission of which we could escape so I say I could easily have kept as large an interest in the favour and applause of all the parties that ever railed at me as most men of my profession as their own words have told me What did it gain me in the world to do what I have done to lose the favour of the Papists the Ithacian Prelatists the Anabaptists the Separatists the Quakers the seekers c. But I saw whither the temptations of this age did tend And this was a work that some body must do or else woe to the Ministry that in their very sufferings would be so unfaithful And I thought my reputation with the Uncurable as fit to be cast away and my self as fit to bear their slanders as most of my brethrens who had more use for an interest in them than I had And I remembred that ill-gotten goods must be restored and without restitution no remission Though I can truly say that I disliked and decryed this spirit from my beginnings yet when I preached first the favour and loud applause of some good people tainted a little with this disease did tempt me to please them too often by exclaiming too smartly against the corruptions of the Church Though I said nothing but what I was confident was true yet I think I did not well to cherish their inorâ—inate censoriousness in such matters And having gotten sometime a great stock of estimation with such angry persons by means which I dare not wholly justifie though it made me the more capable to do them good I did voluntarily surrender it to them again before they took it from me and I did yield to serve God at the rate of so small a part of self-denial rather than be silent at such a time as this I have long ago preached to Drunkards and other ungodly people till they openly rose against me in tumults in the streets and sought my life And shall I forbear to speak that truth to Ignorant-proud Dividers which is necessary to heal the Church and them and all for fear lest their passion and partiality should shew their guilt by their calling me what they are themselves They call out for Valiantness in suffering themselves And shall I be so cowardly as to fear their false reports They cry out against the fear of man And shall I fear their impotent revilings They will be my witnesses that it is a duty to deny our selves and to forsake all for the Cause of Christ And I am as certain that Love and Unity are his Cause as I am that he is the Christ And shall I think the good thoughts and words of some of his froward Children too great a matter to forsake and lose They themselves think that we should rather suffer a prison or death then joyn with the holiest Minister and people in the use of the Common Prayer And should I that know the difference think that LOVE and CONCORD are not matters more worthy to be suffered for When first the City and Countrey had sounded with abundance of untruths about my Book while it was yet but in the Press at last the man that openly assaulted it when it came forth did use the same instruments which himself decryed and filled his Libel with as many untruths as ever I saw heaped up in so small a room except once in such another piece that was about eight years elder And the Cause it self he shamefully slip'd over as if his spirit and interest had directed him to no other means but only to attempt to asperse the person that was against him I wondred that no soberer a man rose up to defend Dividing-Principles And I was glad that in an age of such Temptations he had no more approvers among the Ministers When I had answered that Libel he sent forth another which instead of professing repentance did double the number of his Vntruths and cast out more of his bilious excrements but pretended also to say somewhat for his Separating Principles and Cause When I had replyed to that and Admonished him to repent of his false Doctrines and Crimes and above fourscore visible Vntruths he hath vented a third Libel of which I am now to give you a more particular account CHAP. II. I Must needs again remember the Readers 1. That the design of my Book was not particular to reconcile men only to the Parish Churches but universal against
10. Ib. But he professeth that he dealeth thus in Zeal to the Glory of God Love to the Cause of Christ and Non-conformity which I have deserted Where 1. It is a repeated falshood that I have deserted the Cause of Non-conformity I challenge him openly to name even one point of it in which I have changed my judgment these 31 yeares which I speak not as my praise who in those things have grown no wiser except in knowing the same things better to this day 2. What sin will you call it to father all these falshoods on the Glory of God and the Cause of Christ Doth his Cause and Glory need mens Lies How many hundreds thus in a few more Libels may you publish if Satan bless them as hitherto he hath done with an Increase and Multiply Sect. 11. pag. 5. He reciteth many words of my Disputations of Church Government and laboureth whether by gross Ignorance or malice I know not to perswade the Reader that I retract or contradict them and saith We stand amazed you should so soon and so much forget all that you have said This is not a single falshood but maketh up no small part of his Book Reader do but hear and judge whether any thing except his Amareduci can excuse such horrid deliberate untruths 1. I never retracted any of that book setting aside the Dedication 2. I do still profess that I am of the same judgment which that book expresseth 3. I have in the greatest audience told the Bishops that I stand to it and provoked them to answer it 4. There is not a word of contradiction to that Book in my Cure of Church-Divisions which he writes against And am I not as like to understand my own writings as this man is 5. That very Book pleadeth as much and much more for a moderate Episcopacy the lawfulness of a Liturgy and those circumstances or ceremonies which I judge lawful as kneeling at the Sacrament than my later Books have done 6. It was to me a considerable Providence which drew me when the Sectaries were at the very highest to write that Book which had I written since the King returned they would have imputed to temporizing or a change 7. The very same men that now rail so loud against me said nothing that ever I could hear of against that book that contained more than Now I have written for But then it passed uncontradicted by them that now rail at half as much So Is it not a strange fate which that poor Book incurreth that the men of both sides plead it as for them and commend it whilst they condemn the Author as if he were himself against it The Reverend Bishop whom Mr. Bagshaw wrote against alledged it in the greatest audience before his Majesty Dukes Lords and Bishops with no less commendation than these words No man hath spoken better of this than Mr. Baxter And now Mr. Bagshaw citeth it with applause Reader who is in such a case as I The Bishop is for my Book Mr. Bagshaw is for it And I am the man that am against my self whilst I openly tell them both that I still stand to it as my judgment only not owning any words that any party shall justly find to be too sharp Surely they labour to bring me to that reputation among these contenders as Plato was among the Philosophers whom every Sect took to be the second or next the best Sect. 12. But pag. 6. he thinks that he talketh like a man of brains when he inferreth that if they be such kind of persons as I have represented them they ought immediately to be forsaken and forborn as to any acts of Church-communion Answ. But 1. I never said of them that they printed besides false Doctrines fourscore untruths in two small Libels as you have done and give the world neither vindication nor repentance And yet you or your disciples will not inferr thus against your self 2. Deceitful man Did I ever lay the charge you mention against all the honest conformable Pastors of the Parish Churches in the Land who have no hand in any thing that you can call an imposition or a persecution Nay that own not as they think the Diocesan Prelacy as such but only Episcopacy in general and Diocesans as the Kings Officers Did I ever lay that charge against all the Christians in the Parish Churches No nor against all the Bishops neither 3. And must all the Churches in a Kingdome be excommunicated or forsaken for the cause of a few men whom few of them ever knew or saw This is like the Popes interdicting Kingdomes 4. And if you separated but from the individual offenders should it not be done in a regular way Why go you about to blind the ignorant with such palpable fallacies as these Is it truth that men must be thus cheated into with errours Sect. 13. pag. 6. From what I said the Episcopal Churches would then have been if they had but had a meer toleration in the times that openly discountenanced them when the countenanced parties should set up by themselves he inferreth as if I had called them such now when no other are tolerated and that in all those Parishes where are good Ministers and no other Churches Thus palpable falshood is the very life of all his Libel Sect. 14. Ib. The self-contradicting man professeth to follow the Light which I once had in this and yet that my present Light is nothing else but confusion of darkness when I said the same then in that very Book that now I do and now own that book which I wrote then And all to carry on a cheating falshood as if in this I had changed my judgment Sect. 15. I had almost pass'd over a shameless falshood pag. 4. And that you may know I do not speak at randome particularly when at Gloucester you preached upon Curse ye Meroz and now you say you do repent do you expect ever to be believed again which is a mere composition of Vntruths 1. I never preached on Curse ye Meroz in my life if he mean that text or those words I never was at Gloucester but about one month before the Wars in which I preached thrice or four times of which one on a Fast had respect to the times which was on Ezek. 37. 3. Son of man Can these bones live And my business was to shew the Difficulty of the reparation and reformation of a sinful lapsed Church In which I mentioned many things and sorts of people that would hinder it but neither my Notes which I yet have by me or memory have any thing at all that tended unto War or resistance of Authority Yet if any other Sermon there did touch the times which I remember not I am sure it was not on that Text which I never preached on 2. And he as falsly insinuateth that I say I repent of what I preached at Gloucester so hard is it to him to speak that which is not