if it have any life This Conscience is like the service Book or like the Masse or the Popish Image you but see these things they cannot speake nor act upon the soule 2. The nature of Conscience is further cleared by its office and object which are the second and third particulare proposed That we may the more distinctly speake of these it would be cleared what sort of knowledge is ascribed to the Conscience Conscience is not the simple judgement and apprehension of things as things are knowable this is the speculative understanding but it is the power to know things our selfe and actions in order to obey God and serve him 2. But the question is whether Conscience bee a simple practicall apprehension of things or a compounded and discoursive apprehension To which I answere 1. That as the speculative understanding knoweth many things without discourse as to a pure head the sunne heaven nature of motion and many things in its second operation and worke as to apprehend the Sunne to be an hundreth sixtie and seven times more then the Earth yet it referreth both the first and second operations of the mind to know things by discourse so the Conscience as conscience doth apprehend in its first operation God Christ sinne and in its second operation God to be infinite Christ to be the alone choisest of Saviours So it is consummate and perfected in a discourse or syllogisme by Conscience totally and compleatly in order to our practice and faith As He that killeth his brother hath not life eternall But I have killed my brother Ergo I have not life eternall So Caine. And He that beleeveth in him who justifieth the ungodly is justified and saved But I beleeve in him who justifieth the ungodly Ergo I am Justified and saved So David Paul The knowledge of the major by it selfe is an act of conscience as to deny and mis-beleeve the major Proposition is an act of a blinded and evill conscience but the compleatenesse of Conscience standeth in the knowledge of the whole syllogisme Hence they say that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Magezine and Thesaure-house of the conscience the habit or power that judgeth of the Law of nature is the major Proposition or the principles of right or wrong written in the heart by nature maketh the conscience in regard of the proposition to be called Lex the Law In regard of the assumption or the second proposition Conscience is a witnesse a spie sent from heaven to record all the facts in whiâ—h assumption are included both our facts actions words thoughts inclinations habits of sin or grace and the mans state and condition In regard of the conclusion or third proposition Conscience is a Judge and the deputie of God and it is but one and the same conscience acting all the three the acts of Law a Witnesse a Judge The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the conserving power of the soule is that facultie or power in which are hidden and laid up the morall principles of right and wrong known by the light of nature and so is a part of a naturall conscience and in it are treasured up the Scripture and Gospel-truths which are known by the light of a starre of a greater Magnitude to wit the candle shining in a divine revelation and this is part of the inlightened and supernaturall Conscience Of this intellectuall Treasure-house wee are to know these 1. That in the inner Cabinet the naturall habit of Morall principles lodgeth the Register of the common notions left in us by nature the Ancient Records and Chronicles which were in Adams time the Law of Nature of two volumes one of the first Table that there is a God that he createth and governeth all things that there is but one God infinitely good most just rewarding the Evill and the good and of the second Table as to love our Parents obey Superiours to hurt no man the acts of humanity All these are written in the soule in deep letters yet the Inke is dâ—mme and old and therefore this light is like the Moone swimming through watery clouds often under a shaddow and yet still in the firmament Caligulâ— and others under a cloud denyed there was any God yet when the cloud was over the light broke out of prison and granted a God there must be strong winds doe blow out a Torch in the night and will blow in the same light againe and that there be other seeds though come from a farre Land and not growing out of the ground as the former is cleare for Christ scattereth some Gospel-truths in this Chalmer as Joh. 7. 28. Then cryed Jesus in the Temple as he taught saying Yee both know me and whence I am Joh. 25. 24. But now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father 2. This is a part of the Conscience because by no faculty in man but by the conscience are these truths apprehended 2. And when any in ill blood deny such truths as that there is a God and Parents are not to be loved we all say such doe sin and offer violence to their conscience 3. Sins against these fundamentals cry vengeance with a more hiddeous shout and cry than spirituall sins that are spun with a smaller threed for such goe nearer to put off humanity The knowledge of the assumption is Conscience as a Booke or Witnesse and it is either considered as it is in habit and keeps a record of the mans facts or as in act it bringeth them forth and applyeth the Law to the fact and is called diâ—tâ—â—â—â— the enditement and charge given in This and this hash than done Now that Conscience bringeth good or ill out of the 〈◊〉 that containeth memoriall or Cronicle or the mans 〈◊〉 cleare as 1. The Conscience can looke back and laugâ—â—â— solace it selfe at that which is well done and bring it forth Psal 16. 2. O my soule thou hast said unto the Lord thou art 〈◊〉 Lord. Psal 140. 6. I said unto the Lord thou art my God 〈◊〉 Ezekiah like the man that cheareth himselfe with the sight of the gold in his treasure Esai 37. 3. Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart Or 2. it can looke back and purge it selfe as David Psal 7. O my God if I have done this Job 16. 17. Job 29. 12 13 14. chap. 31. 5 6 7 8 9 c. 3. It can bring out evill deeds as Josephs brethren doe when they are in trouble This distresse is come on us for that when we saw the anguish of our brother and he besought us wee would not heare Gen. 42. 21. The knowledge of the conclusion is judgement and the sentence of a Judge 2. For the second point of Conscience which is its object this can be nothing but Gods revealed will expressed to us either in the Law of Nature or in the Law written or the Gospel
fundamentals and many other truths yet sure the whole should be a Kingdome devided against it selfe 〈…〉 destroyeth peace much 〈…〉 the devisions of one and the 〈◊〉 Church of 〈◊〉 though they pretended not to be different Churches for those that said they were of Paul professed they could not be disciples of Peter but he sharpely rebuked them 〈◊〉 man and such as devided Christ and by consequence must say Paul was crucified for them and was their redeemer and so if obstinately they had proceeded 〈◊〉 that separation Paul would have none on to higher censures of the Church farre more could he not endâ—â—e gathering of true Churches out of true Churches which is the professed practise of Independents and yet both sides pretending the spirit of descerning could say the spirit testifies to my soule that Paul is the onely called preacher and the other nay but to my discerning Cephaâ— or Peter is the onely man that I can heare or follow And a third nay not any on earth nor any ministery wil I acknowledge but Jesus Christ whom the heavens must containe till the last day 〈◊〉 my onely onely preacher now if a Jezabel come in and say no ministry is to be heard but Christ and turne away all from hearing the word and not suffer Sergiur 〈◊〉 or any other to hear Paul or any godly minister sure Jezabel should be a perverter of the right wayes of the Lord and so not 〈◊〉 suffered 4 As touching opinions more manifesty erronious aâ— Justine Martyâ— his saving of men 〈◊〉 of they used the light of nature wel though they were ignorant of Christ the Montanisme of Tertullian and his way of damning 〈◊〉 mariage which the very Jesuit Toleâ—uâ— commiteur in Joan. Said he wrote contro fidem Catholicam against the Catholick faith and Augustine his condemning of all in 〈◊〉 dying without Baptisme and Origen his 〈◊〉 at a soâ—â— of purgatory after death the greek fathers their presidence of good works and faith as the causes of predestination their Pelagâ—â—nisme and Semi-pâ—lagianisme touching menâ— freewll beginning and meeting Gods grace especially hard sayings of Chrysostome Gregâ—â— Nyssyâ—â—â— and others and the 〈…〉 Hieronymus nostrum est incipere dei 〈◊〉 〈…〉 extolling of the Bishop if Rome for personall gifts their orations of 〈…〉 to the Martyrs dead without 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with that doubtsome condition if there be 〈◊〉 feeling of our affaires in the dead which was the ground worke of invocation of Saints it is a question and to be proved whether the Church and Christian Magistrate when thâ—â— were any should tollerate these for some opinions to truths are as brasse so as we cannot put a stamp of necessity of edification on them and some are peeces of gold and foundation stones so other truths are neare of blood to fundamentalls and pinnings in the wall though not foundations and because the want of them may hurt the 〈◊〉 they must goe as peeces of current silver Onely two or three objections must be removed As 1. Rom. 14. They erred against a Law of God who kept dayes and abstained from meaâ—s conceiâ—ing that the conscience of Gods Law did injoyne such a practises whereas there was no such Law now the Apostle was perswaded there were no creatures uncleane now but to him who through error of conscience believed they were uncleane v. 14. Yea the earth bring the Lords they might eat swines flesh or meats though sacrificed to Idols without conscience of a Law 1 Cor. c. 8. c. 10. yet Paul is so far from censuring such weake ones that he bidâ— receive them as brethren and not trouble them with thorny disputations Answ Paul bids receive them ergo he bids tollerate them all together it follows not he will have them informed that there is no such divine Law that presseth them and so a morall tolleration of not refuting their error is denyed to them 2. He bids receive them in a practice in it selfe for that time indifferent for 1 Cor. 8. 8. Neither if they did eat were they the better nor if they did not eat were they the worse but onely erroneous in the manner because of the twilight and sparklings of the light of the Gospell not fully promulgated to the Jewes Will it follow that the Jewes should be tollerated still and perpetually to circumcise and keepe the Ceremoniall law and to teach others so to doe for Libertines contend for a constant and perpetuall tolleration of all Jewish and sinfull practises Ob. 2. Paul speaking of Ceremonies Ph. 3. 15. saith Let us therefore as many to be perfect be thâ—â— minded and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded God shall reveale even this unto you 16. Neverthelesse whereunto we have attained let us walke by the sâ—me rule let us minde the same things Answ This is the onely Magna Charta abused for liberty of conscience which yet crosseth it but favours it now Paul giveth two rules neither of them are for tolleration but against it the one is for the minde within the other for the practice without for the former he willeth all the perfect to minde this that is to endeavour Pauls one thing and to be followers of him v. 17. forgetting that which is behind and pressing toward the marke and if any be otherwise minded in the matter of circumcision if he minde the journey toward the garland God shall cleare his doubts to him there is nothing here for Libertines except we say let all the godly minde to walke toward the garland by practising circumcision as if that were the way and by tollerating of others to practise Jewish Ceremonies and if they be otherwise minded God shall reveale their error but in the meane time we are to suffer them to minde that for the which Paul saith their end is destruction their belly their God and they are dogs and evill doers v. 19. 2. 3. as for the other rule of practise v. 16. If it plead for Libertines the sense must be as far as we have obtained the minde of Christ let us practise that is let us be circumcised and teach and professe and publish to others all the heresies and blasphemies that seeme to us to be true doctrine according to this rule and let us minde the same thing let us contend for the garland and walking according to our conscience our onely rule and practising unlawfull ceremonies and publishing and professing all the heresies we can we minde the same crowne and garland Now except walking according to the rule be restricted to carefull and diligent practising of these things in which we all agree which must exclude a practising or publishing of doctrines controverted and that we should abstain from practising and publishing of opinions in which we agree not nothing can be extorted hence in favour of tolleration Our brethren say Let us gather Churches out of true Churches and separate our selves from true Churches and preach Familisme Antinomianisme Arrianisme and
under him and so to the conscience that they may â—â—errandly and indeclinably also command but they should remember when power of commanding comes out of God the fountain of authority now it looseth its absolute undeclinablenesse when it is in conscience or in any creature and it is onely conditionall and limited in the streames whereas it was absolute and soveraigne in the fountaine 2 In the case of an erroneous conscience standing in its vigorous thing the question is both what is commanded and what is good for these two are not contrary but agree well for the Lords command to Adam eate not of this fruit is to Adam the cause why the not eating is good and the cause of the obligation to what is commanded also but onely the obligation is ad modum facti non ad factum to the â—â—â—ner of doing that if we doe or abstaine we do it 〈…〉 in faith and perswasion without any jarring between the conscience and the object but there is no obligation to the fact On the regular way of doing I am never oblieged to obey God with an erring conscience or contrary to the inditement of an erring conscience 3 The material object being sin and forbidden by the law of God is an object by accident even when it is proposed by practicall reason if that reason be erroneous and misinformed as it is in this case the proposing of practicall reason doth not make that to bee good or commanded which of it selfe was neither good nor commanded but sinfull it may make it good in the manner of doing and obliege in the manner of doing but that is not our question but whether the practicall judgement and conscience remaining erroneous doth both ligare bind and obliege to the fact that is sinfull that is denied And though hee that is circumcised upon the supposall of a blind erring and Jewish conscience thinking the law of shaddowes obliegeth when the body Christ is come he is a debter to doe the whole Law and to eate the Passeover to sacrifice at Jerusalem to keepe the new-Moones c. But how is he debter He is this way debter what warrant he hath to be circumcised he hath the same warrant to keepe the Passeover to sacrifice that is he hath as good reason for to doe all or is as well obliged upon his false principles he goes on to keep all the law of ceremonies as to be circumcised or doe a part onely but he is erroneously and sinfully made by himselfe a debter to the whole Law but God made him a debter neither to the one nor to the other and in Gods Court though if he be circumcised he must be circumcised this way that is his conscience must dictate that Gods Law still in force commands him so to doe but this is but a necessity of supposition that falleth upon the manner of the doing not upon the fact for no Law of God warranteth him to be circumcised and no Law of God makes him debter to doe all the rest of the law of ceremonies he is obliged neither to be circumcised erroneously nor to abstaine from circumcision erroneously but to lay aside his erroneous conscience and to abstaine from circumcision according to the enditement of a well informed conscience So we easily answer that ignorant objection of phantasticall Sectaries in needlesse Pamphlets and Queries smelling of non-sense and selfe-conceit speaking they know not what If the sword be used against errours to suppresse them then must the Magistrate command and compell men of tender consciences to sinne and to doe against the light of their conscience for what is not of faith is sinne And the Spirit himselfe waites and violates not the liberty of the reasonable soule by superseding the faculties thereof but approves every truth to the understanding and moves the will without violence with a rationall force Shall man be more zealous for God then God is for himselfe God himselfe doth not force men but call them to repentance If the word calling be considered whether will it warrant any further meanes then arguments perswasions and intreaties make them as forceable us you can if you hold the feare of punishment over men it must be the feare of divine punishment c. Answ For 1. wee no where teach that the sword is a meanes of converting but the just vengeance that is inflicted by the Minister of God upon false teachers as upon other evill doers so it is not destinated by God for spiritual gaining and reducing of hereticks that may repent but for judiciall expiation of wrongs done to the flock and Christian society 2. This poore argument will conclude against all 〈◊〉 of Magistrates against murtherers bloody traitors for the Lawes of the Minister of God the King forbids the English Jesuit to stab his Prince and compells him to 〈◊〉 from King-killing and if this Jesuit abstaine from killing his Sovereigne Lord and abstain not in faith but against the light of his Jesuiticall and bloody conscience which dictates to him that he is a Protestant Prince and a heretick and he is obliged in conscience for the advancement of the Catholicke cause to stabbe him doth the supreme Magistrate compell this Jesuit to sin and doth hee force the Jesuits conscience for to doe in faith hath place in duties of the second Table as well as in the first and men out of conscience and in faith and moved by the Holy Ghosts gracious actings are to obey all lawfull commands of the Magistrate as to pay tribute to abstain from murther treason adultery robbing and stealing if they be subjects of tender consciences and why then should the Magistrate compell and force men to these duties which are to be done in faith and in a spirituall manner for sure the Spirit forces them not to doe these in faith so the command of the Magistrate moveth every Christian to practise and act of obedience to mens Lawes for conscience sake and the Spirit moves the whole powers of the soul both the understanding and the will without violence with a rationall force and why should the Magistrate then be more zealous for God then God is for himselfe and all this may be said against all Lawes in the Old Testament why should the Magistrate compell men against their faith and conscience not to beleeve not to practise any such seducing wayes as to say Come let us goe serve other Gods Should Moses be more zealous for God then God is for himselfe but the truth is the Magistrate as the Magistrate doth not meddle with the conscience not the manner of obedience to Law whether they be obeyed in faith or against the light of conscience that is nothing to him he commands but the externall actions preach no heresie no Familisme Sociâ—â—nisme under the paine of corporall punishment if Pastors obey this charge hypocritically not in faith it is their sin not the Magistrates he neither commands thus preach no heresie in faith
the false Religions of Jew Papist Indian American who receive the letters of it Mr Iohn Goodwin Hagiomast sect 28. p 38 39 denieth that any now living on earth hath the Scriptures or any ground of faith but that which is made of mens credit and learning Though the meanes of delivering to us Scripture be fallible yet it neither followeth that these meanes are the foundation on which our faith is resolved or that the Scripture it self is not infallible Tannerus disp 1. de fide c. 5. as 1 Bellarm. l. 2. de concil c. 12. Staplâ—ton doctrin princip l. 8. c. 21. ultima resolutio fidei non est in Deum revelantem simpliciter sed in Deum revelantem ut sic id est per ecclesiam c. Val. dis 1. de fide q. 1. p. 1. Sect 10. p. 38. col 1. Card. de Lugo de side spe dis 1 sect 5. n. 56. Malderus de object fidei q. 1. art 1. sect 10. p. 6. Suarez de fid disp 3. de object forma fidei sect 10 pag. 9. dis 9. dub 8. concl 4. Lod. Maratius tom 2. tract de fide dis 17. iect 2. n. 6. Duvilliusde object fidei l. 2. q. 1. litâ—e d. Fr. Silvius Professor Duaceâ—sis m. 22 q. 1. art 1. Lod Casâ—ensis Capucinus Curis Theol. tom post tract 15. dis 1. s 3. Reasons to prove that we have divine certaintie that the Books of the old and New Testament that we now have are the word of God contrary to Mr Goodwins Assertion That we have no warrant so to say but mans credit and authority As Matth. 2. 5. Matth. 4. 4 6 7 10. Matth. 11. 10. Matth. 21. 13. Matth. 26. 24. Mark 14. 21. 27 Mark 1. 2. Luke 2. 23. Luke 4. 4. 8. 10. Luke 7. 27. Luke 19. 46. Joh. 6. 31. 45. Joh. 12. 14. Act. 1. 20. Act. 7 42. Act. 13. 33. Act. 15. 15. Rom. 1. 17. Rom. 2. 24. Rom. 3. 4. 10. Rom. 4. 17. Rom. 8. 37. Rom. 8. 13. Rom. 11. 8. 1 Cor. 1 19. 31. â— Cor. 2. 9. 1 Cor. 3. 19. 2 Cor. 4. 13. 2 Cor. 8. 15. Rom. 12. 19. Rom. 15. 3. 1 Cor. 14. 21. Gal. 3. 10. 13. Gal. 4. 22. 27. Heb. 10. 7. 1 Pet. 1. 16. Luke 24. 14. Rom. 15. 4. 1 Cor. 10. 7. 2 Cor 9. 9. Luke 4. 17. Joh. 2. 17. Rivet to 1. contra tract 1. 46. Whitaker to 2. de authoritate Scrip. l. 3. c. 7. Calvin Comment in Act. 17. Hagiomast Ser. 36. p. 47. Dr. Taylors liberty of prophesying Sect. 4. p. 73 74 75 c. Liberty of Prophesie Sect. 11. p. 171. The knowledge of God is commanded and the minde is under a divine Law as well as the will and the affections The trying of the two Missals of Gregory and Ambrose by a miracle was meer folly Liber of Prophe Sect. 12. p. 185 186. The causes of heresie All ignorance of things revealed in the word though most speculatively are sinfull errours The Place 1 Cor. 3. 11 12 13. expounded and vindicated from the glosses of Adversaries Dr. Taylors mistake of heresie What vinciblenesse must be in heresie Dr. Taylor maketh the opinion of Purgatory no heresie and groundlesly Of errours how they are sinfull in matters revealed in Gods word Liber of Proph Sect. 12. n. 6. Liber of Proph n. 6. N. 7. Simple errours of things revealed in Gods word are condemning sins Ob. 1. Sect. 13. How opinions are judicable and punishable For the Father to kill the son upon a meer religious ground is no murther nor punishable by Libertines way Sect. 13. n. 5. Bloodie Tenet c. 95. p. 145 146. The Magistrates ministry is civill not spirituall Bloodie Tenet 16. 148. The Laws of Artaxerxes Cyrus Darius Nebuchadnezzar ratifying the Law of God by civil punishments were their Magistraticall duties How fear of civill Lawes may work men to soundnesse in the faith Bloodie Tenet page 129. Artaxerxes made lawes by the light of nature to restrain men from Idolatry Bloody Tenet c. 97. p. 152. From punishing of false Teachers it followeth not that the Jewes and all the Idolatrous Heathen should be killed Bloodie Tenet c. 113. p. 107. Bloody Tenet cap. 98. The considerable differences between punishing such as rebell against the first Tables of the law in the old Testament and now in the new and their swearing of a Covenant and ours Obj. 8. Bloody Ten. c. 1â—8 p 197. Circular turnings from Protestanisme to Popery proves nothing against punishing of seducers Obj 9. Bloody Ten. c. 120. p. 202. Dr. Taylor Liber of pro. Sect. 13 n. 10. Ancient bounds c. 6. 1. p. sect 26. The objection of a carnall way by swords as no fit means to suppresse heresie answered The objection from carnall weapons and forcing of conscience and contradictions involved inforcing the elicit â—nâ—ernall acts of will and understanding c. as strong against laws in the old Testament as in the New The Law Deu. 13. Lev. 24 c. was not executed upon such onely is sinned against the light of his conscience and the Law of nature and upon whom the immediate response of the Oracle fell as false Prophets No need of a Law-processe judge witnesses accusers or inquiring in the written Law of God if an immediate oracle from heaven designed the false Prophet in the Old Testament Ecclesiasticall and civill coaction do both worke alike upon understanding and will Ancient bonds c. 2. page 7. Errors against supernaturall truth are not rebukeable because not punishable contra Vaticaâ—us contra libel Calvin â—n 12. Vaticanus coâ— libel calvi ad not So si interficis qua sic loquitur ut sentit intersieis propter veritatem â—am veritas est dicere quae senrits Psal 15. beatum pronunciat eum qui vere dicit quae habet in animo Libertines make all blasphemers all seducing Prophets of Baaâ— priests of Heathen Gods if they speakâ— what a conscience 〈◊〉 with a 〈◊〉 Iron doth 〈◊〉 unto them to be true Prophets and to dwell 〈◊〉 them 〈◊〉 of the Lords House 〈◊〉 15. Bloudy Tenco c. 35. p. 59. In four sundry considerations sins are censured Augus Epis 48 ad Vincen The Magistrate is subject to the just power of the Church and the Church to the just power of the Magistrate neither of them to abused power and the word of God in point of conscience supreme to regulate both How the Jews suffered heathen Idolaters to dwell amongst them Baptist c. 6. p. 3â— 35. Joh. Baptist would have us selfe selfe carefull of being carried 〈◊〉 with false and strange doctrines because we are elected to glory and the chosen cannot fall away then of other abominable sins Joh. Baptist and Libertines teach that liberty of conscience is a way to finde out truth When the holy Ghost forbids us to beleeve false Christs and to receive Antichristian teachers into our houses he bids us also receive them as Saints and beleeve them by the way of Libertines Libertines make the judging of Hereticks to be Hereticks a bold intruding into the Lords caâ—â—net counsell Ancient bounds cap. 6. sect 1. Reas 14. p. 30. Bloodie Tenet Mr. Nicholas Loâ—kâ—er ser 1. Col. 1. preface to the reader Liberâ—ines say God hath deâ—â—red Heresies to be Varietie of judgements in Gods matâ—eâ—s is a grief to Paul and the godly Ministers Gal. 5. 20. 1 Tim. 3. 1 2. 2 Tim. 2. 17. 2 Thes 2. 17. 1 Tim. 6. 5. Rev. 2. 20. Acts 20. 30. Ier. 23. 27 32. Zach. 10. 1. Lam. 2. 14. Necessitie of Toleration 1647. qu. 53. Borrowed from Bloodie Tenet The punishing of heresies investeth not the Magistrate in a headship over the Church The intrinsecal end of the Magistrate or of his office is not the conversion of Souls August lib. 3. cont perm cap. to Quis enim tune in Christum crediderat Imperator qui ei pro pietate contra impietatem leges ferendo servitet quando adhuC illud propheticum esset quare fremueâ—unâ— Gentes c. Libertines make Preaching and commanding to receive and beleeve and professe the Truth a monopolizing of the truth A twofold obligation the word spoken or preached lay on the hearers one objective another ministeriall Private men have not the like warrant to prescribe what Ministers should beleeve and practice as Ministers have to prescribe to private men Argum 19. Libertie of conscience maketh every mans conscience his Bible and multiplies Bibles and sundry words of God and rules of faith All Hereticks are in a safe way of salvation according to the way of Libertines
and Orthodox meaning of the word not sufficient p. 66 Divers pious conferences betwixt us and Lutherans ibid. They hate God and love blasphemies in the consequence who obstinately hold them in the Antecedent p. 68 They may be false Teachers and so punishable who erre not in fundamentals p. 73 Divers things not fundamentaly believed with certainty of faith p. 75 Beleeving of truths revealed of God with a reserve blasphemous and turneth beleevers into Scepticks and Nullifidians p. 77 Beleeving with a reserve against the motion of the Holy Ghost p. 78 Beleeving with a reserve against the stabilitie of faith ibid. Against the trying of all things and spirits inioyned by the Holy Ghost p. 79 Faith with a reserve against our prayers for knowledge and growing therein p. 81 The Holy Ghost bids us not beleeve with a reserve p. 82 To beleeve with a reserve contrary to our doing and suffering for truth and faith p. 83 Two distinctions necessarie touching controverted points p. 85 Some things of their own nature not controversall yet the deductions from them to our blind nature are controversall ibid. Fundamentalls of faith most controversall to our blind nature p 86 Chap. 7. What opinions may be tollerated what not Some far off Errors may be tolerated p. 97 Schisme and actuall gathering of Churches out of Churches cannot be tolerated p. 98 The place Rom. 14. willing us to receive the weak no plea for toleration p. 100 Phil. 3. 15. Let us walke according to the same rule c. nothing for toleration p. 101 Chap. 8. Whether Heresie be a sin or a meer error and innocencie whether an Heretick be an evill doer Libertines make Heresie a meer innocent and unpunishable error of the mind p. 101 Heresie is a sin as wel as Idolatry though we could neither define Heresie nor Idolatry ibid. Heresie proved to be an hainous sin ibid. The Holy Ghost contrary to Libertines supposeth undeniablie that Hereticks are known and so they are not known to God only when he bids us beware of them avoid them bid them not God speed p. 105 Pertinacie may be and is known to men p. 106 Heresie a wicked resisting of the truth and yet not the blasphemie against the Holy Ghost p. 107 Libertines say that an Heretick dying for his Heresie hath no 〈◊〉 Conscience but a spirituall and heavenly end p. 108 The vain glory of the Devils Martyrs who die for Heresie p. 111 Spirituall stupidity and malice both together in Hereticks and Sâ—tâ—â—s Martyrs p. 113 Some ignorance consists with the sin against the Holy Ghost p. 114 Chap. 9. Of Libertie of prophecying of erroneous indictmâ—â—â— of Conscience that it is not our rule Who is an Heretick to Arminians Tit. 3. 10. p. 115 None to Libertines are Hereticks but such as professe a religion which they beleeve with perswasion to be false ibid Liberty of prophesying taken in a threefold sense p. 117 To desire false Prophets to cease out of the Land is no quenching of the Spirit p. 119 Chap. 10. Of indulgence in fundamentall or non-fundamentall errors How the Arminian Libertines doe define an Heretick p. 122 Hereticks to Libertines only such as deny things knowable by the light of nature p. 123 Diversitie of opinions among them ibid. The punishing of men for publishing of fundamentall errors and the indulgence of a Toleration yeelded to them though they teach all Errors in non-fundamentals a vain distinction and hath no groâ—â—â— in Scripture ibid. Some murthers non-fundamentall in David which yet are consistâ—â— with the state of salvation should as well be tolerated assome errors in non-fundamentals by the distinction of Libertines p. 124 Some non-fundamentals clearly in the word revealed not to bee beleeved with a reserve and others non-fundamentals with a reserve p. 126 Queries propounded to Libertines p. 128 Why may not the Magistrate lawfully spare the life of him who 〈◊〉 of a Libertine Conscience meerly sacrificeth his child to God or why should hee punish with the Sword some acts not desâ—â—â—ctive to peace in the Conscience of the punished and not all acts of the same kind p. 128 To compell men to â—oe against their Conscience that is to sin neither in Old or new Testament lawfull Deut. 13. and 17. p. 130 There is the same obligation the same formall reason so saith the Lord of beleeving non-fundamentall revealed and fundamentals and the same necessity of divine command not the same necessitie of means called necessitâ—s medii p. 132 Chap. 11. Of the obliging power of Conscience The State of the Question touching the obligation that Conscience layeth on us p. 134 Ancient bonds of Libertie of Conscience Sect. 2. Chap. 6. p. 26 p. 139 Though the Magistrate punish false Teachers it followeth not that he compells them to sin against their Conscience ibid. Gods way and manner of calling is no ground why the Magistrate should not punish false Teachers p. 141 Ancient bonds of Liberty of Conscience cap. 61 p. 26. p. 142 Who is the selfe-condemned Heretick Tit. 3. 10. ibid. Chap. 12. Arguments against pretended Toleration Toleration hath no warrant in the word p. 145 Toleration inferreth Sceptisme p. 146 Want of infallibility in the new Testament no reason for the toleration in the new Testament p. 148 Toleration is against faith hope comfort in the Scriptures p. 150 Toleration is against the Ministery of the word p. 151 Rulers by the fourth Commandment are to see all under them worship God p. 177 Proposals of the Armie under Sir Thomas Fairfax 12. p. 10. ib. Chap. 13. Magistracie and perpetuall Laws in the Old Testament warrant the civill coercing of false Prophets Rulers as Rulers not as typicall Rulers punished false Teachers with the Sword p. 177 Typicalnesse did not priviledge all the Kings of Judah and Israel to compell the Conscience and punish false Teachers as Libertines say p. 180 How typicalness priviledgeth men to such and such actions how not p. 181 Seducers punished by bodily death p. 182 Punishing of Idolaters and blasphemers of the Law of Nature p. 183 How warres that are extraordinarie in the manner and in some particular acts may be and are in the substance of the acts ordinarie ruler obliging us p. 184 The Law of God warranted by the Law teacheth that false Teachers and Hereticks are to be punished with the sword p. 185 The Law of Deut. 17. 2 3. for punishing of Idolaters p. 187 There was no consulting with the Oracle who should be put to death for his conscience in the Old Testament but an ordinarie pay of trying such evill doers by judiciall proceeding and hearing of witnesses ibid. The end of punishing of false Teachers with the sword is not their conversion to God ministers of the Gospel only labour in that field but the not perverting of souls and disturbing the safetie of humane societies p. 188 Sacrificing of Children to Molech punished with death by Gods Law not as murther but as spirituall whoredome ibid. Chap.
by Presbyterians to take the Covenant as the Author saith p. 258 How Independents swore to defend the Presbyterian government and with tongue pen and sword cry out at it as tyrannicall antichristian and Popish p. 261 Libertines make Conscience not the Word of God their rule p. 262 How appearing to the Conscience makes not the word of God to be the obliging rule but only as touching the right and due manner of 〈◊〉 obliged thereby p. 2â—3 Chap. 22. The pretended Liberty of Conscience is against the National League and Covenant the Ordinances of the Parliament of England ingaged by Oath for a reformation of Religion 265 Chap. 23. The place Acts 5. 34. to wit the counsel of Gamaliel discussed and found nothing for Libertie of Conscience Mr. Goodwins unsound glosse touching the counsel of Gamaliel Acts 5. p. 2â—â— Gamaliels argument proveth as strongly that murtherers and adulterers should not be punished as that men ought not to bee punished for their Conscience p. 28â— The Argument of Gamaliel owned by Adversaries rendreth all 〈◊〉 fundamentals of the Gospel uncertain and Topick Sceptismâ—â— all the most well setled beleevers p. 285 Gamaliels Argument doth conclude that we are not to oppose by arguments and Scripture any blasphemous way against the gospel 286 Immediate providence is not the rule of our actions 288 Chap. 24. Whether punishing of seducing Teachers be inconsisâ—â—â— with the meeknes of Christ place Luk. 9. 54 discussed The Lords not burning Samaria with fire from heaven Luk. 9. is no colour for pretended Toleration p. 288 The case of Elias calling for fire from heaven and of the Apostles much different p. 289 The meeknes of Christ being extended to Publicans Extortioners and Harlots doth as well conclude such ought not to be punished by the magistrate is that false teachers ought not to be punished by him 291 By places from the meeknesse of Christ Socinians labour to prove the Magistrate is to shed no blood under the new Testament 292 Christs not breaking the bruised reed would prove that Hereticks are gracious persons though weak in saving grace and lovingly cherished by Christ if the place Isa 42. Mat. 12. 19 20 help the adversaries p. 293 Christs meeknes not inconsistent with his justice ibid. Rash judgement condemned 1 Cor. 4. 5 6. is nothing for pretended toleration p. 294 That many through the corruption of their own heart render hypocriticall obedience because of the sword proveth nothing against the use of the sword to coerce false teachers p. 29â— Matters of Religion â—ught to be inacted by the law of Princes Christian Rulers that such as contravene may be punished p. 299 Lawes of Rulers in matters of religion 〈◊〉 only bind the outward man ibid. The false teacher is to be sent to the Church and Pastors thereof that he may be convinced before he be punished p. 297 Chap. 25. Whether the Rulers by their office in â—â—der to â—â—nce are to stand to the laws of Moses for punishing seducing teachers ibid. How judiciall Laws oblige to punishment 298 Judiciall Laws were deduced from the morall Law p. 299 True cause of War with other Nations p. 300 Two Kingdomes becoming one body by a religious Covenant if it be mutuall the one part may avenge the quarrell of the Covenant on the other in case of breach p. 302 The new Altar erected by the two Tribes and the half beyond Jordan Josh 22. how a just cause of war ibid. Christian Princes Laws against Errors and Heresies p. 305 As Constantine gave out severe Laws against Donatists so did Julianus the Apostate restore Temples to hereticks and granted liberty of conscience to them that so he might destroy the name religion of Christians as is before observed so Aug. Ep. 166. â—d Donat. 309 God only determineth punishments for sin ibid. The punishing of a seducing Prophet is morall 301 The punishing of seducing Teachers is an act of justice obliging men ever and every where p. 311 False Teachers in seducing others apprehend the hand of divine vengeance pursuing them as other ill doers doe and so it must be naturall justice in the Magistrate to punish them p. 312 The punishing of false Prophets is of the Law of nature ibid. Idolatrie is to be punished by the judge and that by the testimonie of Job c. 31. who was obliged to observe no judiciall law but only the law moral and the law of Nature p. 313 How the Fathers deny the sword is to be used against men for their Conscience p. 315 Church censures and rebukes for Conscience infer most of all the absurdities that Libertines impute to us p. 316 That there was an immediate response of Gods oracle telling who was the false Teacher is an unwarranted forgerie of Libertines 318 If Heresie be innocencie seducing hereticks ought to bee 〈◊〉 and rewarded 319 The Magistrate as a Magistrate according to prophecies in the Old Testament is to punish Seducâ—rs p. 〈◊〉 What Mr. Williams giveth to the Magistrate in Religion 〈◊〉 sufficient ibid. Christian Kings are no more Nurse-fathers Isai 49. 23. 〈…〉 true Churches of Christ then to the Synagogue of Antichrist according to the way of Libertines p. 〈◊〉 The mind of divers famous Authors touching the parable of the 〈◊〉 p. 〈◊〉 The parable of the Tares considered p. 〈◊〉 Mr. Williams holdeth that the Prince owes protection to all Idolâ—trous and bloodie Churches if they he his Subjects p. 32â— How the Magistrate is to judge of Heresie p. 329 A Magistrate and a Christian Magistrate are to be differenced 〈◊〉 can or ought all Magistrates to judge of or punish all Hereticks p. 330 Whether peace of Civill societies be sure where there is toleration of all Religions p. 33â— Peace is commanded in the New Testament no word of 〈◊〉 of divers Religions nor precept promise or practise thereâ—â—â—â— p. 〈◊〉 No ground for abolishing of judiciall Laws touching that point ibid Libertines give us heathenish not Christian peace under many â—â—ligions p. 3â—â— Chap. 26. Whether punishing of Seducing Teachers be persecution for Conscience There is a tongue persecution condemned by Libertines themselves p. 〈◊〉 Libertines persecute others for Conscience p. 〈◊〉 Libertines ought not to suffer death for any truth p. 3â—â— The Lords patience toward sinners in the old Testament no Argâ—â—â—â— of not coercing false Prophets p. 34â— Hope of gaining Hereticks no more a ground of sparing them then of sparing murtherers who also may be gained p. 345 Whether to be persecuted for Conscience true or false he a note of 〈◊〉 true Church ibid. No new Commandments under the New Testament p. 〈◊〉 They that suffer for Blasphemie suffer according to the will of God in Peters sense by Libertines way p. 34â— Chap. 27. Whether our darknesse and incapacitie to beleâ—ve and professe together with the darknesse and obscuritie of Scripture be a sufficient ground for Tolaration Our inabilitie to beleeve is no plan for Toleration p. 350 Preaching of the Word without the Spirit
as unable to work 〈◊〉 as the Sword p. 351 Heresies are knowable p. 353 Forced Conscience as strong an argument against Deut. 13. as against us p. 355 The Magistrate commandeth the outward man and yet commandeth not carnall repentance and hypocriticall turning to God p. 356 Because we may abstain from Heresie upon false grounds it follows not that the Magistrate hath not power 〈◊〉 punish heresie p. 359 Libertinisme of toleration is grounded upon the pretended obscuritie of Scripture p. 360 Toleration putteth a hundred senses on the Scripture and makes many rules of faith p. 361 John Goodwin denieth that we have Scriptures or any ground of Faith but that which is made of mens credit and learning p. 362 The means of delivering of Scripture to us may be falliâ—le yet the Scripture infullâ—ble ibid. Reasons to prove that the Scriptures our non have are the very Word of God p. 364 The knowledge of God is commanded and the â—ind is under a Law as well as the will and affections p. 371 The trying of the Missals of Gregory Ambrose was meer foolery 372 Speculative ignorance of things 〈…〉 p. 373 The place 1 Cor. 3. 11 12 13. cleared and vindicated ibid. Doctor Taylors mistake of Heresie ibid. What vinciblenesse must be in Heresie p. 374 D. Taylor maketh the opinion of Purgatorie no Heresie 376 Simple errors of things revealed in the 〈…〉 sins 378 How opinions are judicable and punishable p. 379 Son-sacrificing upon a meer religious ground is not murther punishable according to Libertines way p. 380 Chap. 28. Divers other Arguments for pretended Toleration answered p. 381 The Magistrates ministerie is civill 〈◊〉 spirituall p. 384 The Laws of 〈◊〉 Cyrus Danius the ratifying the Law of God by civill punishments were the dutie of Magistrates ibid. Artaxerxes made laws by the light of nature to restrain men from idolatrie page 385 From punishing of false teachers it followes noâ— that Jewes and the Idolatrous Heathens should be killed p. 〈◊〉 Differences betwixt punishing of false teachers in the Old and 〈◊〉 New Testament p. 387 Circular turnings from Protestanisme to Poperie proveth nothing against the punishing of Seducers p. 388 The objection That the sword is a carnall way to suppresse heresie answered p. 390 Most of the objections from forcing of Consciences conclude against the Laws of God in the Old Testament as well as against us ibid. The Law Deut. 13. Levit. 24. c. was not executed upon such only as sinned against the Law of nature p. 392 No need of a Law processe Judge witness accuser or inquiring in the written Law of God p. 393 Ecclesiastical and civill coaction doe both worke alike upon understanding and will p. 394 Errors against supernaturall truth are not rebukeable because not punishable contra p. 395 Libertie of Conscience makes false Prophets to be true and such as shall dwell in the mountain of God p. 〈◊〉 Four sundry considerations by which sins are censured p. 397 The Magistrate is subject to the just power of the Church 〈◊〉 Church to the just power of the Magistrate neither of them 〈◊〉 abused power p. 398 How the Jews suffered heathen Idolaters to dwel amongst 〈◊〉 Joh. Baptist would have us lesse careful of thereticall doctrines 〈◊〉 cause we are elected to glory then of other vile sins p. 3â—9 Joh. Baptist and Libertines teach that libertie of Conscience the way to find out truth ibid. When the Holy Ghost forbids us to beleeve false Christs or to 〈◊〉 Antichristian teachers be bids us also beleeve and receive them 〈◊〉 Saints by the Libertines way 400 Libertines make the judging of hereticks to be hereticks a bold intending into the counsell of God p. 402 Libertines say God hath decreed Heresies to be ibid. Variety of judgements in Gods matters a grief to the godly p. 403 The punishing of Heresies investeth not the Magistrate in a beadâ—â—â—â— over the Church 404 CHAP. I. Of Conscience and its nature ACTS 24. 16. And herein doe I exercise my selfe to have 〈◊〉 a Conscience void of offence toward God and toward man THis is a part of Pauls Apologie which hee brings out before Festur the Governour he dare bring out his conscience before his accusers the subject of this part is conscience In which we have 1. the subject Conscience 2. The qualitie of it Free of offence 2. The intâ—â—â—nesse and perfection of it in the first Table as a religious man toward God as one of a sound conversation in the duties of the second Table toward man 3. And that not aâ—starts when 〈◊〉 good blood of godlinesse came on him but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Alwayes at all times 4. This was not a conscience to lie beside him is the wretches Gold which for many yeares feeth neither sâ—nne nor winde but it is a Conscience walking in the streets and fraction Herein that is in this religion and hope of the restriction do 〈◊〉 or exercise my selfe this field doe 1 plow 5. There is considerable Grammer in the object of this exercise I labour to have to be a Lord a Master and anowner of a good conscience a conscience is one thing and to have a conscience another thing often the conscience hath the 〈◊〉 and Lords it over him or rather Tyrannizeth over the Judas and the man hath not the conscience And these five doe 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 the length and breadth of a good conscience Therefore of conscience 2. of the good Conscience Of conscience a little of the Name 2. Of the thing The Habrewes expresse the name by the name of heart 〈◊〉 which I grant does signifie the minde understanding will and by a figure it noteth the heart 2 Sam. 24. 10. And Davids heart smote him Salomon saith to Shimei 1 King 2. 44. Thou knowest all the evill that thy heart thy conscience is privie to Conscience is but knowledge with a witnesse it s observed that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Conscience a Word used about 32. times in the New Testament is but once by the Translators in the Old Testament Eccles 10. 20. Hence it noteth that a Man hath a fellow or to speake so a College-observer with him and that is God who knoweth first and perfectly the wayes and thoughts of a man and his conscience is an under-witnesse and an observer with God but a dimme and blind beholder in comparison of God 2. It is a knowledge not as large as that of the whole understanding facultie but restricted and in order onely to the mans actions words thoughts the condition or state hee is 〈◊〉 in Christ or not in Christ It so signifieth practicall knowledge that there is a Verbe Nifhal that signifieth to have a heart or 〈◊〉 be practically wise Joh 11. 12. Vaine man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 would have a heart or be hearted and wise and Cont. 4. 9. Thou hast taken away my heart or unheartned me my sister my 〈◊〉 2. The heart goeth also for a word that
signifieth a picture Joâ— 38. 36. Who hath given understanding to the heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth curious ingtaving wittily devised by the understanding and it noteth an excellent picture pleasant to see from root that signifieth to behold and to paint for all the inventions pictures ingraven works in the soule is in the conscience Sinners draw on their conscience and heart many faire fancies pictures and ingraven peeces of devised pleasures They use the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spirit for the Conscience also Psalm 34. 18. The Lord saveth the broken in spirit Prov. 18. 4. A wounded spirit who can beare it For the word spirit in that language signifieth the whole soule 〈…〉 and the whole strength marrow courage and 〈◊〉 of the foule Joâ— 6. 8 Josh 5. 1. There was no more Spirit in them because Conscience is all it is the good or best or the evill or worst in the man does he keepe conscience all is safe doth hee lose conscienes all is gone it is the spirits the rose the onely precious thing of the soule the body is clay and â—are the conscience is the gold of the man Now touching Conscience I propose these 1. It s nature 2. It s object 3. It s office 4. The kinds of Conscience And 5. the adjuncts of it the libertie of Conscience and that much controverted prerogative to be free in opinions and in religions from bands that men can lay on it Conscience is considered by Divines as a principle of our acting in order to what the Lord commandeth us in she law and the Gospel and it commeth here to be considered in a three-fold consideration 1. As Conscience is in its abstract nature yet as it is in man only I speak nothing of the conscience of Angels and Devils 2. As the Conscience is good or bad for the conscience in Adam before the fall was in a great perfection and the Glorified spirits carrie a good conscience up to heaven with them as the damned take to hell a peace of hell within them an evill conscience yet their was neither in Adam not can there be in the Glorified an evill conscience nor any such accidentall acts of Conscience as to accuse smite tormenâ— 3. Conscience is considered as acting well or ill it hath influence on the affections to cause a feast of joy to stirre vp to faith hope sadnesse c. Touching the nature of Conscience It seemeth to me to be a power of the practicall vnderstanding according to which the man is oblidged and directed to give judgment of himselfe that is of his state and condition and of all his actions inclinations thoughts and words It is first an understanding power not an act or an actuall judgement 1. It is nor a distinct facultie from the understanding but the understanding as it giveth judgement in court of the mans state and of all his waies as whether hee be in favour with God or no and now whether he be in Christ or not and of all his motions and actions within or without But it would appeare not to be an act because to oblidge to direct to accusâ—â— are acts of the Conscience and therefore doe 〈◊〉 slow from other acts it is true the thoughts Rom. 2. 15. 〈◊〉 said to â—â—cuse or â—â—cuse but by thoughts there is meaâ—â— the Conscience 〈…〉 not first thinking and then accusing but the Conscience brething out the bad or good 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 longing and accusing or of exercising and conforming though and acts All acts flow from either young powers which they call potencie or from stronger and more aged and indicated powers which they call habits Things produced by motion and motion It selfe are the effects of the never saith Amesing de 〈◊〉 cap. 1. 〈◊〉 4. â—â—nd therefore the act of accusing may be from the Conscience which is an act this consequence cannot stand the motion and the thing produced by motion is from the mover true but the act of moving is from the mover as he actuateth his power so is directing accusing from the power in the practical understanding not from the act of understanding which is nothing in this case but the act of accusing and nothing can come from it self as a cause 2. When the beleever or wicked men go to sleep and put off their cloaths they doe not put off their Conscience and though the conscience sleeps not with the man yet doth it not in sleep necessarily act by accusing or excusing and therefore remaineth as a power in man not ever acting See Malderus in 12. q. 19. Disp 82. ar 4. 5. 2. It s an understanding power and belongeth to the judgement and understanding Esa 5. 3. Judge I pray you between me and my vineyard It s true some make it the inclination of the will as Henriquez Quodlih 1. q. 18. And Durandur may seeme not farre from it 2. d. 39. Some say it belongeth to both But the will is no knowing facultie the Conscience is a knowing facultie Eccles 7. 22. For oftentimes also thine heart knoweth that thou also hast cursed others 2. There is more of reason and sound knowledge in the conscience then in the whole understanding soule it is a Christall globe of reason the beame the sunne the candle of the soule for to know God and the creatures in out relative obligation to God in Christ is the rose the blossome the floure of knowledge Joh. 17. 3. to see God and his beauty expressed in Christ and the comlinesse aâ—d incomparable glory of his amiable and lovely Essence as holden forth to us in Christ is the highest reach of the conscience Iâ— Conscience be so divine a peece 〈◊〉 banke-full with reason and light then the more of knowledge the more of conscience as the more of fire the more heâ—â—â— the more of the sun the more light Then when phancie goes for conscience as in 〈◊〉 by siasts and new Spirits gropling beside the word of God a new Angel commended onely from Nâ—wnesse a white Angel without and a black Angel within conscience must be turned in a dreame 2. Noveltie can goe for conscience our nature is quickly taken with novelty even as a new friend a new field a new house a new garden a new garment so a new Christ a new saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 delights us 3. Heresie goeth for Conscience somes Conscience phancie that to kill their children to Molech is a doctrine that entred in the heart of God to command Jer. 7. 30 31. 2. A Conscience void of knowledge is void of goodnesse silence and dumbnesse is not peace An innocent toothlesse conscience that cannot see nor heare nor speake cannot bark farre lesse can it bite before it have teeth such a conscience covenanteth with the sinner Let me alone let me sleep till the smoake of the furnesse of hell waken me If there be any sense or life fire can bring it forthe a worme at the heart can bear witnesse
Doctor Hamond saith to abstaine from a thing indifferent as Marriage 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as from a thing abominable or unlawfull is by Scripture and Councels condemned as sinfull Why Because to Marrie or not to Marrie is indifferent But he may remember that Papists forbid Church-men to Marrie doe they forbid it because Marriage which to them is a Sacrament is an abominable and unlawfull Sacrament I thinke no. Yet all our Divines say not onely the Manichaans but also the Papists are these who teach a doctrine of Devils 1 Tim. 2. while they forbid Marriage though not under the notion of a thing abominable So the Popish Doctor acquitteth the Papists and condemneth Protestants who so farre agree to have the adaequate rule of Conscience to be Gods will reveâ—led in his word that to make a religious Law to forbid Marriage and Meates and other things indifferent to them is a doctrine of Devils to all our Divines though they forbid them not as things unlawfull and under the notion of things abominable Vse If the conscience have an indictment against you from heaven and from the word of God which is the Law-booke of the Judge of all flesh Ergo We are to stand in awe of Conscience And looke how much goodnesse and true feare of God is in a Man as much feare of himselfe and reverence to his own conscience is within him For 1. to be holden even with the charges and writs of an erring conscience is obedience to the Law of nature as we would not be willing that a scout or a spie sent from a strange Land should see our nakednesse weaknesse folly securitie When the Conscience returneth to the Father of Spirits it can tell tales of men and can libell many pollutions of the flesh and spirit acted by the man while the Conscience lodged with clay and a polluted Spirit 2. Because Conscience is something of God a domestick little God a keeper sent from heaven a divine peece which is all eye all sense and hath the word with it in so farre it is to be reverenced and hath the reverenceth the King reverenceth the Ambassador in so farre as he carrieth along the Kings will he that honoureth the Lord must honour the servant 3. Salomon saith Prov. 15. 5. A foole despiseth his fathers reproofe but he that regardeth it is prudent Vers 10. He that hateth reproofe shall die To receive Instructions and rebukes from Conscience in so farre as they come from the Word of truth is spirituall prudence and he that turneth away his eare from his conscience shall die 4. As to submit to the Word is to submit to God so to offer violence to a divine truth is to wrestle with God and by the like proportion to stoope before Conscience carrying a message from God is to submit to God and to doe violence to the domesticke light and truth of God is all one as to wrestle with God 5. We count a tender Conscience such as was in Joshuah who did yeeld and cede to the Law of God and its threatnings a soft heart then to stand out as a flint-stone or an Adamant against the warnings of an inward Law must argue hardnesse of heart 6. There is nothing so strong and divine as truth a Conscience that will bargaine to buy and sell truth and will be the Lord and Conquerour not the captive and taken prisoner of the Gospel bearing it selfe on upon the soule in power and majestie hath his one foot on the borders of the sinne against the holy Ghost 7. It is like the man walketh not at randome but by rule who is not made all of stoutnesse and ventureth not inconsiderately on actions and wayes which undoubtedly are the seeds or eternity but feareth 〈◊〉 Paedagoge and teacher in so far as the law and will of the Judge of the world goeth along with him Vâ—e 2. Because the Word of God must be the rule of Conscience and Conscience is a servant and under-Judge onely not a Lord nor an Absolute and independent Soveraigne whose voice is a Law therefore an Iodolatrous and exorbitent rule of Conscience is here also to be condemned Conscience is ruled by Scripture but it is not Scripture nor a Canonicke book and rule of faith and conversation it often speaketh Apocriphâ— and is neither God nor Pope but can reele and totter and dream â—â—â—scribe more to conscience then is Just and to make new and hold opinions of God broad and venturous and daring affirmations the very Oracles of heaven because they are the brood as â—s conceived of an equall and unbyassed Conscience is presumption neere to Atheisme the grossest Idolatry is to make your selfe the Idol whâ—reas tender consciences suffer most persecution and are not active in daring there is extreame pride in such as lead families and are Christians in new heresies Some are extreamely sworne and devoted to Conscience as Conscience humility is not daringly peremptory Many weake ones pine away in feavours of sinistrous thoughts of Christ as if his love were cold to them Esa 49. 14. 15. and phancie an imaginary and a made-plea with Christ Oh he leveth any but me and because they make an Idol of the weak oracle of Conscience they make also an Idol of meeke Jesus Christ as if they would try if Christs love can be cold and his blood and bowels can act any more mercy to them The third is the office of Conscience in one generall It cometh under the name of Obligation But to come to particulars There be two sorts of operations of Conscience some illicite and imbred other imperate or commanded These which be Imbred are of two kinds 1. Such as conscience simply as conscience actethas in generall to oblige and in particular 1. To direct 2. To discerne 3. To exciâ—e Dirigere Discernere Impellere Others are such as issue from Conscience as good or ill as right or not right as these in well-doing 1. It approveth 2. It excuseth 3. It absolveth in ill doing it disalloweth and reproveth 2. It accuseth or chargeth 3. It condemneth These imperated operations of Conscience are such as Conscience acteth on the affections or commandeth the affections to act but are not properly acts of Conscience nor of the practicall understanding but acts of the affections resulting from the Consciences well or ill doing as to rejoice to grieve and check and the like But there be other acts that agree to Conscience in order to the assumption others in order to the Conclusion In order to the Assumption it specially doth beâ—re witnesse and testifie of its own acts both that the man hath done this fact And 2. of the quallitie of it that it is done against God the Mediator Christ free grace the word of reconciliation as a faithfull witnesse must not onely depone the fact but all the circumstances and quallities in so farre as they come under the senses of seeing and hearing and may
aggravate the fact and give light to the Judge and what testimony the Conscience giveth of the actions of man the like it is to give of the state and condition whether it be good or ill hence these acts of recognition As 1. Conscience doth its duty in reflecting on it self It tryes the mans actions and state hence these three words 2 Cor. 13. 5. try or tempt or pierce and dig into your selves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 many dig holes and windows in the conscience of others who never digged a hole in their own heart 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 examine what mettall is in your selves and actions men are unwilling to find oare or drosse in themselves and we are bidden 1 Cor. 11. 31. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lead witnesses sentence and Judge our selves To these generals there is a second act which is called Psalm 4. 5. Speake with your heart You testifie little of the man that you never heard speake Men are frequently to converse with their heart by heart-communing and soule quaerees so you find out the by as and the weight that swaies with the heart Jer. 5. 24. Neither say they in their heare let us now feare the Lord our God Hos 7. 2. They say not in their heart that I consider all their wickednesse 3 There is laying of the Consience in its reflect act and the actions together Hag. 1. 5. Lay your heart upon your wales It is that which David saith Psalm 119. 59. I considered Heb. I thoughted my wayes 4. There is wandring and estrangement of a man from his own heart when he laies his case to heart he is said to return to his own heart 1 King 8. 47. If they shall be thinke themselves heb if they shall return to their owne heart or come home to their own heart in the land of their captivitie and repent then heare then Men are abroad in their thoughts and seldom at home with their own heart But of this act of witnessing of the Conscience it is of moment to know how by what Medium or way the conscience doth witnesse to man of his state that he is a childe of God in Christ whether God doth witnesse our state and condition to us by inherent quallifications in us Because we love the brethren because we have sincere hearts and ayme in all things to obey God Aâ—er 1. God speaketh by his owne works of Sanctification that we are in Christ 1 Joh. 2. 3. And hereby we know that we know him because we keepe his commandements 1 Joh. 3. 14. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the Brethren Now as God speaketh and revealeth his glory God-head power and eternitie by his visible works of creation so as we may gather by certainty of faith that God is glorious wise omnipotent eternall Rom. 1. 19 20 21. Psal 19. 1 2 3 4. Rom. 10. 17 18 19 20 Upon them grounds when we finde in our soules the works of that spirit that raised the Lord from the death as love to the brethren because brethren sincere walking with God and Christs life Gal. 2. 20. we may with the certainty of faith collect that we are the children of God and if the knowledge of our state in Christ from the works of Sanctification be but conjecturall and may deceive us and not a sufficient foundation of sound peace nor enough to make us unexcusable that from the sicknesse of inward heart-love which I feele in my owne soule to Christ I can have no divine assurance that I am in Christ and cannot be made inexcusable in not beleeving the spirit dwelleth in me by his acting and working then we cannot inferre Gods infinite wisdome omnipotencie and eternity from his works of Creation and I cannot be inexcusable if I beleeve not Gods wisdome and power from the works of creation is not the pertinacie of unbeleefe as damnable when I beleeve not God acting in his Spirit as sanctifying as when I beleeve not God acting in this first workmanship of Creation 2. In all the actings motions and walkings of the Holy Ghost in my soule in the stirrings of the New birth when the spirit of Jesus maketh a noise with his feet walking acting moving in love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse meeknesse temperance which are apples and blossomes which grow on the tree of life Gal. 5. 22 23. It were no sinne to me to sleepe and beleeve these were but imaginary dreames and phancied notions if I ware not to beleeve where these are the soule that findeth them undenyably is in Christ 3. The Saints comforting themselves in their godly sincere and blamelesse walking before God in love knew what they spoke and what spirit was in them and that they walked not after the flesh as men speake and phancie in a night dreame not knowing whether they be in Christ or not these were speeches of waking men whose wits were in action Psalm 26. 8. Lord I have loved thy habitation and the place where thine honour dwelleth Psal 119. 63. I am a companion of all them that feare thee and of them that keepe thy precepts vers 97. O how love I thy law it is my meditation all the day vers 103. How sweet are thy words unto my taste Yea sweeter then honey to my mouth vers 111. Thy Testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever for they are the rejoycing of my heart vers 162. I rejoyce at thy word as one that findeth 〈◊〉 great spoile and the Church Cant. 2. 3. I sate downe under his shaddow and his fruit was sweet to my taste ver 5. Stay me with flagons and comfort mee with apples for I am sick of love Esay 26. 9. With my soule have I desired thee in the night yea with my spirit within me I will seeke thee early And Ezekiah looking to his good Conscience saith Ezech. 39 3. Remember now O Lord that I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart So Paul 2 Cor 1. 12. For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our Conscience that in simplicitie and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdome but by the grace of God we had our conversation in the world and more abundantly to you-wards Now if the Saints can thus speake with the light and perswasion of Faith before God and men to their owne solid peace and consolation then may they be perswaded by these fruits of the Spirit that they are branches growing in the Vine Christ else all these speeches are but delusions and phancies and they must speake no other thing of themselves as vessels of the grace of God then hypocrits 〈◊〉 reprobates may say of themselves For D. Crispe and also Libertines of New England whose doctrine subverts the Faith say there can be no marks of saving grace from whence we can draw either comfort or peace be it universall obedience stâ—â—rity love to the Brethren but it may bee
in hypocrits in a Jew following the righteousnesse of the Law Rom. 10. 1. and renouncing Christ Surely if works of saving grace speake another thing then hypocrites and devils may have then first holy walking is no ground of comfort and a good conscience hath no more to yeeld David Job Ezechiah Paul the Apostles and Martyrs when they suffer for Christ and his truth and are in heavie afflictions and chaines then it can yeeld to the viledest of men 2. A man a Christian shall never findeâ—ny grounds of certainety of his adoption in any thing save in the hidden decrees of Election and reprobation and in some immediate testimony of a Spirit which may be a great doubt to many who walke as many Antinomians doe according to the flesh 3. All their rejoycing in simplicity and godly sincerity 2 Cor. 1. 12. is emptie phancies and delusions for they rejoyce in that in which hypocrites and reprobates may have is deepe a share as they But that there is also some immediate testimony of the Spirit though never seperated from the fruits of the Spirit I hope to prove elsewhere The last act of Conscience is in relation to the Conclusion which is the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or judgement of all from whence flow the acts of approving or improving excusing or accusing condemning or absolving from these as the Conscience doth well or ill arise 1. Joy called a feast in which the soule is refreshed not the phancie 2. Upon a solid ground a bottome that cannot sinke from that which is well done 2. Consolution which is a joy in tribulation 3. Faith going from what the man doth well to a generall To these that walke according to this rule peace 4. Hope that the Lord who hath promised will doe the soule good in the latter end these foure issue from a good Conscience from approving and â—â—â—cusing But the affections which flow from improving and â—â—cusing and condemning are 1. Shame whence the man 〈◊〉 displeased with what he hath done this is good when it looketh onely or most to the sinne or ill when most to the punishment 2. Sadnesse 3. Distrust or unbeliefe 4. Feare 5. Dispaire 6. Anger vexation or the worme that dyeth not it is no wonder that a greater number of troublesome affections â—low from the one then from the other evill is fecound and broody The 4. which I proposed is the second circumstance of the Text which draweth in the rest and it is a conscience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 free of stones or blocks that neither actively causeth my self nor others to stumble nor passively is under a reatus or guilt before God called a good Conscience to which is opposite an evill conscience Now the Conscience is good either in regard of integrity a cleane a good a pure conscience or secondly in regard of calmenesse and peace to this latter is opposed a Conscience penally evill or troubled of which no more the good Conscience is either good in Judging or recta or vera the contrary of this an erring Conscience which I speake of after the other or good in a morall quallity In this meaning the Conscience is good which is first sprinkled with the blood of Christ from dead workes to serve the living God Heb. 9. 14. For by Christ must the guilty be purged that there may be no more Conscience of sinnes Hebr. 10. 2. This is the Conscience which is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 good 1 Tim. 1â— 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 purged and washen Hebr. 10. 2. in regard the great spot of guiltinesse is taken away and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 1. 5. cleare pure terse like a Christall glasse and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hebr. 13. 18. good and honest or beautifull and faire a good Conscience is a comely resplendent lovely thing and it is a Conscience in the text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 void of stumbling there is a Conscience that wants feet and is lame and halteth and is alwaies tripping stumbling falling to this is opposed a Conscience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 10. 22. let us draw neere with a true heart with full assurance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being sprinkled in the heart from an evill Conscience and to this is opposed a polluted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Conscience Tit. 1. 15. The wisdome of God in creating the world is much and most seene in creating so rare a peece as the soule and the most curious peece in the soule is that lumpe of Divinitie the Conscience it is the likest to a chip and 〈◊〉 of God though it be not a part of the infinite Majestie yet it smelleth more of God then the heavens the sunne the starres or all the glorious things on earth Precious stones Saphires Rubies or Herbes Roses Lilies that the Lord hath made now whâ—n the floure and crown of the whole creation which is the spirit is corrupted it is the fowlest thing that is when the Angelâ— the sons of the Morning fell and their Conscience the Spirit of the purest and most glorious Spirits was polluted with guilt though infinite grace could have cured this rare peece yet infinite wisdome as it were giving over the cause and Grace and Mercie standing aloofe from the misery of Angels a Saviour is denyed them and Justice worketh the farther on this noble peece the Conscience of these fallen Spirits to destroy them God would not stretch out one finger to repaire their Conscience but when the Conscience of man was polluted because Grace has ever runne in this channell to worke upon free choise and arbitration to save Men not Angels and of Men these and these not others therefore the Lord fell upon a rarer worke than Creation to redeeme the choisest peece of creation to wash soules and to restore consciences to a higher luster and beauty then they had at the first Now what ever God doth no man can doe it for him an infinite agent cannot worke by a deputie and among all his works none required more of God of the Artifice of Grace and mercy wisdome deepenesse of love then to wash a polluted Conscience there was more of God required to mend and sodder the Jewell than to make and preserve it The blood of Bulls and Goats cannot be spoken of here now to make Conscience againe fundamentally good there was need that the most curious art of free grace should bee set on worke to act a greater miracle on this choisest peece then ever was before or after to make the conscience good an act of attonement and expiation to satisfie infinite Justice must passe and by shedding of and sprinkling on the Conscience the blood of God the Conscience onely and no other way known to Men or Angels could be restored Vse We professe that the morrall washing of the out-side of the cup hath nothing in it of a good Conscience morrall honestie alone can no more inherite the Kingdome of heaven then
such like But the â—â—â—y shall reveale every Mans worke what it is It cannot be denyed but the more tenderness the more of God and the more of Conscience but by tendernesse is meant feare and awsomeness of sinne so no question there is some Conscience that is made of glasse and is easily broken and some of iron and braâ—â— lay hell on it let Christ say to Judaâ— in his face he shall betrary his Master and hee hath a Devill yet his conscience doth not crow before day light to waken him But give no leave to contend for our righteousness wee beleeve wee have found a ransome and yet we hold that tolleration of all religions is not farre from blasphemy and therefore to any way to Monopolize the tytle of tender Consciences to themselves as a Characteristical note to difference them from Presbyterians such as dare not out of the feare of God and reverence to their owne Conscience in this point awing them but judge liberty of Conscience fleshie Liberty in that title seem to hold forth no tenderness of conscience at all except they allow us to share with them in the Name of tender Consciences Which name I durst no more take then to call my selfe a Perfectist or holier then my brethren whereas its more congruous to thinke and call our selves the chiefe of sinners To bee bold with the Scriptures and to dispence with new dreames touching God Christ and the mysteries of the Gospel in all heresies and blasphemies that they may be tollerated is boldnesse of conscience 2. Pertinacie after conviction and then to say wee cannot come up to the rule when the truth is we will not come up to the rule is no tenderness 3. A tender conscience feareth an oath and dare not say every man may sweare a covenant with God in his owne sense yes it s a Jesuites conscience 4. To carry on a designe under pretence of Religion with lyes breaking of oathes treaties promises is a farre other thing then tenderness 2. How Antinomians who deny that the regenerate have any conscience of sinne or that they are to confess or bee grieved in Conscience for Incests Adulteries Murthers Rapes Oppressions or the like or can crowd in under the lap of this veil of tender Conscences is more then the truely godly can see 3. To condemn all the godly in the three Kingdomes and the Churches of New England as not tender Consciences because they professe that liberty of Conscience is Atheisticall licentiousnesse seemeth to be a harder measure then these godly persons deserve who out of some tendernesse of Conscience dare not but condemne liberty of sinning against the duties of this Table and therefore if tolleration of all false wayes intitle men to tender consciences because it is the opinion of same 〈◊〉 men why should not these who are also godly and our â—â— conscience hold the contrary opinion be also called 〈◊〉 consciences And if this be we shall not know who they are who are to be tearmed tender consciences who not But I had rather speake a little of a scrupulous consciences the Scripture saith the heart of Josiah was tender but that he wept at the reading of the Law sure it was not scrupulositie which is alwayes a fault and disease of the conscience as when the conscience doubts and feares for triffles where there is no grave and weightie cause The place 1 Sam. 25. 31. in which Abigal so speaketh to David is not to be expounded of a scrupulous but of a justly greived conscience This shall be no greife unto thee nor offence of heart unto my Lord either thaâ— thou hast shâ—d bloud causelesse or that thou hast avenged thy selfe Heb. It shall not be staggering or stumbling to thy heart for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is to offend stumble fall to remove out of the place Isa 28. 7. Râ—â— Abraham reads it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they have made others to stumble and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nah. 2. 10. knees smite one against another the one knee in affrighted men offendeth the other and makes the other to stumble or fall So in a trembling conscience sin maketh the conscience to go out of the way and fall as one knee trembling maketh another knee in a race to fall Abigal disswadeth David from sâ—edding innocent bloud or avenging himselfe on Nabal because so to doe should be no griefe of conscience It s a litote It shall be a feast and a rejoycing of conscience that thou hast not sinned against God And this is to bee considered that a greived conscience travelling with remorse is 〈◊〉 so farre tender that it either absteineth if the sinne be to be committed or it grieveth if it be committed and in the truely godly foâ—â—citeth for reconciliation A doubting conscience is ignorant of the thing done or to be done and inclimeth to neither â—â—des But a scrupulous conscience inclineth to the one side but with doubting and a trouble of minde as the traveller walketh but with some pain as if there were a little stone in his 〈◊〉 〈…〉 Moral l. 2. c. 20. 4 â— Maldâ—rus in 12. 〈…〉 8â— Amesius de Conscient l. 1. c. 6. The causes of a scrupulous consciences are 1 Gods wish and 〈◊〉 permission 2. Sathans working and acting on a cold 〈◊〉 â—ad bodily complexion 3. Ignorance Weâ—â—nesse of judgements 4. Immoderates feare troubling reason 5. Inconstancie of the minde 6. And withall some tendernesse Gregoriâ—â— said â—â—narum conscientiarum est ibi culpam agnoscere ubi culpâ— non est It is one of the most godly errors and a sinne that smalleth of grace Papists miserable comforters say a speciall way 〈◊〉 be delivered is to subâ—â—â— your selfe to a superiours blind command They say a Priest was freed of his scruple when he obeyed Bernards bare word and trusted in it hearing that Vâ—â— et mea fide confisus sacrifica goe and upon my faith sacrifice confidently It were good to use heavenly violence against scruples phantasie will cast in I should not pray because God hath decreeâ— whither I pray or pray not the thing I suit shall never be 〈◊〉 It s good to turne away the mind from threatnings he tempted providence who having a weake head will walke upon the house top In rovings and grinding of a â—â—morous mind unbeliefe will breake one linke of Gods chaine and that broken must breake another and that a third till the saith of eternall election be broken As in a wall of foure squared stones not well cemented loose and breake out one stone that will breake another and that other loose a third till the whole wall must fall weaknesse can spin out threed after threed one doubt after another till the poore soule be taken off the Gospel-foundation of Consolation CHAP. II. Conscience under Synods and how and that the Conscience cannot have absolute libertie in matters of Religion THE Conscience is a tender peice and either the best friend next to the
and certainly know that she erreth not in her decisions yea though it fall out she erre not yet ought not to take power to her selfe to command others to beleeve that to be true which she beleeves or to impose silence upon others who cannot in conscience acquiesce to what they command Answ There is some-thing true in this there is a two-fold judgement one saving and Christian common to all by which both shepheard and sheep beleeve and its true of this that the sheepe are no more to stand to the judgement of shepheards thâ—â— the shepheards to the judgement of the sheepe in point of Christian beleeving which sure is common to both shepheard and sheepe for the alone authoritie of God speaking in his word And so the Doctor beleeves not as a Doctor but as a Christian But secondly there is another judgement that is ministeriall officiall and authoritative and this is terminated not on Christian beleeving but supposeth a ministeriall beleeving that what the shepheard teacheth others God revealed to him first and is put forth in a ministeriall and officiall judging either in Synods or in publick Pastorall Sermons and authoritative but ministeriall publishing the will and mind of Christ Mal. 2. 7. They shall seeke the Law from his mouth Heb. 13. 7. 17. That way the people depends upon the Ministeriall judgement of Synods and Pastors but it s most false that Pastors depends on their Ministeriall judgement who are sheepe and that there is a like and equall power in shepheards and sheepe and its false that though the Church beleeves she erres not and doth not erre yet the Church may not command and in Synods Ministerially and with all authoritie rebuke such a pervert soules Act. 15. 22. And that Doctors may not as the Heraulds and Ministers of Christ rebuke men sharply 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that they may be sound in the faith Tit. 1. 12. For Pastors and Synods teach fundamentals of faith ministerially to the people and by hearing of them is faith begotten in the hearers and they may command exhort rebuke with all long suffering 2. Tim. 4. 1 2. 2 Tim. 2. 14. stop their mouthes Tit. 1. 11. and authoritatively enjoyne them silence Act. 15. 22 23 24 25. Act. 6. 4. Though they cannot by reason of an erroneous conscience or a conscience burnt with an hot iron acquiesce to the determination of a Synod Yea though they bee unruly vaine talkers and deceivers they must be commanded to bee silent Nor must the Church and Angels of the Church of Thyatira Ephesus or Pergamus suffer Jezabell to seduce not â—avening wolves to devoure the flock nor their word to eate as a Caâ—ker For this judgement authoritative as it is in the head of the Church Christ as in the fountaine and onely Law-giver so it is Ministerially onely and by way of office in the Elders as the will and mind of the King is in the inferiour Judge the Ambassadour or Herauld not in the people And the people are obleiged to obey those that are over them in the Lord who watch for their soules as those who must give an account But there is no ground to say the shepheards are obleiged to stand to and obey the ministeriall and officiall judgement of the people and of this it is said he that heareth you Ministers of the Gospel not the people heareth me he that dispiseth you dispiseth mee And this is more then a priviledge of order and honor which one Christian hath above another in regard of eminencie of graces gifts and of wisdome experience and age it is a priviledge of office to speake in the name of the Lord and yet it is inferiour to a priviledge of law because the Lord onely imposeth lawes upon the Conscience for it is a middle judgement lesse then Legislative Supreme and absolute over the Conscience this is in none save onely in the King and head of the Church and is Royall and Princely Yet is it more I say not more excellent it not being saving of it selfe as in beleevers than a priviledge of meere honour and order for though it lay no more bands on the Conscience to obtain faith because it is holden forth by men it having no influence on the Conscience because of men whose word is not the formall object of faith yet hath it an officiall authoritie from Pastours which is not meerely titularie so as they may ministerially and officially command obedience to their judgement as far as it agrees with the mind of Christ no farther and when it is disobeyed may inflict censures which private Christians cannot doe and putteth these who disobey under another guiltinesse then if private Christians did speake the same word to wit not onely in a case of disobedience to the second command but in a state of disobedience to the fift command formally as not honouring father and mother where as to disobey that same word by way of Counsel in the mouth of a brother though it be the breach of the fift command also Yet not in such a manner as when we refuse to heare the messenger of the Lord of Hoasts and his judgement as a messenger of God is publique and bindes as publike to highest obedience to the fift command but as it is a judgement of faith common to the Doctor with other Christians it bindes as the minde of God holding faith in the second Commandment what wee are to believe Armmians The word of God is sufficient for the deciding of controversies its cleare what neede it there of decision if men acquiesce to the decision of God as it lyes in Scripture if the word of God expresse the sense of God or if it have need of interpretation why is there not a free interpretation left to every manâ—â— doe we think that our words are clearer than the word of God we doe a â—â—nithic injury to the word of God if we believe that How much better were it if we would nourish peace and concord leaving interpretations free to every man It is most sure to containe our selves within the speaking of the holy Scripture and the forme of words of the holy Ghost and that no man be troubled who shewes himself willing to containe himself within these Answ Here is a meere fluctuation and Septicism even in fundamentals and the faith of them for all interpretation of Scripture is rejected there is no destinction in fundamentals or no fundamentals for in principles of faith that Christ is God and man and dyed for sinners the Scripture is most plaine and what need then of our interpretation then let Arrians and Secinnians beleeve him to be God man and to die for sinners in their sense the Familists in a contrary sense the Georgians in another contrary sense the Papists in a third the Protestants in a fourth and so as many heads as many faiths every sect and man must have some sense else his faith is non-sense and if
decided be true and agreeable to the word of God of necessitie every mans private judgement must goe before otherwise it s an implicite faith Answ That any man should duely and as he ought beleeve and receive the decision of a Synod it must be both true and 〈◊〉 must believe and know that it is true but that it may oblidge him and doth oblidge him whether his conscience be erroneous or no is as true for then this Commandement Thou shalt not kill Honour thy father and thy mother should lay no 〈◊〉 on a man that believes it is service to God to kill the Apostâ—â— as Joh. 16. some doe For no man is exempted from an obligation to obey Gods Law because of his own sinfull and culpable ignorance for we speak not now of invincible ignorance of these things which we are not oblidged to know or believe But if our sinfull and erroneous conscience free us from actuall obligation to be tyed by a Law then our erroneous conscience freeth us from sinning against a Law and â—o from punishment for what ever freeth a man from actuall obligation freeth him also from actuall sinning for all sinne is a doing against a Law-obligation and if so then are none to be led by any rule but their own conscience the written Law and Gospel is not henceforth our rule any more Arminiars The last condition of a Synod is that the subject of a Synodical decision be ever left to a free examination and to a farther free discussion and revise The learned professours of Leyden answer that which is once true and fixed in the word of God is ever true and fixed in the word of God The Arminians reply what is true and fixed in the word of God is â—ver so and ought to remaine so for the word is beyond all danger of erring But what is believed to be fixed and fixed and Ratified in a Synod is not so because it is obnoxious to errour Answ They require that before we come to a Synod where fundamentall truths are Synodically determined we be as a razed table and as cleane paper in which no thing is written and so must we be after a Synod hath determined according to the word of God that is be still Scepticks and believe nothing fixedly and be rooted in no faith nay not in the faith of the fundamentals that are most cleare in the word of God for it is unpossible that we can beleeve the clearest fundamentals as that God created the world and Christ God-Man redeemed it but we must beleeve them by the intervening and intermediation of â—ur own sense or the Churches sense or the sense of some Godly Doctour now because all these senses are fallible and we see Familists put one sense on fundamentals Papists another sense and all private men may doe the like it is not possible that any man can be rooted in any faith at all by this way for all senses are fallible though the scripture giveth clear evident senses yet such is the Hereticall dulnesse of men that reject these infallible senses as false and those others that by their own confession are fallible and so can neither be established by the word nor by the interpretations of men though senses of Scripture rendered by Synods be fallible in the way they come to us because men delivering them may erre yet being agreeable to the word they are in themselves infallible And so the old and new Testament in the way they come to us may be fallible because Printers are not prophets but may miscarry and dreame but it followeth not they are not the infallible word of life in themselves when the Spirit witnesseth to us that God divinitie transforming glory are in these books as a spouse knoweth the hand-writstill lovelinesse of a letter from her husband to be certainly no counterfeit but true though the bearer be a rogue and can deceive Secondly this answer still supposeth that Synods do give senses contrary to the word of God and so we grant they are not onely fallible but false and erroneous and are to be examined of new again in that case but we hold when lawfull Synods convened in the name of Christ doe determine according to the word of God they are to be heard as Ambassadours who in Christs stead teach us and what is once true and ratified in Synods in this manner is ever true and ratified as the reverend professours say and never subject to any further examination and new discussion so as it must be changed and retracted as false For this is to subject the very word of God to retractation and change because a Synod did declare and truely determine it in a Ministeriall way to be the word of God For what Synods determine being the undenyable word of God iâ— intrinsecally infallible and can never become fallible though fallible and sinfull men that are obnoxious to errour and mistakes doe hold it forth Ministerially to others and it is false that we are to believe that what Synods determine according to the word of God we are to believe it is fallible and lyable to errour and may an untruth because they so determine for then when a Synod determines there is but one true God the principle of faith is believed to be subject to Retraction and falshood because a Synod hath determined it to be a truth But the truth is we are to believe truths determined by Synods to be infallible and never againe lyable to retractation or discussion because they are and were in themselves and without any Synodicall determination infallible but not for this formall medium because so saith the Synod but because so saith the Lord It is true new hereticks pretending new light may arise as Math. 24. 24. And call in question all Fundamentalls that are determined that are cleared in former Synods but it follows not but these truths are still in themselves fixed and unmovable as the Pole-star though evil men bring them under a new Synodicall examination as Familists doe now raze the foundations of Christianitie yet Daniel and Christ are Innocent though wicked men accuse them judicially as deceivers nor is it enough that Libertines say it may be the word of God and the infallible word of God which the Synod determineth but it is not so to us we are to believe it with a reserve because we cannot know it so to be But I answer this concludes not onely against a Synodicall determination but against all Scripture and all Propheticall and Apostolicall determinations in the Scripture for that there is one God not three as the Treithits dreame is believed by some to be false by others to be true Yet undenyably it is in it self true that there is but one God nor is it therefore to be believed with a reserve because the Synod hath so determined according to the word of God and this were some answer if we should teach
that men should believe because so saith a Synod But all the mysterie is though a Synod should determine a truth an hundred times according to the word yet if the conscience say it is no truth the determination of a Synod doth not obliedge at all say Libertines because the conscience according to the minde of Libertines is the nearest obleidging rule but any thing obleidgeth not to obedience and faith as it appears either true or good to our conscience for to kill the Apostles appears lawfull to commit adulterie and murther appeareth good to many yet are not men obleidged to kill the Apostles or to commit adulterie Armini If a thing be determined out of the word of God by a Synod then was that thing before determined in the word of God and yet that must be examined in a Synod which is supposed to be decyded in the word what need is there of a Synodicall examination of that which is supposed to be lyable to no errour for so must the word of God be examined Answ What the Bereans heard the Apostle Paul preach Act. 17. 11 12. was the verie Gospel determined in the Scriptures of the Prophets what then needed they try the Gospel or examine what is infallible in private among themselves more then in publick Synods this argument is against the Apostles rule Try all things and try the Spirits whether they be of God or not for sure these rules warranted them to examine Paul Peter and Johns doctrine and Spirits and finding them to be truths decyded in the word to receive them therefore after there is a Scripturall decision it doth not follow that there should not be a Declarative or Ministeriall decision by Synods and by pastours preaching the Gospel For this doth close subvert all Ministery and Preaching and all trying of the Spirits nor is it hence concluded that we examine the word of God as if it could be false but that we are both in private and in publicke to examine and try whether that which is proposed to us as the word of God be the word of God or no But wee examine and suspect the credit of men who may and can lye Secondly but this supposeth that what ever is brought under a Synodicall discussion is false or at least fallible which is a most false principle of Libertines and that nothing which is the word of God should fall under a Synodicall discussion to be tryed which is true thus farre the word of God as it is the word of God is not to be tried nor determined but in reference to messengers who are but sinfull men and can deceive and to our dulnesse and sinfull ignorance there is need that a Ministerie and Synods help us with declarative and misteriall declarations untill we be where they shall not need a Temple And what Libertines say the same said Anabaptists so Buâ—â—inger saith Anabaptists taught that the Evangelist should be recited without words casting it that is without preaching and that every man was free to interpret the Scripture as he will and that the interpretation of Scripture is not the word of God So that the peoples conscience and private sense is their Scripture and rule of faith we need not then Scripture every mans sense is his Rule which yet is not so good divinity as the heathen Melytus accused Socrates of and thought Socrates was worthie to die for that such as the people beleeveth to be gods he believeth to be nothing such but thinketh there be some new Dieties and was it a crime that Socrates thought the peoples lust was no good rule in divinitie Armini All should be admitted to Synods because Religion concerneth the Conscience of all or if it be confusion to admit all to come yet should no decision be except first all the Church be acquainted with the businesse Answ God never appointed all and every one to lay burdene and Directories or Lawes upon themselves as is cleare Act. 15. God keeps ever that order in his Church of some to teach and some to be taught of some to obey and some to be over others in the Lord that before Lawes bee made that concerne the conscience there should be a reference of all made to the people and they acquainted with reasons from the word of God before a decision we shall not condemn but it is nothing against us Armini These that come to Synods ought to be ingaged to be Church or to no Confession But every way free Answ Then such as convened in a Synod in the Church of Pergamus and Thyatira should not be principled in the faith of Christ and his truth against the deeds of the Nicolaitanes with whom fornication went for a thing indifferent or against such as hold the doctrine of Balaam or Jezabel they must all come as indifferent to absolve as to condemn the Nicholaitanes and the false Prophetesse Jezabel But Paul and Barnabus came to the Councell of Jerusalem as Members thereof being fore engaged to condemn Circumcision as not necessary to salvation and had preached against such a necessitie and yet were not byassed Voters in the Assembly and by this reason if Fundamentals be to be established in a Synod and the contrary errours to be refuted when Doctours come to a Synod they must leave faith and soundnesse of faith at home and come to the Synod with purpose to buy and bargain there for a new faith And let all men come thither as Scepticks and Nullifidians and goe so also away believing with a reserve that that the Synod hath determined may be a lie But as Arminians take true libertie of free-will to be an absolute power to doe ill or well stand or fall eternally so they judge that Libertie of prophecying is a Liberty to teach and believe Indifferently either lies or truth heresies or sound doctrine whereas libertie to doe ill in any sense is licentiousnesse not libertie Armini The question is not whether a man when he judges right can erre for who can affirme that but whither either a man or a Church who judgeth rightly according to the word of God have any law or power to command and injoyn others to receive and believe what they have rightly Judged and that without controversie for no man is obleidged to receive and beleive a truth which a Synod unanimously or for the most part hath truely judged because the Synod hath so judged or sayth so Answ But Libertines make such a question for they affirm that a Synod doth never judge so rightly but we must believe what they judge with a reserve and so that what they determine is false or may the next day be false Secondly we conceive that God hath given to some one single Pastour and farre more to a Synod of Pastours and Doctors a power to rebuke teach exhort with all authoritie 2. Tim. 41. 2. To charge Tit. 2. 14. them before the Lord. 1. Tim. 6.
c. What reason in nature can there be to punish the one and not the other for it may with as good colour of reason be said that all the Lawes in the old Testament for drawing of the sword against Sodomites Adulterers and such like were typicall and temporary and are done away now in Christ for Christ will have these converted in as spirituall a way by the onely power of the word of God as the other and no where in any expresse law in the New Testament doth God command to use the bloody sword against them more then against blasphemers And to remove these grosse sins out of Christian societies by the sword is no lesse a carnall and a bodily afflictive way of dealing with their consciences as to deal so with seducers and it s enough to that negative argument that no where it is expressed as a dutie of the Magistrate under the New Testament to use the sword against false teachers nor does our Saviour or the Apostles rebuke the Magistrate for omitting of their dutie in this Yea Paul 1 Cor. 6. 9 10 11. when he shewes that some of the Corinthians abused their body with mankinde were theevâ—s drunkards extortioners he no where saith that it was the Magistrates dutie to take away their head for Sodomie which certainly it was and that by the verie law of nature but he was Gods instrument for their conversion by the power of the word ver 11. and 1 Cor. 4. 15. as he laboured to convert the Galdehians who sometimes worshipped dumb Idols and the Ephesians who worshipped the vaine Idol Diana Act. 19. yea nor is there any New Testament law for taking away the life of a murtherer for that of our Saviours Math. 26. 52. all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword except we say it was so a Judiciall law among the Jews as it was a law of nature Gen. 9. before there was a Common wealth erected among the Jews cannot be called a new Testament law to Peter and John and the disciples who were obliged at that same verie time to keepe the passeover and to be subject to all the Jewish laws CHAP. V. Of Fundamentals A Foundation saith Pareus Iren. c. 9 is that which is in the lowest place of the building to beare up that which is built upon it and without which the building cannot stand That then must be the foundation of faith and salvation which is precisely necessary to be believed by all that are saved Alardas Valek gives us four fundamentals facienda vitanda things to be done and eschewed in the Decalogue 2. credenda to be believed in the Creed 3. roganda to be sought from God in prayer 4. â—surpanda things to be practised as the Sacraments How the repenting thiese knew all these I see not yet a taste of some of them ye may see and with the infused life of God he was ready to believe and doe the rest For the first he knew robberie and violence to be damned in the Decalogue we are justly here and repented 2. for the second he believed in Christ as a King the Son of God and a Saviour Christ was accused that he called himself the Sonne of God and a king when the man saith of Christ this man hath done nothing amisse he believes him to be the Sonne of God and the Saviour who had the keyes of paradice at his girdle 3. he prayes to him Lord remember me when thou comes to thy Kingdome 4. for externall worship or Sacraments it is like he knew little yet he confessed Christ a King when his disciples denyed him and fled and the world persecuted him Cycillus Hyerosolymitian reduceth them to two the knowledge of points of faith 2. the doing of good works Had he added according to the new covenant it were good Calvin saith epist 182. I refuse not the Augustine confession Cui pridem volens libens subscripsi sicut eam Author interpretatus est Yet in the 10. article thereof the substantiall bodie and blood of Christ is said to be really present under the spece of bread and wine Ambrose in cap. 9. Lu. negat Christum qui non omnia qua sunt Christi confitetur It is onely thus farre true the that hath sufficient meanes of believing what the word saith may confesse all truths of Christ and doth not denie Christ but as some doe not all the good they may yet have a saving disposition to it though either they through infirmities leave it undone or through want of oportunitie yet believing are saved So these that want means of knowing and confessing all truths yet have the habit of faith to believe them though they never actually confesse them doe not deny Christ Though Irenem l. 1. c. 3. Tertullian de Virginibus velandis Augusti to 10. de Tempore sar 2. and Russiâ—â—â— in the exposition of the Creed say that which is called the Apostles Creed came from the Apostles yet there is no sufficient ground for us to believe the authentick Authoritie of it Conrad worships while he was yet sound de pausis just it necessariis deserendi papatus par 1. dis 1. the 29. saith of these points that are contained in the Apostles Creed some things are simply necessarie for salvation without which faith and repentance cannot be 2. some not so necessarie yet profitable and of themselves saving 3. other things by consequence and by accident are necessarie not of themselves and separate from the fundamentals the Church of Rome erres in the fundamentals in the doctrine of our Saviour and his offices in the doctrine of merit humane satisfactions indulgences the Scriptures the Church In the 2. they erre about baptisme the Lords supper confirmation unction pennance though of themselves they happily deprive not of life eternall yet because the subject about which the matter is versed is most necessary they are pernicious errors These of the third sort touching creation providence mortification though of themselves they might be called errours simple ignorance yet for the dangerous consequences they are pernicious heresies Mr. John Durie in his Theological consultation maketh three sort of necessary points 1. these without the knowledge of which Christ cannot be known in the covenant of grace nor by faith retained which are comprehended in the paction of the covenant 2. saving points which secretly lurk in these necessirie points yet by just and evident consequence may be deduced there from though they be not in the expresse words of the covenant 3. some things that are profitable the expresse knowledge whereof conduceth to the fuller knowledge and faith of these things necessarie yet are not such but Christ may be believed by simple soules and rested on for salvation without such a precise forme of speaking Augusti de Trinit l. 14. c. 1. It is one thing to know what we are to believe another thing how or with what certaintie we
for morall honesty qualifying the conscience as a rule is not able to render the conscience a streight and perfect rule in supernaturall duties since it is but a naturall principle in us and that a most corrupt one by reason of sin and how then should it regulate us in all the wayes of the service and worship of God should it ever oblige us to beleeve in him who justifieth the ungodly 2. Againe the Lord maketh the Law and his revealed will in the word the rule of all our actions Deut. 5. 31 32. Deut 12. 31 32. Ps 119. 9. 2 King 10. 31. 3. If that which is called Liberty of prophesying be examined it is either a liberty of beleeving and teaching what is intrinsecally true according to the word now this they will not say for we deny not liberty to prophesie truth to all that are called to publish it Or secondly it is a liberty to prophesie what is false which is conceived to be false that is devillish licence not liberty sure God hath allowed no such liberty to men to prophesie falsely and to destroy soules in this meaning God hath no more allowed us liberty of prophesying false things then liberty of killing whoreing robbing or lying Or thirdly liberty of prophesying is liberty of prophesying truths or falsehood which yet are conceived to be truth not falsehood by those who prophesie nor hath God given so a liberty of prophesying for every true liberty of prophesying God hath given to his Prophets and Apostles if it bee a lawfull gift the use thereof is commanded and injoyned to us as the Arminians say it is in these words 1 Thess 5. 19 20. Quench not the Spirit despise not prophesying for they say the meaning of these words are Quench not the spirituall sense of the word which any man saith and perswadeth himselfe he hath from the Spirit of God that is either by inspiration or suggestion of the Spirit or by the helpe of the Spirit of God in which sense the Apostles seeme to take the word 2 Thess 2. 2. 1 Joh. 4. 1. Now all the liberty of prophesying is here set upon a brazen pillar of so it seemes to be and we say so it seemes not to be but God certainly will not have Nathan David Samuel Ezechiel in either Old or New Testament to extinguish the Spirit or to despise prophesying but God gave no liberty nor entered it ever in his heart to command such liberty of prophesying to his Prophets of old except we say that God gave to Nathan liberty to say to David Doe all that is in thine heart build thou the Temple and the Lord shall be with thee which was an untruth and that God bad Samuel say of Eliah he is the Lords anointed and gave him liberty to prophesie that which was false whereas the Lord saith to Ezechiel ch 2. Heare the word of my mouth and Jeremiah c. 1. 17. Arise and speake unto them all that I command thee and thereby bindes them up and denyeth all liberty of preaching or prophesying their owne word or their owne perswasions even under the notion of the word of the Lord and doubtlesse when Nathan exhorted David to build the Temple and Samuel said that Eliah was the Lords anointed they spake not that as their owne word but were perswaded that God revealed himselfe to them though both were mistaken grossely so Christ saith to his Apostles Matth. 28. 19 20. Goe preach teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you he interditeth them upon the same reason to bring any of their owne Commandements flowing from their owne Spirit under any pretence though they thinke them right though Peter should conceive to Judaize a little Gal. 2. was the minde of Christ and hee might preach it and practise it as the minde of Christ yet Peter and all the Apostles Matth. 28. are bound up they have no liberty of conscience to preach their owne videtur so it seemes for then should our faith be ultimately resolved into mens phansies and so thinketh our Reverend Saltmarsh or Wil. Del and not into the word of God Libertines say their Goddesse their Diana is strangled and fettered and the spirit it quenched if this liberty of prophesying be denyed to them but to restraine liberty of sinning and lying is no violence done to the spirit of prophesie but this exposition calleth the phansies of men the spirituall sense of the word of God as Familists and Antinomians in England father their dreames upon the Spirit of God So Peâ— Stairie who ordinarily preacheth the rovings of his own phansie taught 29. Oct. 1647. before the House of Commons after the Houses passed a brave Ordinance for Liberty of Conscience and Prophesying that the House should not oppose or resist any thing that pretended to Christ Now if he spake this to the House as a Parliament he forbad to hinder a Simon Magus an Hymeneus a Philetus a Jezabel a Jesuite to preach what he pleased for Jesuites pretend to Iesus both name and thing all the Familists Sotinians Arrians Libertines and false teachers who deceive if it were possible the very elect pretend to Iesus Christ and to the anointing If he spake to the people they are not by the word of truth nor all the Ministers in England to refute the false Teachers that pretend to Christ for to refute them were to oppose and resist them for if they pretend to Christ you know not since yee are not infallible but they may be teachers sent of God though they bee the most errand seducers that ever spake and so they are no wayes to be resisted who resist the truth 2 Quench not the Spirit must have this meaning Quench not the dreames of Independents Libertines Antinomians for they perswade themselves they have the Spirit of God and minde of Christ in all they speak 3 But this Quench not the Spirit is cherish entertaine the gracious motions and inspirations of the Spirit in your selves and despise not that is highly reverence the preaching of the Gospel separate not the Spirit and the Word for it is a litote where lesse is spoken but more intended as Esay 50. 5. Ioh. 6. 37. but this glosse yeeldeth this sense Despise not the Spirit that is beleeve what ever a godly preacher saith be it his owne dreames and rovings to be the word of God and reverence it for he perswades himselfe it is so and speaketh them as the oracles of God though they be his owne wind-mils and sparkles of his own vaine-glory For this not to quench not to despise is undeniably to beleeve these prophesyings as the word of God how then are we to try all doctrines and spirits if we are to take all for fiâ—st that comes into the net But since you are not infallible say Libertines it is an extinguishing of the Spirit to account that to be the spirit of Sathan which agreeth not with your spirit if
formall reason of beleeving both fundamâ—ntalls and non-fundamentalls is thus saith the Lord. For we are as much obliged to beleeve non-fundamentalls that are cleare as that there were eight persons saved in the Arke and the old world drowned with waters Sâ—dome burnt with fire as to beleeve fundamentalls that there is no name whereby men may be saved but by the 〈◊〉 of Jesus for the Authority of God speaking in his word and his Command doth equally oblige to both but there is no such necessity so absolute in beleeving non-fundamentalls as in beleeving these without the knowledge whereof wee cannot be saved but it never followeth that errours in non-fundamentalls published and taught to the ruine of the soules of many they having such a strong connexion and influence on the knowledge of fundamentalls are to bee tolerated since our sinning here doth as equally and strongly strike against the authority and expresse command of God at least in most things of that kinde as in points fundamentall and therefore the Magistrate who is to looketo the honour of God as a Christian and peace of societies in all is as much obliged to punish clearly opened non-fundamentall as fundamentall false doctrines CHAP. XI Of the obliging power of Conscience LIbertines bewilder themselves and the Reader both touching an erroneous conscience and the obligation thereof Mr. Williams saith Such a person what ever his doctrine be true or false suffereth persecution for conscience as Daniel was cast into the Lions den and many thousand Christians and the Apostles were persecuted because they durst not cease to preaâ—â— and practise what they beleeved was by God commanded But this is a foule mistake Daniel suffered not for conscience simply because he practised what he beleeved to be truth but because he practised what he truely congrâ—enter Dei voluntati revelatae congruously and agreeably to the revealed will of God he beleeved and the like is to be said of the Apostles not the conveniency and commensurablenesse of their practise and their conscience simply but their beleeving â—all modo such a way made their sufferings to bee sufferings for righteousnesse sake for then must we say that Paul persecuted with the tongue the Corinthians for their conscience 1 Cor. 15. 34. Awake to righteousnesse and sin not I speakeâ— it to your shame for some have not the knowledge of God Those that denyed the resurrection through errour of conscience said the dead shall not rise againe for Paul proves by strong arguments that the dead shall rise and so takes away the errour of their conscience why then puts he shame and reproach on them and names them fooles and void of the knowledge of God and such as beleeved in vaine it was not in their power to correct the errors of their conscience and if they maintained what they beleeved in conscience was true as by Pauls demonstrating the truth to their conscience is evident they were persecuted for righteousnesse if out of meere innocent and faultlesse ignorance they denyed the resurrection Paul should deale more gently with them then upbraid them as fooles and Epiâ—ures who said Let us eat for to morrow we shall dye if they did all beleeve the Resurrection and yet professed the contrary there was no need to take paines as he doth to prove it Saul killed the Gibeonites out of zeale to the children of Israel It is like the blinde ignorant zeale he had thinking the Covenant that Joshua made with them did not oblige the posterity was the cause of his murthering of them yet he suffered not in his sons that were hanged for that blinde zeale as righteous and following the rule of his conscience in that But touching an erring conscience the question is not whether an erroneous conscience doth so tye that we must do nothing on the contrary nor is the question whether the nearest actually obliging rule be conscience the Arminians tell us Though the word of God of it selfe and by it selfe have power to oblige yet it actually obligeth no man except it be understood and so is beleeved to bee understood after we use all possible diligence and prudence for no man is obliged to follow the true sense of the word against his conscience though it be erroneous but we thinke the word of God is both the farrest and nearest and the onely obliging rule and that the dytement of the conscience doth neither binde potentially nor actually but is a meere 〈◊〉 a messenger and an officiall relater of the will and mind to God to us and all the obliging power is from the word 〈◊〉 the messenger of a King and Judge is not the obliging 〈◊〉 that tyes the subject or the Heraulds promulgation of the Law is no obliging rule for promulgation of Heraulds is common both to just and to unjust lawes and certainly unjust lawes from a just Prince lay no band on the conscience or on the man farre lesse can the promulgation as the promulgation lay any bands on the conscience the word of a Messenger and Herauld is at the best but a condition or the approximation of the obliging power to us but all the obliging power is from the King and the Judge It is most false then that these Libertines say that the word doth not actually oblige except it be understood for the understanding information and indycement of conscience doth not adde any actuall obligation to the word that it had not before it onely is a Reporter to carry both the word and the actuall obligation to the man the Herauld promulgating the law addes no obligation actuall or potentiall to the law that it had not before onely it makes an union in distance and neare application and conjunction between the actually obliging law and the understanding knowledge of the person or subject who is obliged to keep the law though it bee true the fire cannot actually burne but as timber is cast to it yet the fire hath from its owne nature both potentiall and actuall burning not from the act of casting the timber in the fire nor is this a concludent reason no man is obliged follow how the true sense of the word against his conscience though erroneous ergo the erroneous conscience doth oblige or ergo actuall obligation to obedience is not from the word but from the conscience no more then this is a good consequence no man is obliged to obey the Law in it selfe iust contrary to the promulgation of an erring and mistaking Herauld ergo the mistaking Heraulds promulgation giveth to the Law actuall obligation over the subject for it onely followeth 〈◊〉 we are not to doe contrary to the actuall indicâ—ment of an erroneous conscience but not obliged to follow the erroneous conscience nor are we obliged to follow what our conscience saith is true and good because or upon this formall reason and ground that the conscience saith so more then we are to beleeve and practise what the Church or
the conscience of others the Church the learned and godly say for we make not the word of the Church the formal object of our faith but thus saith the Lord onely because the Church is but a company of men and so our faith should depend upon men even though holy and speaking ingenuously what their conscience dictates as true which is absurd ergo by the same reason what one mans conscience our owne or others say is not the formall object of our faith and practises for so also our faith should depend on man not on God And we say the conscience at its best is but Regula Regulata not Regula Regulans nor ought it to have the throne of God for God is only Regula Regulans If it were a rule it is to bee ruled by God and his word yea as we are to try all things and not beleeve with a blind faith what others say or their conscience proposeth to themselves and us as truth for then we make a Pope of the consciences of men under the notion of teachers and Church so we are not to be ruled without trying and absolutly by our owne conscience but to try its dictates by the word of God otherwise wee make a Pope and a God of our owne conscience Some say as a right informed conscience obliegeth to doe what it dictates so an erroneous conscience obliegeth to do according to its prescript Durandus and others saith â—gat non obligat it bindeth that yee cannot doe against it which some call negative obligation but non obligat it obliegeth not as a divine rule which is positive obligation Tannerus saith A Conscience that invincibly erreth both bindeth that we cannot doe against it and obliegeth that we should not follow it Which hath truth in the matter of fact a Judge invincibly ignorant of an accused mans innocency when two or three witnesses doe sweare hee is guilty doth lawfully condemne the innocent man having used all 〈◊〉 diligence to finde out the truth and not being 〈◊〉 to find it but this is rather error or ignorance of the fact than an erronious conscience for hee proceeds according to the law with a well-informed conscience following what the law saith by the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every thing be established The erroneous conscience so long as it remaineth by the law of nature layeth on an obligation on a man not to doe against it Rom. 14. 14. To 〈…〉 the esteemeth any thing to be uncleane to him it is uncleane vers 23. He that doubteth is damned if he eat because he eateth not of faith for whatsoever is not of faith is sinne So Ambrose our opinion layeth a law upon us Gammacheus saith it is a vain distinction of binding and oblieging Inter ligationem obligationem And that we are oblieged to follow an erroneous consciencesse long as it continueth erroneous because here saith hee 〈◊〉 dispute not concerning that which is good but that which is commanded But if the conscience dictate that something is to be commanded and to bee done under paine of sinne and yet we doe iâ— not we resist conscience and so we sin because the obligation is no mere 〈◊〉 good onely but rather to that which is commanded The Jesuite Mâ—lderus saith the same Contientiam erroneam ligare obligâ—re because an object materially considered is such an object by 〈◊〉 but it is an object per se kindly when it is proposed by practicall â—â—â—son for what is not of faith is sinne Gal. 5. 3. I testifie to 〈◊〉 one that is circumcised that hee is debter to doe the whole law Answ There can be no reason why conscience because conscience or because wicked more obliegeth then why Will because wicked will should obliege since in every wicked conscience actually drawing men to ill of either heresie or practise there is something of wicked Will and though there were nothing of will or of the affections in an erroneous conscience yet since conscience as a knowing faculty is under the law of God an erroneous conscience must bee a transgressing conscience and it is a contradiction that a faculty sinning should obliege to obedience to the law of God in the same consideration because it sinneth But these Schoole-â—â—â—ties doe not obliege us wee shall bee unwilling in any tearmes to say that God or which is all one the law of nature layeth on us an obligation to that which is sinfull or 〈◊〉 if any thinke he is oblieged to be circumcised sure he must thinke himselfe oblieged to eate the passeover also and to keepe the whole Ceremoniall law but that the law of nature obliegeth him either so to thinke and erroneously beleeve and practise the whole Ceremoniall Law is another thing It is true a doubting conscience that thinks hee is oblieged by the law to abstaine from eating swines flesh is either oblieged to eate swines flesh or not to eate for to eate or not eate are opposed by way of contradiction but there is no apparent contradiction but admiteth of some qualification and modification set the contradiction in an evangelicall sence as you must and then it shall be there be none in the visible Church but he must either eate in faith or not eate in faith he must either bee circumcised in faith and in a certaine perswasion that circumcision is acceptable to God or hee must not bee circumcised in faith c. For both the Law and Gospell obliege to the action and to all the manner way and requisite circumstances of the action to wit that it be done in faith sincerely for God in a due manner c. Now so wee say hee is neither to eate simply nor not to eate simply but either to eate in faith or to abstaine from eating in faith and without an erring and doubting conscience and we are not to do upon a supposition that the conscience stand erroneous nor hath the erroneous conscience any warrant at all nor commission from the Sovereigne Lord of conscience to command you to beleeve you must be circumcised or upon the supposall of that faith to obliege you to be circumcised more then any earthly judge hath a warrant from God to command murther or robery nor is it a law of nature or of God that you must do absolutely and without trying what an erroneous conscience indites you to do under paine of sin nor is it a sin to resist an eroneous conscience by not doing or suspending the action more then it is a sin not to obey an earthly Judge when he commandeth beside and contrary to the law of the supreame Law-giver No wonder they make a Pope of conscience who make the conscience of the Pope the supream court that obliegeth all men on earth The reason of this errour is Papists and Libertines joyn with them in this dreame hat as God doth command unerringly indeclinably so hte hath communicated to Popes and Heraulds and to every lawful 〈◊〉
and perswasion nor yet in no faith in no perswasion And Augustine tells us the Donatists objected the same God compelleth none but hath given men freewill to obey him contr petil l. 2. c. 83. Epist 48. ad vincention Contr. Gaudentiâ—â— l. 1. c. 25 Contr. Cresc l. 3. c. 51. which I often re-minde the Reader of and the Donatists also said this compulsion makes hypocrites when they are compelled to goe to heare the word Augustine answers Although some that are compelled to beare remain hypocrites and counterfeit yet for these such as are sincere should not have been left ungathered in And for that of Gods calling to repentance he is but an ignorant senselesse man who wrote that booke The Spirit waits saith hee and violates not liberty If the meaning bee the Lord is long-suffering and patient and lets men goe on in their sins and in his owne time effectually calleth them this is a senselesse sense for God waits not on one out of his longanimity and forbearance lest he should force freewill for the freewill is ever alike impotent rebellious and refractory till God subdue it if the meaning be as another sense it cannot have The Spirit waites and violates not liberty that is the Spirit waites untill freewill be in a good blood and a congruous disposition to obey and then the Spirit for feare of forcing of it if he should come on it undexterously to worke it against the haire catcheth the opportunity when he sees it is not on a straine of rebellion and in a distemper and then he drawes the freewill without force the man I judge is innocent and uncapable of this schoolheresie of late Jesuits who devise a Pelagian congruous calling and this were nothing to the purpose and should neither have head nor feet to the matter in hand for the Spirit who can carry freewill though most rebelliously distempered his way is not afraid of freewills contradictorious opposing but can in every moment subdue freewill without forcing he never waites on for such a matter except there bee a time when freewill is to hard a party for the Spirit to yoake withall or when nature or some preparatory grace makes it easier for the Spirit to conquiesse consent at one time more then another 2. Gods not forcing of freewill is no rule to the Magistrate not to awe men to abstaine from perverting of soules for fear of the sword for by the same reason because Gods Spirit moves the Saints to be subject to every ordinance of 〈◊〉 Judge or good Law for the Lords sake and for conscience for hee must obey this Rom. 13. 5. 1 Pet. 2. 13. and the Spirit compells not in these more then in the others so this argument God must worke faith give repentance and make a willing people ergo the Christian Magistrate cannot with his authority doe it is all granted This is but a very rotten rush a straw Entbysiasts so argue God teacheth sufficiently ergo the Scriptuâ—â— and ministery of men are not requisite the discipline of the godly Magistrate cannot ascend so high as to have influence on the conscience and beget faith no more then the preaching of the word by the Ministers of the Gospel without the 〈◊〉 ergo the godly Magistrate cannot with the sword keepe the externall man in outward obedience to Gospel-ordinances it in no sort can can be a good consequence nor is it good divinity to say with Pelagians and Arminians that the calling of God extends no further then to arguments perswasions intreaties and threatnings for the calling of God extendeth further then to so much as man can doe in calling of sinners to repentance but men can act upon the minde will and reasonable soule by arguments perswasions intreaties and threatnings for all that is done by the Ministery of men But in effectuall calling of which we here speake it is certaine the Lord infuseth a new heart a new spirit 〈◊〉 efficaciously to the Son which is a further and higher 〈◊〉 of omnipotencies calling and drawing then all the morall perswasion by arguments intreaties and threatnings performable by men or Angels so this man is either an ignorant or a grosse Arminian Now from all this it is easie to expound that character which the Holy Ghost putteth upon the hereticke Tit. 3. 10. he is judged or condemned of himselfe that is the truth is so clearely opened to him or he may if he did not wincke and shut his eyes clearely see and beleeve the truth if he did not knowingly prudently and willingly resist the truth and therefore is condemned by his owne heart But Minus Celsus saith the words carry a farre other sense to wit That by sinning he is the authour of his 〈◊〉 condemnation because in chusing true Religion be thinkes he both made a right choice when he hath chosen a false Religion being deceived by his owne judgement he falleth into damnation which miserable man he hath created to himselfe and in which he chuseth to persist and therefore is to be esehewed So it is said the Jews judged themselves unworthy of eternall life but knowingly they judged not so of themselves but they did so behave themselves as if they made themselves unworthy of eternall life So I beleeve the hereticke is called selfe-condemned because he doth those things that renders himselfe worthy of damnation So Castalio or he is selfe-condemned that is he is damned though there were none to condemne him but himselfe So Erasmus Answ He is selfe-condemned who may be condemned by his owne conscience though for the present the conscience be burnt with a hot iron and the man will not permit it to summon accuse condemne no lesse then hee who is actually condemned of his conscience for it is a laudable act and a naturall vertue of the conscience to give sentence against a heresie when it ought so to doe as it is a vice of the conscience to be dumbe at heresies but if he love the truth though he cannot actually condemne the heresie hee is not selfe-condemned The hereticke saith Celsus is an innocent man and is not such a man as sins against light nor maliciously nor with an ill conscience nor is his end gaine pleasure nor an ambitious lusting after a name hee seeth none of these are attaineable yea it is his desire of life eternall and his â—eale that setteth him on worke and rather or he dishonour God and deny the knowne truth and sin against his conscience he had rather chuse torment and dye a martyr and drinke that direfull and bitter cup of death which was so terrible to Jesus Christ that it caused him to fall to the earth sweat blood and water So he fol. 14 15 16. which if it be true an hereticke is rather an innocent Angell then a guilty man condemned of his owne conscience Yet Minus Câ—lsus saith here he behaveth himselfe as one worthy of damnation and damned though none but himselfe
doe the like and others the like till Religions bee multiplyed and this wee must say except it be affirmed that under the New Testament The corruption of our nature is not so great through neglect of Magistracy to doe what seemes good in our owne eyes under the New Testament and to runne a whoring from God to other high places as they did and if so neither should there be a Magistracy under the New Testament to restraine us in wayes of conversation touching the second Table to wit to hedge men in from robbing and stealing from incestuous Marriages and Polygamie upon meere conscience for if the Saints be the onely â—ust owners of the earth as many now hold it is no more punishable by the Ruler as robbery that a Saint take the Oxe Asse Monies Possessions of his neighbour who is a carnall and wicked man then that he take of his owne goods for his use when he is naked and starving which by the Law of nature hee ought to use before hee famishâ— and incestuous Maâ—riages are to some consciences as unpunishable now as when Cain and Abel married their owne sisters and if conscience ought not to bee forced in one thing neither can violence bee offered to it in any thing that unfainedly pretends to conscience Argument III. THAT indulgence and forbearance of all from the Ruler which layes an undeniable ground for Scepticisme Fluctuation and doubting in matters of Religion is not of God But such is toleration of sundry Religions ergo The major is thus proved True Religion suggesteth an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and a perfect understanding Luke 1. 3. knowledge and perswasion of faith Rom. 14. 14. 23. faith by many infallible tokens Act. 1. 3. Full perswasion Rom. 8. 39. 2 Tim. 1. 12. 2 Tim. 3. 16 17. All riches of the full assurance of understanding Col. 2. 2. The assumption I thus prove Because the Libertines say that speciall and principall ground of no indulgence to false Prophets under the Old Testament was because the Prophets were infallible God himself who onely knows the heart designed the false teacher and the blasphemer by immediate resolution from his owne oracle and made it out of question whether that was heresie or no and whether presumptuously against the light of conscience the man held professed and taught others so to doe and beleeve as he did So Arminian Libertines So Minus Celsus So Vaticanus So Jo. Goodwin and the English Libertines But now since the Prophets and Apostles fell asleepe no Magistrate no Synod is infallible all men are apt to deceive and be deceived for whether in fundamentals or non-fundamentalls none now can challenge Propheticall or Apostolicke infallibility the Synod condemning Socinians Familists as heretickes are not infallible but may as rather be the heretickes as those whom they condemne for they have not monopolized the Holy Spirit to them-themselves so say they wee have no immediate Oracle to determine heresie and what we beleeve in all except some few fundamentalls wee are to beleeve with a reserve leaving roome to a new contrary light say the Independents yea but it holdeth in beleeving fundamentalls as well as non-fundamentalls for in neither have wee Propheticall infallibility and immediate Oracles and Scripture shewes wee have as great darknesse blindnesse of minde naturall fluctuation to beleeve nothing in supernaturall fundamentalls in the Gospell as in non-fundamentalls but with trepidation and doubting of minde wee no more having monopolized the Spirit to us then Sectaries nor Sectaries more then we in the one then in the other in fundamentalls then in non-fundamentalls what ever wee beleeve upon this principle of Reciprocall Toleration both wee and Sectaries are to beleeve with a speciall reserve to change that faith with the next new Moone when contrary new light shall appeare so are wee taught to have faith of nothing but to bee tossed to and fro and to bee carried about with every wind of doctrine with wavering not rooted nor established nor fully perswaded of any thing contrary to Ephes 4. 14. Hebrewes 3. 19. Coloss 2. 2. 7. Roman 14. 2â— 2 Timoth. 1. 12. And this destroyes faith and makes it a meere conjecture and an unsettled opinion with a fluctuation of minde to waite the tyde of a new contrary light and send this old faith away and admit of another yet so as to lodge that new one with a moveable reserve and so must we live and dye doubting and meere nullifidians Argument IV. THat which destroyeth all our hope comfort of the Scriptures zeale constancy and rejoycing in suffering for the truth for Christ and the Gospel is not to be held nor is it from God But toleration of sundry Religions is such ergo The Proposition is cleare for the places of Scriptures placing these Christian graces in beleevers as Heb. 5. 19 20. 1 Pet. 1. 3. 1 Thess 5. 8. Rom. 15. 4. 5. Rom. 12. 11. Rom. 5. 1 2 3. Eph. 3. 1. Phil. 1. 12 13. Heb. 10. 33 34. Matth. 19. 29 30. Now Toleration layes this ground as a principle Men are not to be troubled for their conscience because they beleeve hold publish and reach what they do right or wrong according to their conscience be it erroneous or not erroneous and their zeale hope perswasion comfort carrieth them to undergoe the reproaches of Heretickes Seducers false Prophets imprisonment torture death burning quicke rather then they would sinne against knowne truth and offend against a conscience though erroneous yet because the sufferers are not infallible and it may be a lye they beleeve publish and suffer for their hope may be grounded on a lye their comfort not bottomed on the Scripture and so false hope and comfort their rejoycing in sufferings and undergoing torture and violent death but fleeting and counterfeit joy their zeale without knowledge a bastard zeale having nothing to doe with the word and Gospel-promises but in the bottome as contrary to them as light is to darknesse for what any Saint or Professour beleeves and publishes hee is to beleeve and publish and dye in it and for it with a faith that the contrary may bee a truth of God and so to bee tolerated and borne with now the hope of the hypocriâ—e is therefore compared to the spiders web to a broken tree to a blasted olive tree his joy to a night vision a dreame the cracking of thornes under a pot because both hope and joy and all his comfort is grounded on an erroneous conscience a lye an imagination not on the word of God Now so is the joy comfort and hope of all Religions which Libertines contend must be tolerated they confesse they may bee truths they may bee lyes yet if they bee punished for them they suffer persecution for righteousnesse for Christ for truth Argument V. THAT which taketh away all wayes of removing Heresies under the New Testament both by the Sword and refuting of gaine-sayers by the word all rebuking all
avoyding of them is not of God But such is this pretended Toleration ergo It is not of God the major is evident of it selfe The assumption I thus prove Therefore the Magistrate should not punish Heretickes because hee cannot doe it in faith for he not being infallible hee cannot certainely and undeniably know that hee punisheth the man for that which is a Heresie or for that which is a truth and so while he is plucking up Tares hee may bee plucking up Wheat and so he cannot in faith punish him say they But this reason strongly evinceth according to the way of Libertines the gaine-saying hereticke is not to bee refuted nor to bee sharpely rebuked that he may bee sound in the faith nor to bee avoided as selfe-condemned contrary to Titus 1. 11 12 13. Titus 3. 10. Romans 16. 17. 2 Timoth. 2. 14 15. 1 Timoth. 6. 3 4. Matth. 22. 29 30 31 32. 1 Cor. 15. 1 2 3 4 c. because what ever my Christian Professour doth as well as the Christian Magistrate he must doe it in faith Rom. 14. 23. otherwise 〈◊〉 sinneth And it is no lesse sinne I speake not of 〈◊〉 degreeâ— to refute judge and condemne rebuke and avoid a brother as a selfe-condemned Hereticke when it is not evident to the conscience of Pastours Synods or any private Christians who may refute admonish and rebuke Heretickes by the word of God Titus 1. 11 12 13 Titus 3. 10. Rom. 16. 17. that hee is an Hereticke for they may bee reproaching and speaking against such as are sound in the Faith and Wheat not Heretickes and Tares for ought they know who have not monopoliâ—ed the Holy Spirit to themselves onely more then these whom they refute admonish rebuke and avoid as Heretickes and so they cannot in Faith more 〈◊〉 the Holy Ghosts charge and rebuke Heretickes then the Magistrate can in Faith draw the Sword against them Argument VI. THe father commands the children now in the state of sinne to learn and heare the judgements and testimonies of God Gen. 18. 19. Exod. 12. 27. Psal 78. 3 5 6. Joel 1. 2 3. and that in order to the rod and bodily punishment Prov. 13. 24. Prov. 23. 13. With-hold not correction from the child for if thou beatest him with the rod he shall not die 24. Thou shalt beat him with the rod and shalt deliver his soule from hell Damnable heresies bring swift destruction 2 Pet. 2. 1. The fourth command is given to the father of the house Exod. 20. in order to son servant and stranger to cause them to keep the Sabbath which Nehemiah as a father and a ruler practised by the sword Nehem. 13. 19 20 21 22. And the like Morrally layeth bands on all Magistrates and Ministers according to the power of the rod civill or ecclesiasticall committed to them Eli a father and a judge dispised God 1 Sam. 2. 30. in not correcting his sons for abusing of their priestly power his sonnes might have pretented conscience that they could not live upon the ordinary allowance for the priest and that the law of nature might beare them out in their practises yea every man is to take care that he and his house serve the Lord nor did Joshua as a Magistrate only chap. 24. 15. but as a master of a house so speake then must the Prince the Parliament the Magistrates say the like and take care according to their places as fathers of the Common-wealth to doe the same Hence we thus argue what ever coercive power to command threaten promise punish restraine reward God hath given to parents masters of families teachers tutors officers in war Kings and Princes is the good gift of God and a tallent to be imployed for the good of soules and in order to observe the duty of the first Table every one in order to their station Because Kings are to bring their glory and honour to the new Jerusalem it s either Kingly honour and power which is essentially coactive or then it is nothing but that holy rich men that bring their glory to it Rev. 21. 24. And Kings shall minister to the Church It is either royall service as Kings or then no more favour is bestowed on the Church then if private men ministered to the Church Esa 60. ver 10. And if it be not for the beautifying of the House of God at Jerusalem in obeying the Law of God and insticting death or banishment on the refusers of obedience as the Persian Monarch did Ezr. 7. 28. 26 27 28. it is not glory brought to Jerusalem But such a coercive power hath the Lord given as a talent and gift to parents masters teachers tutors officers Kings and Princes as these places evince And thus that which the master of a christian family may doe that the father of the Common-wealth the King in his place may doe But the master of a family may and ought to deny an act of humanity or hospitality to strangers that are false teachers who bring another Gospell 2 John 10. whom he must neither lodge nor bid God speed because he brings another Gospel which he otherwise owes by the law of nature to a Pagan and a man not knowne to him Heb. 13. 1 2. Job 31. 32. Gen. 18. 1 2 3 4. chap 19 1 2 3. The proposition is cleare upon the ground that David as an head of an house will cut off all lyers and wicked persons out of his house as a godly King he will also cut off early from the Church called the city of God 〈◊〉 wicked doers Psal 101. For if every Christian family of New England must refuse lodging to a false teacher must not the Governour and Judges who have power to command and regulate acts of hospitality joyn their civil authority to forbid any master of an house to lodg such a 〈◊〉 hereticke And what is this but the highest degree of banishment And if the Christian Magistrate who may in law dispose of Innes and lodging of strangers for the publique good should command any to receive such a man 〈◊〉 house should he not offer violence to the conscience of the master of the house And yet if the man were sound in the faith and should onely seeme a false teacher to the master of the house the adversaries would say the godly ruler may command an act of the law of nature to lodge a 〈◊〉 who onely upon mistake and an erronious 〈◊〉 is suspected to be an hereticke for they say the Ruler may 〈◊〉 his power in duties of the second Table 3 It appeares that the laws of both Kingdoms ordained English or Scotish seminary priests or Jesuits that come to either Kingdome to seduce men to the Romish faith to be hanged to have better ground in the word of God 2 Jo. 10. and which forbids any under paine of death to lodge such then the twelfth proposall for peace that licenceth Jesuits and Preists and so commandeth Protestants to lodge such if
a prophecy of a New Testament Law because many were to come in Christs name and say Loe I am Christ as many now doe so Zach. 13. 1 2 3 4. Levit. 20. 2. Whosoever of the children of Israel or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel that giveth any of his seed to Molech 〈◊〉 shall surely be put to death This Law if it did lye upon the strangers and heathen then it was not judiciall but it must lye on us Gentiles now Who can free us from it Object But he was put to death not for false worship but for â—â—rthering of his Son Answ No Law of God or men can judge that murther which is done without hatred to the party murthered as is clear Deut. 19. 11 12 13. chap. 4. 42. chap. 19. 4. but here the dearer their sons were to them they the rather offeâ—ed them to their God â— The Text gives no reason why such should be put to death for murther but for false worship against the first Table Ver. 3. He defiles my Sanctuary be prophanes my holy name ver 5. the Magistrate must kill such a seducer for he commits whoredom with Molech CHAP. XIV Cavils against coercive judiciall Laws for punishing false prophets in the Old Testament removed THE first common Answer made to all these is That these were judiciall and Old Testament Laws when God dealt more strictâ—y with the Jews and hedged them in with severer laws penalties and a greater measure of bondage then now under the meek and gentle reign of the Messiah Answ More severity and a stricter tutory to be over the Church in non-age and under Pedagogie we grant Gal. 4. 1 2 3. But that is in regard of Ceremoniall hedges laws and dayes but it is to begge the question to say that morall transgressions are destructive if not more to Christian societies now as then such as blasphemy idolatry heresie that were punished with the sword then must now be more loosed from all bodily punishment in any kind then murther sorcery adultery perjury For the comparison of a milder Government under Jesus then under Moses cannot stand in fencing some moral transgressions utterly from the sword and in leaving others lesse weighty under as bloody punishments as ever they were When no reason from the word of truth can be given why the murtherer should dye by the sword now and then but blasphemy and offering the sons to Molech as the Indians doe now was then by the law of Nature a dis-worship or a false worship punishable in Jews and heathen but now it is not in any punishable by the sword at all 2. The sword did not force the conscience of any then more than now nor could it cudgell an Idolater or a blasphemer into the sound faith then more then now and weapons of the Prophets in the Old Testament as well as the Apostles in the New were not carnall but spirituall and mighty through God Prophets as Prophets no more used the sword against mens consciences of old than Christ his Apostles and Ministers doe now Mat. 28. 19 20. And as Christ saith now preach the Gospel but kill none use neither staffe nor sword nor miraculous power to destroy hereticks or burn Samaria so he said to his Prophets speake my word to Israel and Judah and the Nations to Ninive and others but kill none and use the sword against none of the rebellious who will not heare that they may bee converted Yet hee commanded the Magistrate to use the sword against the seduceing Prophet nor can the Libertines shew us of a Ceremoniall death inflicted for the transgression of a morall law which transgression is now made free from all bodily punishment indeed the man that refused to raise up seed to his brother was put to shame by the law and we are freed from both the law and the penalty thereof and the man that gathered sticks on the Sabbath was put to death by an answer from Gods mouth but the breach of the holy Sabbath instituted before the fall is no Ceremoniall transgression nor doe we thinke that every violation of the Sabbath was punished by death but that the Magistrate Masters and Fathers are not to punish with bodily coercive power the transgressours of the fourth command is most false For what the Magistrate commands the Subject the Master the servant the Father the sons and which they have warrant from the Morall law to command in these relations that they command in order to the sword and rodde if their commandements find no other welcome but rebellion for the power of Magistrate and Master yea and of the Father now in the state of sin is essentially coercive they may compell their inferiours by strong hand either to doe or suffer the will of God which is sufficient to prove our poynt Though it be true some morall transgressions Moses punished with death as Sabbath-breaking it followeth not therefore the godly Prince may now punish it with death but it followes not therefore such transgressors are made free through Christ of all bodily punishment as Libertines inferre for though the temporarines of the punishment be only in the measure of punishment yet not in the punishment it selfe 2 We desire a reason why the gentlenesse of the sonne of Gods government should free the blasphemer and the soul-murtherer from sadder yea from all bodily punishment and not free him that destroyes the body also Or how all the Sons of Levi saw by an immediate oracle that all that had worshipped the golden Calfe Exod. 32. had done it with such high presumption as made that Idolatry worthy of death which otherwise was not worthy of death and it is cleare the charge was without exception v. 27. slay every man his brother and every man his companion and every man his neighbour And the like I say of all that joyned to Baal-peor And when Asa compelled so many thousands both of Judah and Israel to sweare a Covenant and that they should be put to death that would not seeke the Lord 2 Chro. 15. whether Asa and all the under-Judges for Asa in his owne person could not doe it had a deputed dominion over the consciences to force them and whether he consulted the oracle to know who sought not the Lord and refused the Covenant out of meere weaknesse as not being able to see how Asa who was no Prophet and a Prince for eminency of conversing with God farre inferior to Moses was not a little wide in pretended zeale to urge the Law with an oath and no lesse then death on the refusers to seeke God and the breakers of the Covenant Nor could Asa see and know infallibly how out of heart-obstinacy or how out of sinlesse and faultlesse innocency refused the Covenant And Asa could not compell men to take the Covenant and professe seeking of the Lord against their judgements and consciences which the thirteenth Proposall of the Army does condemne And yet
hairy mantle to deceive as the 4. v. holds forth and so he pretends a calling from God when he hath none 2. He prophesies not errors only but lies that hee knowes or may know except he were wilfully ignorant to be lyes 3. He speaks them in the name of the Lord and sayes he hath seene the visions of God and the word of the Lord came to me when no such thing was but he utters his owne phancies and hee that does these three deserves bodily punishment and if they bee lyes striking at the root of the Christian faith hee deserves to dye the death 2 The text will not bear that his father and his mother with their owne hands shall thrust him through without addressing themselves to the Judge But it is an allusion to the Law Deut. 13. His father and mother shall not pity him but cause him to be thrust through So Elias said to Achab Hast thou killed and also gotten possession When Achab with his owne hands had not killed Naboth but by his command and letter had procured that others should doe it so 2 Sam. 12. 9. Thou hast killed Vriah but it is exponed David procured that the Ammonites should kill Vriah David with his owne hand did not thrust him through The Answer is because the objector is like to be cumbred with this text he saith for I repeate not what I answered before the best exposition and fullest is His father shall pierce him through that is shall indeavour to take him off and deterre him from such a practice by laying before him the sentence of the death out of the Law Exod. 20. 5. 7. threatning if thou goe on thou shalt not live with God but shall be condemned he shall pierce him through with sharp and piercing words the word of God is compared to a two edged sword Psal 149. â—7 c. and ver 12. There is that speaketh like the piercing of a sword so Turnovins And the predictions in Scripture are spoken as performances Jer. 1. I have set thee over the Nations to root out c. That is to foreshew or threaten rooting out so Chytraeus They shall confute their wicked opinions c. Answ Though Turnovius expound piercing through by preaching death from the Law and terrifying yet since the Objector weakly and groundlesly as we saw will râ—strict this Prophesie to the Church of the Jewes and a poore short time when this zeale endured It must with his leave be meant in that day that is in the time of the Gospel as in other places it must be taken as Ier. 50. 4. v. 20. Ier. 31. 29. Ier. 33. 15. 16. Ioel 2. 29. Zach. 8. 23. for so prophesies of Christs Kingdome are expounded to have their accomplishment in Christs Gospel-Kingdome and then the Law piercing through and terrifying must be in use under the Gospel which is all we crave therefore the Objector adds to the words of the threatning thou shalt not live to wit before God and so leaps from the threatning of the sword of the Magistrate Deut. 13. which hee saith is the sense of the place to the second death and a dying before God 2. But let us have an instance where piercing through dying and wounding is put for Metaphoricall wounding with words to gratifie the Objectors erroneous sense wee cannot quit this place so for all the Text cryes for a reall piercing and killing 1. It is I grant an easie way to answer places of Scripture that can but bear a literall sense to change them into Metaphors so you may give to the Magistrate with some Anabaptists Rom. 13. a Metaphoricall sword and pay him metaphoricall tribute and give him metaphoricall obedience what more reason to make this a morall slaying and piercing with words then a morall or metaphoricall Idol or a metaphoricall false Prophet a metaphoricall uncleane spirit and passing out of the land These words thou shalt not live are words of the Law and the piercing through metaphoricall but those words againe Thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord are not metaphoricall but containe a proper truth such a complication is not in all the Scripture 2. The words in their literall sense are faire and easie and not to bee wrested to a spirituall or borrowed sense without ground it much lesseneth the zeale foretold to be under the Gospel and turnes a reall zeale over into words of threatning the Text saith the contrary his father shall thrust him through and this works so upon him that others shall really leave their false prophecying and shall say I am no Prophet but a Herdman now if the words be a Prophecie to be fulfilled only in the Jewes excluding the Gentiles as the Objector saith then is it no zeale at all but a most sinfull and unjust dispencing with the Law and a zeale far below the Law for the Law saith Deut. 13. If the seducing Prophet which were as neer to thee as a Brother Son Daughter or Wife in thy bosome thou must not smooth him and oyle him with sharpe words and meer threatnings yea but thou must act against him v. 8. Thine eye shall not pitie him thou shall not spare him neither shalt thou conceale him 9. Thou shalt surely kill him thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death Now this cannot be a metaphoricall putting to death but the Objectors metaphoricall and minatory piercing of him through with sharpe and piercing words imply necessarily that yee must conceale him and pitie him and not kill him nor stretch out any hand against him first or last to hurt him but only stretch your tongue against him and barely threaten him and terrifie him but let him live If the Prophecie be extended to Iew and Gentile under the Gospel which against the Text the Objector denies then it argues 1. That there is such a Law under the Gospel else if it be an unjust Law and out of date now under the Gospel the threatning and piercing through must bewith lying words and father must utter to the lying Prophet lies to terrifie him and say son if thou desist not from prophesying lies thou shalt be thrust through with the Magistrates sword and die according to the Law that is I foreshew and threaten according to the Law but it is an unjust and an out-dated Law to Libertines that obliegeth not under the New Testament that thou shalt be thrust through and die that is I fore-shew and prophesie a lie that thou ought to be put to death and persecuted for thy conscience whereas no such thing ought to be now when the Law Deut. 13. is worne out of vigor 2. It must follow that lying and false words uttered in a threatning manner must be the way to cause the false Prophet to bee ashamed of his vision and prophesying falsely no more but say I am no Prophet but an herdman Whereas the Holy Ghost sayth feare of thrusting through is the cause 3 If it
God appeared once satisfactorily to your conscience to be according to the word of God for you tooke the Covenant yet ye say it is Antichristian it drives men in droves to the Sacrament it is the Bishops Courts and Consistories continued But yee did sweare to endeavour the preservation of their Reformed Religion according to the word of God the onely rule But if it was sworne to as the Reformed Religion was it not according to the word of God is it reformed and not according to the word of God or was these words according to the word of God A condition insinuating what is in the doctrine and discipline of the Reformed Religion of that Church not according to the word of God to that you did not sweare But so if the Turke should come and wage warre against Papists for their Religion and a heathen people that maintaines there bee more Gods then one and that the Old Testament is not the word of God should raise Armes against the Jewes you might as well swear you should defend the doctrine of the Church of Rome and the Religion of the Jewes against the Turke and those heathen people according to the word of God for sure these fundamentalls that Jewes and Papists hold in doctrine are according to the word of God and so you did swear no otherwise to defend the Reformed Religion of the Church of Scotland then that of the Church of England before these troubles arose for that ye swore to defend in so far as it agrees with â—â—e word of God yea so ye did sweare to defend any Religion of any Nation you never heard of according to the word of God if you say But we knew the Reformed Religion of the Church of Scotland therefore ye might sweare to it but yee know not all the Religions of any Nation you never heard of But if so then yee knew the Reformed Religion of Scotland to be according to the word of God then it appeared satisfactorily to your conscience so to be But did their fundamentalls against Familists Antiscripturists Socinians Arrians so appeare to your conscience to be according to the word of God and their Antichristian and tyrannicall Presbyteries that are but as you say Episcopall Courts and Consistories appear to be so and that satisfactorily to your consciences if so why judge ye Familists Socinians such as deny the Trinity and such as make all the Saints to be Christ and Godded with the indwelling fulnesse of God to be Gods manifeâ—â—ed in the flesh to be Saints brethren the godly party to be indulged then you must question the fundamentalls of the doctrine of Scotland and they did not satisfactorily appeare to your conscience to be according to the word of God And why did you simply without any limitation sweare to endeavour the preservation of the Reformed Religion you should have said truly Reformed Religion of the Church of Scotland and why did you sweare simply to the doctrine worship discipline and government of the Church according to the word of God when yee knew then as now their government was Antichristian and not according to the word of God and their doctrine even in fundamentalls not so sure but Socinians Arrians and the Saints your brethren the Familists may hold the contrary and bee tollerated as Saints and their doctrine though opposite in fundamentalls to ours may be as satisfactory truths to your conscience as ours of Scotland Confesse and glorifie God you sware the Covenant in a Jesuiticall reserved sense kept up in your minde as you insinuate pag. 66 67. and such as the words cannot beare 3. There is here a new Tricke put on the Covenant it bindes to no truth but what shall appeare satisfactorily to the conscience of each swearer to be according to the word of God If a Merchant promise and swear to a simple man to give him for such wares an hundred pounds he gives him but an hundred pounds Scotch whereas the wares are to the man as dear as an hundred pounds Starling is the Merchant absolved of his oath and promise if he pay him but an hundred pounds Scotch and say it appeares satisfactorily to my Antinomian conscience the 〈…〉 of no more value then a hundred pound Scotch and my oath and promise obligeth me to no more then satisfactorily appeareth to my conscience the onely rule of my obligation to be according to equity and justice and so you are fully paid with an hundred pounds Scotch So this Authour absolves us from all oaths and covenants though we sweare not to kill a captive taken in warre and sweare to adhere to the fundamentalls that there is one God Christ is the one onely Mediator God and man consubstantiall with the father yet if after you have talked with Saâ—marsh or put your faith in the power of the sophismes oâ— a cunning Jesuit he makes it satisfactorily appeare to your conscience that it is according to the word of God that the captive â—e killed â—e is a murtherer and there be as many Mediators as there be Saints in heaven and as many Christs Godded with the fulnesse of the Godhead as there be Saints of the family of love and so your oath to your fundamentalls obligeth you not and you are guilty of no perâ—ury though first you sware to the necessary truths of God and now ye turne apostate from both faith and oath Libertines infuse such a magick in your erroneous conscience that it is your onely rule and displaceth the Law of nature from all obligation or the word of God the onely rule of faith and manners you are tyed no longer by the oath of God then your weather-cock-weather-cock-conscience with this new Moon hath catched a new light you are as if there had been no such outward Covenant obliging you take it upon the word of this Gamaliel dormii securd in utramque aurem But though it be true nothing doth oblige but it must appeare to be according to the word of God that it may oblige in the right and due manner and way yet it is most false that it obligeth as it shall appear or quaâ—â—nus because it doth appear to the conscience to be the word of God for a quatenus ad omne valet consequentia Then every thing obligeth as it appears to be the word of God to the conscience most erroneous then are some obliged to murther the innocent Apostles for it appeares satisfactorily to their conscience to be the word of God and service to God so to doe Joh. 16. 1. and some are obliged to sacrifice their sons to God though they did vow and covenant the contrary in Baptisme for it appeares satisfactorily to their conscience it is according to the example of Abraham to offer their sonnes to God except God from heaven forbid them as he did Abraham 5. To Libertines no Covenants nor Oaths of the most lawfull things layes on any more obligation to performance then if these Oaths
flexible and obedient to give my backe to the smiters John 6. 37. Him that commeth to me I will in no wise cast out that is I will make the beleevers dearly welcome raise him up at the last day and give him life eternall vers 40. Libertines then must say Heretickes and bloody wolves are such tender weake beleevers as weake reeds and smoaking floxes and Christ doth not only not use the sword against such tender ones but he taketh Wolves and sedncing teachers in his bosome and nourisheth and tenderly charisheth the principles of men of corrupt minds destitute of the truth but as Christ is meek to weak ones so is Isa 11. 25. Righteousnesse the girdle of his loynes So Psalm 110. 5. Shall be strike through Kings in the day of his wrath 6. And judge 〈◊〉 the heathen and fill the places with the dead bodies and wound the heads over many Countries And Rev. 19. 11. In righteousnesse shall be judge and make war 2 Considering the parties he hath to do with he is meek toward the meek but so as he destroyes his enemies and burns their Cities with fire who will not have him to reign over them Mat. 22. 7. which yet I expound not to be the sword of the Christian Ruler as if hee were an office-bearer in the Church but only bring it to prove how weak these allegorick places are either for or against the point in hand 3 To correct with the sword and with the rod of men as a father is consistent with Covenant-Mercy and Meeknesse Psal 99. 32 33 34 as not to punish is one of divine wrath Hos 4. 14. yea to deliver scandalous persons to Sathan to excommunicate them to thunder wrath against them to pull them out of the fire by the haire that they may bee saved in the day of the Lord by as good reason are against the meeknesse and gentlenesse of Christ as the Christian Magistrates using of the sword against hereticks if we speake of that which is penal in both these to wit to be under infamy reproach and shame and cast out of the society of the Godly 4 To judge before the day 1 Cor 4. 5. is not to forbid al judging of hereticks for except we judge them to be hereticks how shall we beware of them as Christ biddeth us Mat. 7. 15. and eschew them Rom. 16. 17. And not bid them God speed nor receive them into our houses Joh. 2. 10. And avoid them Tit. 3. 10. and farre lesse must a judicial tryal of Jezabel be forbidden to the Church of Thiatira Rev. 2. 20. but it is rash judging of hidden things as Calvin P. Martir Bullinger Murlorat Pareus Beza and the place expounds it selfe for the Corinthians crowned false teachers defamed the sound teachers which was to anticipate God for it is the Lord who brings to light the hidden thiugs of darknesse and makes manifest the councells of the heart and then every man shall have praise of God so he manifestly forbiddeth peremptory judging proper to God and judging upon dark grounds known to God only the words in the letter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iudge nothing before the time are brought by Anabaptists to prove that no Christian should bee a Judge and so to judge a Murtherer is to usurpe the place of God so the places Mat. 7. 2. and Rom. 14. are brought by Libertâ—nes and Anabaptists to prove that all judging is unlawful whether of false teachers or malefactors which is but an abusing of the word 5 The author of the bloody Tenet saith the sword maketh a nation of hipocrites but converteth none and he citeth If. 10 which speaketh no such thing But that God sendeth the sword of the Assirians against an hipocriticall nation That the Sword maketh hipocrites and men to professe the truth against their conscience not kindly nor perâ—se but through the corrâ—ption of mens hearts who make themselves hipocrites of it selfe and perâ—se all Israel fear the sword and shall no more tempt others to go after other Gods Deut. 13. 11. but that they do this in an hipocritical manner is not from the innocent sword but from this that men feare him that can kill the body more than they feare him that can destroy both soul and body in bell Mat. 10. 28. for upon this ground the Sword should make hipocrites because for fear of the Sword men abstaine from bloodshed Sorcery Paricide Sodomie more then for feare of God and shall therefore the Magistrate not use the sword against Paricides and Sodomies so many are made hipocrites by hearing and external performances drawing neer to God with their lippes when their hearts are farre from God shall therefore the hearing of the word and the prosperity that followeth the Gospell which begetteth believers for a time who wither when the sun riseth and shall power in the hands of the people of God that maketh the enemies lye and hypocritically submit Psal 81. 15. be as unlawfull as the drawing of the sword against false teachers for all these beget hypocrites but they do it by accident not kindly and if we made the sword a meanes of conversion of sinners as Libertines falsly suppose the Argument should have some colour or if drawing of the sword against Seducers were of it selfe indifferent and yet by accident did make hypocrites they might conclude against it as we argue against humane ceremonies in the supposition of many who suppose their indifferency Of this sort is the Pamphleters objection Religion should not be inacted by the Lawes of the Magistrate why It is inacted saith he already by an higher Authority than any earthly King or Magistrate and if it will not sway the conscience to obey what can the Lawes of men do can these cobwebs catch those that the Lawes of God cannot catch Answ There is a fallacy in the word catch though he be but an innocent Sophist who propounds it for Lawes of men to fence from outward disorders cannot catch soules to convert them as they are Lawes of men nor teach we that Acts and Statutes of Parliament are the power of God to salvation that is the honour of the preached Gospell But shall good Lawes of Artaxerxes Darius for fearing the God of Daniel and obeying the God of Gods be trampled on because they cannot come up to the power and excellency of Gods Lawes yet they so far catch that Lawes inacted upon paine of the sword binde up hands and tongue from doing wickedly and this man argues against Scripture Deut. 3. 11. And all Israel shall heare and feare for the paine of stoning and the sword of King or Prince Moses and shall do no more any such wickednesse as this amongst you The man argues against the Statutes of Parliament against Sabbath-breaking which yet catch some Neh. 13. 21. If you do so I will lay hands on you from that day forth came they no more on the Sabbath Externall obedience is given
And if their Rulers feed their Priests the false Prophets and Priests that deceive them and mis-lead them they must punish So the King of Babylon roasted in a fire two false Prophets Jer. 29. 21 22. And it is cleare that Jeremiah argues not from any judiciall Law when he saith The Prophets that speake lies in the name of the Lord shall die by the sword c. 14. v. 14 15. It was by the sword of the Chaldeans who had nothing but the Law of nature that they perished for no Judiciall Law of God taught them that he ought to die by the sword of the Magistrate who speaks lies in the name of the Lord whereas the Chaldeans knowing that Jeremiah had prophecied truth and was sent of God they intreated him well as the Lord had fore-told Ier. 15. 8. Nor can it be said that the consequence is null and that that cannot oblige Christian Magistrates which hath no better warrant than the corrupt practises of Heathens for they persecuted the true Prophets and Apostles that spake in the name of the Lord as Herod beheaded Iames Acts 12. and apprehended Peter Nero persecuted Paul and Dâ—mitian confined Iohn to the Isle Pathutos for the Word of God To which I answer That the Argument is not drawn simply from the practice of Heathen Magistrates but from the light of nature that teacheth all Magistrates Heathen and Christian to punish publike impostors false Prophets and liers as most pernitious enemies to the peace of all humane Societies And if the Law of nature and Nations dictate to all Societies That deceivers and such as raise false reports and lies upon earthly Judges should be punished far more is it a principle of the Law of nature that publike lyers and such as speake lies in the name of the Lord and deceive and seduce the soules of father and mother King and Ruler and of all ranks of men in the Society should not be tollerated in the society And what though Emperours and Kings have abused the power that God gave them for the truth to persecute the servants of Christ for the truth it followes not but they had just power as the Ministers of God to punish seducing Prophets as well as other ill-doers by the law of nature and Nations And this I take is holden forth by Iob 31 26 27 28. who being under no Judiciall Law obliging the Jewes but a Gentile and so in this led by the Law of nature and Nations maketh Idolatry and worshipping of the Sunne and Moone to be an iniquity to be punished by the Iudge That this is not an iniquity to be punished by God as if heresie be innocency as Libertines say it must neither be punished by God nor man but by the Judge on earth is cleare For 1. the expression v. 28. varies onely in the number from that which is v. 11. Now there Iob saith of Adultery 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ipsum iniquitas Iudicum And ver 98 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 etiam hoc iniquitas Iudie is The English Divines do well observe That adultery is a capitall crime to be punished by the Iudge Gen. 38. 24. Levit. 20. 10. Deut. 22. 22. And they expound ver 28. the same way Pagnin est iniquites Iudicanda Iudice diâ—na vel Iuditiaria Mercerus Exod. 21. 22 He shall give 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the Iudges Isai 16. 3. do Iudgement Shimlerus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Judges that cognosâ—â— of causes Deut. 31. 31. Our enemies being Iudges Job 31. 11. Inquitas dignaque Iudicetur puniatur It is true the LXX expound it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Chalde Paraphrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est enim iniquitas maxima But it is taken for a crime that comes before an earthly Judge So Hieronimus And Exod. 21. 22. If a man strike a woman with childe and she live he shall give according to the sentence of the Iudges Hieronimus quantum arbitri Iudicaverint The Chalde Paraphrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dabit per sentâ—ntiam Iudicum LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Syriak Dabit quantum decernent Iudices The Samaritan Dabitque ex sententia Iudicum Vatablus Job 31. v. 11. Iniquitas capitali supplicio persequindâ— v. 28. Nam ea iniquitas capitali supplicio digna Junius Iniquitas à Iudicibus animadvertenda Piscator Iniquitas Iudiciaria Complutentes Iniquitas Judicanda Pineda in Job 31. 28. Iniquitas digna Iudicio Iudicumque sententiâ severissima gravissimo supplicio All agree to this That Idolatry according to Iob from the Law of nature deserveth canitall punishment to be inflicted by the Judge And Piâ—eda saith this agreeth with the Law of God Especially Deut. 4. 25. 23. Sanctius gathereth from Job 31. 11. That Adulterers in Iobs time were by the sentence of the Judge burnt Now the same expression is v. 28. spoken of Idolatry Hence is Socrates condemned to die for his false Religion as is supposed by the people Maximus condemned the Priscilliaâ—s as Hieronimus observes for Heresie Nor is it much to be valued that Ier. Taylor saith That Maximus was a Tyrant and put to death Catholike Hereticks Without choyce it proves punishing of Hereticks as supposed of old to be warranted by law Vrsatus and Stacius procured at Court Law to death against Priscillianists And the Niceue Fathers that Arrius should be banished Nor doth Spalato cite Tertullian Cyprian Lactantius Hiâ—rome Severus Sulpitius Minutius Hilary Damascen Chrysestome Theophilact Bernard for any other purpose whatever Taylor say on the contrary but 1. To prove that forcing of men to Religion is not to the way of God which also I teach for the preaching of the Word not the using of the sword is the meanes of conversion of sinners 2. That killing is not to be practised on all Hereticks 3. That the Law and the Sword are not to go without convincing of the conscience by the Word of God 4. That to deliver up godly men to persecuting Tyranes because of some errors hath more scandall to cause men stumble at truth than to make truth victorious 5. That neither Church nor State can judge heart-opinions nor punish them but only professed and taught opinions that are both unnecessary and unsound 6. That Pastors have not the Sword to compell to Religion 7. That Nations of another Religion are not gained to Christ by the Sword not can we make warre against them because they are Idolators and follow a false Religion nor was Idolatry the ground of the warre that Israel raised against the Caâ—aanitos and other Nations To all which I adde the words of Ier. Taylor The best and ablest Doctors in Christendome have been deceived actually in 〈◊〉 of Religion in that all sorts of Christians dissent from the errorâ— of Papias Irenaeus Lactantius Iustin Martyr Cyprian Firmilian c. Ergo by
some charitable precepts commanding men of divers Religions to beare with one another but where is that written and if they dwell together peaceably why but they may marry together Achab then in marrying the King of the Zidonians daughter failed not and he married her wicked Religion Clotildis the daughter of Clodoveus married Almaricus the Arrian King of the Wisigots the Maid being educated in the sound faith but Procopius l. 1. Bell. Gothorum said there was never peace between them As for Mr. Williams Chaldean and Heathenish or American peace we leave it to himself the peace the people of God was to pray for Jer. 29. was onely outward prosperity freedome from the Sword of Egypt and from other Nations that the captive Church might also partake of that peace But I hope Jeremiah bad not the people of God in Judea under the Babylonish captivity follow an Heathenish peace with toleration of divers Religions or yet a Religious peace or a Church peace that standeth well with many Religions yea they are to denounce wrath against the Chaldee Religion Jer. 10. 11. and would he have Christians all keeping such an Heathenish unity and peace as Babylonians and Americans have and in the mean time tolerate all Religions Christians who have one God and one faith and one hope are to follow more then a Civill and Heathenish peace It is therefore in vaine for Libertines to tell us that Abraham lived long amongst the Canaanites who were contrary to him in Religion Gen. 13. and Isaac with them Gen. 26. and Jacob twenty years with Laban an Idolater Gen. 31. Israel in Egypt 430 years in Babylon 70. Israel under the Romans with Herodians Pharisees What of all these the godly Rulers and Church sometimes Pilgrims sometimes servants sometimes captives never having the Sword nor power of it as Magistrates to take order with false Teachers did peaceably dwell with them ergo godly Magistrates armed with the Sword must now suffer the Sheep of Christ to be worried and preyed upon by Wolves this consequence is nothing this is à facto adjus and to argue from the controverted practice of Heathen CHAP. XXVI Whether punishing of Seducing Teachers be persecution for Conscience LIbertines lay downe for a ground That to punish any for their conscience must be persecution Anninians call punishing of Hereticks persecution it is proper to carnall men to persecute the Children of the Promise He that is sick onely of an errour of the minde breaks not the Law of God If the Magistrate punish him for that he is a Persecuter So also the Anabaptists in Bullingers time Mr. Williams going after these guides saith I acknowledge that to molest any person Jew or Gentile for either professing doctrine or practising worship meerly Religious or Spirituall is to presecute him and such a person what ever his doctrine be true or false suffereth for his conscience and beside a man may be persecuted because he holdeth or practiseth what he beleeves in conscience to be truth as Daniel and because he dare not yeeld obedience to doctrines and worships invented by men and so the Authour of Storming of the Anti. and of the Ancient bounds Answ The very like the Donatists objected so Cresconius Grammaticeus Quisquis Christianum persequitur Christi inimicus est whoever persecutes a Christian is an enemy of Christ Augus l. 3. contra a Cresconium c. 51. answereth Verum dicis â—â— non in illo persequitur quod Christi est inimicum neque enim Dominus in servo pater in filio maritus in conjuge cum sine utrique Christiani non debent persequi vitia Cbristianae contraria veritati an vero si non persequuntur non rei negligentiae merito teneluntur It is true saith he He is an Enemy to Christ who persecuteth a Christian if he doe not persecute in a Christian that which is enmity to Christ yet are not the master father husband not to persecute in servant son and wife if they be Christians sinnes contrary to Christian truth and if they persecute not these sinnes are they not justly guilty of the negligence of their brethrens soules So also Augustine distinguisheth a two fold persecution de unit Eccl. c. 20 Psal 100. Had these men given us one letter of Scripture for their bastard definition of persecution we should not stumble to heare Tongue-persecuters and Raylers and Hand-persecuters say so but we goe from them to our Saviours words Matth. 5. 12. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evill against you not for an erroneous and bloody conscience as Libertines define it but falsely for my sake Persecution that the Scripture condemnes is persecution for righteousnesse â—â—d truth such as the true Prophets suffered for the truth Matth. 5. 12. for Christs names sake Luke 21. 17. Matth. 19. 29. for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Rev. 1. 9. Rev. 6. 9. for the testimony of the trutb Rev 11. 7. for righteousnesse Matth. 5. 10. for the Gospel Mark 4. 17. Acts 12. 25. Acts 13. 50. Gal. 5. 11. Gal. 6. 12. 2 Tim. 3. 12. Mark 10. 30. 2 Cor. 12. 10. 2. Thess 1. 2. Tim 3 11. Matth. 10 23. Joh. 5. 16. Joh. 15. 20. Rom. 12. 14. Acts 7. 52. 1 Cor 4 11. Gal. 1. 13. 1 Thess 2. 15. Acts 9. 4. Acts 22. 7. c. 26. 14. Phil. 2. 6. And why was Jeremiah persecuted the three Children Daniel Christ Paul Peter John James the Martyrs Heb. 11. not for Familisme Antinomianisine Socinianisme Anabaptisme c. shew us a word of Old or New Testament warranting you to call it persecution to molest any for worship or practice though most false Mr. Williams saith to malest any for their conscience is persecution then must Jeremiah be a Persecuter for he molested those with rebukes and threatnings who out of meer conscience killed their sons and daughters to Malech Christ molested Pharisees and Sadduces who out of meer conscience defended the traditions of men false interpretations of the Law denied the Resurrection yea the Lord commanded the Judges in his Law not onely to molest but to stone to death without mercy those who professed doctrine out of meer conscience and practice worship upon meerly Religious grounds which tended to drive away people from the true God and such as blasphemed God Deut. 13. Exo. 32 26 27. Rom. 15. 1. 13. 4. Lev. 24. 10 11. Deut. 17. 2. Levit. 20. 2. But God never commanded in any Law persecution but hated it and no more commanded it then his holy Laws can be unjust 2. Asser There is a persecution with the tongue by words like coals of Juniper Psal 120. 2 3. and like the arrows of the mighty like a sharp razour Psal 52. 23. Job 19. 3. These ten times ye have reproached me and are not ashamed v. 21. Why doe ye persecute me as God Jobs friends never put hand
the Prophets and Apostles sell asleep being void of infallibility assuredly what he believeth unto salvation if any should deny there is a God or a Providence as I feare there be too many practicall and Judiciall Atheists amongst us he ought not by Prophecying or arguing to be plucked out of that estate till harvest but must with the clemency of Christ here dears brother Atheist you are a godly pious hereticke and have no God but your conscience and dare not for feare of your conscience believe that there is a God and I dare not rebuke you but be going on in your Divinity I have as little infallible assurance there is a God as you have there is no God and neither you nor I are to be punished for our consciences 3. Mr. Williams ought for no Religion venture his life to burning quicke for he cannot dye or cast away his life but upon a conjecture it may be there is a God and it may be there is no God for how dare he breake the sixt Command and hazard his life for a truth that may be a lye So neither should any persecute but in faith that he is infallibly sure the man is a reall hereticke neither should he be persecuted for he is not infallible in the knowledge that he suffereth for and so cannot suffer in faith see for more of this and the foregoing doctrine Cainbartus contra Lypsium Lincaeus de libertate Christiana Althusius in politicis and Celsus gives us good stuffe It was commanded Kings in the Old Testament to kill their enemies but in the New Testament we are to love our enemies and doe good to them that hate us 2 For edification not for killing and destruction is Church Discipline ordained Ans What this Socinian Author bringeth for new Precepts of Christ in the New Testament different from these of the Old is but wicked Socinianisme as you may see in the Catechisme of Raccovias Socinus Osterodius Smalcius Volkelius and the Arminians Episcopius Arminius who make the loving of our enemies commanded by Christ Matth. 5. 44. Luke 6. 35. and by Paul Rom. 12. 20. not to be commanded in the Old Testament which argueth their ignorance of the Scriptures Prov. 25. 21. If thine enemy be hungry give him bread Prov. 24. 17. Rejoyce not when thine enemies fall Exo. 23 4. If thou meet thine enemies Oxe or Asse going astray thou shall surely bring it backe to him yea David by an Old Testament spirit when his enemies were sick Psal 35. 13 14 was cloathed with sack cloth and fasted and behaved himselfe as one mourning at his mothers grave what David and Jerâ—mial did prophesie against Gods enemies is fulfilled in the New Testament and Paul and Luke say Amen to it Rom. 11. v. 8 9 10. Acts 1. 20 21. and we are to beare the like zeal yea more against false teachers under the Messias Kingdome then they did Zach. 13 1 2 3 4 5 6. 2 Joh. 10. Rom. 16. 17. Rev. 2. 19 20. 2 The end of Church-discipline is edification the taking away the life of a Blasphemer is the good of the society Deut. 13. 12. That all Israel may heare and feare and doe so no more but that the Christian Magistrates end is spiritual and the edification of souls we read it not The Author of Ancient bonds having forgotten Divinity cryes God waited for the Old world 120 yeers and when this date of patience is out I would have gathered you c. I sent my Prophets early but where doth the Lord charge the Prophet that the Magistrate did not force and compell the people Ans Will this man let us hear Logick the Lord waited on the old world 120 yeers and sent his Prophets early I dare say many hundred yeers Ergo The Blasphemer and the false Prophet contrary to Deut. 13. Levit. 24. must be spared 120 yeeres so Ergo Wee must exercise much long suffering in the old Testament while these Lawes were in vigour for then it must bee that the Prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah were never charged that Magistrates compelled not consciences toward seducing Prophets Why but God using much long-suffering toward the old world and Israel not a world I jâ—dge of innocent and godly Hereticks but of men that corrupted their way despised the Prophets hardned their faces and hearts were murtherers oppressors grinders of the poor killed their children to Devils Ergo the Magistrate should extend long-suffering for as many yeers as this man will to these ill-doers no less then to seducing torchers should not Pastors Rulers extend long-suffering to all sorts of sinners as well as to Hereticks but where answers the Prophet doth the Lord lay it to the charge of Prophet or Magistrate that they did not force or compell the people to repent to leave their murthering their oppressing their grinding of the face of the poor We teach not that the Prophet ought to compell any nor that the Sword is an ordinance of God to convert oppressars and murtherers to turn meek and righteous judges co-action by fire and sword in Old or New Testament can convert none to Christ the word and the Spirit must ever doe the turn By accident God can change the nature of the rod and fanctifie it to Manasses for to bring him to humiliation and repentance But were these that Christ would have gathered Matth. 23. only false Prophets to whom he extended patience many hundred yeers even from Moses till his owne coming in the flesh Ergo We should extend to bloodie Murtherers of the Lords Prophets the like patience and not kill them for then they are past hope of being gained Now the Text means no such thing but that Christ waited long on and sent his Prophets early in the morning to those that were theeves Isai 1. murtherers adulterers Jer. 5. that slâ—w their Children to Moleâ—h by this argument the Magistrate should not draw his Sword against adulterers murtherers and I judge the Rulers were called Lions and Wolves Ezek. 22. because they extended too much cruel patience to these But if Gods patience be a rule men must not be cut off because there is hope of their repentance so long as they live your own Acontius saith by this reason Murtherers and adulterers should not be punished by the Magistrate for there often is more hope of Publicans Harlots and Murtherers that they may be the elect of God and gained to repentance then of self-wise and judicially blinded Pharisees Nor find we any so deserted of God and judicially blinded of God as Libertines read but the book intituled John the Baptist sure a wilderness man void of reason wrote it the man tells chap. 9. disclaiming against going to low and wars which yet Anabaptists and this Scholler of that Sect practise whether the Parliament will or no saith Are yee wronged in person estate good name or for Christs sake which is our conscience
new Blasphemies now on foot in England are all these blasphemies the Gospel and whosoever suffer for monstrous heresies must they suffer as the Apostles did and must they lay claim to all the comforts that our Saviour hath bequeathed in his Testament to his Disciples who were to suffer for Christs sake and for righteousnesse then surely an erronious and a blaspheming conscience must be righteousnesse and to suffer for blasphemy and Satan must be to suffer for righteousnesse and for Christs sake for these Libertines say the Assembly of Divines teach Blasphemies Popery murthering of Saints for conscience So Baptist so Necessity of Toleration so Ancient Bounds 3. If such as are persecuted and disclaime totally persecution for conscience be the onely true Church and none but they then these Papists in England in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth who were onely persecuted in your sense of the word Persecution and wrote and petitioned against Persecution and totally disclaimed it are the onely true Church The like I may say of the Arrians in the Emperours times against whom most severe Laws and Edicts were made which to M. Baptist was direfull persecution and yet they totally disclaimed persecution for conscience and pleaded for Toleration So say I of the Arminians in Holland who alwayes plead for liberty of Prophesying and of Anabaptists and all the Sectaries in Germany when they first arose of the Familists and most rigid Anabaptists in New England and of all the vilest Sects Anabaptists Antiscripturists Socinians Familists c. in Old England Yea we may suppose all Papists Iewes and the most abominable Sects living where there are strict Lawes for the onely one true Religion to hold the opinion of totall disclaiming persecution for conscience for sure they are most capable of this opinion hence it shall follow that all these wretched Hereticks shall be the only true Church and body of Christ 4. This monopolizeth the nature and name of the true Church to onely Sectaries that professe they are ready to suffer for their conscience and doe totally disclaime persecution that is for liberty of conscience so this opinion shall be the only essential not and constituent form of the true Church and shall exclude the sound faith of all fundamentalls and the doctrine of the Law and Gospell The vilest Hereticks living holding this one Article of Baptists faith shall be the onely true Church and this opinion shall unite men and societies formally to Christ their head and yet it is no matter of faith except Libertines say none are capable of faith and salvation but such as hold this opinion Hence it must follow all these named Calvinists all the Reformed Churches all the Churches and Saints in New England all the ancient Brownists the old Non-conformists who all disclaimed toleration and licence of conscience must not onely not be the true Church but the malignant Church of such as professe that which they cal Persecution yea and since they detest and abhor liberty of conscience as Atheisticall All these Saints must be uncapable of saving faith and necessarily damned because being professed persecutors and totâ—â—ly disclaiming toleration they are in the judgement of this Baptist such as have no capacity without Gods infinitâ— mercy and dispensation converting them to such Libertinisme to be hewne out and squared to such a head as Christ for contrariorum eudem est ratio 5. Forme an Argument Mr. Baptist from your two Scriptures If to persecute for conscience be essentiall to such as are borne of the flesh and to be persecuted for conscience be essentiall to such as are born after the Spirit then to be thus persecuted and to disclaim totally persecution for conscience is an essentiall note of the true Church This Proposition can never be proved in your sense for to be persecuted for conscience that is for a well informed conscience which is sound in the faith of Articles of saving knowledge is indeed such an essentiall note and so we yeeld all but it is nothing for toleration but much against it but to be persecuted for conscience though erroneous and holding Judaisme Turcisme Arrianisme Papisme Familisme c. to be the true and saving way which is the sense of Baptist is no wise a note of such aâ— are born after the Spirit not doth any place of Scripture by the thirteenth consequence prove the same for Isaac was not persecuted by Ishmael for his erroneous conscience The Text sayes no such thing except Baptist make Isaac an Heretick and a false Prophet If Ishmael persecuted Isaac for his conscience which yet Baptist cannot prove from Scripture sure it was not for the hereticall conscience of Isaac nor will it help Baptist to say in the minde and conception of Ishmâ—â—l Isaac was an Heretick Answ How is that proved the Text sayes no such thing 2. We teach no such thing as that men should be punished by the Magistrate not because they are but because they seem only to â—e Heretickes or because Isaacs and Saints are Hereticks in our mind and conception but because they are so indeed as the Magistrate punisheth not justly a murtherer because he seems in the minde and conception of the Magistrate to be a murtherer but because he is a murtherer and is proved by faithfull witnesses to be a murtherer so is the Heretick proved to be a Heretick by the Magistrate and so convicted that he is self-condemned for we never make the Magistrates thoughts and his conception to be the rule of punishing an Heretick even as we are not to avoid an Heretick after admonition because he is an Heretick in our conception onely for our conception must not be the rule or formall ground of casting out any man from our society and avoiding of him but we avoid him because he is an Heretick in himself nor exhorts Peter any man to suffer for well-doing that is for his conscience or for his erroneous and hereticall conscience that is but an abusing of the word of God for he speaks not of suffering directly for onely Religion true or false though he exclude it not but saith 1 Pet. 4. 15. But let none of you suffer as a murtherer as a theefe as an ill-doer and in so saying he means that no man should as Elimas suffer blindnesse for perverting the faith of Sergius Paulus and I beleeve it will be a peece of labour for Libertines to prove that such opposers of the Gospel as Elimas and Hymeneus who suffered as ill-doers did yet know in their conscience the Gospel to be the onely saving truth and way of God and that against the warning of an illuminated conscience Elimas perverted the right wayes of God However to suffer here as a well doer by Baptists way is to suffer for an hereticall conscience defending and teaching lies in the name of the Lord If so such a well-doer if blasphemously unsound is to be thrust through and stabbed as an Impostor by the Lords
can preaching of man or angel doe without God is it not God and God only who can open the heart therefore this is no argument against the use of the sword against false teachers because it hath no strength against soule obstinacie to work repentance for neither hath preaching but the sword hath strength and more strength against the outward man the tongue the pen the profession of seducing preachers to coerce it and to guard the flock from grievous Wolves for these being testâ—â—ined the flock is in no more danger from the conscience of the Heretick then peaceable men are in danger of the bloodie mans thoughts hatred heart-malice if the Magistrate tie his hands from murther and violence by the sword of God which hee beareth Rom. 13. it hath I say more force in its way then the preaching of the word hath in regard Hereticks men of corrupt minds fearâ— men and the sword of the Magistrate more then God and the threatnings of the word as murtherers and adulterers abstain from disturbing the peace of humane societie more for fear of the laws of men then for God I grant the excessive fear is from the corruption of nature for oderunt peccare mali formidine poenae yet this argues that the sword is ordained of God to order the outward man in a peaceable way both in state and Church for lay down this ground which Libertines do that God hath appointed no law nor rule to men of corrupt minds to those that subvert whole Houses but their own erroneous consciences grievous Wolves may doe in the flock to waste destroy and pervert the flock as they please But they are say Libertines no wolves but the lambs of Christ the anointed ones whom Presbyterians so call and the Presbiterians are the wolves who so domineer over the consciences I answer this is a manifest perverting of the State of the question and to leap from the Proposition to the Assumption for we dispute only upon the Supposition that there be Wolves and Seducers in a Christian societie but who they be Presbyterian or others is another question whether or not the Christian Magistrate should for his part leave them to themselves and suffer them to preach print what blasphemies they list and their erroneous conscience dictates to them for truths But neither the Christian Magistrate not being infallible nay nor any Church on earth can judge who is the Heretick who the Saint and therefore should take on him to judge none at all to be Hereticks but should suffer tares and wheat to grow till harvest for fear he pluck up the wheat in lieu of tares and persecute Saints under colour of justice Hence I argue in the contrary demonstratively that liberty of Conscience is unlawfull and not of God Whatever way layeth down a principle most false and contrary to the word of God is not of God but must be unlawfull but the pretended liberty of conscience is such Ergo c. The Proposition needs no probation That must be false that by strong consequence follows from a false principle I prove the Assumption The prime and first principle of libertie of Conscience now under the New Testament is that Hereticks and seducing Teachers are therefore unpunishable by the sword because they are unknowable The formall and that which constituteth an Heretick an Heretick is in the heart to wit heart-contumacie legible and obvious only to him that knows all say the Belgicks Arminians and therefore they can neither be judged nor punished observe by the way the Church of Thyatira must be then unjustly rebuked for suffering Jezabel to seduce and this exempteth all false Teachers from Church-censures yea from rebukes for who dares rebuke men for fâ—â—s knowable to the almightie only who knows the heart 2. We are expressely commanded say Libertines to suffer the tares that is Hereticks to grow till harvest because we cannot know tares from wheat and we run the hazard saith Iohn Goodwin of fighting against God and fighting against Saints and God in them saith Saltmarsh when we punish Hereticks 3. We have not that infallible Spirit and those Prophets who cannot erre and can infallibly tel us who is the Heretick who not 4. There is a great variety and such contrarietie of judging say they what is heresie what not that what is heresie to one is saving truth to another who is as worthy to be beleeved as he Ergo We are all in the mist and in a sea of uncertainties in judging who is the Heretick who the Saint 5. Heresie is innocencie Ergo there is no such fault reproveable or punishable in the world say they But this principle that the Seducer is not knowable in the New Testament is most false and contrary to Scripture 1. He whom the Holy Ghost bids as try and not beleeve till we try he is knowable but every teacher true or false the Holy Ghost bids us try 1 Thes 5. 21. 1 Joh. 4. 1. and for this are the Bercans commended because they tryed Paul and his doctrine by the Scriptures Acts 17. 11. Ergo If Paul had been an Heretick and a false Teacher he might have been found out 2. Such an one as the Lord forewarns us to beware of and avoid such an one is knowable But the Lord bids us beware of false Prophets and Seducers and bids us avoid them and beleeve them not Matth. 7. 15. Remore of false Prophets Marth 24. 23. If any man say to you loe here is Christ or loe there beleeve it not why if he teach me where Christ is if I heare not him I refuse to hear Christ Matth. 10. 40 41. Ergo the false Christ is knowable Tit. 2. 10. An hereticke avoid c. when Solomon saith Make not friendship with an angry man is not the formality of anger in the heart if any should reply to Solomon God onely knows who is the angry man who is the patient and meek man therefore we will make friendship withall men or with no man Should any say there is no such 〈◊〉 knowable should he not contradict the Holy Ghost So must we say there is not such a man knowable to a mortall man as a false Prophet or an heretick and therefore Paul doth but mocke the Philippians who were not infallible when he writeth to them thus Beware of dogs and John when he saith If any man bring not this doctrine receive him not into your house Might not Libertines say God commandeth us to run the hazard of incroaching upon Gods chaire for who but he who knows the heart can tell who is the heretick who not when the Lord rebukes association with Theeves Robbers Slanderers Prov. 1. 11 12. Ps 15. 18 holdeth he not forth that the Theif the Robber and the Slanderer are knowable 3. These whom the Lord rebukes because they judge not Jezabel and deceiving teachers may know Jezabel and deceiving teachers but the Lord rebukes the Church of Thyatira for
this Revel 2. 20. and all other Churches in them 4. Those that faithfull Elders are to beware of and to watch against are knowable but the faithfull Elders of Ephesus are to watch against the incomming of grievous wolves Act. 20. 29 30 31. 5. Those that the Holy Ghost doth forewarn the Saints of that they may be rooted in the truth and armed against them those are knowable But Christ forâ—told his people that some would come in his name and professe so much who yet come in their owne name Paul foretels of some who shall speake lyes in hypocrisie and teach doctrines of Devills 1 Tim. 4â— and Peter 2 Pet. 2. 1 2 3. tele of some bringing in privily damnable heresies doth the Lord bid us judge in charity all these tares to be wheat and their heresies truths because we are not infallible and doth he foretell of such coggers and jugglers and yet presupposeth none on earth shall be able to know them and if any man say Familists Socinians c. are these men they runne the hazard of reproaching God notwithstanding the Lord foretold us of them and set marks upon their brows 1600 yeares agoe or if any now say there is a false teacher or an heretick breathing on earth they must either give themselves out to be infallible and so must either be grand impostors or then Apostles and Prophets living againe And this same argument from our impotency to beleeve was as strong in the Old Testament against the equity of such Laws as God made against false Prophets Deut. 13. Levit. 24. For it was as unjust for God to command to put to death men the frame and imaginations of whose heart were onely evill from their youth then as now because they beleeved not and could not repent and abstaine from Prophesying in Baal and speaking lyes in the name of the Lord since hearts were no more naturally able without the grace of God to repent and beleeve under the Old Testament then under the New And upon the same reason they tell us God must have a willing people Psal 110. and obedience compelled by the Sword is no obedience at all and far lesse is it religions obedience To which I answer And did not the Lord require a willing people then in the Old Testament as now 2. Did God ever accept of faith and repentance extorted through feare of a direfull sword 3. Does the Lord accept of compelled and forced abstinence from murther patricide adultery as obedience because undeniably the sword of the Magistrate doth avenge murther adultery parricide Rom. 13. M. Williams a carnall weapon a sword does produce a carnall repentant a 〈◊〉 an outside as uniformity things a 〈◊〉 what an unregenerate man does is sin preaching sin-preaching breaking of bread no betterthen the oblation of Swines bloud Ergo the Magistrate must compell men to sin if he force the conscience by the Sword Answ The Sword produceth no repentance at all for externall repentance is no repentance either in name or thing the Lord commandeth indeed externall repentance but Precepts are not given to the outward man as to the adequate and proper object of the Commandement of God the Magistrate indeed forbiddeth speaking of blasphemy and teaching of lyes in the name of the Lord but he forbiddeth not teaching of lyes or abstinence from blaspheming in a spirituall but in a carnall co-active by force of the sword and externall way because he cannot punish the spirituall and internall wayes and manner of externall obedience and therefore he cannot under paine of bodily censure command and forbid these wayes of obedience so the Magistrate forbiddeth murther but God not the Magistrate forbiddeth murther or commandeth abstinence from killing out of mercy and love to our neighbour for the Magistrate cannot punish heart-hatred of our neighbour or rash anger but in so far as it comes out to his senses in striking maiming or opprobrious speeches and these he can forbid and censure and punish So we say the Magistrate is but a peece or a bit of an Ordinance though both lawfull and necessary Rom. 13. for our good to reform the outside to work outward reformation and when he commandeth the outward man and saith Sweare not blaspheme not speake not lies in the name of the Lord kill not steale not under the paine of feeling the stroke of the Sword he commands not sinning for though he forbid onely externall abstinence from sins that troubles the outward man without any spirituall and internall right way of abstaining he commands not sin and hypocrisie perse and kindly and properly 1. Because the Magistrate as the Magistrate should and ought as the Minister of God give commandements to the outward man under paine of corporall punishment not to the soule or to the inward man 2. Because that externall obedience not to kill not to steale not to speake lies is good lawfull externall obedience to man and profitable in the State for the end that God hath appointed it which is the peaceable conversing one with another that same abstinence from killing in an unrenewed man who abstaineth not from killing for fear of God and love to his brethren is a sinfull abstinence and carnall repentance by accident and in relation to the Law of God but the Magistrate neither commandeth abstinence from killing from an inward spirituall principle nor forbiddeth he the contrary he commandeth not abstinence from false doctrine out of the love that the messenger ows to him who purchased the flock with his bloud nor forbiddeth he such abstinence but onely he commandeth abstinence from speaking lies to the people of God 3. If we distinguish obedience there is first a necessary and good and lawfull obedience 2. There is an obedience compleat and intire and full and sincere Outward obedience which the Magistrate commandeth is good and lawfull and necessary obedience and is in the kinde of externall and necessary obedience I mean necessary for its end the safety of the society not hypocriticall unlawfull or sinfull In this notion onely it is commanded by the Magistrate and the omission of it unlawfull and punishable by the Sword of the Deputy and Minister of God but if we speake of an obedience compleat full and sincere which is required from the whole man in order to the Law of God Then the outward obedience that the Magistrate demandeth is not compleat intire nor sincere but in relation to the Law of God which requireth intire obedience from the whole man soule and body it is not full not intire not sincere obedience but an outside of obedience but in this sense the Magistrate doth not demand obedience to the Law of God for he hath to doe with the outward man onely and as a Magistrate hath nothing to doe with the soule and conscience so than though the Magistrate command to preach sound doctrine forbid to preach lies in the name of the Lord yet he commandeth
learned of them are not able clearly or demonstratively to informe the Magistrate and Judge what blasphamy and what Idolatry it was which was by God sentenced to death under the Law But so Mr. Goodwin in accusing our darknesse and in freeing the Magistrate of a duty he owâ— to God and the Church layeth obscurity on the Scripture as Papists doe though for another end And I am as confident there was some soroâ—â—y some wilfull murther some incest some plea 〈…〉 and bloud stroak and stroak some adultery sentenced by God to be punished by the sword that Mr. Jo. Goodwin is not able clearly and demonstratively to informe the Magistrate of And by this argument murther sorcery incest and adultery ought not to be punished by the sword Can Mr. Jo. Goodwin demonstratively informe us what be the false Prophets Matth. 7. the grievous wolves Act. 20. the Heretick Tit. 3. 10. that we are not to beleeve but to avoid and by this argument we must not beware of them nor avoid them since they are unknowable Dr. Jer. Taylor layeth downe the same ground for tolerating Papists Socinians Familists and all the dreaming Prophets on earth because of the difficulty there is of expounding Scripture and all the means and wayes of comming to the true sense thereof are fallible There is variety of reading various interpunction a parenthesis a letter an acceâ—â— may much alter the sense Answ May not reading interpunction a parenthesis a letter an accâ—m alter the sense of all fundamentalls in the Decalogue of the principles of the Gospel and turne the Scripture in all points which Mr. Doctour restricts to some few darker places whose senses are off the way to heaven and lesse necessary in a field of Problemes and turne all beleeving into digladiations of wits all ouâ— comforts of the Scriptures into the reelings of a Wind-mill and phaâ—cies of seven Moons at once in the firmament this is to put our faith and the first fruits of the Spirit and Heaven and Hell to the Presse But though Printers and Pens of men may erre it followeth not that heresies should be tolerated except we say 1 That our faith is ultimately resolved upon characters and the faith of Printers 2 We must say we have not the cleare and infallible word of God because the Scripture comes to our hand by fallible means which is a great inconsequence for though Scribes Transâ—atours Grammarians â—rimers may all erre it followeth not that an erring providence of him that hath seven eyes hath not delivered to the Church the Scriptures containing the infallible truth of God Say that Baruth might erre in writing the Prophesie of Jeremiah it followeth not that the Prophesie of Jeremiah which we have is not the infallible word of God if all Translatours and Printers did their alone watch oâ—er the Church it were something and if there were not one with seven eyes to care for the Scripture But for Tradition Councells Popes Fathers they are all fallible means and so far forth to be beleeved as they bring Scripture with them Dr. Taylor tells us of many inculpable causes of errour 1 The variety of humane understanding what is plaine to one is â—bscure to another Gregoâ—ies and Ambroses missall were both laid upon the Altar a whole night to try which of them God would miraculously approve By the morrow mâ—â—tins the missall of Gregâ—ry was found tâ—rne in peeces and throwne upon the Church and Ambroses found open in a posture to be read The miracle was expounded that Ambroses missall was to be received Dr. Taylor saith that he would expound it that Gregories missall was to be preferred and to be spread through the world Answ I have read of no faultlesse causes of errour nor of any invincible errour in things that we are to beleeve and know by vertue of a divine Commandement for this is a speciall false principle that to know God as he hath revealed himselfe in his word is not commanded of God in his word 1 Because to this David exhorteth Solomâ—n And shall Solomâ—n my son know the Lord 1 Chron. 28. 9. and when the Apostle bids as be renewed in the spirits of our mind Ephes 4. 23. Rom. 12. 2. 2 And growing in knowledge is recommended 2 Pet. 3. 14. 1 Cor. 1. 5. Prov. 4. 1. 5 And is set downe as a blessing Esa 11. 9. Exod. 18. 10. Prov. 1. 2. Hos 13. 4. It s sure to know God and his revealed will in his word must oblige us 4 The end of the revealed will is to know God Deut. 4. 3. 5. Prov. 22. 21. 5. The first Command injoyneth all worship internall and externall as to know God Hosea 13. 4. Jer. 9. 6. Jer. 24. 7. 2 Kings 19. 19. 2 Chron. 6. 33. and reason the mind be under the Law of God as will and affections 〈◊〉 6. There is a connexion between the minde and other faculties or affections a corrupt minde is often conjoyned with a guilty conscience and faith and a pure conscience go together 1 Tim. 1. 19. 1 Tim. 1. â— 2 Pet. â— 4 5. keep the one and you shall the more easily keep the other make shipwrack of faith and a good conscience cannot swim safe to Land and the will and rebellious affections and lusts have influence upon the actuall and habituall blinding of the minde in that men walking after their lusts are quickly blinded in their minde and the judgement depraved 1. 2 Pet. 3. 5. they are willingly ignorant and so refuse to know God 2. Turne away their ear from the Law refuse the means of the knowing of God and dig not for wisdome as for silver hate knowledge Prov. 1. 24. c. 2. 2 3 4 5 6. 3. Blinde their owne minds and shut their eyes Esa 6. 10. Matth. 13. 14 15. Ezek. 12. 2. Deut. 29. 3 4. Object All these places do well prove that to be unwilling to know God is a sinne but not that the simply minde-ignorance of God is sinne Answ And why is it sin to be unwilling to know God which the word commandeth if not to know God be not sinfull as to be willing not to fear not to love not to hope in God not to obey God not to love our neighbour is sin as well as not to fear not to love God are sins Therefore what is truth in it selfe and revealed to bee truth in the Scripture if it appeare an untruth to another the cause of that is not inculpable as D. Taylor saith as if the letter of the Scripture tendred it selfe darke and unâ—â—plicable to us without our fault But the wisdome of God we beleeve in the Scripture is plaine to those that open their eyes otherwise heresie should not onely be no sinne contrary to the word of God Tit. 3. 10. 1 Tim. 3. 1. 2. 1 Tim. 6. 4 5. 2 Tim. 2. 16 17 18 19. but an innocent apprehension of apparent truth as there is no guiltinesse in an eye vitiated
warrant Christ to offer up himself to God But upon the supposition of Libertines it 's no murther nor is it punishable at al because the father may yea lawfully ought to worship God according to the indictment of his conscience whither the conscience be right or bloody and erroneous and yet he is not punishable for blood-shed by their way for meerly and simply without any malignancy or hatred to the child he beleeves he ought to preferre his maker to his dearest childs life as well as Abraham and the conscience doth naturally and as under no Law simply beleeve it is the like service and worship that Abraham would have gratefully performed unto God if God in reward of that love had not forbidden him againe to kill his Sonne And this answer presupposes also that it is impossible for a father to have such a conscience as may stimulate and command to kill his son and that in the authority and name of God as he erroneously yea and as he invincibly holdeth as Socinians Familists Papists beleeve purgatory merits justification by workes who yet are not to be punished for their conscience according to Libertines Again there is no intrinsecall malignancy in the act of naticide or son-sacrificing but what it hath from the Lords Law forbiding to kill now those that killed their Sons to Molech yea to God as they thought strongly yea invincibly beleeved God commanded them to do him such bodily service as is clear from Jer. 7. 31. Jer. 15. 5. And that this is invincible ignorance I take the word invincible in the Libertines sense Libertines grant for in our condemning son-sacrificing they wil say we are not infallible Yea the understanding being spirituall cannot be restrained saith Dr. Taylor Sect. 13. n. 6. and no man can change his opinion when he will saith he ibid n. 7. and so should not be punished for it and n. 13. there is nothing under God Almighty that hath power over the soule of man so as to command a persuasion If hee be then perswaded that he ought to kill his Son he ought unpunishably so to do Lastly Doctor Taylor yeelds the cause when he saith that certaine known Idolaters may be punished with death or corporall inflictions For there is no Idolatry so grosse that strongly deluded consciences may not be carried invincibly I speake in the Libertine sense out of meer conscience to act Ergo some are justly punishable for their meer conscience and yet are not persecuted for conscience 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If a man preach treason saith he his opinion doth not excuse If a man preach murther and preach that Christ was an impostor that the Scripture is a fable how can his opinion excuse in a great sin and not all sins CHAP. XXVIII Divers other Arguments for pretended Toleration answered DOctor Taylor objects from the Arminians he that persecutes a disagreeing person doth arm all the world to persecuâ—â— himself if he say he is no Heretick he is as confidently beleeved to be an Heretick as he beleeves his adversarie to be an Heretick if it be said every side must take their venture this is to make the Christian world a shambles Ans 1. Because sound and orthodoxe Magistrates punish Hereticks they doe no more arm Hereticks against them to punish them then they arme murtherers to punish them because no law of Conscience teacheth that a seducer is obliged to publish to others his erroneous opinion touching mansacrificing the unlawfulness of Magistracie under the New Testament Libertie of Conscience Familisme and the 〈◊〉 for then the Law of nature must teach men are obliged in conscience to sin and pervert others 2. They are obliged to beleeve that their Conscience must be a rule to others which two the Law of nature cannot teach since it is the just law of God If yee argue what Hereticks doe unjustly they persecute the sound in the faith and there is reciprocation of persecution amongst false Religions its true the Christian world is a shambles through the corruption of mens nature But if yee argue what Christian Orthodox Magistrates ought to doe they ought to punish only Hereticks and Seducers but they do not justly 〈◊〉 Hereticks and those of false Religions reciprocally against themselves for by this argument those that are just Magistrates and take away the life of Pirates Robbers 〈◊〉 of other Nations doe they therefore justly arme all Pirates and Robbers to take away their Lives I thinke not Obj. 2. Where the Christ or his Messengers charge the Magistrate to establish by his arme of flesh and 〈…〉 worship of God the beast indeed gets the power of the earth Rev. 17. Bloodie Tenent Answ Kisse the Son O Rulers Psal 2. The Kings of the earth shall lick the dust before Christ Psal 72. The Kings shall bring their glory to the new Ierusalem Ergo They shall guard the Law of God from violence 2. The Beast gets the power of Kings to bear down truth but this power of Kings shall burn the whore Rev. 17. 16. and act for Christ and his ordinances 3. Where reads Mr. Williams that Christ and his Messengers are to charge the Magistrate to give libertie to Wolves Boares Lions Foxes Serve your consciences O beasts in wasting the Mountain of the Lords House and in not sparing the flock the Nurse-father grants you libertie to waste the mountain of the Lord. Obj. 3. Artaxerxes knew not the Law of God which he confirmed how then could be judge it 2. In such fits and pangs of a terrifying conscience what lawes have Nebuchadnezzar Cyrus Darius Artaâ—erxes put forth for the Israel of God yet were they not charged with the spirituall crowne of governing the worship of God Answ That was their Error they knew not the Law of God but it was their dutie that they ratified it 2. Those Princes did their dutie as Magistrates in those Laws no matter what Conscience renewed or not renewed put them on to act the duties in the substance of the act were lawfull the corruption of nature they being unrenewed might vitiate the work and put them a working to act lawfully in the duties Saul as King did fight the battels of the Lord and led his people and that lawfully according to the substance of the work but God knowes his motives and end 3. This ignorant man never heares of a Magistraticall act to promote the worship of God in a civill way but he dreames of a spirituall tribunall given to the Magistrate which we abhorre as much as he for the materiall object of the Magistrates power though spirituall rendreth not his power spirituall as the Magistrate punisheth spirituall confederacie with Satan in Magitians and Sorcerers a Witch should not be suffered to live and Sodomie flowing from Gods judiciall delivering men up to a reprobate mind Rom. I. 28. and yet the Mastrates power is not spirituall nor terminated upon the consciences of men Not is this Argument
name How doth this follow but that wee must put none to an Oath but such as are regenerate and wee know wil swear sincerely and not prophaine the name of God None then can bee witnesses under the New Testament to sweare but such as are regenerate where is this divinity warranted Or if it be because the substance of the Oath is sin in that we sweare to put to death the innocent and unrenewed we crave a ground for it in the word But we know no such Covenant or Oath But here if toleration of all Religions stand the Parliaments of both Kingdoms grievously sin in that they proclaime not an open liberty to the Masse to Jesuits Priests to set up Altars Temples the whole body of Popish worship and they ought to proclaime liberty to all Jewes to come and dwell in Britaine erect Synagogues blaspheme Christ for this is the Liberty wherewith Christ hath set us free by Libertines way Obj. Papists would cut our throats Jewes would destroy us and blaspheme Christ Answ No doubt they would but Libertines do ill that good may come of it in not acting lawfull liberty for Christ though the firmament should fall we are not to oppresse consciences force Religion abandon the Gospell liberty and meeknesse in gaining all to Christ in finding truth c. Obj. Henry the 7 Leaves England Papists Henry 8 brings all to halfe Papists halfe Protestants Edward the 6 stirres about the wheele to absolute Protestanisme Mary turnes about all againe to Popery Elizabeth againe sounds the Trumpet all are Protestants are not we even now making unregenerate men the subject of these nationall changes by a nationall Covenant Answ Does not this man lay upon the National Church of the Jewes a Church framed by the wisdome of God the like revolutions from Jehovah to Baal and the golden Calves from Baal and the golden Calves backe againe to Iebovah according as David Achab Ieroboam Ieâ—u Afa Hezekiah Manasseh Iosiah Ammon Godly or ungodly Kings came to the throne and God must so institute and procreat hypocrisie prophaining of the name of God domineering over and compelling consciences then at now onely subject to the Lord of spirits and his word by a sword of steele Whereas now as then hypocrits change from Religion true or false and backe againe in a circle as times blow faire or foule through the corruption of nature and this is not to be fathered upon that lawfull punitive power that God hath given to the Christian Ruler to coerce wolves and seducing teachers which power Kings whose breasts the Church should sucke often doe abuse to establish Popery and tyrannize over the conscience of the Godly and undo religion but both now and then Sophists may bring a caption ab accidente against any lawfull power What if murtherers Sorcerers Drunkards abound under unjust and loose Princes and when a just and watchfull Prince comes to the throne men out of hypocrisie return from these sins and again when another unjust King Reignes they return to their vomit is this against Nationall righteousnesse and Magistracy 2 Under all those Revolutions Christ had a Church professing the Protestant faith under gracious Kings and sealing the same faith with their blood under persecuting tirants so that change was never in the true invisible Church but onely in the scum and outside of the Church and the change came never from the pâ—â—itive lawful power rightly used but from the hollownes of the hearts of time servers or some weake men that denied their Master in an hour of temptation and repented again 3 By this Argument Mr. Williams wil give us no visible Church but the Church of Anabaptists consisting of sinlesse regenerated and justified men who are beyond the courtesie of the Law free grace and a Redeemer or pardon of 〈◊〉 Obj. An arme of flesh and 〈◊〉 of steel cannot reach to cut off the darknesse of the mind the hardnesse and unbeleife of the heart saith Mr. Williams A woolfe saith Dr. Taylor may as well give lawes to the understanding as bee whose dictates are only propounded in violence and written in blood and a Dugge in 〈◊〉 capable of a Law as a man if there be no christ in his obedience noâ— discourse in his choice nor reason to satisfie his discourse Aman cannot saith the Bounder beleeve at his own will how much lesse at anothers Who can reveale and infuse supernaturall nation and truth but the spirit Answ This strongly concludes that the understanding and wil cannot bee forced by the sword but must move a connatural way by the indictment of reason and nothing followes but that the internal and elicite acts of the understanding and will cannot be produced by external violence which we yeeld ye say that it involves a contradiction that the elicite acts of the understanding and will can be produced by external force but if masters of Logicke infer Ergo the Magistrate cannot punish a Seducer a false Prophet for teaching what his erroneous conscience dictates to him then we say this argument is against the Holy Ghost not against us and blaspheming Celsius Lucianus doe c. object the like against Moses Lawes as unjust and bloody and Scripture For 1 Whatever involves a contradiction in the Old Testament involves a contradiction in the New and contra then Gods Lawes in Deut. 13. Levit. 24. are contradictions to reason 2 Then God forced the understanding and will in their elicit acts in the Old Testament as if a Wolfe had given Lawes to the conscience of the false Prophet yea so a dog was as capable of a law as the false Prophet being forced by stoning both under the Old Testament and under the New stons were as hard weapons as steel swords to the Jewes as to us 3 Stones were as unable to cut off the darknesse of the mind and unbeleefe and hardnesse of heart of Iewes as a steele sword can prevaile with our hearts 4 None but the spirit of God could infuse supernaturall notions and truths into the mind and will of a Seducing prophet among the Jewes more then of an heretick among christians except Libertines think the Iewes had no need of the spirit of grace free will was stronger of old than now 5 They must say a Iew might have beleeved at his will or not beleeved and could have commanded his conscience which we cannot doe 6 The Law of God compelling conscience made hypocrites then or then forced men to beleeve against their mind and will as well as now 7 Carnal weapons then could have produced spirituall repentance saith and obedience but steele hath lost its spirituall vertue now but sure though the Jews administration was rough servile and harder and ours under Christ milder sweeter and easier Gal. 4. 7. yet were these Laws of Moses righteous but are not made milder as Socinians say the will and understanding were not then compelled to obedience but now led with
perswasions and reasons but since the creation of the world to this day the understanding and will keep ever their naturall way of working 8. And that which our Saviour calleth the Law and the Prophets Mat. 7. 12. All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you do ye even so to them was the Law of Nature and the Morall Law and the doctrine of the Prophets in the time of Moses and in the Kingdome of the Messiah though Libertines put a false glosse on it for I would not that others should punish me if I murther steal speake lyes in the name of the Lord though if I had authority I should will to punish others that are guilty of these crimes for so they expound it now if wee should not will to punish others for their conscience under the New Testament neither should the godly Magistrate in Moses and Davids dayes will to punish others for their conscience and if we should not will to rebuke and excommunicate hereticks now neither ought the godly Jewes to will to doe the same to others because of old men did not will to be punished with the Sword rebuked or excommunicated for their conscience 9. It was no lesse unlawfull for a Judge in Israel to domineere and tyrannize over the conscience of a false Prophet a Priest of Baal Dagon and to answer the arguments subverting the doctrine of Moses Law so shining with Divinity Majesty and the Wisdome of God with the bloody sword and throwing of stones then it is for the Christian Magistrate to labour to convert the false Prophet now by a Sword or an Axe domineering over his conscience so rendring him a Lambe disputing and trembling under the paw of the Lion And whatever arguments Libertines draw for pretended toleration from the Law of Nature making punishing for conscience contradictory to the light of Nature must inferre that the Judiciall Law of Moses for punishing false Prophets was not onely beside but contradictory to the Law of Nature which were a wronging of the wisdome of God and of the perfection of all his Laws Nor shall it helpe the matter to say the Law of punishing the false Prophet Deut. 13. c. was onely to be executed on such a man as 1. sinned against his conscience shewing him that to say other Gods beside the God that made the heaven and the earth were to be adored and worshipped was repugnant to the light of Nature 2. And on such as the infallible oracle of God fell and blacked as a heartblasphemer and to punish such a seducer was not to compell understanding and will nor to force the conscience nor to make stoning and the sword of steel the carnall weapons that produce spirituall repentance because there was foregoing conviction from the light of Nature perswading the man or which might have perswaded him that his blasphemy was against Nature whereas ye will have the godly punished meerly by the Magistrate because he cannot command his minde and conscience to be of the Magistrates Religion which he judgeth in his conscience to be a false superstitious and Idolatrous way for this containes many uncertainties and lyes For death was to be inflicted not on those onely that sinned against the Law of Nature but 2 Chron. 15. 13. Whosoever would not seeke the Lord God of Israel was put to death small or great man or woman now the seeking of the Lord God of Israel was to serve him according to the rule revealed in the supernaturall spirituall and holy Law of God contained in Moses his Books This I judge was some higher then the Law of Nature 2. Let us put Libertines to make this good that those who said the golden calves were the gods that brought them out of Egypt and adored them and were therefore put to death Exod. 32. since our Divines prove from the place that they made those Calves memorative objects of Jehovah onely did that against the light of their conscience and the manifest Law of Nature What if God had made Calves and Bullocks to represent God as there were Bullocks in the Temple and the sacrificed Bullocks were all types of Christ who through the eternall Spirit offered himselfe to God And what if the Lord should command to adore himselfe before those Bullocks as he commanded to pray to him before the Arke and the face toward the Temple I conceive Libertines shall have to doe with the bottome of their wits to bring arguments from the Law of Nature to prove that every false instituted worship punished by the Sword of old was against the Law of Nature and that the Seducers were convinced in their conscience it was so 2. If there was an infallible Oracle to backe the false Prophet why was he judged Deut. 17. by the Law then why must witnesses two or three depose against him why must the people that stone him or concurre to execute the sentence of death against a City that will welcome and defend false Prophets know it by report and hear-sayâ— Deut. 13. 12. and enquire and make search and aske diligently if the thing be truth and certaine v. 14. what need of exposition of the written Law Deut. 17. 11. what need of witnesses Deut. 17. 6. here is shorter worke and we must be wiser then God Libertines save all the travell an immediate Oracle from heaven is both the Judge witnesse party and all and infallibly saith this man hath prophesied falsely in the name of the Lord good people rise and stone him Judge you need no witnesse 〈◊〉 a witnesse from heaven what needed the Priests and Pharisees trouble themselves to seek witnesses against Christ Mr. Goodwin and others are of the minde Caiaphas Priest and Prophet could have given a word from heaven whether he was a blasphemer or not But a Prophet of God being infallible might have infallibly informed them if the man were a false Prophet Yea but what shall be done when the Priest and Prophet of God himselfe is called in question shall he aske the Oracle whether he himselfe be the false Prophet or no 3. This answer layes ground that the Jewes might know the false Prophet and punish him but under the New Testament we cannot know him But I have proved under the 〈◊〉 Testament we may sufficiently know 〈◊〉 so as we may try him not beleeve him not bid him God 〈…〉 and avoid him and rebuke and excommâ—nicate him as many Libertines grant 4. As the Jewish Judge did not domineere over the conscience nor compell understanding and will because conviction by a cleare Law of God went before so say we upon the same ground we hold none under the New Testament to be punished by the Sword for false doctrine but he that is admonished convicted and selfe-condemned Tit. 3. 10. But your Arguments for Presbytery and against Toleration cannot convert us say they I answer nor could Pauls Arguments that convicted Sergius convict Elymas actu secundo God must
the same obligation the same formall reason so saith the Lord of beleeving non-fundamentals revealed and fundamentals and the same necessity of divine command not the same necessity of means called necessitas medâ—â— Bloody Tenet c 3 p. 19. Râ—monst Apo c. 25 245. Nam vâ—rbuâ— Dei etiamsi vin obligandi ex se pâ—rse habeat actu tâ—â—en non obligat quenquam nisi intellectum sic prâ—ut adhibiâ—a omni possibili diligentia prudentia â—â—nclligendum esse creditur reâ—no enim obligatur ad verum vâ—rbi divini sensu â— sequâ—dum contra conscientiam suam erroâ—â—am The state of the question touching the obligation that conscience layeth on us Tanner Jesuitâ— to 2. in 12. disp 2. q 4. dub 2. n. 21. Lib. de paradiso opinio nostra nobis legem in ponit Phâ— Gammacheu in 12. q. 19. de actâ— hum c. 2. sect 173. Malderus 12 q. 19. aâ—t 5 â— dis 84. Ancient bonds of liberty of Conscience se 1. c. 6. p. 26. Though the Magistrate punish false teachers it followeth not that he compels them to sinne against their conscience Augustin contr Gauâ—eâ—tiâ— n l. â— c. 24. Et si ficti aliq â—i perseverâ—â—â— non utique â—â—op er ipsos 〈◊〉 fucraâ—t colligendi quos videnâ—â—s verâ—â—eâ— Gods way and manner of calling is no ground why the magistrate should not punish false teachers Ancient bonds of liberty of Conscience s 1 c. 6. p. 26. Who is the self condemned heretick Tit. 3. 1. 〈…〉 sect â— 1. 13. Râ—monst vi di l. 2. c. 8. Ut heresis naturae potius quam vitium vo untatis sit L. 11. c. 2. Errâ—ces istos sola parit natura per nullam ipsoram culpam destituta gratia non voluntas auxilium gratia aspernata Seducuntur non sponte sua sed naturae necessitate seducunt enim non quia seducere volunt sed quia non possunt non seducere Toleration hath no warrant in the word Toleration inferâ—eth Scepticisme Want of infallibility in the New Testament no reason for the toleration in the Testament Apolo Nâ—trar p. 19. Toleration is against faith 〈…〉 in the Scriptures Toleration is against the ministery of the word Rulers by the fourth command are to see all under them worship God Proposals of the Army under Sir Tho. Fairfax 12. p 10 Rulers as Rulers not as tipicall Rulers punished false teachers with the sword Typicalnesse did not priviledge all the Kings of Judah and Israel to compell the conscience and punish false teachers as Libertines say How typicalnesse priviledgeth men to such and such actions how not Seducers punished by bodily death Punishing of Idolators and blasphemers of the law of nature How wars that are extraordinary in the manner and in some particular acts may be and are in the substance of the acts ordinary rules obliegâ—ng us The Law of God warranted by the Law teacheth that false teachers and hereticks are to be punished with the sword The law Deut. 17. 2 3. for punishing of Idolaters There was no consulting with the orâ—cle who should be put to death for his conscience in the old Testament but an ordinary way of trying such evill doâ—rs by judicial proceeding and hearing of witnesses The end of punishing of false teachers with the sword is not their conversion to God Ministeis of the Gospell onely labour in that field but the not perverting of soules and disturbing the safety of humain societies Sacrificing of children to Molech punished with death by Godâ— Law not as murther but as spiritual whordome Laws punishing false teachers were morall not temporary and pedagogicall Power of Fathers and Masters in the â—ourth command coercive Compelling to hypocrisie for feare of shame and reproaches as guilty as compelling men wâ—â—h the sword not to publish heresies nor seduce others 〈…〉 Blasphemers and Idolaters never were judged to dye by consulting with the immediate oracle of God as Joh. Goodwin imagineth Hagiomastâ—x Sect. 34 35 36 37. We have as 〈◊〉 a woâ—â— the Scripture as immediate consulting with the oracle of God Want of infallibility should exclude all Judges to judg â—astâ—rs to preach on write Synods to advise because we cannot doe these with Propheticall infallibility A twofold typicalnesse in the Old Testament one meerly ceremoniall unreducible another typicall but of civill and naturall use the use of the latter ceaseth not because it was sometime typicall so is punishing of seducers Answ 5. Seducers of old denied no otherwise God then our false Prophets now â—â—ayes doe now deny hâ—m Not only those who â—ffend against the principles of nature but those that publish and hold errors against the supernaturall principles of the Gospell are to be punished by the sword Such as slew their children to Molech denied no more the word of God then our Hereticks now doe There be false Prophets now under the New Testament as there were under the Old Testament 〈◊〉 not expresse rebukinâ— of the Magistrates tolerating of Heresies makes not for Christs apâ—â—oing of toleration of Heresies more then of tolerating the absolving of a murtherer at the time of the feast or other crimes against the second Table Answ 6. The Lawes Deut. â—3 three in number explicated the first two were morall the third ceremoniall for the most part The wars in the Old Testament warrant wars in the New according to the naturall equity in them but they binde not according to the ceremoniall temporary typicalnesse annexed to them The Prophesies in the Old Testament especially that Zach. 13. 2 3 4 5 6 7 prove that false teachers under the New Testament ought to be punished with the sword So John Goodwin answereth in his Appendix to Hagimastix The Prophecie Zach. 13. the house of David noteth not the Iewes only excluding the Gentiles Master Goodwins answer to Zach. 13. 4 Answer of Mr. Goodwin It is not metaphoricall thrusting through that is spoken of Zach. 13. but really inflicted death anâ—bodâ—ly punishment Chytaeus in Zach 13. 3. 〈◊〉 doctores 〈…〉 Ut Asa proprâ—â—m maâ—reâ— removit a cuâ—â—u adâ—â—orum â—ead propter 〈◊〉 Idolorum * Esa 49. 23. Esa 60. 10. Ps 138. 4. Ps 72. 10. 11. Ps 2. 11. Es 60. 16. Pro. 8. 16. Rev. 21. 24. 〈…〉 So 〈◊〉 Goodwin Hagiomastick The ignorance of the Christian Magistrate in matters of Religion no ground why by his office hee ought not to know so farre truth and falshood as to punish heresies published and spread Ordinary professors may know who are hereticks and false teachers Magistrates as Magistrates cannot judge all evill doâ—â—s for heathen magistrates who never heard the Gospel cannot judge Gospel-hereticks How Christ taketh service of a Christian magistrate mr â—o Goodwin How M. Goodwin would elude the place Rom. 13. to prove that false teachers are not evill doers Paul Rom. 13. speakes of magistrats in general what they ought to be not of Roman magistrates as they were then Roman well-doing and ill-doing not meant in this text The plaâ—â—
hypocrites and malicious opposers of the wayes of God enemies to and persecuters of the true Prophets sent of God v. 13. and who were these but Scribes Pharisees in whom there was as much malice against Christ and his Disciples as can be in the devill or such as sin against the Holy Ghost as may be seen Matth. 13 14 15. Matth. 12. 31 32. Matth. 15. 1 2 3 7 8 9. And God powred the spirit of slumber on the Jewes Rom. 11. 7. 8. and there was superlative malice in them against the knowne truth Act. 13. 45. 46. and blasphemy Act. 14. 2 3 4 5. and yet these men in evill and as touching litterall knowledge know well what they were doing though they were spiritually blocks See Matth. 2. 4 5 6. Joh. 7. 28. Joh. 3. 2. They privily bring in 2 Pet. 2. damnable heresies they make merchandise of you with faire words then they wanted not devillish wit enough And 1 Tim. 4. 1. They speake lyes out of hypocrisie and the doctrine of Devills forbidding meates and marriage there is wit for these look like singular mortification yet they have a conscience so stupid as it were burnt with a hot iron This also is grosse ignorance in Libertines that they thinke those who sinne against knowledge and conscience and out of malice as those that sin against the Holy Ghost doe not sinne through ignorance also which is most false for the most malicious sin against knowledge hath an interpritative ignorance conâ—oyned with it as the Pharisees who sinned against the Holy Ghost in crucifying Christ some of them as is cleare Joh. 8. 28. Joh. 9. 40 41 and else where yet they sinned ignorantly also for had thy knowne they would not have crucified the Lord of glory 1 Cor. 2. 8. CHAP. IX Of Liberty of prophesying of erroneous inditement of Conscience that it is not our Rule BUt we judge that Hereticks admonished and convinced of their errour doe sinne on the borders at least of the sin against the Holy Ghost in regard they be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 selfe condemned as Paul saith Tit. 3. 10. A man that is an hereticke after the first and second admonition reject 11. Knowing that he that is such is subverted and sinneth being condemned of himselfe Where the Apostle saith an admonished and wrought upon hereticke who is convinced of the truth and yet still resisteth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He is perverted or subverted desperately perverted like a building throwne downe to the foundation 2. he finneth as condemned of himselfe that is judged and condemned by his owne conscience and so sinneth willfully and with a high measure of light but hee shutteth his eyes against the light and known truth and resisteth it 1 The Hereticke here spoken of Tit. 3. 10. is not the man who moves such questions say they as he knowes to be vaine and light as Arminians say For as Vedelius saith he expresly speakes of an heretick 2 It is a question if any bee called an Hereticke in the word because he moves such questions 1. The Hereticke here is subverted and so turned off the foundation Christ But he that moveth vaine and unprofitable questions can at best but build his hay stubble upon the foundation Christ now such a man may bee builded on the foundation and saved though the fire destroy his worke and so he is not turned off the foundation Yea if he wittingly and willingly move vain and light questions he cannot be saved nor doth that follow for his knowledg of the levity of these questions aggravates his sin but cannot cause to amount to a sin so high as to subvert the mans faith because he may keepe the foundation though he hold these vaine and light opinions for they are not in themselves destructive of the foundation 2. There is no mention nor any hint here of vaine and light questions but of admonished heretickes therefore Eusebius l. 4. c. 13. referres it to those that deny Christs divinity to Marcion and Corinthus and they say John would not stay in the stoves with Cerinthus and Polycarpus his disciple would not speake with Marcion but said I know thee to be the first borne of Sathan 3. It is here to be noted that these Authors also make the conscience though erroneous even in fundamentalls the rule of faith if the person beleeve that he worships God according to the rule of the word and there be some morall honesty in him and so teach there should be a toleration of al hereticks then no man is the heretick but he who professeth points of truth which he believeth to be lyes untruth but so there is not an hereticke in the world but the devill and such as professe a false Religion before men which in their conscience they beleeve to be false But the Apostle saith 1 Tim. 3 1. Now the Spirit speaketh expresly that in the latter times men shall depart from the faith giving beed to seducing spirits Popish Priests and Familists and doctrine of Devills 2. Speaking lyes in hypocrisie having their conscience seared with an hot iron 3. Forbidding to marry and commanding to abstaine from meats Now a seared conscience burnt with an hot iron may and doth teach marriage to be unlawfull to some and doe beleeve it for a truth that Church-men should not intangle themselves with the affaires of this life such as marriage and care of children because Pastors goe a warfare for Jesus Christ yet the text saith they that so teach are seducers who with a seared conscience speake lyes in hypocrisie and so must be hereticks and worse 2. No rule can be falser and more crooked then the conscience for if ye must be obliged to follow conscience because it is conscience or because right or wrong if you must follow conscience because conscience yee must ever follow your conscience though never so wrong for the most erroneous conscience is conscience though the devill should immediately actuate it yet doth not leave off to bee conscience and to be the rule and if so when the conscience of some saith its good service to God to kill the Apostles of our Lord because they preach the Gospel then doe persecuters nothing but what they are in duty bound to doe when they murther the Apostles because they preach the Gospel for to follow the rule which God hath appointed must be a bounden duty And the same must follow if the conscience as evill be the rule for then should men serve God in sacrificing their sonnes to God in community and plurality of wives when ever their conscience should dictate any such thing to be lawfull though in it selfe it be most contrary to the word of God If the conscience as good or as the Arminians seeme to say as principled with morall honesty be our rule then the conscience as conscience is not the rule but as it is ruled by morall honesty this wee cannot say
am bâ— ye shall dye in your sins and he that beleeveth not is condemned already He chargeth no man guilty of unbeleefe that heareth the Gospel for simple not beleeving But then we are commanded to beleeve no truth that God speaketh to know no truth but onely to know it with an inclination of heart love and will toward the Commander and so the minde and understanding faculty the noblest and most excellent peece in the soule must be left lawlesse and free in its operations from all hazard of guilt or sinne 2. If this Argument be good sinnes of infirmities and of weaknesse must be no sin Idle words cannot come in reckoning in the last day contrary to Matth. 12. 36. for God forgives crimes Ergo he will not call us to an account for our venialls If this conclude any thing the strongest understanding cannot pretend immunity from being deceived Ergo simple ignorance of the things of God is no sin I may argue no man can pretend to be free of sin in the inclination of the heart and originall guiltinesse Job 4. 4. Ps 51. 5. Gen 8. 21. Prov. 20. 9. 1 Joh. 1. 8. 10. Eccles 7. 20. Ergo sin is no sin originall sin sins of infirmities are no sins Object No Christian is to be put to death for his opinion which doth not teach impiety or blasphemy If it plainly and apparently brings in a crime and himselfe doth act it or incourage it then the matter of fact is punishable according to its proportion and malignancy as if be preach Treason and Sedition his opinion cannot excuse because it brings in a crime a man is never the lesse Traytor because he beleeves it lawfull to commit Treason and a man is a murtherer if he kill his brother unjustly although he thinke to doe God good service in it matters of fact are equally judicable whether the principle of them he from within or without and if a man could pretend to innocency in being seditious blasphemous or perjured by perswading himselfe it is lawfull a gate were opened for all iniquity I deny not but certaine and knowne Idolatry or any other sort of practicall impiety with its principiant doctrine ought to be punished because it is no other but matter of fact but no matter of meer opinion no errours that of themselves are not sins are to be persecuted by death or corporall inflictions Answ 1. The Doctor mocketh when he saith No meer opinions are to be persecuted That was never in question a meer opinion is a meer act of the minde within the walls of the soule and can be knowne to no man for neither Magistrate nor Church can judge of invisible and hidden acts of the soule so he sayes nothing 2. The simple apprehension of God to be a fourfooted beast is by the Apostle Rom. 1. esteemed Idolatry and a mentall changing of the glory of the incorruptible God into the glory of a corruptible creature and the profession thereof must then be the profession of manifest Idolatry and so punishable yet it is a profession of a meer opinion but I confesse of a most Idolatrous opinion not of a fact otherwise by this learning of Libertines there can be no sin in simple apprehensions of God though most prodigious and monstrous what is blasphemy is as controverted and as unjudicable as simple errour Servetus his naming the blessed Trinity a Cerberus or three-headed dog blasphemed say we I thinke Doctour Taylor will not say so then by his way blasphemy must be as unjudicable as heresie and to him the formall of it is within in the heart 3. If matters of fact be punishable according to their proportion and malignancy then speaking lyes in the name of the Lord and teaching and professing malignant doctrine contrary to the doctrine of godlinesse that Christ thought it no robbery to be equall and consubstantiall to God that God is one in three persons and to teach any thing contrary to what God hath said in his word as that there were not eight persons in the Arke with Neah must be punishable the contrary whereof the Doctor saith here for every breach of a Commandement is malignancy and punishable when it hurteth humane society especially 4. Can a man be the lesse hereticall and his society the lesse detestable then that he thinks his heresie is sound doctrine for thoughts cannot change the nature of actions 5. To kill a man is indifferent of it self it may be done in justice it may be done in injustice but if a man kill his son and offer him to God neither hating nor envying nor grudging at the safety of his son only upon this meer opinion that he expresseth an act of love to God above that he beareth to his son as Abraham did then by this way he sinneth not this son-slaughter is not murther nor punishable but a simple errour For 1. It may be said by Libertines the act of killing is indifferent of it selfe 2. If he hate not his son and lye not in wait for him it is no murther Deut. 4. 42. Deut. 19. 46. He is not worthy of death for as much as he hated him not in times past Nor can killing be called a vertuall hating or essentially an hatred of our brother for then it were impossible for a Judge to kill a man and not to hate him As every breach of the Law of God is essentially an hatred of God and a vertuall hatred of God for simple killing of our neighbour is not murther by Gods reasoning but killing of him in hatred rage anger or desire of revenge Nor can it be said that hating forbidden in murther by the Law of God includes a loving of him and a saving of his life when it is in our power to save it as it is in the fathers power who sacrificeth his innocent Son to God to save his life Answer I deny not but it is murther for they teach that a man may publish that which by consequence destroyeth the faith of fundamentals and so subvert the faith of others which to do is a sin but because the man followeth the dictment of his erroneous conscience it is no sin to the man that so teacheth yea he may innocently suffer persecution for his conscience thus erroneous yea and dye a martyr for it Ergo if the following of an erroneous conscience shall make a lesse sin to be no sin but innocency it shall make a greater sin to wit killing of his son to his heavenly father no sin and so he may lawfully do it Nor wil it suffice to say to offer a man to God and kill him is against the light of nature and vincibly a sin what then if the man beleeve he is commanded to kill him his erroneous conscience must bind as the offering of whole burnt offerings to God to us is a sin against the light of nature in regard the law of nature can no more warrant it then it can