against my person which might weaken the fruit of my counsell to him I told him I had not hasted forward the sentence of his Civill Banishment and that what was done by the Magistrates in that kinde was neither done by my Counsell nor consent Whereto he answereth first That he observeth I cannot but confesse that it is hard for any man to doe good or to speake effectually to the soule or Conscience of any whose body he afflicteth and persecuteth and that onely for their soule and Conscience sake Reply All that can truely be observed from my words is That it is hard for any to take good from those against whom they have conceived a prejudice whether justly or unjustly But when he subjoyneth a Serpentine that is a subtile and venomous insinuation as if I had afflicted and persecuted his body and that onely for his soule and Conscience sake Answ I have been so farre from afflicting or persecuting his body especially for his soule or conscience sake that in very truth whilest I had any hope of prevailing for him I may say as David said for himselfe against a like slander Psal 7.3 4. I have sought to deliver him who without cause reproacheth me Let not Mr. Williams please himselfe as he doth in this Paragraph in comparing the dealing of the Elders with him here to the Persecutions of the Bishops against the godly Preachers in England If the Bishops had dealt no worse with the godly Preachers there and upon no more unjust causes then the Elders dealt with him here they might with good conscience and good countenance have looked with comfort and confidence both God and man in the face even now when God hath laid their carnall pompe and worldly honour in the dust Neither let him please himselfe as he doth in the next Paragraph in his undoubted Assertion That what Mr. Cotton and others did in procuring his sorrowes was not without some regret and reluctancy of Conscience and affection as David in procuring Uriah's death or Asa in imprisoning the Prophet For neither was he so innocent as was Vriah and that Prophet nor had my selfe the like hand in his sufferings as David and Asa had in the other nor did I ever see cause of regret and reluctancy of conscience for any act of mine own about his sufferings Onely I confesse I had as he saith some regret and reluctancy of affection and of compassion to see one who had received from God stirring and usefull gifts to bestirre himselfe so busily and eagerly to abuse them to the disturbance of himselfe his family the Churches and the Common-wealth That I consented not to his Banishment he in part admitteth For what need was there saith he of that being not one of the Civill Court As if I might not have consented to it though I needed not to have done it I might have drawn up Articles against him I might have come in as a witnesse against him I might have solicited and stirred up the body of the Magistrates against him to rid the countrey of him and then I had consented before-hand to what was done by the Magistrates in that kinde though my selfe had been none of the Court but none of all these acts nor any such like were done by me But be it that I consented not yet I counselled it and so consented and to prove that he saith He will produce a double and unanswerable Testimony for it First That I publickly taught and still doe Teach except lately Christ hath taught me better that body-killing soule-killing and State-killing Doctrine of Persecuting all other Consciences and wayes of worship but mine own in the Civill State and consequently in the whole world if the Power or Empire thereof were in mine hand Reply Were it not that I have learned from the word of truth that when men are cast out of the Church of Christ they are delivered up unto Satan and so neither their wits nor their tongues are their own I could not easily have beleeved that Mr. Williams could so confidently and openly have avouched such a notorious slander Since the Lord taught me to know any thing what conscience or the worship of God meant it hath been my constant judgement and doctrine and practise to the contrary Besides To teach the killing of the bodies of all such Consciences and wayes of worship as are not mine own is to make mine own conscience and way of worship the infallible Rule and soveraigne Standard by which all consciences and wayes of worship throughout the world were to be regulated yea and as if this were a light measure of arrogancy and usurpation I make it a capitall crime a body-killing offence for any man to swerve from my conscience and way of worship even in such Points wherein the Holy Ghost hath given expresse charge that we should not judge nor condemne one another Rom. 14.3 But I durst appeale even unto the conscience of Mr. Williams himselfe if it were now in the gracious keeping of Christ or of himselfe as in former times that himselfe knoweth I doe not thinke it lawfull to Excommunicate an Heretick much lesse to persecute him with the civill Sword till it may appeare even by just and full conviction that he sinneth not out of conscience but against the very light of his own conscience Sure I am such a Point he reporteth is received from me to the very same purpose and he reporteth it truely in his Bloudy Tenent pag. 8. This Answer may suffice to his first as he calleth it unanswerable Testimony His second unanswerable Testimony is That some Gentlemen that did consent to his Sentence have solemnly testified and with teares since confessed to himselfe that they could not in their soules have been brought to have consented to the Sentence of his Banishment had not Mr. Cotton in private given them advice and counsell proving it just and warrantable to their Consciences Reply I might here justly plead the equitie of the Romane Custome to excuse my selfe from this accusation untill the accusers come before me face to face And truely if Apocryphall witnesses may goe for unanswerable Testimonies it is an easie matter to oppresse any innocency I might also plead the incompetency of such a witnesse as haply lying under some censure from our Church and removing himselfe from our fellowship might take more liberty to speake against me in a pang of passion what he would be loath to justifie in cold bloud I might likewise alledge that one or two Magistrates makes not a Court nor was his Sentence cast by the vote of one or two So that if I had counselled one or two to it it would not argue that the act of the Magistrates and of the Deputies which is the body of the Court had been done by my counsell or consent And indeed it was the very true meaning of my speech that for the hastening of the Sentence of the Court against Mr. Williams that act of the
had been then but on his way to Ephesus which is a narrow point of time it is more then propable if Timothy had been then at Ephesus he would have said Tychicus have I sent to thee to Ephesus CHAP. 39. A Reply to his 39. Chap. Discusser BVt from this place in Timothy 2 Tim. 2.25 in particular I argue thus 1. If the Civill Magistrates be Christians or Members of the Church able to prophesie to the Church of Christ then they are bound by this command of Christ to suffer opposition to their Doctrine with meeknesse and gentlenesse waiting if God peradventure will give them Repentance So also it pleaseth the Answerer to acknowledge in these words It becometh not the spirit of the Gospel to convert Aliens to the Faith such as the Samaritans and unconverted persons whether in Ephesus or Creete with Fire and Sword Defender The Answerer is still of the same mind though he might strike in upon the advantage that if the Magistrate be also a Prophet he may doe some things as a Magistrate which he may not doe as a Prophet yet he willingly acknowledgeth that if a Magistrate be also a Prophet yea whether he be a Prophet or no he ought not to seeke to subdue and convert Aliens to the Faith by Fire and Sword Discusser Secondly if the Oppositions be within and the Church-members become scandalous in Doctrine I speake not of scandalls in the Civill State which the civill Magistrate ought to punish It is the Lord onely as the Scripture in Timothy implyeth who is able to give them Repentance and to recover them out of Satans snare c. It is true the civill Sword may make a whole Nation of Hypocrites as the Lord complaineth Isay 10. and as befell our Native Country in a few scores of yeares in the severall Reignes of Henry 7. Henry 8. King Edward Queen Mary Queene Elizabeth under whom our Nation was as ready to change the fashion of their Religions as of their Suits of Apparell which hath been their sinfull shame Defender If Opposition rise from within from the Members of the Church I doe not beleive it to be lawfull for the Magistrate to seeke to subdue and convert them to be of his mind by the civill Sword But rather to use all spirituall meanes for their conviction and conversion But if the Opposition still continue in Doctrine and Worship and that against the vitals and Fundamentalls of Religion whether by Heresie of Doctrine or Idolatry in Worship and shall proceed to seeke the Seduction of others I doe beleive the Magistrate is not to tolerate such opposion against the Truth in Church-members or in any Professours of the Truth after due conviction from the word of Truth Nor is it an Objection of any weight that neither the Magistrate nor his Sword can give Repentance unto such For neither can he give Repentance unto such persons as are scandalous to the civill State whom yet notwithstanding the Discusser himselfe acknowledgeth the civill Magistrate ought to punish Though the civill Sword should not make the opposers Hypocrites yet better tolerate Hypocrites and Tares then Bryars and Thornes In such cases the civill Sword doth not so much attend the conversion of wicked Seducers as the prevention of the seduction of honest minds by their meanes What the Kings and Queens of England have done in former or later times either by violent Persecution of the Truth or in preposterous maintenance of the Truth we have cause rather to bewaile it and so hath the Discusser too if he be an English man then to justifie it as also bewaile the like vanity justly complained of in sundry of our English Nation to be as ready to change the fashion of their Religion as of their Rayment And yet he cannot be ignorant that the Lord hath chosen to himselfe sundry faithfull witnesses out of that Nation who have continued stedfast unto the death in the Profession of the Truth and have not been carried away either with the feare of civill Sword or with the deceitfull insinuations of unstable but seducing Teachers to depart from the simplicity and Truth of the Gospel But howsoever wofull and wonderfull changes have been made of Religion in England in the Reigne of foure or five Princes yet it is no more then befell the Church of Judah in the dayes of Ahaz and Hezekiah Manasseh and Josiah yet the Prophets never upbraided them with the civill Magistrater Power in causes of Religion as the cause of it Better some vicissitudes in Religion then a constant continuance in Idolatry and Popery by Princes referring all causes of Religion to Church-men The Prophecie of Englands Revolt againe to Popery wanteth Scripture Light CHAP. 40. A Reply to his Chap. 40. Discusser BVt it hath been thought and said shall Oppositions against the Truth escape unpunished will they not prove mischievous I answer as before concerning the blind Guides their case being incurable is rather to be lamented since none but the right hand of the Lord in the meeke and gentle Dispensing of the word of Truth can release them c. Defender So it is with all scandalous offenders against the civil State none can give them healing Repentance but the right hand of the Lord Jesus in the dispensing of the word of Truth yet that doth not restraine Magistrates from executing just Judgement upon them So neither doth it restraine them from executing the like just Judgement against these though not to procure the Repentance of incurable obstinate Hereticks and Idolaters yet to prevent the seduction and subversion of others What though a dead soule though changed from one Worship to another like a dead man shifted into severall suites of Apparell cannot please God Heb. 11.6 And what though Faith be that gift which proceedeth alone from that Father of Lights Phil. 1.29 Yet better a dead soule be dead in body as well as in Spirit then to live and be lively in the flesh to murder many precious soules by the Magistrates Indulgence And better he die without Faith then to live to seduce many honest minds to depart from the Faith Discusser I adde a civill Sword hardneth the followers of false Teachers by the sufferings of their false and Antichristian Seducers And secondly it begetteth in them an Impression of the falshood of that Religion which cannot uphold it selfe but with such Instruments of violence and wanteth the soft and gentle commiseration of the blindnesse of others Defender A civill Magistrate ought not to draw out his civill Sword against any Seducers Whether Hereticks or Idolaters till he have used all good meanes for their conviction and thereby clearely manifested the bowels of tender commiseration and compassion towards them But if after their continuance in obstinate Rebellion against the Light he shall still walke towards them in soft and gentle commiseration his softnesse and gentlenesse is excessive large to Foxes and wolves But his bowels are miserably straitned and hardned
beleeve and professe the calling which we have received to the Ministery in New-England to be of Christ yet 1. It is an insolent phrase that savoureth of more arrogancy then either we dare use or allow in our selves or others to seeme to make our calling to the Ministery in New-England a Rule and patterne and precedent to all the Churches of Christ throughout the world Did ever any man meete with such an expression in any of our writings That Christ Jesus hath appointed no other Calling to the Ministery but such as we practise in New-England Such language doth neither become the lips of Mr. Williams nor of any Minister in New-England 2. Though we beleeve our calling to be of God yet we doe neither beleeve nor professe that every difference from us which other Churches may use in the calling of their Ministers doth straight way make their callings no callings or no callings of Christ Though it be our manner and as wee beleeve according to the word that every Church chooseth and calleth their own Ministers and ordaineth them by the Presbytery of the same Church yet if the Presbytery of other Churches commend a Minister to a vacant Church and upon the acceptance of the Church if the presbyters of those Churches doe ordaine him with the consent of the Church we doe not professe that this is no calling of Christ or that these are no Ministers of Christ The fâ—ee choice of the Church is preserved for ought we know in their free acceptance of a Minister commended to them And whether the Minister be ordained by imposition of hands at all or no and if by imposition of hands by the hands of fellow-Elders of other Churches with the consent of the Church We neither put so much waight in such a Rite though Apostolicall nor doe we so farre restraine the libertie of communion of Churches that if they shall communicate such entercourse of Church-actions one to another then all their callings and administrations to be of none effect Wee are not so masterly and peremptory in our apprehensions And yet with submission we conceive the more plainly and exactly all Church-actions are carried on according to the letter of the rule the more glory wee shall give unto the Lord Jesus and procure the more peace to our Consciences and to our Churches and reserve more purity and power to all our Administrations 3. Though we doe beleeve and professe that a Church by rule ought to be a Congregation of godly persons or at least of such as professe godlinesse yet if through neglect of the power of doctrine few godly persons be left in a Congregation through neglect of discipline few of those who professe godlinesse be found so blamelesse as the purity of the Sanctuary requireth yet we doe not straight way professe that such Congregations are no Churches or that a Ministery chosen by such a Congregation are none of Christs It is true Gods chiefest regard is of his chosen Saints godly persons To them and for them he hath given Church-estate Church-Covenant and seales Church-Officers with all the power of the administrations of the holy things the ordinances of Christ Ephes 4.11 12 13. But yet that his holy Saints might be preserved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without scruples and distracting perplexities in their Church-Communion the Lord is pleased for their sakes to tolerate much hypocrisie and many aberrations in Church-matters before he reject Churches as no Churches Ministery as no Ministery of Christ callings as no callings To speake then a word to the inferences which the Examiner gathereth from the two former mistaken confessions of ours As 1. That a Calling or Commission received from the Bishops is none of Christs Reply 1. We doe not beleeve nor professe that the Ministers of England who received Ordination from the Bishops did receive their calling from the Bishops their Episcopall ordination is no part of their vocation to the Ministery Their vocation or calling is from Christ by the Election or at least acceptation of the Congregation The ordination is onely Adjunctum Consummans of the solemnity of their calling as hath been shewed above Reply 2. Episcopall ordination though it be an aberration from the institution yet we doe not conceive that it maketh an abrogation of the calling of a Minister Extrinsecall pollutions though they defile the calling yet they doe not destroy it His second inference is That a Calling from a Parish of naturall and unregenerate persons is none of Christs Reply 1. It is an hard saying to say that all of the Parish are naturall and unregenerate Persons Such as are swift to judge themselves are slow to judge others Reply 2. Suppose they were all naturall and unregenerate persons yet they professing Christianitie and meeting together every Lords day for the worship of the Lord Jesus and desiring to have a Minister to instruct them therein their calling is not a nullitie I cannot say that the worshippers of God at Philippi whereof Lydia was one who met together for prayer every Sabbath day were any of them better then unregenerate persons before Paul and Sylas came amongst them And yet if a man of Macedonia come and call Paul and Sylas to come and helpe them they assuredly gather that the Lord had called them to preach the Gospel to them Acts 16.9 10. His third inferâ—nce is That a Calling from some few godly persons yet remaining in Church fellowship after the Parish way is not of Christ Reply Then it would follow that a remnant of godly persons is not sufficient to constitute and denominate a Church if the greater part be corrupt and uncleane But the Prophet Isaiah was of another minde and hath taught us by the Holy Ghost to judge otherwise Except saith he Isai 1.9 the Lord of Hosts had left us a very small Remnant wee should have been as Sodom wee should have been like unto Gomorrah In his judgement it is not a multitude of hypocrites and prophane persons that maketh a Church where a remnant of godly persons are found to become as Sodom or Gomorrah But it is a remnant a very small remnant that preserve the Church from becoming as Sodom or Gomorrah His fourth and last inference is That eminent gifts and abilities are but qualifications fitting and preparing for a Call or Office according to 1 Tim. 3. Tit. 1. Reply We readily acknowledge it but yet if a few godly persons shall call for the employment of these gifts to their spirituall edification The men who are qualified with these gifts are not onely fitted and prepared for a call or office but actually called unto office at least to preach the word unto them though not to administer the Covenant or seales of the Covenant but onely to them and their seed who yeeld professed subjection to the Gospel of Christ Jesus If any through ignorance or infirmitie proceed further in their administrations I doe beleeve the repentance of the Ministers for sinnes
yeild obedience to such Doctrines and worships as are by men Invented and Appointed As the three famous Jewes were cast into the fiery Furnace in a non-conformity to the whole conforming world before the Golden Image Dan. 3.21 c. Defender Thus a man may find a knot in a Bulrush yea thus a man that were disposed might find fault with the Comforts of God for not being full and Compleate with the Affirmative Comforts because they doe not expresse the Negative and with the Negative because they doe not expresse the Affirmative He that maketh it persecution for cause of Conscience when a man is punished for professing such Doctrine which he beleiveth in Conscience to be the truth he maketh it a Pari Persecution for cause of Conscience when a man is punished for Renouncing such Doctrines which he beleiveth in Conscience to be Erroneous And he that maketh it Persecution for cause of Conscience when a man is punished for practising such a worke which he beleives in conscience to be a Religious duty He maketh it no lesse Persecution for cause of Conscience when a man is punished for not practising such a worke which he beleiveth in Conscience to be a sin CHAP. 4. A Reply to his fourth Chapter touching the distinction of Doctrines Some fundamentall others circumstantiall and lesse Principall IN points of Doctrine I said in my Answer to the Prisoners Letter some are Fundamentall without right beleife whereof a man cannot be saved others are circumstantiall and lesse Principall wherein one man may differ from another in judgement without prejudice of salvation on either part Discusser To this distinction He saith Truth dare not subscribe for then thousands ten thousands should everlastingly be condemned yea the whole Generation of the Righteous who since the falling away have and doe erre fundamently concerning the true matter Constitution Gathering Governing of the Church And yet farre be it from any pious Breast to Imagine that they are not saved c. Defender Fundamentall Doctrines are of two sorts Some hold forth the foundation of Christian Religion as the Doctrines of salvation by Christ and of faith in his Name Repentance from dead workes Resurrection from the dead and the like Others concerne the Foundation of the Church as the matter and forme of it and the proper Adjuncts accompaning the same The Apostle speaketh of both these sorts of Foundations together Heb. 6.1.2 I speake of the former sort of these onely namely the Foundation or fundamentall points of Christian Religion which who so subverteth and Renounceth he renounceth also his owne salvation The other sort I looke at as lesse principall in comparison of these though some of them have a fundamentall vse in Church order It was pertinent to the Question propounded in the Prisoners Letter to expresse how farre I allowed Toleration even in such fundamentall Errors as subverted the Foundation of Christian Religion And in other Errors lesse dangerous such as neither subverted Religion nor Salvation It would easily be conceived that Toleration might more easily be allowed How farre New English Churches partake with the Old English Parish Churches in any of the Ordinances of God and upon what ground hath been declared in the Reply to the Answer of the other Letter Where also it hath been cleared how farre off the Churches here have been from persecuting or oppressing any of their Brethren for presenting light to them about this point which may prevent and still the lamentation of peace in the beginning of this fith Chapter CHAP. 5. A Reply to his fifth Chapter Concerning a distinction of Points of Practise IN Answer to the Prisoners Letter I said in points of Practise some concerne the weightier Duties of the Law as what God we worship and with what kinde of Worship whether it be such as if it be right Fellowship with God is held If false Fellowship with God is lost Discusser It is worth the Inquiry what kinde of worship he intendeth whether in generall acceptation the Rightnesse or Corruptnesse of the Church or the Ministery of the Church or the Ministrations of the Word Prayer Seales c. And because it pleaseth the Spirit of God to make the Ministery one of the foundations of Christian Religion Heb. 6.1.2 and also to make the Ministery of the Word and Prayer in the Church to be two speciall workes even of the Apostles themselves Acts 6.2 I shall desire it may well be considered in the feare of God 1. Concerning the Ministery of the Word If their new Ministery and ordination be true then the former was false And if false then will it not follow according to this distinction that fellowship with God was lost 2. Concerning Prayer the New English Ministers have disclaimed and written against that Worship of God by Common or set formes of Prayer which yet themselves practised in England And though they were faithfully admonished for vseing the Common Prayer yet at that time they satisfied their hearts with the practise of the Author of the Councell of Trent c. But now I aske whether or no fellowship with God in such Prayers was lost c. 3. Gods People may live and die in such kinde of worship notwithstanding light presented to them able to convince yet not reaching to a conviction and to forsakeing of such wayes which is Contrary to his Conclusion That Fundamentalls are so cleare that a man cannot but be convinced in Conscience after once or twice Admonition And therefore such a person not being convinced he is condemned of himselfe and may be persecuted for sinning against his Conscience 4. I Observe here that Mr. Cotton herein measureth to others that which himselfe when he lived in such practises would not have had measured to himselfe As 1. That it might have been affirmed of him that in such practises he did sin against his Conscience having sufficient light shinning about him 2. That he should or might have been cut off by death or Banishment as an Hereticke sinning against his Conscience c. Defender 1. It needs no inquiry what worship I meanes whether Church and Minister or Ministrations of the Word Prayer Seales c. For I meane none of these as they are dispenced in the Churches of England Though there have been corruptions in the order and dispensations of these things amongst them especially in the times when we lived there yet neither their Churches nor Ministry nor Ministrations were such or so false that fellowship with God could not be held of them not onely inwardly and secretly but also outwardly and visibly not onely in inward conversion and conviction but also in outward and visible Reformation according to light received Take my words as I wrote them and as he relateth them and my meaning is plaine enough I speake of such worship which if false fellowship with God is lost which cannot truly be avouched of any part of the Worship of God in England It is not truly said
Discusser IF it be said neither the Roman Caesar nor Herod nor Pilate knew ought of the true God or of Christ and it had been in vaine to have made complaint to them who were not fit and competent but ignorant and opposite Judges Answ 1. This removeth the stumbling blocke of Pauls appeale to Caesar which since he could not doe in common sence as to a competent Judge in such cases c. It must needes follow his appeale was meerely in respect of his civill wrongs c. Answ 2. If it had been an Ordinance of God that all civill Magistrates were bound to judge in causes spirituall and Christian as to suppresse Heresies to defend the Faith of Jesus although that Caesar Herod and Pontius Pilate were ignorant wicked and opposite Judges yet Christ and his Disciples should have gone as farre as lay in their power for redressing of evill and left it in the Magistrates hands Answ 3. If it had been the holy will of God to have established the Doctrine and Kingdome of his Sonne this way he would have furnished Kingdomes and Common-wealths with many good and gracious Magistrates to have fitted them for it Defender Reply 1. to Ans 1. Pauls appeale to Caesar was about the wrongs done unto the Jewes Acts 25.10 The wrongs to them were not onely civill but Church-offences which Paul denied Neither against the Law of the Jewes saith he nor against the Temple nor against Caesar have I offended any thing at all ver 8. Festus demanded if he would goe up to Hierusalem there to be judged of these things ver 9. These things were matters of Religion as well as civill offences To offend against the Law of the Jewes and against the Temple were offences against Religion to offend against Caesar was a civill offence To be judged of these things Paul declineth the Court at Hierusalem as being unjustly prejudiced against him But professing his owne innocency and subjection to just judgement He appealeth to Caesars judgement seate ver 10 11. wherein three or foure things doe evidently appeare 1. That a man may be such an offender in matters of Religion against the Law of God against the Church as well as in civill matters against Caesar as to be worthy of death This Paul presupposeth ver 8 9 10. 2. That Paul or any other such like servant of Christ If he should commit any such offence he would not refuse judgement unto death ver 11. 3. That for the Judgement of his person in these causes whether ecclesiasticall or civill It is lawfull in some cases to appeale to a civill though a Pagan Magistrate In some cases I say as where both these concurre to wit 1. That Church-officers are maliciously prejudiced against a man and inferiour civil Courts incline to them 2. That a man be called in question amongst them in capitall causes which concerne his life But a fourth thing which appeareth from Pauls appeale is this That the civill Magistrate whether Christian or Pagan may and ought to be so well acquainted not onely with civill causes but also with causes of Religion especially such as concerne life as to be able to judge though not of all questions yet of capitall offences against Religion as well as against the civill State Reply 2. to Ans 2. The Marginall Note seemeth to imply a contradiction to it selfe for thus it speaketh Civill Magistrates were never appointed by God Defenders of the Faith of Jesus And againe Every one is bound to put forth himselfe to his utmost power in Gods Businesse Surely if every one be bound to put forth himselfe to his utmost power in Gods Businesse then civill Magistrates are bound to put forth their civill power in defending the Faith of Jesus Neither will it henceforth follow That either Christ or his Disciples were bound to complaine to Caesar or to Herod or to Pontius Pilate against the Heresies of the Pharises For though all Magistrates even Pagans ought to informe themselves in the matters of Faith and of Christian Religion that they may observe and preserve it and it will be a destructive sinne to them and their States if they doe neglect it Psal 2.10 11 12. Yet it may be safer for a Christian man being oppressed in inferiour Courts of hereticall malignant Judges to appeale from them unto Pagan Princes in his owne just defence then to make complaint to malignant hereticall Judges or to Pagan Princes against heresies or hereticall false Teacliers Christ sent out his Disciples as sheepe amongst wolves and therefore instructed them to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves Matth. 10.16 Now it is no part of wisedome for a sheepe of Christ to complaine to a kennell of wolves That amongst the wolves there be some of their company doe make havocke of the sheepe leading them aside into damnable heresies If a poore sheepe should attempt such a thing would not the whole kennell of wolves arise up against him as a troubler of their State that when he enjoyeth peace himselfe they trouble not him yet he will needes be so busie as to trouble them And therefore we deny that it had tended to the defence of the Faith of Jesus or to the suppressing Herisies for Christ and his Disciples to have complained to Herod Pilate Caesar of the heresies of the Pharises It had rather tended to the disturbance and suppression of the Faith of Jesus by provoking the malice of the Pharises and by disquieting civill Thrones with feares and jealousies of a new Kingdome springing up amongst them Besidâ—â— it had been altogether preposterous to make use of the civill power for the first publishing of the Gospell of peace It was necessary the Gospell should first be knowne and received and beleeved and professed before any could be complained of for Apostacy from it into Heresie or seducement of others into such wickednesse Reply 3. to Ans 3. We doe not say It is the holy Will and Purpose of God to establish the Doctrine and Kingdome of his Sonne our Lord Jesus onely this way to wit by the helpe of civill Authority For it is his Will also to magnifie his Power in establishing the same by a contrary way even by the sufferings patient sufferings of his Saints and by the bloudy swords of persecuting Magistrates Revel 12.11 So that Christ need not to send good and gracious Magistrates as if for want of them the Christian Faith and Religion would fall to the ground for it hath spread and flourished under fiery and cruell persecution But yet this hindreth not but that it is the duty of Magistrates to know the Sonne and to kisse him to acknowledge his Kingdome and submit their Thrones and Crownes to it to love his truth and to be nursing Fathers to his Church Isai 49.23 which how they can doe and yet not be Defenders of the Faith of Jesus I doe not understand CHAP. 31. A Reply to his thirteenth Chapter discussing by the way the
THE BLOUDY TENENT WASHED And made white in the bloud of the Lambe being discussed and discharged of bloud-guiltinesse by just Defence WHEREIN The great Questions of this present time are handled viz. How farre Liberty of Conscience ought to be given to those that truly feare God And how farre restrained to turbulent and pestilent persons that not onely raze the foundation of Godlinesse but disturb the Civill Peace where they live Also how farre the Magistrate may proceed in the duties of the first Table And that all Magistrates ought to study the word and will of God that they may frame their Government according to it DISCUSSED As they are alledged from divers Scriptures out of the Old and New Testament Wherein also the practise of Princes is debated together with the Judgement of Ancient and late Writers of most precious esteeme Whereunto is added a Reply to Mr. WILLIAMS Answer to Mr. COTTONS Letter BY JOHN COTTON Batchelor in Divinity and Teacher of the Church of Christ at Boston in New-England LONDON Printed by Matthew Symmons for Hannah Allen at the Crowne in Popes-Head-Alley 1647. THE BLOODY TENET WASHED AND MADE WHITE IN THE BLOOD OF THE LAMBE OR The Bloody Tenet discust and discharg'd of bloud-guiltinesse by Just defence CHAP. I. THE Bloody Tenet I meane the booke stiled by that name tending to discusse an holy wholesome truth of God slanderously stiled the Bloudy Tenet was put forth against the Royall Law of the love of the Gospel Mr. Williams sent me about a dozen yeares agoe as I remember a letter penned as he wrote by a Prisoner in Newgate touching persecution for Conscience sake and intreated my judgement of it for the satisfaction of his friend I wa not willing to deny him any office of Christian love and gave him my poore judgement in a private letter This private letter of mine he hath published in Print after so many yeares and there with a Resuration of it If my letter was Orthodoxall and tending to satisfaction and edification why did he refute it If corrupt and erronious especially if bloudy why did he publish it The letter and so the error contained in it if it was an error it was private and so private that I know no man that hath a coppy of it no not my selfe who penned it for ought I could find but himselfe onely if I did offend him by the writing of such an error to him though by himselfe intreated to expresse my judgement let him remember he pleadeth for libertie of conscience I wrote my conscience and the truth of God according to my conscience in the sight of God Why should he punish me with open pennance and expose me as much as in him lieth before the world to open shame as a man of bloud for the liberty of my conscience How will it stand with his owne principles to plead for liberty of conscience and yet to punish it Besides let him remember if I did offend him with such an error it was but a private offence and the rule of the Gospel required he should first have convinced and admonished me privately of it and so have proceeded upon my contumacy at length to have told the Church before he had published it to the world But such as seeke for new Apostles must seeke also for new Gospel before this manner of dealing can be justified by the Gospel of Christ That booke of his therefore being thus begun against the rule of the Gospel no marvell if it swarve from the truth of the Gospel all a long He that setteth forth out of his way in the first entrance of his journey no marvell if he wander all the day after CHAP. 2. Of the title he prefixeth to my answere of the prisoners letter IN printing my answer to the prisoners Letter he prefixeth thititle The answer of Mr. John Cotton of Boston in New-Englands professedly maintaining Persecution for cause of Conscience This Title trespasseth not onely against the Creator of Christian love which is wont to take even doubtfull things in the fairest sense but even against the Law of truth For in the whole purport of my Answer to the Letter both in stating the Question and in answering Objections I expresly professe 1. That no man is to be persecuted at all much lesse for Conscience sake because all persecution is oppression for Righteousnesse sake 2. I Professe further That none is to be punishâ—d for his Conscience sake though Erroneous unlesse his Errors be Fundamentall or seditiously and turbulently promoted and that after due conviction of Conscience That it may appeare he is not punished for his Conscience but for sinning against his Conscience Thus whilest he pleadeth for Liberty of Conscience he taketh Liberty to his Conscience openly to publish That I do professedly maintaine Persecution for cause of Conscience When I doe in expresse tearmes professedly Renounce it This Liberty of Conscience setteth the Conscience at Liberty Calumniandi audacter Object But it may be by consequence I doe maintaine Persecution for cause of Conscience though in expresse tearmes I professedly Renounce it Ans 1. What if such a thing might be inferr'd by consequence mens judgements and professions are not to be taken up from every unwary consequence against their owne positive and expresse Declarations and Professions It is iustly taxed in Bellarmine as a slanderous Calumny that he bringeth in Luther Calvine Martyr Bucer makeing God the Authour of sinne which all of them in expresse tearmes doe auoyde yet he would fasten such a blasphemous Tenet upon them forsooth by consequences In like sort by the like consequences is the Bloudy Tenet fastened upon me When the eyes are bloud-shotten or looke through a red glasse all things about them will appeare red and bloudy But if this Tenet have any appearance of blood in it It is because it is washed in the Bloud of the Lambe and sealed with his bloud And then though it may seeme Bloudy to men of corrupt mindes destitute of the truth as Paul seemed to such to be a Pestilent fellow yet to faithful and upright soules such things as are washed in the Bloud of the Lambe are wont to come forth white as did the followers of the Lambe who washed their Robes white in the Bloud of the Lambe Rev 7.14 CHAP. 3. A reply to the third Chapter of the Bloudy Tenet discust what is a cause of Conscience in generall IN stateing of the Question I propounded some distinctions for clearing of the Point The 1. was this in mine Answer to the Letter of the Prisoner By Persecution for cause of Conscience I conceive you meane either for professing some point of Doctrine which you beleive in Conscience to be the Truth or for practising some worke which you beleive in Conscience to be a Religious duty Discusser This distinction is not full and compleate For besides both these a man may be persecuted for cause of Conscience because he dare not be constrained to