THREE Contending BRETHREN Mr. WILLIAMS Mr. LOB Mr. ALSOP Reconcil'd and made Friends By an Occasional CONFERENCE WITH Three Notorious Hereticks Mr. HVMPHREYS Mr. CLARK Dr. CRISP And Abram said unto Lot let there be no strife I pray thee between me and thee for we are Brethren Gen. 13.8 A Man that is a Heretick after the first and second Admonition reject 3 Tit. 10. Quin laniant mundum tanta est discordia fratrum By Calvin Anti-Crispian London Printed for J. Harris at the Harrow in Little Britain 1698. BOOKS Publish'd by the Author and Sold by John Harris in Little Britain WIlliam Pen and the Quakers either Impostors or Apostates which they please proved from their avowed Principles and contrary Practises A Censure of George Fox's Journal and an Answer to B. C. and W. C. his Trepidantium Malleus intrepidanter Malleatus A Reprimand for the Author of a Libel entituled George Keith an Apostate Vindiciae Anti-Baxterianae or Animadversions on the Life of Mr. Baxter An Apology for Congregational Divines against the Charge of Crispianism countenancing of Tradesmens Preaching and Causeless Separation from the Publick Worship A DIALOGUE BETWEEN Mr. Williams Mr. Lob c. Mr. W. WELL met honest Mr. Lob. Mr. L. May I say honest Mr. Williams Mr. H. Yes you may and tell as notorious an Untruth as he Mr. A. Why so hot Sir for you ought rather to understand Mr. Williams figuratively than be so keen against them both let me refresh your memory If Durior impropriae est Catachresis abusio vocis Contra quam sentit solet Ironia jocari Insultans hosti illudit sarcasmus amare will not do I hope This will Antiphrasis voces tibi per contraria signat As Symphora for Adversity tho' it signifie Prosperity Auri Sacra fames holy Covetousness for wicked This is known to all Orators Youths as well as Men. You know Christ call'd Judas Friend had you been by Christ when he thus did what would you have said Mr. W. Brother Humphreys I assure you I spoke in the common literal sence of the word without a Trope for I think many Mistakes in Opinion and Rashness in Words and Weakness in Actions consistent with Honesty Mr. H. Do not call me Brother for I disown you as such you are a Brother of Mr. Alsop that old Calvinist he is become your Defender We now see what you are You are able to distinguish and distinguish and distinguish a Man out of his Senses no man since Mr. Baxter died is able to understand you as if not only materialiter and formaliter stricte and late and a thousand such distinctions might unty many a Knot but as if the old Archipodialiter and reflexive c. must come in for a share But as it hath been long and often observed of the Popes of Rome none were more cruel than the Clements none greater Cowards than the Leos none more mischievous than the Bonifaces none more vile than the Innocents so none less honest than you two call one another as you please It was an Innocent that interdicted this Kingdom in the Reign of King John and made Pandolphus the Monk poyson him when he laid his Crown and Scepter at his Holiness or if you please Innocency's feet Mr. L. I pray Mr. Humphreys how came you to have so hard an Opinion of Mr. Williams to question his Honesty tho' I never question'd your denial of mine for asserting the old Protestant Doctrine of Justification by an imputed Righteousness in it self not in the Effects only You know Mr. Williams is yours not ours Mr. H. How Mr. Lob this is a foul mistake for I averr he is not ours but yours he hath shaken Hands with Mr. Baxter and bad him Good-night This I have told the World in a Discourse of Justification and what I there say I stand to You and he are both one in Doctrin tho' not Phrases for he asserts Justification by imputed Righteousness not only in the Effects of it but in se Mark Sir in se in it self What material difference can then be between you two And to be plain I care not for your Protestant Doctrine for I speak roundly and censure the Doctrine as Protestant And I say with the Roman Catholicks Our Righteousness is the Righteousness per quod by which we are justified and the Righteousness of Christ is the Righteousness propter quod for which we are justified Mr. C. I say my Brother Humphreys is in the right and many a precious Letter between him and me will be shortly printed I in my Book of Justification flee directly in the Face of our first Reformers as erring Men for talking of Imputed Righteousness I tell all the world 〈◊〉 my Doctrine Arminianism Popery or Socinianism 〈◊〉 not I there say Justifying Faith Repentance Regeneration the New Birth Gospel obedience is all one these justifie us before God c. I have raised such a Dust about the word Justifie what it signifies almost every where in the Old and New Testament that never any Deist or Sceptick could have play'd the Game better not a Man that treated on this Argument did it before me I could tell you I could tell you Mr. Baxter meant the same thing tho' he then thought it not time a day to say it and therefore denied in his Five Disputations that the Charge of his Adversaries against his Aphorisms was true that according to his Doctrine Men were justified by their Repentance c. And I tell the World that which is true That my Book is one of the best Books that is on that Subject Mr. L. That is Baxterianism all over Like Master like Man But I pray Mr. Williams what say you to all this Mr. W. I am not to answer for every thing Mr. Baxter did tho' I believe he was mistaken in many things I pin not my Faith on his Sleeve he doubted Perseverance I do not he disown'd Presbytery I believe it to be of divine Right he asserts Non-resistance not I. For these two men I am sorry they assert downright Popery their Books are intolerable I have lately vindicated my Doctrine That man is justified by the Righteousness of Christ not in the Effects only but in se in it self against Mr. Humphreys I need not tell you Sir in what Book These men I doubt have given that wound to Mr. Baxter's Name and Reputation that will never be heal'd as deep a wound as did doth and will that Unhappy Book Vindio Anti-Baxt Mr. L. I even adjure you Mr. Humphreys and Mr. Clark tell us plainly Do you believe in your Conscience that Mr. Williams is no Baxterian but one with me in Doctrine tho' not in Phrases Mr. H. Mr. C. Believe Sir we more than believe it he that call'd him in two Books a Semi-Baxterian might honour him in this thing beyond his desert And seeing you adjure me were it not too high an Expression I could almost protest by the sacred Name of Richard
more till he be well answer'd Indeed there was a story that one man had it from his Maid that said she had it from Mr. Williams's Maid who said she had it from her Mistress that Mr. Williams dropp'd an unsavory Joke tho' the Maid by the way denied it on Oath had it been true as it was false Let the Defamers consider if all their unsavory Jokes or other sins were written on the Palms of their Hands would they not be asham'd to take off their Gloves even at Meal times Dr. C. He wrote against me and that was Crime enough tho' I brought Scripture for every thing I said Mr. W. So did the Devil 4 Mat. You prove things by Scripture as he that found fault with the Sign of the King or Queen c. and urged that place of Scripture A wicked and adulterous Generation seeketh a Sign but no Sign shall be given to them but the Sign of the Prophet Jonah and therefore once seeing Jonah in a Sign said that was lawful I also remember about twenty year since preaching in a Parish-Church without Conformity by the way I reproved a Country Farmer for sleeping whilst I was preaching the ignorant man replied He had been a long Journey and was come home weary and Christ said Come unto me all you that are weary and are heavy laden and I will give you rest So odly Mr. D. have you applied many Scriptures and that in particular Is it come to this that when we tell your People that talk of their breaking the Law because Christ kept it Tell us roundly what have we to do with the Law Dr. C. Say what you will Mr. W. one that animadverted on the Reliquiae tells what you and such as you are that Book pleas'd my Followers to the Heart Mr. W. He there told what you were with your abominable Phrases and Doctrine p. 11 of Justif and I have heard him say That if he thought that Book did your Cause any service he should wish his Pen split to the head when he wrote it but he believed no such thing His Discourse of Justification there on a new bottom I confess for which he had no President differs toto coelo from your Doctrine of Justification without Faith Modesty forbids me to tell you what a florid Encomium he gave me p. 175 177. when he stigmatiz'd you yet some of your Creatures here say he then wrote for you and against me and since for me and against you when it is evident there is no discord in the Vindiciae and Apology in this respect He and we all wonder how you came to imploy such a bad man to plead your Cause as a late Tradesman turning a Speaker Dr. C. Bad do you call him that was before his Conversion Mr. A. Conversion man I can easily prove on his own Confession he is no Convert Dr. C. How so Mr. A. He that says he never was troubled for Sin is no Penitent you had as good talk of an impenitent Penitent He that is no Peniteut is no Convert you had as good talk of an unconverted Convert He is one of Crisp's Believers not Christ's Converts Dr. C. Troubled for Sin Heaven forbid I hope he never will be such a Legalist being so famous a Preacher of Free Grace Mr. L. Why was not David troubled for his Sin Was it not a heavy burden to him Dr. C. Read the 298th 299th and 300th Pages and you have my Answer to the full I prove plainly that seeing our Sin is transferred from us to Christ if ever Sin be laid home it is so by Satan That David sinn'd or had it been lawful it cannot be to us now since the great Sacrifice is offer'd up Before the offering of Sacrifice then if it were lawful it was not so after Mr. L. What Sacrifice was there for Murther or Adultery under the Law Therefore saith David I would have offer'd Sacrifice Psal 51.16 but the Sacrifices of God are a broken Spirit You make it a Sacrifice for the Devil Mr. Doctor A broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise Where by a Meiosis more is meant than is express'd Thou wilt greatly delight in but you make sport of it The bones says David thou hast broken may rejoice but according to you the Devil broke 'em not God To be plain Mr. Williams and Mr. Edwards dealt too tenderly with you almost to a fault and that in this particular I tell you you are fitter to preach out of a Cage or Grate than preach out of a Pulpit such damnable Doctrine you put out the Eye of Repentance this alone proves you a notorious Heretick Notwithstanding some say you spoke of Sadness leading to Despair c. did David then lie in your way Any thing They are three cursed pages Mr. W. Pray Dr. hear me Dr. C. No I care not to hear any Baxterian of you all Mr. W. Strange Mr. Humphreys just now censur'd me for being not a Baxterian and you for being one what shall I do Mr. A. Will you hear me then Dr. C. No that I will not You once wish'd you had Windows in your Breast that the late Popish Tyrant might see your Loyalty I heard a Tory then say He wish'd he had the making them being a Surgeon he would have made them of a large size And the late Prefacer tells what you are Mr. A. Mr. Williams hath answer'd for me I care not for the Censure of that late Plotter of whom the ejected King gave order That Care might be taken of him that he might want nothing In a late Traytorous Book he chargeth King W. to have Testimonials by him of his being reconcil'd to the Church of Rome And I think among my Accusers there is none of them worth a hanging but he he is I confess a man of parts would he had been so too who answer'd Melius inquirendum Dr. C. You are reputed to be a second Hugh Peters or Daniel Burgis who have made their pulpits Stages and themselves as Theological Mountebanks read your Sermon about Wowens Dresses when so many Ministers pull'd their Hats over their Faces to hear you Mr. L. Mr. Alsop is a graver man in the pulpit than you half the Stories of D. B. are Fables as the Story of the Cloak and how he lost Sixty pound a Year for Christ c. yet I wish him more Gravity with his Zeal Dr. C. I pray have a little patience and I will give you some account of my censur'd Book Mr. A. I doubt a little Patience will not serve the turn we had need have a great deal to hear such woful stuff which to hear contentedly some would think Stupidity not Patience Dr. C. I will do it say what you will my Son tells the World to the Crispian Reader for so it should have been instead of Christian That he hath written about 5200 Sermons after Dr. Owen and other famous Divines and that not six Sermons
Baxter that it is true Seeing you have him beware of him for he hath one unpardonable Fanlt we cannot forgive him for neither I doubt will you Mr. L. What is that I pray Mr. H. He hath too much Wit for one man Mr. L. Now I will speak roundly Honest Mr. Williams I am in a rapture or transport with joy let you and I have a Friendly Debate for I doubt we have been mistaken in one-another and these Gentlemens Opinions of us both true and right I know you are afraid of Crispianism or Antinomianism as well you may a filthy poysonous abominable Weed and I have written against it for which they revile me as they do you and the Apologist I have been much afraid of Arminianism and Socinianism now grown to a great heighth This might make us not so well to understand one-another as else we might Mr. A. A Friendly Debate Gentleman that is a word out of joint and is an unlucky Omen you will talk but little Sence or Truth A Friendly Debate the Phrase is grown odious since Patrick thirty years since wrote his Friendly Debate wherein the friendly Con tells the Noncon He was no good Subject and therefore no good Christian for living in a Corporation or within Five miles of it contrary to Law He brings in the Noncon as a Fool I pray Sir explain your meaning I am not skill'd in definitions And when the Question was whether our white Caps under our black ones might justifie Laun sleeves the Answer is Any thing becomes a good Man On goes Jack to prove the Bishops good men his Comparison of the Gentleman 's praying in the morning at nine of the Clock in the Parlour requiring his Servants to come then and there not in a Stable with clean Clothes Faces and Hands not all dirty was as much to the purpose about Symbolical Ceremonies of human appointment as his Story of the Cupboard of Plate God had and would return to it but it must be well beaten first and that was when the King must pack up and be gone Who I pray sent their King packing since Gentlemen I shall for this reason protest against a Friendly Debate but should be glad to hear a Friendly Conference between you Mr. H. I could wish Mr. Baxter alive were it proper to wish the greatest Saint that ever went to Heaven here on Earth again to see what his reputed Advocate but real Adversary said to take the Chair since his death hath said and written Mr. L. If these men judge right what have I done to be so tenacious of a Phrase Commutation of Persons and so to raise such a Dust to trouble Bishop Stillingfleet and D. Edwards famous Men my Friends as I thought by their Books but your Friends as I find by their Letters And many say our late Controversie is one of the most fruitless ones that ever was brought on the Stage A Story of matter of Fact and a Phrase and my Friends as well as Adversaries say That by my Rashness all is in a flame for tho' we long since lost our Vnion yet our Peace continued but now that is gone too Mr. W. I doubt I have been mistaken too in some things seeing you confess your mistakes I do mine So true is that Incidit in Syllam You ran so fast from the Tents of the Socinians that you might come in some Phrases too nigh the Tents of the Crispians and I ran so fast and far from the Tents of the Crispians that I might err as I am sure you did Mr. L. Who is this that comes towards us with so much Rage and Fury Mr. W. It is Dr. Crisp Mr. A. No that cannot be for I remember that of old they pictur'd him like an old Hermit and had I been a Manichean I should have spent time to consider who made him This looks more comely sure it is not he Mr. W. Why Sir you must know his Son hath been so troubled about it to see his Father pictur'd as if with Cain his maker had set a mark on him that he hath play'd the Barber himself like a kind Son to make his Father look better or if you will less ugly and hath clapt a few tolerable Sermons to make the intolerable Sermons go down the better Dr. C. Have I found you O my two Enemies that have written against my Doctrine You Old-Testament-Daniel and you New-Testament-Stephen some say that as the Old and New Testament make one Bible so you two are one in the main I say as that Heretick Humphreys you two are one in Doctrine tho' you differ in Phrases You are both corrupt tho' I say it on a different account You both deny Justification without Faith and make Gods Covenant a Bargain c. Mr. L. You will find Gentlemen this man cannot express himself he had need get one to do it for him Dr. C. What! do you make me such a Dunce that am a Doctor Mr. A. I have heard of a noted Doctor Head of a House in Oxon in the Interregnum famous for advising young Students never to go into the Water till they first learnt to swim c. That once telling a Story how the Proctor alwaies at night seeing a Candle in his Study said That man will be a Doctor or a Dunce his Servant replied In good truth Master you are both I apply not the Story before a D. in D. Dr. C. Will you deny that there are any good things in my Book Mr. L. In what Book are there not some good things Your Book may therefore be called good as some Philosophers call an Ethiopian white not simpliciter but secundum quid about the Teeth Dr. C. You Mr. L. are neither for Mr. Baxter nor me but have written against us both When some say If he be not in the right I must be so if not I he must be so Mr. L. I have heard of a Captain in our Civil Wars who meeting with a poor man on the Highway asked him who he was for for the Kings Souldiers or the Parliaments and promised him if he spoke his mind no harm should come to him Then Master said the poor man I am for both How so said the Captain Why said he for the hanging of both sorts for Master said he we cannot keep a little Bacon in the House but one comes one time and another at another time till all be gone So say I we cannot keep a little Protestant Doctrine in the Church one pulls one way another another way till all be gone Yet I wisht well to Mr. Baxter's Person and so to yours but to neither of your Doctrine Dr. C. See how Daniel Williams that pure Stick sits there like a Sheep-stealer he hath nothing to say I think my Disciples have done his Work for him and told the World of his lewd Life Mr. A. He hath said so much to you already that he hath done enough for one man and need say no
contradict any Doctrine of mine Mr. L. That proves either that your Son never understood Dr. Owen or them or understood not you nor those neither whom he censures to bear the Number of the Beast and what have such private men to do with our Controversies who by this thing declares plainly he understands them not Dr. C. If he please you not I hope my good Friend Mr. Cokyan the wise will in his learned well-pen'd Epistle to his Precious Hearts who says He is confident all that are led by the Spirit of God will be satisfied He tells you as well as Paul and I If an Angel from Heaven preach other Doctrine he is accursed Mr. L. If they be accursed who bring in Works in Justification must not they keep them company who leave out Faith Is there not a Curse in taking from as well as in adding to Dr. C. In the beginning of my Book on 14 John 6. I am the way the truth and the life I told my Hearers that I would tickle their Ears and tickle their Hearts too and for this end I told them p. 3 of the Hiddeness of Grace and the Overmasterfulness of Sin and that there was a threefold Power of Sin 1 A reigning power 2. A tyrannical power 3. A bustling and ruffling power and also that Mr. A. Doctor stop I suppose you meant grate their Ears when you talk'd of tickling them Mr. W. Let him go on you shall hear worse by and by and then judge whether the Cry against me be true That I have misrepresented him Dr. C. Against Qualifications in them that come to Christ I often urge that pertinent place of Scripture 11 Mat. 28. Come unto me all you that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Mr. A. But why had you not urged another place of Scripture more pertinent than that Dr. C. What is that Mr. A. And the Gibeonites came to Joshua with old Shoes and clouted doth not that place prove as much as any the contrary to what you assert Dr. C. You and all the World know you may as soon teach a Cat to hold a Trencher as me to manage a Controversie or answer Objections and yet you will be pelting at me I am such a very Sir John no one expects it of me that knows me and is in his Wits Mr. A. Well Sir John then go on with your blunders in Divinity Dr. C. I often said also That God was never oflended or angry with a Believer nor could not be unless he was offended or angry where was no cause Mr. L. This is bustling ruffling Stuff but did you Answer such Objections The Anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses 4 Exod. 14. and a thousand such places of Scripture Dr. C. At what an idle rate doth this man talk I knew I could say what I pleased tho' I could prove nothing Instead of this I said That I declared all from God and in the name of the Lord and that if any Scripture seemed contrary we must believe what God in the Text says God cannot contradict himself Then I tell them of Love and other Graces as they call them Mr. A. Yes we know you often say as we call them and so the Scripture calls them What do you call them I pray Whims with our modern Deists Dr. C. I tell them of such as you all You make Gods Covenant a Bargain or Sale p. 24 I will do this and thou shalt do that c. but God will not set his Son to sale And somewhere I tell them Such shall have a Whip as soon as a Christ and p. 73 I tell them If they thought to get any thing by Duty they should get a knock Mr. A. Oh for Love and Pity sake send some one for a Cordial for I am ready to faint away to hear such Gibberish if this be tickling our Ears would his Master had tickled this Toby every day and taught him to speak tho' but at a common rate did you think you were at a Play Dr. C. I tell you you cannot endure sound Doctrine I brought more Proofs against Qualifications coming to Christ p. 35 If men thirst they may come that is have but a mind to Christ Mr. L. Why is not thirsting a Qualification Is a mind to some Drinks thirsting Dr. C. I told them I came in the Name of the Lord and that if this was not true God is a Lyar and Christ is a Lyar with reverence be it spoken and that you are ravening Wolves p. 56 and strait is the Gate I have expounded to admiration 6 Mat. 13. Mr. L. Oh thou blasphemous Wretch dost thou think to speak of Christ as if of Oliver's Porter with reverence be it spoken some think gilds all their nasty Phrases If you should have a Promise from the King and you doubted not his word would you dare to say If it be not so your majesty is a Lyar with reverence be it spoken Offer it now to thy Governor say I as the Prophet in a ease not so bad Mr. W. Seeing you make so bold with Christ which is intolerable had your Doctrine been as true as it is false I hope I may make bold with you his Enemy and mine and of all the Churches of God If the Doctrine be false and the Expressions blasphemous you are a filthy Heretick with reverence be it spoken or an ignorant impudent Fellow with reverence be it spoken and that you had need to be sent to School again with reverence be it spoken because of your notorious Contradictions childish Repetitions of the same things c. Dr. C. Such may thus find fault that never read over my Book nor observed the coherence of things Mr. A. I have read it over every word but I confess I never observed as you say the coherence of things for little is there of this but incoherence enough have we all observed Dr. C. I told them also men might come to Christ in any pickle c. That justifying Faith is to believe a man ' Sins were laid on Christ Other things were not necessary as not to concurrence so not to presence c. That the general tender of the Gospel was the best Security we could have c. I often harp on this thing God justifieth the Vngodly in whom is no change and I unanswerably proved it from 55 Isa 1. Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters incline your ear hear and your soul shall live 22 Rev. 17 He that is a thirst let him come Some will not have Christ unless they pay for him I said I wish they were cut off that trouble us and little less than damn them all Mr. A. Prithee Crisp how long hast thou been crazy If this be proving return to thy old way of telling these are Proofs for your Adversaries and Objections for you Dr. C. I said to them from the Lord That Sin could be no bar to them from