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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34675	A defence of Mr. John Cotton from the imputation of selfe contradiction, charged on him by Mr. Dan. Cavvdrey written by himselfe not long before his death ; whereunto is prefixed, an answer to a late treatise of the said Mr. Cavvdrey about the nature of schisme, by John Owen ...	Cotton, John, 1584-1652.; Owen, John, 1616-1683. Of schisme.	1658 (1658)	Wing C6427; ESTC R2830	62,631	184

Pope of Rome in any one particular that constituteth him such an officer was once instituted by Christ I shall farther attend unto his Reason for his Authority from that of the High-Priests among the Jewes which was not lost as to it's continuance in the family of Aaron notwithstanding the miscarriage of some individuall Person vested therewithall In the close of the Chapter he reassumes his charge of my renouncing my owne Ordination which with great confidence and without the least scruple he had asserted in his Answer of that assersion he now pretends to give the Reasons whereof the first is this 1. The world lookes on him as an Independent of the highest note therefore he hath renounced his ordination and therefore I dare to say so So much for that reason I understand neither the Logick nor morality of this first Reason 2. He knowes from good hands that some of the Brethren have renounced their Ordination therefore he durst say positively that I have renounced mine Prov. 12. 18. 3. He hath heard that I disswaded others from their ordination and therefore he durst say I renownced my owne and yet I suppose he may possibly disswade some from Episcopall Ordination but I know it not no more than he knowes what he affirmes of me which is false 4. He concludes from the principles in my book of Schisme because I said that to insist upon a succession of ordination from Anti-Christ and the Beast of Rome would if I mistake not keep up in this particular what God would have pulled down therefore I renounced my ordination when he knowes that I avowed the validity of ordination on another account 5. If all this will not doe he tels me of something that was said at a publique meeting at dinner it seemes with the Canons of Chhist-Church viz that I vallued not my ordination by the Bishop of Oxford any more than a crum upon my trencher which words whether ever they were spoken or no or to what purpose or in reference to what Ordination I meane of the two orders or in what sense or with what limitation or as part of what discourse or in comparison of what else or whither solely in refference to the Roman succession in which sense I will have nothing to doe with it I know not at all nor will concerne my selfe to enquire being greatly ashamed to find men professing the Religion of Jesus Christ so farre forgetfull of all common Rules of civility and principles of humane society as to insist upon such vaine groundlesse reports as the Foundations of accusations against their Brethren nor doe I believe that any one of the Reverend Persons quoted will owne this information although I shall not concerne my selfe to make enquiry into their memories concerning any such passage or discourse Much reliefe for the future against these and the like mistakes may be afforded from an easy observation of the different senses wherein the terme of Ordination is often used it is one thing when it is taken largely for the whole appointment of a man to the ministry in which sense I desire our Authour to consider what is written by Beza among Reformed and Gerhard among the Lutheran Divines to omit innumerable others another thing when taken for the imposition of hand whither by Bishops or Presbyters concerning which single Act both as to its order efficacy I have sufficiently delivered my judgment if he be pleased to take notice of it I feare indeed that when men speak of an ordained ministry which in its true and proper sense I shall with them contend for they often relate only to that solemnity restraining the authoritative making of ministers singly thereunto contrary to the intention and meaning of that expression in Scripture antiquity and the best reformed Divines both Calvinists and Lutherans and yet it is not imaginable how some men prevaile by the noise and sound of that Word upon the prejudiced minds of partiall unstudied men A litle time may farther manifest if it be not sufficiently done already that another account is given of this matter by Clemens Tertullian Cyprian Origen Justin Martyr and generally all the first writers of Christians besides the Counsels of old late with innumerable Protestant Authors of the best note to the same purpose This I say is the ground of this mistake whereas sundry things concurre to the calling of Ministers as it belongs to the Church of God the ground and pillar of truth the spouse of Christ Psal. 45. and mother of the family or she that tarryeth at home Psal. 68. unto whom all ministers are stewards 1 Cor. 4. 1. even in that house of God 1 Tim. 3. 15. and sundry qualifications are indispensably previously required in the persons to be called overlooking the necessity of the qualifications required and omitting the duty and authority of the Church Acts 1. 15. Acts 6. 2. 13. 2. 14. 22. the Act of them who are not the whole Church Ephes. 4. 11 12. but only a part of it 1 Cor. 3. 21. 2 Cor. 1. 24. 1 Pet. 5. 3. as to ministry consisting in the approbation and solemne confirmation of what is supposed to go before hath in some mens language gotten the name of ordination and an interpretation of that name to such an extent as to enwrap in it all that is indispensably necessary to the constitution or making of ministers so that where that is obtained in what order soever or by whom soever administred who have first obtained it themselves there is a lawfull and sufficient calling to the ministry Indeed I know no errour about the institutions of Christ attended with more pernitious consequences to the Church of God then this should it be practised according to the force of the principle its selfe Suppose six eight or ten men who have themselves been formerly ordained but now perhaps not by any ecclesiasticall censure but by an act of the civill magistrate are put out of their places for notorious ignorance and scandall should concurre and ordaine an hundred ignorant and wicked persons like themselves to be ministers must they not on this Principle be all accounted ministers of Christ and to be invested with all ministeriall power and so be enabled to propagate their kind to the end of the world and indeed why should not this be granted seeing the whole bulke of the papall ordination is contended for as valid whereas it is notoriously knowne that sundry Bishops among them who perhaps received their own ordination as the reward of a whore being persons of vitious lives and utterly ignorant of the Gospell did sustaine their pompe and sloth by selling holy orders as they called them to the scum and refuse of men but of these things more in their proper place Take then Reader the substance of this chapter in this briefe recapitulation 1. He denies our Churches to be true Churches and our Ministers true Ministers 2. He hath renounced his owne ordination 3. When some

therefore let the Replyer be pleased to consider whether the Difference be indeed any more then in a Logicall Notion and whether they be the words not only of an Assertour but of an Avenger to style it a Difference of the highest magnitude Surely if there were not some more then common zeale and Indignation in the cause A Contradiction in Logicall Termes would not be counted a Difference of the highest magnitude in Divinity nor vvould such Difference in vvords so easy to be reconciled be blovven up to so high an opposition as a Contradiction 2. His second exception is That Howsoever the first Subject is indeed a Logicall Terme yet the matter Discoursed is Doctrinall Divinity And whatsoever the Practise be It is a Contradiction in Divinity as well as in Logick Answer But I hope it hath appeared there hath been found no Contradiction at all neither in Logick nor in Divinity though there have wanted no Industry to search it nor animosity to charge it And therefore your Question is easily Answered How shall we be brought to Agree with them that Contradict not only one another but one man himselfe For here is yet no Contradiction found of one man to himselfe nor any Appearance of Contradiction neither in one man nor other unlesse it be only in Logicall Termes and scarce therein But If the Replyer deferre his Agreeing with Divines or Churches in any way of Religion till he meet with such as neither Contradict themselves nor one another He must neither be Protestant nor Puritan as they have been called nor of the Presbyterian nor Congregationall way What if it be said in the way pag 45. The brethren of the Church might Proceed to wit upon just and weighty grounds against all their officers as well as one yet in such cases our Churches are never wont to proceed but in the Presence and with the Consent and approbation of other Churches Why then saith he their Doctrine and Practise agree not which is the greater Blemish How hard is it for a heart leavened with Prejudice to take good things in good part A free man sui juris having his fathers consent might marry a wife if he would without his Brethrens consent And for Adultery he might put her away also without their Consent And yet he will not do either without their consent and Approbaion Is this mans Judgment contrary to his Practise and is it the greater Blemish what say we to Paul He Received his Gospell neither of man nor by man And he might have Preached it every where boldly and confidently and have called an Anathema upon all such as had gainesayed Him whether Angells or Apostles Gal. 1. 8 9. yet he chose rather to go up to Jerusalem to conferre with the Apostles about his whole Gospell Gal. 2. 1 2. and that lest he had Runne in vaine or should Runne in vaine What then shall we say Then Pauls Doctrine and Practise Agree not which is the greater Blemish God forbid Christian Prudence and Religious care to Prevent offence will condescend to cleare Righteous Proceedings to all judicious and equall mindes And yet neither crosse his owne judgment of his owne Right nor blemish but rather Honour himselfe by Approving it to others 3. I gave a third Answer to the former Charge of Contradictions which he saith I Added to succour both the former But the Truth is they need no succour to Defend themselves against such exceptions but it is an Honour to truth to have many witnesses to attend upon it I said it for a third Answer That it were no just matter of calumny If in some latter Tractate I should Retract or expresse more commodiously what I wrote in a former lesse safely as Augustine c. Whereto he Replyeth Truly Sr It had been no just Calumny so to do but matter of Honour and Reputation rather But to write Contradictions and to take no Notice of them till observed by others and then to be so farre from Retracting as to stand upon Justification of them is nothing like Augustines Practise and so falleth short of his Reputation Answer Though Augustine Retracted what he was convinced of to be erroneous or unsafe yet he did not Retract what every one objected against him not only what Faustus or Petilius or Julian objected but not so much as what Jerome himselfe objected but justly stood upon his owne Defence Had Vindex his objections been Convictions Reason and I hope conscience would not have suffered me to Justify knowne Errours He doth himselfe beare me witnesse That he hath sometimes heard I have often changed my opinions And I thank God I take it for no shame to change for the better But to confesse I am convinced when I am not and to Retract what a Stranger though a Brother conceiveth erroneous to wit in his Judgment but not in mine own It were as much as to live by another man's Faith and not mine own and with all to cast my selfe under that Reproach which the Title of his Booke implicitly casteth upon me A wavering minded man is unstable in all his wayes In the conclusiō of his Preface he saith there are in that Prefatory Epistle to the Way and in that other to the keyes other Differences observed betweene the Author and the Prefacers but the Author is not pleased to take Notice of them It is too hard perhaps to Reconcile others to himselfe It is well if he can Reconcile himselfe to himselfe Ans. This is the word not of an Assertour but of an avenger whose heart is hot Deut. 19. 6. But Though Mr Cawdry know not so much yet I have taken Notice of those Differences and have Advertised the Prefacers of the same whom it concerned My letters to them are not present at hand with me If they were I should not think it meet to publish them In the Preface to the keyes the Prefacers note a Difference between me and them about the Prophecying of Private Brethren concerning which I sent them word I Discerned no Dissent at all between them and me in that Point though they had Added a case or two of liberty more than there they did expresse Whether it be too hard for me or no to Reconcile others with my selfe it is enough that I keep the unity of the Spirit with them in the bond of Peace and that I have learned Placidè ferre contra Sentientes But howsoever I hope by the help of Christ I shall soone Reconcile my selfe to my selfe unlesse the Replyer can prevaile with me so farre as to make me not only to fall out with my selfe but to fall off from the Truth too or else convince me that I have so fallen and yet even so I hope the Lord will help me rather to Reconcile my selfe to the Truth than my selfe to my selfe CHAP. 2. Touching the second Pretended contradiction with the 3 4 5. The second Contradiction which the Replyer chargeth is delineated in the Scheme thus 2. The