speake de genere singulorum or did those that took the Covenant speak or meane that tolleration of all these Sects and Reformation and nearest uniformity can consist or that he and all these had this sense under-hand of these words according to the word of God that is as Socinians Libertines Familists Antinomians c. expound the word of God If so we must justifie the Jesuits equivocation and their oaths with mentall reservation for the sense of Prelaticall men and of those that goe for Heretickes and Schismatickes now as then to wit Socinians Libertines Arrians Familists and the rest were knowne Heretickes and Schismatickes and their Socinian Arrian Familisticall c. sense of the word of God was excluded in the second Article of the Covenant in these words We shall endeavour the extirpation of Popery Prelacy Superstition Heresie Schisme c. by this Jesuiticall sense we all sweare we shall endeavour to be perjured and to reforme each mans Religion according to his owne sense of the word and whereas in former times it was beleeved that Christ was God-man We Familists sweare to reforme Religion in the three Kingdomes in that part and to teach and professe that every Saint is so Godded and Christed that there is as much of the fulnesse of the Godhead dwelling in every Saint as in Christ so that there be as many Saints as many Christs and as many Gods manifested in the flesh as there be Saints for since liberty of conscience was then not professed and was a point holden by no Reformed Church yea not by the Church of New England the best Reformed Church as this man saith but detested by all it was presupposed that the true sense of the word of God was against it and Independents who then did sweare the Covenant knew our minde and did sweare the preservation of the Reformed Religion in the Church of Scotland in doctrine worship and discipline against the common enemy and they knew Presbyteriall Government approves both of the censures of the Church and of the Magistrates sword against heretickes and therefore Turkes and Pagans would never have sworne a Covenant to endeavour uniformity in one Religion according to the word of God and after petition the Parliament to set up in England the widest multiformity that Sathan can devise and say they have sworne to endeavour the nearest uniformity in Religion and yet to preach and print and endeavour by the same Covenant and the word of God the rule of sworne Reformation the widest multiformity and that the Lord should be one and his name one in both Kingdomes and yet that the Lord be two or ten and his name that is the maners and kinds of Religions be two and twenty that Gods name may be divided amongst Socinians Arrians Familists Antinomians Anabaptists Seekers Antiscripturists Libertines Scepticks Enthysiasts Brownists Independentsâ— this is worse then a Popish implicit faith which we disclaim The other thing saith he left out which yet referres to all The Covenant is that hee that sweares shall by all lawfull wayes and meanes and according to his place and calling endeavour to performe the Covenant v. 13. to bring the Churches to uniformity and to extirpate heresie As for instance it is the godly Magistrates duty their place and calling to send forth Ministers to the darke places of the land and to set up lights to guide mens feet into the wayes of truth and peace and reclaime them from errors and he cannot be urged upon his calling to punish or compell gainesayers And the Minister is to doe it in his place by exhorting rebuking instructing but he is to goe no further he is not to deliver men up to judge and be an executioner Answ The words by all lawfull meanes and wayes which this man puts in Italian letters and says are left out by the Authour whom he refutes may soon be left out for they were never in the Covenant The man will defend the Covenant and apparently hath sworne it but I thinke he hath scarce read it for these words are not in the Covenant let him read againe Turpe est doctori cum culpa redarnit ipsum 2 He sweares to bring the Churches to nearest uniformity according to his place but when this man defends the tolleration of all the sects in England Socinians Arians Familists for he writing anno 1645 when above twenty sundry Religions in England came to the streets he excepts not one in all his Treatise but calls them all the godly party Saints Brethren the Godly and ownes them so in his preface and whole booke He must grant there is no uniformity in faith discipline worship by the word of God for if all these be Saints Godly and holy Brethren they have all one faith and are saved but let him tell me by the next if he can answer whether there is a nearest or any uniformity in faith worship and government betweene Presbyterians and Socinians Familists Antinomians and Seekers yet this man sweares to indeavour the nearest conjunction and uniformity amongst all the Saints who are to be tollerated but let him say if he hath in this case ingenuity or learning what nearest uniformity hee knowes amongst all these whether the Covenant should not obliege a Libertine to indeavour the widest contrariety and deformity of religious amongst these and to plead for forbearance of them all as he expoundeth it 3 But wee are saith he to indeavour by all lawfull meanes and wayes the nearest uniformity among the Churches and the onely lawfull way as he thinks is not by force but by rebuking instructing exhorting and by no weapons but onely by the word of God But since this Authour and all the Nation of Libertines goe upon this principle Religion is not to be compelled by force for we are not infallible and those whom we force as hereticks may be no hereticks for ought we know but as sound in the faith as our selves Then we have no faith nor any well-grounded perswasion of the word of God to refute them by the word and we refute them not of faith but sinfully and erroniously for they may be as sound in the faith as we our selves for ought wee know and this is a strong argument against morall wayes of gaining hereticks by the power of the word for if they may be sound in the faith and we the hereticks though we refute them by the word we may be perverting the right wayes of God and â—ight against Christ as Elimâ—s for Eliâ—â—s onely by morall wayes not by force or violence laboured to pervert the faith of Sergius Paulus and it is not apparent that Elimas was perswaded in his conscience that the Gospel Paul preached was the truth of God and so by no meanes lawfull or unlawfull by force or by the word of God are we to indeavour uniformity for our indeavouring is not of faith nor from the real grounds of the word but from meere opinions
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-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
endeavour the extirpation of Schisme and whatsoever shal be found contrary to â—ound doctrine c. be levelled onely against the Congregational men it was not faâ—re to draw them into a Covenant to destroy themselves It s disservice to the State to spoyle the State of so many Godly and brave men and seemes to be but the birth of that challenge against these men to bee the Sanballets and Tobia's of this present worke and is the highest breach of love Answ It is apparent the Congregationall men he meaneth are the Independents who would have their Churches gathered out of true Churches Who will not be called Schismaticks as if ensis and gladius were not one thing then this Author levelled these words against Presbyterians as the Schismaticks for where ever one Church is rent from another true Church one of the two is the Schismatick Church sure but the Author will not have Independents the Schismaticks then was it faire to levell these words in the Covenant against Presbyterians and draw them in a Covenant to destroy both their soule and body 2 The Congregationall men were not drawne but they came to another Kingdome with faire words to draw Presbyterians in a Covenant and said and swore to indeavour uniformity and yet practise this day multiformity of Religions and have put to the saile the blood of many gallant men in Scotland that so they may buy with their lives cursed Liberty of Conscience But will it not be bitternesse in the end 3. The Author hints at a story that fell out in the Assembly of Divines where I was witnesse Mr. Phi. Nye having sworne to endeavour the preservation of Presbyterian government in the Covenant was pleased in the face of the Assembly in the hearing of that renowned Generall of England for the time the Earle of Essex and many other honourable and noble persons to declaime against Presbyteriall government as formidable to States and free Kingdomes as of old some called Jerusalem the rebellious City and the Prelates the same way burdened the Generall Assembly of the Church of Scotland but Mr. Alexander Henderson a man for piety learning prudency and singular moderation from zeale not from the spirit of gall and wormewood as the Authour slanderously speaketh said they were the words of Tobiah and Sanballet to hinder the worke of Reformation now whether that worthy man spake what hath now come to passe let the godly Divines of the Assembly be judge 4. We know no service to the State done by these men but that they set up with the sword all the blasphemous and hereticall Sects and Religions that Th. Muncer or John of Leydon phancied contrary to the oath of God for they all professed they were for the Covenant many of them did sweare it with what conscience to perfome let Crumwel and others speake God will not be mocked which is such disservice to the State of England as cannot but draw downe from heaven the vengeance of the Lord and the vengeance of his Temple upon the land or was it fair when the Congregationall men did hide their conclusion of liberty of conscience would keepe that intended Idoll in the bottome of their heart and joyne in Covenant with Presbyterians and sweare against multiformity of Religions in words known to be contrary to the sense of those who drew up the Covenant contrary to sense and reason and the same words of the Covenant and now obtrude on us multiformity for uniformity 5. The Authour insinuates as much as not to give them liberty of conscience as a reward of their valorous fighting is disservice to the State But ingenuous workmen speake of their wages before they ingage in the work but to keepe up any word of liberty of conscience untill the worke bee ended and it come to disbanding is no fair bargaining but rather in plaine English either sell to us Law Liberties Religion and give them to us beside our arreares or we must be a perpetuall standing Army to governe England and manage Religion with the sword and to set up all Religions and destroy the Covenant and the Protestant faith and live upon the sweat of other mens browes The Covenant with a faire interpretation may be urged against Presbyterians and for the Congregationall way as well as otherwise The Covenant binds no man nor number of men to State or Church for their parts respectively to any paterne or degree of Reformation conformity or uniformity with other Churches but what shall satisfactorily to them and each of their consciences appeare to be according to the word of God and such a Reformation doe the Congregationall men desire pray preach endeavovr for and after in the pursuance of the Covenant as if there had beene no such outward Covenant obliging them would yee have men driven in droves to the Sacrament still and the pretious and the vile mixed and Idol-shepheards suffered and Bishops Courts and Consistories continued had these beene beaten downe had not we under God as a forlorne hope first given them battell how can ye say we hinder Reformation when we are for a further and purer Reformation your selves being judges you would â—it down on this side Jordan we would advance Siâ— you quiet if you will not helpe us as we helped you Answ When you of the Congregationall way that is of the Church way for none are Churches but you we are excommunicated and all else but your selves did sweare to endeavour the preservation of the Reformed Religion in the Church of Scotland in doctrine worship discipline and government which to your consciences and all the Reformed Churches is Presbyterian can the Covenant be turned against Presbyterians as well as against you 2. You write and preach that the government Presbyterian is Popish Antichristian more tyrannicall then that of Babel of Aegypt so all your way and particularly Mr. Burton in his conformities deformity and your Independents in the Assembly yet you did sweare to endeavour its preservation and all the Independents in both Houses spake against it as tyrannicall and have voted to clog it with Erastianisme I would beleeve Erastus if he had sworne to endeavour the preservation of it better then your oath I think Pagans would not sweare to endeavour the preservation of any religious way which with tongue pen lawes and sword they endeavour to undoe and extirpate see if distinctions will defend it against the common enemy and whether these words according to the word of God expounded by you will save you from the quarrell and wrath of God for a broken Covenant Passe over the Isles and goe to Turkey to America and see if such a thing as this hath been 2. The Covenant bindes no man saith he to any degree of Reformation but what shall satisfactorily appeare to each mans conscience to be according to the word of God 1. Then the Reformed Religion in Scotland in doctrine worship and government according to the word of
had never been made if the erroneous conscience gainsay 6. You did know the discipline of the Church of Scotland debars not all from the Sacrament except known unregenerate persons yee knew their Consistories to be hatefull to the common enemies why then did you swear to defend them against the commmon enemy since both to your conscience and the common enemy they are contrary to the word of God 7. You durst not give the first battle to Bishops Scotland gave it to them when your Grandees were as low as shrubs as feared as Harts 8. You hinder Reformation your Independents wrought with all their power there should be no Assembly and that no old non-conformists such as sound and learned Mr. Ruthband gracious and zealous Mr. Ash and others to bee members thereof and would rather have had Prelaticall Conformists in the Assembly then they You joyne with all the Sectaries who are against Covenant Government Confession of faith and Directory of worship retarded the proceedings of the Assembly we heard often in Scotland you wished Prelacie were gone if ye knew what to put in its place as if no Government known to you could fit England but Prelacy and that of the Reformed Churches were not so good 9. You would goe further on then we and be over Jordan but we had rather sit downe on this side of Jordan as go over with you for ye was not well over when yee set up at the Kings house Idolatrous bowing to Altars and the abjured Masse-booke and Familists Socinians Antinomians Seekers Arrians preaching Souldiers who teach as many Saints as many Christs and Gods manifested in the flesh and when these perverters of the right wayes of God were silenced by a godly Preacher at London they prayed woe with learning it opposeth all the wayes of God and is that a Reformation on the other side of Jordan which sends out Apostles to preach that are as blinde as Moles in the principles of the single Catechisme who know not whether there bee-one God and one Mediator Christ or millions of Gods and Christs yet these are the onely aâ—ointed ones It were good that such a Reformation were over Jordan and millions of miles beyond America CHAP. XXII The pretended Liberty of Conscience is against the Nationall League and Covenant and the Ordinances of the Parliament of England ingaged by Oath for a Reformation of Religion A Midst our greatest feares and the inlarged sorrowes of our heart for the calamitous condition of our dear brethren in England by reason of an unnaturall warre raised by a Prelaticall popish and malignant party tending to the destruction of the Kingdome subversion of Religion Lawes and Liberties we exceedingly rejoyced when the Lord mighty in counsell did lay in Sion the foundation of a hopefull building and stirred up the spirits of the Honourable Houses of Parliament to declare to the Commissioners of the Generall Assembly of the Kirke of Scotland their sense of Church government by Archbishops Bishops c. to be dishonourable to God by arrogating to themselves a preâ—â—minence and power which he had not given justly offensive to the Kingdome a great impediment to the growth of Religion and promising to remove the same desired for the obtaining of aâ— happy union with the Church of Scotland and other Reformed Churches abroad the Generall Assembly to send to the Assembly of Divines at Westminster some godly and learned Divines of that Church whereby an uniformity in forme of Church government might be obtained and tâ—ereby a more easie passage made to the settling of one confession of faith one Liturgie or Directory of publicke worship and one Catechisme in all the three Kingdomes and when for our faith fulnesse to our brethren in sending an Army to England to helpe them the enemy had wasted our land and we were given for lost and filled with the cup of astonishment of waters of gall and wormewood in our greatest midnight darkenesse it was to us the morning dawning of the flourishing condition of the Isle of Britaine when we did reap first fruits of that blessed union of both Kingdomes by that Nationall Covenant with the Lord the most high and of the three Kingdomes amongst themselves never to bee forgotten and when we received the Directory for the publicke worship of God throughout the three Kingdomes passed in Ordinance of Parliament in each Kingdome But now we are stricken with amazement exceedingly when we reape no other fruit of our expence of blood wastation of our Kingdome attendance on this Assembly four years but in stead of the nearest uniformity of the Churches of God in the three Kingdomes in Religion Confession of faith form of Church government Directory for worship and catechising a far more capacious and wide deformity in all these then there was before our taking of the Covenant yea or since Christian Religion came first into this Island When we see a licentious tolleration in one of the three Kingdomes of all formes and wayes of serving God established by Law and no limitation nor bordering provided to hedge in the fleshly and lawlesse exorbitances of men whose apprehensions and phancies of the one onely true God in three distinct persons and of his revealed will in his word are now by nature vaine superstitious Idolatrous blasphemous impure and devilish save onely a poore narrow and dubious circle of some few fundamentalls that may be and are by men of corrupt mindes changed in lyes and blasphemies We therefore the Commissioners of the Kirk of Scotland according to the trust committed to us are necessitated in the name of Jesus Christ the onely King and head of his Church and at the commandement and in the name of the Kirke of Scotland to protest and by these presents doe protest and declare against the said pretended tolleration as followeth 1 Such liberty is inconsistent with and repugnant to the word of God Deut. 13. 1 2 3 to ver 12. Rom. 13. 1 2 3 compared with Phil. 3. 2. 2 Joh. 10. where false teachers are câ—â—â—ed evill doers so Ezra 7. 23 24 25 26 27 28. Neâ—em 13. 15. 17. 21 22. 25. 30. 2 Chron. 34. ver 33 2 Chron. 15. 12 13. 16 17. 2 Kings 23. 5 6. 9. 20 21. Dan. 3. 29. Dan. 6. 26. 1 Tim. 2. 2. Revel 17. 12 16 17. Zach. 13. 1 2 3 4 5 6. Esay 49. 23. Exod. 20. 8 9 10 11. Levit. 20. 2 6. Deut. 17. 2 3 c. Exod. 32. 26 27 28 29. Numb 25. 1 2 3 c. Deut. 28. 18 19 to ver 22. Josh 22. 10 11 c. 2 God severely avengeth and plagueth breach of Covenant either with the Lord himselfe or men We therefore appeale to the righteous Judge of the whole earth whose dreadfull name is ingaged in this Covenant Nor can wee imagine that this Covenant is temporary for we swear to continue in this blessed union all the dayes of our life zealously and constantly Nor hath
the Lord instamped his divine Image of making just Lawes upon any nomethetick power of the most free and Independent Kingdome on earth so as the breach of lawfull promises Covenants Contracts which are against the Law of God of nature of nations should or can be the subject matter of any nomethetick power for God gives no power to make unjust decrees The pretended liberty is against the Articles matteâ— and ends of the Covenant a Parliamentary power interposed for the not punishing of deformity as touching many Religions must destroy the commanded nearest uniformity of the one only true Religion 2 Nor can they defend the one onely reformed Religion of Scotland commanding the Magistrate the Minister of God to use the sword against false teachers who give liberty to all Religions 3 Nor can the word of God bee our rule of Reformation except this rule be one and injoyne one only true Religion and forbid tolleration of all others 4 There can be no way so prevailing to promote cherish and foment Heresie and what is contrary to sound doctrine as for publique authority by law to permit it except wee would praise and reward such fleshly wayes 5 The Lord cannot be one nor his name one in both Kingdoms when by Law multitudes of names wayes and Religions are tollerated 6 Many Religions suffered must be contrary to the true religious liberty of Christian States and Churches when men are licenced to professe slavery and bondage to the efficacy and power of errour to beleeve professe and disseminate lies and blasphemies in the name of the Lord. 7 Many false wayes of religions doth in the Scripture argue a change of Gods for these that are no Gods which Heathens doe abhorre Jer. 2. 9 10 11. and a multiplying of Gods according to the number of each Sect and Societie Jer. 2. 28. and a manifest countenancing of Scepticisme of many Gods and of no God since then the Parliament not onely as Christian men but as a Parliament and as Magistrates have sworne the Covenant they must sweare each one of them to defend his owne Religion Familisme Arrianisme Antinomianisme which he beleeves to be the true religion and that as a Magistrate with the sword of God and so to oppose his fellow members with his Parliamentary power how then can the Parliament command others or ingage themselves to the Lord their God to indeavour the preservation of the one reformed Religion in Scotland that we and our posterity may live in faith and love for this is many faiths professedly different and that the Lord may delight to dwel in the midst of us and this is many Gods in the midst of us and that we shall indeavour the extirpation of heresie superstition prorpanenesse and whatsoever shall be found contrary to sound doctrine It is not every Parliament man who by law may be of any Religion oblieged by the oath of God to endeavour the extirpation of the true Protestant Religion since to him who is a Familist and Antinomian it is heresie and contrary to sound doctrine Are not Papists though known Papists to be Judges and Members of Parliament why should they be debarred for their Religion and they must by this oath indeavour the extirpation of Heresies and Hereticks that is of Protestanâ—s 8 The foresaid licentiousnesse is contrary to the indeavour to preserve the Rights Liberties of Parliaments and just power and greatnesse of the King now both King Parliaments and all Rulers have the sword committed to them to defend the Church against Seducers Wolves Hereticks false Teachers and by the sword are to stand against the violation of mercy righteousnesse and the peace of humaine societies and so against such as from meere grounds of conscience serve God in sacrificing their children to God promiscuous use of wives a part of the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free community of goods robing the just owners of their inheritances and possessions because the word saith the meeke shall inherit the earth lying and denying of our Religion before men For should the Magistrate kil the father whose only conscience nothatred which is the only essentiall ingredient to make killing of our neighbour without lawfull authority that murthering of our brother which by the law of God and Man is punishable with death Deut. 19. 11 12 13. c. 4. 42. c. 19. 4. and the sword of the Magistrate not any hatred I say or desire of revenge towards his sonne whom he loves as tenderly as Abraham did Isaack presseth out of meere religious obedience to God to offer his sonne to God in a sacrifice he should not punish a murtherer but offer violence to the conscience of his father since the word of God condemneth this as false worship not as murther yea as superstitious adding to the Word and as wil-worship Deu. 4. 31 32. Jer 7. 30 31. 9 Divers Religions being contrary to Christ and the one truth of the Gospell of their owne nature raise fire and sword betweene brethren and the mother against the daughter in law and must be a seminary of factions and devisions which is distructive to the unity in our Covenant Micah 7. 5 6. Matth. 10. 34 35. Luke 5. Verse 51 52. Gen. 3 16. 10 By which it cannot be possible we should defend one another in this common cause of Religion except a reconciliation be made betweene the seed of the woman and the serpent 11 And many being of divers Religions must need give themselves to a detestable indifferency and newtrality as touching the Common cause of God Since it cannot be the common cause of God but of Sathan and of forcing conscience by persecution to them Many men yea it s the cause of God to many to hate and persecute the Gospell by this 12 By which meanes every man may resile from this blessed union and conjunction so far must he be from zealous and constant continuing therein all the dayes of his life for Parliamentary authority frees them to imbrace any new Religion contrary to the Protestant Religion 13 And to what Church Sect or Religious societie can the Christian Magistrate be a nurse-father by his office is it not to the one onely true Church of Christ that professeth the sound faith certaine the Scripture saith as the sonnes of strangers shall build the wals of the true Church so Kings shall minister unto her Esay 60. 10. And she must sucke the brests of Kings Esay 6. 16. which evinceth that Kings as Kings are by their Office to doe some princely and royall acts of justice and favour for the good of the true Church and true Religion then must either the King by Office be indifferent and newtrall to all other Religions and Sects which must be inconsistent with his duty as nurse-father to the Church Esay 49. 23. whose part it is that according to his place he take care that the children sucke not poyson for milke or he must be newtrall to all Religions except to
exprest in the said Covenant II. That an Army of the Kingdome of Scotland shall be levied forthwith c. Which Treaty is approved by each Parliament respectively and by the Parliament of England 1643. Novem 1. Now what ever power the Parliament of England hath in relation to England to alter make and unmake Lawes as shall seem most fit to the wisdome of the Houses yet they neither have nor can have power against the Law of nature and Nations to alter retract or breake their promise agreement faith and contract made with another Kingdome so that both Kingdomes binde their owne hands that they cannot but command the Covenant to be taken by each Kingdome not by the Representative Kingdome or Parliament onely but by the collective or diffusive body of both Kingdomes in regard that the 〈◊〉 not between the Parliaments onely but between the Kingdomes nor can the Houses thinke it lawfull at that time to offer violence to the consciences of some which some now say is to force them to doe against the present judgement and light of conscience and unlawfull at this time to presse others for this is a Covenant as one faith well that is never to bee forgotten by us nor our posterity And the parties ingaging in this League are three Kingdomes famous for the knowledge and acknowledgement of Christ above all Kingdomes of the world that this Covenant tyes us to defend one another beside the words thereof the former Authour saith God hath wisdome to discover and strength to punish if our hearts he not upright to our brethren in this matter So do the Houses say Our purpose is to consult with godly and learned Divines that so we may not only remove governments by Archbishops but likewise settle such a government as may be most agreeable to Gods holy word most apt to procure and preserve the peace of the Church at home and a happy union with the Church of Scotland and other Reformed Churches abroad and establish the same by Law In the Treaty between the Kingdoms an 1642. the Scottish Army shall grant no tolleration for the Popish Religion The Honourable Houses must intend a quite other thing then pretended liberty when they according as they are obliged by the Treaty of both Kingdomes passe an Ordinance that the Covenant be taken throughout the Kingdome of England and Dominion of Wales and their names to bee returned to the Houses who shall refuse And an Exhortation is framed by the Assembly for taking the Covenant which was approved by the Houses and Printed by a speciall Ordinance to wit That no faithfull English heart be afraid to joyne with our Brethren of all the three Kingdomes in this solemne League as sometime the men of Israel although under another King did with the men of Judah at the invitation of Hezekiah 2 Chro. 30. And as Ezra and Nehemiah Ezra 10. Neh. 9. drew all the people into a Covenant without any speciall commission from the Persian Monarchs then their Sovereignes so to doe albeit they were not free Subjects but Vassals And the two Kingdoms joyntly declare that not onely Papists and Popish Recusants and Irish Rebels that are actually in Armes against the Parliament shall looke for no favour but be punished as Traytors but also all Newtralists all the ignorant and simple that were seduced or compelled to take Armes all of the Scotish Nation mis-led through private respects all dividers between the King and his Parliament if they would expect pardon and favour should speedily take the Covenant and joyn heartily and really in the defence of this Cause Nor can the examples of Ezra Nehemiah and Hezekiah be good Divinity then and bad now or the plea of not forcing the conscience be then weake but now strong except wee dreame that Parliaments by a Nemothetick power can alter divine truthes which wee are unwilling to beleeve of the Parliament of England Such a tolleration must thwart and crosse the professed sincere intentions of the Honourable Houses for uniformity and the advancement of true Religion out of which there will also undoubtedly result a most firme and stable union between the Kingdomes and contrary to that proposed end of the Covenant and of all our travels for Reformation which the Assembly of Divines testified at the special command of the House of Commons assembled in Parliament to be aimed at by both Kingdomes in this defencive warre in letters sent to the reformed Churches abroad in France Helvetia Geneva Wallacria c. what a letter most contradicent to that might they now write whereas this tolleration must be the sad scandalizing and sorrow of all Reformed Churches in the Christian world the joy and triumph of Papists the mocking and dispising of the wayes of Christ to Heathens within to Atheists round about the sadning of all the godly the condemning of our former wayes as acts of apostacy from God and rebellion and dis-loyalty to our Prince The Houses also declare if his Majesty had not denied his consent to a Bill for an Assembly of Divines they had long since manifested to the world their utter dislike of Brownisme and Anabaptisme As also that it is farre from their desire and intentions to let loose the reines of Discipline and Church Government and to let private persons and particular Congregations take up what forme of worship they please but doe hold it requisite there should be through the whole Realme a conformity to that order which the law injoynes according to the word of God We was invited to bee instruments of a glorious Reformation for a nearer union in Church-government against the common enemy in the Cause of God The Commissioners of England say the Parliament desires a nearer conjunction in forme of Church-government Directory Confession and Catechisme and utter extirpation of Prelacie the most effectuall and ready meanes whereunto is now conceived to be the stricter union and league between the Nations and our assistance of England by an Army It rejoyced the hearts of the Godly in the three Kingdomes when the Houses passed an Ordinance for the directory of publicke worship to be used in all the three Kingdomes and layed aside the booke of Common-prayers and burdensome Ceremonies upon a resolution professed to the world according to the Covenant to reforme Religion according to the word of God and the example of the best reformed Churches which was accordingly approved and ratified in the Parliament of Scotland if wee then turne backe againe from that begunne uniformity what doe wee also but pull downe and destroy what we have builded Especially since uniformity which we sweare to indeavour in our Covenant is cryed downe by Familists and Antinomians and all externall worship and profession of Christ before men as indifferent and all Religion retrinched into onely things of the minde and heart upon a dreame that the written word of God is not our rule
oblieging us but an inward law in the mind beyond all ordinances must regulate us now under the Gospell The Honourable Houses in rules and directions for suspending from the Lords supper enumerating most of the fundamentals doe by divers Ordinances evidence they are by law to bee punished who professe or teach contrary to these And in rules for trying of Ministers before they be ordained though thousands now are constant Preachers without any ordination at all the Minister must be one that is able to defend the Orthodox doctrine contained in the Scriptures as the Scripture saith 1 Tim. 3. Tit. 1. 9 10 11. against all unsound and erronious opinions especially those of the present age such as these of Arrians Socinians Arminians Anabaptists Brownists Familists Antinomians Libertines Seekers c. Where the Houses mention the great duty lying on them to settle matters concerning Religion and the worship of Almighty God and have continually before their eyes the Covenant which they have so solemnly taken and in pursuance of the ends of the Covenant have removed the booke of Common-prayer with all its unnecessary and burdensome Ceremonies and have established the directory in the roome thereof and have abolished the Prelaticall hierarchy by Arch-Bishops Bishops and instead thereof have laid the foundation of a Presbyterian Government in every Congregation with subordination to Classical Provinciall and Nationall Assemblies and of them all to the Parliament Both Houses of Parliament and the Parliament of Scotland agree that the Kings Majesty take or at least approve and ratifie the Covenant and that all the Subjects of either Kingdomes sweare it What then shal become of the Covenant shall it not be buried if a law passe it shall be voluntary to men to take it or not to take it The Honourable Houses ordaine That any preaching or writing or maintaining such errours as doe subvert any Articles of the true Protestant Religion shall be excluded from the Lords Supper and in case of refusal to compear before the Eldership or obstinate persisting in the errour shall be imprisoned by the Justice of peace till he submit to order The Houses give thankes to the Commissioners of the Kingdome of Scotland that the Lords of privy Councell do so farre respect the welfare and peace of England that they are pleased to second the desires of the Generall Assembly of that Church for unity in Religion and uniformity in Church-government in his Majesties three Kingdomes We cannot thinke the Honourable Houses would passe an Ordinance for an universall Fast through all the Kingdome to seeke assistance from God to suppresse Heresies and Errours except the whole land be injoyned to take the name of God in vaine if it were not the will and minde of the Houses to detest liberty of conscience especially since in the Ordinance they mention the wonderfull assistance of God since their engagement in the Covenant in which they are to endeavour sincerely really and constantly the Reformation of Religion in doctrine discipline and worship and the extirpation of Popery Superstition Heresie Schisme and Prophanenesse and whatsoever shall be found contrary to sound Doctrine And that they are resolved to improve the utmost of their power that nothing be said or done against the truth but for the truth Now by the utmost of their power they must meane their Parliamentary power of the sword committed to them as the Ministers of God for that is their utmost and highest power otherwise all private men are to improve the utmost of their power for the truth In the Ordinance for Reforming of the University of Oxford the Honourable Houses ordaine to punish those that take not the Covenant or oppose the execution of the Ordinances of Parliament concerning the Discipline and Directory The Honourable House of Commons say their true and reall intentions are and endeavours shall be to settle Religion in the purity thereof according to the Covenant Nor can the Parliament loose men from the oath of God nor put any exposition on the Covenant other then the words naturally hold forth nor can any one Parliament obtrude any Law interpretation of the Covenant on the subjects different from the true sense and genuine meaning conceived by the Parliament of the other Kingdome since it is not the Covenant of any one single Kingdome nor can we say without mocking of God and dallying with the oath of God that the Covenant was conceived in any such doubtsome equivocall and two faced sense so as each Kingdome may sweare it according to their owne sense and the one sense for or not against the pretended liberty of conscience the other for it And both Kingdomes esteeme the end of the Warres an abundant reward of all that we can doe or suffer in this cause to settle Religion and we have resolved and decreed never to lay downe Armes untill truth and peace be settled in this Island upon a firme foundation for the present and future generations Then what ever Kingdome shall resyle from the Covenant to a detestable liberty of all pretended truths as they breake with God so must they breake with men seeing the two Kingdomes are mutually and reciprocally ingaged to one another in the meanes and the end and they must looke that the righteous God shall avenge breach of Covenant and such apostacie from his truth with the saddest and heaviest of judgements that we or our fathers have heard of the rumour whereof shall cause our eares to tingle The Honourable Houses professe an union in doctrine discipline and worship to be a more strong bulwarke against the bloody practises of Papist and deceitfull errors of other Sectaries and more profitable use of the Ministery Other Sectaries can be no other then such as swarme and abound in the Army and Kingdome And this diversity of Religions by tolleration utterly weakens yea and dissolveth the blessed union betweene the Kingdomes For the Houses say Religion cannot be altered in the one Kingdome without the other and the Lord would not have put it in the hearts of both Kingdomes if he had beene minded to destroy us They acknowledge that Religion is the band and foundation of the safety and happinesse of both Kingdomes When therefore God suffers it to enter into our hearts to breake our Covenant with God and our Brethren the Lord hath a minde to disquiet the inhabitants of England so as the fierce anger of the Lord and his jealousie must smoake against them as fire The Reverend Assembly of Divines give their sense of this pretended liberty to be against the will and minde of God in his word FINIS CHAP. XXIII The place Acts 5. v. 34. to wit the counsell of Gamaliel discussed and found nothing for liberty of Conscience THe most of the strength of Master John Goodwins Argument stands thus Theomachia ser 2. 11. This doctrine or way is either of men or of God saith Gamaliel If it
Testament to be the word of man not the word of God The Sadduces acknowledged the five books of Moses to be the word of God yet because they denyed the resurrection of the dead Christ argueth them Math. 22. 45. Ignorant both of the power of God asserted in the books of Moses and of the scriptures especially of that scripture which God spake out of the bush to Moses I am the God of Abraham the God of Isaac c. Exod. 3. 6. Yet would the Sadduces have sworn and subscribed all the booke of Exodus as the undoubted word of God but when they denyed the resurrection sure these words I am the God of Abraham c. making the Covenant of grace to dye when Abraham dyed and Abraham to have perished in soule and bodie as they expounded it was not the word of God and Papists will subscribe the old and new Testament and the three Creeds the Nicene Creed the Creed of Athanasius and that which commonly is called the Apostles Creed Yet as they expound the word and these Creeds we say they transforme the word of God into the doctrine of devils and most abominable Idolatrie The greatest hereticks that were Arrius Nestorius Appolliuaris Macedonius the Treithite acknowledge the scripture to be the word of God and will sweare and subscribe the word of God and containe themselves intra sacra scripturae lâ—cutiones within the words of scripure But their faith is not the saith of the scripture and this makes ten thousand and millions of faiths where as the word faith there is but one faith For Arrius hath one faith Apollinâ—ris another Nestorius another and every heretick a faith according to the sense that he fallely puts on the scripture and all may sweare one Confession of saith in Scripture-words Arminians say no man after he hath received a decree of a Synod is longer oblieged to it nor upon any other condition but in so farre and so long as he judgeth in his conscience that it is true Answ This is meere Scepticisme and to make the conscience whether erroneous or not erroneous to be a bible and a rule of faith For though the erroneous conscience say it is service to God to kill the innocent Apostles John 16. 1. Yet the sixt commandement lyes upon these murtherers with equall strength thou shalt not kill otherwise they are nor guilty of murther For if a Synod decree to kill Peter and John because they preach that the Son of Mary is the Messiah is bloody persecution Then so soone as Scribes and Pharisees in their erroneous conscience for Libertimes make exceptions of no consciences an erroneous more than another nor erring in fundamentals more than of another shall judge it service to God to kill the Apostles they are loosed from the sixt commandement and no longer oblieged to this thou shalt not murther So the authour of the tractate called Armini Where mens scope is any way to remove controversies there is there no care or little at all of the trueth of God and where the externall peace of the Common-wealth is heeded precisely there peace of conscience is of none or of little value the truth is not there perswaded but crushed Ans The learned and renowned professors of Leiden answer the end of Synods is not by any means good or bad to remove controversies but to burie them by the power of the word 2. Onely externall peace separated from truth should not be intended but conjoyned with truth and peace of conscience 3. The end of Synods is not effectually and actu secundo to silence hereticks and gain-sayers of the truth nor is it Christs scope in convincing the Sadduces that the dead must rise Math. 22. to perswade the truth so as there shall never be on earth Sadducie again who denies the resurrection for in Pauls and in the Apostles time the Sadducies still denyed the resurrection after the Synod of Jerusalem Acts 15. There arose many that said we must keep the Law of Ceremonies but the end of Synods is to doe what may actu prime remoove controversies and silence Hereticks by clearing scripture and truth but the end is not to remove obstinacy that is not the scope of Synods nor of preaching nor of the scriptures but of all these are in the event as God blesseth them and concurreth with them the end of Synods is not to oppresse or deprive ministers the end of despised and obstinately refused truth is such Armini Synods should not ayme at setting up their own authoritie which in matters of faith is none at all such decisions are the heart of Poperie and makes all religion without Synods to be uncertain Ans Synods should take care that no man despise their Authority as Timothie is exhorted by Paul but their Authoritie in matters of faith is conditionall and so not nul 2. Synods are necessarie ad bene esse not absolutely for many are saved both persecuted Churches and believers who neuer had help of Synods to cleare their faith 3. But none more contend then Libertines doe for a faith as uncertaine as the weather which may change with every new moone The same also may be said of preaching and a ministerie which the Lord Jesus ascending on high gave for the edifying his body the Church that religion is uncertain without it For Pastors in publick should convince gainsayers and so remove heresies Tit. 1. 9 10 11. 1. Tim. 6. 3 4 as well as Synods and Libertines in their conscience know Protestant Synods Lord over the faith of none as if they took to themselves in fallibilitie as Popish Synods doe Armini Since Synods may erre how then place they religion in securitie Ans No otherwise then Doctors and Pastors doe place religion in security by teaching truth and refuting errors and yet they may erre Obj. But Pastours oblidge not men to receive what they say under paine of Censures as Synods doe Answ Vnder paine of divine if not Ecclesiasticall punishment and the one is that way as binding to the conscience as the other yea more for it is a greater obligation for Pastours to subject men to divine wrath if they receive not what they preach then for Synods to binde them onely to Ecclesiasticall censurers and yet none can say that Pastours exercise tyrannie over the conscience for the former Ergo neither can Synods justly he deemed Lords over the conscience for the latter Armin. Very often fewer and provinciall Synods doe 〈◊〉 mine more soundly then many and Occuminical Synods Answ That is by accident one Machaiah saw more that foure hundred prophets of Baal But this objection is against the saftie that is in a multitude of counsellers and in the excâ—llencie of two convened in the name of Christ above one Armin. Decision of Synods cannot oblidge men while they know that the decision was rightly made it is not enough to oblidge any to consent that that which is
that may hinder love but let this wrangler answer whither it be more reall love to the murtherers soul to informe against him and more glory to God more peace to the familie or to be silent and let his brother run to hell and wrath lye upon the whole land It is but a losse of time to refute such weak foolerie against naturall reason far more contrary to sound Divinitie for if pastors informe against evil doers out of desire of revenge malice or hatred they ought not upon these grounds to rebuke any sins at all and we condemn the doing of good duties upon evill motives and principles CHAP IIII. The state of the question of compulsion of Conscience and tolleration THe question touching Libertie of conscience was never by us nor any man save Libertines themselves and ignorant Anabaptists both of old and late moved concerning internall libertie remaining within the soule as libertie to think understand judge conclude whither the Magistrate can force men with the sword to opinions and cudgell them out of some into other contrary judgements in the matters of God for the Magistrate cannot take on him yea nor the Church under the paine of censures compell any to think well of Christ or ill or Antichrist Yet most of the senslesse arguments of the times are drawn from the immediate subjection of the conscience to God from the nature of conscience Religion faith fear and the elicit acts of the soul which cannot be compelled yea in this meaning we think God can neither offer violence to minde understanding will or affections of love fear joy because all these clicit acts cannot slow from any principle but the internall and vitall inclinations of the soul though the devils be said to beleeve against their will yet not against the inclination of the understanding or desiring facultie All the question is concerning the imperated acts and these externall that is not touching opinions and acts of the minde but that which is visible and audible in these opinions to wit the speaking professed holding of them publishing teaching printing and known and externall perswading of others to be of our minde So that the question will come to this whither the Magistrates sword be to regulate our words that concerns our neighbour as that we lie not we forsweare not to the hurt of the life and credit of our neighbour that we slander not raile upon no man farre lesse against the prince and ruler of the people but whether the words we utter or publish of God though never such blasphemies and lies because they come from the conscience as if truths or words we speak for or against our neighbour did not slow from a conscience either good or ill be above or beyond all swords or coercive power of men It is clear the question must be thus stated for all the lawes of the old Testament which we hold in their morall equitie to be perpetuall that are touching blasphemies heresies solicitation to worship false Gods and the breach of which the Godly Magistrate was to punish command or forbid onely such things as may be proved by two or three witnesses and which husband and wife are not to conceale and from which all Israel must abstain for fear of the like punishment Deut. 1â— 8 9 10 11. Deut. 17. 5 6. Levit. 20. 1 2 3 4 5. But opinions in the minde acts of the understanding can never be proved by witnesses and such as neither Magistrate nor Church can censure Then we referre to all the Godly if Libertines and Anabaptists deal brotherly in affirming that Presbiterians persecute them because out of tendernesse of conscience they cannot come up to the light and judgement of their brethren in all opinions 2. There is a tolleration pollitick and Civil and spirituall or Ecclesiastick shame and fear in punishing heresies either by the Judge or the Church whither in civil or Ecclesiasticall censures rebukes Excommunication is an evil of punishment in both as is evident if we compare Judg. 18. 7. Where it is said There was no Magistrate in the land that might put them so shame in any thing Deut. 13. 11. With these places that speaketh of spirituall censures in the feare and shame of them as 1. Tim. 5. 19. Receive not an accusation against an Elder but before two or three witnesses then an Elder that is scandalous may incur shame of being accused and Mat 18. 17. let him be to thee as a heathen and a Publicane 1 Tim. 5. 20. them that sinne rebuke before all that others also may fear So the avoiding of Idolaters and Hereticks 1 Cor. 9. 11. Tit. 2. 10. â— Joh. 10. Gal. 1. 8. brings publicke shame on them 2. Thesse 3. 14. then looke what forcing power the shame the Magistrates can put Hereticks to and what compulsory 〈◊〉 it hath on the conscience and so should not be inflicted on men for their conscience and holding of heresies as Libertines say the same compulsorie power hath concionall rebukes of Pastors or private Christians and of admonition excommunication or the avoiding of the societie of false teachers either by the whole Church or by private Christians and the arguments proving the Magistrate cannot punish for conscience in his politick Spheare doe also prove that hereticks should be rebuked sharply that they may be sound in the faith contrary to Tit. 1. 13. and that we should neither admonish them nor avoid their company which is absurd so they be more ingenious Libertines who free false teachers and hereticks from both civil and ecclesiasticall censures than these who free them from civil and subject them to Ecclesiasticall censures for Ecclesiasticall compulsion hath no more influence on the conscience by way of teaching then politick or civil and the arguments taken from the nature of conscience is as strong to prove that the Church of Pergamâ—â— Ephesus Thyatira should suffer lyars false Apostles and seducers such as hold the doctrine of Balaam and Jezabel the deceiving Prophetesse who teach and professe according to their erroneous conscience contrary to Rev. 1. 2 3 14 20. as that the Godly Prince should suffer them nor can it be said that Church-censures are spirituall punishments and so work on the spirit and have instructing rebuking and exhorting going before but the sword is a bodily punishment and hath not instructing going before For I answer though these two punishments differ yet they agree that formally both are alike compulsory of the conscience and neither of them act upon the spirit by teaching and instructing as the word doth so as excommunication of a heretick should have instructing and convincing going before so should also the Magistrate presuppose before he strike with the sword that the false teacher hath been instructed and convinced and so he doth formally punish him with the sword for his pertinacious perverting of souls 3. Nor can it be replyed that men should not be punished for either opinions or for
that the sword is a kindly means to force outward performances for the Magistrate as the Magistrate does not command these outward performances as service to God but rather forbids the omissions of them as destructine to man for example a Physician commands fasting Pastors after the example of James commands fasting when judgements are on us the physician commands it in so farre as eating troubles the common societie of humours members and temper of the body and the Physician forbids eating so as he will have no more to do with the patient if he will disobey and so trouble the temper of the bodie which is the onely object the physician works on Pastors command fasting to be in sincerity for afflicting and humbling the soul under the mightie hand of God So the Magistrate forbids cutting of a veine or shedding of blood as a thing troubling the peace of humane societie yet his command is not a direct means of preventing diseases in the bodie of a subject and for healthie living But the Physician commands to cut a viene and to shed blood for health and to prevent a disease and sinnes neither against the Magistrate nor God in so doing so doth the Magistrate not directly command going to Church as a worship to God so as his commands have influence on the conscience as the Pastors commands have but he commands going to Church and hearing so as the omission of hearing harts the societie whereof God hath made him a civill and politick head in this latter sense must Lactantius Tertullian and others be taken otherwise these words the Religion of another does his neighbour neither good nor ill in rigour are not true the ill example of others in Idolatrie brings ill upon all the Church Deut. 13. 5. yea and the fierce anger of God v. 17. Again Laâ—â—antius saith false Religion cannot be compelled but he denyes not that Christians may punish blasphemies in true religion 2. he denyes we may propagate the Gospel among Pagans with the sword both which points we teach There 〈◊〉 saith he of force and injurie because Religion cannot be compelled the business is to be tranâ—acted by words rather than blowes that there may be willingnesse Let them enemies of the truth draw the sword or sharpnesse of their wiâ—â— if their reason be good let it be produced we are ready to 〈◊〉 if they teach nothing more cleare then that he speaks of the Pagans that would force Pagans worship on Christians we beleive nothing of their Religion whilt they are silent as we cannot yeeld to them while they rage against us let them imitate us and declare the reason of the whole matter for we Christians doe not allure as they Pagans frequently object to us but we teach we prove we demonstrate therefore none by us are kept against their will for he is unprofitable to God who wants devotion and faith and yet no man departs from us when the truth detains him But saith Celsus fol. 84. if in the time of Lactantius Christians killed men for their religion no man can doubt but Lactantius in these same generall words inveighs against Christians who would compell men to their faith against their will and that he abhorres the violence of ours against hereticks Answ These are of a wide difference to kill blasphemers and false teachers for spreading heresies and blasphemies and to compell them by warre and fire and sword to be of our Christian Religion As I hope to prove for the formers lawfull â—he later unlawfull It s true Lactantius speaks of all Religion true and false that we are to compell none with the sword to any Religion but he no where saith that the Magistrates may not kill open and pernicious seducers and false teachers who pervert others for the Magistrate is not to compell yea nor to intend the conversion of a pernicious seducer but to intend to take his head from him for his destroying of souls And Lactantius denyes Religion after it is begotten can be defended that is nourished and conserved in the hearts of people by the sword but by the word and Spirit Those are farre different tormenting and pietie saith he nor can violence be conjoyned with veritie nor justice with crueltie And again but as in Religion so also in defending of Religion they are deceived Religion is to be defended not by killing but admonishing others read by being killed not by crueltie but by patience not by wickednesse but by faith But here he speaks of defending in a hostile way by killing those that will not be of our Religion be it the Pagan religion and most develish not of defending the Christian professors from the infection of wolvish seducers by the sword of the Nurse-father of the Church who is to defend good men and to execute vengeance on evill doers For in all this Lactantius speaks of such a violence as is without teaching parati sumâ—s andire si doccant tacentibus certe nihil credimus But suppose some father were in that errour as Augustine was but retracted it though Augustine 〈◊〉 we may compell man to the faith yet 〈◊〉 of improper compulsion and of Donatists the such as are 〈◊〉 the Church whom he thinks the Magistrate on 〈◊〉 to punish which is not a compelling of the 〈◊〉 to the sound faith but an act of justice in punishing him for his 〈◊〉 of heresiâ—s to the perverting of the faith of others Upon these 〈◊〉 is Cyrilius saith Moyes Law is one and he Kingdom of Câ—â—â—t is wholly heavenly and spirituall and 〈◊〉 â—efore hath spirituall 〈◊〉 and spirituall armour and therefore a spirituall not a carâ—â—â— sword to punish the enemies of this Kingdom 〈◊〉 Christian men But he speaks of 〈◊〉 without the Church who as I constantly 〈◊〉 are not with warres and the sword to be compelled to 〈◊〉 the Christian Religion and therefore aâ—deth on the 〈…〉 did fight against Amorites Canaanites and 〈…〉 with 〈…〉 of iron but he speaks not of the Laws 〈…〉 24. and 〈◊〉 in which death was decreed for the false Prophet within the visible Church At 〈…〉 the fathers have 〈◊〉 with unsound Emperours who have tollerated 〈◊〉 Arrians and Jews but that is no law for us But the other point is that though these that are without are not to be compelled to embrace the true Religion it followeth nto that the Magistrate should not 〈…〉 Prophets or pernicious teachers such as Baals 〈◊〉 who openly 〈◊〉 the people of God to Idolatrâ—â— 1. Become the Magistrate cannot 〈◊〉 ought not to compell 〈…〉 lyars to be 〈…〉 it with their own as well as they must be such externally no more then he can compell them to inward fear love faith in God and to the externall performances 〈◊〉 But it doth not follow that therefore the Magistrate cannot command externall acts of mercie câ—â—astitie selfe-contentednesse and should not punish murther adulterie theft robberie perjurie for to punish these makes many
till James fully determined the question from the word of God v. 13 14 15 16. then it is most clear that these that erre in other points that are not fundamentals in which all Christians agree may be perverters of souls and so deserve to be rebuked by the Church and punished 3. This opinion of so 〈◊〉 ring all save such as erre in fundamentals though they 〈◊〉 non fundamentals is grounded upon this that the Scripture is evidently plain and clear in fundamentals but in other points 〈◊〉 non-fundamentals the Scripture is dark and in regard of the darknesse and naturall ignorance of our minde which is inâ—â—cible almost we must forbear one another and give and take elbow-roome and latitude of indulgence because the Magistrate and Church are not infallible but both Godly and learned may be on each side so that there should be no peace nor union of hearts in Christian societies but all Churches or earth must disband and be dissolved if each should punish and censure one another for holding contrary tenets But 1. Mr. John Goodwine who contendeth for a Catholicke tolleration of all of any Religion whatsoever whither they erre in fundamentals or non-fundamentals and his words because nnanswerable to me against this distinction I set down I desire it be taken saith he to serious consideration 〈◊〉 or how farre it is meet to punish or censure poor miserable men for not holding or not asserting the truth of these things which they cannot come without much labour and contention of minde yea not without some good degree of some reason and understanding too to judge so much as probable nor at all to come to believe or know them certainly but onely by an immediate and supernaturall work of the Spirit of Godâ— are 〈◊〉 to be punished because God hath not imparted to them his Spirit of grace and supernaturall illumination This learned and sharp witted Divine as any I see of that way confirms me much that tolleration in non-fundamentals and non-tolleration in errours fundamentall is a distinction cannot subsist in the way that Libertines in England now goe for to know or believe supernaturall non-fundamentals as the histories of the miracles of Christ the Prophets and Apostles requires a work of the Spirit of grace and supernaturall illumination is to know or believe fundamentalls why then should men be punished for holding errours in the one and not in the other and the conscience cannot be compelled in the one more then in the other but with favour I desire an answer to these quaeries Quaere 1. Whether men deserve to be pitied and spoken of compassionately as poore miser 〈…〉 which they 〈…〉 work of the Spirit of grace and supernaturall 〈…〉 the false Prophet Deut 13. and Elimaâ— the perverter of the Gospel deserves to be piâ—ied Query 2. Hence whether the sinfull blindnesse of our in 〈◊〉 that makes us because poor and miserable 〈…〉 must not black the spotlesse justice of our Lord who yet punisheth originall mind-blindnesse in thousands of the sons of Adam Query 3. Whether this hinteth not at 〈…〉 power of believing and doing what we can otherwise God cannot deny further grace or punish that naturall impotency of not knowing or not believing Quer. 4. Whether the same query may not be retorted upon the Justice of Gods law Deut. 13. 〈…〉 thus whether is it meeâ— that the just God should command a pooâ—â— miserable seducing Jew who saith Let us go and worship strange Gods since this miserable impostor being a son of sin and wrath by nature cannot come without much labour and contention of mind yea nor without some good degree of reason to judge so much as it is probable nor at all to believe or know certainly that 〈◊〉 noâ— the true God but the God of the Jews onely excluding on the world from saving means of salvation is the onely true God onely to be served and worshipped but onely by an immediate and supernaturall work of the Spirit of God are men either Jews under the Law or Genâ—â—les under the Gospel to be punished and stoned to death because God hath not â—â—parted to them his Spirit of Grace and supernaturall 〈◊〉 Quer. 5. Is it meet to punish David suppose he were no King for adultery and treacherous murther since without a worke of the Spirit of Grace who only effectually 〈…〉 being led into temptation he cannot eschew the 〈◊〉 into adultery and murther are men-adultererâ— and men murtherers to be punished because God hath not imparted â—â—to them his Spirit of grace by whose actuall assistance only they can decline adultery and martherâ— Quer. 6. Whether did even 〈…〉 teach that the Magistrate should punish with the sword poor miserable men because they canot believe 〈◊〉 of faith by the supernaturall illumination of the Spirit whether is 〈◊〉 the question perverted when a Query is made whether the Magistrate is to punish poor men for not understanding not 〈◊〉 not judging not believing supernaturall truths we say the Magistrate or his sword hath nothing to do with the elect and internal acts of the minde of understanding knowing judging or believing but onely with the externall acts of speaking teaching 〈◊〉 â—ishing dangerous and pernitious doctrines to the 〈◊〉 and destraction of the soules of others Quer. 7. Whether the Magistrate does therefore force the conscience of a false teacher because he cannot he dare not keep up doctrines pornicious to the souls of others but publish them because his erroneous and evill conscience judgeth them to be saving and necessary truths when the Magistrate punisheth him more then he forceth the conscience of a murtherer whom he punisheth though this murtherer judged in his conscience that the man be killed did him so crying and oppressive an injury as in the court of God deserved bodily death or when this man murthered his son in a sacrifice to God out of meer conscience Quer. 8. Whether or no this divine who will have 〈◊〉 to be punished for erring in fundamentalls because they believe them not doth not say none that teacheth there is â—â— God that Jesus Christ is a grand impostor and faller 〈◊〉 the truth and saith Sathaâ— is the only God of this world and 〈◊〉 to be served ought to be so much as rebuked for without the immediate and supernaturall worke of the Spirit of God they cannot know or believe these truthe and are men to be rebuked and preached against because God hath not imparted to them his Spirit of grace whether doth not this arguing evict all the Ministery rebukes and exhortation and morall extirpating of heresies by the power of the word Quer. 9. Whether this be not the old argument of 〈◊〉 who argued from liberty of free-will to conclude liberty of conscience and said forcing of free-will if the Magistrate hinder men to be a willing people to Christ is an injury done to conscience and to free-will and to God the Creatâ—â— of the soule and the same
prove that there must bee a God though they be strong enough for the wit of the devill to answer Now for these that are of their owne nature controversall though no truths especially truths revealed and spoken by the God of truth are in themselves controversall or such as can bee opposed yet are there two sorts of truths that are in relation to humane reason controvertable 1. The principles of nature that God is that he is infinit omnipotent just mercifull omniscient c. to be loved served obeyed c. that superiours and parents are to be honoured our neighbour not to bee hurt that wee should doe to others as we would they should doe to us are not of themselves controversall but the practicall conclusions drawne from thence are controversall in regard of our darkenesse as polygamy community of goods all these whether the Saints may rob and spoyle wicked men of their possessions and kill them upon the right and authority of Saintship are of themselves controversall in relation to our nature who acknowledge Scripture to bee the word of God but for supernaturall truths that cannot finde lodging in the sphere or under the shadow of naturall reason such as the doctrine of one God in three persons of the incarnation of two natures in Christ of the imputed righteousnesse of Christ of salvation by beleeving in a crucified Saviour the resurrection of the dead and those that are not knowable but by supernaturall revelation though they be the fundamentalls of the Christian faith yet are they more controversall of themselves then the most part of non-fundamentalls as Joh. Goodwin does rightly observe for nature hath more shadow of reason to cavill and plead against these then any other truths if then no coercive power ought to be used against such as teach errours contrary to the word of God and against fundamentalls because such points are controversall there is farre more warrant to free those from all coercive power who deny all principles of the Christian faith and turne so from the faith that they deny the word of God the bookes of the Old and New Testament to be any thing but phansied fables because they teach things most controversall and so upon the grounds of Libertines one Catholicke toleration is due to all and if any shall turn Jew or Mahometan or Indian or Heathenish in his Religion having been a glistering star in the Firmament of Christianity should pervert the right wayes of the Lord with Elimas the Magistrate hath nothing to doe to punish him though he carry Navies and millions of soules to hell yea nor is he to be rebuked nor declaimed against as a childe of the devill and an enemy to all righteousnesse but with all meeknesse and gentlenesse to be instructed for rebuking of him thus is as unjust since it is not in his power what he thinks or apprehends for truth or what not say Libertines as to command the Sun to shine at midnight CHAP. VII What opinions 〈…〉 BUt are there no far off 〈◊〉 at all to be 〈…〉 not learned men give divers and contrary expositions 〈◊〉 one and the same text of Scripture and hath not the Church suffered errours and erronious 〈◊〉 in godly 〈◊〉 men in all ages even in 〈◊〉 〈…〉 have not implored the sword of the 〈…〉 them though all errours printed and preached hurt the soules of others more or lesse Answ Some errors are about things that God 〈◊〉 indifferent for the time 〈◊〉 opinion and 〈…〉 meateâ— and dayes Rom. 14. 1 Cor. 8. 〈◊〉 in these God gives an indulgence and bidâ— us so long as the date of indifferency in doreth bea with the 〈…〉 1 Cor. 8. you shall not finde that Paul 〈…〉 with the unlimited practise of dayes and meates 〈…〉 and in all cases as for the case of scandall 〈…〉 the practise to the scandalizing of the weake and calleth it soul-murther and here it in like the Church may suffer sinfull ignorances for â—s the Magistrate is not to publish all externals sinnes of infâ—rmity against the second table â—or then humaine societies must be dissolved and 〈…〉 subsist except there be a reciprocall yeâ—lding to the infirmities of men as they are weake and 〈◊〉 as we must not make a man an offender for a word though it bee a hasty and sinful word even in a family where the Lord of the house hath the power of the 〈◊〉 and proportionally in other societies we would heare Solomon saying Eccles 7. 21 Also take not heed to all words that are spoken least thou leave thy servant curse thee So it would appeare that some lower errours that are farre off without the compasse of the ordinary discerning of man and lye at a distance from the 〈…〉 on as fundametals and Gospell promises lye heard the heart of Christ may bee dispensed with as a conjecturâ— what became of the meate that Christ eats after his resurrection when he was now in the state of immortality and some probable opinions that neither better the holder noâ— much promove or hinder the edification of others are not much to be 〈◊〉 save that 〈…〉 is sinfull and happily may bee tollerated or whether the heavens and 〈◊〉 after the day of judgement shall be 〈…〉 and turned to nothing and be no 〈◊〉 or if 〈◊〉 shal be renewed and delivered from vanity and indeed with new 〈◊〉 to stand 〈◊〉 as lasting and eternall 〈…〉 and witnesses of the glory of God 〈…〉 Christs and the redeemed in heaven in 〈…〉 live in glory to be eternall lectures and testimonies of the glory of the Lord Redeemer and Sanctifier of his people 〈…〉 most probable and the Scripture may 〈◊〉 to say much some other side 2 For diverse expositions of one and 〈…〉 Heavens and new Earth when 〈…〉 of the expositions so farre as is revealed â—o the godly and learned who in this life doe but know and prophesie in part doe neither doubt the fundation 〈…〉 truth that is non-fundamentall we think the opinion of both may be tollerated even though the one of them be in it selfe an errour and that upon the ground that Church and Magistrates both are to tollerate not to punish these infirmities against both tables that are the necessary results of sin originall common to all men as men 〈◊〉 about with them a body of sin And the like I say another the like opinions about matters of religion and especially matters of fact as the virginity of Mary for all her life 3 Such opinions and practise â—â—as make an evident schisme in a Church and set up two distinct Churches of different formes of Government and pretending to different institutions of Christ of which the one must by the nature of their principles labour the destruction of the other cannot be tollerated c. for each pretending their fellow Churches to bee of man and so of the devill though they should both make one true invisible Church agreeing in all
they disturbe not the peace of the Kingdome though they leade millions of soules to hell For upon this proposal suppose al England were truly godly the King might command the just contrary to what the Apostle John exhorts if he follow the consciences of the new Army CHAP. XIII Magistracy and perpetuall Lawes in the old Testament warrant the civill coercing of false Prophets Argument VII WHat the Patriarkes and Godly Princes of Israel and Judah were obliged to doe as Rulers and Princes and not as such Rulers who were priviledged types of Christ that all Kings and Rulers under the new testament are obliged to doe For quod convenit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what agreeth to Kings as such and to Rulers as such agreeth to all Kings and to all Rulers But Patriarkes and Godly Princes as Rulers commanded the putting away of strange Gods as Jacob Gen. 35. 2 3 4. did and the worship of the true God as Abraham Gen. 18. He being a Prince within himselfe So repenting Manasses 2 Chron. 33. 15 16. removed strange Gods and new Aâ—ers Asa removed Idolatry and Queen-mother for her Idolatry 2 Chron. 14. renewed the Covenant and commanded that who soever should not seeke the Lord God of Israel should be put to death whether small or great whether man or women 〈◊〉 is commanded because he tooke away the high 〈◊〉 and the groves as other godly Kings are blemished for not removing of them 2 Chro. 19. 4. Neverthelesse there are good things found in thee saith the Prophet Jehu Hezekiah removed the high places the images groves brazen Serpent restored the Passeover worship Priests And Josiah destroyed the high places groves carved and molten Images Idols and Altars of Baalâ—m the horses dedicated to the Sunne houses of the Sodomites Topheth Baals Priests 2 Chro. 34. Now that they did this as Princes not as priviledged types of Christ and that God requires this at the hands of king Charles when God shall establish him in his Throne to take order with Arrians Socinians Antitrinitarians Familists 〈◊〉 Anabaptists Seekers c. is evident 1. Their assertion that all the Judges and Kings were types of Christ even Jeroboam Jehu Ahab and the vilest of them is said not proved 2. That typicalnesse invested all these Kings with a power over the conscience 2. to convert men to God with a sword of steele 3. To punish Idolaters whereas they had none if they had wanted this typicalnesse the contrary being evident in Cyrus Artaxerxes Darius 4. That this typicalnesse made Jeroboam Ahab and such who sold themselves to wickednesse infallible to judge who were true Prophets and reward them and who were seducers to put them to death the contrary of which is cleare in Ahab and men of his stamp 5. Wee require any ground from the word that they were types of Christ 6. That the typicalnesse of the land made the head the King a type of Christ and not all the inhabitants types also 7. That the typicalnesse of the land made the King head of the Church and yet he might not offer incense but hee must be strucken with leprosie as King Vzzah was 9. That Church and State was one 10. That the King was supreme Church-Judge above the Priests that handle the Law and over both judicatures of Church and State 11. That they were all Prophets and by an extraordinary typicall power removed the high places killed Baals Priests all which phancies taken for granted lyeth between them and this That Princes now have nothing to doe with Christ and Religion more then Indians 2. That they did this as Princes of common equity by the law of Nature I prove 1. Darius who was undeniably no type of Christ to his great commendation makes a Law Ezra 6. 11. I have made a decree that whosoever shall alter this word let timber be pulled from his house and being set up let him bee hanged thereon and let his house bee made a dunghill for this and this is commended by the Holy Ghost v. 14. They prospered through the prophesying of Haggai c. according to the Commandement of the God of Israel and according to the commandement of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes King of Persia And Ezra chap. 7. Artaxerxes saith v. 26. Whosoever will not doe the law of thy God and the law of the King injoyning obedience thereunto Let judgement be executed speedily upon him whether it be unto death or unto banishment or to confiscation of goods or to imprisonment And Artaxerxes was no type of Christ yet Ezra addeth in the next verse 27. Blessed be the Lord God of our Fathers which hath put such a thing as this in the heart of the King to beautifie the house of the Lord at Jerusalem If it stand good that patrons of liberty say he was not to blesse God for this he had cause to mourne that the heathen King being no type of Christ should intermeddle with that which belonged not to him to straine the tender consciences of men and to force Religion upon them with the sword for chap. 10. v. 7 8. this is set downe as a blessed decree which brought on an Assembly for putting away strange wives The like is clear in the decree of Darius Daniel 6. for worshipping the God of Daniel and of the King of Niniveb for a generall fast Jon. 3. and Nebuchandnezar Dan. 3. 28 29. 3. Typicalnesse sometime may be ground of doing what is extraordinary as Sampson killed himselfe and his enemies which he could not have done in ordinary but he was in it a type of Christ who slew more in his death and that most voluntary Joh. 10. 18. then in his life And Solomon as a type married the daughter of the King of Aegypt typifying Christ who joyned himselfe in marriage with the Church of the Gentiles but it is no good consequence the Kings of Judah being types did punish Idolaters therefore 〈◊〉 â—â—nishing of Idolaters was extraordinary For 〈…〉 the Ammonites and Philistimes and so did Joshua the 〈◊〉 as types of Christ who subdueth all our spirituall 〈◊〉 and makes the Gentiles his willing subjects but it followeth not that therefore Christian Kings may not 〈◊〉 Joshua and David in making warre with Nations that come against them in battell as these did against the people of Israel Josh 11. 26 27. Ps 2. 1 2 3 4 5. For sometime the ground of typicall actions is morall as Josephs brethren bowed to him by vertue of the fifth Commandement because Joseph was a Prince second to the King yet both â—ee and they were types for these that despised and sold Christ bowed to him sometimes the ground of typicall actions is an extraordinary impulsion and then they binde not to imitation as a man may not kill himselfe that he may kill his enemies to follow Sampson in that extraordinary motion of the Spirit in which he was a type of Christ But if there be no more but naked typicalnesse
and that there should be no Church censure contrary to Mat. 18 yea Christ does no where rebuke the Pharisees Scribes and Priests because they did not by preaching admonish and convince their fellows the Sadduces of that hereticall doctrine that the dead shall not rise and by this there should be not onely a Physicall tolleration and a non punishing by the Magistrate of all heresies but a morall forbearing and a no-rebuking no preaching against false wayes and so not onely Church-censures are taken away contrary to Matth. 18. 15 16 17. Revel 2. 1 2 14 15 16 20. But it is not lawfull for Ministers or teachers to write or teach against Iezabel and these that hold the doctrine of Balaam by this reason of the Libertines Nor does Christ command the Rulers of the people to punish the false witnesses that rose against him Nor does he rebuke Church or State for tollerating the Publicans to extort the people nor Caesar and Pilate for oppressing the people nor the Scribes and Pharisees for not preaching against Herods beheading of Iohn Baptist or Pilates mixing the Gallileans blood with the sacrifice Luke 13. ergo Ministers are to tollerate bloody Magistrates and not to preach against them The sixth Answer to elude these Lawes is If these Lawes binde us in the New Testament then must you not adde nor diminish from the Law Deut. 13. and so must the whole City inhabitants and cattle be put to the edge of the sword and devoted to a curse v. 14 15 16 17. which ye cannot say beares any truth under the New Testament except we say that Papists and their babies should be put to the edge of the sword and their houses and land they dwell in execrable Answ There are three different Lawes Deut. 13. one against the seducing false Prophet to v. 5. a second against any seducing person if it were brother or wife to v. 12. a third to the end of the Chapter of a City State or society that will defend a false teacher Now we argue not from the third Law but there is no warrant to punish the sonne of a false Prophet Idolater Heathenish or Popish or of wife or brother that tempt us to Apostacy and to follow false Gods yea or to hurt land house or cattle that belongs to them the sonne shall not beare the sinne of the father except God by a positive Law command it But the third Law upon which we build not our arguments at least as touching any ceremoniall part of it belongs not much to us for to gather the spoyle of such a City and to burne it every whit for the Lord as a cursed and devoted thing or place is clearly ceremoniall and typicall because now every creature of God is clean Rom. 14. 14 and so are all the victualls or meats of Heathens or Papists now and good and sanctified 1 Tim. 4. 3 4. and what God hath cleansed we are not to esteem common or prophane Act. 10. 14. and the like must we say of places 1 Tim. 2. 8. Ioh. 4. 21. Zach. 14. 21. and by proportion of all creatures the creatures cannot now be typically cursed and execrable as then Deut. 13. 16. 18. For the holy Land and every City was made by the Lord typically and ceremonially holy and a pledge of a Heaven when therefore a Seducer fled to any City from the Judge if that City would partake with him in his sinne and save him from the hand of Justice that City forfeited its typicall holinesse and it and all things in it the spoyle cattle and goods made accursed and to bee burnt with fire and all the inhabitants young and old put to the edge of the sword and that not under the noâ—ion of false teachers but as open Rebells against God his holy law and the Judge the Minister of God was to avenge that blasphemy and the morall part is this If the Army now on foot in England will against the Laws of God and man protect blasphemers and false teachers and save them from the hand of Justice and will reward countenance and promote Seducers of soules our humble opinion is that they render themselves obnoxious to the sword of the Magistrate But the punishing of infants and burning of the spoyle was a meer temporary typical law that doth not abolish us in the New Testament Now Libertines bring this as an argument We cannot put to death false teachers by Deut. 13. for then should we by that Law kill their children and cattle which consequence we deny as false and vaine For our Divines strongly argue from the morall equity and the Law of nature â—arâ—anting Joshua to make warre with the Canaanites in the Old Testament to prove the lawfulnesse of warres under the New Testament upon the same morall equity as â—osh 1â— 19 20. Those that refused to make peace with Isâ—â—â—l and came against Israel in battle against those Israel might raise warre by the Law of nature in their owne defence But such were all the Canaanites except those of Gibâ—on Josh 11. v. 19. 20. And this argument holds strongly in the New Testament if any as some Anabaptists doe inferre this is no good argument because if the major proposition were true then should we also kill the women and sucking children as the Lord commanded Saul touching the Amalekites 1 Sam. 15. and then should we destroy the cattle and burne the spoyle with fire for Joshua and Israel made such a war with Iericho c. and the rest of those Cities yea Israel destroyed them utterly and shewed them no favour Josh 11. 20. We with good ground deny the consequence because the warre with these seven Nations was warranted by the Law of nature but the warre tali modo to destroy utterly young and old cattle and all they had was from a ceremoniall and temporall law peculiar to the Jewes because God would have his Church neither inriched by their goods nor to make Covenants and marriages with them or to live in one society with them nor to see their groves lest they should bee insnared to follow their Religion and strange Gods CHAP. XVI Prophesies in the Old Testament especially Zach. 13. 1 2 3 4. 5 6. for punishing false Prophets vindicated WE argue from the Predictions and Prophesies in the Old Testament touching the Magistrates zeale under the New Testament especially that Zach. 13. 2. Also I will cause the Prophets and the unclean spirit to cease out of the land 3. And it shall come to passe that when any shall yet Prophesie then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him thou shalt not live for thou speakest lyes in the name of the Lord and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth 4. And it shall come to passe in that day that the Prophets shall bee ashamed every one of his vision when he hath prophesied c. That which
spirit of my Disciples is not so 2. Your spirit seeks to destroy lives out of a zeale for Religion the Spirit of the Son of man is for saving not for destroying of mens lives And this generall answer of Christ forbids all cruelty in the matters of Religion saith Celsus Answ First the Libertines must prove from this that the Disciples made Religion the quarrell why they would have the Samaritans burnt and not an inhumane fact of denying against the Law of nature an act of hospitality to strangers and that because of the envy between the Jews and Samaritans Christ seeming to grace Jerusalem with his presence then the Samaritans have had a high esteem of Christ were offended that so mighty a Prophet should visit their hatefull enemies this was an act of envy rather then an heterodoxy in the faith or opposing the doctrin of the Gospel 2. The Samaritans were yet in their Idolatry and utterly ignorant of the Gospel now we had never a question with Libertines whether the first thing to be done to such as will not admit Christ or his messengers within their houses for the first act of refusing to hear the Gospel before they be instructed we are to call for the Magistrates sword to kill them or for fire from heaven to destroy them we think no we should thinke this no way of God to convert them wee plainly say It is not lawfull to us to goe with fire and sword to force the Indians Samaritans or any heathen to embrace the Christian faith the weapons of our warfare are not carnall if they be within our power we may restraine them 1. From spreading their blaspemies to hurt and seduce the soules of the people of God 2. We may hinder them from reproaching God or his son Christ in the hearing of the people of God as David fought against Goliah who blasphâ—med the 〈◊〉 God 3. If they do Nationall injuries and acts of hostility we may raise armes against them and in these warres in case of subduing we may intend the propagating of the Gospel to them as the Master is to command and teach his servants Gen. 18. 18. Deut. 6. 6 7. so the victors having made the subdued people their servants doe now acquire some masterly power over them to see them instructed in the knowledge of the true God Nor is the intention of overcomming in a lawfull warre the more unlawfull but rather more spirituallized by the accession of a spirituall intention to doe good to their soules whether wee may by force take their children from them and train them up in the Christian Religion is disputable since their condition of being subdued denudes them not of the naturall relation of fathers to sonnes or because in so robbing them of their children we should but spoyle them of the actuall abuse of that paternall right which is now conveyed to runne in a right channell to traine up young ones in a right way whereas their parents would imploy it to a wrong end it would seeme no violence to the soules of young ones since nothing is done but by gracious education and instruction 4. If they joyne with us in one Religious Covenant and we sweare with our lives and goods to defend one another we may cause them stand to the oath of God they were under As Asa compelled not onely Judah but those of Israel that fell in to him to stand to the oath for the Covenant when it is mutuall giveth a reciprocation of Rights to each Kingdome over the other for if he that makes a promise to another much more he that sweares a Covenant to another makes over a right to the other to plead for the fulfilling thereof omnis qui promittit facit jus alteri cui est facta promissio ad requirendam promissi implectionem This is cleare in the Kingâ— covenanting at his coronation with his people and the people with the King in the compacts between the master and the hired servant between two merchantâ— if thiâ— were not the nerves of all societies and lawfull confederations between man and man nation and nation should bee broken 2. Omne promissum cadit in debitum promise becomes debt and so doth a Covenant But before I say more of compulsion of heathen that are without A word to the wise of forcing within and of the Covenant endeavouring of uniformity not the Prelaticall in Ceremonies and canonicall obedience which Familists impute to the Covenant but Scripturall uniformity in the same faith and forme of wholesome words and externall worship and ordering of it which is not indifferent as Libertines and Familists who in this are brethren against Presbyterians the Authors of their breathing in England but we intended good to men not to sects endeavouring of nearest uniformity in the three Kingdomes which we did sweare is contrary to actuall tollerating of all sects and Religions but the Sectaries endeavour the latter and have compassed it ergo the Sectaries are gone contrary to their Oath and Covenant The Proposition is evident setting up of all sects and Religions by a Law-tolleration is an endeavouring yea and actuall erecting of the widest multiformity that is Yea but the Ordinance provides against Antitrinitarians Socinians Papists Answ There is no provision against them Papists will say Amen to tollerate them 2. There is no provision made to try Socinians and Papists whether they be such or no but the old way of trying them by the Law removed and no new one established then are they the same way tollerated that the Familists Aminomians Arminians Libertines Enthysiasts Antiscripturists Sceptists Seekers are tollerated who all will acquiesce to the Ordinance as I conceive and within these few yeares would have rejoyced at lesse then the halfe of it A certaine Author hath written a Treatise called Ancient bonds in which there is little antiquity lesse 〈◊〉 no impartiality much ignorance for he neither doth nor can so much as state the question And he faith 1. We are to endeavour Reformation of Religion in the three Kingdomes not simply but according to the word of God the only patterne and regulation of the best Reformed Churches and of us we clip the Covenant of these words Answ The word of God say the Familists in their Petition to King James an 1604. as we understand it So as Libertines understand it and according to their conscience so the Jewes would sweare to endeavour a Reformation according to the word of God in the Old Testament as they understand it and the Papists according to the word of God as they understand it to written and not written and will the Author dare to looke God or men in the face and say the words according to the word of God is according as every Covenanter understands the word of God the Prelaticall man the Socinian Arrian Familist Antinomian Seeker Separatist Antiscripturist Antitrinitarian Arminian for all these did take the Covenant if we
the onely true Religion though he himselfe be an Arrian or Socinian or of opinion that all Religions are to be tollerated by the Christian Magistrate in which regard it would seeme such are not capable to be Magistrates in a Christian society 14 Nor can the Magistrate promote Reformation against all lets and impediments No not heresie which is a worke of the flesh if both he may take and give licence to all under him to professe what ever way shall seeme good to the dictates of an erronioâ—s conscience 15 No Church can indeavour according to our Covenant for the power and purity of Religion if any Jezabel any that shall seduce and tempt the flocke or any of them to Idolatry or abominable Heresies or make defection to Judaisme to Familisme which denyeth as the Antichrist doth that Christ is come into the flesh if they purge not out such leaven and withdraw not from them and deny not to them lodging as the word of God teacheth us Revel 2. 14. 20 21 22. Tit. 3. 10. Rom. 16 v. 17 18. 2 Thess 3. 14 15. 2 Tim. 3. 1 2 3 5 6 7 8. Tit. 3. 10. 1 Cor. 5. 5 6 11 12. 2 Joh. 10. 16. Nor can we give a more publicke scandall and just offence to the best Reformed Churches with whom we are to endeavour the nearest conjunction and uniformity in Religion then to cry against both their doctrine and constant practise in that they teach a necessity of both Civill and Ecclesiasticall censures against ravenous wolves who spare not the flocke and cease not with Elimas the Sorcerer to pervert the right wayes of the Lord. 17. And we dare appeale to the consciences of our brethren in England when we did willingly enter in the Covenant of God to dye and live sinke and swim give our lives with and for them in this common cause of God if they did not conceive our downeright and ingenuous sense and meaning of the Covenant to be against all such pretended liberty of Conscieâ—ce for which cause sundry of them joyning with us as friends yet did refuse to take the Covenant or if by the liberties of the Kingdomes or the true publicke liberty or any like word they did understand liberty of professing Socinianisme Prolacy Popery Familisme Heresie or any thing contrary to sound doctrine or if they did beleeve their brethren who in the simplicity of their hearts did rather chuse to suffer affliction with the people of God then injoy their owne pleasures and peace for a season or that the honourable Honses had any such sense when in the returne of the Parliament of England p. 6 7. in their Letters and Declarations they invited us to joyn in Covenant to endeavour an uniformity of Doctrine Worship and Discipline with them which senâ—e if any had for we shall beleeve the honourable Honses invited not us to ruine our selves and the Reformed Religion with any such argument shall not the Lord search out such double equivocation and jugling in the sacred Oath and Covenant of God nor doth the word of God evidence to the consciences of men that there be some few fundamentalls in which Arrians Familists Socinians Seekers Arminians Anabaptists c. agree and that the Magistrate is to punish such as professe and teach false doctrine in these but in all these other points that border with these fundamentalls both magistrates and Church are to leave men to their owne conscience to waste and destroy soules as they thinke good without any controle except in such smooth rebukes as Eli gave to his sonnes or exposing of the word of truth to mockery after admonition an hereticke is not to be instructed at all by the word nor doe we by our doctrine more make the sword of the Magistrate a spirituall meanes as touching mens consciences by which they are converted to the sound faith as concerning the duties of the first Table and doctrine of the Gospel because the Magistrate punisheth false teachers then Libertines doe make it a spirituall way of converting soules from murthers rapes sodomies robbery lying to a sound conversation in matters of the second Table who doe hold that the Magistrate beareth the sword for punishing of murtherers adulterers and such as faile against the second Table for in either the sword hath no spirituall influence on the conscience nor is it any thing an ordinance of God for converting of heretickes but to hinder perverting of the right wayes of God and for our externall right walking as touching the outward man in all the duties of both Tables that we hurt not one another in civill societies This new liberty destroyes all that the Parliament hath done said suffered for the Hononourable Houses doe professe before the everliving God the safety of Religion Laws and liberties to be the chiefe end of all their counsells and resolutions also that Scotland had lovingly invited them to a nearer and higher degree of union in matters of Religion and Church-government which we say they most willingly embrace and intend to pursue The Honourable Houses declare they have for the just and necessary defence of the Protestant Religion his Majesties person Crowne c. taken up Armes and appointed and authorised Robert Earle of Essex to be Captaine Generall The same was the end of the Kingdome of Scotland Now can it be dreamed that the end of either Kingdomes united by Covenant and compact in this warre was to spend lives and fortunes for liberty or licence to many Religions or can any say but the intent of the Houses at that time was to oppose never to countenance and tollerate as now professedly they do Brownists Anabaptists Familists Antinomians Socinians Arrians Seekers and Libertines who are for all Religions should not we have had bowells of iron if in charity wee had not beleeved our brethrens words oaths proâ—essions The Honourable Houses ingage the whole Kingdome of England to take the Covenant by their Commissioners in a Treaty betwixt the two Kingdomes which Treaty was ratified in the Parliament of England and both Kingdomes agree that no meanes was thought so expedient to accomplish and strengthen the union as for both Nations to enter into a solemne League and Covenant and a forme thereof drawne and presented to the Convention of Estates and Generall Assembly of Scotland and the two Houses of the Parliament of England and hath accordingly beene done and received their respective approbation and I. Proposition It is agreed and concluded that the Covenant presented to the Convention of Estates and Generall Assembly of Scotland and sent to both Houses of the Parliament of England to their brethren of Scotland and allowed by the Committee of Estates and Commissioners of the Generall Assembly be sworâ—â— and subscribed by both Kingdomes 〈◊〉 most 〈◊〉 and conjunction betwixt them for their mutuall defence against the Papist and Prelaticall faction and their adherents in both Kingdomes and for pursuance of the ends
that God used him as a morall moderate wise man to save the Apostles from death for fear of politick inconveniences 2. Anabaptists can have no better grounds then Papists for Lorinus Salmeron and some Jesuites thinke so they tell us that Gamaliel was the master of Paul Barnabas and Stephen and counted among the Martyrs and that his body was found with the reliques of Stephen and Nicodemus as Baronius saith Clemens in his Recog li. 1. c. 9. Beda saith he was a companion of the Apostles but Occumenus and Chrysostome say the contrary 3. The best can be made out of his speech is dissimulation to save the lives of the Apostles for 1. he will have the Councell to carry themselves to the Gospell the onely instrument of their salvation as Neutrals and wils them neither to try it and believe nor to persecute it Againe if the Councell must not dare to meddle with the Apostles because their way was dubious he proves that the Councell as Magistrates should not interpose their sword but leave them to God by a weake argument because the Romane Magistrates left not Theudas and Iudas to God but tooke order with them and killed and dissipated all their followers so that the contrary followes from his reason That the Councell should not leave them to God and his immediate revenging hand for immediate providence cannot be the rule that the Magistrate or Church must follow in punishing ill doers and in censuring scandals the revealed will of God must be their rule but let them alone because God shall bring them to nought by Gamaliels Logick shal leave the Rulers of Church and State to immediate providence 6. The Councell had power of Ecclesiastick Censures and of casting out of the Synagogue at which the Romanes tooke no exception but this Dialemme proves they should be left to God as touching all censures and that they should have leave to ruine their own soules and the soules of millions in a pernitious way against Moses his Law and the onely true way of God as they conceived CHAP. XXIV Whether punishing of seducing Teachers be inconsistent with the meeknesse of Christ place Luke 9. 54. discussed LIbertines cry much for the mansuetude and clemency of our Saviour Christ to be a skreen and shield betwixt false teachers and the sword So Arminians Apolog. c. 24. fo 279. If Christ will not permit to his Disciples a desire of punishing out of zeale and love to Christ to whom the Samaritans denyed lodging far lesse will he permit Christians to punish Hereticks for their conscience onely But Christ proves the former to come from a spirit not such as was in Elias 1. That spirit is sharp and bitter 2. tending to destroy lives which I came to save 3. not acceptable to me in that you would destroy for Religion and this is against all cruelty for Religion So Vaticanus Num. 116. So Monfortius So Mimus Cels Answ 1. Theophilactus saith it is an example of blinde anger or zeale the Samaritans did sooner believe by clemency than by fire But 1 to consume a whole City men mothers and sucking children and many innocent people not for Idolatry there was need of an expresse Law of God and as Hieronimus saith on the place the known will of God though there was a Law Deut. 13. of destroying a City that maintained Idolaters that tempted to follow strange Gods and kept out against all Israel and so defied Israel and their God Yet we finde not the executing of such a temporary judiciall Law without asking at the mouth of God Here the fiery Disciples shape a way of their owne to Christ in revenge in asking fire from Heaven 2. Neither here nor in the case of Elias was Idolatry or false worship the quarrel but denying of an act of humanity to Christ to wit not lodging of him and because Christ would have nothing done or said against Samaria for this shall Libertines I must use this name because of the dangerous error infer upon the same grounds of Christs meeknesse that therefore Pastors ought not sharply to rebuke and Magistrates may not in a well ordered City reprove and punish such as refuse an open Inne to innocent strangers against the Law of nature For this conclusion followes as well as theirs 3. Elias desired not fire to come downe and burne Cities men women and sucking children but fifty and fifty murtherers that came to kill him or then to bring him to a Tyrant who against all Law sought his life and so the case was not alike 4. There is no ground in the Text that Christ condemns Elias as too severe but the Disciples at too vindictive and by this blasphemers and obstinate open despisers of Christ and the Gospell should not be punished Vaticanus saith Nu. 129. sect seque If they deny God and blaspheme the holy Doctrine of Christ and detest the holy life of the godly Eos ego relinquo Magistratibus puniendos I leave them to be punished by the Magistrats not for their Religion for they have none Sed propter irreligionem for their want of Religion So were the Samaritans void of Religion and blasphemers and maligners of the Gospell and of Christ and as Libertines say by this Text not to be punished and yet the Text declares them to be irreligious and prophane Atheists and so to be punishable But it is not our minde saith Mimus Celsus pag. 24. to compare and resemble by this Text Samaritans to Hereticks and Ministers of the Word to Magistrates for that were to no purpose but to condemne all cruelty flowing from desire of revenge in the matter of Religion Answ If so the Argument is much weaker than it was for we condemne cruelty and desire of revenge in the matter of justice as well as of Religion for Libertines beg the question when they will have no bloodshed for blaspemy but it must be cruelty and desire of revenge for there can be no greater cruelty then for a Christian Magistrate to suffer bloody wolves to prey upon the flock and false teachers to hunt soules and destroy them It was justice not cruelty yea mercy to the Church of God to take away the life of Servoâ—us who used such spirituall and diabolick cruelty to many thousand soules whom he did pervert and by his Booke does yet leade into perdition 2. The mature object of the Disciples furious and blinde zeale was not Religion but refusing of lodging most inhumanely to Christ because the Samaritans did not receive him for his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem Luke 9. 51. and the Samaritans so maliced and envied the Jewes that because he aimed to go to Ierusalem being so glorious a Prophet and famous for holinesse among them they refused him lodging Then surely they had an esteeme of Christ as a rare and singular Prophet and would have monopolized him as a Samaritan and worker of miracles as their own
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
Taylors sentence we are not rest much upon the Fathers whether they be for or against liberty of conscience For course to be taken with Pagans to speake by the way all that Lactantius l. 5. c. 20. Tertulli ad Scapâ—lam c. 2. Augustine ser 6. de verb. dom c. 7. cont lite Petitian lib. 2. c. 83. we approve and what famous Schoolmen 〈◊〉 Thomas Bannes Durandus Paludâ—â—â— Richardus 〈…〉 Paluda and that of Augustine sâ—â— 6. de verb Dom. c. 7. Glandiendum est Paganu ut audiant veritatem in Christianis vero secanda putredo Pagans must be allured and not compelled by Warres to the faith Because the just cause of Warre must either be an open breach of Nations against the Law of nature for it must be a finne of which a multitude may easily be or are convinced of as is cleare in the Aâ—â—lekites and all the Nations who invaded Israel Josh 11. v. 19 20. or then in a visible Church it must be for manifest Apostacy from the Covenant of God and 〈◊〉 Religion as the new Altar supposed to be erected by the two Tribâ—â— and the halfe against the only one Altar commanded by God See Cavarruvias in Regnum paccatum part 2. sect 4. Setus in 4. distin 5. 4. 1. art 10. Molina de Justitia disp 106 and Bannâ—s 11. g. 10. art 11. saith that Paul the third defined well that the Westerne Indians being capable of life eternall were true Lords of their possessions and could not be justly deprived thereof To tollerate Jewes openly blaspheming Christ or to receive them in the Common-Wealth cannot be allowed or to suffer them to have Synagogues In regard they blaspheme the God we are in Covenant with and doe no lesse deny him then Goliah and Senacharib did 2. But simply seduced Jewes are to bee instructed for there is a peculiar prophecy touching the Jewes Rom. 11. Jer. 50. 5 6. That they shall bee brought in to know Christ and beleeve in him 3 Argument That which was a meere judiciall law and not onely in no force now as touching any obligation to bodily punishment from the Christian Magistrate is now under the Gospell either a sin offensive to humane society Or 2. No sin but innocency as some say Or then 5. â— thing lndifferent If it be a sin offensive to humane society and the people of God to drive them away from the Lord their God and an abomination that Israel should feare to doe in the dayes of Moses and before Christ came as is cleare Deut. 13. 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11. It must be so now for since it is not a Typicall but a morall sin it is at all times and in all places to us and now and to them and then an abomination Ergo the Argument of the holy Ghost being perpetâ—all that it is destructive to humane society the Lord must provide the same or as effectuall means for the remedying thereof But if the Christian Magistrate have no place or power to represse such abominations but Isreal may seduce men after false gods and not feare the stroke of 〈◊〉 sword then hath the Lord left the Church to the lust of â—avenous Wolves that destroy the flocke and hath left these wolves to the Lords immediate hand of judgement for rebukes Church-censures are not to be used against them upon the same ground that the sword should not be drawne against them by the ground of Libertines for rebukes and Church-censures doe 1. Force the conscience no lesse than the sword 2. They beget Hypocrites 3. Are as contrary to the law of meeknesse and gentlenesse of Christ and his servants who used no such way to gaine the Samaritans and other gaine-sayers as the sword is repugnant to Christs meek administration who did not use either sword crying rebukes or excommunication against broken reeds though both these may be used against Seducers in great gentlenesse and tendernesse toward their soules by fathers in State or Church 4. They are no lesse against liberty of prophecying beleiving with a reserve to beleeve the contrary than the sword For how can we in the name of the Lord rebuke threaten eterned wrath deliveto Sathan seducers more than the Magistrate can use the sword against them yea or refute their errors in the name and authority of Christ or strike with his rod since wee are not infallibly perswaded more than these we call Seducers for they may upon the same grounds call us Seducers threaten us with eternall wrath and deliver us to Sathan in the same name and authority that the sound Church proceedeth against them for neither side had the infallibility of divine authority in a reflex knowledge more than others by the Doctrine of Libertines 5. They are no lesse contrary to growing up in knowledge and new light for contrary reasons and rebukes and threatnings are as apt to expell new light and to reduce the Seducer to old darknesse for any certainty of perswasion any of the sides have for both may see beside their book and dreame the moone is made of wax by this way and instructing of teachers that see but on this and the yonder side of truth with eâ—â—s of flesh as they say is as uneffectuall a remedy against Teachers as the sword 6. Since the sword and stoning when used by the Jewes Deut. 13. presupposeth infallibility What warrant doe our Lords of licence of conscience give us that all the Commons and Lads and Girles that lifted a stone against the Seducer had Prophâ—ticall infallibility or that every wife to whom her husband might say Let us go and follow Baal and Dagon for sure the Zidâ—nians and Philistines are a people taught of God as well as we was infallible in her knowledge and unerrable and the husband an erring Seducer according to the principles that masters of licence would lead us on for there must be a response given to all and every one to beleeve this is the Seducer from the light of Moses law else they had no more right to stone the Seducer then the Seducer to stone them For as wee may erre in persecuting true Prophets I hope so did the people kill the Prophets and stone them that were sent Matth. 23. 27 and 2 Chron. 36. 16. they mocked and misused the Prophets of God and did as foully erre in persecuting as now we under the Gospell Yet Mr. Goodwin gives to the Jewes an infallibility of an Oracle to tell them who was the man to be stoned as a Seducer But let him answer these Queries 1 Did the Oracle speak immediately to all the actors in the stoning I thinke no then the Oracle spake to the Priest only To Pashur then the Officers had but the word of Peshur to put Jeremiah in the stockes and the people had but the Priests word for stoning the man 2 Query Were the people infallible in discerning the Priest to be a true relater of the mind of God
Testament he shall thrust through the false Prophet that speaketh lies in the Name of the Lord Zach. 13. 1 2 3 4 5 6. Kings as Kings must confer some royall service to the Church over which they are Nurse-fathers But all the power that Kings have is essentially co-active and in order to rewarding or punishing Rom. 13. 3 4. therefore they must confer coactive service Piscator saith well That the Prince is called the keeper of both Tables of the Law by our Divines therefore he is to vindicate Gods glory in both He that hath the keeping of two pits one more horrible and dark another more mild and heartsome for two malefactors a theef and an adulterer he must not cast the theef in such a dark dungeon as the adulterer So if the Magistrate keep both Tables he must not punish according to his own will but according to the rule and prescript of God Nor saith the Author of the Bloody Tenet any thing when he tels us that the Magistrate owes to the true Religion 1. Approbation and reverend esteem 2. Personall submission to the spirituall government Mat. 18. 1 Cor. 5. 3. Protection to the Subjects whether they be apart or met together To a false Religion he oweth permission not approbation Mat. 13. 30. 2. Protection from violence to their persons and estates Answ All this is very nothing 1. Approbation and submission to truth is no royall power Isaiah giveth a paternall and fatherly power to the King in Church matters when he saith He shall be a nurse-father Now all he gives in these two former points to wit approbation of and submission to truth is no more then any tradesman or son owes to the Church So Isaiah makes the King a father this author makes him a son subject to the Church which subjection I deny not in another consideration but that as a nurse-father he should approve the truth and submit thereunto as all the members of the Church makes him both a father and a son a commander and a humble submissive obeyer in the same considâ—ration which is most contradictorious and uncongruous for he must speak of him as a Ruler or else he saith nothing The third thing which is protection to the true Church is nothing to the purpose for that he owes to them as subjects not as they are serving God in the duties of the first Table for the King by this man can neither command them nor forbid them by his Magisteriall or coactive power to serve God or not to serve him in the duties of the first Table and by the true Church that the King owes protection to the Author meaneth not the Church that is in it self sound and true but the Church that seemeth and appeareth so to the conscience of the Magistrate though most erronious Now this is the Church of Seekers and Anabaptists but suppose the Magistrate or Commander in war be a Familist a grosse Anabaptist the Author will not say That he ought to protect the Church assembled to worship God and to excommunicate and deliver to Satan such as subvert the faith of many and say the Resurrection is already past or that he ought to protect an Assembly of Divines that are for Presbyteriall Government and the truth that Calvin and our Reformers delivered These are to him Antichristian Synagogues or if he owe them protection he ought to offer violence with his sword to Anabaptists such as rose in Germany under John Becold of Leydon that out of meer principles of Religion killed all that were not of their way and to displace imprison and confine Presbiterians So yet in a defensive way the Magistrate must offer violence to the conscience of men who for meer Religious grounds doe labour to scatter and violently to hinder the meetings of the servants of God for how many of the Sectaries of England who are for liberty of conscience have come into Churches in England and stepped up to the Pulpit and hindered the Minister the discharge of his conscience to the flock and offered violence to the meeting of the true Church now it is not enough to say the Minister was but an Antichristian service-bookman and it was no true Church whose service such Sectaries interrupted but giving and not granting it were so yet are Libertines not to offer violence to the conscience of any Church true or false if they be true to their own principles but this Author being an Anabaptist and a Seeker will say neither warres nor such violence are lawfull but if so the Magistrate then cannot with the sword protect the true Church against the violence of men who upon meer conscience disturbe their Assemblies 2. To Libertines all Churches professing true Religion as all Churches on earth Indians and Mahometanians not excepted do must be true Churches for they are not to judge but that they follow their conscience and so the Magistrate owâ— protection to them though their conscience be most erroneous even for such as they conceive to be true Churches they are not infallibly perswaded they are such and so the Magistrate gives no protection to them as true Churches but only as Subjects which the Author tells the Magistrate he owes to false Churches so the King by this is a Nurse-father by his office and by the places Isai 49. 23. and 60. 10. to bring his glory of protection to the where of Rome if they be his Subjects as well as to the New Jerusalem but sure the King by these places ows father-nursing and Magistratical protection to the true Church not to the false because Isai 49. 23. 1. The place is clearly of such a Church as the Lord can no more forget then a woman cannot have compassion on the fruit of her wombe v. 14 15. 2. Such a Church as is graven on the palmes of Gods hands v. 16. 3. Whose â—â—sters and destroyers shall be removed v. 17. and destroyed vers 18. 4. Which shall be inlarged by the incomming of the Gentiles whose place shall be too narrow for multitude of Sons and daughters begotten by the power of the Gospel though she was a captive removing too and fro v. 19 20 21. 5. A Church that shall lift up a standard to the Gentiles and Nations to take in their Sons and daughters to fight under Christs colours as being baptized to the same faith vers 22. 6 A Church whose spirituall Government Kings and Queens shall obey licking the dust before them v. 23. 7. A people that wait for the Lord and so shall not be ashamed v. 23. Now to say that a false Church shall have all these glorious priviledges needeth no refutation and they must be stupid who teach that Kings are made Nurse-fathers by this Text to Antichrists Kingdom as if the Lord had the Beast and his followers written on the palmes of his hands or that Kings being made Nurse-fathers to the true Church owe nothing to those that wait on the
nor can an English Judge as a Judge judge of transporting of wines out of France or of crying down or up the worth of Monies within Scotland only the judges of France can and ought to judge of the former and that not as Judges simply but as â—â—th Judges of France and only the Judges of Scotland as they are such can judge of crying up or down monies in Scotland and upon the same ground Judges as Judges are not nor ought they as Judges to determine what Gospel truths are praise-worthy in order to civill rewards and what Gospel heresies are punishable for of these they are to determine judicially as such judges as Christian Judges who are hearers of the Gospel Though Christianitie adde nothing to the essence of a judge as a judge yet Christianity addeth something to the being and authoritative power of such a judge a Christian a Scottish an English judge this remaineth then true of a judge What a Judge doth as a Judge that all Judges may do for quod convenit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 convenit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but what such a judge doth as such a judge as Christian as Scottish as English that all judges may not nor cannot doe So a Christian husband father master as Christian is to give Christian Counsels and instructions to his wife children servant but it followes not that all husbands all fathers all masters though heathenish and Pagan though they never head of Christ are to give Christian counsells and 〈…〉 to the principles of the Gospel to their wives sons servants So the Christian Prince not as a Prince simply but as a Christian Prince is to confer his royall authority in a politick and co-active way to promote the Mediatory Kingdome of Christ which all judges on earth are not to doe for these Judges only Psal 2. are to kisse the Son who hear the decree published Thou art my Son Psal 2. 6. for a Law never proâ—â—â—gated neither by heart ingraving neither by minister all publication can oblige no man as is cleer Rom. â— 12. Rom. 10 14 15. and 5. 13. Joh. â—5 22. Matth. 11. 2â— 23 24. Yet shall it not follow that the Christian Judge is a sub-mediator under Christ and subordinate as a Vice-gerent to the Mâ—diator for the christian Magistrate does not promote Christs Kingdome as the Minister of Christ or as representing Christs person for the Christian Magistrate is the Minister of God and the Vice-gerent of God now God as the Soveraign Lord hath a co-active power overall the Magistrate Heathen or Christian is his Vicegerent and the Christian Ruler may compell with the Sword all to serve the Son yet the Son as Mediator whose kingdome is not of this world sends not men out to promote his Kingdome with the sword Joh. 18 36 37. Mr. Williams civill peace is pax civitatis the peace of the citie Jer. 29. 7. Pray for the peace of the Citie which peace of the citie or citizens so compacted in a civill way of union may be intire unbroken safe c. notwithstanding so many thousands of Gods people the Jewes â—â—re there in bondage and would neither be constrained to the worship of the City of Babell nor restrained from so much of the worship of the true God as they 〈◊〉 practise as is plain in Shadrach Moshaâ—â— and Abedaego Daniel 3. in Daniel c. 6. who would rather suffer then deâ—ist from true worship or practice falsâ— So the 〈…〉 Papists keep the peace of their Townes and Cities safe and distinct where there is no spirituall and heavenly peace Answ All this is to prove that there may be no breach of Citie peace or civill peace where there are 〈◊〉 of sundry Religions But 1. the mans should remember there is a Christian externall peace which 〈◊〉 an 〈◊〉 providence can not be kept where there be divers Religions and sundry waies of worshipping Christ we beleeve our Saviour intendeth so much Mat. 10. 34. Thinke not that I am come to send peace 〈◊〉 earth I came not to send peace but the sword v. 35. For. I am come to set a man at variance against his father and the daughter against hâ—r mother Luke 21. 16. And ye shall be beâ—r dyed â—oth by your parents brethren kinsfolks and friends and some of you they shall cause to be put to death And what is the quarrell but divers Religions and waies of worship about Christ So Paul exhorteth to Christian peace Ephes 4. 3. Indeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace not because of contrary Religions and many Sectaries called the holy partie that are to bee tolerated in meeknesse and mutuall forbearance But v. 5. Because there is but one Lord one faith one baptisme and but one Religion whether Presbyteriall or Independent and since the Apostles and Christ in the New-Testament so often recommend peace and never once insinuate forbearance in diversitie of Religion and all the Apostles and Apostolike Church had but one Religion toleration of many Religions not being a part of the New Testament liberty where with Christ hath made us free as is the libertie from Ceremonies and righteousness by the Law that the foolish Galathians affected Gal. 5. 1 2 We conclude there is a Law against Toleration of many Religions not any repealing of that Law in the New Testament but divers Religions expressely forbidden as contrary to peace and foretold to fall out as sad judgements Mat. 19. 35. Mat. 24 24 Luke 21. 14. 15 16 17 18. 1 Tim. 4. 1 2 3 4. 2 Tim. 3. 5 6 7. 8. 2 Joh. 10. Affirmanti incumbit probatio Our Adversaries are obliged to give us precept promise or godly practice why a morall sin forbidden and severely punished in the old Testament should yet remaine a Moral sin in the New Testament and yet not be punishable by men or Churches yea Solomous toleration of the Idolatrous worship 1 Kings 11. provoked the Lord to anger yet his wives consciences should not have been compelled to leave off the worshipping of the Gods of the Moabites Ammonites by this way Rom. 14. 19. Let us follow after the thing that makes for peace saith Paul but Toleration of many Religions is contrary to peace if one of them be the only true way the rest are all false waies the mixture of the two contrary seeds the seed of the Serpent and the seed of the woman must be against peace and Paul exhorting to union and Christian peace thinks many Religions many Sects and opinions tolerated 1 Cor. 1. 10. to be just contrary to peace Now I beseech you brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you but that ye be perfectly joyned together in the same minde and in the same judgement Hence he seriously dehorts from Schismes and Sects whereas upon supposition of divers Sects all being godly we should have
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
is over their heart and if it be injustice in the Magistrate to punish men for Errors which they cannot eschew can the righteous judge of the world punish them therefore Ergo In such Errors they are innocent and sin not and if this bee said what should hinder others to be saved by beleeving the contrary sense of the old Testament and the like may be said of the new Testament and so all Hereticks and Sectaries receiving the Scriptures as Pharisees Sadduces Herodians Papists Socinians c. shall be saved every man in his own Religion and the sense of this Eschew an Heretick to a Saint must be eschew the company of an heretick to another Saint it is Adhere to and converse with the same saint for he is no heretick but sound in the saith and it falsely supposed to be an Heretick and the Scripture upon this ground hath two contradictorie senses which being beleeved and practised must save and revealeth two contradictorie wills of God and every man may take Scripture as his minde apprehends it and whereas the Scripture makes it self the judge and determiner of all questions and controversies in religion This way leaves all questions to every mans conscience to the conscience of a Jew of a Turk of an American of a Papist the old Testament as expounded by a Jew is his Conscience the old and new Testament as the popish Church expound it is their rule of faith and the Scripture lifting up Christ and casting down Christ and speaking with a hundred divers and contrary tongues is every mans obliging rule and because there is no man infallible in taking up the right sense of the Scripture if yee controll the Jew or put him off his sense of the old Testament which yeelds him this faith Maries son is a false lying Prophet the Apostles and all the martyrs are but cousening Impostors yea domineer over the Conscience and force his faith because yee are not infallible ye may not condemn the way of any for yee know not but they be the wheat and you the tâ—res for ought that Scripture saith on either side Never man in this life is sure of his faith and salvation from Scripture and since the Jew may be wheat if ye would go to raze his faith you go to pluck up the wheat before the harvest and suppose we and all the Jewes were converted to the Christian faith and if we conceive Pauls prophecie concerning them Rom. 1â— to be fulfilled they shall be converted yet 1. we are not infallible but live upon our fancies and conjectures touching the meaning of Rom. 11. say Libertines 2. Suppose the fulness of the Gentiles be converted to Christ and we among them and all the Jewes and that in our daies the earth be filled with the knowledge of the Lord and that all the sons of Zion be taught of God and that the wildernesse blossome as a rose and the light of the moon be as the light of the Sun and the light of the Sun be seven-fold as the light of seven daies and that all the glorious prophecies in Isaiah Zechariah and the rest be fulfilled in our daies yet by the doctrine of Libertines all these are but to us for any certaintie we have night fancies and dreames of crazie and feaver-sick heads For Master John Goodwin undeniably the learnedst and most godly man of that way hath said in a marginall note of men for piety and learning I cannot admire enough The Vindicators call the denying of Scriptures to be the word of God a damnable Heresie and we have no certainty that the Scriptures of the old and new Testament which we now have either the English translation or the Originall of Hebrew and Greek copies are the word of God So then holding the Scriptures to be the Word of God in either of these two senses or significations of the words either translations or originall can with no tolerable pretext or colour be called a foundation of Christian Religion unlesse their foundations be made of the credit learning and authoritie of men Because there is need to wonder by the way at this Let the reader observe that Libertines resolve all our faith and so the certaintie of our salvation on Paper and Inke and Mr. John Goodwin will allow us no foundation of faith but such as is made of grammers and Characters and if the Scripture be wrong pointed or the Printer drunke or if the translation slip then our faith is goâ—e Whereas the meanes of conveying the things beleeved may be fallible as writing printing translating speaking are all fallible meanes of conveying the truth of old and new Testament to us and yet the Word of GOD in that which is delivered to us is infallible 1. For let the Printer be fallible 2. The translation fallible 3. The Grammer fallible 4. The man that readeth the word or publisheth it fallible yet this hindreth not but the truth it self contained in the written word of God is infallible I suppose four men who shall shew to a wife her Husband among ten thousands all four fallible and may mistake yet when they have brought the Husband to the wife it cannot follow that the Wife doth not certainly and as infallibly know her own Husband by his tongue voice countenance proportion of body and statute as one can know another without any danger of mistake so it comes to the eares of a man born blind Joh. 9. there is a Prophet called Iesus the Son of Marie who will infallibly and indeclinably restore sight to this blind man yet the fame and report by which this is carried to the mans notice and knowledge is fallible all men standing truly that which the Lord reporteth of them liars and such as can be deceived yet it is no consequence that Iesus doth restore the man to his sight in a way subject to miscarrying and declinably and upon a fallible hazard so as he may goe as blind from Iesus as he came to him Now in the carrying of the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles to our knowledge through Printers translators grammer pens and tongues of men from so many ages all which are fallible we are to look to an unerring and undeclinable providence conveying the Testament of Christ which in it self is infallible and begs no truth no authoritie either from the Church as Papists dreame or from Grammer Characters Printer or translator all these being adventitious and yesterday accidents to the nature of the word of God and when Mr. Goodwin resolves all our faith into a foundation of Christian Religion if I may call it Religon made of the credit learning and authority of men he would have mens learning and authoritie either the word of God or the essence and nature thereof which is as good as to include the garments and cloathes of man in the nature and definition of a man and build our faith upon a paper foundation but our faith is
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