damned he might suspect himself to be that man 5. That all the good works that men do can do them no good 6. That all the evil works men do can do them no harm 7. That the Scripture speaks only of a spirituall resurrection and there shall be no resurrection of the bodies of men 8. That Jesus Christ is all the three Persons in the Trinity the Father Son and holy Ghost and that all the three Persons are but so many manifestations of God 9. That the everlasting Torments of hell shall have an end 10. That hell is within men before they beleeve and that there is no such hell as is commonly beleeved to be a place of torment to any after this life 11. That the doctrine which affirms no redemption out of hell is false That there is redemption out of hell 12. That there is no eternall judgement to come wherein Jesus Christ appearing in a visible way shall judge the world 13. That the Doctrine of Vniversall Salvation is the most effectuall Doctrine to promote sanctification These devillish doctrines which yet were not one half of what he had vented being read in his hearing he did not could not deny one of them but spent many words to justifie the third and the last of them adding severall more at this time this among the rest That Jesus Christ himself was that one Leper of ten who being made whole returned to give God thanks quoting many Scriptures but allegorizing and wresting all against the truth insomuch that I could not but declare my judgement that if St Paul were present he would bespeak him as once he did Elymas Act. 13.10 11. and that with like success causing him to grope his way out of the Church and because I knew we had a very ingenuous Gentleman living near who had been stumbled by Jesuites not to acquiess in the sufficiency of Scripture to determine all Controversies of Religion supposing this Gentleman might be present and that the horrible wresting of Scripture by this wretch might be no small offence both to him and others furnishing the Jesuites with some advantages to insinuate the necessity of some other Judge besides the holy Ghost speaking in sacred Scripture to decide Controversies in Religion therefore I desired any Jesuites whatsoever that might be present or their friends to take notice that there were hundreds of godly learned Ministers in England whose Books I was not worthy to bear after them and yet I should not doubt in the strength of Christ to encounter any Jesuite of them all in maintaining that great point of Doctrine That the holy Ghost speaking in Scripture is the supream Judge to determine all Controversies of Religion adding other things to the same effect taking notice of the wiles of Jesuites who being beaten out of the field themselves by their Learned Antagonists did now seek to baffle us out of our Religion by a company of ignorant impudent praters that take upon them to be Preachers of the Word of God and whereas Coppin had again and again suggested that we Ministers did envy the knowledge of the people desiring to keep them in ignorance I profest I heartily wisht that all men knew as much of God in Christ as my self provided I knew no less then I did and if I knew any way more effectuall then other to improve the knowledge of others I should readily take it In fine I desired those that had given any countenance to this blasphemer to be humbled for what they had done and do so no more promising both by Preaching and Catechizing to endeavour that all sorts even children might be Antidoted against his errours and Coppin having pretended that the right hand of God signified the Gospel and favour of God under which all mankinde should at last be brought I alledged and paraphrased on that place Psal 21.8 9. with speciall reflection on Coppin and his errours but Coppin was resolved let me say what I could of him or his opinions he would say something after me though nothing to the purpose but only that like the Authour of the golden Legend he might shew himself to be a man Plumbei cordis ferrei oris I might adde aeneae Frontis When I had ended and was resolved to speak no more Coppin declaring himself against all water Baptism since the death of John Baptist as having neither precept nor example in Scripture Gammon he stands up and would fain have been saying something but Mr Robinson I well remember told him he was a very fit man to incounter Coppin for he had good lungs and his tongue was well hanged but now the time was spent and they could stay no longer When I saw Coppin would never end I took my leave of the Assembly with that of St Paul Grace be with all that love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity Eph. 6.24 and so I went out What Gammon said afterwards I know not I easily beleeve what Coppin prints of him may be the truth of what he spake for being a great dipper I know him to be dipt over head and ears in many dangerous errours and therefore no wonder if his bolt be so suddenly shot against those earnall Priests as he cals them whose weapons are too spirituall for him with his carnall opinions and practices as will appear I doubt not in due time These severall publique Discourses with Coppin being over and he having now openly discovered himself before multitudes of sufficient witnesses to be such a notorious blasphemer and monstrous imposter notice being given to Major Generall Kelsey of him he was pleased to direct his Warrant to Captain Smith December 19. requiring him to take Coppin into his custody c whereupon Captain Smith December 22 apprehended him and accepted security for his true imprisonment but the next day being Lords day he set a Guard of Souldiers in the Cathedrall with Order to hinder Coppin from preaching there in case he should attempt it though he and his security were engaged to the contrary yet so eager was this prater to be still spitting forth and spreading his poysonous opinions and so confident he should have found a party of Souldiers and others that would have tumulted and mutined for him rather then suffer an interruption of his deluding Sermons that when he saw he could not be permitted to preach in the Cathedrall which he endeavoured he then attempted a publique prating first on a Tombstone in the Church-yard and after that on a joyn'd stool in the Common where he wanted not for Auditors to flock about him but Captain Smith in pursuance of his Order soon silenc't him in both places and dispers't his followers confining him to his quarters causing him to keep himself private there and to be forth coming when he should be called before the Major Generall the next day being Moonday Decemb. 24. Generall Kelsey came to the Crown in Rochester accompanied with two or three Justices of the Peace where upon
perverse things to draw disciples after them I cannot but fear that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Antichrist may succeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Many Antichrists as in his first rise so in his resurrection amongst you and what my fears are concerning all the Churches of Christ not only through this other world but through the whole Protestant world if the removing of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That which lets do not make way for the Resurrection as well as the rise of Artichrist my conjectures fail me and if the loose Doctrine of unconscionable Liberty of Conscience prove not a back door to let in Antichrist Reverend Mr Cotton was deceived and so am I also yet with that transcendent Magazine of Learning and Piety Dr Usher I am of opinion that the prevalency of Antichrist will not be so much in a way of fraudulent seduction as in a way of violent and bloudy persecution The measure of Babylons sins will be made up in bloud before her finall ruine and just with God it should be so his Churches deserve it but wo be to the man by whom they are betraied and wo wo wo to Babylon her fatall downfall is at hand when the Antichristian Gentiles or Nations are angry the time of the Lords wrath comes Revel 11.18 and after the Everlasting Gospel hath been again openly preached and the downfall of Babylon clearly published wo to all wretched Apostates that comply with Antichrist You may reade their dreadfull doom Revel 14 6 7 8 9 10 11. Arm your selves with the patience of Saints that keep the Commandments of God and the Faith of Jesus as it follows ver 12. minde and meditate on what is added ver 13. For my part I have often by word of mouth warned you and now I am in a manner necessitated to write unto you concerning them that seduce you It is not long since I did publiquely face to face appear against one of them many of you being present and hearing with your own ears what passed between us little did I then think of appearing in Print against him having brought the Mole above ground and gotten him to appear naked in his own shape I supposed the least of the Flock the weakest Christian would be sufficiently Antidoted and armed against him able enough to deal with him yet since he hath told such a tale for himself as he hath done in Print wherein he impudently lies both against me and the truth I am perswaded to think it necessary in some respect though not to give a formall Answer to one that is Copiofissimè delirans as St Augustine speaks of a Maniche yet to draw up some true Narrative concerning this Seducer and what indeed passed between my self and him that not only you but others also may the better judge between him and me and that my testimony for the Truth may be as publique as his hath been against it Accordingly I have drawn up the following Narrative wherein my Conscience doth witness with me I have represented the truth and nothing but the truth whatsoever the adversary or any of his impure fraternity may grunt or bark against it I can appeal to many of your consciences also for whatsoever I have written concerning matter of Fact and for Judgement let all that are Godly Wise and Judicious judge of it I have yoked a pair of Seducers together that I might not white two wals with one brush as the Proverb is but that with one coal I might set a true mark on two white Devils whose most specious Opinions and Doctrines are as black as hell it self I shall therefore crave leave to present you with the ensuing Narrative and with my Judgement of the parties concerned in it and thus commend you to God and to the Word of his Grace I conclude what at present I have to say with the advice and doxology which you shall finde Jude v. 20 21 22 23 24 25. and so take my leave Resting Yours though not in person yes in affection inseparably WAL ROSEWELL TO THE READER READER THou art desired to take notice that when the following Narrative was drawn up Coppin was lying prisoner in Maidstone Goole his removall since by a Habeas Corpus with other things that have befallen him the Narrator is not concerned to take notice of them had he not abused the Narrator and the Truth in his Printed Pamphlet this Narrative had never been thought of When I first met with and read over his Relation I was resolved wholly to slight it as an impudent piece which refuted it self and could not do the least wrong either to the Truth or Me with any impartiall Reader which might possibly come to have the reading of it but when I considered that he had taken the boldness to present it to the Judges of Assises at Maidstone as a preparative to his supposed triall and that multitudes of Copies were dispersed in City and Country which might stumble some unstable souls ignorant of the Truth of Coppin and what had passed betwixt me and him I thought it my duty to draw up and publish this Narrative which now at length presents it self to thy view Christian Reader let me request thee to maintain in thy soul a holy revevence of sacred Scriptures with a sincere love of the Truth as it is in Jesus and then thou art safe for ever from the least danger of any hurt from this or any such like noon-day devill For not receiving the Truth in the love of it men are abandoned by God to beleeve such damnable lies and blasphemtes The truth is Coppins practicall impurities begin to break forth so notoriously that I hope is will awaken some at least of his seduced followers to be sensible of his Dogmaticall impieties and Heresies I am perswaded that as his Doctrines are the Doctrines of Nicolaitans Gnosticks and Borberits so his deeds are and will prove answerable Filthy doctrines and filthy practises being through the just judgement of God mutuall causes and effects one of another But we must all appear before the Judgement seat of Christ ere long Reader whoever thou art beleeve it minde it and prepare for it So I leave thee to judge of me and this Narrative as thou pleasest W. R. IT is now some four or five years since one Joseph Salmon came first into these parts and after some flourishing discourses made in Chatham Stroud Margrets and Rochester Parish-Churches at length he set up a course of preaching every Sabbath day in the Cathedrall at Rochester where his manner was to Allegorize the Scripture and make a nose of wax of it forcing some Allegoricall sense on the plainest Historicall and Doctrinall passages of Old and New Testament He decried all forms whatsoever in Religion not excepting the form of sound words 2 Tim. 1.13 he desperatly undermined the whole mystery of godliness and sowed the seeds of Ranting Familism yet mannaged his devillish designs so slily and cunningly that it
in a wilde discourse wherein for the most part I did but follow him from one thing to another to pump out and bring to light his pestilent poysonfull opinions which for the present I did not think worth the while to resell nor had I time or opportunity to do it he was so voluminous and took up so much time in his ramblings multiplying quotations of wrested Scriptures so thick as if the devil himself had prompted him which I am perswaded he did Well then I was now resolved by the grace of God and in the strength of Jesus Christ to establish on a Scripture-foundation some of those precious truths which Coppin by perverting Scripture had indeavoured to undermine to this end desiring in the first place to ascribe righteousness to my glorious Maker and gratious Redeemer I produced severall Scriptures to demonstrate that the humane nature of Jesus Christ was never polluted with the least spot of sin original or actual but was from the first conception perfectly holy otherwise it had been impossible it could have been assumed to Hypostaticall union with the holy Sonne of God and this holiness of Christs humane nature I derived not simply from the Virginity of his Mother but from his Conception by the holy Ghost of a Virgin-Mother the holy Ghost perfectly sanctifying that part of her seed of which the humane nature of Christ was formed from the very first moment of its conception wherein it was also assumed into personall union with the holy Son of God the second person in the blessed Trinity who ever since hath been and for ever shall be God and man in one Person for this I alleadg'd and improv'd Heb. 4.15 7.26 Joh. 14.30 2 Cor 5 21. Luke 1.35 shewing the horrible and damnable blasphemy or the contrary assertion pulling the Crown from the Head oâ— Christ destroying the Godhead of Christ satisfaction for sin and salvation by Jesus Christ I vindicated some of the Scriptures abus'd by Coppin against this particular shewing that Christ is said to be made sin for us by an Hebraism because he was made a sin offering every where in the Old Testament the Hebrew which signifies sin being used to signifie a sin offering and so 't is used at least fourty times besides Christ is said to be made sin for us by imputation of our sins to him not inhesion of any sin in him as his righteousness whereby we are justified is imputed to us never was or shall be inherent in us After all this though Coppin with an impudent face denied that any man ever heard him contradict what I had proved yet with the same breath almost by and by he did again deny it affirming that that very individuall nature which Jesus Christ did take upon him was sinfull and polluted with sin and thinking to ensnare me demanded of me who that High-priest was mentioned Heb. 5.1 2 3. to which I answered Aaron and his successors which in some things only were types of Christ but then another whose voice only I heard but knew not who it was very unwisely at best made answer that it was meant of Christ out of doubt which answer I was so farre from approving of having declared my self to the contrary before that I openly profest it was the answer of some Prevaricator that was resolved to gratifie Coppin in betraying the truth yet Coppin having gotten this answer from another mouth did own it as the truth and did over and over assert as his judgement from that Scripture that Jesus Christ did not only offer for the sins of the people but for his own sins however he is pleased to mend the matter in the relation made by his lying Pamphlet nor did God suffer the devil to remember him of that other Scripture which he hath foiled into the margent of his printed relation and would no doubt have made use of it at that time had it come to his minde Heb. 7.27 which at first view to a superficiall reader might seem to make much more for his wicked purpose though it be clear what Christ is said to do once is not to offer first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people which were a contradiction of the former verse where Christ is represented without any sin at all of his own and to it self for to offer first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people were to offer twice at least and not once only but the meaning is plain that in stead of many sacrifices which the typicall High-priests being sinners themselves offered daily first for their own sins and then for the peoples Jesus Christ the great High-priest being holy and having no sin of his own to offer for did only once for all offer himself up in his humane nature a spotless sacrifice for the sins of his people Well having in some measure through Gods mercy asserted from Scripture and vindicated the spotless purity and holiness of Jesus Christ which Coppin blasphemously denied adding a further blasphemy that Christ offered for his own sins as well as for the sins of the people I proceeded from Job 19. and 1 Cor. 15. the example of Christ and other arguments to vindicate the resurrection of the body alleadging this which Coppin would not take notice of that the bodies of beleevers were the members of Christ 1 Cor. 6.15 and therefore should be raised to glory Phil. 3.21 but Coppin still harped on a spiritual resurrection thereby seeking to elude all that could be said for a resurrection of the body whereupon I desired it might be considered whether he did not revive the Heresie of Hymeneus and Phyletus and whether that Scripture might not be applied unto him 2 Tim. 2.16 17 18. Upon this Coppin having put me to give an account what I did conceive of Jesus Christ which I readily did in several particulars Of his Natures Person Offices and Estates of Humiliation to the Cross and Exaltation to the Throne on which he shall judge the world Then of his own accord he took upon him to give some account of his own apprehensions concerning Christ whom he asserted to be all the three Persons in the Trinity affirming the three Persons to be but three manifestations or appearances of that one God which is Jesus Christ when afterwards I alledg'd what Christ speaks concerning the sin against the holy Ghost amongst other Arguments against his Hell-hatcht Doctrine of Universall Salvation he asserted such monstrous opinions concerning that sin that for my part I shall not blot paper with them his printed Pamphlet speaks so much that every sober consciencious person may easily perceive how miserably he doth pervert the meaning of our Saviours words concerning that unpardonable sin whereof I am afraid he is but too deeply guilty he doth so desperatly contradict and blaspheme the clearest truths of the blessed Gospel of Jesus Christ whereof being so conversant in Scripture as he hath been his conscience
examination of severall witnesses upon Oath Coppin was found guilty of so many intolerable Blasphemies and Heresies publiquely avouched by him that his Mittimus was made and he was that day sent away unto Maidstone Gaole where he still continues prisoner it was expected he should have been brought to his Triall the last Assises but it seems it was not thought fit to proceed so farre against him what will at last be done against him I know not only this I verily beleeve that Prophesie of Enoch recorded by Jude will in due time take hold of him Jude v. 14 15. for my part I bless God his madness is so farre manifested though not to all yet to many that I hope he shall henceforth prevail no further in this place and truly if I were presently to quit my station not only in these parts but in this world it would be some content unto me that before my departure God made me an occasion at least of restraining and hindering such a pestilent emissary of hell from displaying a banner for the devil in Rechester Cathedrall especially considering the course is taken to prevent either him or any other from doing the like for time to come yet thus much I can freely profess to all the world that when I first undertook to appear against Coppin and all along in what I did or said I never so much as dreamt the issue would be what it proved nor had I intentionally the least hand in informing or ingaging the Major Generall against him what was done in that kinde was done by others I know not whom without my perswasion or privity yet I confess when it was done I could not but approve of it I conceive the Major Generall did both himself and the State some honour in taking the course he did with him and though I was not bound to witness against him at the Assises yet being desired by two Justices of the Peace I was there resolving had he been brought to his Triall and my testimony required I would have been ready to give it in on the behalf of my King and Saviour against such a black-mouth'd foul enemy of his Person Crown and Dignity as this Richard Coppin proclaimed himself to be concerning whom my judgement upon serious examination and experience is this That he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 self-condemned in his damnable Doctrines speaking lies in hypocrisie having his conscience seared with a hot iron being a Jesuited Familist tutor'd by Jesuites prompted by the devil who hath hypocrisie confidence impudence Atheism and malice against truth enough to make him a sworn brother of the Ignatian fraternity only he seems to want for Learning whereof most of that society have but too much though many have nothing so much as they pretend to yet Coppin seems to be as well learnt in the black Art of equivocating and lying as some of them in perverting and wresting Scripture he is nulli secundus inferiour to none of them 't is great pity but he and his elder brother Joseph Salmon should be sent for a present to their holy Father the Pope of Rome that so his holiness may bestow his fatherly benediction upon them for their good service they have done him in undermining the very Foundations of the Protestant Religion and perswading Protestants to beleeve that there is no Antichrist in the world but what is to be found in the most zealous Protestant Ministers nor any other Whore of Babylon but the Reformed and Reforming Protestant Churches of England and consequently the Pope of Rome is not Antichrist the great Antichrist nor the Church of Rome the Whore of Babylon the Strumpet of Antichrist that the holy Scriptures are a leaden Lesbian rule a nose of Wax a meer Cypher which may be made to signifie any thing according as his Holiness who is the supream Enthusiast shall please by his spirit of infallibility to interpret them These with a world of such like opinions have been so bravely propagated by those Jesuited Apostates from and adversaries to the truth when Jesuites were at a loss and could scarce tell how to play their game any longer in their own shapes that truly these by blows of theirs deserve to be created not fratres but patres Ignatianae societatis and to be sent forth tanquam legatos è latere to propagate the Faith of Rome whose Faith is Faction whose Religion is Rebellion they are true Babel builders Church and State Levellers mortall enemies to an Orthodox Learned Godly Protestant Ministry and no better friends to a Consciencious Religious Righteous Protestant Magistracy they are Fidei simul Legis nostra ludibrium Ecclesiae Reipublicae incendium Religionis Reformationis Anglicanae opprobrium from them with Popish Priests and Jesuites their Confederates and Councellours together with all their false Doctrines Heresies Blasphemies and bloudy Cruelties Good Lord deliver us FINIS