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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80608	The bloudy tenent, washed, and made white in the bloud of the Lambe: being discussed and discharged of bloud-guiltinesse by just defence. Wherein the great questions of this present time are handled, viz. how farre liberty of conscience ought to be given to those that truly feare God? And how farre restrained to turbulent and pestilent persons, that not onely raze the foundation of godlinesse, but disturb the civill peace where they live? Also how farre the magistrate may proceed in the duties of the first table? And that all magistrates ought to study the word and will of God, that they may frame their government according to it. Discussed. As they are alledged from divers Scriptures, out of the Old and New Testament. Wherein also the practise of princes is debated, together with the judgement of ancient and late writers of most precious esteeme. Whereunto is added a reply to Mr. Williams answer, to Mr. Cottons letter. / By John Cotton Batchelor in Divinity, and teacher of the church of Christ at Boston in New England.	Cotton, John, 1584-1652.	1647 (1647)	Wing C6409; Thomason E387_7; ESTC R836	257,083	342

amongst them And this libertie he did use and might have used to this day without any disturbance to his Civill or Church-Peace save onely in a way of brotherly disquisition but it was his Doctrines and Practises which tended to the Civill disturbance of the Common-wealth together with his heady and busie pursuite of the same even to the rejection of all Churches here These they were that made him unfit for enjoying Communion either in the one state or in the other When he reckoneth me and me onely by name as one of the most incensed against him I reckon it as one of his usuall exorbitant Hyperboles unlesse by Incensed he meane one that with some others were most kindled and stirred up to endeavour his satisfaction And then his terme Incensed though it be not an Hyperbole yet it is an Acurology Neither doe I remember that he hath any cause to say that I gave him a Testimony of godlinesse For his godlinesse I leave it to him who is the searcher of hearts I neither attested it nor denied it Every brother in the Church though he may be called a brother in Christ as Christ is the Head of the visible Church and being cast out of the Church though he may be admonished as a Brother and so have some reference still to Christ yet godlinesse requiteth a Participation of the Divine Nature I speake in Peters sence 2 Pet. 1.4 by the power of the Spirit of Grace conforming us to fellowship with Christ and his Churches the which things have not so evidently appeared to me I speak it with griefe either in his spirit or in his way these many yeares And yet I deny not others may discerne more Power of Godlinesse in him then I doe and may speake of him accordingly But it was no uncharitable speech of Paul to tell the Galatians and that before all the Churches that he stood in feare of them Gal. 4.10 The life of faith from whence springeth both the truth and the Power of Godlinesse is very repugnant to Self-fulnesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Faith emptieth a man of self-confidence and maketh him apt to acknowledge with Agur Truely I am more foolish then any man Prov. 30.2 But the Lord help us to tremble before him If he leave us though but a while to our selves we can soone learne to reigne as Kings like the Corinthians without Church-Officers or the Ordinances of Christ 1 Cor. 4.8 TO CHAP. XII HIs 12th Chapter is taken up in Examining and Answering a speech of mine That godly persons are not so enthralled to Antichrist as to separate from Christ Else they could not be godly persons His Answer is That this cometh not neere the Question which is not concernign personall godlinesse or Grace in Christ but the godlinesse or Christianitie of worship Whereupon he distinguisheth of Christ as considered two waies 1. Personally as God-man c. 2. As Head of his Church In the former sence he acknowledgeth they cannot be so enthralled to Antichrist as to be separate from Christ in the latter they may Reply This distinction of Christ is inconveniently expressed as was the like once before For the membra dividentia the parts of the division are coincident Christ as God-man is the Head of the visible Church But his meaning I apprehend and accept Christ God-man is Head both of the invisible Church and of the visible As he is Head of the invisible Church so he is received by faith As he is head of the visible so he is received by profession of the true faith both of the grace of faith and of the Doctrine of faith The proper fruit whereof is holy worship and professed subjection to the Rule of the Gospel Now for his application of his Distinction in the generall I doe approve it and doe willingly acknowledge that a godly person may be through ignorance or negligence so farre enthralled to Antichrist as to be separate from Christ taking Christ as Head of the visible Church For he may fall into such fundamentall Antichristian corruption in Doctrine or Worship or Government as either may justly prevent his admission into the Church or being in the Church and yet through pang of Temptation continuing obstinate in his corruption after conviction he may justly be excommunicate out of the Church But lest I may seeme to hover and so to vanish in Generalities whilest I onely speake of Antichristian corruptions in generall I shall willingly Instance in some Particulars which may give light to others of like nature It is an Antichristian corruption in Doctrine to accept any Propitiatory Sacrifices for our reconciliation but the death of Christ only It is a like corruption to look for Justification from sinne in the sight of God by our own works It is an Antichristian corruption in worship to worship Angels or Saints or Images It is an Antichristian corruption in Government to take the Pope to be the Head of the Church and such an Head as hath Power to make Laws to binde the Conscience to authorize Scripture to be Canonicall to adde other Books to Scripture with like Authoritie to be himselfe the onely Authenticall Interpreter of Scripture and Judge of Controversies These and the like corruptions are such as make Antichrist a Sonne of Perdition and them that are led by him to fall into like Perdition with him Of one of these Points Paul saith They that hold it hold not the Head Col. 2.18 19. Of another of these Paul saith They that hold it are abolished from Christ Gal. 5.4 The like wee may say of all the rest Yet in times of former darknesse some of the faithfull members of Christ might and were for a time entangled with a yoke of Bondage in some or most or all of these Particulars out of which the Lord at length rescued them by variety of Temptations and by some breaking forth of light in the mouths of some of his witnesses in every age But whilest any of them walked in these or like corruptions they might justly be debarred from admission into Church-fellowship or standing fast in them after conviction they might justly be cast forth out of Church-fellowship But there be other corruptions and Antichristian corruptions too which because they doe not subvert the Foundation neither of faith nor of Church-order I would not say that they separate from Christ no not as he is the Head of the visible Church For then if some whole Church were leavened with them they might soone cease to be a Church But we see the contrary in Scripture the High Places were tolerated in Judah and yet Judah ceased not to be a Church And by like proportion some more high and eminent Power may be given by some Churches to their Officers according to an Antichristian Patterne in some measure and yet they not cease to be a Church David and all the Congregation of Israel might bring up the Arke of God in a Cart after the manner of the

is Christs feeding of his flock Cant. 1.8 Christs kissing of his Spouse Cant. 1.2 Christs embracing of his Spouse in the marriage bed Cant. 1.16 Christs nursing of his Children at his wives breasts Cant. 4. And is there no communion between the Shepheard and his sheep the Husband and the wife in chaste kisses and embraces the Mother and the child at the breasts Answer 1. The dispensing of the word in a Church-State that is by Church-Officers to Church-members united together in Church-State it is indeed an expression of familiar and deare Communion between Christ and his Church as between the husband and his spouse between the nursing mother and the child and between the shepheard and his flock But suppose Pagans and Indians should ordinarily frequent our Church Assemblies as they are wont to doe in hearing the word doth he think I would maintaine that there is the like spirituall and familiar Communion between Christ and them as between Christ and his Church Answer 2. Besides the question is not what communion Christ may have with a stranger in the hearing of the word in the Assembly of his Church but what communion there is between the Officer of the Church who preacheth the word and the stranger Christ out of his soveraigne grace may dispense himselfe to the stranger in what relation he pleaseth hee may make the word both as spirituall seed and as food to him and so may declare himself both a father and a Pastor and husband and a mother to him and yet no such Church-relation passe between the Church-Officer and the stranger A●swer 3. Suppose there did grow some spirituall relation between the Church-Officer and the stranger as God might so blesse his Ministery as to make him a spirituall Father and feeder to the stranger yet this Relation is not between the Preacher and the stranger in respect of his Office but in respect of his gif as I declared above The reason of the difference is evident 1. Church-relation between a Church-Officer and Church-member is constant and permanent and not to be dissolved but by consent of the Church but this relation between the Preacher and stranger is transient and the intercourse of the exercise of their relation easily changeable at the discretion of the stranger without the consent or cognizance of the Church 2. Church relation between an Officer and a member carrieth on the duties of Church-worke between them unto full accomplishment If any offence grow between an Officer and a member the one hath power to deale with the other in a Church-way unto a perfect healing but there is not the like power or liberty either in preacher or stranger so to proceed one with another in case of any such offence The Examiners second Argument is taken also from mine own confession as if there were no waighty Argument to be found in this case but what might be gathered up from the weaknesse or unwarinesse of my expressions But thankes be to God that hath so guided my words that no such advantage can justly be taken from them as to countenance so ungodly an error Mr. Cotton saith he confesseth that the fellowship in the Gospel Phil. 1.5 is a fellowship or Communion in the Apostles doctrine Community breaking of bread and prayer in which the first Church continued Acts 2.46 All which overthroweth the doctrine of lawfull participation of the word and prayer in a Church-state where it is not lawfull to communicate in the breaking of bread or seales Answ If this be all the Conclusion that he striveth for that participation of the word and prayer is not lawfull in a Church-estate where it is not lawfull to communicate in the seales I shall never contend with him about it I should never thinke it lawfull there to enter into a Church-estate where I thought it lawfull onely to partake in hearing and prayer and not in the seales also But this is that I deny A man to participate in a Church-estate where he partaketh onely in hearing and prayer before and after Sermon and joyneth not with them neither in their Covenant nor in the seales of the Covenant To CHAP. XXVII THe third part of the Examiners discourse touching English Preachers taketh up this 27. Chapter and it is concerning the calling and commission of the English Preachers Mr. Cotton himselfe saith he and others most eminent in New-England have freely confest First That notwithstanding their profession of Ministery in Old England yet in New-England till they received a Calling from a particular Church that they were but private Christians Secondly That Christ Jesus hath appointed no other Calling to the Ministery but such as they practise in New England and therefore consequently that all other which is not from a particular Congregation of godly persons is none of Christs As first a Calling and Commission from the Bishops Secondly From a Parish of naturall and unregenerate persons Thirdly From some few godly persons yet remaining in Church-fellowship after the Parish way Fourthly That eminent gifts and abilities are but qualifications fitting or preparing for a Call to an Office 1 Tim. 3. Tit. 1. All which premises duly considered he desireth that Mr. Cotton and all that feare God might try what will abide the fiery Triall in this particular when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed in flaming fire c. Reply It is a weake cause that is maintained onely by the testimonies of adversaries and them either mistaken or falsified It is in him either a mistake or a fraudulent expression of our mindes to say That notwithstanding our former profession of Ministery in Old England yet till we received a Calling from a particular Church we were but private Christians This speech may be so conceived as if notwithstanding our former profession of Ministery in Old England yet indeed we confest our Ministery there was no Ministery and this is a false expression of our mindes It may be also conceived that we confest we had no calling from a particular Church till we came to New-England And this is also a false expression of our mindes likewise Or it may be conceived that notwithstanding our former profession and exercise of Ministery in Old England yet being cast out from thence by the usurping power of the Prelacy and dismissed though against their wills by our Congregations save onely such as came along with us we looked at our selves as private members and not Officers to any Church here untill one or other Church might call us unto Office This sence of our profession is true but nothing availeable to the Examiners intendment Secondly It is in him another mistake or else a fraudulent expression of our mindes when he saith Wee hold and freely confesse that Christ Jesus hath appointed no other Calling to the Ministery but such as we practise in New-England And that any other Calling to the Ministery which is not from a particular Congregation of godly persons is none of Christs Though we doe

cruell and crying sinne but if it be not proved nor true the false accusation is a grievous Persecution even a cruell mocking But I shall referre the tryall of his accusation to the place himselfe appointed where he giveth Instance of the cause of his sufferings Meane while let him suspend his Marginall note That it is a monstrous Paradox that Gods children should Persecute Gods children and they that hope to live eternally with Christ Jesus in Heaven should not suffer each other to live in this common ayre together For though Gods children may not persecute Gods children nor wicked men neither for well-doing yet if the children of God be found to walke in the way of the wicked their sinne is the greater because they sinne against greater light and grace and their Brethren in Place may justly afflict them for it to deprive them in some cases not onely of the common ayre of the Countrey by banishment but even of the common ayre of the world by death yet hope to live eternally with them in the Heavens with Christ Jesus Yea what if a child of God were infected with a plague-sore or some other contagious disease may not their Brethren exclude them the common ayre both of their religious and Civill Assemblies and yet hope to live eternally with them in the Heavens Truely there be some unsound and corrupt opinions and practises and that of him too which are more infectious and contagious then any plague-sore That other Marginall note of his What Christ Persecute Christ in New-England calleth for another Answer Christ doth not persecute Christ in New-England For Christ doth not persecute any at all to speake in the proper sence of Persecution much lesse doth Christ persecute Christ For though Christ may and doth afflict his own members yet he doth not afflict much lesse persecute Christ in them but that which is left of old Adam in them or that which is found of the seed of the Serpent in them For even Satan may fill the heart of Church-members Acts 5.3 Yea breathe and act in an Elect Apostle Mat. 16.22 23. And then the Lord Jesus may afflict in his members that which he seeth in them nor of his own But he proceeds and asks further Since Mr. Cotton expecteth farre greater light then yet shineth whether upon the same grounds and practise if Christ Jesus in any of his servants shall be pleased to hold forth a farther light shall he himselfe find the mercy and humanitie of a Civill and temporall life and being with them Answ The greatest light that I expect is not above the Word much lesse against it nor is it destructive to the Church and Ordinances of Christ established according to the Word but instructive of them in the way of the word If therefore Christ Jesus shall come in any of his servants holding forth a further light to us we trust that he that offereth us light will give us as hitherto he hath done eyes to see it and hearts to follow it Light is discernable through the Grace of the Father of Lights by the children of light The Spirit of the Prophets is discerned and judged by the Prophets Wisdome is just fied of her Children When Judgement returneth to Righteousnesse all the upright in heart shall follow it The Sheep of Christ that see his face will see his Light and heare his voyce his Spirit of Truth will lead them into all truth And yet because we all know in part and Prophecy in part we are taught of God in meeknesse of wisdome to instruct one another till light of Instruction be obstinately rejected and to suffer one another in differences of weaknesse till weaknesse prove wilfulnesse and will not suffer Truth to live in Peace But what is all this to Mr. Williams Hath he therefore not found the mercy and humanity of Civill and temporall life and being amongst us because Christ Jesus held forth by him a further light unto us So it should seeme or else his Quaere is nothing to the purpose surely if it be a further light which is held forth by him it is such a transcendent light as putteth out all other lights in the world besides as they say Majus lumen extinguit minus The Churches of Christ have been wont to be counted lights the Ministery lights the Sacraments and Censures lights But this new light held forth by Mr. Williams hath put out all these lights yea and all possibilitie of their shining forth againe till the Restitution of new Apostles And yet if he had held forth any light from the word of light to manifest this great new light to us truly I hope the Lord would give us hearts not to shut our eyes against the light but to follow the Lambe whithersoever he goeth and to follow the light of his word whithersoever it leadeth us Christian Magistrates they also have been wonted to be counted the light of Israel and Oaths likewise have been thought to give light to discerne the end of all Controversies But by this new light we may not accept from the Patents of Princes any light or direction where to sit downe with their warrant and leave in forreine Plantations Neither may we make use of the light of Oaths between Magistrates and people to discerne of the fidelity and constancy of the one to the other in times of danger Where then shall his Marginall Note appeare Mr. Cotton saith he expecting more light must according to his way of Persecution Persecute Christ Jesus if he bring it Doth Mr. Williams hold me so farre forsaken of common sence as to frustrate and destroy mine own expectations If I expect more light must I according to mine own way needs Persecute him that brings it yea persecute Christ himselfe if he bring it But thus when a mans head runneth round he thinketh all the House runneth round about him But what is my way of Persecution according to which I expecting more light must needs persecute him that brings it It is but a few dayes agoe since there came to my hand a book published as is said by Mr. Williams and entituled The Bloudy Tenent In which Mr. Williams without my privity published a private Letter of mine and therewith a Confutation of it touching Persecution for cause of Conscience In my stating of that Question which he relateth in the 7th Page of that Book he declareth my Judgement to be so farre from persecuting any for cause of Conscience that he layeth it downe for my first Conclusion That it is not lawfull to persecute any for Conscience sake rightly informed that is to say bringing more and true light 2. For an erroneous and blind Conscience even in fundamentall and weighty Points it is not lawfull to persecute any till after Admonition once or twice according to the Apostles direction Tit. 3.10 11. That so such a man being convinced of the dangerous error of his way if he still persist being condemned of

too much wound his own Conscience with such a generall charge he acknowledgeth That we have borne witnesse against Bishops and Ceremonies and doe constitute onely particular and Independent Churches and have therefore so farre at least seene the evill of a Nationall Church But I dare say further that his own Conscience beareth him witnesse that we have witnessed also both in Profession and Practise against Prescript Liturgies and mixt Communions both in Church-fellowship and at the Lords Table What hath been then wanting to us That we doe not fully see the evill of a Nationall Church How doth he make it to appeare By two Instances By our constant Practise in still joyning with such Churches and Ministery in the Ordinances of the Word and Prayer and by our Persecuting of him for his humble faithfull and constant admonishing of us for such an uncleane walking between a particular Church and a Nationall Reply Our joyning with the Ministers of England in hearing of the Word and Prayer doth not argue our Church-Communion with the Parish-Churches in England much lesse with the Nationall Church as hath been shewed above in Chap. 14. Besides when Jeroboam heard the word from the young Prophet of Judah and joyned with him in Prayer I demand whether in so doing he joyned in Church-Communion with the Nationall Church of Judah If yea then was the Church of Judah pollutedly the uncleane Communion of Idolatrous Jeroboam If not then the Examiner may easily discerne how weake an Argument it is to argue our Communion with the Nationall Church of England from our members joyning in the Hearing of the Word and Prayer in the Parish-Churches of England His second Instance to make it appeare That we see not the evill of a Nationall Church from our Persecuting of him c. In this I choose rather to blame his memory then his conscience But the one of them is much to blame in that it maketh him so farre forget himselfe and the Truth as boldly to avouch a notorious falshood That we Persecuted him for his humble and faithfull and constant admonishing of us of such uncleane walking between a particular Church and a Nationall It is one notable falshood to say that he did constantly admonish either our Elders or Churches of such an offence much lesse humbly and faithfully If he did so admonish us where are his witnesses His Letters his Messengers sent to us Besides It is another falshood and no lesse palpable that we did persecute him for such admonishing of us It hath been declared above upon what grounds the sentence of his Banishment did Proceed whereof this Admonition which he pretendeth was none of them neither did they persecute him at all who did so proceed against him Now whereas in that Passage of the Letter even now recited I said He knew not what Professions we had made in our Churches of our Humiliations for former Pollutions nor had he admonished us of our defects therein He demandeth how be could possibly be ignorant of our estate who had been from first to last in fellowship with us an Officer amongst us had private and publique agitations concerning our estate and condition and at last suffered for such Admonition to us the misery of a Winters Banishment amongst the Barbarians Reply As if every man in fellowship with us an Officer amongst us one that had private and publique agitations with us must needs know what our members professed in their admissions to the Church or what our Elders confessed in their dayes of solemne Humiliation when himselfe was generally absent both on the Lords dayes and on the dayes of solemne fasting Or as if the private and publique agitations that he had with us were taken up about our Communion with a Nationall Church I am yet to learne what Arguments he did propound to us in that cause what convictions he left upon us When he is still so full of the miseries of his winters banishment amongst the Barbarians it maketh me call to minde a grave and godly speech of a blessed Saint now with God reverend Mr. Dod Where sinne lyeth heavy afflictions lyeth light where affliction lyeth heavy sinne lyeth light TO CHAP. XX. THe maine Objection which Mr. Williams made against the Estate of our Church-members was chiefly this That though he acknowledgeth them to be godly yet not sufficiently separate from Antichrist And that he endeavoured to prove 1. From the Texts that call for separation from Babylon Isa 52.2 Cor. 6. Rev. 18.2 From the confession of sinnes made by Johns Disciples Mat. 3. and the Proselyte Gentiles Acts 19. To both these we have returned Answer already His third Objection followeth from Haggai 2.13 14 15. where the Prophet telleth the Church of the Jewes That if a Person uncleane by a dead body doe touch holy things those holy things become uncleane to him And so saith he is this Nation and so is every worke of their hands and that which they offer here is uncleane And from hence he argueth That even Church-Covenants made and Ordinances practised by persons polluted through spirituall deadnesse and filthinesse of Communion they become uncleane to them and are prophaned by them which he solemnely desireth might be advisedly weighed Whereto my Answer was That if he had well weighed this place himselfe he would never have alledged it to his purpose His purpose was to prove that Churches cannot be constituted of such members as are uncleane by Antichristian pollutions or if they be so constituted they are not to be Communicated with but separated from To prove this you alledge said I this place where the Prophet acknowledgeth the whole Church to be uncleane and yet neither denieth them to be a Church truely constituted nor stirreth up himselfe or others to separate from them If you say why but they were uncleane I answered Be it so But were they therefore no Church truely Constituted Or to be separated from Did not Haggai and Zachary themselves Communicate with them And did they not call others also to come out of Babel to Communicate with them even whilest Joshua the High Priest was still polluted with his uncleane Garments Zach. 2.6 7. with Chapt. 3.8 Whereupon I tooke occasion to cleare up to him the occasion and scope and true sence of the words at large as may appeare in the Letter which having gathered up I said That if he did apply it to the Point in hand it would reach nothing neere to his purpose Hypocrites in the Church yea and godly sincere Christians themselves whilest they attend to the world more then to the things of God as at that time the Jewes did both their persons and their labours and their Civill Oblations are uncleane in the sight of God Therefore the Church of Christ cannot be constituted of such or if it doe consist of such the People of God must separate from them You might well have gathered Therefore the Church of Christ and the members thereof must separate