according to them and require no more of others but to do so who doth not see sith all necessary truths are plainly and evidently set down in Scripture there would of necessity be amongst all men in all things necessary unity of opinion unity of love and a spirit of mutuall toleration By which means all Schisme and Heresie would be banished the world and those wretched contentions which now rend and tear in pieces not the coat but the Members and Bowels of Christ which mutual Pride Tyranny cursing killing and damning would fain make mortall should speedily receive a most blessed conclusion By this means indeed should the Lord be one and his name one in the Nations which onenesse is not meant of any outward form but of the onenesse of love and affection in the spirit Doubtlesse at this day the most vehement Accusers are the greatest Schismaticks and those who talk of Uniformity do drive at Tyrannie and will have peace with none but their slaves and vassals By a late learned Antagonist of the Church of Rome and that whilest the Prelates were in their pride it was truly said Nothing is more against Religion then to force Religion Humane violence may make men counterfeit but cannot make them believe and is good for nothing but to breed form without and Atheism within Besides if this means of bringing men to embrace any Religion were generally used as if it may be justly used in any place by those that have power and think they have Truth Certainly it cannot with reason be denied but that it may be used in every place by those that have power as well as they and think they have truth as well as they what could follow but the maintenance perhaps of truth but perhaps only of the profession of it in one place and the oppression of it in a thousand what will follow but the preservation perhaps of unity but perhaps only of uniformity in particular States but the Imortalizing of the great and lamentable division of Christendom and the world Therefore what can follow from it but perhaps in the judgement of carnall policy the Temporall benefit and tranquility of temporall States and Kingdoms but certainly the infinite prejudice if not the desolation of the Kingdom of Christ and therefore it well becomes them who have their portions in this life and serve no higher State then that of England Scotland or Ireland nor this neither no farther then they may serve themselves by its to maintaine by Worldly power and violence their State inframent Religion But they that the indeed lovers of Christ of Truth of the Church of mankinds ought with all courage to oppose themselves against it as Antichristian and a Common enemy to all these They that know there is a King of Kings by whose will and pleasure Kingdoms stand and fall they know that to no King or State any thing can be profitable which is unjust our experiment is too neer us at this day The desolations of our State are witnesses hereof and that nothing can be more evidently unjust then to force weak men by the profession of a Religion which they beleeve not to loose their own eternall happinesse least they loose their temporall Estates and quietnesse there being no danger to any state from any mans opinion unlesse such by which disobedience to authority or impiety is taught unlesse this bloody Doctrine be joyned with it that it is lawfull for the Magistrate by humane violence to enforce men to his own Religion Oh let not our Magistrates in this take part with the scarlet Whore who for these many Ages hath daily sacrificed thousands of poor innocent Christians under the name of Hereticks Sectaries and Schismaticks Doubtlesse if our Lord Jesus Christ himself would have submitted to the expositions and interpretations which the Priests and Doctors had at that time given out upon the Scriptures they had never crucified him and put him to such open shame But because that he and his apostles after him would according to that new light which they had received endeavour to set up a Reformation all which was yet no other then a clearer and fuller Declaration of what the Scriptures did hold forth above and beyond the light and understanding of these men who were no other then the Divine Presbyterie of those times therefore received they such hard measure from them and suffered as Blasphemers and Hereticks under them and by their censure We have a law and by this law he ought to die Joh. 14. 7. Pilate though the supream Magistrate was no other but their Executioner then as the Civill powers have been in all Generations since to this sort of men who under a pretence of holinesse have daily embrewed their hands in innocent-blood Before I end there are some Texts of Scriptures which seem repugnant to what hath been asserted and would be answered as Object That in Tit. 3. 10. Him that is an Heretick after the first and second admonition reject this Text placeth a power somewhere both of judging Hereticks and proceeding against them Answ I answer True it is in the Primitive and Apostolical Churches amongst the rest of those gifts which were powred forth by Jesus Christ upon the Saints this was one discerning of spirits 1 Cor. 12. 10. but this gift amongst others in the Apostacy and falling away of the Churches which was foretold by the Apostle 2 Thes. 2. 3. and 1 Ioh. 4. 3. where the holy Ghost saith expresly that instead of the Spirit of Christ the spirit of Antichrist should come and was already was lost and because of the want hereof the Saints whom God hath stirred up to bear witnesse to the truth in their severall Ages ever since have unrighteously suffered been persecuted and put to death under this notion and name of Hereticks Secondly In case some Heresies may be so grosse that even to this day he that runs may read and the Saints according to that small measure of the spirit which they have received might judge them so to be yet this text belongs to the Church as their portion and not to the civill Magistrate as a Magistrate and what censure or punishment soever this rejection was it was to be executed by the Ecclesiasticall and not by the Civill power so that to apply such texts as this to the power of the Magistrate is one of the most grosse and palpable wrestings of Scripture that can be and yet is too common amongst the Gentlemen of the Jus Divinum Tribe in their discourses printed and unprinted as I my self not long since before the House of Commons at a Publique Fast heard that of Rev. 2. 20. Because thou sufferest that woman Iezabel c. which was written to the Angel of the Church of Thyatira either weakly or wilfully alledged to justifie their power viz. the Magistrates in spirituall things by which you may take a scantling of that gift among them Thirdly Supposing Churches with this
Churches of Antichrist which were to succeed and come in the room and stead of the true ones as is cleare by the whole book of the Revelations which is mainly a propheticall History and Narrative of the Rise Reign and Ruine of Antichrist where you may see how large his Territories are how far his power reacheth especially in that I ext of Rev. 13. where it it said ver. 3. that all the world wondered after the Beast and ver. 8. All that dwell on the earth shall worship him whose names are not written in the Lambs book of life And behold these names are the men who in all ages have been accounted the Hereticks Sectaries and Schismaticks of the times And these names are they who are so esteemed at this very day as is most evident to such whose eyes are anointed with the eye salve of the spirit of God to discern of things that differ in reference to the present age wherein they live which is confirmed every day by those who do come after them so were the Waldenses reckoned in their times the Wicklevites our own country men in their generation the Hussites and the Jerman Lutherans in theirs all esteemed and Nicknamed Hereticks and Schismaticks by the people of that age in which they lived but have been even ever Justified by the succeeding generations more and more as being such who have been enlightened to depart from the errours of those times and have revived and uncovered some remnants and sparks of divine Light and truth which had been raked up in the Ashes of the filthy Abominations Superstitions and Traditions of that Antichrist the Church of Rome and here by the way observe who they are and whose Poyson it is even of the Divell and Antichrist that men blasphemers truly so called spit out daily against New Light not that it is indeed New but the old Light and Truth newly discovered again and cleared from those foggs and mists which arose out of the bottomlesse Pit happy is it for those men if they sin of weakness it may be forgiven but if of Malice or Wilfulnesse let them remember that all sin and Blasphemy shall be forgiven but the blasphemy against the Spirit the Spirit of Light and Truth by which Christ enlighteneth every one that comes into the world shall never be forgiven neither in this life nor that to come i. e. not at all Dear country-men consider that the Mystery of iniquity was not at his ful heighth presently nor did the man of sin grow up to his full age in a little time neither was Materiall nor Antichristian Rome built in one day as it is in the Proverb It was the work of many generations to establish the throne of Antichrist and it will require no small time to unthrone him againe the stones of this Babell must be pulled down not all together but one after another there are 7. severall Angels who have their 7. severall Vialls to powre out for the destruction of the Beast Rev. 16. and these all have their severall times wherein to effect their works and as divers ages before us have had their Chair in this service we also in our generation must have ours and that not the least though probably it may be the last else most if not all who have laboured to unfold this Mysterie have been deceived though very much of it be yet undiscovered to the most now if wee look at the manner of his destruction the Apostle tels us 2 Thess 2. It shall be by the spirit of the mouth of Christ and the brightnesse of his comming the Spirit and the Light are all together Instruments in the hand of Christ to bring to passe this great destruction and whoever speakes against the one must blaspheme the other Let those men then who boast of the Spirit beware how they reproach the Light least they grieve the holy spirit of God in others and quench it in themselves which is believed to be done in some of them already their abilities being blasted in regard of what they have been heretofore I have insisted awhile in opening of these Names that men may see how improbable if not impossible it is that those men who were but a few years since the greatest Champions against Bishops Crosse Surplisse and Altar-worship and such things as are now generally sworn against as Antichristian and after this day the highest opposers of Antichrist in this Kingdome in the remainders of him those that were formerly lookt on as the great Puritans and non Conformists the tearmes of reproach then in use how unlikely I say is it that these very men should be now turned Hereticks Sectaries and Schismaticks any other then what they then were after they have so faithfully served the Parliament in this great cause of Religion and Liberty with the losse of blood and estate they are indeed such Hereticks c. as they before mentioned who have in all ages opposed the wayes of the man of sin in his Erroneous Doctrines and practises of Idolatry and Superstitions and no other which shall be further manifested in the ensuing discourse yet before I passe to the second thing give me leave to answer an Objection which may be framed thus Object If those that are called Hereticks c. be no other then such as have opposed Antichrist in all ages then you seem to confound our Churches with that of the Church of Rome and how weak this assertion is who sees not when we are so long since departed from her and are therefore hated by her and are our selves deemed to be Hereticks and Schismaticks for this in her account Answ True it is there hath been in many things a departure from the Church of Rome wherein she is erronious and amongst them England hath had a share but there are yet many things wherein she agrees with her the extirpation of some of which hath too lately cost her dear and she will be sooner or later at farther expence and charge in the same kinde for the casting out of those other things that remain amongst us if Jesus Christ by the wisdom and tendernesse of this Parliament or otherwise finde not out some expedient for prevention Quest But you will say these are but words if there be such things indeed discover them we are upon a Reformation and have engaged our selves by Solemn Covenant each one to go before another in the example of a reall Reformation in all duties we owe to God and man Answ If it be so Solomen tels you its better not to vow then having vowed not to perform remember the invocations and attestations of the great God as the searcher of all hearts for your performance and for your help herein and for Answer of this Question I shall insist onely in one particular which as a fountain if you will follow will run out into many streams and doth in a manner contain in it all the rest and it is this a
Saviour Christ hath commanded that the tares and the wheat should grow together till the barvest what cruelty is this toward such men 〈…〉 live peaceably among men unblameable in their conversation pay you tax and tribute and in a word doe in all things which the Apostle Paul exercise themselves to keep faith and a good conscience towards God and men what cruelty I say is it that the Citâ—… Magistrate should be incensed against them should by all wayes be solicited not to give them a toleration that it not to suffer them when they have so faithfully engaged for them The field in the Parable must have some interpretation it must have reference to Church or State Christ would have them suffered some where but their adversaries who pretend so much for Christ are indeed in this particular as in many other things Antichrist i. e. against Christ he saith let them grow together these men say nay let them be pulled up lamentable will the condition of many people in this Kingdome and other places be if many choise young men and others who are ordained by Iesus Christ to eternall life and glory and have received a large portion of the spirit of Jesus Christ the only teacher of his people whereby they may edifie and build others up in the most holy faith if the mouths of these must be stopped for want of that empty and fruitlesse as is conceived Ceremony of Ordination which the doctrine peradventure of the Presbyterie of Scotland hath tought their consciences to startle at and deny for in the I. booke of the Disciplin of the Kirke of Scotland commanded to be practised in the same Kirks Anno Dom. 1641. under the head of Admission this they teach pag. 31. Other Ceremony then the publick Approbation of the people and Declaration of the chiefe Minister that the person there presented is appointed to serve the Church We cannot approve son all be it the Apostles used Imposition of Hands yet seeing the miracle is ceased the using of the Ceremony we iudge not necessary If any gift were conveyed who would deny nay who would not rejoyce to be partaker of it but whilst men see that this is but a vain Imitation of that primitive Apostolical Presbytety who had received from Iesus Christ and could convey to others such gifts of the Spirit for the Ministry of the Gospel as have been lost whilst we have been under the power of Antichrist and such as none of the Sons of men have received at this day and therefore cannot bestow on others they are exceedingly troubled in their Spirits can iudge the ceremony at the least but a taking of Gods name in vaine Let my counsell then wise Counsellors be acceptable touching these men that as in all your Declarations whilst you had any need of them either in their Persons or Estates 〈…〉 have ingaged to be tender towards them which Tendernesse they could conceive to be no lesse then a continued liberty in 〈…〉 severall wayes of worship which they then enjoyed and not after the lesse of many of their lives and a parting with a good part of ther lively hoods for your preservation an imprisoning of their persons and a wasting of the remainder by Attendance Suites Fees Fines and such other charges as necessarily attend such a condition And all this for the practise of those very things you seemed then to allow in them when you thus time after time declared Tendernesse towards them oh doe not doe not thus keep promise with them let not this â—e the recompence you give them for all the labour of love they have shewed unto you doe not for the gratification of a few men who from Sion Colledge either vent their considerations contrary to your Ordinances when they like them not or send you Votes Orders and Ordinances though Subâ—illy and mediately by the Assembly at their pleasures which you must confirme or be rayled at in every Pulpit in the City and have the 〈…〉 against you and seâ—t crying 〈…〉 you for 〈…〉 such things as I dare say not one of a thousand of them knowes or understands having a strong influence also by their Emissaries upon the adjacent Counties that they may concur with them in their destructive wayes and actions if these men can 〈…〉 you thus already before they have any power in ther hands consider I pray what they would doe if power should be given them according to their desire we have too lately bought repentance from their predicessors the Bishops at too dear arate al which I lay before you and if you please to peruse this tract you shall see these men proved the greatest Hereticks and Schismaticks in the Kingdome at this day And as touching these men who are so much reproached by them you shall find them to be according to what they understand pure in religion having not the forme but the power of godlinesse in their publique and private meetings dayly praying the Lord for you innocent in their lives inoffensive in their conversations peaceable in the places where they live and obedient to your iust power Our Lord Iesus Christ in all his goings out with them in thâ—se few last yeares not only opening their purses buts their very bowels and hearts making them ready and willing to spend to be spent for you hath given both to your selves al the world in all ages to come a sufficient demonstration of their harmlessenesse integrity faithfulnesse unto you and if you wil not beleeve these speaking out on their behalfe neither would yee if an Angel from heaven should come and witness for them Now the God of wisedome give you to disâ—erne betwixt truth and errour betwixt good and evill friends and enemies Saints and Hereticks and to hearken to the wise counsell of Gameliel a great Statist concerning the Sectaries of those times Acts 5. 35. 38. 39. with which I shall conclude take heed to your selves what you intend to doe at touching these men refraine from these men and let them alone for if this counsell or worke be of men it will come to naught but if it be of God yee cannot overthrow it least happily yee be even found fighters against God I verily thought I ought to doe many things against the name of Iesus And many of the Saints did I shut up in prison I punisht them oft and compelled them to blaspheme and I persecuted them even to strange Cities To every Reader I Have endeavoured in this discourse so farre as the present opportunity and time would give me leave to undeceive thee however to hint out Truth and a way to others who have more leisure for prosecution the stile is without quaintnesse plaine and familiar that I might not speake to the meanest for whom I mainly did intend it as a Barbarian If you please to cast your eye upon this word of distinction following it may give you some light for the better understanding of
gift of discerning and so this power among them yet can it not be lawfull for them to proceed against men who hold Heresies nor indeed can they be properly so called unlesse they have acknowledged and profest the contrary thereunto before and so have departed from that truth which in their Communion they maintained which appears from this next verse to that we have in hand Tit 3. 11. where the Apostle saith that a Heretick is self condemned {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} i. e. that light which he had formerly received doth now judge him condemn him as it was in Iulian the Apostat who was forced to confesse at last vicisti Galilee I conceive men who never made any more profession of Christian Religion then what they have been passive in from their forced Baptisme and education having at no time attained to any thing which hath been so much as like a New birth or change in them and so were never reckoned or esteemed by Saints among the number of Saints or admitted into their fellowship or communion such men what Tenets or Errours soever they take up are rather to be accounted prophane persons or Atheists then Hereticks As it were improper to call either a Jew or Turk a Heretick in Scripture-sense though they deny Christ to be the Son of God which I confirm from that place of 2 Pet. 2. 1. where the Apostle mentioning false Teachers which should being in damnable Heresies he saith they were such as did deny the Lord that bought them i. e. though their Consciences had received such Convictions from the spirit that Iesus Christ was the Lord and Saviour of the world and so had given themselves up to him as such yet they afterward brought in those Doctrines which denied this again Object The next place Objected is Rom. 13. 4. where the Magistrate is said to be a Minister of God for wrath upon him that doth evil Now if you adde to this Gal. 5. 10. it appears that Heresie is an evil work being there reckoned among the deeds of the flesh and so punishable by the civill power Answ These places thus united I suppose do enforce the Objection and make it stronger then I have yet anywhere met with it But I answer there are in the same Gal. 5. 20 21. severall other works of the flesh numbred up together with Heresies which yet I conceive the Civill power cannot possibly take cognifance of as hatred emulations envyings and the Civill Magistrate can no more draw his sword against the One then against the Other no more against Heresie then against hatred emulation and envy Secondly for that place of the Romanes it was a Scripture written to the Christians living under heathen Magistrates thâ—se surely had no cognizance of the severall controversies or opinions which might fall in amongst the Christians in the profession of their Religion which the Heathens so much hated and therefore Heresie cannot fall under the power of the sword there mentioned and if so let all men judge how truly and properly these men apply the word and whether this be not a wringing of the Scripture like a nose of wax and a perverting of it to their own and other mens destruction I should have spoken more fully to this point but that I finde my self prevented by Mr. Iohn Goodwin in his late book called Hagâ—â—mastix from pag. 58. to paâ— 66. A piece worthy the sight of such men who enquire after Truth One great question yet remains to which I shall speak a word or two and so end Q. If Heresie Schism be of such a doubtfull nature and so hard to be found out if Hereticks and Schismaticks prove to be such whom we least suspected if that gift of discerning whereby they should be known be lost in the Apostacy of the Churches if the imposing our own fallible thoughts and expositions upon the consciences of other men be Antichristianisme and a setting up of the man of fin what shall be done in regard of our Solemn League and Covenant whereby we are engaged to endeavour the extirpation of Hâ—râ—sta and Schisme and to bring the Churches in the three kingdoms to a Vniformity c. Answ. I say concerning the Covenant in reference to the Presbyterians as they sometimes spake of the Church in reference to the Prelates they dazle the eyes and astonish the senses of poor people with the glorious name of the Covenant This is the Gorgans head that hath enchanted them and held them in bondage to their Presbyterian Errours All their speech is of the Covenant the Covenant neglecting in the mean time God and the Scriptures It matters not for other things in the Covenant as you may see in the next answer so as men will but walk according to the same in their interpretation in an outward uniformity of Religion and in a visible form of Church Government and worship then which nothing can be more against the power of godlinesse which consists in an invisible and internall breathing panting working and acting of the soul toward God for God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth All outward Forms imposed do but ordinarily and commonly breed Atheisme and hypocrisie It were well therefore that the Civill powers would be carefull how they engage carnall men in Religious Covenants and about spirituall things I answer we seem very zealous for extirpation of that which is neither in our cognizance nor power and for prophanesse and such things as are against the power of godlines which in the same clause we covenant against and against which the laws of God and men are in force and which are certainly and undoubtedly in the cognizance of the civill power and for which he must give an account to God how doth every one cry out upon the neglect of these whose eyes and ears are not full of the Reelings Railings Belchings Vomitings Swearings Cursings Lyings Stealings Brawlings and Fightings of Drunkards Liars Adulterers Whoors Prophane Gracelesse Godlesse persons and yet these are altogether or in a great measure unpunished due execution of Laws against these were a right Reformation indeed acceptable to God and all good men Sin open grosse palpable sin doth so abound every where that no just man can walk up and down without vexing his righteous soul for the unclean conversation of the wicked Remember who those men are reproved by our Saviour Matth. 23. 24 that thus strain at a gnat and swallow a camel I answer That we are in our severall places and callings to endeavour against these in like manner Art 2. now God calls us out against these men in case we could discern them infallibly not with a sword of steel but the sword of the spirit the word of God which is mighty through God to convince gain-sayers and the servant of the Lord must strive no otherwise then thus as I shewed before If men will but truly and