Sottishness of the People that will be still cosened by such like Canters Will you never open your eyes and see how vain their pretences to the Spirit are Will you never be convinc'd of their presumptuous Boastings and empty Confidence Will you still believe that these men are highly illuminated who call that darkness which a little while ago was light and then cross themselves again and say no it is but Darkness Are these the men whom we must all follow who run we see in an endless round of contradicting their own Professions or must we shut our eyes and give them our hand that they may lead us whither they please Must we forget all that is past and believe they are now possest with an infallible Spirit This is the thing no doubt they desire We must resign our belief to their Declarations We must allow all their Reasons and Excuses whatsoever they be We must at least suffer them to justifie themselves by those very things which they formerly condemn'd and say nere a word And then we love them then we favour the people of God then they have some hopes of us and it 's possible God may have mercy on us though we be out of the way and do not follow them I know you will say that such as you are none of the Army-Saints that you condemn their Practices and hate their leud pretences to Religion as a great scandal to it All which I verily believe But let me tell you the Army had a copy set them of unconstancy and double dealing by those men whom you admired For there was a time when the Lords and Commons could see some good in the Liturgy and Government of the Church by Law established Nay more than that they made a Declaration * April 9. 1642. caused it to be printed and published in all Market Towns That they would take away nothing in the one or the other but what should be evil and justly offensive or at least unnecessary and burdensome And yet when they had more power they were of another mind Every thing was offensive at least unnecessary and burdensome nothing would serve but taking away all the Common-Prayer and plucking up Episcopacy by the very roots The reason I suppose was because this became as necessary to promote their Designs in process of time as that Declaration was at the beginning If they had rested there and gone no farther they had lost the hearts of the most spiritual who would never have seen such a glorious anointing upon them from the Lord Beam of Light by Ch. Feak as now appeared Now they very fifth kingdom men could not but see it and acknowledge it in Print though it was not long before they also chang'd like all the rest and had lost the sight of this glory being able to spy no Vnction any where but upon themselves For they helpt to profane the Crown of these annointed ones and cast out the greatest part of them as if they were but scum and filth But I think it 's best to trace your windings and turnings no further for fear they lead us too far out of the way N. C. A good Resolution Too much of one thing you know is good for nothing C. True And I think the first thing I said about your pretences of a tacit Indulgence is sufficient to shew that you are perfectly like men in danger of drowning who catch hold indifferently of what comes next to hand be it a naked Sword or an hot Iron N. C. Pray make an end of this for you have quite tired me with your Discourse In which you have largely proved the truth of the common talk that you are of a barsh nay a bitter and jeering Spirit and was in a cholerick mood when you wrote your Book C. Rather they that say so prove what I have been saying all this time that they blow hot and cold out of the same mouth and condemn that in others which they allow nay praise in themselves For you shall hear them call that Salt and Smartness of wit in one whom they love which is Bitterness and jeering in him whom they hate And that passes for innocent Mirth and Pleasantness in one of their party which is Levity and Frothiness in one of ours Nay it is Zeal for God and his cause if you aggravate the faults of other men or rashly charge and bring even a false Accusation against your Betters but it is malignity of Spirit hatred of God and the power of Godliness if we do but tell a plain and true story of your miscarriages No man ever opposed you resolutely but you said he rail'd No man discovered your Partiality and other vices but you complain'd of his Bitterness and said he was in a rage against you If by this you meant nothing else but that I write with some heat and earnestness I would confess it and say it is not to be condemn'd For who can contend coldly and without affection about those things which he holds dear and precious A Politick person indeed may write from his brain as my Lord Bacon I think observes without any touch or sense on his heart as in a speculation that pertains not to him But a Feeling Christian will express in his words a Character either of Zeal or Love which you know are warm Passions For my part I think I have expressed both but nothing at all of wrath and bitterness And therefore as to that censure which your Friends pass on me I believe he will speak a great deal truer that affirms the Authors of it were full of choller themselves Otherwaies they could not but have discern'd a charitable spirit in my writing and easily seen that the Indignation I expressed against some vices is such as consists with Christian Meekness and ought not to be condemn'd as an unmanly Passion Do you not find that Moses was very wroth when Israel committed a great sin and yet his Meekness is commended above all other mens And what think you of St. Paul when he calls the Galatians a foolish sort of people and plainly tells the Corinthians that he could as well use a Rod as the Spirit of Meekness and bids Titus whom a little before he warn'd against rash anger to rebuke some persons sharply Nay what think you of our Saviour himself was not he angry at the hardness of the Jews heart Mark 3.5 Was he in any fault when he said to his Disciples O fools and slow of heart to believe Undoubtedly I may sincerely and heartily love you when I express a just Indignation against you and you may as heartily hate me when you seem very gentle and kindly affected toward me It is possible you may have met with this saying out of St. Austin which is ordinarily cited by our Writers and worth your consideration It is so far from being true that every one that is angry with others bates them that sometimes he who is
an enemy As for Mr. W. B. I confess ingenuously I said a little the more of him because you have been too long gull'd by such pretenders to Mysteries and Spirituality Yet I do not think I said enough but ought to have told you plainly that he is one of the principal Impostors that have perverted the Truth as it is in Jesus and adulterated the Christian Religion in this Nation He spoiles almost all the Holy Scripture he meddles withal and turns it into an idle tale of these times and makes it say whatsoever it pleases him and his Proselytes to hear Which when I seriously consider I cannot but say with a little alteration as one doth on another occasion to his Countreymen That it is a shame there are laws against those who counterfeit Coynes and falsify Merchandizes yet such are permitted who Sophisticate our Divinity and corrupt the Holy Scriptures and turn our Religion into a new fancy and device of their own The late great Plague is but of small consideration in compare with this mischief and if speedy order be not taken the multiplying of such Authors will make a Library as big as London wherein there shall scarcely be found one wise Sentence or reasonable Conceit N.C. It 's thought Sir by some that you are much mistaken in making him the Author of that Book which you reprove since it bears only the two first Letters of Mr. Bridge his name And I have heard you blam'd for charging him with those things which he hath not own'd C. I think rather those Apologists are mistaken For why doth he not disown it if it be not his Book since it contains such dangerous things Or why did not the Preface to another Book since stoln into the world and carrying his name in the front of it inform us that this was genuine and the other Spurious But if he had there are very few that would have believ'd him For they are as like each other as two pieces of Cloth that are of the same Wool the same thred the same colour working and bredth There is the very same Canting in both the same abuse of Holy Scripture the same Spiritual pride and contempt of others the same evil speaking and seditious Doctrines and in one word the way and Spirit of Mr. Bridge N.C. Why do you jeer I know you allude to the Title of one of those Ten Sermons which he calls The Way and Spirit of the New Testament C. I do so And am better able to describe his Way and Spirit than he to set out that N.C. I think you had better forbear such Comparisons C. Pray let me try a little It will both divert us a while and not prove unprofitable Turn I pray you to the fifth Sermon at your leisure and tell me when you have compar'd our Conceits P. 371. c. whether of us do better First I say the way and Spirit of Mr. Bridge is not as he would have it a Childlike but a Childish Spirit A way and Spirit that hath nothing manly nothing of the ancient Christian sense and Spirit in it but abounds with Phrases trifling observations and perpetual Tautologies And yet thinks it self most gorgeously bedeck't with Gospel Truths Dispensations Manifestations Discoveries and I know not how many other glorious things besides Secondly it is not a fearing but a fearless Spirit dareing to talk of God our Saviour in the boldestand rudest terms taking a kind of Pride in inventing new and monstrous Expressions and spiritualizing Religion into airy fancies Thirdly The way and Spirit of Mr. B. is not an understanding but a Non-sensical Spirit An instance of which is this that it hath no certain rule whereby to measure the love of God But sometimes it made successes a great argument of Gods regard to them and now it tells us that the Crosses are a mark of it and that the Children of God must be persecuted by the World Fourthly The way and Spirit of Mr. B. is to trade much or most or altogether with fancies and Dreams N.C. Pray do not say so C. You may put it in other words if you please and say it trades with absolute Promises But that 's the same for they are no better than dreams and fancies Fifthly In the old time men examined and considered what they believed and came to Faith by rational discourse But now in the dayes of Mr. B. Men are taught to believe they know not why and Reason is decryed as an enmity to the things of God Sixthly In the old times Christians were of a modest and humble Spirit but the way of Mr. B. is to teach them to be high and confident and to imagine great Discoveries and Revelations to be made to them And therefore they wrong'd Mr. Edwards very much when they said his Gangraena was full of lies because he told strange stories of men that pretended to have had Revelations and seen Visions for we find Mr. B. is one of them Seventhly In the old time Humility Purity Righteousness and Charity were held to be things most dear to God but now in the way and Spirit of Mr. B. we can hear no tidings of them For he can tell us but of three things that are dear to him His People his Truth and his Worship These are his Plate his fewels his Treasure as I told you the last time out of one of his Ten Serm. But you must know it is not a new discovery but an old and darling Notion of his which I find in his Sermon before the Parliament 29. Nov. 1643. There he tells us Three things God loves more specially His People his Truth and his worship And it is a beloved conceit I perceive among the party for one of his Brethren delivered it to the Parliament before him told them in a peremptory manner excluding all other things Mr. Tho. Goodwins serm of Apr. 27. 1642. p. 31. God hath but three things dear to him in the World the Saints his Worship and his Truth But which of these he loves best he could not tell for God therefore ordained Saints to be in the World that he might be Worship't and appointed Ordinances of Worship as means to build up his Saints Some honest old Christian would have told this great Divine if he had heard him you trouble your self Sir about needless Questions There is something God loves better than all these viz. Holines all Moral vertue For in truth there are no Saints or people of God but only in name without these Take away these and the most Orthodox Notions that can be in your head will make you no better than a Devil Nor will the exactest worship according to the purest Ordinances fail to be an Abomination to the Lord if these be absent But I forget my self The way and Spirit of Mr. B. is not to talk of any thing else but pure Worship pure Ordinances Gospel Administrations and such like matters upon
the Domestick Servants and talk't of within doors first and then abroad and Harbingers prepare the way This hath been the news throughout the houshold and Harbingers have been sent abroad It is a sign that he is not far off it will not be long before be come N. C. Cannot you repeat a sentence without laughing C. If you had not been very gross you would have either laught or been angry at those that did not see or would not take notice of the cheat How came you I beseech you to whisper this and afterward talk it abroad that Christ was coming to sit upon his Throne Had you any Revelation of it Did you that are his Domesticks hear Christ the King say so Or were you not told so by these pretended Favourites of his and believed them without asking whence they had the News N. C. Undoubtedly we never thought of it till we heard it preach't and proclaimed by them C. And then when your heads were fill'd with this conceit and they had set your tongues a going and made this the general Talk they ask't you if you were apt to despond Why do you doubt of it Be of good chear without question he is not far off for otherwise you would never have talk't so much of his coming Which was no more in plain English than this you would never have believed us if it were not so Were not these rare devices to support the people's confidence And were not the people very blind that could not discern this foul Imposture Never talk now of the Sottishness of the multitude in the Romish Church for they are cousened by neater Legerdemains than this Which is just as if I should entertain a Child a long time with hopes of Plums and fine Toys coming from some Fair and when he began to doubt of it should tell him thou hast talk't of them so long my Child that without question they will be here by and by How is it possible that thou shouldest be in such expectation of them if they were not at hand N. C. No more words You have said enough to make a Child understand the delusion C. And yet you suffered your selves to be wheedled and cheated thus over and over again as if you would cross the Apostles rule and be Men in Malice but Children in understanding You heard your Ministers pray for instance that Babylon might fall and the walls of Jerusalem be built And then you heard them stirring you up with the greatest vehemence to give God no rest till Jerusalem was made a praise in the Earth And when they had set you all on fire with these desires then you were very well contented to be made believe it was a certain sign God would do the business because he had put it into your hearts to be so earnest for it How is it possible said they that there should be such a spirit of grace and supplication poured suddenly on the Nation if Christ were not coming down after it Since God hath knit the hearts of his people in such a Holy Conspiracy as it were to besiege Heaven with their Prayers all is not to be given for lost God a Mr. Case Engl. Incouragement to wait on God p. 77. hath taken off the bridle of restraint from the lips of his people Pag. 78. The Prayers of Gods people are gone up to Heaven in great Assemblies and have surrounded the Throne of Grace God was never so tempted to bow the Heavens and come down to the rescue of his People c Pag. 79. God will bow down his ears to them if they cannot come to God he will cause his ear to come down to them He will make hard shift as it were to hear rather than their prayers be lost d Pag. 80. N. C. You make me blush to think how we have been gull'd C. So you will be still And it is no wonder they make so bold with you since they were so bold with God and with his holy Word which they drew to be instrumental in the Cheat. They sanctified every design with some text of Scripture or other and with many prayers tili they had defaced the certainty of Holy Writ and made no other thing of it than a Nose of Wax which may be turned any way as will serve our purposes * Mr. Knew stubs against the Herefie of N. N. pag. 61. You need not be angry they are the words of one esteemed here tofore though I know not what thoughts you would have of him or he of you if he lived now If I may pass my conjecture I think he would take you to be the very spawn of those Brownists which were so justly detested in those days For he would hear the same words and phrases out of your mouths now which he heard in those days from theirs who cryed out upon an Idol Church and Idol Ministry an Idol Government And as if they were sure to carry the cause by these out-cryes they never ceased to pour out these Accusations wherewith the people were terribly affrighted For they poor souls never considered that if all were granted that such words import it would not prove a separation should be made from our Assemblies For in what sense can a Minister be said to be an Idol but in such an one as the people of England were called so by one of you N. C. What sense should that be C. I 'le repeat his words if you please which you may find in a Book put forth on purpose to prevent a Peace between the King and Parliament Plain English pag. 27. 1643. upon any terms than such as should make the King yeild to all their desires We have long pretended zeal saith that Author against Idolatry when in the mean time we are all become one Idol We have eyes and fee not an Army of Papists not only with permission allowed to use their own Religion but with Commission appointed in event to destroy ours We have Ears and hear not the continual Blasphemies against our God the reproaches and standers against our Parliament It cannot indeed be said we have mouths and speak not for they that do least commonly speak most But I am sure I may say we have Feet and march not hands have we and handle not the Sword and Shield N. C. You love still to be rubbing these old sores as I told you once C. Not I. But I love to rub up your memory that you may reflect how your beloved phrases are applied to all purposes and see that an Idol Minister can signifie nothing but one that doth no more of the work of a Minister than the people it seems did of your work of fighting against the King till they were alarm'd by such clamours as these and affraid to be thought Idolaters or an Idol-people In short he is such a person as the Shepherds of Israel were when they neglected their Office and took no care of the
you know in express words That whosoever shall authoritatively and under a penalty command any model method or manner of Divine worship to be observed by men makes himself God c. you may read it at large p. 11. 12. For it is as clear as the Sun N. C. That such Books ought to be burnt C. I must add that you are all guilty of too much confidence and talk as if you were infallible in your conclusions When you see therefore the folly of it in another mend it in your selves And do not talk here after as if all Godly men had ever been of your mind No man of a tender Conscience but held it unlawful to prescribe any thing in Gods worship Every Body knows Cartwright Reynolds Greenham were of this opinion as the Prefacer boldly told you and it is a wonder he did not add Dr. Sibbs For so some of your party took care the world should believe and chose rather to corrupt his writings then have it thought he was of another Perswasion N. C. I shall never believe it C. You may chuse But I shall prove that this good mans writings were abused presently after his death in this very point For in his Book called the Souls Conflict he gave this direction among others to guide a Soul in doubtful Cases The Laws under which we live are particular determinations of the Law of God and therefore ought to be a rule to us so far as they reach Though it be too narrow a Rule to be good only so far as mans Law guides unto yet Law being the joynt Reason and consent of many men for publick Good hath an use for the guiding of our Actions that are under the same VVhere it dashes not against Gods Law what is agreeable to Law is agreeable to Conscience Thus the Rule stood when the Book first came out * First Edition 1635. pag. 364. But in a very short time after when he was newly laid in his grave the first words were changed into these The Laws under which we live are particular determinations of the Law of God in some duties of the Second Table In which they made two restrictions of that which he had said in General words First they restrain'd the Rule to the Second Table and not to all things neither but only some duties And then they add a whole Sentence by way of Example which was not in the first Edition which I make no doubt was done on purpose lest any man who read the Book should think it was the Doctors opinion that we should conform to the Orders of our Governours about the worship of God where the Law of God hath determined nothing in particular and their Laws do not cross his But what is there done by the Jesuites worse than this what greater injury to the dead than thus to play tricks with their Books and change their words at your pleasure N. C. It is very strange C. I have something more to tell you As they have added here so they have taken away in another place just before it He is Answering I told you this Question what course must we take for guidance of our lives in particular actions wherein Doubts may arise what is most agreeable to Gods will And one Advice is this we must look to our place wherein God hath set us If we be in subjection to others their Authority in doubtful things ought to sway with us A dangerous Rule some men thought and therefore in the next Edition they left out those words in doubtful things And also blotted out this whole sentence which follows It is certain we ought to obey viz. in doubtful things of which he is speaking and if the things wherein we are to obey be certain to us we ought to leave that which is uncertain and stick to that which is certain In this case we must obey those that are under God N. C. Are you sure of this C. As sure as that I see you though I must tell you there was a neat device to hide this fraud for they reprinted the Book speedily with the very same Title page that was before without giving notice that it was a second Edition And by leaving out those lines and adding an example as I told you to illustrate the rule as they had restrain'd it they made the pages exactly even as they were at the first * There are two Editions of 1635. one of his own another of some bodies else but so ordered that they seem the same At least they reprinted that sheet wherein these things are contained with these alterations which I add lest I should not be rightly understood by all Afterward the Book was divided into Chapters and in all Editions since you will find these Rules Chapt. 17. with these alterations N. C. By his own appointment it is like C. Why did they not tell us so N. C. I know not C. I 'le tell you then They were loth to tell a plain lye For the Doctor dyed within three days after he had writ his Preface to the first Impression and therefore it 's most likely made no Alterations That Preface was dated July the first 1635. and he dyed July the fourch So I gather from those who put out his two last Sermons preached June 21. and 28. and he dyed say they the Lords day following Immediately after which came out a new impression of the same year 1635. but not called a second Edition which they would have us believe was not till 1636. A meer cheat as I confidently affirm having seen and compared all N. C. I see now you are of an imposing Spirit and have taken a great deal of pains to shew it C. What Am I for imposing on men those words they never said N. C. Be not so perverse All the Reformed Churches are against imposing of Set Forms as I have been told C. As perverse as I am I 'le follow you for once So you have been told I believe that they are against all Set Forms though not imposed I am sure I have N. C. No I remember in the beginning of the late Wars the Scotish Forms of Prayer were printed C. And so were the French and those of Geneva and Guernsea and the Dutch to name no more all translated into English Therefore pray satisfie some of your Ignorant but yet confident Friend in this matter As for that of Imposing what think you of these words of Mr. Calvin in his letter to the Protector Octob. 22. 1548. As for Forms of prayer and Rites Ecclesiastical I do greatly approve that there be a certain one extant from which it shall not be lawful for the Ministers in their function to depart c. For which he there gives solid Reasons And whatsoever is pretended to the contrary the Reformed Churches do follow this Counsel and tye men to a Form in the publick duties of Gods worship as I can evidently shew But now let me
reward of a Physician N. C. Discharge of your duty you should say disgorging your Choler and Gall. Nay they will never believe if they hear what you now Discourse but that you wrote out of meer malice on purpose to disgrace them and that you deserve the reward of such Physicians as kill more than they cure C. How came they by this faculty of searching the heart N.C. How came you to ask this question C. I forgot my self Since they can see what God doth in the Spirits of men no wonder they can spy our thoughts and intentions N.C. I meant that they can see by your Book what your intentions were C. So they may For I told them plainly in my preface that I intended only to awaken them to see their Errors but it seems their Spirit look't into mine when I wrote those words and could see my thoughts better than my self Hath W. B. or his disciples had some Revelation about this matter N.C. None but what they received from your Book which contradicts they think your Epistle and declares the hatred you bear to them C. To their Schismatical spirit you should have said For I can sincerely profess as Mr. Edwards doth in another case That I have no personal quarrel with any of them no old grudge or former difference and therefore had not Truth constrained me Pref. to Antapolog I had out of respect and love to some of them forborn to say any thing of these matters And therefore let not my Book by reason of its truth and plainness be branded for a bitter railing and malitious Writing But let them consider that they need such a Book as doth not flatter and extol them but be plain and free with them For the truth is as he goes on they have been too much flatter'd both in their Persons and Churches and are undone for want of being plainly and freely dealt withal A Candle hath been too long held to them I hope my Book may do them much good to abate their swelling and confidence And if many of our Ministers would deal more plainly with them it would be better both for them and us I remember a passage concerning Luther in an Epistle of Calvin's to Melancthon they are still the same mans words which the persons being changed may be fitly applied to my purpose If there were that mind in us all that ought to be perhaps some remedy might be found And certainly we transmit an unworthy Example to posterity while we cast away all liberty rather than offend a few men Will not their vehemency rise and grow the more while all bear with them and suffer all things from them Undoubtedly it will Our base silence doth but make them open their mouths wider to declaim against us We cherish their insolent behaviour while we make no Opposition and give no check to their violence They imagine we allow them to be so worthy as they fancy themselves while we sit still and only see and hear their Folly And therefore to shew that we know them not that we hate them I took the Freedom to write those things which you accuse of Malice N.C. But as I told you they tend to their Disgrace C. No man ought to think himself disgraced by Truth nor reproached by just Reproof He should rather think he dishonours himself a thousand times more by still persisting in his Errors and justifying his faults And if you resolve upon this Course and seek rather to cast reproaches on us than amend your selves I doubt not it will turn at last to your greater disgrace and make you more vile in the esteem of all indifferent men N.C. Assure your self you had better have been otherwise imploy'd and never have meddled in this business C. I am not afraid of any evil Tongue nor of any thing else that man can do unto me But as your Mr. Cartwright once said am of Alcibiades his mind who trusting to the power of Truth when one lift up his staff ready to smite him if he would not hold his peace boldly replyed Smite me so thou wilt but hear me N.C. No they will not smite but they will defend themselves C. With all my heart But be you assured as he said in another case their heels will sooner ake with kicking against the prick than it suffer any hurt by receiving their broken and strengthless Resistance N.C. You are very warm and confident C. To tell you the very truth I have long observed in the fiery men that oppose our Church a strange Pride and conceit of the godliness of their own party beyond all reason together with a most shameful despisal of us as if our Piety were little or none at all This moved my Indignation and it will stir I think the spirit of any honest and cordial Christian to read such haughty Censures as these from the mouth of your most famous Divines That the Bishops are a generation of the Earth earthly Preface to the Dioces Trial. An. 1621. and savour not the things of God They are the words of Mr. Paul Bains approved by no less man than Dr. Ames who is pleased to add in his great modesty that there was as much agreement between them in their management of Religion except two or three and their powerful Preachers as between the light which comes down from Heaven and that thick mist which arises from the lowest pit And that there is more of God and his Religion in some one congregation of a silenc'd Minister than in all the Bishops families in England I appeal to all the world whether I had not reason to stomack these proud vaunts and scornful speeches And whether it was not absolutely necessary to let you see the emptiness flatness to say no worse of those men who now insult over us in like manner and would bear the world in hand that they are the only powerful Preachers who alone savour the things of God N.D. You have only cull'd a few sayings out of one or two Books C. They should have thankt me for that And might have seen if they pleased by that moderation that I was not desirous to publish their shame more than needs but studied their amendment by disclosing a little of their folly and concealing the rest If they will not believe but that I did my worst and revealed all I knew let them but signify this distrust of my Charity and I shall give them abundant satisfaction Mr. T. W. I am sure hath no cause to complain who with so much labour brings forth childish fancies and is so curious to speak absurdly and takes so much care to avoid serious and solid sense in the most weighty Arguments that his great Pains is conspicuous in these Defects Of this I did but give a small tast and that not out of the worst of his conceits which he ought to look upon as the Civility of a Friend and not as the want of skill in
the account of which they esteem themselves more holy Spiritual and Evangelical than other men And be they never so bad all 's one for that Mr. B. hath a rule which is very comfortable * Sinfuln of Sin p. 34. Humble your selves for sin though it be never so small but do not question your condition for any sin though it be never so great Perhaps you will say I do not understand him and truly that 's no such great wonder For Eighthly Whereas in the old time men wrote and spoke so that one might understand what they meant the way and Spirit of Mr. B. is quite contrary which is to speak that which he himself I believe doth not understand Witness several things I could shew you in his First of the Ten Sermons concerning Love to Christs personal excellencies without respect to his benefits Besides this Ninthly In old time they gave good proof for what they said but the way and Spirit of Mr. B. is to put us off with a lousy Similitude or two by which he doth all his feats N. C. Why do you speak in this manner C. I have good reason for that Epithite but now it is time to make an end And to say no more but this in the old time the way was to demonstrate things either from their Causes or from their Effects or from Testimony according as the matter would bear but now it is much or mostly or altogether the way of Mr. B. to make a comparison and find out some pitiful resemblance which passes for a good reason of what he sayes with the men of his way and Spirit Ex. g. to prove that an unconverted man cannot know how full of sin he is he will tell you the reason is because his Hoops are on Sinfuln of Sin p. 29. As a vessel that is full of liquour and the liquor issues through the Hoops you see there is liquor in it but you do not know how full it is till the hoops are knocked off but then you will say O how full was this Vessel Ah now our hoops are on and it doth not yet appear how full of sin men are only it comes issuing through the hoops through their duties but a Day is coming when all our hoops shall be knocked off and then it will appear how full of sin men are Thus he argues excellently from the Barril and at another time you shall find him as good in his reasons taken from another liquor in a brass pan or pot For to prove that some mens little sufferings may amount to much whereas other mens great sufferings may amount to little he can give you no other Reason but that God hath a very gracious allowance for his people a little will content him from them whom he loves For which he alledges the Commendations bestowed on the Patience of Job though he was impatient * First and last in suff work p. 47. True saith he but God did not measure Job in his wallops but when he was cold As we do not measure milk when it wallops and seeths but when it is cold N. C. Good Sir have done with this for it is but the same that you said before in the former particular when you told me of his similitudes C. That 's very true But this is still the way and Spirit of Mr. B. to say the same thing over again in a new fashion and as the old saying was to serve up one joynt in a dozen or two of dishes But to give you a full measure I will put another in the room of that There was a good Christian Spirit in the ancient times but the way and Spirit of Mr. B. is Antichristian N. C. Fie for shame That 's the thing he charges on you C. I know it very well But setting aside the Papists and a few others Compare with his Ten. Serm. p. 370. who so guilty of it as himself For it is Antichristian to reproach our Church as he doth It is Antichristian to condemn the present worship of God among us and call it Antichristian To decry an outward glorious Worship as he makes bold to do is Antichristian It is Antichristian to oppose all degrees of men in the Church it being plain that there were Apostles Evangelists and Prophets ordain'd by Christ as there were high Priests Priests and Levites ordain'd by Moses It is Antichristian to call white Garments legal and Antichristian In short a furious seditious schismatical Spirit I am sure you will grant is an Antichristian Spirit and such is the Spirit of Mr. B. as I will evidently prove N. C. Do not undertake an impossible task C. There is nothing more easie as you will soon see if you look but into his Sermon of the Two Witnesses printed with his name to it In which you may read the danger we all are in if his Visions and Revelations be true For having told us plainly enough that such as he and their followers are the Witnesses who receive their Orders to prophesie from Jesus Christ himself not from men from the Prelates from the Beast then he proceeds to let us know what power they have V. pag. 123. of that Book lately printed 1668. called Seasonable Truths c. which to omit the rest is twofold and much to be observed First to shut the Heavens that they shall not rain Rev. 11.6 that is saith he to restrain the highest powers in Church and State from their wonted influence which can have no other sense than this that they shall be so powerful as to bind the hands of their Governors and ty them up from being able to act And then Secondly They shall have power over the waters to turn them into blood that is to turn the still people of a State or Nation into war and blood N. C. Surely they have no such Orders from Jesus Christ nor will he ever give men such power as this C. That 's nothing They may take this Power though he do not give it them For he tells you This may be done though not legally For the proof of which he bids you observe that though it be said he will give them power to prophesie it is not said he will give them but they shall have power to shut heaven and turn the waters into blood That is give such orders to themselves and assume this Authority for he repeats it again It may be this may be done and not legally What though the Laws of God and man command us to obey Magistrates not to govern them to live in peace and quiet and not to disturb the publick tranquility That 's a small matter with these men who fancying they have received a Commission to prophesy may inlarge it a little further on their own heads and shut up or imprison the higher powers that they shall not act and then put the people into a commotion that they may fish in the troubled waters And
if the same man said Gangr part 1. p. 86. The Scottish Nation was the Babylonish-Beast Ib. p. 87. N. C. I should not have been offended if you had caled such men as these Beasts and said they bellowed or brayed or what you please against your worship Speaking evil of those things which they know not But you are not Ignorant I hope that we have a more knowing people than these who are truly Religious and mind serious things C. What is this to the purpose I ask for a Pick-ax and you bring me a Spade We are not talking of some select persons but of the Multitude which I affirm are grosly Ignorant Yet since you lead me to it I must tell you there are Serious as well as slight follies And I have reason to think there are divers of those who are more sober than those we now spoke of and pass for very knowing Christians that have small skill in any thing but Phrases For what greater token can there be of Ignorance than either not to understand what a man means or elso to slight and undervalue what he sayes if he declare the Doctrine of Christianity in plain and simple words Nay to complain as if Religion were lost and the Gospel gone if we leave off their Forms of Speech and beloved Phrases N. C. Now I scarce know what you mean C. Do you not remember what a noise and clutter there was when Mr. Baxter began to speak more intelligibly about some weighty things in Christianity than others did N. C. Yes very well Some thought he taught a new way of Religion and led us from Christ to the Law again C. The reason was because he put them very much out of the rode of their Phrases This made them fear Christ would be taken away from them and free Grace be despised and a Covenant of works restored And for the very same cause they raise such a dust now against many of our Ministers They do not hear them talk of getting into Christ and getting an interest in Christ and that for this end they must get Faith and go to the promise and eye Christ in the promise and close with him in the promise and lay themselves flat upon the promise and go out of themselves that the promise may enter All which you think are very mysterious things because you are Ignorant for let all the sense that is contain'd in any of these forms be delivered in proper plain and easie words and you despise it as a thing of naught Though you talk of Gospel-light and Gospel-discoveries and Gospel-manifestations yet there is little or nothing all this while to be known or understood Religion you will have to be such a Mystery that if a man thinks he understands it he ought to conclude he is not acquainted with it It is a certain sign a man hath no skill in it if he imagine he knows the plain meaning of it It must be look't upon as a Great something A thing to be star'd at and admired but no body knows what At least you cannot clearly discover it to us not withstanding all the brags we hear of light and discoveries Hence it is which is a great argument of their Ignorance that great numbers of your Religious people have been so easily perverted and turn'd to the wildest Sects when as the clearest Reason that our men can speak will not convince them What multitudes have soon turn'd Anabaptists Antinomians Familists and Behemists but how few and with what difficulty can be brought to the Church of England This is an evident proof to all considering men that they can be made in love with any thing but only Reason And that a Disciple of Jack-pudding shall lead greater troops after him than the gravest Divine They will sooner listen to a fancy and are more ready to embrace another pack of new Phrases than the soberest sense and the wisest Instructions that can be spoken There is a famous and undeniable instance of it in the other and as you think the Purer England Was it not a wonder that the whole Church of Bostou some few excepted should become Converts on a sudden to a daring woman and be infected with her damnable Opinions And that You may find these very words in the proceedings of the General Court holden at New-Town Oct. 2. 1637. against Mrs Hutchinson and others p. 32.40 65 66. though they were esteemed Wise sober and well-grounded Christians and some of her opinions also had the whole Current of Scripture against them Nay they look't upon her as a Prophetess such were her spiritual gifts raised up of God for some great work now at hand as the calling of the Jews c. So as she had more resort to her for Counsel about matters of Conscience and clearing up mens Spiritual Estates than any Minister I might say all the Elders in the Country This they impute to the craft of this American Jezabel But I have reason to think the truer cause was the Ignorance of these knowing people who were easily cheated by her new Phrases and soft Doctrines concerning Free Grace glorious light and holding forth naked Christ Especially with such pretended v. Mr. Welds preface and Error 25.33.38 48 71. c. Mysteries as these that Christ is the New Creature that we may have all graces and yet want Christ That there can be no true closing with Christ in a premise that hath a qualification or condition expressed that conditional promises are Lagat and therefore no true comfort can be had from them That to act by vertue of or in obedience to a Command is Legal that to Evidence Justification by Sanctification or Graces savours of Rome that the Witness of the Spirit is merely immediate without any respect to the Word or omeurrence with it that the Seal of the Spirit is limited to this immediate Witness and doth never witness to any work of grace or any conclusions of ours And finally that the immediate Revelation of my good estate without any respect to the Scriptures is as clear to me as the voice of God from Heaven to Saint Paul N. C. There was Witcheraft sure in the business C. Yes of sweet Doctrines and glorious phrases The pleasing murmur of mysteries and spirituality of immediate Sealing and witnessing of Revelations and manifestations of the Spirit These bewitched the wisest and soberest and well-grounded Christians because in truth they were Ignorant and stood upon the ground of fancy and imagination who would have stopt their ears like the deaf Adder to the charms of sober reason should a man have charmed never so wisely Nor could they ever be dis-inchanted by all the Arguments and perswasions of all the Ministers in that Country but she kept her strength and reputation even among the people of God Ib. pag. ult till the hand of Civil justice laid hold of her and then she began evidently to deeline and the faithful to be
freed from her forgeries So wholesome sometime is a little severity And so much is the force of Civil Authority with these people above the sharpest Arguments of Divines For they opposed the Spirit and their manifestations and illuminations to all their Minister's Reasons which would do no service at the bar of the Court of Justice where they understood none of this language And now I speak of the Manifestations of the Spirit it is very strange to me that you should generally expect the Holy Ghost should do for you what Christ promised at his parting to the Twelve Apostles teach you all things and guide you into all truth It is another sign of great Ignorance in you and of insincerity I doubt in many of your Ministers who are afraid to dispossess you of this conceit and to instruct you in the plain difference between these times and those but suffer if not teach you to apply to your selves whatsoever our Saviour spoke to the Apostles alone A thing which is so palpable that I cannot but wonder men should so pervert the Scripture especially when they see there is no such thing but that those whom they account the people of God are of several nay contrary minds And that all cannot be in the right and yet none they think devoid of the Spirit to teach them all things and lead them into all truth This sure makes so many think every strong and unusual motion they find within them is the work and operation of the Spirit of God And that every place of Scripture that comes on a sudden into their mind is darted from Heaven and the immediate dictate of the Holy Ghost Though never so impertinently applied to their present occasions And that all the ardent affections and transports and raptures they have in prayer or at other seasons are likewise Inspirations from above and that now they are filled with the Holy Ghost Which is a gross and ignorant Conclusion in my opinion for want of such obvious considerations as these that such heats and flights are common to them with the Heathen Poets and excellent Orators and that bad men have had them as well as the best As I am able to shew you if you please N. C. Some other time if you will for we have spent now a great deal in this kind of discourse C. Let me tell you notwithstanding that this I believe is one reason that your people are filled with so many doubts jealousies and fears of being deserted When they have not these heats then they think the Spirit is gone and how to comfort them it 's hard to tell till they return again And now I mention this give me leave to tell you it is another evidence of great Ignorance That the minds of well meaning and honest-hearted people among you are full of so many scruples and so uncertain what to resolve on all occasions You may say perhaps it is because their consciences are tender and very careful and wary what they do And so you may say when you see a Blind man tremble and walk softly and feel his way at every step with his staff that he is a very Wary man when it is not Caution but his want of sight that makes him so diffident And indeed how is it possible they should have any true assurance in any case when it is to hard if not impossible to be resolved in the great question of all What a man must do to be saved and attain the satisfaction of knowing that be hath an interest in Christ To this the most admired Divines reply that a man can have no comfort but only by going to the promise O but saith the poor Soul according as it is taught I dare not so much as look to the promise Mr. Th. Hooker's Poor Doubting Christian drawn to Christ p. 30. I cannot believe it To this the Answer is p. 115. That a man shall never believe on these terms if he look to have faith besore he go to the promise For thou must not have faith and then go to the promise but must first go to the Promise for the power of that faith from it thou must receive power to believe But then how shall the Soul go without Faith Will a Promise do him any good unless he believe it to be the very Word of God on which he should trust This is an unanswerable difficulty as far as I can find These Divines cannot tell him how he should go to the promise since it is confess'd he must go by Faith and if be look to have faith before be go to the promise he will never have it They only tell him over again p. 117. and if it will do well and good That we must not bring faith to the Promise but receive faith from it to believe Thus the poor Soul is sent to the promise for Faith and back again to saith to lay hold on the Promise but how to do that who can tell It must first go to the promise to fetch faith and yet how should it go if it have no faith In this case how should a man chuse but be full of scruples and like one that is bewildred and lost not knowing what will become of him N. C. I have read the Book for it uses to be one of the first that is recommended to us and as I remember he tells you a little after How a Soul should get to the promise C. I thank you for remembring me of it He moves indeed that question p. 144. But me-thinks he only leads a man into a worse Labyrinth For these are the Rules to be observed how the Soul may get to the Promise First Throw off all power and ability in thy self Let the bea rt lie still till the wind and tide and promise come and that will carry thee And yet the Second Rule which immediately follows is this which contradicts the former Bring the promise home to thy heart that the promise may bring thy heart to it How is this possible I would know how to get to the promise I am told I must lie still that the promise may come to me And yet at the next breath I am sent to bring the promise home to my heart which supposes I must go to fetch it What a case am I in now What Direction can he give me to bring me out of these Bryers Why To answer this doubt the only way is to unsay this in the third Rule which supposes the Promise will come of it self and that I need not bring it home For it runs in these words When the promise is thus come home to thee and thou seest the sufficiency and the Authority of it then all thou hast to do is this In the stream of that promise be carried home to the promise p. 149. N. C. I can make no sense of it C. Nor I neither But the thing he seems to aims is this that a man must
only wait till Christ assures him that he had made all the promises to him For thus he explains the business Jacob would not believe that Joseph was alive till he saw the Chariots that were come for him These sent from Joseph to Jacob brought Jacob to Joseph So every believing Soul is poor and feeble disabled to go to God and to believe in the Lord Jesus Doubting-Christian drawn to Christ p. 148.150 Therefore be must look to the Chariots of Israel first it should be of Joseph according to the resemblance and that will convey him to the promise and when the chariots are come get up into them The Lord Jesus is gone to heaven and hath sent these chariots for thee therefore get thee up and say Lord take me up with thee And so they did They got up into I know not what fiery Chariots and mounted into the Air and there fancied they saw the Lord Jesus immediately revealing himself to them and so carrying them to the promise the absolute promise And I verily believe these Doctrines were they from whence the American Jezabel as they call'd her extracted her Poisons and by which the people were prepared to drink of the cup of her Fornication perswading themselves that a man is united to Christ and justified without Faith that Faith is not a receiving him but discerning be hath received him already that a man is united to Christ only by the work of the Spirit upon him without any act of his that there is a testimony of the Spirit and a voice unto the Soul meerly immediate without any respect unto or concurrence with the word And that there are distinct seasons of the workings of the several Persons so that a Soul may be said to be so long under the work of the Father and not the Sons and so long under the work of the Son and not under the Spirit And in conclusion that a man is not effectually converted till he hath full assurance and that this is given immediately all the activity of a Believer being only to act to sin All these I say are the plain sense if there be any at all in this Book of what he delivered in more obscure words N. C. Pray go not about to prove this For my head begins to turn round already meerly with the scent of these intoxicating ingredients C. If these Doctrines had been broacht by any of us you would have found out our picture long ago in the Revelation and said that the Church of New England was Thyatira and this the Jezabel which called her self a Prophetess and that such Divines as these were the Prophets of Baal the Priests of Jezabel and these Doctrines the Doctrines of Devils All which you might have done with a greater colour and shew of reason than apply these names to our Priests But you are favourable to one another and wink at such Books as these provided the Authors be Nonconfurmists and cannot as you ignorantly speak bow to Baal N. C. I am glad there are none of these Doctrines here in this England C. Those Books are here and highly admired by such sound Believers as take all for Gospel that some men say but can find nothing of Christ among those that speak sense and make the Doctrine of Christ intelligible Nay I can find you Disciples of such Authors as these among your Preachers who will sometimes tell you that Christ will do all for you Sips of sweetness or Cons for weak Believers by John Durant 1662. and then tell you presently that something must be done by you Thus one of them introduces the Soul complaining That the Duggs of Divine love are full but I cannot suck Answer Be of good comfort Christ will not only open his Bosom but thy Mouth But I cannot fetch out the Milk that lies in his Breast I am but weak Answer Christ is sweet and with his finger be will force out the Milk of Mercy into thy Mouth if thou canst but open thy Mouth What need he have made an if of it if Christ would open its mouth and if he will do that and every thing else why did he not make an end of the business in one word and say All the Activity of Believers is to act to sin And so comfort the believing Ewes who are big with young in a sinful sense and say N. C. We talkt a little while ago of some mens bellowing and braying and now you are going to fall a bleating C. You are very pleasant I hope then it will not offend you to let you know that I was giving you the explication which this man makes of those words in Isaiah 40.11 I will gently lead those that are with young that is saith he according to the admirable way Pag. 102 103. now in fashion of expounding the holy Writ Christ will be very kind to those Saints that step aside which is called whoring in Scripture and deal gently with those who are big with young in a sinful sense whom I was going to tell you he comforts thus O ye sinning Ewes who have been big with young hath not be gone after you and furned you and laid you upon his shoulders rejoycing * Pag. 114. The very Phrase of Mr. Hooker Though thou canst not find the way to heaven yet he will find thee c. and lay thy Soul upon his shoulders i. e. upon the Riches of the freeness of his Grace p. 149 150. It may be thou hast been wandring like Dinah from thy fathers house art big with young and afraid to go home But fear not go and try be will not cast you out of doors Though you come with big bellies to keep to the Metaphor he will deal gently with thee though with young p. 119. N. C. We have followed these Ewes or Goats or what you do please to call them too far C. It 's true But at first I intended only to tell you how he describes weak believers Who have as Divines say the Faith of Adberence they will stick to Christ as theirs but they want a faith of Evidence they cannot see themselvs to be his p. 18. N. C. These Divines speak Nonsense C. Judg then in what uncertainty the Disciples of these Divines live who never tell them plainly what Faith is And what a strange blindness they labour with who cannot see as they speak that they are Christ's though they perswade themselves that he is theirs Nor do I see what satisfaction they are like to receive in particular cases any more than in this the greatest of all Your Doctrine seems to me to be so obscure that it 's hard to come to any solid setlement or peace of mind One of your Rules for instance is that we must have a warrant from the word of God for every thing we do If there be neither Precept nor Practise that we can find there to justifie an action we intend it must not be done
Christ that now are or ever were N. C. Pray do not say so C. They have granted me that for 1400. years there never was any Church with which we might hold Communion if not with ours And I will prove that there hath been none for these 1668. years N. C. You are strangely bold C. No bolder than Mr. Calvin who will give you good satisfaction if you read the Chapter to which I referred you that the Church of the Jewes in our Saviour's time and the Apostolical Churches afterward tolerated greater Vices in manners and fouler Errors in Doctrine than were in any Church from which in his days a separation was made And I will shew you distinctly either now or when you will require it that those Churches planted and watered by the Apostles had those Corruptions in Doctrine Worship Manners Discipline and Government which cannot be pretended to be in ours And yet there was no separation of some Members from the rest Nay the Apostles notwithstanding all these speak very well in general of some They call them all Believers and Saints And none knew then any other Men of the World and Vnbelievers but Pagans such as did not acknowledg Jesus to be the Lord. N. C. I am loth to give you so great a trouble But I pray answer me one Scripture which seems to be against this when it saith The Apostles separated the Disciples Act. 19.9 C. Admirably argued The Apostles separated the Disciples from those that were not Disciples and therefore we may separate Disciples from Disciples N. C. How say you C. The Apostles I say were sent to preach the Gospel and make Disciples to Christ baptizing them into his Name who believed on him Those who would make profession of Christ they gathered into a new Church from among the Jewes and Pagans who disown'd him And accordingly here in this City having won some to believe and made them Christs Disciples they separated them from the rest of the Jewish Synagogue who blasphemed Christ and would acknowledg no other Religion but that of Moses to be a distinct Society by themselves and no longer Members of the unbelieving Synagogue From whence you would inferr that one Christian is to be separated from another Christian and believers gathered from believers if one part appear to us Pious and the other Vicious Which is just as if the Apostles out of those few Disciples separated from the Jews had made another lesser Church separated from the rest of the Disciples N. C. I see my Error plainly And shall remember hereafter if I can not merely to nibble at the Scripture as you called it but take it altogether But Mr. Bridge affrights us horribly with one place which prophesies he sayes of the greatest separation in the latter dayes that ever was It is in the Revelation where the Spirit cryes Come out of her my people that you be not partaker of her sins There shall be the greatest separation and that provokes the Antichristian party as his words are p. 179. of the Book before mention'd C. I remember them very well Rev. 18.4 But do you still take Mr. Bridge for a Prophet Have I not shown you what a rare Seer he is in the Revelation N. C. I have heard others beside him mention this place Mr. Case I remember gave us this reason to hope that God would be gracious to England Englands Incouragement to wait on God p. 69. and that Babylon should shortly fall because he had begun with such a distinct and audible voice from Heaven to call his people out of Babylon saying Come out of her my people c. Rev. 18.4 her Idolatrous bowings cringings Altars Crosses and cursed Ceremonies false Worship false Doctrine C. You need say no more I have it perfectly in mind as well as you And you were wont I know in those days to believe that they knew the designs of Heaven as well as if they had been Counsellors of State in that kingdom And conceived the News they told you of what was coming as sure and certain as if they had layn in the Bosom of St. John as he did in our Saviour's But I hope by this time you are convinced they were only drowsy dreamers that knew nothing of his Mind And see that they are but like a poor Mouse which having but one hole is easily caught Babylon Babylon was all they had to say then and thither they run now These are the Magical sounds whereby they would astonish you The Mystical words whereby they practise all their Sorceries upon you Stop but your ears against these and you are free from their Enchantments for they can never prove that the Church of England is this Babylon from whence his people are call'd or that she hath taken so much as one sip or kiss'd the Cup of her Fornications N. C. I never askt them indeed to prove this C. No You took it very lovingly upon their word And ran after those whom you fancied and were inamoured of with an implicit Faith as if you had tasted too deep of the Cup your selves If you did but hear them say Mystery Mystery the very word you know in the forehead of the whore presently you bowed to them and thought you were under the teachings of an infallible Spirit And you remember I suppose very well that those two and all the rest of the Ministers that were wont to preach before the Parliament and in the greatest Congregations generally chose their texts out of the Old-Testament seldom out of the New unless it were the Revelation N. C. What of that C. By which means they furnished themselves in an abundant measure with such Comparisons as did them admirable service They could easily contrive it so that they might seem such a select number as the Jewes the peculiar people of God and we like the Aegyptians and Babylonians or what other accursed Nation they pleased And so applying all those places which spoke of them to us and our times they excited in you the same hatred against us that was in the Jews against those Nations and made you think it as necessary to separate from us as for the Jews to come out of Babylon Nay by a wonderful Art or prodigious Inchantment rather which argues your great dulness they first raised your fancies put words into your mouths and taught you to expect all that they had a mind should shortly come to pass and then they made the expectation they had wrought in you an argument that it should come to pass Thus I remember one of your Divines incouraged the Parliament to expect the overthrow of Babylon because said he the General talk throughout the Houshold among the Domesticks is Mr. H. Wilkinson Sermon upon Zach. 18.19 pag. 21. that Christ their King is coming to take possession of his Throne This they not only whisper but speak publickly Now you know before Kings go to a place their purpose is first known among
did the Army as I told you and were never the better for that N. C. And they find that they mean uprightly And that it doth not condemn them of consulting with flesh and blood C. I find that they apishly imitate the Apostles without their spirit And run about with their words in their mouths when they leave the sense behind As if when they want the things the Apostles had it were some comfort to them that they can keep their glorious Phrase and Stile Did they never consult think you one with another what to do N. C. Yes without doubt C. And what are they I beseech you Are they turned on a sudden into Spirits Have they left the Body since they left our Churches and become separated Substances since they became Separatists N. C. What do you mean C. Nay what do you mean thus vainly to affect the Apostles phrase Who intended nothing else when he said 1 Gal. 16. that he did not consult with flesh and blood after God was pleased to give him an immediate commission to preach Christ but that he did not conferr and deliberate with any mortal men like himself whether he should go about that work or no. And truly in this sense I doubt your Ministers consulted too much with flesh and blood when they considered whether they should conform to the Orders of the Church or no. They applied themselves to your humour and thought whether you would not be displeased to see them do that which they had rashly condemned or slighted and hear them preach up that which they had destroyed Saint Paul indeed stood not upon this and would not hearken to what men said But they I doubt had more of his words than of his mind and sate listning a great while to the voice of flesh and blood about this matter And I wish they did not consult too much with it about other things And did not baulk displeasing Doctrines Otherwise why do they not teach you in an honest manner as the Old Non-Conformists did That the Ancient Church of God used a Form of Prayer and Praises as every body knows * There being say they confessions prayers psalms reading of the Scriptures exhortations solemn blessing used in their Synagogues And that our Saviour bad his Disciples when they prayed to say Our Father c. which he would never have done if it had not been lawful for us in making our Prayers to God to use the very same Words And that is an absurd and frivolous Exception to say We never read that the Apostles did use a Prescript Form of Words For if this be sufficient to excuse us from doing what Godexpresly commands or manifestly permits that we never read the Apostles or Saints did it then we must not or need not Baptize in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost because we never find they used those words or that they Baptised Infants or that they prayed or rendred acknowledgments to the Holy Ghost And farther why do they not teach you that even upon extraordinary occasions which require great and special fervency of Spirit it is lawful to use a Form of Words as our Blessed Saviour did in his Agony Matth. 26.42.45 * And so the Prophets had appointed as they gather from 14. Hos 1. 2. Joel 17. And again not only those Forms which we frame our selves but which have been composed by others as Solomon they observed Jehosophat Hezekiah all used the very words that David had done before Nay further yet that the people of God have used a set Form of Words in extraordinary occasions which were appointed long before those occasions fell out Daniel for instance used the words that Solomon had commended in case of Captivity a Dan. 9.5 compared with 1 King 8 47. and Ezra uses the Form of Thanksgiving which Jeremiah had appointed say they to be used after their return from Captivity b Vid. Psal 136. comp with 33. Jer. 11. and 3. Ezra 11. And more than this that it is lawful to use not only those forms which are in the Scripture but such as in the compiling and collecting them the Invention and such other Gifts of men are used There being a liberty as the Separatists themselves heretofore confessed left in the Church to do many things that tend only to the setting forth Gods Ordinances As in preaching of the Word and in those Prayers which they call conceived Prayers the Wit Memory judgment and such other human gifts are lawfully and necessarily used Especially considering that the peoples Understanding and Memory may be better helped by that they are well acquainted withal than by the other And then if forms thus devised by men be found to be lawful and profitable what sin can it be for the Governors of the Church to command that such Forms be used or for us to use them being perswaded of their lawfulnese when they are imposed Unless any body will say that therefore it is unlawful for us to hear the Word receive the Sacraments believe the Trinity and all other Articles of the Faith because we are commanded by the Magistrate so to do Whereas indeed we ought the rather to do good things that are agreeable to the Word when we know them to be also commanded by the Christian Magistrate These are the very words of your ancient Writers against the Brownists or Separatists c In the Book published by Mr. W. Rathband part 1. but taken I find out of a more ancient writer Mr. Rich. Bernard's confutation of the errors of Barrow and Greenwood Ann. 1608. pag. 191. 192. c. Let but your Ministers not consulting the People's Fancies and desires faithfully inculcate these Truths and indeavour to ingraft them in their minds it will give a great Testimony of their Sincerity and I am sure it will go a great way to make up our sad Divisions If they will not press these things more than any thing else for the present there being such great necessity of it we can give no other reason of their silence but that they consult their own interest and are loth to leave their Private Meetings And then considering their known declared Principles I shall be forced to used a word of one of their great Enemies though I protest I am sincerely their friend and say they are of the most ancient Sect of the Auto-catacrites * J. Good-wins obstruction of Justice p. 68. the Self-condemn'd the worst of all Sectaries N. C. I have heard our Ministers acknowledg all this and therefore what needs thus many words C. Acknowledg it man I would not only have them say so when they are ask't as it were a sorrowful Confession whispered in the Ear but publish it aloud on all occasions that so they may call back those sheep that are gone astray by their means Let every one of them the next time you meet speak to the people in their own language and
perpetual in the Church as we read in Mr. Cottons Catechism Now having devised these things to name no more I observe that the Covenant in the same Church is in one and the same Form of words as well as matter and therefore put into writing and must be read by the party to be admitted or he must hear it read by some other and give his Assent to it Here is not only a Form of Holy Covenant a principal point of worship as W. R. notes invented by one or more men but imposed upon others even as many as enter into the Church and more than that to be read upon a Book What is this better or how is it more lawful than a set form of prayer especially since this Covenant is imposed as an Ordinance of God and absolutely necessary so as no Book-Prayer I think is I find also that by this Covenant the Members in some places †Church of Salem in New-Engl were restrained and tyed up from shewing their gifts in speaking or scrupling till they were called thereto that is they being allowed to prophesie publickly and so to propound questions and make objections which they call Scrupling they bound them up in this Covenant which had the force of Law from doing it uncall'd I would fain know whether this be not to limit the Spirit as you speak and to stint it to times as you say we do it to words For if a man be never so full he must have no vent without a call from the Church And how I pray you doth this differ from an Ecclesiastical Canon as to it's force and obligation but only that it hath another name and all old Canons must be lay'd aside to make way for this new Covenant They tell us also expresly that the Magistrate may compel men to keep their Covenant though not to enter into it †Ib. Narration of Church Courses cap. 15. And for spreading of infectious Doctrines Mr. Wheelwright a Minister and Mrs. Hutchinson a pretended Prophetess were banished the Countrey Several of their followers also were some imprisoned some fined some disfranchised some banished and all disarmed for petitioning the Court in behalf of Mr. Wheelwright and remonstrating with due submission so their words were that they conceived he deserved no such censure a Proceedings of the General Court holden at New-Town Oct. 2. 1637. and the Apology in defence of the proceedings holden at Boston 1636. And great many more remarkable things there are in that story which I cannot stand to recite But must proceed to tell you that as for others who are not of their way there is just no liberty at all For as they will not grant communion to members of other Churches not constituted as they are so if a company of approved godly people should sit down near them where their power reaches differing from them only in some points of Church Government some of them tell us not only that they shall not be owned as a sister Church but also be in danger of severe punishment by the Civil Magistrate b Narration c. cap. 10. N. C. What is all this to our Independents C. They extol both the Men and the wayes of New-England to the Skyes and therefore approve of them I suppose not only as good but as excelling all other The Men they say have testified their sincerity to all generations future by the greatest undertaking except that of our Father Abraham viz. leaving this Countrey to go thither meerly to worship God more purely c Apologetical Narration 1643. pag. 5. And as for their wayes and practices they are improved to a better Edition and greater refinement than those of other Reformed Churches d Ib. which makes it reasonable to believe that when they Covenanted to reform according to the example of the best Reformed Churches they had New-England in their eyes as their pattern For those General words as Mr. Feak e Beam of Light p. 25. rightly observes left it under suspence and undetermined which of the Reformed Churches had obtained the highest degree of Reformation The Scots and their Friends judged the Kirk of Scotland the best Reformed the Dissenting Brethren approved the Reformation of New-England to be most excellent But be this as it will we have learn't thus much from what hath been related that the Churches of a better Edition and greater refinement do not think it unlawful to use forms in Gods holy Ordinances unto which they bind those who come under their Power restraining them also from opening their mouths when perhaps they think themselves full of the Spirit and denying leave to others to set up a different way from theirs in their Neighbourhood As for our Independents I can shew from their Books that they think it necessary to be as severe in a great many Cases 〈◊〉 and I remember as heavy complaints of them as ever they made of the Presbyterians and have been told that they daily spet their renom privately and publickly against those that separated from them a Vanity of the present Churches p. 3. and 11. c. N. C. It will be too long to relate all those things But I would fain know how this will stand with Christian Liberty C. Do you think that it consists in being tyed to no Law at all N. C. None but Gods C. Take heed what you say N. C. In matters of worship I mean C. That 's absurd as I have shewn you Gods Law hath only given us the general rules whereby things to be ordered in the Church according to which our Governors are to make particular Laws and we are to obey them or else there will be nothing but confusion Yet still our Christian Liberty remains because First we are not tyed to this or that pattern or Model but our Governors have liberty to establish whatsoever being in it self indifferent shall seem to them most expedient for maintaining comliness and Order And secondly when any orders are established this is our Liberty as our Divines teach you that we do not use them as any part of Divine Worship as some of you do nor as meritorious and satisfactory nor as necessary to justification or salvation but only for discipline and good Orders sake And lastly by consequence the same Authority may alter them and hath not so tyed up it self to them but that it is at liberty to abolish those in case of inconvenience arising and establish others in the room But such a Liberty as leaves men loose from all Laws and Orders save those that they shall chuse themselves is a wild fancy which your Ministers condemn as well as ours Mr. Dury for instance a very moderate Presbyterian tells the Independent Brethren We must expect no such Liberty as shall break the Bond of Spiritual Unity which by the allowance of a publick tolleration of a different Church Government may be occasioned To keep therefore Unity intire a few must