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spirit_n	work_n	work_v	yoke_n	29	3	9.0600	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38109	The first and second part of Gangræna, or, A catalogue and discovery of many of the errors, heresies, blasphemies and pernicious practices of the sectaries of this time, vented and acted in England in these four last years also a particular narration of divers stories, remarkable passages, letters : an extract of many letters, all concerning the present sects : together with some observations upon and corollaries from all the fore-named premisses / by Thomas Edwards ...; Gangraena. Part 1-2	Edwards, Thomas, 1599-1647.	1646 (1646)	Wing E227; ESTC R9322	294,645	284

his coming is not a word mentioned of any thing done by him in way of satisfying God Christs coming was more like a conquerour to destroy the enemy in our nature and so to convince us of the love of God to us by destroying in our nature that which we thought stood between God and us 41. That the unction which the Saints are said to receive from the holy one 1 Iohn 2.20 is one with the Christ hood of Christ. 42. That Christ was a legall Preacher for till after his Ascension the Gospel was not preached Christ lived in a dark time and so he preached the Law but afterwards then the Gospel came to be preached 43. That Christ shall come and live again upon the earth and for a thousand years reign visibly as an earthly Monarch over all the world in outward glory and pomp putting down all Monarchy and Empires 44. That when Christ in his own person hath subdued the disobedient Nations then the Church of the Jews and Gentiles shall live without any disturbance from within or without it all Christians shall live without sin without the Word Sacraments or any Ordinance they shall passe those thousand yeers in worldly delights begetting many children eating and drinking and enjoying all lawfull pleasures which all the creatures then redeemed from their ancient slavery can afford 45. That men may be saved without Christ and the very Heathens are saved if they serve God according to the knowledge God hath given them though they never heard of Christ. 46. That the least Truth is of more worth then Jesus Christ himself 47. Christ by his death freed all men from a temporall death which Adams sin only deserved by purchasing them a resurrection and hath opened them a way to come to the Father if they will thus far he died for all no farther for any 48. The Spirit of God dwels not nor works in any it is but our conceits and mistakes to think so 't is no spirit that works but our own 49. That the same spirit which works in the children of disobedience is that spirit which sanctifies the hearts of the elect 50. That there is a perfect way in this life not by Word Sacraments Prayer and other Ordinances but by the experience of the spirit in a mans self 51. That a man baptized with the holy Ghost knows all things even as God knows all things which point is a deep mystery and great ocean where there is no casting anchor no● sounding the bottome 52. That if a man by the spirit knew himself to be in the state of grace though he did commit murther or drunkennesse God did see no sin in him 53. That sanctification is not an evidence of Justification and all notes and signes of a Christians estate are legall and unlawfull 54. Beleevers have no inherent sanctification nor spirituall habits of grace infused into their hearts but all their sanctification is that which is inherent in Christ and they for this and no other cause are said in Scripture phrase to be sanctified but because of Christs sanctification and inherent holinesse 55. Though Adam had continued in his estate of innocencie and not fallen yet he had died a naturall death for death now is not a fruit of sin to beleevers 56. Gods Image on man is only our face and countenance and every wicked man hath therefore Gods Image as well as good men 57. That Adam and so man-kind in him lost not the Image of God by his fall only incurred a temporall or corporall death which was suspended for a time upon the promise of a Saviour 58. There is no originall sin in us only Adams first sin was originall sin 59. That the guilt of Adams sin is imputed to no man no man is punished for Adams sin 60. That one man is no more spirituall then another nor is there any such inward difference between man and man but all the spiritualnesse and difference lyes without us in the Word which guides some men and not others 61. That all men who have the Gospel preached to them and so manifested to their understandings are immediatly without any more ado able of themselves to beleeve and receive Christ 62. There is no free-will in man either to good or evill either in his naturall estate or glorified estate 63. That there is a power in man to resist grace and that the grace which would convert one man would not convert another 64. Naturall men may do such things as whereunto God hath by way of promise annexed grace and acceptation and that if men improve their naturall abilities to the utmost in seeking grace they shall finde it 65. That regenerate men who have true grace may fall totally and finally away from the state of grace 66. That the morall law is of no use at all to beleevers that 't is no rule for beleevers to walk by nor to examine their lives by and that Christians are freed from the mandatory power of the law 67. Persons justified are not justified by faith but are justified from all eternity 68. Neither faith nor repentance nor humiliation nor self-deniall nor use of Ordinances nor doing as one would be done to are duties required of Christians or such things as they must exercise themselves in or they can have no part in Christ. 69. True faith is without all doubts of salvation and if any man have doubts of his salvation his faith is to be noted with a black mark 70. That To credere faith in a proper sense is imputed to justification and not Christs righteousnesse imputed to justification 71. That the doctrine of repentance is a soul-destroying doctrine 72. In the old Covenant that is before Christ came in the flesh in the Prophets dayes repentance is declared as a means to obtain remission and neither remission nor the knowledge of remission to go before but to follow contrition but this is not the Gospel which is established upon better promises 73. That 't is as impossible for Christ himself to sinne as for a child of God to sin 74. Th●● there ought to be no fasting dayes under the Gospel and th●t men ought not to afflict their souls no not in a day of humiliation 75. That God doth not chastise any of his children for sin and let beleevers sin as fast as they can there is a fountaine open for them to wash in and that not for the sins of Gods people but for swearers and drunkards the land is punished 76. That beleevers have nothing to do to take care or to look to themselves to keep from sin God must look to them if he will 77. God loves his children as well sinning as praying hearing and doing the holiest duties he accounts of them never the better for their good works nor never the worse for their ill works 78. That Gods children are not at all to be humbled troubled or grieved for sin after

Fast dayes You have taken away the superfluous excessive maintenance of the Bishops Deanes and we have many take away and cry down the necessary maintenance of the Ministers In the Bishops dayes we had singing of Psalmes taken away in some places conceived prayer preaching and in their room Anthems stinted forms and reading brought in and now we have singing of Psalms spoken against and cast out of some Churches yea all publike prayer questioned and all ministeriall preaching denyed In the Bishops times Popish Innovations were introduced as bowing at Altars c. and now we have anointing the sick with Oyle then we had Bishopping of children now we have Bishopping of men and women by strange laying on of hands as is related in this following Book In the Bishops dayes we had many unlearned Ministers and have we not now a company of Jereboams Priests In the Bishops dayes we had the fourth Commandement taken away but now we have all ten Commandements at once by the Antinomians yea all faith and the Gospell denyed as by the Seekers The worst of the Prelats in the midst of many Popish Arminian tenets and Popish Innovations held many sound doctrines and had many commendable practices yea the very Papists hold and keep to many Articles of faith and truths of God have some order among them encourage learning have certain fixed principles of truth with practises of devotion and good works but many of the Sects and Sectaries in our dayes deny all principles of Religion are enemies to all holy Duties Order Learning overthrowing all being vertiginosi spiritus whirlegigg spirits and the great opinion of an universall Toleration tends to the laying of all waste and dissolution of all Religion and good manners Now are not these Errours Heresies and Schismes spots and blots in our Reformation do they not blemish and cast a dark shadow upon all the light part are they not the dead flies in the Apothecaries ointment sending forth a stinking savour are they not the reproach and rejoycings of the common enemy the scandall of the weak the blasing star of the times and are not Sectaries strangely suffered connived at keeping open meetings in the heart of the City yea printing with License their erroneous opinions and daring to give into some of your hands such Books as 't is a shame to speak of being let so alone that they are grown up to many thousands both in City and Country Christ in Revel 2.19 highly commends the Angel of the Church of Thyatira for his works service faith patience c. but yet reproves and threatens him for suffering without punishment false doctrines to be taught and disorders to be practised in the Church But I have a few things against thee because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel which calleth her self a Prophetesse to teach and to seduce my servants And be pleased to observe what truth that Scripture holds out namely that a connivence and suffering without punishment false Doctrines and Disorders Persons to preach whom God hath not called and to preach Errours Heresies blemishes and dashes the most glorious works and provokes God to send judgements a Toleration doth eclipse and darken the glory of the most excellent Reformation God accounts all those errours heresies schismes c. committed in a land but let alone and suffered without punishment by those who have authority and power to be the sins of those who have power and he will proceed against them as if they were the authors of them A man comes to be pertaker of other mens sins by countenancing consenting and suffering withou punishment as well as by formally committing them Solomon in 1. King 11. from ver 1. to 15. is counted by God to be guilty of all the Idolatry committed by his wives and their followers and accordingly God is angry with him and threatens him because being a King he had power in his hands to hinder it not that Solomon did bring into the house of God Idols or ever commanded the people to forsake the worship of God and to worship Idols or that he did in his own persont worship Idols This only is certain that he suffered them to build Altars and sacrifice to strange gods Ephes. 5.12 't is the command of God to have no fellowship with the unfruitfull works of darknesse that is not by consenting helping imitating suffering them without reproof Now a Magistrates reproving is by using coercive power to punish and suppresse evills as is evident in the example of old Eli to his sons who though he did reprove by words yet because he punished them not he was partaker of their sins and was severely punished by God for it 1. Sam. 2.23 242 5. chap. 3.13.14 Now Right Honourable though You hold none of these Opinions practise not these wayes neither command any of these things but have put out Declarations wherin there are some passages against Anabaptists Brownists and other Sects and made Orders and Ordinances for the preventing and remedying of many of these evills as that Order of Febr. 16. 1643. That Ministers suffer none to preach in the places where they have charge but such as they will be answerable for as the Ordinance against the preaching of Persons not ordained in this or some other Reformed Church as the Ordinance of not printing without License yea upon complaint have questioned and troubled some Sectaries for their Errours and pernicious Practises yet notwithstanding there is a strange unheard of suffering and bearing with them and such a one as I beleeve all things considered never was there the like under any Orthodox Christian Magistrate and State How do sects and schismes increase and grow daily Sectaries doing even what they will committing insolencies and outrages not only against the truth of God and the peace of the Church but the Civill state also going up and down Countries causing riots yea tumults and disturbances in the publike Assemblies how do persons cast out of other Countries for their Errours not only live here but gather Churches preach publikely their Opinions what swarmes are there of all sorts of illiterate mechanick Preachers yea of Women and Boy Preachers what a number of meetings of Sectaries in this Citiy eleven at least in one Parish what liberty of preaching printing of all Errours or for a Toleration of all and against the Directory Covenant monethly Fast Presbyteriall Government and all Ordinances of Parliament in reference to Religion and most of these persons either never questioned at all or if questioned abusing those in a high manner who question them coming off one way or other and afterwards going on in spreading their errours more then before or if committed by some below whereby they are hindred from preaching and dipping then brought off and released by some above of which they bragg and boast yea many Sectaries countenanced imployed and preferd to speciall places both of profit honour and trust and that which is

and Dunmow in Essex which will be attested by good hands and be content to submit it self to the Presse I Reply let Cretensis print it when he please I challenge him to do it so he print nothing but what he will make good I remember 't is a speech of famous Mr. Bolton in some of his works Innocency and Independency makes men of the bravest spirits I blesse God I have Innocency knowing nothing by my self of fault in this matter and I have Independency being an Independent in a true notion not hanging upon great men nor hunting after Preferments and great Livings and I desire the Reader to observe what I shall say of this matter Cretensis could hardly have instanced in a busines to make more for my praise and his shame then this and if he be able to give me any one instance of an Independent and Sectary that hath so denyed himself for the Publike and for strangers as I did in that I shall begin to think there are Independents in England who seek the Publike good and not their own things And for the matter of Dunmow I have so much certainty and confidence of it that if it were known commonly it would turn to my great honor which here Cretensis threatens me with as a matter of reproach and indeed the only thing which belike Cretensis in all his gathering and enquirings after me could light upon to upbraid me with as that I dare refer it and stand to the Arbitrament of Mr. Thomas Goodwin Mr. Burroughs Mr. Bridge whom all the world knows through difference of judgement are not my best friend● whether in that businesse I be to be blamed or rather have not done a singular thing and like a man who hath walked circumspectly avoiding all appearance of evil And truly Cretensis you may give a loser leave to speak which for the present I shall do briefly reserving the large relation both of Dunmow and Godalming to my fuller Reply and whatever I speak and much more will be attested under the hands of many godly Ministers some dwelling neer Dunmow and acquainted with this businesse from first to last others Members of the Assembly intrusted also in it and under the hands of divers godly persons of the Town fully knowing the businesse together with the Minister of the Town the now present Incumbent In brief the great businesse of my jugling and indirect walking between the two Towns of Godalming in Surrey and Dunmow in Essex was this that to prevent the coming in and for removing out one gotten in against the consents and liking of the godly people and the Ministers intrusted in the businesse to provide for them my name was made use of to the Committee for Plundred Ministers to be put in for the Sequestration of Dunmow and without it as things stood in that case the particular whereof with that whole businesse from first to last I shall hereafter relate at large it was judged both by godly Ministers and the people and therefore I earnestly entreated to give way to it there was no other way to effect it which title I held for a few weeks meerly for the good of the People till an able and fit man could be found out for the place in which time that my name was putting in and was in though I was put to a great deal of trouble and some charge in Journeys riding three several times to Dunmow besides other expences for the good of the place as in disappointing men to come in upon them and otherwise for there were many difficulties in the businesse as will appear when I shall give a full relation of it and that occasioned by a Sectary or two par●ly out of ill will to me and for fear I should have gone thither and partly out of disappointment of some reward and thanks which one of the Sectaries expected in case one fair for it had come into the place as may without all breach of charity be conjectured by words heard by two godly persons of Dunmow Town and though my name being made use o● the profits were absolutely sequestred to me at such a time of the yeer as that I could have made my self whole yea a great gainer yet I never took penny nor f●●thing of the Living no not so much as one penny to pay the charges I had been put unto for the necessary preserving of the Living to the Town nor never had penny to this day which though I conceive I might with a good conscience have taken there being no reason I should go to war at my own charge yet because that I might honour the Gospel and take away all occasion from those who would seek to speak evil of me and because if I had taken any thing it might have been interpreted reported a great deal more besides all might not have known the reason of it therefore I forbear so much as ever to receive or touch one penny belonging to Dunmow and truly I believe if the persons be enquired of who chiefly laboured in this businesse to bring in a godly able man to Dunmow and know all passages men who are meer strangers to me save only in this businesse will say such was my care pains and faithfulnesse for their Town in the midst of many intervenient difficulties cast in by some instruments who either had a minde to the place or hoped for something that Dunmow hath great reason to blesse God for me and that I was to them as one not seeking my own things but the things of Jesus Christ their spiritual good And now Cretensis print when you please your Manuscript you have by you only be sure it be not drawn up by some persons who by my means were kept out of the Livings of Dunmow and of Godalming or by some who would have brought them in but being disappointed of their ends were vexed and imagining I might have converted the means of Dunmow to my use because they would have done so if it had been in their power though to be revenged of me by drawing up a story of my jugling and indirect walking and putting it into the hand of Master Goodwin to make his use of but Cretensis let me tell you however Independents and Sectaries use to jugle and walk indirectly I hate jugling and indirect walking and am a plain open-hearted man and I will give you leave to follow me in all places this 22. yeers last past where I have lived and preached from Cambridge to Walden and from Walden to London and in London from one place and Church to another and from London to Harford and Harford to London and from London to Isleworth and from Isleworth to Godalming c. and to charge me justly if you can with jugling and indirect walking I am confident that in all those places I have left a good savor and none will blame me either for life or Doctrine unlesse they be Sectaries or Cavaliers yes I know

conceits That there is a Prophet arisen who is shut up for a time but at the end of this Summer is to come forth with power to preach the generall Restauration of all things which Prophet hath given a roll forth already into some hands in which roll many things are written and whoever hath that roll hath the spirit of prophecie He hath appointed some to be Publishers and Prophets and to go to Jerusalem to build it up where Abraham Isaac and Iacob shall meet them from Heaven and these persons thus sent unto Jerusalem are assured they shall never dye with many other of this kind But I will reserve these to make another book of and come to give the Reader some Corallaries drawn from the whole matter Certain Corallaries and Consectaries drawn from the Errours Heresies Blasphemies Practices and Stories of the Sectaries laid down in this present Book CORALL I. HEnce then from all these Errours Heresies Blasphemies Practices c. laid downe both in the first and second part of Gangraena we may see how far the Sectaries of our times have proceeded and how high they have risen In a word to summe up in one page what more at large is expressed in many sheets the Sectaries are gone verie farre both in damnable doctrines and wicked practices in holding principles and positions destructive to Church and State against all Government both Civill as well as Ecclesiasticall and that not only for the matter but in the 〈◊〉 and way of propagation and 〈◊〉 of them They have questioned and denyed all the Articles of faith and have justified and pleaded for all kind of errours and abominations They have denyed the Scriptures Trinitie the God-head of the Son and Holy Ghost Justification by Christ the Gospel Law holy duties Church Ministerie Sacraments and all Ordinances They hold there are no Devils no sin no Hell no Heaven no Resurrection no Immortalitie of the Soule And together with these they are against all Kingly government the King Lords the House of Commons as to have any thing to do in matters of Religion or in Civill matters any longer than the people who chose them think fit and to be chosen yeerly or of●ner according as they carrie themselves yea against all kind of Civill government and Magistraticall power whatsoever as appeares by denying the power of imposition of taxes and assessments in denying the power of Magistrates over Church-members in cases of murther treason c. And as they have denyed all these so on the contrarie they have maintained and pleaded for all kind of blasphemous and hereticall opinions and loose ungodly practices yea they have publikely in print justified there should be an open Toleration for all these and if any man should so far degenerate as to beleeve there is no God nay come to bl●spheme God and the Scriptures yet hee should not be troubled nor molested but enjoy the libertie of his conscience And they have not only pleaded thus but some of them have actually blasphemed God Christ the Spirit the Scriptures Ministers Sacraments and all holy Ordinances besides committing of horrible uncleannesses forsaking of husbands and wives as Antichristian being guiltie of thefts defraudings c. being partakers also of that horrid Rebellion of Ireland in justifying the Rebels that they did no more than what wee would have done our selves c. All these with many others as the pleading for stage-playes to be set up againe some or other of the Sectaries have been guiltie of and unto all these have added this moreover to canonize and cry up for Saints faithfull servants of God c. Antiscripturists Antitrinitarians Arrians Perfectists yea Blasphemers and Atheist ●o they be but for Independencie and against Presbyterie and particularly how is Paul B●st that fearfull Blasphemer now he is in question by the House of Commons pleaded for by many Sectaries of our times and bitter speeches spoken against the House of Commons for medling with him yea and in print too hee is pleaded for and compared in a sort with Paul the Apostle Certainly neither we nor our Fathers before us ever heard or saw such evils of blasphemie heresie c. in this Kingdome as wee have done within these two or three last yeeres The worst of the Bishops and their Chaplains when they were at worst were Saints in comparison of many of the Sectaries of our times and would have abhorred as bad as they were such opinions and practices which some of the Sectaries magnifie cry up and pretend to do by vertue of new light the Spirit and as a matter of great perfection as for instance A mans or womans forsaking their owne husbands and wives and taking others at their pleasure out of pretence of casting off Antichristian yokes the pleading for a general Toleration of all Religions yea Blasphemies denying a Deitie out of pretence of libertie of conscience But what speak I of the Bishops and their Chaplains I am perswaded all the stories and relations of the Anabaptists and Schwenkfeldians in Luthers time of the Popes and Papists blasphemies of many Heathens and scoffers of the Scriptures Christian Religion as Galen Porphirius Lucian Iulian the Apostate c. do fall short of the blasphemies waies of our Sectaries Which of all these ever so blasphemed as Boggis or what storie is there since the creation of the world that mentions a more horrid wicked blasphemy than that of Boggis a great Sectarie pag. 133 134 135 Or where is there a blasphemy to be found beyond that spoken of in pag. 116 of this Book In a word to conclude this first Corollatie The Sectaries of our times have in many respects as in regard of breach of Covenant ingratitude falsnesse c. gone beyond the Sectaries of other ages and Kingdomes and done worse than their fathers justifying them in all their abominations which they committed and have vented and spread so many poysonous and dangerous principles and positions as are enough to corrupt and infect all the Christian world if the Lord in mercie do not prevent it CORALL II. HEnce then from all that I have laid down of the Sectaries of our times of their errours heresies blasphemies strange practices and their wayes of managing them we may learne what is like to become of them and their way and what their end will be namely confusion desolation and being brought to nought suddenly as in a moment and if ever God spake by me I am confident he will curse this Faction of Sectaries in England and cast them out as an abominable branch Me thinks I see their day a coming and drawing neere Heretikes and Schismatikes do not use to be long-lived no heresie as Luther speaks uses to overcome at the last What is become of the Arrians Donatists Novatians Pelagians c though they were like a mightie floud over-running and drowning all for a time yet like a floud they