down their Idolatry and bring them to Gods worship But this is to be taken in by the way That meer force is not to be used but instruction and teaching to informe in the truth and to perswade the will ought to go along with power that they be not driven as Beasts but led fairly along as men of reason and understanding 3. For such Subjects as have been baptized into the faith of Christ and so have given themselves to the profession of it the Magistrate may and ought to provide against their renouncing of the Faith and falling to Heresie and Idolatry and for their submitting to meanes of being further taught and built up in it and holding forth the profession of it as otherwise so especially in frequenting the worshâ—p of God Last The Magistrate may and ought by his Authority not onely give way to the profession of the true Religion and some way to countenance it but is bound to provide that Gods Word be preached by faithfull and able Ministers that they be encouraged and well maintained and to command the practice of Gods worship in all points by Gods people Now your Scriptures make not against this Assertion thus explained For they chiefly intend the inward conversion and work of Grace in the heart which is onely the work of the Spirit and to which the civil power cannot reach nor doe we allow him to meddle with it as if by his Lawes he could work it They concern not these outward actions mentioned which may be reached and regulated by the civill Power And though inward Conversion be the sole work of the Spirit yet doth it not exclude the use of outward meanes which do either more directly conduce or occasionally make some way for that work 1. It doth not exclude the preaching hearing or other use of Gods Word by which the Spirit worketh Faith and other saving Graces in men Nor 2. Doth it exclude the exercise of Church-censures which availe to keep men in the Faith and an holy Conversation Nor 3. The command of the Mâ—gistrate so far as hath been said to restraine men from Idolatry and Heresie which cannot but hinder the work of true Conversion and to command the attendance on the Word preached and other meanes of instruction whereby men may be brought under the shadow of the holy Ghost that he may work on them But to touch upon your Scriptures more particularly for that of Zeeharie I shall desire the Reader to wait for the clearing of it untill I come to a passage in your Book following where it is againe alledged and will be more fitly examined To that of Rev. 6. 2. it is but your single conceit as you affect to be an odde man by your selfe that by the white Horse whereon Christ is said there to ride forth conquering or the Bow in his hand is meant of the Spirit It is an expression not to be parallel'd and sense not well sounding to say That Christ doth ride on the Spirit or carry the Spirit in his hand It is the more generall and genuine sense to understand it of the preaching of the Gospel according to that of Psal 45. where Christ it bid to ride forth verse 4. as on an horse which is there expounded his truth and furnished with sharp arrows verse 5. to pierce the heart of his enemies Now the preaching of the Word doth carry forth Christ as it were on Horseback in the view of men and out of it as a Bow in his hand doth he shoot his divine Doctrine Promises and Threats which pierce to the heart of men and by it he did and doth conquer the world The preaching of the Gospel hath its â—fficacy indeed from the Spirit going forth with it which conquering power of the preaching of the Gospel and of the Spirit the command of the Magistrate as above declared doth no way hinder but promote rather as tending to bring men within the rode of that white Horse that they may be conquered by his Rider and brought to his Obedience and within the reach of his Bow that his Arrowes may pierch their hearts with godly sorrow for sin and make them fall downe unto Christ Subordinata non pugnant saith the Logician Things subordinate fight not one with another but are subservient one to the other For the Stone cut out of the Mountain without hands Dan. 2. 34. it doth indeed typifie Christ and the Church his Kingdome And as he concerning his humane nature was framed in the Womb of the Virgin Mary without any procreation from man and set up as King of the Church by God alone without mans concurrence so his Church and Kingdome was first set up by Gods onely power and authority and not by that of Man but so that outward means were and are aâ—so used by him and all is not done by the immediate power of God without any use of meanes as at first the world was created by him For there are Ministers employed to preach the Gospell Magistrates set on work to countenance and defend it and by their authority to set it up in their Countreys Professours raised up to hold it forth in their lives to suffer for it buâ— these means are so used by the Lord that the whole work and successe of it appears to be from Gods power and blessing alone not at all from man as hereafter I shall more largely shew and so is cut out as it were without hands It is manifest that in the overthrow of those mighty Monarchies figured and set out Dan. 2. the Lord did use the power of the Sword and Armies and I believe that you think that Christ this Stone doth so now and will doe the like in dashing to pieces all the mighty Opposers of his Kingdome And therefore all things that are done toward the advancement of this Kingdome are not wholly done without hands or externall meanes And why then may not Christ also use some hands or externall meanes in some things that more directly tend to the setting up and maintaining his Church and Kingdom whose successe and efficacy yet is not from themselves but wholly from Christs power and spirit and so effected as it were without hands For Psal. 110. 3. and 47. 9. which say That Gods people must be a willing people and 2 Cor. 5. 14. That they act not nobly unlesse out of love How doth the command of the Magistrate as it is above laid downe hinder them in Gods service to be a willing people or to act out of love For if they command good and lawfull things the command doth not hinder their willingnesse in the doing of them but encourage them in it as knowing that they shall do them with praise and approbation If they restraine them by their command from evill things men ought not at any time to be willing to doe evill but rather should willingly be restrained from it And it is better that against their will they be
restrained from evill than that they be permitted willingly to rush into it It is also an Antinomian misconceit to think that nothing is done willingly and out of love to God which is done out of obedience and respect to a commandement enjoyning or prohibiting it 2. Gods people were to be a willing people in his service and to act out of love under the Law also as well as the Gospel For there must be a willing mindâ— and working out of love before any thing will be accepted And yet Abraham is commended that he would not onely exhort and perswade but out of his authourity command his houshold to feare God and Asa likewise that he commanded Judah to seek the Lord God and to doe the Law c. Which course of theirs had it hindred the willingnesse of those that were commanded in Gods service or their acting out of love it may seem strange that those so godly persons should practâ—ce it stranger that it is recorded to the praise of both 3. It is as much required that men should be willing to abstain from foule sins against the second Table and to doe the good duties of it and that herein they should act out of love about which yet you allow the Magistrate to make lawes to râ—straine men from Murder Fornication Theft c. and to cause them to be sober honest and just And how then doth this willingnesse and acting out of love hinder Magâ—strates from making meet Lawes in matters of Religion Last Nothing can be spoken more punctually than that of the Apostle concerning Servants that what they doe in the Masters service they should doe it heartily and willingly Notwiâ—hstanding surely you will grant Masters that authority over Servants as to lay their command upon them to doe them just service and to punish the neglect of it Willingnesse to doe good and acting out of love is nothing hindred but may be promoted by the command of Authority It is true that if a thing be done onely out of obedience and respect to mans command it wants its acceptance with God but it is good in it selfe and though an humane command may give some occasion to the doing of it yet a godly person will doe it also yea and more out of the love of God and to shew his ready obedience to him But here we have a Criticisme cast in by the way viz. that the Hebrew Text carries it to signifie voluntaries as well as willing people as if forsooth there were some great and observable difference between these two words when the one is but our common English word the other coyned out of the Latine and are both the same in sense and signification Next we have a silly cavil about the Errors named as coming out of the womb of an universâ—ll toleration Nay say you they were long extant before such a toleration was granted and so that could not be a womb to breed and bring them forth Answ. 1. It is more than we know that such a Toleration is yet granted If it be shew us the act for it It is and hath been indeed long pleaded for and practised 2. For those Errours and Heresies I speak not of their first rising which was heretofore in forraigne parts and those perhaps where too much way was given for such a Toleration but of their intâ—uding spreading and multiplying in ouâ— Land Concerning which if we look back unto the writings and practises of some later yeares it will appeare that if the one were not extant before the other that yet like two bad weeds they grew up together and that this Toleration did if not give them their first birth yet conferre much to their growth and enlargement What then becomes of that clamour that I have here non-pluss'd all Logicians as denying the cause to precede the effect and am one unworthy to be disputed with is denying the maine principles of Reason Good words I pray you be not so eager but let me in cold blood argue the matter with you If I were palpably mistaken in the rise and beginning of these things which you have not proved but barely â—ffiâ—med the mistake were onely in my calculating the time of their Nativity not in my denying that Logicall Axiome Causa est prior effectu If this Axiome were alledged to confutâ— me I should as readily receive the Axiome as you onely the question would be which of these were the cause which the effect and which was before the other whether that Toleration or these Errors and Heresies in nature and time I may here then return you some of your own language that my intellectualls as you jeere were not so much disturbed with any heat of passion against Sâ—ctaries as your braines were taken with the whirligig out of your eager humour to carp and snarle What followes is more serious If Errours arise say you not carnall but spirituall weapons must beat them down Answ. I grant that spirituall weapons as preaching conference Church-censures and prayer are the most proper and effectuall for this work as more directly tending to informe in the Truth convince of Error and perswade mens hearts and minds and such are first and most to be used in this case But by your leave no these onely Spiritual weapons must be used against sinnes against the second Table as preaching admonition Church-censures to convines men thereof to restrain them and bring them to repentance But if these aloue should be used such sins and sinners would not so fully and effectually be repressed as when withall civill Lawes are made against them and such punishments prepared for them So here Spirituall weapons alone may be too weak to beat downe Errors and Heresies and keep them from breaking out and spreading abroad But if with these Spirituall weapons the carnall as you in some scorne call them viz. the prohibition of the Magistrate and some moderate punishment be added they will doe good as otherwise so to make erroneous persons the more seriously to consider of their wayes whether they be right or wrong and the more ready to receive the truth manifested to them which otherwise out of pride and selfe-conceit they will reject It is too well known that most erroneous persons are of the nature of the Servant Solomon speaketh of who will not be corrected with words though he understand well enough his Masters minde yet upon bâ—re words he will not answer nor be brought unto his duty So is it with these persons for the most let them be never so fully convinced let the truth be never so clearly manifested to them so that they cannot put it off but with grosse shifts yet for all words and spiritual weapons they will not yeild to it but of haughtinesse of spirit persisi in their errors and be oft more pertinatious and turbulent in their way Errors and Offences you say must come according to the Scripture to manifest the approved and to
in their owne nature To suffer which would reflect upon the Magistrate to make him guilty of the sin who hath power to restrain it and doth not 1 Sam. 3. 12. Secondly The sin that arises upon the doing necessary and main duties or not doing according to the Magistrates command comes ex accidenti by accident not by the nature of the thing commanded which is not onely good in it selfe but also a necessary duty nor by vertue of the command which commands nothing but a thing manifestly good and a necessary duty but by the ill disposition and erroneous perswasion of the person doing or not doing And if the inforcing of necessary duties must be forborn upon this account that some sin by accident wilâ— ensue thereupon how can Ministers lawfully call upon men to pray or heare Gods Word since wicked men in such services will rather by their ill doing of them offend than please God Moreover Magistrates in making lawes about such weighty matters are not bound to look to particular mens consciences and opinions but to have an eye to Gods Word commanding or forbidding this or that Mens opinions and consciences are secret and not alwayes openly known Gods Word is open and manifest Mens Consciences are divers quot homines tot sententiae so many men so many mindes Gods Word is uniforme and the same Mens Consciences would be a weak and uncertaine rule for him to goe by Gods Word is sure and certaine And if Mens Consciences accord not with Lawes in such main and manifest matters made according to the Word it is their sin and errour and in such case the Magistrate ought indeed to take order that they may be instructed and brought to the knowledge of the truth and so willingly submit unto it But if notwithstanding they will persist in Idolatrous Hereticall and openly Schismaticall wayes such wholsome Lawes must not give place to stubbornly erroneous consciences but they must submit thereunto or do justly suffer the appointed penalties Further It is plaine that in sundry cases men may be compellâ—d to that in doing which they sin through their own default It is the duty of Subjects to serve the State in their wars willlingly and out of â—â—ve to the publâ—que good of Servants to serve their Masters willingly and out of love to them of Debtors to pay their Debts willingly and out of love to justice Which things if they doe not or will not doe they are justly compelled therâ— unto though in doing it there is sin committed by them in doing that upon force and grudgingly which should be done by them out of love and with a ready minde I may yet adde that this dart such as it is may be as well cast against Church censures as against this coactive exercise of civil Power For it may easily fall out that men in the Church for feare of the censure of the Church and especially in case of deposition from their Pastorall Office and so the losse of the maintenance they have thereby may dissemble their Errours and subscribe to Truth even against their conscience A notable example of it is in some Arrian Bishops Eusebius of Nicomedia Theognis of Nice who for fear of losing their Bishopricks upon the decree of the Nicene Council against Arrius and his Complices in dessembling manner against their conscience subscribed to the decree of that Council against that damnable Heresie If then no courses may be used upon which men may be driven to act against their consciences and so sin neither can Church-censures nor deposition of Hâ—reticall teachers be put in practise upon which such an inconvenience may ensue The conclusion then is that it is not lawfull to compell any man to doe that which is directly and in it selfe sinfull but that a man may be compelled by lawfull authority without any fault of theirs to the doing of manifest and necessary duties though in the doing thereof he sin and that only by his own default and evil disposition Let me yet tell you that a man doth sin much less in doing a necessary good work upon command against his misinformed conscience than in a willing and witting omitting of it And that whensoever the conscience is awakened it will more sting for this last than the former abâ—ut which we have seldome knowne any to have beene troubled in minde upon doing it And that the Magistrate must needs sin in suffering such a witting and willing neglâ—ct of a manifest necessary duty but can never be proved to have sinned in commanding and urging men to dutiâ—s manifestly good and necessary Obj. We read of none in the New Testament who commanded all to worship save the Beast Rev. 13. Answ. 1. We read of none in the New Testament that were punishâ—d for Whoredome Incest Perjury False witnesse bearing Drunkennesse c. What then may not these with your consent be punished by the civil Magistrate all the sons of Belial would much applaud you for such a toleration of wickednesse which this your pleading doth as much countenance as an Universal toleration for Religion 2. It had been fair play to have written out the whole text that the command was to worship the Image of the Beast and receive his mark in their right hand or in their forehead Rev. 13. 15 16. Such compulsion doubtlesse is detestable But what is this against compulsion to renounce the Idolatry of the Beast and all other Idolatry and to worship God in his true worship To which things we read that the godly Kings of Judah Asa Jchosaphat and Josiah compelled their Subjects to their praise and commendation The fault is not noted to be simply in the course of compulsion but in the object of False worship and open profession of Popery to which he compelled And thus have I cleared our Barque from those dangerous shelves upon which you made account to wreck us and have brought it safe to land Now it followes Obj. It is conceived that you Presbyterians you mean are in this a part of the greatest and most deceivable Schisme that ever came into the world Answ. A foule and lewd reproach but fit enough for your wide mouth Thus indeed the Papists did judge of us and so doe still who condemn the reformed Churches of a wicked Schisme in departing from them and them most which went farthest off from them in that as well in Dâ—scipline as in Doctrine with whom you and yours symbolize in this accusation of us But as one saith Non eadem est sententia tribunalis Christi anguli susurronum The Sentence of Christs righteous judgement and of whisperers in their corners is not all one Next after some pretty many lines followes a volley of slâ—nderous reproaches in matching Classicall government with Episcopacy Whereas that was a Lordly government of one over a whole Dâ—ocess this is onely a brotherly combination of many Ministers and ruâ—ing Elders to manage Church affaires by common consent and that
as much as may be according to the Word of God 2. As if we did take authority to adjudge all beside our selves to be Hereticks Schismaticks c. and did seek by humane force to captivate others to our wills and canons and were beneath a legall Spirit in dealing worse with others than we would be deale withall All which are but the lashings of a netled Jade that kicks and â—â—ings his heeles at randome at those that are about him For first Who is there of those that I name exprâ—sly that you will have the face to excuse from the blame of an eroneous Sect Which are Arminians Antinomians Soule-mortalists Antisabbatarians Seekers and Anabaptists with rigid irreconcileable Seperatists Or where doe I speak of captivating all others to our wills Our Independent Bretheren here you gloze withall and stroke them for which yet they have little cause to con you any thank For in your book you soundly box them Nâ—xt followes a blazing of the conscientious Piety and State-Fidelity of your party and some others with a plen for an Universal Liberty To which this is all that I will say that where those things are found of which you boast for your selves and others which is no great modesty as they deserve their due respect and encouragement so they may not nor can serve for a just plea to countenance any errour or erroneous course nor can challenge any other liberty than will stand with the leave of Gods Word for the Magistrate to grant And if any laid out their dear lives to purchase this vast Universall Liberty for themselves and others they spent their lives to no good purpose and with small comfort to themselves When we and many other peaceable Christians were under the Prelaticall yoak what Liberty would have been gratefull to us appeared by the writings and Petitions of Non-conformists in those dayes which was an ease from the burden of Subscription and sundry Ceremonies superstitious and plainly superflaous without any endeavour to break off communion in the publique worship of Prayer Hearing and Sacraments wherein they were willing to joyne much more without pleading for a Toleration for all wayes in Religion an abomination by them abhorred or derogating from the Magistrates power to command in matters of Religion which they did then as now unanimously maintain and your Sect did eagerly oppose When we are guilty of that calumny which you falsely charge on us we shall neede your jeering advice But in the meane while I say with the Poet Loripedem rectus derideat Ethiopem albus Let the straight foot jeere the polt-footed man And the faire face the Ethiopian To go along with you after you have smeared your paper with some foule over flowings of your gaule in charging upon me Fopperies opprobrious dealings c. without instancing any particulars which is but deceitfull dealing you schoole me for taxing your way for a Sect and Schâ—sme and assay to informe me better in the nature of these A Sect say you is a Rent a Schisme is a cutting off or dividing from the truth Answ. It is not worth the labour to make much adoe about words but it will not be amisse to let men see your ignorance in some things wherein you would seem to be acute A Sect therefore cannot rightly be Englished a Renting It comes not from any word that signifies to rent but is derived as some either à secando which is to cut whence is sectum secta and so sectu is as it were a part cut off from others or from the truth to which they should stick and adhere by which course there is a dividing into sundry sides according to that of the Poet Soinditur incertum studia in contraria vulgus The inconstant people doe themselves divide Into contrary parts from side to side Or as others à sectando which signifies earnestly to follow noting a company which doth stiffly follow some opinion or party with a resolution to cleave thereto A Schisme is a Greek word orginally and comes {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} which signifies to cut or cleave in two and as it were divide one from another and is translated Mat 9. 16. Mark 2. 21. Luke 5. 36. rather a rent than a cutting off because in an old cloath patched up with a new piece it is not meant that thereby one piece is cut off from another but that therein when it is worne out the breach is made the wider 2. Not is it rightly said that a Schisme is a cutting off or dividing from the truth but rather a dividing of mindes and affections between men and a breaking off from Church communion between those that agree in the truth of the Gospel This by Divines is usually laid downe to be the difference between Heresie and Schisme Heresie stands in the intertaining and stiffe maintaining false and perverse Doctrine Schisme is the practise of an unlawfull and undue separation from a true Church One may be an Heretick and not a Schismatick as if a man denying some prime Article of Faith doe yet adhere to a Church confessing the true Faith And one may be a Schismatick which it not an Heretick as if a man soundly holding all the articles of the Faith will not yet communicate with a true Church is Gods publique worship Schismaticum facit saith another communionâ—â— dir upta societas The breaking off from Church-society and communion doth make one a Schismatick Of which who is more guilty you in your way or we can be no question when as you display this course of Separation as the chief banner of your company in defiance of all Church-society It is true as you say that truth newly springing is often branded with the black cole of a Sect and Heresie And it is also as true that Error when it cometh abroad is wont to disguise it self under a counterfeit habit of Truth the better to in gratiâ—te her selfe with unwary persons And from whomsoever you should heare such language touching your way that it is a Sect or Schisme it may be playne but no soul language to call a Fig a Fig or a Spade a Spade Next for some touches given your company you are shrewdly passionate and kick and lash very wildly In Ovids Verses taken up by me onely in way of allusion there is nothing can be found by you but scurrility ribaldry and the language of Hell Alack good man that a verse or two of witty Poetry should be taken in so ill part by you But this is nothing but the cynicall arrogance and churlishnesse of your spirit The truth is it was such a pretty picture of your gadding and râ—mbling company that you could not see it so lively set forth with patience And if a verse or two out of Ovid be the language of Hâ—ll what language use you who alledge a verse of his but I woâ— to little purpose in the margent of your Book pag. 78. Morte
431 432. The Magistrate by the severity of his lawes ought to keep his people in order so far as that they do frequent diligently and religiously the hearing of the Word joyning in Pâ—ayer the offering of Prayse and the celebration of the Sacraments he ought to correct the mannerâ— of all his Subjects by the vigour of his Laws and roâ— of Disciplinâ— and he shall restrain not only Adulteries Whoredoms Dâ—unkenesse Thefts which Heathen Magistrates also do but also Impiety Bâ—asphemy Heresies Sacriledge the contempt and forsaking of the Church Mr. John Cotton's Animadversions upon Mr: Henden's Letter to Mr. Elmeston heretofore printed published in his Book to Mr. Henden Mr. John Cotton's Letter to Mr. Elmeston sent with the following Animadversions Reverend and dear Sir IT is indeed a busie season with me to return due answer to sundry Friends who expect the same by this vâ—ssell But because your Letter is not onely yours but a voice from the Lord Jesus in which hâ— calleth me to beare witnesse to the truth for which end he came himself into the world John 18. 37. and sent his servants I durst not â—mit this first opportunity of returning answer to the scruples which your Letter enclosed If when you have perused the same your judgement conâ—ur therein you may please to communicate them to your Christianfriend If otherwise reserve them by your selfe Be intreaâ—â—â— to accept the labour of my love from your fellow-servant and cease not to pray for me whose businesses are more than my dayes The Lord Jesus be still the staff of your age and perfect his work in your heart and head till he transâ—â—te you to his heavenly Kingdome in Christ Jesus In whom with â—â—arty salutes to you and Mrs. Deâ—ly I take leave and rest Boston the 18. of the eighth moneth 1651. Yours in Brotherly love unfeigned JOHN COTTON My Letter to Mr. Henden when as I sent him a Copy of Mr. Cotton's Animadversions Good Mr. Henden SVch was my desire to be satisfied about your nâ—w Way and Principles and to inform your self and followers about them that I sent your Letter wrote to me to Mr. Cotton to New-England and by Letter requested his judgement thereupon In which thing according to his courteous disposition and desire to give witnesse to the truth he hath condescended to me and sent me in writing his censure upon your Letter which I received but the last Saturday and having transcribed a Copy of it have here sent it to you for you and your Disciples to peruse and thence to receive better information about your course It may be that truth commended to you from a place so remote and from so learned and godly a man will sooner be embraced than coming from a neighbour and ordinary friend as commodities brought from far Countreys as China or so are of more esteem with curious Gentlewomen than what are home-bred according to our English Proverb Far fetcht and dearely bought is good for Ladies There was you see a mistake in your quotation of Isa. 65. for 56. which I observed not but upon the receit of your last upon which occasion I could say nothing to it and Mr. Cotton here doth somewhat misse of your meaning What now I send you in writing I shall shortly make more publique by printing And if notwithstanding all this you will wander still and mislead others I can say nothing but what he did Si vult hic populu decipi decipiatur If this people will be deceived let them be deceived for who can hinder them that will not be undeceived So I rest Decemb. 20. 1651. Your loving Friend JO ELMESTON Certaine Errors noted in the Letter sent to you from a Christian Friend whereof you desired my judgement THat the foundation of the Beast consisted in an usurped power of Church Discipline footed upon man and his will without the call of God If the Beast be Antichrist then he is contrary to Christ in all his anoynments by which he is Christ Now Christ is the Anoynted not onely King of his Church but anoynted Priest and anoynted Prophet also The Beast iâ— Antichrist therefore not onely usurping a Kingly power over the Church in Church-Discipline but also in usurping the anoynted Priesthood in suborning to us other propitiztory and meritorious Sacrifices for Sin and other Mediators of Redemption as likewise in usurping the office of the anoynted Prophet in giving us Apochrypha-rules of Faith and advancing himselfe to be Judge of Controversies The call of God in our time is onely for Separation and Rewarding to wit rewarding evil upon Antichristians The Scripture acknowledgeth no calling onely for Separation and rewarding Evil both which are but detestations of sin but requireth also the practise of the contrary vertues Beloved saith John follow not that which is evil but that which is good 3 John ver. 11. Depart from evil saith David and doe good Psal. 34. 14. Cease to doe evil saith Isaiah and learne to doe well Isa. 1. 16 17. There is no commandment of God fulfilled submitting to the Negative part only in forbearing what is forbidden without performing the Affirmative also doing what is commanded The second Commandement is not fulfilled in abandoning or punishing Humane or Antichristian inventions without establishiâ—g and observing Christs own Institutions The places of Scripture alledged to prove that all the Calls of God in our times are for Separation and Rewarding are mis-interpreted and mis appâ—ied In Rev. 18. 46. the very phrase of coming out of â—abel implieth not onely a terminus à quo the place from whence they should come but Terminus ad quem as Rev. 12. 12. a time contemporary to the other come up hither to wit into an heavenly and pure estate That place Rev. 15. 8. doth noâ— argue that there were no visible Churches nor Members in them till all the seven Vials were powred forth on the Antichristian state but the contrary rather For all the seven Angels that is all the Instruments and Ministers of Gods wrath against the Beast came out of the Temple and such a Temple it was as was opened that is was visible cap. 15. 5. and therefore there was a visible Church-state before the powring out of any of the Vials As for that which is said No man was able to enter into the Temple till the seven Plagues of the seven Angels were fulfilled It is not understood of Christians who were in the Temple before but of Pagan Nations whose conversion it retarded by the smoke of Gods wrath against Antichristians which yet nevertheless hindereth not the conversion of a Sprinkling of some Jewes and Pagans but onely any large or numerous conversion of them The places in Rev. 19. 7 8 9. and Isa. 62. 5. do expresly speak of the conversion of the Jewâ— unto Christ in a Church Estate And their Espousage or Marriage to Christ doth not argue his divorce from the Gentiles for the coming of the Jews
make Truth's victory the more glorious Answ. If they must be and that by Gods permission c. must they therefore be suffered to go on without controll or contradiction If so it is not lawfull to oppose them with spirituall weapons viz. Freaching Writing Conference Church censure c. For in so doing we shall goe against Gods providence and permission who will have them to be and that for good ends and it is in vaine to think thereby to represse them since they must needs be This permission then and necessity of them doth no more exclude the use of the civill Power to restraine them than of spirituall meanes And if notwithstanding the same there be place lâ—ft for the Spirituall weapons to represse them there mâ—y be also place for the Civill power in right order and manner against them But what are these Offences that Christ saith must needs be They are not onely Errors Heresies and false Religions but also other foule sins against the second Table as Murders Whoredomes Theft c. which as is the corruption of Mans Nature and the strengâ—h of Sathans and the Worlds Temptations cannot be avoided but doe break forth and must needes doe so and that not without Gods permission What then must there be a free Toleration of these Iniquities or must Spirituall weapons onely be used against them to represse them we should then surely have a woful world to live in which is now too too bad notwithstanding all good Laws against them And if notwithstanding this necessity and Gods permission Magistrates may yea ought as herein I presume you will concurre with us to make Lawes against such enormities and inflâ—ct civill punishments on them the like necessity and permission of Heresies and Errouâ—s in Religion is no sufficient reason against the use of the civill Power by Lawes and Punishments to oppose them There is no more force in such a reason than because it is appointed for all men to die once and so men must needs die Some should argue that therefore it were not lawfull or at least it were in vaine to prescribe rules to preserve health and life yea to make lawes against murdering men For might some say To what purpose serves such adoe Men must needs die and all these rules and lawes will not prevent their death Nor will the ends for which Errors and Heresies must come viz. to manifest the approved and make truths victory the more notable conclude for a free toleration of them For if in that respect they must be lâ—â— goe free without controll of the Magâ—strate neither should they be opposed or suppressed by spâ—rituall meanes as which in the restraint of them would hinder the manifestation of the Approved and obscure the victory of Truth Besides as other foule offences against the second Table fall out by divine permission so are they permitted amongst other even for such ends as errors and offences in Religion are viz. to manifest such the more as are just sober chast and innocent upon grounds of good conscience and to make their righteousnessâ— and innocency the more conspicuous And if all such wickednesse were left free without feare of humans punishment doubtlesse in the midst of such a wicked liberty the Righteousnesse Innocency and honest Conversation of those who did live justly and honestly would be the more eminent and notable If there were no punishment for Whoredome Theft Dâ—unkennesse c. it would make the Chastity Sobriety and Justice of such as kept themselves from those and such like Vices the more famous and praise-worthy What you say of the Mystery of Godlinesse that it rayes out with the most perfect beauty by the cleere discovery of the deepest mystery of Inâ—quity may be as truly said that in such a bad state of things if it should be the splendour of true Vertue and Innocency would â—ay forth with most perfect Beauty by the discovery of the foulest practise of reigning iniquity The more freedome there was in Sodom for all filthinesse and wickednesse the more did Lot's righteousnesse and innocency appeare But yet woe to those Mâ—gistates that in their dominions should suffer all wickednesse of that sort to goe unpunished and not restrain it by just and severe lawes that forsooth the honesty and righteousnesse of men truly good might be the better tried and the more manifest And truly Magistrates will never have comfort in granting a free course to Errours Heresies and all wayes in Religion in their respective Countreys upon such pretences that the found in the Faith may be the more manifest and Truths conquâ—st the more glorious And here I think it not amisse to insert this Observation 〈◊〉 upon search it will be found that Errors and Heresies did aâ—â—se more easily spread more swiftly continue longer in the first three Centuries after Christ where the Church wanted the authority of the civill Magistrate to put them down then afterward when the Emperours had intertained the Christian Faith in whose times they arose not so often and were much sooner stayed and repressed by the Edicts and Lawes of Emperours that were found in the Faith and did oppose them This may â—ppeare by Dauaeus his second Table upon Augustine De haeresibus where he sheweth what Heresies did arise in every câ—ntury of which the three first centuries were most fertile where are reckoned up more than sixty severall Heresies the other next three centuries afford not many above forty and the most of them did arise and flourish under prophane and hereticall Emperours Obj. Truth in a free passage may come in as well as Heresie Answ. 1. But Truth surely will come in more freely where the passage is stopped against Error and Heresie 2 In such a free passage Error and Heresie in all likelihood would most prevaile as being more suitable to our corrupt nature Mala herba citò crescit A bad weed growes apace And naughty weedes will over-run a garden sooner if they be not plucked up than good herbs and flowers replenish and adorne it 3. This makes no more agaiâ—st the use of the civill power to represse them than of spirituall meanes and Church power For if Truth in such Liberty may come in as well as Heresie why should there any opposition be made against Heresie by spiritual weapons and why should not every way as free a liberty be left for one as for the other 4. It may as well be alledged against all civill Lawes to repress any other wickednesse For why should anysuch Lawes be made when in a free Liberty for men to live as they list Righteousnesse and Vertue may come in as well as Unrighteousnesse or any other kinde of Vice Obj. Christ is as potent to ' prevaile in Light as the Prince of darknesse in Delusions Answ. Must we therefore depend upon Christs immediate and almighty power and working without use of means for the spreading Truth and restraining Heresies May we nht as well say