inquit civibus Lond. â—â—unciate Christum Dominum â—coelis descendisse cum ventilabro in manu sua ut judicetoâ—bem ibid. proclaime in the City of London that Christ the Lord meaning himselfe was come from heaven with his san in his hand to judge the world which hee averred with so much confidence (g) Quod si quis vos roget ubi sit dicite cum esse in aedibus Walkeri in frâ—cto Angiportu si credere nolunt veniant huc me si possint occidant ibid. that hee had them tell where he lodged challenging them that would not beleeve him to come thither and kill him if they could And when for his blasphemous arrogance against God and his sonne Christ Jesus and many seditious and disloyall expressions of his spight and contempt of the Queen he was brought to condigne and capitall punishment while he was under the hands of the Executioner (h) Blasphemo ore Deo minitans nisâ— praesens auâ—llium ei mitteres ibid. p. 50. he was not afraid to threaten God himselfe if hee did not send present helpe for his deliverance (i) Caind Hist of Q Eliz. p. 403. Being condemned hee was laid upon an hurdle and drawne to the chiefe street of the City incessantly rearing out with a dreadfull sound Iehova Messias behold the heaven the heaven open behold the Sonne of the most High descending downe to deliver me At the Gallowes being admonished to acknowledge his sinne against God and the Queen the execrable wretch inveighing most contumeliously against the Queen cryed out with a Stentors voice O heavenly God Almighty Iehovah Alpha and Omega Lord of Lords King of Kings God everlasting thou knowest that I am the true Iehovah whom thou hast sent shew some miracle out of the cloud to convert these insidells and take me from mine enemies But if not I tremble to speak it * Saith the forecited authour who reports it I will set the heavens on fire and with these hands plucke thee out of thy throne and other speeches he used more unspeakable Turning him to the Hang-man as he was putting the rope to him Thou Bastard said he wilt thou hang Hacket thy King having the rope about his neck he lift up his eyes and grinning said Dost thou repay mee this for a Kingdome I come to revenge it Besides these homebred perturbers of the progresse of Religion in the way towards a more perfect reformation there came some forainers from Holland a Countrey as Camd. censures it fruitfull (k) Ibid p. 218. of hereticks who under a shew of singular integrity and sanctity insinuated themselves into the ignorant vulgar people and then distilled into their mindes damnable heresies mnifestly repugnant to the Christian faith by a portentous strange kind of speaking most contrary to the Christian profession which men might rather admire then understand These named themselves the family of Love or house of Charity They perswaded their followers that those onely were elected and to be saved which were admitted into that family and all the rest reprobates and to be damned and that it was lawfull for them to deny upon their oath before a Magistrate whatsoever they list or before any other which was not of their family of this fanaticall vanity they dispersed bookes among their followers translated out of the Dutch tongue into English which they entituled the Gospel of the Kingdome Documentall sentences the prophecies of the spirit of Love the publishing of peace upon earth The Author H. N. whose name at length they cold by no means be perswaded to reveal yet it was found afterward to bee Henry Nicolai of Leiden Who with blasphemous mouth gave out that hee did partake of God and God of his humanity SECT V. THe fourth State or time of Reformation is that which at present is pestered with so many errors heresies and blasphemies concerning which your Catalogue of them will save us the labour of the like account which concerning others wee have brought in From such unsound Divinity such brain-ficke blasphemie such a fruitfull harvest of the Tares of heresie as have most abounded in these times wherein Reformation was to be set up and former swarvings from Religion and reason to be silenced and suppressed will fairly follow that which may confirme our faith in the word of God and may conforme our affections to a better liking of Religion in that edition of it corrected and amended which now is offered to the acceptance of all well-minded people As First That herein we see by experience the proof of the Apostles prediction that there mâ—â—t be heresies that those which are approved may be manifest 1 Cor. 11.19 And that they also may be discovered who are tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine Eph. 4.14 And in respect of some who â—et themselves against the truth and settle their resolutions to oppose it that of the same Apostle may verified God shall send them strong deâ—â—â—ions that they should beleeve a lye that all might be damned which 〈◊〉 not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse 2 Thes 2.12 Secondly That these heresies are as the Apostle calls them the Doctrines of Devills 1 Tim. 4.1 First Because many of them are so absurdly impious as to be clearly contradictorie to the light not only of holy Scriptures but of humane nature Secondly Because though many of them were ancient yet hereticks of later times have revived them not only by reading for the leaders of many among them were altogether iâ—â—iterate but by the instinct of Satan as (l) See Calâ— his 3. Ch. of his instr adv lib. p. 434 435. Calvin well observeth in his instruction against the Libertines of his time who though they agreed with many of the ancient hereticks Cerdâ— Marcion the Gnosticks and Manichees yet (m) Hi quidem homines indocti sunt ac idiotae qui non usque adeo evolvendis chartis funt exercitati ut ex tis deliria sua addiscere poâ—uerint nec veri simile est ipsos scire ullam unquam de his mentioneÌ„ babitam fuisse sed idem magister qui veteres illos haereticos olim suscitaraâ— â—adem dâ—ctrina istos imbuere pâ—test quaâ— illos instrâ—ceâ—at ibid. c. 1. p. 434. col 1. being unlearned idiots as he calleth them and not acquainted with bookes or writings they did not draw their dotages from them nor is it like they had any mention of them but that the same master the devil who stirred up the hereticks of old did instill the like doctrine into these new disciples Thirdly Because he knoweth better then any Matchiovillian Politician how to make use of division among men especially Christians to serve to his greatest advantage and his advantage is to make some of a wrong Religion some to stand at a gaze as an ignorant travailer where many wayes meet and to make choise of no Religion and some who have mischosen the
Ralph Smith just volume for vindication of his glory against the hereticall traducement of this wicked and wretched age wherein we live SECT II. As we are called Divines and under that Title and in relation to our great and gratious Lord whose Ambassadors wee are 2 Cor. 5.20 we stand obliged to be affectionately sensible of every thing wherein his honour is concerned So in our relation from him to the people as watch-men over their soules Heb. 13.17 we may take a second reason from the tender care we ought to have of their eternall welfare which must needs be deeply endangered by such erroneous hereticall and blasphemous opinions as have been too boldly divulged and but too tamely tolerated in our dayes The Apostle and Disciple whom our Saviour especially loved professed in his epistle to Gaius that hee had no greater joy then to heare that his children walke in truth 3. Epist of John v. 4. It must needs then be one of his greatest griefs to heare that they wandred and went aside out of truths high-way to by-paths of errors and heresies For the word of hereticall seducers fretteth or eateth into the soul as a canker or as the originall hath hath it a Gangrene 2 Tim. 2.17 doth the body Which (g) Nominant Gangranas eas quae ex magnitudi ne inflammationis fiunt mortificationes quae nondum integrae factae sunt nam cum omnino membrum affectum est emortuum ut punctum vel sectum vel adustum non sentiat quae patitur statim recidere opor tet quae sanam partem vicinam attingunt Gal. de art Curat Tom. 6. operum col 403. Galen treateth of as two distinct evills And of the Gangrene he saith it kills where it infects making the flesh dead that is infected by it so that whether prickt or cut or burned it is unsensible of any paine Yet proceeding with so much perill from one part to another that unlesse the part corrupted be cut off it will goe on to bring the whole into the like desperate and deadly condition (h) Depravant quae sunt Dei adulterant verbum Dei lacte gypsum male miscetur Iteneus adv haeres l. 3. c. 19. p. 281. Irenaeus compareth the doctrine of heretickes to milke mingled with lime or plaster and that such a potion is poyson (i) Exemplum illustre C. Proculeium in maximo stomachi dolore gypso conscivisse sibi mortem Plin. Nat. Hist l. 36. c. 24. p. 512. Pliny sheweth by experience upon C. Proculeius a familiar friend of Augustus Cesars who making triall of it upon him got his death by it In respect of both these bad effects the one without the other within both of them deadly and destructive to the souls of men the accusation of (k) Vir Sanguinum omnis haereticus qui quotidie animarum sanguiném fundit Hieron in Psal 5. Tom. 8. p. 4. col 2. Hierom may be justified against an heretick which is that hee is a man of blood who dayly is guilty of the blood of soules and so should we be if we should be silent when we have a strict charge to watch over them to forewarne them of their danger that they may take heed of it and we conceive this way of warning may be very usefull as a common shout of the Shepheards together against the Wolfe in Sheeps clothing though a Lion feare it not Isay 31.4 Thirdly A third reason which engageth us to a publick attestation of those truths whereunto you have given testimony and the disclaiming of errours as you have done is the respect which of duty we ought to bear to the publick welfare of the Kingdome both in point of safety and of honour First for safetie and that from a double danger the one of corruption of faith society and civill justice (l) Haud scio an pietate adversus deos sublata fides etiam societas humani generis una excellentissima justitia virtus tollatur Cicer. Tusc quaest lib. 1. p. 197. for if piety towards God be takere away and with toleration of all opinions in Religion it cannot consist as the Roman Oratour inferreth faith and that excellent virtue Iustice which upholds humane society will fail for the administration whereof the decision of differences and the stinting of strife is resolved in the Testimony of an oath as the Apostle sheweth Heb. 6.16 And what assurance of an oath if it be not rooted in Religion how unstable will that root be with many when they are subject to be shaken with multiplicity of windes of erroneous doctrine Eph. 4.14 The other danger is of the ruine of the weal publick which is hastened sometimes suddainly brought on to the destruction of Cities by evill studies and evill doctrines (m) Vetus Graecia longe providens quam sensim pernicies illapsa civium animos malis studiis malisque doctrinis repenie totas civitates everterit Cicer l. 2. de legibus p. 330. med Heathen yet very prudent Moralists have observed although perhaps they were not so wise as to know the radicall or originall cause thereof which is the just judgement of God for the wickednesse of men in particular for their licentiousnesse in fond and false opinions and impious practices And for the honour of our Church and State how much is it impeached both at home and abroad by the infamy of so many errors heresies and Sects as have been and yet are too much tolerated among us What a shame and reproach is it to our nation at this day to see it in print from beyond sea and that not by a Papist but (n) Anglia his 4. annis facta est colluvies Lerna omnium errorum sectarum nulla a condito orbe Provincia tam paâ—vo spatio tot monstrosas haereses protulit Atque haec Honorus Reggus Commentar de statie Eccles in Anglia p. 1. praefat a Protestant Divine That England within this four yeers is become the sinke and lake of Hydra for all errors and sects no Province from the beginning of the world in so short a space hath brought forth so many so monstrous heresies as England hath done Against these two great evills both of danger and disgrace the best remedy and apologie we can hope for is this that publick persons doe openly professe against errors and heresies The Parliament hath done it thrice in most publick manner once in their first Declaration where they say and a worthy (o) Mr. Leigh Ep. ded before his treatise of Divin p. 6. Member of the Honorable House of Commons remembers them of it in an epistle dedicatory to them It is far from our purpose to desire to let loose the golden reynes of discipline and government in the Church to leave private persons or particular congregations to take up what forme of Divine service they please for we hold it requisite that there should he throughout the whole Realm a conformitie
you have done wee might bee judged degenerated sonnes of such Reverend Fathers if wee should not joyne with our venerable Brethren as now wee doe in a Protestation against them Seventhly Wee tooke into our thoughts the Synod at Dort against the Arminians and the Attestations of other p As of Peter Du. Moulin and others who gave their assent in writing to the Synod though they were not at it Divines thereto who were not called to it or not permitted to be present at it as an imitable example for consentient testimonie of Ministers against errors c. It will not we hope seeme an impertinency in this place since the cause is the same though the persons bee of a farr higher ranke to rehearse the Declaration of King James in his prosecution of a complaint to the States of Holland against Conradus Vorstius a wretched hereticke or rather Atheist as hee calleth him whom hee would not indure to bee harboured in a neighbour Country much lesse in any of his own Dominions For thus may such an instance reasonably induce us to a publique profession against errours c. and the toleration of them if a King were so zealous against the Toleration of one particular man infected with unsound principles and at such a distance from danger to his owne people though hee might bee the more zealous as hee was intitled Defender of the Faith (r) Henry the 8. had that sent him by the Pope for writing for Popery against Mr. Luther Fox Mart. vol. 2. p. 74. c. 2 nu 20. Speeds Chron. in H. 8. l. 9. cap. 2.1 par 38 39. p. 1007. a contrary faith to that which in that stile was first intended Should not Gods Ministers be awakened and quickned zealously to contest against Domestick Seducers by whom their flockes may bee in danger to be destroyed Eightly If we should not be very apprehensive of the prejudice and reproach of Divine truths and Doctrines of Piety by the multiplicity of erroneous opinions heresies blasphemies and perjuries in the breach of Covenant and the toleration of them Wee will not say as some have hyperbolically spoken of the supply of their own silence (Å¿) Mr. Iohn Goodwin Sion Colledge visited page 26. That the stones of the streets and tiles of the houses would cry should they hold their peace but we conceive that heathens might rise up in judgement against us and condemne us for if wee should bee mute while heresie is so loud they would bee found more faithfull to a false Religion then wee to a true What the morall sort of such men have both said and done for their Religion as for the Greeks Plato and Plutarch for the Latines Cicero and Seneca would make up a copious accusation of our Laodicean Neutrall or meere nominall Christians of this age Wee may have enough to our purpose out of one of them even Cicero whom because hee was both a prudent Moralist and an eloquent Orator and well read in the best Authors of both Languges we may present as Speaker for the rest and of him we may learne to take heed how wee make light of any peece or particle of Religion where (t) Aut undiquaque Religionem tolle aut usquequaque conserva Câ—cer Phil. 2. fol. 239. h. 1. hee saith that Religion is no better then altogether abandoned if it bee not every way and intirely maintained and for making conscience of an oath or Covenant wee may observe much of his well meaning this way by his definition of an Oath and the obligation upon it (v) Ius jurandum est affirmatio Religi sa Deo testie Cicer. de offic p. 404. an Oath saith he is a religious affirmation and of what a man so affirmeth God is witnesse and with God his own mind that is his conscience (w) Cum jurato dicenda senâ—entia meminer it se adhibere testent mentein suam qua nibil homâ—ni dedit ipse deus divinius Cicer. de offic l. 3. p 395. then which God hath given nothing unto man more Divine and (x) Quod affirmate Deo teste promiseris tenendum ibid. p. 404. what is so witnessed affirmed or promised must be kept though to a mans losse yea though to the losse of a mans life and hee commendeth the couragious and conscientious resolution of Regulus who taken Captive in the first Punick Warre was sent to Rome for an exchange of prisoners which if hee did not effect he was upon oath by his return to render himselfe into the hands of his enemies and (y) Captivos reddendes in senatu non censuit deinde cum retineretur ab amicis ad supplicium redire maluit quam fidem hosti datam fallere Ibi. lib. 1. p. 356. when hee had given his opinion that it was not expedient for his Country men to give back their captives for his oathes sake and against the disswasion of his friends he came back to suffer punishment by his enemies rather then hee would salsifie the faith he had given to them (z) Cum vigilando necabatur erat in meliore causa quam si domi senex captivus perjurus consularis remansisset ibid. l. 3 p. 404. And though he were killed hee was in a better condition saith Cicero then if hee had stayed an old perjured and consular Captive in his own count ey And that wee may know that heathen Romans are more to bee trusted as more true of their words then Popish Romanists at this day hee condemnes their tenet who hold that faith with an infidell or as they say with an heretick is not to bee kept and hee bids them that are of that opinion take heed (a) Si sibi sumunt nullam esse fidem quae infideli data sit videant ne quaeratur latebra perjurio Cicer. de offic l. 3. p 404. that they make it not a lurking place for perjury whereof a man should not bee guilty though it were to advance the welfare of the Common weale for he holds there be degrees of the duty of man the first to God the second to his Country and the third to his parents and then to others according to their rankes so that Religion must have the first place and by Religion especially by religious taking and keeping of oathes and Covenants humane societies are secured and preserved (b) Quam multa firmantur jurejurando quantae salutis sunt faedera Religionis quam multos Divini supplicii meius a scelere revocavit quainque Sancta societas civium inter ipsos diis immortalibus interpositis tum Judicibus tum testibus Cicer. de legib l. 2. p. 326. How many things saith he are confirmed by an Oath of how great safety are confederacies of Religion how many hath the fear of Divine vengeance withheld from Villany how holy is the society of Citizens among themselves God being interposed both as a Judge and as a witnesse betwixt them Upon this ground minding to gaine
worst to reproach the best not only by their expresse contumelies but by their pernicious wayes their grosse errors and loofe manners by reason whereof as Peter prophesied the way of truth iâ—â—vill spoken of 2 Pet. 2.2 And from differences in opinion hee well knoweth how to breed disike in affection which if he can he wil raise to the height of most hatefull hostility as he did by the spirit of the Arians Dâ—natists Anâ—baptists and other hereticks both of the ancient and more recent times Fourthly Since all sound Christians resolved for the first Reformation that Christianity was the right Religion and Judaisme and Paganisme the wrong notwithstanding the many and monstrous errors c. in the primitive times and that for the second the Protestant Religion is the right and Popery the wrong Religion though as impious errors brokeforth as before so we may resolve of the other two Reformations from Prelaecie to Presbyteriâ— from a cold and corrupt Liturgy to a more cordiall and sincere service of God from the burden of superstitious ceremonies to a true freedome of conscience and Christian liberty in the third desired and by the fourth in a good part performed that they have the better cause who stood for them and indeavoured to carry it on to perfect accomplishment not they that oppose it albeit the Devill as afore time hath let out some smoake of errors c. from the bottomlesse pit Rev. 9.2 to darken the light thereof that it might not shine forth in so clear a conviction and so effectuall a conversion as otherwise it might doe yet even this working of Satan with all who are truly instructed in the principles and progresse of Religion and are not ignorant of his devises 2 Cor. 2.11 is an argument that the reformation is of God because the devil useth such subtilty and diligence to defame and disgrace it and if he could to suppresse it Fifthly If that be true which out of Hâ—norus Reggus a forraigne writer wee have noted that this last Reformation hath been invested with more and more prodigious errors c. then any other this also makes nothing to the prejudice of those truths of doctrine discipline and worship which now are presented to the world but rather much for them since of the later times it is especially prophecied that men should depart from the saith and give heed to spirits of error and doctrines of devils 1 Tim. 4.1 which importeth an encrease of heresies both in kind and degree of proficiency from bad to worse in late succeeding more then in ancient foregoing ages (n) Mr. Perkins in his treanse how to live and that well vol. 1. P. 479. col 1. Mr. Perkins observing somewhat to this purpose where he saith that heresies abound in this last age of the world gives for a reason of it the devils reviving of the heresies of former ages besides the invention of some new ones to which we may adde that hee is the more busie at this time in prosecution of his designe for spreading of errors c. as more outragious in his wrath because his time is but short Rev. 12.12 If it be objected as by some it is Object in favour of Prelacie and for Prelation of it before Presbyterie out of the forementioned author that whereas in foure yeers space lost past wherein the Bishops were opposed and deposed there have been such multiplicity of monstroâ—â— Sects in England as in so short a time was never knowne in any Province and that there were in (o) Eipiscoporum tempora intra 60. annos non nisi 4. Sectaâ— protulerunt Puritanos Brownistas Familistas Anabaptistas Hon. Reg. de stat Eccles in Angl. p. 1. 60. years of the Bishops but four Sects Puritans Brownists Familists and Anabaptists nay but three for he saith those that were called (p) Puritani erant viri pii orthodoâ—i qui ab episcopis quod ad gubernationem caeremonias superstitiones quasdam dissentiebanâ— ib. Puritans were godly orthodox men who in Church-government ceremonies and some superstitions dissented from the Bishops Sol. To this we answer first that the reporter being a stranger to our State though conversant in many of our controversiall writings might bee mistaken in the number of Sects among us and doubtlesse he was so for beside those he nameth there were Papists Arminians Socinians Grindletonians Hothoringtonians Traskits Secondly If there were fewer Sects in that longer then in this lesser time it might be there was the more peace lesse division because the strong man armed kept the palace Luke 11.21 For the Bishops held their palaces armed with great power and authority and they were divers of them as willing as able to doe the devill better service then petty Sects could doe for their potency at Court in the Star-chamber high Commission their crosse keyes of order and jurisdiction personall and consistoriall enabled them to suspend and silence the most conscientious and powerfull Preachers to put downe Lectures and afternoone Sermons on the Sabbath and to set up carnall sports and recreations on that day to uphold non-residences pluralities prophanenesse and superstitious ceremonies and to carry on such a complyance with the grand heresie of Popery as might put Papists in great hope that if they were too stout to come to us we would be so humble as to come to them Thence it was that they bragged when they saw the Communion table set up and railed in as an Altar and the places of publick worship popishly painted that our Church (q) See Chillingworths pref in answ to a Popish book called Charity mistaken began to look with a new face their walls to speak a new lauguage by the new face they meane a new draught and by the new language a new dialect of Popish conformity and (r) ibid. that our 39. Articles are patient yea ambitious in some sense to seem Catholick that is in their sense Popish So that it may with good probability be collected that the devill spitteth at Presbyterie by so many late spread though not late hatcht heresies with the more spight and rage out of the revenge of the quarrell of Prelacie the putting down whereof in respect of their forementioned evill dealings he cannot but take for a great prejudice and impediment to the advancement of his Kingdome by which returne of the objection we desire not to put any reproach upon such as were not partakers with the evill deeds of their pragmaticall brethren for to them we reserve place for an apologeticall plea so farre as their learning piety pains-taking moderation and humility wherein some of them are eminent may be capable thereof And now deare Brethren wee have thus joyned with you in publick profession and our engagement to the Covenant and Government of the Church and our resolution according to our calling and places to stand for defence and promotion of both and in opposition to all errour c. contrary