it like Caesar at Rubicon with one foot out saying yet I may go on the other in saying yet I may go back bespeaking its patrons to be in a twitter in a temper between Hawk and Buzzard afraid to dispute too downrightly for disputation least that should ingage them another time ashamed too directly to dispute down disputation least it be thought they have no mind to it any more But to come to the thing it self I confesse you have spoken Bonum but not Bene Rectum but not Recte it is a moddle of for the most part right good true and honest matter onely made use of either very simply or very subtly to a bad end viz. the provoking of the Priesthood no need to bid mad folks run to preach up a false and oppose the practise of the true baptism Secondly most miserably misapplied if â—…cientiously and not cunningly it is the better to an improper subject and perverted the wrong way viz. to the fastning of the name Hereticks and Schismaticks for non-conformity to the Clergy upon those true Churches of Christ for non-conformity to whom in opinion and practise if miscariage about baptism may properly be so stiled the Clergy are in very deed the truest Hereticks and Schismaticks in the world I shall therefore in a serious survey and examine of what Heresie and Schism is discover plainly First that the people whom you call Anabaptists upon account of meer dissent and separation from you in the point of baptism are no Hereticks nor Schismaticks but the truest visible Church that Christ hath upon the earth Secondly that you the P P Priesthood of the Nations who dissent from them in that point are as to that point at least the veriest Hereticks and Schismaticks your selves Thirdly after some pathetical expostulation with your selves addresse my self by way of Peraphrase upon your own pathetical and paraenetical passages pathetically to exhort the true Pastors and paraenetically to perswade all people as you do yours to beware of us to beware of you the spirituallity by whom the way of truth is dispited who though you disguise your selves under the name of Gods Clergy or Heritage for a while yet will appear to be but cruel crushers of his true Clergy in the end First then let us see what Heresie and Schism is and then who is a Schismâ—…tical Heretick in the doctrine of baptism Heresie as to the Gospel is held and that truly by all manner of men I think the holding or maintaining any erroneous opinion in the faith and doctrine of the Gospel contrary to that doctrine delivered by Christ and his Apostles in the primitive times obstinately and pertinacously against all meanes that can be used towards conviction of the truth Schism is division or making of a rent fraction or faction in or separation from the true Church and from walking with them in the truth by the holders or maintainers of such false doctrine or opinion and consequently Schismatical Hereticks who ere they be are such as are bewitched from the simplicity of the truth as it is in Jesus and from the doctrine that was once received by the Church from him and his immediate Apostles so as both to believe and practise contrarily thereunto against all manifestations of the truth whereby to reduce and reclaim them and do also rend from and make a head against the true Church and true head thereof Christ Jesus separating themselves so as to have no fellowship or communion i. e. nor union of action nor unity of affection with them that walk in truth Now whether it be you O PPPriests who rantize infants or we who baptize believers that are thus gone off and divided from the primitive faith and practise from the true head of that Church from the true foundation i. e. the doctrine of the Apostles Eph. 2. 20. Heb. 6. 1. 2. and from fellowship with and conformity to the true Church in baptism and otherwise is evident to him that is not blind or blear-eyed for verily the water baptism which we dispense is abundantly shewed above to be that one baptism Eph. 4. which was used in the primitive times then which there is no other water baptism enjoined or exemplified in the word as Christs ordinance to his disciples viz. the burying of new born babes i. e believers in water and bringing them up again in token of Christs death burial and resurrection and of their dying to sin and rising to newnesse of life this I say is that one onely baptism the Churches then practised and thus and no otherwise do we at this day for which the word is our warrant yea it is that faith which was once delivered unto the Saints that we now contend for and the words which were spoken before by the Apostles of the Lord as we are specially injoined to do in these latter daies by both Peter and Iude who foretold how they would be sleighted as we see they now are by the two Spiritualties viz. the Rantizer and the Ranter the one Hereticizing in the excesse by adding a new thing the other in the defect by owning nothing both Schismatizing accordingly from the way of truth and howbeit after that way which you call Heresie Schism separation from the Church and such like so worship we God yet as sure as the coats upon your back you shall first or last to your wealâ—…er wo find that as to the point of baptism Churchfellowship and the supper also it is no other then the way of truth we walk in yea so far are we from erring and Schismatizing from the Church that we of all men do stand for a full reformation in faith practise doctrine discipline worship manners government and baptism according to the word of God and the example of the best reformed Churches i. e. those mentioned in the word according to which we are all sworn to endeavour to reform as we will not be justly charged with Perjury Perfidiousnesse and Prevaâ—…cation the guilt of all which how little the Orthodox protesting covenanting Clergy are clear of in the sight of God and man is good for them to consider yea conformity in all things to the primitive practise is that we plead for presse after and persue and howbeit to the shame of his ignorance be it spoken Orthodox Mr. Baxter is pleased among other sectaries to charge the Anabaptists so he calls us that baptize aright as the Authors and approvers of the horrible wickednesse of these times and speaks of us as dispappointing and destroying their hopes in point of reformation to the grief of his heart yet with grief of heart that the way of truth should be evil spoken of by him by reason of such as do wickedly indeed yet those lascivious wayes he laies to our score are lesse approvvd on in our Churches then in the purest Parish Church in all Christ'ndom Kederminster not excepted yea I tell him and God I hope will one day seal it home upon
believers or unbelievers nor both nor if of believers onely whether all or onely some of them have the spirit and faith I shall be as bold to deny it ever till they give some better specimen of it then the best infant that ever you or I saw did in that nonage wherein you sprinkle them specially so long as to the stark spoiling utter unsaying and clear contradicting of whatever your own selves would prove it by you are fain to confesse page 16. That all have them not and p. 18. Which have and which have not the spirit being no more bound to believers infants then others and no more bar'd from working in unbelievers infants than believers cannot be certainly presumed and that whatever the spirit may work in children yet this is not known to us so that there can be no conclusion made And howbeit this Argument being by your own concession thus crushed in the head i. e. this Prosyllogism turns about with his tail and thrusts at us therewith I mean this ensuing Syllogism viz. No Iustification nor salvation to them that have not faith But justification and salvation is to infants Ergo infants have faith Yet I return thus to your Major viz. that though there is no justification nor salvation without faith of such as are capable to believe and of whom to believe it is required yet of such as neither are capable nor called on to believe in order thereunto there may be and is a justification and salvation without it and this is the case of all dying infants in the world the presentment of the satisfaction of Christ without faith and without obedience also in any thing else both which are in ordine ad vitam injoined to adult ones doth save dying infants or else innumerable of those infants are damned neither is this any new way for the salvation of infants dying in minority nor a grounding their salvaâ—…ion upon a figment and invention of our own braines nor such as the Scripture is altogether silent in nor such as destroyes the Gospel Covenant which is the righteousness of faith for howbeit it is true that the Scripture runs on this wise saying The just shall live by faith he that believes shall be saved he that believes not shall be damned and to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifyeth the ungodly his faith shall be accounted unto him for righteousnesse and twenty more such like expressions of the Gospel Covenant Rom. 1. Rom. 3. Iohn 3. c. as that which gives righteousnesse and life by faith only without the works of the Law yet I beseech you set your wits on work and see whether these Scriptures were written of infants or to them either or whether only of and to mens at years only to shew unto them on what terms the Lord will accept and save them in the Covenant and promise of the Gospel Me thinks your own reason should dictate thus much that all those places speak no more of infants then they speak to them in minority and that you will assuredly yield that they do not yea you may as well say these places viz. T is a people that have no vnderstanding therefore he that made them will not save them and he that formed them will shew them no mercy and the lord Iesus shall come with flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and obey not his Gospel and that because they received not the truth in the love thereof that they might be saved for this cause God shall send them strong delusions to believe lies that they all might be damned who had pleasure in unrighteousnesse c. who ere transgresseth and abideth not in the the doctrine of Christ hath not God every soul that heareth not the voice of that Prophet shall be destroyed with the mouth confession is made unto salvation and an hundred such like as speak of an necessity of good works as well as of faith viz. self-denyall taking up the cross and following Christ c. speak of and to infants in â—…on age while they know not their right hand from their left But Sirs oh that you would once understand for then all your intricacies sottish and absurd assertions and disputes about infants would be ended and save you a world of perplexity that now you are in by the ignorance of it that the word was not written as the way and will of God concerning infants in infancy but concerning men and women in order to their salvation by Christ Iohn 6. 39. 40. And this Sirs is no other answer then you use to give us when we argue against infants believing thus viz. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word preached But infants cannot hear so as to know Christ by the word preached Ergo infants cannot believe You tell us true faith in Adult is can come no other way but by preaching but in Infantibus faith is begotten otherwise so you fancy but you have no Scripture for it as we have that faith comes no way but by hearing Babist But that Scripture Rom. 10. speaks only of the way of faiths comming to adult ones Baptist So say I of welnigh the whole body of Scripture it speaks of the way wherein men at years must expect to be justifyed and saved and not of infants for they may be saved without faith so when we plead with you against the baptizing of infants I mean such of you and such there be amongst you as are ashamed as well as some that are not to say that infants have faith we tell you the Scripture speaks only of baptism of persons confessing sin professing faith that faith and baptism use still to go together as he that believeth and is baptized the Corinthians heâ—…ring believed and were baptized if thou believest with all thy heart c. therefore those that believe not may not be baptized you tell us again of these places and of all that ever we bring out of Scripture where baptism is mentioned that they speak of adult persons of whom t is confessed by you that faith and confession and profession is required in order to baptism but not of infants that cannot perform them So Pareus in Ursin Cate. p. 384. 385. and also many others and your answer is very true and grants all that we desire for indeed all the places where ever baptism is mentioned throughout the Scripture do speak of it as in relation to grown persons and not to infants therefore because the Scripture is wholly silent in such a thing we dare not meddle to baptize infants but as we grant your answer to be true so I hope you will grant it to be as true in our present case for if some of you when we call for faith to a persons baptism or else deny that person to be baptized say thus viz. true no baptism without faith of such of whom faith is required and who are capable to act it i. e. of
practising Heb. 6. 2. and howbeit the whole form of the doctrine he there delivered is not set down as none of the doctrine that Philip preacht at Samaria is nor of that Paul preacht at Philippi Act. 16. 14. nor at Corinth Act. 18. 8. yet is it not by sundry passages as evident that he taught that principle of laying on of hands among all the rest as it is and how evident that is is shewed above that they in those other places preached baptism shall we think that Peter taught the principles of the doctrine of Christ all which he was to lay as one foundation among them by the halves did he build them upon one part of the foundation and not on the other part did he constitute them partly upon it and partly beside it did he teach them all the rest of the principles every of which its said Heb. 5. 12. they had been taught viz. faith repentance baptism resurrection and judgement and did he leave out that one onely of laying on of hands specially since it s said that with many other words he exhorted that people who are said there also to continue in the Apostles doctrine what man that devotes himself to the comparing of Scripture with Scripture can imagine it and if not why not be satisfied that it was preacht by some at least of Christs Apostles to all baptized believers A third Scripture I direct the inquirers unto is Act. 8. 5. 12. 14. 15. 16. 17. whence first its evident from the Apostles administring and the Samaritans submission to it that the doctrine in the purport and tendency of it was first declared unlesse we shall judge the Saints at Samaria were such idiots as to act by implicit faith as men were not to do but by comparison of what they said with the Scriptures under the ministry of the Apostles themselves Act. 17. 22. and to yield blind obedience to they knew not what the Apostles also justifying them in it which if they did then you that professe your selves to be yet ignorant in that service and that you know not the meaning of it may submit to it as safely though as senslessely as they from the hands of such as do which yet when all is done I am sure you may not but Secondly more evident yet if you weigh some passages of that text it self the words whereof are on this wise viz. then went Philip down unto Samaria and preached Christ to them v. 5. and when they believed the things spoken by Philip pertaining to the Kingdom of God they were baptized both men and women when they at Ierusalem heard that Samaria haâ—… recâ—…ved the word of God they sent unto them Peter and John who when they were come prayed for them that they might receive the holy spirit for as yet he was fallen upon none of them onely they were baptized in the name of the Lord Iesus then laid they their hands on them and they received the holy spirit It s said that Philip preached Christ and spoke of the things pertaining to the the Kingdome of God and that they received the word of God which they did not surely so much as to believe what was to be done till he had preached it now can any rationall man think that he preached Christ and the things pertaining to his kingdome and the word of God and not preach so much as all the principles of the oracles of God not so much as all the first Rudiments or whole beginning word of Christ but left out imposition of hands onely among all the rest as none of the word of Christ nor of the things pertaining to his kingdome as not to be preacht no not in that juncture wherein immediately after it was to be and accordingly was so universally submitted to by them and dispenst unto them or if you say they received not that word of laying on of hands from Philip but from Peter and Iohn I answer t is true practically from the hands of Peter and Iohn dispensing it but by faith so as to believe it to be a practicable doctrine that was their duty to own from the mouth of Philip dispensing the doctrine of it or suppose that Philip spake nothing of it till Peter and Iohn came which is non supponendum yet is it likely that the Apostles that were sent to them from Ierusalem though nothing is said of that they said that therefore they said nothing to them at all yea will right reason ever receive this for truth that the Apostles were sent to Samaria upon the account of some service whether solely that of prayer and laying on of hands it matters not so long as that was one part of it at least and yet neither acquaint them whether before acquainted with it or no to what end and purpose they came and what was the end and purport of that service they onely or mainly came for he that can receive this let him receive it for my part I professe I cannot A fourth place from whence it is easily gathered that the doctrine of laying on of hands in order to their receiving the holy spirit was wont to be preached to all baptized believers is Act. 19. 1 2. 3. where Paul speaking to the whole company of disciples that he found at Ephesus the number wherof were then but about twelve among whom the doctrine of laying on of hands in order to the receiving the holy spirit had not been preached at the time of their baptism seems to reprove and blame the neglect of it enquiring whether they had not received the holy spirit supposing surely at least that the promise of it had been to them and prayer made for them in the usual way with laying on of hands that they might receive it but marveiling much that they being baptized believers had not been informed about these matters nor had so much as heard of the holy spirit have you received the holy pirit saies he no nor so much as heard of it say they no unto what then were you baptized saies he if at least you have not so much as heard of it as who should say who baptized you I wonder and did not so much as instruct you about the spirit nor laying on their hands pray for you that you might receive the spirit this plainly shewes that by right they should all about the time of their baptism in water have heard of the holy spirit and in what way it was to have been expected by them even that of laying on of hands none of all which they having so much as heard of as yet Paul therefore after some words of fuller information to them and such other passages as fell out thereupon laid his hands on them verse 6. in order to their receiving the holy spirit These Scriptures what they are to others I know not are to me a cleer and safe conduct into the belief of this truth that the doctrine of laying on of hands with
Merchandize slaves and souls of men Rev. 18. a den of theeves have not you the CCClergy yea your Dr. talks of the Font and the communion Table and the pulpit but who stole away baptism and the supper and preaching it self so that there 's nothing but sprinkling bells babies and confusion and one moity of a dinner and more Pulpit and Pew and Belcony and Canopy and Cloth and Cushion then preaching and plain publication of the Gospel as it is in Jesus you talk off robbing God in matters of the law and Tithes offerings and things that came by Moses and now are not at all but who hathrobbed him in matters of grace and truth and ordinances and things that came by Christ one tittle of whose Testament shall not be contradicted by man nor angel under pain of cursing you talk of golden cups and vessels in which the whore fills out her abominations and filthinesse of her fornication to the whole earth but who hath taken away the key of the Kingdom of heaven i. e. from the people and Church in whom the power lies fundamentally and primarily for t is but derivatively from the church under God secondarily executively and ministerially in the Officers not onely Papa but P P too see Rutherfords Presbytery wherein he wrests the power of the Keyes from the people who hath taken away the key of knowledge and shut up the Kingdom of heaven against men as neither willing to go in themselves by the right way and baptism nor to suffer them that would who but ye O Priests have been in these things more sacrilegi church-robbers then sacerdotes or givers of holy things yea what evil of this kind YYYou have wrought in the sanctuaries of God how you have laid them wast throughout the whole earth how you have defiled the pure waters thereof and did so Claudere rivos shut down the floodgates that the people could have none of these to drink and caused all discourses and all placesto overflow with muddy and brackish waters if I should hold my peace the stones out of the wall even those living stoâ—…s out of the true Temple that are living monuments of Gods mercy at this day in that they are alive from the dead even the dead night of your errors will proclaim to the everlasting infamy of that generation that have been the neerer the church the further from God Thou makest thy boast of God O P P Priesthood and wouldst seem to approve of the things that are most excellent and art confident thou thy self art a guide of the blind and a light of them that sit in darknsse an instructer of the foolish a teacher of babes but indeed thou art a blind guid a dark lantorn a foolish instructer and hast need thy self to be taught by those babes which live upon the sincere milk of the word which be the first principles of the oracles of God thou hast a form of knowledge and of truth as it was in the Law that was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 long since abolished according to which thou Enthusiasts to thy self a Iudai al Pontificall Politicall Pollitical Religion of thy own but thou art grossely ignorant of the truth of the Gospel and that form of doctrine that Rome obeyed from the heart of old before it came to be a mother of harlotry and of such a crew of corrupt children as have since then come from her to the corrupting ing of the earth thou teachest another but thou teachest not thy self thou preachest a man should not steal but thou stealest thou saiest a man should not commit adultery but all the Kings and their people in the christian earth have committed adultery with thee thou seemest to abhorre it yet thou more then any committest sacriledge yea thou o P P Priesthood art that holy harlot that holy thief that hast fingred the most holy things yea even the holy Scripture it self which is the store-house and under Christ the treasury of truth and hid it from the world under unknown tongues and a heap of unsound sences which thou hast put upon it therefore thou art inexcusable O woman when thou judgest the now churches of sacriledge for wherein thou judgest them thou condemnest thy self for thou that judgest doest the same things which thou saiest they do but they do not and therefore is he now killing thy children with death and we are sure that the judgement of God is according to truth against them that do such things Yea wo unto you O ye blind guids ye strein at a gnat and make it sacriledge and church robbing to take Fonts and railes and pipes and pictures and altars c. out of your stone Temples and keep a do about cleansing and hallowing and having these outside decencyes and orders and offerings but swallow a camel and demolish the true temple of God and the vessels of the sactuary i. e. the ordinances thereof which is holy indeed which Temple the Saints are that are built together a spiritual house unto him and your selves are full of ravening extortion and excesse you are as graves that appear not and the men that walk over you are not aware of you nor how they are rid over by you nor how very well to be rid of you wherefore the wisdome of God even Christ Iesus now sends you prophets and Apostles and wisemen and Scribes to warn you yet these you kill and crucifie and scourge and persecute as your enemies because they tell you the truth that the blood of all the Prophets that have prophesied in Sack cloth and tormented you and your forefathers and your people that dwell on earth for 42 moneths may come on this generation and so your house be left unto you desolate for ever And fourthly there needs no more to prove you to be what you say of us that we are viz. a lying and blasphemous sect then all these forenamed falsities which are asserted oâ—… the Anabaptists when of right they belong more properly to your selves Yea great need indeed and good reason that you should be the Plantiffs in this businesse of loading with disgraces belying and blaspheming who have bin your selves nexâ—… and immediately under Satan Supreme false accusers of the brethren to the world and the powers Courts and consistories thereof civil and ecclesiastical for Hereticks Schismaticks Sectaries seditious deceivers hypocrites blasphemers enemies to Caesar trouble Townes and what not with which kind of nick names you the false kingdome of the Priests have overwhelmed the true royall Priesthood as with a flood the burden of whose scandals blasphemies tales and disgraces wherewiâ—…h you have loaded the saints per mille ducentos sexaginta annos 1260. years exceeds any id genus that the saints have loaded you with in number weight and measure per millies mille ducentas sexaginta Iâ—…s 1000000260 l. You have cloathed the pretious sons and daughters of Sion as the persecuting Emperors did of old with the skins of wild
talkt to that say to the Sâ—…ers see not prophecy to us smooth things that will not endure sound doctrine nor any troublesome truth that say of the words of Christ the doctrine of his baptism that calls for self-denyal the practise of which exposes to the crosse censure scorn shame suffering losse of credit custome offence of friends fathers mothers husbands wives c. which whoever loves above Christ is not worthy of him these are hard sayings who can bear them take heed I say of such ears as love to hear some truth but not all that stand open gladly to any thing but the losse of Herodias the darling lust what ever t is whether the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye or the pride of life God in his Iust Iudgement suâ—…ers such to fall Learn to be doers of the word not hearers onely and doers of all that you know and not some things onely as some do and patient both hearers and doers of what God and not what man saies Temptation hardly provails against that soul that is built upon the practise of Gods commandements but as is shewed above and exemplifyed in the parish people that are so built and no otherwise and whose fear toward God is taught after the precepts of men the soul that is built on the practise of mens commandements in his religion faith worship is easily prevailed with to be of any Religion the State pleases as well a false as a true as well Popish as Episcopall or Presbyteriall 4. To beware of the ordinary converse and needlesse society of these Schismatical Seducers the PPPriests that have drawn the whole world into a deep dotage after themselves and desperate departure from the plain doctrine of the primitive Churches and Apostles not to frequent groundlessely their popish parochial Antichristian Assemblies that say they are Jewes i. e. the Churches of Christ and are not but do ly and are the Synagogue of Satan and if any of the disciples or others think themselves strong enough to encounter with them or if they be so indeed yet to take heed of being foiled and spoiled throw their philosophy and vain deceit after the rudiments of the world and not after Christ 2 Col. 8. and however of offending weak ones by their example The Arguments of some nay of all these HHHierarchian Hereticks have not prevailed half so much to the perverting of the saith of so many millions of men and women as in all ages of their reign have been perverted from the truth as it is in Jesus as the examples of some shall I say nay of wellny all the Great ones in all nations the gentry the mighty the wiâ—…e the noble not many of which can submit to own the Carpenters son in the homely ordinances mean waies foolish and base things he hath chosen 1 Cor. 1. yea the Kings of the earth that falling â—…uto folly and committing fornication with this cunning women the CCClergy were besotted to sacrifice all their Crowns and the wealth and power and strength of their whole kingdomes to her will and to set up her waies Rev. 17. 2. 17. Who perhaps onely for noveltie or curiosity at first but at last after some few ages and generations out of principles of foolish custome and pretended antiquity have been present themselves and not by their own example onely but extremity of Lawes and Statutes which the Saints onely in each age have smarted for the breach of enforced others to be present at their will worships superstitious services extravagant dispensations and erroneous exercises and yet the bare example of great ones in a false faith without other enforcement is inforcement great enough amongst Parochiallists and the carnal commonalty who commonly live and believe much more by example then sound reason the faith of he Rulers right or wrong is usually the rule of their faith and Rex sum such a convincing reason with them as seldome receives other reply then nil ultra quaero plebeius 5. Not to be too rash to believe every Spirit nor to receive any more implicitly the spirit of the spiritualty the PPPriesthood no though it come in never so ghostly shapes and gorgeous pretences of piety humility zeal prayers tears c for she is a mystery and this is the very mystery of the Whores iniquity that she hides all her guile with a godly garb In nomine domine incipit omne malum saith the old Proverb and I wish that in homine domini occidat omne malum may be a new one if it prove a true one i. e. that in thy fall O man of God there may be an end of all mischief yet surely a worse mischief to the true Church sharp and short will arise out of thy ashes yet before the end false prophets must come in the name of the Lord as well as true ones Now gloriously did Balaam profess As Austin faith of Pelagius whose doctrine he counted devillish that his life was like a Saints so I say the Sancti Sanctorum of all Christendome in pretence have been in doctrine the veryest devils Alexander of â—…ales writes say some of Bonaventure that Adam did not sin in him and yet of all the Papists none lest more blasphemy behind him the Crocodile weeps till he hath got his prey the Priesthood won the world to it self with the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and then set up the trade of being Lords and Lawgivers themselves and rooted out his from off the earth 6. having once found out and fallen into fellowship with the true Church that is rightly constituted upon the true foundation of the Prophets and Apostles or principles of the doctrine of Christ to be stedfast and unmoveable in the way of truth not suffering themselves to be swayed aside in any wise by any deep devises or perverse pretences Satan of whatsoever and in order to their standing to avoid aweak and querrulous conscience misliking finding fault complaining taking offence at every thing where there is no cause streining at a gnat giving over the company of the flock for every rub forsaking the assembling of themselves together as the manner of some is seperating from the Congregation not so much for a ceremony as through a crooked and carnal conceit that t is but a meer ceremony to assemble and meet or meddle with any outward ordinances at all a matter in force onely for that small moment of the primitive age of the Gospel and now of no moment to us weak worships low things carnal ordinances unprofitable dispensations em pâ—…y elements bodily exercises beggerly rudiments c. like bruit beasts depraving the precious precepts of Christ even those holy matters of his which they understand not the weight and worth of these and such like have made such as of old Jude speaks of and we see so doing at this very day to depart and seperate themselves from Saintship to sensuality from Church-fellowship in the faith to fellowship
in filthynesse thus the Seeker seeks to subvert himself and others and all that holy law of Christs own giving as foolishnesse to overturn all that is of Christ whilest Christ is overturning all that is of man he scruples every thing till he is satisfyed to own just nothing as if because there is some waies of error therefore there can be no way of truth he is weak in the faith believing nothing to be good till he believes every thing to be so and nothing to be bad or naught at all And wheresoever his weaknesse is at first it thrives into wickednesse at last so that how ere he seems modest against the truth a while yet after there will be raâ—… censures arrogant and bold speeches and Iudgements condemning or at least contemning both of good persons and holy things Thus this man runs up to ranting by little and little circumcising away all flesh for so he now stiles the waies of the word and spirit crucifying all that flesh of Christ till he becomes welâ—…igh as spiritual as the devil 7 To endeavour after the true temper of a son of the Church which consists especially in these two qualifications 1 Humility or self denial 2. Charity or love humility is a being low in your own eyes Christ bids you learn it of him Nothing hath broacht Heresse and â—…chism so much as self conceit and self love as is shewed above in the case of the PPPriesthood who conceive themselves to be those unerring orracles from whom the law for Religion and faith is to go forth to the people throughout the several Nations this makes men these spiritual men especially to stand out in their own odd opinions as if all were heresy ipso facto that jumps not with them obstinately defend them utterly untractable to any argument though never so clearly urged out of the word it self that shall be brought against them resolved never to yield to any Iudgement nor willingly be in much lesse embrace any company that â—…olds contrary to them proudly prohibiting any but such as are approved of by themselves disdaining to be discipled by any but men in orders as if that poor people and those babes to whom God delights to reveal the Gospel rather then such prudent ones as they are in their own sight were all as they said of old of such a people that know not the law and are accursed for which things sake the Lord suffers blindnes to happen to them leaves them to live in error as men lea ing to their own understanding but true humility as she is ever conscious of her own weaknesse and darknes so when she is most sure that in the Lords power and light she sees light and is most diffusive of it and desirous that all others should see it also and very zealous of promoting it yet is she far from glorying over others or boasting as if she had not received what she hath much lesse is she so impositive as by compulsion or otherwise then by plain proposal round reproof or earnest intreaty to inforce her faith as a rule for all people to believe by and howbeit it submits not as some say she does to the iudgments of others sooner then its own for that verily is no other then that humble ignorance and implicit knowledge into which the PPPriestood hath beguild the earth who as much as they perswade men to expresse their humblenesse by a voluntary submission of themselves to others judgements yet are as far from that expression of their own humility as men can be that would have all men see with their eyes swear into their faith and resign up themselves to their judgement against their own yet she submits her judgement as proud Papacy Prelacy and Presbytery never did to such free examination by others judgements as to lend free leave to such as judge it wrong and are not satisfied to close therewith to decline and reject it and both to believe and worship as they find occasion and howbeit she must contend sometimes she dares not contend with any much lesse her superiours as the Priest does with his whole parish now and then about some trifle or remnant of tithes for so small a matter as a smal matter of means or maintenance but for matters of much more moment and of eternal consequence viz. that faith and Gospel which was once delivered unto the Saints for here indeed she gives place by subjection neither to ghostly father nor holy mother no not for an hour that the truth of the Gospel may continue and as t is Christs things she seeks and strives for and not her own so she assaults not without strong and evident and convincing reason from Scripture for her assertion not such butterflies and brown paper reasons as mans tradition 1500 vears profession nor meer internal imagination and spiritual perswasion which the Rantizer and the Ranter render and even then too she prosecutes her cause with such candor and dociblenesse as to be ready to receive what ever is made manifest in the conscience to the contrary without such arrogauty as appears in some Divines when they dispute who are more ready to call them fawâ—…y fellows that dares affront their false assertions then to clear what they hold to be the truth and without the Spirit of contradiction that is wont to shew it self in every haughty heart which is more asham'd to seem ignorant then to be so most specially in the Priesthood when the truth tendred is such as if it be acknowledged will not onely crack his credit but certainly pare his profit also As for Charity alias love it is the very cognizance of a Christian the property of it is to blow out the coals of contention not kindle them in the true Church of Christ though it contend sharply with the false Churches for the truth to seek what in it lies to prevent not foment rents Schisms divisions and offences therein contrary to the doctrine at first delivered the love of which occasions offences in the world it is the very rafters that hold all the house of Christ whose house they onely are that are built upon the foundation or form of doctrine delivered by the first Apostles the principles of which are set down Heb. 6. 1. 2. together in most comely frame and order Oh that the Saints and faithful brethren in Christ of those Churches that walk in truth would among all yea and above all those pretious things commended Col 3. 12. ad 16. to be put on would put on this which is the very bond of perfectnesse this is that which will make them endeavour in all lowlinesse and meeknesse and forbearance and forgivenesse of each other to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace Eph. 4. 2. 3. the love of the Brotherhood within it self which is hinted to us by Peter Pet. 2. 17. and harpt upon more then any other string by that beloved Disciple Iohn 1 Ioh.
you and me though I suppose I shall not be more critical in considering nor volumnous in dilating on them than your selves are numerous in bewraying of your own negligences ignorances contradictions fictions â—…nakednesses and abusive shifts throughout this your three-fold thing yet I shall make little less than a totall transscription of your Papers before I have done and therin take notice of such absurdities at least whereby you most notoriously delude the world most grosly oppose the truth most unworthily wrong your Respondent and most palpably proclaim your selves to be rather true Dissemblers than true Discoverers of the Ashford Disputation and Smotherers rather than Publishers of that Gospel-truth in the point of Baptism which you pretend also to give as true an Account of to the world as of the other Report You talk first of Propositions agreed upon between your Respondent and your selves the Ministers at the Communion-Table in the Church of Ashford in Kent before the Disputation began Reply Give me leave Sirs sith silence with you may be taken else for Assent to say a word or two to this you stile your selves the Ministers both here and else-where throughout your book But if you mean Ministers of Christ and the Gospel I am yet to learn that from you which I never found you very forward to teach me viz. that you came truly and honestly by that Title you have hitherto wanted no provocation from me to prove the lawfulness of your calling I made bold to denominate you Antichristian Ministers in my Position upon the very day of the Disputation before those Thousands which you say were Auditors thereof And I have asserted the same more abundantly since in that letter to Mr. G. C. which it seems you know so well as even thence to take occasion in a Pet to publish so much as you have done of your Disputation all which is enough to give you to understand that I own you not at all in that capacity yet did you never no neither then at the Disputation nor since in your so true a Relation of it so much as once open your mouth or strike one stroke with your pen whereby to evince it that you are Christs Ministers which gives me to believe that howbeit you have a habit of calling your selves so yet you had rather men believed you on your bare words than put you to prove your selves to be so and that you are as utterly uncapable to clear it as 't is clear you are unwilling to be urged to it You speak of the Church of Ashford and a Communion-Table in it 'T were strange if I should not know what you mean thereby yet had you told this peece of your tale in other Terms it had been so much the less lyable to correction I know but one Church of Ashford that hath a Communion-Table in 't and that is those few persons who since they have gladly received the Word of Truth have been according to Christs will in that kind baptized in his name for remission of sinnes and do now continue in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and prayers to which the Lord I hope will add dayly such in those parts as shall be saved in this Church there is a Communion-Table indeed even the Table of the Lord at which they meet blessing and drinking that Cup of blessing which is the Commemoration and Communion also of the blood of Christ breaking and eating that bread which is the Commemoration and Communion of the body of Christ at which you and your Respondent never yet met but may do yet in due time if the Lord please to grant you for till then surely it never will be repentance to the acknowledgement of his truth But for other Communion-Table I wot not Sirs that there is any at all at Ashford As for that common Table which stands in the great stone house where the Bells hang where the people meet once a week but never do that they should do if they were disciples of Christ indeed which house you call the Church of Ashford and I cannot but allow you so to do sith you disclaim the true one the very Steeple being well nigh as much a truly constituted Church of Christ as a parish people the one whereof is but a compacted number of dead stones in a literal sense and for the most part no less in a spiritual sense is the other besides stone Churches and wooden Priests such as if you are not yet most of the Popes children are suit well enough each with other as for that Table I say where you and your Respondent agreed better about the Articles of the Disputation then they do for ought I see to this day about that Article of faith they disputed on you had need to find some fitter phrase for it than Communion-Table for it hath long since ceased to be of any such use as for people to communicate at it The Gentleman my beloved friend that is now Resident there and President too in pretence at least as a Pastor over that flock having never administred it at all since his abode among them nor since the Classis possest him of that Relation and gave him orders to feed them with that ordinance why he doth not meddle with that service in his parish would be farre more wonderful to me then 't is had not mine own conscience been of the same constitution with his when I was with him in the same condition for as my own feet stuck once in the same stocks when I stood in Pastorall relation to parochiall people so I believe him to be further inlightned then to be free for a promiscuous admittance to the Supper of such Societies among whom he discerns not a few more goats than sheep or to hold Communion there with them whom in the Pulpit he cries out on as unbelievers as knowing well enough there 's no fellowship to be held between light and darkness believers and unbelievers in that holy ordinance yet he sprinkles the Infants of all as you also do and my self blindly did or else that parish will prove happily to hot to hold him upon what account he doth so I know not for sure it cannot be upon this because onely believers Infants are to be sprinkled The Lord open all your eyes to see those sorry shifts wherein you shroud your selves for a time from your own sight so that ye see not when ye interfeer nor feel when you hack your own shins for who so blind as those that cannot see how you act quite contrary to that you argue for and overthrow your own principles by your practise Report These Propositions say you were as followeth First that both parties should publiquely protest that they sought for verity not victory Reply I acknowledge this is very true and it was protested on both sides accordingly as was agreed nevertheless whether it be the Proud Priest-hood that seeks to tuck all
from God after waies of mens tradition and teach people to do so as you do I see not how I could have been truly said to revile had I used them directly to your selves Report Thirdly that though I had once been of that opinion and a Minister of the Church and received orders from it yet now I was of another and did renounce both the Church and her orders to which say you 't was answered that it was no marvell that I that had forsaken the Church should afterwards revile and despise her and that God having suffered me to fall into so gross an error as to deny and renounce my first baptism did in his just judgement suffer me to fall further and further Heresie being like a Precipice where after a man hath begun his run he cannot stay till he come to the bottom Reply I was once of that opinion indeed and practise too together with your selves and had not a little zeal thereof though not according to knowledge when I acted in your false function by implicit faith and made the Directories Canons Catechisms Creeds of the Clergies compiling my Rule as many more did besides my self not comparing them so singly as I should have done with that true Directory of the word but I have since seen good occasion to recant it as you will undoubtedly do also first or last and O that it may be yet in time to your peace notwithstanding your now forwardness to uphold it I was also in your sence once a Minister of the Church but since going about to look for that Ministry of the Church and for that Church whereof I thought my selfe a Minister from thenceforth I could never find either t'one or t'other As for your Church of England I confess I received twice her holy orders viz. once from the Bishops in the daies of their Dominion by whom I was ordained a Deacon i. e. in Scripture-sence to look toth'poor but in their sence half a Priest for in that capacity we might sprinkle if allow'd and give the wine to people also in the Supper but not by any means the bread unless very specially licensed thereunto till we should come into the full order of Priest-hood for so ran the phrase in the old English horn-book which as to that part was stiled The book of the Ordination of Bishops Priests and Deacons once also by the Presbyters so called since the time of their Parricid or cutting the throats of their fathers the Bishops that gave the being of Priesthood to them and inducting themselves to reign in their stead as the Bishops themselves had dealt not long before with their old father the Pope who gave the being of Priesthood to them both from whom not as a Priest-hood but a true Presbytery as they say I was in orders to practise their refined Popery more perfectly which I might do before but by the halves but now I know not where this Church of England is if you speak of a true Church of Christ unless you can prove things to have their true being without either their true matter or true form for as the subject matter whereof it consists is false being not baptized believers so the form into which the Pope cast it some 600 years since in to which also the Prelate and Presbyter have new cast it being and that subpaena too National Provinciall Parochiall is utterly false and her fellowship as good as none at all because not free but forced and as for the true Ministry thereof I know not where it is neither if that onely be a true one as you were wont to say it is that can derive it self by a line from the very Apostles neither can you make good your interrupted succession from them unless the Pope from whom your Series comes was even then a true Minister of Christ when he was also an Antichristian Deceiver and unless Apostacy and Apostolicy can so stand together as that Rome was even then an Apostolick Church when 't was palpably apparent to be an Harlot neither if I could tell where can I tell very well which is the Ministry of your Church of England there are so many Ministries in it now namely Prelaticall High-Presbyterian Presbyterian-Independent each of which lay claim to that title but being both themselves and their adherents for such different forms of government cannot all three be the Ministry of one Church unless your Church of England that was of old so full of uniformity is now become capable of tri-formety in its discipline and Ministry and yet to be intirely but one Ministry and Church of England still which if it be it s a â—…r-iform monster then indeed As to your answer to this third head I wish you to weigh how rawly you utter your selves whilst just after your selves had clear'd me from the guilt of Reviling and before I had us'd any new terms that could have the least savor of reviling you return to charge me of it again but no marvel when every round reprover and renouncer of your Romishness is as much a reviler with you as your selves are at Rome for renouncing that grosser Popery that 's there Howbeit in truth he reviles your Church no more that calls it a very Harlot if it be so then your selves revile Rome in calling her a Harlot because she is so you hint at my renouncing my first baptism can a man renounce that he never had for what was dispenc't when I was a child as t is no signe to me now for I remember not that I ever saw it so I learn by the hear-say of it that it was not baptism at all as for this last which is also the first baptism that ever was administred to me I see no cause to renounce it as yet nor yet I am well assured ever shall As for heresie or believing and doing besides the word t is a Precipice indeed where after men have begun their run unless the Lord mercifully prevent them as he hath done me and many more of late and I desire may your selves in due time who are all gone astray from primitive truth after the doctrines and commandements of men they cannot well stay till they come to the bottom even the bottomless pit it self into which that Arch-Heretitk the Pope who open'd it and that numberless crue of corrupt Clergy-men which by the advantage of that smoak of errors with which he darkened the Sun and the Air ascended from it will fall again for out of the bottomless pit those Locusts came and into the bottomless pit they must return Report Fourthly That I was a fool and an Ass and the weakest of many to defend the doctrine of Iesus Christ yet doubted not but to make it clear against every opponent to which your answer was that that which I said of my self out of voluntary humility you the Ministers did acknowledge out of the sense of your wants Reply As to secular
and such sound Doctrine as notwithstanding your outcries of gross popery and I know not what upon it you will never with right reason refute while you breath as for the other of those things viz. infants not having originall sin two questions may be askt concerning this viz. whether they have it secondly whether they ever had it if you ask whether they ever had any I answer that as to hold dying infants to be damned unless they believe which is your doctrine is as to the poor little ones at least that cannot be lieve somewhat too damnable a Heresie so to say that infâ—…nts never had the sin of Adam so much as imputed to them how farr forth it may possibly be to a person in whom yet is no inherent corruption is seen in Christ who had the imputation of sin to him though none in him is for ought I have ever found yet to the contrarie not a truth but if your quere be whether infants have any guilt as from Adams sin abiding on them after birth I reply that as in order of nature Infants must stand guilty by the first Adams sin before they can be said to be justified by the righteousness of the second so in order of time I believe them universally to be no sooner guilty as from Adam then clear'd by Christ which Tenet he that tryes it will find it I perswade my self so farre from meriting to be cried out on for Heresie as it is at random by the Clergy that it rather comes as nigh to truth as 4 pence to a groat but such a Bug-bear makes the Priest of what ere suits not with his wonted imagination that almost all is damnable that differs from him and what ere he meets out of the Kings high-way or sees Sectarizing from the common Rode of his own Cloudy conception and Clericall Cassicall Convocationall Canonicall constitution he draws at it presently as a thief that comes to Rob him commits it to prison and condemns it all to be hang'd for Heresie before he hears it Report You relate that after that none did propound any more questions Reply As if all men had been so astonished at your understanding and answers as they were at Christs that none durst open their mouthes before you any more that day yet some would with the help of Christ have ventured to have told the truth in your presence but to your praise be it spoken as you speak below of your selves you would not let them Report So say you the Congregations was again dismist Reply An argument of your itching after an end and being well nigh betwâ—…led to be gone if the people had not been more forward to quere after truth then the Priest was willing to Answer for all his liberty granted in the seventh Article and his pretended forwardness to resolve page 27. where disswading men from going to seducers you advise them as from God to ask the Priest and if others had not been more free to both then the Preachers were either to Preach or hear As for what follows 't is not so much a model of mis-reports and mis-representations as thus farre of your Account is for the most part as of true reports and representations of some few more of the Ministers mis-apprehensions mis-affections and mis-actions under a colour of acting for the truth Report You say that your Respondent hindred their departure by making an unseasonable motion viz. that they would hear him preach Reply Emphatically even to a scoff that they would hear him preach alià s Sirs give Account in an intire discourse and this too after his offer to hear any of you first if you would but you would not of what he held and why which was the very business he profest to come thither for more then to dispute aliâs to shew upon what grounds he invaded the practise of the Church of England Scotland Rome c. in her infant sprinkling which say you in words in the fifth Article he ought to have done but here in your deeds and denial of it that he ought not Do you think that all save such as have eyes and see not discern not your dawbing your double-dealing and your Egypt-like requiring men to make brick allowing no straw delaring that 't is our Duty to shew our grounds yet prohibiting our discharge of it pressing people to prove all things yet not abiding they should hear all things teâ—…ing your Respondent that in reason he should have been opponent yet yielding him no opportunity on that day to urge so much as one argument though he offere'd it much less yielding to be responsible to him on the next magnifying preaching as much as any yet withstanding it more then all and making it an unseasonable motion almost at any time save when time comes by course to make mention of it as if any time were unseasonable for that which is strictly to be attended at all times by Christs Ministers both in season and out of season also 2 Tim. 4. 1 2. Report This required some time to debate Reply As well it might being a matter of weighty concernment on both hands viz. of consequence too advantagious to truth as well as dangerous to your falshoods besides the more time was taken up in debating against it so much the less time if it fortuned to be cast that way that it must be done would be left to do it in Report The Ministers opposing it Reply And lying in the manger having no mind to hear themselves nor yet that those should who had a mind to it having the key of knowledge the keys and power of that place yet neither abiding there nor abiding that others should abide there to so precious a purpose which is so much to their commendation that men must needs see them to be not like Christs Ministers for if they had they would have rejoiced in Christs being preached whether in pretence or in truth of envy or good will well knowing all should have tended to the furtherance of the Gospel Phil. 1. 15 16 17 18 Ob. And if they object that preaching of error will hinder it Ans. I say that publishing whether of error or truth gives that advantage of tâ—…ying all things which as it is that duty men cannot do unless they hear all so that which they might not do by any means in ages above when the Arch-Hereticks the Pope and the Priest-hood stopt the mouths of all Hereticks save their own besides it puts people into a fairer capacity of right cariage towards all things viz. if they appear truth though cri'd out on as error of imbracing them if error indeed as much of the Priestly doctrine is under a name of truth of declining it and all this upon none of that implicit but that explicit faith which onely becomes him that will be a Christian not in name onely but in very deed and all this the Ministers know as well as I page 24. affirming preaching to
to the ordinances under the Law and so cutting of a Moity of the Christian world from the Church which stood members of it before do streiten the Gospel and make it worse and of less extent the Law I answer first That the Meliority of the Gospel covenant spoken of in Heb. 8. 6. lies in the Meliority of the promises of it above the others which Meliority we affirm but you deny in saying the promises of both Covenants are one and the same therefore it is your selves however and not we that by your tenets make the Gospel Covenant at least no better than the Law contrarily to that of the Apostle Heb. 8. 6. and so your opinions and not ours are false and wicked by your own Argument Bvt secondly if it be in very deed to make the Gospell covenant worse than the Laws as you say it is to hold infants no capable subjects of Gospel ordinances some of which were capable subjects of the ordinances of the law I shall first disprove your charge of us togeâ—…her with your proof of it in that particular Secondly prove that if notwithstanding all that I shall say toward the clearing of our selves we must needs be held guilty of lessening the grace of God under the Gospel in comparison of what it was under the law because we deny the ordinances thereof to infants to whom the ordinances of the law were dispensed then you that judge us condemn your selves also as being in the same kind guilty of the same to this purpose le ts see what you bring in proof of your Minor in the last Syllogism and how punctually it concludes to your present purpose thus you argue Disputation Under the Law the seal of the Gospel Covenant was by Gods appointment set to little infants viz. circumcision which was the seal of the righteousnesse of faith which is the Gospell covenant and therefore is called by God an everlasting covenant and that I my self confesse it to be the seal of the Gospell Covenant and that even Ishmael onely because born in Abrahams house had right to it and received it Ergo this opinion denying the seal of the Gospell Covenant which the defenders acknowledge baptism to be to little infants makes the covenant of the Gospel worser to the spiritual seed of Abraham then it was to the carnall seed under the Lax. Disproof How often shall I adjure you the next time you write to write no more then truth at least in matter of fact if you will needs utter falsehood in matter of Doctrine do not your selves bear me witness before all the world not above two pages behind that I denyed circumcision to be a seal of the righteousness of faith to any but Abrahams person only and avouched it to be no such thing to his posterity and yet how quickly have you forgotten your selves so far as to the contradicting of your selves as well as the truth to represent it here as if I had confessed it and having began to faulter and falsifie things for your own ends how easily do you multiply misreport and run from ore shooes as the Proverb is to ore boots too for no less than a pair of pretty ones are here recorded for how be it my declared judgement then was now is and I believe ever will be for ought you can say to clear the contrary that circumcision though a seal to Abraham to honor the greatness of that faith he had and to notify him to be the father of the faithful as it is plainly exprest Rom. 4. 11. was not set as a seal in any sense at all to any other but as a bare sign and token in their flesh to mind them upon sight thereof immediately of the Covenant that then was remotely as a type as every other thing under the law did of something in the Gospel Covenant viz. circumcision of the heart and that baptism it self is no seal at all but a bare sign of the Gospel Covenant and is not so much as a sign or any thing else but a meer nullity to little infants yet the world is here belied into the belief of it that I confesse both that circumcision was a seal of the Gospel Covenant and that under such a notion as a seal of that Covenant Ishmael himself had right to it and received it for so you expresse it p. 7. and that baptism is the seal of the Gospel Covenant even to little infants themselves as well as others I do therefore in answer to this last piece of yours and in order to your better understanding of me for the future and of the truth too as it is in Jesus at present professe against two things herein First your forgeries and misrepresentations of my opinion to the world which was not so darkly declared at that time as that you must needs mistake it Secondly against the falsities and mistakes that are in your own opinion in this point viz. in stiling both circumcision as dispensd to Abrahams fleshly posterity and baptism also as dispensed not to others onely but even to infants by the name of seals of the Covenant of grace As for circumcision that it was not so though I might adde much more to what hath been before spoken in proof hereof in my animadversion of your account yet I le save my self that labor and refer you for fuller understanding what circumcision was and was not to a certain book that is extant of one Mr. Iackson once of Bidenden in Kent stiled 19. Arguments proving circumcision to be no seal of the Covenant of grace whereunto is annexed the unlawfulnesse of Infant baptism upon that ground of which book I must needs give testimony thus far to the world that it being brought to me whilst it was but a manuscript and my self a Presbyter of your high places in some confidence that I could answer it how easily I might have shufled it off had I set my self so to do I will not say but I could not answer it solidly nor salvâ consciencia and therefore I let it alone for a time till considering further of it and of other things I was stirrd up to the study of by it I was at last converted to the truth whereupon as the best answer I was capable to give I signed it in such wise as I find Luther once signed another book in the like case viz. memorandum that taking this book in hand at first to confute it I was at last convinced by it Which 19. proofs of circumcision to be no seal of the Covenant of Grace if they be weak and invalid such a multitude as you are have time enough among you to disprove them but if you yield to them be silent and say nothing As for baptism I confesse it to be truly and properly a sign and that of the Covenant of Grace remission of sins by Christ his death and resurrection which are both not onely signified but also lively represented and resembled in
so thoroughly provided with them modesty doth now to insert them here Therefore the Christian Reader is desired to peruse Calvins Institutions Ursins Catechism and Dr. Featley 's Book upon this subject where he shall be thorowly furnished Besides that opinion of Ovid Etsi non prosint singula multa juvant What ever it may carry of eredit in other causses ought to have but little in this where we trust not in multitude nor measure by number but substance and weight of Arguments are the foundation of our faith the other are for pomp and victory these onely for satisfaction and verity Whosoever thou art that desirest to be grounded in the Truth examine diligently and understand these three arguments following which are but the same reviewed that were used in the disputation and thou shalt be able being confirmed thy self thorough the grace of God to strengthen thy brethren whose faith is every where assaulted in these miserable dates by the watchfulness and cunning insinuation of the adversary nor are these three commended unto thee as if among David's Worthies they were the first three the composer of them arrogates no such thing to them thou shalt find many both better appointed and more strongly armed and which go forth iâ—… strength of those that fight the battels of the Lord among the Worthies of Israel these were never intended but as a forlorn-hope yet till the adversary shall have worsted them thou shalt not need to desire fresh supplies Re-Review This first part or Praeambulary approach to the battel gives big words but no blowes it only vapours and vaunts carries the colours and flourishes them advancing with a company of broad bragges of what Innumerâ—…e forces your cause hath at command from Scriptures and from Reason and from Churches practise and authority and from Authors of Renown Calvin Vrsin Dr. Featley whereby fearing least they should forgo it upon sight of your own apparent slenderness and that unthorough provision your Disputation presented in proof thereof to flatter your followers First into a false faith of more full and thorough furniture câ—…mming in from all quarters toward its defence and so to a secure continuance in your crazy cause and to keep close still to the Clergy and their colours in order thereunto also highly inhauncing the price of three following forlorn-hope highway Hacksters and Hachny Arguments as not the last nor least though not the first three among the worthies that are engaged in it Whereas that poor blind Implicit-opinion'd pâ—…ople and Clergy-claw'd christen'd creatures may no longer to their utter erring from the way of Christs truth and their own peace trust in the lying words of their Prophets that profit themselves more then them by their traditionary doctrine I do here in the name of the great King Jesus who gave commission Mat. 28. 18 to make persons disciples and to teach them first and then to baptize them proclaim it aloud to the whole earth that all these are either clearly against you or all things considered nothing for you First the whole region of Scripture in every coast and quarter thereof is up in armes against you neither is there any one part or place throughout it wherein you ever find that way of infant baptism much lesse your way of infant-rantism so much as probably to have been practised or the war you wage for it promoted by so much as one piece of a precept that such a thing should be done or inch of instance that ere it was done at all yea in all places where ever baptism was dispensed you find it done onely and downrightly in that despised way wherein we do at this day i. e. of dipping persons immediately after but never before converted and discipled all they of Ierusalem and Iudaea and Galilâ—…e that were baptized by Iohn in Iordan and by Christs disciples in his presence and by his appointment confessed their sins 3. Mat. were first taught and instructed or made disciples Mat. 28. 18. Iohn 3. 22. Iohn 4. 1. 2. 3. all they who were baptized by Peter and others after his sermâ—…n at Ierusalem to the number of 3000. did first gladly receive the word Act. 2. 41. all they that were baptized by Phillip at Samaria and betwen Ierusalem and Gaza were men and women that believed the things spoken by Phillip concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Iesus Acts 8. 12. 36. 37. all they that were commanded to be baptized by Peter in the name of the Lord at Cesarea were such as were converted at the hearing of the word Act. 10. 44. 48. all that were baptized at Corinth by Paul Silas Timotheus were such as believed Act. 18. 8. all they that were baptized by Apollos or any other at Ephesus before Paul came thither which were about 12. were every one of them adult believers Act. 19. 1. 2. c. All that ever we find Aâ—…anias baptized at Damascus though there were other disciples there besides himself with whom Paul walkt a while was Paul that was baptized calling on the name of the Lord. All they of the Church of Rome to every one of whom Paul writes his Epistle Rom 1. 6. that were baptized into Jesus Christ and buried with him by baptism into his death were such as had formerly lived in sin and actually obeyed it in the lusts thereof and yielded themselves up as servants to it and had now visibly obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered unto them Rom. 6. 3. 4. 12. 16. 17. 19. 21. which things I take him to be little better then an infant in understanding that judges they were performed by any infants All they at Galatia who were baptized into Christ were such as had received and imbraced the Gospel and had put on the Lord Iesus Christ and such who through ignorance of God had done service to such as by nature were no gods but now had attained to know God by the preaching of the Gospel to them which things that are spoken to all the Churches of Galatia cannot be said of any infants Gal. 1. 9. 3. 27. 4. 8. 9. 13. verses among all which this is most notable in that he saith As many of you as have bin baptized into Christ have put one Christ we see all along throughout the whole body of the new testament It was not the rule of Christ nor the practise of the primitive times to baptize persons till they had had first preached the Gospel to them and according to the commission converted them or made them disciples indeed so soon as ever they were thus discipled or made disciples that no infants can be so in infancy is shewed above as simply as Mr. Bazter seems to suppose believers infants are so from the very womb I agree with Mr. Baxter that their baptism was not to be delayed and forasmuch as he abundantly proves the period of time wherein persons weâ—… ever baptized in the primitive times by the will of Christ
some truth in times of Ignorance the lâ—…ght was though not so totally and terribly as to the rest of the world much ecclipsed ore now it is and that promised manifestative presence of Christ not a little interdicted and communion with him interrupted by the interposition of that smoak which comming out of the bottomless pit clouded the suâ—… and thickned the aire and as Christ himself foretold also it should be Iohn 14. 30. by the intervening of the Prince of the darkness of this world who was to have his time wherein to darken all things and had it too so that by his delusive wiles the whole world was won to be once an Arrian and after that an Antichristian worshipping the Dragon and the Beast wondering and erring all together into one Catholique Church-body called Christendome and by common consent bearing the whore or false Ministery called Clergy warring at her will against the Saints and though not finally for so the gates of hell cannot yet â—…or a long time prevailing against them that dwell in heaven Rev. 13. 4 5 6 7. In all which time nevertheless as I said before some truths were revealed to some and so much to such as then sought to Christ and not to men as may well serve to verify Christs words and justify all the promises of his presence with his people as to the true purport of them as yea and Amen Babist But where was your Church then all this while till these latter times Baptist. Where it was to be according to the word of prophecy Rev. 11. 1. viz. troden underfoot for 1260 years by the nominall Christians or Gentiles coming by the lump into the outer Court i. e. into a bare name and feigned form of Christianity after the time of Constantine at the compulsive call of the Clergy since when though there have been an number of Saints in sackcloth that have seen much light from Christ and suffered for it yet I am so far from undertaking to prove there was that I am rather of the mind there was not nor was to be if the word be true any truly collected truly constituted visible Churches at all in right outward form and order standing upon that true foundation i.e. the principles of the Doctrine of Christ and the primitive prophets and Apostles for many ages upwards even from the Clergies carrying the Church captive into Babylon unto these daies wherein the foundation Heb. 6. 1. 2. with Eph. 2. 20. 21. 22. which hath been razed is laid again and the measuring line gone forth upon the Temple is in the hands of the true Zerubbabel Christ Iesus who shall also finish it not by Army nor by strength but by my spirit saith the Lord of Hosts If this answer be not satisfactory that our Churches are true ones unless I can prove a lineal succession of them from the Apostles times to these let me see what lineal succession is of your Churches from the Apostles daies if I ask you Praelatick Priests as the Masse Priests do where was your Church before Luther and you Presbyterians where was your Church before Calvin in both whose daies you cannot deny but that of those that denyed infant-baptism there were abundance must you not needs see both your Churches swallowed up in the Sea of Rome and for ages and generations together making one with that were not the two little heads of the Roman Eagle spoken of 2 Esdras 11. 12. which are the two smaller kingdomes of the Clergy i. e. Prelacy and Presbytery making one head with the great one i. e. the Popedome till of late they separated from him First sure I am you may labour till you are weary and look till your eyes fail before you find a series of visible protestant Churches before Luther and as universal as you Protestant priesthood do proclaim your selves and your Church to have been yet I tell you t will puzzle you to derive your pedigree from the Apostles if the Pope put you to prove it by induction and ennumeration of Churches succeeding without interruption unless you will own him to be your father as to your Clericall function you are fain to do Whereupon in the book stiled Luthers predecessors or an answer to the question of the Papists viz. Where was your Church before Luther p. 3. 4. I find it ingenuously acknowledged by the nameless Author thereof in his undertaking to answer that question That if the Papistry the Protestant to assign any visible constituted Church which might have been known by the distinction and succession of Bishops Elders Deacons c. the task is unequal and that records of such a thing are wanting insomuch that he puts it off in replying to the Papists thus That they cannot prove that the Church must alwaies be in such manner visible that in Elias time there were 7000 unknown to him much more to Ahab that in Christs passion some papists say the Church was in Mary the Church being like the Moon allwaies lasting yet not alwaies in the full And then in resolution to the quaere it self alledges not any one protestant Church at all but onely here and there a Protestant professor as Wickliff and such mostly as were after him inlightned by his Doctrine and did suffer for giving testimony thereto so the â—…esuitish question is thus answered I find it also thereupon the â—…le that in a conference which was once held upon the same question by Dr. White and Dr. Featley against two others viz. Fisher and Sweet Dr. Featley chose rather to prove a continual succession of protestants by the truth of their doctrine then the truth of the Protestant Churches and doctrine by a perpetuity of succession and so doth that Author himself who ever it was that wrote the answer to that papistical question as well aware that protestant Churches cannot prove themselves true by succession p. 1. 2. What saith he if we could not prove that the English Church was before Luther Must it needs follow that the doctrine we hold is untrue or shall the doctrine of Rome be ever the truer because of Antiquitie only No certainly And why not because the Church must be proved and allowed by the doctrine and not the Doctrine authorized by the Church which the Papists a people wise in their generation well knowing have overturned the course of Nature and will have the Scripture and all doctrine to hang upon the determination of the Church hoping that if once they have amazed any one with the name of the Church and driven him from title and interest in the Church before Luthers time they shall easily call in question the whole frame of the doctrine of the reformed Churches So that we see the Protestants are faln to fence off the papists arguments from universality Antiquity perpetuity in which Rome outstrips the reformed Churches with pleading only the verity of their doctrine and its being persecuted in some few professors of it before Luther Yea verily
and proof after Christs ascension of comon disciples then you have of officers baptizing You therefore make much more a do in this then needs you strain indeed at a gâ—…at and swallow a camel and busy your self so about the truth of administrators that you have lost the truth and substance of the administration it self were your baptism true baptism indeed there is no necessity that ordained Ministers must administer it but unlesse it were â—…ruer then 〈◊〉 it is no matter if it were neveâ—… administred at all Know therefore Sirs I beseech you that the verity worth weight and efficacy of baptism depends not upon the quality of the person administring but upon the truth of the subject to whom and the true form wherein t is administred the Scripture prescribes plainly who they are that shall and in what manner these shall but not at all by whom they shall be baptized t is the duty of them â—…at believe to be baptized and his duty that baptizes to baptize indeed not rantize only and to baptize such as being taught the Gospel do believe it but who they must be that are to baptize those is neither here nor there to the baptism for ought I find in the wordâ—… so they be but Masculine disciples nay though the person baptizing be not only no officer but in the case above named as yet unbaptized himself yet if the person baptized be not only a believing disciple but also baptized really and indeed his baptism is never the worse for the other Experience tells me and I believe many more that have been baptized according to truth that t was drawing neer to Christ with true hearts in his true ordinance that made us accepted in his sight not the qualifications of the baptizers whose baptism and ministerial functions were they invested with both could add never the more validity nor verity to our baptism as neither could the non-entity of either of those in them have possibly made the baptism so sincerely submitted to be in any measure void and of no effect the placing so much in persons administring as to think our selves ere the better for that was that fantastical fopery of the Corinthians for a while one saying I am of Paul another I of Apollo another I of Caepâ—…as i. e. I was baptized by such or such which made the Apostle Paul who with his own hands baptized but some of them well â—…igh wish he had baptized none of them at all when he saw their carnall glories in the persons administring and blesse God that he baptizd no more least they should have thougt the better of themselves and of their baptism for its dispensation of it by his hands The administrators therefore being baptized or not baptized minister or no minister maketh the baptism if elsewise warrantable neither better nor worse of it self all this I speak all this while not as granting that our baptism is by unbaptized persons and that my self am no minister of the Gospel for neither of these shall be yielded by any meanes unlesse you were more able then you are to prove them I speak it suppositively that if these were both so yet both my baptizing and being baptized may be warrantable enough notwithstanding or else if we deemed it worth while to seek out what succession our baptism hath had from the Apostles in a series without interruption t is possible there were some disciples in all ages that owned the truth though so few and despised that their generation can scarcely be declared for who can declare his generation whose life in himself and his was still cut off from the earth but we go by the word that is above all Church and Ministry in our account of our baptism and ministry and not by succession in either and as for your selves that hold so much on succession and boast of a lineal descent of your ministry and Rantism from the Apostles t will pussle you no lesse to prove that if we put you to it then t will if we put you to it to disprove a lineal succession of our baptism for if we cannot name the particular persons that baptized one another in this way wherein we do it successively from the persons of the Apostles in answer to this question who baptized you and who him and who him and so upwards till we come thither are you able if we ask you who sprinkled you and who him and who him and who him c. to particularize more punctually then we are you able to assign who began our way of baptism first of all in the world unlesse you begin as high as Iohn the baptist nay verily though Dr. Featley would fain father it upon Stock yet it s most manifest unto you all that infants sprinkling was denied by some ever since it was known to have a being for it was controverted in the daies of the fathers and that it would not have been had there been none that had then denied it and denied it could not be by any but such as pleaded the baptism of believers in those times and were the right way baptized themselves You have not one president of one infant sprinkled nor proof that such a thing was so much as talked on for at least an hundred years after Christ but we are most certain and your selves cannoâ—… deny it that the baptiâ—…m of believers began at Iohn the baptist and the Apostles and if we could prove a succession of it de facto no further downwards then so yet it is enough to us that we find it then was so whereby to prove that it ought to have been so in all ages since and is to be de jure at this day One word more and then we have done with this if none at all save such as are baptized themselves may in any case dispense baptism to others save such also as are by ordination true ministers of the Gospel then your selves who pretend solely to the title of baptizing are no right administrators as being in truth neither baptized nor ordained in such wise as the Scripture requires that your baptism is null I have cleared it enough already and that your ministry is no lesse is apparent sith whilst you indeavour to derive it from the Apostles you can derive it thence no other wise then the Pope doth his for if a line of succession be a proof of true ministry you may indeed derive it as well but not one jot better then he he can shew you his line of succession if not from Peter yet at least from Linus himself that lived in the daies of the Apostles and you can shew us the line wherein you came from the Pope and so through his loines from the other there is no other way for your ministry to prove its pedigree from the Primitive times but this no way for you to climb up to the Apostles as the fathers and founders of your function but by a chain of many
down continually through either channels or pipes that the Priests for it was neer the Temple might as well be furnisht with water for their sacrifices as the people were with sacrifices themselves in the sheep market wherein it was others think and as I take it Beza in his Anotations that it was a pool at which cattel drank and in which they used to be plunged whereof saith he there could not but be great store in Ierusalem so much may well serve without any more to salve the sore eyes of Mr. Simpson As for Mr. Baxter I le bate him his almost and yet he will not get much by the matter for as I have seen others baptized by totall dipping in the like so was I seen to be baptized my self in a place of so little latitude that an active man might make shift to step over not almost but altogether in which yet there is water enough left behind to baptize a thousand if not a million more in the same manner and so not to say how possible it is if not a thousand to one that Aenons eye witnesses never sounded Aenons depth in all places nor secondly how possibly a brook might be much swerved up since then somwhat shallowed in so many Generations nor thirdly how possible it is to deepen the shallowest stream that is very easily in order to such a purpose for I have seen ancle deep streams so ordered as I speak of more then once or twice for a need though that Aenon had need to be made deeper in those places where Iohn did baptize may be twenty times told by some Travellers that love to hear themselves talk before I shall believe it once Not to say any thing I say of these let Aenon be but knee deep if you will experience hath so taught the expedience of knee deep to dip in to my self and other Baptizers that I know that as we have dipt persons oft where it hath not bin so deep so except in such a channel where we cannot well avoid it we choose now not to go in much deeper See Fourthly how all your three Worthies Mr. Blake Mr. Baxter and Mr. Cook do deceive you as being indeed deceived themselves and that in a manner so plain that none but Blind Seers can look beside it for though each of the three were alone in each of those other errors which they severally utter in your last joint quotation and confident commendation of them yet wo is me may England say that my leaders are so misled the whole Trinity of them is at unity but against all verity in this even in the very thing in which principally you would have us mind them for whereas as an instance that baptism was not by dipping they all alledge that the Iailor was baptized at midnight in his house and therefore probably not in such a way as dipping that he was baptized about midnight is true enough but that he was baptized in his house is so contrary to truth that a very child may find the falsenesse of that assertion for howbeit Mr. Cook saies plain-ly it s like the waters they had within doores at midnight sufficed and Mr. Baxter more plain-ly that the Iailor was baptized in the nightin his house and Mr. Blake most plain-ly t is sure there was not many waters nor rivers in the Iailors dwelling and it is as sure that they i. e. the Iailor and the Apostles went not out in the night to any such places as were fit to dip in yet what saith the word in plain truth no lesse then this that the Iailor after he was baptized brought them into his house and set meat before them and rejoiced for it is said first that upon the earth-quake and Pauls crying out to him that he should do himself no harm the Iailor hasted into Paul and Silas and brought them out secondly that they upon his then inquiry told him what he should do to be saved and preached the word to him and all his whereupon in this intertime i. e. between the time of the Iailors bringing them out and his bringing them in again he took them and washed their stripes and was baptized he and all his straightway Thirdly that when he had brought them into his house which words compared with verse the 30. where it is said he brought them out shew clearly that he and his were with them still without hearing the word washing them and submitting to be baptized i. e. immergendo washed of them he made them eat and rejoiced now what man but one minded to overlook what likes him not can chuse but see this to the confutation of these three mens opinions which I doubt because it is theirs more then any thing else may be the opinion of 3000 that the Iailor first brought them out and then washed their stripes and was baptized and then brought them in and rejoiced with them is clear Rantist You have spoke long enough to little purpose to this for I am not yet of your mind pray let us see what you will say to those worthy mens writings in disproof of the proofs that you have brought Baptist. I come then to consider what is said by either any or all of these three repugnants in exception against what is said by us for the way of dipping having spoken already to the first as you desire in its several parts The next exception I find Mr. Baxter makes against what we say is this the word signifies saith he to wash as well as to dip and so is taken when applied to other things as Mar. the 7. 4. 8. and herein he sums up in short the whole mind of Mr. Cook and Mr. Blake also in this matter who say viz. Mr. Blake p. the 4. 5. to Mr. Blackwood that Scapula saies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to dip to drown and sometimes to wash the Septuagint use the words baptizing and washing promiscuously Mr. Cook p. 11. to A. R. much what the very same viz. that baptism signifies washing and p. 13. quoting the same Scripture Mark the 7. here you have saith he the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to wash To all which I answer but briefly having toucht at this before who doubts of this that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to wash how is it possible that it should not signifie washing so long as it signifies dipping dipping being no other then a kind of washing what ever word signifies properly and primarily as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth to dip drown plunge in overwhelm with put under water must needs be supposed secondarily consequently and even thereupon to signifie â—…shing neither does it signifie sometimes onely to wash as Mr. Blake observes out of Scapula but it alwayes signifies to wash there being no dipping but signifies a washing dipping being not a dipping onely but necessarily a washing also wherefore very oft baptizing and washing are and well may be promiscuously used each for
frequently imployed in baptizing maids naked me thinks the very mention of it saith he could I avoid it is immodest and what it may be to all sorts of spectators I stand not to expresse Besides all this saith he it is likely to raise jealousies in Ministers wives and others and so to foment continual dissentions and it will make the ministry a scandal and make the people look on them as so many vile incontinent men if auricular confession brought that infamy no wonder if ordinary baptizing naked do it Further it would debauch the people and bereave them generally of all common modesty if once it growes into custom to behold each others nakednesse and sure that practise is not of God which so directly tends to bereave men of all common civility modesty ingenuity and humanity Moreover it would make the worship of God ridiculous would not vain young men come to a baptizing to see the nakednesse of maids and make a meer jest and sport of it Moreover the practise of baptizing naked would bring a general reproch upon the Christian profession among the enemies of it and discredit the truth for when Christians have the repute of Adamites who will turn Christians sober men will be loath to take a woman to wife that hath the impudency to shew her self naked to an assembly and would esteem it next to taking one from the stewes If they shall say to all this as Mr. Tombes said in his Sermon it is not necessary they be naked I reply saith he First if it be next to naked the difference is not great and the former inconveniences will follow and God would not have the Iewes go up by steps on his altar lest their nakednesse be discovered thereon Cam was curst for beholding his fathers nakedness Christ tells us it is adultery to look on a woman to lust after her the Scripture forbids filthiness and uncleannesse as not to be named among Saints Secondly such as would have them wholly or mostly covered differ from their partners and to dip them covered will overthrow their own arguments for the necessity of washing the whole body for this will be no washing but a soaking or steeping if they stay in long enough it may wash the garment but the body will be but infused in all likelihood and so I leave this unsavory practise which were it not necessary to confute I should not meddle with it But in these last cases we dispute not against bare words but against experiences and known practises for their naked baptizing is a known thing and the wickednesse that hath followed on some and that some have died on 't and I would saith he have others more wise and escape both dangers onely let me say saith he thus much more that it is very suspicious and to me unsavory that Mr. T. should say no more buâ—… that it is not necessary they should be baptized naked and in cold water as if he took it to be lawful but not necessary me thinks he should rather have given his testimony against it as sinful and expressed some dislike if he â—…e do indeed dislike it and judge it sinful and if he do not I dare say he is very far gone one may see what you are by the words of these men who have here set you out in your colours so that I hope all that read or hear what they say will rather abhor then adore your dipping doings and if you were not a people past all shame and sense of sin me thinks you should abhorre your selves in dust and ashes at the remembrance of your abhominable baseness in this particular yea give me leave to say one word more to you who were a minister once that did baptize infants and it is the words of Mr. Baxter to Mr. Tombes p. 255. I conjecture that by that time you have baptized half as many maids and women naked in a cold River as you have baptiz'd infants like an officiating Priest your feet will either take cold or your heart will take heat if you would be ruled by me you should not indeavour to introduce into the Church a custome for every young minister or neighbour so much as to look on a bathing Bathsheba or Susanna least to those without the name of a Church and a stewes a Presbyter and a Pander a Christian and a fornicator do prove Synonimaes Baptist. To those without I wonder who those are those without your Church must be out of the Nation too for ought I know and cannot well see what is done by you in it but to let that passe Here is thunder enough but no lightning a shrill sound but an empty barrel such is Mr. Baxters book indeed specially this twofold fardle about murder and adultery in which whether there be more noise or non-sense I know not but sure I am there is ten times more twittle-com-twattle then truth this doctrine would make a terrible tumbling in a Country Church as they say and make all the people amazed to hear what manner of men these Anabaptists be but he that sleeps there with his eyes open will be stund no more at the hearing of this clamor then by the barking of the bells in the steeple I must needs confesse that this is matter of weight indeed and a stone is heavy and the sand weighty but a fooles wrath is heavier then them both this soon shot bolt is big enough to hure where it hits but as it happens it hits not us and so happens to hurt them most that mannage it as for us against whom it is managed it rejoices us rather then otherwise sith it reproaches and reviles and saies all manner of evil against us falsely for Christs sake Mat. 5. 11. 12. 1 Pet. 4. 13. 14. 15. if our dipping were such evil doing i. e. murder and adultery as these men say it is we had reason to hang down our heads indeed and might well be ashamed in suffering from them in this particular but sith as Paul said Act. 24. 13. they cannot prove the things whereof they accuse us we are not ashamed but glorifie God on this behalf Of these two accusers of the brethren Mr. Cook is more candid and a little more modest then the other and yet he utters so much that he hath much reason to be ashamed of it for howbeit he does not so audaciously charge us with that foul fact of naked dipping as the other doth yet by some simple supposals First that persons cannot be rightly baptized by dipping with a garment on as if they may not be put under and covered and buried therein cloathed aswell as naked and as if a soaking or steeping in water Mr. Baxters bald conceit of our dipping were not a washing or burying Secondly that it is as unwarrantable to baptize garments as t is for the Papists to baptize bells as if those that baptize persons in garments did as directly and intentionally baptize garments as the
the truth yet many that are baptized do run out to very vise opinions and practises no better then their principles and stop not there indeed as he saies but go much further and degenerate into wayes of wickednesse more abominable then ever in former time and of these Ranters Mr. Copp is none of the least attainers whom Mr. Ba. p. 148. hath very well set forth in his colours for I believe God in Iustice hath given him up and many other besides him to more notoriousnesse of error and enormity then ever any that profest godlinesse But what then shall we impute that fault to his being baptized I trow not for howbeit Mâ—… Ba. so imagines yet it was because he honoured not the truth when he had owned it nor walked in Christ after he had received him in which case how often God gives over to strong delusions is evident not only by the word which declares that when men like not to retain God in their knowledge he oft gives them over unto vile affection But also by sad experience in the world in these last times wherein 2 Pet. 2. 1. 1 Tim. 4 1. and the 2. 3. 1. doctrines of divels are rise among them that once owned the faith yet the faith not a whit in fault for all that but departure from the saith before expressed And that the fall of these men is into worse then ever before it is no argument against but rather for the way they newly fall from the sensuality of such as separate themselves from the true Churches in the later times i. e. congregational after these are once separated from the false ones i. e. the nationall being prophesied of 2 Pet. 2. Iude 19. of old that it should be greater then that of all beastly men that were before them besides corruptio op imi pessima the higher the rise into reformation the more desperate the fall into deformation of those that reform and prove deformed again that greater depth of hell therefore men fall into that fall from us proves the hight of our Churches to be neerer heaven then that of yours for if after they have escaped c. 2 Pet. 2. 20. 21. 22. when Cop was in his standing in the Church of England I remember very well for I knew him better then then ever since he had some bounds from conscience to his corruption but having been once inlightned higher then Mr. Baxter ever was yet in the will and way of God and tasted of the heavenly gift and made a partaker of the holy spirit and obeyed the truth as it is in Jesus and yet fallen away his conscience is feard with a hot iron and I have small hope of his renewing against by repentance who thus denies the Lord that bought him and cruçifies the Lord afresh and is twice dead pluckt up by the Roots a raging wave of the sea foaming out his own shame But what is all this to those that yet walk in truth of baptism more then to warn them that they depart not from it as he hath done lest they come into the same condemnation with him doth it prove baptism to be the cause of that grosness that often followes when a person is baptized in no wise for his non abiding in the love of the truth and that doctrine of Christ gives God occasion to give over to the height of wickednesse I appeal therefore to the conscience of Mr. Baxter 1. Whether the Pope may not by as good consequence charge all these errors that are upon Protestanism saying Thus the Protestants stop not there but run out further from Episcopacy to Presbytery and to Independency and so to Anabaptism and so to all it is true Protestanism is occasioâ—… or causa sine qua non for such as sit still in the smoak of the Popes Traditions are not acquainted with the new found fancies of the Ranter But Protestanism is not the true cause 2 Whether Mr. Ba. be so well aware as he should be what time of day it is when Peter and Iude point out these things so plainly and yet he wonders at them as a Mystery 3. Whether the few owning and the few abiding in the true way of baptism doth not prove it to be the streit and narrow way that leads to life which few find 4. Whether he think we lay not to heart their misery and madnesse that run off from us as well as he and strive not to warn and watch over them as much as he and if so why he blames us more then himself that do what we can so many run to ruin besides some he names were never baptized though neer it as Mr. Saltmarsh 5. Whether it be just to load them that still stick to the truth with the blame of all their blasphemies that go off from it Tâ—…s true the way of truth will be evil spoken of by the Priest by reason of the madnesse of the false Prophet 2 Pet. 2. 2. but that is ought let every reasonable man examine The Rantizer renounces his sprinkling and is baptized in truth and after renounces that and runs on to be a Ranter and then all is reckoned to his baptism poor truth may say quum remini obtrudi potest itur ad me every one shifts it off from himself and truth must carry the scandal and baptism bear the burden of all the Priest and his people are they by whom the false Prophet and his people they by reason of whom the way we walk in is evil spoken of but vae illis per quos vae illis presertim propter quos veritatis via blaspemabitur quam optimum esset utrisque si nati non fuissent Mat. 18. 7. 26. 14. 2 Pet. 2. 2. What force therefore is in this Argument to conclude against the truth of our way yea what absurdity is in all Mr. Baxters Arguments against us you see in all which he sits beside the cushion yea and indeed the whole bulk of them is nothing but a thing full of emptinesse Rantist I would fain see you answer that book as nothing as it is I believe it is more then ever will be answered by any to any purpose Baptist. First there is a great part of his book needs no answering from us being such an absurd aberration from what we hold and practise in contradistinction to him to other things which he undertakes to disprove though we and who doth not do join with him fully in them and do hold as he does as namely almost all those 7 or 8 Arguments from page 125. to page 138. wherein he spends himself mostly in declaring against judgements and practises that are no more ours nor any ones else that I know of more then his own for who holds Christians children quâ Christians children i. e. without their own personal profession of faith and Christianity in which case heathens children may be baptized also are to be baptized when they come to years any more
those dayes not onely before but also after Christ crucified for as in the dayes before Iohn the baptist was beheaded and before Christ crucified all those multitudes of disciples which by each of them were made by teaching were universally baptized either by Iohn confessing their sins or by Christs disciples who dispenst in Christs name for he dispenst not himself in Enon or Iordan or some other places that were convenient Mat. 3. 5. 6. Iohn 3. 22. 13. 4. 1. 2. so even long after Christ crucified raised and ascended were the people that were discipled and converted to the faith before ever they joined in visible Church-fellowship in one body in breaking of bread and prayers baptized all without exception for as it s said Act. 2. 38. 40. 41. 42. of that first Church of the Jews or Hebrews to whom that Epistle was after written they were bid to be baptized every one of them so as many of them as did gladly receive the word of the Lord i. e. as repented and imbraced the Gospel were baptized and then continued in the Apostles doctrine who surely taught them all the six first principles of the oracles or holy things of God at that time Heb. 5. 12. 6. 1. 2. and what more they saw occasion for for with many more other words then those that are recorded did Peter then exhort that people v. 40. and in fellowship and in breaking of bread and prayers so it s said 1. Cor. 12. 13. of the whole Church of Corinth in way of sacramental metonymy whereby that is very familiarly spoken of the thing signified which can be spoken properly onely of the outward sign et retro by one spirit we are all baptized into one body Iewes or Gentiles bond or free none excepted and have been all made to drink into one spirit Yea as these Churches in Iudea Ierusalem and Corinth were all baptized before built up in a body so which of all the Churches were not to whom the Apostles directed afterward those several Epistles All the Romans to whom Paul wrote were baptized all the Galatians were baptized the Ephesians which at first were but 12 disciples that imbraced the truth were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus the Colossians were baptized the Philippians were baptized as we see by Lydia and the Iaylor and all those that believed with them which was the beginning of the Church at Philippi and that the Thessalonians were not baptized is more then bruitish to imagine for surely Paul and Silas that went immediately thither from Philippi where the Iaylor and Lydia and many more were baptized had not got a new doctrine of no-baptism to preach before they came to Thessalonica nay it is evident by the Jews accusation of them Act. 17 6. that what doings and disturbance they were occasion of through their preachings and baptizings at Philippi the same they were by the same means no causes but occasions of at Thessalonica therefore of them say they these that have turned the world upside down are come hither also yea Paul himself hints that to us 1 Thess. 2. 2. that after they had suffered and were shamefully intreated at Philippi they yet were bold to speak to the Thessalonians the Gospel of God the same Gospel sure that they preacht at Philippi for what he did and ordained in one Church the same he did and ordained in all the Churches 1 Cor. 16. 1 with much contention By all which foregoing considerations the Minor of the third main argument above is cleared which assure baptism to be commanded to all without exception therefore a duty from which we are not exempted What Christ commanded to be taught and observed not only in and among all nations of the world but also in all ages and generations thereof even to the very end the same is not ad placitum but de jure not at mens own pleasure but of right to be taught and observed as Christs will and their duty in all nations to this very day But Christ commanded Baptism in water to be taught and observed not onely in and among all Nations of the world but also in all ages and generations therof even to the end Ergo Baptism in water is not at mens own pleasure but of right to be taught and observed as Christs will and their duty in all nations to this very day The Minor which only needs proving needs none neither to him that will but observe how plain it is to every mans understanding in the text For first if baptism be to be taught to and observed as duty among all nations and by every creature therein that hears and believes as t is clear it is both here for teach them saies Christ i. e. all nations to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and did he not command them in the very verse above the observation of that administration of baptism and also Mark 16. 15. 16. where he bids that the Gospel of salvation be from thenceforth tendred on terms of faith and baptism to all the world to every creature capable of being preach to then of necessity in all nations and generations to the worlds end for all nations were not then extant but many nations are risen since that the world then knew not all the world every creature was not in actual being at that time neither could possibly be all baptized unless baptism abide in its right in all ages unto the end by all nations every creature all the world Christ denoted all people of the earth that then were or thereafter should be whom as they should successively arise and grow into capacity for it he would have to be in their several generations successively taught and baptized Besides how plainly doth Christ expresse his meaning to be that this course of baptizing in waâ—…er should be kept a foot in all ages and generations v. 20. where after his precept to observe that dispensation he adds this promise of his presence And lo I am with you alwaies i. e. in your faithful observation of all these things for if men be not found in this way he is disingaged even to the end of the world Amen Whence the argument in form may be thus What way of outward administration Christ not onely required to be observed to the end but likewise promised his people to be present with them during their due observation of to the very end of the world that must stand of right to the very end of the world But Christ hath not onely required that outward administration of water baptism to be observed to the end of the world but likewise hath promised his people to be present with them during their due observation of it to the very end of the world Ergo that administration of water baptism is of right to stand even to the very end of the world The objections that are usually made against what is asserted hitherto
it for want of provision of administrators but that you and such as you are yea and that though some are sent to baptize have such a Supersedeas from being baptized as you pretend to be vouchsafed you by Christ Jesus because you have been loâ—…g of it and been bred up in the Christian Religion is such a strange piece of businesse as I know not in any wise what to make of who in forohominum ecclesiae at least take baptism to be the visible badge that so distinguishes between those that are of the Christian Religion and other people that who so shall say he is of the Christian religion and yet never was nor will be baptized must excuse me if according to the tenor of Christs Testa ment I own him not as yet to be a Christian. What you call the Christian Religion in which you say you were bred up I know not if you mean the doctrines of faith repentance and good manners alone as yet and abstract from baptism this whether it be a great while or but a little while since you began to put it in practise the matter is much at one for degrees as to the length or shortnesse of the time since we were converted do not vary the nature of the case this I say is so far from exempting that t is the onely thing ingaging you to baptism and howbeit you say there is neither as I am sure there is not for baptizing infants yet you cannot possibly but see that there is both president and precept for the baptizing of all believers and of all in any Nations that are discipled so that if you have been converted not lately but long ago and remained till now unbaptized you have so much the more need to hasten to it and instead of being held excused from now doing it at all because you did it not when first you should to be exâ—…uscitated in the words of Ananias to Paul saying and now why tarriest thou arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins calling on the name of the Lord. But if by the Christian Religion which you say you were bred up in you mean either that Christian Religion of the Rantizer that teaches men to change the ordinances of Christ that of baptism specially as to its form and subject and to make void his command through his tradition of a new baptism to all or that Christian Religion of the Ranter that so rebells against that law of Christ that he will give way to have now no water baptism at all these two Religions as Christian as you count and call them are both but Anti-christian with me Ranterist You make such a deal of do about water baptism as so needful that there may be no Church-fellowship held without it but for ought I see yâ—… t is a matter oâ—… no such weight but that we may serve God as acceptably to the full without it for in Christ Iesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh by love Gal. 5. 9. circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing but the keeping the commandaments of God 1 Cor. 7. 19. Baptist. T is true that when Pauâ—… spake this which was when there was an abolition of circumcision so far as was consistent with the Jewes ability to bear it and when it was now de jure to grow out of date then circumcision was nothing and uncircumcision nothing so that t was altogether needlesse to be circumcised but as nothing as it is now yet so something was it once when that testament it was the sign of stood that every soul of whom it was then required that was not circumcised was to be cut off from having fellowship with that Church and people and as nothing as this baptism or no baptism is with you now yet no lesse then this at least must we say of the unbaptized that every soul that shall refuse to be baptized is to have no fellowship with Christs Church and people Acts 2. 41. 42. Secondly as nothing as circumcision and uncircumcision baptism or no baptism are with you yet faith which worketh by love is something as Paul himself also doth seem to hint and the keeping of the commandements of God which love to the Lord Jesus he that saies he can expresse without keeping his commandements among which baptism in water is not the leaâ—… and without counting those commands of his not too grievous to submit to makes either Christ a lyar or elle himself Ioh. 14. 23. 1 Iohn 2. 4. 5. 1 Iohn 5. 2. 3. Thus farre concerning water baptism to which in the primitive times there were and in all times also where in it is or shall be truly dispenst and sincerely submitted to there assuredly are or will be two other baptismâ—… concomitant viz. First a baptism with sufferings Secondly a baptism with the holy spirit to support under those sufferings in order to the being baptized with the last of which baptisms there was then an ordinance or administration of Christ viz. prayer and laying on of hands which was practised toward all believers after baptism in water which as it was kept on foot from the Apostles daies and downward among the Churches of Christ in after ages and is as to the substance of the service kept on with far lesse corruption and alteration then that which yet cleaves to their baptism among all but the Presbyterian part of the national priesthood and people so that it is of right to be used in order to the self same end and in the self same manner now as then it was because the present use and practise thereof is so openly not to say obstinately denied not onely by the Ranter who rases the whole foundation and the Presbyrerian and Independent Rantizer who rase down that or at least do not raise it but also by several societies of persons baptized who to the great grief of such congregations as own the whole truth and are built upon the whole foundation or beginning doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles do yet ignorantly withstand it and some even of these bitterly band against it I shall the Lord assisting in all possible meeknesse brevity and plainnesse make good unto them and that in this one single long-winded syllogism onely least the presse which now presses on apace after me and is at the very heels of me all along at my penning of this whole businesse called Anti-ranterism should overtake me and stand still for want of such supply as it expects hourly from me least also I out run too much as I have almost done already the bounds prefixed to this interposed Treatise the Minor proposition of which argument being proved and cleared from those clouds of objection wherewith some strive to darken it will both evince and evidence the continuance of that service also in its right use to this day so sufficiently that howbeit much more might be spoken yet no more shall at this
same in kind distinguished onely by the different capacities of membership and ministership eldership messengership to each of which laying on of hands was Antecedent yea these were one and the same kind of imposition of hands used all in order to one and the same end in general viz. receiving the holy spirit or as occasion was more and more of the spirit in a measure answerable to their places diversified onely by the different degrees or stations in the Church to which they were thereby visibly designed but what if there were never so many kinds of laying on of hands is it therefore so impossible to determine as by your query you seem to imagine which among all the rest is meant in such or such a place shall we think the Apostles meant to deliver the mind and doctrine of Christ and that in the very principles or first rudiments of it too which ought to be the plainest in such obstruse dark and aeâ—…igmatical wayes that men should scarcely be capable possibly to know what they meant there 's several sorts of baptism spoken of in the Scripture is it therefore so difficult if men be not willing as some are to puzzle themselves besides the practise of water baptism to know when he speaks of water when of sufferings when of the spirit But to the questionâ—…ith some will needs though needlesly query which of all these layings on of lands the Scripture speaks of is called the foundation principle or beginning doctrine I answer that laying on of hands that t was dispensed with prayer on baptized believers not as yet to be set apart to office mentioned Act. 8. 15. 16. 17. not in order to gifted mens giving it for though you will mistake us do whatwe can and bring us in as confessing it here yet we ever utterly deny that any men were ever so gifted as that they could give it but in order to Gods giving and our receiving the holy spirit from the Lord that laying on of hands I say is it which in Heb. 6. 1. 2. is called a principle a part of that foundation of Christs doctrine on which the visible Church is built In proof of which let this Argument be considered viz. It s none of all the other kinds of laying on of lands mentioned by you thas is meant Heb. 6. 2. therefore it must necessarily be that Most undoubâ—…edly â—…s not that mentioned Luke 21. 12. where its said prophetically as concerning the wickeds persecution of the Saints thâ—…y shall lay their hands on you c. which we read of also as fulfilled accordingly and spoken of historically Act. 5. 18. they laid their hands on the Apostles and put them in prison c. Fâ—…rst because that is not simply a laying on of hands but a laying on of violent hands and so it should be â—…ead if the word there used were rightly 〈◊〉 and translated into its true English out of the Greek for t is not the same but a word of a far different sense from that which is used every where else where this 〈◊〉 of imposition of hands is spoken of for one â—…ounds forth as much as a violent handling the other a gentle putting or laying our hands upon the persons Secondly as for that violent laying on of hands in way of persecution wherby the saints suffer that 's included in the doctâ—…ine of baptisms immediately foregoing it belonging to one of the three viz. the bitter baptism of sufferings as a branch thereof so that it were but confusion and tautology to expresse that ore again as if t were another doctrine which was but a part of the doctrine going before by another name and such a one too as is never given it in the original viz. of impoiâ—…ion of hands Thirdly whatever doctrine is called a principle or part of the foundation of the doctrine of Christ Heb. 6. 2. the same is called Heb. 5. 12. one of the principles of the oracles or the holy things of God But the laying on of violent hands on the saints in way of persecution is one of the principles of the devils doctrine and a principal part of the very foundation of his kingdome yea one of the most wicked things â—…hat the devil does or delivers aâ—… Christs doctrine to his disciples Nor was it a laying on of hands though such a one was used some times in order to healing the sick or curing the blind that was taught as a principle and practically ownd and laid as a part of the foundation among all the Hebrewes Heb. 5. 12. 6. 1 2. for they were neither all sick surely nor all blind when they past under this dispensation so as to have all need to have hands laid on them all upon such accoâ—…nts as healing or curing Nor was it in order to ordination of them to offices that they might be gifted and sitted by the spirit thereunto for the laying on of hands there spoken of was laid as a principle as a part of the foundation on which the Church stood but the laying on of hands to set apart men to administer either temporal things or spiritual things in the Church is no principle nor beginning thing nor foundation anâ—…cedent to the Church as every foundation must be to the building for the visible Church ever since the first Apostles whose doctrine was the foundâ—…tion to it was antecedent to its officers and not they to it the churches were first collected and constituted upon the foundation or first form of doctrine delivered by the Apostles and then offiâ—…ers were ordained in every Church for the true visible Church may be without officers though not without ordinances but Church officers cannot be chosen nor ordained in it till there be a Church besides this imposition Heb. 6. 2. was learnt owned and laid by the whole body of the Church whom he reproves saying ye might have been teachers but ye had need to be taught again which be the first principles of the oracles of God but they were not all at first surely by laying on of hands ordained to office As to the sixth question of the Enquirers which is also the last that I am to speak to having spoke to the seventh and 〈◊〉 above which with the ground thereof runs thus it is grounded upon such a grosse and grievous mistake that I am almost amazed that of the fifteen hands that subscribe to those Questions not one of them did find occasion to subscribe his dissent to this for whereas t is supposed and proposed so publiquely for truth by the Enquirers that Heb. 6. 2. speaks not of any one layiâ—…g on of hands onely but pluâ—…ally as of the doctrine of baptisms its most palpably apparent to such as are not a sleep in their reading of that text that it speaks in the singular number of one laying on of hands alone and not of layings on of hands as it must have been expressed for so you aâ—…e fain to expresse it
your selves when you speak plurally of it in your fifth question had he meant more kinds of imposition of hands then one for though hands be the plurall number yet laying on which is the phrase you speak to or else you speak nihil ad Rhombum is a substantive of the singular number both in the English and in the Greek and suppose the spirit had spoken plurally of more imposioâ—…s of hands then one must that that was Act. 8. 17-19 6. on baptized believers be ever the more excluded or the more incuded rather in all likelyhood among the rest and because the Apostle does not speak particularly enough nor distinguish nor expresse plainly enough what he means by shewing the end purpose and event of the imposition here spoken of therefore belike he meant that no body should ever own this principle at all but the truth is he speaks of no more impositions then one Therefore to conclude with the Enquiâ—…ers question propounded thus to themselves we desire to know what safety it is for any man to conclude that question to be worthy of an answer that is so falsely grounded as this of the Enquirers is and to conclude that Heb. 6. 2. is meant of more layings on of hands when it expresly speaks but of one And so deâ—… Friends whom I love too well to spare speaking plainly to you in a case whâ—…rein upon occasion of your putting on too too rashly in print little lesse then against it a precious truth of Christ lyes at stake between us since you are pleased to urge and importuâ—…e us so earnestly at the close of your questionâ—… by the opportunity that you have thereby put into our hands to justify our practise viz. laying on of hands upon all baptized believers as we love the glory of God and the promoting of that which we so highly esteem and hold to be truth as we will declare our love to the truth by countenancing men who diligently make search after iâ—… as we tender the union and communion of the Churches c. that we would discharge our duty and try if we could make it appear by the word of God which I confesse with you is able to instruct us in all things and therefore though much might be said from the constant practise of the Churches in and boâ—…dering upon the primitive times to the further clearing up of the truth in this point yea men far better studied that way then I am who yet see sufficiently to my satisfaction â—…ell us that all Antiquity teacheth laying on of hands after baptism yea and some that never practised neither it nor true baptism yet I wave â—…ll such Arguments aâ—… of no weight without the word Since also you promise us that if we so do then you shall acknowledg the truth thereof to the glory of God and your own shame in being ignorant so long and speedily imbrace it if God so assist you by his word professing you will to that purpose expect our faithfull care to be expessed with chearfullnesse without making delaies in a matter of so great importance which may unite and establish us in one mind hereupon I could not in conscience but take so much notice of your questions they meeting me also just in the mouth whilest I was musing to say some little but not a quarter so much as here is to evince the noncessation of this service as well as that of baptism as to give this transient answer as I travel along being bound also as you hint to me to give to every one that asketh it a reason of the hope that 's in me with meeknesse and fear so desiring the Lords blessing upon it towards you and upon you in your examination of it and as you have light your execution according to it that such excaecation as the Ranter who is run out of the reach of reason hath by little and little queried himself into may never overtake you I remain both yours and every ones servant for Christs sake Thus much concerning the continuation of that practise of laying on of hands now as to the present use of the ordinances of breaking of bread and church-fellowship I shal speak but briefly to that forasmuch as these are services the continuance of which to the end is denied doctrinally by none for ought I know but the Ranter that is run up above all saving that the Rigid Piesbyterians though in words they own the supper yet in works do deny it for many if not most of them live in the neglect of that administration of the supper in their parishes some four some five some six seven eight years without any use of it at all as if there were no such matter as that now in being for others I mean a certain mixt sort of Independents that are rife in these dayes they own and practise it and Church fellowship too more then enough unlesse more orderly in respect of that Antecedency to these of all the principles of the doctrine of Christ which ought to be now as it was in the primitive times which times they pretend to reform by taking in Omnium generum an Omnigatherum of persons men and women whom they take to be believers into fellowship in one visible body in breaking of bread and prayers some whereof having renounced their Rantism as null are truly baptized some as yet but meerly Rantized yet supposing themselves sufficiently baptized because of that which can be of no use to them as a sign for they remember it not some hanging in the air between both not satisfied whether they were truly baptized in infancy yea or no some doubting whether any water baptism at all be needful to be used in these times some convinc't that they ought to be baptized but not yet finding any Administrator that fits their fancies some resolved to be baptized but Christ who expects it from them must wait their leasure none reproving their procrastination nor saying to them as Ananias to Paul and now why tarriest thou arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins calling on the name of the Lord or as Peter to the Iews repent and be baptized Some resolving never to be baptized but roundly renouncing all water baptism as nothing concerning them yet leaving them at liberty to act according to their light that have a mind to submit to it and who see it their duty as if the plain word of Christ in this point of baptism were such a nose of wax as might be moulded and metamorphosed into any model according to every mans mind and temper or quite canceld disanuld melted into no word of Christ at all at every mans haughty humour that is loath to debase himself so far as to submission to it as if my Lord and my Lady and Sir such a one had more dispensation from Christ thenevery ordinary body to shew for their non-obedience to that dispised dispensation some of them that are baptized under prayer
his heart to the grief of it another way that the power and purity of Christs ordinances are a 1000 fold more strictly stickled for according to the Covenant by us then by all those Orthodox ones he talks of who the more shame for them do so zealously and constantly oppose us we therefore cannot rationally be denominated Hereticks and Sciasmaticks in separating from and practising contrary to you in the point of baptism so long as we keep close to the primitive truth gladly both preaching and receiving the word as t is preacht by Peter Act. 2. â—…aying repent and be baptized every one of you repenting and being baptized accordingly and after that continuing in the rest of the Apostles doctrine and fellowship in breaking of bread and prayers and though we draw never so many disciples from you after us yet the man is out of his Christian wits that deputes and declares this to be Heresie and Schism sith so far are we herein from rending from and refusing to be reduced to the Church that we indeed earnestly endeavour to reduce them to the true Church to the true head Christ the true constitution the true Baptism and Gospel order from which they are rent and run astray wondring after a false Church a false head viz. a Lording Priesthood and Parochial posture both which derive all their being from Dâ—…ephes i. e. his prating Preheminence the Pope But now as for your selves the PPPriesthood of the Nations who mostly deny not but that the primitive baptism was of believers and dispenst in Rivers or places of much water which was needlesse if sprinkling was then the way you have a thing among you indeed which you call Baptism but t is not that one Baptism that old Baptism then urged and used but another a new Baptism and yet to say the truth neither another nor A new Baptism but A-no-Baptism Rantism Babism a toy of your own taking up by tradition from your forefathers but not the first fathers that were the founders of the Christian Church for you find it not there but fetch it further from thence by such consequence as besides the remotnesse of it is too weak and rotten to carry it downwards to these times you are they that dissent and rend from the truth in this point of baptism and draw all the world to Sectarize and erre after you by a law by your subpaena directories yea you pretendedly reforming Presbyters who peculiarize the term of Orthodox to your selves even you as to the right administration of the outward right of baptism are not a whit lesse Erratical Heretical Schismatical and Heterodox then the Pope for as he hath another baptism then that which was in the primitive times viz. infant rantism which by the mouth of his cardinal Bellarmine he confesses to be but a tradition of the Church so you have no other then the same yea you own that for good baptism which is done at Rome or else how to prove the Popish Bishops to be baptized themselves that baptized and ordained you Presbyters you plainly know not yet you falsely father it upon Christ and fain it to be an ordinance of his then which nothing is more clear then that it is not And as in point of baptism you all erre not knowing or at least not doing according to the Scriptures all means used to reduce you thereunto notwithstanding so in the supper and many more matters pertaining to that visible Church order that was in those times as namely impropriating to your selves sole power of speaking in your Churches i. e. steeple-houses so that your members may well say men mutire nefas it is not for them to open their mouthes there unlesse to answer when you catechise them whereas then all the Church were to covet to prophesie i. e. to speak mutually to the exhortation edification and comfort each of other and being gifted might all women onely excepted prophesie one by one and every one minister as of the ability God gave them great or small that God in all things might be glorified and all judge of the doctrine delivered but with you what doctrine ere ye deliver men may try it if they will but must take it whether they will or no the mouths of all must be muzzled up save such as in your sense are ministers i. e. have some Parchment Preachment orders to shew from such as can shew their orders from his Highnesse the head of the Church not Christ but his Holinesse the Pope who had his from the beast Rev. 17. who had his from the devill Rev. 13. yea verily as to the external face and fashion of the first Churches you have altogether altered it from what it was and brought in a businesse of your own heads being all gone aside and altogether become vain in your wayes as to your administrations of Gospel ordinances so that there is none of you that are in the right way of the primitive Churches no not one yea ye are separated from and make a head against the true head of the Church Christ Jesus and take upon you to head the Church your selves for this is not the fault of P the Pope onely but of PP i. e. you Prelates and Presbyters too who howbeit you seem to throw off that supremacy or headship which the Pope had once and laies claim to still in the protestant part of Christ'ndom yet in your several Christ'ndoms you have been not nominally but really as supreme in Church work as he and that not over the people onely but civil powers also to whom in all cases Ecclesiasticall and civill though you say you grant the headship or Supreame Government under Christ yet how doth that appear sith they only Corrective but you Directive till of late have done all for the Bishops and Sinods and General Convocations of the Clergy and assemblies of the Kirk seeundum te must determine what is to be done by Magistrates in Church affairs and they do it accordingly The Priests must give out the word and sentence what is the worship the way the faith the truth what Heresy and Schism who are Hereticks and Schismaticks and then the Princes in all their Dominions establish the one and root out the other as Rogues at their appointment in which cases saving the bare name of supremacy over the Churches which hath been allowed it is difficult to me to discern whether Christian Kings have not been as of old under the Popedome so more lately under the very Protestant Clergy as the Bosholder under the Constable at his discretion direction to whip the beggars and though you may say and so saies the Pope too that you claim to head and order the Church directive no otherwise then under Christ yet in very deed as he for all his saying so you have presumed to set your selves above Christ the only head Counseller Lord and Lawgiver to his Church for as the Pope hath done no more then
peraphrasticall amplification and genuine application thereof so that both you and the World may read as it were in text letters your own abstâ—…act from that of mine when you please and signing the Titles of the CCClergy whether true or surreptitious with three letters in the front as C. C. C. P P P c. most commonly when I speak of â—…hem in the lump to denote the three P P Parts into which that great City B B Babylon which they make stands divided I proceed as followeth That Herestes must be the Apostle hath said yet it makes no more for a tolleration of them in the true Church I mean though others mean in the civil state than that of our Saviour of offences saying foreseeing no question how by means of the Clergies crying out Heresie Heresie Schism against the way of truth being once turned aside to Heresie themselves the world would be offended at his little ones for walking in it They must come but wo to the man by whom they come the Apostle reckons Herestes among the works of the flesh Idolatry Witchcraft c. Gal. 5. 20. which alone to argument sufficient against the Patronagâ—… and Invitation of them unless withal license in the true Church should be given to all other carnal sins why should the Church of God upon Earth make much of those against whom the Kingdome of Heaven shall be â—…ut her pale is not so strong to keep them out from breaking in upon her like wild bores and wolves to spoil and wast her but her good will should not be so great to them as to wellcome them in to her fellowship till they repent from their dead works of superstition bloody tenet of persecution for cause of conscience worshipping God after mens traditions blaspheming the name of God and his Tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven trampling the holy City Heresie Schism from the primitive truth c Neverthelesse how beit to tolerate and harbour Hereticks in communion with them whilest they oppose the true way of Christ would be an error and an evill too intollerable in a true Church of Christ yet I hold that opinion of the C C Clergy not onely intollerably Heretical in it self but intollerably hurtful also to themselves that Hereticks may not be tolerated in a civil state for if Fines Prisons Banishments Racks Wâ—…ips Tortures headings hangings burningâ—… and such like punishments with the civil sword were the due of every Heretick and Schismatick in the faith as the C C Clergy have for ages and Generations born the world in hand that they are to the causing of all these their national Church censures to be inflicted on the Saints when they have once blindly sentenct them to be Schismaticks to the civil power if this I say were the due of every Heretick or Schismatick and every true Heretick and Schismatick had his due too good Lord how have the C C Clergy condemned themselves out of their own mouthes to devastation when the civil powers shall find them to be the Arch-Hereticks in the world if taking them at their word they shall do with them as they say they ought to do in this case concerning others but God forbid that with what judgement they judge they should be judged and with what measure they meet it should be measured to them again at our suggestion if their own Cheek-by-jole carriage to the Stern-men of the State do not pull it unavoidably upon themselves yea verily though as far as those that oppose themselves against the truth of Christ they may well challenge the name of Schismaticall Hereticks and though Amen might justly be said by the Magistrate in this point to the opinion of Gangraena and his Gang and might Amen be said to his wise wishes as concerning us who teach and practise baptism in its primitive fashion we could expect to be suffered in the Common-wealth no more then High-way Murderers yet dare we not desire their extirpation out of any of their native rights in the several states wherein they are nor such uncivill suppression of them meerly for their erroneous Tenets as they have sollicited the higher powers to concerning us we have not so learned Christ nor would they if they had heard him and had been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus for howere it comes to passe that the C C Clergy whose own the worst would he if that were true and execution done accordingly are so besotted as to believe that Hereticks and Schismaticks from the faith men of false waies worships religions though elsewise never so peaceable and innocent must not onely be dischurched but discommunicated also from the patronage of the civil power and cut off from the priviledges of other Subjects yet neither Christ nor any of his Apostles as from him gave any order for such rigid rejection indeed the Apostle Paul wills in his Epistle to Titus cap. 3. who was a Church officer that a Heretick after a second and third admonition be rejected i. e. from the Church and Gal. 5. 12. wishes that they were cut off from the Church that did trouble the Church and Rev. 2. 20. 21. the Church of Thyatira was reproved for suffering that woman Iezebel which calleth her self a prophetesse to teach and seduce his servants to fornication i. e. false worships c. but it will noâ—… follow therefore that such may not have license to live civilly in civil states for the weapons of the Churches warfare wherewith she is to fight against Heresies and which she is ever to have in readinesse to revenge all disobedience to Christ by are noâ—… carnall 2 Cer. 10. 4 5 6. not such as are used by the officers of States but onely spirituall as admonition reproof and in case of obstinacy putting out from among them delivering up to Satan and not delivering up to the secular power as the Popish Priesthood used to do when any of their creatures specially of their Clerico-creatures turned Hereticks i. e. departed from their Heresies to the truth saying pray take him into your power and be merciful to him meaning hang or burn him for a Heretick The Church I say is neither to use the carnal weapons of the State nor yet to stirr up the State so to use them on 〈◊〉 and truths behalf as to imprison sine hang burn or banish false worshippers unbelievers misbelievers or Hereticks further then they are withall as by meer unbelief they are not offenders against the civil State I find the Lord Christ foretelling by himself and his Apostles that for the most part the more is the pitty the Rulers Kings Governours and Princes of the world would be such enemies against his Gospel that his Disciples should be hald before them as evill doors for his names sake Matth. 10 18. that not many mighty and noble men would own his truth 1 Cor. 1. 26. that rich men would oppresse the Church and draw them before their Judgement seats and
at any that any persons should be spared or but so much as favoured in any measure in such a case for their religions sake though it be the tâ—…e one and they of never so high account and eminent standing in it For howbeit the men who are commonly but not properly called Clergy but specially the Clergy immediately under the Popes supremacy were priviledged so far as to stand exempted from the reach of the civill law and to save themselves the trouble of being hanged when they had deserved it as much as other men by a businesse called the benefit of the Clergy i. e. the immunity of the Clergy from the civil law some relikes of which benefit the Clergy once had and still hath in some places seem to me to remain in our civil Courts wherein we see in some capital crimes the malefactour si legat ut Clericus if he can but read like a Clerk or Clergy man he escapes execution when else he should have died without remedy which favour is also called the benefit of the Clergy yet we desire that no manner of men may have exemption from the course of civil Justice yea if we whom they call Anabaptists do any thing at any time wordly of death by the civil law rightly regulated we refuse not to die but as we desire that others should so are we willing our selves in civil matters to stand at Caesars i. e. the civil Magistrates judgement seat where we ought to be judged in such cases and thus did Paul when accused by the Priests as a Pestilent fellow and a mover of sedition meerly for preaching the Gospel To the Jews saith he have I done no wrong nor yet against Caesar have I offended c. therfore no man may deliver me to them I appeal unto Caesar Act. 24. 5. 12. 13 14. 20. 25 8. 11. where we see that in case of civil injury charged upon him as committed by him he appeals to Câ—…sar to judge though Cesar was a heathen and he a Christian and not of Cesars Religion which he had been a mad man in doing had the question been simply about the right Religion yea when any question a aroâ—…e in the Church about Religion as in the point of circumcision Act. 15. the Apostles Elders and brethren considered of it among themselves consulting the mind of the spirit in the word and had they not agreed it they would not have referred it nor had any not conformed to their determination in that point would they have complained of them to Câ—…sar and as Paul would not stand at Cesars judgement seat in Religious as he desired to do in civil so Cesars Deputies would not meddle at all as Magistrates in Religious cases for when the Jews set Paul before the judgement seat of Gallio deputy of Aâ—…haia and complained saying This fellow perswadeth men to worship God contrary to the law Gallio said if it were a matter of wrong or wicked lowdnesse O ye Iews reason would that I should bear with you but if it be a question of words and names of your law look ye to it for I will be a judâ—…e of no such matters and he drave them from the judgement seat as who should say we are set to keep civil peace and right among you but not at all to determine you in your worships Oh therfore that the Magistracy would consider it that they are set not to force men to submit all to one worship nor yet sorcibly to suppresse either Heresie or truth but to prevent tumultuoulness about either If Demetrius and the craftsmen of like occupation who make shrines for Diana have a matter of wrong against any let the civill law be open and let them plead each other there but if the enquiry be concerning other matters as namely setting at nought their craft prophaning the Temples of their Goddesse and destroying their false worships by plain preaching of truth what 's Heredox what Orthodox in worship c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let that be determined in a lawfull Assembly i. e. as the word is in the Greek insome lawful Church congregation or select meeting for that purpose Last of all though the Lord prohibit the standing of Idolators c. in the Church 2 Cor. 6. Rev. 2. yet he himself who could presently root them out if t were his mind permits not onely true but also falseworshippers Hereticks c. to have a being in the world and therefore me thinks Gods Vicegerent should not be against it It is according to the will of God himself permitting not approving them that heresies do arise but its according to his good will approving and in his word appointing that they shall stand in the world when risen further then they can be annihilated by the word And as the Scripture shewes how far he himself tolerates them so the Divines themselves as shy as they are of having them tollerated do Give these good Reasons of Gods suffering of Hereticks 1 For the discovering of the sound that Gold and Silver may be known from hay and stubvle that by the Devills sitting of us the good corn may be discerned from chaâ—… it is the Apostles Reason 1 Cor. 11. 19. that they which are approved may be known for who they are that with the weapons of the Churches warfare are valiant for the truth indurers of hardship as good Souldiers of Christ c. would not appear if there were no Hereticks False worshippers Antichristians Truth treaders c. to try them true love to Christs truth can never be seen if never tryed nor tryed if truth never opposed hated hunted and that to death too sometimes by the fierce wrath and cruel malice of its enemies 2. That truth may be discussed and fetcht out as fire from the concussions of flint and steel Truth had not been fetcht half so far out of the dark nor from under that Popish Smoother of traditions at this time as it is had not the C C Clergy so hotly hunted it and so fiercely clasht against all that came out to clear it If there had not been an Hereticall C C Clergy crying out Heresie against all truth the world had never heard so much of it in these latter daies as now it hath and I verily perswade my self that as the day breakes and the shadowes fly away the way of truth in the hearts of the Just and in the eyes of the of the world by how much the CCClergy calls Heresie upon it shall shine more and more still to the perfect day if Luther and Calvin had not been and that so fiercely slung at by Popish Priests because they preached against indulgencies and selling pardons for money and against the Lordlines of the Popish Hirrachy they had not heard so much against them but that they might have sold more pardons then they have done since and the 2 latter litters of Spiritual lords that qua CCClergy came out of the
Popes â—…oins the two P Priesthoods of the Protestant party might have lorded it longer like their father who will never be dead as long as they are alive had they not been as iron and steel against truth and true worshippers whom God makes as hard as slint against their faces that by their concussions against it he may the more fully fetch it forth the oppositions and imprisonments which Paul met with from the adverse party whereby they intended to smoother it in his daies fell out rather to the furtherance of the Gospel for it came to be the more manifest in all places by means of errors so earnest appearance against it 1 Phil. 12. to 19. Thus truth hath gained ground not a little in these latter daies by the ominous onsets wherewith falsehood fights it and would fain fright and force it to hide its head and wisdome works out it self not a little to light by follies flying so furiously at the face of it 3. That the truth might be better loved and more price set upon it we prize light the more by our knowledge of darkness health by our sense of sicknesse errour is a foil to a Diamond truth looks more lovely being compared with it The lilly looks most lovely and beautifull when it stands among black thornes 2 Cant. 2. the stars though ever obvious to us would never shine if there were no night contraria juxta se posita maxime eluâ—…scant contraries set together discover each other more lively in their severall loathsome or lovely formes the light of the Sun shewes brightest seemes sweetest when it breaks from under a dark cloud so does the Sun of righteousnesse now arising appear the more lovely by how much it hath been hid from the earth now of long time by that dismall darknesse and smoak of Heresies erroneous false worships and foolish figments with which the CCClergy hath filled all parishes throughout CCChristendome 4 For the punishment of hypocrites nominall Christians curious Minds such as have itching eares and heap unto themselves teachers stragling sheep fall into the wolves clutches such as will not keep the steps of the flock but go after the flocks of the Companions ever fall into most dangers of seducement all which is most plain by too woful experience in all Nations of CCChristendome for while Christianity and the Gospel was professed sincerely as it was saving some remote beginnings of mens traditions to take place against the commands of Christ in the first three hundred years wherein t was evidenced by the ten bloody persecutions that Christians served Christ for love then and not for loaves nor for lives sake neither for they loved not their lives unto the death there were not half so many Hereticks or Heresies as have been since but when once after Constantine Christianity comming into credit and being not onely owned by the Emperors themselves but established by their edicts in all things according to the pattern shewed them in the word not of Christ but of the Catholique Clergy convened in Councels as the Religion sub paena to be submitted to men turned Christians upon such sleight grounds and were born to that Name of Christianity without the Nature no otherwise then of the will of man and were no more then nomine tenus professors of it the Lord in his just and 〈◊〉 judgement to these nominal Christians permitted those Spiritual plagues that we â—…e Rev. 8. Rev. 9. seconded the sounding of the trumpets to fall thick and three fold upon the world suffered the Clergy to fall to contentions jars and janglings about their ambitious interests viz. primacy and universallity c and to Apostatize more and more from the plain primitive truth and to degenerate be degrees into darknesse till they came at last to be totally blinded in things of God and blind leaders of the blind Princes and people that implicitly gâ—…ve up themselves to be guided by them that both might drop together into the ditch yea he suffered that great star the Bishop of Rome that sometime shone very bright to fall as wormwood upon the third part of the waters the pure doctrine of the Gospel i. e. to foist in his heresies to the poisoning and imbittering of the doctrine so that many died even all that drank thereof because it was bitter and unwholsome and he suffered the third part of the Sun and Moon and Stars all the means and waies of Christs own institution and appointment to give light unto men by to be smitten and darkned corrupted covered with false glosses depraved with heaps of heresies and traditions c. crept in and authorized by the Pope and his Ecclesiastical Dâ—…ctors so that what with the damnable and horribly devillish heresies by means of Mahomet and his Alcoran infecting the Orientall Christians through all Asia and these Papisticall errors of those Arch-Hereticks the Pope and CCClergy and Scholastick Rabbies who with vain deceit seduced the Occidental part of the world from the simplicity that is in Christ the day shone not for a third part of it the might likewise i. e. the third part of that pure and pretious truth of Christ which shined in the primitive Churches was now exclipsed and extinguisht neither had men by the third part so much of that clear light of Christs Gospel that they were wont to have in former dayes yea further in way of plague and punishment to hypocrites and meer nominal Christians the Lord at last suffered that star which fell before or angel of the Church of Rome when he was fallen from all his heavenlinesse and love of truth to earthlinesse and love of money and honour from beneath to open the bottomlesse pit i. e. the way to the very depth of hellish darknes and to raise up a smoak or thick fog of errors and heresies lies traditions which as the smoak of some great furnace darkened the sun and air i. e. totally put out the light of Scripture and pure administrations which were but 〈◊〉 part ecclipsed before so that now nothing could be seen as it were but Popish legends and such stuff by the advantage of which smoother the Locuâ—…s came out i. e. the Clergy that swarmed all over the earth in every parish one at least stinging hurting wounding to eternal death by their poisonous doctrines propounded under pretence of the word of Christ all persons save such as have the seal of God in their foreheads even a few witnesses to the truth that withstood their doctrins which locusts are said to be scorpions i. e. carrying a fair face but stings in their tailes and to have crowns because of their great power for under their great King Apollyon they rule all and reign ore the Kings of the earth These are they that outwardly wear the sheeps cloathing i. e. cloth themselves with the denominations of Clergy Gods heritage Spiritual men Priests men of God which are the true titles of the sheep but
inwardly are ravening wolves into whose clutches the stragling sheep that would not keep the steps of the flock of Christ but turned aside after the flocks of the companions going at a venture which way the most went for companies sake right or wrong did fall and by whose Heretical principles men are in danger of perishing for ever Thus when the world would be nominally yet not really Christians obeying the pure word of Christ would not endure sound doctrin but having itching ears that loved to be tickled not grated upon grew weary of the plaines of the Gospel saying to the Seers see not and to the Prophets prophecy not prophecy not unto us right things speak unto us smooth things prophecy deceits get ye out of the way turn aside out of the path cause the holy one of Israel to cease from before 〈◊〉 despising his word and rufusing to hear the Law of the Lord as they of old Isa. 30. then the Lord gave them their own hearts lusts and sent leanes withall into their souls granted them heapes upon heaps of such Cater-pillars as should dwel at their own doors and devoute their soules and delude them with Heresie and false divinations and as their pay for so doing should devour also the tenth of their labours â—…ay the sixth in all parishes through the Nations he removed the candlestick out of his place and because they walked not in the light thereof whilst they had it let darkness come upon them he gave them Priests that should teach for hire and Prophets that should divine for money and say is not the Lord among us none evil can come upon us Mic. 2. 11. he gave them like people like Priest a people not willing to be taught and a Priesthood not able to teach he removed their truth-teachers into a corner so that their eyes should see no more such teachers nor their ears hear any voice behind them saying this is the way walk in it and so opened the flood gates for all manner of horrible Heresies to flow in upon them he powred upon them the spirit of deep sleep and closed their eyes the Prophets their Rulers their Seers he covered so that the vision of all became unto them as the words of a book sealed which if delivered to their learned men saying read this I pray they cannot for it is sealed if to their ignorant people saying read this they cannot for they are not learned t is for their Orthodox Divines and not for them to read and expound the Scripture for as much as the people drew neer to God with their mouth and with their lips did honour him with Gloria Patries c buâ—… removed their hearts far from him and would have their fear towards him taught by the precepts of men therefore the Lord proceeded to do a marvellous work in all Christ'ndome yea a marvellous work a wonder for the wisdome of their wise men perisht and the understanding of their prudent men was hid and the Lord left them to do their works in the dark and to turn all things upside down and to put a bridle upon the jawes of the people and ride them from Ierusalem unto Babilon even to all manner of Heresie blindnesse and confusion for ages and generations together Lastly to provoke the Pastors to diligence and watchfulness to prove them whether they be hirelings or not such as will flie when the wolf comes or lay down their lives for the sheep therefore the Apostle Paul speaking specially of that very time wherein the insolency and obstinacy of Hereticks and Schismaticks should increase to such a height as not to indure sound doctrine but rather to turn from the truth and turn to fables and heap false teachers to themselves to tickle them up in their lusts preach down and act no patience but rather persecution toward those that preach up the truth in consideration thereof charges Timothy to whom he left the oversight of the Church at Ephesus in order to the making full proof of his ministry to stand to it then with so much the more diligence to preach the word and be instant in season and out of season to reprove rebuke and exhort with all long suffering and doctrine to watch in all things indure the afflictions that should befal him from the hands of wolvâ—…sh spirited men 2 Tim. 4 1. ad 8. And indeed this is that which should move the Pastors of the several congregations of Christ and such whom the holy spirit hath made Overseers of that little flock of his in these daies to take good heed both to themselves and all that flock for throw the negligence of the Pastors turning Hereticks yea wolves themselves in former dayes the sheep have been most miserably misled and rul'd over with force and cruelty and this will be a proof of their love to Christ above their lives if they shall give all diligence to the feeding of the sheep and lambs of Christ not flying for fear of men from that worthy work not forbearing nor shunning to deliver unto them the whole councel of God at this day though there be so many CCClergy men to croak against them for it And here let it be well noted that whether here or wherever throughout this discourse I dilate on the duty of the Pastors and put them on to performance of it I mean the Pastors of the Churches which are commonly called Anabaptists which are among the Nations as sheep among wolves as the lilly among thornes rent and torn for their Testimony to the Truth and not YYYou the P P Priesthood Y Y You the P P Pastoralty of the Parishes for verily he is blind that beholds you not to be no Pastors but rather Hâ—…relings yea Wolves Persecutors then Pastors of the sheep of Christ yea even you Presbyterian Pastoralty as well as others Indeed you have the boldnesse to stile your selves the Ministers of Christ but you are wrapt up in a cloud of confusion and contradiction about the proof of your Pedigree as from him yea when its closely quaeried whence you came I mean as to your ministerial function and capacity seeing you cannot derive your ordination by a lineal succession from the Apostles otherwise some of you and I judge the most do not deny but that remotely you receive your orders from the Pope who as you say not as Pope but as Presbyier ordained those Bishops which not as Bishops but as Presbyters ordained you Presbyters though t will prove but Priâ—…sts when all is done if the Antients among you consult the common-prayer book and form of your ordination a pretty series for the Ministers of Christ to descend in why Sirs are you not ashamed of this to cry out against the Pope as Antichrist and Rome as an Apostate strumpâ—…t and yet to hold all you have as a Ministry from and through these and that too since they Apostatized from the truth shall we think that all Christs ministers
point had not happened to them they should see of themselves that men cannot seek secular honour to themselves by siding with such a sect as ever was and ever will be whilest the world stands such is its hatred to the truth every spoken against yea verily the name of these churches that own and keep close to all the principles of Christs doctrine and own the whole truth for Christs sake whose they are both are and yet will be cast out as evil by all other churches yet grant these Churches should grow into more request and favour among men as they do at sometimes more then some Act. 9. 31. yee their Messengers to the world must expect to be continually under clouds and to be counted deceivers disturbers trouble townes turners of the world upside down where ere they come and to be in tumults and dishoâ—…ors and evill reports among most men 2 Cor. 6. 4. 10. yea wo unâ—…o those Ministers that desire all men should speak well of them t is a shrewd sign they are none of Christs I think God hath set forth us Messengers last of all saith Paul of the Messen gers to the Church of Corinth when it was at rest 1 Cor. 4. 9. 13. as men appointed to death for we are made a spectacle to the world and Angels and men we are fools for Christs sake we are weak the Church themselves may be honoured but we must be dispised we hunger and thirst and are naked and are bussetted and have no certain dwelling place and labour working with our hands being reviled we blesse being persecuted we suffer it being defamed we intreat we are made the filth of the world and are the offscouring of all 's things unto this day So that I marvel men should think we seek to be cryed up among men yet thus are we censured by the Clergy and all that ever were forward for the truth and sought to vindicate it in any part thereof since it began to return from under those clouds wherewith the Clergy hath overcast it were so censured by the Common Councel of Clergy men in their several climates as drawing disciples after us that they might be called after our name and not Christs and so wee and not he be glotified The papists calumuiated Luther with it that he affected his disciples should be called Lutherans but he denyed it non sâ—…o fatue non sâ—… oro ut meum nomen taceatur avsâ—…t of mihi faetidoâ—…ermium succo accederet ut filii Christi meo vilissimo nomine dâ—… cerentur in like manner say we to them who are insatuated into the same faith concerning us Non sic O sacerdâ—…s non sic Oramus non ut nostrum sed ut Christi nomen nominetur et ut quisquis nominat nomen Christi ab iniquitate ista abscedat 2 Tim. 2. 19. Imo absit a nobis gloriari nisi in cruce Iesu Christi per quem mundus nobis cruâ—…isixus est nos mundo Gal. 6. 14. novit dominus qui sui junt as for your selves O Priests non videâ—…is idmanticae quod in tergo est T is the praise of men that most of you seek much more then the praise of God this makes you so erre from the way of truth this makes it more tedious to you then t is ordinarily to other men to be of that sect that is every where spoken against and to see the Gospel whose constant companions disgraces are when it shines upon you you are impatient of hearing so much ill as poor Christ in his disciples must and so are for the most part capable but of little good 4. Covetousness St paul cals it the root of all evil al in the church al in the commonwealth growes out of the root of Papal Prelatical Presbyterian I had almost said and might say it if they turn Tith-mongers too whether per se or per alios Independent covetousnesse Achans larâ—…iledge Naboths Murder Naamans Idolatry Iudas's treason Demetrius's persecution Demas's apostacy even all the mischief of all these kinds which haue been acted by the CCClergy throughout all christendome who as is shewed above are in truth the most sacrilegious cruel false worshipping Christ selling truth treading and Apostatical generation that age from Apostolical purity doth proceed from this rotten root of covetousnesse which hath so corrupted the whole Masse of men called Ministers for this 1260. years and upward that vel duo vel nemo few or none of them have ever preacht the Gospel nor freely and fully held forth the truth in all points as it is in Jesus from thenceforth to this very day And indeed how can any other be expected then corrupt doctrines from men of corrupt minds which hold gold to be godlinesse 1 Tim. 6. 5. and pose liberal and bountiful maintenance and rich Revenues to be the chief corner stone in their church work yet thus the Clergy by their wonted clamors for it not onely at Rome but at Westminster also seem to me to suppose yea the higest pitch that many of them seem to point at in reformation of religion is the restoring of impropriations and crushing the pride of the swelling Poppies or Episcopal clergy and conferring that large allowance on the Presbyterial you cry out that a base Ministry can never do good upon the people and that the poverty of the Ministry is enough to bring them into contempt and that the church is robbed of a painful Ministry because there is not hony enough in the hives to feed a drone But I say you have made your selves more base by far and brought your selves into more contempt by your covetousnesse and greedy gaping after riches then ever yet you came into by poverty and that one Drone will devoute more maintenance if men put into his mouth as long as he will open it as many honest self-denying ministers will make a good shift not only to live but to live to Christ on they are not seducers that preach on cheaper terms but the basest Ministers if you count that basenesse to be destitute of liberal maintenance were ever yet the best Ministers of the Gospel and the most inriching Ministers to the people Christ foresaw clearly enough that a rich ministry would make but poor work in his Vineyard therefore in his wisdome chose not many rich nor mighty nor noble but the foolish weak base abject dispised ones in the eyes of the world and earthen vessels to send his treasure by into the world 1 Cor. 1. 26 27. 28. 2 Cor. 4. 7. yea those Ministers of Christ that were in afflictions necessities distresses hunger and thirst cold and nakednesse poor and having nothing that neither had nor provided silver nor gold nor brasse in their purses as Peter and Paul and the rest of the primitive preachers had not were the most pretious plain painful profitable preachers of the Gospell that ever the earth bore Matth. 10. 9. Act. 3 6. 1 Cor. 4. 11. 2 Cor. 6.
blushing at the lives of those men who stiled themselves their successors I have done with the câ—…uses of his heresies and come to his design The design of the Heretick even this Heretick of Hereticks the CCClergy is to propagate his Error and as his grounds are wicked so are his manners in mannaging of them intrat ut vulpes regnat â—…tleo he pretends verity but intends onely vctory that he may reign over the kings and people of the earth and that they might all stoop to his commands directions and under pretence of verity at first he did get victory at last over the whole world so that Pape Oh strange the whole world wondered after him and doted upon him as their Lord God and became slaves in chains to his Priestly will yea as he loved to be supreme and overcome so the lord let him for a time that he might manifest his own power the more in the overcomming him for ever in the end yea power was given him to make war by the beast that bears him even all nations of Christendom which he overcame first against the Saints and to overcome them also and so to be filled with his own inventions he gives out when any disputes against him that his desire is to be satisfyed by disputing and so perhaps he would but t is with riches more then rightousnesse with tith more then truth for in truth he seemes if he must meet with such as charge him with error in his doctâ—…ine of baptism tith forced maintenance forcing conscience as if he would renounce his opinions and practises in these points if any can prove them to be corrupt but seeks onely opportunities to spread his odd opinions of what sc'â—…ism and sacriledge and robbing of God it is if submission be not acted and tithes be not offered to him among the vulgar among whom his Ghostly pretences produce a kind of aweful affrightment and dread of doing any thing against what he saies being resolved before hand never to be convinced of the truth as t is in the word for that overturns him in all his preferment projects and plucks him up from all the profits of his present princely posture which is such a right eye to him that he hath not faith enough to believe that it can possibly be more profitable to him to part with though Christ himself till him tis then to preserve and perish with it His disciples are for the most part not such as the noble Beraeans that would take nothing upon trust from the very Apostles mouths but searched the Scripture dayly whether the things were so or no not onely men but honourable women too not a few but rather meer idle implicit forefather faitht men simple and weak women who try nothing but keep their Church and believe as their Church believes and as their good churchman saies led away with diverse lusts and pleasures leaning onely on their Priests understandings pinning all their Religion upon their sleeves adoring all that their Orthodox divines deliver at a venture ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth as t is in the word whose honest ignorant devotions he hath won to himself by his cunning artifice of pretended piety voluntary humility seeming zeal to the truth long prayers or rather multitudes of short prayers and praises Pater Nosters Miserere Meâ—…'s Magnificats Te deums Gloria Patri's per Iesum Christum Dominum nostrums and such like devoutries and being once gained are so carried on with the streme of corrupt custome present fashion foolish affection that no reason in the world can reclaim them he deterreth lay people as much as may be from reading expounding or too much prying into the Scripture alledging unto them the perils they may incur by misinterpretations he hath laid his foundations so firmly in the dark consciences of men women by perswading them of his own infallibity Ecclesiastical Authority his Ius Divinum in the Government and guidance of the Church as here in Britain and even of his Temporal jurisdiction too as at Rome over both heaven and earth hell and purgatory of his power in the agony of mens souls to forgive sin that men and women are becharmed into beleif of him he hath woven himself so far into their credulity that all his sayings are received as oracles all his doings as divine all his traditions as truth it self all his Adminstrations as Apostolical all his doctrines as Orthodox all his Arguments though confessed by himself to be weak as unanswerable and all others Administrations Actions Answers Arguments though never so consentaneous to the true sense of Scripture valued at that price which he sets upon them as if the holy chaire of Papall determination Episcopal Convention Synodical constitution could not possibly be mistaken yea the Scripture it self is but a nose of wax with him of what shape soever the CCClergy casts it into of no more authority then Aesops Fables with the Papists if the Pope say the word so as to disdate digrade it or put any part of it out of commission of no other sense then the Bishops and Synod seem to say is the sense on 't with their good Protestants so altogether Oraculous is the Pope among his the Bishop among his the Presbyter among his and even all the three several CCClergies among their three several sorts of CCCreatures that their different ipse dixits are ipso facto divine directory and discharge enough too for these different doters on them insanire cum ratione to dote to and fro by Authority so as to do and undo and do and undo and do by In a word he is too bold to be born down not so much from such things as mae the righteous witnesses to truâ—…h as bold as Lioâ—…s before God and men viz. the goodnesse of his cause for that is stark naugh and rotten nor the clearnes of his call â—…ther to his Clerical function or any actions he goes about by vertue and in persuance thereof for t is clear enough that his orders emission commission as to the external etymology of them are more from the Pope then Christ and the true Church nor any good answer of a good conscience for either his conscience is so cloudy that he cannot or so cowardly that he dares not or so resolved that he will not see or else so clear that he is condemned of himself wâ—…en tâ—…uth shines plainly upon his face but rather from either his great interest in or directive authority over the civil power that hath long back as well as bellyed him as in England or his having it all in his own hands and dispose as at Rome where â—…e duo gladii both swords are in the Clergyes clutches so that he can quickly correct those that conâ—…radict him he is too clamorous to be silenced calling out with such a heavy noise and divine ditty against the truth and condâ—…ing it with such an
for Gods sake yet how did he put him off with delaies as if the businesse were now dubious to himself when as formerly he had acknowledged that it was a tradition of the Church and would give answer nec per se nec per se Synodum When therefore they shall say unto you ask the Priest seek unto us I say seek not unto them that say they seek but are loath to find themselves or at least are afraid that men should find and see all that which they cannot clearly deny to be the truth seek not to them that peep and that mutter and speak not out as if the matter were not momentary to be mentioned as if they were in a quandary whether it be safe or no to seek too seriously after the truth out should not a people seek unto their God for the living to the dead to the law and to the testimony your selves oh yee people if they speak not plainly according to the word it is because there is no light in them Isa. 8 19 20. Ask therefore the High Priest Christ Jesus and if you cannot be resolved so speedily as you desire to your satisfaction and content be content to stay till God shall reveal in the mean time while you doubt suspend the practise and do nothing doubtingly but exercise your selves the while in searching the Scripture and prayer to which pretious practise God hath made many pretious promises in his word as namely That they shall be undefiled in the way that seek the Lord with their whole heart Psalm 119. 1 2. That if thou wilt turn at his reproof though thou hast been a simple one and hast loved simplicity a scorner that delightest in scorning and jeaâ—…ing at the truth and a fool that hath hated knowledge which all are high degrees of sin yet he will powre out his spirit upon thee which happily hath been thy laughing stock and make known his words unto thee Prov. 1. 22. 23. that if thou wilt receive his words and hide his commaddements within thee If thou incline thine ear unto wisdom and apply thy heart unto understanding yea if thou cryest after knowledge and liftest up thy voice for understanding if thou seekest her as silver and searchest for her as for hid treasure then thou shalt understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God Prov. 2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Yet be assured of this humble ignorance in many questions debated in these daies by Divines and also in old timebefore us by learned Schoolmen and Casuists and by the Popish priests that reason about the unreasonable fopperries and refusely scum that arises out of the dead sea of their divinity is more acceptable to God then contentious curiousity yet not such humble ignorance about the ordinances of Christ as our Priesthood would hold men in as if the Law and Oracles of Christ which are all plain to him that understandeth were in things necessary to salvation so difficult and obstruse that poor mechanicks must meddle no more in t then they have leave from them in facili et aperto postta est salus the way of salvation is plain to be found in the book of God he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of the Lord for remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the holy spirit but the PPPriesthood hath led men the next way round about to salvation and framed a new Gospel for their followers which Scripture makes no mention of at all but as those Israelites that were led up and down the wildernesse so long God had sworne should not enter into his xest so neither shall those Christians that when the truth lyes plain before them delight rather to trace to and fro in the thicket of traditions received from their after forefathers then in the way of the first fathers of the Church and love more to wander then to walk in the narrow way of truth in the vast forrest wondrous wood and wide wildernesse of the PPPriests inventions 9. Consider sadly in heresie the sin the punishment the sin St. Paul places it among the works of the flesh Murder Idolatry Witchcraft Drunkenness c. and well may for t is onely in favour of the flesh and for some base fleshly ends or other that men depart from the way of truth and not of the spirit for that leadeth those that are resolved to be led by it as it speaks in the Scriptures into all truth as it is in the mind of Christ Jesus Iohn 14. The leaâ—… hereste cannot be excused the nature of it is to gather as it grows it is to run downhil and that 's the cause why so many follow it and so few the truth for its an uphill a narrow way that leads to life therefore few find it but facilis descensus averni the way to the bottomlesse pit is an easie and broad descent therefore many there be that go in thereat even whole towns Counties Kingdoms yea the whole world 1 Ioh 5. 19. Rev. 13. 3. a few onely excepted that obey the truth whose names therefore are written in the book of life the heretick that hath begun it cannot stop when he will but when once he ceases to receive and retain God in his knowledge and the love of the truth that he may be saved through some base love of the world and the lucre and lust thereof that he may be pleased profited preferred a 100. to one but he is hardned for ever in blindnesse God also giving him over as well as he himself to deeper and deeper delusion and at last to the love of lies more then truth Ieroboams rent turned into idolatry and the rent of such as run from the primitive doctrine of Christ is come to no less the Rantizer and the Ranter also are both sad examples to us how fearsul a thing it is to run away from the plain path of the word of Christ the one whereof when he ran down once but so far as to take upon him to mend Christs ordinances and teach for doctrine his own traditions never left adding more and more of his own odd constitutions till he sunk ore head and ears in a gulf of golden legends and a lake of lies the other when he had once declined the Scripture and denied all ordinances never left advancinxg himself into the clouds of his own airy conceits till his waxen wings melted with his soring so neer the sun and so he fell headlong into a sink of sorbid sensuality The punishment is either temporal the Donatists of old as some say the Anabaptists as they are commonly cal'd of Germany who if ever they ownd the truth abode notvery long in it are examples of Gods Iudgements in that kind spiritual blindnesse of understanding hardnesse of heart seeing and not perceiving hearing and not understanding and last of all eternal the worm that nâ—…ver
and that indeed is the most upright dealing with them of all yea Sirs you that are upon the Account of these times for godly Ministers let me say this to you for verily I have sorrow of heart for some of you of my old acquaintance my own flesh and blood for whose sakes flesh in me would fain be silent as knowing flesh in you would fain be let a lone but I must urge you to be serious in seeing how unsafely you satisfie your selves in your present fellowship with a carnal Clergy what make you among the prophane Ministry of the Nations that hath in all ages sate with such weight upon them as to sink them into a gulf of error so that all truth almost is heresie with them now and under hazard of being smoothered as soon as it peepes out from under that veil of traditions that hath covered it what make you keeping a Court of guard among the Babilonians to help to hold them in captivity still at least in the Suburbs and by the borders of Babilon where you yet linger and loiter for all your pretences and protestations to go quite home with them that are resolved foâ—… Sion what mean you to stand so neer in affinity as to make one spiritualty one spiritual fraternity with such flâ—…shly minded men as the main body of the national ministry consists of in all Europe for t is evident you 'l enter into the lists and make head with the worst of them even with the Pope himself against any further discoveries of truth then will stand with your standing among them though the Lord makes out the truth more clear and you seem in your prayers to desire him so to doâ—… 〈◊〉 yea I am almost ashamed to utter what I see I see preciseness and prophaness go hand in hand to keep out the true Righteousness indeed So that if I speak to the whole body of the CCClergy throughout the earth as very often I do yet I bespeak you no otherwise then I find you viz. whether for this or for that in particular yet all banded in one general body against the truth for as Herod and Pilate though at enmity could yet agree as friends against Jesus so you though of never so different complexions and constitutions lives and conversations doctrines and disciplines forms and fashions and goverments and Gospels yet are all friends to Christs crucifying in his disciples yea how implacably are you at odds among your selves one sort of you being for the supremacy of the Pope another for the Super-intendeny of the Bishop a third for the superstitions of the Synods others for they scarce know which and they care not what but as the temper of the times doth dispose them some Rantizing infants from one ground viz. because its a tradition some denying that and disclaiming it as both a rotten and false one yet Romanizing still from some other some and those the most more loose a few more strict in their manners notwithstanding all which variety you are at unity still i. e. at emnity against the Gospel of Christ. But should you help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord surely wrath will be upon you with them from the Lord If you Iehosophats i. e. the honest Presbyters in whom good things are found who have taken away the groves and much more of that Romish rubbish then your father Asa i. e. the good old Bishops did before you if you good Iehosaphats I say will after all this join with the wicked Ahabs that trouble Israel in imprisoning the Michaiahs at least by a silent assent and with the Ahaziahs that do wickedly so as to lay your heads together for ship-loads of Gold 2 Chron. 3. 31. 19. 2. 20. 35. 26. 38. for more means and maintenance saying to them we are in this point as you are our people as your people our parishes as your parishes our Articles of faith herein as your Articles of faith our way of maintenance as yours and we will be with you in the warre to reduce the Giliadites the sectaries that should be subject to us to our obedience your ships and all your projects works and councels will be broken and disappointed as the others what ever may become of your persons true men in a false way are out of Gods protection as well as hypocrites in a true Therefore depart ye from the tents of those ungodly men yea arise and depart from that Papistical posture of parish Churches and Pastoral relation to such as are not sheep which not Christ Iesus but the Pope stated men in at first for this is not your rest because it is polluted it will destroy you with a sore destruction whereupon come out from them and be ye seperate yea come out of her come out of her ye that are Christs people for Christs Ministers you are not though never so good men by Antichrists orders and partake no longer with her in her sins least ye partake also of her plagues Fourthly the Godlinesse and honesty of mens persons doth not prove the goodnesse and truth of the outward form and way of Church-order they are in nor must hinder the overturning it if false who will say many of these under the Episcopacy were not good men if good men stand in a bad place soil or posture they have so much the more need to be removed as trees and transplanted into a better for many of you Presbyters that go for godly were as godly every joâ—… while you stâ—…d in that false Episcopal form as now and some of you somewhat more for it s much to be feared that the settling of you in the same Hierarchy over the faith and chair of infallibility here in England out of which you justled the Bishops and they but an age above removed the Pope and the enjoyment of so much of their means hath been a means of abating much of your godlinesse and righteousnesse too if ever you had any or else the Priest surely would not so have so soon forgot that ere he was Clark as to have gone about so high Presbytery did but that God prevented him of his purpose so soon as ever he was gotten out of his own growning condition and kept from the clutches of those that crusht him to crush those that groan'd under him for the same liberty of conscience out of Smectimnus his own mouth There were therefore if not as many good men yet many as good men and to their then light sincere souls owning Prelacy and some its like owning the Papacy it self as may seem to be among you that now disown both yet did not this forbid you nor stop your mouths from using sharp invectives against their Authority as usurped their Government as ill their spiritual Courts consistories and seveveral sessions as spiteful to the truth their wayes as violent against tender consciences that could not close with them their Liturgies Ordinations administrations of Ordinances Baptism and
Pope and that the Pope was his Godfather and Rome his Godmother and thâ—… Antichristian Prelacy was but spilt Popery half dyed Papistry terming them also children of Babell when also I say you of the Presbytery are challenged by the Bishops and the Prelacy by the Popes for revilers in the words wherein you challenge us and wherein Paul was questioned for his term Thou wâ—…ited wall viz revilest thou Gods high Priest you can excuse your selves no otherwise then he did i. e. we wist not that you are Gods high Priests but are assured you are rather what we call you even so if you shall say to my self revilest thou the Ministers of Christ I say Sirs I wist not that you are Ministers of Christ any more then the Pope himself i. e. as much as just nothing for as quod 〈◊〉 tale must be magis tale vertually at least if not formally so nâ—…l 〈◊〉 quod in se non habet so that the Roman Antichrist being no true one himself and in no commission from Christ to make his Ministers could not secundum te O Presbyter make those true Ministers that made those that made them that made these that make you and so what ere you are as from him yet as from Christ you are no Ministry at all but in very deed the very same that I cal you v. z. of the Beast and of the Dâ—…agon as also the three fold CCChristendome of whom you say that they are Jewes i. e. Christians when they are not are no other then the Synogogue of Satan In all which so far am I from reviling that I speak the words of sobernesse and truth which whoever does may not unlikely be reviled as a reviler by you but is a faithfull reprover indeed for it is not simply vile terms spoken that make a reviler if spoken both seriously and in season but their non agreeablenesse to them they are spoken of for else undoubtedly not onely your selves who spake as vâ—…lely of the Pope as I of you but Iohn Baptist Peter Paul yea and Christ Iesus himself none of which reviled at all though upon occasion of their enmity against God they called men whom else they respected well enough too by the name of Satan evil and adulterous generation Generation of Vipers children of the devil enemies of all righteousnesse bruit beasts Foxes Doggs Swine c. must all be revilers with you too This take therefore from me and let it satisfy viz. that I le never fasten any terms upon you which by your works you first fasten not on your selves yet know that persisting as you have done under the notion of Christs Ministers in pride and perversenesse against his Gospel though I should never call you Deceivers Antichristian and the WWWhore of BBBabylon yet you l prove your selves to be so in the end Now therefore Oh HHHarlot hear and fear for I have heard from the Lord of Hosts a consumption determined upon thee throw out the whole earth thou hast being well mounted harnased and attired upon the back of thy beast made warr against the Lamb in his Saints thy Hereticks for fourty two moneths a time times and a half or 1260 years and power hath been given thee and the beast which thou spurrest to overcome them and over kindreds tongues and nations so that all that dwell upon earth have worshipped him and thee on him whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world yea thou hast opened thy mouth in blasphemies and caused thy beast under thee to blaspheme the name of God and his Tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven yea thou hast spoken great words against the most High and worn out the Saints of the most high and thought to change times aâ—…â—…wes and they have been given into thy hand so that who was like to thee and thy beast who was able to encounter and make war with him but now behold thy proud times are ended and the Lamb will overcome thee for he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and they that are with him are called and chosen and faithful and thou that hast led into captivity shalt go into captivity and thou that hast killed with the sword must be killed by the sword here is the patience and faith of the Saints And the very ten hornes themselves even all the kingdomes of Christendome into whose hearts it hath been put to give thee all their power and strength â—…s well as the tith of all their glory and riches and carnall things upon thy preteâ—…ce of ministring to them in spiritual all which thou hast swom upon been born up and fortifyed by as Babylon of old by the River Euphrates and with all which thou hast as with so many hornes of a savage beast tossed bruised gored the sides of Saints under the name of Sinners even these shall now turn upon thee and unhorse thee yea they shall hate thee O Whore and make thee desolate and naked and burn thy flesh with fire so that all thy lovers great and small and thy Merchants that have been rich by trading as in other things so especially in bodies and souls of men shall bewail and lament when they see the smoak of thy burning saying Alas Alas for thee whilest Gods people that are first come out of thee yea whole heaven and all the holy Apostles and Prophets who now suffâ—…r under thee for telling thee the truth and shall be avenged of thee shall rejoice over thee at thy downfall You will hardly give audience O ye Priests to this word but some of you rather cry out against me as multitudes of your Churches good children did some few dayes since in Smithfield when by one of the City Marshals meerly for preaching the Gospel to thousands there assembled to hear it I was betrayed into their hands to be a bused saying away with him away with him hang him t is pitty but he should be â—…oned and such like 〈◊〉 and cryes as were heard of old others of you Seers may be ready to call to me scoffingly out of your mount Sier watchman what of the night watchman what of the night but whether you will hear or whether you will forbear I tell you Sirs the morning cometh and also your dead night therefore if you will enquire enquire quickly return and come to the truth before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you or if it may not be said as of old it was that many of the Priests were obedient unto the faith yet Oh that many of your people would know in their day the things that make for their peace before they be hid from their eyes and partake no more of your sins least they partake of your plagues but if IIIezeb and her lovers will lie in bed together and not repent when God gives thâ—… space to repent of their fornications then me thinks I hear a noise
that you appealed to me praying me to declare my mind concerning thâ—…se things whether they were Heresie or no which you charged the inquirer with Reply But not a word all this while was uttered either to prove the things to be as you call them or towards the satisfaction of the Auditory or Inquirer himself in the question Sirs is not this the clutter you commonly keep is not this the Clergies constant custome of confuting and their wonted way of with-holding men from all audience of what ever comes cross to your conceits when on the sudden you have not what to say against it viz. to break out into hydeous out-cries of Heresie Schism a Spirit of Error an Anabaptist an Arminian an Antinomian a Papist a Iesuit Popery Pelagianism Socianism Arminianism and such like when happily not five of fifty among you ever read Pelagius Fanstus Socinus or Arminius so as to know what they hold and why any more then by tradition one from another mistake me not for I am now neither justifying nor condemning these men with whom they being dead I have no great matter to do nor you neither but that you love to find your selves more business then you need for my part my business lieth mainly in the Word which is the Rule and being only attended to may for ought I know sooner set us to rights then either Austin or Pelagius the Remonstrants or Arminius for Regula est mensura sui et obliqui but I here take notice of and take occasion to condemâ—… the Popish practise of most Priests in Damning down for heresie in gross what they neither disprove nor prove to be Heresie when called to 't by their own calling it so before the people Report You relate upon your praying me to declare my mind concerning those things whither they were Heresie or no which you the Ministers charged the inquirer with that I said I knew that what ere he said yet he did not hold those things and that your reply was that the inquirer was a stranger and therfore you wondered his mind should be so well known to me that whatever his opinion was the question being whether his saying that one may be justified without faith and that children are not born in originall sin were heresie or no you desired me to answer positively to that but received no Answer Reply As to this Politick piece of your report wherein I perceive how fallaciously you represent me as tendering the inquirer as to my knowledge speaking contrary to his own mind I have many things to say and it matters not much which I hebegin with first First me thinks I see as you have set things down a certain Sophism of Amphiboly ly lurking iustar anguis in herbâ in these words Those things as you express them the second time in this parcel by reason of which if they be not understood by the Reader in a right sence I am set forth by you as guilty of a double crime from censure of which I see a call to clear my self and my friend whom you strive to stain together with in that case that truth may suffer dammage by us in nothing for if by those things be meant in that second place those two opinions of Iustification of infants without faith and their not having original sin which were indeed the things that he said then I am falsly reported not to say fowly belied by you in that passage wherein you relate me saying thus viz. that I knew that whatsoever the inquirer had said yet he did not hold those things and am made also to speak falsly against my conscience as my conscience tells me not that I did in all that day for verily as great a stranger as that inquirer was to your selves and the major part then present yet he was not such a stranger saving all your wonder to my self but that his mind was so well known to me in that that I knew he held those things viz. that infants have all the justification they have need of without faith and have no originall sin for I hold them my self in what sence since you ask me you shall see by and by and if I should have said thus viz. that I knew what e're he said yet he did not hold those things I should have been both a belyar of that my friend and also as very a â—…yar as your selves Sirs would herein fain make me seem to be but I was both well a ware what he held and confident that he did not say those things and not hold them But if by those things in that place be understood not those two opinions but those things which the Minister charged the Inquirer with viz. Heresie Popery the tenet of justification of Infants by works which were those things the Ministers so cried out upon him for in which sence it is in my speech to be understood then t is no other then the plain truth which I spake and to give you all the advantage that is possible to have by them I here say it again that I knew that whatsoever was then said by that our brother yet he held not those things i. e. that Heresie and Popery you then falsly accused him of And now sith you complain that you received no answer when you desired me to answer positively to that question whether Infants are justified without faith and have any originâ—…ll sin yea or no and whether the things as we hold them in contradistinction to your selves be heresie yea or no as you call them I must coâ—…plain of your selves as the sole persons then in fault that you received not as full an answer as you desired for I appeal not only to the whole people but to the â—…ame page of your own pâ—…pers also wherein in the very next line but one or two below this in which you charge me with the fault of giving you no answer your own selves are witnesses to me that I offered to answer you to all exceptions you had against us in an Entire Exercise which if you had heard and not lik't you should have had libertie enough to have replied to as long as you pleased but your selves only opposed it with all your might but to wave any further recrimination as concerning that at present and that you may have no occasion in future to feigâ—… as if we feared to answer you so positively whether those things viz. Infants Iustification without faith and their freedome from that which not so much in Scripture language as by an Epithite of mens own coining is called originall sin be heresie or no I answer no as to the first though Iustification of Infants by works is the Heresie of a Romish Clergy whether by works we mean the work of faith Ioh. 6. 29. or any other yet Iustification of Infants without that work of faith or any other work either of their parents or their owâ—… is the truth as it is in Iesus
men at years but infanâ—…s being uncapable to act faith and it being not required of them therfore they may be baptized without it which conclusion you make without book to for the word warrants you not to make it why may not we when you call so universally for faith to every ones salvation or else saying assuredly they are damned return the like viz true no salvation without faith of persons capable to act it and of whom it s required but infants being uncapable to act it and it being not required of them therefore they may be saved without it Babist This conclusion is spoken without book and as unwarrantable by the Scripture as you say ours is sith the Scripture speaks as much of salvation by faith as of baptism upon faith and as little of salvation without faith as it doth of baptism without it therefore still we have at least as good ground to say infants may be baptized without faith as you have to assert they may be saved without it Baptist. No I shall leave you behind here for sith the Scripure speaks of the impossibility of infants believing and yet with all of their saluation as your selves confesse in your own interpretation of that clause viz. of such is the kingdome of heaven but no where at all of their baptism it shews that they may be saved without believing but shews not that they may be baptized without it besides to hold any of them to be damned before they have by actual sin debard themselves of salvation is abominable cruelty and breach of Christian charity with you who yet confesse that all of them have not faith p. 19. but to hold they need not to be baptized cannot bear the like construction sith t is acknowledged by them that deny their bapâ—…ism and by them also who absurdly assert to the contradiction of themselves that the denyal of baptism to them denies all hope of their salvation that they may be saved nevertheless though they die unbaptized so that whether we who hold that to them all belongs the kingdome of heaven though they neither believe nor are baptized before they die or you that hold no salvation to them without faith and yet hold that all of them have not nay that very few of them for how few are believers infants to others have faith whether we or you I say do justly deserve the censure of damning all or at least innumerable infants dying contrary to that evident testimony of Scripture and sentence of our Saviour that to them belongeth the kingdome of heaven and contrary also to the rule of Christian charity set us by your selves which is to presume well of every infant that he is in a good estate till he appear to be in a bad and by actual sin to bar himself and deserve exemption from the general state of little children declared in Scripture which is this that they have right to the kingdome let the most simple but honest Reader judge between us As for the two texts you say are brought in proof of justification of infants without faith viz. Rom. 5. 18. Rom. 11. 7. who urges the last of them I know not for my part I take it to be of no tendency at all either to your purpose or ours therefore I shall not trouble my self with it but the first of them which you say is so directly against us t is because you are blind if you do not perceive it to be an express downright declaration of a general justification of all from Adams sin as to life i. e. a resurrection from that bodily death which that sin brought upon all mankind and from which as there is now a universal return of every individual by Christ so there had never bin any returning for any one man in the world but by Christ to all eternity world without end 1 Cor. 15. 21. 22. Yea as universally as that judgement or condemnation to that first death came by Adam upon all men so that it spreads its black wings upon them all and brings them all down to the dust from whence they came so universally is justification unto life i. e the benefit and resurrection from that death from which else no one man should ever have risen come by Christ upon all men really and truly and not onely so but a capacity also and possibility of eternal happinesse and well being after that resurrection and all this whether persons believe it yea or no yea and a promise and certainty of it in case of belief in this Christ otherwise indeed a losse of the Resurrections becoming a mercy and benefit to them and a lyablenesse even after that escape of the first death that came by the first Adam to a sorer even that second death that lake of fire which by the second Adam by whom comes eternal blessednesse on believers comes upon all unbelievers and that for ever So that if there be no salvation to infants without justification yet ther 's justification of infants without faith or baptism either And whereas you argue from the cart to the horse from the justification and salvation of infants to their faith I argue from their non capacity to believe to their justification and salvation without it no salvation or justification without faith say you but infants are justified and saved therefore they believe if no justification and salvation without faith say I infants who cannot believe can neither be justified nor saved but infants so farre as they need justification for they have no sins of their own are justified and saved also for the kingdome of heaven belongs to them therefore there is justification and salvation for infants without faith To conclude therefore this opinion of you adversaries to the truth which allows no salvation to infants without faith puts you miserably to your shifts viz. either to find out a new way of coming by faith which Paul saies comes onely by nearing or else to damn innumerable dying infants who whilest they lived were uncapable to hear the word preached and so to believe or else as you do p. 18. to dream out a new kind of hearing whereby infants come by their faith viz. an inward wonderful miraculous hearing of some voice of the spirit within such a sigment of your own brains as the Scripture is wholly silent in and no true Church of God nor rational man but your selves who dream dreams and divine false divinations and things of nought deceits of your own heart and tell them to the deceiving of others did ever dream of and whosoever shall consider the impertinencies of your proofs in a cause of so great consequence shall have just cause to suspect all your other doctrines and to take heed how they take any thing any more upon trust as the whole world hath done now of old from these new masters the Clergy who instead of being ministers in truth or servi servorum dei have bin domini dominorum Lords
over the heritage and over the faith of all civil powers and people teaching them instead of the true doctrine of the old ministers the traditions and commandements of men And so I have done both with the head of this third argument and with that long tail also that trails after there remains no more of it to be meddled with but a certain slender sting that sticks to this tail put forth against us with more length then strength in prosecution of the argument which I shall cut out into many pieces and after set upon each section severally and then I hope your great hope of help from these three unworthies will prove a forlorn hope indeed Review But to prosecute this Argument for the full satisfaction of the simple but honest Reader since there is no way to come to salvation but by justification and no justificatnon but by faith why should it be doubted by any but little infants which are ordained to salvation are also by faith made subjects of justifiâ—…ation those soules which please God so well as they are to see him presently af ter their separation from the body why should they not be capable of faith without which the Apostle saith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. 6. Re-Review The Reader had need be honest for I dare say he will be simple enough that receives full satisfaction your way by your present prosecutions of it because there 's no way for salvation and justification for men that are actuâ—…l sinners and capable to believe and to whom justification and remission is preached to the end that they might believe it to their comfort is there therefore no other wav wherby God willing and ordaining to save little infants from eternal wrath can possibly or doth certainly save them that can neither sin or be preacht to nor believe but that very self same way of believing is he tied to that means to save infants by as we are tied to it in order to the saving of our selves viz. the way of faith if so why not to repentance and self denial also for both these are the way to us Act. 2. 38. 40. Mat. 16. 24. and would it not shift a man out of his seven sences to hear such doctrine that infants as ever they will be saved dying infants must even in their infancy repent is it not manifold more suitable to reason and sense of Scripture that as infants so far as they are guilty become guilty unwittingly to themselves by the presentment and imputation of the first Adams sin without personal disobedience in themselves so also should be justified from that imputed sin by the presentment of the satisfaction and imputation of the righteousness of the second Adam as unwittingly to and without personal obedience in themselves and because without faith t is impossible to please God for such as have actually incurred his wrath such as come to him by prayer for these indeed must believe that is God and is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him ther fore is it impossible for infants also who yet actually disspensed him nor yet are capable to come to him by belief or prayer Is that Scripture think you intended to infants for shame scope the Scripture a little better Review Is it not the work of the spirit to infuse faith and are not soules which are all equall in their creation the subject of it He works indeed where he will and therefore all have it not for the spirit of God is not bound but where he will work it who can hinder him Re-Review Are soules all equal in their Creation and are souls which are all equal the subject of faith how then can it be so positively asserted concluded attempted to be discovered and made appear as t is by you who confess also that all have it not that the infants of believers have it and therefore must be baptized but infidels infants have it not and there must not specially since not only the one by by your own saying that all souls are equall are as capable of it as the other if the spirit please to infuse it but also since by your own saying too the spirit works it where he will and is not bound i. e. as you explain this place p. 18. to work it in all the children of Christian parents nor barred from working it in any of the children of infidels and most especially yet since p. 18. you say that unlesse it could be certainly presumed what children have the habit of faith what have not the working of the spirit being not known to us he being not bound nor bard there can be no conclusion made Have not we as much power to forbid the spirits working faith in the infant you sprinkle and so to forbid their being baptized as you have to forbid his working it in the infants of infidels and to forbid their being baptized will you bind him to all the infants in Christendome and barr him from doing any other infants in the world O ye house of Levi is the spirit of the Lord thus streitned are these your doings you that preach the spirit of the Lord is not bound nor barred do not you both bind and bar him while you say and suppose he must needs and is by the Gospel covenant bound to be gracious and shew mercy to believers children alias such as are born in England Scotland and other nations of Christendome so that you may safely sign them all as heirs of his mercy and barred from saving any infants of Turks and Pagans so that not one of them may be signed forsomuch as an hopeful heir of salvation Review John Baptist had not been filled with the holy spirit had he had not faith Luke 1. 15. the Scripture shews us plainly in that one example what the soul of infants is capable of what the spirit of God can work in that it was the measure only of his gifts makes his example extraordinary the spirit and power of Eliah in which he came The testimony of an Angel renders it undoubted concerning him The Testimony of the Scriptures concerning other infants are of equal authority saying They have right to the kindome of Heaven and that they are called to come to Christ and that Christ received them and blessed them compared with that of the Apostle 2 Cor. 13. 5. Iesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates The Argument is this They are not Reprobates Ergo Christ is in them Re-Review Not to trouble the world with a Re-Review of every odd conceit that lies in this piece of Review about that particular instance and extraordinary case of Iohn which you mightily misunderstand and most rudely wrest in as ordinary rule in proof of an universal and also about the proof of believers infants being no reprobates from 2 Cor. 13. 5. a place most absurdly abused by you for it speaks not to nor of infants and if it did no more of
of the unity of the Church are departed shall be the very same that you Protestant Clergy do make in your own defence when you are charged by your old father Caiphas and his Catholicks as Hereticks and Schismaticks in your rending from them and as infringers of the unity of their Church yea in the very words of Calvin to whom you my Ashford opponents are pleased to send us who saith thus of them as I do with him of you all Inst. l. 4. c. 2. S. 2 Magnifice quidem c. They do indeed gloriously set out their Church unto us that there should seem to be no other Church in the world and afterward as though the victory were gotten they decree that all be Schismaticks that dare withdraw themselves from the obedience of that Church that they paint out and that all be Hereticks that daâ—…e once mutter against the doctrine thereof But by what proofs do they confirm they have the true Church S. 1. If the true Church be the pillar and stay of the truth it is certain that there is no Church where lying and falshood have usurped the dominion S. 3. There is therefore no cause why they should any longer go forward to deceive by pretending a false colour under the name of the Church which we do reverently esteem as becommeth us but when they come to the definition of it not onely water as the common saying is cleaveth unto them but they stick fast in their own mire because they put a stinking harlot in place of the holy spouse of Christ that this putting in of a changling should not deceive us be side other admonitions let us remember this also of Augustine for speaking of the Church he saith it is it that is sometime darkned and covered with multitude of offences as with a cloud sometime in calmnesse of time appeareth quiet and free sometime is hidden and troubled with waves of tribulations and temptations He bringeth forth examples that oftentimes the strongest pillars either valiantly suffered banishment for the faith or were hidden in the whole world S. 4. In like manner the Romanists do vex us and make afraid the ignorant with the name of the Church whereas they be the deadly enemies of Christ. Therefore although they pretend the Temple the Priesthood and other such outward shews this vain glistering wherewith the eyes of the simple be dazled ought nothing to move us to grant that there is a Church where the Word of God doth not appear for this is the perpetual mark wherewith God hath marked them to he his He that is of the truth saith he heareth my voice Again I am the good shepheard and I know my sheep and am known of them my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me And a little before he had said that the sheep follow their shepheard because they know his voice but they follow not a stranger but run away from him because they know not the voice of strangers Why are we therefore wilfully mad in judging the Church whereas Christ hath marked it with an undoubtful sign which wheresoever it is seen cannot deceive but that it certainly sheweth the Church to be there but where it is not there remaineth nothing that can give a true signifition of the Church for Paul rehearseth that the Church was builded not upon the judgements of men nor upon Priesthoods but upon the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets but rather Jerusalem is to be severally known from Babilon and the Church of Christ from the conspiracy of Satan by that difference wherewith Christ hath made them different one from another He that is of God saith he heareth the words of God ye therefore hear not because ye are not of God In summe forasmuch as the Church is the kingdom of Christ and he reigneth not but by his word can it be now doubtful to any man but that those be the words of lying by which Christs kingdome is feigned to be without his scepter that is to say without his holy word 5 But now whereas they accuse us of Schism and Heresie because we both teach a contrary doctrine to them and obey not their lawes and have our assemblies to prayers to baptism to the ministration of the supper and other holy doings severally from them it is indeed a very sore accusation but such as needeth not a long or labor some defence they are called Hereticks and Schismaticks which making a division do break in sunder the communion of the Church And this communion is holden together with true bounds that is to say the agreement of true doctrine and brotherly charity whereupon Augustine putteth this difference betwixt Hereticks and Schismaticks that Hereticks indeed do with false doctrine corrupt the purenesse of faith but the Schismaticks sometime even where there is like faith do break the bond of fellowship But this is also to be noted that this conjoining of charity so hangeth upon the unity of Faith that faith ought to be the beginning thereof the end and finally the only rule Let us therefore remember that so oft as the unity of the Church is commended unto us this is required that while our minds agree in Christ our wills also may be joined together with mutual well willing in Christ Therefore Paul when he exhorteth us to that well willing taketh for his foundation that there is one God one Faith and one Baptism Yea wheresoever he teacheth us to be of one mind and of one will he by and by addeth in Christ or according to Christ meaning that it is a factions company of the wicked and not agreement of the faithful which is without the word of the Lord. S. 6. Cyprian also following Paul deriveth the whole fountain of the agreement of the Church from the onely Bishoprick of Christ he afterward addeth the Church is but one which spreadeth abroad more largely into a multitude with increase of fruitfulnesse like as there be many sun beams â—…ut one light and many branches of a tree but one body grounded upon a fast root and when many streams do flow from one fountain although the number seeâ—… to be scattered abroad by largeensse of overflowing plenty yet the unity abideth in the original take away a beam of the sunne from the body the unity suffers no division break a branch from the tree the broken branch cannot spring cut off the stream from the spring head being cut off it drieth up so also the Church being overspread with the light of the Lord is extended over the whole world yet there is but one light that is spread every where Nothing could be said more fitly to expresse that undividual knitting together which all the members of Christ have one with another we see how he continually calleth us back to the very head Whereupon he pronounceth that Heresies and Schismes do arise hereof that men do not return to the original of truth nor do seek that head
nor keep the doctrine of the heavenly master Now let them go and cry that we be Hereticks that have departed from their Church sith there hath been no cause of our estranging from them but this one that they can in no wise abide the pure professing of the truth but I tell not how they have driven us out with cursings and cruel execrations Which very self-doing doth abundantly enough acquit us unlesse they will also condemn the Apostles for Schismaticks with whom we have all one cause Christ I say did foresay to his Apostles that the time should come when they should be cast out of the synagogues for his name sake And those Synagogues of which he speaketh were then accounted lawful Churches Sith therefore it is evident that we be cast out and we be ready to shew that the same is done for the names sake of Christ truly the cause ought first to be inquired of before that any thing be determined upon us either one way or other Howbeit if they will I am content to discharge them of this point For it is enough for me that it behoved that we should depart from them that we might come to Christ. S. 10. But we see hâ—…w each where they cry out that their assemblies are unholy to which it is no more lawful to consent then it is to deny God Therefore it is needful to depart from the consent of those assemblies which were nothing else but a wicked conspiracy against God In like manner if any man acknowledge the assemblies at these daies being defiled with idolatry superstition and wicked doctrine to be such in whose full communion a Christian man ought to continue even to the consent of doctrine he shall greatly erre S. 12. Whereas therefore we will not simply grant to the Papists the title of the Church we do not therefore deny that there be Churches among them but onely we contend for the true and lawful ordering of the Church which is required in the communion both of the Sacraments which are the signes of profession and also specially of doctrine Hereby therefore appeareth that we do not deny but that even under his tyranny remain Churches but such as he hath profaned with ungodlinesse full of sacriledge such as he hath afflicted with outragious dominations such as he hath corrupted and in a manner killed with evil and damnable doctrines as with poisoned drinks such wherein Christ lieth half buried the Gospel overwhelmed godlinesse banished the worshiping of God in a manner abolished such finally wherein all things are so troubled that therein rather appeareth the face of Babilon then of the holy City of God Therefore because these marks are blotted out which in this discourse we ought principally to have respect unto I say that every one of their assemblies and the whole body wanteth the lawful form of a Church These very words of Calvin which are your defence and mine too against the Pope O ye Protestant Priesthood are mine also against you when you clamour against us as Schismaticks for separating from your Nationall Churches and calling as many out with us as we can viz. because you two P P as well as the Popish Priesthood are not Syon as you suppose but two of those three parts of that great City Mystery Babylon the great the Mother of Harlotry and Heresie that hath reigned over Kings and Kingdomes of the Earth You hold not unity with the head you return not to the fountain of the truth reform not by the Primitive standard but start aside like a broken bow you hear not the voice of our Prophet in all things he saies but make void his lawes you walk not in those scorned mean base waies which he hath chosen but are they rather that count them base and so we can no more ioin with you then deny Christ so far are we from being Hereticks and Schismaticks thereupon that we rather truly declare you such as stand divided from the Root the Sun the Fountain as well as all three one from another yea what need we any further witness that you three Hierarchies are all Hereticks and Schismaticks since the whole World hears it aloud out of your own mouthes the Bishop saith the Presbyter as to his Government is a Schismaticall Heretick the Presbyter saith the Bishop is so the Pope saies they are both so and they both say he is so and therefore I say they are all three so if we may credit what they say among themselves you stand all divided from Christ and the Apostles and now God hath justly divided you into three parts and divided you three miserably each against other among your selves yea and sub-divided you i. e. divided his people and well nigh all other people from you so that though you labour in the fire of wrath and rage to bring them back to unity with you and their old blind conformity to your waies yet you weary your selves for very vanitie for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea even so O Lord divide their â—…or gues more and more and let great BBBabel come down daily by the division of Languages that the whole Earth which was once of one Language and one speech even that of Babylon may at lâ—…st after all and by all this divâ—…sity learn all that one pure Language of the Land of Canaan yea come my beloved hast'n this blessed work and be like a swift Roe or young Hart upon these Mountains of Bether So having discovered what Heresie and Schism and who the Hereticks and Schismaâ—…cks are I come now to discourse o're again in a little plainer way your ow discourse concerning them and the means of opposing them which as I said above is a parcell of pretty right matter if spoken of the Popâ—… and his P P Priesthood to whom of right and most properly it appertains yea quid rides O S S Sacerdos mutato nomine de â—…e fabula narraâ—…r Thy own tale is a fiâ—…rod for thy own taile thou hast sharpen'd thine Arrows and bert thy Bow to shoot at a Pigeon and kild a Crow for verily thou art the man to whom all those properties of the Heretick and Schismatick propounded by thy self do much more aptly and exactly agree then to him thou talkest of a little translating a little trimming a little turning of it towards the true subject will make every tittle of that tattle of thine to be the truth which is but a peice of fained falshood as thou tellest it of the Baptists what thou hast reported lacks but to be retorted O Priesthood with a little amplification and a right application of it to thy self and then omne tulit punctum it hiâ—…s the nail on the head and tels 〈◊〉 but the truth indeed Thus then distinguishing your Patheticall piece O ye Ashford Opponents which I mean shall be my Text all along by a different carracter from my own
neither Transubstantion nor consubstantion have so much as appeared in these days wherein so many old Heresies as infant sprinkling for one which as a mad bul having its deaths blow on the forehead struggles more then ever are in a sort revived and stickled for and plyed with new and fresh assaults and unheard of arguments for t was pleaded for but as a tradition mostly in times above us as well as new ones broached And the reason is because all Ministers in these parts good and bad true false even the Priests themselves in their Sermons provided for the sacrament have every where oppugned them as having indeed no cleer colour in them of either Scripture common sense or reason as neither hath infantsprinkling if the National Ministers would once wisely consider it The learned Hooker observes that in Poland so many Arrians sprung up because the Nicence faith was neglected there and had we Baptists in our Ministry of old been careful to preach for the true way of baptizing believers onely when the baptism of infants first began to come up and creep upon superstitious grounds into the Church It would certainly have hindred the propagation of that reasonlesse Rantism and freed the Churches that now return to the onely true baptism again which they let go from that simple censure of Anabaptism which now they passe under from men that take rantism to be baptism at least our flocks in those daies that followed the truth had been so well provided as that they would not so easily have departed as they did from that plain way of the word in point of baptism Felix quem faciunt aliena pericula cautum The Pastors are appointed by God for watchmen their office is to to see dangers and to give warning they are the dogs of the flock such as the wolf would have â—…lent woe be to them if they barke not Narianzen was such an one as some say his mother dreamed that she had brought forth a white whelp and such they say for I knew him not he proved that the wolâ—… 〈◊〉 heretick durst not enter but he spied him nor staie but he hunted him out if he did thus not mistaking heresie and instead thereof hunting out truth as the Priests do but I hope he did not t was the better for the Churches he was the Pastor of but wo be to the Church the CCCatholick aecumenical visible Church cal'd CCChristâ—…dome whose faithful Pastors are gone from the truth and turned wolves themselves that weary the very truth it self Saint Paul tells those of Ephesus Act. 22. 29 I know that after my departure many grievous wolves shall enter into the flock and as he said so verily it it came to passe for the three sorts of National Church PPPastors Pope Prelate Presbyter are in sheeps clothing but indeed ravening wolves that have devoured the truest flock of sheep that Christ hath upon this earth they are the dogs of the flock indeed but many of them dumb dogs that cannot bark and others barking at the sheep themselves and others biting them with their teeth because they put not into their mouths and tearing them though they never teach them yea they are greedy dogs that never have enough looking each to his gain from his quarterâ—… The rest of this discourse shall be partly Paraenetical to the people partly Apologetical to the Priests and so end As to the Paraenetical part It concerns the advice of the Pastors of the true Churches to their flocks and all people that they would endeavour to preserve and recover themslelves from all infection of Heresie and Schism from the primitive times by which the whole world is gone astray and in order thereunto they commend unto them this serious exhortation 1. To endeavour to be thoroughly instâ—…cted in the principles of Christian Religion to be houses with foundation that every wind oâ—… doctrine may not shake them Dui huâ—… et illuc fluctuat quovis momentur impellitur He that is not settled upon the true foundation yea and that house or Church that is not built upon a right foundation even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the primitive Prophets and Apostles heard and obeyed is driven to and fro to this and to that and back again almost with every storm that rises and hath a time wherein t will fall and the fall thereof will be very great Matth. 7. 21. ad 28. Ephes. 2. 20. 21. 21. we have experience plain enough of this in the Nationall and PPParish Churches and people who because they are houses without foundation or else constituted upon nothing but the sandy foundations of mens inventions traditions doctrines and the prudentiall precepts of the PPPriesthood and not upon the primitive doctrines of the Prophets and Apostles neither were everperfectly but at best in part onely instructed in the ABC and first principles or beginning word and doctrines of Christ as they ly plainly before us in sixt of the Heb. 1. 2. becauseâ—… say they never knew noâ—… owned all these nor laid them as the foundation of â—…eir building and Church posture but are brought into that mongrel Church way they are in by principles of birth breeding abode in such a Town custome fashion lawes of men Statutes Spiritual orders Popes Bishops Synods Canons implicit faith more then by cleer knowledge of acquaintance with conversion by the light of Scripture therefore they are wavering like a wave of the Sea tosled to and fro with every wind and turn of tide and driven to any thing that chances to please the Princes or that civil power best under which they happen to be bred and born yea as t was of old in Babylon where Nebuchadnezzer reigned all the Lords People Tongues and Nations within his jurisdiction saving two or three honest souls who saw Gods will and served him according to it fell down straight at his command and threatnings of the furnace if they did not so hath it been in BBBabylon the new under the three PPPriesthoods wherever they have born sway all the people exceptis excipiendis a very few that keep their standing in every turn being built upon the rock Christ and his doctrine fall down and do as they and the Princes that have committed adultery with them have enjoined yea they have reel'd to and fro like a drunkard being drunk with the whores wine and fell forwards and backwards and forwards and backwards and forwards again in the lump and been by turns of what religion or way soever hath pleased the powers to impose under penalty Papists Protestants Papists Protestants Popish Presbyterian or as it happens 2 To love the truth and imbrace it those that yet scorn it and let their affections be ravished in the imbracings of it such as have or shall yet atany time imbrace it so shall they be stable in it and not soon moved from the truth 3. To take heed of itching ears such as love to be gently toucht but not plainly