Objection of force it would follow that this exhortation of the Apostle had then been as much after its time as that terme of a believers attention unto the word of prophecy be it either the incarnation Gospel-dispensation or regeneration of those whom he puts upon this duty was before this time The Gospel whether any of it were now written or not was promulged by Christ his Apostles and therefore was obliging If the particle untill bee sayd to denote a certaine terme not in this life but relating unto the dawning and rising of the vision of glory the question is graunted and the objection falleth While the Church is in a darke place the light of the Scripture is to be attended unto hence the written word is here compared unto a light that shineth in a darke place now wee know that there is much darkness and obscurity in the hearts of all the Children of light in this life 1 Corin 13.9 Or the particle untill signifyeth a terme issuing in attayning of all the good attainable in such a way or in the participatioÌ„ of the perfecting end of the subject spoken of A bruised read shall hee not break and smoaking flax shall hee not quench 〈…〉 untill he send forth judgment unto victory Mat 12.21 This notion agreeth not only with the analogie of faith but also according to the mind of the Apostles common action exhortatory seemeth more readily to flow The scope of Peter is to confirm the hearts of the twelve tribes scattered abroad concerning the trueth of the Gospel this he doth by two arguments The first taken from the testimony of the Apostles verse 15 16 17. The second from the word of Prophecy illustrated by two adjuncts the former of its sureness the latter of our taking heed thereunto this attention he amplifyeth by calling unto such a conscientious and vigorous continuance therin as may never be in vain in the Lord yea such as that the effectual light of the spirit of grace concurring with the doctrinal light of the word may from duty to duty shine upon the dark places of their hearts more and more untill the dawning of the perfect day of the vision of glory If with some Orthodox Interpreters wee understand by a dark place the time of the Church under the old Testament compared with the night wherein candles are lighted and by the day-dawning the time of the Gospel day-light wherin the Sun shineth the new Testament expounding the old and thereby giving a greater light Yet still we are to keep in mind that as the New Testament giveth light unto the Old so the Old Testament giveth light unto the New they give light mutually one unto another T is the same Christ the same Gospel which is held forth both in the old in the New TestameÌ„t Heb 13.8 Gal. 3.8 As the trueths of the old Testament are confirmed by the New so what more frequent then the confirmation of the New Testament from the Old both by Christ and his Apostles The word Vntill doth not here intend a certain time whereat they were discharged from after attention to the word of Prophecie as if they who were commended for their attention hitherto were now dismissed therefrom and stood not from henceforth obliged any more Gen 28.15 For I will not leave thee untill I have done that which I have spoken to thee of 2 Sam 6.23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto or untill the day of her death Mat 16 28. They shall not tast of death untill they see the Kingdome of God It were ill gathered from hence either that God did forsake Jacob after he had performed that promise concerning his safe return Or that Michal had a child after the day of her death Or that the Disciples which saw his glory in the Mount should not out-live the Assension Mission of the Holy Ghost and the promulgation of the Gospel to the Gentiles with signes ensuing Mat 11.13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophecyed untill John Mat 22.44 Sit thou at my right hand untill I make thine enemyes thy footstoole John 5.17 My Father worketh hitherto or untill now and I work 1 Tim 4.13 Till I come give attendance to reading to exhortation to doctrine In his exempris praeâ—eri tam ita negarat ut contrarium 〈◊〉 non significetur It cannot be gathered from hence either that after John there is no more Law and Prophets Or that after Christs enemyes are subdued he shall sit no longer at the right hand of his Father Or that after Christ spake those words the Fathers Governing-providence of the world ceased Or that after Pauls comming Timothy is no more to attend to reading exhortation and preaching In the Negative examples the word untill so inferreth the denyall of a thing concerning the time before it as that it doth not at all inferr the affirmative of that thing concerning the time after it In the affirmative examples the word untill so inferreth the affirmative of a thing concerning the time before as that it not at all infers the denyal of that thing concerning the time after it The summe is according to this last interpretation the word untill is taken extensively not exclusively So farr then is this text from disobliging believers from their attendance upon the Scriptures as that it is a most solemn serious incentive as of all others to whom the sacred Canon shall be revealed so also of believers in particular not only to attend upon the word of prophecie or the Scripture but so to take heed thereunto as that their attention through the co-operation of the Spirit may be effectual and that so long as their hearts are dark places i. e. during their present state of imperfection untill Christ the bright morning-starr appear in their soules according to the fulness of the Spirit of grace and the noon-day-light of the perfection of glory The heterodoxie errour of such who from the text alledged inferr the old Testament to be unnecessary unto those that live under the Gospel is argued thus Promises given unto the Saints in the old Testament belong unto believers living under the new Testament The Promise made unto Joshua Josh 1.5 to David Psal 118.6 The Hebrews are led by the hand unto taught confidently to make use of in reference unto their present and Personal cases For he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee So that we viz believers under the Gospel not onely David may boldly say the Lord is my helper I will not feare what man shall do unto mee The trueths held forth by the Prophets touching salvation by Christ concerned not onely those who lived in the times of the old but also us who live in the times of the new Testament 1 Pet 1.10 11 12. Vnto whom it was revealed that not unto themselves but unto us they did minister the things which are now reported unto you
THE Heart of N-England rent at the BLASPHEMIES OF THE PRESENT GENERATION Or A brief Tractate concerning the Doctrine of the Quakers Demonstrating the destructive nature thereof to Religion the Churches and the State with consideration of the Remedy against it Occasional Satisfaction to Objections and Confirmation of the contrary Trueth By JOHN NORTON Teacher of the Church of Christ at Boston Who was appointed thereunto by the Order of the GENERAL COURT I know thy works and thy labour and patience and how thou canst not bear them which are evill and thou hast tryed them which say they are Apostles and are not and hast found them lyars Rev 2.2 Printed by Samuel Green at CAMBRIDG in New-England 1659. CHAP 1. The Original of the Doctrine of the Quakers With some of their principal Heterodoxies A brief Demonstration of three distinct Persons in the Divine Essence Satisfaction to some Objections And a Vindication of some Scriptures WHen that grand-Heretick Swenok feild who in eighteen yeares had published fifty scripts such as they were sometime troubled Luther with his papers which he sent unto him for an answer his returne was quick saying to the messenger the Deuil was the author of them the Lord rebuke thee O Satan Quod-vult-deus whilest he desired Augustine to publish a tract of al the heresies which infested the church in those dayes discerned the undertaking to be too immense great this Calvin also perceiving being about to write against the Libertines presently determined omitting the rest of their wild endlesse heterodoxies to addresse himselfe unto the enumeration refutation of some of their principall portentous tenets Luthers answer may seeme too short Augustines taske is acknowledged too long Calvins example in this brief treatise I shall in part God assisting endeavour to follow The recalling of the beginÌ„ing of the Father of lyes may soon lead us to the Original of Errour but the full discovery of its progresse encrease is not to be expected untill that day which shall bring to light all the workes of darkness He that desires no inconsiderably to informe himselfe Dâ—naeus de â— Haeâ—esibus ante Christú concerning the attempts of the old Serpent upon this designe from the beginÌ„ing of time untill the times of Christ may consult antiquity not unprofitably for that end In the very Apostles times wee read of Deceivers who pretended to higher attainments to be stars of light that of the first magnitude Jaâ—e 13. but were indeed Raging waves of the sea foâ—mâ—ng out their owne shame wandring stars to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever That the doctrine of the Enthusiasts in Germany Libertines in the low-countryes was a dead sea of heterodoxy consisting in a great degree of the pernicious waters of old heresyes till then out of mind for many hundred yeares and that the doctrine of the Quakers as to the substance of it is but the opening of that vast and horrid sinke such as makes the land to stink in the nostrils both of God and man more then the Frogs that sometime annoyed Egypt But the same doctrine of the Enthusiasts Libertines of the last Century though in a second edition is thus manifested The great doctrine of The Trinitie Christ The Scripture Gospel Ordinances Ministry Order The Christian Magistrate Civil Order Are the Objects that the three following stages of heterodoxie finally engaged engage against and that so as the second viz Enthusiasts Libertines were indeed not only actors Preachers of what was prepared but also in some considerable degree Collectors out of the scatterings of their Predecessors to compleat their body of false doctrine but the last viz the Quakers are more deluded by their masters in wickedness whither Satan or any Jesuitical or other malignant serpentine agents who making use of the mystery of iniquity thus farr perfected to their hand notably abuse their ignorant and selfe conceited proselytes whilest under the pretence of new light they communicate both stale and exploded heresies error to be disseminated by them the second time Certain old heterodoxies concerning the forementioned heads of Religion from wheÌ„ce or the like the Enthusiasts Libertines might arise Praxeas who lived in the year two hundred taught that there was but one person only in divers respects called the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost After ariseth Sabellius under Valerian affirming that in the Divine Essence there were three names but denyed that there were three distinct subsistences or persons Concerning Christ the enmity of the father of lyes hath no where more shown it selfe then in his malignant contrivances concerning the person office of Christ. The Gnosticks denyed Iesus to be the Christ Cerinibus denyeth the Dvinity Nestorius affirmeth two persons Eutiches denyeth the two Natures Marcion affirmeth his passion to be imaginary not reall Ignatius mentions incredulous men who were ashamed of the trueth of the Incarnation some pretended themselves to be Christ. Concerning the scriptures considered as the rule of life the Messalian Enthusiasts expected divine raptures without the word they waited for the operation of a certain Daemon or a spirit and this operation which indeed was the operation of the Devil they esteemed to be the presence of the Holy Ghost called their fantasies prophecyes Athanasius in one of his sermons concerning heresies writes against such who in those times held that the words of the scripture were to be taken simply without consideration had unto what they signifyed Concerning Gospel Ordinances Ministry Order the authors to the Hebrews Jude and Iohn make mention of Apostates there from such who in their dayes forsook the church assemblies separated themselues went out from the fellowship of the Saints Heb. 10.25 Iude. 19.1 Iohn 2.19 Jude also informeth us of such who despised Dominion spake evill of dignitie and perished in the gainsaying of Core which consisted in murmuring rebelling against Moses and Aaron The Gnosticks represented themselves perfect against whom John is conceived to write 1. Epistle 1.8 The old Catharoi called puritans affirmed also that they were perfect without sin The tenets of the Enthusiasts Libertines concerning the same heads of Religion The Enthusiasts began about 1521. The Libertines in Calvin's time both Sects vexed the Church and State many yeares Concerning the Trinitie they acknowledged three Sleidan commeÌ„â— lib. 5 et 10. but they denyed the Father Son Holy-Ghost to be three distinct Persons Concerning Christ they said Christ incarnate was nothing but a godly man or a believer made of a body and an opinion Lu. Ofiand Cent. 16. lib. 2. cap. 33 they made euery saint equal with God according to the imagination of the Libertines each one of them was Christ Calvin adversus libertinos Guy de 〈◊〉 hence Quintinus as offended with those who asked him how he did was wont to answer how do I can Christ do amiss Concerning the Scripture
Essence Who being the brightness of his glory and the express Image of his Person Heb 1.3 The first manner of existence in the Divine Being is here called Hypostasis which imports a distinct subsistence If the Father viz. the Correlate be a distinct subsistence there is the same reason of the Son vâ—z the Relate If the Father be a distinct subsistence the Son is a distinct subsistence If the Son be a distinct subsistence the Father is a distinct subsistence the Son is as distinct from the Father August de trinit lib. 7 c. 4. as the Father is from the Son that which the Greek calls hypostasis the latine calleth persona from which last is our English word person Christ speaking of the Father Iohn 5.32 calleth him another there is another that beareth witness of mee likewise speaking of the Holy-Ghost he calleth him another Iohn 14.16 I will pray the Father he shall give you another Comforter this predicate another is unintelligible of the Essence for so the Father Son Holy-Ghost are one Iohn 10.30 1 Iohn 5.7 therfore it must proceed concerning the Subsistence what is more manifest then that another Subsistence and another subsistence speake distinct subsistences The distinction of the persons or Subsistences is manifest from the relative properties of begetting being begotten and proceeding Psal 2.7 Iohn 15.27 Begetting is distinct from being begotten being begotten from begetting both from proceeding A personal act is God necessarily relatively and in an Incommunicable manner acting within or upon himselfe Now these acts of the Persons one upon another argue the distinctnes of the subsistences viz to beget being begotten proceeding God in the first manÌ„er of subsistence is considered as acting upon himselfe in a way of understanding in the second manner of Subsistence as reflecting upon himself understood August de trinit lib. 5. c. 11 lib. 6. c. 5. in the third manner of subsistence as willing of delighting in himselfe Hence the Spirit is called the hand of the Trinity proceeding from the two other persons as the Love of them both which selfe-sufficient and infinitely blessed Communion of God in and with himself before there was either mountain or hill while as yet he had not made the earth wee read of Prov. 8.30 Then was I by him as one brought up with him I was dayly his delight rejoycing alwayes before him The distinction of the Persons further appeares from the order of their operations upon the creature held forth in their mission or sending the second Person is sent from the Father Iohn 8.42 Iesus said unto them if God were your father yee would love mee for I proceeded forth came from God neither came I of my selfe but he sent mee The Holy-Ghost is sent from the Father the Son whom the Father will send John 14 26. whom I will send John 15.26 Sending imports two things First an eternall relative property of the Divine Essence the order original whereof is not of it self Secondly a designation of the Person distinguished by this relative property unto some work concerning the creature to be performed in time Now evident it is that he which sendeth and he which is sent are distinct That the Father sending the Son sent by the Father the Father and Son sending the Spirit and the Spirit sent by the Father Son are distinct subsistences and not the same Concerning satisfaction to some Objections Object 1 The Church was without the Scripture or written Word for the space of 2454 yeares untill Moses during which space the Doctrine of Life was communicated VOCALLY by the Patriarches Therefore there is no need of the Scripture or written Word Answ There are many Reasons obvious why the Tradition of the Rule of life by word of mouth might better suit the state of the Church in the time of the longâ—evity of the Patriarchs then now as also why God saw not good to continue unto after ages such and so frequent extraordinary manifestations of himself as wee read of in those elder times Why God dispensed the Rule of life then by word of mouth not by writing a principal reason thereof was his good pleasure The same good pleasure may stand for a principal reason way he dispenseth the Rule of life now by the word written and not by vocall tradition Even so Father because it pleaseth thee Distinguish between necessity absolute necessity according to Divine constitution God according to his absolute power can communicate the rule of life by what means he pleaseth therefore the scripture is not necessary absolutely But Gods will being to communicate the Rule of life by his written word hence the scripture is necessary by necessity of divine constitution or appointment Whilest Israel was in the wilderness God give them Manna bread from heaven in an extraordinary manner After their comming into Canaan he changeth his dispensation and giveth them bread in the ordinary way of agriculture or tillage He could still have supplyed them in an extraordinary way out he would not The Maana ceased Josh 5.12 Not the letter without the mind of the Author nor the Spirit without the letter but the Scripture i. e. the word-written as including the sense of the author is the Rule of life Distinguish between Moral-obliging-power and strengthning-Physical-power All the strengthning-Physical-power whereby we are enabled to obey the Rule is from the Spirit but the Moral-obliging-power is from the Scripture it self or CoÌ„mand as denoting the will of God signifyed thereby Surely they are under a Rule who have not the Spirit Since the Canon of the Scripture is closed so farr is the Spirit from being a Rule of life that to us it is not the Spirit but as it moves agreeably to the written word Hereby we are taught to discerne between the Spirit of trueth and the Spirit of error Object 2 The words of the Scripture are to be taken simply without interpretation or consideration of what is signifyed by them Answ This Objection exposeth Scripture to the imputation of non-sence which cannot be without at least the reflexion of blasphemy interpretative upon the author It was wont to be said Scripture lyeth not in the Sound but in the Sence They are not the inkie characters without the mind of the author that can constitute Scripture But taking the mind of the objection more favourably as proceeding only against any other sense or interpretation to be given of Scripture then according to the sound of the words in a proper or according to some in a literall sence yet it unscriptures a considerable part of the Scripture unto us becommeth a fruithfull womb of confusion error and absurdity should it stand in force The example those words that they may be one as wee are one John 17.22 give an uncertain sound Nay the Papists Transsubstantiation Origen's castration are hence warrantable Distinguish between no interpretation mis-interpretation sound
interpretation Non-sense a false sense and the true sense The two former are wiles of the enemy the last is the gift of the Spirit of trueth and a great part of the work of the Ministry So they read in the book of the Law of God distinctly and gave the sense caused them to understand the reading Nehem. 8.8 He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself Luke 24.27 Philip said understandest thou what thou readest and he said how can I except some man should guide me Act. 8.30 31 Object 3 Nothing is to be acknowledged Scripture-trueth but what is contained therein in express termes Answ A Scripture consequence is a Trueth evidently necessarily arising out of a proposition held forth therein in express termes So that if the doctrine conteined in the proposition held forth in express termes be true then is the doctrine conteined therein by consequence also true Those trueths are Scripture-trueths which are conteined or held forth in the Scriptures though not in express termes yet by just evident consequence Exod. 3.6 I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaak the God of Jacob. Hence Mat 22.29 30. Christ proves the Resurrection by consequence the summ whereof is as if he had said that which God spake to Moses in the Bush inferreth the whole persons of Abraham Isaak and Jacob to be in everlasting covenant with him and that they shall be blessed therefore there shall be a Resurrection For how can the body be glorified except it rise again and so farr were the hearers from objecting against this kind of argumentation as that they highly approved of it One of the Scribes having heard their reasoning perceived that he had answered them well Mark 12.28 Then certain of the Scribes answering said Master thou hast answered well Luke 20.39 The multitude were astonished at his doctrine Mat 22.42 And no man was able to answer him neither durst any man from that time forth aske him any more questions verse 46. Out of Psalm 16.10 Peter proves the Resurrection of Christ. Act. 2.31 He that is the Patriark David seeing this before spake of the Reserrection of Christ that his soul was not lost in hell neither his flesh did see corruption Yet the Psalmist in these words speakes not of the Resurrection in express termes but onely by consequence the question is whether the believing Galatians which were formerly heathens were justifyed by faith Paul out of those words Gen. 22.18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed proveth the affirmative by consequence Gal. 3 8 9 The question is whether believing Abraham hath matter of glorying before God The Apostle from Gen 15.6 concludeth the negative by consequence Rom 4.2 3. Question whether Christ did well or blasphemed in saying that he was God Chr st from Psal 71.6 justifieth his act by a Scripture consequence Io n 10.35 36. His argument proceeds from the less to the greater Question whether Circumcision is necessary unto the believing Gentiles The Apostle concludeth the negative by consequence Acts 15.8 9. God bare them witness giving them the Holy-Ghost even as he did unto us and put no difference between them us purifying their hearts by faith Therefore c Many more instances are producible if need were So many citations as there are in the New Testament of testim onies in the old Testament not extant there in express termes are so many proofes of the Scripture-consequences Scripture trueths by consequence are called Scripture yee do erre not knowing the Scripture Mat. 22.29 for what saith the Scripture Rom. 4.3 and the Scripture foreseeing Gala. 3.8 what Peter deduceth from Davids words by consequence that he affirmeth David to have said Acts. 2.31 what Paul deduceth out of Moses by just consequence that he affirmeth Moses to have said Rom. 10.5.10 That proposition the Scripture is a perfect Rule of life is understood as including Scripture-consequences otherwise it were not a trueth The greatest part of Scripture-trueth is revealed in Scripture-consequences Yea many fundamentall trueths are not held forth in express termes but by manifest consequence If there be no truth contained in the Scripture but what is held forth therein in express termes then the individuall persons of Thomas Mary c are therein neither Cōmanded Obedience nor forbidden disobedience For we no where read thou Thomas or Mary such an one by name do this or not that This trueth concerning Scripture-consequences is the more to be attended because of the time wherein many after the example of Arrius of old and the Libertines Gunter with some other Jesuites of late when they are not able to answer unto Scripture-arguments rather then to yeild unto the trueth chuse to fly to this miserable subterfuge of hereticks namely that the trueth defended against them is not contained in Scripture because it is not there in express termes Concerning the Vindication of some Scriptures Iohn 1.9 That was the true light which lighteneth every man that commeth into the world Hence they affirme that in every man Collectively i. e. in all men not one excepted there is a light which being followed is an infallible guide that this light within us not the Scripture or written word is the Rule of life In answer hereunto two things are to be cleared First that the sence of the text pretended is notoriously false Secondly what is the sence of the place Were the sence pretended sound then righteousnes should be by the law not with standing sin contrary to Rom. 8.3 For the light which is in every man that is born into the world is not Gospel-light The Gospel being the secret of God a mystery unknown to Angels Adam himself in the time of innocency The naturall man cannot know the things of the spirit of God 1 Cor 2.14 Natural is to be construed in opposition to spiritual and denoteth a man as following the dictate of reason only or the light of nature whence it is manifest that the light of nature as such and the light of the spirit are contra-distinct the one to the other The light of nature remaining in Adams posterity since the lapse is so little as that it is not to be mentioned the same day with what was in Adam before the fall The light of nature consists in common principles imprinted upon the reasonable soul by nature inclining man to assent unto some naturall and manifest trueths upon the representation of them without waiting for any proofe that is as it were by instinct without argument Viz that it is impossible for the same things at once for to be not to be that the whole is greater then the part That a man is bound not to do to others what he would not have done unto himself As also in certain Notions that there is a God that God is to be worshipped that Parents are to be honoured that there is difference to be
in Muncer that thus mocked or it more justly befell the miserable people thus to be mocked the reader may consider Paraeus laments whilest he reports of a Papist glorying over his countrey-men that if the Pope should so Command the Germans under pretence of the redemption of their souls they would eat hay grass like Cattel wo be to Ahab when both God the lying prophets and himself conspirer spectively the same deception unto his destruction Though the being of heresies be a great evill yet heresies must be as serving the counsell of God unto divine uses In respect of the world in respect of the professors of the truth both hypocriticall sincere In respect of the world Ma. 18.7 woe be to the world because of offences Open enemies of the trueth rejoyce in them harden their hearts in impenitence by them whereby these vessels of wrath fill up their measure and fit themselves for their just greater condemnation Concerning hypocriticall professors God hereby discovers them They went out that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us 1. John 2.19 God in his own season many times detects unsound professors Church members in this life to shew that whatever name they had in the Churches which they lived in yet they were never unseen to his alseeing eye 2. To make others afraid how they approach to his holy things in hypocrisy Acts. 5.14 3. To prevent others being deceived by them When the state of the republick is quiet all the members seem to be wel-affected like minded to the state but as soon as Absaloms trumpet sounds there quickly followeth a visible separation in Jsrael Now David knoweth whose hearts are indeed with him whose not During the churches peace all the members seem orthodox but if a strangers voice be heard then the lovers of sound doctrine itching ears fall into parties follow not the same Teacher As concerning sincere professors of the trueth Teachers of false doctrine are unto them as so many tempters or tryars For the Lord your God proveth you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul Deut. 13.3 Temptations of an high nature trying to the utmost if it were possible as we said before to deceive the very Elect. Tryalls greater then those of persecution exile spoyling of goods c Witness the sad apostacy of too many in this present assault of hetrodoxie who quitted themselves with reputation before men in the fore-named sufferings The same temptation managed under the notion of a Prophet and as the word of God prevailed which proposed by King Jeroboam with the proffer of half his house super-added was rejected 1 King 13.19 8. Yet the demonstration of their love to the Trueth is sweeter then the probation therof is bitter Furthermore false Prophets do not only prove our sincerity between God and our selves but also 1 Cor 11.18 occasionally make it known unto others For there must be also heresies among you that they which are approved may be made manifest among you The manifestation of their zeal for the Trueth was evangellically provoked by the antiperistasis or opposition of error Error heresie by accident conduce much unto the furtherance of the trueth Opposition occasions light Light proceeds unto confession of the trueth Confession is a divine meanes of conquest Opposition begets disputation that removes objections and clears the trueth Every article of religion triumphs upon a just inquisition Nothing prejudiceth verity more then the hiding and smothering of it by falsehood sophistry The sight of the trueth is the confusion of the adversary Trueth cleared after us questioning becometh out of question Nothing more approved then that which is approved upon tryal The invading of that great and mysterious trueth by Aâ—titrinitarians ended in the establishment of the doctrine of the Trinity The faith concerning the Person of Christ was advantaged by its conflict with Arrianism The doctrine of free grace hath been triumphantly confirmed by its contests with Arminianism The point of Church-governmenâ— much more understood by reason of its man fold controversies with Antagonists The light thus vindicated and illustrated by polemical labours cannot be hid but by the open profession of the assertors shâ—neth forth unto the world Witness the Apostle's Creed so called with other ecclesiastical Creeds whether proper viz such as were set forth by single persons or particular viz such as were set forth by this or that Church or general viz such as were published by general Councils namely the Nicene Ephesine and Chalcedon penned partly for the better exposition of the Apostle's and partly that men might the better know how to avoid the heresies of those dayes Witness the acts of orthodox Councels down all along since these ancient times Witness the Harmony of confessions of the reformed churches throughout the chief protestant states in the Century last foregoing concerning which Century as it cannot be denyed that no one for many hundred yeares together so abounded with errors so must it also be acknowledged that no one throughout so long a tract of time abounded more with confessions of the trueth and all those worthy labours performed with a spirit as zealous for Preface to the Harm as the enemy was malignant against the faith Let them therefore saith the godly prefacer leave off in mocking to terme us confeâ—sionâ—sts unless perhaps they look for this answer at our hands that it is a farr more excellent thing to bear the name of confessing the Faith then of denying the Trueth Very notable memorable is Christs improvement of the various and erroneous conceptions of man concerning him unto a distinct and famous confession of him Mat. 16 13.-16 As also of that opprobrious apostacy of many of his disciples unto a most confident profession of him John 6.66 -69. Thus through the mysterious administrations of God even apostacy it selfe from the trueth occasions a victorious testimony unto the trueth Victorious both in respect of the Confessors Confessions and they overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their Testimony Rev. 12.11 The Confessor dyeth the Confession liveth The Conflict of the Confessors ceaseth but the Testimony of the Confessors yet speaketh and conquering goeth on to conquer Though Dionysius seeing the darkness which was upon the face of the earth at the passion of Christ feared a dissolution of the universe yet Faith seeth that it is but an Eclipse The Sun of Righteousness will shortly shine again Whilest you look upon the efficacy of error with the eye of Reason its motion seemes to proceed according to Satan's will but whilest you look upon it in the Scripture you shall find its motions ordered exactly by and subservient unto Gods will If you look upon the hour power of darkness as a man it represents it self as the apparition of Satan loose but if you look upon it as a believer you
the dishonour done thereunto by Heresie blaspemie Such Anathemata Tertulliō calleth devotamenta The Judicial consuming of the Apostate-cittie by fire was a repairing of the honour of God who was before dishonoured by the revolt of the inhabitants from him by the meanes of Seducers And thou shalt burn with fire the Cittie and all the spoil therof every whit for the Lord thy God i. e. in Zeal of the honour of the Lord thy God Deut 13.16 2. Hope of cruing the offenders if they belong to God as the healing of the delinquent is one end of the administration of Church censure Of whom is Hymeneus Alexander whom I have delivered unto Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme 1 Tim 1.20 So is it also of Civil administration and one shall say unto him what are these wounds in thine hand then he shall answer those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends Zech 13.6 The person questioned who of a husband-man was become a false Prophet now through Grace having renounced that way of lying and being returned to his honest old calling again renders the sharp stripes and chastisements inflicted upon him whether by his parents or freinds authorized therunto or by their procuring as the means of his recovery Here note also that this convert howsoever whilest acted by a Spirit of lying he might look at the instruments of his chastisements as persecutors of him injurious unto the liberty of his conscience yet now being in his right mind he both justifieth the act ingenuously acknowledgeth them therin to have approved themselves reall freinds cordial lovers of him in the Lord. 3. The putting away of evil from Israel So shalt thou put away evil from the midst of thee Deut. 13.5 Blasphemous Benhadad's escape is Ahabs guilt that such out of which he doth not escape The not bearing testimonie against iniquities to be punished by the Judge by meet execution of justice renders Israel from time to time both guilty scandalous in respect of such sinns Commission of evil makes it the sin of the delinquent irregular permission thereof makes it the sin of the state 4. The preventing of infection and spreading contagion of an evil example And Israel shall hear and fear and do no more any such wickedness as this is among you Deut 13.11 Impunity of the sinner encourageth others to do the like but punishment speedily and seasonably inflicted makes others more afraid of such evills then they were before Sinn looseth more by the execution of the Ordinance of Justice then it gained by the scandal 5. The preventing of the wrath of God continuing the state still in the enjoyment of the protection benediction of the covenant That the Lord may turn from the fiercenes of his anger shew thee mercy have compassion upon thee and multiply thee as he hath sworne unto thy fathers Deut 13.17 The good of the regular execution of justice shews the great evil of irregular impunity This abundant encouragement from him that cannot ly should quicken the minister of justice to be as faithfull in the application of the remedy as Satan is watchfull to cause the malady Go in this thy might and thou shalt save Israel from the forementioned evill doers Have not I sent thee Object The interposal of Authority in matters of Religion is a prejudice to and a violation of liberty of conscience Answ Church-Authority is Authority were this objection good the Church might not Authoritatively deal with any of her members for holding forth or teaching of false doctrine Contrary to Gal. 5. 12. Rev. 2.2 20. Distinguish between Conscience properly so called The errour of Conscience Conscience properly so called denoteth such a knowledg of the object as is in conjunction with and is agreeable unto the knowledg of another concerning that object It supposeth two distinct knowers of the same thing viz God the conscience Conscience is Gods vice-gerent in the soul God is the absolute and primary judge conscience is a secondary subordinate judge Conscience is the judgement of a mans self answering unto the judgement of God concerning him Conscience as operating supposeth a principle enlightened and erreth not concerning the notional doctrinal part of the object Conscience cannot ly witness the conscience of the damned that tormenting and never dying worm conscience as conscience is a meer creature of God but the errour of conscience is from the old man and the Serpent Distinguish between Liberty of Conscience Errour Liberty of Conscience as relating to the question under dispute is a freedom from all impediment in respect of man as to the following of the dictate of Conscience in acting according to Rule But liberty of Errour or liberty of the error of conscience is falsly called liberty of Conscience being indeed opposite thereunto It is a liberty in respect of man to answer the dictate of the error of Conscience in walking contrary to Rule It is a liberty to blaspheme a liberty to seduce others from the true God A liberty to tell lies in the name of the Lord. It is indeed a liberty unto bondage The exercise very bondage Restraint from it is a restraint from bondage They shall put you out of their Synagogues yea the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will thinke that he doth God service John 16.2 To thinke the murther of the Saints was service unto God was not from their Conscience but from the errour of their Conscience and the practice of it a fearefull liberty I verily saith the Apostle thought with my self that I ought to doe many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth Acts. 26.9 Who was before a blasphemer a persecutor injurious But I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly 1 Tim 1.13 This was not from Paul's conscience which is a principle of light created placed by God in the soul but from the errour of his Conscience and himself being witness from his ignorance which is of sin and Satan but not of God The object subjected to the Coercive power of the Magistrate must be some Act of the outward man T is not matter of judgement but matter of fact which Civil-power dealeth with Hence so far is it from being a truth that the magistrate proceeding according to Rule either punisheth or troubleth any for their Conscience as that it neither doth nor can concern him to meddle with the errour of their Conscience Lex non Judicat du occultis as such be it heresye or whatsoever Whilst a man keepeth his heterodoxy to himself he is doubtlesse out of the reach of the Magistrate in that respect Conscience properly so called error of Conscience or heresy heresy uttered retracted heresy uttered not retracted but quiet called heresy alone heresy Turbulent are all distinct of distinct consideration Heresy schisme and sedition differ Though usually it falls out otherwise yet a man
may be an heretick who is neither dogmatist schismatick or seditious neither teaching his errours as truthes nor causing irregular separation from Church-Cōmunion nor sowing seeds of discord or mutiny in the Common-wealth By Quiet heresy or heresy alone understand heresy although uttered and not retracted yet without endeavour either directly or indirectly tending to induce others to receive their errours As also without disturbance of publick order either ecclesiastical or Civil This divers godly-learned do not only exempt from the number of Capitals but also seeme Cautious if not silent concerning subjecting it to any Corporal punishment By Heresy Turbulent understand heresy both uncured and incorrigible i. e. in Coniunction either with Teaching lyes in the name of the Lord. Or with disturbance of publick-order whether Ecclesiastical or Civil This is not only heretical but also pestilential and here is a season wherein it is the duety of the Civil-Magistrate to put forth his Coercive power as the matter shall require in the defence of Religion Order Church common-wealth So farr is our doctrine from asserting subiection of the Conscience to the Coercive power of the Magistrate as that we look at it as irrational to extend his power unto the error of Conscience as such We subiect not the bare proposal owning of heresie if cured as obnoxious unto Civil authority We affirm not that it belongs to the Magistrate to inflict any punishment for quiet heresie We affirm not quiet heresie to fall within the necessary obiect of Magistratical Cognisance but leave it unto free disquisition We know that it belongeth not unto the Magistrate to compel any man to be a believer nor to punish any for not being a believer But we believe it belongs to him in case to punish a Blasphemer or turbulent hereticks who seeth not a wide difference between these Wee through grace abhorre prejudicing the liberty of Conscience in the least measure and account such report of us to be a slander And through the same grace Wee both dread and beare witness against liberty of heresy liberty to Blaspheme the Blessed Trinity the Person and Office of Christ the holy-Scripture the tabernacle of God and those that dwell in heaven Howsoever fallaciously transformed into mis-represented under the plausible vizard of liberty of conscience falsly so called We say Religion is to be perswaded with Scripture-reasons not Civil weapons with Arguments not with punishments But Blasphemies immediate and heresies carried on with an high hand and persisted in are to be suppressed with weapons punishments where reasons arguments cannot prevail We distinguish between Heresie Quiet and alone Turbulent i. e. Incorigible accompanied with soliciting the people to apostacy from the Faith of Christ to defection from the Churches to Sedition in the Common-wealth And that after due meanes of conviction and Authoritative Prohibition We subject not any to Civil or Corporal punishment for heresie if quiet and alone We do not inflict any Church-censure in case of heresie without doctrinal conviction on the Churches part and contumacy on the delinquents part foregoing In case of Heresie incorrigible in conjunction with endeavours to seduce others thereunto and tending to the disturbing of Publick-order we accknowledg it to be the pious wisdom of the Magistrate to proceed gradually and where gentler meanes may rationally be looked at as effectual there to abstain from the use of any severer remedie And according to this method hath been the gradual proceeding of the Magistrate here with those hitherto incorrigible Quakers who from England have unreasonably and insolently obtruded themselves upon us 1. Instructing them 2. Restraining them untill an opportunity of their returne 3. Publishing a law to warne and prohibite both them and all others of their sect from cōming into this Iurisdiction otherwise to expect the house of Correction And in case they returned yet again then to loose one of their eares c. At last upon experience of their bold contempt of these inferior restraints that after their being sent away againe again they continue to returne yet again and again to the seducing of diverse the disturbance vexation hazard of the whole Colonie The Court finding the Law passed to be an insufficient fence against these persons proceeded to a Sentence of Banishment Their restraint before the Law published was but restraint in the Prison until an opportunity of shipping them away They who after the Law was published would that notwithstanding break in upon us from England or other forraign parts by Rode-Island after their correction received and discharging their daes might return again to the Island if they pleased The wolfe which ventures over the wide Sea our of a ravening desire to prey upon the sheep when landed discovered taken hath no cause to complain though for the security of the flock he be penned up with that door opening unto the fold fast shut but having another door purposely left open whereby he may depart at his pleasure either returning from whence he came or otherwise quitting the place Their Sentence of Banishment as Circumstanced by an Impartial and equal eye may be looked upon as an Act which the court was forced unto Se defendend in defence of Religion themselves the Churche and this poor State and People from Ruine which the principles of confusion daylie and studiously disseminated by them threatned to bring all unto if not seasonably prevented Exile from a wildernes from a place of exile though voluntarie from a place confinement whereunto would indeed justly be counted exile is an easie exile Object If it be the trueth of God which is pleaded for it is below the trueth to stand in need of the defence of man God can defend the cause of Religion without his help Answ Whether this obiection savour more of Inchantment then an argument i. e. whether it be looked upon as a meer argument or doth not rather give cause to call to mind the witchcraft practised sometimes upon the Galatians is with the Reader whose senses are excercised in discerning good evill to consider That a malefactor especially such who chooseth sin rather then suffering pleadeth for impunity why should it seem strange But to attempt the representing of the application of the remedy of iniquity as iniquity Antichristianism persecution is indeed a device and that as empty of reason as full of transgression A piece of the sophistry of the Prince of darkness to charm that sword into a perpetual scabbard by a sallacie the dexterous vigorous use wherof puts away the evill committed from and for the time to come prevents the committing of evill in Israel But Christians especially Church-members should not be ignorant of his devices 2 Cor 2.11 The Jewes acted with a spirit of mockery hardned their hearts desperatly by putting the tryal of Christ upon a false discovery Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the Cross that we may see and believe Mark 15.32