and now finally into no Church at all But whereas I said God had not prospered the way of the Separation as not with peace amongst themselves so neither with growth of Grace He answereth for growth of Grace though some false brethren have crept in yet Satan himselfe cannot but confesse that multitudes of Gods witnesses reproached with the names of Brownists and Anabaptists have kept themselves from the errours of the wicked and doe grow in Grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus c. Reply It is an unwelcome Subject to goe about to convince others of want of growth in Grace especially when wee speake of Churches and that before wee have in a more private manner dealt with them I looke at it as more seasonable to provoke our owne Churches to more growth of Grace at home For even true Churches as that of Ephesus Revel 2. may decay in their first love Onely thus much I would say the first Inventor of that way which is called Brownisme from whom the Sect tooke its name it is well knowne that he did not grow in Grace but fell back first from his owne way to take a Parsonage of a Parish-Church in England in Northamptonsheire called a Church God so in a strange yet wise providence ordering that he who had utterly renounced all the Churches in England as no Church should afterwards accept of one Parish-Church amongst them and it called a Church and from thence he fell to Organs in the Temple of his owne Church as I have been credibly informed and from thence to discord with his best hearers and bitter persecution of them at the last It is not Gods usuall manner of dealing to leave any of the first publishers or restorers of any Truth of his to such fearefull Apostacy from his Grace though I Judge not his finall Estate I will not rehearse what I read in printed Books of the unkind and ungracious and unbrotherly dealings of some of note in that way whilst they maintained the rigor of it That which the Examiner himselfe hath rehearsed in this very chapter may suffice to shew what growth of Godlinesse was found in that Church the Officer whereof himselfe styleth a worthy Instrument of Gods prayse and surely he was a man that deserved well of the Church for sundry of his Learned and painfull and profitable labours One would hope that where the Lord blesseth a people with growth of godlinesse the people would grow best under the best Ministers of that way Mr. Aynsworths name is of best esteeme without all exception in that way who refused Communion with hearing in England And if his people suffered him to live upon nine pence a week with roots boyled as the Examiner told us surely either the people were growne to a very extreme low Estate or else the growth of their godlinesse was growen to a very low ebb TO CHAP. XXIIII IN his 24. and 25. Chapters the Examiner giveth Answer to that speech in my Letter That such of the Separation as erring through simplicity and tendernesse have growne in Grace have growne also to discerne their lawfull Liberty for the hearing of the word from the English Preachers This I speake with respect to Mr. Robinson and to his Church who as he grew to many excellent gifts both of Grace and nature so he grew to acknowledge and in a Judicious and godly discourse to approve and defend the lawfull Liberty of hearing the word from the godly Preachers of the Parishes in England But in this 24. Chapter the Examiner answereth nothing against the truth of my speech Onely he telleth of foure sorts of Backsliders from sundry Truthes of God whom he hath observed to be left of God to sad and exemplary spirituall Judgements But because he speaketh of such as have decayed in grace and I speake of such as grow in grace his instances come not neere the point in hand I easily beleive that Hypocrites may grow from evill to worse deceiving and being deceived 2 Tim. 3.13 But a sincere humble Christian though he may start aside for a season yet Christ is not wont to leave him so but seeketh up every stray-sheep of his and bringeth them to heare and know his voyce in the mouthes of his Shepheards TO CHAP. XXV IN this 25. chapter because I had said as they have growne in Grace they have growne in discerning their lawfull Liberty to heare the word from the English Preachers He tels us he might here engage himselfe in a controversie with me but that neither the Treatise will permit nor is there need since it hath pleased the Father of Lights to stirre up the spirit of a faithfull witnesse of his Truth in this particular Mr. Canne to make a large and faithfull Reply to a Booke printed in Mr. Robinsons name tending to prove such a lawfull Liberty Reply Mr. Cann is unknowne unto me and his Booke also which I have not had the Liberty to get in these remote ends of the world I shall willingly bestow the reading of them if they come to my hands and God give opportunity especially if I see the spirit of a faithfull witnesse in them which the Examiner extolleth Onely I am apt to thinke as young men grow in yeares and gifts they will also grow up to the mellow-mildnesse and softnesse and moderation of riper age as Mr. Robinson in many things did Now from the name of English Preachers which I used in my speech the Examiner though he seeme to decline the engaging of himselfe in a controversie about hearing of them yet he taketh occasion to enter into a threefold discourse about them The first in this chapter concerning this title English Preachers Secondly concerning hearing them in chapter 26. Thirdly concerning their calling in chap. 27. The summe of his discourse about the title of these Preachers standeth in these particulars First that Mr. Cotton acknowledgeth the ordinary Ministers of the Gospel to Pastors Teachers Bishops Overseers Elders and that their proper worke is to feed and governe a truly converted holy and godly people gathered into a flock or Church-Estate And not properly Preachers to convert beget make Disciples which the Apostles and Evangelists properly were so that according to Mr. Cottons confessions English Preachers are not Pastors Teachers Bishops Elders but Preachers of glad newes Evangelists men sent to convert and gather Churches Apostles c. Secondly yet the Examiner confesseth that at the Pastors feeding his flock and at the Prophets prophecying in the Church an unbeleiver coming in may be convinced c. but this is accidentall c. Thirdly the Examiner acknowledgeth that it pleased God to worke personall Repentance in the hearts of thousands in Germany England Low-Countries France Scotland Ireland c. Yea and who knoweth but in Italy Spaine and Rome also c. but all this hath been under the notion of Ministers feeding their flocks not of Preachers sent to convert the unconverted and unbeleiving Reply 1. Though
confusion in the Civill State to punish such Discusser Woe were it with the Civill Magistrate if together with the common care and charge of the Common-wealth the bloud of every soule that perisheth should cry against him unlesse he should say with Paul Acts 20. I am cleare from the bloud of all men c. Defender It is not the bloud of every soule that perisheth that can cry against a Magistrate unlesse the soule perish by some such neglect of duty in the Magistrate which God requireth of him for the good of the soules of his people Of which Duties there be two sorts 1. To seeke out and procure meanes of Grace for them so farre as they are capable in Gods way 2. To remove meanes of their corruption and pollution such as Idolls openly erected and Idolatrous false Teachers perverting the people If in both these the Magistrate be faithfull though thousands of soules may perish under his Government yet he is innocent from the bloud of them all and may so professe with Paul Discusser I acknowledge the Magistrate ought to cherish as a Foster Father the Lord Jesus in his Truth in his Saints to cleave unto them himselfe to countenance them unto the Death yea also to breake the Teeth of the Lyons who offer civill violence and injurie unto them But to see all his Subjects Christians to keep such a Church or Christians in the purity of worship and see them doe their duty this belongeth to the head of the body the Lord Jesus and such spirituall Officers as he hath to this purpose deputed Reply 1. What is said of Spirituall Officers deputed by Christ to see the Church to doe her Duty is but a pretence when he acknowledgeth no Church nor spirituall Officers in the Church deputed by Christ extant upon the face of the Earth Reply 2. What Reason can the Discusser give why the Magistrate should breake the teeth of the Lyons who offer civill violence to the Church and Saints and not breake the teeth of the ravenous wolves false Prophets who offer violence to their soules Doubtlesse those ravenous wolves that make havock of their soules are farre more mischievous then the Lyons be that offer violence to their bodies The Romane pagan Emperours who like Lions persecuted the Church 2 Tim. 4.17 they by persecution increased it though against their wills But the Romane Popish Bishops that like ravenous wolves devoured their soules left the Church of Christ scarce visible though visible and them a very small remnant though a remnant It may be matter of just wonderment why Antichrist should find more favours in the Discussers eyes then an ignorant Pagan when the one hateth Christ more bitterly and maketh farre more waste of the Church and Saints of Christ then doth the other Is it because his owne Spirit doth more symbolize with Antichrist then with Caesar Rather in secret supplanting then in open persecuting the Churches and Ordinances of Christ Beply 3. We doe not say that it is a part of the Magistrates duty to see all his Subjects to become Christians if they were Pagans before though wee say it is his Duty to neglect no good meanes to help them onward to the knowledge and faith of Christ Jesus But why doth the Discusser shake this duty out of the Magistrates to see that the Church and the Christians under his Government should walke in purity of worship at least not so farre to degenerate and apostate as to provoke Christ to depart from them Can he hope that such Christians will be faithfull and loyall to their Prince whom he seeth to grow false and disloyall to their God Surely the Land of Ismael though it had some peculiar and and typicall Holinesse belonging to it yet no other then what did prefigure the Holinesse of the Church which is as holy to Christ and ought to be as holy to us as the Land of Israel was to them If therefore it was the duty of Jehosaphat Hezekiah and Isaiah to reduce the people of Israel from their backslidings because they were an holy people 2 Chron. 19.4 Surely the like Duty lyeth upon all Godly Christian Princes to reduce their backsliding Churches to their Primitive Purity Let no man say that as the Holy Land of Israel was a Type of Holy Church So these Princes were Types of the Lord Jesus to whom alone it belongeth to see Churches and Christians to doe their duty in Purity of worship For though David and Solomon were Types of Christ and so the Scripture holdeth them forth yet the Scripture giveth no hint that the other Kings either of Israel or Judah were Types Not of Israel for they were all Apostates nor of Judah for if the Kings of Judah as Kings of Judah to wit in respect of their Regall Estate over the Church if they were all of them Types of Christ then Apostates from Christ were Types of Christ For many of the Kings of Judah were Apostates from Christ as well as the Kings of Israel Yea if they were all Types of Christ then Christ is the Antitype and by accomplishing such types hath abolished them all so that now it were sacrilegious and Antichristian usurpation for any Kings to be set over Christians or the people of God For the Body being come Types and shadowes vanish But what if they were all types of Christ in respect of their Kingly office over the Church alone were they therefore types of Christ in all the Kingly Offices which they performed Then it was typicall in Solomon to put Joab a Murderer to death and Adonijab a Traytor And then it will be unlawfull for Christian Princes to put Murderers or Traitors to death Or if you say these were civill crimes But Idolatry and Heresie which Asa Joash and Josiah punished with death were spirituall crimes and therefore the Kings of Judah in punishing these latter were types of Christ not so in the former this is spoken gratis For whatsoever the Kings of Judah did as types of Christ Christ being the Antitype might more full and lively performe it in his owne person But certaine it is he put no man to death in his owne person all the dayes of his flesh Why therefore may it not rather be said that whatsoever the Kings of Judah lawfully did whether against the Transgressours of the first or second Table they did it not as types of Christ but as servants of Christ betrusted with the care of the welfare both of Church and Common-wealth and therefore as patternes and examples to Christian Magistrates And indeed many of the Kings of Israel as they were Kings over a Common-wealth which was also a Church so they were Kings also over sundry Pagan Nations round about them as were David and Solomon Asa and Jehosaphat Joash and Josiah And though none of them compelled the Pagan Nations to become Proselites to the Church of Israel no more then Christian Kings may compell Pagans to become Christians or men without
of it For may it not justly be conceived That the Lord therefore hid the place of his buriall least the Children of Israel knowing it might goe a whoring after his Sepulchre and it may be offer sweet incense upon it and so such false worship against the law of Moses might come to be Tolerated for honor to the body of Moses But Christ hath abolished a Nationall State or Church which Moses set up in Canaan Though Christ abolished a Nationall Church-State and instead thereof set up a Congregationall Church yet Christ never abolished a Nationall Civill State nor the Judiciall Lawes of Moses which were of Morall equity but established them rather in their place and order He that shed his own bloud to plant his Church did never abolish that Law which enacted that his bloud should be upon him who should supplant his Church If Christs bloud goe to plant it let the false Christs bloud goe for supplanting it Discusser In the King of Bohemias speech the Answerer passeth by that Foundation in grace and Nature that Conscienee ought not to be violated and forced it is a spirituall Rape Defender This was not passed by but prevented in stating the Question where it was said it is not lawfull to censure any no not for error in Fundamentall points of Doctrine or Worship till the Conscience of the offendor be first convinced out of the word of God of the dangerous error of his way and then if he still persist It is not out of Conscience but against his Conscience as the Apostle saith Tit. 3.11 so he is not persecuted for cause of Conscience but punished for sinning against his Conscience Discusser The King observeth that most lamentably true experience of all ages That persecution for cause of Conscience hath ever proved pernicious c. Defender No experience in any age did ever prove it pernicious to punish seducing Apostates after due conviction of the error of their way Wherein did the burning of Servetus prove pernicious to Geneva or the just execution of many popish Preists to Queene Elizabeth or to the english State But the Kings speech may passe if it be meant of persecution properly so called to wit Oppression of the faithfull for the Truths sake yea if it be the punishment of any for error If not Fundamentally pernicious either to Religion or Church-order and that after conviction of Conscience persisted in with obstinacy Discusser Lastly the Kings observation of his owne time that Persecution for cause of Conscience was practised most in England and such places where Popery reigned Implying as I conceive such practises commonly proceed from the great Whore whose Daughters are like their Mother all of a bloudy nature as commonly all wolves be Defender It is no marvell if I passed by this observation in the Kings speech For there is no such observation there to be found If the Discusser had well observed it himselfe he would have found it was not the speech of the King but of the Prisoner And the persecution he speaketh of was not of Antichristians or Hereticks or Idolaters but onely of such as the world nick-named Puritans or the like and of them too without conviction of the error of their way But in that the Discusser maketh England a Daughter of the great Whore and of a bloudy nature like her Mother he speaketh as some other of the rigid Seperation have done before him But I could never yet see awarrant from the rule either of Truth or Love for such a speech Did ever the holy Scripture call any Church an whore that worshipped the true God onely in the Name of Jesus and depended on him alone for righteousnesse and salvation Is it not the part of a base childe or at least a base pare of a childe to call his Mother whore who bred him and bred him to know no other Father but her lawfull Husband the Lord Jesus Christ CHAP. 60. A Reply to his 63. Chap. Discusser NOw Thirdly In that the Answerer observeth that amongst the Romane Emperors they that did not persecute were Julian the Apostate and Valens the Arian Whereas the good Emperors Constantine Gratian Valentian and Theodosius they did persecute the Arians and Donatists Let it be for an Answer It is no new thing for godly and eminently godly men to performe ungodly actions nor for ungodly persons for wicked ends to act what in it selfe is good and righteous c. Defender This may goe for a truth but not for an Answer The Letter would Justifie Toleration of Religion from the judgement and speeches of three Kings I Answered that was no Argument for I could bring him Kings more in number and greater in the sight of God and man who judged it meet not to tolerate Hereticks nor turbulent Schismaticks To this the Discusser Answereth sometimes the Godly doe that which is evill and the wicked that which is good This I say is a Truth but doth not take away my Answer but by a Petitio Principij a begging of the Question That Kings alledged by him did that which was good but the Kings alledged by me though better persons did that which was evill CHAP. 61. A Reply to his Chap. 64. Discusser THe unknowing zeale of Constantine and other Emperors did more hurt to Christ Jesus his Church and Kingdome then the raging fury of the most bloudy Neroes In the persecution of those wicked Emperors Christians were sweet and fragrant like spice pounded in Morters But those good Emperors persecuting some erroneous persons and advancing the Professors of some truthes and maintaining their Religion by the materiall Sword by this meanes Christianity was eclipsed The Professors of it fell asleepe Cant. 5. Babel was usher'd in and by degrees the Churches of the Saints were turned into the Wildernesse of whole Nations Rev. 12.13 untill the whole world became Christian or Christendome Those good Emperors intending to exalt Christ but not attending to the command of Christ Jesus to permit the Tares to grow in the Field of the world they made the Garden of the Church and Field of the world all one c. Defender If the unknowing zeale of Constantine other Christian Emperors did more hurâ— to the Church then the raging fury of bloudy Neroes It was not because the raging fury of those Persecutors was more accepted of God then this unknowing zeale of the good Emperors For though the unknowing zeale of the one was finfull yet it was the friut of humane frialty Error Amoris But the rage of the others was divelish fury Amor Erroris Besides the unknowing zeale of the good Emperors lay not in punishing notorious Hereticall Seducers nor will the Discusser be ever able to shew that the Church of Christ suffered any hurt at all by that meanes The contrary is evident Constantius and Valens by Tolerating and favoring the Arians the whole world became Arian Ingemuit orbis Christianus et miratus est factum se esse Arianum
Religion may not be propagated by the civill Sword Vnto which I Reply what meaneth then this passage in his first Answer to the former speeches of the Kings viz. We acknowledge that none is to be constrained to believe or professe the true Religion till he be convinced in Judgement of the Truth of it Defender If it be observed my Agreement with Hilary then let it be observed that the Discusser in whetting the words of the Authors of the Letter against us layeth a false charge upon us as if we maintained such persecution for cause of Conscience as is condemned by the Ancient Writers Of whom Hilary is named for one and for the first and yet in the Discussion it is found that we agree with him In that Answer to the speeches of the Kings when I acknowledged that none was to be constrained to beleive or professe the true Religion till he be convinced of the Truth of it I did not meane that after he was convinced he might then be constrained with civill censfures for neither beleiving nor professing to beleive is to be constrained with civill censures But yet thus farre he may be constrained by withholding such countenance and favour from him such encouragement and employment from him as a wise and discerning Prince would otherwise grant to such as beleive the Truth and professe it so far as they are convinced of it in Judgement and Conscience For such as will not walke according to their Light are neither trusty servants to God nor man Discusser That Answer to the speech of the Kings implyeth two things 1. That the civill Magistrate who is to constraine must judge of all the Consciences of their Subjects whether they be convinced or no. 2. That when the civill Magistrate discerneth that his Subjects Consciences are convinced then he may constraine them vi armis hostilely And accordingly who knoweth not what constraint lyeth upon all Consciences in Old and New-England to come to Church and to pay Church-Duties which is upon the point though with a Sword of a finer gilt and trim in New-England nothing else but that which he confesseth Hilary saith should not be done to wit a Propagation of Religion by the Sword Defender Neither of both these things are implyed in that Answer Not the first that the civill Magistrate must then Judge of all of the Consciences of their Subjects whether they be convinced or no For it implyeth no more then that he is not to constraine them till he see they be convinced If he never see them convinced he is to see they be never constrained But how far the Magistrate may discerne and judge in matters of Religion hath been spoken above Nor the second For the constraint I spake of was not by positive meanes vi Armis but negative withholding such trust and employment from such as he seeth are not faithfull and trusty to their God of whose Truth they are convinced and yet withhold it in unrighteousnesse I know no constraint at all that lieth upon the consciences of any in New-England to come to Church neither doe I know that any scruple lyeth upon any Conscience in New-England that withholdeth any from hearing the word amongst us But least of all doe I know that any are constrayned to pay Church-duties in New-EnglaÌ„d Sure I am none in our own Town neither Church-members nor other are constrained to pay any Church-duties at all What they pay they give voluntarily each one with his owne hand without any constraint at all but their owne will as the Lord directs them Discusser Againe although he confesseth that Propagation of Religion ought not to be by the Sword yet he maintaineth the use of the Sword when persons in the Judgment of the Civill State for that is implyed shall blaspheme the true God and the true Religion and also seduce others to damnable Heresie and Idolatry Defender True but this is not the Propagation of Religion but the preservation of it or if it doe conduce to Propagation it is onely removendo probibens CHAP. 67. A Reply to his Chap. 70. Discussing the Testimony of Tertullian Discusser TO Tertullian the Answerer giveth the like Answer Tertullians Intent saith he is onely to restraine Scapula the Romane Governour of Africa from persecuting the Christians for not offering Sacrifice to their Heathen Gods and for that end fetcheth an Argument from the Law of Naturall Equity not to compell any to any Religion but to permit them to beleive or not to beleive at all Which we acknowledge we judge the English may permit the Indians to continue in their unbeliefe Neverthelesse it will not therefore be lawfull to tolerate the publick worship of Devils or Idols in a Christian State or the seduction of any from the Truth In this passage he agreeth with Tertullian but it is well known that in New-England they not onely permit the Indians to continue in their unbeleife which they cannot help but they also permit or tolerate them in their Paganish worship which cannot be denyed to be a worshipping of Devils And therefore consequently according to the same practise did they walke by Rule and impartially not onâ—â— the Indians but their Countrymen French Dutch Spanish Per … Turkes Jewes should also be permitted in their Worships if correspondent in civill obedience Defender It is not true that the New-English doe tolerate the Indians who have submitted to the English protection and Government in their worship of Devils openly What the Indians doe that are not under the English Government the English have no warrant from God or Law of Nations to restraine them nor is it in the power of the English to restraine the private Worship which some of the Indians under the English Government may possibly adhere unto the this day What courses have been used to bring them on to Civility and to the knowledge of our Religion by faire meanes are not pertinent to the present controversie to relate It hath been an Article of the Covenant between such Indians as have submitted to our Government that they shall submit to the ten Commandements which they thought reasonable Some of their Sachims young children are brought up with us and trained up to knowledge Such of them as come to our Houses are fed with curtesie and care taken often to instruct them as farre yea further then they are greatly willing to heare Some of them of late frequent our markets to get mony by selling Fish Baskets whortleberries Cramberries which taketh them off from some idlenesse Some English are studious of the Indian Language to deale with them in their owne Tongue Of late some of our Ministers have preached to a Congregation of them whil'st others at first interpreted what was preached but since one of our Ministers preacheth to them in their owne Language The other day whil'st I was at the Colledge with other Elders an Indian from Plimmouth side an hopefull youth was received into some employment in
which Abraham the Father of the faithfull and God the Judge of all the Earth thought equall Gen. 18.25 that the Righteous should not be as the wicked nor that Truth and Fidelity should suffer as Heresie and Apostacy Discusser Yea but it is not confidence of being in the Truth which they judge the Papists and others are not in no nor the Truth it selfe that can priviledge them to persecute others and to exempt themselves from persecution for three Considerations First because it is against the nature of true sheep to persecute or hunt the Beasts of the Forrest no not the Wolves who have persecuted themselves Defender It is a feeble kind of reasoning from a similitude in some things to presse a resemblance in every thing Sheep doe fitly resemble Christians in many proprieties but he that shall therefore presse them to be like in all shall not suffer a Magistrate if he be a sheep of Christ to punish Robbers Adulterers Murderers why for it is against the Nature of true sheep to persecute any Beasts of the Forrest Besides I demand whether Paul was a sheep or a Wolfe when he smote Elymas with blindnesse If he were a Wolfe how is he then said to be filled with the Holy Ghost Acts 13.9 If he were a sheep why did he strike such a Beast of the Forrest ver 10 11. Furthermore when the Wolfe runneth ravenously upon the sheep is it against the nature of the true sheep to run to their Shepheard And is it then against the Nature of the true Shepheard to send forth his Dogs to worry such a Wolfe without incurring the reproach of a persecutor Discusser Secondly if it be a Duty and charge upon all Magistrates in all parts of the world to judge and persecute in and for spirituall Causes then either they are no Magistrates who are not able to judge in such cases or else they must judge according to their Consciences whether Pagan Turkish or Antichristian Defender This hath been againe and againe Answered above though it be the Duty of all Magistrates in the world to judge and punish Blasphemers Idolaters and Seducers yet not in sensu composite whilst they are ignorant of the Truth and cannot judge of such causes but in sensu diviso they are bound to be wise and instructed in the knowledge and worship of Christ Psal 2.10.11 12. and then to judge accordingly But in the meane time it doth not follow that they are no Magistrates who are not able to doe all the Duties of a Magistrate Neither will it follow that they must judge according to their Consciences when their Consciences are blind and erroneous Pagan Turkish Antichristian Let them first cast Beames out of their owne eyes and then they will better discerne between Beame and motes in other men Discusser Thirdly the Experience of our Fathers errours and of our owne mistakes and ignorance the sense of our owne weaknesses and blindnesse in the depths of the Prophecies and mysteries of the Kingdome of Christ and the great professed Expectation of the Light to come which wee are not now able to comprehend may abate the edge and sheath up the Sword of Persecution against any especially such as differ not from them in Doctrines of Repentance or Faith or Holynesse of heart and life but onely in the way and manner of the Administration of Jesus Christ Defender I say as Augustine sometime said in another case Nunquid negandum quod certum est quia comprehendi non potest quod occultum est There are depths of sundry Prophecies which we yet comprehend not but shall we therefore be alwayes babes and ignorant of the Fundamentall Principles of Christian Religion yea and suffer them to be shaken and ruined because there are some Prophesies and Mysteries which wee yet understand not shall the expectation of greater Light so dazle our eyes before wee see it that we cannot be able to see what wee doe see It is not Light but darknesse that cloudeth the Light already revealed Nor is it darknesse onely but blacknesse of darknesse that putteth Light for darknesse and darknesse for Light and would have both tolerated to live together in the same Hemispheare because some blinde Christians cannot yet tell which is whether It is true the Experience of former Errours and sense of present weaknesses may justly abate the edge and sheath up the Sword of persecution against any that differ onely in errours of weakenesse and differ not in Doctrines of Faith Repentance and Holinesse of heart and life Yea wee willingly grant more then the Discusser requireth in such a case For though there should bee some Difference in Doctrines of faith or Repentance or Holinesse Yet wee should not approve the unsheathing of the Sword against such unlesse the Doctrine were fundamentally subversive to faith or Repentance or Holinesse and that obstinately maintained against light and conviction and broached and dispersed to the Infection and Seduction of others If the Difference be only in the way and manner of Administration of Christ Iesus and that Difference held forth in a Christian and Peaceable way God forbid a staffe should be shaken against such much lesse a Sword unsheathed CHAP. 72. A Reply to his Chap. 75th Discussing a Testimony of Augustine Discusser TO begin with Augustine They murther saith Hee Soules and themselves are afflicted in Body They put men to everlasting Death and yet they complaine when themselves are put to a temporall Death This Rhetoricall perswasion of humane wisdome seemeth very reasonable in the Eye of flesh and bloud but one Scripture more prevaileth with faithfull and obedient soules then thousands of plausible and Eloquent speeches Defender Neither this Testimony nor the rest of those Ancients that follow were alledged to prevaile with the Faith of any further then Light of Scripture might shine forth in them but onely to counterpoyse the Testimonies of the Ancients alledged in the Letter against the Truth And the Discusser in his entrance into this chapter is forced to acknowledge that the cause wee maintaine hath more number of Votes and I may adde weight of Voters then the contrary Tenent onely he putteth it off with this evasion that Antichrist is too hard for Christ at Votes and Numbers Which yet is the more to be marvelled at that when the cause is about the Toleration of Hereticks and Antichristians that Antichrist should procure more Votes against Antichristians and Christ to procure any Votes though fewer for them And it is but another evasion whereby he here putteth off Augustines speech as if it were but a Rhetoricall evasion Whereas indeed the weight of the speech lyeth not in the Rhetorick which is little or none but in the Logick in an Argument taken from the Excellency of the soule above the body and thence inferring the equity of killing the bodies of such as kill the soules of Gods people and the iniquity of such as think this unequall But to weaken the force of
wisdome and Truth that the Disousser should publish the delights of Christ in a confussed way without distinguishing things that differ and so not dividing the Word aright It is true that Christ delighteth not in the bloud of men but shed his owne for his bloudiest enemies and gainsayers to wit whilst they gainsaying him and bloudily persecute him or his out of ignorance In this case indeed he prayeth for them and dieth for them Father forgive them they know not what they doe Luk. 23.34 whilest wee were enemies Christ died for us Rom. 5.8 10. But to say that Christ delighteth not in the bloud of men who after the acknowledgement of his Truth doe tread the bloud of his Covenant under foote and wittingly and willingly reject him from reigning over them To hold it forth that Christ delighteth not in the bloud of such men or that he would not have such molested by the civill Sword who gainsay Christ known and professed and joyn with his enemy Antichrist in blaspheming and persecuting Christ and his Saints This the Discusser can never make good to be the word of Christ It is indeed to publish the glad Tidings of the Gospel not to the humble and meeke Lambes of Christ but to the seed of the Serpent to sow pillowes under all elbowes to make the hearts of the righteous sad whom God would not make sad and to strengthen the hands of the wicked in their Apostacy from the truth and malignity against it Christ hath pronounced it upon earth and ratifyed it in Heaven Those mine enemies that would not that I should reigne over them bring them hither and slay them before my face Luk. 19.27 Are these the words of him that delighteth not in the bloud of his bloudyest enemies and gainsayers when the Lord Jesus sendeth forth his servants to powre out bloudy vengeance upon Antichristian emissaries and openeth the hearts mouthes of his Saints to praise him for thus judging Rev. 16.4 7 Is this to proclaime a Magna-Charta of highest libertyes even to his gainsayers and to such as joyn with his enemy Antichrist Time was when Jehu justly demanded What peace what hast thou to doe with peace so long as the whor domes of thy Mother Jezebel and her witcherafts are so many 2 Kings 9.22 And are the times now so farre changed that the Sword of Jebu shall proclaime peace to Jezebel and peace to all that call her mother and peace to her whoredomes and peace to her witchcrafts and then to blesse our selves with a glorious expectation That soone shall every Brow and house be stucke with O live branches The Lord keepe us from being bewitched with the Whores cup lest whilst wee seeme to detest and reject her with open face of profession wee doe not bring her in by a back doore of Toleration and so come at last to drink deepely of the cup of the Lords wrath and be filled with the cup of her plagues Amen CHAP. 79. Touching the Modell of Church and civill Power composed by Mr. Cotton and the Ministers of New-England and sent to the Church of Salem c. Examined by the Discusser and Answered THis Title or Inscription which the Examiner setteth up of this Modell holdeth forth to the world a double falshood 1. That the Modell was composed by Mr. Cotton and other Ministers of New-England This is one falshood What other Ministers of New-England did in it themselves know But for Mr. Cotton I know that he was none of them that composed it 2. That this Modell was sent to the Church of Salem if he meane sent by those Ministers as the following words imply for the confirmation of their Doctrine that is another falshood The Ministers themselves that composed the Modell doe deny it Howsoever the Modell came to Salem the Ministers say it was not sent by them But see when men are left of God openly and boldly to write against the truth in matter of Doctrin how readily and freely they can write and speake falshood in matter of fact It is therefore lesse marvell that in Answer to the preface of the Modell he breaketh forth into such vast hyperboles That the Modell awakeneth Meses from his unknowne Grave and denyeth Jesus yet to have seen the earth A speech as devoid of reason as of truth The observation of Moses Lawes doth not awaken Moses out of his grave nor is there any reason it should The validity of Lawes doth not in reason depend upon the life or resurrection of the Lawgiver the Examiner himselfe I suppose would not doubt but the Lawes of Moses were of force to the Israelites in the Land of Canaan when yet Moses was dead and buried before their entrance into the Land Neither did their observation of them awaken Moses out of his grave but argued his Lawes to be in force as well after his death as whilst he was yet living If it be said That Christ at his coming in the flesh when he was buried himselfe buried also the Lawes of Moses with him in his grave Then the Examiner should not have said that the Modell raised up Moses out of his grave but that it raised up Christ out of his grave If it be said againe the Examiner saith It denyed Christ to have seen the earth which was of as ill consequence Be it so but yet still this maketh nothing to the rasing up of Moses out of his grave I Answer further Neither doth it at all deny Christ to have seen the earth For Christ came not to destroy the Law of Moses Mat. 5.17 Neither the Morall Law for in the sequele of that Chapter he doth at large expound it and establish it No nor did he come to destroy the judiciall Lawes such of them as are of Morall equity Or else the Conscience of the civill Magistrate could never doe any act of civill justice out of faith because he should have no word of God to be the ground of his action if the Lawes of judgement in the Old-Testament were abrogated and none extant in the New As for the exception which the Examiner taketh against the Preface It is as easily avoided as Objected If saith he the civill Magistrate even the highest being a Member of the Church be subject to Church-Censure how can this stand with their common Tenent that he must keepe the first Table Reforme the Church be Judge and Governor in all causes as well ecclesiasticall as Civill Secondly how can a Magistrate both sit on the Bench and stand at the Bar of Christ Jesus Is it not as impossible as to reconcile east and west together Yea is not the Text in Isa 49 23. Lamentably wrested to prove both these Reply One Answer may easily remove both Exceptions And that one Text doth expresly hold forth both these Points which the Examiner conceiveth to be so irreconcilable For if Princes be nursing Fathers to the Church as that Text speaketh then they are to provide that the children of