vein going thorow the whole in one word the great Religion of that sort of men in the Army is liberty of conscience and liberty of preaching But heretofore both in times more ancient and latter and in other Countries severall sects kept themselves more to their own proper tenets without that generall conâ—usion of each running into all as the Arians Novatians and others in the first six hundred years and the Antinomians in Luthers time Secondly That all these sorts of sects how different soever yea and contrary to one another in many principles and opinions yet all agree in these times in separating from our Church refusing comunion in our publike Assemblies and in disallowing the authoritative power of Classes and Synods all the sects yea the worst of them as the Antiscripturists Arians Antitrinitarians Perfectists being Independents and Separatists though all Independents and Separatists be not Arians Antinomians c. which deserves the more to be thought on because in the Primitive times some heriticks and sectaries would have been glad of communion in warship with the Orthodox Arius desired to be received into the Church of Alexandria again and made such friends to Constantine that upon his pretending repentance he commanded Alexander the Bishop of Alexandria to give him the hand of fellowship and to admit him as also they approved of the power of Synods and Councels comming unto them The Arians Donatists and other Sectaries held many Councels as that of Tyrus Antiochia the first Councel of Carthage in Constantines dayes of these and many more we read of in Ecclesiasticall Histories I never read of any Independent Minister in all the Primitive Churches no not amongst the Sectaries for the first six hundred years save only in the dayes of Aurelius Bishop of Carthage who living in the fift Century in an African Synod and Councel held at Carthage declares There are many who conspiring with their own proper people who they do deceive scratching their itching eares and with fair speeches seducing men of a loose life or rather puffed up separating themselves from this society who think they must attend to their own proper people and being often called to the Councel refuse to come along left their absurdities and novelties should be discovered and made manifest against whom Aurelius moved that they might be deprived of all authority over their proper people as rebellious and disorderly which was consented to and voted by the whole Synod saying placet placet Thirdly That for the errours and opinions laid down in this Catalogue some are contrary and contradictory to others of them so that many of these errours fight among themselves this indeed is one great difference between truth and errour that truth though it be contrary to errour yet one truth is never contrary to another truth is one and uniforme but many errours are not only contrary to truth but to errours also yea some of these errours are most contrary to what ever could have been expected many of the persons who hold these opinions being fallen into some of the errours of Popery Arminianism Libertinisme and those of the grossest sort as the Reader in the Errours hereafter named may more easily perceive which they spoke so much against heretofore and for fear of which comming in upon us they first began to forsake this Church so that they have wheeled wheeled about so long on the right hand that they are perfectly come round to the left The Catalogue of the Errours Heresies Blasphemies is as follows 1. THat the Scriptures cannot be said to be the word of God there is no Word but Christ the Scripures are a dead letter and no more to be credited then the writtings of men not divine but humane invention 2. That the Scripture whether a true manuscript or no whether Hebrew Greek or English is but humane and so not able to discover a divine God Then where is your command to make that your Rule or Discipline that cannot reveal you God nor give you power to walke with God so that Christ letting out himself as he is in himself ought to be a Christians Rule in obedience to himself 3. That the Scriptures are unsufficient and uncertain there is no certainty to build any Dâ—ctrine upon them they are not an infallible foundation of faith 4. As the condition of Adam Noah Abraham Moses c. was that they did walke with God by the teaching of God so is ours that is not to limit Christ to Adam Noah Abraham Moses David Iohn and the Disciples As they were not to tye God to any things before them recorded but each of them had a new record so are not we to limit God in the generall records of those paths but wait upon him in the enlargement of the Gospell what he will record you and far be it from me to conclude either in Doctrine or practise that half of his glory is revealed as yet As that I should enclose Christ in such a small compasse as we have recorded though I rejoyce to understand it in the searching thereof yet pressing toward the marke for the price of the high calling of God waiting what he will record in my heart and in that measure worship him in spirit and truth from the teaching of the Spirit 5. That the holy writings and sayings of Moses and the Prophets of Christ and his Apostles and the proper Names Persons and things contained therein are Allegories and these Allegories are the mystery and spirituall meaning of them 6. That the Penmen of Scripture every one of them writ as themselves conceived they were the actions of their own spirit and for what is said they were moved by the holy Ghost that was no other Spirit then that which moved them to writ and speak other things for in him we live and move and have our being 7. That the Scriptures of the old Testament do not concerne nor binde Christians now under the new Testament so that when places of Scripture are brought out of the old Testament to prove Points many Sectaries make slight of them and say Give us a text out of the new we are ignorant of the old and hereupon some of them do not binde the old Testament with the new nor read it 8. That right Reason is the rule of Faith and that we are to beleeve the Scriptures and the Doctrine of the Trinity Incarnation Resurrection so far as we see them agreeable to reason and no farther 9. That the new Testament nor no place of Scripture in it binds any further then the Spirit for present reveales to us that such a place is the Word of God 10. To read Scripture in English to a mixt Congregation without present expounding it is dangerous and worse then to read it in Latine for in Latine as it doth no good so it doth no harme 11. That God hath a hand in and is the Author of the sinfullnesse of
evills of this kinde are grown to such a height as there is the more time for silence or for being afraid but of crying out and speaking plainly And I am confident when your Honours have read over my Book which I humbly desire you in the fear of God and for the glory of Christ to do as Luther bespeaks the reading of an Epistle of his that will be a just Apologie with you for my freenesse and boldnesse O the evil of â—hese times would put zeal into the heart of any man who hath any lâ—ve to the glory of God his truth and the souls of people and make the stammering tongue to speak 〈…〉 to speak and cry out Croesus son who was born dumâ—be wheâ— he saw one going to kill his Father spake and cryed out O kill not Croesus And now when our Father our Saviour and blessed Spirit are wounded by damnable heresies and blasphemies and many precious souls destroyed can we be silent O cursed be the silence and flattery that is in such a time as this For now things are grown to a strange passe though nothing is now strange and every day they grow worse and worse and you can hardly conceive and imagine them so bad as they are no kinde of blasphemy heresie disorder confusion but either is found among us or a coming in upon us for we in stead of a Reformation are grown from one extreme to another fallen from Scylla to Charibdis from Popish Innovations Superstitions and Prelaticall Tyranny to damnable Heresies horrid Blasphemies Libertinisme and fearfull Anarchy our evils are not removed and cured but only changed one disease and Divell hath left us and another as bad is come in the room yea this last extremity in which we are fallen is far more high violent and dangerous in many respects all which in an Epistle cannot be contained but are laid down in the following Book in many places specially in the eleventh Corollary Luther in an Epistle to Spalatinus calls want of freedome in a Minister irremissible peccatum an unpardonable sin and silence in the neglecting of truth a wicked silence and in an Epistle to Staupitius saith Let me be found any thing a proud man an adulterer murderer and guilty of all wickednesse so as I be not convicted of wicked silence whilst the Lord suffers The consideration of which makes me well contented to run the venture of being accounted proud saucy peremptory and of incurring the hazard of your displeasure by speaking freely though I hope better things then to let the glory and honour of Christ and his truth suffer any longer by my silence for I call the most High GOD to witnesse that so far as I know my own heart what freedome I here use in laying open the state of things before you is not out of any sinister respect or any pleasure I take in this liberty for I have had many carnall reasonings and conflicts in my spirit against it but only out of the great necessity of the times moved thereunto out of love and zeal to the glory of God and his truth my faithfulnesse to your Honours compassion to the souls of those for whom Christ dyed and the delivering of my own soul in the discharge of my conscience Great Persons as Princes Nobles and Counsellours through their high places multitude of affairs flatteries are subject to great failings and infirmities as both Scriptures and all Histories shew but this hath been the praise and honour of some of them that upon being minded by faithful Ministers of their faults they have laid it to heart Theodosius that Noble Emperour had many infirmities as that cruell fact of his against the inhabitants of Thessalonica as his being angry out of measure against the people of Antiochia as his lenity towards Arians whom he permitted to keep Conventions in chief Cities but in all his faults this is observed and admired by the Ecclesiasticall Historians who writ of him that he ever gave place to wholsome admonitions and amended upon being dealt with as by Flavianus Bishop of Antiochia Amphilochius Bishop of Iconium Ambrose Bishop of Millain and he took Ambroses liberty of speaking to him so well that he did not only give him thanks but said of him to his praise I have at length found a master of truth for I have known Ambrose only a Bishop worthy of that name It was one of the sins of the Prelates and Court Chaplains for which among others God hath cast them out to flatter and the sin of the Court that the Ministers that preached there must sing placentia speak smooth things Now far be it from such a High Court of Parliament as you who above other Parliaments are in solemne Covenant with God for Reformation Nationall Domâ—sticall Personall and have professed to engage your hearts for God and his work and from the Ministers who stand up for you and adhere to you to be faulty in the same kinde Be pleased therefore in the midst of your many great affairs which even swallow you up and by reason of which you have not time to hear and know all things concerning the State of Religion to suffer one of your daily Remembrancers to God to be Gods Remembrancer to you You have most Noble Senatours done Worthily against Papists Prelats and scandalous Ministers in casting dowe Images Altars Crucifixes throwing out Ceremonies c. but what have You done against other kinds of growing evills Heresie Schisme Disorder against Seekers Anabaptists Antinomians Brownists Libertines and other Sects You have destroyed Baal and his Priests but have you been zealous against golden Calves and the Priests of the lowest of the people are not these grown up and dayly increase under you are any effectuall meanes used against them You have made a Reformation and blessed be God who put it into your hearts to do such things but with the Reformation have we not a Deformation and worse things come in upon us then ever we had before were any of those monsters heard of heretofore which are now common among us as denying the Scriptures pleading for a Toleration of all Religions and worships yea for blasphemy and denying there is a God You have put down the Book of Common Prayer and there are many among us have put down the Scriptures slighting yea blaspheming them You have broken down Images of the Trinity Christ Virgin Mary Apostles and we have those who overthrow the Doctrine of the Trinity oppose the Divinity of Christ speak evill of the Virgin Mary sleight the Apostles You have cast out the Bishops and their Officers and we have many that cast down to the ground all Ministers in all the Reformed Churches You have cast out Ceremonies in the Sacraments as the Crosse kneeling at the Lords Supper and we have many cast out the Sacraments Baptisme and the Lords Supper You have put down Saints dayes and we have many make nothing at all of the Lords dayes and
beasts at Ephesus and from the messenger of Satan that encouraged and enabled little David to fight with a Bear and a Lion and to pull a Lambe out the Lions mouth yea to kill both the Lion and the Bear hath doth and will preserve me till I have finished my testimony Only my earnest desire is to the Orthodox and Pious Reader that for the Lord Jesus Christs sake and for the love of the Spirit they would strive in prayer to God for me that I might be delivered from unreasonable euen and from them that are disobedient and that my service and labours in this kinde may be aâ—cepted of the Saints and that I may be so strengthened with might by his Spirit that in zeal and faithfullnesse and yet in love humility and wisedom I may speak as I ought to speak in all my following Treatises There are two things amongst many that I have oft thought upon and observed both from the Scriptures and the works of holy men both ancient and modern which in this cause against the Sectaries makes me not to be troubled at reproaches evill reports c. First that those Ministers who out of zeal to the glory of God love of his truth compassion to poor soules have appeared and acted vigorously by preaching and writing against the errours of the times and places they lived in have still met with a great deal of malignity hatred reproaches and speaking all manner of evill against them falsely as also many misconstructions neglects and unkinde dealings from friends Secondly Notwithstanding all this they have gon on in their work and way with constancie and heroick resolution triumphing and rejoycing in their sufferings rather rising higher and growing more bold then being moved or discouraged of both these I will give some instances Christ the chief Shepherd and Bishop of our souls for speaking against the Sectaries of the time namely the Pharisees Sadduces and Herodians was maligned reproached laid in wait for as also his own Disciples and Iohns were sometimes offended at him as Ioh. 6.60.61 66. Matth. 9.14.15 16 17. and yet Christ endured contradiction of sinners and bare witnesse to the truth Paul for opposing false teachers and the errors which had crept into the Church of Corinth and Galatia met with great reproaches bad reports not only from the false Apostles but from many of the people insomuch as they counted Paul an enemy passed judgement on him and spake contemptibly of him Gal. 4.16.17 2 Cor. 10.10 11. 1 Cor. 4.3.8 9 10 13.14 And yet Paul counted it a small thing to be judged and could take pleasure in reproaches in necessities in persecutions in distresses for Christs sake 2. Cor. 12.10 and none of these things moved him so he might finish his course with joy and the Ministry which he received to testifie the Gospell of the grace of God Acts 20.24 Athanasius for opposing the Arians and detecting their wayes was conspired against accused and pursued with an unsupportable hatred and yet he went on with great zeal and courage against the whole world which at one time was made Arian so that he was resembled by the Fathers to an Adamant for his enduring all things Augustine and Hierom both of them for preaching and writing against hereticks and schismaticks especially Donatifts suffered many reproaches and yet rejoyced counting their sufferings a signe of their greater glory as Hierome writing to Augustine congratulates Augustine for deserving the hatred of all hereticks which he rejoyced was common to himself with him and that which is an argument of the greater glory all hereticks do detest you and persecute me also with the like hatred that whom they cannot kill with swords they do with wishes Yea Augustine in opposing Pelagius errours Pelagius being a man of a strict life and of great authority among all having many famous men that adhered to him as Caelestius Iulianus Episcopus Sulpitius Severus and others was censured by some of his friends to be too sharpe and bitter and his writings had many misconstructions There were Epistles by Prosper and Hilarie sent to Austin wherein they expresse that many who were most eminent in the honour of Priesthood did repreâ—end Augustin as if without a cause he had been too vehement and had too sharply managed the controversie against Pelagius yea among the auditours of Augustine all did not truely and with aâ—â— right hand receive it Luther as his name was hatefull to the Papists so also to the Sectaries of that age Thomas Muncer one of the first preachers and ring-leaders of the Anabaptists Luther having had some conflicts with him and others of that Sect put forth some writings wherein hee did pour out his rage and fury against Luther reproaching Luther that hee wanted a spirit of Revelation and savoured onely carnall outward things and after Luther had reproved Muncer for his opinion of liberty and the wayes he went in he set himself against Luther thundring out railing speeches saying that Luther did equally offend as the Pope of Rome yea that Luther was worse then the Pope himself promulgating only a carnall Gospel but Luther all his dayes both against the Papists and Sectaries Swenckfeldians Antinomians Anabaptists notwithstanding all reproaches went on with courage and rejoycing Luther esteemed evill speakings as meat fatning him Luther was afraid of praises but rejoyced in reproaches and blasphemies T is enough to me saith Luther if I please Christ my Lord and his saints I doe from my heart rejoyce and give thanks to my God that I am hatefull to the Divell and all his scales I am certain saith Luther that the truth of God cannot be rightly handled and maintained without envie and danger and this is the onely signe that it hath been rightly handled if it offend I do daily more and more please my self and am proud that I see a bad name increases to mee Zuinglius that great leader of the Reformation in Helvetia for disputing and writing against the Anabaptists was by Balthasar Hubmerus Pacimontanus though Zuinglius had done him many offices of love loadded with so great reproaches that hee was necessitated to make an Apologie for himselfe to satisfie the brethren Calvin that faithfull Pastour of Geneva as his labours and zeal against Popish heresies are known to all so did hee write and act against all other kind of errors that sprung up against the Anabaptists Libertines Servetus Valentinus Gentilis Stancanus as his works witnesse and for his pains and zeal being as a Christian Hercules overcoming so many monsters he was called Heretick Ambitious affecting a new Papacie one that studied to heap up riches a Railer so that Beza writ an Apologie for him yea some neighbour Pastours reproached him as if he made God the authour of sin because he excluded nothing from Gods externall providence in a word being so contagious a defender of sound doctrine hee was at home and
my book Cretens p. 11. p. 20.21 That when all the accused ones shall have time and opportunity to stand forth and plead their innocency Cretens pag. 6. there will be very little truth found remaining in any thing reported by me except in such things as are transgressions against no Law and indeed the whole Answer is in one kind or other a continued pleading for Baal and a calling Error Truth and Darknesse Light O the wretchednesse and wickednesse of Cretens whereas for these abominations of the Errours Heresies Blasphemies of our times known too well to all the Kingdome he should have sat down astonied mourning and sighing rending his heart crying out my bowels my bowels I am pained at the heart the man makes a sport and mock of them to make himself the Independent sons of Ieroboam who are of his own constitution merry with them using also several Artifices sophistications to elude the truth And tho this be very sad that such a man as Cretens who pretends to so much Saintship and holynesse should do thus or indeed any man who hath but the name of a Christian yet I cannot but observe a good hand of God in this as well as in the former thus to leave him as to shame him before all the world many besides my self taking notice and speaking of this in Cretens how without all distinction he speaks for most shamefully excuses all kind of Errors Heresies Blasphemies Antitrinitarians Arâ—ians Antiscripturists c. not finding any one Error or person throughout my book worthy to be blamed but in this we find no strange thing for that Scripture must be fulfilled As for such as turn aside unto their crooked wayes the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity Obs. 3. Cretensis throughout his whole Answer without excepting any one man makes al those erroneous persons Saints faithful servants of God c. whom I have mentioned in my Catalogue and though most of the instances in my Relations where I name persons and insist somewhat largely upon them be of most dangerous men of men holding most abominable horrid errors and blasphemous opinions as Writer Webb Clarkson Hich Marshall c. yet doth not Cretensis condemn speak against any one of them or separate the vile from such as may be pretious among the lower sort of sects but bundles them up among the Saints speaking of the S t s the S t s whose nakednes M. Edwards being of Satans Councel hath laid open spread a table for Satan with the shame and sorrows of the Saints so that in Cretensis Kalender Cretens p. 5. Antitrinitarians Antiscripturists Arrians Socinians Perfectists are canonised for S t s as well as Independents Brownists and Anabaptists and a man may find there St Best St Wrighter St Webb St Hieb St Clarkson c. as well as St Goodwin and his Church and no question if Saint Best shall suffer by the Parliaments authority for his damnable Heresies and Blasphemies he sha'l be a Martyr too as well as a Saint in Cretensis Kalender and be reckoned the Protomartyr of the Sectaries and in this the Reader may observe how Cretens no question against his own intention whilst the main scope of his Pamphlet is to make Gangâ—aena a lying book confirms the truth of many passages related in it namely the Independents holding with all other Sects not dividing from them pleading for them upon all occasions strengthnâ—ng their hands bringing them off from danger c. all which Cretens in many pages of his book makes good and though he had a fair occasion upon the coming out of Gangraenâ— to have casheired many out of their number there being so many foul Sects and Sectaries discovered and can never come off with honour for not taking it yet 't is evident Cretensis will not loose any one sort of Sects or any one Sectary but joyns them with himself and his own Church the Saints the faithfull servants of God and such like Obs. 4. Cretensis out of his pride and in his rage casts fiâ—e brans every where abusing and having a fling at all he comes near or takes an occasion to speak of and that not only particular single persons of approved integrity and abilities but whole societies as the Honourable Court of Common-Councell p. 49. calling them Brethren in iniquity with me for representing in their Petition to the Parliament that there were e'even meetings at least of Sectaries in one Parish in this City yea and all Presbyterians Assembled and not Assembled Had Cretensis only abused and scorned me a poor weak thimblefull of dust that in his account knowes not how to range Parts of Speech in a sentence nor to put the Nominative Case and Verb together regularly in English I could have born it and passed it by as I have done many of the like kind but who can without a check suffer this proud man to slight and scorn all kind of worthy men as if all wisdome and understanding dwelt in him alone Obs. 5. Cretensis in severall places of his Book abuses Sctipture bringing that in to serve his turn to make jâ—st and scoffs upon me and others as in pag. 9.15 c. 'T is a great iniquity in me as Cretensis would make it to abuse his Saints but no fault in him to make jests upon the Scripture Obs. 6. Cretensis Pamphlet consists of little else but great swelling words of vanity jears scoffs bitter reproaches long-winded sentences preambles circumlocutions and multitude of words without waight and matter so that if a man substract all these what remains certainly all the matter reason and strength of this Book may be writ in a gold Ring and there will hardly be enough to fill a poor weak thimblefull of dust as for example what ado doth Cretens make speaking over and over the same things spending whole pages and leaves upon that which he might have spoken answered to in three or four lines as about bowling on dayes of Thanksgiving he runs out from pag. 28 to 36. and so carps at the word meeting in pag. 36 37. Now 't is an evident signe the man could not find matter of exception in Gangâ— to work upon that he so catches at words and phrases no man who is in his wits and hath good employments will spend his time in picking of strawes and catching flies Obs. 7. Cretensis if not formally and in so many words yet virâ—ually doth animate and stir up the Sectaries to fall upon me dealing by me in opposing the errors of the Sectaries just as the Jesuits and Papists do against those who write and preach against their way telling some of their seduced followers it will be a meritorious work to kill such and take them out of the way and if Cretensis do not so what mean these words p. 19. And let Mr. Edwards know and let his conscience and compeers know that whatsoever he shall suffer whether from his
against the spreading infectious Errours of these times wherein we once hoped for better things I wrote to Master F. of some discoveries that were made to me by some reclaimed from Anabaptisme concerning the workings of Satan to and in that way being much affected with the relations they first gave me by word of mouth I desired them to commit their experiences to paper while the remembrance of them was fresh with them that they might be able hereafter as well as at present to tell what the Lord had done for their soules in breaking such a dangerous snare as Satan with so much art and subtilty had laid for them This upon perswasion they did and at last gave me in about two sheets of paper close written wherein they discover not only how the snare was laid for them and how they were first caught and intangled with a liking of the novelty of Anabaptisme but being caught how they were carried on to it with the strongest violence and impulse of spirit that is imaginable they also discover the sad effects and influence which that way had upon their spirits while they lay but under a liking and good opinion of it and how it pleased the Lord to rescue and bring them off before they were actually ingaged and duckt into that seduced society Sir all these things were so fully and largely expressed in the manuscripâ— I had from them that others as well as my selfe held them very fit to be published for the publike good and supposing they should be I was preparing some considerations upon the passages to come forth with them Since their coming of the Anabaptists they have found their spirits in a much better frame then before and out of pitie to others ingaged in that way have endeavoured to reclaime them And now Sir for my own part I must needs say it is much that I have suffered from Opinionists of all sorts in these times and meerly because I could not be false to my Covenant nor I trust never shall by a sinfull silence when heresie and schisme do lift up themselves against truth and unity I praise the Lord this happinesse I have though the unkind dealing of these men hath somtimes occasioned much griefe of heart and weaknesse of body to me yet they have not prevailed in the least wise to weaken my resolutions in contending for the truth yea the more the truth is opposed the more earnestly I hope I shall contend for it though it be to the utter exhausting of that small strength of body which I have I cannot sacrifice my selfe in a better way I know it is not necessary that I should live but necessary it is that truth should live and be maintained to the utmost of our power Me thought it was somwhat harsh to me at first till God accustomed me to the yoke to suffer frowns reproaches imprecations and all manner of hard speeches for the discharging of my conscience and that from those whose professed principle it is that all should have the liberty of their consciences It seems they would take liberty but will not give it If my conscience bids me to oppose some of their tenets and practices and I can have no peace without so doing how can they in reason deny me this liberty by their own principle ☜ Surely it would be a sad day to all Orthodox Christians if they should be brought to stand to the mercy the Sectaries liberty Some of them have partly well used their liberty against me in speaking writing printing against me in the most scurrilous rancorous injurious manner that could be and onely for preaching that which if I had not my conscience I feare would have preached against me while I had lived for holding the truth in unrighteousnesse Sir I will not hold you with particulars this place hath been a troublesome place to me for which I know whom I have to thank I wish it may be quieter to the next Minister that succeeds me for God is pleased by a cleare providence to open me a way to some other place Sir being lately at Dorchester the Town I heard was somewhat disturbed the week before by a wandring Sectary who had gathered a company about him and preached in the Shire Hall as I think they call it chusing that of the Apostle for his Text But we have the mind 〈◊〉 Christ. Afterwards through too much pride and too little wit the poor fellow was so ill advised as to challenge M. Ben to a publike dispute impâ—â—r congressus Achihi offering to make good the lawfulnesse of private mens preaching which challenge was accepted but how the Opinionist was foyled by that worthy Minister fitter to grapple with that Punies Instructors was easily perceived by all understanding hearers The godly people of those parts have been so well catechized and grounded heretofore that the Opinionists complain they can make no work with them Certainly the good old English Puritan which Mr. Geere doth so well characterize is the Novellists greatest enemy or rather the Novellist his ☞ Alas how sad is the destiny of Orthodox Christians that no times will favour them We have not yet lost the sense of what we suffered heretofore by those wicked Prelats whom God hath therefore cast out as an abominable Branch and surely if all the Orthodox in the Land should bring in their severall complaints of what they have suffered since by turbulent Opinionists it would fill the world with wonder and the Reformed Churches abroad who cannot but sympathize with us with much heavinesse of spirit in our behalfe Heretofore it was counted a crime to preach against profanenesse as sporting on the Lords day and the like and now as great a crime to preach against Heresies Only let me acquaint you with one thing I have observed This veine of persecution for the most parts runs along in the same persons they who most countenanced profanenesse and superstition heretofore against Orthodox Ministers are the same men who under a forme of godlinesse without the power do now countenance Heresie and Schisme against it but Sir let nothing discourage It it given to us not only to beleeve but to suffer but hee that shall come will come and will not tarrie and in the mean while it is enough for us that Christ reigns May 11. 1646. THere is a young man who lives in London and not far off the Exchange who went not long since to Lams meeting-place to see and hear what they did there and when he was come found many of them reasoning and conferring about strange opinions and among the rest there was one Sectarie who maintained and affirmed ☞ That he was Jesus Christ. At which this young man was so offended and troubled in his spirit that hee upon the place and to his face spake much against him for his blasphemy This fellow still maintained it stiffely and told this young man hee would powre out his judgements on him and damne him for