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truth_n	spirit_n	true_a	word_n	7,521	5	4.3366	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80553	A vindication of the magistrates and ministers of the city of Gloucester, from the calumnies of Mr. Robert Bacon, in his printed relation of his usage there, which he intitles, The spirit of prelacy yet working, or truth from under a cloud. Together with ten questions discussed, which tend to the discovery of close antinomianisme. / By John Corbet minister, and chaplain to Major generall Massie. Published by authority.	Corbet, John, 1620-1680.; Nicanor, Lysimachus, 1603-1641,	1646 (1646)	Wing C6267B; Thomason E337_15; ESTC R200828	24,213	37

Answ Gods love is not opposed to his displeasure but to hatred Yea the more love the more displeasure when we sinne against love This in Parents is the fruit of paternall affection 3 T is most peremptorily to be affirmed that God hates sin in whomsoever This is true but we speak of displeasure not of hatred 4 So farre as the children of God live off from Christ and walk unworthy of the Gospell so farre they lye under the sense of wrath insomuch as the Apostle saith he scourgeth every sonne whom he loves it 's impossible that a man should have peace in the wayes of sinne Answ Here he contradicts and refutes himselfe and runs out beyond our desire The children of God walking unworthy of the Gospell doe not alwayes in such a case lye under the sense of wrath which is the apprehension of the guilt of sinne binding them to eternall vengeance which is as farre distant from the bare apprehension of displeasure as the spirit of Bondage from the spirit of Adoption Where the Apostle saith he scourgeth every sonne whom he receiveth he doth not meane the sense of wrath But he addes 't is impossible that a man should have peace in the wayes of sinne whence I inferre where there is no peace and so ought to be no sense of peace there Gods displeasure must needs be apprehended for when God is not displeased there is peace in the soule and if we must apprehend the Lords displeasure he is really displeased except we are bound to apprehend a falshood Many times the Saints apprehend displeasure when God is pleased but they are never bound so to doe but when God is actually displeased therefore it doth necessarily follow that if there were no peace in the wayes of sinne God must needs be displeased with his people for sinne 5 The fift paragraph is answered in the former 6 The sixt is exceeding tedious and confused the substance thereof I collect and examine That a naturall man looking upon God in the Law apprehends he pleaseth God so farre as he keeps the Law and so farre as he comes short of obedience to the Law so farre he apprehends he despleaseth God But a spirituall man seeing himselfe accepted of God in Christ ought not to conceive that God is up and downe with him in his love for whom he loves he loves to the end Answ Gods love is opposed to hatred not to displeasure the love of our persons and a temporary displeasure conceived against our persons are well consistent as in the case of paternall affection Secondly God is said to be angry with Moses I demand whether Moses being in the Covenant of grace was bound to beleeve Gods displeasure upon Gods owne manifestation or whether he did dishonour God by beleeving that he was displeased with him as Master Bacon imports a beleever doth in such a case That same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 3.17 is the everlasting love of God abounding to the acceptance our persons and performances yea the love of complacency which doth not exclude the particular acts of displeasure and the way of attonement and redintegration after our fals 7 The seventh proves nothing but that being reconciled we are saved from wrath viz. divine revenge which we grant But in the last place he doth extreamly subtillize his Notions he is contented that God should be displeased with sinne but not with the sinner It is true that in some cases God doth hate sin but not the sinner as a father hates the disobedience of his son but hates not his sonne in disobedience for hatred is the extreamest alienation but displeasure is an act of dislike not of alienation Now a man may dislike his friend but never hate him in the notion of a friend and he must needs dislike him when he offends against the bond of friendship though that bond be not broken and a father that is displeased with his childs rebellion must needs be displeased with his child that rebels To conclude if God be in no case displeased with his people they need not confesse that by sinne they have provoked him to displeasure Under most grievous fals their condition is as good towards God as ever they are bound even then to apprehend the light of his countenance and the brightnesse of his glory shining upon them and by consequence David was as much accepted with God and might have conceived as much spirituall joy in the bed of adultery with Bathsheba as after that great humbling of his soule Q. 4. Whether those in the Covenant of grace are to try their Justification by their Sanctification Aff. according to Master B. HEre we agree in the tearmes but whether in the thing it self it 's very doubtfull When we propounded this question we did conceive that Master Bacon would put no other meaning upon the tearme Sanctification the inherent holinesse But we justly suspect some other sense first because he doth here interpret holinesse to be that seed of God which John saith abideth in every one that is borne of God 2 John 3.9 and at the disputation by this seed he did understand the spirit against which interpretation I made reply that the seed of God must be the work of the Spirit and not the spirit it selfe Secondly in that he saith That which is done in foro Coeli in the Court of Heaven is done also in foro conscientiae in the Court of Conscience by the Spirit of Christ and where the spirit of Christ is there are the fruits of the Spirit goodnesse righteousnesse truth This is true in it selfe but it doth not cleere unto our understanding but that he meanes by Sanctification the inhabitation of the Spirit by whose sole testimony our justification must be evidenced and that goodnesse truth and righteousnesse are the immediate workings of a supernaturall spirit by which we are over-acted and not of habituall graces I doe not directly charge him with this meaning in these words of his but they doe not evince the contary and the passages forementioned hold forth grounds of jealousie Besides I know that those of his party doe much undervalue if not wholly deny the use of Markes and Signes in this Triall 2 In the second Paragraph I assent unto him in this That when I doe some good actions I must not therefore beleeve my Justification but I dissent from him in the other part wherein he saith when I faile in some works to suspect my justification tends to overthrow the glorious work of Justification Had he said that a Christian is not thence absoluetly to cōclude that he is not justified he had said right but to say that he must not suspect his justification when he failes in some works as to instance David in adultery Peter in denying Christ which were failings in some works is no sound nor safe Doctrine That height and glory of faith beleeving in hope against hope is not exercised in the slighting of our sinnes

Forces For my self I remember not that I made known any grievance to the Mayor concerning him before he was publickly questioned but I know assuredly that I never solicited that he might be suspended neither did I move one syllable against his second liberty of preaching obtained from the Governor as I might easily have done Besides the Mayor sent for me to the Town Chamber at severall times complaining of this Man And once meeting Mr. Bacon in the Tolsey I appealed to the Mayor and others present whether I had been his accuser Mr. Holford is accused of labouring to keep in with both sides This is one mans report but thus much I can say for my Brother in the Ministery that he was an open and earnest opposer of Sectaries and 't is hard for me to conceive let others judge that a knowing man should seek reputation or advantage by under-hand dealing or comply with that party whose spirits were imbittered against him His restraint being taken off and he applying himself to clear the Doctrine of Repentance though indeed he muzzled the truth thereof he tels us that one Wheeler set himself to take Notes of his Prayer and Sermon to stir up adversaries by giving information which we are said to receive with all readinesse What a remarkable and worthy passage as if we had need of Spies to pry into that which was delivered before so many witnesses or that one mans information were the ground of all the following trouble which was raised by a generall complaint But Mr. Wheeler professeth that he was once resolved not to hear him having been at Gloucester for the space of three weeks before but was perswaded thereto by the urgent importunity of many of Mr. Bacons followers and he upon whose report this aspersion was grounded hath since acknowledged before witnesse that he had done Mr. Wheeler wrong And the Sermon Notes which were read at the first Conference Mr. Bacon acknowledged to be true As for the Ministers readinesse to receive information we acknowledge that we undervalued the businesse too much and were blame-worthy in neglecting the truth and our selves He imputes to Mr. Holford Mr. Hodges and my self the cause of his summons to the Covernors Chamber on the Lords day Whereas it was concluded the day before by the Magistrates when they had once thoughts of sending him out of Town without more ado And of this I had not the least intimation till the meeting was resolved upon and the report thereof spread about the City though he saith he never heard of it till the time came And thus doth a veyn of Calumny run through the whole Relation He observes that he was sent for by a Souldier as a transgressour What a triviall circumstance and absurd collection Is it not well known that Souldiers under the Command of a principall Officer are like the Centurions Servants who said to one come and he cometh to an other go and he goeth and to a third do this and he doth it This meeting consisted of men of quality common fellows were excluded except some of his own party who were admitted by our consent among whom a young preaching Pewterer An other Aspersion is cast upon the Ministers behaviour in time of the Conference That they upbraided him with much unbeseeming and reproachfull language rushing upon him with a torrent of evil words till that unseemlinesse was remedied by the Governors command This is a meer slander having nothing of truth and herein we can appeal to the Governors own testimony A greater Acrimony might easily manifest it self in a serious Contest but without bitter invectives and if some did inveigh against Hereticks and Schismaticks in generall yet not against his person Or if a stream of words might flow from divers men the cause of it was his refusall of a positive Declaration And if one man at that present had nothing to charge him withall yet there were many Ministers and the Controversie did not depend on the Judgement or manifest of one Man And whereas he speaks of their laying heads together let him know there were such men as scorned a Combination who walked not in the dark and can offer themselves with much boldnesse to be judged by mans judgement although he that judgeth us is the Lord. But here is the main grievance which he labours to display That not finding sufficient matter of accusation we began to examine him upon certain interrogatories against which he protested because it favoured so strongly of the illegality of the High Commission Court Wherefore to justifie our proceedings we offer these things to be weighed by the judicious Mr. Bacon was looked upon in the notions either of an Erroneous or of an obscure and ambiguous Preacher not by reason of his profound but his wavering and doubtfull Doctrine First he was considered as ambiguous and therefore suspected and dangerous Which appears in that he did alwayes pretend unto something extraordinary beyond that which the people had been formerly taught even concerning the substance of fundamentall Doctrine every mindfull hearer took it for a new way especially his own favourers then the tearms of legall Preachers and Preachers of Christ began to be rolled upon every tongue Besides in the explication of any point he would heap up an infinity of words passing to and fro in a constrained way that one might easily beleeve Male res agitur ubi opus est tot remediis There was still an expectation of some great thing carried aloft in the Clouds which a while after fell down in a plentifull showre of words And in such a case who can blame the jealousie of a Minister who must watch over the Flock as one that must give an account of their souls Insinuations of Errour slide into the minds of people when the violent approach of corrupt opinions begets horror and saves them by fear Secondly Mr. Bacon was lookt upon as an erroneous Preacher some things are hinted already and the rest are to be made known when I come to discusse the Questions Neverthelesse 't is worthy observing that he was more liberal in private then in publick the mysteries were unvailed imis penetralibus because al was not thought fit for a promiscuous and unprepar'd Auditory One instance shal serve which will be made good by approved testimony if need require In private he disputed against habituall graces not in the way of Argumentation but according to his proper Judgement but in publick such a designe must be carried on through a maze of intricate and perplexed words But we are charged in compelling Mr. Bacon to a self accusation and therein with reviving the abolished tyrannie of the High-Commission To this it is answered that we did not require him to betray himself nor to disclose any secret concerning him or his that might make him obnoxious to any mulct or penalty And had he refused to Answer his danger was no more then the scandall of his Doctrine We did not

A VINDICATION OF THE MAGISTRATES And Ministers of the City of GLOVCESTER From the Calumnies of Mr. Robert Bacon in his Printed Relation of his usage there which he intitles The Spirit of Prelacy yet working Or Truth from under a Cloud Together with ten Questions discussed which tend to the discovery of Close Antinomianisme By JOHN CORBET Minister and Chaplain to Major Generall MASSIE Prov. 18. 17. He that is first in his own Cause seemeth just but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him Published by Authority LONDON Printed for Robert Bostock dwelling at the Signe of the Kings Head in Pauls Church-yard 1646. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE WILLIAM LORD VISCOUNT SAY and SEAL My Lord I Find my self with many others represented to Your Honors view in as odious Colours as Malice it self could deblazon in Mr. Bacons Printed Relation of his usage in Gloucester Whereupon I conceive my self bound to maintain my integrity both in respect of my person as a Christian and of my calling as a Minister I have therefore published this Vindication which 〈◊〉 present to Your Lordship beseeching You to receive it as an humble yet necessary addresse to Your Lordships Justice Had I declined this Appeal I might either be thought guilty or to derogate from Your equity and impartiality But I know that Your great and Noble Spirit highly disdains the patronage of the least falshood and will condescend to a Vindication of the Truth from what ever hand it comes Let your Honour be pleased to conceive of me as one who desires and should joy in your favourable opinion My prayer is that according to Your renowned Piety your Name may be precious and Honourable for promoving a blessed Reformation and the fixed Ordinances of Jesus Christ and for this the Souls of the people of God shall blesse You. Your Honors humbly devoted Servant in the Gospel of Christ JOHN CORBET TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFULL the Mayor and Aldermen of the City of GLOUCESTER Gentlemen I Am constrained to publish an Answer to Mr. Bacons Relation wherein both you and the Ministers of your City with divers others are vehemently traduced It troubles me that Gloucester should come in question or be spoken of in such a slender businesse yet since it is made publick I cannot neglect it Besides greater Events do take their first Rise from small beginnings And I know not what influence that vain Relation may have on the publick if it passe uncontrolled Unto you therefore I tender this Vindication and cast my self upon your Censure where these things were acted I value my Reputation with you and I trust shall still behold my native place with comfort and the manifestation of a good Conscience which I can never hope to do if mine integrity fail me The Lord make you valiant for his Truth and according to your power to avenge the Quarrel of His Covenant and to contend for the Faith which was once given to the Saints Your Servant in the Gospel of Christ John Corbet THe present times do seem to groan under the multitude of Books which are thrust out into the world by a Generall opinion of self-sufficiencie Insomuch that the unskilfull Reader is quite oppressed and instead of making progresse in the way of solid truth sits down amaz'd Wherfore I should easily resolve never to divert the very looser thoughts of men by any object cast before them which according to Solomons expression doth neither help to abate the number of that which is wanting nor to make strait that which is crooked i. e. neither to make up the defects of the state of knowledge nor to cure it's distempers And for this cause I much bewail my unhappinesse that I am forced to the publick view in a businesse in it self mean and slender but now to be undertaken of pure necessity Which I speak not to detract from the value of the least materiall circumstance appertaining to Religion but all inferior passages are not worthy to trouble the world with a large declaration of circumstances Besides points of high concernment were then slenderly handled in a subitaneous dispute The reading of this Reply I chalenge as a due from them that are acquainted with have heard of or are any way interessed in this Contestation that the truth may be cleared But for them that are strangers or have their judgements equally poysed if they will be so courteous as to behold they may judge where the spirit of bitternes and calumny doth lie under the insinuations of a sweet spirit of meeknesse Let none expect things of an higher nature then the matter it self will reach And for my Reply 't is the labour of six dayes without the advantage of my Papers and the help of others ingaged with me when the Relation hath been written well nigh two yeers since Let this be accepted from one whose hearts desire is for the glory of Sion in the Churches Reformation according to the genuine not the constrained and rack't sense of the Nationall Covenant The summe and substance of that whole businesse which is styled by Mr. Bacon That great and publick contestation had in Gloucester July 1644. MR. Bacon arriving at Gloucester as a meer stranger whether upon a call to supply the room of an absent Minister himself knows it matters not was permitted by my self once requested to preach there His first Sermon in publick was upon the Monethly Fast before the greatest if not the onely Congregation in the City that day Divers Ministers then present were much troubled not onely at particular Doctrines delivered but at the whole frame of his Prayer and Sermon as being no way sutable to a solemn Humiliation The Magistrates and religious persons of a better understanding and temper took the like offence Sine Ira odio for they knew him not nor his former conversation After this he preached other Sermons to supply the absence of Mr Hart the drift of which Sermons shall be declared in the examination of particulars The serious people had thoughts of heart concerning this thing others discoursed and the whole City was quickly filled with this businesse The Magistrates were as much troubled as the Ministers and that chiefly upon their own judgement not others information The Mayor stopp'd the course of his preaching as himself relates which restraint was taken off by the Governor for a further triall The generall offence was heightned Whereupon it was moved among the Magistrates that he should depart the City but this motion was again let fall and 't was ordered that he should come to a dispute or Conference in the Governors Chamber the next Lords day after the Evening Exercise The Mayor Governor Committee and many principall Citizens together with the Ministers met at the time and place appointed The result of our Conference was to be penned that there might be no shifting on either party And because Mr. Bacons preaching was full of affected ambiguity we desired in the first place to propose

certain Questions concerning fundamentall Doctrine and those onely upon which his preaching did immediately reflect And though he pleaded this dealing to be the way of the High Commission Court yet the Equity thereof shall be made good For the debate of these Questions Mr. Bacon was allowed about three dayes preparation But he instead of accepting the Dispute brought in at large his own stating of the Questions and his Judgement upon them And when the Errors and impertinencies thereof were clearly argued he utterly disclaimed all dispute referring us to his Paper and requiring our Answer in writing in which way there could be no end of the Controversie Yet he received from my self an Answer in writing Neverthelesse his own partie made great outcryes of palpable injurie in the manage of the Conference Whereupon for a generall satisfaction a publick Disputation was had in the Colledge between Mr. Bacon and my self Which being ended the same day the Committee desiring the Ministers to be present drew up an Order injoyning him to quit the Town This Order was disobeyed whereupon a second was drawn up more vehement then the former but that also slighted in pursuance wherof the Governor commanded a small party of horse to be his Convoy through places of danger to other quarters of the Parliament and from these he received civill usage according to his own testimony This is the truth of his remarkable Story which he brought forth in so large a Declaration professing that this Argument might have swollen into a greater Volume but that there is no end of Disputes An Examination of the particulars in Mr. Bacons Relation of his usage in Gloucester Wherin if many triviall circumstances shall nauseat the serious Reader let him take notice that I am bound to follow an extravagant Adversary step by step And for my faithfulnesse herein first let him look back upon my Appeals Secondly that these things were acted before many witnesses to whom I am well known and with whom I value my Repute Tbirdly I am assured of the concurrence of godly Ministers but am now constrained to appear alone because haste is my greatest advantage I Cannot passe by the frontispice without observation which would raise the thoughts of the Reader to expect some great and admirable discovery And what is it The spirit of Prelacy yet working or truth from under a cloud What an incongruous beginning yet proportionable to the rest If the latter part of the Title be an explanation of the former as such connexions would import then the spirit of Prelacy yet working is Truth from under a Cloud What then is intituled unto this great mystery A Relation of that great and publick Contestation had in Gloucester July 1644. Certainly this Relater will abate nothing of his value Such Titles are fit for some generall meeting of eminent persons a dispute before the representative Body of a Kingdom or some famous result and notable periods of the debates of a Nationall Assembly Besides 't is called that great Contestation as if the whole Kingdom either did or were bound to take notice of it In the intimation to the Reader what greater advantage could I wish Quam quod accusatori maxime optandum consitentem reum He doth freely confesse that nothing was done in this matter but in the eye of Authority and by their order Let it be considered that this Authority was the joynt consent of the Civill and Military Government of Gloucester a place famous for it's fidelitie to the Kingdoms Cause in the greatest strait that the Parliament was as yet ever cast into since the beginning of the War a place which was a refuge and Sanctuary to godly Ministers and people in their distresse which they that were refreshed will at this day acknowledge He desires to give an Experiment of the seasonablenesse of Mr. Colemans caution to the Parliament that the Clergie ut vocant may not carry on their own self designes that is in plain English to hinder the setling of Church-Government It is well known that they who retard or hinder the Reformation must needs drive on self designes He speaks also of my Reply and a Rejoynder made by himself at that time In this point I accuse him of palpable injury in publishing his own stating of the Questions and concealing my Reply which was not onely given in to him in private but was read at the publick Disputation Thus hath he prevaricated in a main part of his Relation Then such partialitie what can be more unworthy of an ingenuous Adversary As for his Rejoynder I never saw it nor remember that I heard of it What is this more then to think a Rejoynder yea a meer nothing For de non entibus non apparentibus eadem est ratio Of the Relation it self IT is said that an offence was taken but non given at a Sermon preached by him on the publick Fast day Ans An offence may be given and justly taken not onely at things unlawfull but at things unexpedient As for this particular case the whole frame of the Prayer and Sermon was no way fit for a publick Fast Confession of sin almost wholly omitted the work of Humiliation disparaged the Doctrine of Repentance and Contrition or brokennesse of heart as it is taught by our Ministers of the good old way of the Non Conformists was condemned for Popery although through many circumlocutions mazes and ambiguous tearms An instance was given in an Allegory taken out of the Crums of Comfort called A Remedy for a sin-sick Soul and is inserted in the close of his Relation which he hath tearmed a ridiculous and soul-killing Medicine This Medicine was composed by an eminent Divine and though it may be questioned whether it be sightly so to allegorize yet it follows not that 't is either ridiculous or soul-killing and being devested of its party coloured coat to appear in proper and plain tearms it will be found to carry no disproportion to the Analogy of Faith Though he cals it rather the language of Rome then Canaan But this was not that spark which was blown up into so great flame but was onely an instance selected by him on purpose because most easie as he conceived to be made odious Neither was the Fast-Exercise the sole ground of the Controversie but each Sermon increased the fire The first Charge is given in against Mr. Marshall Mr. Holford and my self for solliciting the Mayor to suspend his preaching As for Mr Marshall whether he did so I know not neither doth it much concern the businesse but I must tell the world that Mr. Bacon hath traduced this able painfull and godly Minister with a grosse untruth that he lived and preached among the Cavaleers For he hath lived within three miles of Gloucester for many yeers before the War and never removed from his own Charge and whereas he had sometimes a weekly Lecture at Berkly he discontinued it when that place was possessed by the Kings

assume a liberty of proposing Questions in infinitum but such onely as immediately reflected upon his preaching whereby we were scandalized yea and such things as did arise out of his Sermons And that not so much to know his opinion as to lay down some ground-work upon which the debate might rest Moreover did ever any that were examined by Authority suppose of the Prelates in the principles of Faith account that Examination a Tyranny or a means to ensnare them Besides a Minister is bound to declare his judgement in the principal matters of Divine knowledge if meerly desired by his fellow labourers whensoever they are publikely offended yea though unjustly But there is more yet in this case Mr. Bacon came as a stranger and though he had the power of a ministeriall calling yet he had neither power nor call to exercise his ministery against the consent of the Magistrates and Ministers of that place where he sojourned And it is provided by Order of Parliament in their Instructions to the Committees of some counties as in Sommerset-shire that every Minister placed by them in any Sequestred living shal undergo the examination of three Ministers in the same county Thus much for the first meeting in the Governours Chamber The Questions were not propounded as we in our wisedoms according to his phrase thought meet but as his preaching and practice did require A Debate upon them was reserved for Wednesday following in that place where the Councel of War was wont to be held His tedious mention of many idle circumstances I passe by as unbeseeming a grave Relation At the place appointed Mr. Bacon brought in an Answer in writing to the ten Questions as himself pleads according to a former command But he fails in the truth of the businesse For an Answer in writing was not required but a Verbal dispute though it was thought meet that the Arguments urged on both sides should be then written that we might not lose our selves in a Chaos of words The reading of his Paper I undertook of my own accord for the Governour intended a dispute and then chalenged Mr. Bacon for refusing I gave off reading in the midst not as he saith because unwilling that the company should hear altogether but partly because I was tired with many tedious impertinencies and longed to make answer partly because the bare reading of a large Paper containing sundry things could give no satisfaction to the people Neverthelesse I examined his stating of the Questions one by one by clear argument discovering his errours and nullities to which he would give no answer but referr'd all to his Paper which was then Refuted If there were confusion of language that was caused by his obstinate silence For who could endure so grosse a tergiversation accompanied with a self-justification to the highest 2. Master Bacon here and elsewhere complains of reproachful language from the M●nisters But I must answer him In generalibus versatur dolosus Let him give an instance of such Reviling I can justifie my self neither do I remember any railing accusation that then fe●l from the mouth of a Minister But if any of them did vehemently charge him with the shame of a self-baffle shall that be called reproach Those Ministers are more ingenuous and of better spirits then this R●later desires to render them I could not observe nor remember every passage that fell from those in Authority or from the standers by Neither do I justifie their threats if there were any But his person was no more endangered then ours whatsoever be may pretend or intimate As for that Gentleman whom he reports to be of no mean command though his Military-Office were not in the Garison I can say little to his words what they were He hath been an ancient professor of Religion and of approved integrity But if it be said that the people called him Bonner it must be the greater part or the better part or at least a considerable part But the speech of one Woman he is pleased to attribute to the people So greedily doth our opposite catch at every circumstance though strangely misrepresented He addes that besides divers Ministers one a Cavalier openly jeered him This is a malicious slander let him name the persons That Minister which was taken in arms against the Parliament had voluntarily taken the Covenant and therupon obtained his liberty but he had no hand in the manage of this businesse being a spectator onely and for his open jeering if it be true as I question others could not prevent that incivility In the close of this unweldy Conflict a writing was drawn up That Mr. Bacon had divulged certain erroneous Opinions in which at a Conference he had given no satisfaction The Auditors were to Subscribe if they pleased But he declares the reason of this Subscription was to send him up to the Parliament or Assembly the next day I professe that I knew not of any such thought and am assured that the Governour did not intend it but I conceive that he grounds his assertion upon some wandring speeches scattered among the people But this is the truth of the businesse We have had great experience of the vain boastings of Sectaries who to wound the Reputation of those that encounter them proclaime a Victory and sing the Triumph what ever the successe be This was then feared from that Party to prevent which mischief a Subscription was then thought upon and first hinted by a moderate man no Minister nor at that time a Magistrate And to this none were compelled onely when we had a meeting for satisfaction we desired to know the opinion of the Auditors And of those Six persons that refused to Subscribe some pretended that they did not heare others that they were not present at the whole Conference one or two would give no reason but none of them did avow to have received any satisfaction That the manner of our proceedings were generally complained of as is related and accounted neither Christian nor justifiable by the Law of civill Society is a grosse calumny and herein I appeale to the Inhabitants of that place What one man namely Mr Shepard might in private acknowledge is nothing to our purpose Thus much for the second meeting The Mayor with others are said to spend much time in perswading him to depart the City affirming if he were the most Orthodox Preacher in England he were not fit for Glocester Thus they speak upon bare supposition And the consequence drawn from hence is most absurd namely that an Orthodox Preacher should be a burden too heavy for Glocester to bear If Mr. Bacon supposed to be an Orthodox Preacher be not fit for such a place doth it therefore follow that no Orthodox Preacher is fit Is Mr. Bacon and Orthodox Preacher convertible Experience witnesseth that not only Orthodox but some good men may not be fit for some Congregations Besides this thing doth assure us of his importunate contradiction who