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<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
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<P>&THgr;&Egr;&Ogr;&Mgr;&Agr;&KHgr;&Igr;&Agr;; <HI>OR</HI> THE GRAND IMPRUDENCE of men running the hazard of <HI>FIGHTING AGAINST GOD,</HI> In &s;uppre&s;sing any Way, Doctrine, or Practice, concerning which they know not <HI>certainly whether it be from God or no.</HI></P>
<P>Being the &s;ub&s;tance of two Sermons, Preached in <HI>Coleman&s;treet,</HI> upon occa&s;ion of the late di&s;a&s;ter &s;u&s;tain'd in the We&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>With &s;ome nece&s;&s;ary Enlargements thereunto.</HI></P>
<P><HI>By</HI> JOHN GOODVVIN, <HI>Pa&s;tor of the Church of God there.</HI></P>
<BIBL>HEB. 10. 31.</BIBL>
<Q>It is a fearefull thing to fall into the hands of the living God.</Q>
<BIBL>MAT. 21. 44.</BIBL>
<Q>Who&s;oever &s;hall fall on <HI>(or, &s;tumble at)</HI> this &s;tone, &s;hall be broken in pieces.</Q>
<P>Imprimatur. <HI>John Bachiler.</HI></P>
<P><HI>LONDON;</HI> Printed for <HI>Henry Overton,</HI> and are to be &s;old at his Shop entring into <HI>Popes-head</HI> Alley out of <HI>Lumbard-&s;treet.</HI></P>
<P>1644.</P>
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<OPENER><SALUTE>READER;</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_WE have an Engli&s;h &s;aying, that <HI>the burnt childe dreads the fire.</HI> I have oft been ca&s;t into the fire of mens zealous indignations, by an uncleane &s;pirit of calumnie and &s;lander; Some have re|ported, that I deny ju&s;tification by Chri&s;t, <HI>i.</HI> that the Sun is up at noone day; Others, that I deny the immortalitie of the &s;oule, <HI>i.</HI> that I murthered my father and my mother; Others, that I have preached again&s;t the Parliament and A&s;&s;embly, <HI>i.</HI> that I am out of my wits, and weary of my pre&s;ent life, and carele&s;&s;e of that which is to come. I per|ceive there are more Sons of <HI>Belial,</HI> then tho&s;e that wit|ne&s;&s;ed again&s;t <HI>Naboth,</HI> that <HI>he bla&s;phemed God and the King.</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 King. 21. 10.</NOTE> But having no vineyard to accommodate any man, I can|not ea&s;ily conceive, what men and their tongues meane to be &s;till up in &s;uch unchri&s;tian conte&s;tations with me; ex|cept this be it; Becau&s;e I &s;peak the <HI>truth,</HI> and men are not able to beare it; therefore they re&s;olve (it &s;eems) to make me &s;peak &s;uch <HI>untruths,</HI> that I my &s;elfe &s;hall not be able to beare. I confe&s;&s;e, I doe not much dread this fire, made of the tongues of a&s;ps and vipers, not becau&s;e I have not been &s;ufficiently burnt by it, but partly becau&s;e I have been a long time accu&s;tomed to &s;uch burnings, and have found them rather purifying, then con&s;uming: partly, becau&s;e the great Apo&s;tle informs me, that the way by which he pa&s;&s;ed into his glory, was <HI>through honour, and di&s;honour, through good</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 8.</NOTE> <HI>report, and evill report.</HI> Yet neverthele&s;&s;e, I had rather give an account of mine own words, then of other mens pre|tending to be mine; and &s;o to keep out of the fire, as farre as the peace and &s;afety of my own &s;oule and other mens, will &s;uffer me. And this is the true account (Reader) of the publi&s;hing of the&s;e Sermons, which (haply) had not been an action &s;o nece&s;&s;ary otherwi&s;e. Under&s;tanding that the &s;oule &s;pirit, which hath for &s;everall years haunted my
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mini&s;tery, was beginning to practi&s;e upo~<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ermons al&s;o, I thought it the &s;afer cour&s;e of the two, to put my &s;elf into the hands of the Truth (which yet perhaps will not much befirend me neither, in the thoughts and hearts of men, though with God, I am certain, it will) then to expo&s;e both it and my &s;elfe to be rent and torne by him. What good, or hurt, they will or are like to doe, now they are gotten a|broad, is not ea&s;ie, either for thee, or me, &s;o much as to con|jecture. Be it in this, as God and men &s;hall agree. When the danger of the di&s;ea&s;e runs high, there is little hope but onely in that phy&s;icke, whereof there is &s;ome feare. We are under a bondage of much mi&s;ery, and it is onely the <HI>Truth</HI> (as our Saviour &s;aith) that can <HI>make us free:</HI> and yet<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 8. 32.</NOTE> &s;uch is our condition and mi&s;ery, that there is cau&s;e to feare, le&s;t the Truth, which onely is able to <HI>make us free,</HI> &s;hould increa&s;e our bondage and mi&s;ery, by being rejected and oppo&s;ed by us, when it comes in love and mercy to <HI>vi|&s;it</HI> us, and to <HI>ble&s;&s;e</HI> us out of our mi&s;ery. <HI>For this end I was borne</HI> (as our Saviour &s;aith of him&s;elf, <HI>Joh. 18. 37.) that I &s;hould beare witne&s;&s;e to the truth,</HI> not to the opinions or ap|prehen&s;ions of men. In which re&s;pect I know I am like to have the harder quarter and &s;ervice in the world; but God hath made me a lover of men in &s;uch a degree, that I can willingly con&s;ecrate my &s;elfe unto their &s;ervice, through any &s;ufferings from them. If this world faile me, I know God hath prepared another for a re&s;erve, which will &s;tand by me, and will not faile. Reader, take my prayers along with thee, and an hone&s;t heart of thine own; and &s;o pa&s;&s;e on to the Sermons before thee; doubtle&s;&s;e they will either &s;trengthen thy hand in the way thou art in, or guide thy feet into a way thou art not in, or at lea&s;t qualifie thy &s;pirit with chri&s;tian patience and re&s;pects towards &s;uch a way.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>From my &s;tudy in <HI>Coleman&s;treet,</HI><DATE><HI> Octob.</HI> 2. 1644.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Thine with an upright and &s;ingle heart in Chri&s;t Je&s;us,
JOHN GOODVVIN.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
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<HEAD>&thgr;&egr;&ogr;&mgr;&agr;&khgr;&igr;&agr; <HI>OR</HI> The Grand Imprudence of men, running the hazard of <HI>Fighting again&s;t God,</HI> in &s;uppre&s;&s;ing any Way, Doctrine, or Pra|ctice, concerning which they know not certainly whether it be from God, or no.</HEAD>
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<BIBL><HI>ACTS 5. 38.</HI></BIBL>
<Q> And now I &s;ay unto you, Refraine your &s;elves from the&s;e men, and let them alone: for if this coun&s;ell or work be of men, it will come to nought; but if it be of God, yee can|not de&s;troy it, le&s;t yee be found even fighters again&s;t God.</Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_WHen the Children of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> in the progre&s;&s;e of their Warres upon the <HI>Canaanites&punc;</HI> wherein God had promi&s;ed to be with them, and to give them &s;ucce&s;&s;e, and that a man of their enemies &s;hould not be able to &s;tand again&s;t them: notwith|&s;tanding they fought under the prote|ction of many &s;uch promi&s;es as the&s;e, yet met with a di&s;a&s;ter and lo&s;&s;e, thirty &s;ix of them being &s;laine by the men of <HI>Ai,</HI> and the re&s;t of the partie ingaged in that &s;ervice put to rout, and cha&s;ed by their enemies: God him&s;elfe upon the great dejection and &s;olemne humiliation of the Elders of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> and <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> their Generall, was plea&s;ed to make knowne unto him by &s;peciall revelation, what root of bit|terne&s;&s;e
<PB N="2" REF="4">
it was that brought forth this fruit of death, what &s;in by name it was among&s;t them, that had &s;eparated between him and them in their late &s;ad mi&s;carriage, yea, and would &s;eparate &s;till, to their further and greater mi&s;ery, except they took a cour&s;e to make an atonement for them&s;elves, by purging and clen&s;ing them|&s;elves from it. Onely the di&s;covery or finding out of the per&s;on that had committed the &s;in, was put upon <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> and the people; wherein yet againe they were directed by God to &s;uch a method or means for this di&s;covery, that God him&s;elfe may be &s;aid too to have di&s;covered even the &s;inner al&s;o. For he it was, that by a &s;pe|ciall directing hand of his providence, cau&s;ed the lot to fall upon <HI>Achan,</HI> who was the man that in taking the <HI>excommunicate thing,</HI> had fin'd that great and &s;peciall provocation, which was fallen in this gu&s;t of wrath from Heaven upon the people. The&s;e things you &s;hall finde related more at large <HI>Jo&s;h.</HI> 7. From which pa&s;&s;ages by the way (among&s;t many other very ob&s;ervable) you may take knowledge of the&s;e three things.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, That when God is at any time ingaged, and his hand in (as we u&s;e to &s;ay) &s;hewing mercy and doing good to his peo|ple, he is &s;eldome or never wont to change or alter the tenour of his pre&s;ent di&s;pen&s;ations, to break off the cour&s;e of his grace by &s;uffering evill to come upon them, but upon &s;ome &s;peciall di&s;con|tent taken, from &s;ome &s;peciall &s;in or other, one or more, commit|ted by them.</P>
<P>Secondly, That &s;ometimes the &s;in of one or of &s;ome few, in a great &s;ocietie or body of people, in the provocation or guilt of it, redounds and runs over to the involving and defiling of the whole &s;ocietie, and rendring all the members thereof obnoxious to the di&s;plea&s;ure of God.</P>
<P>Thirdly, That the be&s;t, if not the onely way for the people of God, being under the disfavour of God, and &s;troke of his di&s;plea|&s;ure, to make atonement for them&s;elves, and to recover his fa|vour, is to make diligent &s;earch and &s;trict inquiry, what that &s;in by name &s;hould be, which hath turned away the heart of their God from them, and accordingly to remove it.</P>
<P>My Brethren, the ca&s;e of the Children of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> upon their lo&s;&s;e neere unto the Citie of <HI>Ai,</HI> is our condition and ca&s;e at this day; &s;ave onely that the hand of God hath been laid heavier upon us,
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then it was upon them, in that breach. God had begun to doe great and gracious things for us, yea he had gon on for a good &s;pace together, treading and trampling downe the &s;trength of our Enemies under us apace; in&s;omuch, that wee began to take our Harps down from the willow trees, on which we had hung them, to prepare our &s;elves to &s;ing <HI>the &s;ong of Mo&s;es, the man of God:</HI> but loe on the &s;uddaine wee are <HI>&s;mitten</HI> back againe <HI>into the places of Dragons,</HI> and the God of our lives <HI>hath covered us with the &s;hadow of Death.</HI> That vi&s;ion of peace and good things which was let downe from heaven unto us, and was come &s;o neere us, that wee began to ari&s;e, thinking none other but to fall to and eate pre|&s;ently; is now againe taken up from us into the heavens, and we have lo&s;t the &s;ight of it. The be&s;t art and wi&s;dome we can u&s;e to open the heavens over us, and cau&s;e them to deliver downe that trea&s;ure againe to us, to heale our pre&s;ent wound, if it be not dead|ly, is to make as narrow a &s;earch, as &s;trict an inquiry, as we can, what that particular and &s;peciall &s;in or provocation among&s;t us is, the cha&s;ti&s;ement whereof is now upon us, and which hath brought the rod of this indignation upon our backs. If God him|&s;elfe would plea&s;e by &s;peciall revelation to make knowne what this &s;in is, as he did unto <HI>Jo&s;hua</HI> and the people of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> &s;atisfaction in this point were at hand, nor &s;hould we need to abide the various and conjecturall di&s;cour&s;es of men, Mini&s;ters or others, about the matter: But having perfected that &s;tanding Revelation of him|&s;elfe, the Scriptures, he refraines revelations extraordinary, and leaves his people to con&s;ult with the&s;e Oracles of his for re&s;oluti|on, in all &s;uch ca&s;es of Que&s;tion and difficulty as this; onely pro|mi&s;ing the gracious a&s;&s;i&s;tance and guidance of his Spirit unto tho&s;e that &s;hall aske it of him, and not lay &s;tumbling blocks in their way otherwi&s;e, to direct them in &s;uch dark and dubious inquiries as the&s;e. And one &s;peciall end (I conceive) ay<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ed at by that Au|thority, which hath &s;et apart this day for a &s;olemne humiliation of our &s;elves before God, was, that Mini&s;ters and people &s;hould joyne together in fervent prayer&punc; and &s;upplication unto God, that the one may be directed to make a true and unpartiall di&s;covery of this <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">inne, and the other judge of the di&s;covery being made ac|cordingly: that &s;o the troubler of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> being found out, execution may be done, and God pacified. In con&s;ideration whereof it is,
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that I made choice of the Scripture read unto you, upon the pre|&s;ent occa&s;ion; Conceiving that very &s;in to be there de&s;cribed, yea, and expre&s;&s;ed by name, (though &s;omewhat more generall) which hath occa&s;ioned the &s;ad interruption of late made in our hopefull proceedings, yea, and which in all likelihood wrought again&s;t us formerly, both in that blow which was reached us from heaven, in that as &s;trange, as &s;orrowfull a defeat at <HI>Newark,</HI> and other|wi&s;e; but was not then known or con&s;idered of. The Lord grant that yet at la&s;t it may enter into all our hearts to conceive aright, and to con&s;ider of it, le&s;t it brings forth yet againe like bitter fruits, yea, and magnifies it &s;elfe at la&s;t in our utter ruine and de|&s;truction.</P>
<P>But let us addre&s;&s;e unto the words; and in them con&s;ider, fir&s;t, their relation and coherence in the Context, and then their &s;en&s;e and meaning. For the former; the words are part of a &s;peech made by one <HI>Gamaliel</HI> (as he is called <HI>ver.</HI> 34.) a Phari&s;ee, and Doctor of the Law, in an A&s;&s;embly or Councell at <HI>Jeru&s;alem.</HI> The Councell (as appeares <HI>ver.</HI> 21. &amp;c.) was called, about the A|po&s;tles, their Doctrine and proceedings; the chief de&s;igne and intendment of it, was to con&s;ider and re&s;olve what cour&s;e to take with them, how to &s;uppre&s;&s;e both them and their Doctrine, being both looked upon as prejudiciall to their per&s;onall and private in|tere&s;ts, both of honour and profit, in that State and Nation; and as likely to carry away the hearts and affections of much people from them. When they had &s;ent for <HI>Peter</HI> and the other Apo&s;tles by a Captain with his Officers, to appeare before the Councell, the Prolocutor or chief Prie&s;t, charged them after this manner: <HI>ver. 28. Did not we &s;traitly command you, that you &s;hould not teach in this Name? and yee have filled Jeru&s;alem with your Doctrine, &amp;c.</HI> When <HI>Peter</HI> and the other Apo&s;tles, &s;tanding &s;tiffe to their tackling, had made their an&s;wer, fully ju&s;tifying what they had done, and given a brief accompt of that Doctrine about which they were que&s;tio|ned, and of their calling to preach and beare witne&s;&s;e of the &s;ame unto the world; it is &s;aid (<HI>ver.</HI> 33.) that the Councell, &s;eeing them upon tho&s;e termes, hearing them &s;peake at &s;uch a rate, <HI>bur&s;t in &s;un|der for anger</HI> (as the former tran&s;lation) or (as the latter hath it) <HI>were cut at the heart, and took coun&s;ell how to &s;lay them.</HI> What? would they not &s;ubmit to the Authority and advice of &s;uch a Reverend,
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learned, and pious A&s;&s;embly as that? Did they thinke them&s;elves wi&s;er then they? would they preach a Doctrine that &s;hould a&s;per&s;e them, and bring them out of credit and reque&s;t with the peo|ple? Such men as they were not meet to be <HI>tolerated</HI> in the State, nor yet to live; and therefore they would fall upon &s;ome cour&s;e, how to free them&s;elves, the State and Nation of them, and that mu&s;t be in no lighter way, with no lower hand, then death it &s;elfe, they mu&s;t die for it. This (it &s;eems) was the &s;en&s;e and re&s;olution of the generality of the A&s;&s;embly, untill one of them, (that <HI>Gamaliel</HI> we &s;peake of) a man of a better temper and deeper reach then his fellowes, excited to &s;peak, and a&s;&s;i&s;ted in &s;peciall manner by God in &s;peaking, by a grave Speech tending to moderation, qualified their &s;pirits in part, and brought them to accept of &s;omewhat a lighter attonement from the Apo&s;tles, for their &s;uppo&s;ed &s;in, then their lives would have amounted unto. For their &s;pirits were &s;o full of bitterne&s;s and indignation again&s;t them, that notwith&s;tan|ding all that <HI>Gamaliel</HI> could &s;ay, they were re&s;olved to have their peniworths of them, (as we u&s;e to &s;ay) to ea&s;e them&s;elves on them &s;o far, as to cau&s;e them to be beaten, and withall, &s;everely to charge them the &s;econd time, to give over preaching their erro|neous and dangerous Doctrine, <HI>to &s;peak no more in the name of Je|&s;us, ver.</HI> 40. What the tenor of <HI>Gamaliels</HI> Speech was, from the be|gining to the end of it, you may read, beginning at <HI>ver.</HI> 35. untill the end of 39. <HI>Men of I&s;rael, take heed to your &s;elves, what yee do to the&s;e men;</HI> as if he &s;hould have &s;aid, yee will but run a needle&s;&s;e hazard of bringing evill, or ruine upon your &s;elves by attempting any thing for the pre&s;ent, in a way of violence again&s;t the&s;e men; implying, that men had need take heed how they ingage them&s;elves to &s;uppre&s;&s;e, mole&s;t, or de&s;troy any generation or &s;ort of men what&s;oever, untill they have a cleer and expre&s;&s;e warrant from heaven for the execution. To per&s;wade them not to be too pre|cipitate or forward in any cour&s;e of violence again&s;t the Apo&s;tles, he declares to them by a double in&s;tance (well known unto them|&s;elves) that if they be &s;educers and evill men, and &s;o worthy to be de&s;troyed, God him&s;elf would in a &s;hort time, reveal his wrath from heaven again&s;t them, and bring them and their work to ruin. For thus he had done both formerly by one <HI>T<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">,</HI> and more lately by <HI>Judas</HI> of <HI>Galilee;</HI> who projecting great matters for them|&s;elves
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without any warrant or authority from God, though they went on, and &s;eem'd for a while to pro&s;per in their way, drawing great numbers of people after them, were yet, both they and all their complices and followers, by a &s;peciall hand of God &s;cat|tered and brought to nought. Upon the mention of the&s;e two memorable examples of Divine ju&s;tice again&s;t Seducers and De|ceivers, he infers as followeth in the words read unto you.</P>
<P><HI>And now I &s;ay unto you, Refraine from the&s;e men, and let them alone, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>This for the coherence.</P>
<P>For the &s;en&s;e of the words (briefly) Refrain from, <GAP DESC="foreign">, that is, &s;tand, or keep off from them, depart from them, go yee your way, and let them go their way; <GAP DESC="foreign">, let them alone, or &s;uffer them, that is, (as &s;ome under&s;tand it) do not on|ly forbeare per&s;ecuting of them your &s;elves by your authority, but be no occa&s;ion that the <HI>Roman</HI> power any wayes interpo&s;eth to mole&s;t them: do not betray them into the hand of violence other|wi&s;e; or el&s;e the doubling of the caution, may import the weigh|tine&s;&s;e of the matter in his apprehen&s;ion that &s;peaketh. However, by this double Caution or Item he gives unto them, not to have any thing to do (for the pre&s;ent) with the Apo&s;tles, in any way of mole&s;tation, he di&s;covers an utter aver&s;ene&s;&s;e in him to &s;uch pro|ceedings. Wherefore he gives this rea&s;on further.</P>
<P><HI>For if this coun&s;ell or work be of men, it will come to nought] i.</HI> If the de&s;ign which the&s;e men drive, with the method, cour&s;e and means whereby they carry it on, hath no better foundation to bear it up, but either their own wi&s;domes, intere&s;t, and authority, or &s;ome other mens, <GAP DESC="foreign">, it will be di&s;&s;olved, or come to nought, it will &s;oon di&s;cover its originall by its end, if it were taken out of the du&s;t, to du&s;t it will return; and they that are ingaged in it, will fall and &s;ink with it. <HI>But if it be from God] i.</HI> If it be countenan|ced or authorized by God, if he be the Founder of it; <HI>Yee cannot de&s;troy or di&s;&s;olve it, le&s;t, &amp;c. i.</HI> you mu&s;t not, or you ought not, to attempt any thing again&s;t it to de&s;troy or di&s;&s;olve it, becau&s;e by &s;uch an attempt as this, you will do no better then <HI>fight again&s;t God. Yee cannot] viz.</HI> lawfully, or wi&s;ely, or upon any good ground. There is a double impotency, or impo&s;&s;ibility often mentioned in Scripture; the one we may call <HI>naturall,</HI> or <HI>phy&s;icall,</HI> the other <HI>mo|rall.</HI>
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With the fir&s;t kinde of impo&s;&s;ibility, things are &s;aid to be un|po&s;&s;ible, when there wants a naturall or executive principle of &s;trength or power in any kind to do them: with the latter, that is &s;aid to be unpo&s;&s;ible for a man to do, for the doing wherof he hath no ground or warrant either in the Word of God, or in rea&s;on or equity, though he hath never &s;o much naturall &s;trength or power to do it. Of this latter kind, the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaketh, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 13. 8. where he &s;aith, <HI>that hee could do nothing again&s;t the truth, but for the truth;</HI> meaning, that he had no ground or warrant, either from God, or otherwi&s;e, to do any &s;uch thing. So again, 1 <HI>Cor. 10. 21. Yee cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of the Devill; i.</HI> yee cannot do it <HI>lawfully;</HI> or with any congruity either to the prin|ciples of Chri&s;tianity, or of &s;ound rea&s;on. Of this kind of impo|tency or impo&s;&s;ibility, that common &s;aying in the Civill Law &s;pea|keth, <HI>Id tantum po&s;&s;umus, quod jure po&s;&s;umus.</HI> Of the other kind, we have many in&s;tances al&s;o; <HI>I &s;pake to thy Di&s;ciples to ca&s;t him out, but they could not (Mar. 9. 18.) i.</HI> they wanted an executive principle or power, whereby to do it: otherwi&s;e it was lawfull enough for them to have done it. So again, <HI>Mar.</HI> 6. 19. and <HI>Mar.</HI> 2. 4. be&s;ides many other.</P>
<P><HI>De&s;troy or di&s;&s;olve it] i.</HI> do or attempt any thing to de&s;troy it. Not only the endevours and attempts, but even the purpo&s;es and intents of doing things, are often in Scripture expre&s;&s;ed by words, which properly &s;ignifie the doing or effecting the things them|&s;elves. <HI>Many good works</HI> (&s;aith our Saviour, <HI>Joh. 10. 32) have I &s;hewed you from my Father: for which of the&s;e works do you &s;tone me? i.</HI> do you intend, or go about to &s;tone me? for they had not yet actual|ly &s;toned him. Thus <HI>Heb. 11. 17. Abraham</HI> is twice &s;aid to have <HI>offered up his &s;on I&s;aac,</HI> becau&s;e he was fully intended, and had at|tempted to offer him. Be&s;ides many the like: So here, <HI>you cannot de&s;troy it, i.</HI> you ought not, you cannot with rea&s;on go about or attempt the de&s;troying of it.&mdash;<HI>Le&s;t you be found even fighters again&s;t God;</HI> meaning, that in ca&s;e the Doctrine and way of tho&s;e men, again&s;t whom they were incen&s;ed, &s;hould be from God, and they neverthele&s;s &s;eek to de&s;troy them, they would by &s;uch a cour&s;e da&s;h them&s;elves again&s;t &s;uch a &s;tone as would break them to pieces; they would <HI>be found even to fight again&s;t God.</HI> That cau&s;all particle, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>le&s;t,</HI> doth not alwayes note a hazard, or uncertainty of an
<PB N="8" REF="7">
effect or con&s;equent; but many times &s;ignifies as much as <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>ut non,</HI> and is us'd as well to &s;ignifie the dependance as well of a cer|tain and nece&s;&s;ary, as of a contingent effect, upon its cau&s;e: <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> So<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> See M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 6 a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 word"> 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"></NOTE> here, <HI>you cannot de&s;troy it, le&s;t you be found, &amp;c. i.</HI> if you attempt to de&s;troy it, <HI>you will be found, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Be found</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> The word <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>to be found,</HI> in &s;uch a con&s;tructi|on as this, oft notes the unexpectedne&s;&s;e of &s;omewhat befalling a per&s;on, whether in re&s;pect of his own, or other mens expectations. Thus it is &s;aid of the Virgin <HI>Mary,</HI> that before <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> and &s;he came together, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>&s;he was FO&V;ND with child,</HI> meaning, beyond, or contrary to expectation. So <HI>Luk.</HI> 9. 36. whereas <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Elias</HI> were immediately before the voyce from heaven, taken notice of by the Apo&s;tles to have been pre&s;ent with Chri&s;t upon the mount, as &s;oone as ever the voyce was pa&s;t, it is &s;aid of him, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>he was found alone,</HI> to imply that <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Elias</HI> were withdrawn before the Apo&s;tles were aware, or thought of it. To pa&s;&s;e by other in&s;tances for this importance of the word; it is &s;aid of <HI>Babylon</HI> the Great&punc; (<HI>Rev. 18. 24.) that in her was found (<GAP DESC="foreign">) the blood of the Prophets, and of the Saints, and of all that were &s;lain up|on the earth;</HI> meaning, that whereas this City had till now thought her &s;elf the mo&s;t religious City under heaven, the Mother and Pa|trone&s;s of Prophets and Saints, an enemy only unto Heretiques and per&s;ons hatefull unto God; now when God came to call her to an account, and to <HI>enter into judgement with her,</HI> contrary to her expectation and opinion of her &s;elf, &s;he was di&s;covered and evicted to have been the mo&s;t cruell and bloody enemy that ever <HI>Prophets</HI> or <HI>Saints</HI> had, yea, and further, a principall Actre&s;s in the &s;laugh|ter of many millions otherwi&s;e. So <HI>Gamaliel,</HI> expre&s;&s;ing him&s;elf thus to the Councell, <HI>le&s;t you be FO&V;ND even fighters again&s;t God;</HI> gives them to under&s;tand, that how holy, wi&s;e, or ju&s;t &s;oever they might &s;eem in their own eyes, yea, and might think them&s;elves the furthe&s;t of any men under heaven from practi&s;ing or <HI>fighting again&s;t God,</HI> yet if they went on with their pre&s;ent intentions and re&s;olutions again&s;t the men they had now before them, they might fall into this heavie guilt and condemnation, when they thought lea&s;t of it. The heavine&s;s of which guilt is further implyed, in that emphaticall particle <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>even&punc; even fighters again&s;t God;</HI> which particle of &s;peech in &s;uch con&s;tructions as this, is inten&s;ive in an
<PB N="9" REF="7">
high degree, and &s;till imports &s;omewhat very remarkable in what is joyned with it. In &s;uch an importance as this, you &s;hall find it u&s;ed, <HI>Matth. 12. 8. for the &s;on of man is Lord <GAP DESC="foreign">, even of the Sabbath;</HI> meaning, that this was a very tran&s;cendent Lord&s;hip indeed, and &s;uch as was incompatible unto any, but unto him who need count it no robbery to be equall with God. So <HI>Mar.</HI> 13. 22. and el&s;ewhere. Thus <HI>Gamaliel</HI> admoni&s;hing his Colleagues, to con&s;ider well what they did, <HI>le&s;t they &s;hould be found EVEN figh|ters again&s;t God,</HI> plainly intimates unto you, that this is one of the wor&s;t &s;tones in the world to &s;tumble at, and that no improvi|dence or incon&s;ideratene&s;s what&s;oever be&s;ides, is like to make any &s;uch breach upon the comfort and peace of the creature, as for men to ingage them&s;elves in any &s;uch action or cour&s;e, wherein they &s;hall be found fighters again&s;t God.</P>
<P><GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>Fighters again&s;t God</HI>]. Every act of &s;in, e&s;pecially with knowledge and con&s;ent of will, is (in a &s;en&s;e) a <HI>fighting again&s;t God:</HI> but that &s;in which <HI>Gamaliel</HI> here intends in his expre&s;&s;ion of <HI>fighting again&s;t God,</HI> is a &s;in of an higher nature then ordinary, as appeares by the particle <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>even,</HI> joyn'd with it, and formerly opened. Therefore by <HI>fighting again&s;t God</HI> (in this place) mu&s;t needs be meant &s;ome high and peremptory action or ingagement of the creature, wherein it oppo&s;eth God in &s;ome &s;peciall or re|markable de&s;ign, which he &s;eeketh either to &s;et on foot, or el&s;e to carry on in the world, whether the oppo&s;er knowes it to be a de|&s;igne of God's or no. And thus the propagating of that Doctrine, which the Apo&s;tles preached, being a de&s;igne of God, the oppo&s;i|tion of the councell again&s;t it, e&s;pecially with &s;o high an hand as the cru&s;hing, or &s;laying of the Apo&s;tles, who were appointed by God to publi&s;h it, would have been, was, and would have been very properly, <HI>a fighting again&s;t God.</HI></P>
<P>The words explain'd, are matter ready prepared for Doctrine and ob&s;ervation. Onely one word (by the way) for An&s;wer to that Que&s;tion; What authoritie, weight, or credit, is to be given to that which <HI>Gamaliel</HI> delivers in this &s;peech of his to the Coun|cell? Whether may we build upon every thing, or any thing, &s;po|ken by him, as authorized by God?</P>
<P>I an&s;wer;</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. That there is little que&s;tion to be made, but that the Spirit
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of the man, was in &s;peciall manner touch'd and &s;tirr'd up by the Spirit of God, to interpo&s;e in the behalfe of the Apo&s;tles, as he did; as the &s;pirit of <HI>Nicodemus</HI> (another branch of the &s;ame root) formerly had been, to &s;tand up and &s;peake in the behalfe of Chri&s;t, <HI>Joh.</HI> 7. 51.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The principall end and &s;cope of what he &s;pake, being the re&s;cuing of the Apo&s;tles from the bloudy Coun&s;ells of tho&s;e who had concluded their death, and were con&s;ulting about the execu|tion; plainly &s;heweth, that there was more of God then ordina|ry in the thing, e&s;pecially if we con&s;ider further, that he who thus inexpectedly appeared with &s;hield and buckler for the Apo&s;tles de|fence, was of that &s;ect or generation of men, who generally hated and oppo&s;ed the Doctrine of Chri&s;t with more inveterate and vi|perous malignitie of &s;pirit, then any other.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3. Evident it is, 1. that the intent, end, and &s;cope of <HI>Gamaliel</HI> in this &s;peech to the Councell, being the bringing of the Apo&s;tles from the bloudy rage and violence of men, was good, and agreea|ble to the will and word of God. And 2. as evident likewi&s;e it is, that the &s;peech it &s;elfe, in the whole carriage, and in all the pa&s;&s;a|ges of it, is duly, and with all exactne&s;&s;e of wi&s;dome and prudence, proportioned to the end, and tends in a direct and regular way to effect it. Now what&s;oever directly and regularly tends to the ef|fecting of that which is good, mu&s;t needs be good, and con&s;e|quently from God. That which is good may occa&s;ionally and by &s;ome collaterall influence of Providence, be brought to pa&s;&s;e, by means that are evill; but in a regular and direct way, it can onely be produced by that which is good. There is no more friend&s;hip or fellow&s;hip naturally, between good ends and ill means, then is between <HI>light and darkne&s;&s;e, Chri&s;t and Belial.</HI> But</ITEM>
<ITEM>4. (and la&s;tly) There being nothing in all this &s;peech (ex|cepting onely the hi&s;toricall in&s;tances, the truth of which, it &s;eems,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Interim or acu|li in&s;tar nobis e&s;&s;e debet, qu&ograve;d Dei co~&s;ilia nul|lis <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">omm<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> vi|ribus imped re+po&s;&s;e, humana ver&ograve; &s;u&aacute; &s;p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">n|te collabi di&s;ci|mus. Gual. Ho|mil. 37. an Act.</NOTE> was generally knowne among the <HI>Jews,</HI> and is atte&s;ted by <HI>Jo&s;e|phus</HI> their great Hi&s;torian) but what is fully con&s;onant with the word of God, (unque&s;tionably &s;o acknowledged) el&s;ewhere, the credit and authority of it, for matter of truth, is one and the &s;ame with tho&s;e other Scriptures corre&s;ponding with it. <HI>What we here learne</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Gualter</HI> upon the place) <HI>&s;hould be unto us as an Oracle,</HI> viz. <HI>that the coun&s;ells of God are not to be defeated or hindred by any</HI>
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<HI>&s;trength of man;</HI> but <HI>for the coun&s;ells of men, they fall, and &s;ink, and come to nothing of them&s;elves.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>In the words, there be the&s;e &s;ix en&s;uing Points of Doctrine, faire and large, be&s;ides many others of a more collaterall and illa|tive ob&s;ervation.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, From tho&s;e words, <HI>ver. 38. And now I &s;ay unto you, Re|fraine from the&s;e men, and let them alone: for, &amp;c.</HI> Ob&s;erve, that <HI>it is a point of much wi&s;dome to forbeare the oppre&s;sion, or &s;uppre&s;sion of &s;uch per&s;ons, Doctrines, and wayes, which men have any rea&s;onable cau&s;e at all to judge or thinke, that they are, or may be, from God.</HI></P>
<P>Secondly, From tho&s;e doubtfull expre&s;&s;ions of &s;o great a Do|ctor of the Law, and one that knew how to mea&s;ure and e&s;timate the Authoritie and weight of a Councell-determination, and be|&s;ides can no wayes be &s;u&s;pected of any di&s;affection or prejudicate|ne&s;&s;e again&s;t &s;uch Authoritie, from tho&s;e doubtfull expre&s;&s;ions (I &s;ay) of this man, <HI>If this coun&s;ell or work be of men, &amp;c.</HI> And againe, <HI>If it be of God, &amp;c.</HI> Ob&s;erve, That <HI>the determination of a Councell, or of the major part of a Councell again&s;t a way, Doctrine, or practice, is no de|mon&s;trative or &s;ufficient proofe for any wi&s;e man to re&s;t or build upon, that &s;uch a way, Doctrine, or practice, are not from God.</HI> The whole Councell, as you heard, this one man excepted, had peremptorily concluded the Doctrine and practice of the Apo&s;tles, to be, not from God, but from men, and thereupon were in high con&s;ultati|on to &s;uppre&s;&s;e them, and that by death; yet all this did not &s;ati&s;|fie <HI>Gamaliel</HI> in point of judgement or con&s;cience, he was &s;till but where he was, doubtfull and in &s;u&s;pence with him&s;elfe about the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Thirdly, From that clau&s;e, <HI>If this coun&s;ell or work be from men, it will come to nought</HI>] Ob&s;erve, that <HI>every invention, contrivance, way, or device of man, e&s;pecially in things either appertaining or pretend|ing to appertaine unto God, in matters of Religion, will in time weare out into nothing and be di&s;&s;olved.</HI></P>
<P>Fourthly, From the Connexion or dependance between the for|mer and latter parts of <HI>ver. 39. But if it be from God, yee cannot de|&s;troy it, le&s;t, &amp;c.</HI> Ob&s;erve, That <HI>for any man, or men, to attempt the &s;up|pre&s;&s;ion of any Doctrine, way, or practi&s;e that is from God, is to fight a|gain&s;t God him&s;elfe.</HI></P>
<P>Fiftly, From that &s;ignificant phra&s;e or expre&s;&s;ion, of being
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<HI>FOVND fighters again&s;t God,</HI> ver. 39. Ob&s;erve, <HI>that many, who po&s;|&s;ibly for the pre&s;ent may conceive and thinke, and that with much confi|dence, that they fight for God, when the truth comes to an unpartiall and perfect &s;canning, will be found to have fought again&s;t him.</HI></P>
<P>Sixtly, (and la&s;tly) From the importance and weight of that emphaticall particle, <HI>even,</HI> in the la&s;t clau&s;e, <HI>Le&s;t yee be found EVEN fighters again&s;t God;</HI> Ob&s;erve, that <HI>fighting again&s;t God, is a mo&s;t dan|gerous po&s;ture or ingagement, for a creature to be taken or found in by God at any time.</HI> The dread and terror of &s;uch a mi&s;pri&s;ion as this, is the ba&s;e and ground-work upon which <HI>Gamaliel</HI> builds the fa|brick of that important coun&s;ell and advice, which he gives un|to his fellows, thoroughout his di&s;cour&s;e or &s;peech made unto them.</P>
<P>We &s;hall for the pre&s;ent (pa&s;&s;ing by all the re&s;t) pitch upon that Doctrine mentioned in the fourth place, the tenor and effect whereof was this; <HI>That for any man to endeavour or attempt the &s;up|pre&s;&s;ion of any Doctrine, practice, or way, which is from God, is to fight again&s;t God him&s;elfe.</HI></P>
<P>For the &s;en&s;e and true import of the Doctrine, I &s;hall need to adde little beyond what was &s;aid, in explication of the words; here we briefly &s;hewed what was meant by fighting again&s;t God. I now onely adde this, (which is &s;omewhat more particular) that it is not every degree or kind of oppo&s;ing a way, Doctrine, or de|&s;igne of God, which either the text, or the Doctrine calleth <HI>a fighting again&s;t God;</HI> but onely &s;uch an oppo&s;ing which is peremp|tory, and carried on with an high hand, &s;o that tho&s;e Agents or In&s;truments of God, which he hath anointed to hold forth that way, Doctrine, or De&s;igne of his in the world, are not &s;uffered to execute their Commi&s;&s;ion, but are countermanded either by the Authoritie or over-bearing &s;trength and power of men. It is one thing to oppo&s;e, or contend again&s;t a Doctrine or way of God, <HI>per modum Doctoris,</HI> as when a Mini&s;ter through a mi&s;take or weak|ne&s;&s;e of judgement, pleads for <HI>Baal</HI> again&s;t God, preacheth error up, and truth downe, which may befall the be&s;t and faithfulle&s;t of men: another, to doe it <HI>per modum Judicis,</HI> as when men will a&s;|&s;ume an Authoritative power, whether Eccle&s;ia&s;tique or Civill, to &s;uppre&s;&s;e or &s;ilence the publi&s;hing, practi&s;ing, arguing, or debating of &s;uch wayes or Doctrines, with the judgements and con&s;ciences
<PB N="13" REF="9">
of men. It is true, even this kind of oppo&s;ing them, is &s;ometimes incident to men otherwi&s;e upright in the maine before God: but the children of this contention and conte&s;tation again&s;t their Ma|ker, mu&s;t expect to be taught r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ore wi&s;dome and reverence towards him, with briars and thornes. If men fight again&s;t God after any &s;uch manner as this, upon &s;uch termes as if they were Gods too, this will ingage him to take up armes al&s;o in his own defence, and provoke him to fight again&s;t tho&s;e, who fight again&s;t him. This for opening the Doctrine.</P>
<P>For the confirmation of the truth of it, wee &s;hall not need to cau&s;e many Scriptures to labour: the word will be &s;ufficiently e&s;ta|bli&s;hed in the mouth of two or three of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es. <HI>Why doe</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 2. 1, 2&punc; 3.</NOTE> <HI>the Heathen rage,</HI> (&s;aith <HI>David) and the people imagine a vaine thing? The Kings of the Earth &s;et them&s;elves, and the Rulers take coun&s;ell toge|ther again&s;t the Lord and again&s;t his Anointed, &s;aying, Let us break their bands a&s;under, and ca&s;t away their cords from us, &amp;c.</HI> Tho&s;e expre&s;|&s;ions, of <HI>raging, &s;etting them&s;elves, taking coun&s;ell together again&s;t the Lord and his Anointed,</HI> amount every whit as much as to a <HI>fighting again&s;t the Lord.</HI> And what was it, that the <HI>Heathen, people, Kings, and Rulers of the Earth,</HI> did, or attempted to doe <HI>again&s;t the Lord and again&s;t his Anointed;</HI> (meaning Chri&s;t) Was it any thing el&s;e but to quench that fire, which Chri&s;t (as him&s;elfe &s;aith) <HI>came to kindle,</HI> to &s;uppre&s;&s;e the Go&s;pel, to cut off tho&s;e wayes of righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e and holine&s;&s;e from the knowledge and practi&s;e of men, which are therein recommended and held forth unto the world? The&s;e are the <HI>bands,</HI> which they <HI>&s;et them&s;elves</HI> thus <HI>to cut a&s;under,</HI> and the <HI>cords,</HI> which, if it had been po&s;&s;ible, they would have <HI>ca&s;t from them. Saul, Saul,</HI> (&s;aith the Lord Chri&s;t from Heaven unto him, as he was travailing towards <HI>Dama&s;cus) Why per&s;e|cute&s;t thou me? And he &s;aid, Who art thou Lord? And the Lord &s;aid, I am Je&s;us, whom thou per&s;ecute&s;t, &amp;c.</HI> Act. 9. 4, 5. To <HI>per&s;ecute</HI> Chri&s;t (and con&s;equenly, God him&s;elfe, who is in Chri&s;t, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.) im|ports every whit as much, as to <HI>fight again&s;t</HI> Chri&s;t, and &s;omewhat more. But why is <HI>Saul</HI> here charged with <HI>per&s;ecuting</HI> Chri&s;t? What cour&s;e of ho&s;tilitie did he run or practice again&s;t him? It is &s;aid (<HI>ver.</HI> 2.) that <HI>he de&s;ired Letters of the high Prie&s;t to Dama&s;cus to the Synagogues, that if he found any of this WAY, whether they were men, or women, he might bring them bound to Jeru&s;alem.</HI> Whereby it appears,
<PB N="14" REF="10">
that the preci&s;e oppo&s;ition again&s;t Chri&s;t, upon which <HI>Saul</HI> was arre&s;ted from Heaven (as we heard) under the termes of <HI>per&s;ecuting</HI> him, was his attempting with &s;o high and bloudy an hand, to de|&s;troy out of the world that <HI>WAY</HI> of wor&s;hipping &amp; &s;erving God, which Chri&s;t in his Go&s;pel recommends unto, and chargeth up|on the world. <HI>Men and women</HI> were not the preci&s;e and formall object of his hatred and per&s;ecution, but that <HI>way</HI> of Chri&s;t in the Go&s;pel, which they maintained, practi&s;ed, and taught, who were per&s;ecuted by him. If he could have told how otherwi&s;e to have gotten this <HI>WAY</HI> out of their hearts, tongues, and lives, and con|&s;equently out of the world, then by mole&s;ting, vexing, and per&s;e|cuting them, it is not like that he would have proceeded again&s;t them, with &s;o rough and cruell an hand. It is &s;aid (<HI>Revel. 12. 7.) That there was warre in Heaven; Michael and his Angels fought again&s;t the Dragon; and the Dragon fought, and his Angels.</HI> Whether <HI>Michael</HI> in this Scripture be Chri&s;t him&s;elf, (as ancient Interpreters gene|rally carried it) or &s;ome prime Angel appointed by Chri&s;t, to be as a Generall or Head to his Saints and &s;ervants, in tho&s;e warres and fiery conflicts, wherein they were for a long time engaged a|gain&s;t Satan, and his bloudy Agents in the Roman Empire, (as &s;ome later Expo&s;itors conceive) is not much materiall. But it is here expre&s;ly &s;aid, that <HI>the Dragon and his Angels,</HI> that is, the Devill and his In&s;truments, ignorant and bloud-thir&s;ty-men, <HI>fought,</HI> viz. again&s;t <HI>Michael</HI> and his Angels, <HI>i.</HI> again&s;t Chri&s;t him&s;elfe in tho&s;e appointed by him to hold forth the way and Go&s;pel of his King|dome unto the world. But why, or how are they &s;aid to have <HI>fought again&s;t Chri&s;t?</HI> What was their ingagement or attempt a|gain&s;t him? Que&s;tionle&s;&s;e nothing el&s;e but the extirpation and e|jection of the Doctrine and Way of his Go&s;pel out of the world, by the torments, &s;laughter and ruine of tho&s;e who profe&s;&s;ed them, and by this profe&s;&s;ion, gave them a &s;peciall &s;ub&s;i&s;tence and beeing in the world. For that rule, Doctrine, or way, which is not pra|cti&s;ed or profe&s;&s;ed in the world, langui&s;heth, and is little better then dead. I adde but one Scripture more, and then I have done with the proofe of the Point, in this kind. <HI>Then cometh the end</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle, 1 <HI>Cor. 15. 24.) when he (i.</HI> Chri&s;t) <HI>&s;hall have delivered up the Kingdome to God even the Father, when he &s;hall have put downe all rule, and all authoritie and power.</HI> Why the <HI>end</HI> &s;hould not
<PB N="15" REF="10">
<HI>be,</HI> untill Chri&s;t hath <HI>put downe all rule, and all authoritie and power, i.</HI> all kinds of rule, Authoritie and power; this rea&s;on is rendred, <HI>ver. 25. For he mu&s;t reigne, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.</HI> I demand, why &s;hould <HI>all rule, all Authoritie and power,</HI> as well Ec|cle&s;ia&s;ticall as Civill, be looked upon, as enemies unto Chri&s;t? What is the enmity or ho&s;tilitie they exerci&s;e again&s;t him? Doubt|le&s;&s;e no lawfull rule, Authoritie, or power, are enemies to Chri&s;t, either in their nature or in&s;titution, but are confederate with him. It is their degeneration in their exerci&s;e and actings, that renders them of an ho&s;tile interpretation to him. There is none of them all but is apt ever and anon to be <HI>fighting again&s;t him,</HI> and that by &s;ome peremptory and &s;tiffe oppo&s;ing and &s;uppre&s;&s;ing &s;ome way, Doctrine, or practi&s;e of his, where they have to doe. And this is the quarrell which the Lord Chri&s;t hath to the whole fraternitie or a&s;&s;ociation of them; for this he counts them his <HI>enemies.</HI></P>
<P>The rea&s;ons of the point, which we &s;hall briefly touch, are three:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, He that attempts or &s;eeks by an high hand to &s;uppre&s;s any<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rea&s;on 1.</NOTE> Doctrine, Way or Practice which is from God, may well be con|ceived and &s;aid to <HI>fight again&s;t God,</HI> becau&s;e he oppo&s;eth, and that with vehemence and might, the will of God, and that in a very con&s;iderable act, motion, or de&s;ire of it. There is no Way, Do|ctrine, or Practice, which is from God, but his will &s;tands &s;trongly bent for the propagation and &s;preading of it in the world. <HI>I am</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. 49.</NOTE> <HI>come</HI> (&s;aith Chri&s;t) <HI>to &s;end</HI> (or, ca&s;t) <HI>fire on the earth: and what WILL I,</HI> (or, what is my de&s;ire, as the former tran&s;lation had it) <HI>if it be already kindled?</HI> meaning, that his de&s;ire to &s;ee the Go&s;pel on foot, to &s;ee it well taken, and &s;ufficiently rooted in the world, was &s;o great, that when he once &s;aw it, he cared not how &s;oon he left the world. So <HI>Luke 22. 15. And he &s;aid unto them, With de&s;ire have I de&s;ired to eat this pa&s;&s;eover with you, before I &s;uffer:</HI> mean|ing that he even longed to erect and found that great Ordinance of the Supper, for the u&s;e and benefit of the world in after times, before he left the world. Many other Scriptures there are that &s;peak this over and over, <HI>viz.</HI> that the heart and &s;oul of God are firmly and deeply &s;et within him, to have &s;uch Wayes, Doctrines and Ordinances as come from him, publi&s;hed, maintained, prea|ched, and held forth unto the world. Therefore they who in|gage them&s;elves with all their &s;trength, and all their might, to re|&s;i&s;t
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this will of his in the accompli&s;hment of it, what do they el&s;e but fight again&s;t him?</P>
<P>Secondly, Hee that magnifies him&s;elf to &s;uppre&s;&s;e, qua&s;h, or<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rea&s;on 2.</NOTE> keep down any way, Practice or Coun&s;ell which is from God, pro|portionably oppo&s;eth the glory of God, and doth what in him lies, to keep God from being magnified in the hearts and lives of men, at lea&s;t as far as that Way, Practice or Coun&s;ell which hee &s;eeks to &s;uppre&s;s, tends to &s;uch a magnification of him. And will this, being weighed in the ballance of the Sanctuary, be found any whit lighter, then a fighting again&s;t God? Certain it is, that God hath (as it were) a &s;tock of glory in the hand of every Way, Do|ctrine and Practice, which he recommends unto the world; yea, in all and every of the&s;e, he hath a peculiar de&s;igne for the exal|tation of his Name. The <HI>beauty of the Lord</HI> is &s;aid to be &s;een, or to be <HI>beheld</HI> in the Wayes and Ordinances of his <HI>Hou&s;e,</HI> or Temple. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 27. 4. There is no way or truth of God, but carries an im|pre&s;&s;ion in it of &s;ome lineament or other of the glory and loveli|ne&s;s of his face. So again, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 67. The Prophet having (<HI>ver.</HI> 1.) petitioned that at the hand of God, which (<HI>ver.</HI> 2.) might make his <HI>way to be known on earth, &amp;c.</HI> he breaks out (<HI>ver.</HI> 3.) in this pro|pheticall &s;train, <HI>Let the people prai&s;e thee, O God, let all the people prai&s;e thee;</HI> clearly implying, that the <HI>way of God</HI> being publi&s;hed, and made known to the world, is that which increa&s;eth the Re|venues of the throne of Heaven, rai&s;eth and procureth new con|tributions of prai&s;e and glory from men unto God. So then he that &s;hall ri&s;e up to oppo&s;e the God of Heaven in any of tho&s;e methods, coun&s;els or projections of his, whereby he projects the exaltation and advancement of his own great Name and Glory in the world, may in as proper a &s;en&s;e, as the phra&s;e lightly will bear, be &s;aid <HI>to fight again&s;t God;</HI> e&s;pecially, if we con&s;ider but this one thing further: that Gods glory is his darling, his <HI>unica,</HI> his only one, (as <HI>David</HI> cal'd his life, <HI>Eripe &agrave; gladio animam meam, a cane uni|cam meam, P&s;.</HI> 22. 21.) it is the only life which he lives in the world; it is the only apple that his &s;oul careth to eat of, out of that great Orchard which he hath planted (I mean the world.) Therefore doubtle&s;s, he that &s;hall oppo&s;e him in his gathering of this fruit, hath the greater &s;in.</P>
<P>Thirdly, (and la&s;tly) there is in every thing that proceeds or de|rives<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rea&s;on 3.</NOTE>
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its originall or being from another, &s;omewhat of the nature, property, or &s;pirit of that, from which it takes this ri&s;e or &s;pring of its being: there is &s;omewhat of the father in the childe, of the root in the fruit and in the branches, &amp;c. In like manner, in every Way, Doctrine or Practice which is from God, there is &s;omewhat of God him&s;elf. The very &s;ub&s;tance, frame and con&s;titution of them, at lea&s;t that which is operative, quickning and &s;pirituall in them, what is it but a kinde of heavenly compo&s;ition, the ingre|dients whereof are the holine&s;s, wi&s;dome, mercy, goodne&s;s and bounty of God? and what are the&s;e, and every of them, but God him&s;elf? Every Ordinance or Way of God, is (as it were) a be|nigne con&s;tellation of the&s;e &s;tars unto the world; out of the mid&s;t of which he gives a gracious a&s;pect of him&s;elf, and communicates tho&s;e &s;weet and rich influences of him&s;elfe, light, and life, and &s;trength, and peace, and joy, unto the world. It is &s;aid, (1 <HI>King.</HI> 19. 11.) that the Lord neither was in the <HI>&s;trong wind that rent the mountains,</HI> nor yet in the <HI>earthquake</HI> that followed it, nor in the <HI>fire</HI> that came after that; but after the&s;e there came <HI>a &s;till voyce,</HI> wherein it is implied, that the Lord was. The meaning is, that God had neither prepared or intended, either the wind, earthquake or fire, by, or out of which to impart him&s;elf unto his Prophet <HI>Elijah;</HI> he had only prepared and &s;anctified the <HI>&s;till and &s;oft voyce</HI> for &s;uch a purpo&s;e as this; and therefore he is expre&s;ly denyed to have been in any other, and con&s;equently &s;uppo&s;ed to have been in this. In &s;uch a &s;en&s;e or manner as God was in this <HI>&s;till voyce,</HI> he is in every Way, Doctrine, and Ordinance of his; in, by, and out of all and every of the&s;e, he communicates and imparts him&s;elf graciou&s;ly unto the world. Therefore who&s;oever &s;hall fight again&s;t any of the&s;e, by &s;eeking to &s;upplant, &s;uppre&s;s, or keep them down, that they may not <HI>run and be glorified</HI> in the world, what do they el&s;e, let this work and cour&s;e of theirs be truly interpreted, but fight again&s;t God him&s;elf?</P>
<P>We have done with the Rea&s;ons of the Doctrine; we &s;hall con|clude with &s;omewhat by way of u&s;e and application.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, by way of In&s;truction: If to attempt the &s;uppre&s;&s;ion or keeping down, any Way, Doctrine, or Practice which is from God, be of no le&s;s concernment, of no &s;afer interprepation, then a fighting again&s;t God, then certainly it is the greate&s;t imprudence
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or improvidence under heaven, for any man, or rank of men what|&s;oever, to appear, e&s;pecially in any hgh-handed oppo&s;ition or con|te&s;tation again&s;t any Way, Doctrine, or Practice what&s;oever, un|till they have proof upon proof, demon&s;tration upon demon&s;tra|tion, evidence upon evidence; yea, all the &s;ecurity that men in an ordinary way (at lea&s;t) are capable of, that &s;uch Wayes or Do|ctrines only pretend unto God as the author of them, and that in truth, they are not at all from him, but either from men, or of a ba&s;er parentage. For what do men by &s;uch a practice and ingage|ment of them&s;elves as this, but run an apparent hazard, of da&s;hing their foot again&s;t that &s;tone, at which <HI>Paul</HI> &s;tumbled, (when time was) yea, and without the highe&s;t hand of mercy that was ever lift up to &s;ave a mortall man, had been utterly broken to pieces by it? <HI>It is a hard thing for thee</HI> (&s;aith the Lord by a voyce from<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 9.</NOTE> heaven to him) <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>to kick</HI> or da&s;h thy &s;elf again&s;t &s;harp goads or nails, made of &s;teele or iron, (for &s;o the word &s;ignifies) meaning that his undertaking or &s;etting him&s;elfe with &s;uch violence, to &s;uppre&s;&s;e that way which Chri&s;t had a purpo&s;e to advance and &s;et up in the world, was an enterpri&s;e of the &s;ore&s;t and mo&s;t grievous con&s;equence and portendance to him, in the nature of it, that ever he could have lift up either heart, or head, or hand unto. <HI>Vho ever hath been fierce again&s;t him</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Job,</HI> &s;peak|ing of God) <HI>and hath pro&s;pered? Job</HI> 9. 4. He that is fierce again&s;t any Way or Doctrine which is from God, makes a covenant with &s;orrow and trouble, which is like to &s;tand. And (to make the be&s;t of &s;uch a doubtfull and blind ingagement) put the ca&s;e that that Way or Doctrine, which men &s;hall pro&s;ecute with &s;o much vio|lence and fiercene&s;&s;e of &s;pirit, &s;hall in conclu&s;ion be found to have been mi&s;taken, erroneous, and not from God: yet</P>
<P><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. In this ca&s;e men &s;hall but offer the &s;acrifice of fooles, a kinde of &s;acrifice, wherewith God is not delighted. The <HI>Athenians</HI> wor|&s;hipped the true God, as appeares by tho&s;e words of the Apo&s;tle unto them, <HI>Act. 17. 23. Whom yee then ignorantly wor&s;hip, him &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ew I unto you;</HI> and yet were Idolaters notwith&s;tanding. The &s;ame A|po&s;tle <HI>beares record</HI> unto his Country-men the <HI>Jewes, That they had</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 10. 2.</NOTE> <HI>the zeale of God;</HI> but this zeale of theirs not being <HI>according to know|ledge,</HI> in the pro&s;ecution of it, they <HI>neither plea&s;ed God, and were con|trary to all men, forbidding</HI> the Apo&s;tles <HI>to preach unto the Gentiles, that</HI>
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<HI>they might be &s;aved, to fulfill their &s;ins alwayes; becau&s;e wrath was come upon them to the uttermo&s;t,</HI> The&s;. 2. 15, 16. The bea&s;t under the Law, though it were <HI>a fir&s;t-borne,</HI> yet was not to be <HI>&s;anctified</HI> or of|fered <HI>unto the Lord,</HI> if it were either <HI>lame, or blind,</HI> Deut. 15. 19. 21. Nor was any man, though of <HI>Aarons</HI> &s;eed, admitted to &s;erve at the Altar, that had any blemi&s;h or imperfection of <HI>blindne&s;&s;e</HI> on him, <HI>Levit.</HI> 21. 17, 18. God regards no mans <HI>zeale</HI> without <HI>knowledge,</HI> though it &s;hould pitch and fa&s;ten upon things, never &s;o agreeable unto his will: nor doth he care that his enemies them&s;elves &s;hould be de&s;troyed, but upon lawfull triall and conviction.</P>
<P>Secondly, What&s;oever Doctrine or way is recommended and tendered unto men in the Name of God, whether either the one or the other be from God or no, yet he expects from men (as well he may) that reverence and regard unto that Great Name of his, wherein &s;uch things are brought and tendered unto them, that they &s;hould be diligently con&s;idered, and due proofe and examina|tion made, whether they be from him, or no, before they be reje|cted, and much more before oppo&s;ed. And certainly men doe but pollute and prophane that ever-ble&s;&s;ed Name of God, by making refu&s;e, yea abomination (as many doe) of &s;uch things as are brought unto them in that Name, before they know upon any con&s;iderable grounds or terms of knowledge, whether the things be indeed from God, or no; yea, though the things thus rejected &s;hould at la&s;t be found worthy of no better entertainment, as ha|ving no agreement with God, or his Word. The event or i&s;&s;ue in this ca&s;e, though it &s;hould fall out to the be&s;t for &s;uch men, will ve|ry little ca&s;e or qualifie their &s;in. Shall not that wicked tyrant and enemy of God, <HI>Eglon, ri&s;e up in judgement, and condemne that genera|tion</HI> of men we now &s;peak of, who, when <HI>Ehud</HI> onely &s;ignified that he <HI>had a me&s;&s;age from God unto him,</HI> did not pre&s;ently reject the me&s;|&s;age before he knew it, or fall foule upon the me&s;&s;enger, but (as the Text &s;aith, <HI>Judg. 2. 20.) aro&s;e up from his throne,</HI> addre&s;&s;ing him|&s;elfe in that deportment of Reverence to receive it?</P>
<P>Thirdly, (and la&s;tly) It is extreme madne&s;&s;e in men to run the hazard we &s;peake of, I meane of <HI>fighting again&s;t God,</HI> in &s;eeking to &s;uppre&s;&s;e &s;uch waies or cour&s;es as they are not able to demon&s;trate, but that they are waies of God indeed, becau&s;e, in ca&s;e they be not the waies of God, he him&s;elfe will give te&s;timony from Heaven a|gain&s;t
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them in due time, he will &s;uppre&s;&s;e and &s;catter them, and bring them to nought: and then there will be no danger for men to reject and abhorre them. <HI>Dearly beloved</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Rom. 12. 19.) avenge not your &s;elves, but give place unto wrath,</HI> i. unto the wrath of God, who&s;e ju&s;t avenging hand is lift up again&s;t tho&s;e that wrong you, and deale unju&s;tly with you, and is ready to &s;mite for your &s;akes; as it followeth: <HI>For it is written, Vengeance is mine: I will repay, &s;aith the Lord.</HI> It were great folly in any man, to expo&s;e him&s;elfe to the ju&s;t offence and di&s;plea&s;ure of God, by &s;eeking to right him&s;elfe in an angry and revengefull manner upon him, whom he certainly knows hath injur'd him, God him&s;elfe being ready with his &s;troke of ju&s;tice to do him right, and to avenge him on his adver&s;ary, though he him&s;elfe &s;hould be patient and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">it &s;till. But it would be a point yet of &s;even-times greater folly then &s;o, for a man to fall foule in a way of revenge upon an imaginary ad|ver&s;ary, and who (at mo&s;t) can onely be &s;uppo&s;ed or &s;u&s;pected to have done him wrong, con&s;idering that God who is an infalli|ble di&s;cerner and judge of injuries and wrongs, and withall a ju&s;t Avenger of all &s;uch things, will &s;hortly appeare for his full vindi|cation, in ca&s;e he hath been wronged indeed. Nor hath any man cau&s;e in this ca&s;e to feare, le&s;t <HI>whil&s;t the gra&s;&s;e grows, the &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">eed &s;hould &s;tarve,</HI> (as the Proverb is) I meane, that the per&s;on injured, whe|ther really or in &s;uppo&s;ition onely, &s;hould &s;uffer lo&s;&s;e, by <HI>po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ing his &s;oule in patience,</HI> untill the day of divine recompence and ven|geance &s;hall come. For God certainly will give full and ample con&s;ideration for all forbearance and long-&s;uffering of men, wherein and whereby the rights of his Throne are tendered and maintained. It were no le&s;&s;e then an exaltation of folly in any man, to expo&s;e his own life to the &s;troke of ju&s;tice, by a&s;&s;aulting the life of a malefactor whil&s;t he is going to execution.</P>
<P>Againe, &s;econdly, (by way of In&s;truction) If to attempt the de&s;truction or &s;uppre&s;&s;ion of any Doctrine, or way, which is from God in &s;o high and peremptory a manner, as was formerly ex|pre&s;&s;ed, be a <HI>fighting again&s;t God,</HI> take we knowledge from hence al&s;o, what <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">in by name in all likelihood (at lea&s;t) and with high|e&s;t pregnancy of conjecture, it is, which ever and anon thus &s;epa|rates between God and us, which &s;till troubles our proceedings, and makes the Sun of our peace to goe &s;o often backwards in the
<PB N="21" REF="13">
Heavens thereof. Is there not a <HI>fighting again&s;t God</HI> among&s;t us, as well as a fighting for him? and doe we not pull downe by the one, what we build up by the other? Are not the hearts, and the heads, and the hands of farre the greate&s;t part of men among&s;t us, inga|ged, and that to the highe&s;t of all bitterne&s;&s;e, hatred, and enmity, again&s;t that <HI>Way</HI> of ordering the things of God's wor&s;hip, and of governing his Churches and Saints, which hath been, and &s;till is held forth in his Name unto this Nation, by &s;ome Emba&s;&s;adors and Me&s;&s;engers of his of a very choice anoynting, and indued with &s;trength from on High, (many of them) as it were on pur|po&s;e to &s;tand by &s;ome &s;uch <HI>way</HI> or coun&s;ell of God, untill it had throughly taken the hearts, and judgements, and con&s;ciences of men; be&s;ides many thou&s;ands more, and tho&s;e (for the mo&s;t part) of the be&s;t and choice&s;t &s;ervants of God among&s;t us? Is not this <HI>WAY</HI> bla&s;phemed and &s;poken again&s;t; yea, is not the de|&s;truction and ruine of it, with the grinding of the faces and brea|king of the bones, with the &s;uppre&s;&s;ion and cru&s;hing of tho&s;e that hold it forth unto us, con&s;ulted, &s;tudied, and attempted by &s;ome that would be thought Pillars and prime men in the Hou&s;e and Temple of God? And have they not a great vote of the generality of people, who know little of God, or his Wayes, concurring with them, to &s;trengthen their hand herein? May we not &s;ay of this <HI>WAY,</HI> as the <HI>Jews</HI> &s;ometimes &s;aid unto <HI>Paul,</HI> concerning the Do|ctrine of Chri&s;t which he preached, with tho&s;e that profe&s;&s;ed it; <HI>We know that this Sect is every where &s;poken again&s;t?</HI> Act. 28. 22. So<NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 18. 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> then in ca&s;e it ever &s;hall appeare, or be found to be a <HI>WAY</HI> of God, we are in a <HI>Praemunire</HI> for the pre&s;ent, and have forfeited our peace, help and comfort in God, as touching deliverance from our pre|&s;ent dangers and mi&s;eries, by this our <HI>fighting again&s;t him.</HI> I pre|&s;ume you will all readily acknowledge and confe&s;&s;e, that if there be &s;uch a &s;in ruling and <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">aigning among&s;t us, as <HI>fighting again&s;t God,</HI> this of all other is like to be the <HI>Achan,</HI> the <HI>Troubler of our I&s;rael;</HI> that betrays our armies, our faithfull and valiant men into the hands of their and our enemies, and that makes us ever and anon, retrograde in our motions and tendencies towards re&s;t and peace. <HI>Whoever hath</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 9. 4.</NOTE> <HI>hardened him&s;elf again&s;t him</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Job,</HI> as wee heard before) <HI>and pro&s;pered?</HI> If this be but granted, it is enough to demon&s;trate our ca&s;e and condition to be very dangerous and doubtfull&punc; at the be&s;t:
<PB N="22" REF="14">
For whether that <HI>WAY</HI> we &s;peak of, which is &s;o generally tro|den and trampled upon like clay and mire in the &s;treets, as well by the foot of ignorance and prophanene&s;&s;e, as of learning and bet|ter accompli&s;hment, be the <HI>WAY</HI> of God, or no; mo&s;t certain it is, that all the wit, wi&s;dome, parts, learning, judgement, that have encountered and oppo&s;ed it hitherto, have not been able by any demon&s;trative or concluding proofe, to overthrow that title or claim which it maketh unto God as the author and founder of it. Therefore unto me it is a thing of the &s;adde&s;t con&s;ideration un|der heaven, and of more grievous portendance unto us, then any thing el&s;e, (as far as I am able to di&s;cern) that we &s;hould hang the great weight of the peace and &s;afety of a whole Nation, all our hopes and expectations of help and a&s;&s;i&s;tance from God in our greate&s;t extremities, upon the brittle pin of &s;o doubtfull a di&s;pu|tation, as that which is maintained, and yet depending, between the one <HI>WAY</HI> and the other. For in ca&s;e that <HI>way</HI> again&s;t which the &s;pirits of men are &s;o generally and fiercely bent, &s;hall at la&s;t be found to be the <HI>Way</HI> of God, we are all this while look'd upon from heaven as <HI>fighters again&s;t God,</HI> and &s;o have as good as given ho&s;tages to our enemies, that we never mean to pro&s;per, or do any great thing again&s;t them. Whereas, if men would but follow <HI>Ga|maliels</HI> coun&s;ell in the Text, and refrain them&s;elves for a &s;ea&s;on from laying either violent hands, or tongues upon this way, un|till God had either untied or cut the knot, till he had given &s;en|tence again&s;t it, the <HI>doubtfulne&s;&s;e</HI> of the <HI>di&s;putation,</HI> need not, would not be prejudiciall in the lea&s;t, either to our pre&s;ent proceedings, or future peace: and men do but make them&s;elves <HI>wi&s;e above that which is written;</HI> yea, above that which is either <HI>rea&s;on</HI> or <HI>faith,</HI> to think, or &s;peak otherwi&s;e.</P>
<P>If it be objected, that Reformation &s;uffers and lo&s;eth time, be|cau&s;e that <HI>Way</HI> is not yet hedgd up with thorns, but men are &s;uf|fered to walk in it.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, Fir&s;t, If the <HI>Way</HI> be one of tho&s;e <HI>wayes</HI> which call God Father; Reformation indeed &s;uffers, and lo&s;eth time, but not becau&s;e this <HI>Way</HI> is not hedg'd up with thorns, but becau&s;e it is not laid more open, becau&s;e it is not repaired and made more pa&s;&s;able by the favour and countenance of men in place, whether Mini&s;ters or others; that &s;o the people of God, who&s;e hearts are towards it, may walk therein without fear.</P>
<P><PB N="23" REF="14">2. That reformation (&s;o called) which is the apple of &s;o many eyes, and the joy of &s;o many hearts, needs &s;uffer nothing, nor lo&s;e an hours time, though the <HI>Way</HI> we &s;peak of, be occupied in peace by tho&s;e, who&s;e feet by the light of Gods Word and Spirit (at lea&s;t as they conceive) are guided into it. For what doth the poor Flie &s;itting on the top of the wheele to hinder the waggoner from dri|ving on his way? If the re&s;idue of the Nation be &s;ubjected to this Reformation, the Nation it &s;elf may be &s;aid to be reformed (ac|cording to &s;uch a denomination, as this Reformation will af|ford) notwith&s;tanding &s;uch a number of per&s;ons (comparatively &s;o incon&s;iderable, I mean as touching their <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">In &s;everall populous towns in the <HI>Low Coun|tries,</HI> &s;carce e|very 5^t^h, nay, not every 8^t^h per&s;on (as I have been credibly in|formed) is immembred&punc; into any of their Chur|ches, and yet the govern|ment of the Nation is re|puted Pre&s;|byteriall. 1 Joh. 5. 19.</NOTE> number) as adhere to this <HI>Way,</HI> be not concluded in it. During the regency of Prelaticall extravagancy, there were many Non-conformi&s;ts; yea, &s;everall Congregations of people in the land, who openly di&s;claimed and prote&s;ted again&s;t that government; and yet the Nation was look'd upon as Epi&s;copally <HI>reformed,</HI> notwith&s;tanding. The irregularity of the mountains and valleys in the &s;urface of the earth, troubles no mans opinion concerning the perfect roundne&s;&s;e of it, becau&s;e it is &s;wallowed up into victory by the va&s;tne&s;&s;e of the globe. <HI>John</HI> &s;aith&punc; that <HI>this whole world lyeth in wickedne&s;&s;e,</HI> notwith&s;tanding a remnant who were born of God. The gleanings of Independency (&s;o called) will not hinder the vintage of Presbytery.</P>
<P>3. If a complete Nationall Reformation be indeed the Gar|land or Crown that is contended for, let but <HI>Presbyterie</HI> be&s;tir her &s;elf, and act her part within her Juri&s;diction, with as much dili|gence, wi&s;dome and faithfulne&s;s, as the <HI>Congregationall Way</HI> will un|dertake to act hers among&s;t her Pro&s;elytes; and there will not be the lea&s;t occa&s;ion to fear, but that the whole and entire body of the Nation will &s;hine with the beauty and lu&s;tre of a perfect Re|formation. If this <HI>Way</HI> &s;hall be found tardy, or loo&s;e, and not to keep pace with her &s;i&s;ter in carrying on the work of Reformati|on, even her <HI>enemies them&s;elves being Judges,</HI> let her &s;uffer; yea, let her with her children be ca&s;t out of doors. Therefore it is but a frivolous and putid &s;lander ca&s;t upon her, when &s;he is charged with enmity to Reformation: But,</P>
<P>4. (And la&s;tly) I would gladly know, what, or what manner of Reformation can rea&s;onably be expected, or hoped for, with|out her. Such a Reformation, as that whereby that Angel
<PB N="24" REF="15">
of darkne&s;&s;e, Satan is reformed, when he <HI>is transformed into an An|gel of light</HI> (as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaketh) is no reformation of de&s;ires:<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">. 14.</NOTE> open loo&s;ene&s;&s;e and prophanene&s;s reformed into Phara&s;aicall hy|pocri&s;ie, brings in little to religion. For what &s;aith our Saviour of &s;uch a Reformation as this? <HI>Verily I &s;ay unto you, that Publicans and Harlots go before you into the Kingdom of God.</HI> If then &s;uch a reforma|tion<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat 21. 31.</NOTE> as this &s;hould take place, it is much to be feared, that when the Genealogie of it &s;hall be &s;ought, it will be found to be of the hou&s;e and linage of that Reformation, which the <HI>Scribes</HI> and <HI>Pha|ri&s;ees</HI> attempted in the world, when <HI>they compa&s;&s;ed Sea and Land to</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 23. 15.</NOTE> <HI>make one Pro&s;elyte; and when he was made, they made him twofold more a child of hell,</HI> then he was before; yea, <HI>then they were them&s;elves;</HI> Or, what is the Reformation, wherein the <HI>Way</HI> we &s;peak of, can|not be admitted to have either part or fellow&s;hip? Will it take the <HI>members of an Harlot, and make them the members of Chri&s;t,</HI> whether either <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> or &s;uch <HI>members</HI> them&s;elves, will or no? Or will it un|dertake to reconcile darkne&s;s with light, to &s;ettle a communion be|twixt Chri&s;t and <HI>Belial,</HI> to throw down the partition wall, and make the wilderne&s;&s;e of the world the garden of God, the Church and the world, enter-commoners? Or what is the glory or great|ne&s;&s;e of the de&s;ign of it, that the Congregationall <HI>Way</HI> is counted unworthy to be &s;o much as a &s;tander by, and to behold it? Will it lift up its hand, to qua&s;h and cru&s;h, to break the hearts and bones of the one half of the mo&s;t religiou&s;ly affected, and be&s;t con&s;cienced people in the Land, for trading in Apes and Peacocks, for holding &s;ome erroneous opinions (perhaps erroneou&s;ly &s;o cal|led) as if it &s;elf were the Lord of infallibility, and had a <HI>non po&s;&s;e errare</HI> &s;ettled by God, as an inheritance upon it? I profe&s;&s;e inge|nuou&s;ly, that when I put my &s;elf into a po&s;ture of the greate&s;t in|dulgency I am able, to con&s;ider of the reformation &s;o much &s;poken of, and even conflict with my &s;pirit to forme and ca&s;t the po&s;&s;ible effects and fruits of it to the greate&s;t advantage, I am not able to apprehend any thing de&s;ireable likely to come of it, either in re|&s;pect of a civill, or religious accommodarion unto the Nation, above what might be expected, and that upon terms of a far more promi&s;ing hope, from the other <HI>Way</HI> which indureth &s;o much contradiction from men. But I apparently fore&s;ee many incon|veniences, and tho&s;e not of a light or contemptible importance
<PB N="25" REF="15">
likely to attend it, for which no place would be found in the other <HI>Way.</HI> Particularly, it is to mee in&s;tead of all arguments and de|mon&s;trations, that no Reformation is according to the mind of God and of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, which is de&s;tructive to the edification of the Saints, and directly impeding their <HI>growth in grace, and in the knowledge of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> And whether &s;uch a Reforma|tion (if yet it be lawfull &s;o to call it) which injoynes the Saints to &s;it under, and hold them&s;elves to &s;uch Pa&s;tors, with whom their hearts cannot clo&s;e in that relation with any tolerable &s;atisfacti|on, nor yet are capable of his Mini&s;tery, or any edification by it, be not under that condemnation, I leave to men that have not &s;old them&s;elves under partiality, to judge and determine.</P>
<P>If it be &s;aid, but men &s;hall have liberty to choo&s;e what Pa&s;tor they plea&s;e, and to &s;it under what Mini&s;tery they de&s;ire, if they will but choo&s;e their dwellings accordingly. I an&s;wer:</P>
<P>1. There may be (and I believe are) many of a rich anoynting from God for the work of the Mini&s;tery, and much de&s;ired by a con&s;iderable number of godly per&s;ons, in Pa&s;torall relation, who mu&s;t &s;ay their con&s;ciences nay, to accept of a Parochiall charge. In this ca&s;e the change of a mans hou&s;e will do nothing towards the ble&s;&s;ing of his &s;oul; if &s;uch a Reformation, as mo&s;t mens thoughts run upon, &s;hould be e&s;tabli&s;hed.</P>
<P>2. All the dwellings within the Parochiall line, relating to the Pa&s;tor that is de&s;ired, may be fill'd with Inhabitants already; and &s;o there is no place, or po&s;&s;ibility (at lea&s;t for the pre&s;ent) for him who&s;e &s;oul longeth after that Pa&s;tor, to injoy him: and when, or whether ever while&s;t he liveth, the door now &s;hut again&s;t him will be open, no man knoweth.</P>
<P>3. Many times the &s;ituation and conveniency of a mans pre|&s;ent dwelling for trade, imployment, &amp;c. is &s;uch, that he cannot remove, but at the perill of his e&s;tate, and ruining him&s;elf and his whole family. And how they, who &s;hall compell men, either to &s;acrifice their peace, comfort, and &s;ub&s;i&s;tenc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"> this pre&s;ent world, or el&s;e run the hazard of lo&s;ing a &s;ub&s;i&s;tence in that which is to come, will an&s;wer it either before the righteous God, or rea&s;on|able men, is above my apprehen&s;ion.</P>
<P>4. This liberty of choo&s;ing Pa&s;tors only by choo&s;ing hou&s;es, is &s;o conditioned, that it &s;miles only upon the rich, (and that but &s;ome|what
<PB N="26" REF="16">
faintly neither) but frowns upon the poor; and &s;o is partiall, and therefore not Chri&s;tian. He that hath enough of that, which (as <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;aith) <HI>an&s;wers all things,</HI> may probably be able to accom|modate<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 10. 19.</NOTE> him&s;elf within the precincts of what pari&s;h he plea&s;eth, in point of dwelling; as either by buying out &s;ome Inhabitant, or by purcha&s;ing ground, and building upon it, or the like; but the ca&s;e of the poor man is many times &s;uch, that he cannot tell where to finde another hole in all the world to hide his head in, be&s;ides that wherein it is hid already. So that this liberty of choo&s;ing a Pa&s;tor, being nothing el&s;e, if plainly interpreted, but only a liber|ty of choo&s;ing &s;uch or &s;uch a Pari&s;h determinately to dwell in, is little better then a meer collu&s;ion, in re&s;pect of tho&s;e that are poor, and (indeed) rather an upbraiding of them with their po|verty, then any gratification of them with a liberty.</P>
<P>5. (And la&s;tly) &s;uch a liberty as this we now &s;peak of&punc; were it more valueable then it is, is no gratuity, benefit or ble&s;&s;ing of that Reformation &s;o importunely demanded and pre&s;&s;ed for by many, being nothing el&s;e, but what was every mans permi&s;&s;ion and en|joyment under the iron rod of Epi&s;copall tyranny. I am more be|holding to every man that comes neer me, for not taking away my life, then I am to any Reformation what&s;oever, for giving me li|berty to choo&s;e my Pa&s;tor upon &s;uch terms. This for an&s;wer in full to that undue charge again&s;t the Congregationall <HI>Way,</HI> where|in it was attainded of incon&s;i&s;tency with, and enmity again&s;t Re|formation.</P>
<P>A &s;econd objection levied again&s;t it, and all &s;ufferance of it, by tho&s;e that are adver&s;aries to it, is, that if it be permitted quietly to walk up and down among&s;t us, and not be &s;uppre&s;&s;ed, it will &s;oon make the Land unquiet, fill the Land with troubles, t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">mults, divi&s;ions, di&s;tractions, di&s;&s;entions, di&s;contents, confu&s;ions, in City, in Countrey, in relations, in families, and where not? To this al&s;o I an&s;wer.</P>
<P>1. That perempt<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">ne&s;s and height of confidence in an accu&s;er, is no &s;igne at all of reality or truth in the accu&s;ation. <HI>Wee know</HI> (&s;ay the <HI>Jews,</HI> concerning Chri&s;t) <HI>that this man is a &s;inner,</HI> Joh. 9. 24. And again, Joh. 8. 48. <HI>Say wee not well, that thou art a Samaritan,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">John 9. 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>and ha&s;t a Devill?</HI> And yet for all their <HI>knowledge,</HI> and confidence of <HI>well-&s;peaking,</HI> the Lord Chri&s;t was never the more either a <HI>Sinner,</HI>
<PB N="27" REF="16">
or a <HI>Samaritan,</HI> or <HI>had a Devill.</HI> The Way we &s;peak of, is never the neerer the guilt of tho&s;e things that are charged upon it, becau&s;e her accu&s;ers bewray &s;o little tenderne&s;&s;e or <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e&s;itancy in drawing up their charge.</P>
<P>2. Nor is the tragicall dre&s;&s;e or pointed &s;tile of an accu&s;ation any demon&s;trative proof of a guilt commen&s;urable thereunto; no, nor yet of any proportion or degree of guilt at all. Want of crime and delinquency, either in things or per&s;ons, which are accu&s;ed&punc; many times makes a greater noy&s;e in the accu&s;ation, then a reality or fulne&s;&s;e of guilt would do. Innocency <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ath beg<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">tten the ranke&s;t and fierce&s;t accu&s;ations that ever were managed by the tongues or pens of men. <HI>Thou love&s;t all devouring words</HI> (&s;aid <HI>David) O tho<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> de|ceitfull</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 62. 4.</NOTE> (or, fal&s;e) <HI>tongue.</HI> They that accu&s;e either upon knowledge or fear of little or no guilt in the accu&s;ed, &s;till labour to lay on ac|cu&s;ation enough, le&s;t nothing otherwi&s;e &s;hould be believed by the Judge. That mount of accu&s;ation which is rai&s;ed &s;o high again&s;t the <HI>Way</HI> we now maintain, doth not at all prove that there is any thing in it that de&s;erves battery.</P>
<P>3. There is no &s;ub&s;tantiall rea&s;on at all can be given, why this <HI>Way</HI> &s;hould occa&s;ion troubles, divi&s;ions, di&s;contents, or the like, above the rate of that other <HI>Way,</HI> which &s;o much magnifies it &s;elf again&s;t it; except (haply) this, that it hath more of God and Chri&s;t in it, then that other: and then it is no marvell if it be more offen&s;ive, and trouble&s;ome to the world. But &s;uppo&s;e both equally intere&s;&s;ed in this, I affirm and undertake to demon&s;trate, that in the nature, frame, and con&s;titution of it otherwi&s;e, it is every whit as gentle, &s;weet, complying and accommodating, and no whit more threatning or portending troubles or di&s;tractions, then the other; yea, that in all &s;uch con&s;iderations as the&s;e, it hath the preheminence: For,</P>
<P>1. It &s;eeketh not, it attempteth not the mole&s;tation, harm, or di&s;turbance of any &s;ort of men that are contrary-minded to it; it thinketh no evill, it &s;peaketh no evill of &s;uch: if it conceives them upright and faithfull with God and Je&s;us Chri&s;t, it imbraceth them with all love, tenderne&s;&s;e and honour, as <HI>partakers of like pre|cious faith</HI> with it &s;elf; and nothing doubts, but that they &s;erve and wor&s;hip God with as much &s;incerity and &s;inglene&s;&s;e of heart, and are accordingly accepted by him in their <HI>Way,</HI> as it &s;elf.</P>
<P><PB N="28" REF="17">2. If God &s;hould plea&s;e to give it favour in the eyes, and intere&s;t in the hearts of the powers of this world, it thinks it very un-Chri&s;tian and unworthy, to arm it &s;elf with this intere&s;t, to fight again&s;t the peace of the con&s;ciences of other men. If any of this <HI>Way</HI> have mi&s;carried in any of the&s;e particulars, they have done it as men, and not as children of this <HI>Way;</HI> the principles of their <HI>Way</HI> taught them better things. And why, or how a <HI>way,</HI> baptized in|to no wor&s;e, or harder &s;pirit then this, &s;hould come to be arraign|ed, as a troubler of State, or &s;trife-maker, a di&s;&s;ention-breeder among&s;t men, except it be by a &s;pirit of contention and &s;trife in|deed, is to me a thing incomprehen&s;ible. Neverthele&s;&s;e it is no new thing, that both the wayes and &s;ervants of God &s;hould be charged with &s;uch crimes and demerits, not only whereof they are wholly innocent and free, but which have a &s;peciall contrariety to &s;ome &s;uch grace or vertue, wherein they have a remarkable and choyce preheminence above others. Thus <HI>Jo&s;eph,</HI> the great mirrour of cha&s;tity, was accu&s;ed of Adultery, <HI>Gen. 39. Mo&s;es,</HI> the meeke&s;t man upon earth, of ambition, and &s;elf-a&s;&s;uming, <HI>Numb. 16. Elijah</HI> of being the troubler of <HI>I&s;rael, 1 King.</HI> 18. who was the Chariot and Hor&s;e-men of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> to defend it: 2 <HI>King.</HI> 2. The Lord Chri&s;t him&s;elf, <HI>in whom the Godhead dwelt bodily,</HI> of <HI>having a Devill, Joh.</HI> 8. and &s;o of being <HI>an enemy unto Ce&s;ar,</HI> when as it was, and is he, <HI>by whom Kings reign;</HI> with many the like. Therefore how|ever it may &s;eem &s;trange that a <HI>Way</HI> of God, which is eminently &s;et, &s;trongly bent, and (in a manner) every wayes calculated for peace, &s;hould &s;uffer in the tongues and thoughts of men as a di|&s;turber of States, and &s;ower of di&s;&s;entions among&s;t men, yet is there nothing in this, but what hath been acted, and that over and over upon the Theatre of the world formerly.</P>
<P>If it be here replied and &s;aid; Yea, but experience ri&s;eth up, and confirms the truth of that accu&s;ation and charge again&s;t the <HI>Way</HI> you &s;peak of, which you would wipe off; this &s;hewes and proves again&s;t all deniall and exception, that where your <HI>Way</HI> is entertained, Congregations are torn, families rent, relations di|&s;tanced and divided, &amp;c.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, fir&s;t, that <HI>Ari&s;totle</HI> long &s;ince ob&s;erved, that <GAP DESC="foreign">, was a very frequent Paralogi&s;me or mi&s;take among&s;t men, nothing is more ordinary then for men to range con&s;equents and
<PB N="29" REF="17">
effects under one &amp; the &s;ame notion, e&s;pecially where the di&s;pro|portion of cau&s;ality is not very notorious and broad. A man in rea&s;on can hardly think, that any man, <HI>compos mentis,</HI> (as we u&s;e to &s;ay) &s;hould be &s;o defective or weak in his inellectualls, as to think that the building of <HI>Tenderton</HI> Steeple, &s;hould be the cau&s;e of <HI>Godwins Sands,</HI> only becau&s;e the&s;e &s;ands were never known to be before the building of that Steeple; yet old M^r. <HI>Latimer</HI> relates the Story in one of his Sermrns, and improves it to very good pur|po&s;e: By &s;uch a form of arguing as this, <HI>Judas</HI> his betraying his Ma&s;ter, &s;hould have been the effect of the womans powring out <HI>that box of oyntment upon his head,</HI> mentioned, <HI>Mat.</HI> 26. 7. For he never betrayed him untill this oyntment was powred out upon him; and immediately after, he did. The <HI>Way</HI> we &s;peak of, is ne|ver the more any cau&s;e of troubles, di&s;&s;entions, or divi&s;ions, be|cau&s;e troubles, di&s;&s;entions and divi&s;ions, many times follow upon the embracement and entertainment of it.</P>
<P>2. If troubles or divi&s;ions were the proper effects of this <HI>way,</HI> then the more, and more generally it were taken up and practi&s;ed in a familie, Citie, or Countrey, the more troubles and divi&s;ions there would be. Effects are &s;till found in proportion to their cau|&s;es, where nothing interpo&s;eth to hinder it. But where it is gene|rally a&s;&s;ented and &s;ubmitted unto, whether in families, relations, or otherwi&s;e, there is as much unitie, love, and peace, (as touch|ing matter of government) as where Presbyterie hath its highe&s;t throne. Therefore the rea&s;on why troubles and divi&s;ions &s;ome|times accompany it, is not becau&s;e it is intertained, but becau&s;e it is not intertained &s;ufficiently, or with that generalitie of con&s;ent, which is de&s;ireable.</P>
<P>3. When troubles and divi&s;ions are occa&s;ioned in relations, families, Congregations, &amp;c. by the meeting together of two op|po&s;ite wayes, why &s;hould the one <HI>way</HI> be &s;till burthened and char|ged with the occa&s;ion of &s;uch troubles, and the other acquitted, there being no ground or rea&s;on at all, why either that which is acquitted, &s;hould be judged more innocent; or that which is charged, more obnoxious or peccant, in this kind. Nay,</P>
<P>4. If matters were duly and fairely examined between the two Combatants in this ca&s;e, the <HI>way</HI> wee plead for, would be found <HI>via lactea,</HI> the candid, harmle&s;&s;e, and peaceable <HI>way:</HI> and her cor|rivall
<PB N="30" REF="18">
or competitre&s;&s;e, <HI>via &s;anguinea,</HI> the trouble and &s;trife-making way. <HI>Onely by pride</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Solomon) cometh contention.</HI> Surely that<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 13. 10.</NOTE> way which commandeth homage and &s;ubjection unto her from all her fellowes, and threatens to breake them all in pieces like a potters ve&s;&s;ell with a rod of iron, if they will not bow, and deny them&s;elves for her &s;ake, is the way of <HI>pride,</HI> and &s;o of <HI>contention,</HI> (according to <HI>Solomons</HI> Logique) not that which is gentle, and ea&s;ie to be entreated by all others, claiming no &s;uperioritie or ju|ri&s;diction over any. If there be any cla&s;hing or unkindne&s;&s;e be|tween the two wayes, <HI>Independency</HI> (&s;o called) and <HI>Presbyterie,</HI> when they meet together, either in a relation, familie, &amp;c. the very complexion of the latter bewrayes that to be &s;till the foundre&s;&s;e of the quarrell. To me it is a wonder of the fir&s;t magnitude, how men come to have &s;o much ground of hope as to &s;et their foot up|on, of compo&s;ing differences and di&s;tractions, of &s;etling peace and love throughout the Nation, by exalting one way of Di&s;cipline, of Church-Government, for the treading downe and trampling un|der foot all others. If <HI>Ephraim be again&s;t Mana&s;&s;eh,</HI> is it any wayes<NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;a. 9. 21.</NOTE> like but that <HI>Mana&s;&s;eh</HI> will be <HI>again&s;t Ephraim?</HI> And God him&s;elfe prophecying of <HI>I&s;hmael,</HI> told his mother, that he would <HI>be a wild</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 16.</NOTE> <HI>man:</HI> and <HI>that his hand &s;hould be again&s;t every man; and every mans hand again&s;t him.</HI> Undoubtedly that way, who&s;e hand &s;hall be again&s;t every way, will find that the hand of every way will be again&s;t it: and then what manner of peace can rea&s;onably be expected under the predominancy of &s;uch a way? That <HI>way</HI> which &s;hall be able to <HI>out-rea&s;on,</HI> not that which &s;hall <HI>out-clubbe,</HI> all other wayes, will at la&s;t exalt unitie, and be it &s;elfe exalted by gathering in all other wayes unto it. <HI>Solomon</HI> tells us, that all that is <HI>taken in hunting,</HI> is<NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 12. 27.</NOTE> not alwayes <HI>roa&s;ted;</HI> and that <HI>an inheritance may be ha&s;tily gotten,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 20. 21.</NOTE> <HI>and yet the end thereof not be ble&s;&s;ed:</HI> and the Prophet <HI>Habakk<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span"></HI> de|nounceth a <HI>woe</HI> again&s;t him that <HI>&s;hall build a towne with bloud.</HI> But,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Hab. 2. 12.</NOTE></P>
<P>5. I would gladly know what the plaintiffe in the objection means, by di&s;tractions, rents, divi&s;ions, in relations, families, Con|gregations, &amp;c. If he means onely this, that the father goes to heare one Mini&s;ter in one place, and the &s;on another Mini&s;ter, in another, and that &s;ome within the &s;ame parochiall line goe to this Mini&s;ter, or are members of this Church, others to another Mini|&s;ter, and are members of another Church, and the like, &amp;c. I an|&s;wer,
<PB N="31" REF="18">
That in this ca&s;e, I know no more occa&s;ion, (at lea&s;t no more nece&s;&s;itie) of any di&s;traction, rent, or divi&s;ion, then when the fa|ther being free of one company, as &s;uppo&s;e of Merchant-taylors, &s;hall &s;till upon occa&s;ion of the meeting of this company, repaire to the hall belonging to it; and the &s;on being free of another, as perhaps of the company of Grocers, &s;hall upon the like occa&s;ion repaire to the hall appertaining to them. Who knows not that the members of all the &s;everall Companies in <HI>London,</HI> dwell &s;cattering|ly and promi&s;cuou&s;ly up and downe the Citie, with the greate&s;t irregularitie of intermixture that lightly can be, and without any ob&s;ervation of their relations to their re&s;pective Companies, &s;un|dry members of twenty &s;everall Companies (it may be) inhabiting within one and the &s;ame pari&s;h; and yet without any complaint or inconvenience of <HI>rents, di&s;tractions, or divi&s;ions?</HI> Or if by <HI>rents, di&s;tractions, and divi&s;ions,</HI> he means di&s;tances or alienations in af|fections; nor can the&s;e with any face of rea&s;on be charged upon that <HI>way,</HI> who&s;e cau&s;e we plead; becau&s;e it is a maine principle and maxime in this <HI>way,</HI> to hold terms of love and Chri&s;tian cor|re&s;pondence, with all per&s;ons of what judgement &s;oever in point of Government, if they be godly, as well as with her owne chil|dren (as hath in effect been argued formerly.) But in this ca&s;e the Roman proverb (it &s;eems) mu&s;t be verified; <HI>Aemilius fecit, plecti|tur Rutilius.</HI> Or 3. (and la&s;tly) if by <HI>rents, di&s;tractions, &amp;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">.</HI> he means, the &s;haking or troubling of mens judgements, rai&s;ing doubts or &s;cruples in mens con&s;ciences concerning the way they went peaceably in before: I an&s;wer, 1. That if they were built upon &s;ure and cleere foundations in their former way, there is not the lea&s;t ground or rea&s;on why they &s;hould be troubled or &s;haken in their judgements, becau&s;e they &s;ee another <HI>way</HI> acted and practi&s;ed by others: or 2. if they were but at peradventure in their former way, and it was not the knowledge, but the ignorance of the truth, that both put them into it and kept them in it, they have no cau&s;e to complaine of being awakened out of &s;o &s;infull and dangerous a &s;leep, though it were never &s;o &s;weet and plea&s;ing to them. But,</P>
<P>6. (and la&s;tly) S<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">po&s;e that all which the objection chargeth upon the <HI>way</HI> we &s;peake for, be granted for truth, that <HI>where this Way comes and is entertained, Congregations are torne&punc; families rent, re|lations di&s;tanced, &amp;c.</HI> Yet this maketh much more for it, then a|gain&s;t
<PB N="32" REF="19">
it; becau&s;e &s;uch figures and characters as the&s;e, are the knowne impre&s;&s;ions of the Go&s;pel upon the world, where it comes in power, and is entertained in truth. <HI>Thinke yee</HI> (&s;aith our Saviour)<NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 12. 51. &amp;c.</NOTE> <HI>that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, nay, but rather debate. For from henceforth there &s;hall be five in one hou&s;e divided, three again&s;t two, and two again&s;t three. The father &s;hall be divided again&s;t the &s;on, and the &s;on again&s;t the father: the mother again&s;t the daughter, and the daughter again&s;t the mother: the mother in law again&s;t her daughter in law, and the daughter in law again&s;t her mother in law.</HI> Nor is it to be conceived that the&s;e <HI>divi&s;ions</HI> in relations and families, foretold by Chri&s;t as the common and ordinary effects and con&s;equents of the Go&s;pel (for in different re&s;pects they may be either) are to be limited onely to &s;uch either relations or families, wherein the ground or occa&s;ion of the divi&s;ion &s;hould be, the receiving of the Go&s;pel in the maine truth and &s;ub&s;tance of it by the one partie, the other partie ab&s;olutely rejecting it, as if they were onely to take place in &s;uch ca&s;es as this; but they are to be extended to &s;uch both families and relations al&s;o, where &s;ome particular and &s;pe|ciall points or truths of the Go&s;pel are intertained by one partie, and rejected by another, though both agree as well in the beliefe, as in the Profe&s;&s;ion of the Go&s;pel in the generall. Experience &s;hews that <HI>rents &amp; divi&s;ions</HI> take place in both, as well, yea, and that with as much heate and di&s;temper of affection, in the latter ca&s;e and up|on the latter occa&s;ion, as in the former. Now if the que&s;tion in this latter ca&s;e be, Whether the occa&s;ion of the divi&s;ion be rather to be imputed to the truth held and practi&s;ed by the one partie, or to the error held and practi&s;ed in oppo&s;ition to the truth, by the other: The an&s;wer is, that where all were before bound up in unitie and peace, by a common band of error, there the occa&s;ion of the divi&s;ion mu&s;t needs be imputed unto the truth comming a|mong&s;t them. Therefore were it granted, that the way &s;o much conte&s;ted again&s;t, did indeed occa&s;ion, <HI>rents, divi&s;ions, di&s;tractions,</HI> in relations, in families, in Congregations where it comes, this would rather <HI>turne unto</HI> it <HI>for a te&s;timony,</HI> and a&s;&s;ert its originall from God, then otherwi&s;e: The Go&s;pel <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">elfe works no other|wi&s;e then thus, where it is preached and intertained. And as <HI>Ari|&s;totle</HI> &s;uppo&s;eth, that in ca&s;e any piece or fragment were broken off from the maine body of the Heavens, it would move circular|ly,
<PB N="33" REF="19">
according to the naturall motion of the maine body; in like manner any particular opinion or practi&s;e which moves, acts, and works, according to the manner and tenor of that motion, acting, and working, which are genuine and proper to the Go|&s;pel, is &s;o much the more likely to be a parcell or branch of the Go&s;pel: but however, &s;uch a moving, acting, and working as this, can with no &s;emblance or colour of rea&s;on, be drawn into any contrary interpretation, or be made an argument of the non|conformitie of it unto the truth.</P>
<P>A third objection again&s;t that <HI>way</HI> who&s;e condemnation out|runs her triall day and way, in the world, is; that it opens a doore to all errors, here&s;ies, and un&s;ound opinions, yea to all loo&s;e|ne&s;&s;e and prophanene&s;&s;e, and con&s;equently it cannot but be a thing di&s;plea&s;ing unto God, and &s;o prejudiciall to the peace and &s;afetie of the Nation, if it &s;hould be tolerated, or practi&s;ed a|mong&s;t us. But to the&s;e things al&s;o full and clear an&s;wers are not wanting. For,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, it being certain that error cannot be healed or &s;uppre&s;&s;ed but by the manife&s;tation of the truth, as darkne&s;&s;e cannot be de|&s;troyed or removed but by the &s;hining of the light; that way which affords the greate&s;t advantages and the be&s;t incourage|ments unto men, both for the &s;earching out&punc; and bringing forth into light the truth being found, mu&s;t needs be &s;o farre from opening doores unto <HI>errors, here&s;ies, un&s;ound opinions,</HI> &amp;c. that it &s;teers the mo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> advantagious and hopefull cour&s;e that lightly can be taken, for the evicting, and con&s;equently for the &s;uppre&s;|&s;ion of them. I need not adde, that it is the congregationall <HI>way</HI> (and this onely among&s;t all its fellows) that rejoyecth in the method of this warfare and advance again&s;t tho&s;e enemies of God, and Religion, errors and here&s;ies. And,</P>
<P>Secondly, for the way &s;ir-named <HI>Presbyterian,</HI> which conjures all mens gifts, parts, and indu&s;trie into a &s;ynodicall circle, and &s;uffers&punc; them onely to dance there, as it may po&s;&s;ibly &s;hut the doores again&s;t &s;ome errors and here&s;ies, which were not like to &s;tay long, in ca&s;e they &s;hould enter under the other <HI>way;</HI> &s;o it is in every whit as much po&s;&s;ibilitie and danger, of &s;hutting the doore upon, and compelling &s;uch errors and here&s;ies as are al|readie gotten in, and otherwi&s;e have a mind to be gone, to &s;tay
<PB N="34" REF="20">
it, and &s;o to infe&s;t and annoy the truth, and peace of the Churches of Chri&s;t, again&s;t their wils. But,</P>
<P>Thirdly, I would gladly learn of the &s;ons of this objection, how, which way, or in what re&s;pect the <HI>way</HI> &s;o much objected again&s;t, commits this folly-deed of opening a doore unto errors and here&s;ies. Certain I am, fir&s;t, that this <HI>way</HI> hates both the one and the other with as <HI>perfect an b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">tred,</HI> as her competitre&s;&s;e doth. Secondly, I fully beleeve, that this <HI>way</HI> is as diligent, faithfull, and indu&s;trious to &s;lay the&s;e enemies of Chri&s;t by <HI>the &s;word of the Spirit,</HI> (which is in &s;peciall manner con&s;ecrated for &s;uch executions) as the other way. Thirdly, if the error be dan|gerous, amounting to, or neer an here&s;ie, after two or three ad|monitions (that is, according to her warrant from Heaven) &s;he ca&s;ts it out of the line of her communication, unto him who ca&s;t it in (I mean, Satan.) If to hate errors and here&s;ies, to preach with all diligence and faithfulne&s;&s;e again&s;t errors and here&s;ies, to excommunicate errors and here&s;ies, be to open a doore unto error and here&s;ies, then mu&s;t the adver&s;aries of the <HI>way</HI> whereof we &s;peak, be ju&s;tified in their accu&s;ation of her: otherwi&s;e they &s;peak at the utmo&s;t perill of their reputations, when they lay &s;uch things to her charge.</P>
<P>If it be here replyed and &s;aid; Yea, but all this notwith&s;tand|ing, the <HI>w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">y</HI> you plead for, is but feeble-handed, for the &s;uppre&s;|&s;ion of errors and here&s;ies; becau&s;e the&s;e, though hated, preach'd again&s;t, and ca&s;t out of the Church by excommunication, may yet live and gather head again in the world, except error and errant be further re&s;trained by a &s;ecular hand, and here&s;ie and heretique put to &s;ilence together in the grave. And this, which is the mo&s;t, if not the onely effectuall means to pre&s;erve the wheat from tho&s;e tares, the <HI>way</HI> of your de&s;ires exerci&s;eth not, nor yet approveth.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer: fir&s;t, we pre&s;ume that <HI>Pri&s;ons</HI> and <HI>Swords</HI> are no <HI>Church-officers,</HI> nor any appurtenances to any Eccle&s;ia&s;tique au|thority in what form of Government &s;oever.</P>
<P>Secondly, we &s;uppo&s;e that the Lord Chri&s;t &s;o far tendered the &s;pirituall &s;afety and peace of his Churches, as to leave them &s;uf|ficiently furni&s;hed, and every wayes appointed with internall provi&s;ion<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, for the effectuall procurement and pre&s;ervation of
<PB N="35" REF="20">
them, without any concurrence of any heterogeneall or exter|nall power. E&s;pecially con&s;idering, that he fore-&s;aw, that the&s;e Churches of his, for the &s;pace of three hundred yeers together, and &s;omewhat more (during which terme he knew likewi&s;e that they would continue in their greate&s;t puritie, and perfection of love and loyaltie towards him) were not like to have any ac|commodation at all in this kind from any &s;ecular or civill power.</P>
<P>Thirdly, though the Churches of Chri&s;t, during this period of time wherein they had no comportance with any &s;ecular arm for their pre&s;ervation either in this or any other kind, were not wholly free from <HI>errors and here&s;ies;</HI> yet did they quit and defend them&s;elves again&s;t the danger &s;preading and trouble&s;omene&s;&s;e of them upon better terms, and with farre better &s;ucce&s;&s;e, then they were able to do afterwards, when they had an arme of fle&s;h and a &s;word in it&punc; to a&s;&s;i&s;t them. Note this.</P>
<P>Fourthly, if per&s;ons delivered up unto Satan by the Church, whether for Error, Here&s;ie&punc; or other crime, were pre&s;ently to be cut off by the &s;ecular Sword, all opportunitie for the effectuall and &s;aving work of that ordinance of Chri&s;t upon the per&s;ons &s;o delivered up, would be cut off al&s;o. The Apo&s;tle, 1&punc; <HI>Corinth.</HI> 5. 5. expre&s;ly affirms the end of Excommunication or <HI>delivering up unto Satan,</HI> to be the <HI>de&s;truction of the fle&s;h, that the &s;pirit may be &s;a|ved in the day of the Lord Je&s;us.</HI> And 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1. 20. he <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">aith, that he had <HI>delivered Hymeneus and Alexander unto Satan, that they might learn not to bla&s;pheme.</HI> Now as naturall medicines and phy|&s;icall receits, mu&s;t have a time to work, before they can in an or|dinarie cour&s;e of providence produce their m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t proper and de|&s;ired effects; in like manner the ordinances and means which the Lord Chri&s;t hath graciou&s;ly appointed for the everla&s;ting &s;alva|tion of the precious &s;ouls of men, mu&s;t, according to the nature and condition of their re&s;pective workings, and the tenor of Gods providence ob&s;erved for the time of his falling in with them to make them effectuall, have their full and ju&s;t allowance of time given and permitted unto them, to work upon men effe|ctually. And who&s;oever &s;hall limit or &s;traiten the providence of God, in this kind, by any ha&s;ty or violent taking away a &s;oul from under the influence and working of any ordinance of Chri&s;t appointed for his &s;alvation, before the ble&s;&s;ed work of
<PB N="36" REF="21">
Repentance be accompli&s;hed in him, will be arraigned before the tribunall of the living God, as acce&s;&s;arie to the blood of that <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">oul, except he can &s;hew a better warrant from God for &s;uch an action, then I know any. And God him&s;elf having no where pre&s;cribed or limited any determinate or &s;et time, within which he intends to make the &s;entence of Excommunication after the pa&s;&s;ing of it by the Church, effectuall to the &s;aving of the &s;oul, or otherwi&s;e never to do it, I conceive it can be no le&s;&s;e then an act of high pre&s;umption in any man to undertake any &s;uch pre&s;cription or limitation. As God by the voice of the Go&s;pel calls &s;ome at the third and &s;ixth houre; &s;o he cals others<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 20. 6.</NOTE> at the ninth, and &s;ome at the eleventh houre: and why may he not work &s;avingly, by the &s;entence of Excommunication with as much libertie, and difference in re&s;pect of time? And this &s;en|tence being the la&s;t and utmo&s;t means which God is like to af|ford a poore hardened, impenitent &s;oul for the eternall peace and &s;alvation of it, how can it but be conceived an act mo&s;t un|worthy of Chri&s;tian bowels, to cut him off from this al&s;o, whil&s;t God is plea&s;ed to &s;pare him? If it be here objected and &s;aid, But if an heretique be &s;uffered to live, he is in danger of infecting others, and de&s;troying them eternally. I an&s;wer&punc; fir&s;t, &s;o is a drunkard, a fornicatour, a &s;wearer, a covetous per&s;on, with the like; the lives of all the&s;e kinds of &s;inners are of as dangerous a con&s;equence in re&s;pect of infecting, yea and of de&s;troying the &s;ouls of others, as the life of an heretique is: and yet no man (I pre&s;ume) judgeth this a &s;ufficient ground why &s;uch men &s;hould be puni&s;hed with death. Secondly, as for tho&s;e that are within the Church, they are not capable of any communion or com|merce with an Heretique that is ca&s;t out by Excommunication, and &s;o are not in danger of being infected by him: and for tho&s;e that are without, the&s;e are infected already with a di&s;ea&s;e every whit as mortall, as any here&s;ie, I mean unbelief. So that infe|ction with here&s;ie, will not much impaire the e&s;tates or condi|tions of the&s;e. Thirdly, (and la&s;tly) the truth is, that an Here|tique being dead (e&s;pecially if puni&s;hed with death for his opi|nion &s;ake) &s;peaketh in his &s;urviving here&s;ie with every whit as much authoritie, and con&s;equently with every whit as much danger of infecting others therewith, as he could do if he were alive, if not with more. And &s;o,</P>
<P><PB N="37" REF="21">Fifthly, (and la&s;tly) concerning other civill means for the &s;uppre&s;&s;ion and re&s;traint of tho&s;e &s;pirituall evils, errors, here|&s;ies, &amp;c. as impri&s;onment, b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ni&s;hment, interdictions, finings, &amp;c. both rea&s;on and experience concurre in this demon&s;tration, that &s;uch fetters as the&s;e put upon the feet of errors and here&s;ies to &s;ecure and keep them under, &s;till have prov'd (and are like to prove no other, but) wings whereby they rai&s;e them&s;elves the higher in the thoughts and minds of men, and gain an opportu|nitie of a further and ranker propagation of them&s;elves in the world. It was an ob&s;ervation of <HI>Tacitus</HI> long &s;ince, that <HI>punitis ingeniis gli&s;cit authoritas;</HI> To puni&s;h men of parts and wit, is to ca&s;t a &s;pirit of Authoritie upon them, and to make their reputa|tion glowe. Men of ordinarie capacitie, and vulgar apprehen|&s;ion, are and ever will be inclinable to think, that men of wi&s;|dome and worth will never expo&s;e them&s;elves to &s;ufferings, but for that which is weightie, and which hath more in it, then every man &s;eeth. And be&s;ides, men of better breed, may ea&s;ily be &s;wayed by &s;uch a principle as this, that wi&s;e men, while&s;t they have the advantage and odds of their adver&s;aries in <HI>rea&s;on,</HI> will never renounce or di&s;claim this &s;o honourable an advantage by calling in the more ignoble a&s;&s;i&s;tance of horn and hoof to their aid. It is true, when Chri&s;t was handled with this rough hand we &s;peak of, that piece of prophecie was verified; <HI>I will &s;mite the Shepherd, and the &s;heep &s;hall be &s;cattered;</HI> but ordinarily the &s;miting of the Shepherd or head of any Sect or error, is the ga|thering together, yea the multiplication and increa&s;e, of his &s;heep. But</P>
<P>Fourthly (to the main objection la&s;t propounded) whereas the innocent <HI>way</HI> is condemned as opening a doore to all loo&s;e|ne&s;&s;e and prophanene&s;&s;e, &s;he may ju&s;tly take up <HI>Davids</HI> com|plaint, and &s;ay, <HI>Cruell witne&s;&s;es did ri&s;e up: they laid to my charge things that I knew not.</HI> P&s;al. 35. 11. The very truth is, that this way, above all her fellows, is &s;o farre from holding any intelli|gence or corre&s;pondence with loo&s;ene&s;&s;e and prophanene&s;&s;e, that her face is &s;et to advance righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e and true holine&s;&s;e in all her quarters. Her heart runs parallel with <HI>Davids</HI> heart in tho&s;e his meditations and vows, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 101. 3, 4. &amp;c. <HI>I will &s;et <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn</HI>
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<HI>a&s;ide: it &s;hall not cleave to me. I will not know a wicked per&s;on. Who &s;o privily &s;landereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart, will I not &s;uffer. Mine eyes &s;hall be upon the faithfull of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, &s;hall &s;erve me. He that worketh deceit, &s;hall not dwell within my hou&s;e: he that telleth lies &s;hall not t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">rrie in my &s;ight. I will early de&s;troy all the wicked of the land: that I may cut off all wicked doers from the Citie of the Lord.</HI> This is &s;uch a draught and copie of Reformation as the <HI>Way</HI> we &s;peak of (<HI>mu|tatis mutandis</HI>) emulates, and a&s;pires unto. If <HI>David</HI> in tho&s;e re&s;olutions and practi&s;es mentioned, opened a d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ore to loo&s;e|ne&s;&s;e and prophanene&s;&s;e, then cannot &s;he excu&s;e her &s;elf from part and fellow&s;hip with him, in that &s;in.</P>
<P>If it be replyed and &s;aid; but this <HI>way</HI> taketh care for none in point of holine&s;&s;e, but her own: &s;he &s;uffereth all the world a|bout her to <HI>lie in wickedne&s;&s;e,</HI> and to <HI>&s;leep in death,</HI> without look|ing after them, or taking any pitie or compa&s;&s;ion on them. To this al&s;o we an&s;wer in one word:</P>
<P>That &s;he doth as tenderly, as affectionately de&s;ire and pray for, yea and with as much diligence and faithfulne&s;&s;e, yea and prudence of endevour otherwi&s;e, and likelihood of &s;ucce&s;&s;e, attempts and &s;eeks the &s;alvation of tho&s;e that &s;it in darkne&s;&s;e and in the &s;hadow of death, as any other way can do. It is true, &s;he doth not judge it any wayes conducing towards the quick|ning of tho&s;e that <HI>are dead in &s;ins and tre&s;pa&s;ses,</HI> to put them into a conceit that they are <HI>living &s;tones</HI> (while&s;t they are yet dead) by putting them into the building of the <HI>&s;pirituall temple</HI> of God: &s;he knows no &s;uch method or means of converting &s;ouls unto God, as this. Nor doth &s;he willingly &s;uffer any man <HI>to <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">at and</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 11. 29.</NOTE> <HI>drink damnation unto him&s;elf,</HI> to further him in his &s;alvation. Nor doth &s;he make Faith of apparent unbelief in parents, by baptizing their children, as any wayes accommodating the &s;ouls either of the one, or of the other. Therefore if &s;he declines &s;uch things as the&s;e, it cannot be argued from hence (except either igno|rance, or a wor&s;e Logician, makes the &s;yllogi&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e) that therefore &s;he neglects or ca&s;ts off all care of &s;eeking the &s;alvation of others; but onely this, that &s;he thinks it no point either of wi&s;dome or charity to expo&s;e her &s;elf to the di&s;plea&s;ure of God by doing
<PB N="39" REF="22">
that, which is more like to expo&s;e others al&s;o to the &s;ame &s;troke, then any wayes to comfort or relieve them. But what&s;oever &s;he can rea&s;onably conceive or judge to be a means any wayes likely to <HI>&s;ave a &s;oul from death,</HI> to <HI>tran&s;late</HI> men <HI>from darkne&s;&s;e unto life,</HI> &s;he girds her &s;elf to mini&s;ter unto the world both farre and neer, in every &s;uch thing: She cordially prayes for the conver&s;ion of the unconverted, &s;he mourns over them, &s;he cau&s;es <HI>her light to &s;hine before them,</HI> &s;he bears their burthens, &s;he intreats them gent|ly, &s;he feeds their hungry, and cloatheth their naked (as &s;he is able) &s;he recompenceth evill for evill unto none of them, with all &s;uch exemplatities of life and conver&s;ation, which are &s;an|ctified, and appointed by God for the <HI>winning of tho&s;e without the Word,</HI> who refu&s;e <HI>to obey it.</HI> 1 Pet. 3. 1. And be&s;ides all this, (that which is the fir&s;t-born means of conver&s;ion) &s;he preacheth the Go&s;pel with as much diligence, and faithfulne&s;&s;e, and power, and with as much libertie and freedome unto all to partake with her in this her mini&s;tration, as any other way what&s;oever: yea, as readie and forward &s;he is as any other, to contribute her pro|portion to the full, whether in coun&s;ell, pur&s;e, or otherwi&s;e, for the furni&s;hing of all the candle&s;ticks in the land with burning and &s;hining lights, I mean for the erecting and &s;etting up a faith|full preaching Mini&s;tery throughout the Land, yea if it were po&s;&s;ible, throughout the whole world. Therefore</P>
<P>Fifthly, (and la&s;tly, to the main objection) whereas this <HI>way</HI> with the permi&s;&s;ion and &s;ufferance of it, is burthened with this jealou&s;ie and fear, that it is &s;o highly di&s;plea&s;ing unto God, that he is not like to turn in mercie unto the Nation, untill it be re|moved, and all the factors for it taken away. I an&s;wer.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, that this jealou&s;ie and fear is of the &s;ame in&s;piration, with that wherewith <HI>Rab&s;hakeh</HI> of old, &s;ought to po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e the heart of the good King <HI>Hezekiah</HI> and the inhabitants of Jeru&s;a|lem, that &s;o upon the di&s;couragement they might be the more willing to compound for their City. <HI>But if thou &s;ay to me, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> tru&s;t</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 36. 7.</NOTE> <HI>in the Lord our God; is it not he who&s;e high places, and who&s;e altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and &s;aid to Judah and Jeru&s;alem, ye &s;hall wor&s;hip before this altar?</HI> That which <HI>Hezekiah</HI> had done (in de|&s;troying Idolatry) with great acceptation in the &s;ight of God, and which con&s;equently was in it &s;elf a pledge and confirmation
<PB N="40" REF="23">
unto him and his people that God was and would be with them to &s;ave them and their Citie out of <HI>Rab&s;hakehs</HI> hand, this doth this deceived ambitious man contrive into an argument of jea|lou&s;ie and fear unto them, that God was offended with them; and &s;o repre&s;ents their <HI>hope and confidence,</HI> in the &s;hape of <HI>diffidence</HI> and deep <HI>di&s;couragement</HI> unto them. He that per&s;waded the wo|man, that God knew how that <HI>in the day wherein they &s;hould eat of</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 3. 5.</NOTE> <HI>the tree i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> the mid <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">&s;t of the garden, their eyes &s;hould be opened, and they be like gods,</HI> &amp;c. hath (it &s;eems) po&s;&s;e&s;t many among&s;t us with this &s;emblable apprehen&s;ion, that from the day wherein they &s;hall de&s;troy that <HI>way</HI> we &s;peak of out of the Land, and &s;up|pre<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">e all tho&s;e that walk in it, God will be gracious unto them, and remember their iniquities no more; as if to &s;acrifice the chil|dren in the Fathers &s;ight, were the onely means of making a|tonement with him. But</P>
<P>Secondly, how doth this carrie any &s;hew or &s;hadow of rea|&s;on or truth in it, that God &s;hould turn away his face from a State or Nation, for not hating his people or for refu&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">g to per|&s;ecute his anointed ones? God &s;ometimes &s;aid, <HI>That Nation whom they &s;hall &s;erve, I will iudge.</HI> Gen. 15. 14. Is his mind &s;o far altered in this point, that now he &s;hould &s;ay, the <HI>Nation who &s;hall give them libertie, I will iudge?</HI> The generall rule of re&s;traint which God hath charged upon States, Kingdoms, and Nations, is this: <HI>Touch not mine a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ted, and do my Prophets no harm:</HI> and hath he<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 105. 15.</NOTE> any where made <HI>Independencie</HI> (&s;o called) an exception from this rule? or hath he any where made <HI>Presbyterie</HI> a di&s;tingui&s;h|ing character of &s;uch of his <HI>anointed</HI> ones, who mu&s;t not be <HI>touc<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">'d,</HI> from others of them, who may be cru&s;h'd, and who&s;e <HI>bon<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">y b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> broken?</HI> Surely <HI>circumci&s;ion</HI> and <HI>unci<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">cumci&s;ion</HI> differ|ed as much, as Presby<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">erie and Independencie can do: yet the Apo&s;tle tels us, <HI>Gal.</HI> 6. 15. that <HI>in Je&s;us Chri&s;t neither circumci&s;ion av<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">ileth any thing, nor uncircumci&s;ion, but a new creature.</HI> If Inde|pendents be <HI>new creatures,</HI> and born of God, their Brethren need not fear any di&s;plea&s;ure or anger from their Father, for &s;uffering them to dwell in peace by them in the &s;ame Land; but have cau&s;e to rejoyce in &s;uch their neighbourhood and &s;ocieti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">, as being pillars of the &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">me &s;trength with them&s;elves, to &s;upport the State and Nation wherein they dwell. But</P>
<P><PB N="41" REF="23">Thirdly, (and la&s;tly) when <HI>mens table becomes a &s;nare unto them,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 69. 2<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. Ver. 25.</NOTE> <HI>and their welfare a trap,</HI> it is a &s;igne that God is about <HI>to bow down their backs, if not to make their habitations de&s;olate.</HI> When the Jews began to rea&s;on after this manner, (and to act accordingly) <HI>If we let him thus alone,</HI> all <HI>men will beleeve on him: and</HI> then <HI>the Ro|manes &s;hall come, and take away both our place and nation;</HI> it was a<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ioh. 11. 48.</NOTE> pre&s;age, that the <HI>Romanes</HI> indeed <HI>would come,</HI> and <HI>take away</HI> both: which they did not many yeers after. <HI>Make the heart of this people fat</HI> (&s;aith the Lord by his Prophet, concerning the &s;ame people) <HI>and make their eares heavie, and &s;hut their eyes, le&s;t they &s;ee with their</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 6. 10.</NOTE> <HI>eyes, and hear with their eares, and under&s;tand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.</HI> I &s;ay no more in this, but onely pray with all mine heart, and with all my &s;oul, that the people of this Kingdom, may <HI>&s;ee with their eyes,</HI> and <HI>hear with their eares, and under&s;tand with their hearts,</HI> that they may <HI>convert, and be healed.</HI> The Heathens were wont to &s;ay, <HI>Jupiter, quos vult perdere, de|mentat.</HI></P>
<P>Another objection leavied again&s;t the <HI>Way</HI> is this: If this way be let alone, and &s;uffered to take place, it will &s;till under|mine the credit and comfort, of many worthy and con&s;cientious Mini&s;ters in the land. For as fa&s;t as they, through the ble&s;&s;ing of God upon their faithfull labours in the work of the Mini&s;tery, &s;hall convert &s;ouls unto God; this <HI>Way</HI> will allure them away from them unto it &s;elf; whereby their hand mu&s;t needs be en|feebled and di&s;couraged to their work. But to this al&s;o I an|&s;wer.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, that if that way of Government and wor&s;hip, wherein tho&s;e good Mini&s;ters &s;hall walk, who are &s;uppo&s;ed to convert people unto God, be indeed and in truth the <HI>way</HI> of God, there is little ground or cau&s;e of fear, that any other way &s;hould &s;e|parate between them and their converted ones. For fir&s;t, the ve|rie grace of conver&s;ion, being di&s;pen&s;ed unto the&s;e by their hand, is a great and &s;olemne ingagement upon them, to love and honour them above others. Secondly, the per&s;on being dearly lov'd, and highly honour'd, gives credit and intere&s;t both in the judgements and affections of tho&s;e who do &s;o love and honour, to all his matters, as well of opinion as practi&s;e; at lea&s;t is com|pleat
<PB N="42" REF="24">
armour of proof again&s;t any prejudice in re&s;pect of ei|ther. Thirdly, when men and women are converted unto God, they are endued with a principle of a neerer and more inward &s;ympathie and compliance with all the wayes of God, then they had before. So that there is more cau&s;e for Mini&s;ters to fear the withdrawing of their people from them before their conver|&s;ion, then after, in ca&s;e the way of wor&s;hip and government which they imbrace, be of God. For in this ca&s;e and &s;uppo&s;i|tion, unconverted ones have no inward &s;utablene&s;&s;e of &s;oul, to incline them to love or delight in this <HI>way,</HI> and con&s;equently their hearts mu&s;t needs &s;it loo&s;e (if they &s;tand not in oppo&s;ition) <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">o it: but tho&s;e that are converted, are baptized into &s;uch a &s;pi|rit, which is apt to comport and corre&s;pond with it. Again</P>
<P>Secondly, if the hearts of men and women upon their con|ver&s;ion unto God, are &s;o generally found (for otherwi&s;e there is no place for the jealo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">ie, which is the ground of the objecti|on) to &s;tand in propen&s;ion to this <HI>way,</HI> is not this an argument, if not demon&s;trative, yet of a very high importance to evince, that this <HI>way</HI> is of a truth, the <HI>Way</HI> of God? <HI>I will wait on thy Name</HI> (&s;aith <HI>David) for it is good before thy Saints;</HI> or, <HI>becau&s;e thy</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 52. 9.</NOTE> <HI>Saints like it well</HI> (as another tran&s;lation reads.) So that this great Prophet and King thought the generall approbation and con|currence of the Saints, &s;ufficiently a&s;&s;ertive of the acceptablenes of a way or practi&s;e, in the &s;ight of God.</P>
<P>Thirdly, tho&s;e Mini&s;ters who have the &s;pirit of this glory ca&s;t upon them by God, to beget &s;ons and daughters unto him by the Go&s;pel, have no cau&s;e to envie the line and mea&s;ure of tho&s;e who receive them from their hand, upon &s;uch terms. That which our Saviour &s;pake in another ca&s;e, is every what as con&s;i|derably true in this: <HI>viz.</HI> that <HI>it is a more ble&s;&s;ed thing to give, then</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 20 35.</NOTE> <HI>to receive:</HI> And the Apo&s;tle <HI>Paul</HI> makes no other account, but that his relation of a &s;pirituall Father unto the Corinths, his be|getting of them by the Go&s;pel, was much more honourable unto him, then the relation of an In&s;tructor, or builder up, was, or would be unto others. <HI>For though you have ten thou&s;and In&s;truct|ors</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 4. 15.</NOTE> <HI>i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> Chri&s;t,</HI> (&s;aith he) <HI>yet have ye not many Fathers: for in Chri&s;t Je&s;us I have begotten you through the Go&s;pel.</HI> And el&s;e-where he counts it a ma&s;ter-piece in the &s;pirituall building, to lay the foun|dation.
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<HI>According to the grace of God which is given to me, as a wi&s;e</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 3. 10.</NOTE> <HI>ma&s;ter-builder I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth there|on.</HI> So then, <HI>planting</HI> being more Apo&s;tolicall then <HI>watering</HI> (it was <HI>Paul</HI> that <HI>planted,</HI> and but <HI>Apollos that watered, 1 Cor.</HI> 3. 6.) and laying the foundations of life and immortalitie in men, of a more honourable interpretation, then the building of them up in their Faith; the Mini&s;ters &s;o much tendered in the objection, have not the lea&s;t colour for any &s;uch grievance or complaint, as is there pre&s;ented on their behalf, indeed and in realitie of truth no more, then the Apo&s;tles them&s;elves had, for complaining again&s;t &s;uch Mini&s;ters and Pa&s;tors, who feed tho&s;e flock<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> of Chri&s;t which they had fir&s;t converted unto him. <HI>And without all</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Hebr. 7. 7.</NOTE> <HI>contradiction</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>the le&s;&s;er is ble&s;&s;ed,</HI> but never <HI>en|vied,</HI> of the greater.</P>
<P>Fourthly (and la&s;tly) the gracious and bountifull God hath &s;o laid it in his coun&s;ell and decree, that, though the &s;aying be true, which our Saviour taketh notice of, <HI>Job. 4. 37. That one &s;oweth, and another reapeth;</HI> yet <HI>both he that &s;oweth, and he that reap|eth, &s;hould reioyce together.</HI> ver. 36. So that as <HI>Abigail</HI> told <HI>David,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 25. 30, 31.</NOTE> that <HI>when the Lord &s;hould have done unto him all the good which he had promi&s;ed him, it would be no grief unto him, nor offence of mind, that he had not &s;hed blood cau&s;le&s;&s;e, or avenged him&s;elf;</HI> no more will it be the lea&s;t occa&s;ion of uncomfortablene&s;&s;e or complaint unto Mini&s;ters, who have been faithfull unto God, and brought home &s;ouls unto him, when <HI>they &s;hall &s;hine like &s;tars in the firmament of</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 12. 3.</NOTE> <HI>Heaven,</HI> that &s;ome of the children of their labours departed from under their hand when time was, to &s;eek pa&s;ture and &s;oul|accommodations el&s;e-where.</P>
<P>Another objection &s;eeming to war with an high hand again&s;t the <HI>way</HI> hitherto protected, is this: Can that in rea&s;on be thought to be the <HI>way</HI> of God, which &s;eemeth &s;o onely in the eyes of a few incon&s;iderable, and (for the mo&s;t part) illiterate per&s;ons&punc; and not rather that, which triumpheth in the vote and &s;uffrage of a Reverend, learned, pious and frequent A&s;&s;embly; yea and further hath the approbation of many wi&s;e and worthy per&s;ons<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 9. 11.</NOTE> in full concurrence with it? Do not wi&s;e men &s;ee more then tho&s;e that are weak, and many, then few? I an&s;wer,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, that <HI>Solomon returned, and &s;aw under the Sun, that the</HI>
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<HI>race is not to the &s;wift, nor the battell to the &s;trong, neither yet bread to the wi&s;e, nor yet riches to men of under&s;tanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but that time a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">d chance happeneth unto th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">m all;</HI> meaning, that God &s;till re&s;erves a liberty to him&s;elf to interpo&s;e, and to carry the i&s;&s;ues and events of things again&s;t all advantages and likelihoods of &s;econd cau&s;es, when and where and as oft as he plea&s;eth. And therefore as King <HI>A&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> in his cry unto the Lord his<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 14. 11.</NOTE> God, &s;aid, <HI>It is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power:</HI> in like manner it is but of one and the &s;ame con&s;ideration with God, to ble&s;&s;e the world with the Re|velation of truth, whether it be by few, or by many, by tho&s;e that are learned, or tho&s;e that are look'd upon as men of &s;mall under&s;tanding. Nay,</P>
<P>Secondly, if we con&s;ult with the tenor of Gods providence and di&s;pen&s;ations in this kind, our information or an&s;wer will be according to the tenor of our Saviours gratulation (being now in a kind of rapture or exultation of &s;piri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">) unto his Father: <HI>I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters"> h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t hid</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 10&punc; 21.</NOTE> <HI>th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;e things from the wi&s;e and prudent, and ha&s;t revealed them unto babes: even &s;o Father, for &s;o it &s;eemed good in thy &s;ight.</HI> Though God be at libertie, to make the fir&s;t di&s;covery, or communication of the light of his Truth, unto the world, by greater numbers of men, and tho&s;e learned and in high e&s;teeme for wi&s;dome, as by Councels, Synods, and Conventions of men eminent in their qualifications, as well as by one or fewer, and the&s;e under no great ob&s;ervation for either; <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">et by the more frequent experi|ence of all ages it appeareth, that he taketh plea&s;ure in this latter way, rather then in the former. Doubtle&s;&s;e it was not without &s;ome very con&s;iderable ground and rea&s;on, that that ancient and learned Father <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">; <HI>Greg. Naz. ep. 5<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">. ad Proco|p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">um.</HI> Act. 10. 40. 41</NOTE> <HI>Grego ie N<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">zianzene</HI> &s;hould &s;ay, that he never &s;aw good end, or de&s;irable &s;ucce&s;&s;e of any Councell; or that they procur'd any decrea&s;e, but rather increa&s;e of evi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s. Yea and adds: that the pertinacious contentions, and inordinate de&s;ires of do|mineering or bearing rule, were &s;uch, as words could not ex|pre&s;&s;e. <HI>Him</HI> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>God rai&s;ed up the third day, and &s;hewed him openly: not unto lith<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> people, but unto witne&s;&s;es cho&s;en be|fore of God, even unto us, who did eat and drink with him after he ro&s;e from the dead. Mary</HI> a woman, had both the fir&s;t revelation
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made unto her of Chri&s;ts ri&s;ing againe from the dead, and al&s;o the fir&s;t enterview and &s;ight of him after he was ri&s;en. <HI>Joh.</HI> 20. 12. 14. The Scripture takes &s;peciall notice of <HI>Lots</HI> departure from <HI>Abra|ham,</HI> before God was plea&s;ed to make that excellent di&s;covery of him&s;elfe unto him, &s;poken of, <HI>Gen.</HI> 13. 14, 15, &amp;c. Yea, mo&s;t of tho&s;e revelations of him&s;elfe, which he was graciou&s;ly pleas'd to impart unto his ancient Church of the <HI>Jewes,</HI> were not imparted unto them by their Synedrion or Great Councell, but by particu|lar men; who likewi&s;e u&s;ually (if not alwayes) received their in|&s;pirations from God, in their greate&s;t privacie and &s;eque&s;tration; yea, and that (if the ob&s;ervation of the Rabbins will hold in that behalfe) whil&s;t they were yong. That light of Evangelicall truth, wherein the Reformed Churches rejoyce at this day, yea, and tri|umph over Antichri&s;tian darkne&s;s, did not break out of the clouds of Councels and Synods unto them, but God cau&s;ed it to &s;hine upon them, from &s;cattered and &s;ingle &s;tarres, as <HI>Luther, Calvin, Zuinglius, Martyr,</HI> &amp;c. God never took any plea&s;ure to cumber his arme with fle&s;h and bloud, when he meant to doe any great thing for his Church by it. Wee find him once complaining right out, that <HI>the people were too many for him,</HI> to give deliverance or victory<NOTE PLACE="marg">Judg. 7. 2.</NOTE> by; but we never heard of any complaint from him that they were too few. And why may we not think, but that God may as well &s;ay within him&s;elfe, that there are too many learned and wi&s;e men in a great Councell, for him to reveale truth, or to give victo|ry again&s;t error by? The rea&s;on of this kind of di&s;pen&s;ation is ob|vious; and therefore I forbeare (for the pre&s;ent) to in&s;i&s;t upon it.</P>
<P>3. As a pre&s;uming confidence of a mans leggs, is a &s;igne of &s;uch a <HI>time</HI> or <HI>chance</HI> (in <HI>Solomons</HI> phra&s;e) wherein the <HI>race &s;hall not be to the &s;wift;</HI> and &s;o the challenging a victorie, as it were of cour&s;e, becau&s;e we have chariots, and hor&s;es, and va&s;t multitudes of men, expert in warre above our enemies, is a pre&s;age &s;eldome failing, that <HI>the battell</HI> will <HI>not be to the &s;trong:</HI> in like manner when Synods and Councels &s;hall beare them&s;elves inordinately upon their num|bers and multitudes, upon their wi&s;dome, learning, and pietie, and becau&s;e of the&s;e, &s;hall (upon the matter) challenge an infalli|bilitie (for what doe they le&s;&s;e, when they command all mens judgements and con&s;ciences to bow downe at the feet of their de|terminations?) this is little le&s;&s;e then an authorized ground of Divination, that they will mi&s;carry, and that God will not ho|nour
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them, with the di&s;covery of any of his Truth unto the world. A Synod or Councell, though of men never &s;o con&s;cientious and learned, though never &s;o both frequent and fervent in fa&s;ting and prayer before God, that &s;hall a&s;&s;emble and meet together upon &s;uch terms, I meane &s;o as either to expect, but e&s;pecially peremp|torily to conclude, before hand, that all men &s;hall make Faith and practi&s;e of their deci&s;ions, or el&s;e be cen&s;ur'd, and made to &s;uffer like evill doers; doe in this <HI>&s;et up their idols in their heart, and put the</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">E<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">k. 14. 3.</NOTE> <HI>&s;tumbling block of their iniquitie before their face:</HI> and con&s;equently deve&s;t them&s;elves of that capacitie, wherein they &s;hould be meet to enquire of the Lord. <HI>Should I be enquired of at all by them?</HI> (&s;aith God him&s;elfe <HI>Ezek.</HI> 14. 3. of &s;uch) Indeed where greater numbers of men, accompli&s;hed with grace, and parts of learning, &s;hall a&s;|&s;emble together with humilitie and meekne&s;&s;e, and for ends pro|portioned to the line and &s;phere of men, as <HI>viz.</HI> candidly and un|partially to argue and debate, and &s;o to finde out the Truth in things appertaining unto God, onely with an intent and de&s;ire to be <HI>helpers</HI> of the Saints, as by making rough things plaine, and things that were hard, ea&s;ie, and dark things, light&s;ome, and not to exerci&s;e a <HI>dominion over their Faith</HI> (as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaketh)<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 1. 24.</NOTE> by an authoritative commanding them out of their pre&s;ent judge|ment, what ever it be, to doe homage to the re&s;ults of their de|bates, whether they &s;ee light and truth in them or no; they may expect a &s;peciall pre&s;ence of God with them, and the Churches of God about them, may comfortably waite for &s;omewhat more of the minde of Chri&s;t from them, then they knew. <HI>In the multi|tude</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Prov. 24. 6.</NOTE> <HI>of</HI> &s;uch <HI>Coun&s;ellors, there may be &s;afetie,</HI> as <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;peaketh. I would gladly beleeve, if I could find where to &s;et the &s;ole of the foot of &s;uch a Faith, that Councels and Synods are wont to meet upon &s;uch terms: which if they doe not, I am (almo&s;t) as farre out of hope of having <HI>the joy of</HI> my <HI>Faith</HI> holpen or increa&s;ed by them, as I am of <HI>gathering grapes from thornes, or figgs of thi&s;tles.</HI> And therefore,</P>
<P>4. (and la&s;tly) Whereas the objection urgeth, that wi&s;e men are like to &s;ee more then tho&s;e that are weake, and many, then few: I an&s;wer, That this is not alwayes found true, no not in naturall, civill or artificiall things, wherein notwith&s;tanding there is u&s;ual|ly a greater regularitie and uniformitie in the actings and work|ings of &s;econd cau&s;es; much le&s;&s;e is it alwayes true in matters be|longing
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unto God; wherein him&s;elfe more frequently interpo&s;eth by his prerogative, and ordereth the tenor and cour&s;e of occur|rences and effects, be&s;ides the proportion of &s;econd cau&s;es, by the good plea&s;ure of his will. All the great and rare inventions of the world, which either former, or latter ages have brought to light, were not the i&s;&s;ues or re&s;ults either of the thoughts or &s;tudies of the wi&s;e&s;t or learnede&s;t of men, nor yet of the con&s;ultations or communications of the greate&s;t numbers or multitudes of men: but the wi&s;e Di&s;po&s;er of all things, according to his owne good plea&s;ure and will, ca&s;t this honour upon particular and &s;ingle men, (for the mo&s;t part) and tho&s;e not alwayes of the mo&s;t learned or profound, as by many in&s;tances might readily be evicted, if it were nece&s;&s;ary. And <HI>Solomon</HI> reports unto us a ca&s;e, wherein one <HI>poore</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 9. 15.</NOTE> <HI>man by his wi&s;dome delivered a Citie</HI> out of imminent danger; which (it &s;eems) all the re&s;t of the Inhabitants did not &s;ee or apprehend how to doe. Yea, in Councels them&s;elves, or greater a&s;&s;emblies of men, it is u&s;ually &s;eene that &s;ome one, or few, either of predomi|nant parts, or authoritie among&s;t them, &s;way and &s;teere all the proceedings, and act the judgements and affections of the re&s;t, though con&s;cientious and learned to a degree. So that upon the matter, and ju&s;t accompt, the re&s;olution<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> of Councels and Sy|nods them&s;elves, are but the fruits or putting-forth of the learn|ing, and judgement, of a very few men; and whether the&s;e be al|wayes of the mo&s;t con&s;cientious, I had rather others &s;hould con|&s;ider, then I determine.</P>
<P>The la&s;t objection de&s;igned for pre&s;ent examination, is this that the intent and project of this way, is ambitious, high, and dangerous, that it affecteth a Dictator&s;hip Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall, a power of Law-giving, that it undermines Civill or Parliamentary Au|thoritie, &amp;c. But to this al&s;o we an&s;wer (omitting what was for|merly &s;aid, concerning extravagant height of accu&s;ations and charges, and the &s;lender probabilitie of truth in them: as likewi&s;e concerning the &s;peciall di&s;po&s;ition of God in ordering the malice or ill will of tho&s;e that are enemies, either to his people or wayes, &s;till to &s;hoote the arrowes of their accu&s;ations again&s;t their <HI>b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">|plate of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> where it is &s;tronge&s;t and lea&s;t penetrable&punc;</P>
<P>1. That there is not the lea&s;t colour, no, nor the lea&s;t colour of a colour, to charge any ambitious or Dictator-like de&s;igne upon this <HI>Way.</HI> The rea&s;on is, becau&s;e the mo&s;t e&s;&s;entiall, int<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">in&s;ecall,
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and fundamentall principles of it, &s;tand diametrally bent again&s;t all dictatoring, and law-giving by men, in the things of God. The Sunne may with as much, or more rea&s;on be &s;u&s;pected of con|&s;ulting darkne&s;&s;e again&s;t the world, as this <HI>Way</HI> of meditating or projecting any Authoritative greatne&s;&s;e unto it &s;elf in this kinde. Indeed, when it degenerates from it &s;elf, and pa&s;&s;eth into another kind, there may be &s;ome danger and fear of this <HI>Way;</HI> as there is that Honey &s;hould turn into choler, when the native property of it is altered by the &s;tomack. A Congregationall man become a Cla&s;&s;ique, may as &s;oon as another make a Son of &s;uch a de&s;igne as is &s;pecified in the objection.</P>
<P>2. If the <HI>Way</HI> wee &s;peak of, &s;hould be &s;o contradictory to her &s;elf, as to de&s;ire or project &s;uch a Kingdome, as &s;he &s;tands charged with in the Objection; yet &s;hould not the world have the lea&s;t cau&s;e to fear her pro&s;ecutions or executions in this kinde. If the Lamb in the fold &s;hould threaten or project the &s;laughter and de|&s;truction of all the Lions in the Wilderne&s;&s;e, had the&s;e ever the more cau&s;e to be afraid of her? The kingdomes and powers of this world, need not fear either the numbers or power of the Saints, for taking away their crowns, or breaking the &s;cepters of their rule and government, untill the world that now is be tran&s;la|ted into that which is to come. And therefore,</P>
<P>3. Whereas this <HI>Way</HI> is further arre&s;ted by the Objection, for a Pioner and underminer of Magi&s;tracy, or Parliamentary Autho|rity; I an&s;wer, that there is no more in this <HI>Way</HI> to undermine or endanger any Civill Authority or Power what&s;oever, then there was in <HI>Daniels</HI> heart to prejudice the life and honour of the King,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 6. 10. 22.</NOTE> when hee prayed three times a day, (contrary to the Kings com|mandement) or then was in <HI>Pauls</HI> Doctrine of <HI>Ju&s;tification by Faith</HI> to make voyd the writings of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> or the Law; whereby indeed he did <HI>e&s;tabli&s;h it</HI> (as him&s;elf affirmeth, <HI>Rom.</HI> 3. 31.) though the <HI>Jewes</HI> apprehended, and charged him with the contrary. And doubtle&s;&s;e the learned Gentleman, who undertakes the <HI>unmasking</HI> of Independency, (which never wore any) is in an utter mi&s;take,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Independen|cy examined, unmask'd, &amp;c.</NOTE> not only of the intentions of the two Brethren of this <HI>Way</HI> (who ever they were) who&s;e words he citeth, <HI>p.</HI> 3. of his late <HI>Examina|tion;</HI> but al&s;o of the rationall and Grammaticall con&s;truction and import of the words. For whereas they &s;ay, <HI>that a man may as well bring a clean thing out of an unclean, as make a &s;pirituall ex|traction</HI>
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<HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">t of a &s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 span">,</HI> the Gentleman will needs interpret, that they make both Parliament and A&s;&s;embly <HI>&s;ecular and unclean;</HI> whereas by the tenor and carriage of the whole pa&s;&s;age, it is as clear as the Sun&punc; that in neither of the&s;e expre&s;&s;ions they reflect either upon the one, or the other; no, nor yet in tho&s;e following words, wherein they affirm, that <HI>it will be demon&s;tratively prov'd</HI> (again&s;t their adver&s;ary, who makes the Law of the State the fir&s;t and mo&s;t con&s;iderable band or tye upon men, for their &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion to his Church-government) <HI>that he re&s;olves the government of the Churches of Chri&s;t (in the la&s;t re&s;olution of it) into the humors, wills and plea&s;ures of the world, yea, of the vile&s;t and mo&s;t unworthy of men.</HI> And therefore, whereas upon his citation of the&s;e words, his demand is, <HI>Brethren, bona verba quae&s;o,</HI> the Brethren upon his interpretation of them, have far more rea&s;on to make this reque&s;t unto him; Brother, <HI>bo|nam glo&s;&s;am quae&s;um<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="2 letters">.</HI> The words are good, if the interpretation did but an&s;wer. For doubtle&s;&s;e the Brethren in the mentioned period and ex|pre&s;&s;ions, reflected only upon the generality of the people in the Land, who according to the Lawes of the Land; yea, according to the prin|ciples of all rea&s;on and equity, have the right of nominating per&s;ons into the places of Parliamentary tru&s;t and power; but have no Autho|rity or power from Chri&s;t to nominate or appoint, who &s;hall be the men that &s;hall order the affairs of Chri&s;ts Kingdome, or in&s;titute the government of his Churches. The&s;e, and e&s;pecially the ignorant and ir|religious part of them (which they that know any thing concerning the generality of the Kingdome for matters of Religion, mu&s;t needs know to be far the greater part in every place) are that <HI>&s;ecular root,</HI> out of which the Brethren conceive an impo&s;&s;ibility, that <HI>a &s;pirituall extra|ction &s;hould be made,</HI> that is, that a legitimate Eccle&s;ia&s;tique power &s;hould according to the minde of Chri&s;t, or any precept or pre&s;ident of Scrip|ture, be by them conferred upon any man: and this impo&s;&s;ibility con|ceived by them, they only illu&s;trate and declare by that parallel expre&s;&s;ion in <HI>Job, Who can bring a cleane thing out of an uncleane?</HI> When they imply, that men unworthy, and &s;trangers to the power of godline&s;&s;e and matters of Religion, have the right and power of con|ferring Parliamentary tru&s;t and power, upon per&s;ons cho&s;en by them hereinto, they reflect not the lea&s;t touch of prejudice or di&s;parage|ment upon the per&s;ons honoured with that choyce: Fir&s;t, becau&s;e there is no other way, no, nor is there any conveniency or lawfulne&s;&s;e of any way whereby to a&s;cend the height of the intere&s;t and honour, but &s;uch a choyce: And &s;econdly, the votes and voyces of &s;uch men being carried upon per&s;ons of honour, worth and Religion, demon|&s;trates that there was &s;o much the more of God in their election;
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which is &s;o far from dimini&s;hing their honour in the lea&s;t, that it add<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter"> double and treble unto it. But to hold that the per&s;ons &s;o elected, as hath been &s;aid, have a power by vertue of &s;uch nomination or election, to enact Laws and Statutes in matters of Religion, and to order under mulcts and penalties, how men &s;hall wor&s;hip and &s;erve God; as it is a means to awaken the eye of jealou&s;ie upon them, and &s;o is &s;even times more de&s;tructive unto, and undermining, not only of their power, but of their honour, peace, and &s;afety al&s;o, then any thing that is found in the <HI>Way</HI> &s;o ill intreated; &s;o is it the &s;etling of a power upon the electors of &s;uch per&s;ons, I mean, upon the promi&s;cuous multitude of the Land, a greater power then ever Je&s;us Chri&s;t him&s;elf had, at lea&s;t then ever he exerci&s;ed. For as <HI>dare Regem</HI> argues a greater power then <HI>e&s;&s;e Regem,</HI> as hee <HI>that buildeth an hou&s;e, hath more honour then the hou&s;e, Heb.</HI> 3. 3. So to nominate and appoint who &s;hall have power to umpire in matters of con&s;cience and of God, to determine what &s;hall be prea|ched, and what not, what &s;hall be believed, and what not, is a branch of a greater root of power, then the exerci&s;e of the power that is com|mitted unto others in this behalf. Now though Je&s;us Chri&s;t had a power, and was authorized by God to be a Law-giver him&s;elf unto his Churches and Saints, in their &s;pirituall Republique; yet it is hard to prove that ever he inve&s;ted any other with &s;uch a power. His Apo&s;tles them&s;elves were <HI>no Lords over the Faith</HI> of the Saints; nor had they any power or authority to impo&s;e any thing upon men, as nece&s;&s;ary, either to be believed or practi&s;ed, but what they had in expre&s;&s;e commi&s;&s;ion and charge from Je&s;us Chri&s;t him&s;elf to impo&s;e upon &s;uch terms. So that notwith&s;tanding that &s;evere &amp; angry conte&s;tation of the fore-men|tioned Gentleman again&s;t the two Brethren with their fellows, <HI>Is this your &s;o much boa&s;ted of preaching, writing, fighting for the rights &amp; priviledges of Parliament?</HI> whereby he thinks to da&s;h both them and that <HI>their boa&s;ting</HI> together out of countenance; though they boa&s;t neither little nor much of any thing; boa&s;ting is their charge not their crime; they only &s;ay, and that with mode&s;ty yet, ble&s;&s;ed be God, they are able to maintain and make good that their <HI>boa&s;ting</HI> (if it mu&s;t needs be &s;o cal|led) in the &s;ight of God and Angels, and men, and Devils, and <HI>what&s;oe|ver be&s;ides is named, not only in this world, but in that al&s;o which is to come.</HI> And though he hath done like him&s;elf, and (I &s;peak it to his honour) far above the line of many others, in vindicating the rights and privi|ledges of Parliament; yet (<HI>ab&s;it verbo invidia</HI>) I am very confident, that there are thou&s;ands of that <HI>Way</HI> and judgement, again&s;t which his pen ri&s;eth up with &s;o much indignation, who rateably, and according to their means and opportunities, have quitted them&s;elves upon equall
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terms of honour, love, and faithfulne&s;&s;e, towards tho&s;e honourable Hou&s;es, with him&s;elf.</P>
<P>4. (And la&s;tly) It were no task of much labour or difficulty, to de|mon&s;trate that the <HI>Way,</HI> in the defence whereof we have thus far ap|peared, is &s;o far from carrying any malignity, or &s;eed of danger in it to the State, or per&s;ons inve&s;ted with civill power, that it is of a manife&s;t and rich compliance both with the one and the other. He that com|manded<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 22. 21.</NOTE> <HI>to give unto Ce&s;ar the things that are Ce&s;ars, and unto God the things that are Gods:</HI> did <HI>Ce&s;ar</HI> as much (if not more) &s;ervice, in the latter com|mand, as in the former. Silver and gold, wood and &s;tone, never got any thing by having an artificiall deity be&s;towed upon them, and being wor&s;hiped, but only a meer proximity to de&s;truction. They that &s;hould only have &s;aid unto <HI>Herod,</HI> that he had &s;poken like a &s;ober and well ad|vi&s;ed man, might have &s;hewed as much affection to him, yea, and ho|noured him upon better terms, then they that &s;houted, <HI>I<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">s the voyce of a</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">Act&punc; 12. 22.</NOTE> <HI>God, and not of a man.</HI> There is no foundation &s;o &s;ure and precious to build the honour, peace and &s;afety of <HI>Ce&s;ar</HI> upon, as a &s;tone duly pitched for a land-mark between God and him. But if there be a que&s;tion or difficult ca&s;e between God and <HI>Ce&s;ar,</HI> whether &s;uch and &s;uch things be|long unto the one, or unto the other, they will be found the be&s;t and faithfulle&s;t Coun&s;ellors unto <HI>Ce&s;ar,</HI> who &s;hall advi&s;e him rather to &s;ur|render unto, then to claim a doubtfull right or priviledge from God. The <HI>Way</HI> we &s;peak of is &s;o ingenuous, loyall and true-hearted to men in place of civill authority and power, that it teacheth her &s;ons to ex|po&s;e them&s;elves unto their di&s;plea&s;ure, for the procurement of their good; which even the heathen them&s;elves have atte&s;ted for one of the be&s;t and lea&s;t que&s;tionable &s;igns of true friend&s;hip and love.</P>
<P>To the&s;e an&s;wers of objections, I thought to have added &s;ome po|&s;itive arguments, whereby the <HI>Way,</HI> now little more then only defended, might have gained the honour of a more perfect conformity to the Will and Word of God, then (perhaps) hath been di&s;covered or &s;een hitherto. Yet I cannot but think, that the vailes of the principall ob|jections which covered the face of it, being rent and torn, the beauty and brightne&s;&s;e of it mu&s;t needs &s;hine forth in the eyes of all tho&s;e who have not &s;acrificed unto partiality.</P>
<P>To clo&s;e with a word of exhortation. The premi&s;es con&s;idered, as we love the things of our peace, and de&s;ire the &s;peedy di&s;per&s;ion and &s;cat|tering of that dark and black cloud &s;till hanging and hovering over our heads, and threatning more fiery &s;torms &amp; tempe&s;ts of de&s;olation and blood upon us, and to &s;ee the heavens cleering up, and looking like Cry&s;tall or Saphire over us, as we de&s;ire to &s;ee tho&s;e terrible &s;warms of
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Locu&s;ts and Caterpillars, which now devour and eat up our good land daily, &s;wept away&punc; and carried by a &s;trong we&s;t wind into the mid&s;t of the &s;ea, that &s;o we may be fed again, with the ancient heritage of our fa|thers, I mean plenty, &s;afety, and peace; if there be any bowels, any com|pa&s;&s;ions in us towards our nation, (&s;o far &s;pent &amp; wa&s;ted with mi&s;ery) towards our cities and habitations, towards our friends, towards our &s;elves, towards any thing which is dear either to the one, or to the o|ther; let us be exhorted to take heed of <HI>fighting again&s;t God;</HI> let it be the fir&s;t-born of religious advi&s;ements and cautions to us, not to be fierce, no, nor &s;o much as to lift up an hard thought again&s;t Doctrine or <HI>Way</HI> claiming origination and de&s;cent from God, till wee have &s;ecurity upon &s;ecurity, conditions as cleer as the noon-day, that they are but counterfeits and pretenders only, and &s;tand in no relation at all, but that of enmity and oppo&s;ition unto God. Particularly, let us be tender above all tenderne&s;s, to act to the value of the lea&s;t hair of our heads in any way of bitterne&s;s or blood, again&s;t that <HI>Way</HI> of governing the Churches of Chri&s;t, which hath by &s;o many good hands been pre&s;en|ted unto us as mo&s;t agreeable unto the Word and Will of God, untill we &s;ee the condemnation of it written with a beam of the Sun, by the finger of God him&s;elf; untill he hath di&s;claimed or renounced it from heaven, either by giving &s;uch wi&s;dome unto men whereby to detect the error and vanity of it, or el&s;e hath quite ra&s;ed it out of the fle&s;hly tables of the hearts of his Saints, and di&s;tre&s;t &s;ervants. The motion and matter is of a mo&s;t &s;erious and formidable importance; therefore let me exhort you yet once more, to <HI>beware of men,</HI> (as our Saviour ad|vi&s;eth, in a ca&s;e of le&s;&s;e con&s;equence) to take heed, that no man, either through pa&s;&s;ionate exclamations and outcries, or through any faire or flouri&s;hing pretences what&s;oever, draw your foot into this &s;nare, in|gage you in any &s;uch warfare, wherein, for ought you know, you &s;hall <HI>fight again&s;t God.</HI> If your judgements &s;tand off from the cau&s;e wee &s;peak of, for the pre&s;ent, and you can &s;ee nothing of God in it; you may plea&s;e to con&s;ider, that this was the ca&s;e of many thou&s;ands among&s;t you, in whom there is much of God, and in who&s;e heart is this <HI>Way,</HI> as a <HI>Way</HI> of his. If they be deceived in imbracing it, God<NOTE PLACE="marg">Phil. 3. 15.</NOTE> will &s;hew mercy unto them in revealing the truth unto them in due time. But if you &s;hall be deceived in the violence and fury of your <HI>fighting</HI> again&s;t it, is it not much to be feared, that you will be in|tangled with the guilt of &s;uch a &s;in, which <HI>&s;hall not be purged from</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 22. 14.</NOTE> <HI>you till yee die?</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
