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<DATE>2013-05-17</DATE>
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<NAME>Colm MacCrossan</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed.</ITEM>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>CASES <HI>CONSIDERED</HI> and <HI>RESOLVED.</HI> WHEREIN All the tender godly con&s;cientious Mini&s;ters in <HI>Eng|land</HI> (Whether for a Congregationall, or a Presbyteriall way) are concerned. OR <HI>Pills to Purge Malignants.</HI> And all prophane, ignorant, and &s;candalous per&s;ons. (But more particularly Calculated for the Meridian of <HI>Margarets</HI> Fi&s;h&s;treet-hill) from tho&s;e gro&s;&s;e conceits that they have of their Childrens right to Bapti&s;me; and of their owne right to the Supper of the Lord, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> ALSO Good Councell to bad men. Or friendly advi&s;e (in &s;everall particulars) to unfriendly Neighbours. By THOMAS BROOKS, a willing Servant unto God, and the Faith of his People, in the glorious Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t, at <HI>Margarets</HI> Fi&s;h&s;treet-hill.</P>
<Q>Mallem ruere cum Chri&s;to, quam regnare cum Cae&s;are. <BIBL><HI>Luther.</HI></BIBL></Q>
<Q>Si veritas est cau&s;a di&s;cordiae, mori po&s;&s;um tacere non po&s;&s;um. <BIBL><HI>Jerome.</HI></BIBL></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON:</HI> Printed by <HI>M. Simmons,</HI> for <HI>John Hancock</HI> and are to be &s;old at the fir&s;t Shop in <HI>Popes-Head</HI>-Alley, next to Corn|hill 1653.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>To the Con&s;cientious READER.</HEAD>
<P>THe World is full of Books, and of how many may it be &s;aid, That they doe but proclaim the vanity of the writer, and procure wea|rine&s;&s;e, if not vexation, to the Reader, in this knowing and cen&s;orious age? What I have written is out of faithfullne&s;&s;e to Chri&s;t, and love to Souls: If my pains &s;hall prove advantageous, for the in|ternall and eternall good of any poor Souls, I &s;hall count it reward enough. I doubt not but tho&s;e that are &s;pirituall will find &s;omething of the Spirit in what followes, and for that cau&s;e will relli&s;h and love it, though others may there|fore &s;tand at the greater di&s;tance from it. Surely, where Truth comes, the Children of Truth will entertaine it, and aske no body leave. In the&s;e dayes they that have lea&s;t right to Ordinances, doe make the greate&s;t noi&s;e in crying out for Ordinances. Gods Ordinances are choice pearles, and yet too often ca&s;t before Swine, which doubtle&s;&s;e hath provoked the Lord to &s;hed the blood of many among us, who have unworthily drunk the blood of his Son, and trampled it under their feet as an unholy thing.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10.29.</NOTE> Though my Candle be but little, yet I mu&s;t not hide it under a bu&s;hell. Though
<PB REF="3">I have but one Talent, yet I mu&s;t not hide it in a Napkin. I hope thou ha&s;t that anointing of the Spirit that will teach thee not to reject the fruit for the trees &s;ake, nor &s;o much to mind the man as the matter. But lea&s;t I &s;hould hold thee long in the porch, I will briefly acquaint thee with the Rea&s;ons that have induced me to pre&s;ent to the World what followes; and &s;o draw to a clo&s;e.</P>
<P><HI>The Rea&s;ons are the&s;e.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> That the honour, truth and wayes of Chri&s;t, which I hope are dearer to me then my life,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 2.30.</NOTE> and which are &s;truck at thorow my &s;ides, may be vindicated.</P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> That the mouth of iniquity (or which is all one,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 107.42. Titus 1.11. P&s;al. 63.11.</NOTE> that the foule mouths of prophane, ignorant, ma|lignant, and &s;candalous per&s;ons) may be effectually &s;topt.</P>
<P><HI>Thirdly,</HI> That the hone&s;t, ju&s;t, and righteous proceed|ings of the Honourable Committee may be manife&s;ted, and not &s;mothered by the fal&s;e reports of any prophane malig|nant &s;pirits that were pre&s;ent;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 5.20.</NOTE> who are apt and ready e|nough to call good evill, and evill good, light, darkne&s;&s;e, and darkne&s;&s;e light, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Fourthly,</HI> That the importunate de&s;ires of &s;everall Mini&s;ters, and Chri&s;tians may be &s;atisfied, e&s;pecially tho&s;e to whom I preach, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Fifthly,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 11. Ch. 10-ult. Pro. 22.1. Eccle&s;. 7.1.</NOTE> That my Mini&s;try and good name (which &s;hould be dearer to me then my life) may be vindicated. A good name is rather to be cho&s;en then great riches, and loving favour rather then &s;ilver and gold: a good name is better then precious ointment, &s;aith <HI>Solomon, Eccle&s;. 7.1.</HI> The initiall letter (<GAP LANG="heb" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">) of the Hebrew word (<GAP LANG="heb" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> <HI>Tob</HI>) that in this Text is rendred good, is bigger then ordinary, to &s;hew the more then ordinary excellency of a good name among&s;t men. The Morali&s;ts &s;ay of fame, or of
<PB REF="3">a mans good Name <HI>(Omnia &s;i perdas,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The French have this Pro|verb among them, That a good renown is better then a golden Gir|dle.</NOTE> <HI>famam &s;ervare memento; Qua &s;emel ami&s;&s;a po&s;tea nullus eris) i. e.</HI> What&s;oever commodity you lo&s;e, be &s;ure yet to pre&s;erve that Jewell of a good Name. But if any &s;hall delight to blot and blur my name, that their owne may &s;hine the brighter; I &s;hall de&s;ire them frequently to remember a &s;weet &s;aying of <HI>Au&s;tin (Qui&s;quis volens detrahit famae meae, nolens addit mercedi meae.)</HI> He that willingly takes from my good Name, unwillingly addes to my reward.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 5.11.12.</NOTE> The remem|brance of this, and the bird in the bo&s;ome (con&s;cience) &s;inging, makes a Heaven of joy in my heart,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 1.12.</NOTE> in the midde&s;t of all the trialls that doe attend me.</P>
<P><HI>Sixthly,</HI> That others may be undeceived, who are apt enough to judge that there are other things and wor&s;e things charged upon me then indeed there is.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 20.10, 11. P&s;al. 35.11.</NOTE> And indeed &s;ome &s;ay already, that there were eighteen things, others that there were &s;ix and twenty things charged against me; and all this to render my per&s;on and my doctrine, contemp|tible in the World, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Seventhly,</HI> That the Malignant and profane Petitio|ners, and others of their &s;tamp, may be either &s;atisfied, con|vinced, and reformed, or that they may be found &s;peech|le&s;&s;e, and without excu&s;e in the day of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P><HI>Eightly,</HI> Becau&s;e my ca&s;e is a generall ca&s;e, and reach|es all the godly con&s;cientious Mini&s;ters in <HI>England,</HI> be they of one judgement or another. And clearly if upon the following Charge against me, the prophane, ignorant, and Malignant party, &s;hould out and rout the godly Mini&s;ters in the Nation; I wonder where there would be found a con|&s;cientious Mini&s;ter, that &s;hould not upon the&s;e grounds be outed and routed?</P>
<P><HI>Reader,</HI></P>
<PB REF="4">
<P>I de&s;ire that thou woulde&s;t ca&s;t a mantle of love over the Mi&s;takes of the <HI>PRINTER,</HI> I having no opportunity to wait on the Pre&s;&s;e, by rea&s;on of my many Engagements other wayes. I will not by any Prolep&s;is detaine thee at the doore, but de&s;ire that the God of all con&s;olations would ble&s;&s;e thee with all externall, internall and eternall ble&s;|&s;ings, that thy actions may be pro&s;perous, thy troubles few, thy comforts many, thy life holy, thy death happie, and thy &s;oule lodged for ever in the bo&s;ome of Chri&s;t. So I remaine</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>Thine, &s;o farre as thou art CHRISTS.</HI> Thomas Brooks.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="preface">
<PB REF="4">
<HEAD>A <HI>SHORT PREAMBLE That I intended (to make before the Honourable Committee for Plundred Mini&s;ters) that Truth and my Selfe might be the better vindicated and cleared.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Gentlemen,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>'TWas a Divine &s;aying of <HI>Seneca,</HI> No man &s;ets a better rate upon vertue,
<NOTE N="a" PLACE="marg"><HI>Qui boni viri famam perdidit ne con&s;cientiam perderet.</HI> Seneca.</NOTE> then he that loo&s;eth a good Name to keep a good Con&s;cience. He that hath a good con&s;cience, &s;its <HI>Noah</HI>-like, quiet and &s;till in the greate&s;t combu&s;tions, and di|&s;tractions <HI>(Con&s;cientia pura &s;emper &s;ecura)</HI> A good Con&s;cience hath &s;ure confidence, it makes a man as bold as a Lyon, <HI>Pro|verbs</HI> 28.1.</P>
<P>I remember <HI>Calvin</HI> writing to the French King, &s;aith, that Oppo&s;ition is <HI>(Evangelij genius)</HI> the black Angel that doggs the Go&s;pel at the heels. And certainly, where Chri&s;t is like to gain mo&s;t, and Satan like to lo&s;e mo&s;t, there Satan in his in|&s;truments will &s;tir and rage mo&s;t; yet if every oppo&s;er of the Go&s;pel and the Saints, were turned into a Devil, that old &s;aying would be found true <HI>(Veritas &s;tat in aperto campo)</HI> Truth &s;tands in the open fields, yea and 'twill make tho&s;e &s;tand in whom it lives; yea 'twill make them &s;tand chearful|ly, re&s;olutely, and unmoveably, in the face of the greate&s;t, highe&s;t, and hotte&s;t oppo&s;itions.</P>
<P>Concerning the&s;e prophane, ignorant, malignant, and &s;candalous Petitioners, I &s;hall &s;ay as <HI>Lactantius</HI> &s;aith of <HI>Lucian (Nec diis nec hominibus pepercit)</HI> he &s;pared neither God, nor
<PB REF="5">man; &s;uch are the&s;e Petitioners. 'Tis &s;aid of <HI>Cataline,</HI> that he was
<NOTE N="b" PLACE="marg">Mon&s;trum ex variis diver&s;i&s;&abque; inter &s;e pugnan|tibus naturis conflatum.</NOTE> a compound and bundle of warring lu&s;ts and vices; &s;uch are the&s;e Petitioners. Hi&s;torians &s;ay, that Tygers rage and are mad, when they &s;mell the fragrancy of Spices; &s;uch are the&s;e Petitioners, when they &s;mell the fragrancy of the Graces of Gods Spirit in the principles and practices, in the lives and religious exerci&s;es of the people of God.</P>
<P>Gentlemen, I am compelled to tell you that I have by the gracious a&s;&s;i&s;tance of God, preached publiquely the Go&s;pel above the&s;e thirteen years, and the greate&s;t part of tho&s;e years I have &s;pent in Preaching the word in <HI>London,</HI> where God hath given me many precious &s;eals of my Mini&s;try, which are now my comfort, and in the day of Chri&s;t will be my Crown. They are my living Epi&s;tles, they are my walking Certificates, they are my letters te&s;timoniall, as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaks. And yet in all this time none have &s;hewed them&s;elves &s;o malicious,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 3.1, 2.</NOTE> im|pudent and ignorant, as to Petition again&s;t me, as the&s;e that &s;tand now before you; yet am I confident that this act of theirs &s;hall work for my externall, internall, and eternall good:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.28. Judg. 14.14.</NOTE> And out of this eater God will bring forth meat and &s;weetne&s;&s;e to others al&s;o.</P>
<P>Gentlemen, I &s;hall now trouble your patience no further but come now to an&s;wer to the things that the&s;e prophane, Malignant Petitioners have charged again&s;t me, in their Peti|tion to this Honourable Committee.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="petition">
<PB REF="5">
<HEAD>TO THE HONORABLE COMMITTEE <HI>FOR</HI> Plundred Mini&s;ters. The humble Petition of the Pa|ri&s;hioners of <HI>Margaret New-Fi&s;h&s;treet, London,</HI> who&s;e Names are hereunto &s;ub|&s;cribed.</HEAD>
<OPENER>SHEWING,</OPENER>
<P>_THat one Mr. <HI>Thomas Brooks,</HI> was by Order of your Honours, dated the twenty third of <HI>March,</HI> 1651. appointed to Preach for a Moneth, next en&s;uing, as Probationer; to the end, that upon the Pari&s;hioners, and the &s;aid Mr. <HI>Brooks</HI> mutual tryal of each other, the &s;aid
<PB REF="6">Mr. <HI>Brooks</HI> might continue, or your Petitio|ners have &s;ome other to officiate among&s;t them.</P>
<P>Your Petitioners are humbly bold to offer to your Honours con&s;ideration, that they have had tryal of the &s;aid Mr. <HI>Brooks</HI> ever &s;ince your Ho|nours Order; but cannot finde that comfort to their &s;oules they hoped; nor indeed is the &s;aid Mr. <HI>Brooks</HI> &s;o qualified to your Petitioners under&s;tandings, as to remain any longer with them. And further, your Petitioners &s;ay, that the &s;aid <HI>Mr. Brooks</HI> refu&s;eth to afford your Pe|titioners the u&s;e of the Ordinances, of Bapti&s;m and the Lords Supper; nor will he bury their dead.</P>
<CLOSER><HI>The Petitioners therefore humbly pray, that your Honours will be plea&s;ed to revoke your Order, and give liberty to your Peti|tioners for &s;ix Moneths, to pre&s;ent a fit per&s;on to your Honours to be their Mini&s;ter; and in the mean time, that Sequestrators may be appointed to provide for the &s;er|vice of the Cure, out of &s;uch money, as &s;hall ari&s;e for tithes out of the &s;aid Pari&s;h; And,</HI> &amp;c.</CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="queries">
<PB N="1" REF="6">
<HEAD>QUERIES Upon the Malignants PETITION.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Gentlemen,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_IN their Petition they &s;ay, that I was to preach a Moneth, as Probationer, and after a mutual tryal of each other, I might continue, or the Petitioners have &s;ome other to officiate among&s;t them. To this I &s;ay,</P>
<P N="1">1. That I never had any &s;uch thing, by one or other propounded to me, to preach among&s;t them as Probationer. It was onely thus propounded to me; That at a full meet|ing, I was cho&s;en by the hone&s;t and well affected of the Pari&s;h, to come and preach among&s;t them. And I did more then twice or thrice declare to them before I came, that if they did expect any thing el&s;e of me, I would not come: Onely I did declare my willingne&s;&s;e, to receive any among them into Fellow&s;hip with us, that the Lord had taken into Fellow&s;hip with him&s;elf, and that were willing to walk in Go&s;pel-order.</P>
<P N="2">2. I &s;ay, that had they propounded the bu&s;ine&s;s to me, as tis pre&s;ented in their Petition, I would never have come upon &s;uch terms, and that upon &s;everal rea&s;ons, which here, I &s;hall omit.</P>
<P N="3">3. I &s;ay, that they had a tryal of me all the Winter, I preached above twenty Sermons on the Lecture-nights, be|fore
<PB N="2" REF="7">this Order was granted, or de&s;ired; therefore I know not to what purpo&s;e I &s;hould preach among them upon tryal, when they had before-hand &s;o large a tryal of me.</P>
<P N="4">4. I &s;ay, that the&s;e prophane, malignant Petitioners, had neither a hand in chu&s;ing of me, nor yet hearts to make any tryal of my mini&s;try; (&s;o far as I can under&s;tand) and there|fore they may well have a black brand put upon them, as men void of common hone&s;ty and ingenuity, in abu&s;ing the Ho|nourable Committee, and petitioning again&s;t me: When as they were neither the major part of the Pari&s;h, by far, nor yet was the Order of the Committee granted to them, nor did the Order of the Committee give any power, or liberty to the&s;e prophane malignant Petitioners, to chu&s;e &s;ome other to offi|ciate, as they pretend; what greater di&s;honour and contempt can they ca&s;t upon the Committee, then to declare to the world, that they have given to them (that are &s;o notoriou&s;ly known for their prophanene&s;s and malignancie) an Order to chu&s;e one to officiate among&s;t them.</P>
<P>In their Petition they further &s;ay, That they have had tryal of me ever &s;ince your Honours Order; this is as far from truth, as the Petitioners are from being real friends to the pre&s;ent Authotity of the Nation. For tis notoriou&s;ly known, that they u&s;e not to hear me, but others, who&s;e ma|lignant principles and practi&s;es, are mo&s;t &s;utable to their own.</P>
<P>Further they &s;ay, they cannot finde that comfort to their &s;oules they hoped. Here give me leave to quere; 1. How they could have any comfort from my mini&s;try, that did not attend it. 2. But grant they did, I Quere, whether their want of comfort, did not &s;pring rather from their want of faith, to clo&s;e with the word, and to feed upon the word, and to apply the word to their own &s;oules, then from any defect in my preaching? <HI>The word preached did not profit them, not be|ing mixed with faith, in them that heard it,</HI> Heb. 4.2. Faith and the word meeting, make a happy mixture, a precious confecti|on. When faith and the word is mingled together, then the word will be a word of power and life; then 'twil be a heal|ing word, a quickning word, a comforting word, a &s;aving
<PB N="3" REF="7">word. Faith makes the &s;oul fruitful;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">As <HI>Luther</HI> &s;aith of pray|er, &s;o I may &s;ay of &s;aith, it hath a kind of Omnipo|tency in it, 'tis able to do all things. <HI>E&s;t quaedam omnipotentia precum. Tantum po&s;&s;u|mus, quantum credimus.</HI></NOTE> faith hath <HI>Rachels</HI> eye, and <HI>Leahs</HI> womb. Where faith is wanting, mens &s;ouls will be like the Cypre&s;s, the more it is watered, the more it is withered. However that tree that is not for fruit, is for the fire, <HI>Heb.</HI> 6.8. Some &s;ay of King Midas, (not true, but fabu|lous) that he had obtained of the gods, that what&s;oever he touched &s;hould be turned into gold. I may truly &s;ay, in a &s;piritual &s;en&s;e, what ever faith touches, it turnes it into gold, into our good. A Bee can &s;uck hony out of a flower, &s;o can|not a Flie do. Faith will extract abundance of comfort out of the word, and gather one contrary out of another, honey out of the rock, <HI>Deut.</HI> 32.36.</P>
<P N="3">3. I quere, whether their not finding comfort by my mini|&s;try, did not rather &s;pring from a judicial act of God,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">When &s;he in <HI>Seneca,</HI> was &s;tricken with &s;udden blind|ne&s;&s;e, &s;he cry|ed out of the light: So when God &s;trikes pro|phane men with &s;piritual blindne&s;&s;e, then they cry out of the Mini&s;ter, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119.70.</NOTE> rather then from any thing in my mini&s;try? God, many times, pu|ni&s;hes mens neglect of the means, and their di&s;pi&s;ing the means, and their barrenne&s;s under the means, &amp;c. by giving them up to a &s;pirit of &s;lumber, by &s;hutting their eyes, and clo&s;ing up their hearts, as you may &s;ee in that, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 6.9, 10. and he &s;aid, <HI>Go and tell this people; hear ye indeed, but under&s;tand not, and &s;ee ye indeed, but perceive not; Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and &s;hut their eyes; le&s;t they &s;ee with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and under&s;tand with their heart, and convert and be healed.</HI> A fat heart is a fearful plague; a fat heart is a mo&s;t bruti&s;h and blocki&s;h heart; a heart fitted and prepared for wrath. The&s;e four keyes (&s;ay the Rabbins) God keeps under his own girdle: 1. The key of the womb. 2. The key of the grave. 3. The key of the rain. 4. The key of the heart. <HI>He openeth and no man &s;hutteth, and he &s;hutteth and no man openeth.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. I Queere, whether their not finding of comfort did not &s;pring from the wickedne&s;s and ba&s;ene&s;&s;e of their own hearts, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 29.13, 14. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 33, 30. - <HI>ult. Mat.</HI> 15.4, - 10.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Patient in <HI>Plutarch,</HI> complained to his Phy&s;iti|an of his Finger, when his Liver was rotten. So many com|plain of the Mini&s;ter, when their hearts are rotten; they complainthey can finde no comfort, when the fault lyes in the ba&s;e|ne&s;&s;e of their hearts,</NOTE> When men bring pride, and prejudice, and refolvedne&s;&s;e to walk after the waies of their own hearts, let the mini&s;ter &s;ay what he will, (as they in <HI>Jeremiah,</HI> 44.15. - <HI>ult.</HI> which I de&s;ire you will turn too and read) tis no wonder, that they can finde no comfort in the word. This is ju&s;t as if the Pati|ent
<PB N="4" REF="8">&s;hould cry out of the Phy&s;ician, Oh he can finde no com|fort in any thing he pre&s;cribes him; when he is re&s;olved be|fore hand, that he will rather dye then follow his pre&s;cripti|ons. May not every one of the&s;e mens hearts &s;ay to him, as the heart of <HI>Apollodorus</HI> in the Kettle (<GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">) 'tis I have been the cau&s;e of this? I judge they may, and if they will not now acknowledg it to their humiliation, they will at la&s;t be forc'd to acknowledg it, to their confu&s;ion and de&s;tructi|on, in that day wherein the great &s;earcher of hearts &s;hall judge the &s;ouls of men.</P>
<P N="5">5. I Quere, whether all the godly con&s;cientious Mini&s;ters, of one judgement or another, in all England, would not be outed and routed, if this plea of prophane, ignorant, malig|nant,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>King.</HI> 22.8.-29.</NOTE> and &s;candalous per&s;ons, that they cannot finde no profit, nor no comfort by their mini&s;try, be admitted, as a thing that has worth or weight in it. Without doubt, if this would carry the day again&s;t a godly mini&s;try,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Chron.</HI> 36.16</NOTE> we &s;hould hear a cry from all parts of the Nation, where &s;uch men are; Oh! what &s;hall we do with &s;uch Preachers as the&s;e be?
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>I&s;a.</HI> 30.8, 9, 10, 11.</NOTE> we can finde no comfort, nor no profit by their mini&s;try; we will have none of the&s;e, but we will have &s;uch, as will preach plea&s;ing things;
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Lam.</HI> 2.14.</NOTE> we will have Common-prayer-book men, and &s;uch that will admini&s;ter Sacraments to us, as in former good dayes, wherein their was no &s;uch difference put between men and men, but all that would bring their two-pences, might come and be as welcome to the Par&s;on, (if not more) as any Puritan, or Round-head of them all.</P>
<P N="6">6. I Quere, whether your not finding of comfort and profit by the word, did not &s;pring from Satans blinding your eyes, and from his catching away the good &s;eed out of your hearts. <HI>If our Go&s;pel be hid,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4.3, 4. Satan is like the picture of the Godde&s;&s;e, that was &s;o contrived, that &s;he frown'd on men as they went into the Temple, and &s;mil'd as they came out. <HI>Math.</HI> 13.19. <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, <HI>Rapio,</HI> He took it, or &s;natch't it by force or vio|lence. </NOTE> (&s;aith the Apo&s;tle) <HI>it is hid to them that are lo&s;t: Whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, le&s;t the light of the glorious Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t, who is the image of God, &s;hould &s;hine unto them.</HI> Is it any wonder, that prophane, ignorant, &s;candalous per&s;ons, can finde no comfort by the word, when as the Devil hath &s;hut their eyes with his black hand? When he hath put a covering upon their eyes, that they can't &s;ee any beauty, excellency, or glory in it?
<PB N="5" REF="8">Go&s;pel droppings have richly fallen among many, and yet like <HI>Gideons</HI> fleece they are dry, becau&s;e Satan has blinded them, and catched away the good &s;eed that was &s;owen upon them. <HI>When any one heareth the word of the Kingdom, and un|der&s;tandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catches away that which was &s;owen in his heart:</HI> (or rather upon his heart) <HI>this is he which received &s;eed by the way &s;ide.</HI></P>
<P N="7">7. I Quere, whether your want of profit and comfort by the word, did not &s;pring from your want of intere&s;t in Go&s;pel-con&s;olations.<NOTE PLACE="marg">'Tis intere&s;t in a pardon, a Crown, an inheritance that com|forts, and not the talking of them: So here. The very Heathen could not have comfort, nor quiet when they were under the rage of &s;inful lu&s;ts; therefore when they knew not how to bridle them, they offered vio|lence to na|ture: pulling out their own eyes, be|cau&s;e they could not look upon a woman, with|out lu&s;ting after her. </NOTE> Oh, 'tis not the hearing of Go&s;pel-con&s;olations that comforts, but the knowledg of a mans in|tere&s;t in them that cheers up the heart. Ah, where is that word to be found in all the Book of God, that does evidence comfort, (which is childrens bread) to be of right belonging to prophane, ignorant, malignant, and &s;candalous per&s;ons, as you can't but know your &s;elves to be, if con&s;cience be in the lea&s;t mea&s;ure awakned. God hath all along in the Scripture, made a &s;eperation between &s;in and comfort; and how then can you expect comfort, who hold on in &s;inful wayes? though love and wrath, life and death, heaven and hell, be often &s;et before you. God is not prodigal of Go&s;pel-con&s;o|lations: they are the be&s;t, and &s;tronge&s;t Wines in Gods Cellar, and re&s;erved onely for his be&s;t and deare&s;t friends, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 40.1.2. <HI>Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, &s;aith your God, &s;peak ye comfortably to Jeru&s;alem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accom|pli&s;hed, that her iniquity is pardoned,</HI> &amp;c. The Hebrew word that is here rendred <HI>comfort,</HI> &s;ignifies fir&s;t to repent, and then to com|fort. And certainly, the &s;weete&s;t joy is from the &s;owre&s;t teares. Tears are the Breeders of &s;piritual joy: When <HI>Hannah</HI> had wept, &s;he went away and was no more &s;ad. The Bee ga|thers the be&s;t honey of the bittere&s;t hearbs: Chri&s;t made the be&s;t wine of water. The pure&s;t, the &s;tronge&s;t, and mo&s;t excel|lent joy, is made of the waters of Repentance. Ah, lay your hands upon your hearts, and tell me, whether you can look God in the face and &s;ay, Lord we are thine; Fir&s;t, by Pur|cha&s;e. Secondly, we are thine by Choice. Thirdly, we are thine by Conque&s;t. Fourthly, we are thine by Covenant. Fifthly, we are thine by Marriage.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP LANG="heb" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> <HI>nahhamu, nuhhamu,</HI> from <GAP LANG="heb" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> <HI>nahham;</HI> which &s;ignifies, fir&s;t, to repent, 1 <HI>Sam.</HI> 15.35. and then to comfort, be|cau&s;e true comfort be|longs only to the penitent. Divine com|fort is a deli|cate thing, and it is not given to him, that admits any other, &s;aith <HI>Bernard. Nulla verior mi&s;eria quam fal&s;a loetitia.</HI> Bernard. There is no truer mi&s;ery then fal&s;e joy. <HI>Nil ni&s;i &s;anctum a &s;ancto Spiri|tu prodire pote&s;t.</HI> Neh. 8.10. There have been tho&s;e that have died under the &s;trength and power of their joy. <HI>Valde prote&s;ta|tus &s;um, me nolle &s;ic &s;atiari ab eo. Luther.</HI> I &s;aid &s;tatly, that God &s;hould not put me off with the&s;e low things. I have read of one who cried out with a loud voice to <HI>Flavius Ve&s;pa|&s;ianus, (vu&s;pem pilum mutare non mores)</HI> that the Wolfe might change his hair, but not his quali|ties. You know how to apply it. <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 49.4, 5.</NOTE> Ah, if you are not the
<PB N="6" REF="9">Lords in the&s;e re&s;pects, what Mini&s;ter on earth hath a com|mi&s;&s;ion to comfort you? their commi&s;&s;ion is to read other Lectures to prophane, ignorant, &s;candalous per&s;ons, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> then tho&s;e of comfort and joy, as you may &s;ee in the&s;e Scri|ptures, (if you will but take the pains to read them) <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 7.11. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 9.17. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 11.5, 6. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 37.10, 20. compared with <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 75.8. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 145.20. <HI>Job</HI> 21.30. <HI>Prov.</HI> 11.5, 21, 31. compared, <HI>Prov.</HI> 12.2. <HI>Prov.</HI> 14.19. <HI>Prov.</HI> 15.29. <HI>Prov.</HI> 21.18, 27. <HI>Eccle&s;.</HI> 8.13. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 11.4. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 13.11. <HI>Jer.</HI> 25.31. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 3.18, 19. <HI>Nah.</HI> 1.3. <HI>Mal.</HI> 4.3. <HI>Deut.</HI> 28.15-<HI>ult. Levit.</HI> 26.14-<HI>ult.</HI> Ah, did you but wi&s;ely con&s;ider the excellency of Go&s;pel-comforts, above all other comforts in the world, you would not wonder at Mini|&s;ters giving them forth &s;o &s;paringly, to prophane, ignorant, malignant, and &s;candalous per&s;ons: For fir&s;t, Go&s;pel-com|forts are unutterable comforts, 1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1.8. <HI>Phil.</HI> 4.4. Second|ly, they are real, <HI>Joh.</HI> 14.27. all others are but &s;eeming com|forts, but painted comforts. Thirdly, they are holy com|forts, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 64.5. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 138.5. they flow from a holy Spirit, and nothing can come from the Holy Spirit, but that which is holy. Fourthly, they are the greate&s;t and &s;tronge&s;t comforts, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 6.17. few heads and hearts are able to bear them, as few heads are able to bear &s;trong wines: Fifthly, they reach to the inward man, to the &s;oul, 2 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 2.17. the noble part of man: <HI>My &s;oul rejoyceth in God my Saviour.</HI> Our other comforts onely reach the face, they &s;inck not &s;o deep as the heart. Sixtly, they are the mo&s;t &s;oul-filling, and &s;oul-&s;atisfying comforts, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 16. <HI>ult. Can.</HI> 2.3. other comforts cannot reach the &s;oul, and therefore they can't fill, nor &s;atisfie the &s;oul. Seventhly, they comfort in &s;adde&s;t di&s;tre&s;&s;es, in the darke&s;t night, and in the mo&s;t &s;tormie day, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 94.19. <HI>Hab.</HI> 3.17, 18. ver&s;es. Eightly, they are everla&s;ting, 2 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 2.16. The joy of the wicked is but as a gla&s;s, bright and brittle, and evermore in danger of breaking, but the joy of the Saints is la&s;ting. <HI>(Ae|terna erit exultatio, quae bono laetatur aeterno)</HI> Their joy la&s;ts for ever, who&s;e object remains for ever.</P>
<P N="8">8. I Quaere, whether you, and men of your &s;tamp (remain|ing under the power of your lu&s;ts) will ever &s;ay, that you can finde any comfort at all in any mans mini&s;try, that is not a
<PB N="7" REF="9">Common-prayer-book man, or one that will give you and yours the Sacraments, and la&s;h at the power of godline&s;&s;e, and at the State, in preaching, and praying, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> doubtle&s;&s;e under &s;uch a mans mini&s;try (were he never &s;o ignorant, &s;canda|lous or prophane) you would plead that you found much comfort, to your &s;ouls, and that he was a man indeed for your money, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Well, if you have found no comfort, under my mini&s;try, yet my comfort is, that my reward is with the Lord, and my work with my God: my comfort is, that there are many hundreds in this City, that have, and that do finde comfort, by the ble&s;&s;ing and breathings of God upon my weak endeavours.</P>
<P>Further, in their Petition they &s;ay, that I am not &s;o quali|fied to their under&s;tandings, as to remain any longer with them.</P>
<P>To this I &s;ay, Fir&s;t, 'tis my joy and crown, that I am not &s;o qualified, as to plea&s;e and content, ignorant, prophane, malignant, &s;candalous per&s;ons in their formality, and impie|ty. Remembring that he is the be&s;t Preacher,
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Non qui aures tetigerit, &s;ed qui cer pupige|rit. Male de me lo|quuntur, &s;ed mali,</HI> &s;aith <HI>Se|neca.</HI></NOTE> not that tickles the ear, but that breaks the heart. 'Tis a comfort to me that I am no neerer that woe, <HI>Luk.</HI> 6.26. <HI>Woe be to you when all men &s;peak well of you.</HI> When one told <HI>Ari&s;tides,</HI> that he had every mans good word; &s;aith he, what evil have I done, that I &s;hould have every mans good word? 'Tis &s;ometimes more a &s;hame then an honour, to have the good word of prophane, ignorant, &s;candalous per&s;ons. <HI>Latymer</HI> in his la&s;t Sermon, be|fore King <HI>Edward,</HI> &s;aith, That he was glad when any objected indi&s;cretion again&s;t him in his Sermons; for by that he knew the matter was good, el&s;e they would &s;oon have condemned that. 'Twas a notable &s;aying of <HI>Salvian,</HI>
<NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>Mirum e&s;&s;et &s;i hominibus lo|quentia de Deo verba, non pla|ceant quibus ip|&s;e for&s;itan Deus non placet,</HI> Salv.</NOTE> 'Twere very &s;trange, (&s;aith he) If I &s;hould plea&s;e a world of men, when God him&s;elf, doth not give every man content. <HI>Luther,</HI> wri|ting to his friend, hath this pa&s;&s;age, My greate&s;t fear is the prai|&s;es of men, but my joy is in their reproaches and evill &s;peeches. 'Tis certain that the prai&s;es of men, to many, are the Ba&s;ilisks, that kill, the poy&s;on that de&s;troyes their immortal &s;ouls.</P>
<P N="2">2. I &s;ay, If the under&s;tandings of ignorant, malignant, prophane and &s;candalous per&s;ons, &s;hould be the rule or &s;tan|dard,
<PB N="8" REF="10">by which the abilities, or qualifications of &s;uch Mini&s;ters, that are Mini&s;ters, <HI>not of the letter, but of the &s;pirit,</HI> (as the A|po&s;tle &s;peaks) &s;hould be mea&s;ured and tried:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.6.</NOTE> doubtle&s;&s;e he that is no Witch may ea&s;ily conclude, that there are no Mini|&s;ters in <HI>England,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Jer.</HI> 5.30, 31.</NOTE> qualified to their under&s;tandings, but &s;uch as are malignant, ignorant, prophane, and &s;candalous as them|&s;elves; and &s;uch without doubt would be the onely qualified men to their under&s;tandings; as might be confirmed by a cloud of witne&s;&s;es.</P>
<P N="3">3.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Chriy&s;o&s;tom</HI> &s;tudied not, <HI>(aures titillare,</HI> but <HI>corda pun|gere)</HI> to tickle the ears of his hearers, but to prick and ravi&s;h their hearts. <HI>Prov.</HI> 11.30.</NOTE> Though I am not qualified, as to their under&s;tandings, yet (through grace) I am qualified, as to the under&s;tandings of tho&s;e, that are eminent both for piety and parts, and who have made tryal of what is in me, and what the Lord hath done for me. And though I am not &s;o qualified, as to gratifie your lu&s;ts, yet tis joy and honour enough to me, that the Lord hath &s;o qualified me with gifts and grace, as to make me in&s;trumental, to bring in &s;ouls to Chri&s;t, and to build up &s;ouls in Chri&s;t. In the day of account it will be made manife&s;t, that they have been the be&s;t, the wi&s;e&s;t, and able&s;t Preachers, who have brought mo&s;t &s;ouls to Chri&s;t, and provok't mo&s;t &s;ouls to walk with Chri&s;t,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP LANG="heb" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> <HI>velokeakh.</HI> which &s;igni|fies by art and indu&s;try, to catch &s;ouls, as Fowlers do to take birds.</NOTE> and cleave to Chri&s;t, and lift up Chri&s;t in this world. Through grace, I can &s;ay, (with ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Cooper</HI>) my witne&s;&s;e is in heaven, that I have no &s;uch joy, and plea|&s;ure, as in doing the work of Chri&s;t, and in being &s;erviceable to the honour of Chri&s;t, the intere&s;t of Chri&s;t, and the people of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P N="4">4. If this plea of prophane, ignorant, malignant and &s;can|dalous per&s;ons &s;hould be admitted, as authentick, doubtle&s;&s;e, all the godly,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">They that are wi&s;e cannot but ob&s;erve much of this &s;pirit, upon all the prophane, ignorant, and malignant per&s;ons in the Nation.</NOTE> tender con&s;cientious Mini&s;ters in the Nation, that can't do as they would have them, would quickly be ejected. All the prophane, ignorant, malignant, &s;candalous per&s;ons in the Nation, would &s;oon cry out, as one man, Our Mini&s;ters are not &s;o qualified to our under&s;tandings, as to re|main any longer with us, <HI>Ergo.</HI></P>
<P N="5">5. 'Tis to be remembred, that when the Petitioners were &s;everal times pre&s;t by the Committee, to &s;hew wherein I was not qualified for the work of the Mini&s;try,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Petition|ers &s;eemed to be like tho&s;e in <HI>Matth.</HI> 22.46. that were non plu&s;t, by the que&s;tion Chri&s;t put to them, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> My fir&s;t Ser|mon preached before the Parliament, was on the 26. Decmb. 1648. My &s;econd was preached on the 8. of Octo|ber, 1650. for that great vi|ctory, the Lord of Ho&s;ts gave our Ar|my over the <HI>Scots</HI> Army, in a barttel at <HI>Dunbar,</HI> Sept. 3. 1650. and both are prin|ted by their Order. Be&s;ides my book, cal|led, <HI>Precious Renedies a|gain&s;t Satans devices;</HI> which came forth this year which &s;ome of them have &s;een.</NOTE> they all &s;eemed to be dumb, and at very great lo&s;&s;e, as not knowing what to
<PB N="9" REF="10">an&s;wer; but at la&s;t, their malignant Champion, after much pumping gave this an&s;wer to the Committee, That I was not &s;o qualified to their under&s;tandings, as to remain any longer among them; becau&s;e I would not give them the Sa|craments, nor bury their dead; which put &s;ome rather upon &s;milings, then upon an&s;wering. But at la&s;t a worthy Member of that Committee, made this an&s;wer, That they had both heard me and &s;een me in Print, and &s;o were be&s;t able to make a judgement of my abilities, and fitne&s;&s;e for the work of the Mini&s;try, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> For a clo&s;e of this branch of the Petition, I &s;hall onely &s;ay this, (being compelled thereunto by &s;ome) that I do believe, that I have &s;pent more money at the Univer|&s;ity, and in helps to Learning, then &s;everal of the&s;e Petitioners are worth: (though haply I have not been &s;o good a profici|cient, as tho&s;e that have &s;pent le&s;&s;e) I am a lover of the Tongues, and do, by daily experience, finde, that knowledg in the Original tongues, is no &s;mall help for the under&s;tand|ing of Scripture, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Yet am I not kin to them, that advance and lift up acquired gifts, above the &s;weet &s;anctifying gifts and graces of the Spirit of Chri&s;t, in the &s;ouls of his Saints, as many have, and do to this day. But certainly Chri&s;t will more and mote, cloud tho&s;e that labour to cloud the &s;hinings forth of his Spirit, in the &s;ouls of his &s;ervants. Nor yet am I kin to <HI>Licinius,</HI> who held Learning to be the Common wealths Ratsbane. Neither am I kin to tho&s;e, that labour might and main the overthrow of Learning, in order to their lifting up <HI>Jack Straw.</HI> 'Tis &s;ad, when men are not &s;o ingenious, as to favour that in others, which they can't finde in them&s;elves.</P>
<P>Further, the Petitioners &s;ay, that I refu&s;e to Baptize their children, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> 1. This give me leave to premi&s;e by the way, that tis my judgement,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Gen.</HI> 17. <HI>Act.</HI> 2.38, 39. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 7.14. <HI>&amp;c.</HI></NOTE> (upon many grounds moving me to it) that Bapti&s;m is to be admini&s;tred to the children of believing Parents, who walk in the order of the Go&s;pel; and my practi&s;e herein, doth an&s;wer to my judgement, as is well known to many.</P>
<P N="2">2. But in the &s;econd place, I confe&s;&s;e I have refu&s;ed, and
<PB N="10" REF="11">&s;hall refu&s;e to Baptize the children of prophane, ignorant, malignant and &s;candalous per&s;ons, and that upon the&s;e fol|lowing grounds.</P>
<P N="1">1.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Non parentum aut majorum authoritas, &s;ed Dei docentis imperium,</HI> Je|rom. The command of God, mu&s;t out|weigh all au|thority, and example of men.</NOTE> Becau&s;e I cannot finde any warrant in my commi&s;&s;ion from Chri&s;t &s;o to do. I do &s;eriou&s;ly profe&s;&s;e, that I have made a diligent &s;earch and &s;trict inquiry into that commi&s;&s;ion, that I have received from the Lord, for the di&s;pencing of holy things; and I cannot finde any thing in my commi&s;&s;ion that will bear me out, in the Baptizing the children of tho&s;e Pa|rents that are prophane, ignorant, malignant, &s;candalous, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> and therefore I cannot do it, le&s;t I &s;hould hear Chri&s;t and con&s;cience, &s;ounding that &s;ad word in my ears; <HI>Who hath re|quired this at your hand?</HI> I&s;ai. 1.12.</P>
<P N="2">2. Becau&s;e, &s;uch per&s;ons that are prophane, ignorant, ma|lignant,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Mat.</HI> 3.5, 6, 7, 8, 9.10, 11, 12. <HI>Mark.</HI> 1.4, 5. <HI>Act.</HI> 2.38, 41. <HI>Luke</HI> 3.3. <HI>Act.</HI> 13.24. <HI>Act.</HI> 8.12, 31. to the end. <HI>Act.</HI> 10.45, 46, 47, 48. <HI>Acts</HI> 18 8. <HI>Acts</HI> 22.16, 17, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> So <HI>P&s;.</HI> 50.16, 17.</NOTE> &s;candalous, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> if they were now to be baptized them&s;elves, ought not to be baptized, they having no right to bapti&s;m, as the&s;e Scriptures in the margent do evidence: there|fore &s;uch Parents cannot ju&s;tly, upon any Scripture account, chalenge bapti&s;m for their children, who have no right to it them&s;elves. All that know any thing are not ignorant of this, that tis the Parents intere&s;t in the Covenant that gives the child right to bapti&s;m; now how prophane, ignorant, &s;candalous parents, can give their children right to bapti&s;m when they have no right to it them&s;elves, is a thing that I am no wayes able to reach; and a thing (I judg) too hard for any to prove <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 2.2, 3.</P>
<P N="3">3. Becau&s;e, the children of Parents, whereof neither can be judged, to be a Believer, ought not to be Baptized, till the child grow up to manife&s;t his own faith, as the&s;e Scriptures (among many others that might be produced) prove, <HI>Gen.</HI> 17.7, 8, 9. <HI>Act.</HI> 2.39, 40, 41. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 7.14. <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>I&s;a.</HI> 28.15, 18. <GAP LANG="heb" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> They cut a covenant with hell &amp; death: in old time men were wont to kill and cut a&s;un|der &s;acrificed bea&s;ts, and to pa&s;&s;e between the parts di|vided, <HI>Gen</HI> 15.17. <HI>Jer.</HI> 34.18. The cere|mony intend|ed an impre|cation, that he might be cut in pieces, as that bea&s;t was, who &s;hould vi|olate the cove|nant &s;o made. The &s;ame rite was u&s;ed among the heatheni&s;h Gentiles al&s;o, <HI>Rom.</HI> 14.23.</NOTE> Becau&s;e, prophane, ignorant, &s;candalous per&s;ons, &amp;c. are vi&s;ibly in covenant with Satan, and therefore to admini|&s;ter bapti&s;m, the &s;eal of the Covenant to their children, upon their accounts who are vi&s;ibly in Covenant with Satan, can|not but be a notorious prophaning of the Ordinance, there|fore I dare not do it. Now that &s;uch per&s;ons are vi&s;ibly in Covenant with Satan is clear, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 28.15. <HI>Becau&s;e ye have &s;aid,
<PB N="11" REF="11">We have made a covenant with death, and with hell, are we at agree|ment, when the overflowing &s;courge &s;hall pa&s;&s;e through, it &s;hall not come unto us; for we have made lyes our refuge, and under fal&s;hood have we hid our &s;elves,</HI> ver&s;. 18. <HI>And your covenant with death &s;hall be di&s;anulled, and your agreement with hell &s;hall not &s;tand; when the overflowing &s;courge &s;hall pa&s;&s;e through, then ye &s;hall be trodden down by it.</HI> Not that they had formally made a covenant with Sa|tan; but their waies and cour&s;es were &s;uch, as did proclaim to the world, that they had as it were formally made a cove|nant with hell and death. Therefore to apply this ble&s;&s;ed Ordinance to their children, who are thus invi&s;ibly in cove|nant with Satan; and who are not capable thereof, through want of divine warrant, cannot (doubtle&s;&s;e) but be e&s;teemed a high prophaning of it.</P>
<P N="5">5. Becau&s;e, I may not yield blind obedience, nor do any thing doubtingly, both which I &s;hould do, &s;hould I baptize their children, who are prophane, ignorant, &s;candalous, mockers, and &s;coffers, at God and godline&s;&s;e, &amp;c.</P>
<P N="6">6. Becau&s;e, by admini&s;tring that holy Ordinance to the children of prophane, ignorant, &s;candalous per&s;ons, I &s;hall make my &s;elf guilty, of nouri&s;hing,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">If I partake in other mens &s;ins, I mu&s;t partake in their pu|ni&s;hments. <HI>Rev.</HI> 18.4. Chri&s;tians were wont to be of that courage, that they feared nothing but &s;in. <HI>Nil ni&s;i peccatum timeo,</HI> &s;aid <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI></NOTE> and cheri&s;hing in &s;uch wicked per&s;ons, &s;uch vain opinions and conceits, that cannot but be very prejudicial to their &s;ouls, as that they have aright to that precious ordinance, when they have none. That God hath taken their children into covenant, as well as the chil|dren of the be&s;t believers in the world, when he hath not. That God is more favourable and loving to them, then indeed he is: And that their ca&s;e is not &s;o bad as &s;ome would make it, &amp;c. All which opinions and conceits (with many more of the &s;ame &s;tamp that might be named) cannot but prove many wayes prejudicial to mens immortal &s;ouls.</P>
<P>I &s;hall forbear the laying down any more rea&s;ons, why I have not, nor &s;hall not baptize their children, who are pro|phane, ignorant, malignant, &s;candalous, mockers, and &s;coffers at God and godline&s;&s;e; judging that the&s;e may be &s;ufficient, to &s;atisfie all intelligent men.</P>
<P>Further, the&s;e Petitioners &s;ay, that I will not give them the Lords Supper.</P>
<PB N="12" REF="12">
<P>An&s;w. Though I do give the Lords Supper to tho&s;e to whom of right it belonges, yet I cannot, I dare not give it to prophane, ignorant, malignant, &s;candalous per&s;ons. I had, with <HI>Calvin,</HI> rather dye, then that this hand of mine &s;hould give the things of God to the contemners of God.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6.14. <HI>ult. Phil.</HI> 32. <HI>Mat.</HI> 15.26. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.12, 13. <HI>Rev.</HI> 22.15, 21, 27. It is wor&s;e to admit a man openly pollu|ted with &s;ins, then a man bodily po&s;&s;e&s;|&s;ed with De|vils, <HI>Chry&s;o&s;t.</HI> The <HI>Thurians</HI> had a law, that who&s;oe|ver went a|bout to abo|li&s;h an old law &s;hould pre&s;ent him&s;elf with a rope about his neck, before the people; that if his in|vention was not approved, he might pre|&s;ently be &s;trangled. You know how to apply it. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11.27, 28, 29, 30. <HI>Rev.</HI> 2.12, 13, 14, 15, 16. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 10.3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 21, 22. compared, <HI>Nehem.</HI> 13.18, 19.</NOTE> And with <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tom,</HI> I had rather give my life to a murderer, then Chri&s;ts body to an unworthy receiver. And had rather to &s;uffer my own blood to be poured out like water, then to ten|der Chri&s;ts ble&s;&s;ed blood to any ba&s;e liver, and that upon the&s;e following grounds.</P>
<P N="1">1. Becau&s;e, &s;uch per&s;ons are excluded by the word of God, from communion with Believers in that glorious Ordinance, as the Scriptures in the margent do evidence.</P>
<P N="2">2. Not onely the Scriptures, but the very Epi&s;copal Ru|brick, for the admini&s;tration of the Communion, dos exclude, and &s;hut out &s;uch per&s;ons from the &s;upper of the Lord, in the&s;e words, <HI>They that intended to partake of the holy Communion, &s;hould &s;ignifie their names afore to the Curat and if any of tho&s;e be an open and notorious evil liver, &s;o that the Congregation is offended; or have done any wrong to his neighbour by word or deed, the Curat having knowledg, &s;hall call him and adverti&s;e him in any wi&s;e, not to pre&s;ume to the Lords table, until he hath openly declared him&s;elf, to have truely repented, and amended his former naughty life, that the congregation may thereby be &s;atisfied,</HI> &amp;c. As for the Presbyterial way, you all know, that by their Directory, and lawes annexed, they mu&s;t not receive any to the Communion that are ignorant, &s;candalous or prophane in their conver&s;ation. So that the &s;umme of what hath been &s;aid is this, that by the lawes of God, and by the lawes of Epi&s;copacy, and by the lawes of Presbyterie, prophane, ignorant, and &s;candalous per&s;ons are to be excluded from the Supper of the Lord. <HI>Ergo.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. Becau&s;e, the admitting of &s;uch that are prophane, igno|rant, &s;candalous, or that are &s;coffers, and mockers of all good|ne&s;&s;e, &amp;c. to the Supper of the Lord, is the ready way to turn the Hou&s;e of God into a den of theeves; and to bring a dread|ful doom, both upon con&s;enters, and pre&s;umers, as the Scrip|tures in the margent will make good. Not onely the lack of the word and Sacraments, (&s;aith <HI>Bil&s;on</HI>) but the abu&s;e of
<PB N="13" REF="12">either greatly hazards the weal of the whole Church. If prophane ones be allowed to defile the my&s;teries and a&s;&s;em|blies of the faithfull, and holy things be ca&s;t to doggs,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 7.6.</NOTE> it will procure a dreadfull doom, as well to con&s;entaries as pre&s;umers. <HI>Ergo,</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. Becau&s;e there are many horrid &s;ins in their coming to the Supper of the Lord.</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1 There is horrid pride,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Yet pride cannot climb &s;o high, but ju&s;tice will &s;it above her.</NOTE> el&s;e no man in his wickedne&s;&s;e would pre&s;ume to ta&s;t of the Tree of Life.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2 There is Rebellion and Trea&s;on again&s;t the Crowne and Dingity of Chri&s;t. Their hands and lips adore him, as <HI>Judas</HI> his did, but their hearts and lives abhor him.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3 There is theft and &s;acriledge,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Po&s;&s;idonius</HI> re|ports, that all that took the gold of <HI>Tho|lo&s;&s;e,</HI> peri&s;hed in the po&s;&s;e&s;|&s;ion of it. Apply it. They may &s;ay with <HI>Henry</HI> the 7th, the cup of life is made my death.</NOTE> if the taking away of the Communion Cup or Cloath, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> be &s;uch horrible theft and &s;acriledge, &s;urely, it is far greater theft and &s;acriledge to take that bread and wine that is &s;et apart, and &s;anctified by the Lord him&s;elfe, for a holy u&s;e.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4 There is murther in the cruelle&s;t manner that can be; for they kill two at once, Chri&s;t, and their own &s;ouls, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 11.27.29. compared.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>'Twas wickedne&s;&s;e in <HI>Julian</HI> to throw his blood in the face of Chri&s;t; but for a wicked Communicant to take Chri&s;ts own blood (as it were from his heart) and throw it into the face of Chri&s;t, is mo&s;t abominable and damnable.</P>
<P N="5">5.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">A gracious &s;oul may &s;ay, not only (<HI>Credo vitam aeternam &amp; edo vitamaeternam</HI>) I believe life eternall, but I receive life eternall.</NOTE> They want tho&s;e qualifications that &s;hould fit them for this glorious Ordinance. As,</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1 Experimentall knowledge.</ITEM>
<ITEM>2 Faith, without which they cannot &s;ee Chri&s;t, nor re|ceive Chri&s;t, nor feed upon Chri&s;t, nor apply Chri&s;t, nor &s;eale to Chri&s;t.</ITEM>
<ITEM>3 Repentance from dead works.</ITEM>
<ITEM>4 New obedience.</ITEM>
<ITEM>5 Love to Chri&s;t and his Children.</ITEM>
<ITEM>6 Holy thankfulne&s;&s;e.</ITEM>
<ITEM>7 A &s;pirituall Appetite. All which are ab&s;olutely ne|ce&s;&s;ary to fit &s;ouls for the Lords Supper, <HI>Ergo.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="6">6. Becau&s;e &s;uch as are prophane, &s;candalous, &s;coffers,
<PB N="14" REF="13">and mockers,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Read the&s;e Scriptures. <HI>Prov.</HI> 4.14, 15, 16. <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 5.14. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.9, 10, 11. 2 <HI>Tim</HI> 3.1, 2, 3, 4, 5. The Heathen could &s;ay <HI>(Qui aequo ani|mo malis im|mi&s;cetur, malus e&s;t)</HI> He that is well content|ed to keep company w^t^h tho&s;e that are naught, is him&s;elf made naught. <HI>Eu&s;eb. lib.</HI> 3. <HI>c.</HI> 25. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5. 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1.19, 20. <HI>Mat.</HI> 18.15, 16, 17, 18. 2 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 3.6. 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 6.3, 4, 5.</NOTE> <HI>&amp;c.</HI> are not fit for civil &s;ociety, how much le&s;&s;e fit are they then for Religious &s;ocieties? Men that love but their names and credits in the world will &s;hun the &s;o|ciety of &s;uch vain per&s;ons; how much more then, &s;hould men that love their Chri&s;t, and that love their precious &s;ouls, &s;hun &s;uch &s;ociety? Look as &s;helves and &s;ands do en|danger the Sea-man, and as weeds endanger the corne, and bad humours, the blood, and an infected hou&s;e, the neigh|bourhood: So does the &s;ociety of evill men, endanger good men. One &s;aid, <HI>As oft as I have been among wicked men, I re|turned home le&s;&s;e a man then I was before.</HI> Men that keep ill company, are like tho&s;e that walk in the &s;un, tanned in&s;en|&s;ibly. <HI>Eu&s;ebius</HI> reports of <HI>John</HI> the Evangeli&s;t, that he would not &s;uffer <HI>Cerinibus</HI> the Heretick in the &s;ame Bath with him, le&s;t &s;ome judgement &s;hould abide them both. You may ea&s;i|ly apply it to the point in hand.</P>
<P N="7">7. Becau&s;e &s;uch per&s;ons as are prophane, &s;candalous, and wicked, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> if they were in the Church, they are by the word of God to be Excommunicated, and cut off from vi&s;i|ble union and communion with Chri&s;t and his Church; therefore they are not to be admitted to the priviledges of the Church. That wickedne&s;&s;e that is a &s;ufficient ground for the ca&s;ting them out if they were in, is a &s;ufficient ground to keep them out from polluting the glorious Ordinance of the Lord.</P>
<P N="8">8.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Mat.</HI> 26.27, 28, 29. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 10.16, 17, <HI>&amp;c. Mat.</HI> 3.12.</NOTE> Becau&s;e the Supper of the Lord is a Fea&s;t in&s;tituted by Chri&s;t only for his friends and children, for tho&s;e that have received &s;pirituall life from him, and that have union and communion with him. But prophane, ignorant, malignant, &s;candalous per&s;ons,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Luke</HI> 15 8. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.6, 7.</NOTE> are chaffe which the fan flings out of the floor. They be as dirt and du&s;t which the be&s;ome &s;weeps out of the hou&s;e. They be as leaven, which if let alone, &s;o wres the whole lump, and therefore mu&s;t be purged out. They be as thorns and briers which mu&s;t not &s;tand in the midde&s;t of the corne,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Heb.</HI> 6.8. <HI>Rom.</HI> 3.13. <HI>Mat.</HI> 3.7.</NOTE> but mu&s;t be &s;tub'd up and burned. They be as o|pen Sepulchres, out of which proceeds nothing but noy|&s;ome &s;avours.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Acts</HI> 28.3, 4, 5.</NOTE> They be as Vipers, which mu&s;t be &s;hook off, as <HI>Paul</HI> &s;hook off the Viper that fa&s;tned upon his hand. They
<PB N="15" REF="13">be as ravenous wolves, which every carefull,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>John</HI> 10.12.</NOTE> watchfull &s;hepheard mu&s;t keep out of his fold. They be as &s;wine, that will trample the choice&s;t pearls under their feet,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Matth.</HI> 7.6.</NOTE> if they &s;hould be ca&s;t before them; therefore Mini&s;ters mu&s;t not hang Go&s;pel-pearls in &s;uch &s;wines &s;nouts,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">The Table of the Lord (&s;aith <HI>Chry&s;o|&s;tome</HI>) is that whereon the (ble&s;&s;ed) car|ka&s;&s;e is laid; we mu&s;t not &s;uffer chatter|ing Jaies to come there|unto, for only high-flying Eagles are to feed there|upon.</NOTE> nor ca&s;t them under &s;uch &s;wines feet. The fouler the che&s;t is, the more unfit it is to have a fair and precious Garment put therein; and the filthier the &s;oule is, the unfiter it is to re|ceive in this holy Sacrament. I have read of a Jewel, that being put into a dead mans mouth, lo&s;eth all its vertue. Such a Jewell is the Supper of the Lord, it loo&s;eth its vertue when 'tis put in prophane, ignorant, &s;candalous per&s;ons mouths, who are dead God-wards, and dead Hea|ven-wards, and dead Holyne&s;&s;e-wards, and dead Chri&s;t-wards.</P>
<P>La&s;tly, the&s;e Petitioners &s;ay, That I will not bury their dead.</P>
<P>To this I &s;hall give this &s;hort An&s;wer, That if they mean that I would bury their dead after the old fa&s;hion,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Matth.</HI> 8.22. Nay, 'tis known to hundreds, that 'tis my practice, after the dead is buryed, to preach to the people that are met upon that occa&s;ion (if &s;o de&s;ired) many grounds moving me thereunto.</NOTE> I con|fe&s;&s;e it, and &s;hall only &s;ay, that 'tis mo&s;t proper for the dead to bury the dead, as Chri&s;t &s;peaks; my work being to Preach the Go&s;pel. But if by burying their dead, they mean, that I wil not accompany their Corps to the grave, being the la&s;t office of love that can be performed to the decea&s;ed per|&s;on, 'tis notorious fal&s;e; all that know any thing of the Scripture, can't but know that there is nothing in all the Book of God that will bear a Mini&s;ter out to bury the dead, as prophane, ignorant, &s;candalous per&s;ons, would have them buried; and therefore I don't, and I hope I &s;hall ne|ver be &s;o far left of God, as to conform to the &s;uper&s;titious de&s;ires and cu&s;toms of vain men.</P>
<P>Reader, for a clo&s;e, thou maye&s;t take notice, That though I was ready to give in the fore-named Arguments,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Greater re|&s;pect the Ho|nourable Committee could not ca&s;t upon me, nor greater con|tempt upon the prophane malignant Pe|titioners, then not to put me to an&s;wer to the things ob|jected again&s;t mee. One of the&s;e prophane ma|lignant Peti|tioners obje|cted to me, <HI>Judas</HI> his re|ceiving the Supper of the Lord, which I di&s;proved, &amp; yet this vain; per&s;on (as I have been in|form'd) boa&s;t|ed of victory. <HI>John</HI> 13.30. <HI>Hilar Durand. Pi&s;cator, Beza, &amp;c.</HI> compare <HI>Mat.</HI> 26. and <HI>Mark.</HI> 14. to|gether, and you &s;hall find that neither of them doaf|firm that <HI>Ju|das</HI> was at the Lords Supper, therefore we have no ground to be|leeve that <HI>Ju|das</HI> was at that ble&s;&s;ed Supper. <HI>Luke</HI> 22.19, 20. <HI>Mat.</HI> 26.26, 27, 28, 29.</NOTE> in an&s;wer to the objections made by the Prophane Malignants, in their Petition again&s;t me. Yet the Committee in their wi&s;domes (it &s;eems) did not judge it meet &s;o much as to ask me a rea&s;on, why I did not Baptize their Children, give them the Lords Supper, and bury their dead: they well knowing,
<PB N="16" REF="14">that there is nothing more ordinary, then for tho&s;e to be bauling and crying out for Ordinances, that have no right to them: And that if upon the non giving of the Ordi|nances to &s;uch prophane per&s;ons, they &s;hould eject Mini|&s;ters out of their places, they &s;hould quickly eject all tho&s;e in the Nation, that are mo&s;t tender of the honour of Chri&s;t, and that have been &s;ome of their be&s;t friends in the wor&s;t times.</P>
<P>Before I give the Councel intended to the Petitioners, I judge it u&s;efull (in &s;everall re&s;pects) to batter downe that which mo&s;t prophane, ignorant, malignant, &s;canda|lous per&s;ons doe count their &s;trong hold, or their greate&s;t Argument to prove it lawfull for them to receive the Sup|per of the Lord, notwith&s;tanding their prophanene&s;&s;e and wickedne&s;&s;e; and that is, <HI>That Judas was admitted to the Lords Supper, and that they are not wor&s;e then Judas, no nor yet &s;o bad, Ergo.</HI></P>
<P>Now for the ca&s;ting downe of this their (imagined) &s;trong hold, for the di&s;patching this their fir&s;t born, this their <HI>Goliah,</HI> con&s;ider with me the&s;e following things.</P>
<P N="1">1. The Holy Gho&s;t by the Evangeli&s;t <HI>John,</HI> doth punctu|ally, and expre&s;ly tell us, that <HI>Judas</HI> went out immediate|ly after the &s;op. That this &s;op was no part of the Sacra|mentall Supper, both Fathers and School-men doe agree, and many others in our own time, who are men of great piety and parts, <HI>Ergo.</HI></P>
<P>Did I know any thing of weight that could be objected again&s;t this Argument, I would be &s;o faithfull as to give an an&s;wer to it, as the Lord &s;hould inable me to doe, but I know nothing that ha's that &s;trength in it, as to weaken the truth a&s;&s;erted.</P>
<P N="2">2. Tho&s;e to whom Chri&s;t gave the Sacrament, he &s;aith without exception, <HI>This is my body which is given for you; this is the cup of the new Te&s;tament, in my blood, which is &s;hed for you; and I will not drinke henceforth of the fruit of the Vine, untill that day I drinke it new with you in my Fathers Kingdome.</HI>
<PB N="17" REF="14">Now I would willingly know,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Were hypo|crites, and re|probates known to us, we ought to &s;hut the door again&s;t them, and will Chri&s;t open it? &s;ure|ly no.</NOTE> how this can in the lea&s;t mea|&s;ure &s;tand with the wi&s;dom, holine&s;s, ju&s;tice, righteou&s;ne&s;s, innocency, and integrety of Chri&s;t, to &s;ay this, and promi&s;e this to <HI>Judas,</HI> whom he knew to be an hypocrite, reprobate, a devil, as him&s;elf calls him? <HI>Joh.</HI> 6.70, 71. <HI>chap.</HI> 13.10, 11. If this be not to make Chri&s;t a fal&s;e witne&s;&s;e, a lyer, a decei|ver, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> I know not any thing.</P>
<P N="3">3. 'Tis as clear as the Sun, (from that 22. of <HI>Luke</HI> 28, 29, 30.) that tho&s;e to whom Chri&s;t gave the Sacrament, were &s;uch as did continue with him in his temptations,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Matth.</HI> 26.24. <HI>Mark</HI> 14.21. <HI>Joh.</HI> 6.70. <HI>Act.</HI> 1.25. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6.2, 3.</NOTE> and &s;uch as Chri&s;t did appoint to them a kingdom, and &s;uch as &s;hould &s;et upon Thrones, &amp;c. Now are there any &s;o vain and fooli&s;h, as to &s;ay, that <HI>Judas</HI> did continue with him in his temptations? Or, that Chri&s;t did appoint to him any other kingdom, then a kingdome of darkne&s;&s;e? Or, that he &s;hall &s;et on a Throne to judge others, who &s;hall at la&s;t be judged as a Devil?</P>
<P N="4">4.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Quod non acti|bus, &s;ed finibus pen&s;antur officia.</HI> Duties are e&s;teemed not by their acts, but by their ends.</NOTE> <HI>Judas</HI> was no wayes capable of any of tho&s;e noble ends and glorious u&s;es, for which the Lord Je&s;us appointed this Sacrament; he having no real love to Chri&s;t, no experimental knowledge of Chri&s;t, no faith to di&s;cern Chri&s;t, to apply Chri&s;t, to feed upon Chri&s;t, to &s;eal to Chri&s;t, &amp;c. How could this Ordinance &s;trengthen grace in his heart, who was wholly void of grace? How could this Ordinance confirm him in the love of God, who was at that very time under the great|e&s;t wrath of God?
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Maximilians</HI> Motto, was <HI>Tene men&s;uram, &amp; re&s;pice fi|nem.</HI></NOTE> How could this Ordinance &s;eal up to him the pardon of his &s;ins, who notwith&s;tanding all the hell fire, that Chri&s;t ca&s;t in his face, yet would hold on in his &s;ins, and rather betray Chri&s;t into the hands of his enemies, and his own &s;oul into the hand of Satan, then cea&s;e from doing wick|edly, &amp;c. That little wi&s;dom that is in man, will work him to forbear his work, and &s;u&s;pend his act,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Colo&s;&s;.</HI> 2.3.</NOTE> where he &s;ees his end will fail. And will not tho&s;e trea&s;ures of wi&s;dome that be in the Lord Je&s;us, much more work him to &s;u&s;pend his work, where he &s;ees plainly and cleerly that his end will fail him? (as in the ca&s;e of <HI>Judas</HI>) &s;urely it will.</P>
<P N="5">5. Con&s;ider &s;eriou&s;ly, whether it be in any degree pro|bable, that Je&s;us Chri&s;t would give his blood to <HI>Judas,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">John 17.9.</NOTE> and yet not &s;o much as lift up a prayer for <HI>Judas;</HI> that Chri&s;t
<PB N="18" REF="15">would do the greater thing for <HI>Judas,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Sanguis Chri|&s;ti, clavis coeli.</HI> Chri&s;ts blood is heavens key. And &s;o Judas would have found had Chri&s;t gi|ven it to him.</NOTE> and yet not doe the le&s;&s;er; that he &s;hould give his blood to <HI>Judas,</HI> and yet not &s;pend a little of his breath, to &s;ave <HI>Judas</HI> from wallowing in his blood for ever. Among men, it would argue the greate&s;t weakne&s;&s;e that could be, to deny the lea&s;t favour, where they have &s;hewed the greate&s;t favour, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Well, but if for argument &s;ake we &s;hould grant, that <HI>Judas</HI> did receive the Lords Supper, it will not from thence follow, that tis lawful for tho&s;e that are openly prophane, wicked, &s;candalous, and malignant to receive it, and that upon the&s;e following grounds.</P>
<P><HI>Rea&s;on</HI> 1.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Secreta mea mecum.</HI> My &s;e|cret is with my &s;elf, is an Hebrew Proverb. We are not to look to mens hearts, but to their lives and conver&s;ations, and according as they are good or bad &s;o to proceed.</NOTE> For that <HI>Judas</HI> was a clo&s;e hypocrites and carri|ed his &s;in &s;o &s;ecretly, that nothing appeared openly again&s;t him, for Chri&s;t yet to refu&s;e him. Hypocri&s;ie is &s;pun of a fine thred, and not ea&s;ily di&s;cerned, <HI>Matth.</HI> 26.21, 22. And as they did eat, he &s;aid, <HI>Verily I &s;ay unto you, that one of you &s;hall betray me: And they were exceeding &s;orrowful, and began every one of them to &s;ay unto him, Lord is it I?</HI> Sincere hearts, are more jealous of them&s;elves then of others; and will rather judge a thou|&s;and hypocrites to be Saints, then one Saint to be an hypo|crite.</P>
<P><HI>Rea&s;on</HI> 2. Becau&s;e <HI>Judas</HI> was a member of the Church, and had done nothing openly that could ca&s;t him out; and by vertue of this member&s;hip, he might ju&s;tly claim it as his due, he being called into fellow&s;hip by Chri&s;t him&s;elf. Now what advantage is this, to &s;uch open prophane wicked per|&s;ons, as (<HI>de jure</HI>) ought and (<HI>de facto</HI>) are excluded from the Lords Supper, as I have before cleerly and fully proved.</P>
<P><HI>Rea&s;on</HI> 3.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Judas, as <HI>Ter|tullian</HI> thinks, was pretty ho|ne&s;t till he carried the bag. (It is hard to be in office, and not to put con&s;ci|ence out of office) Seve|ral other Wri|ters were of <HI>Tertullians</HI> opi|nion concern|ing Judas, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 50.1, 2. <HI>Prov.</HI> 28.21. <HI>Cato</HI> hits M. <HI>Caelius</HI> in the teeth with this ba&s;ene&s;&s;e, that for a mor&s;el of bread, hee would &s;ell ei|ther his tongue, or his &s;ilence. <HI>I&s;a</HI> 53.2, 3. <HI>Act.</HI> 5.30, 31. <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.34. <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 1.20, 21, 22, 23. <HI>Prov.</HI> 15.21. <HI>Matth.</HI> 27.3, 4, 5. <HI>Prov.</HI> 30.20.</NOTE> Becau&s;e, in re&s;pect of wickedne&s;&s;e and all pro|phane&s;&s;e, they go beyond <HI>Judas, Judas</HI> was no drunkard, &s;wearer, mocker, &s;coffer, he did not &s;in openly, and glory in his &s;in. He did not by any open way of wickedne&s;&s;e, &s;ad and quench Chri&s;t his Spirit, or Di&s;ciples: he was &s;o far from giving any &s;candall, or offence to his fellow-Di&s;ciples, that when Chri&s;t told them, <HI>one of you &s;hall betray me,</HI> they were all jealous of them&s;elves, none of them were jealous of <HI>Judas; And they began every one of them to &s;ay unto him, Lord, is it I?
<PB N="19" REF="15">Judas</HI> betrayed Chri&s;t for thirty pieces of &s;ilver, but open pro|phane wicked per&s;ons, they betray Chri&s;t, his word, his peo|ple, and their own &s;ouls for a thing of naught. They will tran&s;gre&s;&s;e for a mor&s;el of bread, (as <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;peaks) for a trifle. They will fell the greate&s;t and the choice&s;t things dog|cheap, even at the poore&s;t and the lowe&s;t rate, that the world, or the god of this world &s;hall bid. <HI>Judas</HI> betrayed Chri&s;t once, and open prophane wicked per&s;ons, by their open trea|&s;ons and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, do oftentimes in a day betray the Crown, Scepter, and dignity of King Je&s;us. <HI>Judas</HI> plotted trea&s;on again&s;t Chri&s;t when he was in a low afflicted, de&s;pi&s;ed condition; but &s;uch as are openly prophane, and wicked, they plot and act trea&s;on again&s;t Chri&s;t, now he is exalted, crown|ed, and &s;et down at the right-hand of God, in that glory and Maje&s;ty, that can neither be conceived nor expre&s;&s;ed by any mortal creature. <HI>Judas</HI> betraies Chri&s;t, and is &s;truck with dreadful horror and terror, but &s;uch as are openly wicked, they betray Chri&s;t, and yet joy in their tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, which are as &s;o many trea&s;ons again&s;t Chri&s;t. <HI>Judas</HI> betrayes Chri&s;t, and yet ju&s;tifies the innocency of Chri&s;t, he repents and con|fe&s;&s;eth his &s;in; but &s;uch as are openly wicked, proceed from evil to evil, and yet with the harlot, they wipe their mouthes, and &s;ay, What evil have we done?</P>
<P><HI>Rea&s;.</HI> 4. Becau&s;e,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Had Chri&s;t, as a God and &s;earcher of the heart, kept out Judas from the Pa&s;&s;over, becau&s;e he knew his heart was naught, he had left us a pat|tern to eject &s;uch as the Church &s;hould be jealous of, that their hearts are not right before the Lord, when there is nothing de|tected.</NOTE> Chri&s;t gave the ble&s;&s;ed Sacrament Mini|&s;terially, as he was man, leaving them a pattern to walk by that &s;hould come after him; and &s;uch was the carriage of Chri&s;t toward <HI>Judas</HI> all along. Chri&s;t did not act toward <HI>Judas</HI> as he was an all-&s;eeing God, nor as he was the heart-maker, the heart-&s;earcher, the heart-ob&s;erver, the heart-di&s;co|verer, but he acted towards him mini&s;terially. Neither do I &s;ee how it could &s;tand with the holine&s;&s;e, ju&s;tice, faithfulne&s;&s;e, and wi&s;dom of Chri&s;t, to give that holy Ordinance to <HI>Judas,</HI> whom he knew (as he was God) to be &s;uch a dog, a devil, con&s;idering how he had bound all his &s;ervants from ca&s;ting pearls before &s;wine. To affirm that Chri&s;t gave the Sacra|ment to <HI>Judas,</HI> as he was God, what is this, but to make Chri&s;ts practi&s;e, fight again&s;t his own precepts? which for any to do, is, doubtle&s;&s;e, bla&s;phemy in the highe&s;t degree.</P>
<PB N="20" REF="16">
<P>And now I appeal to the con&s;ciences of all prophane, wicked, malignant per&s;ons, whether they were not better a thou&s;and times, to be &s;hut out from this glorious Ordinance of the Lords Supper, (till the Lord &s;hall in mercy, if it be his good plea&s;ure, fit them for it) then to think to get in at this door, by making <HI>Judas</HI> the Porter.</P>
<P>I &s;hall now adre&s;&s;e my &s;elf, to give &s;ome good coun&s;el to the Petitioners, and &s;o conclude.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="21" REF="16">
<HEAD>GOOD COUNCEL TO Bad Men. OR <HI>FRIENDLY ADVICE</HI> TO Unfriendly Neighbours, and their Abettors.</HEAD>
<P>_YOUR Petitioning again&s;t me, to all under|der&s;tanding men, was a compounded evil; an evil made up of pride, envy, malice, di&s;|content, ignorance, <HI>&amp;c.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Dan</HI> 4.27. <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 50.11. <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 33.14. <HI>&V;tinam ubique de gehenna di&s;&s;e|reretur,</HI> Chry|&s;o&s;tom. I could wi&s;h that men would di&s;|cour&s;e much and oft of hell.</NOTE> My councel to you is to breake off your &s;ins by repentance, that it may go well with you for ever; if you will not, ju&s;tice will be above you, and in the clo&s;e, you mu&s;t lye down in &s;orrow. Tell me, Can you dwell with the devouring fire? Can you dwell with everla&s;ting burnings? 'Twas a good &s;aying of <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tom,</HI> &s;peaking of hell, (<HI>Ne quaeramus ubi &s;it, &s;ed quomodo illam fugiamus</HI>) Let us not &s;eek where it is, but how we &s;hall e&s;cape it. Grievous is the torment of the damned for the bitterne&s;s of the puni&s;h|ments, but it is more grievous for the diver&s;itie of the puni&s;h|ments,
<PB N="22" REF="17">but mo&s;t grievous for the eternity of the puni&s;hments. Ah, con&s;ider before it be too late! what a &s;ad thing tis for &s;ouls, at la&s;t, to have the gate of Mercy, the gate of Indulgence, the gate of Hope, the gate of Glory, &s;hut upon them, <HI>Matth.</HI> 25.10. When a &s;inner is in hell, &s;hall another Chri&s;t be found to dye for him? or will the &s;ame Chri&s;t be crucified again? Oh no; oh that you were &s;o wi&s;e and merciful to your own &s;ouls,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">They were wont to &s;ay in former times, (<HI>Caius Seius bonus vir, &s;ed Chri&s;tianus. Caius Seius</HI> was a good man, but he was a Chri&s;ti|an. You may ea&s;ily apply it, &amp;c.</NOTE> as to dwell upon the&s;e Scriptures, <HI>Joh.</HI> 3.3. <HI>Je&s;us an|&s;wered, and &s;aid unto him, Verily, verily, I &s;ay unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot &s;ee the kingdom of God.</HI> Except men be fir&s;t unmade, and new made up again by the Spirit and Word; except the whole frame of their old conver&s;ation be di&s;&s;olved, and a better erected, there is no heaven to be had. Heaven is too holy, and too hot to hold Drunkards, Revilers, Mockers, and &s;uch like, as you may plainly &s;ee by comparing the&s;e Scriptures together, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6.9, 10. <HI>Gal.</HI> 5.19, 20, 21. <HI>Jude</HI> 14, 15. <HI>Revel.</HI> 21.8. &amp; 22.15. He that is truth it &s;elf and cannot lye, hath &s;aid, <HI>Without holine&s;s no man &s;hall &s;ee God,</HI> Heb. 12.14. This I am &s;ure of, that all mans happine&s;s here, is his holine&s;s, and his holine&s;s,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Chry&s;o&s;tem</HI> cals &s;ome holy men of his time <HI>(aggelous)</HI> earthly angels.</NOTE> &s;hall hereafter be his happine&s;s. You mu&s;t in this life be holy, or in the life to come you &s;hall never be happy. <HI>Seneca,</HI> a heathen man, &s;aw &s;o much excellency that morality put upon a man, that he &s;aith, that (<HI>ip&s;e a&s;pectus boni viri delectat</HI>) the very looks of a good man delights one. Oh then, what a beauty and glory, doth real &s;anctity put upon a man; <HI>it makes him more excellent then his neighbour,</HI> as <HI>Solomon</HI> &s;peaks, <HI>Proverbs</HI> 12.26. When <HI>Age&s;ilaus</HI> heard the king of <HI>Per&s;ia,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>P&s;alm</HI> 16.3.</NOTE> &s;tiled the great king, &s;aith he, <HI>I acknowledg none more ex|cellent then my &s;elf, unle&s;s more righteous; none greater, unle&s;s better.</HI></P>
<P>But to ha&s;ten towards a clo&s;e, you may be very confident of the&s;e few things, which I de&s;ire, as you tender your own good, you would &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ider.</P>
<P N="1">1. That tho&s;e waies of the fle&s;h, wherein now you walk, will be bitterne&s;s in the latter end,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">It was the &s;ay|ing of an anci|ent Philo&s;o|pher, Who&s;o|ever &s;inneth, doth in that decline from his purpo&s;ed end, and is cer|tainly decei|ved. Hark Scholer, &s;aid the Harlot to <HI>Apul&s;ius,</HI> 'Tis but a bitter &s;weet that you are &s;o fond of. Ah, your &s;coff|ing, and mock|ing, will prove but a bitter &s;weet at la&s;t. <HI>Act.</HI> 5.38, 39. &amp; chap. 9.4, 5. Con&s;tantine the great Symbole, was <HI>(immedicabile vulnus en&s;e re|&s;cindendum e&s;t.)</HI> When there is no hope of curing, men mu&s;t fall a cut|ing. And &s;o will God deal with &s;inners &s;ouls. There|fore look a|bout you &s;in|ners. <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 40.15. I laugh &s;aid <HI>Caligula</HI> &s;peak|ing to the Con&s;uls, to think that I can kill you with a nod of my head. And can't God do it with as much ea&s;e; <HI>Rom.</HI> 14.19. <HI>Heb.</HI> 12.14. <HI>Luther</HI> &s;aid, That in the cau&s;e of God he was con|tent <HI>(totius mundi odium &amp; impetum &s;u&s;tinere)</HI> to undergo, the hatred and vi|olence of the whole world. The Heathen Orator could &s;ay, <HI>(A recta con&s;cientia ne latum quidem unguem di&s;ce|dendum)</HI> a man may not depart an hairs breadth all his life long, from the dictates of a good con&s;ci|ence. <HI>Cant.</HI> 8.1. <HI>P&s;a</HI> 63.1, 2, 3. <HI>Rom.</HI> 14 1. &amp; chap. 15.1. 1 <HI>Joh.</HI> 1.3, 4. <HI>Luk.</HI> 23.24. <HI>Act.</HI> 7.39.60. <HI>Mat.</HI> 6.12, 13, 14, 15. <HI>Tully</HI> &s;aid of <HI>Cae&s;ar (nihil ob|livi&s;ci &s;oles, ni&s;i injurias)</HI> That he forgat no|thing but in|juries.</NOTE> <HI>Prov.</HI> 14.12. <HI>There is a way which &s;eemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the waies of death.</HI> Though &s;in doth come &s;ometimes cloathed with a &s;hew of rea&s;on, and religion, yet the end of it will be death.
<PB N="23" REF="17">Sin at la&s;t will betray your &s;ouls into the hands of Satan, as <HI>Dalilah</HI> did <HI>Samp&s;on,</HI> into the hands of the Phili&s;tims. Sinne makes the &s;oul black with filth, and red with guilt, and then vengeance follows. The Rabbins were wont to tell their Scho|lars, to &s;care them from &s;in, that every &s;in made Gods head ake; but, without &s;ound repentance, you will at la&s;t finde, that every &s;in will make your hearts ake. Oh, that when you are tempted to &s;in, you would &s;ay, as <HI>Demo&s;thenes</HI> the Oratour, did of the beautiful <HI>Lais,</HI> when he was asked an exce&s;&s;ive &s;um of money to behold her; I will not (&s;aid he) buy repentance &s;o dear. I am not &s;o ill a merchant, as to &s;ell the eternal for the temporal.</P>
<P N="2">2. You may be confident, that all your oppo&s;itions, one way or other, again&s;t the waies of God, and again&s;t the people of God, is a fighting again&s;t God, who will be too hard for you, when you have done your wor&s;t; and what you get, you may put in your eyes, and weep it out again. Tho&s;e that &s;trive for ma&s;tery with God, God will over-ma&s;ter with a witne&s;&s;e, <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 27.4. <HI>who would &s;et the briars and thornes again&s;t me in battel? I would go through them, I will burn them together.</HI> God can nod a &s;oul to hell; He can &s;peak a &s;oul mi&s;erable in a moment. Who ever &s;tood out again&s;t him and pro&s;pered? There is &s;uch a neer union between God and his people, be|tween God and his waies, that you cannot po&s;&s;ibly oppo&s;e them, but you oppo&s;e God him&s;elf, who can pre&s;ently cau&s;e the greate&s;t arm of humane power, to &s;hrink up; as you may &s;ee in his dealing with <HI>Pharoah, Hamman, Bel&s;hazzar,</HI> and others, &amp;c. Is a dry Reed able to &s;tand again&s;t a con&s;uming fire? Is a worm able to overcom a Lion? Is weakne&s;s able to overcom &s;trength? <HI>Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the &s;mall du&s;t of the ballance: Behold, he taketh up the I&s;les as a very little thing;</HI> as the Prophet <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> &s;peaks. And what then is the poor creature, that he &s;hould fight again&s;t an Almighty Creator? <HI>Cae&s;ar</HI> told <HI>Metellus,</HI> he could as ea&s;ily de&s;troy him, as bid it be done. So can God; Who dares then engage again&s;t him?</P>
<P N="3">3. You may be confident, that though I hate your &s;ins, yet I do don't hate your per&s;ons. I am willing to live in love,
<PB N="24" REF="18">and peace with all men, &s;o far as I may without &s;in; but I abhor compliancy with any man, to the di&s;honour of Chri&s;t, to the wounding of my con&s;cience, to the prophaning of holy things; or to the prejudice and di&s;advantage of the truth. 'Tis below humanity to hate a man, who&s;e nature and &s;imili|tude he may behold in the humanity of Chri&s;t. (<HI>Deum odit qui hominem odit</HI>) He hateth God, that hateth man. I mu&s;t love men, but hate their vice. It is &s;aid of <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> That they hated the deeds of the <HI>Nicolaitans,</HI> their errors not their per&s;ons. So <HI>Jacob</HI> cur&s;ed the wrath of his &s;ons, but ble&s;&s;ed their per&s;ons. So <HI>Paul,</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4.15. and &s;o do I, through free mercy.</P>
<P N="4">4. You may be confident, that I don't refu&s;e the baptizing of your children, and the giving you the Sacrament, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> out of pride, or envy, or upon any carnal account in the world, but onely upon the grounds, that I have before laid down. I take the &s;earcher of all hearts to witne&s;&s;e, that I &s;hould much rejoyce and ble&s;&s;e the Lord, if he would be plea&s;ed to work &s;uch a thorow work of grace upon all your hearts, as that I might (without &s;inne) di&s;pence all the precious things of Chri&s;t to you. Ah, tis not a joy, but a real grief to my &s;oul, that others han't that right, and can't come to tho&s;e Ordi|nances, which God hath made &s;o &s;weet and advantagious to me, and many others of the &s;ons of Sion.</P>
<P>Oh! how willing &s;hould I be, and tho&s;e that walk with me, to give you the right-hand of Fellow&s;hip, if we could but &s;ee, that the Lord has taken you into fellow&s;hip with his ble&s;&s;ed Self; that &s;o the Ordinance might be a cordial, and not poy&s;on to you.</P>
<P>I do profe&s;&s;e before the Lord, that I do, from my &s;oul, for|give you the wrong and injuries that you have done me, or attempted to do. God has been good to me, notwith&s;tanding my failing towards him, and my &s;ins again&s;t him: And the &s;en&s;e of his love and rich goodne&s;s, makes my bowels to earn towards you.</P>
<P>Oh! 'Tis a mercy more worth then a world to me, that God hath given me &s;uch a frame of &s;pirit, as that I can pray for your &s;ouls, and weep over your &s;ins; and that I am ready to &s;erve you in all tho&s;e waies, wherein I may further
<PB N="25" REF="18">the eternall welfare of your &s;ouls, <HI>&amp;c.</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Lihnod lelam|med,</HI> Wee therefore learn that we may teach, is a Proverb a|mong the Rabbins. I could have dealt with you in ano|ther way, had I not intend|ed the good of your &s;ouls. <HI>Jer.</HI> 44.15-<HI>ult. Acts</HI> 20.26, 27. <HI>Ezek.</HI> 3.17, 18, 19. 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 9.20, 21, 22. <HI>John</HI> 12.48. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5.10. <HI>Rom.</HI> 8.28. <HI>Micah</HI> 7.8, 9, 10. <HI>Jer.</HI> 20.9, 10, 11, 12. <HI>Mal.</HI> 3.17, 18. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 49. 4, 5. Prayer is <HI>(porta coeli cla|vis paradi&s;i)</HI> the gate of Heaven, a key to let us in to Paradi&s;e. <HI>Heb.</HI> 3.7-12. <HI>Nec Chri&s;tus nec coelum pa|titur hyperbo|len.</HI> A man cannot hy|perbolize in &s;peaking of Chri&s;t and Heaven. <HI>Omne bonum, in &s;ummo bono.</HI> All good is in the chiefe&s;t good. <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 1.16, 17.</NOTE> Make u&s;e of me in any thing wherein I may &s;erve you without &s;in, and &s;ee whether I &s;hall not be willing to act for your good, not|with&s;tanding all provocations to the contrary.</P>
<P N="5">5. For a clo&s;e (becau&s;e I would not be over tedious I &s;hall draw many things within a narrow compa&s;&s;e) you may be confident that my end in writing, is your due con|viction and &s;atisfaction, that you may weigh my Argu|ments, and clearly &s;ee that 'tis not will, nor humour, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> but Con&s;cience, Rea&s;on, and Religion, that acts me. If notwith&s;tanding what I have &s;aid, you &s;hall continue in your malice, envy, hatred, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> I &s;hall have comfort in this, that I have in all faithfullne&s;&s;e freed my &s;elfe from being guilty of the blood of your &s;ouls; and in that I have declared to all the world my willingne&s;&s;e to &s;erve the intere&s;t of your &s;ouls in all chings wherein I may without &s;in. And mo&s;t confident I am, that if what I have written do not better you, it will be a witne&s;&s;e again&s;t you, when you and I &s;hall meet before Chri&s;ts judgement &s;eat. And confident I am, that God will bring much good to me out of all the plots, de&s;igns, and actings that have been, or that &s;hall be by vain men again&s;t me. And confident I am, that, the more you &s;tir in any way of ba&s;ene&s;&s;e or wickedne&s;&s;e, the more the Lord will make you to &s;tink, and the more contempt he will pour upon you, and the more bright he will cau&s;e my innocency to &s;hine, and the more weighty &s;hall be my Crowne in the day of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>My de&s;ires for you before the Lord, are the&s;e, That you may have &s;uch a &s;ight of your &s;ins as may work you to ki&s;&s;e the Son le&s;t he be angry, and you peri&s;h when his wrath is kindled but a little. And that you may not trifle away the day of grace, and the things that belong to your eternall peace, lea&s;t God &s;hould &s;wear in his wrath, that you &s;hall never enter into his re&s;t. Oh that in the light of the Spirit you may &s;ee Chri&s;t to be the greate&s;t good, the mo&s;t de&s;ire|able good, the mo&s;t nece&s;&s;ary good, the mo&s;t &s;uitable good, to be a totall good, an only good, and an eternall good;
<PB N="26" REF="19">that &s;o your &s;ouls may in good earne&s;t fall in love with Chri&s;t, and may cry out with that Martyr, <HI>None but Chri&s;t, none but Chri&s;t;</HI> Oh none but Chri&s;t to &s;ave us, and none but Chri&s;t to rule us, none but Chri&s;t to ju&s;tifie us, and none but Chri&s;t to command us. Oh that you may cea&s;e from doing evill, and learn to do well, that &s;o you may be happy in life, ble&s;&s;ed in death, and glorious in the morning of the Re&s;urrection.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="19">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
