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<NAME>Louis Goldberg</NAME>
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<P>INQVIRIES Into the cau&s;es of our mi&s;eries, whence they i&s;&s;ue-forth upon us: And rea&s;ons wherefore they have born us down &s;o low; And are like to carrie us yet lower.</P>
<P>The <HI>Independents</HI> and the way of wor&s;hip, they &s;tand-up for, is renderd clear of this grievous charge, That they hold forth the <HI>licentiou&s;ne&s;&s;e of wicked con&s;ciences; Tolerations of all &s;orts of mo&s;t dete&s;table Schi&s;mes, Here&s;ies, and Religions, as Idolatries Pagani&s;me, Tur&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;me, Ju|dei&s;me, &amp;c. &s;o opening a floodgate to let in this inundation of &s;ins, and &s;orrows upon the Land.</HI></P>
<P>This charge is drawn-up again&s;t the Independents, by three wor|thies, men, I think, of name, all (1) <HI>D. P. P. P. Pryn</HI> E&s;quire; But more fully and with more devouring words, if more can be, by Dr. <HI>A. Steuart</HI> in his la&s;t book, which, in reference to the Brethren, thou&s;ands in I&s;rael, reli&s;heth as does the Gall of A&s;pes, or Adders poy&s;on under the tongue.</P>
<P>In &s;ix Sections. Whereof the fir&s;t onely is here; A Ju&s;t vindication of the <HI>way of wor&s;hip</HI> very commonly mi&s;under&s;tood; very fal&s;ly inter|preted; but very truly called <HI>Independent.</HI></P>
<P>Mo&s;t humbly devoted to the Honour of Almighty God; and King of Saints; pre&s;ented to all the three A&s;&s;emblies in all the three Kingdoms, in Parliament now, with hearts engaged upon the great matters of the Kingdom: but before and above all, to beat out a way of wor&s;hip, holding forth to the world, a &s;utablene&s;&s;e to the Great God, full-up to His Mind and Rule in His Scriptures: humbly pre&s;ented to all the&s;e, and to all Chri&s;tian people who&s;e habitation is on earth, and conver&s;ation in Heaven.</P>
<P>By <HI>Hez. Woodward.</HI></P>
<Q><P><BIBL>Prov. 25. 18.</BIBL> <HI>A man that beareth fal&s;e witne&s;&s;e again&s;t his neighbour, is a ma<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="2 letters">le and a &s;word, and a &s;harp arrow.</HI></P></Q>
<Q><P><BIBL>Job 42. 7.</BIBL> <HI>My wrath is kindled again&s;t thee, and thy two friends, for ye have not &s;poken of Me the thing that was right.</HI></P></Q>
<Q><P><BIBL>I&s;a. 2. 23.</BIBL> <HI>Wo unto them that take away the Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the Righteous from him.</HI></P></Q>
<P>Warranted by the God of Heaven, being ordered according to His Churches book on earth; and publi&s;hed for His Churches &s;ake in the very clo&s;e of this year 1644.</P>
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<P>Section I. <HI>VVHere the Reader is &s;atisfied in point of Licencing books, Informed in the meaning of tho&s;e words Dependent Independent: And the men &s;o called, are cleared from the cavils of the froward; Mi&s;takes of the igno|rant; heavy charges of knowing men; with other grace matters worthy all mens &s;ad and &s;erious con&s;iderations.</HI></P>
<P>Section II. <HI>Some</HI> praecognita <HI>matters already known, and granted are premi&s;ed; As that the</HI> evils <HI>of Sin and Puni&s;hment are from our &s;elver; Puni&s;hments are</HI> merae, <HI>mearly &s;o where Gods Hand is immediate, and Man pa&s;&s;ive; or</HI> mixtae, <HI>where Gods Hand is and mans al&s;o; what God dies, and Man does, Gods Hand has the preheminence; Gods End and Mans</HI> Ends, <HI>how differents Gods End the Glory of His excellent Goodne&s;&s;e, His Churches Glory al&s;e, Some things granted in point of Reformation, how active the Divell with his &s;ervants are in Reforming times, and have been alwayes, as at this day, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Section III. <HI>Enquiries touching Peace, what it is; how we improve the Peace we have. Who they be that petition for Peace, and of whom; whether not of tho&s;e who world, but cannot give it: And of tho&s;e, who if they could,</HI> will <HI>not give it while the world &s;tands, being adver&s;aries and enemies to their own peace; to the peace of God and good men; and true Religion of God, the wor&s;hipping of Him in &s;pirit and truth. All this declared and confirmed by two mo&s;t notable &s;tories out of the Chronicles of God.</HI></P>
<P>Section IIII. <HI>Conclu&s;ions <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">uching war, that it is an evill, an</HI> onely <HI>evill; that our war is no more unnaturall, than it is for fire to burn; nor a civill war, as when a Kingdome fights again&s;t it &s;elf; but &s;acred, when the kingdome of darkne&s;&s;e fights again&s;t the kingdome of light, as now it is.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Enquiries touching the Battels of the Lord, what they are; who fight the&s;e Battels; and what Souldiers they ought to be; how furni&s;hed; What hinders victory; what brings it as upon Eagles wings.</HI></P>
<P>Section V. <HI>Enquiries touching our keeping Covenant, and Fa&s;ting dayes; what we do, and what our Mini&s;ters &s;hould do before us.</HI></P>
<P>Section VI. <HI>Enquiries touching our evill Doctrines, and what may be the cau&s;es there|of; and whether the remedies u&s;ed for the removing the&s;e</HI> Cau&s;es <HI>are &s;ove|raigne, having the &s;tamp of God upon them, and warrant from His mouth.</HI></P>
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<P>_REader, now that you have taken-up the book, Ile do my be&s;t, to clo&s;e with thee at the fir&s;t, as one, not a little am|bitious of thy favour: and therefore can be content to crave thine eye and eare both, thy be&s;t attention all along. Do not fear to afford me this favour; I crave it for Gods &s;ake; for His Cau&s;es &s;ake; for His &s;ervants &s;ake; for your &s;ake; the Lord knows, and not mine own; Doubting not to &s;peak all along, like a free man, and a true Subject; and not as one abu&s;ing my li|berty or my glory: But u&s;ing it as a &s;ubject of the Lord Chri&s;t, to His glory, and the good of my Brother: Therefore I cannot doubt neither, That my words, I &s;hall &s;peak, can need an Apology: And yet, that my words may have a good reli&s;h upon your pallate, and a &s;weeter touch upon your eare, I will preface a little touching &s;ome matters fir&s;t.</P>
<P>1 Touching my licence here, I have no <HI>Imprimatur,</HI> no licence to &s;peak. To which I could an&s;wer, Yes, that I have, for by the grace of God, <HI>Truth,</HI> and <HI>Rea&s;on,</HI> the old Licen&s;ers of old, have licenced my words all along. And truly my &s;pirit could never go forth with any other way of licen&s;ing, or <HI>midwifring</HI> &s;uch births as are books into the world; &s;urely no better hand to officiate there, than what <HI>Truth</HI> and <HI>Rea&s;on</HI> affords me. And if &s;o be our Conceptions and Births want either one or both, let the parent &s;mart for his <HI>lye;</HI> and be fa&s;t locked in Bedlom till he recover his wits again: And if he be <HI>Libellous,</HI> as too many are, let his own place the pillory in&s;truct him to better manners. But if he hasbla&s;phemed <HI>God,</HI> or the <HI>King of Saints,</HI> lot him find neither friend nor enemy, but let him dye, if he has bla&s;phemed his God. Gods Law this, and mans Law that, car|ried all along through a &s;eries of time, and never interrupted, nor rever&s;ed, or made null till it came thorough the Inqui&s;ition Court at Rome, whence we have our <HI>Imprimatur,</HI> Let this be printed. And then &s;ure enough it &s;erved to promote the Doctrines, and practi&s;es of the Church there, which my &s;oul abominates. It will be &s;aid here, That I go a cro&s;&s;e-way to an Ordinance of Parliament. Truly
<PB N="2" REF="3"> that &s;tartles me not a little; the Lord knows, I look upon an Ordi|nance of Parliament as an Ordinance of God, not to be di&s;puted, but obeyed. I ki&s;&s;e the hand of Authoritie, and am readie to be cal|led forth <HI>to its foot</HI> therefrom to be made Active or Pa&s;&s;ive: yet I can|not conceive, that I have gone a cro&s;&s;e-way to that Ordinance for licenfing-books. I went, in obedience thereunto, craving a licence, though I think it my due, and ought to be given me: but could not obtain it. The truth is, If the Book bear <HI>Independent</HI> upon its <HI>front,</HI> and be thought to &s;peak for that way (which God Him&s;elf will cleer and ju&s;tifie before all the world) it is &s;ilenced before it &s;peaks. And &s;o is dealt more injuriou&s;ly with, than have been the greate&s;t offenders in the world: for they have had leave to &s;peak for them|&s;elves in all ages of the world upwards to <HI>as it is at this day.</HI> It is re|plyed, That writing for this way of Church Government does but hinder our cour&s;e in the way of Reformation, making the Divi&s;ions greater, and the Rent wider. I an&s;wer; If I were per&s;waded &s;o, I would rather put my hand in fire then unto paper. But I am per|&s;waded in my heart clean otherwi&s;e, and by the grace of God &s;hall be able to make it appear in the &s;equell all along. It is &s;aid agen: The&s;e are my thoughts; that this &s;crible will do no hurt, will not make the rent wider; my Judgement onely. I an&s;wer, not mine one|ly; I have asked advi&s;e about it, enquired &s;eriou&s;ly into the matter, and why &s;hould I be a&s;hamed to &s;ay more: I have given up my judgement unto the Lord, and I have this an&s;wer from him, and a&s;|&s;i&s;tance from his right hand, &s;o guiding mine, That I &s;hall, &s;o I hope, and am confident, &s;peak nothing which &s;hall di&s;honour his holy, holy, holy, name; nor his cau&s;e, nor his people, the congregations of God. I have a &s;ober confidence, that I have licence from Gods hand, and &s;hall keep clo&s;e to the word of his mouth, and therefore &s;ith I could not have a licence from man, I can be carele&s;&s;e of it.</P>
<P>That it may not be &s;aid, I am a&s;hamed of my name, for indeed I am not, being it was a very good mans name (which yet I know cannot make the man the better) I have, for commanding rea&s;ons affixed my name; though very unwilling to appear &s;o openly, as I was mo&s;t willing to do with a Licenced. But the want of it can be no &s;hame to me: &s;ome little blame rather to him, who would not give it me; having no time to enquire into the papers, as &s;ome (too &s;uper&s;titiou&s;ly perhaps, but their &s;uper&s;tition teacheth) were wont to do, to enquire into a paper, which lay as low as their foot, be|fore they would put their foot upon it with neglect; le&s;t the name of
<PB N="3" REF="3"> their God, or &s;omething of God &s;hould be there. Certainly the Name of God is here; and I will not doubt to &s;ay again, I have His Licence to print it.</P>
<P>But the great &s;top was becau&s;e this an&s;wering is like to cau&s;e an|&s;wer upon an&s;wer. I an&s;wer. God knows that, and will turn all to good. I am a free man, and may take my liberty, not &s;tanding charged as &s;ervants do, not to <HI>an&s;wer again.</HI> And indeed <HI>I</HI> cannot con|ceive what they can an&s;wer, unle&s;&s;e, as &s;ome did, who had &s;poke <Q>roughly enough, and being mode&s;tly reproved for being &s;o rough, an&s;wered, as roughly; that, &s;ith their hand was in, they were re|&s;olved to put it forth again as roughly as ever.</Q> As plea&s;eth men let it be; but if I am honoured with any an&s;wer from a Doctor (for the other, that learned and excellent man, I hope his apprehen&s;ions are more dige&s;ted now, and he has repented of them, that they were indeed &s;ubitan, but for) the Doctor, I hope he will learn at length to reprove his Brother mode&s;tly and meekly, and then I &s;hall accept his reproof with all thankfulne&s;&s;e; but if any roughne&s;&s;e appear as it hath to others, which I mu&s;t rather expect, his reproof will do me no good; I &s;hall &s;leight it &s;ure, putting it to &s;ome <HI>privy &s;hame,</HI> or open reproof. And &s;o much touching licencing books, and my want in that particular. And &s;o I come to that my &s;oul does more de&s;ire to give you &s;atisfaction in according to the Scriptures of God; and to unfold your under&s;tanding. Fir&s;t touching the true &s;en&s;e and mean|ing of the&s;e words <HI>Dependent</HI> and <HI>Independent,</HI> as I find them legible and explained through the Doctrines and Conver&s;ations of tho&s;e men among&s;t us, called by that name.</P>
<P>Briefly now, and as is be&s;t fitting this place. <Q><HI>Dependent</HI> is a <HI>lear|ing</HI> upon the Lord Chri&s;t, the onely Beloved of the &s;oul; upon His hand for &s;trength; upon His mouth for Direction. It is a &s;etting|up the Lord Chri&s;t as King; yea, it is the advancing of the Lord Chri&s;t in all His offices, King, Prophet, and Prie&s;t, to, in, and over His Church, the &s;ouls and &s;pirits of men. It is a cleaving of the &s;oul to Chri&s;t, a clo&s;ing of the heart with Him, &s;aying, Thou <HI>Lord</HI> art my <HI>Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> and my <HI>&s;trength;</HI> and my <HI>wi&s;dome,</HI> and my <HI>glory,</HI> and my <HI>crown of rejoycing.</HI></Q> This is to be Dependant, when our Lord Chri&s;t, who is All to the &s;oul, has all its Dependence. And this is to give the Lord God His due, the glory of all His attributes, &s;pecially the&s;e two, the glory of His power, and of His wi&s;dome: And to the Lord Chri&s;t King of Saints, His dues, the glory of all His offices, anointed of the Father King, Prophet, and Prie&s;t of His
<PB N="4" REF="4"> Church. And hence I i&s;&s;ued my thoughts, and thus concluded, That the people (no matter whether many or few; poore or rich; learned or unlearned, Ma&s;ter or Di&s;ciple, that the people) we call <HI>Indepen|dants</HI> are the mo&s;t Dependent per&s;ons in the world. This is the &s;um, I &s;hall return to this again. Now to the other word.</P>
<P>2 <HI>Independant;</HI> What is that? Ile tell you what it is in the judge|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ent of, (they &s;ay) as good a Logician as is in England, now he is here, Ile name him for honour &s;ake, Doctor <HI>Adam Steuart,</HI> adding onely this, the Lord adde to His Logick, that <HI>one thing nece&s;&s;iry,</HI> which one man cals <HI>Baptized</HI> Rea&s;on, He and we mean, <HI>&s;anctified</HI> by the Word and prayer in the Holy Gho&s;t: and then he will be good in|deed; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Pag. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">8.</NOTE> This man &s;aies <HI>(A)</HI> <Q>That <HI>Independent</HI> is a proud and abomi|nable word, proper to God Almighty:</Q> <HI>B</HI> It is granted &s;o to be, as He con&s;ters the word, and in vulgar con&s;truction al&s;o, as we &s;illy men under&s;tand it too; that to be <HI>Independent,</HI> is to be as an I&s;land cut off from other Land; to live as men turned-in-upon them&s;elves, regarding them&s;elves, <HI>bearing fruit to them&s;elves,</HI> (as <HI>an empty vine)</HI> to <NOTE PLACE="marg">Nemini fructuo&s;a. Ho&s;. 10. 1.</NOTE> do as they li&s;t, &s;peak as they plea&s;e, to hold out and maintain what Doctrines agree be&s;t with fle&s;h and blood; and to &s;pread them a|broad before I&s;rael, and before the Sun, under the very <HI>look</HI> of the Magi&s;trate; What has he to do with them? Be they Jews, or Gen|tiles; Turks, or Infidels; Athei&s;ts or Papi&s;ts; be what they will be, as abominable as they are rendred to be, or as we can conceive them to be, why yet, it is their con&s;cience &s;o to be, and what hath the Magi&s;trate to do there, or with them? So Dr. <HI>Adam Steuart forceth</HI> matters again&s;t the&s;e men; and <HI>forceth</HI> his con&s;cience too, I verily think all along.</P>
<P>I &s;hould have been fuller here. But, Reader, if this be true in whole or in part; if the&s;e men, we call Independents, be &s;uch men in judgement and in practi&s;e, as they are &s;ugge&s;ted to be, then let the Civill Magi&s;trate do with them, as K. <HI>Hez.</HI> with the <HI>Altars</HI> and <HI>high places,</HI> pluck them down; lay them even with the ground; leave them not while there is any one &s;tanding; And as with the brazen Serpent, that King dealt with, grinde their faces, beat them as &s;mall as the du&s;t, and then hold them up to the winde, throw them into the River, as the be&s;t Chri&s;tians were dealt with of old, that the enemy might take from them, as he could, all Hope of a better Re|&s;urrection, let, I &s;ay, the Magi&s;trate do as much to the&s;e men, for &s;o much King <HI>H<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">zekiah</HI> did to the fore-mentioned Idols; And it is full|up to the mind and heart of Dr. <HI>A. Steuart,</HI> and &s;o it follows in his
<PB N="5" REF="4"> Logick; and &s;o he concludes again&s;t them &s;even times at lea&s;t, <HI>That the&s;e men are as contrary to the true Doctrine, Wor&s;hip, and</HI> Di&s;cipine, as Altars and Idols were and now are. Ile &s;peake for the&s;e men, and though they neede not my Apology, yet I thinke my &s;elfe charged &s;o to doe; I have ob&s;erved their conver&s;ations; I have heard their Doctrines almo&s;t the&s;e 16 yeares; I have read them, &s;pecially of late; with all diligence; the&s;e, I mean, touching Church-Government: I &s;hall &s;peake now in the Language of the three Tribes, as heartily as they did, being verily per&s;waded, &s;o the&s;e men would &s;peake to clear them&s;elves in the&s;e matters &s;o <HI>forced</HI> again&s;t them. <HI>Jo&s;hua 22. ver. 22. The Lord God of gods, the Lord God of gods, Hee knoweth, and I&s;rael be &s;hall know, if it be in rebellion, or if in tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion again&s;t the Lord, (&s;ave us not this day;)</HI> <Q>That we have &s;poken or done ought <HI>to turne from following the Lord;</HI> or if to offer to the Lord prayers of our own; or to the people, the Church of God, Doctrines of our own, Ordinances of our own, <HI>let the Lord Him&s;elfe require it:</HI> And let him, to who&s;e hand, the Lord has committed the <HI>&s;word,</HI> con&s;ecrate the fame &s;word on us, to the cutting of us off from the earth.</Q> So the&s;e &s;ervants of the Lord can &s;ay.</P>
<P>And Reader, be not deceived with vain words, but be per&s;wa|ded in thy heart, that the&s;e men &s;o &s;landered, doe regard others as they &s;tand charged by the word of God to regard them. They ac|count thy &s;oule, and mine more precious then is the whole world, and all the trea&s;ures there, (for the&s;e may be valued but the &s;oule cannot) And knowing <HI>the terrous of the</HI> Lord, they <HI>per&s;wade men to bee reconciled.</HI> They abominate tho&s;e in Doctrines and practi&s;es, al which <HI>turne away from following the Lord.</HI> <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Deut. 13.</NOTE> They know the Command of the Lord is in as full force and vertue now, as ever it was, let <HI>&s;uch practi|&s;ers</HI> (inti&s;ers rather) be <HI>cut off,</HI> that <HI>their mouthes neay be &s;topt.</HI> They ad|mit not of any Toleration, neither that Jews nor Papi&s;ts be tolerated in a Kingdome any &s;urther then as means may be u&s;ed, whereby to enlarge the bounds of their Lord Chri&s;ts Kingdome, To bring them under the <HI>&s;ubjection of the Go&s;pel,</HI> &s;o far to be tolerated, no farther; not as Jewes and Turkes are tolerated, for gaine of money; or as we tolerated Papi&s;ts here, &s;uffered them in the Land, &amp; engaged our &s;elves again&s;t all means for their conver&s;ion, that is abominable. But to &s;uffer them among&s;t us with a pure aime to the gaining of &s;oules, and a &s;ingle eve to Gods Glory, this is tolerable &s;ure, for it is according to the will of God, that the bounds of his Sonnes King|dome &s;hould be enlarged, and all meanes u&s;ed whereby to <HI>concince</HI>
<PB N="6" REF="5"> <HI>the gane&s;ayers,</HI> To Conquer the Rebellious; to make them obedient both <HI>in word and deede:</HI> And for this great conque&s;t over the &s;oules and &s;pirits of men, the throwing down tho&s;e <HI>Rea&s;onings,</HI> the &s;trong|holds there, for this mighty worke, the &s;word of the Spirit, the word <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign"></NOTE> of God is appointed and con&s;ecrated for that very end by God him|&s;elfe, &s;o I &s;ay; nay, &s;o the Lord God &s;ayes, and &s;o &s;ay the <HI>Indepeaedents</HI> from his mouth.</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> But it is a proud and an abominable name, proper to God Al|mighty, &s;ayes the Doctor.</P>
<P><HI>B.</HI> Proper to him indeede, to him alone, and yet not improperly given to a peculiar people, a <HI>Royall Prie&s;thood</HI> to be <HI>Independant</HI> upon man, <HI>Dependant</HI> upon the Lord Chri&s;t, leaning upon that beloved; the onely &s;tay and &s;taffe of His People.</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> The very name Independent renders them odious to all men, It overthrows all kinde of government, takes away the rights and priviledges of A&s;&s;emblies, Councels, Sinods, takes from them their dues.</P>
<P><HI>B.</HI> Noe, The&s;e men give to men their dues. all and every whit to the lea&s;t &s;cruple. They will rai&s;e men up to their proportioned heighth, no highter, for that were to doe unto men the greate&s;t inju|ry that could be imagined; to rai&s;e up men above the <HI>Starres of God,</HI> is to throw them downe even to the <HI>&s;ides of the pit.</HI> To make men Lords over the con&s;ciences of men, is to render them abominable to God and good men; and as <HI>Antichri&s;tians</HI> every whit, as are Arch-Bi&s;hops and Bi&s;hops. They will give unto men the power which God allows them, They will rai&s;e-men-up to their proper pegg, as high as befitteth the highe&s;t creatures upon earth, yet &s;o as exalting ever more the <HI>high God</HI> their Creator, and the Lord Chri&s;t <HI>King of Saints.</HI> The&s;e men will <HI>appeale</HI> al&s;o to men in point of Coun&s;ell and power both, &s;o far as they will con&s;ult with the Scriptures of God, with their <HI>Rule</HI> and <HI>Iudge</HI> there, both one: So Dependant they are even upon men. Independent in this &s;ence only, not bottoming them&s;elves, or their faith upon men: for that were to doe as a foo|li&s;h builder who built his hou&s;e upon the &s;ands: nor &s;tating their de|terminations touching Church Government after the mindes and plea&s;ures of men, not as they &s;ay, and would have it; but as the Scriptures of God will have it, where they have their Rule.</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> But who &s;hall be judge of that rule?</P>
<P><HI>B.</HI> A &s;trange Que&s;tion; The Spirit of God there, for as was &s;aid, He is the <HI>Rule</HI> and <HI>Judge</HI> both. And this &s;eemes to come up clo&s;e to
<PB N="7" REF="5"> the good word of God which we read; <HI>And the reamnant of Iacob &s;hall</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Micah. 5. 7.</NOTE> <HI>be in the mid&s;t of many people as a dew from the Lord, as the &s;howethe rs upon the gra&s;&s;e, that tarrieth not for man, nor wayteth for the &s;onnes of men.</HI> And thus, Sir, I have given you as plain and briefe * a Commentary on the&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg">It is more enlarged in my An|&s;wer to &s;ix Que&s;tions (24 will &s;hrinke up 10 &s;o few) which wayt a licence, but have lo&s;t, nothing by wa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ting &s;o long.</NOTE> two words, <HI>Dependent</HI> and <HI>Independent</HI> as po&s;&s;ibly I could. And now if you will reckon me among the <HI>Independents,</HI> I &s;hall account it no wrong, I &s;hall not put it to the head of injuries. And (2) then ac|count me in the number of &s;uch evill doers, and <HI>Troublers;</HI> that I doe helpe with them, to open a floud-gate, &amp;c. If or &s;o they are &s;ugge&s;ted, to doe. Truly, (Sir) I mu&s;t account this an honour: For fo they per&s;e|cuted (A le&s;&s;er matter then this, in fight, is regi&s;tred a per&s;ecution, when it was as this is, again&s;t the beloved childe and faithfull &s;er|vant of the Lord, who walked after the Spirit, &s;o they that were af|ter the fle&s;h per&s;ecuted) the fir&s;t <HI>Fathers, Patriarkes, Prophets</HI> and <HI>Apo|&s;tles,</HI> all the Saints and Armies of Martyrs upward to, <HI>as it is at this day.</HI> Therefore as the &s;aying is <HI>verbera,</HI> pur&s;ue your per&s;ecutions (you doe it I know out of ignorance) <HI>&s;edaudi,</HI> beware and con&s;ider what you doe; and now harken while I &s;hall endeavour to render you &s;atisfied touching the&s;e two matters, e&s;pecially the &s;e|cond.</P>
<P>(1) I am indeede an Independent in judgement, my &s;oule go|eth out with them in that <HI>way;</HI> with them, per&s;waded in my &s;oule, that their ayme is wholy to the &s;etting up the Lord Chri&s;t, Him in all His Offices, in and over the Church, in the &s;oules, and &s;pirits of men. And that their eye is &s;ingle in all this, looking &s;trait-on to the Glory of the high God, and &s;alvation of &s;oules.</P>
<P>(2) And that <HI>Independencie</HI> is no more, nor any more intended by it, then purely to take them&s;elves and others off from their own bottomes, that all might be &s;et upon the <HI>Foundation</HI> indeede, the Rock of <HI>Ages,</HI> the <HI>Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>(3) And all this &s;o as they give the Rulers of the people, their &s;tanding; firme, fa&s;t, and un&s;haken, like the <HI>perpetuall hills and everla|&s;ting mountains,</HI> A fa&s;t-&s;tanding, I &s;ay, while the world &s;tands in their full power, force, and vertue; for no <HI>Law</HI> or <HI>Ordinance</HI> have they a|gain&s;t this the Rulers &s;tanding, being the <HI>Ordinance</HI> of GOD ap|pointed and decreed by Him&s;elfe.</P>
<P>(4) For that way of wor&s;hip, and Church-government my judgement &s;tands for, I am verily per&s;waded it is the way of the New <HI>Te&s;tament; new</HI> if you will, but no more <HI>Novell</HI> than is that <HI>Te|&s;tament.</HI></P>
<PB N="8" REF="6">
<P>(5) For their walking in that way, it is in &s;uch order, with &s;uch agreement, complying of Spirits, &s;uch an eying and fixing upon the rule, what is decent and expedient, what &s;erveth mo&s;t aptly, tends mo&s;t compendiou&s;ly to promote the <HI>edification,</HI> the building-up of the Temple of Chri&s;t; That I have this per&s;wa&s;ion, that they who have ob&s;erved the way, and the brethrens walking in it, will &s;peake of it in the Apo&s;tles words; <HI>Joying and beholding your order and your &s;tedfa&s;tne&s;&s;e</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 2. 5.</NOTE> <HI>of your faith in Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>Truly, Sir, my judgement is, for that <HI>way</HI> of Government, Gods way, I am verily per&s;waded; As, for mans way, Ma&s;ter or Di&s;cipline my judgement is not for it, further then as they walke in the way with a <HI>right foote;</HI> nor for their gathering of Churches further then as they doe it by the call of the word, &s;o as man may not bee &s;aid to doe it, but God rather by the <HI>call</HI> of His Spirit and word of His truth. Nor is my Judgement for mens <HI>&s;catternings</HI> in the way, though there will be &s;catterings there; Let tho&s;e &s;catterers be marked and rebu|ked <HI>&s;harpely,</HI> for they &s;hould walke exactly; All about them in &s;ight, cloathes, ge&s;ture; And all from without them in the eyes and eares of men, their words and actions, &s;hould be <HI>vocall,</HI> all, as we &s;ay, &s;pea|king forth <HI>holine&s;&s;e</HI> to the Lord; grace and edification to the hearers and beholders. But yet if men walke as men <HI>&s;cattering</HI> their wayes, yet the&s;e their <HI>&s;catterings</HI> mu&s;t not ca&s;t a reproach upon the holine&s;&s;e of Gods way, after which my &s;oule goeth forth. And yet my foote, my &s;tanding I mean, is in the other way, whereof my thoughts have beene ever honourable as becommeth; So of my <HI>Mini&s;ter</HI> al&s;o, one that feareth God above many; &s;et over me in that way of Church Government, I reverence him heartily: I approve his care, and ac|knowledge his aymes and ends to be <HI>holy ju&s;t</HI> and <HI>good; The glory of God, The eternall good of &s;oules.</HI></P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> What, and yet your judgement for the other way? &s;urely looke what way the judgement goes, your foote &s;hould goe; where your heart can fixe, there your &s;tanding &s;hould be.</P>
<P><HI>B.</HI> Truly it may be a truth in what you &s;ay, but I am not re&s;ol|ved &s;o: For, fir&s;t, I &s;tand not alone but together with a whole hou&s;e|hold with me, in &s;everall relations to all the&s;e, as a Husband, a Fa|ther, a Ma&s;ter; And, truly, I dare not attribute &s;o much to my judgement, or to a way, I think more excellent, as to fit loo&s;e from my Reverend Pa&s;tor: or remove my &s;elfe and mine (for I cannot allow of a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ragling family, the head going one way, and the other part another way, I &s;aid my &s;elfe and mine) from under his care
<PB N="9" REF="6"> and charge, whom, I know the Lord has &s;et to look, and &s;ee-over me and mine.</P>
<P>2 I &s;tand &s;till in my &s;pirit, re&s;olved there, that, &s;eeing by a good providence, two parties have &s;o eagerly cla&s;hed together, and &s;o charged them&s;elves, and before their God, to find out the way of God, both of them I hope, with pure aymes, and a &s;ingle eye, (I am at an agreement with my thoughts) That the good Lord will beat|forth and make plain his own way; &s;o as, what lay too loo&s;e and &s;cattering in the one <HI>way,</HI> &s;hall be gathered-up and &s;trengthened: and what might be too high, and rough in the other way, may be taken down and made more levell, &s;mooth and &s;trait for us to walk in; I mean, and I am full of hope &s;o it will be, That there will be, by the good hand of God upon His &s;ervants, notwith&s;tanding their <HI>charging</HI> and <HI>recharging,</HI> a &s;weet compliauce anon, an yeelding and bending each to others way, as neer as can be (keeping neer and clo&s;e to the Word) and as is becoming Brethren, holding the <HI>unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace:</HI> I &s;tand &s;till in my &s;pirit and full of hope, touching this matter, The meeting of both the&s;e wayes in|one, the <HI>good</HI> and <HI>Holy way.</HI> Though truly, I cannot conceive where|in the Independants can yeeld one foot, or one hoof of a foot (for they mu&s;t be daintie if not imperious in Gods matters) except in point of <HI>power;</HI> An high point that, where and in whom it mu&s;t be &s;tated: &s;tate it where they will, (for I know they will &s;tate it as neer as po&s;&s;ibly they can look, to the mind, and will of their God, in his Scriptures:) But I would not have that, which the Scripture calls the <HI>keyes,</HI> intru&s;ted in our hands, common people. For truly what ever we think we know, yet is it a point of knowledge too high for us, to know how to u&s;e them. Yet I could &s;peak much more in the commendations of us <HI>Laymen,</HI> then I can for the <HI>Clergie-men:</HI> for when we were at the wor&s;t, we were better then our teachers, not half &s;o bruti&s;h as they; &s;ound &s;ome of us, when our Mini&s;ters were rotten mo&s;t of them; &s;ound in the faith, when our Mini&s;ters were abominably here<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">icall, touching the Lords Day, his wor&s;hip and &s;ervice on that day. The Con&s;ideration whereof, if &s;ad, and &s;erious, and well laid to heart, may be of force &s;ufficient, to make the be&s;t Clergy-men in the Land, to walk &s;oftly, &s;orrowing under the &s;ence thereof after <HI>a godly &s;ort:</HI> more of this hereafter. Now this one thing more, I profe&s;&s;e heartily I can di&s;cerne nothing in this way of Church Governmen, which my vain heart (the Lord knows I am as far from judging anothers heart, as I am from knowing my own,
<PB N="10" REF="7"> yet know that I) can except again&s;t it, but that it is <HI>the way of wi&s;e|dome, too high for a fool;</HI> and that is my fooli&s;h exception. I were in|jurious to &s;et down that I &s;ee not; or to conceal that I &s;ee with all mine eyes, no thing but <HI>Holine&s;&s;e</HI> all along <HI>this way,</HI> &s;uch as &s;tands diametrally cro&s;&s;e to a mans <HI>own way;</HI> and therefore man &s;tands &s;o cro&s;&s;e unto it, I mean my &s;elf &s;till, or this <HI>&s;elf</HI> where ever it is. It chargeth every man with his Brother, to be <HI>his keeper,</HI> Me, to <HI>wat<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h</HI> over him; and him to watch over me. To <HI>bear</HI> each others burden; <HI>&s;upply</HI> each others lack, that there be no lack to any member of the Body; An excellent <HI>way</HI> and mu&s;t be taken, el&s;e the Body may &s;wim now, and perhaps fink anon; It may be &s;o bowed-down with pre&s;|&s;ing wants, that, though It lives at pre&s;ent, yet may it fami&s;h in the hou&s;e next day, or &s;tarve in the &s;treets next night, if this care be not taken, as &s;ure enough it is not. But this care is taken, even over the Bodies, That there be no lack to them. The care over the &s;oul ex|ceeds, as that exceeds the Body. And &s;o they &s;tand charged in their care each over other: Oh this, and more there is, is an hard burden, this <HI>&s;elf</HI> will not bring our &s;houlders to it: And yet we owe, in point of bearing each the others burden, &s;o much as this, to our enemies <HI>Ox</HI> or <HI>A&s;&s;e,</HI> even his, <HI>that hateth us;</HI> how much more to the &s;oul of our <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 23. 4<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> 5.</NOTE> brother? But I &s;ay, we fly-off from this duty; we &s;tand naturally cro&s;&s;e centered to it, all our way; for indeed there is to my di&s;cern|ing, nothing, but God in the way, with <HI>whom</HI> the heart would not clo&s;e; Whereas in the way we call <HI>Praesbyterian</HI> [As it has been or|dered; under&s;tand me &s;o, for as it is <HI>ordering,</HI> It will be <HI>Independent</HI> &s;ure; this being granted That a <HI>&s;trict Presbyterian</HI> is a <HI>True Indepen|dent:</HI> And a <HI>Rigid Presbyterian</HI> is as high as was a Lord Bi&s;hop, and but a little below a <HI>Pope,</HI> In that way] there is much of man, to &s;ay no more, but too much of mans In&s;titution, with which the heart can clo&s;e but too well. And this confirmeth me, That the way we call <HI>Independent</HI> is the True way of Wor&s;hip: Becau&s;e it is &s;o &s;piri|tuall, &s;o cro&s;&s;e to mans way and <HI>will-wor&s;hip,</HI> as they do find it to be, who walk in it with a <HI>right foot;</HI> And this was the very Argument, whereby <HI>Luther</HI> confirmed him&s;elf, and all his friends touching the pro&s;ecution of a great cau&s;e, the Truth and Pro&s;perity of the &s;ame; <HI>It is of God,</HI> &s;aies he, <HI>and it &s;hall pro&s;per:</HI> Why pro&s;per? or how proves he that? for it exalts the <HI>Lord:</HI> and depre&s;&s;eth man: It renders God All to His people; and mens devices, how &s;pecious &s;oever, of &s;mall account, or nothing at all. And &s;o much, Sir, to re&s;olve you, which way my judgement goes; and yet why I keep my &s;tanding. I de&s;ire
<PB N="11" REF="7"> now heartily to give you &s;atisfaction in the &s;econd place.</P>
<P>2 Touching that heavy charge again&s;t the <HI>Independents,</HI> That they open a flood-gate, &amp;c. It is true, I read it here and there, under three and more mens hands; And if to accu&s;e be enough, the&s;e 3. men, not to name the fourth, have done enough, To &s;tir-up the In|habitants of the Land, to come-out again&s;t the&s;e their Brethren, as we ought now, every mothers child, to come-out again&s;t grievous woulves. Surely as the&s;e mens <HI>words</HI> are <HI>hard;</HI> &s;o are their <HI>Deeds un|godly</HI> again&s;t their Brethren, the <HI>Me&s;&s;engers of the Churches,</HI> and <HI>the glory of Chri&s;t.</HI> They have <HI>&s;et them forth</HI> as the Apo&s;tle &s;aies, he and his companions in the Go&s;pel, were &s;et-out, the <HI>la&s;t,</HI> men expo&s;ed to the mo&s;t open and extreme&s;t &s;hame, and paine both, <HI>as it were appointed to death,</HI> by the teeth of the mo&s;t Ravening Bea&s;ts; the la&s;t upon the <HI>Theater</HI> to be made a gazing-&s;tock there-on to Angels and Men. So it is now, for they have <HI>&s;et-forth</HI> their Brethren, the <HI>la&s;t,</HI> as the mo&s;t <HI>execrable</HI> and <HI>accur&s;ed</HI> per&s;ons, and accordingly to be dealt-with; &s;it|to be ca&s;t-out and more, but Ile &s;ay no more, but this &s;aid before They have &s;et them forth <HI>the la&s;t, as it were appointed to Death:</HI> And the way of <HI>Independency,</HI> they make the people beleeve, It is as a <HI>gulfe,</HI> which receives all-I know not what to call that all, but they &s;ay, That all the filth or corruption of Manners and Doctrines emptieth it &s;elf-in thither, into that <HI>gulfe,</HI> as into a Common-&s;hoare. The&s;e are <HI>hard</HI> and Devouring words; and if &s;o be their Deeds are not <HI>un|godly,</HI> yet they have done enough by their words to &s;tir-up all the Inhabitants of the Land to put-forth a rough-hand again&s;t them, who have lived at peace by them, and &s;pake good things for them, before their God, touching their everla&s;ting peace. That I may not &s;eem to render their words, <HI>harder</HI> then they are, and more <HI>devouring,</HI> we will hear what their tongues &s;ay in print (1) <HI>D. P. P.</HI> puts down &s;ix <HI>&s;ecundary Cau&s;es</HI> of our Plagues, the continuance of them; And the Independents he ranks them with the fir&s;t of the&s;e &s;ix. The other [whom I need not name, being a man of &s;uch Renowne, and name, (and for high De&s;ert I heartily acknowledge) that his name onely has rendered his <HI>&s;ubitane Apprehen&s;ions,</HI> in deed and truth &s;uch, to &s;eem good and &s;olid Rea&s;ons; and &s;o to pa&s;&s;e through the City, as having Truth and Rea&s;on in them: when as indeed and Truth, they have neither the one nor the other; but, as <HI>&s;ubitane Apprehen|&s;ions</HI> u&s;e to be, the weake&s;t and &s;leighte&s;t as ever came from &s;o &s;olid a man upon &s;o weighty a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e as is Church Government, yet they take with the people] This man of Name, &s;eemes to make a
<PB N="12" REF="8"> que&s;tion, and re&s;olved all the world That <HI>Independencie</HI> is <HI>a Semina|ry</HI> of <HI>Schifmes:</HI> A <HI>floud gate to let in an inundation,</HI> &amp;c. So the Que|ri&s;t.</P>
<P>The third per&s;on, Doctor <HI>A Steward</HI> renders the Independents as abominable and pernicious both to Church and State, as are Altars and Orgon-pipes; Cro&s;&s;es, and Crucifixes: Papi&s;ts, and Athei&s;ts, yea Sodomites in I&s;raels Land, as odious and pernicious as are the&s;e accur&s;ed per&s;ons and Things. There is the charge full-out, as Pon|derous as man can render it, and it renders the Brethren as odious to the world as man can make them. I &s;hould tell you here, how they have drawn-up to this conclu&s;ion, I mean, from what <HI>premi&s;es</HI> they have concluded, as we heard; But truly I finde a diver&s;ion in my thoughts, and I mu&s;t follow them, though I digre&s;&s;e a little, that &s;o I may come to the <HI>vi&s;ions of God.</HI></P>
<P>I am verily per&s;waded, that the&s;e &s;ervants of the Lord, I meane the&s;e, who, or whereever they are, that walke in the way, <HI>exactly, preci&s;ely,</HI> as they ought to walke, (I have nothing to &s;ay unto o|thers,) doe &s;ee the&s;e <HI>vi&s;ions</HI> frequently now adayes, now that they heare &s;uch devouring words, and might feare, but thar the feare of God over-rules in their hearts, the hand of violence put-forth a|gain&s;t them, al&s;o, <HI>ungodly deeds;</HI> Now is the time for God to appear for them, and to &s;ay, <HI>I am your God:</HI> for &s;o has been His manner in all <HI>perilous</HI> times, &s;o to appear to and for His &s;ervants, as the Churches Chronicles doe tell us all along; but lie keepe to the Scriptures of God, and read backward there. Saint <HI>Paul</HI> heard <HI>devouring words,</HI> and felt <HI>ungodly deedes;</HI> his Adver&s;aries thru&s;t him iuto the pri&s;on, there he lay-fa&s;t, &s;hut up, and in the darke, not a <HI>Cranny</HI> open to let|in Light; Then was Gods time to appear. Then expect the vi&s;ions of God: And &s;o it was; <HI>And behold a great light;</HI> The light of God &s;hined-in upon him, and his fellow pri&s;oner; Indeede the Lord re&s;erves the greate&s;t <HI>lights</HI> for the darke&s;t roomes, <HI>Pri&s;ons</HI> and <HI>Dungeons;</HI> The &s;tronge&s;t <HI>Con&s;olations</HI> for the weake&s;t hearts, when they are fainting; The &s;weete&s;t, the goode&s;t words, The Lord &s;peakes alwayes to His people in their <HI>wilderne&s;&s;e.</HI> That hee does; and &s;o wee will read on retrograde.</P>
<P>Saint <HI>Marke</HI> tells us a notable &s;tory, I doe not remember the Chapter, but the matter I remember very well; That the Lord Chri&s;t had made a man <HI>every whit whole;</HI> Hee threw-out the devil who did trouble the mans Body, I thinke, his &s;oule too; for &s;hure He dealt with the man, after his manner, like a <HI>Tormemor.</HI> The Lord
<PB N="13" REF="8"> hath &s;et His poore &s;ervant free from his Adver&s;ary, that delights in <HI>proud wrath,</HI> And oh how faine would this &s;ervant, &s;o delivered, have kept &s;till with the Lord Chri&s;t; but his Lord &s;uffered not; but bid him goe to his hou&s;e; then to the Synagogue, give glory to God; but doe not &s;ay what I have done for thee. The mans heart was full, his tongue mu&s;t needes utter it; he exalts and maguifies the Name of the Lord. The Scribes and Phari&s;es could not endure it, &s;o they excommunicated the poore man, they thru&s;t him out of their Syna|gogues. Then was the Lords time, They had ca&s;t him-out, now the Lord receives him-in: He &s;ayes unto His poore Ca&s;t-out (in effect) have men thru&s;t out a rough-hand again&s;h thee? Thou &s;halt bee at no lo&s;&s;e by that, Ile <HI>take thee by the hand. Have they</HI> ca&s;t thee out of their <HI>Synagogue?</HI> thou &s;halt not be di&s;maid at that, but well apaid rather; <HI>Ile receive thee into my Bo&s;ome.</HI> To run-back in my thoughts through all the Old Te&s;tament even to the beginning, then Ile fix my thoughts upon <HI>Jacob;</HI> He &s;aw much trouble in his dayes; And Three of his dayes exceeded, and were very <HI>perilous;</HI> But which is mo&s;t remarkeable; Tho&s;e were the dayes, which his Lord God cho&s;e to appear unto him in. The fir&s;t day, when hee was leaving his Countrey; and his fathers hou&s;e; bidding farewell, to all his com|forts and contentments there, a deere Father, and an indulgent mother; when he mu&s;t depart from all tho&s;e, and with a &s;ad heart doubtle&s;&s;e, Then <HI>behold the vi&s;ion of God;</HI> then God appears, God in Chri&s;t, <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Gen 28. <HI>Jacob</HI> &s;ees, Ladder, heaven reaching down to e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">th, and earth rea<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hing up to heaven, all meeting to|gether in on Ch<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">i&s;t. Gen. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">1.</NOTE> then <HI>Jacob</HI> &s;ees <HI>God,</HI> and heares Him &s;peake good and com|fortable words; <HI>I will be with thee,</HI> Jacob; <HI>where thou art</HI> I will be; A Father to thee, and a Mother both, as loving and tender over thee, as &s;hee was; Ile be thy <HI>&s;tay,</HI> and <HI>&s;taffe, bread &s;hall be given thee,</HI> and <HI>thy water &s;hall he &s;ure;</HI> Ile be thy God, <HI>Jacoh,</HI> Ile bee <HI>All:</HI> &s;o as thou &s;halt &s;ay, having Me, thou ha&s;t <HI>enough,</HI> and enough, <HI>God</HI> and <HI>All. Jacobs</HI> &s;econd <HI>perilous</HI> day was, when he &s;aw <HI>Labans</HI> countenance changed towards Him, <HI>not as before.</HI> If the countenance is changed, the heart is changed &s;ure; for the heart changeth fir&s;t; and Jacob may expect <HI>ungodly deedes,</HI> doubtle&s;&s;e it was a perilous day with him. But then God appeares to <HI>Jacob;</HI> it Was Gods time, and he &s;ayes, <HI>Ile be with thee,</HI> And &s;aying &s;o much, He has &s;aid All. <HI>Jacobs</HI> third time, that was <HI>perilous</HI> indeede, it exceeded all compari&s;on, for he was <HI>di&s;tre&s;&s;ed</HI> on that day. <HI>Jacob</HI> is returning to His Countrey and he heares His brother <HI>E&s;au</HI> is comming to meete him (a poore weake man with <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 32.</NOTE> his <HI>feeble folke)</HI> and <HI>foure-hundred men with him.</HI> Then <HI>Jacob</HI> was <HI>great|ly afraid and di&s;tre&s;&s;ed,</HI> &s;ayes the Text: And then, on that very Day,
<PB N="14" REF="9"> the day of <HI>Jacobs trouble,</HI> His Lord appeareth; And not alone; He has His Angels with Him; <HI>Gods Ho&s;t;</HI> Nor is that all; <HI>Jacob</HI> &s;hall have a double guard now, that he is di&s;tre&s;&s;ed, Two Hoa&s;ts for <HI>E&s;au's</HI> one; And an Infinite &s;trength, above his brothers; his &s;trength is the &s;trength of men; <HI>Jacob</HI> has the &s;trength of Angels; the Ho&s;t of God; Nay Ho&s;ts of Angels, <HI>Machanajim,</HI> two Ho&s;ts; for then perils were doubled.</P>
<P>It is the Lords manner &s;o to do, Ble&s;&s;ed be his Name; When the &s;ound of Danger is lowde&s;t in his &s;ervant eares; and their eyes can behold nothing but troubles, and fears round about; Then expect, ye &s;ervants of the Lord (ye that wait His Time, and attend His plea&s;ure) then expect to &s;ee <HI>vi&s;ions,</HI> and great <HI>&s;alvations:</HI> the vi&s;ions and &s;alvations of God: &s;o it has been from the beginning of the world; and &s;o it will be to the worlds end. And now I return where I break off, to that heavy-charge drawn-up again&s;t the Brethren. We mu&s;t &s;ee whence they have concluded, from what premi&s;es, I mean, That their brethren mu&s;t be <HI>cut a&s;under,</HI> &s;o one concludes; <HI>en&s;e recidendum:</HI> That they mu&s;t be thru&s;t-out of the Kingdome, as the mo&s;t abominable, and the mo&s;t accur&s;ed things ought to be; &s;o the Doctor concludes: from their own <HI>premi&s;es</HI> all along, which their own hearts &s;ugge&s;ted. But without their leaves, we will ex|amine how their conclu&s;ion follows, from my <HI>premi&s;es,</HI> which I have taken from the Scriptures of God. And &s;o I will recall the premi&s;es, and then the charge, the&s;e 3 men have drawn-up from the premi&s;es, which are &s;ummarily the&s;e. The &s;ervants of the Lord do Advance their Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, as &s;ole Lord over His Church; They depend upon Him; He is their Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, their Strength, their Councel|lor in whom they glory. There is their great Dependance, Thereon they <HI>Re&s;t,</HI> and are <HI>&s;till;</HI> Be men mad with rage; and the earth never &s;o unquiet, they are a <HI>quiet habitation</HI> &s;till; for They know whom they have Tru&s;ted: Where their great Dependance is, for all Church and State matters, even upon the Lord God Almighty. Dependent they are too upon men, though they put no great tru&s;t there: nei|ther <HI>&s;tay</HI> nor <HI>&s;taffe,</HI> God knows, yet dependent upon man, for his ad|vice, and coun&s;ell: And accountable for their actions unto men al|&s;o, who &s;hall, in the name of Chri&s;t, require an account of them, or of their <HI>repentance,</HI> and <HI>faith towards God.</HI> They will Appeal to men al&s;o, (that is the great que&s;tion) &s;o be they will Appeal to the Scrip|tures (thereunto is their great Appeal) to the Rule and Judge there. So Dependent the&s;e men are, whom we call (I would we had a fitter
<PB N="15" REF="9"> name, &s;ith it is &s;o ill under&s;tood, and con&s;trued: but &s;ure we have not a fitter name then) <HI>Independant,</HI> for herein they are content and de|&s;ire rather to be accounted, and called by that name, becau&s;e they have concluded from their Lords own mouth, and from the practi&s;e of His Di&s;ciples in the be&s;t times purely primative, That every par|ticular Congregation hath from Chri&s;t ab&s;olute power, to exerci&s;e of and in it &s;elfe, every Ordinance of God. No <HI>Dependencie</HI> in Go|vernment, or direction in wor&s;hip, from any other than from Chri&s;t their Lord and Law-giver, made unto His Church their <HI>wi&s;dome,</HI> their <HI>righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> their Ju&s;tification, and their Glory: (Sir) There are the premi&s;es, Now marke what the&s;e three men infer, how they draw-up rheir charge from hence. (1) <HI>Ergo,</HI> The&s;e Independents are the prime and chiefe cau&s;es of our plagues and mi&s;eries, &s;ayes the fir&s;t &s;cribe. (2) <HI>Ergo,</HI> The&s;e Independents, are the <HI>Seminary</HI> of, &amp;c. and open a floud-gate to all &amp;c. &s;aith the Lawyer this once, and I thinke never but this once, cleane be&s;ides the ca&s;e, doubtle&s;&s;e God has forgiven him, &s;o have his good brethren too, (3) <HI>Ergo,</HI> Tho&s;e Independents are as abominable, as were Altars, High-places, the Brazen &s;erpent, when made an Idol; &s;o abominable are the&s;e men, and to be dealt with by the Rulers hands, as tho&s;e <HI>Dunghill gods</HI> were dealt withall, when they were throwne-out as an abominati|on, and accur&s;ed things; &s;o the&s;e men &s;hould be dealt withall, &s;ayes the Doctor, and &s;o concludes. And yet has &s;et downe no <HI>premi&s;es</HI> ta|ken out of the Word of God, whence he concludes &s;o, though by his conclu&s;ion he has rendred the brethren the mo&s;t odious men and a|bominable, that are in the world, the cau&s;es of all the mi&s;eries and di&s;tractions here. Well, let him go on: &s;o will I; and by the grace of Almighty God, I will conte&s;t again&s;t this <HI>conclu&s;ion</HI> with all the pow|er God will be plea&s;ed to vouch&s;afe unto me: And though I &s;hall con|clude nothing, yet I &s;hall make &s;uch <HI>inqairies</HI> into our mi&s;eries, the cau&s;es thereof, as that the&s;e <HI>inquiries</HI> onely &s;hall &s;erve to make a full di&s;covery to all the world, touching tho&s;e matters; and with the &s;ame labour I &s;hall render the Independents and the <HI>way</HI> of wor&s;hip (I have not called it their way or mans way,) as white from tho&s;e blacks ca&s;t upon them, and the <HI>way,</HI> as is the cloath that hath gone through &s;even la<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ers; I &s;hall have free leave for this &s;ure, a licence I meane to <HI>enquire</HI> what may be the cau&s;e of our woes, and &s;ighes, That every one may put it to que&s;tion in his own heart; &s;et-up the <HI>Inqui&s;ition court</HI> there, and &s;o re&s;olve the Que&s;tion. But this is the &s;ub|ject matter of the <HI>Third Section.</HI></P>
<PB N="16" REF="10">
<P>Here Sir I have given forth the <HI>premi&s;es,</HI> touching the Indepen|dents and their Doctrines, as the good word of God gives-them|forth to me; and I have &s;et down the <HI>Conclu&s;ion,</HI> which three men, one after another, as if all had one and the &s;ame Spirit, have drawn from <HI>premi&s;es</HI> of their own, deducible neither from <HI>Scripture,</HI> nor from <HI>Rea&s;on.</HI> no, nor from <HI>&s;en&s;e</HI> neither, unle&s;&s;e their own, and that darkened with <HI>prejudice</HI> all along. Surely the man, that has &s;o much <HI>Logick,</HI> &s;hould not have &s;o done, (I &s;uppo&s;e the other two, have as my &s;elfe, and other men have, very little, or none, at all in compari&s;on with him,) But he &s;hould not have &s;o <HI>concluded</HI> again&s;t his brethren, That they are as <HI>plagues</HI> and <HI>pe&s;ts,</HI> in Judah Land, even as were <HI>Al|tars, High-places,</HI> the vile&s;t Idols there; And yet has &s;et downe no <HI>premi&s;es,</HI> and &s;o forth, as afore&s;aid. It is replyed.</P>
<P><HI>A</HI> That the two brethren plead for a <HI>Toleration;</HI> And that plea|ding carries more danger in it to Church and State, than does the pleading for the Service-Booke, Arch-Bi&s;hops, and Bi&s;hops, Altars, and Organs, Cro&s;&s;es and Crucifixes, that the&s;e may &s;tand in their full force power and vertue. And from hence the Doctor has &s;o concluded, again&s;t his Brethren, for the ca&s;ting-of them all forth.</P>
<P><HI>B.</HI> I An&s;wer and grant, That the two Brethren doe plead for a <HI>Toleration,</HI> not of all Religions &s;ure, no, nor of any, which <HI>withdraws</HI> from God; &s;urely no &s;ober man can plead for &s;uch a Religion. They plead for a <HI>Toleration</HI> of that Religion or <HI>way</HI> of wor&s;hip, which they are per&s;waded in their &s;oule, drawes-neere&s;t to God; And for <HI>Toleration</HI> of the&s;e men among&s;t us, who have ever lived peaceably with us, have &s;poken good things for us before the Throne of God, who&s;e Doctrines have come-up fully to the good word of God, and their conver&s;ation al&s;o as becommeth the Go&s;pel. Now God forbid, that any rough-hand &s;hould be put-forth again&s;t the&s;e men, Yea, God forgive our <HI>hard words</HI> and <HI>unchri&s;tian thoughts</HI> that way.</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> But &s;urely, many, whom we call, and they call them&s;elves, <HI>In|dependent,</HI> do think them&s;elves <HI>exempt from all Laws,</HI> except that law, which <HI>rules in their members:</HI> And think, as the <HI>Nimrods</HI> and <HI>Giants</HI> of the world do think, them&s;elves accountable for their Actions to none but God.</P>
<P><HI>B.</HI> It were well, if they could bethink them&s;elves &s;eriou&s;ly, That they are accountable to God: but &s;o they do not think; But this I know, That many walk <HI>di&s;orderly,</HI> loo&s;e from their God; the Go|&s;pel; and way of His wor&s;hip. But if there be any, who under&s;tand <HI>Independency</HI> &s;o, let them be as odious, and abominable in mans
<PB N="17" REF="10"> eye, as the Giants and Nimrods of the world, (mightie hunters be|fore the Lord) are in Gods eye: and let all men come out again&s;t them, as they &s;hould do again&s;t &s;uch mighty oppre&s;&s;ors; To thru&s;t them out of the Land. Now let us hear al&s;o what is commonly &s;aid.</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> That more have fallen off from that way, we call <HI>Independent,</HI> walking their own way, following their own fancies, than from the other way of Church Government. We know not how many have gone-out from us, unto them, been received there, and then have turned away from them again, unto abominable wayes of errors, not to be remembred here. I an&s;wer.</P>
<P><HI>B.</HI> This may be, and yet the way good and Holy; yea an Argu|ment all this, of the goodne&s;&s;e and Holine&s;&s;e of the way, becau&s;e &s;o many have turned to it, and then quickly away from it. <HI>They went|out from us, but they were not of us,</HI> &s;aies the Apo&s;tle: And lightly come, lightly gone, &s;aies the Proverbe. The&s;e entred upon the way with|out due con&s;ideration, upon very light motions; before they weigh|ed and pondered their own way, or the way they were entring up|on. And &s;o they are like a &s;hip without balas; or as a cloud with|out rain, carried about, &amp;c. Here now, if my advice were worth acceptance, it &s;hould be this, to the Ma&s;ters of the A&s;&s;emblies; That they would be as daintie in their choice of Members, as <HI>Paul</HI> would have <HI>Timothy</HI> to be in <HI>laying on his hand,</HI> which we call <HI>ordination.</HI> Let it appear, that the <HI>Word</HI> and Spirit gathers members into a Church fellow&s;hip, and not the call of men: Which will appear, if enquiry be made fir&s;t, whether they have <HI>counted their co&s;t.</HI> That is a great in|quiry. And whether <HI>their fellow&s;hip is with the Father and the Son;</HI> and are re&s;olved to maintain the &s;ame fellow&s;hip in that Church-Com|munion, they are now entring upon, taking cure and charge one over another, as before &s;aid, &s;uch as is comely for a communion of Saints? If they can in &s;incerity and truth of heart make clear an|&s;wers thereunto, that they have no low Aymes; nor ba&s;e <HI>ends</HI> mo|ving them to come-over to the vvay: but onely the glory of God, and their more comfortable vvalking &s;till &s;earching the Scripture: and vvalking humbly vvith their God: Surely if &s;o, there will be be no fear of <HI>falling</HI>-off; but fully a&s;&s;ured vve may be they vvill vvalk-on &s;trait forward, and hold-on to the end. They are the light, incon&s;iderate, un&s;avourie, unballa&s;ed Chri&s;tians, &s;uch as never count their co&s;t, that are the &s;ickle men; vvho vvould &s;eeme to be &s;ome bodies vvhen indeed they are <HI>Nothings::</HI> and yet vvould be ac|counted <HI>Independent men,</HI> taken off from them&s;elves, and the vvorld,
<PB N="18" REF="11"> and from every bottome there; <HI>founded</HI> and rooted in Chri&s;t, vvholly Dependent upon Him, the <HI>Rock of Ages:</HI> And yet vvalk as vvithout God in the pre&s;ent World; as they have the men of the World for an example, quite loo&s;e from God and good-men. Oh! this is Abo|minable; and vvill be bitterne&s;&s;e at the la&s;t. To &s;hut-up this; They that are received into Church Communion &s;hould be men fearing God, and hating covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, who walk not after the fle&s;h, but after the Spirit: Men, that can hear, and read, and &s;ing, and pray, and all in the Spirit: Men that walk with God, filled with the Holy Gho&s;t: And the&s;e will &s;erve to make Church officers too. It vvill be &s;aid again.</P>
<P><HI>A.</HI> But vvhy do I make &s;o large exceptions again&s;t the Doctors book? I vvas not provoked.</P>
<P><HI>B.</HI> Not provoked! Indeed I vvas, and &s;o I think is every good man; To &s;ee &s;uch a&mdash;I cannot tell what to call it, <HI>Charge</HI> is too &s;oft a vvord, drawn-up again&s;t the Brethren, upon the <HI>front</HI> of his book, and in the face of the World. Surely, if I had &s;een &s;uch&mdash;an <HI>Indictment</HI> again&s;t the Presbyterians, I &s;hould have &s;aid as much again&s;t it and as heartily. And I per&s;wade my &s;elf, they do vvi&s;h, That the Doctors book, and &s;uch like, had never &s;een the Sun: or, coming abroad, had been dealt with, as their Authors would have their brethren done unto, <HI>thrown into the fire to be purged there.</HI> And truly if my book be &s;o accounted of by any &s;ober Chri&s;tian, as a <HI>troubler</HI> of the Churches peace, let it go with its fellows, &s;uch <HI>trou|blers,</HI> and let me be thru&s;t-out after it. But the Dr. Him&s;elf does not account me a troubler, a flatterer he &s;aies I am. I mu&s;t reply to this fir&s;t.</P>
<P>If I would flatter, and had skill that way, as truly I have none, but if I had, I would not flatter the Brethren, we call <HI>Independents;</HI> men <HI>&s;et forth</HI> the <HI>la&s;t,</HI> as afore&s;aid; I would not flatter them; In the eye of the world, I &s;ay of the world, I am better than they, and bet|ter accounted of then they. But yet we will hear how the Dr. char|geth all tho&s;e, that &s;peak for the Independents or the way of Go|vernment, thus he &s;aies, or to this purpo&s;e; That the men, who <HI>treat</HI> <Q>on their &s;ide, do be&s;peak them, and the people with high &s;trains of Rhetorique and large <HI>laudatives</HI> concerning them:</Q> And for his part, he has been a little too free that way, and he craves pardon, Let him have it, for his tongue in print may a&s;&s;ure us, and all the world, that, if he hath given his Brethren their dues, which he ow|oth to every man, <HI>&s;weet</HI> and <HI>fair language,</HI> he will retract now, and
<PB N="19" REF="11"> do &s;o no more, But to quit my &s;elf of that my &s;oul abhors, ba&s;e flat|teries, giving that to men, which I know they de&s;erve not, This I will &s;ay, and not crave pardon for my expre&s;&s;ion, The Lord God of gods, the Lord God of gods, He knows, That my heart and &s;oul has gone-out with my words all along. I have not &s;trained my con|&s;cience in any word I have &s;poken touching our Brethren, and their <HI>way;</HI> It is a beautifull way in my eye, and they have walked with a <HI>right-foot</HI> in that way, &s;or ought I can di&s;cern, or can ken to the con|trary. One or more of that &s;ide or way, may have &s;poken impro|perly enough, as the Dr. argueth their words, he heard from them in the pulpit. Very likely all that. Alas! Men may walk as men; And it is far from me to commend <HI>mans way:</HI> It is <HI>Gods way</HI> I contend for; man may &s;peak al&s;o (it is not proper to &s;ay, he may, but he does) not alwayes as the <HI>oracle of God.</HI> He is a perfect man, &s;aith S. <HI>James,</HI> and I beleeve He knew none &s;uch in the world, that trips not in his tongue, and foot al&s;o, who was not an <HI>offender in a word,</HI> yes, and in deed too.</P>
<P>The Nations are but as a drop of the bucket, and the I&s;les as the &s;mall du&s;t of the ballance, in compari&s;on with the great God; How &s;mall and light a thin&s;t then is hee, we call man? Surely &s;urely when we way him, we mu&s;t give him his full allowance, for he is ma|ny graines too light: And yet I mu&s;t not call him <HI>R<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">c<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">:</HI> a foole, a <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 5. 22. <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>Vacuus in mis.</HI></NOTE> light and empty fellow; If I call my brother &s;o, I am in <HI>danger of a Councel;</HI> the Synod may talke with me for it. and it is fit they &s;hould, I abominate jeering or &s;coffing, or any lightnes at all; If any for the Independent way are faulty therein, they are cleane out of the way of God, and good men; and far from the end they &s;eeme to propo&s;e, the per&s;wading with, and reducing their brother into the way of holine&s;&s;e. And hee who is bitter, is far-out too. And now I feele my &s;elfe plucked by the eare. I have heard it argued again&s;t me more than once, <HI>That I blame Mr. Ed:</HI> bitter language, when mine is more <HI>bitter.</HI> Is it &s;o? let me be blamed for that, and I aske him pardon too. But I prote&s;t now before the <HI>Lord and his</HI> people, That though I have beene accu&s;ed, yet I was never &s;hown the words, which might argue this bitterne&s;&s;e charged upon my Spirit; If &s;uch they are in a|ny corner of my booke, which can bear &s;uch a con&s;truction, they &s;lipt from me before I was aware, yet I will own them, if there they be, as my own, the fruit of my own Spirit, and reprove my &s;elfe and my words more than another neede to doe; yea, and abominate &s;uch
<PB N="20" REF="12"> words al&s;o, all and every one, which have &s;uch an <HI>A&s;pect</HI> upon my brother, but I &s;ay again, and I &s;ay truly, I have not yet found any &s;uch word in my booke: but I can too ea&s;ily over-looke my own words or actions, as an unfit Judge in &s;uch matters. Yet let me tell you what I ought to doe, and what I would doe, &s;o I &s;hall the better argue again&s;t my three brethren herea&s;ter. That if I were to &s;peake to Turker or Jewes; Athei&s;ts or Papi&s;ts; the mo&s;t untoward and roughe&s;t men in the world, yet I would render my words as <HI>&s;mooth as oyle,</HI> and <HI>as &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ft as Butter,</HI> that the men I &s;peake unto might know in their hearts, and be per&s;waded in their &s;oules, that I have no war again&s;t them in my heart; no, but that I keowing the terrour of the Lord, doe &s;eeke their peace, their &s;oules peace; that I would perfwade with them for their everla&s;ting good: And by this means J would hope to make my words keene in the hearts of our Lords, and His Chri&s;ts chiefe&s;t enemies; and if J had a word from the Lord, by the grace of God, that J would fet-on with all my might, but with the &s;pirit of meekne&s;&s;e. We have an excellent patterne for this; To &s;peak &s;o to my Brother, as that my Brother may perceive that I would do<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> him good with all my Heart and all my &s;oule: For &s;o the high God, the great Lord of heaven and earth, Even &s;o he &s;peaketh to his poore &s;ervants; I will doe you good (&s;ayes He) with My <HI>whole heart and My wh<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">le &s;oule.</HI> Oh the goodne&s;&s;e of God! His kindene&s;&s;e to his creatures, &s;o he treates with men! O! ble&s;&s;ed be His name. Have the&s;e three &s;ervauts of the Lord imitated their Ma&s;ter? I &s;hould not put it to Que&s;tion, for pa&s;t all Que&s;tion they have done cleane con|trary. What the good King &s;aid in the Angui&s;h of his Spirit, the &s;ame the&s;e men have &s;aid in the tartne&s;&s;e frowardne&s;&s;e, eagerne&s;&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a 38.</NOTE> of their own <GAP DESC="foreign"> <HI>bitterne&s;&s;e bitterne&s;&s;e,</HI> bitterne&s;&s;e in their tongues, and that could not be but when there is more in the heart, aboun|dance of bitterne&s;&s;e there; whence it is that their pens have beene dipped in vinigar and &s;teeped as in gall: <HI>bitterne&s;&s;e, bitterne&s;&s;e,</HI> as if they intended not, as &s;ure they did not, to informe their brethren, and recall them from error, if in any they are, but to inbitter their &s;pirits, and give them a bill from their hands, in full a&s;&s;urance, that they will endeavour, without the grace of God, to di&s;cover and lay open their brethrens nakedne&s;&s;e to all the world, with <HI>their whole heart, and with their whole &s;oule.</HI> Is this to imitate the Lord God Father of mercies, God of, all Con&s;olations? To put this out of que&s;tion ile &s;ay this more, that there is not a man, on this &s;ide our narrow &s;eas,
<PB N="21" REF="12"> who&s;e hand has appeared for the Presbyterian way of Church Go|vernment, not one man (except that excellent man Mr. <HI>Herle,</HI> it were a notable indignity offered unto him, not to except him) that has not bent the &s;ame hand again&s;t his brethren, making his words &s;harp as arrows &s;hot-out again&s;t their very faces; I had almo&s;t &s;aid, and hearts too, &s;o giving all the vvorld to knovv (I &s;peak my jea|lou&s;ie at lea&s;t) that their <HI>pa&s;&s;ions</HI> are &s;trong, but their cau&s;e is weak. But this I know; That we have not &s;o learnt the Lord Chri&s;t; This is not after our Lords manner, nor after the Cu&s;tomes of the Chur|ches of God. I have &s;aid vvhat I have to &s;ay touching this filthy and putred matter, vvhich like a box of the vile&s;t and impure&s;t oynt|ment, is &s;uffered to run abroad through Church and State to fill the hou&s;e there vvith its filthy &s;avour. Ile clo&s;e this box vvith this &s;top|ple, it may be of u&s;e to &s;top the mouth again&s;t <HI>devouring words;</HI> Such kind of vvritings or Rea&s;onings, &s;avouring &s;o &s;trong of fle&s;h and blood, vvill never do the world good, to make them knovv they lie in evill; Nor the cau&s;e good, mightie Adver&s;aries thereunto; nor the Church good, To make them knovv their &s;ins, and confe&s;&s;e their errors; never do the State or Church good this vvay, vvhile the world &s;tands, unle&s;&s;e by <HI>accident,</HI> as the <HI>Logicians</HI> &s;ay (i e) by the wi&s;e di&s;po&s;ing, and gracious ordering of an Almighty hand: &s;o they &s;hall do all good; But not <HI>per &s;e,</HI> as vve &s;ay, not by their own naturall working, vvhile the world &s;tands. And when the vvorld mu&s;t fall to peeces, and the <HI>Things</HI> there crumbled all to <HI>nothings;</HI> and the per&s;ons there mu&s;t render an account of all they have &s;aid, and done, then the&s;e kind of writings will be <HI>bitterne&s;&s;e, bitterne&s;&s;e.</HI> Their Authors &s;hall ta&s;te, if they repent not, of their own Gall, and worm|wood, there, vvhich they them&s;elves have put-in: and it &s;hall be their drink, and portion for ever. Then the tongue, which was &s;et|on fire of hell, and repented not, &s;hall have Hell and fire long enough, as long as <HI>eternitie</HI> is long, for ever and ever.</P>
<P>It is a &s;ad <HI>period,</HI> I will not put <HI>Amen</HI> to it: my &s;oule deprecates, praies again&s;t this end. But Ile <HI>pray in prayer,</HI> if I could in prayer I would pray; Lord give the brethren all foure, (I might &s;ay foure|&s;core, here, and there, and every where, give them <HI>Lord,</HI> repentance for all their hard words and ungodly deedes again&s;t the brethren, the faithfull &s;ervants of the Lord, <HI>Amen:</HI> make them Lord as all the Tribes &s;hall be, <HI>all one,</HI> as <HI>one &s;tick in Thy hand,</HI> to beate away the doggs and &s;wine: All as one a&s;&s;embly of Saints, built-up as a <HI>Ciey that is</HI>
<PB N="22" REF="13"> <HI>compacted together;</HI> or as a hou&s;e founded upon the <HI>Rock of Ages,</HI> fa&s;t and &s;ure for ever, notwith&s;tanding, the fierce windes, great rains, and water-flouds; for this Rock is our Rock: <HI>He will be our guide, even unto the death.</HI> 1 Pet. 3. 8, 9. <HI>Finally be ye all of one minde, having compa&s;&s;ion one of another, be as brethren, be pitifull be cour|teous: Not rendring, evill for evill, or rayling for rayling: but contrarywi&s;e ble&s;&s;ing, knowing that ye are there|unto called, that you &s;hould inherit a ble&s;&s;ing.</HI></P>
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