If it pleas'd them at Pinners-Hall to Preach more of Christ as a sanctifier as well as justifier and them of Saltars-Hall to Preach more of Christ as a Justifier as well as Sanctifier They should have my Consent and I doubt not of many that hear them Would not this be a good mixture and make such Savoury Meat as the Soul of a serious Christian Loveth They are all Men of Worth and Learning and God Loveth them better then they love one another It is the good honest Complaint of some Congregational Men who when they bring their Children and Servants with them to their Meeting hear so much of Comforting of Saints What is this say they to them Who should hear awakening Discourses of Conversion and Subjects suitable for them Besides say I we live in an Age wherein Religion runs at so low an Ebb That where one Good Man need be told of Comfort a Hundred had need to be told of Mortification Watchfulness and Circumspection and of greater usefulness Where do we see so many fainting sad Christians that so many Cordials must be brought when there is need of Griping working things They must not be told much of Duty Activity for God this is Legal Preaching forsooth All Lenatives no Purgatives What shall be said to great Professours Pillars too that make nothing of an officious Lye to help out a bargain of sitting long at the wine of defrauding others Sins inconsistent with grace if continued in Let them think what they please do these want Comfort It is true when the Dogs are beat the Children cry yet this is sometimes necessary notwithstanding Sinners must be told their own as well as Believers theirs One great Cause of the aforenamed Corruptions I take to be the Preaching of unqualified Tradesmen especially such as set up for the only Gospel Preachers Many Tradesmen may be and are such as may deserve the Name of prudent wise Christians but yet make woful ignorant Teachers Who is sufficient saith Paul for these things Had Paul liv'd in London he would haâ—e met with some that say Who is not sufficient for these things Obj. But the Spirit can do this work Answ But we see in you he doth it not And I may say to such what Peter said to Ananias and Saphira Why have yè agreed to belye the Holy Ghost You that never had the sense and reason becoming Men what pretend you to extraordinary discoveries Obj. Peter was a Iasher-man c. Answ Is there no difference between a Fisher-man made wise and that to work Miracles and Write excellent Greek Epistles and between ignorant Plowmen Weavers Taylors Is it not a lovely Charming sight to see an Association of such Reverend Persons and not two Schollars among them Who tell the People Christ is the Subject of all our Righteousness In the Lord have I Righteousness and Strength He is the Efficient of all but not the Subject Obj. I Pray What Qualifications are necessary Answ Such as you want and that is enough Christ promiseth I will give you a Mouth and Wisdom whereby you shall convince Gain Sayers Mouth there is many a time enough or more then enough but for Wisdom no Man can see it Are they Ambassadours for Christ Pastors Shepherds Angels Such as should give themselves wholly to these things Workmen needing not to be ashamed rightly dividing the Word of Truth And yet such as cannot talk better then Women not as Preachers to such a Question as this How know you the Scriptures to be the Word of God All the Answer I have known from such Preachers is by the Spirit Is it not enough for them to be ignorant but must they be so frantick to go into Pulpits to discover it They sweat at the end of their work and wise Men at the beginning They can Preach they say often and make nothing of it Thou Fool said Paul in another Case Let alone say I the work to qualified Men who Preach seldom and make something of it What Polly is it for Crispians to tell the World Dr. Owen once Preacht to them Pure Doctrine of Justification when it is so evident if this be true then Dr. Crisp Preacht impure Doctrine For our New Gospeller lately set up some say He hath been an Ingenious Man others say No If the former be true God seems to make him on purpose to let the World see Preaching is quite another thing then what most think it to be An Ingenious Tradesman can no more make an Ingenious Preacher on a sudden then he can an Ingenious Physition and Lawyer or then an Ingenious Preacher can make an Ingenious Tradesman or Linen-Draper For his Morals I find his Friends shaking their Heads I leave them to dispute this matter But there is a Question to be askt Seeing his Father and Mother were both Quakers When was our Reverend Linen-Draper Baptis'd But we are told of two Men of worth that seem to Countenance him out of respect to them I will not say all I can Yet some deny it and I am sure they care not to own it I shall not say much of the Rude Treatment much talkt of to me and others when we went to hear him VVhit-Monday before and after his Text lest it should be thought to be the Great Cause of my appearing against him Which I declare to be no Cause at all but yet might be a sufficient excuse to Cut him up and send him to the Tribes in Israel with see consider and speak your Minds I and others did as God says Go down to see whether it were according to the Cry And intended to Apologize for him if I found the Charge of Nonsensical Heterodox stuff not true But I found according to the Cry thereof or worse The English Tongue which is so Rich and Copious yet here hath that Penury that it will hardly afford words to set forth the Vanity of this late Preaching Linen-Draper whom I was desir'd to hear which I did with reluctancy Before I give an Account of what I then heard from Mr. Mathers borrowed Pulpit I think it proper to anticipate an Objection by Men that may Love only Fine and Polite strokes as That I am too sharp in this and some other Causes I will only put them in mind That when Hannibal past over the Alps and had a hard Passage Fire Vinegar Salt are us'd to make his way which in other places he did not That I am almost Fifty Year Old and never appear'd in any Controversy till a Year since coming to London A second Amsterdam of which it was ever said He that hath lost his Religion may there find it I take this to be one Cause why our Tradesmens Mouths water after a Pulpit They see in some Glubs here in the City they may speak their Opinions before Ministers and controul them to boot as if their Inferiours Latin and Greek words thrown out and half of them Crackt And Glorious Nonsence and splendid
these had been a duty now and those then a Divine Stamp made those once and these now necessary which you say a Human command doth as you tell us I think you wrong the Church of Rome if you say That she maketh sprinkling with Holy-Water c. in your sense a part of Gods Worship and of Oral Tradition from Christ or the Apostles Neither doth it appear the Pharisees thought washing of Hands when they came from Market and other Ceremonius parts of Moses's Law conveyed by Oral Traditson prove it if you can Did Christ indeed confirm Ceremonies prefer'd to Gods Law These things ought ye to have done what things washing of Hands c. No in vain do ye worship me In Tything Mint we deny not the Magistrates power in Tything Ministers maintenance is a civil thing observe a great contradicton of yours now Mans Law said to be Gods Law Christ respected them Whereas you tell me so often of Schism I have desired you to tell me what Church it is I am a Schismatick from Is it the Rebellious Perjured King Dethroning Church of England as some call her Or the seditious Conventicles of Popishly affected Jacobites that others talk of till then I am not bound to say more of Schism I thought according to some nothing could warrant taking up Arms against a King and then according to you nothing could warrant a Separation which you always call Schism from a Church There is no cause for Schism in the Church say you that is not as sufficient for Rebellion in the State Is not your Church then think you a Schismatical Church from the Mother Church of Rome That the Church Wardens Oath is injoyned as you say by Law is denied The Bishop of Bristol 20 Years since was cast here Carleton The refusers of that Oath have been Excommunicated and required to get others to serve in their place which is unlawful for Reasons given in my last to you 5 Gal. 1. I will not say your Answer or Argument was anticipated before you wrote it lest It should displease sure you cannot think I thought when Paul says Be ye not the Servants of Men Men should not serve their Masters You tell me not what is your sound Sense of the words nor the Reasons why you take not my Sense to be so God left men 14 Rom. to their liberty and no man can deny it them The Magistrate is forbidden imposing unnecessary things on the weak Receive ye him saith Paul Reject him saith your Church 7 ver No man liveth to himself 10 Who art thou that settest at naught thy brother 22. Hast thou faith have it to thy self before God Chap. We that are strong ought to bear with the infirmities of the weak Yes say some if the Magistrate doth nor forbid it O Paul or rather O Jesus thou shall be Obeyed unless our Church commands us otherwise VVho regards these Precepts yet they scrupled things lawful we unlawful 5 Col. 14.10 11 12 16. Read and you will read your fallacy A bene conjunctis mala diviso Mens Sins and old Ceremonies were both nail'd to Christ's Cross Did I make every thing I wrote of a sufficient cause for Schism especially simply by it self that this is so often all the answer I can get This is no cause for Schism Are they all Non-conformists as you say That examine not Communicants Then I think they are all Non-Conformists now from the greatest to the least VVell I see the Noncons have gotten company more than a good many by what names or titles soever they are dignified or distinguisht whether the most Reverend the Arch Bishops the right Reverend the Bishops or all inferior Priests and D s. I am glad you profess your self to be no Arminian and grant such Subscribers to the 39 Articles and Book of Homilies Noncons and I say perfidious ones you ask me where heard I I answer The last Sermon I ever heard in the Church of England save one about 2 years since Three-Articles were Preacht against by no mean Man and I would prove upon him what you say that he was a Non-conformist and ought to be Excommunicated for that Sermon VVhat I wrote against Private Baptism confirms not the charge because I told you the practise of other Noncons contrary to mine and I doubt not many Church Men are of my mind in this thing not yours Because I only object where such a Baptism may hasten a childs death And can you or will you say otherwise You say the same of Jewish Baptisms which you long since did and take no notice of my reply therefore I am not bound to take notice any more of that Subject For Kissing and Feasting I take them not as Religious Acts if you do prove them so only all things we do must tend to the Glory of God in eating and drinking and whatever we do I remember not that in my Last I wrote any thing of Musick if I did then what you say of it was pertinent to the occasion In short I think the Old Church of England is gone out of sight for Doctrine Discipline and Manners You know it was a great Question in the Schools at Athens whether when all the Old Planks were gone out of Theseus his Ship one gone after another it might still be said here is Theseus his Ship I know not how far they were agreed If it please you to give me your Opinion about this we may be the sooner agreed here This present Church which some Jacobites call a Schismatical Church her Priests Jeroboams Priests such as are not to be Communicated with at the Lords Table hath been a Factor for Rome is full of Perjuries Perfidious Baptisms broken Prayers Foolish sinful Ceremonies she is bloody in her Principles and once practice too and therefore I think separation from her is no Schism but a Duty To the Baxterians Brethren WHether you have not very much contributed to the growth of Crispianism is humbly offered to your consideration as they by their foolish unsound Oppositions of you have added to your number As not one false Charge no nor mistake was ever proved on me in my Vindiciae so I hope will no such thing or can no such thing be proved on me in this Book I once so valued your Master that I had his Picture in my Bed-Chamber and for a considerable time after I awoke in the Morning lookt on it with delight I never doubted then nor since but that he deserved the name of a great Man tho think he knew too many things to know any thing well or as other greater Men then be aid He had I think been a wiser Man had he not had so much Wiâ— I am glad that notwithstanding your Masters Doctrin of Non Resistance nothing is farther from Jacobitism than you and that His Most Sacred Majesty hath not more Loyal Subjects in the three Kingdoms then you are and that your Meetings are valued by you
AN APOLOGY FOR Congregational Divines Against the charge of 1. Crispianism or Antinomianism 2. Countenancing Incompetent Tradesmen as Preachers 3. Causeless Separation from the Publick Worship Under which Head are Published Amicable Letters between the Author and a Conformist a Man of Renown known ewhere to be such about Liturgies and Ceremonies By a PRESBYTERIAN Also a Speech delivered at Turners-Hall April 29. Where Mr. Keith a Reformed Quaker with the leave of the Lord Mayor and Bishop required Mr. Penn Mr. Elwood c. To appear to Answer his Charge against them By Trepidantium Malleus With an Account of his being knockt down and a Stone flung at his Head till the Blood run down his Cloaths after a threat about Ten Days before from Friend J. F. openly in the Coffee-House That a Church Friend of theirs Vow'd he would do it Jud XIX 30. Consider of it take advise and speak your Minds London Printed for John Harris at the 〈…〉 To the Reverend and Learned Congregational Divines in the City of London said to be afflicted for the New sprung Antinomian abominations and therefore just Censurers of a Linnen Draper now a Speaker who understands not the Doctrine he would defend and therefore is only a Crispian Would-be Mr. Griffith Mr. Mead Mr. â—rosse Mr. Nesbet Mr. Taylor Mr. Lardner Mr. Harris and others Reverend Sirs IT hath been often and long charged on some of your Brethren who have appear'd in a great Figure that they were Antinomians and those not of the best Edition Crispians but some of your Presbyterian Brethren as well as you could not believe it till 1. They saw some open Vouchers for Dr. Crisp his Notions which occasion'd shame and sorrow to some of you and Ingenious Confessions that they had betrayed your Cause One of which is indeed an Ingenious Man and discovers in his Writings good reading He is a good Philologist Philosopher Divine and Satyrist and it is believed he hath made the best of a bad Cause tho not without many and considerable flaws It was his unhappiness more then his Antagonists to charge him with a Bombastick Style This I knew not being a stranger in London till very lately 2. Till they saw others open Abettors and Fautors of an Impudent Ignorant Corrupt Impertinent The following Account will prove this to be his true Character I think it Sirs proper to begin with a short very short Scheme of Dr. Crisp his Doctrine which I had about Six Months since occasion to look into being charged by his Son in a friendly Letter I confess with wronging his Father in my Vindiciae Anti-Baxterianae and also being often told by others that I was mistaken not only in the Dr's sence but phrases too This gave me the Curiosity of a further inquiry with a resolution to Acknowledge my mistakes if any such But I found much worse then I expected or then I knew others had taken notice of I sent for his Son whom I yet value desiring him to come to my Lodgings or to appoint me a time when I might wait on him He refused passing as I hear a Complement upon me I was a ready Man c. This seem'd to me to argue guilt The Scheme is this That God Loveth the elect with a Complacential Love in the State of unregeneracy when in the heigth of all their Wickedness Whoredoms Murthers Thefts and that he hath no more to lay to their charge then to the charge of any Saint in Heaven That they are not the Sinners but Christ was the Sinner That when Christ said My God my God why hast thou forsaken me He was separate from God and odious to him as a Toad to a Man and so continued till he Rose from the Dead and then was there a kind of renewing the Sonship That not only the guilt of our Sins and Obligation to punishment lay on Christ but the Loathsomness Abominableness and Pollution of Sin it self till he breath'd it out And that as the stain of in it self was on him so he bore all the sadness due for Sin and that whoever hath any sadness for Sin is out of Christ the way And therefore Paul did not speak of himself but only personated a scrupulous Man when he said Rom. 7.28 O wretched Man that I am who shall deliver me from this Body of Death That Faith is an Etcho of the Soul Answering the Call I come without any change in Man That Pauls Justification Rom. 5.1 c. Was not a Justification before God but in the Heart and Conscience of Man That Justification cannot be known or evidenced by sanctification altho Paul saith Blessed is the Man to whom the Lord imputeth Righteousness without works God justified the Heathen by Faith c. 1. Not by Universal obedience and here he most unphilosophically attempts to prove that no such thing can be and that this would infer perfect obedience 2. Not by Love to the Brethren c. And therefore it is a Disparagement to the Spirit to be tryed by the word But no end is there of Naming the black horrid and blasphemous Notions and Expressions in that Book Which I have not by me and therefore it cannot be expected I should Cite Chapter and Page yet I challenge any of his Advocates to charge me with mis-representing him I will not boast how exactly I have kept as to sence so words Tho when I saw the Book last I little thought to have this occasion to appear against it for which now this among other things shall be my Apology It was reported I was gotten to the height of Crispianism by I suppose those who would have it to be so who also say every Lecturer at Pinners-Hall are theirs It is high time such be undeceiv'd about me and some of them But some of the Drs. Creatures or Friends or Well-wishers or however we phrase it thus plead for him That tho they will not justify the Dr. his hard phrases yet will his mistaken Notions That the Famous Witchius the Dutch Divine in a Latin Tract that that truly great Man Mr. How and that honest Dr. Beverly and others charge not the Dr. so high as many others do To all which I Answer 1. Are hard dangerous Expressions nothing if your Plea were not a mistake Which by no means must be granted you What if at a full Table All the Dishes there were accounted good and wholesom only of one Dish some said The Meat was very unsafe dangerous unwholesom others said no All was good and safe Only they granted with all the Company the sawce was very bad and such as some said the Meat was would not a wise Man especially if weak and sickly leave that one suspected Dish and Eat of the unexceptionable good ones What need we meddle say I with this at least suspitious book but others know to be worse then Heterodox when we have such excellent Tracts done by Men of great Learning and Men very Orthodox all
impertinences in Divinity and Philosophy as if they were infallible Dictatours Nay one shall assert perfection another deny Original Sin Another the Resurrection Another assert the Salvation of Damned Souls and Devils which hath tyr'd out the patience of the most Patient Ministers and made private Men doubt all Religion Not only particular Ministers but the function it self shall be jib'd at and that before their Faces by Anti-ministerial Men who admire themselves when others despise them To go on When I heard the most judicious Congregational Divines cry out of imprudence of two of their Brethren as Favourers of this Man and his Doctrine Some justifying him another censuring I was prevail'd to go to the Meeting and as I desired my Friends before not to smile which is a Rule to me if at a Quakers Meeting or any Worship We sate with all imaginable Reverence when the Gentleman ascends the Pulpit and sate down with stretch Arms as if it had been my Lord of Canterbury his Grace we heard the Prayer and this Zealous Crispian Would-be brings the Controversy even there That when God gave Man a perfect Righteousness of her own he threw it away and such a Cross Creature was he that when God had provided a perfect Righteousness in another he would have Righteousness of his own When Praying for Mr. Mathers then Sick as if his Patron he gave God thanks for Raising him up and well it was so when he threatned to take away the Champion of the Cause After most impudent and uncharitable words The Text was Named John 11.21 Which compare with 20.23 24 25 c. Were they not intended Murtherers Sirs we would see Jesus We. Who Whether Greeks or Gentiles he would not say Sir Philip And here we were told a Lubberly Lecture of manners We should go directly to our Friends c. And now a Doctrine Doct. That it is naturally Written in the Heart of every Man to desire a Mediatour to come to Christ They should not have askt Philip but gone directly to Christ O rare discoveries Now let the Calvinist and Methodist look to themselves Some must bring Humility to Christ that is their Mediatour They must come humble Now we are all knockt down All was Comdemn'd The whole culpable and that all was done out of Curiosity and their Request not gratified as far as we read yet this Observation was laid down Doct. That is the Duty of every Man to desire to see Jesus the Saviour Not the Lawgiver or Commander for he was no such He gave no Commands if he had he had added to the Yoke there were Commands enough before And then an Anathema was thrown out Confusion be their reward that say it c. All Qualifications were Condemned And now we are told Abraham was an ungodly Man long after he was call'd and believers after long such were advised to plead the promise with God Lord thou hast promis'd to justify the ungodly I came to thee as an ungodly Man justify thou me An ungodly Believer is Linen-Drapers Divinity After our New Gospeller had Condemn'd all Qualifications Behold he is Metamorphis'd into a Legalist upon a sudden He tells us That whoever comes to Christ without being sensible of his Sin and Misery should come in Vain What mean these Men by Coming to Christ Christ Calls are Matth. 9.28 Them that labour and are heavy Laden Not with Ceremonies as some say but sin and sorrow to come to him His word shall stand They shall look on him whom they have Peirced and Mourn Zach. 2.7 In its primary intention respects the Conversion of the Jew which Joseph Mead and others believe will be in the like way as Paul was Converted by a Voice from Heaven and therefore can only be Accommodated here Dare you say There is no way to Mourning but here I affirm a Man may repent aright from Subjects of Sin Hell Judgment to come c. And this will I undertake and other things if any reply to this make it more necessary then as yet I can see it is More stuff there was in that speaking not Preaching which I have forgotten or care not to mention I have taken care to consult another Minister then with me who once intended to Print the Sermon with Notes but some considerations diverted him I have not willingly err'd in sense nor words He can testify the same One Notion comes on a Sudden We must not rely on the doctrine benefits merits of Christ but his Person I hope no Man will expect I should disparage my self to Confute his absurdities They that cannot or will not see them discover what they are Might not the Doctrine be Doct. It is the Duty of every Man to desire to Murther Jesus Oh Folly I had heard before the madness of the Man against all others That before a great Gentlewoman this was said as is fam'd and believ'd That the Anabaptist dipt Women to feel them in the Water c. Which none but a Dammy Boy I thought would have said The aforemention'd Minister with others heard him once before on this Text Acts 9.26 And they were all afraid of him not believing he was a Disciple And this Doctrine was laid down Doct. That it is a difficult thing for true believers to believe others are so When every Child knows the Circumstances Well Simon Magus was brought for an instance of a Preacher who had humane Learning but not the Call of the Spirit When no humane Learning had he but Magical Diabolical Tricks and who never was a Preacher To say If he was not one he would have been one is a poor Defence Well Paul had the Call of the Spirit without humane Learning Why Name I what every Ignoramous can confute except one Must Women be call'd wicked Women for talking much of trouble for sin and fears and a Story told God indeed convinced me that I was a great Sinner but I was never troubled for it I desired by a kind Letter This mans Abetters so accounted to meet me and some Congregational Ministers justly offended with these things to give us a fair Meeting amicably to debate matters That they would give us their Reasons for his being a Preacher and hear ours against it believing Here is a second Davis entring on the Stage worse every way then the first but it was not granted In another work I did I row'd against Wind and Tyde now with both being earnestly desired by many to undertake this work Congregational Men as well as others who proposed fairly for its Encouragement Yet I care not to use words of that Nature some Wise and Good Men do That such a one is a Preacher of the Devils making That had they been there they would have pull'd him out of the Pulpit That they sweat to hear a Repetition of his Folly So great is the ignorance that Reigns in this City That if a Man Preach and say any thing of God Christ free Grace and Heaven
they cry it is a Preclous VVord tho no sense nor truth deliver'd You that talk so much of Free Grace Remember it is free tho Devils and Damned Souls be not at last sav'd as some here say Tho all Men the worst of Men go not to Heaven when they dye as that Fool that Calls himself Elijah the Prophet says Who hath Written an Aurea Clavis about Miracles to confirm his Faith that he is the Elijah promis'd Yet this Barber cannot talk English and will not say it positively he is Elijah Shall his Lying Miracles convince us that he says do not make him conclusive Every Idle Jack now shall be ready to flee in the Face of Ministers and leave them as no Gospel Preachers tho never so serious sound or accurate This Barbers Doctrine is That God is the Author of Sin and when they haâ—â— serv'd his end be makes them amends and takes them to Heaven Antinomianisut is a lovely thing with now not a few We read of such of Old I enquire whether the words we Translate Sons of Belial which the Septuagint sometimes render Lawless Children or Sons against Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Sam. 2.12 Might not be rendred by our Translatours had they known such a Tribe as we do The Antinomian Children When the Angels in Heaven thus turn'd Antinominians Heaven was no place for them And when these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pestilent Children by which the Septungint elsewhere calls Sons of Belial perswaded our first Parents to turn Antinomians to Gen. 3.1 4 5. Yea hath God said Paradise was no place for them And when some among us turn Antinomians may it not be a Query whether the Church should any longor be a plaâ—e for them I affirm Dr. Crisp doth often question the usual methods of Conversion confirmed by Scripture Divines and all Christians Experience whether they marr'd not all the work till he hung out his new light I humbly pray our Accusers to be at leasure for a while and not for Expeditions sake pass sentence on us before they hear our Cause For such as are come to that higth Ministers and People that they will not some Confess Sin others not Pray for Pardon I think they are of all Creatures most miserable You as your Old Brethren the Crucifyers of the Lord Jesus are not Christ Exalters but D basers you do as they Bow the Knee before him with a Hail but all but a Mockery You say you put the Crown on the Head of Jesus Christ but it is one of Thorns and the Scepter in his hand but it is a Reâ—den one Mat 27.28 29. You kiss Christ as one did But He may say to you as to him Judas betrayest thou the Son of Mun with a kiss When Mr. Baxter saw so many Armed Men turn Antinomians and Justifying-Faith was to believe a Man was justified And after all their strictness grew Licentious he in a great Zeal and Fury wrote his Aphorisms of Justification When this Book cause out he was not then known in Oxon and they thought it was a Jesuit tiâ—â— they saw his Infant Church Membership and baptism came forth the best Booâ— by the way that ever was Written oâ— that Subject they began to valuâ— him Many Presbyterians follow'd him and still do but none under that Denomination that I know of followed Crisp Some unwary Independents in as great Zeal and Fury follow Crisp none of them Mr. Baxter that I know of And now between these two Contenders Tâ—â— Question is Which is in the right 〈◊〉 Which brings to my mind a Story Sir W. Rawleigh in his History tell us When two were contending which was the best Soldier The Frenchman or the Spaniard one standing by after all said the Englishman So the Calvinists say I or Old Protestant But to return to our Right Antinomian for remember I am far from Condemning all that are so call'd that cry down all sadness for sin c. Pray Sirs yet I Pray That that Jesus the Lord and King startle not at this who in the Days of his Flesh cur'd many Demoniacks That he would take you in cure tho your Evil Spirits Name be Legion we are many Should we now be silent the stories of the Streets may cry out against us A word is sufficient Remember the followers of Mr. D. your Meteor Lantren hath lead your Preachers into Confusion in their Pulpit Harangues He that looks for a Connexion or Correspondency either of sense or truth may look in Vain And for you it hath led you into Lakes and Precipices and there left you Your Preachers coming any where is Omnious as is said of a Comet or the coming of a Whale into a River Your Arguments are of no Value too mean for any Man to insist much on a solution of them yet if I cannot put your passions and my own to a demur I know not what I may in time be forst to do I close this part of my work with a known certain story a worthy Congregational Minister lately wrote thus to one of the same perswasion I ever valued you which made me at last take up with your Antinomian Principles I often Preached them up to this Congregation to which I belong which I found a sober People but now I have Preacht a Congregation of Christians into a Congregation of Devils * Two of my hearers went away and committed uncleanness immediately I therefore resolve to Preach up the Old Protestant Doctrine c. May you all thus repent and reform as this Man Amen Amen As I ever have been careful to decline Stories upon common fame not because I doubted them but could not prove and therefore mention what I know I shall now take the like method about our Mecanick Preachers such as I knew One with whom I was acquainted when Dead I saw his Notes after he had been a Preacher Thirty Years the Text was Heb. 11.6 For without Faith it is impossible to please him He that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him In these words saith he are these three things 1. An impossibility for without Faith it is impossible to please God 2. A proposition with a direction He that cometh to God must believe that he is 3. Here is a reward and a rewarder of them that diligently seek him I shall enquire saith this Shooe-maker for such he had been 1. What God is 2 What Faith is 1. God is an Omnipotent Omniscient and Omnipresent God 2. He is an Almighty God c. There are two sorts of Faith 1. The Faith of adherence 2. The Faith of relyance And you may easily imagine how all was prov'd and spelt Another Preacht in a Town to which I was no stranger on that Text God hateth the wicked He said it appear'd God hated them 1. Because he did not Love them 2. Because he could not endure them 3. Because he was
which all things equally true are not tho' the Authority of the Revealer be the same Broken places of Scripture are us'd by these Men with as much Fraud as by the Devil 4 Mat. 4.6 on Christ yet by the same Weapon of Scripture rightly used Christ returned on him wounded him and overcame him One was thoughtful to Print some of Mr. Davis his Golden Sayings such Men will be talking of Men of Men of Parts Was it not a lovely thing to see our Linen Draper in his Experiences and Confessions of Faith to call Mr. Williams a Block-head in terminis terminantibus which none of his learned Adversaries that know him will say When we hear their Blasphemy we may cry Hear O Heavens and be astonished O Earth blush at such things as these to see those that neither fear God nor reverence Man Be you Sirs as great Advocates for Christ and Holiness as they for Satan and Sin and perswade your Hearers timely and well to catechise their Children that they may escape these Birds of Prey We see how many as a flock of Sheep run over Hedges or down in the Sea one after another It is dangerous to use hard Phrases which is the putting the Sword in the Hand of Mad-men to destroy others and themselves with We are told they Preach well so they may when they Preach other Mens Works but many when their own make woful work A Man may Preach nothing in a Sermon but what is true and yet none of it true if it be not true Hinc if not from bence it foilows it is all false Such was the Preaching of our profound Doctor if I may so prophane the word Preaching to call a Mess of Nonsence by this Name Now in abundance of places we hear the croaking of these Frogs I know you and some other Calvinists Mr. Veil Mr Glascock c. are here in the City like speckled Bieds but may they keep up their Courage notwithstanidng If it please them to appear I suppose some of us would as soon venture the Cause in their Hands as in the Hands of any Men whatever Tho' some first Independents alowed the occasional Preaching of their Lay-Elders an intolerable Practice yet Dr. Owen did not and Mr. Cotten in his Keys censures it for which indeed Philip Nye in his Preface censures him If some enquire how I came to have so much respect for you above some others whose Heads and mine better agree about Discipline I will tell you When I was a Member of the University I frequented Meetings and there only received the Lord's Supper I finding no Presbyterian Congregation there I desired good old Dr. Rogers to let me sit down occasionally with them without any Tye which he did This Man was a very holy good Man tho when a young Man very prophane for which he was called Mad Kit of Lincoln but on a sudden strook to the Heart He was a grave Man and wore his Beard long for which he was often called when Principal of New-Inn-Hall Old Aaron Among other great Things I have heard of him these were some That he a rich Batchelor married Mrs. Garburn a Widow with Children and in Debt and took care of them all Her Vertues were her Dowry for she was one of the wisest and most devout Women upon Earth She educated many Gentle women taught them an excellent Catechism which she made and a Confession of Faith of her own composing Another thing was That being often in the Company of a good Man Capt. D. he found him always sad and pensive enquiring into the Cause he was told he owed above a Hondred Pounds which he could not pay The good kind compassionate Doctor paid the Money and takes up the Bond without saying anv thing to the Man Then comes to visit him and asked him Why are you not pleasant as you were want to be He would not tell then the Doctor delivered to him the Bond Will the sight of this make you pleasant He would often say to his good second self We have much Money in such a Bag such and such poor People want some of it Give me such an active Man I have often wondred that having so many ordinary Lives Printed the Lives of this Couple were not so But I am now on sudden told some Wits in the City design a Lampoon upon me if I thus proceed to which I Answer 1. What! What! And he Advocate for our ignorant Linnen-Draper I doubt I shall soon prove them Witt Would bee as this Jack a Crispian Would-bee for he understands no Mans Principles 2. There is sent me by an unknown hand already an Ingenious Lampoon upon our Linnen-Draper which some that know him say is an Exact Description of his Birth Parents manner of Life such as I have seldom heard of For my part I abhor all things of that Nature and was about to send it to him with this Declaration That I would not use much less Print any such Paper This way of Answering betrays any Cause whatever 3. That two Lampoons are Printed against me already to which I have given a Sober Reply Let this be Answer'd before a New one be made For my part I keep both their Papers by me in the Window to look on when dull and melancholy to revive me Indeed Gentlemen Print such Lampoons every week I care not I am so Zealous for the King and so Compassionate on Poor Tradesmen That if you please to further the Custom of the King for Paper or help Printers and Stationers and Booksellers you may I think all Men now conclude that read my Defence That never were more Impudent Lyes told by any Man then by B. C. and W. C. Men that are ashamed to own their Books tho I not mine I wonder how they dare to be seen among them that know what they have done Not one Man comes to me for the proavis'd five Pound tho a half Year be past For my part I am much of Luthers Mind and Spirit When he was told that his Books were burnt at Rome If they said he burn my Books I will burn theirs I may say to many I had almost said to most in this City what Paul did to the Corinthians You suffer Fools gladly seeing your selves are wise This I will be bold to say I met with as wise Men in the Cuuntrey in Bristol in Plymouth and elsewhere as here Some here are very angry for my saying so and boast what they have read and seen that to my certain knowledge cannot talk common sense nor I think turn one Octonary in the 119 Psalm into not only Greek but true Latin Some in the Countrey had need to send them Books as much as they these I confess I was no Match for some I once Conversed with but for many Hectoring Persons here Is it not a shame for some to say It is an Honour for their Countrey Brethren to come into their Pulpits c When Perhaps