Separates and Anabaptists you say are your enemies therefore you cannot in conscience expect any from them because you war not for them but against them All you can have from that Scripture is that you should have charges of them you fight for and if they judge the quarrel good that you have in hand it s but reason they should maintain you in it but it must be freely or else if you force them you fight not for them but against them and make them your enemies and lose your priviledges Again You will say Who planteth a Vineyard and eateth not the fruit thereof Answ It is true but you never planted the Vineyard of the Separates and Anabaptists as you call them therefore you may not eat of the fruit of their labours except you buy it or take it from them wickedly by force nay you say we are not the Lords Vineyard but rather an accursed people like the ground that brings forth thornes and thistles therefore you cannot possibly expect any fruit of us for men cannot gather grapes of thornes nor figs of thistles Again you will say Who feedeth a flock and eateth not of the milk thereof Answ Truth but you do not feed the flocks of the separated people and Anabaptists nay you will and do say they are not the flock of Christ but Wolves and Tygers therefore if there be milk to be had amongst them you have no right to it because you feed them not neither can you in the second place expect any from them because you deny them to be a flock Lastly You will say We must not muzzle the mouth of the Ox that treadeth out the corn I answer It is not true but what is that to the other beasts that tread out no corn but rather destroyeth it and will not suffer it to grow till the Harvest but will pull up Wheat and Tares together contrary to the command of the Lord of the Harvest Mat. 13.28 29 30. and this is one reason of our dissenting or departing from all those Churches whose Ministers do thus covet after the wages of unrighteousness whose Priests teach for hire and whose Prophets divine for money and yet are so impudent as to lean upon the Lord and to say Is not the Lord amongst us and no evil can come upon us 2 Pet. 2.14 15. with Micah 3.11 The second reason is their pride because they plead humane learning to be the glory of their Ministry as appeareth by their slighting of all those that have not served an apprentiship at Cambridge or Oxford calling themselves Orthodox Divines and the other illiterate mechanick men and sometimes when you are so put to it that you have nothing to say for your selves then you will confess that learning is but the hand-maid and grace is the Mistress But I pray what part of Scripture do you finde this saying written in or is not rather one of your cunningly devised fables which Peter saith he never followed 2 Pet. 1.16 But doth any wise Christian think that grace being in the heart of a man or woman cannot do her own work without a maid or did any man ever read in the Scripture that humane learning was graces hand-maid if there be such a place let us see it but if there be not for shame leave this idle fantastical reasoning and know that it is but to set up self and flesh and the Devil in mens hearts for he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved Mark 16.15 15. if they indure to the end Mat. 24.13 and Christs sheep are those that hear his voice and follow him and he give will them eternal life and none shall pluk them out of his band John 10.27 28. but he doth not say If they have humane learning or if they were educated at Cambridge or Oxford or at some University nay God is so far from taking delight in the words that mans wisdome teacheth that he saith he will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent 1 Cor. 1.19 and he chuseth not many wise men after the flesh nor many mighty nor many noble but God hath chosen as James saith chap. 2.5 the poor in this world rich in Faith and heirs of the kingdome promised to them that love him and God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty and base things and things that are dispised hath God chosen yea and things that are not to bring to nought things that are and this he doth that no flesh should glory in his presence See 1 Cor. 1.26 27 28 29. and yet you will glory in your humane leaning saying at least it is graces handmaid when the truth is if grace be truely in the heart of a man it is able to do its work without an handmaid for the Lord saith My grace is sufficient and his strength is made perfect in weakness 2 Cor. 12.9 and the Lord is so far from setting up learned men above unlearned that Christ saith Luke 10.21 I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to Babes even so O Father for so it seemed good in thy sight And it was alwaies Gods way or for the most part to chuse his Prophets out of unlearned men and honest labouring men that knew what it was to get their living by the sweat of their brows and not such as were brought up idly so that they cannot dig and are ashamed to beg and therefore prove unjust Stewards These are not fit to be Ministers of Christ because they must preach for hire or else they cannot live therefore they must please men and have mens persons in admiration because of advantage as Jude saith ver 16. or else men will give them little or no wages but the Lord chose other manner of persons as Moses a Sepherd Exod. 3.1 2. Elisha a plow-man as he was plowing 1 King 19.19 20. David a shepherd as he followed the Ews great with yong Psal 78.70 71. Amos an herds-man and one that gathered Sycomore The Lord took him as he followed the flock and said Go prophesie to my people Israel Amos 7.14 15. and Fishermen as they were about their honest callings and mending their nets like people that intended still to follow their callings them Christ called to follow him and to preach the Gospell he did not say to them as the learned Priests now a daies to honest tradesmen You must abide in your calling you must not preach but leave that to the learned Divines that have been brought up to it you must not presume to take such a work upon you c. but Christ was not of their minds as you may see Mat. 4.18 19 20 21 22. Likewise he chose ignorant and unlearned men as Peter and John yea and
baptism shewing by the Scriptures I. Why Infants that cannot speak nor understand cannot be Church-members under the Gospel II. Why they cannot be Christs Disciples 6. To Mr. Baxters 8. Arguments by which he saith he proveth the Anabaptists way of baptizing sinful 7. Lastly I shall shew the reasons of our separating from the Church of England which standeth upon these four Legs viz 1. Infant-Baptism 2. Humane learning 3. Tythes their wages of unrighteousness 4. The Magistrates sword which they have used 1. to support themselves 2. to persecute and pull down others ERRATA Page 71. line 4. for send nothing can speak no salutations read speak nothing can send no salutations NOw according to the method propounded I shall proceed to shew First What foundation the Saints ought to build upon which Foundation is Christ 1 Cor. 3.11 for other foundation no man layeth then that which is layed which is Christ Jesus and the Apostle saith Eph. 2.20 that we are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets of which Christ himself is the chief corner-stone in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth to an holy Temple in the Lord in whom you also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit To this also agreeth the words of Peter 1 Pet. 2.3 4 5. If ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious to whom coming as unto a living stone disallowed indeed of men but chosen of God and precious ye also as living stones are built up a spiritual house an holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual Sacrifices holy and acceptable to God by Jesus Christ And again it is also plain in the words of Christ to Peter when Peter said Thou art Christ the Son of the living God then saith Christ to him Thou art Peter and upon this Rock will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it Observe upon what Rock not Peter as the Papists say for Peter is called a stone but Christ is called a Rock 1 Cor. 10.4 for they drank of that Rock which followed them and that Rock was Christ and who that is a Christian knoweth not that the Church of Christ is built upon the Rock Christ and therefore David saith 2 Sam. 22.2 The Lord is my Rock fortress and deliverer and verse 47. The Lord liveth and blessed be the God of the Rock of my salvation c. All which I suppose will not be denyed by any that own Christ But the 〈◊〉 Question is How the Saints may or ought to build upon this Rock Christ Which is cleerly answered by these following Scriptures Mat. 7.24 in these words Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doth them I will lâ—ken him to a wise man that built his house upon a Rock and the rain descended and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house and it fell not because it was founded upon a Rock c. From all which we learn that to build upon the Rock Christ is to hear his sayings and do them and those that hear his sayings and do them not are likened unto a foolish man that built his house upon the sand c. and to this agreeth the saying of the Apostle Act. 3.22 23. for Moses truly said to the Fathers A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren like unto me him shall ye hear in all all things whatsoever he shall say unto you and it shall come to pass that every soul that will not hear that Prophet shall be destroyed from the people and that destruction is an ever lasting destruction from the presence of God and the glory of his power 2 Thes 1.8 9. Now seeing these things are so it standeth every soul in hand to search after the sayings of this great Prophet Christ Jesus and in searching they shall finde that he sharply reproveth all those that call him Lord Lord and yet do not the things which he saith Luke 6.46 and so saith the Apostle 1 Joh. 2.4 He that saith I knew him and keepeth not his Commandments is a lyer and the truth is not in him and all Lyers shall have their part in that Lake which burreth with fire and brimstone which is the second death Rev. 21 8. And thus we see the imminent danger that all those are in which say or think they are Christians and that they know Christ and will call him Lord Lord and yet not do the things that he hath commanded them nor keep his sayings the which danger to prevent I shall briefly endeavour by putting down his Commandments and sayings in order as they were spoken by him and practised by his Apostles and Saints in that generation And first The sayings of the Lord Christ after his Resurrection when he had obtained of God the Father all power both in heaven and earth are as followeth Mat. 28.18.19.20 And Jesus came and spake unto them saying All power is given unto me both in heaven and in earth go ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you always even to the end of the world To this agreeth his words in Mark 16.15 16. And he said unto them Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature he that believeth and is Baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned c. These are the words sayings and Commandments of the Lord Christ which we ought to hear and obey as aforesaid From all which words we observe 1 That he commanded the Gospel to be preached to every creature or all Nations 2 The end was that they might believe it 3 That those which did believe it should be baptized into his name 4 That those baptized believers were after to be taught to observe all other things whatsoever Christ had commanded his Apostles to teach them 5 To this practice viz. to a people thus walking according to this rule hearing his sayings and doing them the Lord Christ hath promised his presence saying And lo I am with you always even to the end of the world but the end of the world is not yet therefore Christ is still with those baptized believers which do thus walk Thus have I shewed the order of the words as they were spoken by the Lord himself I shall now proceed to the example of the Apostles and see whether they did act accordingly or whether they baptized children as well as believing men and women or whether John the Baptist did baptize any children And if it can be proved by any word of God that any baptized little babes that cannot speak or understand then I confess they that practise it may be born with and they which cry it down as Antichristian superstition and mans traditions may be to blame now therefore to the words and
rather then to ages and instanceth in Evah who when Cain was born she said I have gotten a man from the Lord. But what is this to our purpose for she doth not say that this man believed the things concerning the kingdom of Jesus Christ but those men and women Act. 8.12 were such as believed all these things therefore your Argument is false and your self deceitful and wise to do evil as appeareth by this your cunning craftinesse wherewith you lye in wait to deceive Eph. 4.14 Now the last Text is in Act. 18.8 that Crispus the chief Ruler believed in the Lord with all his house and many of the Corinthians hearing believed and were baptized Thus we have seen the command of Christ and the practice of the Apostles agreeing together by which the foundation of the Saints is discovered upon which they ought to build which is the words and sayings of Chirst and the practice and example of his holy Apostles but not a word that I can finde in all the holy Scriptures or sayings of Christ the Prophets or Apostles about the Baptizing in a Font nor baptizing little infants that can neither speak nor understand my not so much as the name of that abominable Idol the Font is once mentioned in all the holy Scriptures much less that the people of God should sacrifice their children to it as the children of Israel once sacrificed their Babes to Molech See Jer. 32.35 Therefore we may most safely conclude that it is none of the Councel of God for Paul saith Act. 20.27 I declare unto you the whole Counsel of God but in all Pauls writings it is nowhere declared therefore it is none of Gods Counsels nor for us to follow And now seeing there is no foundation nor footing for the Font nor Infant-baptism in all the word of God we must if we will discover it seek for it somewhere else the which I confess is not worth the doing were it not to discover and make manifest the folly of them that uncover it and guard it for infants baptism and to that end I shall do it Look into a book intituled A view of the Civill and Ecclesiastical Law written by Sir Thomas Ridley Knight and Doctor of the Civill Law printed by William Turner Printer to the University of Oxford 1634. Cum privilegio In that book pag. 176. he although an enemy to us yet confesseth that the Rites of baptisme in the primitive times were performed in Rivers and Fountaines where the persons baptized received that Sacrament and this manner of baptizing saith he the ancient Church entertained from the example of Christ who was baptized of John in the river of Jordan and some say that this was very tolerable in the of Eastern parts but saith he most certaine it is that it was most convenient for that time because their Converts were many and men of years a reason also may be saith he for that those ages were otherwise unprovided of Fonts and such conveniences as are now in use Thus he confesseth that Fonts were not then in use Againe saith he And this hath been the cause why this manner of baptizing was resumed in after-times and other places for saith he our venerable Bede telleth us of some that were baptized here in England in the river Swale which runneth through part of York-shire in the North-riding and he giveth the same reason Nondum enim Oratoria vel Baptisteria in ipso exordio nascententes ibi Ecclesiae poterant aedificari Ecclesiast hist lib. 2. cap. 14. And then he saith The days we now live in have no other remainder of this rite of baptizing in rivers and fountaines then the very name and hence it is saith he that we call our vessels that containe the water of baptisme Fonts or Fountaines From all which let the Reader consider 1. That he confesseth that baptism in the ancient times was administred in Rivers and Fountaines 2. That nothing of that is remaining but only the name 3. That from thence it is that they call those vessels they baptize in Fonts And thus we have begun to discover the foundation of the Font. But he proceedeth further and confesseth saying This custome of baptizing in Rivers and Fountaines being discontinued or left off Fonts were erected in private houses Hence let the Reader observe 1. He saith the primitive practise was to baptize is in Rivers and Fountaines which the ancient Churches received from the example of our Saviour who was baptized of John in the River of Jordan Mat. 3.13 14 15 16. 2. He saith that was left off observe They left off the example of Christ 3. They erected Fonts in their own private houses observe here is the words of the Prophet Jeremiah fulfilled Jer. 2.12 13. Be astonished O ye Heavens at this and be ye horribly afraid be ye very desolate saith the Lord for my people have committed two evils they have forsaken 2. There is a being without the law that is all the true knowledge of the law as infants ignorants Atheists of which Paul himself said of himself that he was without the law and this is from the sence and understanding of it Rom. 7.9 3. There is a being under the law in the external government of it in a Commonweal and in the condition of the soul as it is in unbelief Gal. 3.23 before faith came we even Jews and Gentiles were shut up under the law 1. Those under the law internally are to be under the external form of the law to be guided and instructed thereby as by a Schoolmaster to bring them to Christ 2. Those without the law are not freed from the law though they are judged by another law Gal. 3.22 The Scripture hath shut up all men under sin that is the law even all those which are without law and those under law also 3. All which prove the law of God to be the rule to judge by that it is indeed the Magna Charta Suprema Lex and Salus Populi and now only is judgement the Lords The second General to clear that that followeth is Deut. 6.1 These are the Commandments the Statutes and the Judgements 1. By the Commandments I understand the 10 words given in two Tables by God to Moses on Sinai Exod. 20. which was the ground of Statutes 2. The Statutes are the several cases depending on each Command and arising out of them and set down to direct the Judges how to Judge according unto God in the matters of God laid down in the first Tables and in matter of men in the second they being the absolute decrees of God Judges and Judged must rest in from whence is no appeal and is the ground of Judgement 3. The Judgement contains the sentence added to the breach of every law for punishment or to obedience of the law for couragement therein the promises of good and mercy and is only proper to Gods law and curses added to his law not mans which is
an empty law Third General I. That though in the 4 last books of Moses is an oft repetition of the Statutes and Judgements yet usually there is inserted in each of them some weighty distinction and not without great reason repeated which because of my necessity and brevity of time of writing with my other imployments I have omitted to observe leaving it to your selves to do as being the sole object of your study and rule of life to live by II. That as in the beginning God divided government committing some to Moses in the judicials and other to Aaron in the ceremonials 1. Moses government in the law is not destroyed Mat. 5.17 and cap. 23.2 2. Aarons Priesthood and with that his government ceaseth and in the place thereof Jesus Christ by the Fathers appointment is set up Heb. 7.11 12 15 16. 3. So that now as first there was Moses and Aaron so now there is to be to the end of the World Moses and Christ to rule and govern the World by 1. Moses in the World or State under the covenant of works also the servant of Jesus Christ ruling for him because he is not of the World 2. Christ in the Church among the Saints or believers under the new covenant of grace among whom the Lord himself is being one of them III. Those words Exod. 20.2 I am the Lord thy God cannot be said of nor applyed to any in that way as the words are delivered but to those 1. That have covenanted with God in the way of the law as the Israelites did 2. That are under the rule and goverment of the commands the Statutes and Judgements contained in that law Object That was spoken only of those God brought out of Egypt and concerns not us Resp As the Jews were under the bondage of Egypt and were restrained from Gods service and were then not in covenant with him nor had not his law to judge by so we have been under Antichrist in Babel and have been restrained from Gods service and were then not in covenant with the Lord as they were not nor is his law set up as a rule to judge by among us so that when God shall have brought us out of Babel and set up his laws and brought us into covenant with himself according to Moses it shall then be as binding to us that God brought us out of Babel as to them that he brought them out of Egypt Jer. 16.14.15 They shall no more say The Lord Liveth that brought them out of Egypt but out of the north countryes Jer. 23.7 8 9. Note Under the first covenant God was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 under the second 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hos 2.16 In the one God is as Abram to Hagar whose son she had by him was to be cast out under the Gospel-estate which was fulfilled in the casting out of unbelievers from the society of Saints they being not to inherit the promise that is Jesus Christ Gal. 4.30 which work was then done and shall be most certainly done againe in this age of ours In the other God is as Abraham to Sarah whose son Isaac being born of the free-woman signifieth the state of the Church under the Gospel under the name of Jerusalem from above which are a society of believers joyned to the Lord Jesus in the fellowship of the Gospel in whom the better promises are conferred and made over to the Saints born after the Spirit Gal. 4.30 Conclusion The covenant of works was after the covenant made with Abraham of grace but being renewed in Christ it is called new and the new old Gal. 3.17 The now first covenant though it hath not the best yet it hath many excellent promises necessary for the life annexed to it which we wanting bodily are reduced to great necessities and the breaking thereof brought ruine and desolation suddainly to the Jews And though at this time it be not in esteem among men yet the prophesie of Isaiah 42.19 21. incourageth me that after Gods servant comes who the blind world accounts blind though God saith he is his servant and perfect and which the Scripture before clearly shews was to come after the grand Apostacy of Antichrist I say after he comes the Lord will magnifie the law make it great though all the world have endeavoured to make nothing of it or of no use at all a long time when they shall againe judge by it and punish by it and rule by it c. yea and more the Lord will make it honourable also they shall never set up traditions in the place thereof again O Parliament This God will do but whether God will do this by you or not and honour you herein or not I do not know you see it is my desire if it be his will ye are witnesses and God also that the work may be yours who have dore much of the work of the Lord in the Nation that the Honour here and reward thereof hereafter may be yours and let me speak freely to you thus that if you will not do it God in few yeers will not want them that will do it upon whom and whose posterity the blessigs of God and the Nation will fall in great abundance who did that in their generation for them was never done it being then and never untill then fulfilled that of Paul Rom. 10.19 I will provoke you to jealousie by them that are not a people that is some heathens which none never yet did do should as the Jews nationally covenant with God in the covenant of Moses with which the Jews as awaked begin to thinke that people Jacob-like steal away or God gives away his birthright from him the not doing whereof delayes their call Now what Nation in all the world is like to do this as England O that it might be offered them who would not refuse it The fourth General That to the Elders Heads and Judges were other inferior subordinate officers to serve in the same rule who have their authority from the Scriptures and from God as the rest Josh 23.2 Deut. 16.18 Command the First Exod. 20.3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me Statutes DEut. 6.5 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart c. Chap. 10.20 Fear the Lord thy God him shalt thou serve and to him shalt thou cleave Exod. 34.12 Take heed to thy self that thou make no covenant with the inhabitants Verse 15. Lest thou and they go awhoring after their gods and one call thee and thou eat of their sacrifice Deut. 11.6 Take beed to your selves that your hearts be not deceived to turn aside to serve other Gods and worship them Deut. 8.19 If thou forget the Lord thy God and walk after other Gods and serve and worship them c. Deut. Thou shalt not go after other gods the gods of the people round about you Exod. 23.24 Thou shalt not bow down to their gods nor serve them nor do after their
works thou shalt utterly overthrow them and quite break down their Images Judgements for serving strange Gods I. On the earth Deut. 11.17 I will shut up heaven and the land shall not give her fruit 1 Kings 17.1 This was fulfilled in the dayes of Ahab II. On the people or Nation Deut. 8.19 Ye shall perish as the Nations god destroyed before your face III. On particular persons Numb 25.3 Those joyned to Baal-peor vers 4. were hanged by the head against the Sun Dent. 4.3 Exod. 22.20 He that sacrificeth to any god save to the Lord alone he shall be utterly destroyed Deut. 17.2 lf a man or woman have transgressed the covenant and hath served other Gods and worshipped them either the Sun or Moon or any of the hoast of beaven which I have not commanded thee vers 4. If it be told thee that is the judge and thou hast heard of it and inquired diligently and behold if it be true and the thing certaine that such abomination is wrought in Israel vers 5. thou shalt bring him or her forth to the gaâ—es and stone them with stones until they dye and so shalt thou put away evil from amongst you Note so by the executing this sentence and not any other of thy own then it abides with thee for it was not the judges condemning but the peoples executing Gods command Put away evil IV. Deut. 13.12 Contains judgement on a City for idolatry unpunished 1. The inhabitants and cattel are to be smitten with the sword 2. The spoile thou shalt gather into the middest of the City and burn both City and spoile 3. There shall nought of the wicked thing cleave to thy hand V. Deut. 18.6 If thy brother son daughter wife or friend intice thee secretly saying Let us go and serve other gods which thou hast not known nor thy fathers vers 7. Thou shalt not consent hear nor pity nor spare nor conceal him vers 9. The people shall stone him with stones that he dye VI. Deut. 13.2 If a prophet or dreamer give a signe or wonder and it comes to pass and he say Let us go after other gods thou hast not known it is to try thee thou shalt not hear him he shall be put to death Deut. 18.20 If a Prophet presumes to speak on my name that I have not spoken or speaks in the name of another god he shall dye VII Naboth 1 Kings 21.13 Levit. 24.14 was stoned for and under the pretence of blasphemy Rules to he observed on the judgement 1. That God required the execution thereof onely of those that had transgressed the covenant which Moses renewed oft as appears in that statute Deut. 17.2 who were to suffer the sentence of the law and none else and so in most other eases 2. Though those were hanged joyned to Baal-peor were hanged after strangled contrary to our custome and was the most ignominious death for joyning themselves to Baal-peor or Priapus that ignomnious idol 3. The Lord being the Lord of life is not left to any to take away the life of any but as God hath appointed which for idolatry is generally stoning by the hands of all the people 4. It is observed by some that when it is said His blood be on him then stoning is meant or otherwise when the death is not expressed then strangling but usually though the death be not set down in one place it is in another 5. In stoning the people were to shew their hatred of the evil committed that they and theirs might be free of the curse and judgement threatned against them for the same one man not being able to do the same by that or any other way of putting to death Judgement 1. Jenebel and the Priests of Baal slaine 1 Kings 18.22 and 2 Kings 10. 2. Ahazia sends to Baal-zebub and dyeth 2 Kings 1. 3. Belshazzar slaine praising his gods Dan. 5.4.5.30 Numb 25.2 The Moabites called the people to the sacrifices of their gods and the people did eat and bowed down to their gods in which vers 3. they were said to be joyned to Baal-peor Statute Levit. 17.7 They shall no more offer their sacrifices to devils after whom they have gone a whoring Judgement Verse 9. Shall be cut off from among the people The command binds affirmatively Thou shalt have me to thy God Now the way of Gods calling a people and becoming a God to them nationally is by giving them laws and they taking them from him and professing subjection to them as to their Gods commands whom they ought to serve To the keeping whereof God adds by promise many blessings as David Psal 19.11 In keeping thereof is great reward To the breach whereof are added many curses of body soul goods name family earth and heaven all are shut up to men for it The which giving of laws royally to his people is the only work and prerogative royal of God and therefore is the law moral called the Royal law Jam. 2.8 and thus the Scripture saith There is but one law-giver who is able to save and destroy who art thou that judgest another Jam. 4.12 And hence are all laws of heathens said to be no laws and they without law and all the ordinances and the corrupt expositions of the law made by ancient expositors and received by their children among the Jews called traditions and they were such as made voide the law among them that had it In which it appears there is no law but Gods nor no true law-maker but God law government and judgement among Gods people especially being his Lastly As we must not have another God so we must not have other laws then Gods God will not govern by any other then his own laws Behold I pray by mens deelining Gods laws what laws have been brought out since the reforming times as in the 6 Articles in Hen. 8. time the book of Sports and many laws since repealed What is become of the Judges Justices and men made and executed those laws so contrary to the Lord and his law Solomon brings in wisdom Prov. 8.15 saying By me kings raigne and the princes that is those of the supreme councel do describe Justice that is to those judges consult with them about difficult cases without whom the difficult cases would as well be hid to them as others Now if justice be so hard a thing to be executed by men who not only have the law but use the law and the help thereof to do justice by that without wisdom or Christs help they cannot describe it how shall those describe it that use not the law to help them which ought to be their help and so tempt God not to help them extraordinarily for not using the ordinary help of God And that he speaks here of the great councel is clear they being next to the king and then he speaks of the ordinary Juges in the verse following to whom justice was to be described which is significantly set down
writings as we wrote them and therefore he cunningly saith that in the stating the question many things must be animadverted or changed in the minde and then he states the question according to his own minde and then falls on answering not ours but his own words and thus he darkneth the Counsel of God by words without knowledge and so deceives the hearts of the simple but he telleth us that we take it for granted that he holds that by baptizing or sprinkling of infants Churches are constituted but he denies it Answ 1 If you deny that you differ from the rest of your brethren and forefathers who all generally and with one consent till within these ten or twelve yeers at the most did conclude that children were made members of Christ children of God and heirs of heaven in their baptism witness your old Catechism which you all concluded was Orthodox till the beginning of the first Parliament 1640. and therefore out of your own mouths you are condemned for if in Baptism they were made members of Christ children of God c. then they were not so before and if not members nor children before then not constituted members and thus is your folly manifest And now if you shall for an advantage seem to disown the Common-Prayer book and that Catechism Then I answer You may as well disown your baptism which you had by it and be baptized again as we are 2 I suppose you will not be so absurd as to own any unbaptized person for a Church-member that hath an opportunity to be baptized neither do I think any of you that are zealous in your own way will have communion with any such persons in the Lords Supper or other Ordinances 3 No people in Scripture since the Resurrection of Christ and his Ascension the time that all power was given into his hands to give to his Church Laws and Commandments were ever called a Church of Christ without baptism prove it if you can by the Scriptures Therefore baptism doth constitute a true Church being done upon right subjects viz. such as can believe and gladly receive the word of God as in Act. 2 41 they that gladly received the word were baptized and the same day were added three thousand souls And ver 47. the Lord added to the Church dayly such as should be saved 4 Your self saith than faith and interest in Christ constitutes a Christian Very well then but why do you baptize such as cannot believe in Christ nor yet make out their Interest in the Covenant of Grace it is cleer to all that will understand that if faith in Christ and interest in the Covenant of Grace do constitute a Christian then they that do not believe in Christ and cannot make out their interest in the Covenant of Grace are no constituted Christians but all the infants baptized into the Church of England could do neither therefore no constituted Christians What they are to God is nothing to you nor me secret things belongs to God Deut. 29. Again you say that joynt and orderly profession of faith and interest in the Covenant doth constitute them a Church Very well and I pray then is not repentance and baptism an orderly profession of faith doth not the Apostle say Act. 2 38. 1 Repent and 2 be baptized c. and 3 So many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ Gal. 3.27 and is not putting on Christ profession Consider it again doth not a man that puts on a garment profess to wear it to all that behold him whilst it is upon him so likewise they that put on Christ by baptism do profess to own him before all men and Mr. Baxter calleth it a listing engaging ordinance himself I hope you will not deny his Doctrine to be Orthodox although you cavil with the Scriptures And now seeing that baptism is an Ordinance by which believers do put on and profess Christ then its evident out of your own mouth that it constitutes a Church or else you must say they are constituted before they put on Christ 5 You say that baptism is a sign or pledge of peoples admission into the Church Well then if so then it followeth that they are not in before to any mans sight and if not in the Church much less constituted and established members of the Church But you proceed to prove by instancing the Thief upon the cross to be saved without baptism Answ We deny it not because he declared openly his faith in Christ and owned him when he was disowned almost of all which sheweth plainly that if he might have had liberty to come down he would have quickly been baptized into his name and therefore the Lord accepting the will for the deed as 1 Cor. 8.12 he said unto him This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise But what makes this for the baptizing of Infants to tell us of a man that was saved and was never baptized at all You might rather if you would have dealt honestly with the Text have proved that little babes may be saved though not baptized for alas they can profess no faith nor confess no sin neither hath Christ anywhere required them to obey any command before they can understand and believe the Gospel for what soever is not of faith is sin Rom. 14.23 But you are pleased to say that we do not apply that Scripture right And why I pray because it spoyles your practice but doth not the word what soever include all matters and duties we owe to God Consider it again cannot the Scriptures be in quiet for you But because this offends you we will give you another Heb. 11.6 without faith its impossible to please God Now consider whether you please God or no when you baptize babes that have no faith in them neither have you any word of God for it Again this your president of the Thief upon the Cross will not at all help you except you finds some men in the like condition or some men upon the Gallows that would gladly come down and become new creatures then I confess as you say 2 multitude of such penitent ones might be reckoned to be in a saying condition though not baptized But sir I suppose that neither you nor I are in that straight the poor Thief was in as yet therefore it wall be no plea for us but if either of us be unbaptized we have time and liberty enough to consider our ways and to turn our feet to the testimonies of the Lord therefore let us make haste and not delay the time see Psal 119.59 60. Lastly You tell us that the Church of England was constituted in or anon after the Apostles days and by the Ministry of the word were converted from heathenism to Christianity and then persons of yeers were baptized upon profession of Faith and Repentance Answ What then what is your Church now the better for that which was done 1600 yeers agone
c. but this is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those daies saith the Lord I will put my laws in their mind and write them in their hearts and I will be to them a God they shall be to me a people and they shall not teach every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know the Lord for all shall know me from the least to the greatest c. This is the new Covenat of grace Now that Children that cannot speak nor understand cannot be in it is evident by the following reasons 1. Because they that are in this Covenant have the Laws of God put in their minds and written in their hearts but little babes that cannot speak nor understand have not the Laws of God in their minds nor written in their hearts therefore they are not in this Covenant Now that such little Children are not in a capacity to know the mind and Laws of God is most plaine Isa 7.14 15 16. Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call his name Immanuel butter and hony shall he eat that he may know how to refuse the evil and chuse the good for before the child shall know how to refuse the evil and chuse the good the Land that thou abherrest shall be for saken of both her Kings Thus its evident that even the Lord Christ as he came in the flesh of the seed of David there was a time in which he was not capable of discerning between things which differ and therefore it is said againe that he grew and waxed strong in spirit and the grace of God was upon him Luke 2.40 And againe Jesus increased in wisedome and stature and in favour with God and man ver 52. From all which I conclude that if it were thus with the Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh as he was man much less do other Children understand the Laws of God in their non-age to have them written in their hearts and minds and therefore not in Covenant Obj. But it may be some for want of wisdome will object that upon this account Christ will be excluded the Covenant in his infancy Answ To which I answer Such people know not what they say for the Lord hath given him for a Covenant of the people and for a light of the Gentiles Isa 42 6. chap. 49 8. And he is the Mediator of the new Covenant Heb. 12.2.4 And his blood is the blood of the everlasting Covenant chap. 13.20 with Luke 22.40 And he is the seed to whom all the promises were made and in him they are yea and in him amen Gal. 3.15 with Cor. 1.20 and without him could be no Covenant of life and peace for he is the substance and life of the Covenant Therefore vain and foolish it would be for any man to make such an objection Again those that are in the new Covenant shall know the Lord from the greatest to the least Heb. 8.11 but little babes born of the flesh of a week or a month old cannot know the Lord for they know not their own parents nor their right hand from their left Jonah 4.11 therefore the Lord saith plainly that children are innocent yea the children of those which worship and do sacrifice to the devil Psal 106.37.38 in these words They sacrifice their sons and daughters to devils and shed innocent blood even the blood of their sons and daughters whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan therefore little babes though innocent are not nor cannot be in Covenant for that which is born of flesh is flesh but the new Covenant is a spiritual Covenant and they which enter into it must be born again for those that worship God must worship him in Spirit and in truth Joh. 4.24 Thus have I plainly proved that little babes that cannot speak words nor understand Reason cannot possibly be in the new Covenant Obj. But now followeth that great and unanswerable objection as Mr. Cook and Mr. Baxter supposeth which is this If children be not in Covenant they cannot be saved therefore saith Mr. Baxter in his 21 and 22 Arguments pag. 71 72. that Doctrine that leaveth us no sound grounded hope of the justification and salvation of any dying infants in the world is certainly false Doctrine But that Doctrine which denies any Infants to be members of the visible Church doth leave us no sound grounded hope of the justification and salvation of any Infants in the world therefore it is certainly false Doctrine The same saith Mr. Cook in his 13. Argument pag. 44. That Doctrine and practice is to be abhorred as most contrary to the Covenant of God which puts the Infants of Christians into the same condition with the children of Turks and Infidels and leaves them in the visible kingdom of the devil as no visible members of the Church c. But the Doctrine of the Anabaptists is such therefore to be abhorred To all which I answer first denying that any children are saved by vertue of visible Churth-membership or being in the Covenant as believers are and let Mr. Baxter Mr. Cook or any for them prove it by the Scriptures if they can Secondly I answer there is no difference between the children of believers and unbelievers in their non-age for the children of believers are but innocent when we make the best of them and the children of unbelievers also are innocent Psal 106.37 38. yea though their parents be such as worship and do sacrifice to the devil yet the Lord hath pronounced them innocent ver 38. saying They shed innocent blood even the blood of their sons and daughters whom they sacrificed unto the Idols of Canaan Thus it is plainly proved by the word of the Lord that the children of the murtherers and Idolaters that worshipped and sacrificed to the devil as ver 37. were innocent and those that are innocent God will not destroy See Exed 23.7 with Job 22.30 and Prov. 6.16 17. Again there can be no difference between the children of believers and unbelievers because no such children have actual sin and the best of children of men have that which is called original sin viz. the sin that came by Adams transgression for which they must all dye and return to their dust even the best of Saints as well as the worst of sinners for it s appointed for all once to dye and after that cometh judgement but the Scripture doth not say that any shall be judged according to their original sin or condemned for Adams transgression but it saith They shall be judged according to their works Rev. 20.13 and that every one shall receive according to that he hath done in his body whether it be good or bad 1 Cor. 5.10 therefore no ground to fear the salvation of children dying in their non-age for although they must dye for Adams sin yet Christ is become their Resurrection and they have no actual sin to
purpose so that all men may know him to be one of those that Paul speaks of 2 Tim. 3.1 2. in these words This know also that in the last daies perillous times shall come for men shall be lovers of their owne selves covetous boasters proud blasphemers c. Now whether it doth not appear that Mr. Baxter is a lover of his owne self more then of Christ when he prefers self-preservation before obeying the command of Christ and following the example of Christ I leave it to them that fear God to judge for Christ saith If ye love me keep my commandments John 14.15 and He that hath my commandments and keepeth them he it is that loveth me vers 21. But he that loveth Father and Mother Wife or Children yea or his one life better then me saith Christ is not worthy of me and He that will save his life shall lose it Mat. 10.27 38 39. And truely if Mr. Baxter make so much of following Christ into the water how will he follow him through the fire if he should be called to it It is very probable he would write as big a book against suffering with Christ as he hath now done against obeying of Christ in this Ordinance of baptisme of which Christ saith thus It becometh not onely him but also us to fulfil all righteousness Matth. 3.15 and yet for all this it is Mr. Baxters judgement that self-preservation doth become us better then fulfilling of righteousness in obeying this command or following this example of Christ as aforesaid Lastly I desire the Reader may diligently and in the fear of God consider how like Mr. Baxters counsel to us is unto Peters counsel to the Lord Christ Mat. 16 21 22 23. When Christ began to shew to his Disciples that he must suffer many things of the Elders and chiefe Priests and Scribes and be killed c. Then Peter began to be rebuke him saying Be it far from thee Lord this shall not be unto thee even so doth Mr. Baxter say to us and especially to Gentlewomen old and weak People and Shopkeepers and women that take but little of the cold ayre then he tells them O be it far from you this shall not be unto you for I dare say in the course of nature it will kill hundreds and thousands of you either suddenly or by casting you into some Chronical disease c. Thus we see how Mr. Baxters counsel and Peters do agree in these cases therefore let all that truely fear God learn of Christ to answer Mr. Baxter as he answered St. Peter verse 23. in these words Get thee behind me Satan for thou art an offence unto me for thou savourest not the things that be of God but those that be of men And thus I leave what I have written to the judgement of them that fear God and proceed to his seventh Argument His seventh Argument as he saith is against another wickedness in the manner of baptizing which he saith is our dipping of Persons naked as is usual with the modestest that he hath heard of which he saith further is a breach of the seventh Commandment which saith Thou shalt not commit adultery and therefore is intolerable wickedness and not Gods Ordinance To all which I answer Answ 1. I am sure it is an intolerable wickedness in Mr. Baxter and a breach of the ninth Commandment which saith Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy Neighbour for him to say we baptize people naked and a thing which he never saw with his eyes as he confesseth when he saith he hears so It may be indeed that some which he accounts Christians have so little grace and of the fear of God in them as to tell him such lies as these and he is willing to belive them although for my part I believe I have baptized and been at the baptizing of many hundreds if not a thousand and never saw any baptized naked in my life neither is it allowed nor approved of amongst any that I know of But suppose that some men have been baptized naked when there were none but men together would this be such an unheard-of wickedness as Mr. Baxter talks of or can it be a breach of the seventh Commandment for men to see each other naked or if it be such an immodest thing as Mr. Baxter speaks of then the Disciples of Christ were immodest and broke the seventh Commandment for they were together a fishing and Peter was naked amongst them the Word saith expresly John 21.7 therefore if at any time any should have baptized a man naked being none but men together it is not such an offence as Mr. Baxter would make it to be I do not think but Mr. Baxter will allow that men may go into the water together to bathe them and yet not sin But Mr. Baxter doth confidently charge us with baptizing Maids naked as if he took it for granted that it were certainly true and therefore he breaks out into these words and saith If Mr. Tombes could baptize all the Maids in Bewdly naked and think it no immodesty he hath lost his common ingenuity and modesty with the truth Answ I confess if he doth such things I should think he had lost his modesty indeed but Mr. Baxter should first prove that Mr. Tombes or any man else did ever baptize any Maid or Women naked in any place in England he should prove this first and then he did something and had some ground to reason thus but till then he doth but wickedly labour by saying all manner of evil sayings on us falsly as Mat. 5.11 to cast dirt upon the truth of Christ 1. by supposing the thing to be so without proof saying If Mr. Tombes could do such things c. 2. by insinuating into the affections of men and women perswading them that it is so without question and saying Is not every good man sensible of the deceitfulness of his owne heart and that he needs all helps against it c. and would it be no tempation to Mr. Tombes to be frequently imployed in baptizing Maids naked let him search and judge Methinkes saith he the very mention of it could I avoid it is immodest Answ I wonder why Mr. Baxter saith If he could avoid it what could he not avoid speaking of untruths Is he predestinated to be a Lyer and insinuate into peoples hearts as if the things were certainly true which are but his owne suppositions And then he saith again Methink Ministers should have regard to themselves and not go so frequently into the cold water so often to baptize others Answ Truely they are careful enough for they never meddle with so good a work but I know Mr. Baxter is a lover of his own self and can give others of his brethren the same counsel and great need for good men are scarce they had need take heed they do not kill themselves in the service of Christ But it is very like that the zeal
of Gods house will never eat up nor destroy Mr. Baxter nor his Brethren the Priests of England for I never knew any of them go into the water to baptize either men or women for it is against their principle therefore he might well hold his peace in that thing and if the Anabaptists do it and it be so dangerous as he saith it his best way is to let them baptize as many as they will and then they will kill themselves the sooner if it be as he say and then he shall be quit of them But to conclude 1. We finde that in the daies of Christ and the Aposties they baptized both men and women in Rivers See Mark 1.5 with Acts 1.12 vers 37 38. and in AEnon near to Salem because there was much water there John 3.23 all this was allowed of and practiced by Christ and his Apostles Now if they baptized men and women in Rivers where there was much water we will be bold to follow their good holy and righteous Example notwithstanding Mr. Baxters foul mouth who doth not onely reproach slander and bely us but also the Lord Christ and his Apostles therefore we can through mercy well bear it knowing that the Servant is not greater then his Lord and if they have called the master of the house Beelzebub how much more them of his houshold Through mercy we can rejoyce that we are counted worthy to suffer any reproaches for the name of our Lord Jesus But let Mr. Baxter and his Brethren know that they must one day give an account of all their words and actions to him that is ready to judge the quick and dead at his appearing 1 Pet. 4.5 who will come with ten thousands of his Saints to execute judgement upon and to convince all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him And then all Mr. Baxters serious protestations for the truth in one place of his Book chap. 1. pag. 2 3. and his cunning insinuations against the truth almost all over his Book will do him little good for then those which now are so zealous that they thinke they should do God good service if they should kill us John 16.2 will see their error But I heartily desire Mr. Baxter and the rest of his Brethren may see theirs before if possible And now to your eighth Argument which is as followeth That party and practise which hath been still branded and pursued with Gods eminent Judgements but never evidently with his blessings is not likely to be the way of God But the Anabaptists way and practice is such Therefore not likely to be of God The same saith Mr. Hall in his 19. Argument in his Fontgaurded To all which I answer If this Argument be good then thus the Amorites were followed on with blessings and enjoyed the best of the Land of Canaan 400. yeers together while the People of Israel were in bondage and in misery will you therefore conclude that the Amorites were the Children of God and that the Children of Israel were not the Children of God And likewise remember the poverty and sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ and his Disciples and how they were branded as much for Hereticks and wicked persons and such as knew not the Law and were accursed John 7.39 as you now brand us but dare you say that they were not Goods People Truly I remember the Prophet saith Psal 73.3 4 5. that when he saw the prosperity of the wicked and that they were not in trouble nor plagued like other men that he had like to have stumbled at their prosperity and to have said that they were Gods People but it seems ye have stumbled and are fallen so as to speak evill of Gods People because of their sufferings You further say What an hinderance the Anabaptists were to the Gospel in Germany by resisting the most painefull godly Ministers there be few Divines of note who do not bear witness of it frequently in their writings as Luther Melancthon Illyricus Zuinglius Bullinger Leo Juda Calvin with multitudes more and in pag. 140. you tell us Zuinglius was constrained to resist them with all his strength but it seems that was too little for you tell us presently that the Senate was fain to deal with them with banishments prison and death and then you tell us that Calvin did write a Treatise against them wherein he sheweth page 141. that the Anabaptists were divided especially into two Sect one more moderate and simple that did boast of Scripture and pleaded Scripture with confidence for all they held but the other was a sort called Libertines which were above Scriptures and these you say pag. 142. are such as forsake their Wives and Children and laying by all labour do live idly and feed on other mens labours and when they abourd with filthy abominable lust they say its the command of their heavenly Father perswading Women and honest Matrons that its impossible they should be partakers of the Kingdom of Heaven unless they filthily prostitute their Bodies alledging that we must renounce all things we love best and that all kinds of infamy are to be swallowed by the godly for Christs sake and that Publicans and Harlots go first into the Kingdom of Heaven and of the treachery lying and sedition wherewith these People everywhere do abound there is no end nor measure And I pray say you are these your vertues do you yet thinke they designe nothing dishonest or can you deny the truth of these things no you say nor can any man shew you one of the Anabaptists who is not blemished with some of these forenamed wickednesses c. And now I hope by this time you have vented your deadly poyson that lay under your tongue against the Anabaptists To all which I answer first If all these things should be true that Mr. Baxter hath said as they are not yet it seems Mr. Baxters Religion is so tottering and ready to fall that he is faine to underprop it with the Anabaptists failings or rather with the grossest wickedness of those that have Apostatized from us and is glad to discover the gross darkness of the worst of men or else his own light is so small that it will not shine and when he hath reckoned up the worst of all wickedness that those that have apostized from us have committed he would lay it all upon us and wickedly affirmeth that there is none of us free from it And when he should prove what he promiseth namely that the Anabaptists hindred the preaching of the Gospel in Germany his proof is nothing but telling us most writers of those times do testifie it To which I answer He might as well have asked his fellow-Preists if it had been lawfull to take Tythes and he had been sure to have had the testimony both of their words and writings for it as he hath now against the Anabaptists
not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance and even those that killed the Lord of life obtained mercy Mat. 9.13 with Acts 2.36 37 38 39. and so did Paul the worst of sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 16. therefore if any that are now Anabaptists have formerly been gross sinners it was while they were of your Church and it s no more then some of the best of Saints have been before conversion and repentance But I suppose Mr. Baxter would make the world believe that the Anabaptists are all so now after they become Anabaptists and would make that the cause of it and would perswade the world that its our principle and judgement Answ If Mr. Baxter had known any such in fellowship with us when he wrote his Book he should have done well to have named them but neither Mr. Saltmarsh Paul Hobson Mr. Williams are in fellowship with the Anabaptists and as for Mr. Erbery and others that have apostatized what have we to do with them we have cast them out from us long since and they are returned to you againe As for Mr. Denis amongst the Levellers he confessed his fault before God and man and obtained mercy and then what have you to do to play the Devils part to accuse him againe I believe his offence was not bigger then Peters who denyed and forswore his Master its like therefore if you had lived in those dayes you would have been so wicked as to have cryed downe Christ and his wayes as you do now and have said with the rest of your fore-Fathers the Scribes and Pharisees It s not likely that he and his way should be of God for in his prosperity none followed him but a company of poor people that knew not the Law and were accursed As for the Scribes and Pharisees and Wise-men and Rulers few or none of them were so simple as to be led aside with him and now see what an end he comes to and how God followeth him on with judgements one of his owne Disciples betrayed him and sold him for 30 pieces of silver and the other denyed and forswore him See what they are one a covetous wretch and a Traytor and the other a lyer for he said he knew not his Master and a perjured fellow for he forswore him and their followers the Church of Corinth such as denyed the Resurrection 1 Cor. 15.12 and were incestuous persons And afterwards Peter and some of the Saints dissembled so as other were fain to withstand them to the face Gal. 2.11 12 13. Now is it possible that Mr. Baxter should be so blinded as to conclude that because of these things happening amongst them that therefore they were not the People of God and their way not the way of God Surely he speaketh evil of things he knows not for he cannot possible prove worse things among us that are in fellowship then there were some in those Churches but now since he and Mr. Hall in his nineteenth Argument have begun I am ingaged to answer them according to their foolishness lest they be wise in their own conceits Prov. 26.5 And first I much wonder that Mr. Baxter and Mr. Hall should reason thus against the Anbaptists when none are more deeply under the same condemnation then themselves It s strange they should complain of others for lying and are so notorious in it themselves for the very Title of Mr. Baxters book is a lye for he calls it Plain Scripture-proof for infants Churchmembership and Baptisme and brings not one Scripture to prove either Now for Treachery let them remember Mr. Love who was beheaded for a Traytor And for Perjury its easie to prove most of the Priests in England perjured for they have renounced the Bishops and their Orders which once they took an oath to he true unto And as for disobedience to the Magistrates and stlrring up of sedition in the Nation it s dayly manifest by their praying and preaching to all that hear them And as for idleness I would have them for shame to forbear speaking of that for they are all idle and know not how to work and were brought up idle and are such as Paul speaks of to Timothy which go up and downe not working at all nay they think it a great dishonour to their cloth to put their hands to labour and if you be not the men that live upon other mens labours when you would take away the tenth of all their increase and labours by a Law let the poor people judge Now as for your saying that the Anabaptist desert their wives it s a lye among the rest of your evil invented things for there is none amongst us that do or dare do such wickedness or if you know any such why do not you prosecute them according to Law you have a Law to hang up your owne Church-members for such things and then why do you spare us We may know by this your accusation is false for if we did as you report wickedly we were sure of no mercy at your hands and you are very simple if these things be true that you do not prosecute the Anabaptists and get them hanged out of the way and then they should not trouble you but your tongues are no slanders as it happens and that I hope all men will shortly see But I pray let us look a little further into your Church of England and see are not all the whores and rogues and theeves and murderers and witches that are hanged all the year through at every Assizes or Sessions are they not of your Church did you not baptize them into it in their Infancy and have they not continued in it some of them many yeers Nay is it not your practise in the Gayles after they are condemned to give them the Sacrament on the Sunday and one Church-member to hang up another on the Munday-morning And yet for all this are you so audacious as to say the Churches of the Anabaptists cannot be of God because they have corrupt members amongst them Who seeth not your wickedness and partiality And now may I not be bold to use the words of the Lord Christ Mat. 7.3 4 5. to you Mr. Baxter and to you Mr. Hall and others And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy Brothers eye but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye or how wilt thou say to thy Brother Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye and behold a beame is in thine own Thou Hypocrite first cast out the beame out of thine own eye and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy Brothers eye Now lest you or any should think I deal too hardly with you in this case I answer you according to your folly lest you should be wise in your own conceits and that I am commanded to do by the word of the Lord Prov. 26.5 But to pass by the poor deluded people that are hanged up for
and so bemyred himself that he hath been fain to be washed and hath attempted the chastity of divers women sold his tythe-calves for kisses with them and having lockt himself up in a Chamber in an Inne with a lewd woman after a long time the door was broken upon him when he refused to unlock it and he found in a very suspitious manner upon a bed with her after which he conveyed her secretly away and sent gifts unto her and hath affirmed that the Land is governed by wicked men and that the Papists were the Kings best subjects and is a common swearer of very great Oathes 7. The benefice of Humphrey Dawes Vicar of the Parish-Church of mount Nezing in the county of Essex is sequestred for that he hath discouraged his Parishoners from assisting the present defensive war affirming that they are damned and are Traitors to the King that have lent money to the Parliament and that he hath read the book of sports and encouraged his Parishioners to prophane the Sabbath and hath been often drunk and came so drunk to Church on the Lords day as he bade his people sing a chapter in the Hebrews in stead of a Psalm not knowing what he did 8. The benefice of Anthony Hugget Parson of the Parish of the Cliff in the County of Sussex is sequestred for that he hath preached that it was more lawful to Steal or to do any work on the Lords day then to go to other Churches to hear Sermons though they have none at home and hath sued divers of his parish for going to other Churches and forced two of them to do penance for it and hath been bound to the good behaviour at quarter Sessions for severall misdemeanors and instead of a Sermon did read to his people the late new Cannons and is greatly suspected of incontinency and hath had the and was cured thereof by one Mr. Abel for ten pounds promised him and the said Huggets Wife asking him for a piece of Gold which he took from her and gave to a light Woman in fury he spurned her on the belly when she was quick with Child so that she was forced presently to her Chamber and was delivered of a dead Child notwithstanding which he vowed he would never have more Children by her c. who is now without naturall fection 9. The benefice of Peter Allin Vicar of the Parish-Church of Tolsbury in the County of Essex is sequestred for that he hath lived incontinently a long time with several Women that is to say Mary Time who went from his house with Child by him Frances Smith by whom he had a bastard and Anne Cooper whom he hath kept for the space of seven yeers last past and yet he keepeth her in his house who miscarried a of Child begotten by him refused to administer the Sacrament to such as would not come to him at the railes there and hath been very negligent of his cure so that he absented himself that the dead have been left unburied several daies and hath expressed great Malignity against the Parliament 10. The benefice of John Hurt Vicar of the Parish-Church of Hordon upon the Hill in the County of Essex is sequestred for that he is a common frequenter of Taverns or Ale-houses and a common drunkard and gamester a common swearer and curser and hath been convicted before the Justice of peace of six oathes at a time and then swear by-God he did not swear and hath a very ill report of uncleanness and abuse of Women and hath spoken basely of the Parliament expressing great Malignancy against them c. 11. The benefices of Paul Clapham Vicar of the Parish-Church of Farnham in the County of Surry and Parson of the Parish-Church of Martinworthy in the County of South-Hampton are sequestred for that he hath lived in Adultery with several women and hath had divers bastards and hath charged the Parish with keeping them and hath two bastards at this time kept one of which he payeth for the maintenance of and is bound with his Son to pay for the maintenance of the other and hath called the Parliament and their adherents Rebels and Traitors and exhorted men to contribute and take up armes against them and hath deserted his cure and betaken himself to the Army of the Cavaleers c. 12. Lastly The benefice of Robert Sheppard Parson of the Parish-Church of Hep-worth in the County of Suffolk is sequestred for that he is a common drunkard and frequenter of Taverns and Ale-houses lying and continuing drunk in the said houses divers nights sometimes twice or thrice a week and greatly suspected of incontinency having had many Maid-servants depart from his house great with Child none living in the house with him but himself and some have returned againe to live with him and within a short time have been with Child again and he hath been a great practiser of the altar-worship and inforcer of his Parishioners to receive the Sacrament at the rails and hath put fifteen at a time from the Sacrament for refusing to receive it there and in his Catechising and preaching calls his Parishioners black-mouthed hell-hounds limbs of the Devil fire-brands of Hell plow-joggers bawling-dogs weaverly-jacks Church-robbers affirming that if he could tearm them worse he would and hath endeavoured to perswade poor men to forswear themselves for him and hath affirmed that the Parliament were but a company of factious Spirits c. And thus have you a relation of the practices and carriages of some of them verbatim as it is written in the forenamed Book intituled The first Century of Scandalous and Malignant Preists Ordered to be printed by authority of Parliaments Therefore none may think I devised it or any of it because the Book is still extant by which all that I have written here about them may be tried more I was not free to write First because of the tediousness of it And Secondly because some things are gross and abominable that I judged them not fit to be named although the Parliament was forced to record them for the vindication of themselves in shewing their reasons to the World why they ordered them to be sequestred and what they have recorded of these men and the grossest of their wickedness is proved by no less then five or six witnesses as is affirmed in the Epistle to the Reader but the truth is I should not once have mentioned any of these things but as Paul saith to the Corinthians 2 Cor. 12.11 in another cause I am become a fool in glorying but you have compelled me So say I in this I confess I have but acted a fools part in laying open their nakedness by repeating of what was formerly writen but Mr. Baxter and Mr. Hall hath compelled me by letting their tougues and pens fly at such uncertainties accusing us of things they canot prove as their fore-Fathers Ananias the high Preist and the Elders of Israel with Tertullus the Orator did by
Paul Acts 24.1 2 3 4 5 6. with 13. But I have proved all what I have here wrote by good authority the which I suppose they will not nor dare not deny but if they do the books remain still to be seen and now seeing these things are so I shall desire the impartial Reader seriously and in the fear of God to consider whether this generation of men although some of them more transformed into Angels of light and Ministers of righteousness then others as the Scripture saith 2 Cor. 11.13 14 15. yet whether these be not those spoken of 2 Tim. 3.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. in these words This know also that in the last daies perilous times shall come for men shall be lovers of their own selves covetous boasters proud blasphemers disobedient to Parents unthankfull unholy without natural affection truce-breakers false accusers for they accuse us and are in fault themselves incontinent fierce dispisers of those that are good traytors heady high-minded lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof and from such we are commanded to turn away for of this sort are they that creep into houses and lead captive silly women laden with divers lusts ever learning and never able to come to the knwledge of the truth and as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses so do these also resist the truth Men of corrupt mindes reprobate concerning the faith but the Lord hath promised they shall proceed no further for their folly shall be manifest to all men as theirs also was 2. Whether they be not like their forefathers of old that are spoken of Jer. 23.14 15 16 17. in these words I have seen also in the Prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing they commit adultery and walk in lyes they strengthen also the hands of evil doers that none return from their wickedness they are all of them unto me as Sodom and as the inhabitants of Gomorrha therefore saith the Lord of hosts concerning these Prophets that cause my people to err Behold I will feed them with wormwood and make then drink the water of Gall for from these Prophets is Prophaness gone forth into all the land therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts Hearken not unto the words of the Prophets that prophesie unto you they make you vaine they speak a vision of their own hearts and not out of the mouth of the Lord but they say still to them that despise me Ye shall have peace and to every one that walketh after the imaginations of his own heart No evil shall come upon you 3. Thirdly Whether they be not like those which the Lord speaks of by Ezekiel chap. 22.26 27 28. in these words Her priests have violated my law and prophaned mine holy things they put no difference between the clean and unclean and have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths and I am prophaned by them her princes in the midst of them are like wolves ravening the prey to shed blood and to destroy souls to get dishonest gaine And the cause of it was Her prophets had daubed them with untempered morter seeing vanities and divining lies saying Thus saith the Lord when the Lord hath not spoken And it is not unknown how some of them did daube up Charles the first deceased with his princes and nobles that followed him with their untempered morter till they made him such a King as Salomon speaks of Eccles 4.13 in these words Better is a poor and wise childe then an old and foolish King which will no more be admonished The same did another party of them by Charles the second though more strict and zealous but not according to knowledge and would have drowned this land in blood and then cryed out the Anabaptists are the cause of it had not the Lord in mercy discovered their plot and turned all their councels into foolishness insomuch that some of them were branded and putsued with Gods eminent Judgements which Master Baxter speaks of therefore let him remember Master Love and his party 4. Whether they be not like thos e that the prophet Micah speaks of Chap. 3.11 when he saith The priests teach for heir and the Prophets Divine for money and yet they will lean upon the Lord and say Is not the Lord amongst us and no evil shall come upon us 5. How like the men Paul speaks of Phil. 3.18.19 when he saith Many walk as I have told you often and now tell you weeping that they are enemies to the cross of Christ whose end is destruction whose God is their belly whose glory is in their shame who minde earthly things 6. Consider how the words of the Apostle Peter are verified in these men 2 Pet. 2.9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18. which are these The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise goverment presumptuous are they self-willed they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities whereas the Angels which are greater in power and might bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. But these as natural bruit-beasts made to be taken and destroyed speak evil of things they understand not and shall utterly perish in their own corruptions and shall receive the reward of unrighteousness as they count it pleasure to ryot in the day time Spots they are and blemishes sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease to sin beguiling unstable souls an heart they have exercised with covetous practices Cursed Children which have for saken the right way and gone astray following the way of Balaam the son of Bozor who loved the wages of unrighteousness but was rebuked for his iniquity the dumbe Ass speaking with mans voice forbad the madness of that Prophet These are wells without water clouds that are carried with a tempest to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever For when they speak great swelling words of vanity they allure through the lust of the flesh through much wantonness those that were clean escaped from them that live in error while they promise others liberty they themselves are the servants of corruption c. So that we may say with Jer. 5 30 31. A wonderful horrible thing is commited in the Land the Prophets prophesie falsly and the Priests bear rule by their means and my people love to have it so and what will ye do in the end thereof And now in all that I have written none can justly say that I have wronged or abused them at all for 1. I do but repeat what is recorded and that by the consent of those then in Authority of their words and actions and 2. I compared them with these forenamed Scriptures to the end that we might know and