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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	day_n	great_a	holy_a	12,790	5	4.8317	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87658	The pretended antidoe [sic] proved poyson: or, The true principles of the Christian & Protestant religion defended, and the four counterfit defenders thereof detected and discovered the names of which are James Allen, Joshua Moodey, Samuell Willard and Cotton Mather, who call themselves ministers of the Gospel in Boston, in their pretended answer to my book, called, The Presbyterian & independent visible churches in New-England, and else-where, brought to the test, &c. And G.K. cleared not to be guilty of any calumnies against these called teachers of New-England, &c. By George Keith. With an appendix by John Delavall, by way of animadversion on some passages in a discourse of Cotton Mathers before the General Court of Massachusetts, the 28th of the third moneth, 1690.	Keith, George, 1639?-1716.; Delavall, John, d. 1693.	1690 (1690)	Wing K192A; ESTC W42984	110,748	234

find Moon and Sun inwardly and spiritually understood in Scripture so I find seven Days and a Seventh Day inwardly and spiritually understood see Isa 30.26 but this to you is still a Mystery And whereas it is the outward and natural Sun that constitutes common and natural Days therefore did Origine Augustine and many others conclude That the seven Days mentioned Gen. 1.2 and Exod. 20. could not be common and natural Days for there was no Sun until the fourth Day nor Firmament until the second nor dry Land and Sea till the third P. 147. That God altered the Sabbath from the Seventh Day to the First ye meerly alledge without any proof as your common manner is I suppose ye are not so ignorant as not to know that Calvin the Father so called or Founder of the Presbyterian Church and the French Protestants generally and also the Dutch tho' they keep the First Day for worship after the manner of primitive Christians as we also do yet do not judge it to be the Sabbath or commanded by divine Institution we set apart that day worthily and commendably with other Protestants neither for any betterness in it simply as a Day nor as being commanded for a Sabbath but in honour of our Saviours Resurrection after the Example of the primitive Christians in the Apostles days mentioned in Scripture and that we see a great conveniency and service in it to keep a Day weekly unto the Lord and as said the Apostle He who keepeth a Day keepeth it unto the Lord and that Day rather than another because of Christs Resurrection on the first day of the week and the worthy Example of primitive Christians recorded in Scripture And thus I have gone through all the Heads contained in your Book relating to the Doctrinal part and have showed our agreement in every one of them with the holy Scriptures and also with famous Protestants and Antient Writers call'd Christian Fathers except in that one matter of Infant Baptism wherein if we differ from many of these called Antients in one thing ye differ in another for they generally judged it absolutely necessary to Salvation which ye as well as I judge an Error in them and these called Baptists commonly who may be judged as good Protestants as ye deny your Infant-Baptism as a humane Invention and yet ye have no other And if this doth not unchristian them so nor can it us and ye deny their baptizing into Water such who have been baptized when Infants why then may ye not allow the same Charity to us that ye viz. the more fober part both of Presbyterians and Baptists so called tho' the more Rigid sort call one another Hereticks allow one to another and that we allow to the sober and tender and honest hearted of you both yea and to such in all Professions where the Head and Foundation is held which is Christ we have that Charity that there is a sincere sort among all Professions who belong to God and Christ and tho' they have wrong Notions and Conceptions of some things belonging to Christian Doctrine and have not a form of sound words in delivering some matters of Faith which is a great hurt unto them yet they have some true inward sence of Christian Truth and Doctrine and their faith and sence may be partly sound where their words where by they express it may be very unsound for many have a right sence and feeling of things whereof they have not a right Elocution Utterance and form of Speech as in Naturals so in Spirituals as when Men taste Money and their taste of it is the same yet they differ in the Names they give it or in some subtile and curious Questions about the Nature of it or the nature and manner of tasting it that is not so very material So men may have some real sence and experience of the workings of the holy Spirit inward divine Revelations and Inspirations that work and beget in them some measure of true Faith Hope Love and other Christian Virtues and yet by the Prejudice of Education and wrong outward teaching or ill wording of things may give wrong Names to things yet God forbid we should unchristian them simply for a Mistake or defect in not giving proper words names to things and yet many things of Controversie among single hearted men lie but in words and such should have a regard to that which is good tender and sensible one in another where it is felt But where a persecuting and malitious Spirit and great hardness of Heart prevaileth in any these are not to be regarded as Christians whatever they profess So I would have you all to know all the sober and tender hearted People of New-England and else-where whether called Presbyterian Independent Baptist or Episcopal yea and others holding the Head and being sincere in the main That we can and do own that your sincerity altho' we cannot but differ from you in matters both of Doctrine and Practice wherein we find you to err from the path of Truth and so far as we have together attained and are agreed in all good things of Christian Doctrine or Practice let us walk by the same Rule and live in Charity one with another Pag. 148. In your Reflections on that I called A Call and Warning to the People of Boston c. first ye falsly charge me That I arrogate as much to my self as any of the Prophets of Old had of an immediate Mission from God But let that Paper be considered and it shall not be found that I arrogate or assume any thing equal to the Prophets of Old only I did and I do still affirm That I had the Word of the Lord to declare to the People of Boston c. and it was as a burden unto me until I had delivered it he who hath not Gods Word as it liveth and is the Word of Life in his heart is no true Minister of Christ but every Minister of Christ is not either Apostle or Prophet in that high and eminent sence that is frequent in Scripture Ye charge me with 1st Lying 2dly Slandering 3dly Railing 4thly False Doctrine 5thly Non-sence but all this ye alledge without proof as your manner is Sharp Speeches are not Railing always but commendable in some cases for both Christ and the Prophets and Apostles used them to men of your Generation your Speeches are more sharp against me my Friends than ours are against you and which are most deserving we freely leave it to the Lord and his Witness in mens Consciences Ye would six Non-sence on my words that I said Your Self-actings of all sorts in that ye call your Duties and Performances ye are to repent of c. Where it is clear by that ye call your Duties I did understand and so might ye your Preaching Praying Singing without the Spirit of God and them pag. 149. ye call Dirt and Dung and yet ye

Bread Rain and Dew only for the efficacy o● it and not for the extent and plenty of it but for this we have your bare authority contrary bo●h to Scripture and Experience of thousands who witness the Word of God plentifully to dwell in them like to the drops of Rain and Dew for plenty of the divine droppings and showerings of it as well as for efficacy Ye grant The Scriptures are both by Metaphor and Metonyme called the Words and Word of God and in so doing ye give away your cause unto the Quakers for we say the same although the great out-cry hath been against us that we do not allow the Scriptures to be properly without all figure of metaphor or metonyme the words and word of God And since ye thus agree with us I see not how ye can call us Apostates for gain-saying you in this particular Pag. 21. Ye say I confound the Metonymie officientis with a Metonyme signi but I say ye prevaricate for I neither mention the one nor the other but the examples brought by me signifie both these kinds of Metonyme without confusion for Moses books are called Moses by the Metonyme Efficientis and Isaiah his book is called his vision by the Metonyme Signi CAP. II. I Shall briefly take notice of your Perversions and Omissions in this Chapter and so proceed to the end for it is but wasting time and paper both which are to be better bestowed than to follow you at large Ye disown the word Inspiration as given in our dayes Pag. 22. wherein as ye are singular so ye are inferior to the Church of England who for all your pretence to spirituality of Worship and Praying by the spirit yet are short of them for they in divers places of the Common Prayer pray for Inspiration and the Scots Confession of Faith in John Knox's dayes says expresly That Faith is the Inspiration of the holy Ghost And therefore your Ignorance and Prejudice doth here plainly appear and instead of defending the Protestant Religion ye but betray it and ●onounce it for sober Protestants both Epis●opal and Presbyterian do own Inspiration which ye plainly deny Pag. 23. The Scriptures that both ●he Assembly and ye cite That divine In●pirations and Revelations are ceased to wit of Antient Doctrine for we plead for no New Doctrines are wholly from your purpose as 2 Tim. 3.6 17. Heb. 1.1 2. Prov. 2.19 or any others for notwithstanding all these Scriptures divine Inspirations and new internal divine Revelations continued in the Church after all this in and with the Apostles But ye grosly pre●●ricate by your unfair way of answering That there was no New Revelation of any New Doctrine or New Doctrinal Truth And thus ye think to elude my Arguments before the Eyes of ignorant Readers But this mean Art of yours will not do for ye fight against your own Shadow and not against our Doctrine for we assent no New Revelation of any New Doctrine but of the Antient Doctrine abundantly delivered to the Prophets and Apostles but as their Faith could not save us so nor could their inward Inspiration and Revelation Pag. 27. Ye blame me for pleading for extraordinary Revelations such as the Apostles had which is a gross Perversion and plain Contradictory to my words for I told you that the distinction of Ordinary and Extraordinary Revelation may in a true fence well be admitted and the Prophets and Apostles had both ordinary and extraordinary we plead for the ordinary Revelations they had common to them with other Saints but not for the extraordinary they had whereas your Confession denyeth all sort of Revelation Again ye blame me for confounding Inspiration Revelation and Illumination but I say they are one and the same thing and it is great Non-sence to seperate or divide them and all the differences betwixt them that ye alledge are meerly begged and affirmed but not in the not least proved Ye should remember ye are not now in the pulpits where people take things on trust for your bare Authority but that your Book is gone abroad ye should bring better Proofs than bare Assertions 1st Ye say Ill●mination is common to all Believers Inspiration is peculiar to some But this last is denyed not only by us but by the Church of England and the Scots Confession of Faith in John Knox's days and by the general sence of antient Writers especially Augustine who frequently mentioneth Inspiration in his Works 2dly Ye say Illumination ordinarily accompanies the diligent use of the means Inspirations ye say usually come upon men without using any means for them But this second distinction is also meerly begged Illuminations and Inspirations come ●t times with the outward means and at times without them and yet not without all means very frequently even outward for both the Prophets and Apostles used means to prepare them to receive divine Inspirations and Revelations and in the use of means received them frequently for Acts 10. while Peter went up upon the house top to pray about the sixth hour he had a divine Revelation and when Peter preached to Cornelius and others the holy Ghost fell upon them and as they ministred to the Lord and fasted to wit certain Prophets and Teachers Acts 13.2 the holy Ghost said Seperate me Paul and Barnabas c. It is great ignorance and want of Experience in divine Mysteries to think that divine Inspirations and Revelations are without all means or tend to make either outward or inward means void and useless for commonly and generally all ordinary divine Revelations come in the use of some means or another as hearing reading prayer meditation watching and silent inward waiting all which are means and most especially and alwayes in the exercise of true Obedience unto God Your 3d Distinction is to as little purpose viz. That Illumination becomes habitual but Inspiration is transient for if by Habitual ye understand permanent and abiding Illuminations and Inspirations may be and are permanent of some sorts and of other sorts transient or passing Your 4th Distinction is also vain and idle as that illumination encreaseth grad●ally but not so Inspiration for they may and do increase or decrease according to the various kinds of them and he who is faithful to God may expect his Inspirations daily to be increased continued with him Lastly Ye say Illumination is alwayes understood whenas Inspirations sometimes are not understood but no more is Illumination alwayes und●rstood yea how many have a divine Illumination and yet understand it not and ye your selves deny that Illumination hath a Self-evidence so th●n it would be objective Revelation and fit to be the Rule of Faith and Life which ye deny saying the Scripture is the ONLY Rule Pag. 28. The Saint Experience of inwa●d enjoyments of God and Ch●ist beyond all words warranted from 1 Cor. 2.9 10. Ye call a Rapsody in commendation o● our silent Meetings but this is a poor evasion and answet

and work of Sanctification is before good Works outwardly wrought in order of cau●e as the good Tree is before the Fruit. Pag. 108. That Faith is used in Scripture not only to signifie Gospel Doctrine as ye grant but Gospel Holiness and Virtues by a synecdoche of the part for the whole is clear to any who are not partial for the just shall live by Faith and said Paul the Life that I now live I live by Faith and yet certainly his Life was not only the Life of Faith but of Love and other divine Virtues And whereas the Faith of the Elders is frequently mentioned Heb. 11. is it only their single Faith that is there commended or rather the whole Body of divine Virtues whereof the Root as it were is Faith as when we name a Tree by the Root we understand the Branches included and when we number men by the Head we understand the Body also and Gal. 3.5 after that Faith is come that was not the Doctrine only but the Grace of Faith together with all the other accompanying Graces and Virtues and as Unbelief is put in Scripture for all other sin that men generally are under Rom. 11.32 so Faith signifieth the whole Body of the Christian Graces and Virtues but of this ye take no notice but pass it with a dry foot because ye can give no sollid Answer to it though mentioned in my first Book And that it may appear I am not Popish in the Doctrine of Justification hear the Judgment of James Durham a Presbyterian Preacher in his Commentary on the Revelations in one of his Digressions where he saith Who only place Repentance Conversion and Holiness c. but as Conditions necessary to Justification and but equally necessary as Faith and in the same respect with Faith or in words to that effect the are not to be accounted Popish and therefore hitherto ye cannot nor shall find in what ●emaineth any Doctrine asserted by me that is either ●opery or Heresie but what is defended by as good Protestants and better than your selves and which hath the Scripture Authority to warrant it Ye say Ye understand not the meaning of my Rant about a Christ divided a Christ without and a Christ within a Christ in Heaven and a Christ in the H●art we believe say ye that there is but one C●rist c. Here ye grosly misrepresent my words and pervert the sense of them as if I did divide Christ or hold two Christs one Christ in Heaven and another Christ in the Heart Let the Reader see my words in my Book and he will find that I am not for dividing Christ but blame them who do divide him either in his Offices or in himself nor do I use these words a Christ in Heaven and a Christ in the Heart as if they were two but I say it is one and the same Christ which is both in Heaven and also in the Hearts of his Children and seeing ye call this a Rant it is plain that ye do not own Christ at all in the Hearts of the Saints Let this be well remembred against you for ye call it a Rant to say Christ is both in the Heaven and in the Heart did not the Lord say He dwelleth in the High and Holy Places and also in the Hearts of them that are Contrite c Ye say He dwelleth in the Hearts of all his People by his Virtue Influence and Grace But I say his Virtue Influence and Grace cannot be in the heart without him and seperated from him for if by Grace ye mean Faith Hope Love they would fail wither and dye if he were not present to nourish preserve them And how sillily and foolishly do ye infer pag. 135. That I hold two Christs because I say That by the Spirit of Christ a man is joyned both to Christ in him and to Christ in Heaven and if two Vnions then two Christs say ye But ye fight against your own shadow I say nothing of two Unions nor do my words infer it more than when I say a Graft that is grafted into a Tree is united both to the Branch that it is grafted into and also to the whole Tree Doth it thence follow that there are here two Unions and two Trees or that the foot is both united to the Life or Soul in it and to the Life or Soul in the Head that therefore there are two Unions and two Heads This shallow way of your Reasoning showeth what learned Clarks ye are Pag. 108 109. Ye deny That Faith hath any assurance in the being and nature of it but only that which is Objective and not Subjective And thus with School-Terms and Phrases ye seek to cover your selves in the Clouds from Ignorant People But let me explain it in English what ye say which is this That Christ H●●piness hath the Assurance but the Faith hath no Assurance of Knowledge or Evidence in the Nature of it as who would say There is assuredly such a City as London or Paris but he who is going towards it hath no assurance he is in the true way that leads to it Ye say further This assurance may be had without extraordinary Revelation and so say I for it is ordinary to thousands of Gods Saints in all Ages but what is that to you who deny all Revelation both ordinary and extraordinary at present and say The former wayes of Gods revealing his will are ceased And yet many Protestants have acknowledged a Spirit of Prophecy in some of the Martyrs as in George Wisehart and others as is to be seen in Fox's Book of Martyrs which contradict the Confession of the Assembly espoused by you CAP. VIII PAg. 109. Ye commit a great Abuse when ye say I deny the Doctrine of Perseverance I own both the Doctrine and Grace of Perseverance to all to whom God doth give it and my earnest Prayer is frequent unto God for my self and Brethren every where yea all who love the ●ord in any measure is whatever Name they go u●der that he may be pleased to establish them in that which is good and crown them with that most noble Grace of Perseverance And upon this head ye and not I give a way the Cause though ye contradict your selves in so doing for ye grant That not only ●ommon and preparatory works that are wrought in men that work a Reformation in many things but also a Faith may be lost that is real and true and not false and hypocritical for ye say expresly Pag. 111. We must distinguish betwixt a false-Faith and one that is not saving So ye grant that Faith which is not false but true may be lost but whether it may be called saving is rather a strife of words than any thing else which I love n●t to contend about That it is not fin●lly and eventually saving is certain otherwise it would have continued but yet that it had a preparatory service and use and began

proof and that ye say Antient and Modern Interpreters agree therein y● show your rashness for ye name no antient Writer that saith so And Theodoretus a very antient Writer expoundeth that place Psal 89.15 in his Commentary on the Psalms of the J●bilation or joyful Sound in the Gentiles in Gospel-dayes who should believe in Christ and it is evident that the Psalm is a Prophecy of Christ and of the great blessings that should come to all Nations both Jews and Gentiles by him as both Theodoretus and other antient and modern Writers understand it as is clear from vers 25 26 27 28 29 c. that is not applicable to David but to Christ whereof David was a Type And that ye say The Quakers give notice of their Meetings we grant but yet we use neither Bell nor Drum to give such notice and find no need nor occasion for any such superstitious Custom Pag. 135. Ye query May ye not succeed the Apostles in their Ministry though not in their Apostleship I Answer Nay seeing ye deny that which qualifieth all true Ministers of Christ which is the Spirit and Power of Christ inwardly revealed and that ye require nothing of real inward Godliness necessary to constitute a Minister of Christ ye have no President for your Ministry that ye plead for without true piety from the true Apostles but from Judas the Apostate that betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ and in so doing fell from his Ministry yea ye are not ashamed to mention him and the Pharisees for your Presidents and Patrons to which I have formerly replyed And though the Apostles ordained Elders and Over-seers over gathered Churches yet it was by the direction of the holy Ghost and this ye deny that your Ordination was such Nor was it proper and peculiar only to the Apostles to travel through the Nations to preach the Gospel but was common to other Pastors and Teachers as to the Apostles as is clear from the Acts of the Apostles and from Christs Commission And every true Minister of Christ is to know his place and calling by the Spirit of the Lord how long he is to stay among a People whether all his Life time or for some season But if ye were indeed called of God to sit down all your dayes in one pl●ce how cometh it to be so usual among you to remove from one place to another and most commonly to some new place where ye can have a greater Benefice or some better outward Accomodation Pag. 136. Ye say I reflect a Scandal upon you in respect of the endeavours for the Conversion of the Indians for this ye refer to the printed Accounts But ye should have mentioned in particular what these printed acounts say that they might be examined whether true or false for we know many printed Accounts are false and it is most manifest that great Sums of Money have been sent out of Old England to encourage that work of preaching to the Indians and it is as manifest that much of that Money hath been ill bestowed and improved as the Country of New-England knoweth well enough and these called Christian Indians your pretended Converts are known generally to be worse than the poor Heathens CAP. X. PAg. 136. Ye say so little in defence of that ye call your Two Sacraments confessing withal That the Scripture saith nothing of the word Sacrament that I shall not spend Paper nor Time to answer all your Impertinencies considering that I have said enough that may suffice to answer you in my former Reply to Pardon Tillinghast for if Water-Baptism be no Gospel Precept then surely sprinkling Infants is none only I shall consider some of the grossest of them Pag. 137. As for sprinkling ye say ye plead not for it but for pouring Water not on the fore-head only but on the face This seemeth a learned distinction that may pass current among ignorant People what difference betwixt sprinkling and pouring seeing all the Water ye pour is neither gallon nor pint but so much as ye can hold in the hollow of your hand which cannot well wet the whole face and therefore is more sprinkling but still ye are to seek for a proof that either sprinkling or pouring Water on a childs fac● was ever commanded by Christ or practised by any of the Apostles or Ministers of Christ record●d in Scripture Ye say Origine and Cyprian tell us that the Apostles gave order for the baptizing of Infants withal citing Augustin but this is no Scripture-proof and Authority of antient Writers without Scripture ought to be of no weight among true Protestants The Church of Rome doth so argue for her unscriptural Traditions and is more ingenuous than ye that she doth confess There is no A●t●ority for Infant Baptism but only the Tradition of the Church and if ye have no better Authority than Tradition your cause is desperate and your Refuge to the Tradition of antient Writers proveth you more Popish than Protestant And as for Origine Cyprian and Augustine they lived long after the first Century and ye can give no evidence in Church History that Infant Baptism was practised until Cyprians time past two hundred years from Christs Resurrection and whereas while the practice of Water-Baptism continued in the Church it was required that before Baptism the Persons that were to be baptized should confess to the Truth and also that they did confess their sins and declare their Repentance and Faith which Infants could not do and therefore were incapable of Water-Baptism to supply which defect in after Ages the invention of God-fathers that should confess and vow for them was set up that hath no shadow of ground in Scripture Pag. 139. Ye say I fraudule●tly omit that clause citing Luke 18.15 16. For of such i● the Kingdom of God Answ I do not fraudulently omit it but saw no necessity to repeat it as having not the least seeming strength in it for Water-Baptism to Infants for granting that those Infants or such belonged to the Kingdom of God it doth not therefore follow that they were baptized with Water ye must show either Precept or Practice but ye do neither and that ye say It is above the capacity of Children to receive the Lords Supper so call'd ye give no instance wherein that is more above their capacity than to receive Infant Baptism by sprinkling or pouring seeing both ye say are signs of spiritual Mysteries and in Augustines time that call'd the Supper was given to Children or Infants if they be uncapable of understanding the thing signified by the one so are they of understanding the thing signified by the other Ye falsly alledge That Contra-distinguished signifieth two Contraryes the one to the other but I did not un●e●stand any c●ntrariety betwixt John's Baptism and Christ'● but only a diversity nor doth the word contra-distinguished import any other contrariety but as the Type hath to the Anti-type i. e. counter-type Pag. 140 141. Ye contend that Mat.

may observe in both my Treatises but because these men who are our Opposers thinking to render our Doctrine odious do accuse it either as Novel or as Old Heresies revived by us and as contradicting almost all Fundamentals of Christian Religion for almost Seventeen Hundred Years past held by good Christians Therefore I found it convenient to cite these Testimonies to show our agreement not only with the holy Scriptures but also with other Writers of good esteem among Protestants even in these very Heads called by our Opposers Heresies and Blasphemies that their Ignorance and Partiality may appear and their evil Design to render the Truth Odious may be discovered In the end I desire the Reader to take notice how that after C. M. and his Brethren have been disputing against all divine Inspiration as a most absurd and false Doctrine so much as to suppose it remaining or in being whereby men may be assisted to preach or pray yet in his Postscript to his Thanksgiving Sermon printed in 1690. he giveth an account of some prophecying Boyes and Girles and other Men Women now in France that both pray and preach by Inspiration and he saith expresly He dare not say what Authority or what Original is to be assigned unto these Inspirations But seeing according to his Doctrine all divine Inspiration is ceased he ought to conclude they are not of God but of the Devil but because he dare not so conclude he alloweth it to be possible they may be divine which is a manifest Contradiction and giving away his Cause as also that he alloweth that Girles and Women may preach and pray in Christian Assemblies which the Priests of N. England have so much opposed G. K. An APPENDIX AMong the many Writers this scribling Age hath furnish't the World with there is none in these American parts hath been so busie as one Cotton Mather a pretended Minister of the Gospel in Boston whose publick Discourses in print sufficiently evince● to the serious Intelligible Reader how little reason himself hath to assume that Title or his Brethren to confer it upon him I shall only at this time take notice as the Lord shall assist me of that by him sent forth to publick view under this Title The Serviceable Man A Discourse made unto the general Court of the Massachusets Colony in New-England at the anniversary Election the 28th of the 3d Mo. 1690. The stile tendency and purport of this Discourse more resembles the Harangues of a Mountebank or Comedian than of a serious sober Christian much less a Minister of Christ its plain this Author hath been more solicitous to please the Ears of his credulous Auditors than to consult how Truth would vindicate his Assertions as appears partly by his Self-Contradictions and also by his false malitious Slanders and Reproaches of an innocent People by him and others in scorn call'd Quakers whose Principles he is either unacquainted with or else wickedly perverts them if the first he manifests his Ignorance if the latter his Envy and Malice both ill Companions for a Minister of Christ In proof of his Self-Contradiction read pag. 28. of his said Book compared with pag. 57. Pag. 28. thus 'T is the Prerogative of New-England above all the Countries of the World That it is a Plantation for the Christian Protestant Religion You may now see a Land filled with Churches which by solemn and aweful Covenants are dedicated unto the Son of God there are I suppose more than an hundred of these holy Societies among us which would in Luthers judgment render the meanest Villiage more glorious than an Ivory Palace in these you may see Discipline managed Heresie subdued Prophaness opposed and Communion maintained with a careful respect unto the Word of God in all you may see faithful Ministers and sincere Christians and multitudes of Souls ripening a pace for the Kingdom of God you may see proportionably as much of God among them as in any spot of Ground which the Children of Adam walk upon This is greatly in praise of N. England if he had not as fully amply contradicted it p. 57. in this manner But if our Fathers were to write unto us from that Heaven unto which they are gone I am thinking what they would say Would they not write in very disgracing Terms unto us and say Alas you don't walk in our wayes we left in your Hands a work to be done for the People of God but you have thrown by that work and found something else to be concern'd about We hop'd that you would have trod in our Steps and that we should have shortly congratulated your Arrival to the Glorious place which we are Triumphing in But we now fear That we have dropt you and lost you forever and that we shall never see you more till we behold you wringing your Hands and Gnashing your Teeth among the Goats at the Left Hand of the Lord Jesus in the Day of His Appearing If what this Writer so confidently affirmed before were undeniably true let the Reader judge how unlikely it is an Epistle from Heaven should be filled with such Contents against so holy a People and for the future the Author will do well to avoid the like Contradictions It cannot be counted Breach of Charity in me or any other to give greater credit to what I am ready with him to believe would be the Contents of an Epistle from Heaven from such of their Fathers as are gone unto those heavenly Mansions prepared for them by our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ than unto this Author's Character directly Contradictory hereunto This Author hath plentifully vented his Envy and Malice against an innocent quiet peaceable People whose behaviour under all Governments where by the Providence of God they have had their abode hath been such as loudly gainsays the bitter Invictives belched forth against them by this Satirical Author in pag. 34 35 36. of his book I shall cite the Passages verbatim and so make some short Reply C. M. While these Enemies are seeking to involve our Civil Concerns in Confusion there are Sectaries and Seducers that are using their Batt'ring Rams upon our Sacred Ones And among those the Quakers are certainly the most Malicious as well as the most Pernicious Enemies Reply Here is a heavy Charge against an innocent People that they are not only Sectaries and Seducers but the most Malicious and Pernicious Enemies among those Were this as firmly proved as 't is boldly asserted it were enough to render us Odious It s no less just than strange this man should be so infatuated as to imagine those many thousands unto whom his Discourse is made publick by print should be so easily imposed upon as his credulous Auditors were that day for may not by this manner of Reasoning without the least shadow of proof the best of Societies as well as particular men be grosly abused A Method the Papists-use against the Protestants C. M. They

were once in a ready way to have broken up all the Good Order whether Civil or Sacred in the Infancy of this Plantation which occasioned the Authority whom they would have undermined then to turn a Sharp upon them by Laws not so severe as those in the Realm of England against their Fathers the Jesuites on the same Account yet those Troublesom Hereticks who had no Business here at all but the overthrowing of our whole Government would push themselves on the Swords point and tho' repeated Banishments with merciful Entreaties to be gone were first used unto them nevertheless two or three of them would rather Dye than leave the Plantation undisturbed Reply How or after what manner the Plantation in its infancy was in such danger our Author is silent in True it is that upwards of thirty Years past some of our Friends as faithful Servants in obedience to their Lord and Masters command the great God of heaven by the spirit of his Son in their hearts did visit N. England in true and tender Love to the Inhabitants thereof for whose Immortal Wellfare they earnestly travailed and were bowed down before the Lord being amongst them in much brokenness of Heart and contrition of Spirit they were grieved and weighted in their Souls with the Hypocrisie in New-England against which they witnessed sealing it with their Blood their hearts being filled with that Message the holy Apostle Paul in his day was imployed in Acts 26.17 18. To open their Eyes and to turn them from Darkness to Light and from the Power of Satan unto God directing them to the manifestation of the Spirit of God in them A Teacher not to be removed into a corner nor that would any ways deceive them or suffer them to be at ease in sin This High way of the Lord cast up in his Son Christ Jesus the Light of the World the Sound thereof offended the Ears of New-England's Teachers who not unlike Demetrius the Silver-smith Acts 19.24 proved notable Incendiaries against the Lords Servants left their craft should be in danger so far did they kindle the Rage and Fury of their bigotted Rulers that by cruel Usage and inhumane Laws they far exceeded any thing in the Realm of England against the Jesuites And whilst I am writing there livingly springs up in my heart to you the Inhabitants of Boston New-England a weighty Exhortation and that in tender Love That you would mind the Grace of God that bringeth Salvation and as the holy Scripture testifies hath appeared unto all men 2 Tit. 11. that in the same you may see your blind Guides for if the Blind lead the Blind both shall fall into the Ditch Beware that it be not your Condemnation that Light is come into the World and that you love Darkness rather than Light because your Deeds are Evil I have neither Envy nor Malice against the Priests or People of New-England but earnestly desire the Eternal Well-fare of both yet I cannot but lament the present state of New-England as well as its former whose Priests to the life are drawn out in the 3d of Micah v. 5. Thus saith the Lord concerning the Prophets that make my People Err that bite with their Teeth and cry Peace and he that putteth not into their Mouthes they even prepare War against him vers 11. The Heads thereof judge for Reward and the Priests thereof Teach for Hire and the Prophets thereof divine for Money yet will they lean upon the Lord and say Is not the Lord among us none Evil can come upon us O New-England New-England is not this your present state Are not your Priests crying Peace unto you as if no Evil could come upon you in the midst of these Cloudes of Dangers that are hanging over your heads some of them you have for more than a Twelve Moneth felt to wit A Bloody Cruel War with the Heathen the loss of so many Lives hath humbled me before the Lord and at this time the earnest Cry and Supplication of my Soul unto God is That you may by your speedy sincere Repentance unto him prevent his Judgments for the future That the Jesuits may be properly termed the Fathers of New-England Priests none can doubt if they differ not from their Brother John Cotton of Hampton who in a publick Dispute with G. K. owned To have received his Ministry by the Pope of Rome whose Emisaries they are Beside as they can never prove the Quakers guilty of any one Jesuitical Error yet we can prove these Priests of Boston guilty of many and more especially in their being Incendiaries against the Peace of the Government The further calumniating those who suffered Death to answer your Crucity is but a mean way to expiate the Crime of their innocent Blood which crys aloud for Vengeance and the Lord unto whom it belongs will repay it Thou Cotton Mather nor all thy Fraternity will never be able to prove these 4 Worthies troublesom Hereticks that patiently endured Martyrdom for the Testimony of Jesus by their crul Hands neither will thy poor Insinuation help That two or three of them would rather dye than leave the Plantation undisturbed They had no reason to hearken unto your Hypocritical entreaties to be gone it was their Birth-right as free-born Subjects of the Kingdom of England and so might claim it to inhabit N. England as well as any that there resided as not being forbid to them by either the Law of God or the Realm of England so that being innocent they feared not man that could only hurt the Body but feared him that could cast both Body and Soul into Hell Fire C. M. It is possible a Bedlam had been fitter for those Frantick People than what was inflicted on them and for my own part I must profess with regard unto such Hereticks Ad Judicium sanguinis Tardus sum nor have I the least inclinations to Hereticide as a fit way to suppress their Errors Reply Here our Author doth not a little impeach the Authority of N. England at that time who were accessary to the Death of those ● Worthies by him call'd Frantick People for if according to him a Bedlam had been fitter surely they greatly sinned in passing and executing Sentence of Death upon them the present Governour Simon Broadstead then a Magistrate is greatly concerned in this Charge which amounts to no less than the taking away four Lives by an unjust Judgment for how can that Sentence of Hanging be just against such for whom a Bedlam had been fitter Such as this Author renders our Friends to have been are by the Laws of England exempted from the punishment of Death as also it s reckoned amongst the Abuses of the common Law That such who kill People by false Judgment be not destroyed as other Murderers as may be seen in that noted Book called The Mirror of Justice C. 5. Sect. 108. in express words thus It is abuse that Justices and other Officers who kill People by false Judgment be not destroyed as other Murderers which K. Alfred cause to be done who caused forty four Judges in one Year to be hanged as Murderers for their false Judgments which in the said Book are particularly noted and in the 4th Case he instances how King Alfred hanged Cole because he judged Ive to death when he was a Mad-man Cotton Mather forgot his respect to the venerable Mordocai of his Country as he at other times terms him when he thus exposed him M. C.