it is not his If you can and will but tell me that you believe it not to be his that I may have but so much to say I will thank you and make it publickly known Either the Cause and Arguments are true or false If true defend them If false are they not dangerous in so great a Cause and at such a time when they tend to drive hundred thousands from all Church Worship and Communion and to persuade Men into scandalous suffering for ill doing I think it laudable in you to honour the Doctor and if you be the Man I conjecture you are I think it 's specially incumbent on you As to your hints of suspicion of my sense of old differences if I know my heart I forgave and fully put up all Personal Quarrel long ago But the National Concerns made so deep a wound in my heart as never will be fully healed in this world But this leads me to the second part of your reproof II. I do but tell you my reasons for naming the Doctor but I undertake not to justify either that or the manner of my writing from mistake imprudence or other such faultiness I suppose you to be a Man whom I take from my heart to be far wiser and better than my self And therefore as I thank you for your gentle friendly reprehension so I profess that my very esteem and reverence of your judgment maketh me suspect that I have done amiss when I see it not in the Cause itself That I could have defended the Cause of Love and Communion against those Arguments without taking notice of the Author and without wronging the Non-conformists who will be charged by his name I did and do wish but I thought it could not well be done If in this I mistook I ask pardon of God and Man for so I must do for my sins known and unknown And as to the manner of my writing again I say I am convinced that all that I do is faulty and cannot but have some favour of the ignorance and imprudence and forgetfulness and other faults of the Author I read over your Animadversions and 1. I see at present some words of my own that I much more blame my self for writing than you for blaming 2. What I yet see not to be faulty your Authority shall make me yet suspect and further consider 3. I see very many passages where I am confident the mistake is yours sometimes mistaking the matter and sometime my words What good will it do the Reader or you or me to give the world an account of all these and to drown the Cause in abundance of self-defending words Indeed I have neither time nor mind to write a Book now for my self-defence The greatest Affliction I have by this Controversy as Personal is this diverting of my thoughts so near my last hours from things more agreeable to my Case And far be it from me to be confident in justifying my faulty writings when I am going to the Judge that will take that for an aggravation of my sin But I durst never forsake publick Communion nor my own work because I cannot have one and do the other without fault I am suspicious there may be more faults in me and my writings than either I discern or you or any such have told me of And if I could prove that your mistakes are the ground of your Accusation I see by your noting my numbring the mistakes in matter of Fact in the private Letter to me how you would take it Therefore instead of writing for my self I will give the Reader this concession and advice Readers I think it is little of thy concern to know whether I be wise or unwise good or bad or whether I did well or ill in naming Dr. O. or whether the manner of my writing be much or little to be blamed On condition you will agree with me in the cause of Love and Concord that I defend Lonly then intreat you that what imprudence unskil fulness rashness or other faults you find in me or my writings you will the more carefully your selves avoid them and do better And if you judge me to do ill when I do my duty and think very hardly of me for being against your way I unfeignedly forgive you and if you forgive not me I can bear that I was aware that I should be ill spoken of by many whom I love And I am not Ambitious to be ill spoken of If Folly make me exercise self-denyal it is for somewhat that I thought had been better then all the Love and Praises which I deny I flatter no Party and I look to gain by none I have gathered no Church to depend on for kindness nor is the fear of displeasing them a by as to my judgment And if it be otherwise with any I think were they like to have need of men in this world as short a time as I they would make as little of mens good or ill thoughts and words as I do except for the sake of other men Therefore Reader think of all the rest what you see cause so you will but agree in the Cause that I am defending That is I. That GOD IS LOVE and he that dwelleth in LOVE dwelleth in GOD and GOD in him 1 Joh. 4. II. It is the Prayer of Christ that all who shall believe may be one that the world may thereby be brought to believe that the Father sent him Jo. 17. 21 22 23. And that they must love one another even as he hath loved them by which it is that all must know that they are his Disciples Jo. 13. 34 35. III. This Love must extend to all that are of one Body one Spirit one Hope one Lord one Faith one Baptism one God and Father of all And this Unity of the Spirit must be kept in the bond of Peace Eph. 4. 3. And if it be possible as much as in us lyeth we must live peaceably with all men Rom. 12. 18. IV. Christians must love one another with a pure heart fervently 1 Pet. 1. 22. with a Love which suffereth long and is kind envieth not is not easily provoked thinketh no evil beareth all things believeth hopeth endureth all things Rom. 13. V. Yet must they not be so tender of each others Honour as of Gods nor justify the sin of any nor make mens names a snare to draw the weak to sin nor think that Love and Peace can be justly vindicated without gain-saying the Errours which oppose them nor that Christ broke the Law of Love by his sharp rebuke of Peter that tempted him to forbear the work of Love nor by rebuking the hurtful zeal of James and John nor by being angry with those that forbad little Children to come to him nor Paul by withstanding Peter in his Separation VI. Christian Love must extend to those that differ from us though faultily in Cases of tolerable infirmity so as not to judge or
will upon Good as Good before it come to Election of Compared Goods which is usually de Mediis Displicence is its contrary and its object is Evil as Evil. One is called Volition or Willing the other Nolition or Nilling As Pleasedness and Displeasedness are in the Passions and signify Ioy and Trouble we have nothing here to do with them having expresly excluded sorrow but as they are in the Will I thought till now that all sober Divines had been agreed Protestants and Papists that not only in Saints and Angels and Christ as Man but in God himself who is most remote from imperfection there is Complacence and Displicence Willing and Nilling which though in Creatures that have Accidents they really differ as Acts yet in God who is most simple they are say the subtiler part of the School Doctors but the Essence of God by extrinsick denomination from relation of the effects differenced from the Essence simply considered and from each other or as the Scotists formaliter or as the Thomists ratione ratiocinata but none deny these to be in God I suppose that Volition or Complacence you deny not As to Displicence or Nolition answering the Judgments dislike I prove that it is in Heaven in God and Creatures 2. If the will of God Angels and Spirits have any Act about Evil it is Displicence But some Act about Evil they have Ergo c. For the Major if they have any Act it is Displicence or Complacence for the will hath no other primary Acts before Election even frui intendere presupposing this Complacence But God and good Spirits have no Complacency in sin or evil as such Ergo they have a Displicence Aut placet aut displicet being the first in nature That God or Spirits at least have some Act of will about evil as such is commonly agreed Else all the sin and evil in the world would come to pass without any Act of God or good Spirits in Heaven about it Sure they that for Predetermination have written so many Volumes and one against me are not of that mind They say this is to feign God and all in Heaven asleep or having nothing to do with Earth I have my self proved indeed with others that God hath no Volition or Complacency of Evil as such but a Displicence I have proved 2. If God have no Displicence as to sin then there is no effectual impediment to it but all the world would be drowned in wickedness For the Creature would presently run into evil But sin is restrained If any in excess of subtilty say that Nolitions are not in God but Volitions of the Good are instead of Nolitions of Evil this is bold and at least the language unfit and reductively these Volitions are Nolitions of their Contraries And however none of this can be feigned of Souls 3. If God be not disp'eased with sin then his prohibitions are no signs of his displeasure any more than his Commands But c. 4. Then his Judgments and Execution in Hell are no effects of his displeasure 5. Then Christ came not to reconcile us to a displeased God nor is he any more displeased with Persecutors then Saints nor with Cursing than with Blessing nor with any man for doing it 6. If the subtilty which I have taken notice of in my Catholick Theology asserting Volitions without Nolitions in God were defensible it would as I said be of no truth as to Creatures if Souls in Heaven have no displicence against sin how is their will holy in the Image of God that hateth Iniquity Devils love sin Stones and Brutes neither love nor hate it Saints in Heaven hate it and love it not meerly not-loving it is not their full holiness 7. If Saints there are not displeased with sin how can they glorify Christ for dying for it or God for punishing it 8. Or how can they be everlastingly thankful to Christ for saving them from it 9. What a change must they impute to Christ that came so low and suffered as in a sort forsaken to destroy the works of the Devil and now hath not so much as the least displeasedness with sin 10. Then Christ and Saints there are no more displeased at Persecution Prophaneness Murder Adultery then at Piety and Love 11. Then it no more displeaseth Souls there that they here sinned then that they did well Pauls mind is much changed then about his Persecution The best is though you and yours are offended with me it is not displeasing to Dr. O. if he know it But if your reason be because that all displeasedness hath some suffering of the mind or trouble 1. As to my meaning you know I excluded sorrow 2. And it is not true that you suppose Pure Displicency of the will in God and the blessed hath no trouble It is not exercised in a body that hath a Heart or Head troubled by commotion of the Blood and Spirits nor yet in an imperfect Soul that hath hurting passions It is the pure perfection of the will and nothing but its Aversation from sin and contrary to Love Love and Hatred are names that may well here be used but Complacence and Displicence being the same sound as less to signify Passion And if there be Passion in Heaven which you cannot disprove it might be without diminution of felicity II. But I am not hopeless that you will deny none of all this as to the matter but turn all into a quarrel at words and say that the name of Displeasure is not fit for any Act of God or Saints or Angels in Heaven If that be the worst which is bad enough let us next try that wordy Controversy I. By Scripture II. By School Divines III. By common practical Divines I. Scripture use of words in Sacred Things is our best Dictionary He that is our great Teacher knoweth how to speak If you dislike his words methinks you should not accuse Men of Errour and that against the common sense of all that you meet with for imitating God and speaking as he doth And that at the same time when you are defending one that would have no Mode or Accidentals in Worship used which God prescribeth not If by my words I must be Justified or Condemned I hope God will not condemn me for speaking as he taught me no more then for doing as he bid me though all your party should do it And I can bear their Condemnation The Hebrew phrase which we translate by Displeasing God or Man is oft It was Evil in his Eyes which speaketh a positive Act of the Understanding de malo And that there was no answerable Act of the Will let him say that dare Prov. 24. 17 18. Rejoyce not when thy Enemy falleth and let not thâ— heart be glad when he stumbleth lest the Lord see it and it displease him No say you fear not that any in Heaven should be displeased Gen. 38. 10. The thing that he did displeased the
their Hearts I know many at this time to whom God marvellously performeth that promise Blessed are the Meek for they shall inherit the Earth No winds root up the grass which overthrow the Oaks Humility and Love would Conquer all the world These overcame Philosophy and Empire at first Power may overcome Bodies and Argument stop Mens Mouths and yet more enrage them unto Enmity But Love Conquereth Hearts Love the Conformists if you would do them good or preserve your self from evil Not that all men must be loved alike nor sin loved for the Persons sake but every one according to the measure of his amiableness Young Christians are usually like young fruit harsher and sourer than the mellow fruits of holy ripeness and experienced age Who would think that did read the Epistles of Iohn whom Jesus loved breathing out Love Love Love that this very man had three times offended Christ by sinning against Love First by ambitious desiring to be above his fellows Secondly by offering to call for fire from Heaven against the refusers of Christ Thirdly by forbidding one to cast out Devils and do good in Christs name because he followed not with them like those that now would have some faulty men forbidden to Preach Love groweth as Grace groweth If my confuting the Principles and Practices that are fitted to destroy Love by Censures Contempt and unjust alienation be interpreted as contrary to Love let but the Censurers love so much the more so it be Christians as such and not a dividing Party only and I have my end SECT 5. A Comparison of the use of a faulty Translation of the Scripture and a faulty Lyturgy IN Queen Elizabeths days the Bishops Translation of the Bible and that called the Old one being faulty were only in use King James procured a better but the Lyturgy still retained the Old one Suppose a Law were made that only the Old faulty Translation be used many refuse it and suffer for it the Parliament cometh and establisheth the New Translation and swear all men to promote it as a part of Reformation we are in possession of it for sixteen years then a Law is made that all shall go to Prison that use any but the Old two thousand break this Law and use the New and suffer part of the penalty and shift from the rest as long as they can At last the State is resolved to suffer them no longer but in Prison they shall lie Hereupon many suffer Imprisonment many die there Some few in London keep up secret Worship with the New Translation and others go to the Churches where the Old is used In the Countries there is not past one Minister in twelve or twenty Miles that keeps up a Meeting in the use of the New one The few that yet do say that to use the Old one or joyn with such as do is Covenant-breaking and false Worship and unlawful and a going back from Reformation Some that live in Countries where none in twenty Miles openly use the New one come to R. B. for counsel he desireth them to bring one of the contrary Judgment and judge when they hear both He tells them that 1. They should keep up the New Translation as far as they can in Gods Publick Worship while the hurt will not be greater than the benefit 2. That when they have no Publick Church or Worship to joyn with but what useth the Old one they should rather joyn with such than none As also when they cannot have the New one without more hurt than benefit 3. And that while they can have the New one they should not renounce Communion with the Churches that use the Old one as separating from it as unlawful but only disown the faults of the Old one while they disown not the Communion of the Churches in the use of it The other sayâ— 1. That it is a cursed thing to offer God a worse while we have better 2. That we are sworn against it 3. That it is false Worship and obeying man before God 4. That we do but keep our possession which they would put us out of and it's they that separate from us and not we from them 5. That we keep to Gods Word which is the only Rule And therefore Communion with the Old Translation is unlawful and we should rather suffer death R. B. answereth I. 1. That it is a cursed thing to give God no Publick Worship because we cannot have the New Translation and to live like Atheists if we cannot have what we would None is worse than the Old Family VVorship without Church VVorship is worse than an Old Translation 2. And that it is not we that offer God the worse before the better it is they that exclude the better which we protest against having not our choice II. That he that sware to give over all Church VVorship unless he have the New Translation swore wickedly liâ—e an Atheist and he that swore to communicate with no Church that used the Old Translation swore wickedly like a Schismatick and he that swore that Gods Providence should never return him to a necessity of using the Old swore blasphemously as if he could have governed the World against God III. That all Worship is so far false as it is faulty That to forsake all Publick Worship when we cannot have the better Translation is to be righteous unrighteously over much and too little and to disobey both God and man IV. Keep your Possession as long as you can without more hurt than good I am not one that ever strove to take it from you But do your Brethren in Prison enjoy Publick Worship You 'l say they do better It 's easier bearing their Imprisonment Poverty and Death than your own But what shall ten parts of the Kingdom do that must have the Old Translation or none You 'l say I suppose They may give over all Church Worship as impossible and take up with Family Worship But stay 1. Must you not first prove the Old so bad as that no-Church Worship is better Have you proved this 2. Will not your Reason prove that we must also separate from you Have not weak Ministers as bad faults as a weak Translation 3. What 's become then of your saying We had Possession Have they Possession of better that have none at all Or will you be without all because you had once Possession of better And will it excuse your ungodliness that you can lay the blame on them that dipossest you Or if they be Schismaticks for so using you doth it follow that you are none if you persuade all to separate from all Gods Church Worship rather than joyn where the Old Translation is used V. Gods Word is the Rule but only a general Rule for words modes and circumstances To love God and our Neighbour and the Unity of the Church are his greatest Commands Go learn what these mean To violate these and forsake all Church Worship if you
despise them but to receive them to our Communion as Christ receiveth us Rom. 14 15. Approving all so far that serve God in that which his Kingdom doth consist in Rom. 14. 17 18. VI. All Christians must earnestly oppose Divisions and Sects and sidings with Strife and Envy as a sign of Carnal Men and must labour to be perfectly joined together in the same mind and judgment and to glorify God with one mind and mouth 1 Cor. 1. 10. 3. 3 c. And must not forsake the assembling of themselves Heb. 10. 25. VII It is by Love that the whole Body of Christ must edify itself and win and overcome their Adversaries even those that curse and hate and persecute them as God doth good to the just and unjust Love being the most powerful Conquerour of Hearts Eph. 4. 15 16. Matth. 5. 44 c. VIII No excellency of one Party above others nor no faultiness of any Christians must be pretended against any duty of Love and Communion But we must not sin for Communion with any IX Though we must not by profession word or subscription own the sin of any Church we must join in their Communion in the Worship of God with those whose Worship is mixt with sin in matter and manner so it be not sin that is by its evil predominant against the good of the duty to make the work rejected of God like Poyson in our food which makes the hurt greater than the good because else we must neither Worship God our selves nor join with any in the world All the works of sinful men being mixt with sin To deny this is virtually to separate from all the Christian world X. Therefore our bare presence is no signification that we approve all that is done in that Assembly The very nature of Christian Communion is a profession of the contrary we being bound by God to communicate in good and not to own the evil And if men command us to own all that they there do their command cannot bind us against Gods nor make our presence a profession that we obey them against God It being God that is the Master of us and our work And Christianity itself being a profession that we obey God before Man Else Man by commanding us to own some ill word or circumstance might drive us from all Christian Communion If Men should command us in our private Meetings to do it for an ill end or an ill Principle as in Obedience to Usurpers we must not therefore forbear all private Meetings nor will our bare meeting signify our Obedience to such Commands If the Pastor of a single Church or many Associate tell the people your meeting must be to own e. g. Anabaptistry Antinomianism Presbytery Erastianism Separation c. this binds them not either to own it or to withdraw without some greater reason He is no Master of their Faith XI Nor will the bare knowing beforehand that the Pastor will say or do somewhat unlawful make our presence guilty of approving it We know before-hand that we and all Men are sinners and shall sin in what we do And we may suppose Men will speak as they think And as we know not but any Man may speak amiss till we hear what he saith so when we know that the Pastors have tolerable Errours and will vent them it will not make us guilty of their sin nor bind us to depart We meet to own Christianity and not all that the Man will say or do known or unknown I know before that I shall have many faults in my own Prayer disorder dulness c. which I do not own though herein I am guilty XII Yet no Man should prefer worse before better if all things set together it be better indeed to the Person at that time XIII God hath by his Son Iesus and his Apostles instituted all that in Doctrine Discipline Worship and Conversation which is obligatory or necessary Universally to all the Church over and above what is required by the Law of Nature And no Man or Men have power to add any thing of universal obligation XIV God hath by Nature and Scripture obliged Men themselves to choose and determine divers subordinate expressions significations modes circumstances or accidents of this universal Religion which are not themselves meet for an universal and unchangeable obligation but local temporary and mutable Some of which every Man may choose for himself some the present Pastor must choose some the associated Pastors may choose and some the Magistrate may choose These must be added to the universal Duties so far is such addition from being sin I have often named many particulars As the Translation of the Scripture which to choose The version of the Psalms in rithme or metre the common use of new made Hymns the dividing the Scripture into Chapter and Verse the words of Sermons their method the particular Text to be chosen what Chapters to read at what hour to begin how long to Preach in what words to pray whether the same oft or changed whether fore-studied or not whether written or unwritten whether studied and written by our selves or by others where the place shall be where the Pulpit Font Table c. shall stand what Ornaments they shall have Linnen Silk silver Vessels or otherwise Whether we be bare-headed or covered at Prayer Sacrament c. Whether we shall kneel stand sit or be prostrate at Prayer c. what distinctive Garments Pastors shall use By what signs of consent and obligation Men vow and swear whether by putting the hand under the Thigh lifting it up subscribing laying it on the Book kissing the Book c. what Catechisms to use with many more such God hath commanded men to choose such things as these by the Rules of Edification Love Peace Concord Order Decency winning those without c. XV. These may be called Worship in a sense subservient to Gods Ordinances of Worship as we Worship Men by putting off the Hat kneeling bowing c But if any will not call it Worship they must not call it false Worship nor pretend that the Controversy is any more than about the bare name XVI They that feign such things as these to be sinful additions and an invading of Christs Office and denying his faithfulness c. condemn the Scripture that commandeth such determinations and contradict the Law of Nature and the practice of all Churches on Earth and would exterminate all Gods Worship which cannot be performed without some such determinations XVII As God hath not tied us to words in Prayer or Preaching though he have recorded many forms in Scripture but left all to choose what words time and circumstances make fit by Book or without so the conveniences and inconveniences both of set forms and of free speaking are on each part so great and undenyable that we have no cause to censure that Church which useth both that is which agreeth on a set form to
shew what the Church professeth to own if the Minister should blutter out any Errour or Undecency and yet not restrain Ministers from the due use of free speech XVIII It is a great sin out of a fond Conceit of the excellency of either way above it 's due value to think speak with unjust vilifying of the other way when God hath tied us to neither alone It is contrary to knowledge love peace and concord out of a self-conceitedness peevishness or false prejudice received from others to think and speak worse of other mens words in Prayer than they deserve and to frighten the ignorant from lawful Communion by calling that sin or false Worship that is not so XIX Not medling with Ministers Subscribing Declaring Swearing nor with the Discipline By-offices Baptizing as by our sort of Godfathers Covenanting without the Parents Crossing and undue application of words at Burial and such like I know nothing in the common Lords-day Worship spoken in the name of the Church which a godly Christian may not joyn in with the exercise of the Spirit of Prayer with faith and comfort if prejudice and false apprehensions of it affright him not or put not his Soul out of relish with it As on the other side prejudice distasteth many too much with the faulty methods and words of many mens extemporate Prayers XX. There are so few Churches on Earth that Worship God without all set Lyturgies or Forms as are next to none And there are very few in all the World so good as the English Lyturgy and that have so few faults Which Martyrs composed and joyfully used And it is unchristian to renounce Communion with any one Church for a reason that is common to all or almost all It being contrary to the Communion of Saints in one body and far worse than to slander any single man XXI It is great self-condemnation in them that cannot bear to be censured nor scarce be contradicted yet thus to censure almost all the Church XXII They that think that Conforming Ministers are guilty of great Sin must consider what diversity of Education Company and Interest may do even on men of Conscience and that we have all our sins And it 's sinful uncharitableness to think and speak worse of them than they deserve and to talk against all for the faults of some XXIII So great is Gods mercy to this Land in yet giving many Godly able Ministers to the publick Churches that it is sinful ingratitude to overlook or deny it though many others be never so bad XXIV The Religion that keepeth possession of the Parish Churches will be the National Religion Mourn therefore before God that ever any men professing Godliness should either labour to get all sound Protestants to desert the Parish Churches or that any such have been against the restoring of Nonconformists by that called a Comprehension which was but the withdrawing of such Impositions as these very men thought sinful and all this lest it should diminish the number and strength of the private Churches By this we see what we are doing against our selves if God save us not XXV They that say Conformists Convert no Souls take on them to know that of thousands which they know not and forget that before 1640. there were few but Conformists to Convert them in the land and that all the Westminster Assembly save eight were such And that the Parliament kept near 7000 in the Ministry that all Conformed on Aug. 24. 1662. XXVI In most Counties of England many hundred Persons to one must have Church Communion in the Parish Churches or have none at all And to renounce all Church Worship and Communion rather than joyn in the Parish Churches and with the Lyturgy and to persuade all to do so is almost to draw the Land to live like Atheists And is so pernicious to Souls that no good Christian should favour it And it is a-gross breach of the Covenant which renounceth Prophaneness Schism and all that is contrary to godliness XXVII So much are Papists angry at Protestant Ministers that keep them out of the Parish Churches reviling them as Trimmers supposing that Conventicles can do them less harm that all that love the Protestant Religion should do their best to encourage all such Orthodox Men and to strengthen the Protestant interest in the Parish Churches and not joyn against them with the Papists however it be with other intents and minds XXVIII So great is the peace and comfort of many Parishes where the publick Ministers and all the Religious People live together in Love and Amity that it loudly tells us how much better that is than to study to render each other odious or vile and excommunicable XXIX Such use of godly publick Ministers may well stand with the best improvement we can make of the private help of others XXX If we would win any that we think worst of yea or ease our selves it must be by love to them and not by condemning them on controvertible accounts or by causeless singularities XXXI It is lawful to have transient Communion with an occasional Assembly of Christians that are no fixed Church nor the Minister the fixed Pastor of any particular Church XXXII It is lawful to have transient Communion with a Church of Strangers or Neighbours without taking an account of the calling of their Pastors or of their Discipline XXXIII When we have right to Gods Ordinances if many intrude that have no right when we cannot hinder it we must not therefore forsake our right or Gods Worship XXXIV Though we must prefer better before worse that worse may be best to us at that time and place when we cannot have better without more hurt than benefit to the publick or our selves Among many Ministers weak and strong all cannot hear the best nor must renounce the weaker To live under the countenance of Government under an honest Minister of mean Parts in Peace and Concord though he use the Lyturgy is more to the common advantage of Religion and to the profit of most particular Souls than to hear an abler Man with the distraction of Disturbers and to be Fined and lie in Prison on no better a Cause XXXV It is not only the Law of Man that maketh the foresaid Parish Communion a Duty but it is Gods Law of Love Concord Peace and Universal Communion if there were no constraining Law of Man XXXVI They that constantly refuse Communion in the publick Churches while it is commanded and while many write to prove it sinful and many are in Prison and ruined for refusing it are justly to be interpreted to hold it to be unlawful unless they openly profess the contrary and give some better reason for their forbearance XXXVII To hold that any Congregations are such whose Worship is faulty but such as God forgiveth and accepteth but that it is unlawful for us to joyn with them lest it make us guilty of their sin this though it should be
of the Case Men in flesh have sin and danger and Bodies lyable to sensible commotion of Spirits and so to grief Those in Heaven are not such They have no cause of grief and yet have renewed faculties of mind and will which disgust sin and hate it and are turned from it to a contrary love and life Even here if a man by his own sin and folly had shut up himself twenty years in a Dungeon or put out his Eyes and never seen the light suppose this man suddenly delivered into the light and he would not stay to mourn for his former state but the sudden joy would exclude sorrow And yet his change would be a true Repentance for what he did But as you have wronged all Protestants by fathering your Errour on them you have made it my duty to vindicate them with my self But I am grown such a Prodigal of my Reputation with Men of such a judging disposition that I will cast away a little more of it on your Censure The Scripture speaketh so much more of our Glory after the Resurrection then before and purposely keepeth us so low in our knowledge of the particular state of Souls before and Calvin whom I suppose you take not for an Heretick for all his Treatise against the sleep of Souls did think the difference was so great between the state of the separated Souls and that at the Resurrection that I must profess my ignorance to be so great that I am uncertain whether this first state do set all the blessed so high as that no thought is consistent with it that hath the least degree of suffering For 1. I know that all Creatures are Passive 2. If felicity be imperfect till the Resurrection it must be privatively or positively or both If privatively how can I prove that nothing positive may concur when privation is as bad 3. I think that Protestants mostly agree that Christs own Soul while his Body was in the Grave was in Paradise in Joy and yet in a state that was partly Penal as it was a separation from the Body by death And that all Souls in Heaven are happy and yet in a state partly Penal in Heaven itself as they are separated from the body and short of the Resurrection For not only the minute of dying but the state of death is Penal to a Soul that desireth a return to the body And yet Heaven may be to it unconceivable felicity I only hence conclude that we must not take on us to know more than we do of separate Souls nor to make a measure or manner of blessedness for them of our own heads nor to apply every Text to them that is spoken of the state after the Resurrection There is enough besides to feast our joyful hopes IV. Some few other practical Doctrines we differ about as where pag. 30. you say I doubt not to affirm that doing that which a Law requires so far as the intention is moved by the Law is a justifying of it And submitting to any Law on the consideration of its Penalties is so far a justifying its preceptive part as not so great an evil as the Penal Ans. I first premise that this is little or nothing to the Cause I pleaded for For whereas you say None that I know of say it is a duty simply or without any dependence or human Sanction I have largely told you that taking publick Communion to be but do facto what it is and the Lyturgy as commonly used I take it to be a duty to hold such Communion where no better at least is though there were no human Sanction but voluntary Concord and this by vertue of Gods great Commands of glorifying him with one mind and mouth in Unity Love and Peace not an immutable duty but a duty rebus sic stantibus It is in obedience to Gods Commands more than Mens that I have gone to the Parish Churches and would have gone as much if the Law had not commanded it but only had deprived me of better But as to your undoubted affirmation I am as much past doubt that it is not true as you unlimitedly express it The intention may be moved by a Law for the effects or consequents sake and not justify the Law but only justify the Act of the Subject Yea it may be moved by the formal Authority of the Law-giver exprest by his Law and yet not justify the Law Ioseph and Mary were Taxed with others by Augustus Law They were moved by that Law and its effects to pay the Tax And yet justifyed not the Law nor decided the Case whether it were by Right or Usurpation All Conquered People by unjust War may obey a Taxing Law The Israelites might obey the Philistines that forbad them Smiths and Swords c. They may labour and Travel and pay Taxes moved by unjust Laws and yet not justify the Law but only their own Acts. When Christ sent Peter to take a Fish with Money in his Mouth and pay Tribute the Law moved his intention because of the offence that would follow the breaking of it And yet his answer intimateth that he justified not the Law If he carried his Cross at their Command that justified not their Command If he bid us give our Coat to him that sueth us for our Cloak if the Law be against us it proveth not he bids us justify the Law If a Confessor go to Prison or Banishment or to the Gallows or fire without resistance to do this as moved by the Law is no justifying of the Law If the Protestants in France should pay each man a yearly Tribute for liberty of Conscience or the Christians under the Turk pay Posâ—-mony moved by the Law this justifieth not the Law I am persuaded your Church would gladly pay somewhat for liberty of Worship and yet not justify the Law that required it If the Law required us to meet for Gods Worship at an inconvenient place or time or to use a version of Psalms in Meeter or a Translation of Scripture that is not the best he that useth these in obedience to this because Concord in these according to Law is better then a better Version Translation Hour Place with Discord and because Obedience may do more good then better circumstances would without it yet doth not hereby justify the Law If the Law bid you appear before Justices or Judges that are bad men and unjust you may obey the Law and not justify it Dear Brother I will not aggravate your Errour by its ill Consequences But you and I tell the world what need all men have of pardon in our mistakes even when we are most confident 2. And as to your second affirmation it is not true without limitation That submitting to a Law on consideration of the Penalties is so far a justifying its preceptive part as not so great an evil as the Penal This is confused work The prâ—ceptive part of the Law is actus
name Dr. O. in my Cure of Church Divisions or his Books I told you great reasons against it what now you call a brave advantage would have been otherwise called by yours I was not inclined to note a little evil among much good If you cannot see the Doctors Arguments there answered by me I cannot help that Must. I transcribe them to convince you Pag. 177. Dâ—r 32. Obj. Where hath God given any men power to prescribe impost Forms for others or commandea others to obey them Read the answer pag. 178 179 180. At least not on Ministers p. 181. Christ hath given gifts to all his Ministers and commanded them to use them They use them not when they use imposed Forms So pag. 190. p. 196. of approving of sin and signifying Consent by joyning More fully p. 201. And in my Christ. Direct If you never found these Arguments there answered in Dr. O. Book I cannot help that others have Pag. 11. I thought you had known how usual it is to speak to the second person in answering Books many hundred years old If not you have free leave to take it for my folly I 'le not contend with Quakers whether we should say You or Thou nor with you whether it be better to say Him or You. You say It displeaseth him not Pag. 15. If numbring mens Errours used to do hurt be worse than committing or defending them I mistook Pag. 16. I consent that you do so by me so you speak nothing but truth 2. Repentance is a hard work and the impenitent impatient therefore we all suffer what we do Pag. 17. My Pleas for Peace have been all ill taken by the other side And which of you therefore were so offended at them 2. I am sorry that you seign the healing Parliament to have disowned our Repentance I preacht to the Parliament but once and it was for Repentance I have oft publickly accused my self and I hope I break not the Act of Oblivion by it They forbad reproaching and troubling one another but not remembring our sin nor seeling when we suffer nor asking what caused it to stop the like again if not for a cuâ—e But dear Brother do you not know that it was your divulged Writing that rubb'd upon the sort and broke the Act of Oblivion if this be breaking it Did it not tell what work the imposing the Lyturgy had made against Reformation for Ignorance Rtviling and Reproaching the Spirit sit up ungifted Ministers made great disolations in the Church silencing painful Ministers ruining Families destroying Souls c. Do you think this broke the Act of Oblivion or is condemned by the healing Parliament or doth nothing break it but on one side Look on both sides and tell me how such Arguments misused should be answered but by shewing that there was danger and ill effects also on the contrary extream Did the Parliament forbid one side only this Commemoration I pray you if but one side may be called to Repent let it be us that we may be forgiven Pag. 18. If you know not that the Principles of Separation were the great cause in Armies and elsewhere of the subversions and confusions which brought us to what we have felt I do And you would not at once live under the fruit of it as we now do and I yet make so light of it as to take it for a noli me tangere if it had cost you as many painful days and nights as many ungrateful disputes as many groans and tears and as much blood as it hath done me And how little is my part to that which England cotland and Ireland hath suffered even by that cause conjunct with Pride and Ambition these sourty years If I may not have leave to say as Bradford Repent O England you should give me leave to Repent my self that ever I preacht one Sermon with any byass of overmuch desire to please Persons of the accusing separating humour Pag. 19. I said of our late overturnings in England that all this is publickly known Many late Volumes on both sides record it were it but Whitlocks Memorials it were enough The Nations ring of it and I have ost lamented it heretofore and you mistaking all this seign me to say that the passages debated in Dr. Owens Papers and his words were all known before and so bestow many reproofs upon a fiction of your own Pag. 20. You would put such terms upon me in dispute a Veron devised to put on the Protestants I must oppose his Doctrine only as in the Syllables written Accidentals in Worship signify you think at least an Integral Part. Doth in turn Accidents into parts Are Accidents parts because Inherent Are not your Quality Quantities Immanent Acts Passions c. inherent Is not Kneeting putting off the Hat Methods Translations Meeter Tunes c. in the Worship of God And is it unlawful because in it If it be therefore a part of Worship you must conclude that either all these are unlawful or that it 's lawful for men to make parts of Gods Worship 2. Are all things duly belonging to it parts of it I believe you own none of this your self Pag. 21. The Doctors 7th Argument was that this practice condemneth the suffering Saints of the present age rendring them false Witnesses of God I answered Let us not stand to any dividing Principle or Cause lest the Saints be blamed that have fathered it in God I used the word Saints but as repeating his own phrase And this you make to have better become the Observator Is not this partiality May the Argument use a term which the answerer may not repeat And dear Brother is it not a sad case if among the many ill causes fathered on God any or all of them should say We must not repent â—or amend lest we be blamed as false Witnesses of God Pag. 22. Sir if telling me of any sin that ensnareth Souls be using me more scornfully then the most virulent adversaries spare me not but use me so wo to me if Repentance become odious and intolerable But I must stop lest I cross my purpose of not writing for my self but you The conclusion of all is dear Brethren the longer I study the Gospel and the longer I live in the world the more fully I am Convinced that Love is the great work of the Spirit and the Men that Love most are the best Men and those the worst that have least love And I would write in golden Letters as my Motto GOD IS LOVE and he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God and God in him And if Christians loved no more than others they would be no better than they And that Love desireth union and familiarity and that censoriousness contempt and flying from each other both signify and breed hatred Could we but so live as to make all our Enemies believe that we heartily love them it would conquer their enmity and tie their Hands and Tongues by reconciling