revile us and we have Christs example for it who said Father forgive them they know not what they do speaking of those that persecuted him which Saint Stephen imitating said Lord lay not this sin to their charge supplicating likewise for his enemies And so Saint Paul prayed for all those that forsook him when he appeared before Nero. Now when the Independents and Sectaries transgresse thus against precept upon précept and against the example of all the holy Prophets and Christ himselfe and his blessed Apostles and Martyrs and dayly by these their practices fight against God himselfe and are in every thing so unlike the old Puritans of England it is manifest that they have not outgrown them in this point of duty and that the way of Independency is not the way of righteousnesse but the way of error and open rebellion against God so that those glorious titles they assume unto themselves of being the onely holy and praying people and the Saints and but the old Puritans of England overgrown do not belong unto the Independents and Sectaries when they are so like the devill in all their practices For it is sufficiently known can be abundantly proved that many of the Independents Sectaries wil neither pray with the Presbyterians nor for them no nor for King and Parliament nor for the Assembly nor for the Scots yea if need be it can be proved that they have prayed and that publickly against them all yea their dayly Pamphlets witnesse what good affection they have towards them all whose chiefe imployment it is except it be now and then by the way of slattery when they coaks the Parliament a little to gain their favour that by their party in the house they may do the more mischiefe against the Presbyterians I say except it be at such a nick of time the whole imployment of all the Sectaries generally is abominably to abuse them and to raile and revile both the House of LORDS and COMMONS and the Assembly and the Scots and the City and for the King they cannot hear of his very name with patience I can say thus much of them and men also of good rank and reputation that I never have heard more reviling speeches in my life against any men then they have uttered in my hearing and in the audience of many and that at the Parliament door affirming openly that they were more tyrannicall then either Strafford or the Prelate and greater persecutors then those of the High Commission Court and this was the general language of all the Sectaries through the Kingdome within this twelve Moneths indeed since the recruiting of the House and since by that means they have strengthned their party and they have of late shewed lesse favour to the Presbytery and the City they have not been altogether publickly so boysterous in their expressions yet notwithstanding privately amongst themselves they can speak daggers both against many worthy Members in the House of Commons and against many of the Lords and against the City and against the Scots and especially against the Assembly all the which they traduce at pleasure with most of the proceedings of the House of Commons if at least they do not humor them to their desires and designes yea many of their printed Pamphlets can witnesse for me that I wrong them not and amongst others those that were writ by John Lilburne who is but the mouth of the rest who dares speak out what the other Sectaries dare but mutter and therefore he is adored and exceedingly animated and countenanced by them all and superlatively cryed up as the onely man of courage and animosity amongst all those of that fraternitie and he makes all the Lords but Prerogative and King creatures and the very House of Commons but the creature of the people who may call them to an account when they please and therefore for all their flatterie in their Petition it highly concerns the Great Councel and the whole kingdom timely to look into their proceedings their clandestine machinations lest that in recruting of the Parliament they doe so strengthen their faction that in fine they destroy not only the Parliament it selfe but the whole Kindome and make themselves soveraigne Lords indeed as they pretend they are over both the King and Parliament and all the people and so become really our Lords and Masters so that whereas formerly this nation was called the Popes and Prelates Asses we may now justly be called and termed the Independents Mules a monstrous brood indeed for it is sufficiently knowne and can be proved and that by good witnesse that it is their maxime that the Saints only ought to rule the world and to have the sword in their hand aud they prove this their Doctrine out of the 149. Psame where the Prophet saith v. 5 6 7. c. Let the Saints be jeyfull in glory let them sing abroad upon their beds let the high prayses of God be in their mouth and a two edged sword in their hand to execute vengeanee upon the Heathen and punishments upon the people to bind their Kings with chaines and their Nobles with fetters of Iron to execute upon them the judgement written this honour have all his Saints prayse yee the Lord. Upon this place of Holy Scripture they ground their opinion that the Saints only ought to rule the Earth now they account none Saints but themselves and all the Presbyterians enemies of Jesus Christ yea they have beene heard say when they are amongst themselves where they may speake freely that they see no reason why the Saints may not compell any nation by the sword to come under obedience to Christs Kingdome So that howsoever they challenge liberty of conscience now saying that conscience is a tender thing and that it ought not be forced yet if they but once get the day they will give no toleration I beleeve to any Presbyterians yea I am most assured had but the Parliament voted for Independency as they did for the Presbyterie they would have found Scripture enough then by which they would have proved that the Christian Magistrate might have forced any to come under obedience to Christs yoake and then the example of Nehemiah would have beene exceedingly urged by them all who seeking a through Reformation would not suffer so much as the language of Ashdod to be spoke within his jurisdiction but constrained them all to imbrace the true Religion and sweare by God that is to set up Gods true worship this example of Nehemiah I am confident would have beene urged and that eagerly by them all who at their first comming over from their pretended banishment I meane the Homothumadon Brethren and those of New-England as long as they had any hopes of setting up their Independency were very frequently heard speake of a through Reformation and alwayes commend noble Nehemiah for his zeale that hee would not suffer any false worship in Ierusalem but since they perceive their
all men therefore they that pray that as there is but one God one truth and one true Religion so that no other may bee tolerated pray according to his will and are the onely true praying people and those that pray for liberty of conscience and the toleration of them all as the Independents doe are not the onely true praying people whatsoever they pretend unto the deluded world for they pray not according to Gods will Againe the truly praying people are taught to say thy Kingdome come in which Petition they are instructed to pray not onely that the Kingdome of Glory may come but the Kingdome of Grace viz. that the Gospel may be everywhere published preached and set up and to that end that God would send faithfull Labourers into his Vineyard and Harvest and in so praying they earnestly desire that whatsoever hinders the preaching of the Gospel as the toleration of all Religions doth may be taken away now the Independents pray for a toleration and for liberty of conscience and labour as much as in them lyes the hinderance of sending faithfull Labourers into Gods Harvest and much discourage those that are already sent and hinder also the setting up of that Discipline and Government that would most make for the advancement of Christs Kingdome and for the coming of the same therefore they are not the truly praying people for they pray not according to Gods will Againe the true praying people are taught to say thy will beeâ— done on earth as it is in heaven and in their so praying they are instructed to pray for the removall of all such things as are against the good will and pleasure of God and doe hinder the doing of his will Now God hath revealed in his will that as there is but one God and one Mediator so there is but one Faith one Baptism and one Religion and that all the people of God should bring up their children and families in the nurture knowledge and fear of this one and onely true God as Abraham Jacob Joshua and Cornelius and all the faithfull and dear servants of God in all ages have ever done and that they should instruct their children and housholds in the Statutes and Commandments of the Lord at their lying down and rising up at their goings out and commings in Deut. 6. Deut. 11. and Eph. 6. v. 4. And that both they and their men-servants and maide servants and the stranger within their gates should sanctifie Gods Sabboths and keep all his Commandments Exod. 20. And this is the duty of all parents and masters of families and this they are for ever tyed unto by the revealed will of God and that they should not spare their nighest allies and kindred that should labour or indeavour to bring in any other Religion then that God hath appointed in his holy and blessed word Den. 13. and this they that pray aright and according to Gods will pray may be done to the end of the world and that both they and their families and all the families of the earth may continue to instruct their housholds and families according to the commandments of God which is his revealed will and that whatsoever shall hinder the doing of this will of God may be removed abominated and abhorred as the toleration of all Religions will do and that pretended liberty of conscience as hourly experience teacheth us for by this both the duties of the first and second tables are neglected on all sides for neither fathers nor masters of families can performe or discharge their duties if a Toleration of all Religions should once be set up for then both servants and children and the strangers within their houses should every one of them be left to the liberty of their consciences without controlâ— so that they may go whither they will and imbrace what Religion or Heresie they please and therefore it concernes all men more earnestly to pray for the setting up and establishing of the onely true Religion and the rooting out of all false and erroneous Religions for in this they do according to Gods will And they onely that thus pray are the true praying people But the Il dependents pray that there own wils may be done not Gods will for they pray for a Toleration of all Religions and that against the revealed will of God who hath declared his will to the contrary Deut. 13. Yea Christ himselfe in his Epistles to the Church of Pergamos and Thyatyra Rev. 2. ver 12. c. 18. sheweth his high displeasure against them for but suffering and conniving at those false doctrines that were taught amongst them Yea in this blessed prayer of Christ we are taught to pray not only that the will of God may be done on earth but he farther addeth by way of example and for a patern of our imitation that it may be done on earth as it is in heaven Now all those that are Christs Disciples know that there is but one Religion in Heaven and one way of worship there as there is but one God they therefore that pray for a Toleration of all Religions as the Il-dependents do are not the onely true praying people seeing they would have the will of God otherwise done on earth then it is done in heaven for in heaven there is but one Religion and therefore they pray contrary to the will of God when they pray for liberty of conscience and a Toleration of all Religions Again the truly praying people are taught to pray lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evill therefore they pray against the toleration of all Religions which is not onely a great temptation and an occasion of evill but the very sourse and fountain of all errours schismes heresies and of all abominations and of all the evills both of sin and punishment that can light upon any Church Nation or Kingdome as we may see by the example of the Churches of Pergamos and Thyatyra to the which the Lord saith Repent or else I will come unto thee quickly and will fight against thee with the sword of my mouth And I will cast her into a bed of great tribulation and will kill her with death and all the Churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reines and hearts and I will give unto every one of you according to your works I say therefore from very good ground that a Toleration of all Religions is not onely a great temptation but the greatest evill in the world and would be a meanes of bringing plagues and judgements upon the three Kingdomes and a distraction and disorder amongst all the people and a confusion of all things against all the which as so many temptations and capitall evills all truly godly praying people if they will pray according to Gods will ought incessantly to put up their dayly supplications as they desire the favour of God and the removeall of his judgements and in their so praying they do but
of the Arraignment of Mr Persecution in many more of their scurrilous writings plead for a toleration of all Religions under pretence of liberty of conscience whatsoever they be as Judaisme Turcisme Popery Paganisme and all manner of sects and for the confirming of this their diabolicall tenent they bring in the example of the heathen Nations who suffered all Religions amongst them and the example of Poland Transsylvania and Holland those pantheons of all Religions add tell us of the Parable where Christ commanded that the Tares and the Wheat should be suffered to grow together till the harvest the day of judgement And use or abuse rather some other places of Scripture which as they conceive make all for a toleration of all Religions To all which their pretences I shall at this time briefly anwer after I have set down some grounds out of holy Scripture and produced some examples of Gods dear children friends and servants out of the same which must be the warrant of all Christians to follow to the end of the world for whatsoever was written before was written for our learning 1 Cor. 10. Rom. 15. and by the Word of God and from the example of Gods servants we are ever taught that diversity of Religions amongst Christians ought not to be tolerated And first to begin with Abraham the Father of the faithfull and his seed whose examples all that are his and their children ought to set before their eyes for imitation The Lord called Abraham as it is in Joshua 24. out of his Father Terah's house and from his kindred when they served other gods and made a Covenant with him as it is at large set down in the 12. of Genesis and in divers other places of the same book and in speciall in the 17. of Genesis verse 1 2 3 c. where the Lord reneweth his Covenant with him and his seed and sets down the conditions of his Covenant with Abraham which was that Abraham should walk before him and be perfect and that then he would be his God all sufficient to provide for him and protect him wheresoever he came which covenant the Lord ever kept with Abraham and his seed delivering them out of the hands of all their enemies when they served him according to the conditions of the covenant walking uprightly before him as he will do to all his children to the end of the world walking in father Abraham's steps and of Abraham the Lord says this in the 18. of Genesis ver 17 18 19. Shall I hide from Abraham that which I doe seeing that Abraham shall become a great and a mighty Nation and all the Nations of the earth shall be blessed in him for I know him that he will command his children and houshold after him that they shall keep the way of the Lord to do Iustice and Iudgement that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him c. In these words we have Gods testimony of Abraham in the which he gives this witnesse of him that he would command his children and houshold after him that they should keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgement Then it is manifest that Abraham tolerated neither in his children nor in his houshold any Religion contrary unto that that God had taught him nor suffered no idolatry nor Sects in his family for this had not been to walke uprightly before God for it had been unjust dealing with God so to have done for Abraham and his seed were to walk perfectly and sincerely before God and therefore he would never tolerate all Religions or the worshipping of a false God or the worship of the true God after a false manner which also is Idolatry for this had not been to do justice and judgement but Abraham set up the true worship of God wheresoever he came as the whole story of his life doth abundantly declare And so did Isaac after him and Jacob after him as in the 33. of Genesis doth appear where Jacob said unto his houshold and to all that were with him put away the strange gods that are among you and be clean and change your garments and let us arise and go up to Bethel and I will make there an Altar unto God who answered me in the day of my distresse and was with me in the way which I went and they gave unto Iacob all the strange gods that were in their hands and Iacob hid them under the Oak that was at Sechem and the terror of God was upon the cities which were round about them and they did not pursue after the sons of Iacob In these words we have a president for imitation with the fruit and benefit that doth redound to all those people and Nations that set up the true worship of God and root out all Idolatry and false worship out of their families and Countries for Jacob gives no toleration in his house nor amongst his people for all Religions or for any other but that which God himselfe had appointed he sets up the true worship of God and that onely within his Jurisdiction and buries all the Idols of what price and how rich soever they were and he found the comfort and benefit of this his so doing for the Lord for this his faithfull service blessed him and protected him from the fury of all his provoked enemies for the terror of God was upon them all so that they durst not pursue him And if we take notice in our reading of the holy Scriptures we shall find and that through the whole Word of God that the Lord ever followed that people and those Kings and governours and their whole Kingdomes and Countries with speciall blessings and singular favours that purged their Country from idolatry and all false worships and struck a terror into all their enemies round about them neither did they ever purge their Countries from Idolatry and root out Idolaters but the anger of the Lord was presently appeased by it and it is alwayes recorded to the eternall praise and honour of those Kings Rulers and Judges that were most forward in reformation and that set more throughly upon that good work of reformation and those that did things but to the halves in reformation have not so honourable a testimony in holy Scripture as the other and that God hath ever been pleased when Idolatry hath been rooted out and Idolaters put to death there be many presidents of it in the Word of God Amongst others that in the 32. of Exodus how highly was God displeased there with the making of that Calf and how well was he pleased when execution was done upon the contrivers and authors of that Idolatry that place sufficiently declareth yea in the 13. of Deuteronomie the Lord declaring how much he detesteth Idolatry and all false worship giveth a dispensation to children for disobedience to their parents who by his law they are bound to obey in Gods matters so
into the true Religion and forces them by stripes and corporall punishments to imbrace it which is recorded to his immortall praise and for all Christian Magistrates imitation so that he abhorred the toleration of all Rel gions and as David would not suffer a Lyar in his house so good Nehemiah would not suffer any of a contrary Religion to be under his government hee had learned this Lesson from God himselfe Deut. 4. and Deut. 6 and Deut. 11. Deut. 13. c. This renowned Governour and Magistrate was not affraid to constraine them to doe that which was for the glory of God and according to his will and for the good of their owne soules and for the good of the whole Land and the safety and peace of them all and yet I beleeve Nehemiah knew as well what belonged unto tender consciences as any Independents now living and hee understanding that the heart of man was deceitfull above all things and desperately wicked Jer. 17. v. 9. that conscience being but a branch springing from that deceitfull and desperately wicked root knew also that there could be nothing in it but evill that continually and therefore tooke that liberty upon him to constraine their wicked consciences to conforme to the commandements of God and to submit themselves to his most holy Lawes and Statutes and to that way of worship God had injoyned his people which is the duty of all Parents and Magistrates who by Gods command and this example of good Nehemiah's may at any time use the rod of correction and by it make rebellious and stubborne children and people conforme themselves to the commandements of the Lord and to his true worship and this duty they are bound unto by the Law of God if they urge them to nothing but what God hath declared to be his will in his blessed Word And truly it is not to be passed over without serious taking notice of it how zealous this good Nehemiah was against all sinne and false worship and how adverse hee was to a toleration of all religions under his government for hearing them speake but the language of Ashdod hee by and by reviled them and fell about their eares and forthwith constrained them and that by stripes to embrace the true worship of God But if this good Nehemiah were now living here amongst us and should heare not onely the language of Ashdod but the language of hell out of every mouth and see the abominable practises of the Sectaries of our times and should heare their hellish and blasphemous and hereticall doctrines of denying the Trinity and the Deity of Christ and slighting the holy Scriptures and many such desperate doctrines how may wee thinke would his righteous soule be troubled with it and how would hee bestirre him in cudgelling these fellowes into the true Religion and making of them serve God according to his own appointment and not after their own fantasies as they all now doe without all controversie good Nehemiah would baste them to the purpose and all such as should side with them and especially hee would belabour all such well as should write bookes in defence of such and should call them Saints and their damnable blasphemies the infirmities of the Saints I say I am most confident that were good Nehemiah in our times and had hee that authority hee had then in Ierusalem hee would baste them all to some purpose and make and force them by cudgelling of them to be conformable to wholesome words and I am most assured he would pull off Cretensis his blew beard qui ne pilum boni viri habet and knock him soundly about his hairy scalp And St. Quarter-man also he would have some good slaps as he deservs over his great pate all the rest of these hereticall dangerous Sectaries would by him be constrained with beatings to yeeld obedience to the authority of Gods word and hee would make them know themselves and this indeed is the duty and place of all Magistrates and Parents and Masters of Families neither to suffer or tolerate such fellows in their houses nor Countries for this would but bring judgements upon the land much more ought every man to detest all such as should labour to bring in a toleration of all Religions when we see what misery came upon all Israel by Solomons toleration of them there But the Independents say there is no presidents of any corporall punishment layd upon any under the New Testament for matter of Religion that Magistrates should follow but I conceive the example of our Saviour may suffice for their imitation Who Joh. 2. whipped the buyers and sellers out of the Temple for merchandizing there and therefore laid corporall punishments upon them And truly if the Magistrates now should whip all the buyers and sellers of their new and blasphemous doctrines out of their severall new Temples and Churches I am confident it would be very pleasing unto God and Christs example would justifie and hold them out in this their so doing for who can they better imitate then the King of his Church Yea we see corporall punishment threatned against the Church of Pergamos and Thyatira c. and afterwards inflicted upon them by God himself for suffering those false Prophets and Teachers amongst them Yea we see Act. 13. that Bariesus for but labouring to hinder the Proconsull from hearing the Gospell was by Paul strucken with blindnesse for it by God himselfe to teach all Magistrates that those deserve punishment that hinder the preaching of the faith but much more those that corrupt it ought to be punished And we have another example of corporall punishment for when there was no Magistrate to punish those exorcists those sonns of Sceva the Lord suffered the devill which could not enter into a swine without his permission to be his executioner and to lay corporall punishment upon them for abusing his name and his authority All which may teach all men how much God is displeased with all such as corrupt his worship and service and would bring in a toleratiou of all Religions and may serve to instruct all Magistrates in their duty for the punishing of all false and herericall Teachers and Seducers And truly if ever there were a time that called for an establishment of one Religion and a setled Government with Uniformity in a Church and State and a Suppression of all Heresies Sects and Factions from the Magistrates hand and a punishing of all false Teachers now it is when by the sad effects already of divisions and variety of opinions we may well perceive what ruine will come upon the three Kingdomes if there be a toleration of all Religions granted for divisions and factions especially in Religion have been fatall to Kingdomes and Commonwealth in all ages as the holy Scriptures and all Histories relate The consideration of which makes me take the liberty to recite a story I heard of a great Nobleman in Queen Elizabeths
should also behold the diverse alterations of things in the worship and service of God and if he should with all consider that if the church should have been onely to be found where there had been such visible ordinances and formes of Worship and Government as God had appointed and no where else then there would not have been a church of God any where visibly to appear and be found many times in the world in those dayes and yet the true church alwayes remained in Abrahams Family and God had his people and a true church amongst his seed as will appear by these examples I will briefly name some We know that the Israelites and Hebrewes the onely people of God and his first borne continued many generations as strangers in Aegypt all the which time they never offered up any outward Sacrifices unto God for that had been an abomination to the Aegyptians and they would not tolerate and suffer that in their land which moved Moses to sollicite Pharaoh to give the people of God leave that they might go a dayes journy to sacrifice in the Wilderness giving him the reason of his postulation saying that they could not sacrifice in Aegypt for that was an abomination to the Aegyptians So that it is apparent that all the time they remained in Egypt they had not that publike Ordinance that externall form of worship And yet all that while they were a true Church and were visibly known by their Religion to be distinct from the Egyptians as who professed the knowledge and worship of the true God whose name they called upon through all their tribes and whom they served night and day and yet I say they had not the use of publike sacrifices onely they had Circumcision amongst them that discriminating Ordinance from other nations But if that had been the forme of this true Church then all the time they remained in the wilderness which was forty years there was no visible forme of a Church for they circumcised not their children there and that reproach was not taken away till they came to Gilgall or at lest had passed the red Sea So that if the Church had been tyed to externall formes we shall for many years together finde no true formed Church in those times Nay when they were come into the land of Canaan how often was the face of the Church in the dayes of the Judges so deformed as no man almost could see any forme or comlinesse in it all the externall beauty which was the worship being either wholy forgotten or so adulterated and polluted with Idolatry as there was not left any appearance of a true Church amongst them and yet at that time they were the people of God and his chosen people and a true Church but if they had sought to know it by any externall form it could never have bin found So that the Church of God may be a true church though it want an outward form and discipline Yea after that God had set up his worship in the dayes of David and Solomon and had commanded that that forme of Government should be continued and perpetuated to the coming of the Messiah how many alterations notwithstanding were there found both in Iuda and Israel and how did Idolatry spread it selfe abroad through both those Kingdomes So that Idolatry was not only committed under every green tree and in all groves and upon every mountain and high place but even in Jerusalem the holy city yea in the very Temple So that now there was no externall forme of a Church left and yet then also had God his Church there and they were the people of God and dearly beloved of him And again when they were carryed into captivity into Babilon we know that all the time they continued there they had neither sacrifices nor many other ordinances that God had appointed amongst them they could not so much as sing a song of Sion in that strange land and wee read of no other exercises amongst them but of the morall worship of prayer and reading the prophets and of prophecying and comforting of one another in the Lord and of their resolution not so much as to bow in the least to worship any Idoll of the heathens or so much as stooping to reverence any professed enemy of the people of God as Mordecay would not to Haman nor the three children to the idoll of Nebuchadnezer nor Daniel leave his praying but all these kinde of services are not accompted the forme of a Church amongst the learned and yet wee read of no other formes of worship the Jews had neither through all the Provinces of Ahasuerus and through all Babilon and Assyria and Aegypt where they were scattered We read indeed that they fasted and prayed upon all occasions and that they spake one to another and they exercised amongst themselves the morall worship in all their Synagogues which were all the true Churches of God then through the world and yet they had not that visible forme that God had appointed in any of those Countryes whither they were driven and carryed captives they onely made their prayers and supplications toward Ierusalem and the Temple the holy place So that if the Church of God had been at any time tyed to externall formes they could not then have been Churches properly so called as not having any externall forme and yet they were all before the law and under the law and since the law true Churches notwithstanding they wanted the externall forme and discipline And the same may be said of the Church of God since the beginning and growth of Antichrist that it hath been so defaced for many generations together that none by its externall forme or discipline could find a true Church in it yet God had in this spirituall Babylon a true Church ever and therefore the true Church is not confined to externall formes and discipline But to say nothing of that if the Christian Church be bounded within these limits either the Papists or the Independents encompasse in their Churches with then I affirme that the very Church of Jerusalem was not a true formed Church which notwithstanding they both acknowledge was a true Church and the Independents confesse that it was the first formed Church Acts the second For in the Church of Ierusalem there was neither Pope nor Cardinalls nor Patriarkes nor Primates nor Paultripolitans nor Archbishops nor any Conclave nor any Masses nor any of that Service they have set up in their Romish Church nor that Forme of Church Government they have established neither had they any of these fixed officers And therefore the Church of Rome having lost that forme the Church of Ierusalem had and being adulterated both in doctrine discipline and manners that cannot be a true Church and then it will follow That the true Church is not so tyed to any externall forms that if they be failing they cannot be a true Church for then there shoâ—ld have been no
wavering for hee is faithfull that promised and let us consider one an other to provoke unto love and good workes not forsaking the assembling of our selves together as the manner of some is but exhorting one an other and so much the more as you see the day approaching It seemes the Jewes presuming of their owne holinesse and that they were the peculiar people of God thought basely of the Gentiles and began to separate in that regard from their publike assemblies as too many now adayes of the Ildependents doe from their brethren thinking themselves more holy then they the Apostle therefore writing to his countrey men the Jewes blames them for this and in them reproveth all that doe the like and forbids them so to doe and Saint Iohn speaking of such as made schismes in the Church saith that if they had beene of us they would not have gone out and departed from amongst us but in that they separated from amongst them it was manifest that they were not of them so that hee maketh it a marke and note of Apostates to make rents and schismes in any Church from the publike assemblies in all these regards therefore wee ought to take heed of separation and ought in this to make the church of Ierusalem and the other Primitive Churches our paterne and example and not to separate from the churches and assemblies of the Saints though indeed there should be many faylings in them which when the churches of the congregationall way daily doe they are highly to be blamed as offenders against precepts and presidents both of Christ and the blessed Apostles and against the example of all the Primitive churches who never did it all the which notwithstanding my brother Burton saith ought to be conferred together for the making up of a perfect paterne for our imitation they therefore not following their paterne but making rents have in their so doing much to answer for Lastly as the church at Ierusalem and all the other churches my brother Burton enumerates are to be a paterne to all churches in succeeding ages in their well doing and in what was prayse worthy so likewise wherein either the whole churches or any officers or members in them were fayling in their duty and for it either reproved threatned or punished for their owne disobedience or but for their indulgence at others in their sinnes as old Ely I Sam. 3. in that hee did not correct and chastise his wicked sons and the seven churches of Asia for their particular faylings especially those of Pergamos Thyatira and Laodicea for suffering the doctrinc of Balaam Jezebel and of the Nicolaitans though it was not with approbation of the same but onely in that they connived at them and did not exercise their power in casting out those offenders and punishing those luke-warme Laodiceans who were indifferent what religion was set up or imbraced amongst them I say in all these respects both these churches and people and all other churches for their faylings and punishments are examples to us to teach and forwarne us not to offend in the like manner lest partaking with them in their sinnes wee partake with them also in their severall plagues and punishments for whatsoever was written was pend for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come 1 Cor. 10. verse 11. and therefore if wee will tolerate all religions among us and shall not be zealous for the honour of our God and labour by all our might to establish his true worship and for the extirpating of all heresies and scandals the Lord will have a controversie against us as hee had against them and if wee repent not will remove his Candlesticke from us and leave us in darkenesse and in the shadow of death as hee hath done those churches in Asia who are all now under the Mahumetan superstition For wee must take notice that as every command of God is both preceptive and prohibitive so there is something in the practise and manners of all the Saints and churches of God as that in the Israelites 1 Cor. 10. and in the above mentioned churches that have some things in them to be shunned and avoyded as their speciall sinnes and faylings and some things in them likewise to bee imitated as their zeale piety vertues and godly examples and holy courage which as they are all praise worthy and for which they ought ever to be honoured so they are set downe for our learning and imitation that wee should doe the same yea this their example is as a command to us that wee should follow them in this their well doing and where they did evill and fayled in their duty in this there is a prohibition to all christians and to all churches in succeeding ages to the end of the world to take heed left they doe the like and so fall into the same condemnation as Paul speakes 1. Tim. 3. verse 6. where prohibiting the Evangelist to ordaine a novice for a Minister he saith lest being lifted up with pride hee fall into the condemnation of the Devill for by his pride hee was cast out of heaven that saith the Apostle hee was condemned for therefore lay thou no hands upon a novice lest hee be lifted up with pride and fall into the same condemnation So that in all the former respects both the church at Ierusalem and all other churches and the people of Israel are a paterne to us upon whom the ends of the world are come that wee should alwayes set them before our eyes if wee desire to injoy those mercies and blessings they partaked in for their well doing or to shun and avoid those punishments were inflicted upon them for their sins negligences and rebellions And this I thought good to say in way of answer to my brother Burton concerning the Church at Jerusalem and the other Churches enumerated by him all the which hee asserteth are to bee conferred together for the making up of a compleate paterne and plat forme of Church government and yet grollishly denieth that they can be a paterne in all things which to speake the truth is a peece of non-sense and a contradiction But before I conclude with him and shut up this discourse I shall desire the Reader a little to ponder and weigh my brother Burtous expressions in the very entrance of this his answer and reply to his own argument For your indefinite enumeration saith he of those multitudes baptized by John the Baptist and Christs disciples wee take no notice of them unlesse formed into a Church or Churches but following the expresse Scripture the first formed church wee find is in Acts the second These words deserve due consideration Amongst those that were baptized by Iohn the Baptist Christ himselfe was one the Lord of life who sanctified that ordinance in his owne person and that in a speciall manner as being done by his speciall command and that for the fulfilling of all righteousnesse both in himselfe
words which I have set downe at large omitting many other such expressions the summe of them briefly is this that all the Ministers of the Church of England that are not in their combination doe deny disclaime and preach against Christs Kingly Government over mens consciences and churches and are no better then the persecuting Jewes that made a mocke scorne and ludibry of Christ and that all the people under their Ministry are men unconverted or at least converted but in part wanting the maine thing to wit Christs kingly office men visibly out of the covenant of grace who have not so much as an outward profession of faith who deny Christ to be their King to whose persons and infants the very Sacraments and seales of grace with all church communion may and ought to be denyed Now I referre my selfe to the judgement of all learned and impartiall Christians whether there can be uttered with the tongue or pen of men any more injurious unjust raâ—lings and revilings or more untrue and false accusations against their brethren For all those godly Christians through the thrâ—e Kâ—ngdomes can witâ—esse the contrary who by the pâ—eaching of the Word and Gospel have beene converted by the Ministry of the chuâ—ch of England Yea the Independents themselves and my brother Burton if they will no belye the truth must acknowledge next under God their conversion to the Ministers of the church of England for none but converts and beleevers are to be admitted into their new congregations and I never yet heard that the Independent Ministers converted any and therefore when my brother Burton accuseth all the Ministers and beleeving people of the church of England to be enemies of the Lord Jesus when they all indeavour to set him up upon his Throne as King it is a most horrid wickednesse in him and those of his party to beare false witnesse against their Neighbours and so to calumniate and revile the true servants of the Lord by which they come to take the Devils office upon themselves and become all of them false Accuâ—ers of the brethren Raylers and Persecutors and Seducers and therefore no Saints Yea it is ordinary with my brother Burton as can be proved both to speake and print untruths and notorious falsehoods but passing many of them by in some of his last bookes as Truth shut out of doores and in this his Booke called Vindiciae veritatis which may bee more properly stiled Vindiciae mendacii in the 24. page speaking there most maliciously against learned Master Edwards and my selfe hee saith that hee by his pen and preaching and that I by my pen labour to take an order that the Independents shall have no Pulpits to preach in at all Witnesse saith he that late mis-rule at your towne of Colchester upon your bookes and T. E. his preaching by which words of his hee would make the deluded people beleeve that there was some great Persecution stirred up at Colchester against some Independent Ministers there to hinder them from preaching in their Pulpits which is a most notorious falshood the contrary of which is true for the Independents made a mis-rule in the very Church against Master Edwards and openly reviled him in the congregation using many rayling speeches against him and that against all the Laws of Christianitie and civilitie and had almost by their barborous carriage against him raysed a tumult in the Towne to the disturbance of them all had it not timely by the wisedome of some beene prevented So that it may easily be perceived what the Independents would doe against the Presbyterian Ministers if the authority were once wholly in their hands when they so timely begin where their faction is any thing powerfull yet such is the boldnesse or rather impudencie of these men that when they are the only Persecutors of others and the Raysers up of tumults and commotions against the faithfull Ministers of the Gospel they falsely spread it abroad that they are persecuted by us and not suffered to come in our Pulpits as my brother Burton doth here accuse the good people of Colchester and those of Alderman-bury as if they also had shut truth out of doors when notwithstanding it can by a cloud of witnesses from Colchester bee proved that the Independents made the mis-rule and that my brother Burton shut himselfe out of doores at Aldermanbury and yet hee untruly accuseth them of that crime of persecution and this is the generall practise of all the Independents falsely to accuse and calumniate their brethren and my brother Burton and Iohn Lilburne are Masters in this art and therfore surely they can be no Saints without Devils be Saints for so the holy Scripture calleth such I have cited some of my brother Burtons expressions I shall now set downe some of Iohn Lilburnes language concerning both the Ministers and beleevers of the church of England In his Letter to my brother Prynne to omit many of his rayling and violent calumnies there against the Ministers hee saith that they are the sworne enemies of Iesus Christ yea the profest enemies of their anoynted Christ and in his one of his Pamphlets which he made in prison which he lately againe set forth upon more mature deliberation hee hath many most unchristian bitter and unsavery expressions and so apparently untrue that every child can say hee is a notorious calumniator and Lyer Some of them I will here set downe amongst other things hee speaketh of the church of England and of the faithfull hee thus uttereth himselfe affirming That the Church of England is a true whorish Mother and that they that are of her were base begotten and bastardly children and that shee neither is nor never was truly married joyned or united unto Jesus Christ in that espousall band which his true churches are and ought to be bnt is one of Antichrists nationall whorish Churches and Cities spoken of Revel 16. 19. c. That the Church of England is false and Antichristian and as shee is a false and Antichristian church shee can never make true Officers and Ministers of Iesus Christ and absolutely denies that conversion and confirmation and building up in the wayes of God are wrought by the Ministry of the church of England for how saith he can they build them up in that which they themselves are ignorant of and enemies unto for as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses so doe these men also resist the truth c. and further asserteth that as hee hath taken paines by the word of God and demonstrable arguments grounded thereupon to prove the church of England antichristian so hee promiseth to all the world that hee will in the strength of the Lord of Hosts for ever separate from Church Ministry and Worship of England and all and every one of them as Antichristian and false And concludes that all the Ministers of the church of England are not true Ministers of Christ but false and Antichristian Ministers and that our
Religion neither is the true Religion nor that it leads men the true way to salvation And affirmes that hee groundedly and absolutely denies that either the Church of England is or ever was a true Church innumerable more such sentences might be produced out of this Pamphlet to this effect and from many such premises as these hee exhorts all good people that are in the bosome of the Church of England as they love their own inward peace and spirituall joy to withdraw their spirituall obedience and subjection from her Now here againe I appeale to all judicious Christians what the Devill the Accuser of the brethren could have spake more raylingly and falsely against the faithfull servants of God both Ministers and people then what Iohn Lâ—lburne in the name of all those of his Fraternity hath uttered against them all Surely if any Enemies Persecutors Raylers and Revilers of the people of God and false Accusers ever lived upon the earth they are those of the congrâ—gationall way and therefore they are no Sâ—ints Yeâ— when they write most mildly against the Presbyterians they call them Lyons Beares Wolves Tygers and in their ordinary language in towne and countrey they never see almost any Minister passâ— by them but they call them Baals Priests the lims of Antichrist the Antichristian brood the Devils Ministers Presbytyrants with a thousand other words of conâ—umely and of all their Presbyterian brethren both Scots and English they speake of them most shamefully upon all occasions terming them sonnes of earth sinners carnall people enemies of Christ Jesus and his Kingdom nay they revile us in the open streets when we passe by them and all that I now say the Independents themselves cannot deny to be most truly related by mee and their very bookes and all their Pamphlets are now in the hands of the people and daily read by them and they all can witnesse for mee that I have wronged them in nothing by all which that part of my Minor is sufficiently proved that all the Independents are notorious Raylers Revilers and false Accusers and therefore no Saints nor good Daemons but such as ought to be separate from and not to be communicated with in holy things as not formed into a church or churches after the New-Testament forme which ought to consist of all visible Saints And that they have caused divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine of Christ is also apparent and that from the great rents schismes and factions they have causelessely made amongst their brethren in church and state having neither Precept nor President in the whole Booke of God for any of their practises and proceedings in their new congregations and therefore this truth also being by the sad experience of all men notoriously knowne wee have a command to shun them and take heed of them as of a company of Seducers and false Teachers who so long as they persevere and continue in these their ungodly wayes they proclaime themseves to be no Saints nor good Daemons but a Generation of vipers and serpents and such as all godly soules ought to have no communion with whatsover their pretences of holinesse and sanctity be And that they are notorious covenant breakers it is most evident and apparent to all that will not wilfully shut their eyes for they have entred into a solemne covenant and oath and that made in the presence of God to labour for a through reformation of Religion in the Kingdome of England and Ireland in Doctrine Worship and Discipline according to the word of God and the example of the best reformed Churches and in expresse words also they have vowed and covenanted in the presence of Almighty God the searcher of all hearts with a true intention to performe the same as they shall answer it at the great day that they will without respect of persons indeavour the extirpation of Popery Prelacy Superstition Heresie Schisme Prophanenesse and whatsoever shall be found contrary to sound doctrine and the power of godlinesse lest they partake in their sinnes and thereby be in danger to receive of their plagnes They have vowed also with all faithfulnesse to indeavour the discovery of all such as have beene or shall bee Incendiaries Malignants or evill Instruments by hindring the reformation of Religion dividing the King from his people or one of the Kingdomes from an other or making of any factions or parties amongst the people contrary to thâ—s league and covenant And all the Independent Ministers in the Reverend Assembly did faithfully promise unto their brethren and under their owne hands by writing confirme it that they would preach such doctrines publickly only as tended to Faith Repentance and Salvation and that they would not trouble the people with any of those controversies concerning Discipline and Church-government till they saw what Plat-forme of Discipline the Parliament and the Assembly should set downe and solemnly promised also by such a time to bring in their modell and others of the Ministers of the congregationall way when they came out of New-England entring into serious discourse with some of their brethren the Ministers of the Church of England that had suffered much under the Prelates tyrannie and that indeed had indured the brunt and undergone the heate of the day of their cruelty and persecution and of whom they had experience for their faithfulnesse and constancy in the truth I say some of these fugitive Ministers after their returne entring into communication with them and demanding of them what Discipline and Government they intended now in place of the Prelaticall usurpation to establish and set up for answer they told them that their indeavour God assisting them should be to set up a Government according to the word of God as nigh as they could after the example of the best reformed churches in Scotland France Germany and Low-countries whereupon they immediately replying said if this be indeed your reall intention then in the presence of God wee give you the right hand of Fellowship resolving to stand to you and by you faithfully unto the death All that I now relate can be proved by an Iliad of witnesses Notwithstanding all these Covenants Promises and serious ingagements and that in the presence of God they have all of them blake all these covenants and promises made both to God and man and have violated them all and every one of them and have not only neglected to bring in their modell of government though promised by them and againe and againe urged to it but made factions rents and schismes in the Church and preached up the congregationall way and brought an odium and hatred of the Presbyterie amongst the people and most shamefully continually inveighd against their brethren the Presbyterians and all their proceedings and have laboured also with all their might and power to hinder the reformation of Religion and to breake the union betweene the two nations Scots and English and to bring in a toleration of all
that if those of their nighest relations should go about to intice any to Idolatry or to the worshipping of false gods or the true God in a false manner or should endeavour but to bring in another Religion than that the Lord had appointed that then they should bring them forth and have justice done against them so that God abhorreth that any Religion amongst his own people should be tolerated or set up besides that he himselfe hath commanded and he had forbid in his law that any man should make to themselves any graven Image or set up any way of worshipping him but that which he himself had ordained and injoyned and commanded that they that should attempt any such thing should be put to death We see likewise what Ioshua did according to the commandment of God who ought to be a pattern to all Christians and all Christian Magistrates chap. 24. verse 14 15 16. Now therefore saith he fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in truth and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood and in Aegypt and serve ye the Lord and if it seem evill unto you to serve the Lord choose you this day whom ye will serve whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell but for me and my house we will serve the Lord And the people answered and said God forbid that we should forsake the Lord and serve other gods for the Lord our God is he that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Aegypt out of the house of bondage c. Here we may observe first that Ioshua injoynes them to serve the Lord in sincerity and in truth and that they might do that to put away all their idols he gives no toleration of all Religions and the like may be said of Ioshua Ioshua 24. 15. and that they might with the more alacrity yeeld obedience to God's command he sets his own example before their eyes with his resolution which was that both he and his houshold would serve the Lord onely and set up his worship and all the people likewise assented to do the same and gave their reason why they would serve the Lord and tolerate no other Religion because say they the Lord hath brought us up out of the land of Aegypt and out of the house of bondage and made us his peculiar people and therefore they resolved to serve him onely and tolerate no other service amongst them but that which God himself had commanded and appointed And this example of Ioshua and the people of Israel is left to all the people of God to all ages for imitation whose duty it is to set up the true worship of God only amongst them and none but that which Christ their Redeemer King and Law-giver hath injoyned them and therefore all such as would have all Religions tolerated do exceedingly forget themselves and are highly unthankfull to Christ their King and Redeemer And if we look into the story of the Judges the book following that of Ioshua when this generation was dead and that they had forgot their covenant and began to tolerate all Religions amongst them they brought down all those plagues upon themselves by it that were written in the law of Moses and for no other cause saith the holy Scripture but for that they set up those Religions the heathens had served their gods by as is manifest from the sixth chapter for when the people cryed unto the Lord because of the Midianites the Lord sent a Prophet unto them first who told them that the cause of all the judgements was because they had not obeyed the voyce of the Lord but had served the gods of the nations which he had forbidden them and afterwards he sent an Angel unto Gideon and commanded him to break down the Altar of Baal which his father had made and to cut down the Grove that was by it and to set up an Altar to the Lord In the first place Gideon was enjoyned to root out idolatry and then to set up Gods true worship onely here we finde no toleration of any Religion but the true Religion when they set upon the work of reformation and when the men of the City made inquiry after him that had broken down the Altar and cut down the Grove and would have put him to death it is related that Ioash the Father of Gideon said to all those that stood against him Will ye plead for Baal will ye save him he that will plead for him let him be put to death whiles it is yet morning if he be a god let him plead for himselfe because one hath cast down his Altar Here we finde no toleration of Baal's Religion but that they that would plead for him should be put to death and surely those that will plead for a toleration of all Religions do no lesse than fight against God But now let us see what Elias did 1 King 18. ver 21. who was counted as the Chariots and Horse-men of Israel with Baals Priests and what he said to all those of his times How long saith he to the people will ye halt between two Religions if the Lord be God follow him but if Baal be God then follow him The holy Prophet would not admit of a toleration of all Religions but when God had miraculously manifested from Heaven that Elias his Religion was the true Religion and which God in his holy Word had established all Baals Priests were put to death and that by Elias his command who said Take the Prophets of Baal let none of them escape and they took them and Elias took them and brought them down to the Brook Kishon and slew them there And so upon all reformations all other Religions were cast out but the true Religion as we may see through the whole Scripture as in the stories of the Kings and Chronicles and those of Nehemiah and Ezra and through all the Prophets and the Lord in the second of Ieremiah complaineth against his people That they had forsaken the fountain of living water that is they had forsaken the true God and served other gods and forsaken their maker and had been more unconstant than the very Heathen who had not forsaken their idoll gods and therefore for this their Rebellion and ingratitude the Prophet denounces all those plagues that were written in the Law against them as all the other Propheâ—s did for there is not any sinne in all the old Testament that the Lord more complaines of than that of Idolatry and the toleration of many Religions amongst them as is most abundantly set down both in Isaiah Ieremiah and Ezechiel Daniel and in all the other Prophets all which were written for our learning so that if the people of God shall imitate them in their sinnes they must look to partake with them in their
he killed a man after he had beene told and forewarned of it that it was a dangerous creature as wee may see Exod. 21. 28 29. where the Lord thus speaketh If an Oxe gore a man or a woman that they dye then the Oxe shall be surely stoned and his flesh shall not be eaten but the Owner of the Oxe shall bee quit But if the Oxe were wont to push with his horne in time past and it hath beene testified unto his owner and hee hath not kept him in but that hee hath killed a man or a woman the Oxe shall bee stoned and his Owner also shall bee put to death I say if the wilfull tolerating of but a mischievous creature to goe loose after his owner was informed of the dangerousnesse of it and that the owner himselfe was to be put to death if hee killed either a man or a woman after it how much more may wee thinke the Lord will severely punish those men that will suffer heresies and most dangerous and blasphemous opinions and idolatries to goe at liberty which with their hornes push men into hell it selfe to the destroying both of the soules and bodies of the poore people for in the fifth of the Galatians it is said that heâ—esies and idolatrie c. are amongst those sinnes that send men to perdition And we are informed by the Law of God of the deadlinesse of all sinnes but especially of those there named and God hath often taught us in his holy Law how much hee detesteth all false religions and false worships and by a speciall edict Exod. 22. verse 20. hath informed us saying He that sacrificeth unto any God save the Lord shall bee put to death so that wee cannot pretend ignorance and here is no exceptions of either persons or sexes and the same Law is reiterated in many more places of holy Writ and especially Deuter 13. where the whole Chapter is spent about the punishment of Idolaters and such as set up a false way of worshipping God and for the Morall Law many of the Independents themselves as I can out of severall of their writings prove hold that it is not alterable but it is of the same force now it was then and if they grant this as they doe they must likewise acknowledge that all the sanctions of it and penalties are also in force and that whatsoever was death by the Law of God then is by the same Law death nâ—w or else either God is changeable or the Law is altered both which I have yet so good opinion of some of them as I am confident they will not assert and therefore they must necessarily yeeld unto this if God and his Morall worship or Law bee the same and unalterable they must I say then also accord unto this that whatsoever was not then to be tolerated in Religion is not now to be suffered but severely be proceeded against Yeâ— Christ himselfe in his Epistles to the Church of Pergamos and Thyatiria and Laodicâ—a Rev. 2. and 3. as I proved before shews by threatning such heavie judgements upon those Churches for but conniving at and tolerating of Idolatry and those other filthy abominations there and by threatning with all their destruction and the killing of them and their children with the sword and the removing from them the Candlestick that is the Gospel the greatest punishment that can happen to people to be left in darkenesse and blindnesse and in the shaddow of death and in the power of Satan and to be punished moreover with temporall miseries I say all these comminations and threats sufficiently declare unto all advised Christians that Christ the Lord and King of his Church hath not altered his mind but that that Law is still in force that was made by him to his people of old yea hee hath farther declared unto hiâ— people Matth. 5. 17. 19. that hee came not to change the Law but to fulfill it and that whosoever should teach the breaking of the least of his holy Lawes should be the least in the Kingdome of Heaven Now by all those his holy Lawes made unto his people of old and by the practise of all his holy servants and Prophets hee hath declared how much hee detesteth and abhorreth the toleration of all Religions and not onely by his words often reiterated but hee hath also declared his displeasure by the punishment and immediat judgements hee laid upon Idolaters as that before mentioned in the two and thirtieth of Exodus where Moses from the Lord verse 32. said Who is on the Lords side let him come unto mee and the sonnes of Levi gathered themselves together unto him and hee saith unto them thus saith the Lord God of Israel put every man his sword by his side and goe out from gate to gate through the Campe and slay every man his brother and every man his companion and every man his neighbour here wee find according to that of Deut. the thirteenth that in Gods quarrell and for the vindicating of his honour wee may neither spare brother companion or nighest alyes So that if God would not then tolerate all Religions hee will now much lesse indure it amongst us especially when hee hath so often manifest his displeasure against us as wee may see also Number the â—5 where it is recorded how much hee was angery with his people for going into the sacrifices of the gods of the Moabites and for their eating and bowing downe to their gods and for joyning themselves with Baalpeor for it is said there that the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel and hee said unto Moses take all the heads of the people and hang them up before the Lord against the sunne that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel and Moses said unto the Iudges of Israel sâ—ay yâ—â— every one his men that were joyned unto Baalpeor verse 2. 3 4 5. This president also wee have of Gods displeasure against a toleration of any false Religion or false way of worship So that all such as pleâ—d for a toleration of all Religions shew that they have either no Religion at all or very little zeale for God Yea certainely they shew themselves all enemies of Christs Kingdome that thus violate his Lawes and trample them under their feet and that would have the Kingdome of the Devill set up every where and all Religions whatsoever tolerated amongst them which must needs provoke the Lord to anger and displeasure against that nation that doth so provoke him But how unsufferable a thing then is it in any that have the name of Christians that when they should with all their power and might oppose all innovations in Religion much more a toleration of all Religions as some of them with the hazard of their lives and liberties in former times opposed the innovations and the novelties of the Prelates and inveighed against the Booke for toleration of sports and recreations on the Lords day
murthering the soules of many thousand innocent people send them to the Devill that I leave to the grave consideration of all those that are zealous for the glory of God and valiant for the truth and to all such as desire to contend for the truth who ought ever to set before their eyes the example of all those godly Princes and Magistrates the names of which are recorded in holy Writ and in speciall it will be good to consider what Asa and the people of his time did whose prayses are set downe and what good followed upon it to the whole Land 2 Chron. 15. verse 12 13. it is said there That they entered into a Covenant to seeke the Lord God of their Fathers with all their heart and with all their soule that whosoever would not seeke the Lord God of Israel should be put to death whether small or great whether man or woman and they swore unto the Lord with a loud voice and with shouting and with Trumpets and with Cornets and all Judah rejoyced at the oath for they had sworne with all their heart and sought him with their whole desire and hee was found of them and the Lord gave them rest round about Here wee may take notice of these two things especially The first that this their covenanting against all such as should goe about to corrupt Religion for the punishing of them with death is left not onely for their eternall honour and praise and for our imitation but that it did so please the Lord that he was found of them The second thing observable is that hee did in a peculiar manner blesse them and gave them rest round about so that from thence wee learne that if Magistrates who are Gods Ministers and whose place it is will execute judgement against all Seducers and blasphemous Teachers by this they shall bring glory to God and procure peace and welfare to their Countries and safety to their dwellings And truly Magistrates should consider their places who are called gods and therefore as God hath set them an example both in Exod. 32. and Numb the 25. the places above cited in punishing Idolators so they also should follow him and the example of good King Asa in so doing They may remember also they are called nursing Fathers and nursing Mothers and therefore as nursing and tender Fathers and Mothers will not suffer corrupt and poysonous food be given to their children but kill Serpents and Scorpions and such venemous creatures and destroy them that may hurt them so they likewise should labour in their particular places to root out all that Generation of Vipers that poyson the people with their hereticall and blasphemous doctrine The Magistrates should remember also that they are called Pastors now no godly and carefull Pastors will suffer Wolves to come into their folds to worry and destroy their sheep how diligent ought they likewise to be to keep out those ravenous wolves though they come in sheeps clothing out of their severall Pastures that would destroy the soules of all their sheepe all these things I say all Magistrates should lay to heart and duly consider for their place it is to whom God hath committed the sword and who ought to watch over the people for good and whose neglecting of their duty will be laid to their charge and who are to answer for it before God if through their con nivence or negligence any evill happen to the people But if they should wilfully suffer the corruption of the true Religion and allow of a toleration of all Religions how much would this provoke the Lord to anger against the nation Wee may see how zealous good Nehemiah was in his time and how undauntedly hee stood to the cause of God saying should such a man as I am fly he was resolved to maintaine Gods truth which was his Honour to Eternity and for all Magistrates imitation Nehemiah the 13. verse 23 24 25. who but seeing that the Iewes had married wives of Ashdod of Ammon and of Moab and but hearing their children speake halfe â—in the speech of Ashdod and could not speake in the Iewes language but according to the language of each people it is related there that hee contented with them and reviled or cursed them and smote certaine of them and pluckt off their haire and made them sware by God saying ye shal not give your daughters unto their sonnes nor take their daughters unto your sonnes or for your selves did not Solomon King of Israel sinne by these things who was beloved of God neverthelesse even him did out-landish women cause to sinne Shall we then hearken unto you saith he to doe all this great evill to transgress against our God in marrying of strange wives Here wee have an example and patterne for all Christian Magistrates and such as are in authority to follow For this was pend for our instruction upon whom the ends of the world are come This example of Nehemiah was wont greatly to be urged upon Christians for imitation and that by those of the congregationall way and therefore I hope they will not now be displeased that I make use of it upon the like occasion and Magistrates were called upon by them to follow the patterne of noble and glorious Nehemiah in making a through Reformation in all things and for suppressing of all errors and innovations in Religion and in that hee would not suffer or tolerate any strange Religion amongst them for hee but hearing they speake the language of Ashdod cursed them and reviled them and smote them and beate them also for it and tore off the very haire of their faces so that hee laid severe corporall punishment upon them for it Now if hee would not suffer them in his sight and hearing to speake the language of Ashdod hee would never have granted them a toleration of all Religions for hee was another Ioshua fully resolved that hee and his houshold and all that were under his command should serve the Lord and him onely and that after his way and hee sufficiently there declareth his detestation against a toleration of all Religions or of giving the people an indulgence to serve God which way they thought best and to use the liberty of their consciences for hee made them all to imbrace the true Religion and to worship God according as hee had commanded in his holy word which is meant by that hee made them sweare by God which as all the learned know is ever in the holy Scripture to be understood of the true worship of God Now we see godly Nehemiah not onely urges them to imbrace the true Religion and to serve God according as hee himselfe hath appointed by Arguments and Reasons setting before them the miseries and calamities that came upon the whole land by Solomons tolerating of all Religions amongst them but gallant Nehemiah reviled them as if hee said you rogues doe you speake in the language of Ashdod and then cudgels them
c. and of what even of a Toleration of any Religion but the true Religion and of that Religion Christ hath taught us by what authority soever it comes ratified unto us whether by Ecclesiasticall or civill yea though it bee imposed upon us by the command of Kings and Rulers themselves for saith Christ our Master I charge you all take heed and beware of the leven of the Pharisees and of the leven of Herod Now by leven our Saviour understands all traditions and doctrines of men and injoyns all his Disciples to beware of them and commands them to take heed of them and not to tolerate them amongst them and that this is his good will and pleasure he hath ratified it when hee was in heaven for writing unto the Church of Thyatira Revel 2. verse 20. I have saith hee a few things against thee because thou sufferest that woman Jezabel which calleth her selfe a Prophetesse to teach and seduce my servants c. Here Christ hath declared his will and good pleasure and how much he displeased with that Church that shee suffered those false Teachers and Seducers amongst them and that they but connived at them and pronounces fearfull judgements against both that Church and the Church of Pergamos and that of Laodicea for tolerating the Doctrine of Baalam the Nicolaitans and for suffering those luke-warme Christians amongst them so that there is nothing that Christ abhorreth more then a toleration of all Religions but that wee may farther yet know what the good will and pleasure of God is concerning this point let us heare Paul who made knowne the whole counsell of God to his Church Act. 20. Now hee in the 17. of the Acts declareth the will of God touching this matter for after that hee had reproved the Athenians for their superstitions ver 22. and undertaken to teach them the knowledge of the true God who they ignorantly worshipped and the right way of worshipping and serving him and informing them that hee is not worshipped with mens hands that is with any of their inventions and with what way or in what manner they thinke fit God saith hee is not to bee worshipped after any traditions of men but according to his owne appointments and this hee challenges by right from all men as being the absolute Lord of them all for he made them they are saith the Apostle the off-spring of God and his Generation and they live in him and move in him and have their being in him and their breath and life from him yea saith the Apostle hee hath determined the times before appointed and the bounds of their habitation Now God saith hee hath given you all these things that yee should seeke the Lord that is that ye should worship him as hee is your Lord and King and to whom all honour and service of right is due now then as wee are his off-spring we must not thinke of God after our fantasie and set up such a worship as pleaseth our selves or allow of any kind or way of worshipping God that men please to follow as you superstitiously doe at Athens no saith the Apostle God will be worshipped after his owne way and after his owne appointment and howsoever God winked at the times of this ignorance yet now hee commands all men every where to repent that is to set up the true Religion and to worship him after one way for saith hee all the nations are now to set up one way of worship and if they will not obey this Lord of the whole world and imbrace that one and onely true Religion that I teach and preach unto you then I tell you plainely that as God hath appointed a day wherein hee will judge the world in righteousnesse by Christ Iesus if you will not set up his true worship and the true Religion and the right way of serving him but will tolerate all manner of Religions amongst you still as formerly you have done and give liberty to every man to serve God after his owne will and pleasure and not according to this good will and pleasure of God you shall be eternally damned for this is the meaning of the Apostle so that the will of God must be our rule for worship and not Poland and Transsylvania the will of God saith the Apostle must be that wee must follow in worshipping and serving him Now when by the Word of God that acceptable and perfect will of his wee are taught that hee was displeased with his people the Jewes for tolerating of all religions amongst them and that he was highly offended with those christian Churches in Asia for tolerating the doctrines of Balaam and Iezabel we are sufficiently taught and instructed that Christians ought not to tolerate any other Religion but that which Christ the only King and Law-giver of his Church hath taught us and that whosoever should take that authority upon them to tolerate all Religions would bee found fighters against God and such as deservedly would bring downe his judgements upon the Land by it for if but conniving at evill and consenting to it be a thing displeasing unto God how would the tolerating of it by a Law be abominable unto his sacred and divine Majesty for this were to establish iniquity by a Law We are taught in the holy Scriptures that the consenting with a thiefe makes a man as guilty before God as the acting of thievery Psal 50 and that they that assented unto Jezabel in killing the Prophets made themselves all as guilty as Jezabel her selfe and that the Heathen Romans Rom. 1. verse 32. who knowing the judgement of God that they which commit such things are worthy of death not onely doe the same but consent with them that doe them made themselves as equally guilty as the Actors of them as Paul in his bill and information put up in the Court of Heaven against them sufficiently declareth the same did Elias in his bill of information against the people in his time accusing them all as equally guilty of the blood of the Prophets and destroying Religion as Jezabel and onely because they consented unto it They saith Elias have killed thy Prophets and have broken down thy Altars Which they all the people that assented unto her as well as the Officers and Executioners And so our Saviour in his time accuseth the people as well as Herod for slaying of Iohn the Baptist saying They have done to him whatsoever they pleased They which they all the Nobles that sate at Table with Herod that did not disswade Herod from that bloody and tyrannicall act and all the people that liked well of it the sinne of this Nation who assented unto the bloody Decrees and censures given in the High-commission-Court and in the Star-chamber and in all other unjust Courts the people that assented unto all their cruell censuâ—es against Gods people and liked well of it are as equally guilty who would ordinarily say that had they beene Judges
their duty and according to the will of God Therefore when the Il-dependents pray for a Toleration of all Religions under the name of liberty of conscience and labour for it and hinder with all their power the setting up of the onely true Religion and worke of Reformation and the setting up of such a Government in Christs Kingdome which is his Church as he hath revealed in his blessed will and they have also covenanted to bring in in their so doing they neither pray that Gods name may be hallowed nor that his Kingdome may come nor that his will may be done nor that they may not be led into temptation and be delivered from evill and therefore they pray not aright and are not as they falsly boast themselves the only true praying people for they pray not according to Gods will Now when those Churches of the Congregationall way consist of such kinde of praying Members it is apparently manifest they are a mixt Generation of men and not the Generation of the just nor the men of Gods right hand which is another title they falsly and pharisaically also claime and challeng unto themselves as they did the former as will by and by appear upon due examination and discussion of the true sense of that expression For those that are the men and people of Gods right hand properly so called are such as with all their might stand up in defence of Gods true Religion and earnestly contend for the faith once delivered unto the Saints Jude 2 3. and are not onely ever ready to lay down their lives for that ancient faith but with all their power to fight for it to the last drop of their blood in opposition to all errours superstition heresies and all manner of false worship and in opposing whatsoever is against the power of godlinesse as a Toleration of all Religions is which tends only to the bringing in of all prophanenesse and irreligion Now the Il-independents deny that they did ever fight for Religion Yea I my selfe have heard many of them say That it is unlawful to fight for Religion and they professed that when they went out with the sword in their hands they fought onely for the liberty of their consciences and for a Toleration of Religion which is a part and branch as they said of the Subjects birth-right All this I can with many more depose and therefore they falsly arrogate unto themselves that title of being the men of Gods right hand which no more belongs unto them then the other ensignes and titles did And as little right have they to the title of Saints and the generation of the Just which is so frequently in their mouthes if wee bring them to the true touchstone of that mettle therefore it may be to very good purpose to turne to the 15. Psalme and briefly to run over that where we shall finde a true description of Saints indeed Who saith the Psalmist shall abide in thy Tabernacle and who shall dwell in thy holy hill that is to say who are Saints indeed and the generation of the Just For answer the Holy Ghost that best knew who were Saints indeed sets down the characters of true Saints The first of which is his upright walking He that walketh uprightly saith the spirit of God This is a metaphoricall expression signifying the trade of a mans life his custome and carryage in it as when a man is said to walk after the flesh it is as much in the dialect of holy Scripture as to say He goeth on in his naturall condition and in his irregenerate state in his ignorance blindenesse wicked courses and practises and hath no work of grace wrought in his heart nor any chang in his will and affections nor in his whole frame of life and carriage but he is the old man still Rom. 18. ver 1. So to walk uprightly in Scripture language is to walk after the spirit to be regenerate to be a holy and heavenly minded man who doth all the actions of one borne again of the water and of the spirit he makes the Law of God his delight and squares his life and actions according to that rule and the direction of his blessed word and he orders his life by that rule in all integrity sincerity and without hypocrisie or any base or by-ends or wordly respects He makes it his employment with Enoch and Noah to walk with God secretly as well as openly in all manner of conversation in his thoughts words and deeds as if he were ever in the sight and presence of God walking uprightly also towards men carrying himselfe justly towards all but especially his main aime is to indeavour that the true worship and service of God may be set up in his family and wheresoever he hath power hee declines not to the right hand nor to the left in matters of Religion but keeps himselfe strictly to the rule and goes right on according to the direction of that He halts not between two Religions or more for he knowes how much that is disspleasing unto God who said unto the people by his Prophet Why halt ye between two Religions That God cannot indure in any people no more then he can indure the lukewarme Laodiceans that are neither hot nor cold but indifferent what Religion be set up so they may injoy their case all such he knows God hath and will spew out of his mouth Such therefore as halt and limp in Religion and hop first on this side to this Religion and then on the other side to that other Religion and a little after limp into another opinion and soon after hop into another Sect all that walk thus are no Saints in Gods dialect For the true Saints indeed they walk up â—ghtly before God in that one Religion he hath appointed they turne not to the right hand nor to the left they take no by-way or crosse path in Religion they halt not nor limp not nor doubt not of their way neither do they sit still or make a stand nor set not a foot backward in Religion all which were not to walk uprightly before God but all the true Saints walk uprightly they go on with constancy without interruption in their Religion that way Jerem. 6. They are not carryed sometimes this way with this wind of doctrine and sometime that way with that blast of opinion but they walk right on they set not a step backward from their first love to Religion like the Church of Ephesus Revel 2. but passe forward toward the price and mark of their high calling with as great a zeal and fervency as at first and hate all false wayes and erroneous religions they persevere in all the wayes of God and in the footsteps of all the Saints of old and imitate all those vertues and graces that are commendable in the Saints and all the Churches They cannot indure that any doctrine of Baalam Jezabell or of the Nicolaitans should be connived
once delivered to the Saints and against the wayes of Men and such as were brought into the Church by the cunning craftinesse of some and thrust upon the people as the Lawes and Ordinances and wayes of God when they are but their owne inventions and tend to no edification but to the trouble and disturbance of Church and State and such as already have brought a confusion upon us all and if the Lord do not speedily from Heaven send his helping hand we can expect nothing but desolation and all from these divisions that their new wayes have brought in and therefore it is high time for all good christians and such as love the peace of Sion more exactly to examine all these new wayes and to put them upon the proofe of them But that the Brethren should complaine of persecution amongst us and of evill usage it is against all reason and humanity and sheweth little gratitude in them to all the christians both thorow citie and countrey for if they remember when they came over though they had deserted the cause when they had most need of them they were more honoured then any of those famous and learned Ministers that had undergone the labour and heat of the day and they were preferred before them all and setled in the prime Lectures of the Kingdome and had more honourable maintenance then was usually given to any Lecturers before them and therefore they deale not brotherly in any of all their proceedings nor humanely so to asperse them as they ordinarily doe both publickly and privately I am confident there is not such a president in the world of humanity as that shewed here to them it is well knowne and their books practices declare it that they preach new ways new-born truths as they call them and set up new lights Now where was it ever heard of either in the Christian or Pagan world that it was ever permitted unto any Ministers or Preachers to have all the Pulpits in any nation to preach a diverse doctrine to that which is set up by authority and such as tends to make a faction and division amongst the people I doe most assuredly beleeve that there cannot the like president be produced Amongst the Heathen the Iewish Religion in many countries was tolerated but they were confined to their owne Synagogues they might not come in the Heathens Pulpits to preach up the Iewish worship amongst them or to set up another service contrary to the custome of the Nation It was an abomination to the Egyptians that the Iewes should sacrifice in their land they would not have suffered them then to have preached up their Religion in all their Pulpits In Turkey at this day Christians in many places have the liberty of their consciences amongst themselves and have their places for worship to assemble in but they are not so much as permitted to come into their Temples much lesse to preach up their Religion in their Pulpits In France the Protestants are permitted to preach but it is only in such places as are appointed for them they may not preach in Popish Pulpits thaâ— is not permitted unto them In the Low-Countries there is liberty of conscience which they so much plead for of which afterwards and yet the divers sects that are there are not suffered to preach out of those places assigned unto them or to preach publikely in any of their Pulpits against the Religion established by authority neither are they permitted to unchristian them or unchurch them and publikely and in print to proclame them enemies of Christs government and if any should dare attempt such a thing or go about to disgrace their Ministers and Church-government or in the least intrench upon the Magistrates authority they would be made slie like lightning before thunder And yet the bâ—ethren â—mong us have the liberty of all the Pulpits thâ—oâ—h the kingdome without controule and vent all their new wayes and their new borne truths and setup their new lights without any moâ—estation and have all respectfull usage and the onely esteeme of the peoâ—le and are more followed than all our learned godly and painfull orthodox Ministers and yet they cry out of persecution and unchurch and unchristian us all and proclame both Ministers and people all enemies of christ and his Kingdome and count of us little better than of Infidels and keep our children from Baptism and debarre us from Communion with them and exercise a kinde of absolute Lordship over all their brethren so as Diotrephes never did the like nor the Pope moâ—e and yet they cry out of persecution against the aints and lay odious aspeâ—â—ions upon their brethren and fellow Presbyters perswading the people that the Presbyterian way will be as bad or worse then thaâ— of the Prelates But if we as duly examine the manner of the Independent government and compare it with the Presbyterian as we have done the manner of their preaching with theirs we shall finde there is little reason why they should so vilipend the Presbyterian and magnifie their own and why they should make it so hatefull and odious to the people laying aside therefore all pâ—ejudice let us examine things with deliberation and then it will be soon evident that the Presbyterian government is not as bad or worse than that of the Prelates nor so lordly as that of the Independent government which is also Presbyterian and they as well Presbyters as their brethren It is well known that the Prelates assumed and arrogated unto themselves to be the onely Pastors of their Diocesses and ruled all the Ministers and people under them by their own authority and spoiled all both Ministers and people and the severall congregations under them of their liberty and made them all both Ministers and people their vassals and slaves and from whoseâ— ourts there was no appeal Whereas the Presbyterian manner of government is not as that of Lords and Masters oâ—er Subjects and Servants but social as between equalls between brethren friends and collegues who all judg are alâ— judged according to the Word of God where no congregation is above another congregation no Minister is above another Minister but only for order-sake where every Presbyter is left to enjoy the whole office of a Presbyter and each congregation to the freedome of a congregation and what belongs unto them and they able to performe it and the classes to corroborate and strengthen them And if any man be wronged by the Presbytery he may have the benefit of his Appeal and be cleared by more righteous Judges a course ever followed by the Churches and agreeable to the light of nature so that I say if men would without a prejudicate opinion weigh and consider all things and compare the government of the Prelates with that of the Presbyterian they would speedily be undeceived And again if they would compare the Presbyterian Government Dependent with the Presbyterian Government Independent they would have more honourable
plagues for the tolerating of all Religions would be a just provoking of the Lord our God to anger now as it was then And we have sad experience already what the tolerating of the idolatry of the Masse that Dagon of Ginger-bread hath brought upon us for God will not be mocked if God be God and the Christian Religion of the reformed Churches and which we finde in the holy Scriptures and which was confirmed by so many signes and wonders and miracles be the true religion then let that and that onely be sâ—t up amongst Christians and no other tolerated for if they be they will speedily bring the plagues of God upon the Kingdome and confusion upon us all as we may well perceive by the suffering of them but a few yeers what good effects they will produce for toleration of all Religions cannot be pleasing unto God no more in our times than it was amongst his ancient people the Jewes and in the Primitive Churches and therefore all those that plead for a toleration of all Religions are no friends of Christ nor Lovers of Religion pretend what they will for neither Abraham Jsaac nor Iacob nor any of the Prophets nor holy men of God would suffer it neither would the Apostles ever endureit but in all their writings they give especiall charg to all the people to take heed of all the false Teachers of their time and forewarne them to take heed of them in all succeeding ages ever describing them by their crafty dealings that they should come in sheeps cloathing and in all seeming holinesse and fained simplicity and therefore that they are the more to be avoyded And Paul writing to the Galatians in the fifth Chapter wisht and desired that the false Teachers were cut off so farre were the holy Apostles from tolerating all Religions as in all their Epistles they inveigh against them and that continually as false Apostles and Deceivers and command all Christians to receive no other Religion but that which they had taught them Gal. 1. and bids the people come out of Babylon and tels them there is no fellowship with light and darkenesse and surely if all the Prophets and Apostles â—id command all the people of God to come out of Babylon they never gave leave to any Christians to set up Babylon amongst them and to tolerate the confusion and mingling together of all Religions for this would be a thing not onely against the Scripture and revealed will of God but against all solid reason and sound judgement Nay wee see that Christ himselfe in writing to the seven Churches in Asia and in them to all Christians in the world hee blames the Angel of the Church of Pergamus and that of Thyatira in the second chapter in these words To the Angel in the Church of Pergamus write these things saith hee that hath the sharpe sword with two edges I know thy workes and where thou dwellest even where Satans seate is and thou holdest fast my Name and hast not denyed my faith even in those dayes wherein Antipas my faithfull Martyr was slaine among you where Satan dwelleth but I have a few things against thee because thou hast them there that hold the doctrine of Bâ—alam who taught Balak to cast a stumbling blocke before the children of Israel and to eat things sacrificed unto Idols and to commit Fornication so hast thou them also that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans which thing I hate repent or else I come unto thee quickly and will fight against thee with the sword of my mouth And unto the Angel of the Church of Thyatira write these things saith the Sonne of God who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire and his feete like fine brasse I know thy workes and charity and service and faith and thy patience and thy workes and the last to be more than the first notwithstanding I have a few things against thee because thou sufferest that woman Iezabel which calleth her selfe a Prophetesse to teach and seduce my servants to commit Fornication and to eat things sacrificed unto Jdols c. and in the 3. chap. ver 14. Vnto the Angel of the Church of Laodicea write these things saith the Amen the faithfull and true Witnesseâ—c the beginning of the creation of God I know thy workes that thou art neither cold nor hot J would thou wert cold or hot so then because thou art luke-warme and neither cold nor hot J will spue thee out of my mouth c. Out of the which places it is sufficiently manifest that it is â— thing highly displeasing unto God that his people should give a tolerátion of any Religion but that hee hath established and those that labour for a toleration of all Religions must needs be luke-warme neither hot nor cold which is an evill the Lord is so much displeased with as he tels them that hee will spue them out of his mouth and surely there is nothing that favours more of licentiousnesse and carelesnesse in Religion and want of zeale to Gods glory in any men then when they would bring in a toleration of all Religions And many of them can report that there is no Religion in Holland where there is a toleration of all Religions though it is well knowne that there are men in that Countrey of the native Dutch people that are as zealous for the true Religion as any of them and are as much desirous that tolerations of all religions amongst them were not there permitted as they now wish a toleration of all Religions were suffered here amongst us for they find by experience that it is an occasion of all prophanesse and if they should have there the like occasions of civill combustions as wee have through Gods displeasure for our sinnes and ingratitude towards him here in England I am afraid they would find the toleration of all those religions amongst them would prove an intolerable thing to them if not the cause of the ruine of their whole Countrey The Lord divert his judgements from them and grant that they may never taste of the miseries that wee now are acquainted with but for tolerating of Popery and Arminianisme and the prelaticall faction and without doubt if the suffering but of these three has so displeased God the tolerating of all would give him a just cause of his more hot indignation But now to answer to their Objections in order the Heathens say the Independents suffered Abraham Isaac and Iacob and all the Patriarchs and the people of Israel where ever they came to exercise their owne religion and tolerated all religions amongst them For answer let them take notice that no thanke is due to the Heathens for it as we may see in Genesis the 12. chap. and the 20. chap. and chap. 26. but onely the glory of that is to bee ascribed to God who restrained them when they intended evill against them for hee appeared to some of them in visions and commanded them not
sowed good seed in his field that whiles the men slept his enemy came and sowed Tares among the Wheat and went his way which place is worthy to be taken notice of For in terminis it is said that whiles the men slept this I say is to be taken notice of for their dishonour that is to say after they had so wen the good seed and published the truth the Ministers and Preachers grew carelesse and like the people of Laish Judges 18. ver 7. and 10. Where they lived secure and the Magistrates were negligent in their place putting no man to shame for any evill they did which was the cause of their overthrow as it is there recorded and will be of ours and the ruine of the whole Kingdome if not timely prevented as being guilty of the same crime This indeed through the craft of the enemies hath bin one of the principallest occasions of the overspreading of this leprosie of all the heresies that now swarm through the whole Kingdome that the Ministers have not been so zealous and servent against them as they should have been and so valiant for the truth in the which guiltinesse Master Edwards is not involved for he hath all this time stood valiantly to the truth and shew'd himselfe a man of â—ourage and that against all opposition for which he deserveth especially to be honoured and all those likewise that have seconded him in discovering the danger of those devillish and damnable doctrines which have so poysoned the people every where that if the Lord of his infinite goodnesse do not speedily send helpe and put into the hearts both of Magistrates Ministers and all the people now at last to rouse up themselves and shew themselves valiant for the truth once delivered to the Saints which they are commanded to contend for Jude 3. they will but the more provoke the Lord to indignation against the Nation And in this good work they should set before their eyes the good example of all those worthy Kings and Governours whose names are recorded in holy writ to their everlasting honour for their diligence and care in suppressing of Errors and Idolatries withall they should lay to heart and consider that it highly concernes them if they desire the good of themselves and the welfare of their posterity and the peace of the whole land all which they will be deprived of if they speedily labour not to prevent them which a toleration of all Religions can never do for that must needs provoke the Lord to jealousie against us all for if we but duly weigh what the holy Ghost hath made known unto us in many places then that I now say will be out of doubt but omitting many places I will pitch upon one or two Judges 5 and 8. it is said there They chose new gods then was warr in the gates Here we see when all Religions came to be tolerated then was war in the gates And in the second of the Chronicles chap. 15. ver 3. 5 6. Now for a long season saith the holy Ghost Israel hath been without a true God and without a teaching Priest and without Law And in those times there was no peace to him that went out nor to him that came in but great vexations were upon all the Inhabitants of the Country And Nation was destroyed of Nation and City of City for God did vex them with all adversity Now the cause of all these miseries and calamities that did come upon all these people was for their corrupting of their Religion And this we shall find through the whole Scripture to be the cause of the wrath of God upon the Nations for the corrupting of their wayes and for the tolerating of Idolatry and the adulterating of the true Religion amongst them as is sufficiently manifest both from the places above specified and from the second and third of the Revelations where the Lord denounceth Judgements against the Church of Pergamos and Thyatira c. for but conniving at and tolerating of the false doctrines amongst them in the which places as the Lord sheweth he is the same in the time of the New Testament not changeable so it should lesson both people and Ministers but especially the Magistrates now to add their helping hand for the suppressing of these damnable and wicked doctrines that are now every where too much divulged and published They should also consider what the Lord saith Zachariah 13. ver 3. And it shall come to passe saith the Prophet that when any shall yet prophesie then his father and his mother that bare him shall say unto him Thou shalt not live for thou speakst lyes in the Name of the Lord and his father and mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth Here we may take notice that the nighest alyes and kindred of any false Prophet are not to spare him and there is most excellent reason for it for if the taking away of the naturall life of any wan or woman deserveth death by the law of God and Nations how much more is that punishable in any man that shall labour to destroy and poyson the soules of the people which all false teachers do when they spread heresies and damnable doctrines amongst them And for this place out of Zachariah it is acknowledged by the very Independents themselves that it is a Prophecy pertaining to those that are under the Gospell and belongeth unto all Christians as instructing them in their duty what they should do for the suppressing of false Prophets and they also do acknowledg that the establishing of pure Religion and the Reformation of corruptions in Religion do much concerne the civill peace confessing if Religion be corrupted there will be war in the gates and where Religion rejoyceth the civill state flourisheth all this I say the Independents themselves accord unto But they referre it and that truly unto the civill Magistrate partly by commanding and by stirring up the Churches and Ministers thereof to go about it in their spirituall way partly also by civill punishments upon the wilfull opposers and disturbers of the same Yea they apply that place out of Zachariah quoted by me to the times of the New Testament as I said before and confesse that it is prophesied there that in some cases capitall punishment shall proceed against false Prophets and that by procurement of their neerest kindred And moreover they say that the execution thereof is described Revel 16. v. 4 to the 7. Where the Rivers and Fountains of waters that is the Preists and Jesuites that convey the Religion of the Sea of Rome throughout the Countries are turned to blood that is have blood given them to drink by the Civill Magistrate These are the very expressions of the Independents themselves Now if this in their opinion doe hold true against the Priests and Iesuits whether it doth not also hold true against all the erroneous and blasphemous Sectaries and hereticall Teachers that by
dayes at her first comming to the Crown when there was a mighty Popish faction in the Court and through the whole Realm as all men know and when there was as great an indeavour for the bringing in of a toleration of that Religion as now there is for the setting up a Pantheon of all manner of Sects And such reasons there were then given for the establishing of the Catholique Religion as they called it as I beleeve if they should all be rehearsed there is few of those that now plead for a toleration of all can give the like but better I am most confident they cannon give For if multitudes of a contrary opinion armed with strength power also and they all furnished with malice and resolution to put them upon the imployment of their strength had been able to create danger to the Kingdome if the liberty of their consciences should have been denyed unto them then there was nothing wanting to terrifie a State to condescend to grant a toleration but all this could not then prevail nor all the art of perswasion they then used as that men of a contrary judgement were rather to be won with sweetnesse and lenity and loving perswasions and arguments and reasons then by any coercive way which often brought danger unto Kingdoms many arguments more with great worldly wisdom were then produced which with many that were reall Protestants and then in â—ouncel seemed of some weight but at that time there was a brave Nobleman present and a man of great understanding and as they usually call such a great Statesman but yet such an one as was never taken notice of to be any great zealot for Religion on either side Yet he demanding of the Councell that was then in debate about this businesse the greatest part of which seemed to make profession of the Protestant Religion and something incline to yeeld unto a toleration whether or no they thought the Protestant Religion was the true Religion and that way of serving God that he had appointed and the most of them replyed that they from their hearts and souls beleeved that it was Gods Religion and that which was taught in the holy Scriptures Then said this Nobleman my Lords set up and establish that Religion only and no other do you your duty and labour to authorize it and your life for mine God will help you to maintain his own honour and cause against what power and policy soever shall come against you for he can infatuate their counsell and enervate their strength and blast all their attempts in a moment who is all-sufficient and against whom no counsell nor understanding can prevail for he sitteth in Heaven and doth whatsoever he pleaseth for as there is no Lord or Master that can indure any servant that shall comply with his enemies give equall honour and service to his adversary that he doth to himself or connive at any so doing so God will never like of your service when you worship him if ye serve the devill also which you must do if you set up any other Religion or any other Religion or any other way of Church Government in the Kingdome then that you beleeve in your hearts God himselfe hath appointed for as two Religions so contrary one to another are incompitible with the glory and honour of God who hath said No man can serve two Masters so they will be destructive to the safety of the Kingdome And therefore my Lords saith he as we have but one God so I beseech your honours let us have but one Religion in the Kingdome and one kinde of Church Government amongst us and that ratified and established by authority for if their be a liberty left for every man or every faction to do what they please we shall speedily bring down the judgements of God upon the Kingdome and a confusion upon us all And many reasons more he gave to this purpose by which he so prevailed with the Councell that they agreed to give no toleration for Popery or allow of any faction in Religion but resolved with all speed to establish the Protestant Religion And truly the same argument may now be used for the establishing of one Religion and one kinde of Govrnment And as Elijah said to Baals Priests and to the people If God be God then follow him c. So if this way of worshipping God that is held forth in the Protestant Churches and hath for some generations been taught in the Church of England be that way then it will be for the honour and glory of God and the safety of the Kingdome that that onely be established which will bring peace to Church and State and take away all occasions of offence and jarrs amongst brethren For the examples of Poland Transsylvania and Holland they are no presidents to other Nations their politique proceedings are no examples for other Christian Countries and Kingdoms to follow for Christians are to live by the rule of GODS Word and Christ's their Kings laws and to follow the examples of his own people onely in their wel-doing and not in their failings and therefore we are to follow the example of Abraham Joshua Elias and the other Patriarchs Prophets and holy Apostles who never tolerated all Religions Yea we are commanded in Romans 12. Not to conform our selves to this world but that we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds that we may prove what iâ— the good and the acceptable and perfect will of God This Will of God therefore must be the rule and square that we must ever set before our eyes and hearts in matters of our God and in points of Religion and worship and not the example ot Poland and Transsilvania Now let us heare what is the good will and pleasure of Christ our Law-giver concerning this point of toleration who challengeth and that of all due and right to be our Master saying Matth. 23. 8. Be not yee called Rabbi for one is your Master even Christ and againe verse 10. neither be ye called Masters saith he for one is your Master even Christ this reiterating of the same prohibition and challenge to be our Master shewes that wee are not to make either men or Angels or whole Kingdomes or Countries our Masters but onely Christ we must alwayes therefore in matters of Religion have recourse unto his good word and will and heare his voice and therefore let us heare what the will of Christ is concerning this busines of Toleration who in in the 8. of Mark 15. speaking there unto his Disciples and in them to all Christians for the Independent Masters hold that the Disciples represented the whole Christian Church he charged them saying take heed and beware of the leven of the Pharisees and of the leven of Herod here wee find a treble caveat a Charge and a Take-heed and a Beware as if the Lord had said I cannot use too many words to make them take heed
hopes are frustrate now they labor for a toleration of all Religions which both God noble Nehemiah and Ioshua all the Holy Prophets Christ and his blessed Apostles continually were displeased with and denounced judgements against all which holy Lawes now they desire may be dispensed with to gratifie them with a ful toleration of all religions or at least with an indulgence for their new-fangled Independency which by all their indeavours they make way apace for and howsoever it was thought a thing worthy of death in Strafford and the Prelate of Canterbury that they but laboured to alter the Lawes of the Land and the Religion that was established by publick authority and for the which they both suffered the very Sectaries and Independents themselves being the principall Agents to bring them both to their end who by their tumultuous and disorderly running up daily to Westminster were never satisfied in craving justice at the Parliament against them saying that as resolution was the life of action so execution was the life of the Law and justice and would never be contented and appeased till they had obtained their desires against them and only for this very cause as they pretended that they indeavoured to alter the Lawes of the Land and the Religion established by publick authority and many of our Fugitives were as eager in that busines as any of the rest some of them standing upon the Scaffold to see the execution of them and rejoycing at the justice done upon them and yet behold the very same men are all of them guilty of the very same crime that they dyed for yea of a farre greater for the Prelate and the Earle of Strafford were adjudged for but indeavouring to alter the Religion and Lawes established in the Kingdome but all the Sectaries and Independents they have really altered Religion and have set up many new Religions and that without any authority yea they have altered both Law and Gospel rejecting all the Holy Scriptures and making nothing of the glorious Word of God as can be proved and they have not only established by their sole authority divers Religions amongst us that were never knowne before but they proclame all the Presbyterians enemies of the Lord Jesus Christ and the sons of Belial and esteeme of them as so many Infidels in no wise to be communicated with in holy things And for the fundamentall Lawes of the Land they not only speake against them as a yoake of tyrannie and bondage unsupportable to be borne but they write whole bookes against them desiring they may be altered notwithstanding all men injoy their lives and estates by them yea they write not only in general against all the laws of the land but against the very Ordinances of Parliament daily publishing Pamphlets against all their proceedings and especially they have taken great paines to dismount the Ordinance of Tythes established both by Law and a particular Ordinance of Parliament they would faine starve the Presbyterians preaching and practising hourely against the Covenant and many knowne Ordinances for whereas it was by Ordinances injoyned that none should preach publickly but such as were authorised and thought fit for the soundnesse of their Doctrine and for the sufficiency of their parts and abilities and that nothing should be printed but by authority notwithstanding these Ordinances the Sectaries and Independents both preach print whatsoever they please to the seducing of the people and for the perverting and corrupting of religion and disturbance both of Church and State and whereas by an Ordinance of Parliament the manner of government consisting of the three States King Peers and Commons hath been againe and againe confirmed established with the sitting of the Reverend Assembly of Divines and the ratifying of the Directory and for the establishing of the Presbyterian government neverthelesse they write against them all especially the King Peers and Assembly making nothing of them no nor of the â—ouse of Commons it selfe if at any time they displease them but they dash them all a peeces subverting the whole government at once proclaming the people the soveraigne Lords of them all and some of them have beene so temerarious as they have abused the whole Parliament to their faces first the King then the House of Commons and then the House of Lords slighting their authority and power affirming that they could not so much as commit any freeborne subject to prison which every Justice of peace or Constable may doe yea it is well knowne that in insolency they have exceeded all Delinquents that ever appeared before the great Councell of the Kingdome so that it may be spake to the honour both of Strafford and the Prelate of Canterbury that they both of them behaved themselves with far greater modesty and reverence towards both Houses then many of the Sectaries have done for they ever yeelded due honour and reverenciall respect unto them all both with bowed knees and gracefull and seeming language which those paultry Fellowes out of an insulting impudency denied them despising Dignities and Dominions and these creatures have had their complices to applaud them in these their Rebelliouspractises yea some of them have beene so bold as to petition the Parliament in their behalfe though they could not be ignorant how unchristianly unreverently and undutifully they behaved themselves before them which was the greatest affront that was ever offered to any Parliament and the greatest breach of the priviledge of Parliament that hath beene knowne in any nation and yet all these things have beene perpetrated by the Independents and Sectaries all which gracelesse proceedings the old Puritans of England abhorred as the way of unrighteousnesse This also can be proved that many of their Independent itinerary preachers run from place to place preaching against the Nobility and Gentry against the Citie and against the Reverend Assembly against the Directory against Tythes against the Presbytery yea against all that is called authority and against all our gallant renowned and valiant presbyterian souldiers saying in their Sermons come out yee old base drunken whoremasterly rogues shew what you have done for the safety of the Kingdome ascribing all the glory of those noble victories to their owne party Truly if I should make but a repetition of the very contents of their prayers Sermons and diabolicall practises and set downe but the very heads of them it would fill a mightie volume by all which it would evidently appeare that they are greater Delinquents against the Religion and Lawes established by publicke authority then ever Strafford and the Prelate were and greater Malignants to the State then ever the Cavaliers were yea greater enemies to all Reformation in Religion then ever appeared in the world before they were hatcht and which is not the least thing of admiration and wonder in all these creatures they are fledge in wickednesse as soone as they are disclosed Truly these their practises manifest unto the whole world that they are