Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n
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A97104
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A prediction of Mr. Edvvards his conversion and recantation. By William Walvvin.
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Walwyn, William, 1600-1681.
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1646
(1646)
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Wing W691; Thomason E1184_5; ESTC R208197
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7,451
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23
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yet have I most unworthily reviled and reproached divers sorts of honest Tradesmen and other vsefull laborious people for endevouring to preach and to instruct those that willingly would be instructed by them tearming them illiterate Mechanicks Heriticks and Scismaticks meerly because I would not have my superstitious friends to give any eare or regard unto them And for these respects have I magnified our publique Churches or meeting places and reproached and cryed out upon all preachings in private houses calling them conventicles and using all endevours to make all such private meetings liable to that Statute that was enacted and provided to restraine and avoyd all secret plotâ—â—ngs against the civill government when in the meane time I knew the scriptures plainly shewed both by the precepts and practices of our Saviour and his Apostles that all places are indifferent whether in the mountaine or in the fields on the water in the ship or on the shore in the Synagogues or privat houses in an upper or low-roome all is one they went preaching the Gospell from house to house Not in Ierusalem nor in this mountaine but in every place he that lifteth up pure hands is accepted Wheresoever two or three are gathered together in my name there saith our Saviour I will be in the midest of them all this I knew yet because the superstitious were through long custom zealous of the publique places I applyed my selfe therein to their humors and my owne ends and did what I could to make all other places odious and ridiculous though now I seriously acknowledge that a plaine discreet man in a privat house or field in his ordinary apparell speaking to plaine people like himselfe such things as he conceiveth requisit for their knowledge out of the word of God doth as much if not more resemble the way of Christ and the manner of the Apostles as a learned man in a carved pulpet in his neate and black formalities in a stately high and stone-built Church speaking to an audience much more glorious and richly clad then mosâ— Christians mentioned in the Scriptures and may be as acceptable I have most miserably deluded the world therein and those most with whom I have beene most familiar and have thereby drawne off their thoughts from a consideration of such things as tended to love peace and joy in the Holy Ghost to such things as tended neither to their owne good nor the good of others I have beene wise in my own eyes and despised others but I must abandon all I must become a foole that I may bee wise hitherto I have promoted a meere Clâ—rgy Religion but true Christian religion pure religion and undefiled I have-utterly neglected I have wrested the covenant from its naturall and proper meaning to make use thereof for the establishment of such a Church government as would maintaine the power of the Clergy distinct from and above the power of Parliaments and such as would have given full power to suppresse and crush all our opposers but I now blesse God the wisdom of Parliament discerned and prevented it I have been too too cruel and hard hearted against men for erors in religion or knowledge supernaturall though I my selfe have no infallible spirit to discern between truth and erors yea though I have seene them so zealous conscientious in their judgmentâ— as to be ready to give up their lives for the truth thereof yet have I as the Bishops were wont argued them of obstinacy and in steed of taking a christian-like way to convert them have without mercy censured some of them worthy of imprisonment and some of death but I would not be so used nor have I done therein as I would be done unto my selfe I have beene a great respecter of persons for outward respects the man in Fine rayment and with the gold ring I have ever prefered whilst the poore and needy have beene low in my esteeme I have too much loved greetings in the market place and the uppermost places aâ— feasts and to be called Rabby And to fill up the measure of my iniquity I have had no compassion on tender consciences but have wrought them all the trouble cruelty and misery I could and had done much more but that through the goodnesse of God the present authority was too just and pious to second my unchristian endevours My mercifull Saviour would not breake the brused reed nor quench the smokeing flax but my hard heart hath done it O that I had not quenched that I had not resisted the Spirit what fruit have I of those things whereof I am now ashamed O how fowle I am and filthy yea how naked and all uncovered my hidden sinne lyes open I see it and the shame of it and how fowle it is and the sight of it grieveth and exceedingly troubleth me I would faine hide my selfe from mine owne sinne but cannot it pursueth me it cleaveth unto me it stands ever before me and I am made to possesse my sinne though it be grievous and loathsome and abominable and filthy above all that I can speake what shall I doe whither shall I fly who can deliver me from this body of death my spirit is so wounded I am not able to beare Can there be mercy for me can there be balme for my wounded spirit that never had compassion on a tender conscience my case is sad and misserable but there is balme in Gilead with God there is mercy with him is plenteous redemption I will therefore goe to my Father and say unto him Father I have sinned against Heaven and against thee I am not worthy to be called thy child make me as one of thine hired servants I will faithfully apply my selfe to thy will and to the study of thy Commandements yea I will both study and put in practice thy new commandement which is love I will redeem the time I have mispent love will help me for God is love the love of Christ will constraine me through love I shall be enabled to doe all things should I not love him that hath loved me and shewed mercy unto me for so many thousand sinnes shall not his kindnesse beget kindnesse in me yes love hath filled me with love so let me cate and so let me drinke for ever love is good and seeketh the good of all men it helpeth and hurteth not it blesseth it teacheth it feedeth it clotheth it delivereth the captive setteth the oppressed free it breakes not the brused reed nor quencheth the smokeing flaxe farewell for ever all old things as pride envy coveteousnesse reviling and the like and welcome love that maketh all things new even so let love possesse me let love dwell in me and me In love and when I have finished my dayes in peace and my yeares in rest I shall rest in peace and I shall dwell with love that have dwelt in love May his meditations hence-forward and his latter end be like unto this or more exellent and Heavenly which is all the harme I wish unto him as haveing through Gods mercy in some measure learned that worthy and Heavenly lesson of my Saviour But I say unto you love your enemies c. and may all that love the Lord Iesus increase therein FINIS July 22. 1646. Imprimatur JOHN BACHILER
A PREDICTION OF Mr. EDWARDS HIS CONVERSION and Recantation By WILLIAM WALVVIN LONDON Printed by T. P. for G. Whittington and N. Brookes at the signe of the Angell in Cornhill belâ—w the Exchange 1646. A PREDICTION OF MASTER EDWARDS HIS CONVERSION and Recantation THere hath of late so much labour and so many good discourses beene bestowed upon Mr. Edwards and with so pious and good intentions that it is not to be supposed so many precious endevours can be vaine or fruiclesse in reference to his conversion In cases so desperate as hâ—â— the worst signes are the best as wee use to say when things are at the worst they are nearest to an amendment To an impartiall judgement that seriously considers the violence of his spirit manifested against harmelesse well-meaning people that differ with him in judgement He cannot but seeme at best in that wretched condition that Paul was in when hee breathed out threatnings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord and went unto the High Priest and desired of him letters to Damascus to the Synagogues that if hefound any of this way whether they were men or women he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem For certainly had not Authority in these our times being endowed with much more true Christian wisdome then such teachers and through the power thereof had not restrained the bitternesse of his and the like spirits we had had before this time multitudes of both men and women brought from all parts of this Nation bound unto London if not burned in Smithfield But many there are that feare his condition is much more sad and desperate then this of Pauls which yet the blessed Apostle was much troubled to thinke on long after his conversion accompting himselfe as one borne out of due time and not worthy the name of an Apostle because he persecuted the Church of God It being exceedingly feared that in all his unchristian writings preachings and endevours to provoke Authority against consciontious people that therein he goeth against the light of his owne conscience that he is properly an Heretique one that is subverted and sinneth being condemned of himselfe And indeed who ever shall consider the exceeding Light that hath been darted from so many Seraphick Quills shining round about him amidst his persecuting intentions all which he hath hitherto resisted will find and confesse there is cause to feare So great a shining and a burning light that it cannot be doubted but that hee discerneth how unreasonable a thing it is that one erring man should compell or comptroule another mans practice in things supernatur all or that any lawes should be made for punishing of mis-apprehentions therein wherein thousands are as liable to be mistaken as one single person He must needs know that only things naturall and rationall are properly subject unto government And that things supernaturall such as in Religion are distinguished by the title of things divine such as the benefit and use thereof could never have beene perceived by the light of nature and reason that such things are not liable to any compulsive governmen but that therein every one ought to be fully perswaded in their owne minds because whatsoever is not iâ— faith is sinne He cannot be ignorant how disputable all the parts of Divinity are amongst the most learned how then can he judge it so horrible a thing as he seemes to doe for men to differ though upon the highest points he knowes every one is bound to try all things the unlearned as well as the learned now if there be different understandings some weaker and some stronger as there are how is it possible but then will upon every tryall be difference in degrees of apprehensions and surely he will not say that weaknesse of understanding is sinfull where there is due endevour after knowledge and though it should be sinfull in the sight of a pure God yet will he not say it is punishable by impure and erronious man But To rayle revile reproch backbite slander or to despise men and women for their weaknesses their meanes of trades and callings or poverty is so evidently against the rule of Christ and his Apostles that he cannot but condemne himselfe herein his understanding is so great and he is so well read in Scripture that he must needs acknowledge these cannot stand with Love that knowne and undisputable Rule Insomuch as if bad signes in so desperate a case as his is are the best surely he is not farre from his recovery and conversion With God there is mercy his mercyes are above all his workes his delight is in shewing mercy and the Apostle tells us where sinne hath abounded grace or love hath super-abounded O that he would stand still a while and consider the love of Christ that he would throw by his imbittered pen lock himselfe close in his study draw his curteines and sit downe but two houres and seriously sadly and searchingly lay to heart the things he hath said and done against a people whom he knoweth desire to honour God and withal to bear in mind the infinite mercy of God that where sin hath abounded grace hath over abounded certainly it could not but work him into the greatest and most burning extremity that ever poor perplexed man was in such an extremity as generally proves Gods opportunity to cast his aboundant grace so plentifully into the distressed soule as in an instant burnes and consumes all earthly passions and corrupt affections and in stead thereof fills the soule with love which instantly refineth and Changeth the worst of men into the best of men May this be the happy end of his unhappy labours it is the hearty desire of those whom he hath hitherto hated and most dispitefully used nothing is to hard for God it will occasion joy in Heaven and both joy and peace in earth you shal then see him a man composed of all those opinions he hath so much reviled an Independent so far as to allow every man to be fully perswaded in his owne mind and to molest no man for worshiping God according to his conscience A Brownist so far as to separate from all those that preach for filthy lucre An Anabaptist so far at least as to be rebaptised in a floud of his owne true repentant teares A seeker in seeking occasion how to doe good unto all men without respect of persons or opinions he â—ill be wholly incorporate into the Family of love of true Christian love that covereth a multitude of evils that suffereth long and is kind envieth not vanteth not it selfe is not puffed up doth not behave it selfe unseemly seeketh not her owne is not easily provoked c. And then you may expect him to breake forth and publish to the world this or the like recantation Where have I been Into what strange and uncouth pathes have I run my self I have long time walked in the counsell of the ungodly stood in the way of finners and too too