to be most palpably evident that they of the Independent Congregationall or of any Church-way whatsoever have not that true essentiall mark of a true Church to be found amongst them c. viz. A true Church in the Scripture sense being such only as wherein the Scripture the very word of God is purely and infallibly preached that 's the mark But let it be observed first This man destroies his own discourse by a contradiction For he is labouring to shew the vanity of all and any Church way whatsoever which is to deny that there is any Church at all but mock churches as pag. 27. and yet here he gives us the definition of a true Church which yet is not to be found in this world He would prove also the vanity of Preachers and yet here he speaks of the word of God purely preached as a mark of a true Church If there be no Preachers then no preaching if preaching then Preachers How shall they hear without a Preacher How preach except they be sent How sent if no body no Church to send them to to preach unto Secondly If any shall say he means it of the present Churches as his Title imports that none of them are true but that there may be a true Church according to his definition I answer His scope is to perswade every man and woman privately to reade the Scriptures and to be the sole judge of the sense thereof for themselves deeding neither Preacher to instruct nor officer to order them and where is then his true Church unlesse every particular man and woman make his new Church which is a Bull and another contradiction for a Church is caetus a company called out and met together for the publick and common service of God Thirdly If he mean that in a true Church there is not one word preached praying or Sacraments it seems are no mark of his Church no part of his new Church-service but purely and infallibly the very Word of God that is no interpretation used besides the very words of Scripture to what purpose is that meeting of his Church for debate and conserence of the Saints spoken of afterwards for they may reade the word at home the pure and infallible word of God and so be their own preachers the sense whereof if they impart in any other words to others at their meeting and conference they make his Church to be false and none because the very word of God is not purely and infallibly preached there Fourthly But Readers what will you say if the design be besides other desperate consequences of which anon to set up reading instead of preaching as the Prelaticall party of late cryed it up for preaching They do justifie their dumb idoll ministers that could not for ignorance or would not for negligenceâ— preach the word He perhaps wholly to level it seems there are Church-levellers as well as State the Ministry in the Church and to make all the people Preachers Or what if the design be in crying down all Churches and Preachers amongst us to cry up the boly marker Church of Rome where they will tell you there is the only preaching of the very word of God purely and infallibly read where little or no preaching to be found I leave you to consider it 4. He hath quickly done with the Churches his next and greatest work is to declaim against preaching and the Preachert Pag. 6 c. Who saith he usually pray to God that their word may be heard as the word of the everliving God This he cals a grosse imposture impiety belying and despiting the Spirit of God to pray that their erroneous doubtfull uncertain conceptions the word of man may be heard as the word of God c. 1. Here let it be observed that he doth not directly deny that there are such officers as Preachers in the Scriptures he acknowledges such creatures found in the word pag. 34. but only questions the infallibility of our preaching which none of us ever arrogated to our selves further then we preach that pure infallible word in Scripture sense ever though not alwaies in the very words 2. Who ever of ours said his Sermons were the very word of God for words and syllables But having praied that God would clear up their understandings and judgements in the scope and sense of the holy Ghost then they pray that people may hear it as the word of the living God And his reproach of such Sermonk that they are erroneous doubtfull uncertain conceptions for what other are your Sermons saith he is little lesse then blasphemy imposture and impiety Whereas while they expound and apply the Scripture in its own native sense according to the analogy of faith it is interpremtively the word of God Every true proper consequence from the word is by all godly learned and judicious men counted as the word of God and of divine authority though not so immediatly as the Scripture it self 5. But his meaning is that as there are no true Churches so no true Preachers in these times so he saith expressely pag. 18. That now in our times we have no Preachers of the Gospel but the Scriptures which how absurd an assertion it is we shall shew hereafter At present we hold to the point in hand to vindicate our preaching which he examines by the word we preach â—ag 7. You shall finde saith he that neither they nor your selves have any understanding at all of such divine or heavenly things as bring peace of conscience c. but only and solely by the Scriptures and that neither they nor your selves are taught by the spirit c. What 's this I hear Taught only and solely by the Scriptures without the spirit What understanding is that that is gotten by the Scripture only and solely more then historicall more or better then that which reprobates and devils have thereof This he speaks again pag. 49. They must acknowledge that they have no other infallible teacher of divine things but the Scriptures and that they partake no more of the spirit then what that blessed word of the spirit planteth in them How comes this opposition between things sweetly subordinated the spirit and the Scriptures the Scriptures outwardly the spirit inwardly saith not the Scripture They shall be all taught of God and that the spirit reveals the mysteries of the Gospel to his people writing the law in their mindes and hearts c. I had thought be had meant there needed no other preachers to teach us but the spirit it self speaking in the Scriptures so some fanatick spirits say and some are gotten above the Scripture to the immediate teaching of the spirit But it seems this Wildman is run as wilde to the other extream the Socinions recta ratiâ— that the spirit is needlesse and that the Scriptures only and solely are sufficient to teach us Oh the wiles of Satan How subtle is this old serpent One while the spirit without
many mindes as men through many more worse uncertain doubtfull erroneous conceptions and mistakes at one meeting upon one text of Scripture then are to be found in many Sermons Those that have gone to some such meetings have told us what non-sense what confusion wranglings blasphemies they have heard amongst them and some that have been members of such meetings Churches we must not call them have told us That they meet and wrangle and quarell and rail and revile one another about a sense of Scripture very shamefully and then a gossips meeting is appointed to make them friends and so they commonly do Sabbath after Sabbath And this I fear is that which this Authour would have in all their meetings that so when they have wearied themselves with wrangling then a subtle Jesuite may start up and say You see good people how dangerous a thing it is for every one of you unlearned ones to take upon you to expound the Scriptures The way to make you all of one minde is for you all to return into the bosome of that unerring mother Church of Rome which hath the Spirit infallibly tied to the man in Peters chair pag. 48. c. That this is his designe appears by that we have dropped out in pag. 33. Notwithstanding his commending the Scripture as not hard for common people to understand yet mark his words When we have all doâ—â— we must acknowledge that very many things exceed our understandings not so plainly exprest as to leave the conscentious without dispute and difference thereupon pag. 34. Whereupon it will be fairly consequent that we must look out for some infallible Judge to â—â—pire all our differntes or else we shall wrangle eternally who is that So Pag. â—… No others â—â—fallible Teacher but the Scriptures The Scripture he said before the only Preacher of the Gospel as being the infallible word of God pag. 18. True saith our Jesuite but they you see cannot be understood alike by all but severall men take them severall waies even those plainest necessary doctrince are controverted That Jesus Christ is God That he is the propitiation for our sins c. therefore you see how expedient yea necessary it is for preservation of love and unity in all your meetings that there be one infallible spirit inspired Judge who may determine the sense of Scripture and that 's the man in Peters chair Such Agitators as these are abroad at every of these meetings Pag. 36. and these I am confident are the men that pretend as our Authour saies To expound Scripture ever raising and starting new questions and new opinions and darken the Scriptures whereby men are ever learning but never at rest in knowledge tost too and fro with every winde of doctrine till at last one winde carry them all to Rome Pag. 37. Nor need any man henceforth wonder whence so many severall and strange opinions should arise by which our English world becomes even rent and torn in pieces It is from this Jesuiticall preaching and false exposition of the holy Scriptures on purpose to put all into confusion to prepare the way for Romish union And he saies most truly pag. 38. Pag. 39. In the absence of those faithfull forsaken Preachers are crept in swarms of locusts false teachers men of corrupt mindes c. by which the innocent Dove is become the game of these birds of prey these Ravens Vultures and Harpies This witnesse is true therefore reprove them sharply 14. After all this he draws to a conclusion thus Pag. 42. It were much better for the Common-wealth that all mens mindes were set at liberty from these entanglements from this Church-bondage for then men would by reading the Scriptures c. soon come to be able to understand the intent and substantiall scope thereof and become substantiall Christians c. But I pray Sir if there were not this Church-bondage as you call it but that all men were set at liberty from the publick Ordinances the word read and preached how many do you think would reade the Scripture at all or hear it read whenas we finde that most common people make bold to take this liberty you grant them never come into Church-bondage never reade them from one end of the year to another This is the way to bring in liberty of conscience one main * thing intended in this discourse and liberty of errour Pag. 48. â—hat all men â—â—…ing in their â—â—…verall waies â—â—…serving God â—hether pubâ—â—ck or private c. heresie profanesse And if this be your design in all your undertakings I shall say no more but The Lord rebuke thee even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee Is not this a brand pluckt out of the fire of hell If otherwise you are misled and seduced by cheating Jesuites my praier shall be The Lord would discover your errout to your self first and then to all such as by that your discourse or otherwise you have seduced FINIS
Church-Levellers OR VANITY OF VANITIES AND Certainty of Delusion DISCOVERED In the PAMPHLET called The Vanity of the present Churches AND Vncertainty of their Preaching By a Friend to both true Churches and Preachers 2 PETER 2.18 When they speak great swelling words of vanity they allure through the lusts of the flesh through much wantonnesse these that were clean escaped from them who live in errour 2 â—IMOTHY 3.9 But they shall proceed no further for their folly shall be made manifest to all men LONDON Printed by A.M. for Tho. Vnderhill at the Bible in Wood-street 1649. To the READER THe little ingenuous Licenser Theodore Jennings professing his dissent in some things few things it 's thought in the Treatise mentioned and some other few things seeming dark and doubtfull to him yet at a venture passes his Imprimatur upon it twice for failing once at the beginning and once at the end for the many plain clear evident truths in it of great use I beleeve to the present designs to destroy the Ministry and to ruine Religion He seems to me to be neer allied to John Bacheler his brother Licenser who sometime Licensed * License to M. Tombes Treat against Infan Bapt. Heteredox Books with such a caution as this Just both of them like Mountebanks who give poyson to shew their skill to Antidote it or rather as those that lay Rats-bane to destroy vermine lay a little Sugar to allure them to eat their own bane Had they been Physitians of any valuâ— or skill they would have separated the poyson from wholesome ingredients or have given some characters asterisks or spits to distinguish the one from the other But to passe all at a venture to the Presse without any notice what it is they dislike what seems dark or doubtfull is considering mens inclinations to suck in poysin soonest as most sugarlike to nature no better then spirituall murder of souls and the issue will be so farre from making the Saints of one minde and edifying the whole body in love that the liberty here granted not disliked by this Quacksalver is like to make as many mindes as men and as many divisions in the body as there are members One thing I cannot but observe and that a main one wherein he seems to dissent from his Author He speaks in his License of Churches of the Saints and yet at the same time passes his Licence to a Book that is throwing down and destroying all Churches his very Title being The Vanity of the present Churches And as for uncertainty of preaching or Preachers which is the other design of his Author he seems at least to comply with him when he useth his very words or at least his sense saying That one necessary thing faith which is in Jesus Christ which is by the Gospelâ— the power of God to salvation preached unto us so his Author speaks pag. 28. That new in our times we have no Preacher of the Gospel but the Scriptures Their meaning seems to be the same That the Gospel as the Licenser or the Scriptures as the Author are the only Preachers and we have no other and sure if we have no other Preacher but the Scripture we have no Churches at all If then the Licenser and the Author agree in these two the main businesse of the Book I know not wherein they need to dissent But seeing he conceals his opinion and jumbles truth and errour together we shall endeavour to separate them that the credulous or unlearned Reader may not be infected instead of being edified Farewell VANITY OF VANITIES AND Certainty of Delusion DISCOVERED In the PAMPHLET called The Vanity of the present Churches c. THe Author begins well in words That there ought to be a true correspondence between the heart tongue and hands An agreement between conscience profession and practice But it 's to be feared these are at a great distance in himself if he be as is not without probable grounds supposed a Jesuite disguised for such mens hearts tongues and hands consience profession and practice do seldom agree in any thing that is good to the peace of Church or State But because he adds When the discord of those is continued as well as declared to the reproach of Christianity or humane society then certainly a reproof is not only requisite but the neglect thereof a sin of an high nature Therefore I thought it good to discover a little this discord of his from himself and from the truth it self to the great reproach of both the particulars mentioned 1. The scope and intention of his whole discourse is evidently this 1. To destroy all Churches except perhaps the Church of Rome 2. To decry all faithfull preachers of the Gospel 3. To cry up Liberty of conscience for all sects and heresies so to bring all into confusion to make them all at last concenter in the Sea of Rome This seems to be the design his only vertue seems to be his impartiality for he spares neither Presbyterian nor Independent by which we may suspect him to be a Jesuite or Jesuited for all sectaries are Independents though all Independents be not properly sectaries and yet himself is holding out the largest Independency that ever was heard of that every man and woman shall have no dependence upon any Church he cries down all Churches but be his own Minister hearer officer all as more hereafter 2. And now let us see what he blames them for viz. For receding from their former judgements and declarations â—ag 2 c. for a full compleat and utmost liberty of conscience in the exercise of religion This saith he the Presbyterians whil'st persecuted by the Bishops did clearly hold forth but since practised the contrary for which the Independents did sharply reprove them accounting nothing more base and unbeseeming a Christian then to question or vex or reproach any man for his judgement and practice touching matters of religion and yet the Independents themselves have done the same thing c. This is the summe of the charge but this is a slander and deserves a sharp reproof For as for the Presbyterians they never held out any such principles of an universall liberty of conscience in the exercise of religion the difference between them and the Prelates being not in doctrinals but ceremonials they ever detested it nor have they ever persecuted any for his conscience as never having had power if they had a minde to do it And if the Independents did so hold forth or dissembled so far as some think they did to gain themselves love and respect and to multiply their Congregations and get countenance from authority they are old enough to answer for themselves they are justly to be reproved and justly rewarded in that they have taught their party to desert themselves who deserted their own pretended principles 3. He now comes to prove his first proposition The vanity of all the present Churches â—â—g 5. affirming it
makes very short work of Religion Pag. 21. How long a woâ—â— soever pretended Preachers make of it to maintain themselves and â—amilies in wealth honour c. necessary doctrines are not at all hand nor require long time to learn them c. for the word of God having once planted this truth in the understanding viz. That it is the blond of Christ which cleanseth us from all sins This Evangelicall truth of it's own nature would instantly set man on work to do the will of him that so loved him â—…re p. 30. c. I am forced once more to cry out Oh the depths of Satan Oh the subtlety of his eldest sons the Jesuites Time was when they loaded the Scripture as with uncertainties so with obscurity even in necessary things thereupon debarring people from medling with them pleading the simplicity of beleeving as the Church beleeved And now they are inviting people to reade the Scriptures and tell them necessary doctrines are not at all hard c. Why this but to cry down Preachers now as they did the Scriptures before that when the Preachers are gone 〈◊〉 48. they may again cry up he obscurity of Scriptures and so bring the people to hang upon the lips of the man in Peters infallible chair as he cals the Pope and to that easie and short way to heaven to beleeve as the Church beleeves which is not at all hard nor requires long time to learn it The Cobler was able in one hours yea minutes learning to confute the devil with this Argument And 2. with this very short lesson here prescribed by this Tutour That it is the bloud of Jesus Christ c. That Christ died for sinners our common people are able to confute that is despise not only preachers but all preaching to as knowing as much as any of them all can teach them But as for his work of this Evangelicall truth upon their hearts and lives That of its own nature it instantly sets them on work to doe the will of him that so loved them We see nothing lesse but the clean contrary they sin the more because grace abounds And if this truth so planted be so powerfull what 's the reason that not only some Sectaries of this mans way but even so many Romish Priests live so wickedly Indeed if men come to learn That this short lesson is sufficient what will they regard either printed discourses or Sermons This is truly spoken and this truth being known to all that professe Christianiny what then need those debates and conferences at meetings of which anon a way far more excellent then Preaching as he saies when every one will be ready to say as Elisha to the sons of the Prophets Knewest thou this c. yea I know it hold you your peace 2 Kin. 2 3. I have heard of an Antinomian Lady that said She would undertake to make all her maids Beleevers in half a year This man will do it in half an hour he will make true Christians with this one sentence The bloud of Josus Christ cleanseth us from all sin This of it's own nature without the Spirit will do it and that instantly I confesse our Preachers cannot finde their work so short or easie but if there be some Surgions that for gain prolong their cure I think there are no such Preachers amongst us There are also some and more Mountebanks which doe their work too soon to doe it well and such I fear this Teacher is 12. But he is very carefull to make his Disciples as full of good works as they are of knowledge Pag. 23. 3â— whereas our preachers make men at best but phantastick Christians talking upon some hard texts c. when they should be imploied to feed the hungry cloath the naked c. But sorely our Preachers preach so much for good works that some of hâ—s Sectaries cry them down for legall Preachers and those works are very good to adorn a Christians profession but who knows not that many blinde ignorant Papists had abundance of these good works but little to their comfort or advantage seeing without knowledge the minde is not good and without faith it is impossible to please God The Solifidians and Antinomians preached up faith an I cried down works Papists tried up good works but cried out of knowledge and faith To which of these this man most inclines is not hard to conjecture 13. Having said thus much to little purpose against Churches and Preachers Pag. 28. he now comes to exhort his Disciples to reading the Scripeures and frequenting of meetings for debate and conference so they do but take heed of Preachers and preaching And for the first to encourage them to Reading and only reading Pag. 36. giving no ear to those charmers those doubtfull expositors those mock preachers with their trumperie Sermons c. he tels them They may be certain of this that they themselves may as soon come to a good and right understanding therein as their pretended Preachers Yet he either forgets or rather purposely and Jesuitically hides from them divers scruples which may arise As 1. The Scriptures are originally in Hebrew and greek which his good people understand not If they be not by learned men Preachers or others translated how shall they understand them 2. If they be translated how shall they know they are truly translated He knows if he be a Jesuite how many grosse errours there are confessed to be in his Vulgar Latine But suppose it truly done are there not many things hard to be understood which unlearned and unstable men wrest to their own destruction and others with them 2 Pet. 3.16 And we have sad experience of this at this day when every man is suffered not only to be a Reader of the Scripture that we allow and require as well as he but a Teacher of himself and others 3. How many of his good people cannot reade at all must not they necessarily take up their Religion on trust from their as ignorant neighbours to far greater danger of errour then if they took it from learned and godly Preachers Secondly Pag 36. 42. Forgetting himself what he had said before More happy are they who reade with honest and good hearts and only reade and considerately lay to heart c. he gives another direction for frequent and full meetings Pag. 45. and affirms as much or more of that Doubtlesse the best way to perfect knowledge is and will be by endeavouring after meetings of people to conferre and discourse together upon necessary points only far excelling that of preaching as it is called pag. 22. To this we say 1. Are not these meetings of people so fully so frequently Churches or may they not be so called and will he bring those under the censure of his Title the Vanitie of the present Churches 2. When these his good neighbours are met together will there not be as