OCR Text |
Show The Bloody Tenet diftuft, treated my judgement of it for the fatisfaaion of his friend. I was not willing to deny him any office of ChrifHan love,and gave him iny poore judgement in a private letter. This private letter of mine he hath pub!Hhed in Print after fo many yeares, and there with a Refutation of it. If my letter was Orchodoxall and tending to fatiafaB:ion, and edification, why did he refute it? If corrupt, and erronio11s (cfp<cially ifbloudy) why did hepubli{b it? The letter, and fo the error contained in it, (ifit was an error) it was private,and fo private,that I know no man that hath a copPY ofit,no not my felfe who pemted~t (for ought I equid find) but himfelfe onely, ift did offend him by the writing offucb an error to him (though by himfelfe inueared to exprelle my judgement) let him remember, he pleadeth for libenie of confcience : I wrote my confcience and rhe truth of God according to myconfcience, in rhefight of God. Why !lrou\d he punitb mlj"with open pennance, and <Xpofe me (as mu~h as iii him lieth,before the world) tO open tbame, as a man ofbloud , for the liberty of my confcience ? How will it fiand with his owne principles, to plead for liberty of confcience and yet to punitb it?Befideslet him remember,ifl did offend him with_fuch an error, it was but a private offence, and the rule of the Gofpel required , he fhould firfi have convinced and admonitbed me privately ofit, and fo have proceeded upon.my contu~ macy, atlength to have told the Church, before he had publitbed it to the world. But fuch as feeke fur new Apofi!es,muft feeke alfo for new Gofpel, before this manner of dealing can be juflified , by the Gofpel of Chrift. That booke of his tlierefore being thus begun againft the rule of the Gofpel, no marvell ifit fwarve from the truth oft he Gofpel all a long. He that fetteth forth out of his way In the firll entl'ance of his journey, no marvell ifhe wander all the day after. cHAP· 2. Of the title he preftxeth to my iln[wm of the prifener1 letter, I~ printing my anfwer to the prifoners Letter, he prcfixetb this ude1he an[~Per of Mr.John Colton ofBofton ;,. New-Enj!land . . . pofejfoel vf nd dif;h~Jrg' d from B loud-guilti nef!e. profejfedly maintainin[, Perfecution fo; caufo ofConfcience. . . This Title trefpalfeth not onely againft the C~eato~ of Ch~llllan love which is wont to rake even doubtful! thmgs 10 the fa1 refl fenfe' : 'but even againft the L~w of truth.. For_ in the whole ~urport ofmyAnfwertotheLetter, bothmllatmgthe Q!Jelho~, and in anfwering Objeaions,, I expreO~ profeCfe, ' · That no m"'J zs to be perfecuttd at all (much leDe for Confezence fob.!_ : ~ becauft all perflcution i1 oppreffiou for Rtghteoufnrffi fob.!_. 2 , I Prof~JJe further, That none i1 to be punifh ·d for hu Confcimce fa~<.!_, though Erroneom, NnlejJe hu Error1 be Fundament•ll,or (editwujly, and t~rbulent!J promote~,and that after due cotzviliion ofCon{citnce :_ That!' ma.?' appear~, he zs not punifhed for hu Confcience, but for Ji_nmng agamfl h~ Confczence. Thus whilell he pleadeth for Ltberty of Confctence , he taketh Liberty to his Confcienceopenly to publ~fh,That I do profe!fedly maintaine Perfecution for caufe of Confc1ence, When I doe m expreCfe tearmes profelfedly Renounce it. This_ Lib;rty of Confcience fetteth the Confcience at Liberty Calummand• audaUer. Object, But it may be, by confequenc~, I doe maintaine Perfccution for cau{e ofConfcience , though m expreCfe tearmes I profeffidly Renounce it. ) .An f. 1. What if fuch a thing might be inferr'd by confequence. mens judgements and profellions ar~ not ro be tak;n up from every unwary confequence, againll th~1~ owne pofit.•ve and e?'prdfc Declarations and Profeffions. It 1smflly taxed m Be~a•·mwc as a flandermiS C~lumny, that he bringerb in Luther,_ CaltJtne, M•rtyr Bucer , makeing God the Aut hour of finne , wh1ch all of them 111 exprelfe tearmes doe auoyde ; yet he would fallen fuch a b~afphemous Tenet upon them (forfooth) by confequences. In hke for11 by the like confequences is the BloudJ Tenet fafiened upon me. ~hen the eyes are bloud-fhotten,or looke through a r_ed g!allt,allthmgs about them willappeare red an? bloudy._ ~ut 1f this .Tenet have any appearance of blood in it, Ttts becaufe It IS wafhed m the _Blood of the Lambe and Cealed with his bloud. And then though It may {eeme Bloud; to men of corrupt mindes deftirute of~hc erath, (as Paulfeemed tofuch to be a Pellilent fellow) yet to faithful and up· rightfoules,fuch things as are watbed in the Blond oft he L.mbe • are wont to come forth '!'hite1 as did the followers of the Lambe , who wafbid th•ir Robu whitt in the Bloud oft he Lambe,Re•-7•14• ' R ~ Ch•!'· ~ · 3 |