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Show 74 C HAp, 36 .A Reply to bis Chapter 36. 'Difcu.ffing tbe 7exJ m Luke 9·H·H· Difcuffer. THe next Scripture brought by the Letter againjl f~ch' ~erft~~tion; u Luke,9.5 4,5 ~ . where the Lord Jejm reproved h" Vifctples,r~ho would have fire come domne from Heaven, to have devO<md tho[e s.,,. ritans, that wo..Jd.not receive him, in the[e wordr , You know no~ of what fpirit you are, the Sonne of man is not come to deft roy mens lives but to fave them.. . With th>l Scripture Mr. Cotton jo;neth the next , and an[wereth both in on<, whwh.u-thu, ~Tim. z. 24· .The fervant of the Lord muft n{,t !\rive, but mull be !(en tie towards all men , proving if at any~ime,.God will give them Rtpentance, &c. Hnto both theft Scrip• tureJ,be giveth tbu Anfwer. • ~· Both the[e are direl1ionr to Minij!erJ of the GofP£1, bow to dealt,(ffol with obflin•te offimderr in the Chur<hj . but) either wi:h men with~ut, "'the Samaritans w<re , and many uncon1i<7'ted Chriftiani in Greece, whom Titus ("'an Evangelift ).wM to [eek:<, to <onvert. Or at beft,witb fome Jewes or Gentiles in the Church, who tba~~gh carnaU,yel were TlOt convinced of the Errourr of .their way. .A,u:l it is true,it became not the Spirit of the Gotpel,to convert Aliens to the Faith, (SuchMtheSamaritantfJiere) bJ Fire and Brimftone, nor to deale barjbly in pub licit Minijlry, or private conference, with ali juch [ever all· minded men,M either had not yet enmd into Church· fillowjhip,or ifth'} had, did hitherto jinne of Ignorance, nat a~ainft Con(cienct. But ne!· tber of both thefeTextJ, doe hinder a Minifler·of the Gojptlto proceed!~ a Church· way againjl Chur<h·mtmbert , when they become JcandaloUI, either in life, or Do[/rinu :. much leffe doe they fPea~e at all to ihe Civill Magi ]Irate. Vefender. The matter of this 1\nfwer, it is likely enough was f,iven by me : for it fuiteth with mine owne apprehenfions, both chen and now. But fome exprelllons in laying it downe, I doe not own<, nor ~•nl finde any Copie under my owne hand-writing~:; might telli~e, how _I did exprc!fc my felfe, efpecially in a word or t~,o, wheretnthe Vifcu,per obfcrvc_lh ( incb,p. 3S.)fome hafre, and bght,an?lleepyattenuon. 'ButittheDij,u{/cr Cdll tbew the fame under mme owne ha'ld, (as it is not impo\uole) I 01a!l be willing (by Gods help) both to acknowledge it, and m.y hafre in it. C H A F• 37• ..A '1\!p/y to his Chap. 37• Difcuffer. T Hu perplexed and ravelkd Anfwer, wherein fo many thingt , and fo . doubtfull are wrapp<d up andentangl<d together·, 1 jha/1 ta~ in ptecer. · · 1. Th~t the Lord ~efm in rebu~ing hi& Vifcipler rajh aniJ bloudy Zlale agatnj!th< ~arnarttanr, did not hereby hinder the MinijlerJ of the GofPel, toprnc<edm a Churcb-way againft [candalom offinderr, is not here quefltOTled, Vefender. · W dltben, this Point i~ ~one of thofe many doubcfull thing$ here wrapped: much leffeJS It perplex:d, or ro~velle<l, buc a plo~ine and cou~elfed T ~mh. But whether che Author of that Lecter fen·~ to me, dtd take It for a certaine and unquellioned Truth I did not kno~: nor doe I ~et know, unlelfe the Vifcuffer fpeak: his mind herem, as well as Ins own~. Sure I am, Profecution in a Church• :W•~, (It the caufe be; no! )ufr) is as odious and drcadfu!l a Perfc· ,cunon , as Profecuuon m a Court of civill Jullice, as hath been proved above. Difrnlfer. Secondly, ."'.ben the_Anfwerer fairb, much leffe doth thu 'Text jp<'Jk!. at a/Ito thectvtll Magtjlrate: here I obferve, that he implyeth , tba't bejid"hecenjim of the Lord J efitr in the h mdt of hi< JPiritua/1 Gaver~ owJ,jnr.a1ly JPmtt~all evill,. in Life or P o[/ri>Je, the civil/ MJgijlrate .,. alfo to tnjl;[/ corpora/1 prmifhmmt. Defender. T :1is cbfcrvation 1 may end y 1ay is ravelled out of my Anfwer and th~t Co petp!cxcdly,tlut it cannot be wound 11p our of my An~ f~crwll~Out b··eJking thethrcn l, b >th of my words, and meantng .. ~ r1s a pl•inc and C• n.1ine Truth, that '" the D.£ci p'es were not CJVJI! rvr.giftr~tes' Co ndther duth Clmft lpe.d\c to chem Ill L 2 this |