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Show 12 .Mafler J0 bn Cottons .ARfwer • o ne in communion with the enemies of the S•inte, even. An~icJ hyn ·n n:· ans; an d t ha t ·11 1 finch a worke as to blot out and exnngutlh ' Th · 1 · that hol lecond Commandcment of the Law : e vw aung whereo~tndleth the jealoufie of the mofi Htgh: and the ~bfe;'ad- . h reof wuuld have opened a doore of mercy to a t ou an · ~~~:~a:ions! ltis no vaine word of our Saviour , He that fball brea~ one oftbe /eaJI Commandemenu, and p,al/Teach men [o lo doe, he fha ll be called the !taft in rhe kJ.ngdome of Heaven. . This advice would I fhm up this ~oint withall, ( 1fl had any hope of an open eare in him to hearc ~~) he that leparateth from aI I Ch urc he s,ar'· d al l Ord'"n anccs ' let h1m at lafl: .l eparate hal lo from himfelfe: and Co he !hall then be bettc;r able_ to d1fcerne t c way t? returne againe unto holy Commumon wtth the Lord, and hts peoLpelte .m e conclude this Preface with t h1' 1 Ad veru'f ie ment to _t he Reader, who may perhaps marvell, that I now ( fo much agamft my ufuall cuftome) fhould hy open the nakedneffe of another to publick view. I bleffe the Lord, I am not ignorant, That love~o· vcreth a multitude of offences : and that the Dilciples of Chnfl, when they arc reviled are taught to Bleffe. And therefore were the calC: mcerely miqe own 1 and all the reproaches and flanders caft upon my Celfe, had terminated in my fe1fe, I fhoul? ~ave been as a deafe man,and as a dumb man that openeth not hts hpE. But_ whe? through my fides,not oncly fo many Eld~rs, and C.hurcl1~s tn thd Countrey, who had as much.( or more) mfluence mto hts fufferings, as my felfe, (and. yet. n?ne of 11~ any fu~ther influence,the? byf private and publickconvH'iwn ofhtmfelfe,. and of the dement o his wa~;) yea when Courts of Juftice fuffer for Juftice lake : yea further,when the Truth and Rightcouli1e!Te of ~od alfo fuffer_f1I inH•aing juft recompeilce of reward upon the dtfturbers.of '?•Y1 and facred Truth, and Peace:· and unde_r prer~nc~ ofmamtamd; liberty ofConfcience, Purity ofConfctence IS vwlated, and h flroyed: In luch ~ ~afe as this,jufl it if, and <qual!, rather that t f name;of an evill-wm:Ur fhould juftly luffer, then that the nam:ft .God called upon .Judgement feats, upon the Chu~ches of¥,~{~ and upon the Minillers of the. Golpel 1 fhould unJuftly fu e · his.fake. r Q t'o Mafter Roger Williams•. To his ,C H A r. I. My Lotter to M'.'WiOiamJ, (which he und,rt akerh to Exa'mine, and Anf\ver) be11an (it feer>leth) with this Compellatiun of him, Beloved in Cbrijl. For I confidered, he had been not onely a member,but •n Officer of the Church at Salem: and though from thence he was then Excommunicate; yet I took the Apofilcs Commandement for a Rule, Accou~tt him not a1 an en' my, b1<t AtimDnifb him a1 ~Brother, 2 Thef. 3· 14. If a Brother of the Church, (though caft out of the Church,yet not caft out of Chrift) then in Chrift,at leaft in judgementof charity.And ifin Chrifl(though but in'judgemel)~ ofcharity, yet) in charity to be Beloved. !ut (faith M'. WiUiamJ) fm1> c~n ir b, wlll-pleajing to Chrijl,rhat one beloved· in Chrijl, fho~tld be [o afjlifled1 and perfecuted by himjelfe, andorhm, (for fuch caufeJ) J<,to be dmyed rhe common ayre to breath in, and a civill cohabitation upon the fame commo• earth, yea and al[o 111irbout macy, and bumant compaJ!ion,be txpoftd to winter mi{eri<J in an hor~~lin~ Wildernejfe.l · . .Anjw. If M•. Williams m~y be Judge in his own caufe, himfelfe hath been perlecuted withoUt mercy, and without humane cornpaffion: And which the m'ore concerneth my f<lfe to enquire into, be hath been fo perlecuted by me, and fame others ; but chiefl.y (idhould feeme) by me ; fm I onely am charged herewith by name: and thofe others, who ever I hey were, are not Co much as defcribed, much leffe exprcfly named. But filch Pricfts, and Perfons, as be thus partial! in the Law,the Holy Ghoft threatneth to make them bale, and contemptible in the eyes of all the People, Mal.z .9. Which the Lord give him toforefee, and feare, that he may timely prevent fuch a .Judgement. But to weigh his words particularly:Perfecution is the a qjjt\ion of~nother for Righteonfneffe lake. Now two things it will be requtGte forM'. WiOiams to provc1to make good his charge. 1, That the caufc for which he luffered, wa& a cf 4fe of Righteoufneffe s. That he fuffe red this Perfccution,,which he comp,laineth of, by me .. And to make this latter charge good in fucb mJ!,.noer as he lay~ eb~ It upon me, it were further requlfite .thar'.hJI:Il!ould prove two t.anguoore. 1. That my felfe was the princijlllf mover and aa~r l!L 13 |