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Show Mafler John Cot:tons Anfwer The ground which he giveth ot his own voluntary at\:, wa1 be· cauf<tiJe[e Chr<rcheJ were r<folved 10 continue in tbofe ;viUJ, and perfe· crtting the wiwefl.il of the Lord l•fu<, prefeming light to them. .. Reply; Thofe evills? What were thofeevillt, which wee were refolved to contiuue in~ He expreffoth none: but f~:~re meet it had been, that as kis·volnntary withdrawing·from thefe Churches was publickly known; fo the evills in which we refolved to continue end for which he withdrew himfelfe, fhould in like manner hav: been publickly knowne alfo. It is an unrighteous thing to paffe pub lick known atl:s, upon private nnknowne evi!ls. But whatfoever. thole unknown evillswere,.J fuppofe he coqceiveth them to be fuch wayes,either of Judgement, or.Pratl:ife, wherein wee walke according to the light of our Confciences. And then by. his Rule he fbould ·have allowed us· the like liberty of confcience,whtch him· li:lfe rcquireth. And fttrely by the Royall Rule of the Lord Jefus, no Brother may be fo much~~ admonifhed, (much lelfe feparated froin')till he beconvinced, ( tM')'~".ZuTI, ) Mat. IS. 15. .. .And as for P,er[ecHting tl1< wimeffiJ of the Lord, prefentirzg fight to 111 ; himfelfe (for ought l know) was the firft it) this Countrey, that ever. pretended .fuffering for bearing wimelfe in any maHer of Religion true or falfe: And for him t~ with~draw himfelfe from the fociety of all the Churches for their perC.cmion of him, before he had futfered from them any th1pg bu~ conference, and conviaion, i5 to make them fufferer·s for we)l·doing, and to choole fuffering, tba1 he might havecaule to cQmp\a.inc of fuffe(ings. Let hint,ifhe be able,name any one in tliis Coumrey of the witnelfes oft he Lord, (for be [p.,keth of witne{jh)that e.yerdid fo much as pretend before himfelfe to fuffer Perfecu\ion, for prefenting lt~ht co~~· Thus he maketh that the ground of hi• withdra win~,wbich was not then in Rmtm n~lu•-',(<1o no~ in pretence) till. after his with· drawing. As a fur-i\•u~Sc\!Ool-ma"fle~· will peace a childe .for no-thin~ till he cry, and then be ate phn.for crying. . But he fu rther prefumeth to, affi• me ; 'That hi~ rvithdrawing"ill the aa nfti:~<-Lord J•f"' in (,~,fmnpingforlh th<>t Bl•JI, which fb•ll one day cajl dorrme the ft.rengt~, aTid.co~ftdence of the l rJVentionJ rfmm in tiJe wor{hip nfGod. · ~ 1 ) ; ,' 1 R.ep~y. If.. particular vifible.Chor~h',confi_fling of viiible S,inr.s, .and wited . by.holy Covenant into one CQngrega.t ion, co.wor!h~iP to M:~{fer Roger w·1J ltl· lfllS, ~the Lord, and to edifie .:::-; . ::-:-;;-;:::-:-:--::---:---- - ·If fuch a Church be an I one a.nocher m all his holy Qrdinances. dained by them for Ad ~vc~uo~ of man; If Elders c•lled and or' vention of man. If the Cmmt rattotfl of t.hefe o, dinances, be an in: h"t s Ch urch, and' the Sealo venha nt o! Grace b etwcen tI t e Lord, and · gainft the violation there~r Ief"n \af.dbthe Cenfures difpenfed a· then indeed the Lord h h' r a dt de e e the r nventions of man h at lOUil e a blaft . M' w·u· ' orne, to caft down the Inverili f . tn • t zamJ his But if all thefe be the holy Infti~:t~ 0 mfn 't the worfhip of God. M'. WiUiamJ know, that this fpeecho~f ~· t. te ~~rd Jefus, then let againft the• Lord Jefus, to put upon him ;~ 15 a . aft ~fblafpbemy worke of Satan, to blaft all th Ch hat whtch ts the proper Chrifi. And whereas it was won; t bur~ es, and Ordinances of defile all the Ordinances of Ch . ft ~ . e t e worke of Antichrift to aminer to deface, and abolifh th1e~ 1~N fin ow the worke of this ex~ hether of the(e workes are the mo Arof!l ~h·e/ace of the earth. wdlbereadvtofay,(asthePro h re .nt!c n lan?lcmaybebe cherib, lfai.Io,7.) he meaneth notfo e~~~~ 111 ~h~ther cafe of Sena· and as Hazael faid to the Pro bet z' h ot rs heart thinke Co: doe thu great thing? ( 2 King.~- 1 ' . )1 t;.~rv"!'t a dog,tha! he jbould {afJ• videam? Why doth he C. 3 f quzd verb~ audzam, c#m H d eparate rom all Cbu he eaven, an refufe to gatherimo rc s under veth ·, if he did not in tbefe times tnyk Chullch where bimfelfe li- LF~l!ow)fhip, and Ordinances, as not~~ b:fo:n~~nu;hch·LEftadte,fand rvmg . .. e an o the Latlly,He looketh at it, a< an alJ ofChrifl b . . · foil in anJ meafure,to foffer foch great nd ~· hn~ f:_ng hztn to be faith· f<k_e. a mzg 1" "JaUJ for bu NameJ But if the Spirit of the Apoftle John h d. {( upon him, he would no more hav a . m O'lJe meafure refied magnified) his great, and mighty ;r~=fJ~to~i~ ~ ~udh leffc have ~~t~~e ~:d 1~0{~~~r:e~~; .predirocion' o~ his Iufferi~e~~: ~~~ mir,_hty.Tryalls, Revel. t. 9. Bu't r::,1 ~~t!~u!~k~t~~gredt, and ·~atce, He recoylecb to his civ;ll Banifh ca oun . ~al if bybanifhing himfolfe I meant hu C' ·y ~nenr, and obferveth, ifcer•erh thelangua eof tht D . lVt ~nijbmcnt, tben I . He ingJ of the SJintJ t<p~n rhemfol:~:o:nd ~~~:!~~.lip; 10 P"t the fujfer• E c z.1hal |
