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Show r66S. ~ tPct.4. £4• Innocency with her open Face. VoL. I. a perpetual Reproach to my Familiars; yea, and with the greatefi ~bear[ulneft can ob[tgnau and confirm· (with no left .Seal, than the Loft. of UJbotfoever tbi; doting World accounts dear) thisfaa.bful Conf~J!ion, bavmg fi!J E;-e .fixr u_pon a more enduring Subft~cce, and hftmg Inhentanc~ ; a~d bemg majl m-, jallihly a,[Jured, that when Ttme.fl>~!l he no more, l.Jha~ (if f.mthful be~eunro) poffe1S the Manfions of Eternal L1fe, aJrd be rece1ved Into his .Everlaftmg Habitation of Reft and Glory. IV. Lajlly, It may not be unreafonable to obferye, that however induf~ trious fome (and thofe Diffenters roo) h_ave been to reprefent me as a Perfol) diilurbing the civil Peace) I have nor v1olared any. truly Fundarnema~ ~aw which relates to .external Pro perry and g~od}lehav1our, and not to .relig10us Apprehenfions, it being the conftant Pu~c1ple of. my felf and Fr1~nds, ro maintain good Work.r, and keep our Confc,entes vo1d of Offence, paymg :tcrive or paffive Obedience, fuirab~e to the meek Example of our Lord Jefus Chrift· nor would I have any Ignorant, ht~w forward I was by Metfages, Letter~ and Vi fits ro have determined rhis debate in a fc.ber and ·feleft: Affembly, norwirhfianding the 'rude Entertainment we ~ad r:o,er with ~fore; but contrary to their own Appointments our Adverfanes fa1l d us, wh1ch ne· ceffitared me to that Defence; and finding the Truth fo preft with Slander, I cannot bur fay I faw my jufi Call to her Relief: Bur, alas! How ha\'e rhofe two or three extemporary Sheets been toft, tumbled, and torn on all Hands, yea, ~ggravared ro .a monitrous Defign, ev~n the Subverfion of tbc Cbri/lian Reltgion, than which there could be no.thmg more repugnant to my Principle and Putpofe; wherefore how very Intemperate as well as unjuft have all my Adverfaries been in their Revilings,Slanders and Def::~ma~ tions? Ufing rhemoft opprobrious Terms of ¥ Seduur, Heretick, Blafp,he; *see T. Vin· mer, Deceivu, Socittian, Pelagian, Simon Magus, impi.o11jly robbing Cbnfl of ce~~·s l1~e his Divinity, for whom rheV~ngeance of tb~ Greatb11y u referved~ &c. Nor '"1~~~ Pme have thefe Things been whtfpered, bur, m one Book and Pulpit after ana~~~~~~ eAlfo other, have more or lefs been rhundred ou.t againft me, as if fome Bull had ~ Danron's btely been arrived from Rome; and all this aa:ed under the foul Pretence of and Dr. Ow- Zeal and Love to Jefrn Chrijl, whofe meek and gemle Example-always en's, taught it for a Principal Mark of True Chriftianity, to fuffer the moft out· Mar.s- 39•40 ragious Injuries, but never to return any; nay, if my Adverfaries would bur be juft and confiant to themfelves, how can they offer to confpire my DeftruElion upon a Religious Ground, who either are rhemfelves under a prcfent Limitation, or have been formerly by the Papifls: Tell rn~, I pray, Coun. Trent. did Lurhtr, that grand Reformer, .whom you fo much Reverence, JUftly de~ . P· 14• mand from the Emperor at the D1et of Worms {where he was fummon'd to appear) that none fhonld fit judge upon his Do£hines but the Scripture, and in cafe they fhould he cafr, that no other Sentence fhould be paft upon him than what Gamaliel offered to the Jewifh Council, if it were not of Goiit would not .flnnd; and if you will not cenfure him who firit of all arraigned the Chri!lian World (fo called) ot the Bar of his private Judgment, (that had fo many hundred Years foundly flept, without fo much as giving one confiderable Shrug or Turn, during that tedious winter Night of dark Apofiacy, butjuftifie his Proceedings) can you fo furioufiy affault others? Bur a hove all, you, who rerufe Conformity to others, and that have been writing rhefe eight Years for Liberty of Confcience, and take it at this\•erySeafqn by an indulgent Connivance; what pregnant Tefrimonies do you give of your Unwillingnefs to grant that to others you fo earnefily Beg for your !elves? Doth it not difcovet your lnjuftice, and flainly exprefS what only w:mt of Power hinders you to aft:? But of al Proleftants in general I demand, Do you believe that Perfecution to be chriftian in your felves, that ,rou c?nde~n~d for A~ti:hriftian in the Papifls? 'JOu jt~dg'J it a Weaknift tn the1r Rehgton, and ts It a cogent Argument in yours? Nay, is it not rhe rcadiefrWay to enhance and prop:~gate the Reputation of what you would deprefs? If you were difple:tfed ::Jt rheir affuming an lnfallibili· ty, will you believe: it impoffible in your felves to err? Have Whitak:r, Reynolds, Laud, Owen, Baxur, Srilli71tf/ect, Pook, &:c, difarm'd tbe R~f1!a· · nijh Vo1.. 'I. Innocency with her open Face. ttijls of thefe inhum:u1e W.eapons, that you .misrht imploy thcnt againft your inoffenfit•e Country-Men ·? lee the Example and holy Precepts of Cluitt diifuJde you, who came not to JeflrtJJ, h111 j(Jve; and foberly retl.e8:: upon llis EquJl [.aw of .Joi»g az _y(/l!'r!lo_uld be d~ll?( '!Jl!P, R<!lle!llbq(U.ave not dethreid a Divinity, fJJbvtrrh£ Rri!b, ~ade "ti{[fibc~i'!'cJ0 1/iJJ. frujlrarcd tht' HopeD/ aft Ere rna! Rcccmtfe>t» i much rets have r InJUred yOur llerfo~s, or in any Thing deviated from ~hat e.a, h-3-tn> and ,.,..,.nrllrr~t~ or H~IY. Prm~ ,;pie' fo much infifted on by Phtlofophers and Lawyers as rhe Ongmal of good Laws, a~d Life: No, your own Confci~nces !h~ll ~dvocate on my behalf. Let it iuffice then, thar we ~h.o are mck~nam d ~J'n.kers have under every Revolution of Powtr and Re!tgton been the m.oit renled, contemped and perfecuted, ::JS if God indeed hpd {tt IIi forth m thife !•fl. Days 11~ a Speffack It! the World, to Jlwgels ami to Me") an~ treated .as .tf, by being what we ale, our common Right ::Jnd Intereft In humane ~ocieues were_for~ feited · neither accept that for a uue Meafure of our Life and Dotlunes, which' hath been taken by the ill-will or ignorance of others; but rather make an impartial Examination, that wb:J.tyou judg~ mar ll~ from what you know, and not fro~ wha~ y_ou hear at fecond Hand ; a !lei then we fhall as little queftion your JUft Opm10n of our Innocency! as we have roo m,uch been made fenfible of the fad Effe& rh<rt foHow an 1gnorant and unadvifed Zeal· for fo monftroufly fond are fome of their Perfwafions, and doting on rh~ P:Jtrons o.fttb&m, that r.bey (eldom have--DifcretiOD, n:wc.h'l~ religious Detires to 1confider how true orfatfe ano,he• Reli$ion is~ 01 W~t may be the cOnfequetrce of it~ Torerar~on; but wit~ a F~ry, not interior to their Ignorance, cry, Crucijie, Crucifie; and. Pharifee•hkc, out of Prctem:e of Honour and Service done to God Alm1ghty, and the Memory of his Holy Prophets, ftick not to per~ecure. his belov~d Son, and righteous ?er· vants. fo Cruel Blind and obftmate IS Perfecnuon : Be rherefote adv1i'ed in· the' Words ol that O::eek Example Jefus Chrifr, CaU not/o!' Fjrt all'J_ more; Jet t'be Tares grow t»irh tbeWbe>l11; neither imploy tbat Sword any more, wbicb f1JIU comm~nded to be jheat!J~d fo many Hundred Yrars ago (fuppofe we were Enemies to the True Rellgton; but have a Ca~ you are nor upo~or.e-of s,uJ's Errands to Damifcrn, ::tnd helping the mrgt.cy againfl God and' Its Anointed·) and rather chufe by fair and moderate Debares (not Penalties tatified bY, Imperial Decrees) to determine· religious Differences;- fo wi-ll you at leJfi: obta~n Trariqui~'Y' which m~y- be calle~ a .Civil~Unity. But if you are reiol ved Seventy {hall take Its Courfe, Ill th1s; out-.Cafe can never change, nor Happinefs abate, for no humane EdiEl: can poffibly deprive us of his glorious Pre:lCnce, who is able to make th.e.-difmal'ft E.ci.fons fo many Receptacles of Pleafur~, and whofe Heavenly fellowfhip doth unfpeakably repleni!h our folitarySouls with divine Confolation; by whbfe Holy Meek and Harmlefs Spirit I h:1.ve been taught moft freely to forgive, and ~ot lefs earnetlly to foliche the Temporal and Eternal Good of all my Adverfaries: Farewel. WILLIAM PE~N, Jun. A ~ueflionarj Po slr s~ ttri pT. WHERE doth the Scriptur< fay, That CHRIST fuffered an Eternai Death, and Infinite Vengeance > For did not C H R IS T Ki:f.-rtf~ lbird Day? And is not Infinite Vengeance and Eternal Death without :End.'f And doth 110t G 0 D fay He was well-pleafed with His S 0 N befort HIS Death~ And was nor His Offering acceptable? And did not the Apoftle fay, n.ar the Saints uere occtpred. incH R 1ST thfll WII.I God's J!t~vtd? And thts was after CHRIST D•ed and Rofe; and G 0 D was wid to he wellplea fed with HisS 0 N, both before He fu8:""ered, in His ~u£fen.J;lg, and aftel He luffered, though difpleafed with thofe that t:~ufed H•m to lirl!q. ~i• !668. 1..../"Y'-.J 1 Cor.4. ~ |
