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Show <..Mafler John Cottons Anfwtr Zion dae i1l Babel? Wby jhMidfl•• nat h.jlw tajluJfa'? tben<£.1 . , To this the Examiner anfwereth, th~t thnugh ~u love ~tds htm to h"pe, that M'. Cotton berein intended hzm a CordtaU,;et if the In· jl,redients be examined, there will appeare no .kjJf tben dzp,.nom to ~he Name of God, danger to every Civi/1 State, a miferable comforJ to htm, -and a contradiaion within it f'lfo. . . Rep I). It is true, what 1 wrote .was m l.ove to hts f~le: but 1 intended not a cordiall ofconfolauon.tO h!m, (for ;dtd not con· ccive his Spirit at the prefent prepared I?r !t;) .but I. mtend~d onely a convi-Gtion, to abate the rigour ofhts mdtgnauon agamll t~e dilpenfacion of divine Jullice: And the!efote prefented before htm .the mercy of God in that 1\dminillrauon. . But he beginneth with the lall,6rlt,to fhew me the evtl1ofthefe Ingredients. . And firlt for the contradiction to my felfe, in thatlfPeake of the dtJHghter of Zion in Babel: If be call (faith he) the Land Babel, how &an it be B;bel,andthc Church ofChrift alfo? . As ifZion cannot be in Babel, but it mull be Babel? or as tfthe Church cannot be in the world, bat it mult be-the world l Or a1 if when I call the Land Babel, I fpeake of it as it is in it felfe, and not rather as it is in his apprehcnfion l the Churches (in his ima· g'toation ;> llill -holding communion with Antic~rillian ~abylo~. Secondly, He maketh it a dangero?s. Dofrnne to. affirme tt, 4 miftry to live i11 tb.t Stat€ whm & CbriJZ.m cannot C1l)''J tbefel/qw• jhip oftl•e publick,Churchu ofGod without fimu. . Reply. t. Though I doe affirmc it to~e a mercy to be delt~er:d out of !itch a State, yet I Joe not affirme It to be a ~lfery to ltve ~~ it. lc is a meccy co b.e tranOaced, not on ely. from mtfery to ~'Pf'" oelfe, but from a Ie!fe good to a greater. It ts" mercy to a fatth,~ll foule to be rranllo~ted trom a SJint to a Miniller; and yet S•lmflup is no mifery. . .. 2. It i~ fome de~ree of mifcry, and no fmall one to a fpmtuall ~linde, for a Chrillian to live where be cannot enjoy th' fellow: r.~p of Churches: or elfe D,vid complained with cut caufe ; Wool me, tbat I am confrrain,./to d"'e/1 in Mejhek, p (,l. 120· ).!\<: 42·~· What if there be nuny JamQu< States, wherein no Cbwch nf ~e[lll Cluijl ;, kz!o•<rJClls it not a mercy to be cliGni!fed from fitch a State to a Laad,of more liberty~ znd piety} to M&fter Roger ~illiams. What if God command.d hu people to Pr~ for the' Peace of mate.iall Babel, whilejl they were forced to abide in it ? · Was it •not therefore a mercy from God , for CJI•U< to deliver them out of Babel? 1 • , 1 What ifSodoni;lEgypt,BabeJ,be Cpiritually.undet frood,Rev. t •t .8. & '4-S. hit not-therefore a mercy when·God ·calleth his People out of .fuch"Dungeom,and finkes of abomination? •~ Wbat'if there Jl'ere a true Church in mattri.illllabd? 1 Pet. 5· 1 3• !-. Ut him remember what he fpake a·little before; :lhat jfljpea~ not 'ofFTabel myjlicai!J, 1 !freak! not to the Point: Let him apply it to bimfdfe. Wherefore doth he tell us againe ofbi.r being driven into the ,Ufe-riet of an howling Wilderneffi ! - " . • • 1. It was no howling Wildernelfe when he came to it, as hath been faid above. 2. He fnight have gone to other ·Englijh 'Plantations Eaftward, Pafcatoq;, and .Agaminticm. 3· Solomon telleth us, It i.r better to live in a Wiltkrnejfe,lhenll'itb ; contentiom, and angry JI'Oman,Prov. 21. 1 9• And fuch-he·accountcth all our Churches, and Courts to be. • 1 • Thirdly, faith he l M'. Cotton himfolfo would have coHnted it '" mercy, if he might have Prallijid in Old-England, what he doth in New-England, ll'ith the mjoyment ofCiviiN'eace,&c. . Reply. True; hrn what is that t0 th'e·purpofe? The Q!!eltionis ifl could not enjoy the F ellowfhip of publick Churches withoua finrler( as in thofe dayes I could not ) whether then I would ac• count it a mercy to·he removed? Verily;l doe 'Co account it, and blelfe'the Lord from my foule for his aboundant mercy in forcing meoutthence, info' fit a feafon. , • . ·: .: But furl her, (faith he) wl>at if M'. Cotton fhould dijjlint from ;; the""" EnglijhChurchu ,and jOJn< in worfhip with fome other,("' fom• few yeores fince, he was ttpo" the Point to doe, in a fepar~tion from the Cborcbes there, M Leg aU) would be coMnl it a mmy to be pluck! up by tho ;oow, /iim, and hi<, and to endme the lti{fes, diftrallions, miferics, tbJt d.e .rtend {itch a conditi•u .? ~ . Reply. The Examinet' is falfly, and foully mif-informed, when ht faith,·lR1aJ aborJito fiPJr ilt< Jome few yeam fince from tb< n<W Eng- . G g li.Jb 49 |