OCR Text |
Show Maft.er John Cottons Anfwer · difpenfed himfelfe in that n\anner; and he a man, though he fuffered much, and wrote much, yet no where magnified his fufferings, nor vilifi<d the Autl!ors of his lufferings: A man chat cleaved to the Ordipanm, and Saints of God, and not willing to manifelh his di!Tent from his Brethren, no not there where he did dif.. fenr, as willing to attribute more to the judgements of other ferv• nts of God, then to arrogate to him[elfe. • Buc furely the ordinary .manner of Gods difpenfation ofhimfclf~ ~o his fervanu, is mherwile ; even co thofe cl).at have be.eo mo!t preciou,, in his fight. Job hath fo{Jiet){l1es GOmplained, chat G,d t~oke hilflfor hu enemy, Job 13.24- 26. David fometimes com• plaio~th, that he rr>IIJ ~tnjffrom btfore GodJ !'fu,Pfal. 31. 22, And thi!t.Gqd fometimes hidbufaceftomhitn, Pfai. 30. 7• Thathis IQ.tll~ was_alfofore vexed wit!l,che f<nce of Gods anger, <md hot dif pl~afJIJ'e,P~I.6.1.:; v1ftpbaJfo complaine'h of th~ fame, in·Pjitl.77. at)d HeflJ<l.Q the &r~hite in.P(al. 88. aqd.Hezei<jah in lfai. 38,1f,tbe l;o~d,haye deal< more incjylge_ntly wJch M'. WiH•amJ1 h~ ha.dt the more_c.agfe tp w~lke bpQlbly ,, and cjrct~mfpealy ,. apd-fruitfully b~Qrc;.t~~-Lor4, whi~h is,tq~ WQr,fi tb~C!I with hirq·. And,l~t "him· alfp cqvfid~r, t~ac w,hi!efl he liv~th,und~r th~,Sunn~, hi!\lffifds nQt, e;xeroRtel!, fro'l) the q~pgerol!$ Inmate ,of• a deceitful! heartt A~for Mafler SmiJb he flandeth-, and falleth co his own.Maflen whilefl he was Preacher to theCitie ofLincolne, be wrought with . God then : what temptations befell him after, by the eviJLworkings ·of evill men, and fom( good rueo too, I choofe rather to tremble at, then difcourfe of. If I had made ufe of his Principles, a(\d·ArgQmems, (as this Examiner fdi\h I have) it is.more then my. ~~lfe k!J.9W: for~ have not be~n acqQainted with fundry of his wrtungs1 a~be,ng dtfcouragecl With th•t one, wherein he makechOriginall finne an idl~ name. Albeit, I refu(e not to learne from any,m~n, a1 bejng confcioqs to my felfe of m\ne own emptindfe. But (faith the Examiner)_ -n:hatjoever M'. Smiths 'Iemptatiom, and F,.Us have beep: yel that op:mon of M'. Coqon,or apy,iJ moft grie· vom to God, andnl(ln, and not comparabkto any tbal .ever M'.Smith cou)~ be, charged withaU: nor i1 a'l)' finne comparab[y fo grievpm in God! Davtds, M a tre~cberom Jl•ugbter of the faithful/, whom wee are forced t~caU, Beloved In Chrifl. Repl). Thisj~ one of the Inilanceaamongfl many others, upon. which to Mafter Roger Williams. which I was mooved to fpeake even now, that the Examiner allowtth more liberty to his tongue, then the Meffenger of Juflice a man of a tender Confcience, (of whom 1 fp•ke) durfl ufe. Bu; when a man is delivered up co Satan, and nei1her his minde, nor 'c<Jtlfciehce, nor·congue, nor pen, are his own, no marveil if he caft furth 'fire·brands, and arrowes, and mortall things, which I fup· pof'e a Publican;or Pagan would hardly utter,withouc fome more colourable pretence then the Examiner haih to iay, 'that M'.Cotcdn 'is ofupinion, 1hat it is lawfuU to commit a tr<acherom jlaNg,hter of oJbe S'itinu,·whom'rt>• areforcerite caY, Beloved in Chrift. To the :tccufation I lhall (God helping) make further Anfwer in his Place: Meane while, let the Examiner know, that I was noc fotced to tall him, Bel...,ed in Cbrijl. That I did fo ftyle him,ic wac biit of indulgence of charitie, not out of any neceffitie of dutie. To C ·H 'A P. X. "":r-He refidue of my Letter to M'. WiUial1tJ was taken up in te· 1 mooving two ftumbling blocKs out of his way, which turned hiin off from fellow!hip witb us. The former was, the want oflic ·matter of our Churches. The latter, our difrefpea to the feparare ·Churches in 'England. Our want of fit matter be acknowledged flooH, nor in this, that we wanted gedly per [om to bet be vifible m'm• berrof mr Cburchu, (for with j oy,he ackzfowledgeth that :) but in this, tYat all godly ptrfo•u are rw_t matter fit to conjlitute a Cht.,ch, no mor< then Trees, or 90arric1 are fit matter proportioned to a Building. This excepuon of his feemed to me to imply a contradiaion : for if the m'dtterofo><r Churchu were ( fuch arhimfelfe ac~nnwledg,d) 'godly perfom, they were 110t then "' Trw unjeld, nor iu ftones in the ~Uilrry r<nhewen :for godlineJJ' cuttetb m<n downe from t_heir former roote, ad heweth them out of the Pit nfcr.rrupt Nature, and jiHeth them [or fillowfhip witb Cbtijl, a11d with hi1 People. The'fumtne of his Anfwer is (though deliver.& in other words obfcurcly ·and confufedly, yet in fence) thus much ; That he acc~ unreth ottr members, as Trees or Q!~arries, not for th•t they are :not~t ·cut out'oFthe pit or roote ot namr.1ll corrup ion, but f~r \hat·thty ~te'not yet removed and clenfed from aauall an<l An.u· H h 2 chriflian |