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Show 1~0 <Majlef J0 hn Cottons_ .Anfwer tiflt have b,en look!_d at by tht Bifhopt,·~nd th•ir adherents, .,. "?'o~nt and profcj]cd cncmicJ: whrreaJ the r .. mtanr have ~roftjfod fub]tf1ton, and fubmittcd to \he Bi.f""'pt, tlmr Cou"ts, thnr Offiaers, thezr Co':'man Pra)'P'· and wrJrp,ipt: AndJfl (the Btfl;aps hav< '!'' II "fownr) wzth.no greate; ajfi/Jion, 'fhw the Jfradires bore the lEgy.puans cruell wft tll1jlm. . . • Reply. 1, ·What r.he Non-collformtfl~ dtd beare, It wa~ no more th'en they thought they miJ?,ht beare. With a good Conlctence, ac· cording to the light they ha_d recetved. Ifrhey dtd beare mere, then what in Confciencc they judged lawful! to be borncjthey had no reafon to beare with themfelvesin Co doing. · But if the Bilhops bore the leife wit-h them iin fuch cheir litb· jeaion, it was becaufe they looke? at them ~ot as pretended friends, bot as more dangerous enemies: as knowtn8 b~·>th that •t.he Lord was with rhem, (which made StJUI che more atratd ofDavtd, 1 Sam. t8. 28, 29. ) as alfo that the grounds which,chey ~·•• of their judgement and praCl:ife, we~e more agreeable to Sw.pture, and to the judgement of all reformed Churches , and ther~fore more likely in time to prevaile, 1!0 the uue.r overthrow of t~etr u· furped Hierarchy. Buras for theSeparaufls, the Bifhopsdtdnot difcerne ·either the Lord going forth in likc Jfort withcthem, or their gr~unds fo likely to fubverttheirfree?ol~. Though_ the Separatifls'llruck at the roote of the Conflttutwns_of thetr•Churchos, (which wos indeed a greater blow then to•ftnke at the roote ofEpifcopacy:) yet becmfe the Epifcop1cy faw that the Separa· tifis fl, uck at the things ofC'hrift, together with themlelves, they lmew fuch f\ruakcs would not much hurt their ftanding. The next word which the Examiner anfwcreth, is unto that I faid; (;od bath not pro[pmd th• W"} of Sep1ration, mithet with peace amongiltbemfilver, t~or •vith growl h ofgr•ce. Hi, anfwer is; • . 'JbJt W.lllt o[p<'ace maybefa/J·the tru<jl ch .. rcber nf rhc Lord ]r[m, &l tbrm at Antioch, Corimh, GaL1ti•· Reply. The diftral:tion ot Antioch was Coone healed by the Cc.unfcll of the Synod at Hirrr<Jjlcm, which is a w.ty of peace which the Churches of the rigid Sep.trati•>n have not kno~ne, nor will condcfc<nd unto :which nukes eheil' diffi n·.ions defn tme of hopes of n cor.cilinion without fep>ar~tion one from al~otherj The like ml)' bc fait! bf ·ihc Chut ches of Galati~ and Crmmh. doe doe not read their d!lfcrences were healed by Separation ., but by liflnin!! to Apoflolicdll Counfell. 2. Hi. fecond Anfwer is ·, that it i< a common Charaf1er of a falfo ·Church(; maintained bJ the Srniths and Cutlers {hop) to mjoy peace, '11Dfle-ti'aringfor feare of' .civiU punijhment to quejlion,or diffir, &,, Reply • . Though it be a common Char.Cl:er of a faltc Church, to enjoy a forced and violent peace: yet it is a peculiar Character of a true ChUtch, to enjoy holy peace with God, and one with "nether, which where it is waming, there is fomethiogclfe wan· ting, . eitherin their Faith or Order. ~~ !His rhird Aofwer is,, 1bAt Gods people in th~t way have fomt• times i<mg enjoyed fweet peace, and [11Hie contentment, lll England, Hol• land, New-England,andotherplaw, &c. Rtply. The Anfwer had been more cleare and evident, if he had named thofe Churches, who have long enjoytd fuch peace in that way: in that way Hay, of rigid Separation, feparating from the Churches of Errgland, as altogether falfe, in their Con ltituti· on, Minif\ry, worfhip, and therefore refuting to beare the word ·jn the bell of the Parifh Alfemblies. It is a wife Proverb of a wifer then Soloman , The bac4;jlider in 'heart ( from any Truth orwayofGod)jbaU be ftUed with hi< onmewayes. They that feparate from their brethren fUl·ther then they have jufl caufe, fhallatlength fiodcaufe (or atleafl thinke they have found c• ufe) . juf\'enough to feparate one from another. I never yet heard of any inll:allceto·the contrary, either in e ngland, or HJ/iand. And for Mw"England,there.is no fuch Church of the Separation at •I rhat I ·know of. ;£'hat (epa rate ChUJ ch ( ifit may be called a Church) which feparated with Mr. Williamr, firfl broke into a divifion a• boat a fmall occafion (as I have he>, d) and then broke forth into. An.hoptifm•; and then into Antibaptifme, and F amilifme 1 and now finally· into no Church at all. · . Bur whereasHaid, God had not profpered the way of the Sep•r. ztion, M uot witb pc.sce amongp themfelveJ;, fo ueither with growl/; of Gr.:Jce, · · 1 He~nfweretb, for growth of Grace, though Gm1e falfc bu thms !Jove .rcp~'ifl, yet Satan b;mfo/fo, can11bt but .s.onf'ffi t ~Jt mu!,i, udcr Of Godt witmj]tf ( reproac~ed wttb th' n • tpes of- B(m.ypdl~ , aud A.,a; baptifls} b•ve k!pt tbemjilws from rbe erraurs of tbew.ck,d, ~11rl 1oe Qq pow |