Arrow Against the Separationists, Discourse · Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII. Touching the vvaverings of ſuch as impugne our Temples.
Hen. Ainſ.TO your laſt obſervations, of ſuch as heretofore have written against theſe idol temples, and after that wavered, or changed their mindes: Firſt, Mr. Barrow (whoſe writings you mention) wavered not nor changed his mind, but was conſtant in this, that Idol temples were to be deſtroyed: and not to be vſed for places of Gods worſhip: let his writings be viewed.
As for others whom you ſpeak of: if they have changed their mindes, I leave you if you pleaſe, to demande the reaſons of themſelves. I am to anſwer for my ſelf, according to the grounds which I mainteine by the ſcriptures: which if you cannot take away by the word of God; the weaknes of men will litle availe you. And for ſuch amongst our ſelves as walk not aright, we ſhall look vntounto them as there is cauſe. If I ſhould take this courſe with you, to gather the varietie of things written about religion by men of your ſide, and the change of their judgments afterward, & their weak walkings, &c and put them vponupon you to anſwer: you ſhould have work more then ynough. And how juſtly you retort my words vſed to you about read prayer: and apply them to this of the Temples: let any indifferent perſons judge. For I mainteine our reaſons ſet down in our Apologie & refute your anſwers given vntounto them: but with that queſtion of read prayer, you medle not: though it came in among the ſynns ſhewed in my argument vntounto you, about the cauſes of our ſeparation.
Anſwer.
Io. Pa.FOure examples of your waverings were obſerved by me. The firſt inſtance of H. Barow his wavering, you deny not, but do in part explane it: The peece of paper affixed to the uDiſcov. p. 133.margent of his booke ſhewes it more plainely; that his minde became doubtfull if not changed in this poynt, namely, though he held our temples ought to be plucked downe, yet not with ſuch deteſtation to be vtterly deſtroyed, as theſe Idols which had worſhip given vntounto them, but that the idolatrous ſhapes being vtterly aboliſhed, the ſtuffe of theſe ſynagogues, as the ſtone, tymber, lead, yron, &c. might be converted to civill and honeſt vſes, &c. Now thoſe that ſaw him wavering in this part and doubting whether he had deteſted where God hath not deteſted, had juſt cauſe to take warning hereby, that they ſhould not raſhly hearken to ſuch a perſon who in all his writings powres forth a flood of deteſtation againſt the lawful communion of the Churches of Chriſte.
The ſecond and third inſtancee of Mr Iohnſons wavering, & Mr. Robbinſons recantation, you deny not. You leave me to demand the reaſons of themſelves: you ſay you are to anſwer for yourſelf, &c. But is not the caſe ſtrangely altered? Have not both theſe laboured to anſwer for you; Mr. Iohnſon in his anſwer to Mr. White, ſeeking to excuſe & diminiſh the fault of your apoſtaſy obiected to you; Mr. Robinſon alſo in many poynts ſeeking to defend your cauſe in his book againſt Mr. Bernard? And have you now never a word to anſwer for them? Is not this ingratefull dealing with your frends? Nay rather take heed that you become not ingratefull vntounto God, by neglecting his mercy which he ſhewes vntounto you, in ſetting theſe examples of your old frends before you; that in them you might learne to turne from your errour vntounto the Lord and to the communion of his people.
The fourth example of wavering which is obſerved was in the people of your owne congregation, together with your toleration of the ſame. Of this you ſay, And for ſuch amongst our ſelves as walk not right, we ſhall look vntounto them as there is cauſe. But who ſees not what a faint anſwer this is? for 1, when as I had ſhewed that divers of your people did not walk according to your profeſſion: they frequenting the places which you call Idol-temples and teach men to avoyd them as execrable, as devilles houſes: was there not a cauſe for you to look vntounto ſuch, whō ſo long you had let alone? yea or have you to this houre brought them to publique repentance after ſo many yeares, when as they have publiquely and openly vſed ſuch places? ſuppoſe they did now abſtaine from thoſe temples, yet according to your vvSee before. p. 36. & 121.owne writing againſt me you are holden in the cords of your trangreſsion, and this ſin remaines vponupon you till it be purged and broken of by repentance: your owne xLuk. 13.3.5. Mark. 1.15. Act. 20.21. & 26.18.allegations of ſcripture do ſerve to condemne yourſelf herein. As Cains murder cleaved vntounto him ſo long as he repented not, ſuppoſe he ſlew no more men after Abel: ſo the guilt of this ſin in frequenting devilles houſes according to your profeſsion, doth ſtill cleave vntounto you ſo long as there is no repentance for it, ſuppoſe the practiſe ſhould ceaſſe. 2, But doth this practiſe ceaſſe among you? No not that alſo: VV. S. in ſpeciall whom I before noted vntounto you, is ſeene of many ſtill openly and publiquely frequenting theſe temples which you ſo plead againſt: yea & profeſſeth before divers that he will continue ſo to practiſe. I did before in my former writing manifeſt your notorious partialitie herein, and you cannot either deny or defend it: and yet after a yeares warning you continue in the ſame halting courſe, tolerating that among yourſelves for which you ſeparate from vsus, and thus have doubled the guilt of your partiality: let all men of conſcience judge what ſincerity there is in your courſe. 3, what doth it help you by vaine arguments and pretences to ſeek the ruine and raſing of our temples, whiles other of your owne ſocietie do do help to repaire our temples, as I ſhewed you yPag. 29.before? The ſtroke of your duplicate page duplicate page hammer makes a great ſound, yet it breakes nothing in our temples: but the ſtroke of ſome of your peoples hammers and axes have done good ſervice vntounto vsus in making our temple fit for our vſe. 4, as for your owne perſon in particular, do you not remember that you and Mr. Th. your elder have bene content to come vntounto our temple, to preſent yourſelves before our Elderſhip, & to be examined and heard what you could ſay in an eccleſiaſticall controverſie in the caſe of C. B. to give evidence or light in the tryall of that matter? And therfore ſeing you confeſſe the triall and examination of ſuch cauſes to be zAnimad. verſ. p. 49. 50.workes of the Sabath day, holy and religious actions, as well as the propheticall and prieſtly office of Chriſte, it may hereby appeare that you alſo by your owne example do build that which you ſeek to break downe, in that you have voluntarily come into an Idol-temple as you call it and this not for a civil but a holy and religious action. Thus alſo have ſundry others of your people done, in comming to beare witneſſe in ſuch caſes.
But you obiect, that if you ſhould take this courſe with vsus, togather the varietie of things written about religion by men of our ſide & the change of their judgements afterward, and their weak walkings, &c. put them vponupon vsus to anſwer: I ſhould have work more then ynough. Anſwer. 1, whatſoever pretences you make to the contrary, yet is this thing done by yourſelf: and few or none have done it ſo much as you: Throughout your Counterpoyſon, there be abundant examples hereof. VVhen you ſo bitterly inveigh againſt the helliſh errors taught by the transformed miniſters, to make men keep communion with Belial, as you ſpeak: you ſay, aForeſpeech to the Counterpoyſ.worthy it is to be obſerved how the miniſters of England are come to contradict and depart from their owne grounds for to mainteyne their corrupt eſtate. And is it not alſo as lawfull & as worthy a thing for vsus to obſerve how the miniſters of the ſeparation are come to contradict themſelves, to depart from their owne grounds, &c. you alledge, that bIbidem.men will hardly be a known of the manifold evills & groſs corruptions, that prevayl in their aſſemblies: That therfore you are forced to produce their owne writers to witneſs with you: to complayne of the ſins that reigne among them. Even ſo becauſe you will hardly be a known of the manifold evills and groſs corruptions that prevayl in your aſſemblie, therfore are we forced to produce your owne writers as Mr. Iohnſon & Mr. Robinſon that complayn of the ſins that reign among you, &c. And this we do, to this end, (to vſe your owne words in the ſame place) that if you will yet reſiſt, the world may ſee, that you are condemned by yourſelves. Againe in the next leafe vntounto your preface, in the Table or Direction to ſome principall things conteyned in your counterpoyſon, you note the Testimonies of the miniſters of England againſt the eſtate of that Church, and refer vsus vntounto more places and pages of your book for thoſe teſtimonies, then vntounto any other matter in your table: hereby you acknowledg ſuch teſtimonies to be among the principal things of your writings, & to be looked after & ſought for oftener and in more places of your booke, then any other principall matter conteyned therein. In your anſwer to Mr. B. you cCounterpo. pag. 153. 155.note his changing and weak walking, &c. Shall theſe obſervations in you be principall matters; and ſhall they be of no regard, of no worth, nor yet to be endured, when we obſerve the like matters againſt you? 2, there is not the like reaſon that I ſhould be required to anſwer for all the differences and contradictions that have bene or are betwixt the miniſters that are of the ſame religion with me: they being ſo many thouſands, and ſuch as for the moſt of them I never ſaw their faces nor ſo much as heard of their names; whereas theſe whom I obiect vntounto you are but three or foure in all: and not onelyonly ſo but ſome of them ſuch as have already anſwered for you: ſo that both for number and bond of thankfulnes, you both better may and ought to anſwer for them. 3, the thing which I obiect here vntounto you is not ſo much your diſagreement and differences, as your inexcuſable and blinde partialitie in the ſame, whiles you ſuffer ſuch things amōg yourſelves for which you do condemne, diſclaime and renounce the communion ofother churches: This vnchriſtian dealing I ſhewed to be cōtrary to dprov. 16.17.the High way of the vpright man, which you had poynted at with your finger. Mr. Ainſworth, if you can finde the like vnconſcionable partialitie in me, then preſſe me with it, and call for anſwer: If I teach men to ſeparate from the Churches of Chriſte, for thoſe very things which I practiſe my ſelf and wink at in others, then let me beare the ſhame of ſuch evill dealing. In the meane time conſider that this cloke of partialitie is the robe of confuſion wherewith you aray and bewray yourſelf & your profeſſion.
Moreover, as for Mr. H. his ſermon, and how juſtly I retort your words to me vſed about read prayer, & apply them to the practiſe of Mr. Iohnſon and Robinſon contrary to you in the queſtion of temples, I deſire alſo with you, that any indifferent perſons judge. For I vrge you with their practiſe which yourſelf cannot deny: you tell me of a matter which I have ſhewed to be otherwiſe. You tell me of read prayer which is not the queſtion betwixt vsus at this time; whereas I vrged you with your differences about the temples, which you cannot deny to be the preſent queſtion betwixt vsus. As for your reaſons in your Apologie & my anſwers, and your diſorderly bringing in of read prayer in your maine argument ſent vntounto me, there is enough ſayd eChap. 2.before, wherevnto I refer the reader.