Justification of Separation from the Church of England, Treatise · Section 19
The ill successe it hath had these very many yeares, being no more increased, where the encreasings of God are great, &c.
As it is alwayes safer to proceed by the causes & reasons of thingsAnsw. then by theyr events and successe, so especially is this rule of vse in" Math. 7. 14. the case of religion, whose way as it is in it selfe narrow and found by few, how much more being streytned by the fyery persequutions of the wicked world.
Indeed the Church of England hath advantage of vsus and (as I suppose) of all the Churches in the world for monstrous speedy growth, and encrease, for that of a Synagogue of Satan consisting of Popish Idolaters, and cruel murderers of the saynts, it grew fro top to toe into a true and intire body of Christ of a suddayn, & before the greatest part of it so much as heard the gospel preached in any measure for their conversion.
But consider herein M. B. dealing: He spares no vngodly means in this his book, and otherwayes, by slaundering our persons, by falsyfying our opinions, by exaggerating our infirmities, by incensing the Magistrate against vsus, to suppresse vsus, and yet reprocheth vsus because we grow no faster: dealing with vsus much what as the Iewes did with Christ when they blindfolded him first, & then bad him prophesie who smote him, Luk. 22. 64.
But let it be as Mr B. would have it, that the cause of religion is to be measured by the multitude of them that professe it, yet must it further be considered, that religiō is not alwayes …own & reaped in one age: *Ioh. 4. 37.One soweth and another reapeth. Iohn Husse and Ierom of Prage finished their testimony in Bohemia, and at Constance a hundred yeres before Luther, & Wickliffe in England wel nigh as long before them, and yet neyther the one nor the other with the like successe vntounto Luther.
And the many that are already gathered by the mercy of God into the kingdome of his sonne Iesus, & the nearnes of many more through the whol land (for the regions are white vntounto the harvest) do promise within lesse then an hundred yeres (if our sinnes & theirs make not vsus and them vnworthy of this mercy) a very plenteous harvest.
That wee have been here and there vp and down without sure footing, is our portiō in this present evil world cōmon to vsus with the more worthy servants of God going before vsus, who* have wandred in wildernesses Heb. 11. 38and mountaines and dennes and caves of the earth.
The sa…ne answer may serve for that other approbation of vsus, That, wee onelyonly have toleration in a place, where the enemies of Christ may be as well as wee. Yea though we were not so much as tolerated, but on the cōtrary persecuted to the death, where the enemies of Christ were not onelyonly tolerated but even approved yea the persequuters of vsus, for the cause of Christ, what were this but to partake in the fellowship of his afflictions with the holy Prophets and Apostles, and other his most faithful servants. And I wil tel you Mr B. in the presence of God what my perswasion is in this case, that as we have onelyonly toleration in the City where we live, where the enemies of Christ are tolerated with vsus, so all that truely feare God whether Ministers or private people have onelyonly toleration in your Church, & no approbation by the canons and constitutions of it.
And for the leading of the people out of one nation into another of a strange language, it is our great crosse (but no syn at all) and should rather move you and others to compassion towards vsus, then thus to insult over vsus in our exile. But your addition, that we do this without compulsion is most shameles, you your self both beholding and furthering our most violent persecutiō. But see your equal dealing with vsus, whilst we taryed in the kingdom you blamed vsus because we got vsus not gone, now we are gone you find fault we tarry not.
For your marginall note that, Israel left not Egypt without Pharaohs leave, nor the Iewes Babylon without Cyrus his consent. To let passe the leave which Pharaoh gave the Israelites to depart, when to reduce them back, he and his people followed them into the sea; they could not depart sooner (though they would) being held in bōdage by their enemies, yet when Moses was in daunger of his life as we are, he fled as we do. Exod. 2. 15.
Besides, the Israelites had the certayn known time of their captivities limitted & prescribed by God, which they were to tary. Gen. 15. 13. 14. Exod. 12. 40. 41 Ier. 25. 11. 12. Dan. 9. 2. Ezra 1. 1. which is no way our cafe.
And what other do we in flying then the holy ProphetsExod. 2. 15 1 Sam. 18. 10. & 27. 1. 2. 1 King. 9. 3. Act. 9. 25. and Apostles have done before vsus, and then the Protestants did in Queen Maries reigne, that fled to Frankford, Geneva, and other places, where they understood not the language of other nations? yea then the Lord Iesus himself hath sanctifyed not onelyonly “Mat. 10. 23.by his commaundement, or license at the least, but also in his owne person †Mat. 2. 13. 14.flying into a Aegypt in his mothers armes?
Reason see I none why this man should thus blame vsus for our flying, except vvith the Montanists he thought flight in the time of persecution unlavvfull.
Lastly, Mr B. concludeth his likelihoods vvith a cursed farewell, which (saith he) we leave in all places, like a scorching flame swinging where it comes, so as the growth of all things are hindred by it.
And this observation he fathers upon me though in truth it be his owne bastard. I affirmed in deed that where this truth came, it left the places barrayn of good things in taking away the best sort of people, but this I spake to no such purpose as is here insinuated.
The scorching flame which hinders all things in the Church of England is the Prelacy, to which (by vniversall and infallible observation) no man applyes himself, no nor enclynes, but with a sensible decay of the former graces which he seemed to have. He that but once enters into the High preists hall to warme himselfe at the fyre there, shall scarce return without a scorched conscience.
Having formerly viewed Mr B. his bare probabilities, we will now come to debate his reasons against separation. The first sort whereof are grounded vponupon the entrance into this cause, which he makes very sinfull, and cursed, because of the great evils, which (sayth he) ensue therevpon. And the first of these imputed evills is,