Reply Against Gilbert Brown, Letter to the interlocutor
TO MAJSTER GJLBERT Browne Prieſt, defender of the Romiſh faith.
I Receaued a booke of yours ſent to me wherein is contained, partlye an anſwere to a little ſcrolle ſent be me to a Catholick as ye name him: partlye your exhortation to mee, after the anſwere, together with ſome demands, whereof ye craue to be reſolued by me and my bretheren. Your anſwere to my writing you hauehave ſubſcriued, ſo I ſee you will ſtand by it: The other parte is not ſubſcriued. It is a lamentable and pitifull thing, to ſee the glorious goſpell of his deare Sonne our Sauiour ſo obſcured and darkned in this country with the (a)Reuel. 9.2ſmoke of that kingdome of darkneſſe of yours, that hes aſcended & come out of the bottomles pit, to their eternall damnation, who is blinded and deceaued thereby. I hauehave ſorrow in my hart for it, and it is my earneſt deſire to God the Father of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt, that once in his mercy, the ſmoke of that fornace maye bee ſcattered by the light of his glorious Goſpell, and the beames thereof maye ſhyne in their owne ſtrength and clearneſſe in this blinded country, that is drunken with the (b)Reuel, 17.2 2. Theſ. 2.5abhominations of that harlote of Babell, and deceaued with her ſtrong deluſions whereof ye are vſed as the inſtrument in the Lordes Iuſtice: that as the reſt of the land hes riſen that firſt (c)Revel. 20.5reſurrection from the death of her darkneſſe and her abhominations: ſo this country may alſo be partaker of the ſame, that in that great day they may riſe that ſecond reſurrection to life and glory. I beleeue & therefore I ſpeak, & that with confidence and aſſurance knowing by his worde, that (d)Reuel. 14.8.Babel muſt fall as the (e)Reuel. 11, 13.tenth parte of it is fallen alreadie. The (f)Reuel. 17.10whoore muſt bee made naked and deſolate, and her fleſh muſte be eaten vp. For true is the Lord who hes foretolde it, & that God who condemnes her is a ſtrong God, therefore (g)Reu. 18, 8.5.her plagues ſhal ſal vponupon her at once, death, famine and ſorrow: for her ſinnes are come vp vntounto heauen, Reu. 17.4. Col. 2.23, 2. Tim. 3.5. Reu. 17.4.2. & 18.3.4.24.& God hath remembred her iniquities. And ſuppoſe the cupe wherin ſhe reached her fornications & abhominations to be drunken out of, be of golde, hauing a ſhew of holineſſe & voluntary religion, yet the drink that is in it, is abhomination and Idolatry, wherewith ſhe hes corrupted the earth, and made the nations drunken therewith. Let all the children of God therefore, that loues to be ſaued, forſake her, and goe out of her, leaſt they be partaker of her iniquities and of her iudgements alſo: for her iudgement is pierced through to the heauens, and is lifted vp to the vppermoſte cloudes. In vaine therefore doth anye man goe aboute to cure her with balme, for ſhe cannot be healed. It is al but in vaine to you Maiſter Gilbert, or any man elſe, to diſplay her banner vponupon her walles, to ſtrengthen her keepers, to appoynt her watchmē, to prouid for her ſpyes, for the Lord hes both thought it, and will performe that whilk he hes ſpoken againſt her. The Lord is to recompence her, all the euil that ſhe hath done to Sion; and his holy Temple, and the Saintes therein: for their blood is found in her. The Lord hes ſworne by him ſelf, euen he that made the earth by his vertue, that eſtabliſhed the world by his wiſedome, and ſtretched out the heauens by his prudencie: and yet man is ſo brutiſhe that he will not vnderſtand, and ſo bewitched with her pleaſures, that hee will not beleeue it. I beſeech God who is able to quicken the dead, and to open the eyes of the blinde, and to cal the things that are not, to be: to open your eyes that you may vnderſtand and beleeue theſe things, and to glorifie his owne name in your conuerſion vntounto the trueth, and if it be poſsible, for ye hauehave cauſed many to erre: and as Ieroboam cauſed the people to ſinne, becauſe he ſtayed them from cō ming vp to Ieruſalem, to hauehave worſhipped God aright, and made them to worſhip Idoles in their owne lande: So hauehave you done great iniquitie, and hes ſtaied ſundry of the Lords people to come to mount Sion, the Kirk of God: where there they might hauehave learned his wayes, Reuel. 17 … …8.and walked in the ſame yea, whilk is worſe, yee are the cauſe that many doe worſhip the abhomination of Babell, your rounde breade in your abhominable Maſſe: & your woodden & ſtonie Idoles: and by the deceite of that golden cupe, ye make them drinke of the deadly poyſon of the ſpirituall fornications, and abhominations of that harlote. And as the Lord put an impure ſpirit of errour in the mouth of Achabs falſe Prophets, to entiſe him to goe vp to Ramoch Giliad, that he might periſh thereby, becauſe the Lord had ſpoken euill againſt him, who entiſed and preuailed alſo. So hes the Lord put an impure ſpirit, and a ſpirite of error in your mouth, 2. Theſ. 2.and in the mouthes of the reſt of her falſe Prophets, to entiſe ſo many, as loues not the trueth in this ſinfull country to beleeue your lyes, and to be deceaued with your ſtrong deluſions: that all theſe might be damned whilk had pleaſure in vnrighteouſnes, as the Lorde foretolde in the 2 Theſ. 2. O that ye had an harte to turne to God, that as ye hauehave beene a ſtumbling blocke to many, to cauſe many to fal with you to the damnation of their ſoules; So ye may be by your conuerſion to the trueth of God, the inſtrument of the ryſing of many againe. O that treaſure of wrath that yee hauehave hoorded vp againſte your ſelfe in that greate day: for Sathan hes wrought effectually by you, if euer by any in this land, with all power, & in all deceaueablenes of vnrighteouſnes amongſt them that periſh. For curſed is he, and the Lord commanded to proclaime it in mount Heball, that cauſes the blinde to turne out of the way, and let all the people ſay, Amen. Deut. 27. What curſe of the Lorde is then abyding you, who thinkes it good ſeruice to God to cauſe the blinde to wander, and turne away from the lighte of the Goſpell; whilk is the words of eternall life to all them that beleeues. Oh remember, and lay it to your hart, the eternity of damnation. It is hard for you to kick againſt the pricke: the ſtone of the trueth that ye ſtumble at, will cruſhe you all in peeces at the laſt. Shut not your eyes at the clear light of life and grace, & harden not your hearte while it is called the day. And while yee are in the waye with your aduerſary duplicate page duplicate page be reconciled to him: for the Lorde and his trueth againſte whome you fight is aduerſaries vntounto you, or and euer yee enter in at the portes and gates of hell, and be caſten in that priſon and giuen ouer to that iayler, you will neuer come out againe whill you hauehave payed the vttermoſt farthing, and that will be neuer, for it is eternitye of paines. Allace you deceaue others being deceaued your ſelf, as the holy ghoſt foretolde it. 2. T m. 3.13. That euill men ſhould waxe worſe and worſe, deceauing and being deceaued. The Lorde take away the vaile that is hung ouer your harte, that yee maye bee turned to the eternall weill of your owne ſoule, and the ſaluation of many that is blindlings led by you to the bottomleſſe pit of condemnation. Becauſe I hauehave compaſsion on you, & on this miſerable country, therfore this writ I vntounto you. Fot allace who can bide it to be baniſhed for euermore from ſuch a wonderfull and euerlaſting weight of glory, from the fellowſhipe of the Lambe, and of all his glorified creaturs, man and Angell? who can compaſſe the eternitie of damnation in that vtter darkneſſe, where there ſhall be weeping and gnaſhing of teeth for euermore? who can tell their terrors? who can nomber their ſorrowes, who can reckon and count the eternal woes of the damned. Be not cruell to your own ſoule and the ſoules of your owne country men, louelove not yours and their eternall damnation. Beleeue the Scripture & be not incredulous. Without that citie of God, that new Ieruſalem, ſhal be dogges, inchanters, murtherers, and idolaters: and whoſoeuer loueth & maketh lyes. Reuel. 22. Yea, their portion ſhall bee in that lake that burneth with fire and brimſtone, whilk is the ſeconde death. Either wonderous blinded and indured muſt you be, or elſe in your owne conſcience you know your Kirk & your ſelues to be murtherers of ſoules, Idolaters, luiffers and makers of lyes. For the vphold of the credite of your religion, and that not be the writtings of your enemies, but of your freinds men of your owne profeſsion: yea, by your owne latine ſeruice ſet out in your owne bookes, for yee worſhip not the one true God in Ieſus Chriſt through his ſpirite, but as Ieremie ſayes of the Idolaters in his time, according to the nomber of your cities ye hauehave increaſed the nomber of your God…, and hes turned the glory of the incorruptible God, in the ſimilitude and Image of corruptible creatures, & paſsing by the creator, whilk is bliſſed for euer, worſhips the creatures, Saints and Angels, ſtockes and ſtones and a peece of bread, oyle, and water, bones, and relickes, the skurfe skarfe of all things: yea and your head the man of ſinne and ſonne of perdition, (who is called God in your canon law, Diſt. 96. Satis euidenter and whome your canoniſts calles, the Lorde God) the Pope, and to whome is giuen theſe thinges, that is peculiar & proper onelyonly to Ieſus Chriſt: whilk by the grace of God ſhall appeare clearely, in our diſputatiō following. For there is as direct oppoſition betwixt your heade & Ieſus Chriſt, betwixt your religion and his, as is betwixt light and darknes, Chriſt and Beliall, the doctrine of diuels & the doctrine of ſaluation. But the Lords iudgements are vnſearchable and his wayes paſt finding out: he hardens whome hee will and hes mercy on whome he will. I thought it ſurely the Lordes good prouidence, that he hes broght you out into the campe now, and that nowe by write ye hauehave ſet your foote into the battle, who hes beene ſik a ſore enemie to the goſpell of Ieſus Chriſt in this country, and hes reſiſted the preaching of it vehemently, that it may be ſeene that darkneſſe was but your ſtrength, and lyes the foundation of your religion. But I leaue you to the Lord. Now as for that ſcrowe of mine, as ye call it, if it was ſo as you ſet it downe heir, there hes beene ſome little eſcapes in ſcribendo, in the writting. In the laſte ſection (as I hauehave marked in yours heir and there, as may be ſeene in ſundry places) whilk I hauehave corrected in this my anſwer as 1258. for 1158. next 129. for 1290. & Iames Gyles a threatning Friar, for to Iohn Geillis: and the Kirk of Grecia whilk with the reſte of the Greeke and Eaſterne Kirks was moe nor the Kirks of Europe. And heereby are your marginall notes whilk was aboue theſe places anſwered. Nowe as for the firſt parte of your booke wherein ye anſwere to that whilk I write, I hauehave anſwered it heir, and as for your exhortation, and demands of me and my brethren, ſuppoſe it bee ſo fooliſh and friuolous (as eueryevery one that hes but a ſparke duplicate page duplicate page of iudgement may ſee) that it is worthie no anſwere at al, for a more bairnely, fooliſh, and friuolous writting, red I neuer, yet you ſhall hauehave it by gods grace: but I waite firſte to ſee if you will anſwere ought to this my reply. I hauehave ſet downe your anſwere fullie, and hes anſwered to eueryevery poynt & argument ſeuerally: the like now Maiſter Gilbert I deſire of you that if euer you can be able to put to your hand to make an anſwere, that you ſet down mine word for word, & anſwere euerie head and poynt thereof ſeuerally, as I hauehave ſet them downe heir, and ſhew what you graunt, and what you denie in euerie head, and argument as I hauehave done in yours: otherwaies, I wil take it for no anſwere, but for a manifeſt demonſtration that ye are convicted in your conſcience of the truth of our doctrine and of the falſet of your owne religion. The two heades concerning the Maſſe and Antichriſt, I hauehave put them in a ſeuerall treatiſe, whilk I hauehave annexed to this: and that both becauſe they are the corner ſtones and fundamentall poynts of your religion, and alſo becauſe vvhen I offered to diſproue them in word, whilk you ſhifted of vnderunder this pretence onelyonly, becauſe there vvas a brother of the miniſterie vvith me, vvhome ye vvould not ſuffer to be preſent; to be a vvitneſſe and penner of our diſputation only: but would hauehave him remoued from the hearing of it altogether: notvvithſtanding that it vvas promiſed faithfullie, both by him and mee, and al the gentlemen that vvas preſent, offered as caution, that he ſhould not ſpeake a ſillabe, neither ſecreitlie nor openly, during all the time of our diſputation; but only be a witnes and penner of our conference vponupon my part, ye hauing alſo both Maiſter George Ker, & another to hauehave written for your part, and nothing to be vvritten, but that whilk ſhould be ſubſcriued by both parties. You not daring face your own cauſe, vponupon ſo equal conditions, you deſired to ſet them dovvne in vvrite, the vvhilk I hauehave done heir. Novve the Lord open your eyes to ſee the truth for Chriſts ſake. Amen. From Kirkcudbright the 6. of Auguſt. 1599.
M. Iohn Welſche preacher of Chriſts goſpell at AIRE.