Concerning a Book by Christopher Lawne, Conclusion
THus (Chriſtian Reader) I hauehave ſhewed thee M. Studleys anſwer, drawē by himſelf. By vvhichwhich thou mayeſt perceiue the ungodly dealing of theſe men againſt him. As for others among us, vvhom they hauehave alſo abuſed in like ſort, ſee the Inquirie and Anſwer of Thomas Whites book, Pag. 28.29.30.36 37.39.40.43.44.45 46 50.51.61. &c.vvho publiſhed divers of the ſame things and other the like, as are here novv printed againe. And vvhat ſhould I doe then repeating the ſame & like anſwers to the ſame or like objections? ſeing alſo Thomas VVhite vvas ſo plainly convinced of ſclander & bad dealing therein, as he could never after open his mouth to reply or diſproue the anſwer given: Yet theſe men vvould make the vvorld beleeue, that he had ſufficiently anſwered the matter by his atturney, & brought proof of the things by witneſſes & depoſitions before the Magiſtrates, for vvhichwhich himſelf vvas never able to ſtand & reply againe after the anſvver aforeſaid vvas publiſhed.
And therefore whereas they inſert here (pag. 26. & 27.) certayne things extracted out of Whites book: Lawnes diſcoverie. &c.thou art to knovve that they are the verie things, for vvhichwhich ſome of us ſo abuſed, did bring him before the Magiſtrates for juſtice: by vvhom how he was rebuked is as vvell knovven to us, as it is unto all that he was left unpuniſhed & unproſequ…ed othervviſe then he deſerved.pag. 28. And vvhere they bring out a court roule (as they ſay) that the judges gaue default for not appearing againſt Francis Iohnſon and Henrie Ainſworth,The oppoſant was Tho. White. and in regard thereof diſcharged the Oppoſant of the Arreſt done on his perſon, condemning the Arreſters in costs and charges of the ſuit. &c. I am certainly informed by the parties themſelues yet living here (namely M. Iohnſon and M. Ainſworth) that they never arreſted Th. White: & ſo neyther vvere nor could be condēned in coſts & charges of the ſuit. And that ſuch others of us as did indeed arreſt & bring him for juſtice before the Magiſtrates (as is aforeſaid) did never hear of being condemned in coſts & charges, afore they ſawe it in this printed book. By vvhichwhich ſuch as are vviſe vvill obſerue the dealing & cariage of thoſe things. VVhichWhich vve leane unto God: omitting to ſpeak vvhat vve could further of theſe & other matters in this book of theirs.
Thus (gentle Reader) I hauehave giuen thee this advertiſement concerning the book aforeſaid, vvhichwhich my ſelf & others of us thought good at this time to be done. VVhichWhich we vvould not hauehave thee ſo take it, as if we would ſtill follovv ſuch perſons vvith anſvver after anſvver, as novv vve hauehave done the ſecond time. VVe muſt remember both thoſe Proverbs of Salomon, vvhichwhich he hath, Prov. 26.4.5. one for anſwering, and an other for not anſwering: as I noted here before in the beginning.
Neyther let any that louelove the truth be moved or diſcouraged vvith the contumelies, oppoſitions, or other perſecutions that vve or other the people of God are ſtill ſubject unto. If ſuch reproachfull courſes ſhould hauehave ben taken againſt Iacobs familie, againſt the people of Iſrael, againſt the Churches of Corinth, Galatia, & others heretofore or at this daye, vvhat volumes & invectines might be vvritten and ſpread over the vvorld from age to age? And if ſinnes and ſinners of all ſorts, ſhould not fall out and be found in the Church, vvhy appointed God ſuch lavves and puniſhments for ſinners in Iſrael, & vvhy hath he given cenſures to his church ſtill to be had and continued therein from time to time? Finally, if vvhen men hauehave ſinned, neither the repentance of the penitent, nor the cenſures upon the impenitent ſhall be regarded or reſted in, but that both the perſons and churches that are carefull ſo to vvalk ſhall be thus abuſed, beſides all the lyes & ſclanders annexed vvith all; vvhat may vve thinke, but that vve hauehave to deale with beaſts rather then men, or vvith Chams, Doegs, Schemeis, Rabſhakees, Sanballats, and the like. And vvhat can ſuch look for if they repent not, but that (as Peter ſayd) they ſhall utterly periſh in their ovvne corruption: and (as David ſayd) that God vvill take & pluck them out of the Tabernacle, and roote them out of the land of the living? Selah. 2 Pet. 2, 12. Pſal. 52.5.
The Lord our God the God of glorie & father of merciemercy work all our things to his praiſe & furtherance of his truth, make us partakers of his grace & merciemercy in Chriſt; turne al the enmitie and curſing of men into a favour and bleſſing upon us; increaſe in us the knovvledge & obedience of his vvill in all godlines; ſtrengthen us in & for his truth unto the end; & after vve hauehave ſuffered here a vvhile, bring us to his heavenly reſt & kingdome for ever. Amen.
1 Tim. 4.10.
For this cauſe vve both labour & ſuffer reproach, becauſe vve truſt in the living God, vvho is the Saviour of all men, ſpecially of thoſe that be leeue.
Iam. 1.12.
Bleſſed is the man that indureth tentation: for vvhen he is tryed, he ſhall receiue the crovvne of life, which the Lord hath promiſed to them that louelove him.
ERRATA
Pag. 17. l. 11. read Othervvhere. & l. 24. & in all other places of the book, where there is ſpeach of the printed copie of the Articles or Objections about the diviſion, underſtand or put in the margent, Lavvnes diſcoverie of ſchiſme, pag. 79. &c. Pag. 21. l. 1. themſelues. Pag. 28. l. 19. more members. Pag. 30. l. 20. Mat. 21.42. and lin. 21. Eph. 2.12. P. 36. l. 28. & 21.19.20. & 22.15-19, & 25.7, 8, 9. Ioſ. 20. P. 37. l. 16. & Pſa. 82.1. Deut. 19. P. 44. l. 7. queſtions. P. 59. l. 17. & 14.1. and in the margent, Rom. 1.8. P. 64. l. 10.33.44, and l. 17.14.1. & l. 22. 1 Pet. 3.18. P. 65. l. 3. Ezec. 29, 3. Rev. 13.1, 2. P. 76. l. 3. cōceived. P. 94. l. 26. by the Church, whereupon afterward they divided themſelues from us. P. 102. l. 14. contingent.
End of the text · Francis Johnson, Concerning a Book by Christopher Lawne (1612)