A Faithful Rebuke to a False Report, Postscript
A POSTSCRIPT.
READER!
THOU mayest possibly wonder that the Report and Manuscript should bear so hard upon the Third Paper, and yet so graciously smile upon the First: and what sufficient Causes there can be conceived, to justify their height of Passion against the One, and yet the most endeared Affection towards the Other. But the Secret will manifest it self, when thou shalt consider, that all this is nothing but a Trial of Skill between the Apocryphal Story of Tobias, and the Canonical History of Daniel.
Now that I may deliver thee from this uneasy posture of Soul, I will set before thee the Mystery in a clear Light, that so thou mayest be capable of using thy Eyes; and therefore know:
I. That the true Reason of their severe Displeasure conceived against the Third Paper is, that it has so clearly and fully born its Testimony against the Antinomians in the Fundamental Article of Iustification: And thus it speaks: We further declare, as to to the special matters in difference concerning Justification: That although the express Word of God doth assert, the necessity of Regeneration to our entring into the Kingdom of God: and requires Repentance that our Sins may be blotted out; and Faith in Christ, that we may be justified; and Holiness of Heart and Life, without which we cannot see God: Yet that none of these, or any Work done by Man, or wrought by the Spirit of God in them, is under any Denomination whatsoever, any part of that Righteousness, for the sake, or on the account of which, God doth pardon, justify or accept Sinners; or intitle them to Eternal Life: That being only the Righteousness of Christ without them, imputed to them, and received by Faith alone.
From hence it is most evident, that the Brethren have secured the Doctrine of Iustification against the Socinian, Papal, and Arminian Errors; and themselves too, from all, even the least Suspicion of any Inclination that way, with all impartial, reasonable and indifferent Persons, by the latter Clause: Yet the former, by which they were willing to give a fair Opportunity to the opposite Party, to vindicate themselves from all Jealousy of leaning towards Antinomianism, is the unpardonable Sin against Dr. Crisp; which shall never be forgiven by the Reporter, and his Brother Manuscript; if they may carry the Keys of Admission and Exclusion, Absolution and Condemnation at their Girdles.
II. As I have now given the secret Reason of their immortal Pike against the Third Paper, so will I gratify the Reader with the foreign, or secret Reason of their over-passionate Fondness to the former, and that must be wholly ascribed to its Severity upon Mr. Williams. And let it be observed that a few hard Words and Censures upon him, shall at any time, even in their most morose Hours, purchase their Good Will and Friendship: And this Paper having honoured them herein to the utmost, could not fail of insinuating it self into their Favours. Mark therefore the Conditions of his Peace, and the Terms of being restored to some small degree of Acceptance: If therefore, Mr. Williams shall concur with us in what we have declared, touching the Doctrine of Iustification; and in the sense we have given of a Change of Persons between Christ and Believers; and of Christ's undertaking the Displeasure of his Father for our Sins; and shall give Satisfaction about any thing else, that any Brother excepts against in the rest of his Writings, agreeably to the abovesaid Articles and Confessions, we shall so far acquiesee therein, as not to make them the Matter of further publick Contest or Altercation amongst our selves. Was ever a poor Creature thus tyed to a Stake to be baited by the English Molossi, and every whaffing Whelp that could bark, though not bite? Must a Man stand in the Pillory all his Days, there to be palted with rotten Eggs, till they can find no more to throw at him? how much more merciful were the Terms put upon the Men of Iabesh-Gilead by Nahash, 1 Sam. 11. 2. he would only thrust out their right Eyes; but these would cut off his right Hand too: And now because the Brethren in their Third Paper, exprest more Humanity, durst not be so unreasonably cruel, but proposed more moderate Terms, the Former Paper must be cried up above the Skies, and the Latter thrown down to Hell.
Reader, thou shalt pardon me if I exercise thy Patience in making some Remarks upon the Conditions of Mr. Williams his Absolution; the rather, because they are wiser than to allow any for their own: And first I will observe the Conditions required, and then the Grace promised upon fulfilling the Conditions.
§ 1. And for the Conditions required. The Three former Conditions, I will not mention to save time and Paper, but the last Condition, which is a Complex of many, I will a little, though gently examine: If he shall give Satisfaction about any thing else, that any Brother excepts against, in the rest of his Writings. Now here we have what he must give, and then to whom he must give, it, and then, how far he must give Satisfaction.
(1.) What is it they expect Mr. Williams should give? Satisfaction. But what will satisfy? he has given already …ust and reasonable Satisfaction; he has subscribed the Assemblies Confession of Faith; he has subscribed the Article of Iustification drawn up by themselves, 1692. he has subscribed the Article of Iustification in the Third Paper, which satisfies all but Socinians, Arminians, Papists and Antinomians: And must he satisfy them that are resolved nothing shall satisfy? These Terms savour too much of Empire over Souls, and Dominion over the Consciences and Faith of Men: Let them tell him explicitly and plainly what will content them, and not vex Men with indefinite, unlimited Satisfaction.
(2.) But to whom must he give this Satisfaction? why truly to any Brother? I wish they had confined their Number to—About Twenty Thousand; That had given some Possibility, at least some little Hope that he might at last have given Satisfaction. But to any Brother is really hard: For in what Sense must he interpret Brother? In a general Sense, it may reach all Mankind; in a much narrower it may include all Protestants, Reformed at least: But suppose it extends to none but Independents, where there are no Clergy-Brethren, nor Lay-Brothers, it would find him picking Work for one Ten Years at least: But what if these any Brothers, should prove weak and injudicious? What if cavilling and captious? What if proud and imperious, Their Character as well as Number, would render it next to impossible to satisfy them: and what if one will be satisfied and another dissatisfied? this will suspend the Performance of the Promise for his Life; and I know no way for him to satisfy all, but by leaving the World; to which I will never advise him, least some other should be set up in his Place and Stead, with whom to quarrel, and of whom to demand Satisfaction; and I am not sure but I may be the Man.
(3.) How far must this Satisfaction extend? To any thing else, excepted against in the rest of his Writings? I am glad however this allows no Exceptions against his Thoughts; though the Manuscript has adventured upon that too: Here's a wide Field for Exceptions; for Mr. Williams has written a pretty many things, and it were hard, if Ten Thousand Men, having Ten Thousand Sentences to except against, could not make Earnings of it for three Lives, and the longest Liver of them, and so they have entailed the fibble frabble to succeeding Generations. You have heard the hard Terms required, will you
§ 2. Now hear the Favours promised upon his fulfilling the Conditions: We shall so far acquiesce therein as not to make them the Matter of farther publick Contest or Altercation amongst our selves. O quantum oh quantillum! What a World of Work must he do for such sorry Wages! what severe Penance for this hungry Absolution! Will they acquiesce? O no! but so far only! How far? pray, that he may know the worst on't! they will make no further Contest: Well, but if they make no further, they may keep the old or the present Contests a foot still; but will they promise to make no further Contest; not to raise new Objections, pick new Quarrels; but be content with the old ones? I mistake; They will make no further Publick Contests; but Private Whisperings and evil Surmises, and insinuated Slanders, and clan…estine Reproaches may be multiplied, whilst Mr. Williams lives, and 'tis to be feared, will feed upon his Carcase, and survive his Dust and Ashes.
To shut up this ungrateful Subject; those very Brethren, who from amongst the Presbyterians had some, concern in this First Paper, after having heard the Debates and Reasonings of the United Brethren, being satisfied that they had gone beyond the Bounds of Moderation, did ingenuously (to say no more) joyn with their brethren of a more benign Temper, in the Third Paper, which is that Crime, amongst some others, which these Bigotts will never forgive.
III. Give me leave, Reader, to bestow one thought more, upon the Manuscriptors tragical Harangue, upon Mr. Williams's pretended Contradiction: A Change and no Change! what, a Negative of the same import with an Affirmative! Yea and Nay, Words of the same Signification! Crimen inauditum Cai Caesar! But did he never hear or read of foreign; a Gift and no Gift? I make no question but he had heard of foreign; a Marriage and no Marriage: and though there might be some Solaecism in't Theotogically, yet it was no Grammatical or Logical Contradiction: and if the one of these does not offend his tender Ears, nor the other grate upon his tender Conscience, he might have spared his pompous Rhetorick upon a Change and no Change! Nor indeed in this Case; does a Change signify no Change: Nor is a Negative of the same import with an Affirmative: Nor yet are Yea and Nay, Words of the same Signification (as he childishly Fancies) but that there may be a Change (in a certain Sense) which is well consistent with no Change in another Sense, without the mortal Hazard of a Contradiction; even as he that may be said to be Married and yet not Married, may be said also with equal Truth, to have Changed, and yet not Changed his Condition: Of which some may have heard on both sides of their Ears.
IV. Reader, Thou hast heard much noise about that Book, Gospel Truth stated and vindicated, &c. and of the Subscription to it by some Ministers; I could wish thou wouldest be so true to thy self, and just to the Subscribers, as to view with thine own Eyes how far the Subscription extended; for this is the pretended and assigned Reason of their Fire and Faggot, with which they have presented it and them: It was no more than this: They judged that he had in all that was material, fully and rightly stated the Truths and Errors therein mentioned. Now if the things be not rightly and fully stated, in all that is material, why have not these Gentlemen, with all their Acuteness and Exactness, stated them better?
The same Quarrel they had formerly raised against the Book and the Subscriptions, or rather against the Author and Subscribers, which most Men thought had been composed, and full Satisfaction given, and in which the opposite Party did acquiesce; as appears from the printed Transactions of Dec. 16. 1692. But it seems they reserved some Seeds of further and future Quarrels in their own Breasts, and had smothered some secret sparks of Contention under the Ashes of their Compliance, which now after some Years they have blown up into a greater Flame: But if they were then satisfied, why are they now dissatisfied? And whence is it, that in the First Paper, they have changed the former Declaration into this other: That the Generality had given their Names only to a short Abstract of Truths, and Errors which they had seen (and since is much enlarged) and not to the Book it self, which they had not seem.
Reader! Mr. Williams, and the Generality of the Subscribers do hereby demand Justice of the Authors of this Assertion; and they doubt not thou wilt do 'em Right, upon this Evidence:
1. The Author doth protest there was never yet any Abstract, short or long, of the Truths and Errors, since they were first stated.
2. That the State of the Truths and Errors was seen by all that Subscribed, and Printed before any one Subscribed.
3. Whereas there were Sixteen who Suscribed the First Impression, and Three and Thirty who gave their Names to the Second; there were three or Four of the First Sixteen who had read, not only the State of the Truths and Errors, but the Book it self: And therefore …he Author and Subscribers do humbly and modestly ask, …y what Construction, by what Interpretation it can be …id, that the Generality gave their Names, &c. unless Twelve Ministers could be the Generality of Nine and Forty? which we must leave to be adjudged by those of …hese Gentlemen who are so versed and skilled in Mer…hants Accounts.
I will conclude with this; If these Contenders will go on to exact so much, and yield so little for the Sake of Union; they sell their own Innocency and the Churches Peace for nothing.
ERRATA.
PAg. 3. l. 27. for Stuff, read Huff. p. 6. l. 23. for delighted read defiled. p. 24. l. ult. for wholly, read for the most part. p. 27. l. 11. for any one read most. p. 47. l. ult. read Hypercriticks. p. 48. l. 26. for their, read shere.
FINIS.