The Utter Routing of the Whole Army of All the Independents and Sectaries, Part 1
To all the Homothumadon Jndependents, aſſembled, and not aſſembled, with all the Sectaries and Straglers under their ſeverall commands, and to all the Burtonians, Valere & ſapere.
Gentlemen,
A Godly conſcientious Chriſtian not long ſince being in company with one of the chiefeſt of your ſociety, and bewailing unto him the ſad condition of the times, in regard of the many dangerous opinions and blaſphemous hereſies that have within theſe few yeares ſprung up ſince your New Lights appeared on our Horizon to the deſtroying of the ſoules of many, yea, tending to the ruine of Church and State, and to the bringing downe of the judgements of God upon the whole nation, if not timely prevented, he demanded of him, what he thought now was the fitteſt courſe to be taken for the hindring of the over-ſpreading of them, ſeeing men generally began to leave the publicke Aſſemblies, and to decline thoſe wayes God hath appointed in his holy Word, (viz. the preaching of the everlasting Goſpel by his faithfull and orthodox Ministers) for the ſaving of their ſoules, and for the right information of their judgements, and the rectifying of their manners; to whom that Gentleman of your party replyed, that no other meanes ought or could lawfully be uſed but ſweating them with Arguments.
Whereupon, I being very deſirous of all mens ſaving healths, but eſpecially of yours, in regard of the particular acquaintance I have formerly had with ſome of you, and in regard alſo I have beene often accuſed of great ingratitude towards you all (though I may truly aſſert▪ that not any one of you, did ever ſhew me the leaſt courteſie under that notion you now ſhew your love to any; for whiles yee were my familiars yee went on in that way I now walke in; and if yee then ſhewed me any humanity, yee ought not now to upbraid me with it; for I am not changed but yee) I ſay in conſideration of theſe things, and in regard likewiſe, I find by many ſymptomes the minds of many of you are exceedingly exulcerated and affected with that malady in morality yee make ſo loathſome in others, yee being ſurcharged with ſuperfluity of choler and malice, and not able to containe your ſelves, but breake forth into diſtemper of words, and poure it out in unſavoury language, ſo that yee may well be left to a miſerere mei: (I pray excuſe me that I uſe your owne dialect) in all theſe regards I ſay, but chiefly for your ſoules good, and that all the world may ſee how gratefull a man I am to you for any former courteſies under whatſoever notion you ſhewed them mee; I being a Phiſician, and very well acquainted with all your diſtempers, and being very willing alſo to yeeld my beſt helpe for the reſtoring of any of you to your former ſanity and ſoundneſſe of mind offer my ſelfe to be your Phiſician in ordinary, and to follow the method preſcribed by one of your brethren (who it ſeemsknows the beſt way of curing your ſeverall maladies) & I ſhall upon all occaſions, as I have at this time, ſweat you with Arguments, but chiefly a… the times appointed; and becauſe it ſhall not be ſaid I doe it out of a deſire of gaine and for lucre ſake, that I may the better teſtifie my gratitude to you all, I will according to my promiſe give you my counſell gratis, only you muſt pay my Apothecary for the Phiſick, who ſhall uſe you very reaſonably. Now I have made good proviſion of it, becauſe ſome of your way not many weeks ſince, being in Weſtminster-Hall ſpeaking to a Reverend Presbyterian Miniſter in a vapouring manner, ſaid, that the Independents were exceedingly beholding to me and Reverend Mr. Edwards, affirming, that we bred more Indpendents then any two of the Kingdom beſides; and this I beleeve to be true, not only becauſe I know the honeſty of the man, but becauſe I find it printed by one of your brethren, that Biſhop Wren was not more miſchievous to the Prelacy, then Master Edwards hath beene to the Presbytery, and becauſe Maſter Weld a wonderfull learned man writ unto me not long ſince, wondring who hired me to make ſo many Independents, (whoſe worthy Epiſtles may happily within theſe few weeks ſee the light) and in this regard I doe perſwade my ſelfe that thoſe Independents did uſe ſuch words as theſe to that Miniſter in Weſtminſter-Hall.
The ſame Miniſter alſo related unto me moreover that they ſaid that they underſtood that I was preparing ſome phyſicke for them, which they doubted not but would be very operative for the breeding and increaſing of Independents, and for the ſtrengthning of more, and therefore they ſaid they were reſolved as ſoone as ever it was made ready for uſe, they would beſtow an hundred pounds upon that and Maſter Edward's Bookes, for to ſend through the countrey for the breeding of Independents, and contented not themſelves barely to ſpeake the words, but bound themſelves by a ſolemne proteſtation, that they would doe it; and therefore that I…might farther make them beholding to me, which is alſo ſome requitall for all your former courteſies, I have provided phyſick in a very great quantity, and challenge your promiſe; for I preſume that they were but the mouth of their brethren, there being one of your Sagamours in the company at that time, a man that cannot deny what was promiſed. Now if you be honeſt men indeed, and men of your word, I expect performance according to your promiſe; I will ſee you ſhall have reaſonable penny worths only I muſt tell you, that I will take order, that the phyſicke be faithfully diſtributed, and ſent through the Kingdome into all parts according to your engagement for the breeding of Independents, that it be not embezeled; I will undertake that it ſhall carefully be ſent to whatſoever places you ſhall appoint; therefore if yee be Saints indeed as yee pretend, ſtand to your word; for I have good witneſſe of it, and doe not you pretend excuſes for the declining of the buying of my phyſick; for then I will conclude you are but a company of Bragadochoes, neither would I have you as formerly you uſe, to diſparage it, finding fault with it, & my method, & manner of diſpenſation, ſaying, that it is nauſeous, and that in my rules and directions I am full of tautologies and extravagancies, and that it is poore ſtuffe procuring rather vomiting then ſweating, and that their tender stomacks and conſcences cannot digest ſuch phyſicke, complayning moreover that it is very deare; I would not have you now pretend any of theſe things, I ſay it is not for your honour, ſeeing you have paſſed your promiſe to buy it, and to ſend it through the countrey, for the breeding of Independents; for you ſhould have conſidered all theſe things before your engagements, which being paſſed you cannot now with honeſty revoke.
But as for the tautologies and often repetitions you ſo blame in my method, and ſo much ſpeake of, you of all men ought to excuſe them, you your ſelves ſo often uſing them, having little elſe in all your writings but tautologies, and vaine repetitions; eſpecially you ought not to blame them in me, when thoſe of your partie have occaſioned them by your frequent objecting the ſame things from ſeverall mouths and pens; for I had to deale with your whole Armie, and with three of your Generals at once, who had read without doubt what each other had writ againſt me, and therefore they picking and chooſing through my booke what they thought they could beſt deale with, they might have ſet upon thoſe parts of my Book that the others had ſaid nothing againſt, but they making the ſame cavils that the others had done, they put mee upon ſeverall anſwers. But were it ſo that they had none of them ſeene what each other had writ, yet they treading in the ſame ſteps, and anſwering after their manner to the ſeverall Arguments they oppoſed, I was ſeverally to reply to all their cavils, that are materially made to the ſeverall Arguments, which I have faithfully done; and for my part▪ I thought it no burthen, being ever willing, yea reſolved is often and as frequently as I find poyſon laid by any deſtructive creature, to preſcribe an Antitode to it in the ſame place; and for farther anſwer to your meager and ſlender detractions, take notice, that I value not what you or any Adverſaries can ſay concerning my tautologies, if handling the ſame thing often be thought a tautologie with you; for this is my reſolution, that whereſoever, and as often as I find an adverſary hath a tongue to ſpeake againſt the truth, or a pen to write againſt it, were it an hundred times in the ſame place, or in the ſame page, I will (God aſſiſting me) anſwer them upon the place I find them, and that inſtant, I will never refer the Reader to what I have ſaid before in any other place concerning that point; for I for my part think it a kind of lazineſſe to ſpare any paines in ſo weighty buſineſſes and things of ſo high concernment as theſe are; yea, I think there is but little zeale in that man that ſhall hear the truth, either often blaſphemed or ſpake againſt, that will not as often ſtand up in defence of it, and contend for it (according to command, Iud. 3.) to his uttermoſt ability, yea it would be a means to perſwade unſtable men, that there were ſome ſtrength in the Arguments of the enemies, or that they are more diligent to ſow errors & tares, then I ſhould be diligent to root them out & oppoſe them, if I ſhould not as often reply as they cavil, and object; & therfore for my particular it never troubles me what any of youcan ſay to me about my tautologies, which are not vaine repetitions to any that love often to heare the ſame truth well confirmed; for allthis will but witneſſe and declare to all men, that I am a carefull man to uphold the truth, and to reſiſt gain-ſayers; beſides, any man may ſooner reade a reply many times, then turne to an other place, where it was formerly ſpake of, and anſwered to; withall, there will in a ſeverall anſwer to the ſame objection in an other place be found ſome variety, both for argument and language, which many times begets other excellent notions, which more and more confirmes men in any truth.
Beſides, this hath ever beene Gods owne method, which they that are taught of him, Iohn 6. ought to imitate, often to repeate one and the ſame Law; as what he taught his people in Exodus, he often reiterates in the ſame Booke, and not in that only, but in Leviticus and Numbers, and repeats the whole Law againe in Deuteronomy, and that often, to the end they might remember it, & the ſame may be ſaidof al the holy Prophets through the whole Bible, who often reiterate & repeat the ſame things that the people may not pretend ignorance; and this I ſay is Gods own method, and therfore worthy of our imitation; yea and Chriſt himſelf uſed this method in his preaching, and dictating unto his Apoſtles by his Holy Spirit, who writ foure Evangels of what he hath both done and ſuffered for us, often repeating the ſame thing; yea, all the holy Apoſtles and pen men of holy Writ uſed the ſame method, as is to be ſeen through the Acts, & all their holy Epiſtles, repeating the ſame things according to their ſeveral occaſions, as when either the ſame errors ſprang up in other places, or began to increaſe where they were ſo wen, and ſtarted up; yea, Paul profeſſeth of himſelfe, Phil. 3. verſe 1. that to him it is not grievous, but for them ſafe, to write the ſame things. The ſame method did Saint Peter uſe, as yee may ſee in his ſecond Epiſtle; and therefore it is no error in me often to repeate the ſame things, and to inculcate and reinforce the ſame Arguments, eſpecially if it be occaſioned by your ſelves, that by this meanes the truth for which I contend may be the more confirmed, and errors may be the more confuted, and overthrown. But withall let mee ſay thus much unto you by the way, that although I am conſtrained through your vaine tautologies often to handle the ſame truths; yet it is with ſuch variety, and in ſo diverſe a way, manner and ſtile, as it will not bee grievous or tedious to all thoſe that ſhall reade it with honeſt hearts, where they will well perceive that what I have anſwered more briefly in one place I have more fully handled in an other; that (if it be poſſible) I might give full ſatisfaction to all docible and ingenuous men that will be ſatisfyed, either with Scripture or reaſons.
Now if in this diſpute there be any expreſſions that may diſpleaſe any of you, you of all men may well excuſe them, knowing how great your provocations of me have beene; eſpecially, if you conſider that all this contention is for the defence of the truth of God, which yee all have ſought to corrupt, and adulterate with your traditions; in whoſe quarrell, and for the maintenance of whoſe honour it becomes every man to be more zealous, and fuller of animoſity then for his owne; and therefore if I take liberty to ſpeake more freely in ſhewing the vanity, impiety and wickedneſſe of the Deceivers and Impoſtors of theſe times in which we live, it is but to uſe the ſame method the holy Prophets and bleſſed Apoſtles have uſed againſt the falſe teachers of their times, who have expreſſed themſelves in language equivalent to whatſoever they ſhall find in any part of my Booke. Yea, you your ſelves if you but looke upon my Brother Burtons Vindication, or upon any of his Pamphlets, or indeed upon any of your own ſcriblers in maintenance of your owne vaine errors and novelties, or upon Iohn Goodwyn, your famous Cretenſis, or the laſt Vindication that came out againſt Reverend Maſter Edwards, you ſhall find them as full of unſavoury expreſſions, as ever people writ againſt any men withall, writing alſo with ſuch elated ſpirits, and with ſo courſe language, as is poſſible for any men to vent themſelves withall, they ordinarily beginning and continuing their Pamphlets with pride, and ending them with curſing, as in that late Vindication appeareth, where the Author page the firſt, ſaith, I thought it might not be amiſſe (ſpeaking of learned Maſter Edwards) to ſpend an houre or two upon this vaine man. Here wee find the height of pride, inſolency and diſdaine, and in the 30. page he hath theſe words concerning the ſame man. The Lord rebuke turbulent and violent ſpirits; here he ends with curſing cauſeleſſely, whereas there is no more turbulent and violent ſpirits now upon the earth then this of that Author, and all thoſe of your fraternity, as all their practices, and noyſome, fruitleſſe, and vilipending ſcriblings can witneſſe, who daily write againſt their Chriſtian Brethren for their zeale to the truth, with a greater ſpirit of pride, inſolency and elation, and with more contempt and diſdaine, and that out of ſelfe conceitedneſſe then ever the Prelates did, continually ſlighting, under-valuing and contemning thoſe men they are not worthy for any merit or true learning to be compared with, or named the ſame day they are mentioned; and therefore if I in Gods quarrell and cauſe be a little more earneſt, and uſe a little more tartneſſe (which I ſhall ever wave in my owne) it may with any good nature eaſily plead excuſe.
But before I conclude my Epiſtle, I ſhall deſire you all to conſider three paſſages, omitting many; I ſhall here ſet before your eyes the one out of Maſter Knollys his Anſwer, the other out of I. S. his Flagellum, the third out of my Brother Burtons Vindiciae; that you may take notice of the vanity and futility of theſe men, and how much they have wronged your cauſe before you reade the inſuing Diſcourſe. Maſter Knollys thus ſpeaks, upon the Frontiſpice of his Booke: A moderate Anſwer unto Doctor Baſtwicks Booke, wherein the manner how ſome Churches in this Citie were gathered, and upon what termes their Members were admitted, that ſo both the Doctor and the Reader may judge, how neere ſome `Beleevers who walke together in the Fellow-ſhip of the Goſpel, doe come in their practiſe to theſe Apoſtolicall rules, which are propounded by the Doctor, as Gods method in gathering Churches, and admitting Members. Theſe are Maſter Knollys his own words, and in the nineteenth and twentieth page he more fully there teſtifies his good liking of that method for gathering of Churches that I out of the Word of God propounded, and would perſwade the world that their Congregations were gathered after that method or manner, or came very nigh unto it; by all which his expreſſions, and by that their practice he declares, that in his judgement I have writ nothing but what is agreeable to Gods Word. I appeale now therefore unto you all, whether this man deſerves not condigne puniſhment, that will goe about, undertake and endeavour to confute that Booke which he in his judgement alloweth of, and according to which he pretendeth he practiſeth, andall this for the deluding and miſleading of unſtable ſoules, to the trouble both of Church and State. I am moſt aſſured, that thoſe that are rationall amongſt you, and not blinded with paſſion, will ſay that Maſter Knollys is not only an unworthy trifler, but that hee goeth contrary unto his owne Principles, and ought deſervedly to be ſeverely puniſhed for his thus wickedly miſpending his pretious time and abuſing the ſimple people: For if I have writ nothing concerning the gathering of Churches, but what he in his conſcience beleeveth and practiſeth; then how unexcuſable is that in this man that will ſpeake againſt what his owne ſoule dictates unto him to be according to GODS holy Word? By all which it is manifeſt, that he is not onelyonly a vain jangler, but hath loſt the day, and wronged that your cauſe, the defence of which, notwithſtanding, he entred into the field to vindicate and maintain againſt all the Presbyterians. And that which I have ſaid of him, may deſervedly be ſpake of I. S. and my brother Burton. For I. S. in the 13. Page of his Flagelli, hath theſe words, If it were granted (ſaith he) that many Churches did aggregate and unite in the beginning, yet would not this example be bindingly preſidential, &c. and ſeems there to prove it by arguments; and my brother Burton in the 9. and 10. pages of his Pamphlet aſſenteth unto I. S. his doctrine, as you may ſee at large if you look into it, in which you ſhall find alſo, that he acknowledgeth there were many congregations of beleevers in the Church of Ieruſalem, and at that time, when according to his own reckoning, there were but three thouſand beleevers in that Church.
His words are theſe, ſaying, that though they wanted a convenient place ſo spacious as wherein to break bread, or to receive the Lords Supper altogether, ſo as they were conſtrained to ſever themſelves into divers companies in ſeverall private houſes to communicate, &c. So that by the learning of all theſe your great Champions you will in the ſequell of this diſcourſe evidently perceive, that they have utterly overthrown your doctrine of Independency and of the Congregational way, and that whiles they all came out to maintain it: For Mr Knollys, as I ſaid even now, he fights againſt the light of his own underſtanding, and oppoſeth that truth which he in his judgement alloweth of. And for I. S. and my brother Burton they have ignorantly murthered your cauſe: For all the contention hitherto, both in the Synod, between the reverend Preſbyters there and the Homothumadon diſſenting brethren, and between all the Independents and Presbyterians through the Kingdome, hath been concerning the Church of Jeruſalem and the number of beleevers in that Church, which the diſſenting brethren with all the Independents in England hold were never at firſt and laſt more then could all meet in one place or Congregation to partake in all acts of worſhip; and they aſſert moreover that that Church ought to be a patern for all Churches to the end of the world in reſpect of its government; and do peremptorily affirme, that the example of that Church is bindingly preſidentiall to all ſucceeding ages for imitation, which is the opinion not only of the Homothumadon diſſenting brethren but of all the Sectaries that I know, yea the orthodox Presbyterians do all beleeve, that the Church of Ieruſalem the Mother-Church is to be a pattern of Government to all Churches in all ſucceeding ages to the end of the World.
Now I. S. ſaith, that the example of the Church of Ieruſalem is not bindingly preſidential, wickedly comparing it to the confuſed chaos that indigeſted moles in the firſt creatiō, ſo that he makes the church of Ieruſalem an imperfect patern. So that by his doctrine, it is left arbitrary for any Church or State to ſet up what kind of Church government they pleaſe. Now whether or no this opinion of his be not contrary to all divinity and the judgement of all orthodox Divines, yea to the very tenent of all the Independents, I leave it to the conſideration of all thoſe amongſt you that can judge of things that differ: So that you may ſee that this Champion alſo of yours hath abſolutely overthrown your own principles when he came out to maintain and defend your cauſe.
My brother Burton alſo hath given a fatall blow to that cauſe he came out ſo deſperately to maintain: For all the Independents through the world, that ever I heard of, with all the Homothumadon brethren in the Aſſembly, by all their arguments have hitherto laboured to evince, that there were no more beleevers in the Church of Ieruſalem then could all meet in one place or Congregation to communicate in all ordinances, acknowledging, that if it could be proved there were more Aſſemblies and Congregations of beleevers in that Church, that then they would yeeld the cauſe; and they spake according to reaſon. For if there were many Congregations of beleevers in Ieruſalem, and all thoſe made up but one Church, and were all under one Presbytery, as they muſt of neceſſity be if they made all but one entire Church, then the doctrine of the Congregationall way falleth to the ground or vaniſheth: for if there were many and ſeverall Congregations there that had not an abſolute authority and juriſdiction Independent within themſelvs reſpectively, but were ſubordinate and ſubject to another authority above them, then of neceſſity that tenent of the Congregationall way is but a meer chimera or whimſy of your own heads, as all the learnedſt of your tribe do acknowledge.
Now when my brother Burton hath not onelyonly granted there were many Congregations of beleevers in that Church, but by arguments proved it; he hath utterly, I ſay, loſt the field before he entered into the combat, as will yet more perſpicuouſly appear in the following diſcourſe: but by that I have now ſaid, you may ſee how unhappy you are in all theſe your Champions and Generals that give as great wounds unto your cauſe as any adverſaries you have in the world now living ever gave.
That which I have now to ſay in the firſt place to all your leaders and guides, is, earneſtly to intreat them as they look for true comfort in life and death, and as they deſire the peace of the Church, and quiet of this diſtracted State and Kingdome, they would now no longer withhold the truth from the people in unrighteouſneſſe, which hitherto they have done; but that they would unfainedly bewaile the errors of their wayes; and repent of their ſeducing and miſleading of the poor people; let it be enough that they have ſo highly provoked God and cauſed the enemies to blaſpheme our Chriſtian Religion.
And in the ſecond place I deſire all you that have hitherto been miſled and carryed about with every wind of their new doctrine, that now you would more ſeriouſly prove and examine all things (according to the Apoſtles rule, 1 Theſſ. 5. 12.) and hold faſt that which is good. Lay not out your time and moneys for that which will profit you nothing, but whiles it is called to day, ſet your ſelves ſeriouſly upon the work of examining all thoſe new doctrines that have been taught you: ſet before your eyes the example of the noble Bereans, ſearch the Scriptures whether things be as they have taught you, and if you pleaſe diligently to read what I have writ out of a zeal of the glory of God, and out of love to your ſelves, and a true deſire of your eternall felicity, If any of you that have erred from the truth ſhall be converted by it, let him know, that he that converteth the ſinner from the error of his way, ſhall ſave a ſoul from death, and ſhall hide a multitude of ſins, James 5. 19. 20.
John Baſtwick.