A Defense of the Principles of Love, Part 2 · Exception 2 – Exception 3b
EXCEPT. II. Mr. B. mentioneth with3. Untruth. much bitterness what was formerly done in the time of the War; which is in him a most unbecoming practice; because first, Mr. B. was as guilty of stirring up and fomenting that War as any one whatsoever: and none ought to blame the effect, who gave rise and encouragement to the Cause.
Answ. 1. IF you mean that my words taste Of my mentioning former things.bitterly to you, I cannot deny it: You know best: But for my part, any Reader may see in the Book which the Preface referreth to, that I only lament our too open undeniable uncharitableness and divisions, and the effects thereof, and use the mention of some mens former faults with whom they and I can hold communion, to prove by way of Argument that they ought not to avoid communion with others for the like or less. And I know not how to convince men well, if I must pass by all such experimental Arguments.
2. Do you not mark your partialitie, Brother! In our Reply to them 1660. pag. 7, 8. et alibi, and in my 5 Disput. &c. I tell the Bishops of faults past, of Silencings, and Suspendings, &c. of the excellent Ministers afflicted and laid by; and how ordinarily are they told of the things charged on Bishop Laud, Pierce, Wren, &c. in their Articles to the Parliament: And when did you blame me or others for so doing? Can I believe that this offendeth you? And is it sin to tell your selves of your former sins, and none to tell the Bishops of it? O that we could know what spirit we are of.
3. Your third untruth in point of fact, is, [that I was as guilty of stirring up and fomenting that war as any one whatsoever.] Could you possibly believe your self in this? 1. I suppose you never saw me till above ten years after I had done with Wars. 2. I suppose you lived far from me. 3. If you know whom, and what you speak of, you know that I was never of the Assembly; I never Preached to the Parliament, till the day before the King was Voted home: I was forced from home to Coventry: There it was that I did speak my Opinion, but refused their Commission as Chaplain to the Garrison. In Shropshire my Father was twice imprisoned, that never did any thing against the King; nor medled with Wars: For two Months I did something there to little purpose, and once got my father out of Prison, by causing another to be seized to redeem him; but I never took Commission, Office, or pay all that time. I never entred into the Army till after Nas…by fight, and openly declared I went thither for this purpose, To discharge my Conscience in dissw…ing the Souldiers from the Overturning of the Government, and to have turned them from the purpose which I perceived among them, of doing what afterwards they did. If you and others that know not what they talk of, will but ask Dr. Brian, Dr. Grew, Mr. King, or others, whom assembled, I twice consulted about it, or any Survivers of the Coventry Committee, what business I went on into the Army, you will change your mind.
And did [no man whatsoever do more than this.] What not the Parliament themselves? Not any of the chief Speakers there? Not any of their acquaintance. What, not any of the other party neither? Not any of the Armies, neither of the Earl of Essex nor of Cromwel himself? How then came the ArmiesWhether I were as guilty as any in stirring up the War? on both sides to be raised, and proceed so far in Wars, before ever I saw one man of them, to my remembrance, or any Parliament man or Souldier had ever spake with me, or saw me, or ever had a line of writing from me? Why do you find none of my Parliament Sermons in Print?
4. But, if indeed I was as guilty as you mention, why is it in me a most unbecoming practice, to blame that which you think I did occasion? Is this good Divinity, that it is unbecoming a Minister to mention heinous sin with bitterness which we have bin guilty of? How then shall we repent? Or is Repentance an unbecoming thing? I hope the Act of Oblivion was not made to frustrate Gods Act of Oblivion, which giveth Pardon to the Penitent? Doth it forbid us to Repent of sin, or to perswade our brethren to repent? Where sin is hated, Repentance will not be hated: And if sin were as bitter as it must be, Reproof would not be bitter.
5. Do you think that you Preach sound Doctrine, when you say that [None ought to blame the effects who gave rise and encouragement to the Cause.] If this Doctrine be part of Gods worship which you offer him, who should be avoided as a false worshipper, that is, a false teacher, sooner than your self! What a scandal is it to the world, and dishonour to your self, that such Doctrine should be found thus under your hand, deliberately delivered? If this be true, then he that first encouraged the War on either side, must not blame any of the Murders, Robberies or other Villanies therein committed? Then he that hired the French man to set London on Fire, must not blame the burning of it. Then a man ought not to blame any sin which ever he was a cause of! Then when a man hath once sinned he must despair, and never must repent nor blame his crime. If you had found such Doctrine as this in the Common Prayer Book, you would have had a fowler charge against it than now you have, as to Doctrinals. Which I mention but to shew you, that if we must run away from one another for every thing that is unsound, we shall never have done, and others must avoid you as much as you do them.And guilty of all which he calleth the Effects?
6. But your deceit in the word [That War] hath a transparent covering. Which War is it that you mean? Do you think all that is done in one land, or one age, or by one Army, is one War? Where there are several causes, (especially if also several parties,) sure they are several Wars. The first War was made under the Earl of Essex, when the Commissions run [for the King and Parliament]. The second War begun under Fairfax and Cromwell, when [for the King] was left out of the Commissions. Another War was by Cromwell against the Londoners and Parliament, when he garbelled them (though it came not to blows). Another War was against the Scots Army and the English that rose for the Kings Deliverance. Another was in Ireland: Another in Scotland: Another between Cromwel and the Levellers. And many others there were afterwards under several Usurping Powers; And do you call all these one? or which of them do you mean?
7. I suppose you grosly call the meer consequents, the effects. Sure that which was the Effect of a later War, might be but the Consequent of a former. Or else you must say that the Parliament raised War against themselves, to pull down themselves, and set up a Protector? This was the Consequent of their first War; but whether the effect I leave to Logicians to determine. But by this you may see that you again preach false doctrine. The King may give rise and encouragement to a War, and yet may lawfully blame such Consequents as you call effects: What if the Kings own Army should plunder and murder, and blaspheme and depopulate; yea, or depose or hurt, or any way injure the King himself? Shall a man that separateth from the Liturgie as false worship come and tell us, that the King ought not to blame any of this because he gave rise and encouragement to the War: Extremities and Passion do thus unhappily use to blind men.
8. But seriously, Brother, I beseech you let us review the Effects you mention or respect. Is it possible for any sober Christian in the World to take them to be blameless, or to be little sins. What! both the violating the person and life of the King. AndWhether nothing past must be repented o…. the Change of the fundamental Government or Constitution. And an Armies force upon the Parliament which they promised obedience to? First upon eleven members; next upon the greater part of the house; and lastly upon the remainder? The taking down the house of Lords; The setting up a Parliament without the peoples Choice or Consent. The invading and Conquering Scotland: The Reader must note that I wrote the full Narrative of my Actions herein, which this presupposeth, but after cast it away, because neither part of the accusers can bear it.The making their General Protector. The making an Instrument of Government themselves, without the people. The setting up their second Protector. The forcing him to dissolve the Parliament. The pulling him down, whom themselves had lately set up. The setting up the remnant of the Commons again: The pulling them presently down again: The placing the Supremacy in a Council of themselves, and their adherents. Was all this lawful? And to do all this as for God, with dreadful appeals to him? Dare you or any man, not blinded and hardened, justifie all this? If none of all this was Rebellion or Treason, or Murder, is there any such Crime, think you, possible to be committed? Are Papists insulting over us in our shame? Are thousands hardened by these and such like dealings into a scorn of all Religion? Are our Rulers by all this exasperated to the severities which we feel? Are Ministers silenced by the occasion of it, about eighteen hundred at once, (even many hundreds that never were in any Wars, and such as consented not to this at all.) Are we made by it the by-word and hissing of the Nations, and the shame and pitty of all our friends? And yet is all this to be justified, or silenced? and name of it at all to be openly repented of? I openly profess to you, that I believe till this be done, we are never like to be healed and restored; and that it is heinous gross impenitence, that keepeth Ministers and people under their distress: And I take it for the sad Prognostick of our future woe, and (at best) our lengthened affliction, to read such writings against Repentance, and to hear so little open profession of Repentance, even for unquestionable heinous crimes; for the saving of those that are undone by these scandals, and for the reparation of the honour of Religion, which is most notoriously injured.
To see men still think, that their Repentance is the dishonour of their party and Cause, whose honour can no other way be repaired! To see men so blind, as to think that the silencing of these things will hide them, as if they were not known to the World! That man or party that will justifie all these heinous Crimes, and still plead Conscience or Religion for them, doth grievous injury to Conscience and Religion: I have told you truly in the book which is bitter to you, that Gods way of vindicating the honour of Religion, is for us by open free Confession, to take all the shame to our selves, that it be not injuriously cast upon Religion. And the Devils way of preserving the honour of the Godly, is by justifying their sins, and pleading Religion for them, that so Religiousness it self may be taken to be hypocrisie and wickedness; as maintaining and befriending wickedness.
For my own part I thought when I wasted my strength, and hazarded my life in the Army against these fore-named Crimes, and afterwards preached and wrote against them so openly, and so many years, that I had not been so much guilty of them as you here affirm. But if I was, I do openly confess that, if I lay in sackcloth and in tears, and did lament my sins before the World, & beg pardon both of God and man, and intreat all men not to impute it to Religion, but to me, and to take warning by my fall, which had done such unspeakable wrong to Christ and men, I should do no more than the plain light of nature assureth me to be my great and needful duty.
EXCEPT. II. ib. There is daily much4 Untruth. greater prophaneness, and the Consequent of prophaneness, Immorality, acted by those (4) whom yet Mr. Baxter never mentioneth but with honour; As if no sins or miscarriages were to be blamed but theirs, who are unable to defend themselves.
Answ. 1. IF this were true, I were much too blame, it being the very usage of others against my self, which I have great reason to complain of.
2. But if it was possible for you to believe your own words, that I never mention them but with honour, I shall think that there are few things that you may not possibly believe. Reader, if thou peruse the book, and yet believe this Author, I am not capable of satisfying thee in this, nor will I undertakeWhether I never mention the prophane but with honour. it in any thing else. Are these terms of honour Pref. p. 18. [How long Lord must thy Church and Cause be in the hands of unexperienced furious fools▪ &c.] Do I honour them when I so much display their sin? And when in the scheme in the conclusion I describe it? And when I tell you of many of such Ministers, and that it is a duty to separate from them, or disown them. And when in the history of Martin, I tell you how neer it I am my self, as to such as Martin separated from? And when I cite Gildas, calling such no Ministers, but enemies and traytors, &c. Were you not very rash in this?
3. But what if in this book I write neither against the prophane, nor the Iews, nor the Mahometans? Is it nothing that I have written the greater part of above fifty books besides against them.
4. What if there be Prophaneness to be reproved; doth it sollow that we must not be reproved also? Must we not repent, because they must repent?
5. O how hard is it to please all men▪ What man in Eagland hath been less suspected to be a flatterer of such as he moaneth than my self? or more accused of the contrary that hath any reputation of ministerial sobriety? Ask the Bishops that Conferred with us at the Savoy, 1660? Ask your self that read our Reply then? Ask any that ever did Converse with me; whether ever I was suspected of flattery, or dawbing with men sins?
6. But seeing you so far honour me, as to vindicate me from other mens accusations, I shall confess that it is my judgement, both that we should honour all men, 1 Pet. 2. 17. especially our superiors; and also that in our eyes a vile person should be contemned, while we honour them that fear the Lord, Psal. 15. 4.
EXCEPT. III. He alloweth himself a great and masterly liberty, to call his brethren fierce, self-conceited dividers, feaverish persons, &c.
Answ. IF there be none such, or but a few, I will joyfully confess my error;Of partial genderness. But if all ages of the Church have had such, and if this Kingdom have been so troubled by such, as all men know; and if they yet live in this sin to their own trouble and ours, why should it be contrary to meekness to mention it? Should I hate my Brother, in suffering sin to lie upon him.
Every paragraph almost inviteth me to remember Christs words to the two fierie Disciples, and to say, O how hard is it to know what manner of spirit we are of. Tell me Reader, whether this be not true? that if I had called the Bishops sacrilegious silencers of a faithful Ministry, murderers of many hundred thousand souls, perjurious, proud, tyrannical, covetous, formal hypocrites, malignant haters of good men, &c. I might not very easily have come off with many of these angry brethren, without any blame for want of Meekness? Nay, whether they would not have liked it as my zeal? when as such a gentle touch upon themselves, doth intollerably hurt them. Is there not gross partialitie in this.
Note also that these brethren that plead for Libertie do call it a masterly Libertie in me, thus to name their faults. And do you think that they would not have silenced my book, if it had been in their power? Note then whether the silencing imperious Spirit, be not common to both extreams.
EXCEPT. Ib. He useth the same frothy and unsavoury words, that others prophane Prayer and the name of God by, and which at the best, is that foolish talking or jesting which we are commanded not so much as to mention, Eph. 5. 3, 4.
Answ. THE words are [I am only perswading Of my foolish talking.all dissenters to Love one another, and to forbear but all that is contrary to love: And if such an exhortation and advice seem injurious or intolerable to you, the Lord have mercy on your souls.] Is the matter of this prayer unlawful? Or can he prove that I spake it jestingly, when I took it to be the serious prayer of my grieved heart? Or may we use no words (as Lord have mercy on us, &c.) which others use unreverently? Or is it true doctrine, that this is the foolish talk and jesting forbidden, Eph. 5? What proof is there here of any one word of all this?