A Second Admonition to Edward Bagshaw, Part 2 · Section 20
Sect. 20. E. B. Deny if you can the conſequence,7th Self-condemning calumny. that it became not you to blame the effects, who gave ſuch riſe and encouragement to the Cauſe: I mean, unleſs you repent of the Cauſe; which it is evident you have not yet done: And if I may not be believed in this opinion of you, I doubt not but the Biſhop of Worceſter will; who for this very thing did formerly accuſe you of rebellion: From which charge, he that defended you then, leaveth you to acquit your ſelf now as well as you can.
R. B. 1. Your [I mean, unleſs you repent] were none of your former words: When you ſay one thing, you think to ſolve and avoid the charge of falſhood, by ſaying that you Meant another. 2. What you ſay is evident, muſt needs be a Calumny in you, 1. Becauſe you have no Evidence of the Negative being about my heart, which is to you unknown. 2. Becauſe your ſelf did before twit me with Retraction, &c. 3. And did you believe your ſelf that the Biſhop of Worceſters words ſo many years ago, are a proof that I repent not now? 4. And are you yet inſenſible of your own partiality; that then you blamed that in the Biſhop which now you can freely do your ſelf? Let your followers mark what Spirit you are of, if you are reſolved not to know your ſelf? Do you not ſee now that the man who took it for ſo great a crime in the Biſhop, can ſpeak himſelf, 1. Againſt the ſame man, 2. With the ſame accuſation, 3. In the ſame manner. And is the ſame thing bad in the Biſhop, and good in you? The matter is, it ſeemeth now to be your concernment to ſpeak it: Its like you would then have ſeparated from the Biſhop for it: And yet now it is no fault in you? O what a blinding thing is ſelfiſh partiality? And what reaſon hath any man to doubt, but if it were in your power, you would ſilence me as much as any Biſhop would? And will you not yet ſee that which you are ſo angry with me for telling you; viz. How much of the very ſame Spirit is in Church-dividers, with that which they moſt condemn in others: Why then do you not ſeparate from your ſelves?
5. But, though you may think its like that you have me here in your ſnares, I ſhall make this benefit of it, that you may ſee I am not ſo great an enemy to Repenting, as you declare your ſelf to be.
I do hereby freely profeſs, that I Repent 1. Of all that ever I thought, ſaid, wrote, or did ſince I was born, againſt the Peace of Church or State; Againſt the King, his Perſon, or Authority, as Supream in himſelf, or as Derivative in any of his Officers, Magiſtrates, or any Commiſſioned by him.
2. That I Repent that I no more diſcouraged the Spirit of pieviſh quarrelling with Superiours and Church-orders, and (though I ever diſliked and oppoſed it, yet) that I ſometimes did too much encourage ſuch, as were of this temper, by ſpeaking too ſharply againſt thoſe things which I thought to be Church-corruptions; and was too loth to diſpleaſe the contentious, for fear of being uncapable of doing them good (knowing the prophane to be much worſe than they) and meeting with too few Religious perſons, that were not too much pleaſed with ſuch invectives.
3. And I do Repent that I had not more impartially and diligently conſulted with the beſt Lawyers that were againſt the Parliaments Cauſe (For I knew of no Controverſie in Divinity about it, but in Politicks and Law;) and that I did not uſe all poſſible means of full acquaintance with the Caſe. And that for a little while the Authority of ſuch Writers as Mr. Rich. Hooker lib. 1. Eccleſ. Polit. and Biſhop Bilſon, and other Epiſcopal Divines did too much ſway my judgement toward the Principles of Popular Power; And ſeeing the Parliament, Epiſcopal, and Eraſtian, and not hearing when the Wars began of two Presbyterians among them all, nor among all their Lord Lieutenants, Generalls, Major Generalls, or Colonells, till long after, I was the eaſilyer drawn to think that Hookers Political Principles had been commonly received by all; which I diſcerned ſoon after upon ſtricter enquiry, to be unſound, and have my ſelf written a Confutation of them, ready for the Preſs many years ago.
4. And all the reſt of my ſin in this buſineſs, which I know not of particularly, I do Implicitly and Generally Repent of; and daily beg of God (as I have done theſe twenty four years and more) to give me a particular Conviction of them, and not to ſuffer me to live or dye in any impenitence, but ſo far to acquaint me with all my great and publick ſins, that I may openly confeſs them, and give others warning to avoid the like. This is the Repentance, which upon your invitation I profeſs.
If you quarrel with it as not inſtancing in particulars enow, I anſwer you, that as in the Revocation of the Book which you accuſe, I thought it beſt to Revoke the whole, (though not as Retracting all the doctrine of it,) becauſe if I had named the particular paſſages, ſome would have ſaid I had mentioned too few, and ſome too many, and few would have been ſatisfied; ſo is it in the preſent Caſe.
6. As to your Defence of me heretofore, 1. You know I never deſired it of you, nor gave you thanks for it. For though you took my part, you underſtood not my Cauſe, and therefore in the main deſerted it. 2. I am not at all ambitious of ſuch an Advocate, 1. Whoſe Defence was then judged by all that I heard ſpeak of it, to be commendable only for boldneſs, and a handſome Epiſtolary Style, having little of Judgement or argumentative ſtrength: 2. Whoſe errors and faults will diſgrace the Cauſe which he defendeth: 3. Who can blow hot and cold, and when his paſſion and erroneous intereſt requireth it, can change hands, and take up his adverſaries work, and do the ſame thing in the main, which he accuſed. Threaten me not with ſo deſirable a deſertion.
As for the following inſultations on ſuppoſition of the ſufficiency of your ſnare, you ſee now that it is to glory in your ſhame.