Truth Prevailing Against the Fiercest Opposition, Part 1
His firſt Conſideration for ſubſtance this: THat the Morall Law hath a ſuperintendency over the Law of Inſtitutions; ſo that whilſt the poſitive Law of Chriſt cannot be practiſed without breaking the Morrall Law; In ſuch caſe, the Law of Inſtitutions muſt give place: which he proveth by many Scriptures.
This Doctrine is true, but ill applied as to us, in our caſe, becauſe our ſeparating is no breach of any part of the Morral Law; Mr. Goodwin indeed ſuppoſeth it is, and that by ſo doing we are guilty of promiſe breaking, covenant breaking, &c.
To which I anſwer, That we …iſed to walk together with Mr. Goodwin, and that Society, in the worſhip of God, according to the light given, we deny not.
But that our withdrawing from that Society, is any ſinful breach of promiſe or Covenant, that we utterly deny, yea, ſo farre from any ſuch thing, that it is indeed and in truth the performance of a moſt ſolemn Vow and Covenant, which Mr. Goodwin, At the time of the Nations cutring into the ſolemn League and Covenant.with my ſelf and divers of the Church, entred into, with hands lift up to the moſt high God, wherein we vowed to go one before another in the work of reformation, mark well, TO GO ONE BEFORE ANOTHER, not to ſtay one for another till all were ſatisfied, and that both in doctrine and diſcipline, according to the Word of God. Now that it was Mr. Goodwins own ſenſe, as well as ours, that every man was to judge for himſelf, what was according to the Word of God, and not another for him, appeareth by his own practiſe upon it, ſhortly after; for notwithſtanding all the obligations of love and friendſhip which the Pariſh of Coleman-ſtreet had put upon him, to continue fellowſhip with them in that old way, and notwithſtanding all the promiſes of ſervice, on his part made to them, upon their fetching him from Norfolk to Coleman ſtreet, yet becauſe of this ſolemn Vow to the moſt high God, (with other reaſons in conjunction) he thought himſelf bound in conſcience to withdraw from them, and actually did ſo, and made this ſolemn Vow and Covenant, one argument that induced him thereunto.
And did this ſolemn Oath, before the moſt High, juſtifie him in the like practiſe, and will it fail us?
Or will Mr. Goodwin be ſo monſtrouſly diſingenious, as to conſtrue any after promiſe, to walk with the Church in contradiction to this ſolemn Oath? And yet thus he dealeth with us, (for which God forgive him) that we may look like normous tranſgreſſors.
Our after promiſe to walk with the Church in the way we then was, muſt either be underſtood conditionally (that we found not the Word of God reproving it) or elſe we ſuppoſed to make promiſes that ſhould diſable us from performing the matter of our ſolemn Vow, attended with ſo many dreadful circumſtances, which a very little before we entred into, which ſurely no ingenious man that conſidereth will ever imagine, either that we did ſo, or that it was the ſenſe of the body we ſhould do ſo.
And how unreaſonable a thing it is, and deſtructive to the honour and glory of God, that any ſuch engagement ſhould be underſtood abſolutely, appeareth by the groſſe abſurdities that follow upon it, for then Men ſhould be locked up from any further progreſs in the work of reformation, let the light ſhine never ſo bright, and the call of the Scriptures be never ſo loud, and that upon the penalty of promiſe breaking.
Nay, if Mr. Goodwin himſelf hath not at another time ſaid enough, and more than enough, to juſtifie our practiſe, and condemn himſelf in this raſh and haſty charge of us, let the world judge.
In his fifth caution for Reformation, according to the Word of God, he hath this paſſage; They who would have this golden Motto, written as well in the heart as in the face of their Reformation, muſt be FREE from all collaterall engagements unto other patterus, beſides the Word of God.
Mark, Mr. Goodwin ſaith, they muſt be free, and yet calleth us, faith breakers, truſt betrayers, promiſe breakers, becauſe we uſe our liberty againſt a collateral engament to another pattern.
He addeth further in theſe words:
They meaning hearty reformers, muſt not encline not ſo much as a duſt in the ballance amounteth unto, to any Reformation of any Church whatſoever, further than they are reformed according to the ſame Word. Further thus:
Doubtleſs no man ever covenanted, to reform according to the example of any Church whatſoever, in oppoſition to the Word of God, or if they did, they have cauſe to abhorre themſelves in duſt and aſhes for it: Why then do you force upon us ſuch a ſenſe of promiſing, which ſtandeth in ſuch direct oppoſition to it.
Nay, in the Margin thus: To violate an abominable and accurſed Oath, out of conſcience to God, (as ſurely that would be, that kept perſons from following Chriſt fully, and held them in a half reformation) is a holy and bleſſed perjury.
Good Reader, this is Mr. Goodwins Text; I leave thee to make the interpretation, and give judgement, whether we, by his own principles, deſerve to bear the heavy burthen of faith and truſt betrayers, which he loadeth us with, not onelyonly in the beginning of his book, but very frequently almoſt to the end thereof, as if he took a kind of ſecret delight to mention us with diſhonour.
Or whether Mr. Goodwin by making the charge, proveth not himſelf inexcuſable altogether, both in the ſight of God and Men and guilty to a high degree, of breaking the royall Law of love to his Neighbour, yea, his friends and brethren, of like pretious faith, that ever had him in double honour, and ſought his good and comfort as their own, and that too, while he paſſionately complaineth of us for breaking the morrall Law.