Truth Prevailing Against the Fiercest Opposition, Title page – To the reader
TRUTH prevailing againſt the fierceſt Oppoſition, OR, An Anſwer to Mr. Iohn Goodwins Water-dipping no firm footing for Church Communion.
Wherein the invalidity of his twenty three Conſiderations againſt withdrawing from thoſe Societies that want Baptiſme by the bodies burial in water is manifeſted; and the ſeparation from ſuch Societies juſtified by the Word of God.
Together with the diſcovery of his great miſtakes in the expoſition of eight cheif Scriptures, wherewith he fighteth to overthrow Mr. Allens Anſwer to his forty Queries about Church Communion.
By THOMAS LAMBE Merchant, once belonging to the Congregation whereof Mr. JOHN GOODWIN is Paſtor, now a Servant to the Church of CHRIST meeting in Loathbury.
It was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you, that you ſhould EARNESTLY CONTEND for the Faith which was ONCE delivered to the Saints, Jude the third.
As ye have received Chriſt Jeſus the Lord, SO walk ye in him, rooted and built up in him. Col. 2.8.
Beware … any man ſpoil you through Philoſophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men, and NOT AFTER CHRIST, Col. 2.8.
I have found David the Son of Jeſſe, a man after my own heart, which ſhall fulfil ALL my will, Acts 13.22.
Hebron therefore became the Inheritance of Caleb, becauſe he WHOLLY followed the Lord God of Iſrael, Joſh 14.14.
London, Printed by G. Dawſon, and are to be ſold by Francis Smith, at his Shop in Flying-horſe-Court in Fleet-ſtreet, near Chancery-lane end. 1655.
TO THE READER
GOOD READER,
GOD knoweth with what regret of ſpirit I publiſh this anſwer to Mr. Goodwins Book, called, (Water-dipping no firm footing for Church Communion) as pure conſcience at firſt ſeparated me from that Society, of whom he is Paſtor, ſo now compelleth me to make anſwer to that Book (written for our reproof) not onelyonly to defend the truth therein oppoſed, but alſo to vindicate my ſelf with ſome others from the heavy charge therein given to the whole world againſt us, of Faith and Truſt betrayers, Promiſe breakers, ſacrilegious Church breakers, &c.
2. To make the world Judges, whether we are as Mr. Goodwin repreſenteth us, perſons of a miſuſed and … ſtempered fancy, of ſtupified judgements, to whoſe underſtanding common ſenſe is a myſtery inacceſsible, with abundance more to the ſame purpoſe.
3. To let the world ſee, that our Baptiſm hath not metamorphoſed us from Lambs to Wolves, Tygers, or Serpents, which ſtrange inſinuations uttered in his haſt, we hope confute themſelves in the eyes of all rational unprejudiced men, that know us; but ſince books for the moſt part live longer than men, I thought it my duty, to make our Vindication as publick as Mr. Goodwins Aſperſion, except he had prevented us, and truly not for our own name ſake, but for Chriſts ſake, whoſe cauſe we plead, and leaſt the bleſſed truth of the New Teſtament, ſealed in Chriſts heart bloud ſhould ſuffer by our total ſilence.
Had not the truth been dearer to me than any man, I had rather choſe to looſe my right hand, than ſet it to a book that frowneth on him, whoſe credit alwayes was, and ſtill is, right dear and pretious in my ſight, ſo unhappy a thing it is for good men to be yoked with error in the things of Chriſt, that it maketh the moſt intimate friends, by oppoſition, look like bitter adverſaries for the truth ſake. Thus did Paul in reſpect of Peter, 2 Cal. 11. when before the whole Church of Antioch he withſtood him to the face, becauſe he was to be blamed; he who ſpotteth the beautiful face of truth (though ignorantly) muſt expect a ſtain in his own credit, and be content to ſuffer ſo much as to make the truth whole: And he that contendeth FOR the truth, muſt be like to Levi, Deut. 33.9. Who ſaid unto his Father, and to his Mother, I have not ſeen him, neither did he acknowlegde his brethren, nor knew his own children, that he might obſerve Gods Word and keep his Covenant. To acknowledge the good received from Inſtruments agreeth both to grace and nature, but to baulk pleading the truth becauſe thereof, argueth a diſtemper in the affections. The ſame perſon deſerving at the ſame time both thanks and reproofs, to return the one is a point of gratitude, to adminiſter the other in love, and in the majeſty of Gods Word, a point of faithfulneſs. And if in this conteſt thou findeſt any paſſages on my part ſavouring of too much ſharpneſs, though in anſwer to Mr. Goodwins higheſt provocations, look upon me as diſowning them, and mind onelyonly the reaſon of the place; Chriſts counſel is, not to reſiſt evil,Math. 5 39. But whoſo ſhall ſmite me on the right cheek, to turn the other to him. But beſides, it becometh me to bear much evill from that hand, by which I have received ſo much good. And ſo I commend thee to the ſerious conſideration of the enſuing diſcourſe, praying with all my ſoul the Father of lights to vouchſafe thee the ſpirit of diſcerning, that what therein is of God may be obvious to thy underſtanding, and readily embraced by thy will, and what is not of God (if yet there be any thing) may utterly periſh from thy ſoul: this is the prayer of,
Thy faithful Friend to ſerve thee to my power, THO: LAMBE.