Anti-Paedobaptism Part 3, Section 87
SECT. LXXXVII. The distractions in Germany and our present distractions, sprung not from Anabaptism as Mr. Cragge saith.
THere having been a dispute a… Abergavenny between me and Mr. John Cragge, Sept. 5th. 1653. and a Sermon preached there (wh…n I was gone thence) the next Lords day, in opposition to what I taught, instead of letting mee have a copy manuscript, they were printed with much injury to the truth and my person. Where…ore having had experience in Mr. Bs. dealing, what advantage the errour of infant Baptism got by such writings, I being then in London and meeting with the Book, made a reply intituled, A Plea for Antipaedobaptists; to which Mr. John Cragge hath returned an answer, and intituled it, The Arraignment and Conviction of Anabaptism. He hath prefixed an Epistle to eight ominent Members of the Parliament which …ate anno 1654. He tels them that the Cause he defends is and ought to be dearer to them, then any private interests, as whereupon infallibly depends the peace of Church and State. He might more truly have said, that infallibly the peace of Church and State depends on the reforming of infant Baptism, which hath corrupted the Church and State by bringing into the Christian societies a world of ignorant, loose and prophane persons, who being the major part in all Churches, and Commonwealths, where Christianity hath been received, have persecuted the godly, domineered over the consciences and liberties of the Saints, and upheld a proud and sensual Clergy, to the infinite disturbance of the Eastern and Western Churches for many ages. And though I hope better of the men to whom Mr. Cr. ascribes such heroick excellencies, that they have or will have more wit or more grace, then to account Mr. Crs. cause of infant Baptism dearer to them then any private interests. Yet I must confess I cannot but mourn, that not onelyonly Parliament men, but also Ministers should be so ignorant, as to be taken with such silly in…pid clamours (I may truly say) rather then arguings, as Mr. Cr. Mr. B. and others, have mislead them by.
That which he saith, the former sad disasters of Germany and our present distractions, both took their spring and growth, in a great measure, from Anabaptism, …is most false.
The disasters in Germany which were in the years 1524, 1525. did spring from the great burthens and oppressions which were put on the Rusticks by their Princes, Bishops, Abbots. Spondanus expresly in his Auct. of his Epit. of Baron. Annals ad annum 1524. saith, That they began in Suevia, by rising of the Bores against their Lord Count Lupfius, and that the beginning thence being risen, after an infinite number of Rusticks being stirred up to seditions upon pretent of Gospel liberty (which Spanheimius himself in his Diatribe Historica §. 4. refers to Luthers Book of Christian Liberty as the occasion taken by them) committed great outrages. And ad annum 1502. tels us, That in the Diocess of Spi…e, a conspiracy of Husbandmen against the Bishops and Canons, which was called the Rustick League, began from two Rusticks: of which conspiracy the ch…ef article was that they should shake off every yo…e, and in imitation of the Helvetians should recover their liberty. And Lucas Osiander Epit. hist. Eccles. cent. 16. l. 1. c. 16. p. 34. saith, These particular seditions in Germany, were the praeludia or fo…e playes of that great sedition of Rusticks, which was in its vigour in the year 1525. And Gnodalius in his history of the rustick tumults in Germany in the year 1525. lib. 1. sai…h, That in Suevia, where they first began, they did openly signifie that they were not Gospellers, nor did flow together for the Gospel sake, but because of exactions. Bp. Jewel. Def. of the Apology of the Church of England part. 4. chap. 4. Divis. 1. to Harding, saying, Were the hundred thousand Bores of Germany consumed by the sword of the Nobility there for their obecience? answers thus, The Bores of Germany, of whom ye speak, for the greatest part, were adversaries unto Doctour Luther, and understood no part of the Gospel: but conspired together, as they said, onelyonly against the cruelty and tyranny of their Lords: as they had done two and twenty years before in the same Country, in the Conspiracy called Liga sotularia, fifteen years before Doctour Luther began to preach: the partners of which conspiracy had for their watchword the name of our Lady, and in the honour of her, were bound to say five Ave maries every day. Certainly touching those later Rebels, it is known that Luther sharply and vehemently wrote against them. And they themselves being demanded thereof, utterly denied both the partaking, and also the knowledge of the Gospel. It is true Muncer was a busie man in Thuringia, and stirred up the people disposed to tumults by reason of oppressions, and at Munster in Westphalia in the years 1532, 1533. were stirs and out-rages; but even Spanheimius himself sets down the beginning of them to have been upon the Protestant reformation, by the preaching of Rotmannus and others, afore the comming of John Matthias, and John Becold of Leyden the Bishop and Canons of Munster being Papists opposing it. How in like manner the Bishop of Geneva was expelled when the Protestants grew potent there, and the like was done in other places, is manifest by records extant, which acts have been repres…n…ed as alike odious with those of Muncer, and at Munster, and would h ave been so reputed if there had been the like success, I mean the adverse party had prevailed as they did in these.
Our present distractions cannot with any shew of truth be said to take their spring from Anabap…ism, by any that know things from the relation of men im…loyed in publike negotiations, their being neither in the beginning nor now, either in the Councel of State, or Parliaments, or Armies, or City of London, or Universities, or Countries; any such persons or parties, as could sw…y things any further then to put some stop to the violence of the Clergy against them, to which as the cause of them, though not the onelyonly, the present distractions are to be referred: to whom how much in former ages, and at this present, the great troubles of the Churches of God are to be ascribed, may be seen in part, in Mr. Baxters Book intituled, The Reformed Pastour, ch. 4. sect. 1, 2. and in many histories.
Mr. Cr. adds; which reason with experience dictates; for by their principles whole nations are unchurched and none received into communion, but by re-baptizing, all former members esteemed as Publicans and Heathens; hence Magistracy and Ministry that dissents, are by them wholly disgusted, if not discarded.
Answ... Experience hath not proved either the disasters in Germany or our present distractions, to have sprung from Anabap…ism, but from other causes; chiefly, the oppression of Princes and Prelates. 2. Nor are Mr. Crs. reasons sufficient to evince Anabaptism▪ a cause of such troubles. For the first principle, that whole nations are unchurched, is as well the Independent as Paedobaptists principle (among whom is Mr. Cradock counted a light in their Goshen of Monmouthshire, by the relatour of the dispute in the Epistle dedicatory) and if so, the present distractions are to be ascribed with as good reason to Indepency as to Anabaptism, and perhaps with greater; it being considered that they have been and are the more potent party. As the Papists imputed all the troubles to Protestant principles of Christian …iber…y, the Prelates to non conformists, whom it hi… gift long since compared with Anabaptists, because they alledged ag…inst Prelacy Matth. 20 25, 26. so the Presbyterians charge the like on Independency, and perhaps Independents on Anabaptism; yet none of their principles are indeed the spring of the troubles, but the violence of the leading men of each party, who by their mis-reports and clamors, stir up Magistrates and people against their opposites, and will by no means allow liberty to them, nor willingly life: of which spirit Mr. Cr. seems by his writing to bee, and I suppose the State will discern all such as will not tolerate others, who dissent in religion, intolerable. 2. It is false that Magistracy and Ministry that dissents, is by Anabaptists wholly disgusted, if not discarded. For though I cannot justifie all so called, there being violent spirits among them (who are intolerable) as well as o…hers: yet neither do all nor any great part that I know of, appear to be such. But if they did, yet sure it comes …ot from those principles fore-named by Mr. Cr. there being no such consequ…nce included in those tenents, that they who are not Churchme…bers are not to be accounted Magistrates. As Bp. Andrews answered▪ resp. ad Bellarm Apol. c. 1 p. 30. Bellarmine alledging the Puritans did not admit the Kings Supremacy▪ because they brought a parity into the Church. To the Kings Supremacy what is parity among Elders in the Church? Videt ergo lector ludere hîc pa…, impar, Cardinalem; so may I say to Mr Cr. The Baptists do not count whole nations to be Churches of Christ, and with them agree Independents, as Dr. Owen of Schism, ch 7, &c The Baptists receive none into communion but the baptized, esteemed all other as not in the Church visible (though these two last are denied by many of them) what is the non-admission into the Church, to the disgusting or discarding of Magistracy in the Common-wealth? The Reader therefore sees Mr. Cr. to play here par impar, even and odd.
What Mr. Cr. hath suffered for patronage of respect to tender Consciences, I know not; nor who are for promiscuous toleration without distinction. What he adds out of the old Testam…t of P…inces punishing idolatry and blasphemy, was done by special judicial laws of Moses, which do not binde Christian Magistrates; if they did it makes nothing for the punishing of errours of Christians about the Christian doctrine, by civil punishment. It is granted that Ministers are bound to oppose errours by preaching, and Ecclesiastical censures, both singly and in Councils; yet neither have Councils, nor the learnedst Doctours been very happy in determining of errours, and heresies. That which was heresi… in one Council was Orthodox in another; under one Emperor that was adjudged …ruth, which was blasphemy under another. What strange kinds of Heretiques were the Quartodecimani, Aerians, Helvidians, and many more? Had Vigilantius or Jovinian (saith Mr. Baxter in his Reformed Pastour p. …47.) had Hieromes name, some of their Heresies might possibly have been articles of faith. Nor was it well done (however Mr. Cr. conceives) that well-minded Emperours did rely so much on the advise of Synods and Bishops, as to banish and destroy at the instance of them, such as they judged heretiques and schismatiques. The sad tragedies about the doctrines of the Trinity, Images, Easter, &c. are a sufficient document to all wise rulers to bee cautelou… how they use their power for suppressing persons deemed erroneous in point of doctrine. There may bee toleration of different opinions in a Commonwealth without mixture of religion, and that such toleration doth not dissolve the bond of obedience, or breed any of those evils Mr. Cr. reckons up (except by accident) the peaceable rule of the united Provinces of Belgia and elsewhere shews. It is the intemperate zeal of Preachers and others against dissenters, which is the chief cause of such evils as Mr. Cr. reckons up. I remember that I have read, that the Bores of Germany were not subdued till 100000. of them were slain, but Sleidan reports not in his Com. l. 7. or any other, that in Germany the Anabaptist grew so populous, that they could not be vanquished, till almost a hundred thousand of them were slain by the united forces of the Empire. But the Emperour objected to the Protestants that their Preachers were a great occasion of the Rustical war, wherein an hundred thousand were slain. But whether it were so or not so (what ever Mr. Crs. protestations be) the writing this Epistle, with some other passages at the time and to the persons to whom it was directed, shew what we are to expect from him and such as he is, if ever they have power over us. But of these things onelyonly by the way.