The Schismatics Cheater in Chief Discovered, Discourse
A pertinent Paralell and Premonition to all pious Presbyterians, touching a very great and Common mistake among the most and best of them; viz: That We and the Independents differ not in any Fundamentalls, but only in matters of Discipline or Church-Government: Whereas, the contrary is, heer, most unquestionably proved. Viz: That they are most obstinate Rebels, both in Opinion and Practice, and perfidious Violaters of such a main and principall Foundation as will inevitably ruinate all other Fundamentals of true Religion, if allowed unto them.
The voice of Korah, Dathan and Abiram, against Moses and Aaron. Num. 16.1, 2, 3.
Korah, Dathan, and Abiram rose up before Moses and Aaron, with certain of the Children of Israel, 250 Princes of the Assembly, famous in the Congregation, men of renowme. And they gathered themselves together against Moses and Aaron, & said unto them: Yee take too much upon you, Seeing all the Congregation of the Lord are holy every one of them; and the Lord is among them. Wherefore (then) lift yee up your-selves above the Congregation of the Lord?
The Voice of Independents, Anabaptists and other Sectaries against the Parliament and Assembly.
Our Independents, Anabaptists, Antinomians, and such-like Children of Errour and Schisme, Men (I confesse) famous in their generation, many of them, for Parts and Guifts, have gathered themselves together, in private Conventicles, yea, and in publike Assemblies too, against our Parliament and Assembly of Divines, and say seditiously unto them and of them, in their Pulpits and Pamphlets; Ye take too much upon you, in going about to Conjure all our Religion and Worship of God, into your Parliament and the Synodicall Circle of the Assembly, Seeing that all our Congregations are made up, only, of holy Saints, and a Godly Party, even every one of them. Wherefore (then) lift yee up your-selves above us, the Congregations of the Lord? and go about to prescribe unto us Rules and Lawes how and where we should worship God? And (thus) make your-selves Lords and Kings over our Consciences, and over the Congregations of the Lord, since none on Earth, but onelyonly King Jesus in heaven, hath any thing to doe with us, either in conscience or practise, as touching Religion and Worship, but we, and all else are therein (being all of us Saints and holy-ones) to be tolerated and left to the liberty and freedom of ours and their own consciences, without any restraint or the least thought of intended coercive power of any civill Magistrate on earth whatsoever.
Now then, good Reader, and you especially my dear Presbyterian brethren, let me beseech you, in the bowels of the Lord Jesus (for the honour of our God, and the helping forward of the propagation of the true Reformed Religion, according to our sacred Covenant) sadly and seriously to consider (from this present Paralell, so appositely answerable one part to the other) that the difference and division of all sorts of Sectaries from us, is (in them) First, no lesse than heynous Rebellion in opposing, and (as the Apostle Jude sayes, ver. 8.) despising Dominions, and speaking evill of those dignities which God himselfe hath set-up and ordained, yea such Rebellion, as the Lord, ye know, in that 16 of Numbers most severely punished with a most unparalleld confusion; and therefore I beseech you not to extenuate and mince (as too many of us now adayes doe) the sad and bad, and very wide breach, which is most unhappily and most unholily made by the Independents, and all other Sectaries; by saying that our difference is not in fundamentals, but only in point of Church discipline or Government, as if that (if it were no more) were a slight thing, and not so worthy our zealous opposing and blaming of them even therein; Whereas (besides that, yee see what a high and heynous Rebellion it is against the Lord, and against his Vice-Gerents here on earth) yee ought most seriously to lay to heart, that without Church-discipline (which is the hedge, pale, and strong wall of Religion) in what a desperate danger of utter destroying is Gods Garden, the Church, most rarely and richly adorned with all sorts of sweet and odoriferous flowers, wholsome herbs, and soul-preserving plants, if you take away the pale or fence thereof, and lay and leave it open, that so wilde and vile Boars and Beasts of all sorts, I mean, Independents, Anabaptists, Prelates and Papists, may most easily rush in and root-up all those sweet and fragrant flowers and pretious plants? But withall, I may most faithfully and firmly avouch and aver it, that the difference is yet far greater and more grievous between us Presbyterians and even those whom we mincingly call meere or pure Independents, and that in a grand fundamentall, yea such a fundamentall, as is and will be the main means of totall and terrible, not onelyonly shaking, but shattering in pieces, and utter ruining of all fundamentals in the true Religion, and of making that breach of all breaches, the destruction of all Religion, even so as may by no means be admitted or endured (unlesse we are resolved to drive away God and all other Good from us, and that without remedy or recovery) I mean, accursed and intolerable Toleration, of all opinions and practices (which, if permitted to them, I see no reason, but must be permitted to All, and so, a universall Toleration) which most, if not all Independents claim to themselves; and so, an epidemical Libertinisme, or Liberty of Conscience as they call it. In this respect also-, therefore, I say, and hold that all sorts of Independents among us, (separating themselves into their private Conventicles, & unwarranted Church Way, as they call it, against all Authority and Power of the King and Parliament, the unquestionable Sovereigne and Supream Magistracie, ordained by God himself; and in resisting whose Ordinance, they apparently oppose and resist, even the Lord God of Heaven, Himself; are not, by any means to be admitted or permitted amongst us, neither is their Separation or Division from us to be so extenuated or so minced by us, as to give any the least allowance to them in their open rebellious wayes of worshipping God, where, when, and how they please, Since, especially, as here you have most evidently and undeniably seen (by that foresaid most apposite & pertinent Paralell) their Sin (herein) being no lesse than open & odious Rebellion (which is the sin of Witchcraft) against Gods righteous Authority here on earth, notwithstanding their plausible pretences (as, here, those Rebels, did) of Saint-ship, (forsooth) piety and holinesse in everyone of them, though most falsly, in their (thus) most directly rising up against Moses and Aaron, as our Independents do (now adayes) against the most just and righteous Authority of Parliament, and their power, in constituting, under them for their assistance, in matters of Religion, the Synod or Assembly of Divines at Westminster, even as the Lord appointed and constituted Aaron under Moses in holy things. Which serious Premonition and Consideration, I beseech the Lord, in the riches of his grace, and in the multitudes of his mercies to poor, unworthy and almost quite dilacerated (because Apostatized) England, to lay, sadly and seriously to the hearts of All, both in Parliament, Assembly, City, and Country, to make them, thereupon, more zealous for the Lord, and his most righteous Cause, even a long and most longed-for thorough-Reformation, according to our most Solemne and sacred Covenant. Amen and Amen.
J. VICARS.