The Bloody Tenant of Persecution for the Cause of Conscience, Part 3 · Chapter 1 – Chapter 3
CHAP. I.
Truth.
IN what darke corner of the World (sweet Peace) are we two met? How hath this present evill World banished Me from all the Coasts & Quarters of it? and how hath the Righteous God in judgement taken Thee from the Earth, Rev. 6. 4.
Peace.
'Tis lamentably true (blessed Truth) the foundations of the World have long been out of course:Truth and Peace rarely and seldom meet. the Gates of Earth and Hell have conspired together to intercept our joyfull meeting and our holy kisses: With what a wearied, tyred Wing have I flowne over Nations, Kingdomes, Cities, Townes, to finde out precious Truth?
Truth.
The like enquiries in my flights and travells have I made for Peace, and still am told, she hath left the Earth, and fled to Heaven.
Peace.
Deare Truth, What is the Earth but a dungeon of darknesse, where Truth is not?
Truth.
And what's the Peace thereof but a fleeting dreame, thine Ape and Counterfeit?
Peace.
O where's the Promise of the God of Heaven, that Righteousnes and Peace shall kisse each other?
Truth.
Patience (sweet Peace) these Heavens and Earth are growing Old, and shall be changed like a Garment, Psal. 102. They shall melt away, and be burnt up with all the Works that are therein; and the most high Eternall Creatour, shall gloriously create New Heavens and New Earth, wherein dwells Righteousnesse, 2 Pet. 3. Our kisses then shall have their endlesse date of pure and sweetest ioyes? till then both Thou and I must hope, and wait, and beare the furie of the Dragons wrath, whose monstrous Lies and Furies shall with himselfe be cast into the lake of Fire, the second death, Revel. 20.
Peace.
Most precious Truth, thou knowest we are both pursued and laid for: Mine heart is full of sighes, mine eyes with teares: Where can I better vent my full oppressed bosome, then into thine, whose faithfull lips may for these few houres revive my drooping wandring spirits, and here begin to wipe Teares from mine eyes, and the eyes of my dearest Children?
Truth.
Sweet daughter of the God of Peace, begin; powre out thy sorrowes, vent thy complaints: how joyfull am I to improve these precious Minutes to revive our Hearts, both thine and mine, and the hearts of all that love the Truth and Peace, Zach. 8.
Peace.
Deare Truth, I know thy birth, thy nature, thy delight. They that know thee, will prize thee farre above themselves and lives, and sell themselves to buy thee. Well spake that famous Elizabeth to her famous Attorney Sir Edward Coke: Mr. Attourney, goe on as thou hast begun, and still plead, not pro Domina Regina, but pro Domina Veritate.
Truth.
'Tis true, my Crowne is high, my Scepter's strong to breake down strongest holds, to throw down highest Crownes of all that plead (though but in thought) against me. Some few there are, but oh how few are valiant for the Truth, and dare to plead my Cause, as my Witnesses in sack-cloth, Revel. 11. While all mens Tongues are bent like Bowes to shoot out lying words against Me!
Peace.
O how could I spend eternall dayes and endlesse dates at thy holy feet, in listning to the precious Oracles of thy mouth! All the Words of thy mouth are Truth, and there is no iniquity in them; Thy lips drop as the hony-combe. But oh! since we must part anon, let us (as thou saidst) improve our Minutes, and (according as thou promisedst) revive me with thy words, which are sweeter then the honey, and the honey-combe.
CHAP. II.
DEare Truth, I have two sad Complaints:
First,a great complaints of Peace. The most sober of thy Witnesses, that dare to plead thy Cause, how are they charged to be mine Enemies, contentious, tarbulent, seditious?
Secondly, Thine Enemies, though they speake and raile against thee, though they outragiously pursue, imprison, banish, kill thy faithfull Witnesses, yet how is all ve…illion'd o're for Iustice 'gainst the Hereticks? Yea, if they … and blow the … of devouring Warres, that leave neither Spirituall nor Civill State, but burns up Branch and Root, yet how doe all pretend an holy War? He that kills, and hee that's killed, they both cry out, It is for God, and for their conscience.
Tis true, nor one nor other seldome dare to plead the mighty Prince Christ Iesus for their Authour, Persecutors seldom plead Christ, but Moses for their Author.yet both (both Protestant and Papist) pretend they have spoke with Moses and the Prophets, who all, say they (before Christ came) allowed such holy persecutions, holy Warres against the enemies of holy Church.
Truth.
Deare Peace (to ease thy first complaint) tis true, thy dearest Sons, most like their mother, Peace-keeping, Peace-making Sons of God, have borne and still must beare the blurs of troublers of Israel, and turners of the World upside downe. And tis true againe, what Salomon once spake: The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out Water, therefore (saith he) leave off contention before it be medled with. This Caveat should keepe the bankes and sluces firme and strong, that strife, like a breach of waters, breake not in upon the sons of men.
Yet strife must be distinguished:Strife distinguished. It is necessary or unnecessary, godly or ungodly, Christian or unchristian, &c.
It is unnecessary, 1. Ungodly strife.unlawfull, dishonourable, ungodly, unchristian, in most cases in the world, for there is a possibility of keeping sweet Peace in most cases, and if it be possible, it is the expresse command of God that Peace be kept, Rom. 13.
Againe,2. Godly strife. it is necessary, honourable, godly, &c. with civill and earthly weapons to defend the innocent, and to rescue the oppressed from the violent pawes and jaws of oppressing persecuting Nimrods, Psal. 73. Iob 29.
It is as necessary, yea more honourable, godly, and Christian, to …ight the …ight of faith, with religious and spirituall Artillery, and to contend earnestly for the faith of Iesus, once delivered to the Saints against all opposers, and the gates of earth and hell, men or devils, yea against Paul himselfe, or an Angell from heaven, if he bring any other faith or doctrine, Iude vers. 4. Gal. 1. 8.
Peace.
With the clashing of such Armes am I never wakened. A threefold dolefull cry. Christs worship is his bed, Cant. 1. 16. False worship therefore is a false bed.Speake once againe (deare Truth) to my second complaint of bloody persecution, and devouring wars, marching under the colours of upright Iustice, and holy Zeale, &c.
Truth.
Mine eares have long beene filled with a threefold dolefull Outcry.
First, of one hundred forty foure thousand Virgins (Rev. 14) forc'd and ravisht by Emperours, Kings, and Governours to their beds of worship and Religion, set up (like Absalems) on high in their severall States and Countries.
Secondly,The cry of the soules under the Altar. the cry of those precious soules under the Altar (Rev. 6.) the soules of such as have beene persecuted and slaine for the testimony and witnesse of Iesus, whose bloud hath beene spilt like water upon the earth, and that because they have held fast the truth and witnesse of Iesus, against the worship of the States and Times, compelling to an uniformity of State Religion.
These cries of murthered Virgins who can sit still and heare? Who can but run with zeale inflamed to prevent the destowring of chaste soules, and spilling of the bloud of the innocent? Humanity stirs up and prompts the Sonnes of men to draw materiall swords for a Virgins chastity and life, against a ravishing murtherer? And Piety and Christianity must needs awaken the Sons of God to draw the spirituall sword (the Word of God) to preserve the chastity and life of spirituall Virgins, who abhorre the spirituall defilements of false worship, Rev. 14.
Thirdly,A cry of the whole earth. the cry of the whole earth, made drunke with the bloud of its inhabitants, slaughtering each other in their blinded zeale, for Conscience, for Religion, against the Catholickes, against the Lutherans, &c.
What fearfull cries within these twenty years of hundred thousands men, women, children, fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, brethren, sisters, old and young, high and low, plundred, ravished, slaughtered, murthered, famished? And hence these cries, that men …ling away the spirituall sword and spirituall artillery (in spirituall and religious causes) and rather trust for the suppressing of each others God, Conscience, and Religion (as they suppose) to an arme of flesh, and sword of steele?
Truth.
Sweet Peace, what hast thou there?
Peace.
Arguments against persecution for cause of Conscience.
Truth.
And what there?
Peace.
An Answer to such Arguments, contrarily maintaining such persecution for cause of Conscience.
Truth.
These Arguments against such persecution, The wonderfull providēce of God in the writing of the Arguments against persecution in Milke.and the Answer pleading for it, written (as Love hopes) from godly intentions, hearts, and hands, yet in a marvellous different stile and manner. The Arguments against persecution in milke, the Answer for it (as I may say) in bloud.
The Authour of these Arguments (against persecution) (as I have beene informed) being committed by som then in power, close prisoner to Newgate, for the witnesse of some truths of Iesus, and having not the use of Pen and Inke, wrote these Arguments in Milke, in sheets of Paper, brought to him by the Woman his Keeper, from a friend in London, as the stopples of his Milk bottle.
In such Paper written with Milk nothing will appeare, but the way of reading it by fire being knowne to this friend who received the Papers, he transcribed and kept together the Papers, although the Author himselfe could not correct, nor view what himselfe had written.
It was in milke, tending to soule nourishment, even for Babes and Sucklings in Christ.
It was in milke, spiritually white, pure and innocent, like those white horses of the Word of truth and meeknesse, and the white Linnen or Armour of righteousnesse, in the Army of Iesus. Rev. 6. & 19.
It was in milke, soft, meeke, peaceable and gentle, tending both to the peace of soules, and the peace of States and Kingdomes.
Peace.
The Answer (though I hope out of milkie pure intentions) is returned in bloud: bloudy & slaughterous conclusions; bloudy to the souls of all men,The Answer writ in Bloud. forc'd to the Religion and Worship which every civil State or Common-weale agrees on, and compells all subjects to in a dissembled uniformitie.
Bloudy to the bodies, first of the holy witnesses of Christ Iesus, who testifie against such invented worships.
Secondly, of the Nations and Peoples slaughtering each other for their severall respective Religions and Consciences.
CHAP. III.
Truth.
IN the Answer Mr. Cotton first layes downe severall distinctions and conclusions of his owne, tending to prove persecution.
Secondly, Answers to the Scriptures, and Arguments proposed against persecution.
Peace.
The first distinction is this:The first distinctiō discussed. By persecution for cause of Conscience, I conceive you meane either for professing some point of doctrine which you beleeve in conscience to be the truth, or for practising some worke which you beleeve in conscience to be a religious dutie.
Truth.
I acknowledge that to molest any person,Desinition of persecution discussed. Iew or Gentile, for either professing doctrine, or practising worship meerly religious or spirituall, it is to persecute him, and such a person (what ever his doctrine or practice be true or false) suffereth persecution for conscience.
But withall I desire it may bee well observed, that this distinction is not full and complete: For beside this that a man may be persecuted because he holdeth or practiseth what he beleeves in conscience to be a Truth, (as Daniel did, for which he was cast into the Lyons den. Dan. 6.) and many thousands of Christians, because they durst not cease to preach and practise what they beleeved was by Go… commanded,Conscience will not be restrained from its own worship, nor constrained to another. as the Apostles answered (Acts 4 & 5.) I say besides this a man may also be persecuted, because hee dares not be constrained to yeeld obedience to such doctrines and worships as are by men invented and appointed. So the three famous Iewes were cast into the fiery furnace for refusing to fall downe (in a non-conformity to the whole conforming world) before the golden Image, Dan. 3. 21. So thousands of Christs witnesses (and of late in those bloudy Marian dayes) have rather chose to yeeld their bodies to all sorts of torments, then to subscribe to doctrines, or practise worships, unto which the States and Times (as Nabuchadnezzar to his golden Image) have compelled and urged them.
A chaste wife will not onelyonly abhorre to be restrained from her husbands bed, A chaste soule in Gods worship like a chast wife.as adulterous and polluted, but also abhor (if not much more) to bee constrained to the bed of a stranger. And what is abominable in corporall, is much more loathsome in spirituall whoredome and defilement.
The Spouse of Christ Iesus who could not finde her soules beloved in the wayes of his worship and Ministery, (Cant. 1. 3. and 5. Chapters) abhorred to turne aside to other Flockes, Worships, &c. and to imbrace the bosome of a false Christ, Cant. 1. 8.