The Bloody Tenant of Persecution for the Cause of Conscience, Part 4 · Chapter 101
CHAP. CI.
Peace.
OH that my head were a fountaine, and mine eyes River… of teares to lament my children, the children of peace and light, thus darkning that, and other lightsome Scriptures with such darke and direfull clouds of bloud.
Truth.
Sweet Peace, thy teares are seasonable and precious, and botled up in the Heavens: but let me adde a second consideration from that Scripture: If that Scripture may now literally be applied to Nations and Cities in a parallel to Canaan and Ierusalem since the Gospel, and this Psal. 101. be literally to be applied to Cities, Townes, The bloudy interpretation of Psal. 101.and Countries in Europe and America, not only such as assay to joyne themselves (as they here speake) in a corrupt Church estate, but such as know no Church estate, nor God, nor Christ, yea every wicked person and evill doer, must be hanged or stoned, &c. as it was in Israel, and if so, how many thousands and millions of men and women in the severall Kingdomes and governments of the World must be cut off from their Lands, and destroyed from their Cities, as this Scripture speakes?
Thirdly, since those persons in the New English plantations accounted unfit for Church estate, yet remaine all members of the Church of England, from which New England dares not separate, no not in their Sacraments, (as some of the Independents have published) what riddle or mysterie, or rather fallacie of Sathan is this?
Peace.
The New Engl…sh seperate in America, but not in Europe.It will not be offence to charity to make conjecture: First, herein New England Churches secretly call their Mother whore, not daring in America to joyne with their owne Mothers children, though unexcommunicate, no nor permit them to worship God after their consciences, and as their Mother hath taught them this secretly and silently, they have a minde to doe, which publickly they would seem to disclaime, and professe against.
Secondly,The New Eng…ish permit not their brethren of Old England to enjoy their consciences left th…ir owne numbers might exceed their owne, or at least the greatnesse of their owne Assemblies & maintenances decrease. If such members of Old England should be suffered to enjoy their consciences in New, (however it is pretended they would profane Ordinances for which they are unfit (as true it is in that naturall persons are not fit for Spirituall worship) yet this appears not to be the bottome, for in Old England the New English joyne with Old in the ministrations of the Word, Prayer, singing, contribution, maintenance of the Ministrie, &c.) if I say, they should set up Churches after their conscience, the greatnesse and multitudes of their owne Assemblies would decay, and with all the contributions and maintenance of their Ministers, unto which all or most have beene forced.
Truth.
Deare Peace, These are more then conjectures, thousands now espie, and all that love the purity of the worship of the living God should lament such halting: I shall adde this, not only doe they partially neglect to cut off the wicked of the Land, but such as themselves esteemed beloved and goldy have they driven forth, and keep out others which would come unto them, eminently godly by their owne confession, because differing in conscience and worship from them, and consequently not to be suffered in their holy Land of Canaan.
But having examined that Scripture alledged, let us now weigh their Reasons.
First (say they) the not cutting off by the sword, but tolerating many Religions in a State would provoke God: unto which
I answer,Christ Jesus never appointed all Religions but his owne to be cut off by the Civill Sword. first (and here being no Scripture produced to these Reasons, shall the sooner answer) that no proofe can be made from the Institutions of the Lord Iesus that all Religions but one are to be cut off by the Civill Sword; that Nationall Church in that typicall Land of Canaan being abolished, and the Christian Commonweale or Church instituted.
Secondly, I affirme that the cutting off by the Sword other Consciences and Religions is (contrarily) most provoking unto God,A bloudy mother. expressely against his will concerning the Tares Matth. 13. as I have before proved; as also the bloudy mother of all those monstrous mischiefes (where such cutting off is used) both to the soules and bodies of men.
Thirdly, let conscience and experience speake how in the not cutting off their many Religions, it hath pleased God not only not to be provoked, but to prosper the state of the united Provinces our next neighbours, and that to admiration.
Peace.
The second reason is, such tolerating would leaven, divide and destroy the peace of the Churches.
Truth.
Christ Spirituall power, most powerfull.This must also be denied upon so many former Scriptures & Reasons produced, proving the power of the Lord Iesus, and the sufficiencie of his Spirituall power in his Church, for the purging forth and conquering of the least evill, yea and for the bringing every thought in subjection unto Christ Iesu, 2 Cor. 10.
I adde,Christ forbidding his followers to permit leaven in the Church, doth not for…bid to permit leaven in the World. they have not produced one Scripture, nor can, to prove that the permitting to leaven of false doctrine in the World or Civill State, will leaven the Churches: only we finde that the permission of leaven in persons, doctrines or practices in the Church, that indeed will corrupt and spread, 1. Cor. 5. & Gal. 5. but this Reason should never have been alledged, were not the particular Churches in New England, but as so many implicite Parish Churches in one implicite National Church.
Peace.
Their third Reason is, it will dissolve the continuity of the State, especially theirs, where the walls are made of the stones of the Churches.
Truth.
I answer briefly to this bare affirmation thus, that the true Church is a wall spirituall and mysticall, Cant. 8. 9.
Then consequently a false Church or Company is a false or pretended wall, and none of Christs.
The civill State, Power and Government is a civill wall, &c. and
Lastly, the walls of Earth or stone about a City are the naturall or artificiall wall or defence of it.
Now in consideration of these foure wals I desire it may be proved from the Scripture of Truth, The Wall, Cant. 8. 9. discussed.how the false spirituall wall or company of false worshippers suffred in a City can be able to destroy the true Christian wall or company of beleevers.
Againe,A spirituall wall cannot properly impaire the civil. how this false spirituall wall or false Church permitted, can destroy the civill wall, the State and Government of the City and Citizens, any more then it can destroy the naturall or artificiall wall of earth or stone.
Spirituall may destroy spirituall, if a stronger and victorious, but spirituall cannot reach to artificiall or civill.
Peace.
Yea but they feare the false spirituall wall may destroy their civill, because it is made of the stones of Churches.
Truth.
If this have reference to that practice amongst them, viz. that none but members of Churches enjoy civill freedome amongst them (ordinarily) in imitation of that Nationall Church and State of the Iewes, then I answer, they that follow Moses Church constitution) which the New English by such a practice implicitely doe) must cease to pretend to the Lord Iesus Christ and his institutions.
Secondly,Many flourishing Civill States where true Churches are not found. we shall finde lawfull civill State both before and since Christ Iesus, in which we finde not any tidings of the true God our Christ.
Lastly, their civill New English State framed out of their Churches may yet stand, subsist and flourish, although they did (as by the word of the Lord they ought) permit either Iewes or Turkes or Antichristians to live amongst them subject unto their Civill Government.