Errors and Induration Great Sins and Judgments of the Time, Title page – To the reader
ERROURS And INDURATION, ARE The Great Sins and the Great Judgements of the Time.
Preached in a SERMON Before the Right Honourable Houſe of PEERS, in the Abbey-Church at Weſtminſter, July 30. 1645. the day of the Monethly Faſt:
By ROBERT BAYLIE, Miniſter at Glaſgow.
2 Theſſ. 2.10, 11, 12. Becauſe they received not the love of the Truth, that they might be ſaved; God ſhall ſend them ſtrong deluſions that they ſhould believe a Lye; that they all might be damned who believed not the Truth.
Matth. 7.15. Beware of falſe Prophets, which come to you in ſheeps clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Matth. 15.14. Let them alone, they be blinde Leaders of the Blinde: and if the Blinde lead the Blinde, both ſhall fall into the Ditch.
London, Printed by R. Raworth, for Samuel Gellibrand, at the Braſen-Serpent in Pauls Church-yard. 1645.
Die Jovis, 31 Julii, 1645.
ORdered by the Lords in Parliament, That Maſter Baylie, who preached yeſterday before the Lords of Parliament in the Abbey-Church Weſtminſter, it being the day of the Publike Faſt, is hereby thanked for the great pains he took in his Sermon, and deſired to print and publiſh the ſame; which is to be printed by none but ſuch as ſhall be authorized by the ſaid Maſter Baylie.
Job. Brown, Cler. Parliamentorum.
Ido appoint Samuel Gellibrand to print my Sermon.
ROBERT BAYLIE.
FOR The Equitable READER.
HOwſoever I have not adventured to offer unto the Right Honourable Houſe of Peers any Dedicatorie Epiſtle, having taken up alreadie ſo much of their pretious time, in their patient and favourable audience of my (prolix enough) Sermon: Yet preſuming upon thy courteſie, who ſhalt be willing to reade the ſubſequent Notes of that which to their Honours was preached, without any variation; I have made bold to ſpeak in thy eares (as the cuſtome is) ſome words of a Preface.
At the firſt inſtant of my calling to this ſervice, the words of my Text were caſt into my minde, where they remained without my leaſt inclination towards any other, till I had delivered from them what followeth. I have been for a long time in the opinion, that Errour and Induration are, albeit not the only, yet among the principall, both ſins and miſeries of this time and place.
Hardneſſe of heart is ever a ſinne, The ſinfulneſs of Induration.but then moſt ſinfull, when moſt unſeaſonable. If ever there was a time to weep, this muſt be it, when not only the mouth of the Lord from his Word is calling, but his hand alſo from the Heaven is drawing us to it. He is a ſtubborn child, from whoſe eye the rod of the Father can draw no water: It is a hard ſtone which the hammer cannot break: It is a piece of unnaturall metall wich the fire cannot diſſolve. And yet this is the complaint of the beſt diſcerning Chriſtians every where, That though the Lord at this inſtant be dealing with us by the rod, the hammer, the fire of his judgements; we are ſo far from heart-melting, that in this extraordinarie and untimous hardneſſe of our heart, more of the wrath and judiciall hand of God doth appear, then in any, or in all our judgements beſide.
This plague of the Lord, on the ſpirits not only of the World, but of many his dear children, ought to be the ſubject of our deepeſt groans, and lowdeſt cries to the Heaven, whence alone the remedie of this our ſpirits diſeaſe can come: For there is but one Father, and one Lord, and one Phyſitian of the ſpirits of men. My weak endeavours towards this great Cure, muſt be fruitleſs, till his hand make the application of theſe preſcriptions, which with all the faithfulneſſe and care I was able for the time, I have collected only out of the book of his own method of Phyſick.
As for the other evill of Errour; Error no leſſe ſinfull then …ice.it hath been the ſtudie and work of ſome here and elſewhere to extenuate the ſinfulneſſe thereof, and to arme the conſcience of all they could perſwade, againſt the ſenſe of its burthen; as if the conſcience ought to be impenetrable and ſecure from all Wounds which vice and fleſhly luſts doe not inflict. But I believe, if Errour and Vice were Well weighed in the ballance of the Sanctuarie, though you put to vice the groſſeſt aggravations, whereby the paſſions of the ſoul, and actions of the bodie make it juſtly abominable: yet if you Will allow to Errour but the grains of its ordinarie circumſtances, eſpecially that one of our Text, Induration, its moſt familiar companion; it will be found to have ſuch a weight of malignitie, that if betwixt the two any inequality do appear, the ſinfulneſſe of the laſt will prae-ponder.
The intoxication of the ſpirit of the minde by the venome of Errour, is as much contrarie to the Divine Nature and Will, is as much hatefull to the Spirit of light and truth, and as evidently damnable, as the corruption of the will, and inferiour affections, or any member of the bodie with whatſoever vice, or more bodily tranſgreſſion. I hope I have proved this by places of Scripture unanſwerable.
Whence it neceſſarily followeth, that it is more, Toleration of errours, a grievous ſin.at leaſt no leſſe unlawfull for a Chriſtian State to give any libertie or toleration to Errours, then to ſet up in every Citie and Pariſh of their Dominions, Bordels for Ʋncleanneſſe, Stages for Playes, and Liſts for Duels. That a libertie for Errours is no leſſe hatefull to God, no leſſe hurtfull to men, then a freedome without any puniſhment, Without any diſcouragement, for all men, when and whereſoever they pleaſed, to kill, to ſteal, to rob, to commit adultery, or to do any of theſe miſchiefs, which are moſt repugnant to the Civill law, and deſtructive of humane ſocietie.
But that which my Text points at in Errours, The errours of our time appear to be judiciall.is not ſo much their ſinfulneſſe, as their judgement; That God in his wrath had given over that people to errour. If ever the plague of erring from the wayes of truth was ſent upon a land, it ſeems this day to lye upon us. The Finger of God in this our judgement, is demonſtrable by divers Characters, imprinted upon the face of our preſent Errours, above all that in ordinarie (and not judiciall Errours) uſeth to appear. I point at four eminent ſingularities in them: Their various multiplicity, Their palpable evidence, Their incredible increaſe, and in the midſt of univerſall complaints againſt them, A totall neglect of their cure.
Firſt, their variety is prodigious; 1By their variety.I cannot ſay that all which ſtand in the ancient Hereſeologies of Philaſtrius, Epiphanius, or Auguſtine, can be found among us, or Were ever to be found upon Earth in any one age: But this may be confidently averred, That more Errours have ſet up their head, and ſhewed their miſ-ſhapen countenances lately here, then in any one place of the world this day are known. I adde, that there is not any Errour ſpoken of in the places moſt infamous for that evill, whether Amſterdam, or Pole, or Tranſilvania, and if you pleaſe to joyn all the three in one, but all are among us, and divers more, then in any of the places mentioned were ever heard of.
Their evidence in this to me ſeems palpable; 2By their groſſeneſſe.that however at their firſt appearance they did waken a great expectation, by their faire promiſes of New-Light, of New-found-Truths, of New-wayes leading to extraordinary pietie: The new-light of all our Innovators is nothing but old darkneſſe.yet after a little inſpection and commerce to un-ingaged and im-prejudicate mindes, they are found to be no other, but the very ſame dead karcaſes of old Hereſies and Schiſines, which by the happie labours of the Reformed Divines in this and other Churches, lay buried in their grave of oblivion and abomination, till their late infauſt reſurrection.
That new Canterburian-Proteſtantiſme which the other day ſo much bewitched the Court and Country, So it is in the Canterburiansis now ſeen to have been nothing but masked Popery, but a high path-royall way to Rome, a Schoole of Idolatry, Hereſie, Treachery, and mercileſſe bloodſhed.
Theſe Goſpell-truths, The Antinomians.theſe ſweet Sermons of Free-grace, that ſetting up of naked Chriſt on his Throne, which hath ſeduced ſo many thouſands of well-meaning ſouls, do now appear in their own colours, and to any common eye may be ſeen to be nothing but the groſſe Antinomy of the old Libertines.
Theſe innocent ſcruples of tender conſciences only about the grounds of Pedo-baptiſme, The Anabaptiſts.whither have they now led ſome millions, not of the worſt of our people? See we not, that without any leave ſo much as asked of the Magiſtrate, very great numbers of Churches are erected by them, of formall and avowed Anabaptiſts.
Theſe ſpecious and popular Invectives against Tyrannie and Perſecution; The Libertines.thoſe plauſible Harangues for a liberty onelyonly to examine, without prejudice, what was proponed under the name of a Divine Truth; whether, at last, hath it carried multitudes who eſteem themſelves among the most rationall of men? Have they not opened, in the midſt of our ſtreets, the old Pantheon of Paganiſh Rome; reſolutely aſſerting an abſolute Freedom for Turks, Jews, Pagans, Papiſts, and if there be any worſe Religions, not onelyonly to live in all quietneſſe among us, but to be permitted, without any Diſcouragement, to follow their Conſciences; and ſo to employ themſelves daily, in the moſt advantagious places; private or publike, with ſo much art and diligence as they can uſe, to draw all the world toward their wicked Profeſſions?
And not to run out upon all the rest of our old renewed Errours, that ſo much-extolled Independency, The Independents.wherein many Religious ſouls for the time do wander, which is the chief hand that opened at firſt, and keepeth open to this day the door to all the other Errours that plague us: What is it elſe but a Limb, or rather, Apologet. Nar.the large half of the Body of old Browniſm? as its own Patrons confeſſe, a middle way betwixt the Reformed Churches and the Browniſts; the ſame Way which Morellius (ſeduced by the Dutch Anabaptiſts) did labour to bring into FRANCE; but by B…za and Sadaell, in two Generall Aſſemblies, it was ſo fully confuted, that to this day all the Churches there do d…teſt it: Yet Bolton and Brown would needs bring it into ENGLAND.
Theſe two are the known Fathers of Engliſh Independency; men whoſe Inventions cannot be much loved, for their authors ſake, when they are well known. Among all the Proteſtant Divines that ever ENGLAND bred, Robinſons Juſtif. p. 50.I doubt if any have been more ſcandalous either in life or death, then the two former, as their chief followers are forced to acknowledge. Few Prelaticall men have gone beyond Brown in Profanity, from his Youth to his Old-age: And Judas himſelf was no more abominable then Bolton in his death.
I have oft marvelled how the Invention of ſo infamous Authors could be entertained by men of underſtanding, eſpecially ſince God did openly brand that their Conception with the Marks of his Displeaſure, not onelyonly in its Birth, but in all the paſſages of its Life, wherever yet it hath ſet foot on ground.
The fruits of Bolton and Browns Independency at Amſterdam have been ſo eminently ſcandalous, Apologet. Nar.that its own friends can finde no cover of excuſe for them.
The Diviſions and Rents that ſprang from the ſame root when it was planted in ſome better ground, Edwards Antapol.at Arnhem and Roterdam, have been no leſſe unhappie and bitter.
But that which demonſtrates the Genuine Nature of this Plant, is its fruits in New-England, where, without any Incumbrance from without or from within, having all the Advantages Civil and Eccleſiaſtick which could be wiſhed; it got leave to put out its full ſtrength: In a ſhort time there, it brought forth ſuch a multitude of groſſe Hereſies and Diviſions, as did threaten not the Churches alone, but the Civil State alſo with a totall Ruine.
If our Hopes of it here may be much better, for any of its fruits which yet we have taſted, wiſe men will pronounce.
The third Character wherewith the Finger of God hath ſtigmatized the Errours of this place, 5. By their increaſe.is, Their Incredible encreaſe: It can hardly be ſhewn where Errour, in ſo ſhort a time, hath made ſo great a Conqueſt: For however, as I am informed, all the Fowls that yet have made their Neſt in the laſt Branch whereof we did ſpeak, may eaſily be numbred, being no ways ſo many as ſome would make them; yet if ye look upon the whole Tree in all its Branches, it will be found to have drawn under its ſhadow a marvellous multitude of Creatures. Theſe laſt four yeers, it ſeems, more people here have made Apoſtacie to one Errour or other, of their own accord, without the violence of any Perſecution, then in all the Reformed Churches together for an hundred yeers and above. Errour of it ſelf is of no ſuch conquering ſtrength, did not the Juſtice of God give men over to be captivated by its Deluſions.
The fourth Demonſtration of a Divine Judgement in our Errours, 4. By mens neglect of their Cure.is this, That though they have been univerſally acknowledged and regrated, yet to this day their effectuall Cure hath been well neer univerſally neglected. It is now not Moneths, but Yeers, fince upon the faithfull Warning of the Lords Meſſengers, all men, every where, have joyned to acknowledge and to profeſſe their diſpleaſure at the ſpreading of Errour over the face of this Land: No Societies wore full of theſe Complaints then the three moſt Conſiderable, The two Honourable Houſes, and The Reverend Aſſembly: But yet, after all theſe Regrates, What reall ſtop hath been made to the Current of this over-flowing Deluge?
Theſe are a great part of our Judgements; Our comfort and hope.which the godly, in the days of Humiliation, and when elſe their hearts are looſed to mourn, do deplore. Yet here is our Comfort, That, in anſwer to our Supplications, the Lord hath ſtirred up the hearts of thoſe who have power effectually to minde that which we are confident will prove the Remedy of theſe and many more of our preſent Evils; I mean, The ſetting up, without further Delay, of the Lords Government in his own Houſe, over all the Land.
The whole Government being tranſmitted from the Aſſembly, and looked upon by both Houſes with a gracious Aſpect, and ſundry Votes already paſt upon the chief parts thereof; it is certainly expected, that in a very ſhort time the whole Frame ſhall be erected, and not onelyonly be accompanied with the joyfull Acclamations of this Land, and of all the Churches abroad; but alſo filled with ſo much Grace and Power from the preſence of the Lord, as ſhall prove an heavenly Attractive, without any need of humane violence, to draw the ſpirits of thoſe who for the time do most diſſent and oppoſe, to its admiration and love. Waiting and praying for the ſight of that happie day,
I rest, Thy Servant, in the Lord, R. B.