Cases Considered and Resolved, Title page – Petition
CASES CONSIDERED and RESOLVED. WHEREIN All the tender godly conſcientious Miniſters in England (Whether for a Congregationall, or a Presbyteriall way) are concerned. OR Pills to Purge Malignants. And all prophane, ignorant, and ſcandalous perſons. (But more particularly Calculated for the Meridian of Margarets Fiſhſtreet-hill) from thoſe groſſe conceits that they have of their Childrens right to Baptiſme; and of their owne right to the Supper of the Lord, &c. ALSO Good Councell to bad men. Or friendly adviſe (in ſeverall particulars) to unfriendly Neighbours. By THOMAS BROOKS, a willing Servant unto God, and the Faith of his People, in the glorious Goſpel of Chriſt, at Margarets Fiſhſtreet-hill.
Mallem ruere cum Chriſto, quam regnare cum Caeſare. Luther.
Si veritas est cauſa diſcordiae, mori poſſum tacere non poſſum. Jerome.
LONDON: Printed by M. Simmons, for John Hancock and are to be ſold at the firſt Shop in Popes-Head-Alley, next to Cornhill 1653.
To the Conſcientious READER.
THe World is full of Books, and of how many may it be ſaid, That they doe but proclaim the vanity of the writer, and procure wearineſſe, if not vexation, to the Reader, in this knowing and cenſorious age? What I have written is out of faithfullneſſe to Chriſt, and love to Souls: If my pains ſhall prove advantageous, for the internall and eternall good of any poor Souls, I ſhall count it reward enough. I doubt not but thoſe that are ſpirituall will find ſomething of the Spirit in what followes, and for that cauſe will relliſh and love it, though others may therefore ſtand at the greater diſtance from it. Surely, where Truth comes, the Children of Truth will entertaine it, and aske no body leave. In theſe dayes they that have leaſt right to Ordinances, doe make the greateſt noiſe in crying out for Ordinances. Gods Ordinances are choice pearles, and yet too often caſt before Swine, which doubtleſſe hath provoked the Lord to ſhed the blood of many among us, who have unworthily drunk the blood of his Son, and trampled it under their feet as an unholy thing. Heb. 10.29.Though my Candle be but little, yet I muſt not hide it under a buſhell. Though I have but one Talent, yet I muſt not hide it in a Napkin. I hope thou haſt that anointing of the Spirit that will teach thee not to reject the fruit for the trees ſake, nor ſo much to mind the man as the matter. But leaſt I ſhould hold thee long in the porch, I will briefly acquaint thee with the Reaſons that have induced me to preſent to the World what followes; and ſo draw to a cloſe.
The Reaſons are theſe.
Firſt, That the honour, truth and wayes of Chriſt, which I hope are dearer to me then my life, 1 Sam. 2.30.and which are ſtruck at thorow my ſides, may be vindicated.
Secondly, That the mouth of iniquity (or which is all one, Pſal. 107.42. Titus 1.11. Pſal. 63.11.that the foule mouths of prophane, ignorant, malignant, and ſcandalous perſons) may be effectually ſtopt.
Thirdly, That the honeſt, juſt, and righteous proceedings of the Honourable Committee may be manifeſted, and not ſmothered by the falſe reports of any prophane malignant ſpirits that were preſent; Iſa. 5.20.who are apt and ready enough to call good evill, and evill good, light, darkneſſe, and darkneſſe light, &c.
Fourthly, That the importunate deſires of ſeverall Miniſters, and Chriſtians may be ſatisfied, eſpecially thoſe to whom I preach, &c.
Fifthly, 2 Cor. 11. Ch. 10-ult. Pro. 22.1. Eccleſ. 7.1.That my Miniſtry and good name (which ſhould be dearer to me then my life) may be vindicated. A good name is rather to be choſen then great riches, and loving favour rather then ſilver and gold: a good name is better then precious ointment, ſaith Solomon, Eccleſ. 7.1. The initiall letter (foreign) of the Hebrew word (foreign Tob) that in this Text is rendred good, is bigger then ordinary, to ſhew the more then ordinary excellency of a good name amongſt men. The Moraliſts ſay of fame, or of a mans good Name (Omnia ſi perdas, The French have this Proverb among them, That a good renown is better then a golden Girdle.famam ſervare memento; Qua ſemel amiſſa poſtea nullus eris) i. e. Whatſoever commodity you loſe, be ſure yet to preſerve that Jewell of a good Name. But if any ſhall delight to blot and blur my name, that their owne may ſhine the brighter; I ſhall deſire them frequently to remember a ſweet ſaying of Auſtin (Quiſquis volens detrahit famae meae, nolens addit mercedi meae.) He that willingly takes from my good Name, unwillingly addes to my reward. Mat. 5.11.12.The remembrance of this, and the bird in the boſome (conſcience) ſinging, makes a Heaven of joy in my heart, 2 Cor. 1.12.in the middeſt of all the trialls that doe attend me.
Sixthly, That others may be undeceived, who are apt enough to judge that there are other things and worſe things charged upon me then indeed there is. Jer. 20.10, 11. Pſal. 35.11.And indeed ſome ſay already, that there were eighteen things, others that there were ſix and twenty things charged against me; and all this to render my perſon and my doctrine, contemptible in the World, &c.
Seventhly, That the Malignant and profane Petitioners, and others of their ſtamp, may be either ſatisfied, convinced, and reformed, or that they may be found ſpeechleſſe, and without excuſe in the day of Chriſt.
Eightly, Becauſe my caſe is a generall caſe, and reaches all the godly conſcientious Miniſters in England, be they of one judgement or another. And clearly if upon the following Charge against me, the prophane, ignorant, and Malignant party, ſhould out and rout the godly Miniſters in the Nation; I wonder where there would be found a conſcientious Miniſter, that ſhould not upon theſe grounds be outed and routed?
Reader,
I deſire that thou wouldeſt caſt a mantle of love over the Miſtakes of the PRINTER, I having no opportunity to wait on the Preſſe, by reaſon of my many Engagements other wayes. I will not by any Prolepſis detaine thee at the doore, but deſire that the God of all conſolations would bleſſe thee with all externall, internall and eternall bleſſings, that thy actions may be proſperous, thy troubles few, thy comforts many, thy life holy, thy death happie, and thy ſoule lodged for ever in the boſome of Chriſt. So I remaine
Thine, ſo farre as thou art CHRISTS. Thomas Brooks.
A SHORT PREAMBLE That I intended (to make before the Honourable Committee for Plundred Miniſters) that Truth and my Selfe might be the better vindicated and cleared.
Gentlemen,
'TWas a Divine ſaying of Seneca, No man ſets a better rate upon vertue, aQui boni viri famam perdidit ne conſcientiam perderet. Seneca.then he that looſeth a good Name to keep a good Conſcience. He that hath a good conſcience, ſits Noah-like, quiet and ſtill in the greateſt combuſtions, and diſtractions (Conſcientia pura ſemper ſecura) A good Conſcience hath ſure confidence, it makes a man as bold as a Lyon, Proverbs 28.1.
I remember Calvin writing to the French King, ſaith, that Oppoſition is (Evangelij genius) the black Angel that doggs the Goſpel at the heels. And certainly, where Chriſt is like to gain moſt, and Satan like to loſe moſt, there Satan in his inſtruments will ſtir and rage moſt; yet if every oppoſer of the Goſpel and the Saints, were turned into a Devil, that old ſaying would be found true (Veritas ſtat in aperto campo) Truth ſtands in the open fields, yea and 'twill make thoſe ſtand in whom it lives; yea 'twill make them ſtand chearfully, reſolutely, and unmoveably, in the face of the greateſt, higheſt, and hotteſt oppoſitions.
Concerning theſe prophane, ignorant, malignant, and ſcandalous Petitioners, I ſhall ſay as Lactantius ſaith of Lucian (Nec diis nec hominibus pepercit) he ſpared neither God, nor man; ſuch are theſe Petitioners. 'Tis ſaid of Cataline, that he was bMonſtrum ex variis diverſiſ que inter ſe pugnantibus naturis conflatum.a compound and bundle of warring luſts and vices; ſuch are theſe Petitioners. Hiſtorians ſay, that Tygers rage and are mad, when they ſmell the fragrancy of Spices; ſuch are theſe Petitioners, when they ſmell the fragrancy of the Graces of Gods Spirit in the principles and practices, in the lives and religious exerciſes of the people of God.
Gentlemen, I am compelled to tell you that I have by the gracious aſſiſtance of God, preached publiquely the Goſpel above theſe thirteen years, and the greateſt part of thoſe years I have ſpent in Preaching the word in London, where God hath given me many precious ſeals of my Miniſtry, which are now my comfort, and in the day of Chriſt will be my Crown. They are my living Epiſtles, they are my walking Certificates, they are my letters teſtimoniall, as Paul ſpeaks. And yet in all this time none have ſhewed themſelves ſo malicious, 2 Cor. 3.1, 2.impudent and ignorant, as to Petition againſt me, as theſe that ſtand now before you; yet am I confident that this act of theirs ſhall work for my externall, internall, and eternall good: Rom. 8.28. Judg. 14.14.And out of this eater God will bring forth meat and ſweetneſſe to others alſo.
Gentlemen, I ſhall now trouble your patience no further but come now to anſwer to the things that theſe prophane, Malignant Petitioners have charged againſt me, in their Petition to this Honourable Committee.
TO THE HONORABLE COMMITTEE FOR Plundred Miniſters. The humble Petition of the Pariſhioners of Margaret New-Fiſhſtreet, London, whoſe Names are hereunto ſubſcribed.
SHEWING,
THat one Mr. Thomas Brooks, was by Order of your Honours, dated the twenty third of March, 1651. appointed to Preach for a MonethMonth, next enſuing, as Probationer; to the end, that upon the Pariſhioners, and the ſaid Mr. Brooks mutual tryal of each other, the ſaid Mr. Brooks might continue, or your Petitioners have ſome other to officiate amongſt them.
Your Petitioners are humbly bold to offer to your Honours conſideration, that they have had tryal of the ſaid Mr. Brooks ever ſince your Honours Order; but cannot finde that comfort to their ſoules they hoped; nor indeed is the ſaid Mr. Brooks ſo qualified to your Petitioners underſtandings, as to remain any longer with them. And further, your Petitioners ſay, that the ſaid Mr. Brooks refuſeth to afford your Petitioners the uſe of the Ordinances, of Baptiſm and the Lords Supper; nor will he bury their dead.
The Petitioners therefore humbly pray, that your Honours will be pleaſed to revoke your Order, and give liberty to your Petitioners for ſix Moneths, to preſent a fit perſon to your Honours to be their Miniſter; and in the mean time, that Sequestrators may be appointed to provide for the ſervice of the Cure, out of ſuch money, as ſhall ariſe for tithes out of the ſaid Pariſh; And, &c.