An Answer Made to an Open Challenge, Preface
The PREFACE.
To my Chriſtian Reader.
IT is growne into a faſhion for him who entertaines the world in a Book, to parley firſt a little with his gueſt at the threſhold: And although the righteous Judges of Areopagus needed no ſuch complement, yet I cannot but judge it a little neceſſary in this ſinfull time, and the more in regard of the different complexions of mens perſwaſions, diſpoſing them to faction, and to judge unrighteous judgment, from the dictate of ſome particular prejudice. What thou art into whoſe hands my Tract ſhall come, I cannot tell. I ſhall only endeavour to cleare thy eyes from the miſt, that prejudice, and particular affection may have caſt before them, and be ambitious no further to reconcile thee to me, then unto truth. It treats of an unpleaſing ſubject, The divine Right and Primitive practiſe of ſuſpending ſuch from the Supper of the Lord, who as yet have not their ſenſes exerciſed to diſcerne between good and evill, and cannot diſcerne the Lords body, ſuch as were the foreign of old, and ſuch who ſince their Baptiſme have returned with the dog to the vomit, and are yet with the Swine wallowing in the mire of their luſts. This is the great bone of contention in the Church of God this day, every one would be fellow commoner with the Saints at the Table of childrens bread, and thoſe who have not grace to make them worthy, yet want patience to beare a being judged unworthy of the higheſt Goſpell-priviledges. Reader, I ſuppoſe thou canſt not be ſo unjuſt to thy owne reaſon, but to thinke that if the godly Miniſters of England durſt conſult with fleſh and bloud, that could furniſh them with ſtrong Arguments, drawne from the augmentation of their livelihood (in places where it is arbitrary) and from the univerſall love of their people to compell them into Maſter Humfryes or Maſter Boatmans faith. Alas! what doe we get by our ſtricter dealings, with the ſoules committed to us, except the frownes and reproaches of ſuch whom we durſt not caſt the holy thing of the Sacrament before. It is Gods will that Religion and humane Policy ſhould now and then divide, and we humbly ſubmit to God, and deſire rather to be faithfull Stewards for him, then providers for our ſelves, and ours. Surely there is ſo much ingenuity at leaſt in ſome of the godly Miniſters of England, as would intitle them to a deſire of the love of all, and ſo much earthineſſe in all their hearts as expoſeth them to ſome temptations, to uſe all endeavours for a comfortable ſubſiſtence in this life. If any of them neglects both that and this, and chuſe rather to venture the begging of their own bread, then to throw the childrens bread to dogs, rather to proſtitute their owne names, and loſe their intereſt in the hearts of ſome people, then to proſtitute the Lords ſacred Ordinance, and give his name to a reproach, as in this they come ſhort of Chryſoſtome, who profeſſeth, he would rather give his owne bloud to the prophane, then the body and bloud of Chriſt; and of Ambroſe, who ventured the loſſe of his head as well as the love of Theodoſius: ſo it will not need much of thy charity, to interpret their actions, conſcientious pieces of ſelf-deniall, for the intereſt of their deare and bleſſed Saviour, yea and of their ſoules too who are kept away, it being certaine, if Iudas were at the Sacrament (which can never be proved) the next worke he did was to hang himſelfe, through horror of conſcience, and for that ſinne of unworthy receiving in the Church of Corinth, Many, ſaith the Apoſtle, were ſick and weak, and many fallen aſleep. How unjuſtly therefore we are raged againſt, who durſt not give the bloud of Chriſt to thoſe to drinke who are in a burning feaver of open luſts, and ſo dangerous a knife into the hands of thoſe whom we ſee diſtracted with ſinne, and in a ſpirituall Delirium. We hope, any equitable ſtanders by will judge and meaſure our actions, by the duly and orderly practiſe of Phyſitians in bodily tempers, conſidering we are ready as to ſuch Patients, to allow them what they will drinke of the Barley water of Repentance (which we conceive more proper for them) and are ready to reſtore their knives to them, when they ſhall (by any moderate account given us) let us know that God hath reſtored them ſo much of his Image, in ſpirituall wiſdome, that they will not murther their precious ſoules with them. And we doubt not, but if ever the Lord ſhall give them an heart to repent, and reſtore their deſperately diſtempered ſoules to health; in that day it ſhall be no more griefe of heart to them, that they have been kept away, then it is to the recovered Patient, that his Phyſitian denyed him fleſh, and wine in his feaver, or a knife in his diſtraction, and at that time we ſhall expect their thanks, in the meane time we ſhall beare their rage and reproach with paience, knowing it is for the Lord we ſuffer it.
For the Lord, who ſuffered more, in the ſhedding of his bloud for us, then we can doe in the vindication of it, and preſerving it from being prophaned by unhallowed mouths.
If it pleaſeth the Lord they dye in their ſpirituall diſtempers, and go raging to their graves, we muſt be content to expect our thanks from our Lord and Maſter at the great day, and our vindication there, except Reader thou wilt ſhew thy ſelfe ſo ingenuous and judicious as in thy thoughts to acquit us.
As to the ſubject of this Tract, the truth is, ſo much hath been ſaid in the defence of what I plead for, of old, by all the Schoolmen, and ſince by Calvin, Vrſin, Zanchy, and by Reverend Beza, and Maſter Rutherford in anſwer to Eraſtus, and by learned and Reverend Gilleſpy in anſwer to Maſter Prynne, beſides what hath been ſpoken by Maſter Philip Goodwin in his excellent Book, called the Evangelicall Communicant, and by many others; that were it not for the importunate clamours of thoſe who would get that by their importunity, and clamorous tongues and pens, which the juſtice of their Cauſe, and ſtrength of their Arguments, will not allow to them, nor gaine for them, both my ſelfe and others might have had an eternall ſuperſedeas for this Worke. I ſcarce find any thing in Erastus and Beza, but what I meet with in the Schoolmen, nor any thing in Maſter Prynne, or Maſter Humfry conſiderable, but what I find in Erastus: That if our Brethren of the contrary perſwaſion, would not have troubled the world with their opinions, without anſwering firſt what had been ſaid againſt them: we had long ere this time had our Quietus eſt; for I durſt undertake to yeeld him the cauſe, who ſufficiently anſwers but one Book wrote upon this ſubject, viz. Maſter Gilleſpies Aarons Rod bloſſoming; ſo that the truth is, the advantage our oppoſites have of us in this point, is moſtly upon ſuch as have not knowledge of what hath been ſaid againſt their opinions, or are not ſupplyed with money to buy the Books, nor able to gaine ti…e to read them, or upon ſuch whoſe particular engagements, and over-much love to the whimzies of their owne braines, or malice, or prejudice at leaſt to the truth, or love to their curſed luſts, which yet they would keep and have the Sacrament too, and be thought unworthy of no Goſpell-priviledge: hath outlawed their Reaſon, and ſo ſtopt their eares, that they are made incapable of a boaring with the ſharpeſt and moſt convincing Arguments, that Scripture and Reaſon can afford; and thus they only captivate thoſe, who are firſt led captive by their owne luſts. Poſſibly thou wilt be inquiſitive, to know what hath made me write, if I have judged enough already ſaid: I muſt crave a little of thy patience to ſatisfie thee as to this.
I have often thought that it would be a rare expedient in order to the ending of all controverſies of theſe times, relating to the order of the Church; if ſome judicious man would out of all the conſiderable Books wrote upon each Controverſie, within theſe twelve or thirteen yeares, candidly ſtate each Controverſie, and tranſcribe the Arguments relating to them, with the Exceptions and Anſwers given to any, digeſting them in a due method, and it might pleaſe the civill power then to Enact, That no one ſhould write more upon any of thoſe Queſtions, but ſhould be engaged either to bring New Arguments on the part he would defend, or vindicate thoſe brought on the part he would defend from the various Anſwers given to them. Were this taske but impoſed upon new Scriblers, the world would be leſſe full of impertinent Diſcourſes, and Diſputes would not run as they doe in infinitum. I doe not pretend a ſpecimen of ſuch a Worke, I have neither purſe nor Library, nor time, fit for it. But the truth is, as I find in Mr Humfry, and heare from Mr Boatman, nothing more then Eraſtus long ſince ſaid, and hath been more then once already anſwered; ſo I have not ſtudied for a new Argument, but out of ſeverall Authors have rallyed up an old force, and have candidly told thee what hath been by any, whom I have met with, ſaid againſt them, as alſo what hath been anſwered in their defence: All being admitted to the Paſſover (as ſome conceive) Iohn Baptiſts univerſall Baptiſme; Iudas his being admitted to the Lords Supper; The generall invitation to the Wedding Supper in the Goſpell; ſome being drunke at the Lords Supper in the Church of Corinth. No evident testimony in Scripture for Suſpenſion, foreign. Theſe are all old tooles, and ſcarce newly whetted.
Yet what hath Maſter Humfry ſaid, or what doth Maſter Boatman ſay more? But for the more particular occaſion of this Tract,
I muſt deſire of thee (Reader) to underſtand, that in this great City there are, as I take it, about thirty Pariſhes within the Wals, to none of which (excepting only two, one of which hath about thirty pounds per annum) is above ten or twelve pounds a yeare certaine legall maintenance; The moſt of the Pariſhes have nothing at all. Scandalous Livings are alwayes the neſts of ſcandalous Miniſters; The Pariſhes being little, and the maintenance Arbitrary, and many of the people ſeaſoned with the old leaven of ignorance and ſuperſtition, many, if not moſt of our Pariſhes have been either without any Miniſter, or filled with ſuch who were caſt out of other places, or at leaſt no friends to Reformation.
For thoſe Pariſhes in which were a more conſiderable number of godly and well diſpoſed people, ſome of them were better ſupplyed; but in all the City we were able to doe very little to promote the worke of Reformation: Some of the Congregations either wanting godly Miniſters, or perſons fit to be choſen, as Helpers with them in Government, and the people in others wanting an heart to chuſe; yet through much oppoſition, in two or three Pariſhes we procured an Election of Elders, amongſt which Peters was one, being the moſt conſiderable place in the City, and furniſhed both with perſons fit to be choſen, and a people willing to chuſe, and a Reverend Paſtor, Mr Carter.fit to goe in and out before them.
But the yoake of Jeſus Chriſt (which is alwayes eaſie to a gracious heart) doth always gall the necks of thoſe who have made their luſts Lords, ſome of the people who had the taſte of the fleſh pots of Aegypt yet in their mouth, began to kick at this ſuppoſed burthen; ſome withdrew their ſtipends, in ſhort, ſome one way, others another way, tyred out their Reverend and Learned Paſtor, who after ſeverall thoughts of removall from them, about May laſt reſolved upon it.
About that time, one Maſter Boatman (ſometimes of Hull) was commended to them; we who were Miniſters of the Goſpell in the City, conceived it our duty, as we had opportunities, to enquire of him (to whom ere long it would be expected that we ſhould give the right hand of fellowſhip.) Amongſt others, my ſelfe, as I had occaſion offered, foreign, made ſome Enquiry concerning him, ſoone after ſpeaking with a Miniſter, who ſometimes lived in Yorkſhire, I askt him if he knew ſuch a Miniſter in their Countrey, and what he was. He told me he knew him very well, and he was a man who would preach frequently, and was a great enemy to Sectaries, but himſelfe was neither Miniſter nor Graduate. Soon after, a Reverend and Godly Miniſter of Lincolneſhire comming to ſee me, I asked him the ſame Queſtions, who confirmed the ſame things. Concerning the thing eſtabliſhed out of the mouths of two witneſſes, I imparted it to two friends, one a Miniſter, the other a judicious Chriſtian inhabiting in the Pariſh: And this I did the rather, becauſe I heard they were about to invite him for a Probationer, and I my ſelfe (having a MonethMonth to ſpend in the Univerſity) was to be abſent, that ſo if he came, theſe things might be enquired after. While I was in the Univerſity, I (occaſionally at dinner at the Vice-chancellors chamber, & being at ſupper the ſame nightwith one of the Proctors) met with two Miniſters, one at each place, both of Lincolne-ſhire, where I knew Maſter Boatman had his reſidence, they both confirmed the ſame things, adding ſomething more (which I ſhall ſpare, except Maſter Boatman provokes me to ſpeake it) being deſirous rather to vindicate my ſelfe then to aſperſe him. While I was abſent, ſome of his friends had ſufficiently branded me for ſaying he was no Graduate, when as he was a Reverend man, a Batchelour of Divinity (forſooth) of Katherine Hall: One of them fell upon me face to face at my returne, I told them I would not be over-confident, becauſe it was but a Report, but I would ſoone ſatisfie them as to that point. Thereupon I wrote a Letter by the next Poſt, to a Learned friend, Fellow of that Houſe, who certified me, That he knew him very well, That by admiſsion he was two yeares my junior, That for degrees, he was three degrees beneath a Batchelour in Divinity, having never commenced at all, nor ſtaid in the Colledge above a yeare, or a yeare and halfe at utmoſt. Some other things he certified me, which I ſhall conceale, intending only my owne vindication.
This was the only Letter I ever wrote to enquire of him, (and that in my owne vindication too) though I heare he hath told his friends, he hath Copies of ſeverall Letters I wrote to that purpoſe.
Soone after this, a Reverend Brother in this City had another Letter from a godly and learned Miniſter, who was of his year and Colledge, to omit other paſſages in the Letter, he told him that he never commenced any thing but junior Sophiſter.
By all this we gathered, That an — Harry Sophiſter was the height of his Univerſity-Commencements. It was now about Iuly, when the Anabaptiſticall party began to rage againſt Vniverſity-Learning, and Degrees. We who were Miniſters in this City, were a little ſenſible, (if we had been ſatisfied concerning him upon other accounts) what an ill ſound it would make in the world, to be heard, that the greateſt Congregation in ſo famous a City as this, and a Congregation which ever had either a Doctor in Divinity, or ſome very reverend man in it, ſhould now be ſupplyed with one, who had given no proofe in any Univerſitie of his abilities, or proficiencie in his Studies, nor ſo much as taken the loweſt degree in the Schooles.
This made ſome of us, doe what in us lay, to move thoſe who were our ſober, pious friends in that Congregation, to act deliberately in ſo weighty a worke; in which the glory of God, the good of the City, the intereſt of their ſoules, and their credit and reputation would be ſo much concerned; and that before they agreed to his Election, they would enquire concerning his later converſation, and be ſatisfied that he were a Miniſter in Office at leaſt. We thought, conſidering that juncture of time, and the eminency of the place, it would alſo be fit, that at leaſt he ſhould be Mr of Arts.
At laſt he came to the Towne, and a party of the people elected him as their Paſtor (one hundred and eleven having before ſubſcribed Maſter Carter a new Call, promiſing to wait a yeare for him.) Diverſe godly people diſſented from the Election openly, and the rather, becauſe he refuſed to ſatisfie them concerning his Ordination. I ſhall referre to my Reader to enquire other paſſages concerning his Election. About three weeks after Michaelmas he came to reſide, but before this he had declared himſelfe for Epiſcopacy ſomthing plainly; (we ſuppoſe he was of another judgement when he preached at Hull.) He had alſo by this time declared himſelfe to a Reverend Miniſter in the City for promiſcuous communions, and within a day or two after told a godly man, pinching him upon that point, that he ſhould well ſee he was not for promiſcuous communions; ſoon after his comming to reſide, we had heard he had declared himſelfe privately againſt Ruling Elders;
Presbyter, haud amo te, nec poſſum dicere quare,
Hoc tantùm poſſum dicere, non amo te.
For his judgement in that point, or indeed in any other, it is not much conſiderable; for we doe not thinke he is foreign, and we can eaſily beleeve that we have more to ſay, yea that more hath already been ſaid to prove the divine Right of that O ficer in the Church, then Mr Boatman can anſwer.
About the beginning of December after, about ſix weeks reſidence amongſt a people, he had never ſeen before (except as a gueſt for a forth-night) nay, and as I remember of that ſix weeks he was abſent for a fortnight too; He declares he intended to adminiſter a Sacrament on Chriſtmas day, ſome honeſt people of his Congregation being diſsatisfied at it, went to him, and told him ſo, in regard of the ſuperſtitious conceit of that day, which many in this City have. One of his friends told me, they had prevailed with him ſo far, as that the next day he would unbid it againe, but in ſtead of it, the next Lords day, in ſtead of unbidding it (girding at thoſe who had received this offence) he openly proclaimes foure Sacraments together. The firſt upon the eighteenth day of December; the ſecond upon the five and twentieth, &c. and proclaimed likewiſe a Faſt Preparatory to them upon the thirteenth of December: At which Faſt (Reader) thou muſt thinke there was much people to ſee which way he would row, (though they needed not, if they had conſidered the wind and tyde) For my ſelfe, I was not there, having with ſome other of my Brethren refuſed to heare him, who refuſeth to let us know by what Authority he preaches, and conceiving that the Paſtorall Right to that people belongs not to him, (beſides other things which diſcover him to us to be no friend to any kind of Reformation. At his Faſt he preached on Rom. 14.12. His diſcourſe in the forenoone was harmleſſe, in the afternoon he diſgorged himſelfe.
I ſhall give thee a ſhort account of that part of his Sermon which concernes this buſineſſe, as it was taken (and given me by an ingenuous judicious Schollar) from his owne mouth in ſhort hand; and by one who was (before that Sermon) much his friend.