The Bloody Tenant Washed and Made White in the Blood of the Lamb, Part 1 · Chapter 1 – Chapter 4
THE BLOUDY TENENT, WASHED, And made white in the bloud of the Lambe: being diſcuſſed and diſcharged of bloud-guiltineſſe by juſt Defence. WHEREIN The great Queſtions of this preſent time are handled, viz. How farre Liberty of Conſcience ought to be given to thoſe that truly feare God? And how farre reſtrained to turbulent and peſtilent perſons, that not onelyonly raze the foundation of Godlineſſe, but diſturb the Civill Peace where they live? Alſo how farre the Magiſtrate may proceed in the duties of the firſt Table? And that all Magiſtrates ought to ſtudy the word and will of God, that they may frame their Government according to it. DISCUSSED. As they are alledged from divers Scriptures, out of the Old and New Teſtament. Wherein alſo the practiſe of Princes is debated, together with the Judgement of Ancient and late Writers of moſt precious eſteeme. Whereunto is added a Reply to Mr. WILLIAMS Anſwer, to Mr. COTTONS Letter.
BY JOHN COTTON Batchelor in Divinity, and Teacher of the Church of Chriſt at Boſton in New-England.
LONDON, Printed by Matthew Symmons for Hannah Allen, at the Crowne in Popes-Head-Alley. 1647.
THE BLOODY TENET WASHED AND MADE WHITE IN THE BLOOD OF THE LAMBE. OR The Bloody Tenet diſcuſt and diſcharg'd of bloud-guiltineſſe, by Juſt defence.
CHAP. I.
THE Bloody Tenet (I meane the booke ſtiled by that name, tending to diſcuſſe an holy & wholeſome truth of God, ſlanderouſly ſtiled the Bloudy Tenet) was put forth againſt the Royall Law of the love of the Goſpel. Mr. Williams ſent me about a dozen yeares agoe (as I remember) a letter, penned (as he wrote) by a Priſoner in Newgate, touching perſecution for Conſcience ſake: and intreated my judgement of it for the ſatisfaction of his friend. I wa not willing to deny him any office of Chriſtian love, and gave him my poore judgement in a private letter. This private letter of mine he hath publiſhed in Print after ſo many yeares, and there with a Reſuration of it. If my letter was Orthodoxall and tending to ſatisfaction, and edification, why did he refute it? If corrupt, and erronious (eſpecially if bloudy) why did he publiſh it?
The letter, and ſo the error contained in it, (if it was an error) it was private, and ſo private, that I know no man that hath a coppy of it, no not my ſelfe who penned it (for ought I could find) but himſelfe onelyonly, if I did offend him by the writing of ſuch an error to him (though by himſelfe intreated to expreſſe my judgement) let him remember, he pleadeth for libertie of conſcience: I wrote my conſcience and the truth of God according to my conſcience, in the ſight of God. Why ſhould he puniſh me with open pennance, and expoſe me (as much as in him lieth, before the world) to open ſhame, as a man of bloud, for the liberty of my conſcience? How will it ſtand with his owne principles, to plead for liberty of conſcience and yet to puniſh it? Beſides let him remember, if I did offend him with ſuch an error, it was but a private offence, and the rule of the Goſpel required, he ſhould firſt have convinced and admoniſhed me privately of it, and ſo have proceeded upon my contumacy, at length to have told the Church, before he had publiſhed it to the world. But ſuch as ſeeke for new Apoſtles, muſt ſeeke alſo for new Goſpel, before this manner of dealing can be juſtified, by the Goſpel of Chriſt. That booke of his therefore being thus begun againſt the rule of the Goſpel, no marvell if it ſwarve from the truth of the Goſpel all a long. He that ſetteth forth out of his way in the firſt entrance of his journey, no marvell if he wander all the day after.
CHAP. 2. Of the title he prefixeth to my anſwere of the priſoners letter.
IN printing my anſwer to the priſoners Letter, he prefixeth thititle The anſwer of Mr. John Cotton of Boſton in New-Englands profeſſedly maintaining Perſecution for cauſe of Conſcience.
This Title treſpaſſeth not onelyonly againſt the Creator of Chriſtian love, which is wont to take even doubtfull things in the faireſt ſenſe: but even againſt the Law of truth. For in the whole purport of my Anſwer to the Letter, both in ſtating the Queſtion, and in anſwering Objections, I expreſly profeſſe, 1. That no man is to be perſecuted at all (much leſſe for Conſcience ſake:) becauſe all perſecution is oppreſſion for Righteouſneſſe ſake. 2. I Profeſſe further, That none is to be puniſh…d for his Conſcience ſake, though Erroneous, unleſſe his Errors be Fundamentall, or ſeditiouſly, and turbulently promoted, and that after due conviction of Conſcience: That it may appeare, he is not puniſhed for his Conſcience, but for ſinning againſt his Conſcience.
Thus whileſt he pleadeth for Liberty of Conſcience, he taketh Liberty to his Conſcience openly to publiſh, That I do profeſſedly maintaine Perſecution for cauſe of Conſcience, When I doe in expreſſe tearmes profeſſedly Renounce it. This Liberty of Conſcience ſetteth the Conſcience at Liberty Calumniandi audacter.
Object. But it may be, by conſequence, I doe maintaine Perſecution for cauſe of Conſcience, though in expreſſe tearmes I profeſſedly Renounce it.
Anſ. 1. What if ſuch a thing might be inferr'd by conſequence? mens judgements and profeſſions are not to be taken up from every unwary conſequence, againſt their owne poſitive and expreſſe Declarations, and Profeſſions. It is iuſtly taxed in Bellarmine as a ſlanderous Calumny, that he bringeth in Luther, Calvine, Martyr Bucer, makeing God the Authour of ſinne, which all of them in expreſſe tearmes doe auoyde; yet he would faſten ſuch a blaſphemous Tenet upon them (forſooth) by conſequences. In like ſort by the like conſequences is the Bloudy Tenet faſtened upon me. When the eyes are bloud-ſhotten, or looke through a red glaſſe, all things about them will appeare red and bloudy. But if this Tenet have any appearance of blood in it, It is becauſe it is waſhed in the Bloud of the Lambe, and ſealed with his bloud. And then though it may ſeeme Bloudy to men of corrupt mindes deſtitute of the truth, (as Paul ſeemed to ſuch to be a Peſtilent fellow) yet to faithful and upright ſoules, ſuch things as are waſhed in the Bloud of the Lambe, are wont to come forth white, as did the followers of the Lambe, who waſhed their Robes white in the Bloud of the Lambe, Rev 7.14.
CHAP. 3. A reply to the third Chapter of the Bloudy Tenet diſcuſt, what is a cauſe of Conſcience in generall.
IN ſtateing of the Queſtion I propounded ſome diſtinctions for clearing of the Point. The 1. was this in mine Anſwer to the Letter of the Priſoner.
By Perſecution for cauſe of Conſcience, I conceive you meane, either for profeſſing ſome point of Doctrine, which you beleive in Conſcience to be the Truth: or for practiſing ſome worke, which you beleive in Conſcience to be a Religious duty.
Diſcuſſer.
This diſtinction is not full and compleate. For beſides both theſe, a man may be perſecuted for cauſe of Conſcience, becauſe he dare not be conſtrained to yeild obedience to ſuch Doctrines and worſhips, as are by men Invented, and Appointed; As the three famous Jewes were caſt into the fiery Furnace (in a non-conformity to the whole conforming world) before the Golden Image, Dan. 3.21. &c.
Defender.
Thus a man may find a knot in a Bulruſh, yea thus a man that were diſpoſed might find fault with the Comforts of God for not being full and Compleate: with the Affirmative Comforts, becauſe they doe not expreſſe the Negative; and with the Negative, becauſe they doe not expreſſe the Affirmative. He that maketh it perſecution for cauſe of Conſcience, when a man is puniſhed for profeſſing ſuch Doctrine, which he beleiveth in Conſcience to be the truth, he maketh it (a Pari) Perſecution for cauſe of Conſcience, when a man is puniſhed for Renouncing ſuch Doctrines, which he beleiveth in Conſcience to be Erroneous. And he that maketh it Perſecution for cauſe of Conſcience, when a man is puniſhed for practiſing ſuch a worke, which he beleives in conſcience to be a Religious duty, He maketh it no leſſe Perſecution for cauſe of Conſcience, when a man is puniſhed for not practiſing ſuch a worke, which he beleiveth in Conſcience to be a ſin.
CHAP. 4. A Reply to his fourth Chapter touching the diſtinction of Doctrines, Some fundamentall others circumſtantiall and leſſe Principall.
IN points of Doctrine (I ſaid in my Anſwer to the Priſoners Letter) ſome are Fundamentall, without right beleife whereof, a man cannot be ſaved: others are circumſtantiall, and leſſe Principall, wherein one man may differ from another in judgement, without prejudice of ſalvation on either part,
Diſcuſſer.
To this diſtinction (He ſaith) Truth dare not ſubſcribe, for then thouſands ten thouſands ſhould everlaſtingly be condemned, yea the whole Generation of the Righteous, who ſince the falling away, have and doe erre fundamently concerning the true matter, Conſtitution, Gathering, Governing of the Church. And yet farre be it from any pious Breaſt, to Imagine that they are not ſaved &c.
Defender.
Fundamentall Doctrines are of two ſorts: Some hold forth the foundation of Chriſtian Religion, as the Doctrines of ſalvation by Chriſt, and of faith in his Name, Repentance from dead workes, Reſurrection from the dead; and the like. Others concerne the Foundation of the Church, as the matter and forme of it, and the proper Adjuncts accompaning the ſame: The Apoſtle ſpeaketh of both theſe ſorts of Foundations together, Heb. 6.1.2.
I ſpeake of the former ſort of theſe onelyonly, namely the Foundation, or fundamentall points of Chriſtian Religion, which who ſo ſubverteth, and Renounceth, he renounceth alſo his owne ſalvation. The other ſort I looke at as leſſe principall, in compariſon of theſe, though ſome of them have a fundamentall vſe in Church order. It was pertinent to the Queſtion propounded in the Priſoners Letter, to expreſſe how farre I allowed Toleration even in ſuch fundamentall Errors, as ſubverted the Foundation of Chriſtian Religion. And in other Errors leſſe dangerous, ſuch as neither ſubverted Religion, nor Salvation, It would eaſily be conceived, that Toleration, might more eaſily be allowed.
How farre New Engliſh Churches partake with the Old Engliſh Pariſh Churches in any of the Ordinances of God, and upon what ground, hath been declared in the Reply to the Anſwer of the other Letter. Where alſo it hath been cleared, how farre off the Churches here have been from perſecuting, or oppreſſing any of their Brethren for preſenting light to them about this point: which may prevent and ſtill the lamentation of peace, in the beginning of this fith Chapter.