The Bloody Tenant Washed and Made White in the Blood of the Lamb, Part 2 · Chapter 4
TO CHAP. IV.
IN his fourth Chapter the Examiner anſwereth to a ſpeech of mine, wherein to prevent his prejudice againſt my perſon, (which might weaken the fruit of my counſell to him) I told him, I had not haſted forward the ſentence of his Civill Baniſhment: and that what was done by the Magiſtrates in that kinde, was neither done by my Counſell, nor conſent.
Whereto he anſwereth, firſt, That he obſerveth, I cannot but confeſſe, that it is hard for any man to doe good, or to ſpeake effectually to the ſoule, or Conſcience of any, whoſe body he afflicteth, and perſecuteth, and that onelyonly for their ſoule and Conſcience ſake.
Reply. All that can truely be obſerved from my words is, That it is hard for any to take good from thoſe, againſt whom they have conceived a prejudice, whether juſtly, or unjuſtly. But when he ſubjoyneth a Serpentine, that is, a ſubtile, and venomous inſinuation, as if I had afflicted, and perſecuted his body, and that onelyonly for his ſoule, and Conſcience ſake.
Anſw. I have been ſo farre from afflicting, or perſecuting his body, (eſpecially for his ſoule, or conſcience ſake) that in very truth, whileſt I had any hope of prevailing for him, I may ſay, as David ſaid for himſelfe, againſt a like ſlander, Pſal. 7.3, 4. I have ſought to deliver him who without cauſe reproacheth me.
Let not Mr. Williams pleaſe himſelfe (as he doth in this Paragraph) in comparing the dealing of the Elders with him here, to the Perſecutions of the Biſhops againſt the godly Preachers in England. If the Biſhops had dealt no worſe with the godly Preachers there, and upon no more unjuſt cauſes, then the Elders dealt with him here, they might with good conſcience, and good countenance have looked with comfort, and confidence, both God, and man in the face, even now when God hath laid their carnall pompe, and worldly honour in the duſt.
Neither let him pleaſe himſelfe (as he doth in the next Paragraph) in his undoubted Aſſertion; That what Mr. Cotton, and others did in procuring his ſorrowes, was not without ſome regret, and reluctancy of Conſcience, and affection, (as David in procuring Uriah's death, or Aſa in impriſoning the Prophet.)
For neither was he ſo innocent, as was Ʋriah, and that Prophet: nor had my ſelfe the like hand in his ſufferings, as David and Aſa had in the other: nor did I ever ſee cauſe of regret, and reluctancy of conſcience, for any act of mine own about his ſufferings. OnelyOnly I confeſſe I had (as he ſaith) ſome regret, and reluctancy of affection, and of compaſſion, to ſee one who had received from God, ſtirring and uſefull gifts, to beſtirre himſelfe ſo buſily, and eagerly to abuſe them, to the diſturbance of himſelfe, his family, the Churches, and the Common-wealth.
That I conſented not to his Baniſhment, he in part admitteth; For what need was there (ſaith he) of that, being not one of the Civill Court?
As if I might not have conſented to it, though I needed not to have done it. I might have drawn up Articles againſt him, I might have come in as a witneſſe againſt him, I might have ſolicited, and ſtirred up the body of the Magiſtrates againſt him, to rid the countrey of him: and then I had conſented before-hand to what was done by the Magiſtrates in that kinde, though my ſelfe had been none of the Court; but none of all theſe acts, nor any ſuch like were done by me.
But be it that I conſented not, yet I counſelled it, (and ſo conſented) and to prove that he ſaith, He will produce a double, and unanſwerable Teſtimony for it.
Firſt, That I publickly taught, (and ſtill doe Teach, except lately Chriſt hath taught me better) that body-killing, ſoule-killing, and State-killing Doctrine of Perſecuting all other Conſciences, and wayes of worſhip but mine own, in the Civill State, and conſequently in the whole world, if the Power, or Empire thereof were in mine hand.
Reply. Were it not that I have learned from the word of truth, that when men are caſt out of the Church of Chriſt, they are delivered up unto Satan, and ſo neither their wits, nor their tongues are their own. I could not eaſily have beleeved that Mr. Williams could ſo confidently and openly have avouched ſuch a notorious ſlander. Since the Lord taught me to know any thing, what conſcience, or the worſhip of God meant, it hath been my conſtant judgement, and doctrine, and practiſe to the contrary. Beſides, To teach the killing of the bodies of all ſuch Conſciences, and wayes of worſhip, as are not mine own, is to make mine own conſcience, and way of worſhip, the infallible Rule, and ſoveraigne Standard, by which all conſciences, and wayes of worſhip throughout the world, were to be regulated: yea, and as if this were a light meaſure of arrogancy, and uſurpation, I make it a capitall crime, (a body-killing offence) for any man to ſwerve from my conſcience, and way of worſhip, even in ſuch Points wherein the Holy Ghoſt hath given expreſſe charge, that we ſhould not judge, nor condemne one another, Rom. 14.3. But I durſt appeale even unto the conſcience of Mr. Williams himſelfe, (if it were now in the gracious keeping of Chriſt, or of himſelfe, as in former times) that himſelfe knoweth, I doe not thinke it lawfull to Excommunicate an Heretick, much leſſe to perſecute him with the civill Sword, till it may appeare, even by juſt and full conviction, that he ſinneth not out of conſcience, but againſt the very light of his own conſcience. Sure I am, ſuch a Point he reporteth is received from me, to the very ſame purpoſe, (and he reporteth it truely) in his Bloudy Tenent, pag. 8. This Anſwer may ſuffice to his firſt (as he calleth it) unanſwerable Teſtimony.
His ſecond unanſwerable Teſtimony is, That ſome Gentlemen that did conſent to his Sentence, have ſolemnly teſtified, and with teares ſince confeſſed to himſelfe, that they could not in their ſoules have been brought to have conſented to the Sentence of his Baniſhment, had not Mr. Cotton in private given them advice, and counſell, proving it juſt, and warrantable to their Conſciences.
Reply. I might here juſtly plead the equitie of the Romane Cuſtome, to excuſe my ſelfe from this accuſation, untill the accuſers come before me face to face: And truely, if Apocryphall witneſſes may goe for unanſwerable Teſtimonies, it is an eaſie matter to oppreſſe any innocency: I might alſo plead the incompetency of ſuch a witneſſe, as (haply lying under ſome cenſure from our Church, and removing himſelfe from our fellowſhip) might take more liberty to ſpeake againſt me in a pang of paſſion, what he would be loath to juſtifie in cold bloud.) I might likewiſe alledge that one or two Magiſtrates makes not a Court, nor was his Sentence caſt by the vote of one, or two: So that if I had counſelled one or two to it, it would not argue that the act of the Magiſtrates, and of the Deputies, (which is the body of the Court) had been done by my counſell or conſent. And indeed it was the very true meaning of my ſpeech, that for the haſtening of the Sentence of the Court againſt Mr. Williams, that act of the Court (which was the act of the body of the Magiſtrates, and of the Deputies) it was neither done by my counſell, nor conſent. For the body of them neither required my counſell, nor received my conſent. What one of them did (for I remember but one that conſulted with me about it) was not the act done by the Magiſtrates, whereof I ſpake. And let the occaſion, and ſcope, and matter of that ſpeech be remembred, and it will be found to tend to that purpoſe, and no other. About a yeare before the Sentence in Court paſſed againſt Mr. Williams, the Governour, and other Magiſtrates having underſtood of the diſturbances put upon the Civill State by Mr. Williams, (which have been declared above) they ſent for the Elders of the Churches in theſe parts, to acquaint us therewith, and to declare thereupon, the juſt grounds which they had to proceed againſt him: yet willing to conferre thereof with us, becauſe he was an Elder of a Church. I doe not love to predicate mine own good offices to any: but his importunitie forceth me to utter it; when I heard the motion, I preſented (with the conſent of my fellow Elders and Brethren) a ſerious Requeſt to the Magiſtrates, that they would be pleaſed to forbeare all civill proſecution againſt him, till our ſelves (with our Churches) had dealt with him in a Church way, to convince him of ſinne: alledging, that my ſelfe, and brethren hoped, his violent courſe did rather ſpring from ſcruple of conſcience, (though carried with an inordinate zeale) then from a ſeditious Principle. To which the Governour replyed, That wee were deceived in him, if we thought he would condeſcend to learne of any of us: And what will you doe (ſaith he) when you have run your courſe, and found all your labour loſt? I anſwered for the reſt, we hoped better things: if it fell out contrary to our hopes, we could not helpe it, but muſt ſit downe, and quiet our conſcience in the Lords acceptance of our will, and endeavour for the deed.
This interceding of my ſelfe, and other Elders in his behalfe, gave me juſt occaſion of that profeſſion above-mentioned, That I had ſought to deliver him, who without cauſe reproached mee.
The iſſue was when the Church of New-Towne, with our owne, and others had endeavoured to convince both Mr. Williams of theſe offences, and the Church of Salem of their indulgent toleration of him therein; it pleaſed the Lord to open the hearts of the Church to aſſiſt us in dealing with him: but he in ſtead of hearkening, either to them, or us, renounced us all, as no Churches of Chriſt: and therefore not at all to be hearkened unto.
Whereupon the Magiſtrates being to aſſemble to the next Generall Court at New-Towne, intending (as appeared by the event) to proceed againſt him: And one of the Magiſtrates of our Towne being to goe thither, acquainted me that it was likely Mr. Williams his cauſe would then be iſſued, and asked me what I thought of it. Truely (ſaid I,) I pitie the man, and have already interceded for him, whileſt there was any hope of doing good. But now he having refuſed to heare both his own Church, and us, and having rejected us all, as no Churches of Chriſt before any conviction, we have now no more to ſay in his behalfe, nor hope to prevaile for him. Wee have told the Governour, and Magiſtrates before, that if our labour was in vaine, wee could not helpe it, but muſt fit downe. And you know they are generally ſo much incenſed againſt his courſe, that it is not your voyce, nor the voyces of two, or three more, that can ſuſpend the Sentence. Some further ſpeech I had with him of mine own marvell at the weakneſſe, and ſlenderneſſe of the grounds of his opinions, motions, and courſes, and yet carried on with ſuch vehemency, and impetuouſneſſe, and prefidence of Spirit.
To this purpoſe was my ſpeech to him, nor can I call to minde that I ſpake ſo much as this to any man elſe; nor can I remember at all, that further then ſo, I gave him any grounds to prove the ſentencing of him to Baniſhment, to be juſt and warrantable to his Conſcience. Nor would it infringe the truth of my ſpeech if I had ſo done, ſeeing it is not one mans vote (nor two, if there had been two) that denominateth the ſentence of the Court, or the act to be done by the Magiſtrates, much leſſe done by the Magiſtrates with my counſell, and conſent: but though I looked at the Sentence of the Court, as neither haſtened nor done by my counſell, and conſent, yet I did never intend to ſay, that I did not conſent to the juſtice of the Sentence when it was paſt. Not that I withdrew my ſelfe out of the Court (as he is pleaſed to conſtrue it) out of ſome reluctation; or that I meant it, I neither counſelled nor conſented in the very time of the ſentence paſſing: but that I did not before-hand either give counſell, or conſent to the body of the Magiſtrates, or Deputies, to paſſe that Sentence againſt him.