The Way of Congregational Churches Cleared, Treatise 1 · Chapter 3 · Section 9 – Section 10
SECT. IX. Of Cottons pretended known failings, and Mr. Baylies pretended juſt cauſe to diſcover them to the world.
Mr. Baylie proceedeth to diſcover my evident and known failings, (as he calleth them) and he conceiveth neither piety nor charity will hinder him to remark them. And why ſo? me thinks it ſhould be ſome great and weighty cauſe, that himſelf, who is wont (as he ſaith) to ſpeak liberally to the praiſes of men, who in his thoughts are much inferior to Mr. Cotton; ſhould now give up himſelf to ſpeak liberally to the diſpraiſe and diſgrace of him, whom yet in his entrance thereinto he ſeemeth to reckon amongſt ſuch as he calleth the dear children of God. Surely there is not the leaſt child of God, but is ordained of God to be a veſſel of honor; and to make any ſuch a veſſel of diſhonor, what is it elſe but to endevour to overthrow the eternall counſell of God? Nor is there the leaſt child of God, but is a member of the Body of Chriſt; and the naturall members of the Body are wont to cover the nakedneſſe of ſuch members as are moſt uncomely.
But Mr. Baylie is of opinion, as he ſaith, that when my gifts are turned into ſnares, and made inducements to others to follow me in my wandrings: then the diſcovery of my cleare weakneſſe may be a retractive to every Prudent man, & a caveat from God, to beware of my wayes. Belike then it will follow, that though it be contrary both to the counſell and Commandement of God, and to the Communion of his Myſticall Body, to caſt reproaches and diſhonour upon the leaſt of Gods ſervants: yet for a good end, to keep others from idolizing of them, it may be lawfull to ranſ…ck all their former lives, and to hang them up in the ſight of the Sun, in chains of publike infamy, and obloquy. But I confeſſe, I have not ſo learned Chriſt, as to allow my ſelf to doe evill that good may come of it. Nor doe I beleeve it had been a way of God, when the men of Lyſtra ſo highly Idolized Paul and Barnabas, as to account one of them to be Jupiter, and the other Mercurius, and to preſent them with Divine Worſhip, that then ſome godly brother of Pauls company ſhould have ſtept in amongſt them, and ſaid, Sirs, why doe you theſe things? Paul hath been a bloody perſecutor of the Truths of God, a Blaſphemer, a ſcornfull oppreſſor: and Barnabas is a man ſubject to paſſion and diſſimulation, and both of them mortall men, ſubject to all kind of ſinfull corruption. Such zeale for the glory of God, I know not by what rule of piety or charity, it could have been juſtified. God hath ſanctified other means, to wean his ſervants from idolizing their Brethren. Cornelius idolized Peter even with Divine honour, Act. 10.25. But did Peter therefore, or any of the 6. Brethren that went along with him, think it a juſt warrant, to proclaim to Cornel. Take heed what you do, this man whom you idolize hath been a lyer, a perjured perſon, an horrible curſer of himſelf, and renouncer of the Lord Jeſus before many witneſſes? God forbid. Yea of latter times, when the pregnant ſtrength and glorious luſtre of many heroicall and excellent gifts of Luther had bin ſo idolized, that many and great Nations followed him in ſome notorious errors of his way: yet Calvin thought it no juſt ground, why Bullinger or other Divines ſhould break forth againſt him, as he had done (atroci invectiva, to uſe Calvins word) againſt them, but ſweetly profeſſeth, Saepe dicere ſolitus ſum, etiamſi me Diabolum vocaret, me tamen hoc illi honoris habiturum, ut inſignem Die ſervum agnoſcam: Calvin. Ep. 57. ad Bullingerum. The want of this ſpirit is Fundi Anglicani calamitas, the unhappineſſe of England at this day. But what if all theſe hereſies or errors, which Mr. Baylie chargeth upon me, be but ſo many errors of himſelf, or of his witneſſes? Will he ſtill make it an act of piety, or charity to remarke them (as he calleth it) for my evident and known failings, and follies: which are either no failings, nor follies at all, or none of mine?
Let us examine the particulars.
SECT. X. Of Cottons Prelaticall Tenents.
1. He inſtanceth in the Errors of my education, and my long continuance in them: ſundry of them (as he ſaith) I confeſſe ſtuck by me all the time of my abode in England.
And this he proveth from the teſtimony of mine own Letter (above mentioned) from New-England to my friends at Boſton, October 5. 1635. As joyning in Book-prayers and fellowſhip at the Lords Table with ſcandalous Communicants. It was but in the next foregoing Page, (pag. 56. of Mr. Baylie's Book) wherein he maketh it the unhappineſſe of England, that I changed my minde from thoſe very Tenents, which he now calleth the Errors of my education, and Prelaticall Tenents? But if they be Errors, why doth he tax me for changing from them? And why doth he ſay, It had been happy for England, if Mr. Cotton had taken longer time, before he had changed his minde from ſuch Tenents? Let Mr. Baylie chooſe which he will take; either theſe are no Errors nor Prelaticall Tenents; or if they were, it was no Error in me, nor unhappineſſe to England that I changed from them. A conſiderate and equall minde ſhould not be ſo far tranſported ſtudio partium; nor ſo ſoon forget it ſelf, as to cenſure it in one Page for an unhappy change from ſuch Tenents, which in the next Page he noteth for Erroneous and Prelaticall Tenents.