The Mischief Which Heresies Do, Title page – Table of contents
HAERESEO-MACHIA: OR, The miſchiefe which Hereſies doe, AND The means to prevent it. Delivered in a SERMON in Pauls, before the Right Honourable, the LORD MAIOR, and the ALDERMEN of the famous Citie of LONDON, February the firſt, M. DC. XLV. And now printed, for the ſatisfaction of the hearers, and others. By JAMES CRANFORD, Paſtour of Chriſtopher Le Stocks, London.
foreign, Athan. ad Solitar.
Diligite homines, interficite errores, ſine ſuperbia de veritate praeſumite, ſine ſaevitia pro veritate contendite. Aug. cont. lit. Petil. lib. 1. cap. 29.
Jude 3. It was needfull for mee to write unto you, and exhort you, that yee ſhould earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the Saints.
LONDON, Printed by James Young for Charles Green, and are to be ſold at the ſigne of the Gun in Ivie-lane, 1646.
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THOMAS ADAMS, Lord Maior; THE RIGHT WORSHIPFULL, THE SHERIFFS; VVith the reſidue of the ALDERMEN Of the famous CITIE of LONDON.
Right Honourable, and Right Worſhipfull,
THeſe Meditations were intended onelyonly for the Pulpit, but are enforced to the Preſſe; not ſo much by the intreaties of friends, as importunities of adverſaries. I print (to uſe Theodorets expreſsion) foreign. Epiſt. 83.not to pleaſe or commend my ſelfe, but neceſſitated to apologize, and to aſſert the verity of what I have delivered. Many aſperſions have been caſt upon me, upon my Sermon: foreign. I expected them. The diſciple is not above his Maſter. The moſt of you were my hearers, I am contented you ſhould be my Judges: and reſt,
Your Honours and Worſhips Servant in the Goſpel, JAMES CRANFORD.
TO THE READER.
READER,
IT hath been my endeavour, in this Sermon, to diſcover unto thee, The miſchief that Hereſies doe, and the means to prevent it. It hath been my care (foreign) to deliver the naked truth in plain expreſsions: Rotten poſts need pargetting, withered faces painting; Truth is moſt comely in her native colours, and hath ſtrength of her own, foreign, to conquer by weakneſſe. It is poſſible thou haſt heard (if not fomented) the great clamours raiſed againſt my ſelf and my Sermon, by Sectaries, whom it would better have beſeemed to foreign, Nazianz. Epiſt. 29. foreign. Cyril. ad Neſtor. Epiſt. 4.have amended themſelves, and their own errours, then to have aſperſed others, and given out ſuch unchriſtian language, when they were not at all injured, but only reproved, and that for their advantage. It is no great matter to mee to be judged of you, or of mans judgement,—he that judgeth me is the Lord. The teſtimony of my conſcience, and God the approver of foreign, &c. Theodoret. Epiſt. 99.my doctrine, ſweep away (as a ſpiders web) the calumnies of ſycophants: yet to the intent I may remove prejudice from thee, I ſhall ſpeak in a word to three objections, which are moſt frequent: Firſt, Some ſay, It was unſeaſonable. Why unſeaſonable? Becauſe others were ſilent. Nay rather, it was ſeaſonable, becauſe others were ſilent. I conceive, with Theodoret, that ſpeech or ſilence in this ſeaſon, diſtinguiſheth foreign, &c. Epiſt. 77.between the faithfull ſhepherd and the hireling. Pauls ſpirit was ſtirred in him when he ſaw the City wholly given to idolatry: And is it poſſible for a faithfull Miniſter to be foreign; Cyprian. ad Neſtor. Epiſt. 2.ſilent when the faith is corrupted, and ſo many ſubverted? Muſt we not all appear before the judgement ſeat of Chriſt, and give an account of our unſeaſonable ſilence? But thanks be to God, there is no ground for ſuch an objection. Secondly, Others ſay, I was bitter, the Sermon a bloudy Sermon. I anſwer: Examine the quotations: Was I more bitter, more bloudy then the Scriptures? then the Fathers? Who called falſe Prophets ravening wolves, dogs, evill workers? Who wiſhed them cut off, commanded them to bee reproved ſharply, foreign, cuttingly? Did not Chriſt? Did not the Apoſtle? Did not the Ancients account them foreign; Cyril. in Joh lib. 1. cap. 4.The workmen of deſtruction, the huntſmen of the Divell, the ſnares of death? Were theſe bitter, bloudy? If ſo, I will not bluſh to be in the ſame condemnation with my Saviour: Bitter pils may be wholeſom phyſick. Thirdly, Others ſay, All men ſpeak ill of mee: ſome reſolve never to hear more in that Auditory for my ſake, &c. Reader, Let not this trouble thee; I paſſe through good report as well as bad. I am ſatisfied with the teſtimony of Athanaſius, I have foreign. Ad Adelphium.done as becometh a Miniſter of the Goſpel, and the doctrine of godlineſſe, in my ſharpeſt reproofs againſt theſe men. As for the people, foreign. Tom. 2.I ſay, with the ſame Father, I reſpect thoſe people that adhere to the truth, not weather-cocks, and ſuch as delight in novelties. I conclude as Auſtin, You have heard their reproaches, which they had Audiviſtis male dicta, quae ab illis non audirem, ſi veſtram perditionem contemnerem, ſi charitatis viſcera non haberem. Cont. lit. Petil. l. 3. c. 10.never caſt upon me, if I had been careleſſe of your ſalvation. Reader, I will detain thee no longer: the Sermon is now thine, reade it, try it, cenſure it, ſpare not; but remember, the ſcene will be changed, it ſhall one day try, and cenſure thee. Vale.
From my Study, this 16. of March, 1645. JA. CRANFORD.
The Analyſis of the Sermon.
D.
Erroneous opinions eat as a Gangrene
1. Speedily, 5
2. Incurably, 5
3. Mortally, 6
1. Faith
Quae, 8
Quâ, 9
2. Peace
Church 10
Civill 10
3. Piety 14
R.
1. Hereticks are
1. Subtil, 17
2. Active, 28
2. People are
1. Ignorant, 30
2. Curious, 31
God is juſt
1. Puniſhing lukewarmneſſe, 32
2. Manifeſting the approved, 33
Uſe.
Prevent and ſtop them,
1. People
1. Adhere to the Miniſtry, 36
2. Try all things, 38
3. Avoid Seducers, 39
2. Miniſters
1. Convince, 42
2. Caſt out, 44
3. Magiſtrates, what they
1. Have done 47
2. May doe 47