Gangrena Part 3, Postscript
Poſtſcript.
GOod Reader, I conceive before this time thou haſt expected my larger and fuller Reply to Cretenſis, promiſed in the Second Part of Gangraena; as alſo ſome Anſwers from me to ſeverall Pamphlets put out againſt ſome Parts and peeces of my Gangraenaes, as to Maſter Burrowes Vindication, Gangraena playes Rex, Lanceſters-La…ce, Gangraena-chreſtum, A Diſcovery of a Beame in Maſter Edwards his eye, A Prediction of Maſter Edwards converſion, A Parable or Conſultation of Phyſitians upon Maſter Edwards, Some paſſages of S…tmarſh againſt me, printed in a Pamphlet againſt Maſter Gataker, Maſter Ley and ſome others: Now of all theſe or moſt of theſe, I ſhall give ſo good an account and reaſon at this time, as I queſtion not will very well ſatisfie the Reader: For my fuller Reply unto Cretenſis (ſome part whereof was printed before the Second Part of Gangraena came forth) I proceeded no further upon theſe Reaſons: Many judicious and learned friends told me I had given ſuch a ſatisfactory Anſwer already to Cretenſis, that they thought the Second needleſſe, and deſired me rather to ſet forth ſome other Tractates; as alſo upon the coming out of my Second Part of Gangraena I was aſſured from ſome who at the preſſe and from the preſſe had ſeen divers ſheets and read ſome part, that an Anſwer of Cretenſis to my Antapologie was printing, and would come abroad …re long; whereupon I thought beſt to deale with Maſter Goodwin once for all, to take that in, make it all one work, and not to trouble my ſelf any more with him till the man ſhould come to write matter and Reaſon, and not only words and meer flouriſhes. Now before his Anapologeſi…t…s Antapologias came forth, I was reſolved upon writing this Third Part, and had entred upon it, and ſo till I had finiſhed that, and another that is to follow upon it, viz. A Treatiſe againſt Toleration, I purpoſed to let Cretenſis alone; only I have among other great Sectaries ſpoken ſomething of him in this Book, and that upon occaſion of his 38. Queries upon the Ordinance againſt Hereſies, and other things that have come to my knowledge concerning him. As for his pretended Reply to my Antapologie beſides the cenſure given of it in page 120. of this Book, I affirme, tis an Anſwer unworthy a Scholar or an ingenuous man, and ſuch a one as I am confident never any man who had the name of a Divine, and in Controverſies of Divinity ever gave the like, inſtead of anſwering Arguments, Reaſons, matters of fact, to fill up many ſheets with finding and making faults in words and phraſes, playing the part of a Grammaticaſtor, a Paedantical uſher, and a ſub-corrector of the preſſe, rather then of a learned Anſwerer: for ſuppoſe all thoſe Grammatical literal exceptions raked together were faults indeed, and let paſſed by me (all he ſaith in that kind true) which I deny, and ſhall prove the contrary (ſome of them being the faults of the Printer, and by me put in among Errata, others of them good Grammar, yea Elegancies and Proverbiall ſayings) yet what's all that to my Antapologie? though there be many Grammatical and litterall faults, improper phraſes, harſh and hard expreſſions, how do theſe Anſwer Reaſons, diſprove matters of fact, vindicate and ſet right the Apologetical Narration, which muſt be done to ſatisfie any judicious and impartiall Reader? I appeale to any man who hath common ſenſe or reaſon, whether matters of fact charged, be proved falſe, or reaſons made weak, or they be anſwered, by ſaying there was a verbe left out, the nominative caſe and verbe were no… well put together, the antecedent and the relative not rightly placed, ſuch a phraſe was harſh or improper, and whether ſuch a kind of Anſwer be not ridiculous to Scholars and learned men? It hath been the courſe of many men who have had a bad cauſe, and knew not how to maintain it with Arguments, to ſlight the men who have wounded their cauſe, as no ſcholar…, and to brand their books as wanting learning; thus ſome Papiſts have done in Anſwer to Proteſtants, Prelates to Non-conformiſts, and Arminians to the Orthodox, but Maſter Goodwin is gone a note beyond all, further then ever any Author did, to ſpend his time and abuſe the reader with giving him Grammaticall faults; what Book is there writ by any man (eſpecially one who hath much other work) of forty ſheets, that if a Reader will ſet himſelf to find faults and to wyer-draw every word and phraſe, may not find ſuch faults enough between the Author whoſe mind is intent upon the matter and ſcope of his work, and the Printer at the preſſe? I could give many inſtances of greater Errata in this kind, in Books of the moſt learned men, then any Cretenſis hath obſerved in mine, and that both in Latine and Engliſh, but I ſhall inſtance only in two, Voe…ius his Book intituled Deſperata cauſa Papatus, and Rivets Catholicus Orthodoxus; nay, I will undertake Maſter Goodwins Anſwer to the Antapologie (though it conſiſts of fewer ſheets hath the largeſt Errata of any ſuch Engliſh book I have ſeen this laſt five years, the deſign of the book being alſo to diſparage me by obſerving falſe Engliſh, improper Phraſes, &c. and therefore cannot be but in reaſon expected he would be more ſpecially carefull and exact in that kind then in other of his Books) to find and prove more faults in all thoſe kinds, yea groſſer then any are in mine; and indeed the man trips in all tongues he makes uſe of in his Book, both Greek Latine and Engliſh, as I ſhall hereafter ſhow, nay the man ſtumbles in Limine, the firſt word of his Title page and Book being falſe Greek, uſing a word viz. Anapologeſiates, there being none ſuch in the Greek tongue; and if he ſay he meant it not one word, but two, foreign having relation to Antapologias, I Reply, tis ſtrange that in the Title page he who is ſuch a ſevere Critick upon other mens words ſhould have no greater care of his own then to let them ſo paſſe, as to let two words be put in one: but 2ly granting Maſter Goodwin this Salvo, yet tis falſe Greek, for it ſhould be foreign with an Eta, not with an Epſilon as he makes it.
And I ſuppoſe were there no other proofs of the ſtrength and weight of my Antapologie, Maſter Goodwins Reply to it would be a ſufficient and demonſtrative teſtimony, that he after two yeeres and upwards for want of ſubſtantiall objections and materiall exceptions againſt it, ſhould fall upon words and phraſ…s, Grammaticall miſtakes, and not Theologicall, ſhow himſelf ſuch a T…ifler and Scribler as he hath done, for which learned work (I aſſure him) he will never be reckoned among the Schoolmen, however ☜he may and hath been among the Schoolboyes. That man who hath a Lordſhip a Manor propounded to him, & after a ful view of, and enquiry into it, can find no fault with the Tenure, Title, dweling houſe, water, wooding, ſituation of it, &c. but cavils that ſome ſtrawes are upon the ground, ſome ſticks are broken in a hedge, a pane or two of glaſſe is cracked, the Evidences for the Land are not ſo fairly written, nor in ſo good language as they might poſſibly have bin, tis a good ſign & clear Argument tis an excellent Manor and Lordſhip that nothing elſe is objected againſt it. So when a Book hath paſſed the teſt and triall of a cruell adverſary who dares ſay any thing ſo it will ſerve his turne, and yet can find nothing to except againſt it, but what is common to all mens Books, ſome miſtakes in words and phraſes, Errata of the Preſſe, (there being no Book without ſuch) ſuch a man inſtead of weakning the Authority of that Book, hath among all wiſe men with a high hand confirmed it and accquitted it from all the aſperſions and imputations of weakneſſe, falſeneſſe; all men concluding had there been any great matters of exceptions, they would have been produced, and not the time ſpent in picking of ſtrawes, and catching of flyes, catching at words and phraſes, and letting the matter alone. And for concluſion of this, I would have this Trifler and great Rabbi of the Engliſh tongue know, that though in his conceit I cannot put the Nominative caſe and Verbe together, &c. yet by the help of God, I can put ſuch ſenſe and reaſon together, ſuch matters of fact and truth together, that in the controverſies of the times of the Church, Government, Toleration, mixt Communion, Lay-mens preaching, &c. I can put Cretenſis and the Apologiſts together, anſwer them; and offer to deal with any of them, or all of them upon any of the points controverted, and I can put forth an Anſwer to their new Modell and ſhake their Babel; and if God ſpare me life and h…al…h but a few yeares, they ſhall find by Gods gracious help, that by my pen and preaching (not with ſwords and armed men as they propagate their cauſe) I ſhall make Independencie, Anabaptiſme, all kind of Sectariſme and a Toleration as vild and cheap as ever L…tther made the Popes Supremacy, Indulgences and Pardons, Purgatory, and the Doctrine of merit; and however Maſter Goodwin pu…s a bold face upon it, writing thus to caſt a ſcorn, jeare, and a blur upon my writings, which he cannot tell how to Anſwer yet I know and can prove it, he and his party fear my writings, and are more troubled at them then at any other mans who hath yet appeared. As for Mr Burroughs Vindication, preſently after it came forth I drew up an Anſwer to it of about ſome ten ſheets, an Anſwer ſo full, that hardly a line eſcaped without ſome Animadverſion; and had I thought his time had been ſo ſhort, it had come forth in his life, that he might have confidered what he had done in that Anſwer (which I had in a plaine home way charged on his Conſcience) and how unlike the ſpirit that breathed in that Book was to what Maſter Burroughs had written of a gracious ſpirit, of ☞Selfe-deniall, of Love and brotherly agreement (being a book made up of great paſſion, horrible pride, ſcornfulneſſe, equivocations, many un truths as I have fully ſhewed) but being more carefull and zealous of Gods name and truth, then mine own, and ſeeing that ſo deeply ſuffer in the Errors, Hereſies, Blaſphemies, Inſolent practiſes of the Sectaries, I laid my Anſwer by, from fully perfecting it till I had put forth a Third Part of Gangraena, and a Treatiſe againſt Toleration, then reſolving to re-aſſume my Anſwer to Maſter Burroughs, Maſter Goodwin, and ſome others of them: but it hath pleaſed God (before my Third Part of Gangraena could be printed) to take Maſter Burroughs out of this life (for which I am heartily ſorry, and the more, beſides that I ſhould have bin glad he might have read my book, becauſe I do conceive the putting it forth after his death may be liable to more miſ-conſtructions then it could have been in his life time) ſo that now whether I ſhould publiſh it I or no, or rather let it dye with Maſter Burroughs, I am in ſuſpenſe, and ſhall adviſe upon it what may be beſt in that caſe; however I am fully ſatisfied tis lawfull for a man in ſeverall caſes to put out Anſwers to Books though the Authors of them be dead; and in regard Maſter Burroughs dealt ſo uuworthily with me, I might be well excuſed if I ſhould put it forth; but whether I do or no, I deſire the Reader to take notice of my Anſwer to two or three particulars, I for his excuſing himſelf about that objected, he gave under his hand concerning the ſtory of Nichols, by ſaying the ſtory of Nichols page 79. is all falſe (all of it being proved true, and a miſtake only in a Circumſtance) that he meant only that part of it in that page, not medling with that in another page: I Anſwer, This is a new equivocation brought to ſalve the other; for as the firſt was an equivocation upon the word ſuch a meeting, ſo this is upon the page 79. and if he intended not to deceive the Reader by poſſeſſing him againſt me, why did he not ſay, that part of the ſtory of one Nichols page 79. was falſe, but that ſtory Maſter Edwards hath, which implies the whole, and tis apparent Mr Goodwin, and all Mr Burroughs friends took it ſo, viz. of the whole; and if Maſter Burroughs had been alive, I had provided an Appeale to his Conſcience to have put him to anſwer me as in the preſence of God, whether in writing that paper ſent to Cretenſis, he did not think men would not, or could not find it out, but would take it as conceiving all that ſtory of Nichols falſe; and if Maſter Burroughs had meant fairly, why did he not acknowledge what was true in the ſtory, as the firſt part now confeſſed true, and for the Second Part of it, why did he not confeſſe at a meeting Maſter Greenhill told him ſuch and ſuch things, and that he anſwered Mr Greenhill ſo and ſo, and have denied it was a ſet meeting upon that occaſion? If Mr Burroughs had done thus, he had dealt fairly, but this would not have made good Mr Burroughs his end to breed a beleif in the Reader of the falſeneſſe of matters related in my book, I had then bin rendred to the Reader only miſtaken in a circumſtance of a ſtory which would have been accounted no great matter, and the truth of the ſtory for the ſubſtance and the ſeverall particulars in it would have weighed down all miſpriſion in the minds of men againſt me by reaſon of that circumſtance. 2. For that Maſter Burroughs charges me with page 2, and 3. that when I have heard vild reproachfull things againſt ſuch as I owned to be godly, and they living neer me in the City have ſent to me to offer to ſatisfie me if I would confer with them, and cleerly convince me of the falſeneſſe of ſuch reports, how the men were traduced and I abuſed in ſuch reports, yet that I ſhould refuſe to conferre with them and fall a laying on, &c. I do utterly deny that ever there was any ſuch thing, or any ever ſent to me, and cannot imagine any reaſon in the world Maſter Burroughs ſhould writ ſo, and whoever told him any ſuch thing, abuſed him, and I could by many reaſons prove the contrary, if I were giving a formall Anſwer to Maſter Burroughs Book. Is it likely that I who have gone on purpoſe to ſo many, and do dayly upon all occaſions, that have write ſo many Letters even to remote places to know the certainty of things reported, that imploy others to inquire out the truth where I cannot ſo well do it my ſelf, that intreat perſons who relate things to me, to ſend the eare witneſſes and proofs to me, that reject many reports of things which may be true, and are reported with much confidence becauſe I cānot ſee a full proof of them, that I ſhould decline to ſpeak with thoſe who ſend to me to ſatisfie me in the truth of things, and whom I own to be godly? No, this is utterly falſe, a very legend, againſt my genius and conſtant courſe of proceeding in this work, I taking much content, in ſearching all wayes to be ſatisfied in the truth of things related me, or in their falſeneſſe, that ſo I may not by printing any thing miſtaken, give an occaſion to the queſtioning of the truth of thoſe things that are undoubtedly true; and for further ſatisfacttou to the Reader there was no ſuch thing, why could not the parties themſelves come to ſpeak with me, but muſt ſend others, I am eaſily enough to be ſpoken with, refuſing none (as all know who come to me) beſides, how did Maſter Burroughs know any ſuch had been with me to make me ſuch offers, and that I refuſed; and what if ſome reported to him that which was falſe, might not he be eaſier abuſed by a report (for he ſpeaks not this of his own knowledge, he never came to me, nor was the man ever deſired to confer with me about any of theſe particulars) then I can be miſtaken in this buſineſſe, to whom theſe offers of conferences and ſatisfactions ſhould have been made. 3. For that Maſter Burroughs page 18. taxes me with concerning what I related about his going out of the Kingdom in my Antapologie, that had I been willing to have conferred with him about it as he deſired before I printed he ſhould have ſo fully ſatisfied me, that I could never have ſtumbled at this; I Anſwer, I never was unwilling to confer with Maſtet Burroughs about this or any other thing that he ſhould have deſired, and I can ſay it truely, if he had ſent the leaſt boy at any time to me to have deſired a conference with me, and appointed me where to meet him I ſhould have waited on him: but for what is here written, I neither know nor remember any ſuch thing that Maſter Burroughs either by writing, or word of mouth ever deſired to have ſpoken with me about his going out of the Kingdom; and certainly at that time when I was writing my Antapologie there was no ſuch great diſtance between Maſter Burroughs and me, but that he might either have come to me, or ſpoke to me of it when he met me occaſionally, or I ſhould have come to him: none of which ever were moved to me, and I cannot but wonder at Maſter Burroughs writing of this and divers other paſſages. 2 As for that hee ſaid hee ſhould have ſatisfied me upon conference, that he went out of the Kingdom not upon the ground I alledge, but upon another, a call from the Church of Roterdam, which he relates page 19, 20, 21, 22. I muſt confeſſe I am unſatisfied in it now, and ſo I beleive are all rationall men, and let the Reader but aske Maſter Marſhall and Maſter Calamie who knew the buſineſſe well and Maſter Burroughs at that time, whether they do not beleive he went over to Roterdam upon a complaint made of ſome words ſpoken about the Scottiſh Warre: and if I ſhould have given the Reader all that I have drawn up by way of Anſwer to this, it would abundantly clear me, and lay open Maſter Burroughs weakneſſe very much, but I ſhall only hint this, Suppoſe the King had in this War prevailed over the Parliament, and taken the City; and juſt upon that time Maſter Peters and Maſter Wels had gotten away in all haſte to New England; and ſuppoſe after this, ſome man writing of Maſter Wels and Maſter Peters departure from England ſhould have expreſſed this as the ground, the danger they were in upon the Kings taking London; now if Maſter Peters and Maſter Wels ſhould by way of Anſwer have denied this to be any cauſe, and have alledged their ſolemne call to their Churches in New England, being ſ…nt for again and again, and their purpoſes of going expreſſed, yea and that in the Pulpit before ever the King was in a way of taking London, would not all men laugh at ſuch an Anſwer? For ☞is not the contrary evident by the experience of their ſtaying in England, now they may ſtay ſafely, notwithſtanding all their call and being ſent for, they ſtirre not; and juſt ſo it was with Maſter Burroughs, and I am confident, that had it not been for the danger of thoſe words, he would no more have gone to Roterdam ☞then Maſter Peters and Maſter Wels go to New England, and as himſelfe tels the ſtory, his putting of giving his reſolution of going, defering from time to time, and from place to place to make any concluſion, …ill the buſineſſe of words grew to a height, declares plainly as much; beſides Maſter Burroughs at that time was not of the Independent judgement, as appears by his Book put out in the yeare 38. writing, By Jeremiah Burroughs Miniſter of the Goſpel, which was not long before his going over, whereas all his Books he hath put forth ſince he went to Roterdam, are By Jeremiah Burroughs, without Miniſter of the Goſpel, which to them who know the Controverſie is a clear proofe he was in the yeare 38. no Independent, though afterwards in the writing his other Books he was, and therefore declined that Title Miniſter of the Goſpel. And whereas in the body of this Third Part, in two or three ſeverall places I take occaſion to relate ſome things of Maſter Burroughs, which may by ſome be ill taken becauſe he cannot anſwer for himſelfe, and may be interpreted a ſpeaking evill of the dead, I deſire to let the Reader know, they were both written and printed off long before Maſter Burroughs ſickneſſe and death: and indeed no underſtanding man will once imagine a Booke of above Forty ſheets could be made, written out, and printed in a month, eſpecially by one who Preaches often, and hath many irons in the fi…e at the ſame time, and to put it out of all queſtion beſides my own teſtimony, the Book-ſeller and Printer can teſtifie this Third Part hath been above this quarter of a yeare in the Preſſe a printing. A… for that Pamphlet written againſt my Second Part, Entituled Gangraena playes Rex, I Anſwer breifly, Gangraena playes the Parliament, that is, conforms to what the Parliament hath expreſſed in the foure or five firſt yeares of their ſitting, againſt the Sectaries; and I do offer to make good what I have written in Gangraena againſt the Sects, out of the Declarations, Remonſtrances, Ordinances, Covenant, Meſſages and Tranſactions of the Parliament ☞with Scotland, and their Inſtructions to the Aſſembly upon divers occaſions, and could make a better Parallel between the paſſages in Gangraena and the paſſages in Declarations, Remonſtances, &c. againſt the Sectaries, then the Author of that Pamphlet hath done, and am likely to do it, though a Poſtſcript is not the proper place for it; only I ſay this, would to God there had not beene ſome men among us, and that in place too, to have ſo carried things and brought matters to that paſſe, as to give too great occaſion unto many to ſay, The King was a true Prophet in what he ſpoke in his Declarations concerning Anabaptiſts, Browniſts, and Sectaries. As for that Pamphlet cald, Lanceters Lance for Edwards Gangraena, I have lately received from two godly Miniſters in Suffolk a large relation by way of juſtification and proofe of what in my Second Part of Gangraena was written of Lanceter, as alſo ſome other paſſages related in thoſe papers concerning Lanceter, one Chidly, and Barrowe, but they containing a whole ſheet of paper are too much to put in a Poſtſcript, and muſt be reſerved for the Fourth Part; and I am of the minde when Lanceter ſhall come to reade them, he will wiſh he had beene opening his Pack when he was writing his Pamphlet. As for Drapes his …illy Pamphlet cald A B…am… in Maſter Edwards his eye, Maſter Edwards hath the Beame in his hand and could eaſily ſo handle it, as to knock Drapes and Captaine Paul Hobſon on the heads and daſh out their braines with it; but I muſt not be put out of my way of writing more uſefull Tractates by every little bauling curr…. As for Gangraena-chreſtum writen by Maſter Pi…nel and Maddocks againſt ſome paſſages in a Letter written by a godly Miniſter and printed by me in the Firſt Part of Gangraena, the Authors ſhall receive a full anſwer from ſome of the Miniſters of thoſe parts, who having been upon the place know all particulars, for proofe of which I have been written unto as followes; I have lighted upon a Libell of Maſter Pinnels and Maddocks, which however it caſt ſcorne enough on you, Maſter Gower, and Maſter Ford, I know you will ſcorn, and I ſhall take care in what is materiall to ſee it Anſwered in a Book by it ſelfe, which if you will let me know when the Third Part of Gangraena is likely to be ready, I would put out before it, that you may the better make uſe of it. And in another Letter upon my Anſwer to this, that I thought my Third Part would have come out much ſooner then now it doth, I am thus written to;
I am ſorry in reference to my ſelfe that your Third Part comes out ſo ſuddenly, I had thought an anſwer to Pools relation ſhould have preceded it. But however if you have occaſion to ſpeak any thing in reference to it, you may bid the Reader expect an Anſwer from theſe parts ſhortly. And you may your ſelfe take notice how our oppoſites Pinnel and Maddocks doe equivocate, and deny not the things charged, as in the point of Pinnels ſtrange Doctrine and the Revelation woman. As for Walwins Prediction of Maſter Edwards Converſion and the Conſultation upon Maſter▪ Edwards, both from the ſame hand (as I judge) I would have Maſter Walwyn and his companions know, that Mr. Edwards goes upon ſurer grounds in what he does againſt the Sectaries then to be ſo ſoone removed: he hath not been ſo long in the Schoole of Chriſt, had experience ſo many yeers of the wayes of God in trialls of many temptations, divers afflictions, conflicts with all ſorts of wicked men and Errors both in the Prelates times and now, ſearchings and ſhiftings out the truths of God in the Controverſies both of the former and preſent times, as to be taken off from the Doctrines of truth and according to godlineſſe, and to be turned unto fables by the fooliſh weake Pamphlets of the times. If Mr. Walwin and his fellowes have any …opes in this kind they are much deceived; For as Luther ſometimes writ in an Epiſtle of his to Spalatinus concerning his writing againſt the Papiſts, that he ſhould preſume any thing of him praeter Palinodiam & fugam, ſo may the Sectaries imagine any thing of me rather then a Recantation, and repenting of writing thoſe Books wherein I have diſcovered the Errors, Hereſies, and Blaſphemies of the times. As for Mr. Salmarſhes Anſwer in few words to the Second Part of Gangraena, a part of his ſhadowes flying away, I ſhall reckon with him for every line in it in that Anſwer to other Pamphlets of his; only I deſire the Reader for the preſent to obſerve theſe things: Firſt, that Maſter Gataker in his Reply to him, hath proved him to be a ſhadow without ſubſtance, hath taken off the ſhadowes and vaile he had caſt on many truths of the Goſpel, and ſhowed this new light with his dawnings of light to be nothing elſe but a ſhadow of death and darkneſſe, and hath cauſed this great light to go out in a ſmoke and ſnu…e. Secondly, that he calls one leafe and leſſe then a halfe, an Anſwer to my Second Part of Gangraena conſiſting almoſt of thirty ſheets, and to another Book call'd An after Reckoning of about ten ſheets. Thirdly, in that little he ſaith (though he call it an Anſwer) he doth not ſo much as offer to diſprove any one particular in the Book, hee ſaith not one word to diſprove or deny the Woman Preacher: which in my Second Part I had made good againſt his bold deniall of it in a former Pamphlet, but declaimes in generall againſt me and my Book, railing fearfully, and curſing me. Fourthly, the great hypocriſie and diſſimulation of Maſter Saltmarſh, pretending in all his writings, love, peace, ſweetneſſe among Chriſtians, and in this Pamphlet where his Anſwer to the Second Part of Gangraena is inſerted, tis call'd Reaſons for Ʋnity, Love, and Peace, and charging me with bitterneſſe, uncharitableneſſe, want of the ſweete Spirit of Chriſt, whereas himſelfe hath the bittereſt, uncharitableſt and moſt railing cenſorious paſſages againſt me, and a godly reverend Miniſter he joynes with me, that a man ſhall hardly ever meet with the like in any Book in a mans life time, applying thoſe words of Chriſt to the Devill, unto me, the Lord rebuke thee, even the Lord, charging me with ſinning aganſt the holy Ghoſt, with being in the gall of bitterneſſe, and bond of iniquity, telling me of gnawings, flaſhings, of having a burnt and withered ſpirit, threatning they will pray me either into repentance, or ſhame, or judgement ere they have done with me; and putting the other Miniſter and me together, he ſtiles us Penſioners to the g…at Acouſer of the Brethron, bids us fill up the meaſure of our iniquities if we will needs periſh whether he will or no, and ſaith, all the powers of hell ſet us on work, with many ſuch like paſſages; So that I may juſtly ſay to Maſter Saltmarſh as Paul in Rom. 2. 21, 22, 23. Thou therefore that teacheſt another, Teacheſt thou not thy ſelfe? Thou that teacheſt a man ſhould not steale, doſt thou ſteale? Thou that …aieſt a man ſhould not commit adul…ery, doſt thou commit adultery? &c. Or as Chriſt in Matthew 7. 3, 4. 5. And why beholdeſt thou the mot… ▪ that is in thy brothers eye, but conſidereſt not the beame that is in thine owne eye? or how can… thou ſay to thy brother, lot me pull out the mot… out of thine eye, and behold a beame in thine owne eye? Th… hypocrite, firſt caſt out the beame out of thine owne eye, and then ſhalt thou ſee clearly to caſt out the m…te out of thy brothers eye. Maſter Saltmarſh charges me with bitterneſſe, uncharitableneſſe, and is ten times worſe himſelfe, and I challenge Maſter Saltmarſh and all his party in all the Books that I have written put together, to produce (if they can) ſo many unchriſtian paſſages as are vented by him againſt me in o…e leafe: Where and in what part of my books have I charged Maſter Saltmarſh with ſinning againſt the holy Ghoſt, hating the light once known, blaſpheming the work of the Spirit? and ſo I might inſtance in the reſt, though I beleeve I could give better grounds why Maſter Saltmarſh ſhould a great deale more probably bee guilty in that kind, then he can upon any pretence of me (though I profeſſe I do not charge him with that ſinne) but▪ the charging godly▪ Presbyterians for writing againſt Errors and▪ Hereſies, with committing the ſinne againſt the holy Ghoſt, and deſpighting the Spirit, and ſinning wilfully is the great charity and brotherly love of Sectaries, divers of them having done thus, Maſter Price charging M. B…ll…ie, Maſter Goodwin Maſter Brinne, and M. Saltmarſh, me: But I would have Maſter Saltmarſh▪ know, ti… not his bugbar of charging me with the ſin againſt the holy Ghoſt, and threatning me with flaſhings, lightnings, and praying againſt me for contending earneſtly for the Faith once delivered unto the Saint… againſt certaine men crept in, turning the Grace of God into laſ…iviouſneſſe, can ſcare me to make me go out of my way, and I find this branding with the ſinne againſt the holy Ghoſt of Orthodox men by Sectaries to be no new thing, but very old, uſed by the Donatiſts in Saint Auſtins time, who as Auguſtine ſhowes in his writings, accuſed the Orthodox of being guilty of the ſinne againſt ☜the holy Ghoſt. Fifthly, for his two ſtories he relates of diſcourſe with me upon two ſeverall times ſpeaking together, they are deceitfully and falſely related, the greateſt part concealed, and what is related not juſtly ſet downe: I writ them both downe in my Diary, eſp…cially the laſt immediatly after I left Maſter Saltmarſh, and ſo can give a juſt and good account of them, but they are too long to be inſerted in a Poſtſcript, and of the firſt, that being at Maſter Vicars his houſe and in his hearing, he hath given the Reader already a good part of it in his Schi…atick ſifted, little (I think) to M. Saltmarſhes credit. And now good Reader the next Tractate thou ſhalt expect from me ſhall be a Tractate againſt a Toleration, which I hope by the end of the next monethmonth, or the beginning of February, may be in thy hands, and nothing by Gods help ſhall divert me, or re…d that: I am reſolved, if twenty Pamphlets ſhould be written againſt this Third Part, to let them all lie till I have put forth a Treatiſe againſt Toleration and pretended liberty of Conſcience. And now finally Brethren, pray for me that God would be in a ſpeciall manner with me in the ſetting forth of that Tractate at this time, and that the word of the Lord may run and be glorified, and …hat I may be delivered from unreaſonable and wicked men, and that my ſervice which I have for this Kingdome, may be accepted of the King, Parliament, and all that are in authority, of the City of London, the Miniſters of the Kingdome; and of all Saints.
Amen.
FINIS.
End of the text · Thomas Edwards, Gangrena Part 3 (1646)