Gangrena Part 3, Theological tract · Part 12
June 21. 1646. Lincolne, Holland. Henry Denne of Caxton in the County of Cambridge examined before John Harrington and Thomas Irby Eſquires, two of his Majeſties Juſtices of the Peace.
THis Examinate ſaith, that he liveth at Caxton aforeſaid, but doth exerciſe at Elſly within a mile of his own houſe, and ſaith that he took Orders about 16. years ſince from the Biſhop of Saint Davids. And that on Munday laſt he came to Spalding, being invited thither by John Makerneſſe to come to his houſe. And that he hath exerciſed his gifts about four times in ſeverall places in Spalding, viz. at the houſe of John Makerneſſe, and Mr. E…ſtons. As for baptiſing of any he doth not confeſſe.
John Harrington.
Maſter Harrington ſent for Denn by a Conſtable on the Lords day, with whom he coming, Maſter Harrington confined him to the Provoſt Marſhal (who had been an Officer of the Committee) for that day being the Lords day that he ſhould not make a mutiny, nor ſtir in the Town that day by people reſorting to him.
This Maiden Anne Jarrat confeſſe… that ſhe being by, heard Maſter Denn or ſome of the company with him, lay upon them at their Baptiſme, and require a promiſe of thoſe that were dipped to hear none but of their own way. This Denn in his travels about the country had two men attended him, who live (as they ſaid) with him; they were clad like Farmem, and they took upon them to queſtion ſome in the Town of Spalding to give an account of their Faith; as one Goodman Goffery: Maſter Harrington upon queſtioning with Maſter Denn ſpak of committing him to Lincoln, to which he replyed He cared not; but this he took ill, to be moleſted in his way, and told the Juſtice he was bound to the Committee of Examinations upon a Bond of two hundred pounds to appear before them at any time at four and twenty hours warning; and he made uſe of that as an argument againſt his troubling of him; to whom Maſter Harrington replyed, How can you do that, appear before the Committee a… ſo ſhort a warning, when as you are now almoſt a hundred miles from London? This Maſter Harrington a Juſtice of Peace and a religious man told me he had had ſeveral Anabaptiſts before him upon ſeveral occaſions, and they have alwayes refuſed to take an oath, ſaying they would not ſwear.
There is one Beedle of Gloceſtar ſometimes School-maſter there, who denies the Holy Ghoſt to be God; had a Manuſcript by him of his own making pleading againſt the Third Perſon of the Trinity; which being known, ſome in Authority in that Town queſtioned him, and getting this manuſcript, have ſent up either the Originall or a true Coppy to ſome in Authority and place here; but the laſt newes I heard of him, he hath not been queſtioned as yet by thoſe above: Biſhop Ʋſher that learned and godly Divine coming this ſummer through Gloſter, ſpake with him, and uſed him with all fairneſſe and piety as well as ſtrength of Arguments to convince him of his dangerous Errour.
A Miniſter of the City of Gloceſter told me the Biſhop laboured to convince him, telling him that either he was in a damnable Errour, or elſe the whole Church of Chriſt, who had in all ages worſhiped the Holy Ghoſt had been guilty of Idolatry; but the man was no whit moved either by the learning, gravity, piety, or zeal of the good Biſhop, but continued obſtinate.
There is one Andrew Debman an Anabaptiſt, and a Preacher among them, a Cooper by trade, a ſorry fellow, that can neither write nor read, and yet is a great Preacher among the Sectaries: This blind Bayard would fain Preach in the Pariſh Church of Algate; ſaying, if they would let him Preach there, his Sermon would be worth the Pariſh five pounds by a collection for their poor from his followers; and he hath further ſaid, if they doubt of his ability to Preach, let them give him a text at the Church door when he is going in to Preach, and he would Preach of that, whereby they ſhould ſee what he could do; and one ſpeaking to him concerning a City Colonell if he would be a member of their Church he would make a good member among them; this Debman replyed, that for his part he beleeved if this forenamed Colonell would give all his Lands and Eſtate, he could not be received into their Church.
There was a great Sectary who had his wife lay a dying (and ſhe did die of that ſickneſſe) to whom ſome wel-affected neighbour ſpake, that he ſhould in this dangerous caſe pray for his wife; he anſwered, what good would prayer do her, or you either? you think prayer will do much good. I had this relation from them to whom he ſpake it.
An Alderman of this City, and a moderate man (ſo acknowledged by the Independents) not long ſince received a Letter from Newcaſtle concerning our Brethren of Scotland; which Letter he ſhewed to ſome Common Councell men and other Citizens, and the Letter was written from an Independent in Newcaſtle to this Alderman, wherin he confeſſes that the Scots have dealt very faithfully with the King, and told him That if he would not Sign the Propoſitions, he muſt expect no help from them, and that they would keep to their Covenant and not deſert the Parliament of England, with words to that effect.
I ſaw the Originall Letter (and I read it twice over) written from a Townſman of Newcaſtle (a man of ſome place there) to an Honorable member of the Houſe of Commons, wherein he complains that in Newcaſtle all was like to runne to ruine for want of Government, and from the faction of the Independents there, that their good Miniſters were ſo abuſed and diſcouraged by them that they would not ſtay, but had left them, or were going away as Maſter Prideaux and Doctor Jeniſon; ſome Independent Preachers ſent thither will neither Baptize Children, nor adminiſter the Lords Supper; but ſay they came not thither to do ſuch drudgery ☜(this was twice repeated in the Letter) Doctor Jeniſon was ſent for thither again but for a ſtale; and he acquaints this Parliament man that the Independents have a deſigne one way or other either by threatning ſome men to give their voices, or by pretending ſome reaſons to try to get an Ordinance to bring in a man for Major this year, who is a Sectary; but he deſires this Honourable Member of the Houſe of Commons to ſtand their Friend in the Houſe; and hopes that ſeeing we have fought for Liberty, that town ſhal have their liberty in free choice of a Burgeſſe for Parliament, and of a Major the chief Officer of their Town: This Gentleman alſo complaines in his Letter, that without ſo much as ever acquainting the free Burgeſſes, or once calling a Common-Councell, an Ordinance was procured to appoint an Independent Deputy Major, which if we ſhould have done ſo (as the Independent party did) what out-cries would there have been of breach of Liberty? Upon this Letter being communicated to me, I asked a worthy Member of the Houſe of Commons, why the Scots would ſuffer in Newcaſtle the Independents to domineer ſo, and abuſe the godly Orthodox Miniſters, and not teach them better manners; he anſwered, the Scots becauſe of giving offence were tender of medling in any thing with the Civil Government, but rather ſuffered theſe things ſo much againſt their minds that they might give no occaſion of complaint.
There is one Maſter Erb…ry ſpoken of in my firſt part of Gangraena, who about June or the beginning of July laſt, as he was going to Wales, lay at Marlbrough one night; and being in the Town he came to a houſe where commonly once a week many good people of that Town meet together to confer and diſcourſe of good things; and there Maſter Erbury ſpake to them (many being there preſent) to this purpoſe, that he knew not what they might expect, but he came neither to pray nor to preach, but to learn of Chriſt and of his Saints, and making a diſcourſe to them, he declared his opinions, venting himſelf againſt Chriſt being God, affirming he was only man, pleading for univerſall Redemption, ſpeaking againſt Baptiſm & all miniſtry, uſing words to this effect, that he knew not how they ſtood affected, or how it was with them; but with many Chriſtians it was thus with them, that they knew not what to do without a man in black cloathes, or a black man among them; but that was for the time when Chriſtians were Babes and Children, but now they were all taught of God, and needed not that any one ſhould teach them: When he had done ſpeaking, ſome of the company ſtood up and oppoſed him as not being ſatisfied in what he had ſaid, telling him it was not only Errour, but Blaſphemy to deny Chriſt to be God, and brought ſome Scriptures to prove it, as in 1 John 5. 7. ſpeaking of the Father, Word, and Holy Ghoſt, the Apoſtle ſaith, Theſe Three are One; unto which Maſter Erbury replyed, It was not ſo in the Originall; but ſome of the people re-joyned they knew not the Originall, but they beleeved it was ſo; and however they were aſſured that he was the Sonne of God: Maſter Erbury objected again, thoſe words were not in the Greek but put in by ſome who were againſt the Arrians; and ſo the meeting broke up, the people who met, being much offended at him.
For confutaion of this Hereſie, and to confirm the people in the Doctrine of the true Faith that Chriſt is God, let them remember Animadver.1. theſe Scriptures, the firſt chap. of the Goſpel of John, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and indeed every word proves him to be God, In the beginning was the Word, and ſo in the reſt: upon which words Beza, Calvin, Rollock do fully ſhow Chriſt to be God Eſſentially and Eternally. Calvinus in John 1. 1. v. Ne quis de divina Chriſti Eſſentia ſcrupulus maneat, clare aſſetit eſſe Deum, Rolock in John 1. 1. v. quare ſenſus hujus propoſitionis mihi videtur eſſe… foreign cum eſſet in principio, eſſetque apud Deum, erat quoque ipſe Deus.
Beza in principio, id eſt a principio, id eſt tum, quam omnes re… creatae exiſtere inciperent. Eſt autem haec ſententia, Sermonem non capiſſe exiſtere quum Deus initium faceret creandi quicquid eſt conditum, Nam, inquit Johannes, jam tu… exiſtebat Sermo ille quum res creatae con…i coeperunt, ac proinde ante omnium illarum rerum principium jam erat. Eſt proprietas ipſius verbi …va… obſervanda quod quidemuni Deo proprie convenit, Vide plur. Tit. 2. 13. Chriſt is called the great God and our ſaviour, not a leſſer God then God the Father. The firſt of the Heb. from the ſecond to the ninth verſe wherein beſides that the Sonne is ſaid to be God who hath a throne for ever and ever, he is called the brightneſſe of the Fathers glory and expreſſe image of his Perſon, which cannot be affirmed of a creature. 1 John 5. 20. John ſpeaking of Jeſus Chriſt, ſaith, This is the true God, not in name, or qualities only, like to God as Magiſtrates and Angels are called gods, but the true God as ſpoken by the Holy Ghoſt foreſeeing theſe evaſions: This relative bic muſt be referred to Chriſt, to the perſon laſt ſpoken of which was Chriſt; ſo Calvin, Relativam foreign ad proxim… perſonam reſtringi ſolet; and Beza ſaith, poſtulat pronominis iſtius propria ſignificatio ut ad Chriſtum hee referatur. Deinde peculiare ubique eſt Johanni per vitam aeternam Chriſtum ſignificare foreign. Continet igitur hic locus expreſſum divinitatis Chriſti teſtimonium. Tamet… hunc locum eludere Arriani conati ſunt, & illis bodie ſubſcribunt quidam, bic tamen inſigne hobemus. Divinitatis Chriſti Elogium. Calvinus in locum. 2. Divine worſhip belongs to God, and to God only, as the Scriptures ſhow in many places, Maath. 4. 10. Thou ſhalt worſhip the Lord thy God and him only ſhalt thou ſerve: And therefore man may not worſhip the greateſt Angels. Revela. 19. 10. Rev. 22. 8, 9. and that upon this reaſon given in thoſe places, they muſt worſhip God: But now the moſt excellent glorious creatures are commanded to worſhip Chriſt, the higheſt Angels, as well as men, Heb. 1. 6. Let all the Angels of God worſhip him; and men are commanded in the higheſt manner and way to worſhip the Sonne as well as the Father: Beſides we are Baptized in the name of the Sonne, as well as of the Father, Matt. 28. 19.
As for that place in 1 John 5. Theſe Three are One, ſuppoſing it be not found in the ancienteſt Greek Copies, yet there are ſo many other places as that in 1 John 5. 20. &c. of which there can be no ſuch queſtion, which prove Chriſt to be God. But Secondly for this place. 1 John 5. 7. theſe learned Commentators write as followes: Calvin, viz. That though this whole verſe was omitted by ſome, yet Hierome thinks it was done out of malice, and that he did willingly embrace this as the Originall, becauſe he found it in the beſt Copies, and thoſe moſt approved. Beza ſaith it ſeems to him that this verſe ſhould be retained, and though the Syriack nor old Latine Interpreter doth not read it, neither ſome other Authors, Hilarie, Auguſtine, &c. Yet Hierome reads it, and tis in ſome of the moſt ancient Books of of Stephen: Sed legit Hieronymus, legit Eraſmus in Britanico codice, & ex…at in Complutenſi editione, & in nonnullis Stephani noſtri veteribus libris.