Gangrena Part 3, Theological tract · Letter 1
A Copie of a Letter written lately from a Reverend godly Miniſter in Northamptonſhire, to a perſon of quality and worth in London.
Worthy SIR,
THough I am perſwaded that you know that many Errors abound in the Army, yet I cannot think but ſuch deſtructive tenets as ſome of them have broacht amongſt us when they lately quartered here, are not particularly come unto your eares. Therefore out of zeal to Gods glory, the ſafty of our Church and Commonwealth, Parliament and Miniſtry; I could not but impart what I have heard from their own mouthes, and by honeſt neighbours of them. The ſacred Covenant bindes me with all faithfulneſſe to indeavour to diſcover Incendiaries, hinderers of Reformation of ☜Religion, dividers of the Kingdomes, &c. And truly I cannot think theſe any other; though as ye… God hath hindred their ſparks (which they caſt into all the ſtraw which they paſſe by) from flaming into open and violent liſcord. I can produce both the names, and I think ſufficient witneſſe (people are affraid almoſt to ſpeak againſt the ſouldiers) that they have ſeriouſly ſpoken (as being their judgements and purpoſes) that if the ſouldiers knew the Countries minds, as the Country might know the ſouldiers, they would have another kind of Reformation then this Parliament is about. That they have not ſo long ſought for liberty, and now to be inſlaved; That they could goe all England through by force of ☜Arms if they liſted. That the Country might call the Parliament to account for what they had done, for they were ſet up by them. They commonly in deriſion call our Brethren Jack Sect, and ſay they plot with the King againſt the Parliament; but if there were any occaſion of drawing the ſword againſt them, they would be ☜more fierce againſt them, then ever againſt the Cavaleirs. They upon long diſpure with me cominued in this that there is no ſuch office as the Miniſtry; and it's blaſphemy for any one to ſay that he is a Miniſter of Jeſus Chriſt more then any other man; ſuch an office was, but it ceaſed. A Captaine Reformadoe ſaid, their ſwords ſhall never out of their hands, as long as one Prieſt continued in England. They ſcorned all our religious dayes and duties; call them fools that pay Tythes, and them theeves that receive them; will beleeve no more Scripture, then what they prove by experience to be true. I might have heard more, but that my heart abhors ſuch ſeditious and blaſpemous ſpeeches. They ſpeake moſt contemptibly of Chriſts perſon, and as I heare, deny either the Trinity, or at leaſt the holy Ghoſt. If it be for any publick benefit, I will ſearch after more particulars, and ſufficient proof.
Sir, I am bold to impart my troubled thoughts unto you, whom I have cauſe to judge faithfull to God, your Country, and your Friend: Truly, we fear ſome hurt by theſe in Arms, if a ſpeedy courſe be not taken with ſome of them; for I find that they ☞ſtick not to their principle of Liberty, but only in receiving it: they will not give it (if they had the power of giving it) unto others. For ought I can obſerve, with all their Errours they labour to poyſon others where they come. My mind will be much ſatisfied when I ſhall know you have read theſe lines, concluding my duty of diſcovering Incendiaries, &c. diſcharged till further occaſions be offered. The good Lord look upon us, and ſave us from theſe inſtruments of ſafety. I deſire your ſpirituall health and ☞comfort, with all temporall happineſſe, and ſucceſſe:
Sept. 24. 1646. Yours to be commanded.
A godly young man of Summerſetſhire, or Dorſ…tſhire, at whoſe houſe a Lieutenant of a Company of Sir Thomas Fairfax Army quartered, told me, that this Lieutenant maintained theſe Opinions; 1 That women might preach, and would have had a gentlewom…n in the houſe (this young mans ſiſter) to have exerciſed her gifts, telling her he knew ſhe had gifts▪ and had been alone a meditating. 2. That if a womans husband was a…leep or abſent from her, ſhe might lye with another man, and it was lawfull; for ſleep was a death; and preſſed it upon a young Gentlewoman in the houſe, whoſe husband was then at London. 3. That it was unlaw…ull to kneell in prayer, which was maintained by him, or ſome others of his company; and when they prayed, they prayed leaning.
There is a godly Miniſter of ſome place more then ordinary, that was in the Army about Oxford, who heard a Colonell of that Army ſpeak it in his hearing, and the hearing of many, that as for fighting againſt the Iriſh he was againſt it, for they did nothing but what they might do lawfully, and gave his reaſons and grounds for it; 1. Becauſe they did but fight for their Religion and Liberty of conſcience, and for their Lands and Eſtates. 2. That if the whole Commons and body of the people would agree and put down King and Parliament, overthrow the Conſtitution of this Kingdom in King, Lords, and Commons, they might do it: as this was told two godly / Miniſters, from whom I had this relation, ſo was it communicated to ſome members of both Houſes.
June 24. A godly Citizen told me, he heard a great Sectary that belonged to the Army ſay, ſpeaking of Ireland, he doubted, and ſo did many more in the Army, whether it were lawfull to go fight againſt the Iriſh; and that that Country was theirs, as well as England was ours.
Though the boldneſſe and preſumption of many of the Souldiers, Officers and common Souldiers hath been very great, both againſt the command of God, and the Parliament, to preach in the open Churches in all Countries and places where they have come, putting by many godly and able Miniſters from their Office and invading their Pulpits; yet their open and frequent preaching in the Univerſity of Oxford, doth moſt of all declare their impudencie, that they ſhould dare to do it in the midſt of ſo many learned men, and in a place ſo famous for learning; and that in the publike ſchools in Oxford to preach daily, and that againſt humane learning as they did for ſome time; and after complaint of it to the Generall as a thing ſo ſcandalous and odious to all ingenuous men, and his forbidding their preaching in the Schools; yet the Souldiers continue ſtill to preach in Oxford daily in a great houſe where they meet for that end; and I ſpak with one that came from Oxford in Aug. laſt who told me they preach now daily in Chriſts Church (one of the greateſt Colledges in Oxford) in a kind of Gallery, where the ſouldier ſtands that preaches, many ſitting on the ſtairs, others ſtanding below; and this young man heard one of them preach there, diſcourſing on theſe words: God would require the life of man at a Beaſt; this Souldier expounded that by Beaſts was meant a wicked man.
There are two honeſt men, who laſt July told me, that they had heard an Independent who lives at Dover ſay it, and ſo had others, that the Scots and the Aſſembly were peſts and plagues of the Common wealth, the Aſſembly were a company of diſſemblers, the Presbytery was Anti-chriſtian; and ſpeaking of the Miniſters, called them, that ugly tribe.
A Commander in the Army of known fidelity and worth, told me, he had heard Maſter Peters preach in Hedington Fort, againſt the City of London, incenſing the Army againſt the City; telling them, that after you have done all this, they would not have you live nor enjoy any places.
July the firſt 1646. I was told by ſome of the Aldermen of the City, who were come that day from the Seſſions, and from hearing the cauſe, that a great Sectary was brought to the Seſſions of Peace before the Lord Major, for that having woed a Maid to be his wife, and he profering to be her husband, ſhe conſenting; he tooke her by the hand, and for his wife; but ſaid, he would be hanged rather then be married by a Prieſt (calling all our Miniſters Prieſts) and perſwading her, there was no ground in the word to be married any other way: whereupon they both conſenting, came together; but afterwards, he caſt her off and would have nothing to do with her, nor allow her no meanes: This woman being brought a bed of two Children in her travell, related this, and was ready to take her Oath, the Children were his, and that ſhe never knew any man but him.
Some who come from the Army tell me, that the Sectaries in the Army do exceedingly raile againſt the City and Citizens, and call them the Sect of the Adamites.
A Citizen of London of good ranck, told me and divers others, that he being at Boſton Faire but a little before, there was a Commander a great Sectary, ſpake to many whom he met with, againſt the City of London, how the City was quite turned againſt the Parliament, and was come to that paſſe, that if the Army came neere London to lye neere them and to awe them, they would raiſe an Army to ſet them further off; and if the Army went north-ward againſt the Scots, they would help the Scots againſt them; this Citizen ſaid, he taking notice of it, ſpake freely to this Commander, and told him his mind of the faithfulneſſe and fidelity of the City: and at the ſame time this Citizen related (viz. the fourth day of Auguſt) that it was given in to ſome Committee or members of a Committee, under two hands, that this Officer having an Order for ſo many Barrels of Powder and a Tunne of Match out of the Tower to ſend to ſuch a place, he never ſent it, but ſold it; and afterwards being ſold again, it came to be brought to the Tower, and ſome knew it to be ſuch Powder that was given out by order to ſuch a man: and ſo it came to be diſcovered.
I was told it by two perſons of quality, a Member of the Houſe of Commons, and a miniſter, that ſome of the Sectarian Souldiers ſpeaking of the Remonſtrance, called my Lord Major Raſcall; and for thoſe who had a hand in the Remonſtrance, they hoped ere long to have the pulling them out of their houſes.
Auguſt the 30. Two perſons of quality and worth, a Reverend Miniſter, and another perſon in publick imployment, went to the Spittle in the afternoone to hear Maſter Randall (out of a deſire to be ſatisfied upon their owne knowledge (as having heard many ſtrange things of him) and coming, they heard him preach on that text, A ſower went out to ſowe: from whence he raiſed this obſervation, That all the Creatures held forth God in Chriſt, and preached the Goſpell.
The heavens declare the glory of God; that is, the glory of God in Chriſt: and he preached that all the creatures and all actions are Sacraments, and do ſet forth the death of Chriſt; common ordinary eating and drinking do ſet forth the death of Chriſt, and are to be done as Chriſt ſaid, Do this in remembrance of me: He gave no bleſſing at the end of his Sermon, no Pſalme was ſung; there were three great rooms full of people to hear him.
A mong many Phyſitians in theſe times that are Sectaries, Independents, Anabaptiſts, Seekers, I have been told from good hands of two of them, theſe ſpeeches; one of them ſpeaking about the Miniſters, ſaid there was a neceſſity of the falling of the Tribe of Levi: The other about Aprill laſt (at which time the Independents were in their great …uffe) that the Miniſters would be a contemptible generation, as hate…ull within a while as ever the malignant Miniſters and Prelates were.
About the latter end of Aprill laſt, I entreated a Doctor of Phyſick, a godly man and prudent, to go along with me to a houſe not far from Cheapſide, where ſome company were appointed to meet me, to diſcover ſome things to me about the opinions and wayes of ſome of the Sectaries; and there came three, who in my heareing and the Doctors related theſe following particulars of Miſtris Attaway, Maſter Jenney, and ſome others of their way, and what they related were ſuch things that they had heard from their own mouthes often. Miſtris Attaway held that the Book of Eſdras and ſome other Apocryphall Books were Canonicall Scriptures; that ſhe ſhould never dye, and that ſhe ſhould bring forth Children at Jeruſalem, and that at Jeruſalem ſhe ſhould meet with Chriſt, and enjoy him viſibly; and this Miſtris Attaway had ſo perſwaded Jenney that he beleeved he ſhould never dye, and both Miſtris Attaway and Jenney held themſelves as pure from ſinne as Chriſt was, when he was in the fleſh; and this Miſtris Attaway told Maſter Jenney ſhee had Letters ſent her from a Prophet, who was ſhut up for a time, and none could come to him; only there was a Maid one Ellen, whom they among themſelves call'd the Prophets Maid that went to him, and Miſtris Attaway ſhewed Jenney theſe Letters, which were to this effect, that ſhe muſt go to Jeruſalem, and he muſt go with her, and he ſhould be a Preacher there, have a great hand in repairing Jeruſalem, and there Abraham, Iſaac and Jacob ſhould come down from Heaven, and meet them; and this Prophet by the end of this Summer ſhould come forth with power; For the preſent there was none that was an Adminiſtrator and diſpenſer with power, but this Prophet ſhould come with power, and do greater works then Chriſt, ſaving only he ſhould not dye for the ſinnes of men: This Miſtris Attaway had a great parchment role, wherein many things were written, and this was to be given to Jenney; and this Jenney beleeved all Miſtris Attaway told him as fully as might be, that he ſhould never dye, &c. This Miſtris Attaway alſo gave out that there ſhould come ſhips from Tarſhiſh to fetch away all the Saints to Jeruſalem, and all that would not turne Jewes ſhould be deſtroyed, and this whole Land ſhould be deſtroyed, and therefore ſhe would goe away before hand to eſcape: This Jenney, Miſtris Attaway and ſome of their Tribe held no hell but what was in the conſcience; the ſoules mortall; they held the Book of Eſdr…s had great things in it to them who had the ſpirit to underſtand it, and that there was Eſaus world and Jacobs world; this was Eſaus world, but Jacobs world was comming ſhortly, wherein all creatures ſhall be ſaved; And this Prophet who was ſhut up, was to come forth to preach this new Doctrine of generall Reſtauration and Salvation of all; and though all ſhould be ſaved, yet there ſhould be degrees of glory between thoſe that have been Saints (they ſhould be more glorious) and thoſe who were the wicked, though now reſtored: This Jenney held from that Scripture in Geneſ. where God ſaith I will make him an help meet for him, that when a mans wife was not a meet help, he might put her away and take another; and when the woman was an unbeleever (that is not a Sectarie of their Church) ſhe was not a meet help, and therefore Jenney left his wife, and went away with Miſtris Attaway.
A Commander belonging to the Army, told me laſt July he had ſeen ſome of the Sectarian Preachers, preach lately with their hats on, and ſitting; he told me he had heard Maſter Cradock, Maſter Peters, and other ſuch Preachers inſinuate into the ſouldiers, flatter them all kind of wayes, telling them what they had done, what fame they had atchieved, how they had conquered …he Kingdome, and particularly a little before, he heard Maſter Peters preaching thus, you who have conquered the Kingdome, done all this ſervice, and now when you have done all this might expect your Arrears, look to enjoy your Liberties, yea and expect preferments, good places as you have well deſerved, it may be, you ſhall be caſt into a ſtincking priſon; but if it ſhould be ſo, tis the will of God, and yee muſt provide to beare it.
There is one Thomas Collier a great Sectary in the Weſt of England, whom I have ſpoken of in the ſecond part of Gangraena, and have printed ſome Letters of his in this third part *pag. 51. 52.. I have ſeen a Book of his printed in the year 1645. called certain Queres, or Points now in controverſie examined, wherein among other Certain Queres.Errours laid down by him, he makes Baptizing the Children of the faithfull not only to be *pag. 18. 19.vaine, b…t evill and ſinfull, ye… the commiſſion of Baptizing Children to come from the Divell or Anti-Chriſt, or both; And ſecondly, that Magiſtrats have no power at all to eſtabliſh Church-Government, or to compell any to the Government of Chriſt by any humane power; and upon occaſion page 22. 25.of diſcourſing of the power of the Civill Magiſtrate, what hee ſhould do now religion is corrupted, and the Magiſtrates endeavour is to Reforme it, and to this end have called an Aſſembly of Learned men to aſſiſt them in this work: This Learned Maſter Collier if he might be thought meet, makes bold to preſent theſe page 27.three words in this caſe to the Parliament.
Firſt, To diſmiſſe that Aſſembly of Learned men, who are now page 27.call'd together for to conſult about matters of Religion; and the ☞reaſon this Learned Clark gives, is becauſe he cannot conclude that God hath any thing to do there for them; he knowes no rule in the Book of God for ſuch an Aſſembly, and therefore cannot expect a bleſſing.
The ſecond Word, To go on in ſubduing of Antichriſtian enemies, page 28.ſo farre as by Civill Law they have power; for there muſt by this, or ſome other meanes be a deſolation upon the tenth part of the City.
The third Word is, That the Parliament would give the Kingdome to the Saints; and for who gives the Kingdom to the Saints, ſo it be done, Maſter Collier will not much diſpute whether it be the Lord Jeſus immediatly, or Jeſus by a Parliament; only page 29.thus much he would have men take notice that by the Kingdome is meant an externall Kingdome, for the Saints ſhall poſſeſſe that as ☞well as the ſpirituall Kingdome and Government of the Church of Chriſt.
Hence we may ſee by Maſter Colliers words, that his Saints, viz. thoſe whom he hath deſcribed before in the former part of Animadverſ.his Book, Separatiſts, Anabaptiſts do look for from the Parliament, that they ſhould give the Kingdome to them and all temporall power and rule, and take it out of the hands of all others; So that the King, the Parliament (unleſſe there be ſome of Maſter ☞Colliers Saints among them) the Judges, and all men who by the Lawes under the King and Parliament, have any Civill power of rule in the Kingdome, muſt have it taken from them and given to the Sectaries Saints: Yea I conceive by Colliers words not only England, but Scotland and Ireland are to be taken from the King, and to be given by the Lord Jeſus immediatly, or by Jeſus by a Parliament to the Saints; which whether it be not ſo or no, I leave the Reader to judge upon tranſcribing Colliers own words, where giving his ſecond word of advice to the Parliament of going on to ſubdue Antichriſtian enemies, ſo far as they have power, becauſe there muſt by this, or ſome other meanes be a deſolation upon the tenth part of the City, he interprets his meaning in theſe following words. Which I think to be England, and thoſe Dominions belonging to it, Scotland and Ireland. I conceive this to be the time that the Kingdome is to to taken from him, who ſhall ariſe and ſubdue three Kings, that is Kingdoms, ſpeaking great words, thinking to change times and Laws; but the Judgement ſhall fit and take away this Dominion to conſume it, and deſtroy it to the end, Dan. 7. 26. Therefore let not your hearts faint, neither your hands draw back, God will finiſh his work. The third Word, is, that they would give the Kingdome to the Saints, Dan. 7. 27. Who gives the Kingdome to the Saints? The judgement that pulls down the power and Kingdome of the one, gives to the other. Whether i… be the Lord Jeſus immediatly, or Jeſus by a Parliament, I ſhall not much diſpute, but leave it to your conſiderations; Only thus much take notice, that by the Kingdome, is not only meant an externall Kingdome, for the Saints ſhall poſſeſſe that, but the ſpirituall Kingdome and Government of the Church of Chriſt, &c.
This Collier (as it appears by his Letter before mentioned) is a Maſter Sectarie, a man of great power among them, and hath Emiſſaries under him, whom he ſends abroad and commands to go into ſeverall parts, as Syms, Row, &c, and ſupply his place in his abſence; and as you have heard of him formerly, ſo ſince my ſecond part of Gangraena came abroad, a godly Miniſter out of the Weſt writ thus to me of Collier; He was driven out of the Iſland of Garneſy, becauſe of his opinions and turbulency, as a godly Miniſter of that Iſland told me, and he could not deny it himſelf when I asked him the queſtion: He hath done much hurt in Limington, Hampton, Waltham, and all along this Country. I had once a conference with him upon two queſtions for five houres ſpace (ſufficient time for one to trouble himſelf with ſuch a vain unruly taulker. Firſt, concerning the Morality of the Sabbath. Secondly, concerning Baptiſme; in both which he denyed, I affirmed: It would require …great deal of time to give you an account of all particulars; and the truth is, if I ſhould, ſome paſſages would have an ill reflex upon ſome men of note and power, with whom perhaps it will not be ſafe for me to meddle: And in a Letter from the ſame Miniſter, printed in this third part of Gangraera, page, 40. 41, Collier being mentioned, he is ſaid to be the firſt that ſowed the ſeeds of Anabaptiſme, Antiſabbatarianiſme, and ſome Arminianiſme among the reſt in theſe parts.