Gangrena Part 3, Theological tract · Letter 38 – Letter 39
Some Paſſages taken out of a Letter ſent from a godly Miniſter in Northamptonſhire to a Friend of his in London.
Good Couſin,
I Pray read, ſeal, and at your beſt leaſure deliver the *The incloſed is the firſt Letter in this Third Part of Gangraena, pag. 21. a copy of which was given me from the Citizen in whoſe Letter it was incloſed, and not from the Gentleman to whom it was written.incloſed; wherein I have related ſome particulars very ſoul, though there be many more, and more blaſphemous: Its a wonder amongſt us that other Souldiers cannot be found, but ſuch as fight againſt the ſoul, doing more hurt that way, then they can do good any other way. If the Parliament take not a courſe with them, they ſhall certainly become our future rods, or God himſelf will overthrow them in our ſight; take a note of the particulars and keep them, for I have not time.
Septemb. 24. 1646.
Some Paſſages extracted out of two Letters ſent from a godly Chriſtian in Lancaſhire to Friends in London.
LOving Friend, God hath ſafely returned our Friends in health; whatever our Petition produceth, yet we have this comfort, that we have done our duty. The Sectaries here have got a Petition on foot for a Toleration, and hope they ſhall not wait ſo long at the Commons door for an Anſwer, as ours hath done.
Sir,
SInce our Petition was received into the Houſe of Commons, (where it produced an Ordinance for the ſetling of the Presbyterian Government in this County) the Sectaries have promoted an Anti-Petition here and in C…eſhire; they ſtile it The Petition of the peaceable and wel-affected that deſire liberty of conſcience as was promiſed by the Houſe of Commons in their Declaration they ordered formerly to be read in Churches: They have inſerted ſome other plauſible things into it, the better to draw on hands, promote it with great ſecrecy, ſhew it to none but to ſuch as before-hand they have ſome aſſurance will ſign it: It was framed and ſet on foot by the Members of the Church of Duckingfeild, but I am confident they admit to ſign it Seekers, Soul-ſleepers, Anabaptiſts: Rigid Browniſts, &c. We hear of one Miniſter in our County who hath ſigned it that is a common Drunkard, and two or three young Scholars, who have begun to preach without Ordination, one of which affirmed to me and ſome others, that hee would defend Independency with his bloud. Maſter Taylor and ☜Maſter Eaton are wonderfull active both in Cheſhire and Lancaſhire, they much improve — who is become agreat zealot for them, hath threatned ſome of the godly Miniſters that live near him to make their places too hot for them for denying their Pulpits to Maſter Eaton: We have through the mercy of God a learned and active Clergy in our County, ſound and Orthodox, who I hope will be aſſiſted with many able and active men in their work of Government; but Cheſhire is miſerably become a prey to the Sectaries, they have ſet up already there two or three Independent Churches, and are ſetting up two or three more; — hath ſo farre incouraged them, diſcouraged and born down the Orthodox wel affected Gentlemen and Miniſters, that they could never to this day get any thing done againſt them. We are as ſenſible (I beleeve) as any County in England, and fear the carriage of things is ſuch as will make the Kingdom weary. Men ſpeak here freely, and ſay that now men may ſafelier blaſpheme all the Perſons in the Trinity, then ſpeak many things that are true of ſome Members of Parliament. The ſuffering the Church of God to be rent and torn in peeces by Hereſies, Seiſmes and Diviſions, the retarding the releif for poor bleeding Ireland, the greiving and ſadding the hearts of our Brethren of Scotland, with many other things, makes us fear that the Lord hath a further controverſie with us.
Octob. 10. 1646.
A Miniſter told me lately hee having a Living given him, or faire for it, ſome Sectaries, Independents and Antinomians deſiring to bring in a Sectary and an Antinomian, thereupon procured to petition the Patron for the Sectary and againſt this honeſt Miniſter, and to effect their buſineſſe the more probably they ſet down to the Petition the names of ſome Inhabitants who were for the Orthodox Miniſter in the behalfe of this Sectary, when as they were againſt his coming in, and never knew or once imagined their names were ſubſcribed.