Gangrena Part 3, Theological tract · Letter 2 – Part 5
A Copie of a Letter to a tittle ſent from ſome of the Inhabitants of Devizes, to a worthy Member of the Houſe of Commons.
Right Worſhipfull,
MAy it pleaſe you to be certified by us of certain paſſages this day at the Church, in the time of Divine ſervice; That is our Miniſter (Maſter Sheappard) being in the Pulpit was commanded by one Captaine Pretty (who is under the command of Colonell Ireton) and who with his ſouldiers are (to our great burthen) quartered with us) to be ſilent and to come forth of the Pulpit, ſaying (in threatning termes) he was unfit to preach, and that he was yeſterday (being Satturday) druncken, which evidently can be proved to the contrary, the Gentleman being (to our knowledge) a very temperate and Religious Divine;) This Captaine was aſſiſted with one Maſter Ives and Maſter Lambe, who are (as they ſay) Preachers, and divers ſouldiers armed in a moſt irreverent manner, to the abominable diſturbance of the whole Congregation, and (as we conceive) to the great abuſe and diſgrace of the Honourable Parliament. By meanes where of our Preacher fearing (as was too too much cauſe) what dangerous effects ſuch ☞indecent and impious demeanours might produce, was enforced to depart, and dares not to come in ſight; ſo that we were deſtitute of preaching this day: Whereof we thought good (being thereto (as we beleeve) bound in duty and good conſcience) to acquaint your Worſhip withall, hoping by your induſtrious meanes theſe our moſt intolerable griveances may be taken into Religious conſideration, and we thereof eaſed; which we earneſtly begg of you, (our approved good friend and Countryman) may be effected.
Theſe aforeſaid abuſes can be (if occaſion) witneſſed by the whole Congregation.
From the Devizes this preſent Sunday, the 6. of September, 1646.
I Have received lately certaine Information, from ſome who are come out of Wales, that a Trooper of Colonell Riches Regiment hath been for divers weeks laſt paſt in Wales in Radnorſhire, and Brecknockeſhire, a preaching and dipping, where he hath vented many Doctrines of Antinomianiſme and Anabaptiſme, and rebaptized hundreds in thoſe Countries; Among others, one woman whom he dipped, he held ſo long under water, that what with the water getting into her, and cold ſhe died of it within a day or two. This Trooper going from theſe Countries into Mongomeryſhire another Countie of Wales to preach and dippe, ſome in command and Armes for the Parliament, ſeized on him and committed him to priſon; but within a while after this commitment, by meanes uſed by ſome in the Army there comes an order from higher Authority to thoſe who committed him to releaſe him, and ſo he was ſet free. A Religious Commander who comes from thence tells me, the preaching and dipping of this Trooper and other ſuch, makes the Countries being newly reduced, have an ill opinion of the Parliament; and many of the people ſay, theſe are your Preachers at London, and ſuch Preachers as the Parliament ☜ſends; for they being ignorant people, think verily theſe men are ſent forth by the Parliament to preach to them. This Commander tells me alſo there is a ſtrong report in thoſe Countries of Wales where he hath been, that there are ſome Sectaries preach for Circumciſion, and that ſome have been Circumciſed, but the truth of that he cannot aſſert, as of the reſt, but muſt have more time to find it out.
There is a Miniſter now in London, or here abouts, who going to a meeting of the Sectaries, heard one of them in his Exerciſing, and preaching to the company aſſembled, affirme that he was Jeſus Chriſt; whereupon this Miniſter ſpake to him, and ſaid how can you be Jeſus Chriſt, where are the prints of the nailes in your hands? unto which this wicked Sectarie replyed ſhowing him his hands, here they are, and in one of his hands there were ſome markes, which he ſaid were the prints of the nailes; but ſaid this Sectarie, for all this you will not beleeve me to be Chriſt unleſſe you ſaw Miracles, and turning over his Bible to the Book of the Revelations, this Sectary quoted a place that Miracles were wrought to confirme the Doctrine of Divells, which ſaith he you would have me to ſhew to confirme the truth. This is a moſt certain ſtory, related by an eare and eye witneſſe to a Noble Earle of this Kingdom, and to ſome others, and the place where this Sectary dwells related alſo with many circumſtances.
Some of the Sectarian ſouldiers quartering very dately at a Towne in Leſter ſhire, upon the Lords day ſome of them ſhooed their horſes; others who came into the Church, diſturbed and affronted a godly Miniſter one Maſter Boh…mus Miniſter of the place, (put in by the meanes of Sir Arthur Hazelrig, to whom he had formerly relation) who as he was reading in the Scriptures that paſſage, The ſecret of the Lord is with them that feare him; ſome of them ſtood up and ſaid that was a lye; and ſo inſolent was their carriage, that this good Miniſter was glad to get him out of the way. And as their carriage was ſo in the Church, ſo a Townſman who rented the Tythes, being upon horſe in the field looking after his Tyth corne, ſome of theſe ſouldiers coming into the field asked who that was, and being told he was a man that came to gather Tyths, they came to him, and one took one leg, and another the other, and others laid hands on him in other parts, and threw him off his horſe abuſing him, and hazarding the limbs of the man, becauſe he renting the Tythes, came to look after them.
When the Army was marching from Exeter for Oxford, upon their marching, there was a Faſt kept by the Army, and upon that Faſt day divers of the Sectarian ſouldiers inſtead of keeping it were drinking all the day in Ale-houſes and many of them were ſtark drunk. Of this there was a Letter written from a worthy Colonell in the Army, which was communicated to divers perſons of worth, and a worthy Member of the Houſe of Commons who read it, and knew all the particulars, of place, time, &c. related it to me in the hearing of a Member of the ſame Houſe.
A Copie of a Lettter to a tittle ſent to me from two worthy Miniſters in Norwich.
Sir
TThe ſecond part of Gangraena, gives us an intimation, that you intend a more large and full reply unto him, whoſe jugling aquivocations, and fallacies have cleared you, and deſervedly branded himſelf and the reſt of his fiction, with the name of Cretenſis: your work (the Title page tells us) is a freſh Diſcovery of the Errours, Hereſies, Blaſphemies of the Sectaries of this time. We are heartily ſorrie, that we have ſo reall grounds, and ſo much cauſe in our City of Norwich, to contribute any thing to ſo ſad, (yet neceſſary) work; How daring and inſolent they be, appeares as by many other things, ſo by this, that one of them profeſſed openly (which we can prove) that they would ſet up and maintaine in the City an Independent Lecture, in deſpight of the ☜Magiſtrate. What ſcorne, cont…ely, and reproaches we and our Brethren of the Miniſtery meet with all, you may gueſſe by this incloſed; which information was taken by the Major, as appeares by the date June, 18. 1646. and was the day following depoſed in open Court; Whereupon this woman Priſcilla Miles was by the Major and Juſtices bound over to the next Seſſions: The paper we ſend is no Tranſcript, but the very information taken by the Town-Clark, and ſubſcribed by the hand of the Major, and Informant; We leave it to your wiſdome, whether you will ſtifle and lay it aſide or make uſe of it for the publike, and ſubſcribe our ſelves
Norwich June 25. 1646. Your Brethren and fellow labourers in the Lords worke.
John Carter.
John Thornbe…ke.
The Information of Richard Gunton, Weaver, taken before Henry Watts, Major of the City of Norwich the 18. of June, 1646.
HE ſaith, that Priſcilla the wife of Richard Miles of Saint Margarets Pariſh, hath often times abuſed Maſter John Carter the Miniſter of Saint Peters Pariſh, by very vild and wicked revilefull ſpeeches, as namely, about three weeks ſince ſhe ſaid, that the ſaid Maſter Carter was one that ought not to preach to a Congregation of people, for he did not teach the Goſpell of Jeſus Chriſt, but was an oppoſer of it ſo far as he was able, and that when he ſhould be preaching of the Goſpel of Chriſt, then he was talking of the height and length of the Tower of Babell, which were lyes; and further ſaid it was a thouſand pitties he was not ☞pulled out of the Pulpit by the eares; And ſhe further ſaid, that ſhe did think the intent of his heart was when he came into the Pulpit to blaſpheme God, and to draw men from Chriſt ſo farre as he was able: And ſhe further ſaid, that before three yeares come to an end thoſe black-coted preachers that now did preach in the Steeple-houſes, ſhould have their black coates and gownes ☞pulled over their eares, and that there ſhould not be one of them left; and ſhe ſaid, the ſaid Maſter Carter, and ſuch as he is were ſent from the Devill and the Pope, and ſo they continued and lived Devills here: And hee further ſaith that about a monethmonth ſince the Informant cauſed his ſervant to read ſome notes of a Sermon of Maſter Thornebecks, the ſaid Priſcilla came into his houſe, and this Informant commending Maſter Thornebecks Sermon, ſhe ſaid that he ſpake lyes, and it was a thouſand pitties that he was ſuffered and not pulled out of the Pulpit, and ſaid he was turned out where hee was before, and if he had been good hee ſhould never have come here: And he further ſaith, that about Lady laſt a maid ſervant of Henry Gunton ſaid, that one Renniger, who had teached in a private houſe, was a man who was ſent from God, and fitter to teach then Carter, for he was not ſent from God, and further ſaid, that they were none but Whoremaſters, Drunkerds and Lyers, that would ſpeak againſt the Anabaptiſts.
Henry Watts Major.
Richard Gunton.
And he further ſaith, that the ſaid Priſcilla about ſix weeks ſince, ſaid that the Prophets in the Old-Teſtament propheſied two and fifty lyes, which was occaſioned by ſome diſcourſe that was between this Informant, and the ſaid Priſcilla upon ſome places of Scripture; And then this Informant ſhewed her a place in Scripture, in the ninth Chapter of the Romans, and ſhe ſaid Saint Paul lyed, and ſaid he did acknowledge himſelf to be ſo to gaine ſome to Chriſt: And at another time before that, about a quarter of a yeare ſince when this Informant and the ſaid Priſcilla were in diſcourſe together, this Informant ſhewed her a place of Scripture, which were the words of Chriſt, ſhe took the book and threw it out of her hand and ſaid, that was not ordered by the holy Ghoſt to be printed, but it was the rogue Printer that did put it in.
Henry Watts Major.
Richard Gunton
William Gunton doth likewiſe informe that he hath heard the ſaid Priſcilla Miles ſay, that Maſter Carter did blaſpheme God, and he likewiſe ſaith, that ſhe ſaid▪ Maſter Thornebecke preached a falſe doctrine, and if ſhe had been there, ſhe would have bidden him come down you old foole.