Satan at Noon, Animadversion 13
Animad. 13. Ʋpon his high Appeale to God, p. 112.
Concerning his Appeale to God, we profeſſe that when we conſidered the ſolemnneſſe of an Appeale to the moſt high God, of what an important and ſerious nature an Appeale is in it ſelf, and conſidered the principles and practices of this Doctor, we could hardly perſwade our ſelves to reade it; and when we did, we were aſtoniſhed to reade ſuch ſwelling words, as to his owne holineſſe, and his great perſecution for righteouſneſſe; but this alſo in an evill cauſe is not a new thing, we will inſtance in one, and that is Sir*The Narrative of King James, Printed by M. Sparks pag. 148. Jervas Yelvis, when he was arraigned in the buſineſſe of Sir Thomas Overbury, he made ſolemne Appeales to God, and deep proteſtations of his Innocence; yet after the Sentence, he confeſſed his guilt in the Tower, and upon Tower-hill gave as large a teſtimony of ſound repentance and reall hearty ſorrow, as few Hiſtories can ſhew the like, and lamented that ſin of proteſting and appealing in particular. That which we would have the Reader to conſider, is, what Judge Crooke ſaid to him at the Bar, when he did call God to witneſſe, and proteſt, Sir, (ſaid the Judge) It is not your deep Proteſtations, nor your high Appeals to God, that can ſway the Evidence given upon Oath unto the Jury.
We have not named this Gentleman to blemiſh him for his ſin, but to ſhew what dangerous courſes guilt, and feare through guilt will put men upon to blind the world, and ſave themſelves: and we have mentioned his great repentance, not ſo much for his honour, as the Doctors imitation, that he (if God pleaſe) may doe likewiſe and not to be as*V…hementiſimis & diris devotionibus per ſalutem & damnationem animae omnia veriſſima eſſe d…jerabat. Camd. An. par. 4. pag. 35. Hacket, who boaſted of his temptations from the Devill, and his revelations from God, with the higheſt oathes and proteſtation, that they were all moſt true, when indeed they were all ſtarke falſe.
But let us a little debate the matter with this man.
Doctor, how durſt you ſpeak thus, Eternall Majeſty thou knoweſt it never entred into the intention of my Soule to deny the God-head of Chriſt, the holy Trinity, &c. ſhall we believe that you preached and affirmed thoſe Doctrines that never came into your ſoule? Doe you think that your appeal ſhall weigh down the evidence of five godly perſons, who would not lye, much leſſe would they ſweare falſe for God, will they doe wickedly for the Goſpell? did not you confeſſe that you did ſay, Chriſt is not Jehovah? could Mr. Blagrave deny it? were there not Articles of Blaſphemy charged upon you, and proved againſt you, to which you never offered an anſwer? as this, That the liberty of Saints is not a liberty from the curſe of the Law, the guilt of Sinne, the wra…h of God by the death of another; meaning Chriſt, and explaining it ſo. And this, that the diſcoveries of the ſinfulneſſe of ſin, the death of Chriſt, the free grace of God, are but fleſhly and flaſhy diſcoveries: to theſe and others tending to beſtiality, and an African monſtrouſneſſe, you never ſo much as offered an anſwer in your owne defence; are not you arrived to the perfection of the Familiſts, viz. That now you are free to doe that, which formerly, when you were in the dark, you looked upon as a ſinne?
2. Doctor, why doe you alter the tenſe in the next words, thus Thou knoweſt, I am not guilty, not thus, I never was guilty of holding Chriſt to be imperfect, and his righteouſneſſe to be fruitleſſe: the truth is, we doe not know what any familiſt is, he is ſuch a Proteus, more changeable (as they ſay) than the Moone, for he will change every day as he ſees fit, tantùm conſtans in levitate, onelyonly conſtant in being unconſtant.
3. Why doe you ſpeake thus, Oh thou bright-eye, doſt thou not ſee the innocent ſufferings of my perſon for thy names ſake? how often have I been numbred among tranſgreſſors for thy truth and life? Oh dreadfull! did Chriſts Martyrs ever ſuffer for ſuch Articles charged and proved againſt them, how unlike are you to them? they ſuffered for affirming Chriſt to be God, and his righteouſneſſe to be our Salvation, and you were ſentenced for denying both: Aretius calls Val. Gent. and ſuch as he, Satanae Martyres, the Devils Martyrs; the accurſed Socinians, when they deny Chriſt to be God, they ſay they do it for the glory of God the Father; The Jeſuites do glory much in the Martyrdome of ſome of their Society: it is a good Cauſe,It is not pana but cauſa, nor that onelyonly, but conſcientia that makes a Man a Martyr, his ſufferings muſt not onelyonly be for righteouſneſſe, but alſo for righteouſneſſe ſake. and a gracious Conſcience that makes a Martyr, you have neither of theſe.
4. Why doe you ſpeak thus, they have ejected me out of my eſtate, which was thy gift; The Country thinks it was the gift of ſome other, we are no way ſatisfied that Bradfield Parſonage was Gods gift to you (as you pretend) and at your re-hearing (for which you ſay boldly ſome of the greateſt eminency in the Councell were, p. 111.) we ſhall give in our reaſons for it; for the preſent we will propoſe theſe Quaeres to you,
1. For what did your Tenant by your own appointment give or pay to your uſe 85. l. to a friend?
2. Were not Doctor Twiſſe's children ſordidly defeated of that very money?
3. Is it not confeſſed, That you gave a paire of Coachhorſes to ſomebody that coſt you 40 l?
The rowling of your brats conceived and born of your own luſts to the door of Providence, with other reaſons, doth even force us to write almoſt with the ſame liberty, that men doe live in.
Why doe you ſay thus, Oh thou eye of Eternity, in pure obedience to thy will, I have addreſſed my ſelfe to the higher powers, that they might be left inexcuſable; what language is here? did ever the beſt of the Prophets give ſuch language as this in their own caſe, to the worſt of Princes? ſee the mans fierceneſſe againſt ſoules, and thoſe of Magiſtrates, the Chriſtian, the higheſt Magiſtrates, by his addreſſes to them he did deſigne their inexcuſableneſſe before God! Athanaſius would not ſay ſo much in his own particular wrong to Julian, as this Sathanaſius ſaith to the Councell, when he is not wronged at all, unleſſe it be by indulgence. No, no, it is not the ſuppreſſing, but the countenancing of, and conniving all ſeducing Blaſphemers, that will render the Magiſtrate inexcuſable, which we unfeinedly deſire the Lord to forbid in their hearts by his grace, as he hath forbidden them by his command in the word.
6. Why doe you speak thus, O omniſcient Majeſty; thou knoweſt that we are neither the better, nor the worſe for the juſtification, or condemnation of our fellow-creatures, but why ſo? when men fearing God are authorized to proceed judically againſt perſons for Blaſphemies and Lewdneſſe, proved by the oaths of honeſt knowing men, and are found guilty, is this to be never the worſe? for Wickedneſſe to be puniſhed, Truth vindicated, the hearts of Gods people rejoyced, the Soules of men to be delivered from the hands of deſtroyers, the ſimple to be undeceived, the mouth of wickedneſſe to be ſilenced, is all this never the better?
Doth not this ſtrike at all civill government, and judicial proceedings? for cui bono are they? We are neither the better nor the worſe, if it be replyed, we i. e. we in our ſelves are never the worſe, we anſwer, what is there more ſaid by the Doctor, than any Felon in Newgate may ſpeak for himſelfe? let any admirer of his, either he or ſhe, ſhew the difference, if they can.
7. But Doctor, why doe you call the Magiſtrates from the higheſt to the low ones (your cauſe hath been before both) your fellow creatures? is not this the language of Babilon, amongſt your Babel Quakers? where did you learn thus to ſpeak? what Scripture, Author, or indeed any man did ever learne you this? the Quakers are not Men but Monſters.
8. Why did you not in your appeal cleare your ſelfe of that ſuſpition of baſtardy, which you yet lye under? what is the matter you doe not ſpeak a ſyllable of it? did you forget it? or are you guilty & afraid of more diſcoveries? you have ſaid that you would spend 500. pound, but you would right your ſelf from that libelling charg (as you terme it) why doe you not begin? you doe but vapour, nay, you doe worſe by farre? you deſign to harden your fellowes, and cheat ſilly women; the Lord prevent and follow you and us, that we may ceaſe to adde ſinne to ſinne, and one tranſgreſſion to another:
Laſtly, you conclude your appeale thus, My ſoul flyes to thee as a Dove to the Ark of reſt, to be taken up into thine Eye; O how my Soule groans to be taken to a preſentiall enjoyment of thee, to feed continually on the tree of life,, &c. We warne you in love (though you may call it as you have done the fire of wrath) that amWe adviſe the Reader to that ſearching pi…c… of Perkins, v…z H…w farre a man may goe and be a reprobate. profeſſor may goe to Hell in his duties, and doe you thinke to goe to Heaven in your Blasphemies? A man may looſe his Soule in a good cauſe, and doe you thinke to ſave yours in a bad one? nay, the worſt that ever was. Unleſſe you look on that Jeſus, whom with burning arrowes you have pierced, and mourne, which God grant, your high expreſſions may cheat your Proſelites whileſt you live, and deceive your owne Soule when you dye, which God forbid.