Satan at Noon, To the reader
The PREFACE to the READER.
Courteous Reader,
THou art here preſented with a faithfull relation of the Proceedings of the Commiſſioners of Berks, in the buſineſs of Dr. Pordage, late Miniſter of Bradfield in the ſaid County: we deſire that thou maiſt read as we do write, with a ſad heart that ſuch prodigious, and damnable hereſies ſhould be belched forth in ſuch a land of light, both publickly and privately againſt the perſon and merits of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, as this Dr. hath done.
We are well aſſured, that neither the former Parliaments, nor the preſent Governours did intend, or mean thus to tolerate, though they were tender to conſciences truly tender; their care was, and is, for the ejection of Scandalous, ignorant, and inſufficient Miniſters, and in their room, placing Godly, Learned, Orthodox Divines, the nobleſt work that can be undertaken, (if we may have liberty to expreſs our thoughts) in any Common wealth, that calls it ſelf Chriſtian. This man formerly placed in, and now ejected, was none of theſe; first, not Godly, becauſe, he denies the Godhead of Jeſus Chriſt, vilifies his precious blood, which the*Acts 20.28. Scripture calls the blood of God. A Doctrine that wants a name black enough to be called by, in which any man living, and dying can never be ſaved, and certainly there can be no godlineſs in that religion, in which there is no ſalvation.
Secondly, Not learned, (we ſpeak not of that great help and ornament of humane learning, whereof this man hath no great cauſe to boaſt, (although by a Charientiſmus he is called Doctor) but, becauſe he is ignorant of the chief heads of Religion, which even ſome children of ten years old from their catechiſme can deliver in more intelligible termes, then he hath done.
Thirdly, Not Orthodox, becauſe, his doctrines are Diametrically oppoſite to all thoſe that now are, or thoſe that have been received as ſuch, by the people of God in all former ages, and his expoſition, and application of the Scripture is a meer wretched and ſenſleſs corruption of the ſacred text.
Fourthly, No Divine, becauſe, his hereſies are, (if by the example of the*Appietatem, aut Lentulitatem, Cic. epiſtol. lib. 3. epiſt. 7. Oratour in Latine, we may have leave to coyn a word in Engliſh) rather Divellity, then Divinity.
The Matter of his Charge (for which we referre thee to this relation) may be reduced to four heads.
Firſt, Blaſphemy, and of that, the moſt pernicious, directly deſtroying the very foundation.
Secondly, Pretended Viſions, of Angels, to confirme that blaſphemy.
Thirdly, The Doctrine and Scandall of uncleanneſs, the†God moſt juſtly puniſhing impiety with impurity. Rom. 1.21, to 24. Iſſue of that blaſphemy.
Fourthly, Ignorance and inſufficiency, the ground thereof.
For the firſt, Blaſphemy, he hath often denied the Godhead of our Lord Jeſus, which may be called antecedent Blaſphemy, and called his righteouſneſs a ſapleſs righteouſneſs, and his precious blood a va…n thing, which are moſt direfull Blaſphemies, and conſequences of the former.
The firſt of theſe was the damned hereſie ofaEuſeb. Eccleſ. hiſto. lib. 5. cap. ult. Theodotus, the tanner,bIbid. Paulus Samoſatenus, cEpiphan. Haereſ. 71. Aug. haereſ. 44, 45.Photinus, dIbid. haereſ. 49.Arrius, whom Hierome in apol. adv. Ruffin. calls Damonium Meridianum, eMahomet. Alchor. c. 5. p. 72. (if this may be called Hereſie.)Mahomet, fMr. Rutherfords Survey, part. 1. cap. 9.Henry Nicholas founder of the Familiſts.
The other execrable Blaſ…hemy concerning Chriſts righteouſneſs, is either a piece of oldhAlphonſ. de caſtro. lib. 7. col. 7. 510. Pelagianiſme, which puts the merits of Eternall life upon the performance of humane nature, or rather, newiRutherfords S rvey of the Spirit, Antic. c. 9. p. 58, 59. famil ſme, which moſt abſurdly, and blaſphemouſly ſaith, that Chriſt is not one man, the Son of Mary, but all men believing and loving, and that Chriſt is not God, and man, but the ſtate of perfection in believers, what Chriſtian heart can chuſe but be affected with ſome ſparkes of holy zeal againſt ſuch curſed doctrines, ſpit in the facce of Jeſus Chriſt, by an handfull of ſinfull dirt, fit to be cast into the ſtreet, Pſal. 18.42. and which impious doctrines do neceſſarily conclude our religion to be but a fable, our faith a fancy, our hope a dream, and us of all creatures the moſt miſerable.
To the ſecond, as to Viſions of angels, we believe the Chriſtian Reader will eaſily perſwade himſelfe, that the Bleſſed Angels would rather lie down in the flames of hell, then come to confirme ſuch wicked, antichriſtian doctrines, but this is an old fetch of the Prince of darkneſs.
The Angelici were thought by ſome to have been ſo called for their pretended communion with angels, which agreeth well with that we find inaEpipha. cont. haereſ. lib. 2. tom. 1. p. 60. Epiphanius v…z. that they held themſelves to be of the order of angels, as being perſons in their own conceits angelicall, if ſo, tis likely they looked the angels ſhould be*This Doctor doth confeſſe converſe with them. familiar with them, But the conſtant phraſe of the Scripture ſtill mentioning familiar ſpirits in an evil ſence, never in a good, teacheth us to take them not for glorified Angels in heaven, but for damned fiends in hell.
The pretenſe of converſe with Angels, we find most frequent amongst Mahumetans, Papiſts, and Familiſts, take a ſingle inſtance of each of them;
Firſt, Mahumetans, and here, moſt notoriouſly famous is the grand impoſture of that wickedbForbes inſtruct. hiſt. theol. p. 176. Mahomet, pretending great familiarity with the Angel Gabriel, and that the Alcoran was let fall from heaven into his boſome, when he was aſleep; A great helper of this wretch, was Sergius a Neſtorian, who denied (as our Dr.) the Godhead of Chriſt,
2. Of the Papiſts we have a notable hiſtory of their S. Franciſca, who was ſaid to have enjoyed the ſight of an AngelcHere is the Drs. match. continually, he was of an incredible beauty, his countenance more white, then ſnow, more ruddy, then the roſe, croſs'd on his breaſt, his locks long, and curled, more clear then poliſhed gold, ſhining with ſuch brightneſſe, that ſhe could read her mattens at midnight.
3. As for the Familiſts, we cannot have a fitter example then of their PatriarckaMr. Rutherford… Survey Antic. cap. 9. p. 55. Henry Nicholas, who gave out that he had Viſions of, and conferences with Angels from heaven, from whom he learned to expound Scriptures by Allegories, but ſuch Angels are quickly d…ſcovered to be Divels indeed, when their Revelations are brought to be tried by the Word of God, as they ought, Iſai. 8.20.
Mary Wiltſhire reported to Dr. Goad, and Dr. Featly, at Lambeth, that there appeared to her one in the ſhape of a woman, w…th very ſhining l…ght, having the moon under her feet, and the ſun over her head, with bright beams about it, who gave her being ſick in her bed, three Benedictions, and Fiſher the Jeſuit told her, without doubt it was the Bleſſed Virgin Mary, and it was revealed to him, ſhe muſt be a Nun of the Order of S. Clare.
bLuther, tom. 2 in Gen. Fol. 193.Luther being acquainted with this Cheat of Sathan, and fearing to be deluded by ſome Diabolicall impoſture under the appearance of Angels, daily prayed, that God woul… preſerve him from ſuch viſions, contenting himſelf with reading, and meditation of the Scriptures, and hearing Sermons, and prayer.
The fancy ofcEpiphan. con. Haereſ. lib. 2. tom. 1. haereſ. …9. Quintilla, or Priſcilla, who ſaid, that Chriſt came to her when ſhe was aſleep, and reuealed to her that Pepuza the Village where ſhe lived was an holy place, the city Jeruſalem which deſcended out of heaven, is paralel to the viſion of Suſan Day a… Bradfield, and the Drs. conceit that his houſe ſhould be as Noahs Ark, for ſafety to thoſe that came to dwell under his roof.
We never read nor heard but theſe pretenders to Viſions did ever ſcorn, and trample on the Word and Ordinances of Jeſus Chriſt, the Ordinance of Water Baptiſme is totally denied by the Dr. and the other Sacrament is in effect denied, becauſe the things ſign…fied are denied, ſoe diddRuther. ubi ante, p. 60. Henry Nicholas the Oracle of his Sect hold, that Scriptures, preaching, Sacraments, were but fleſhly, elementiſh, ceremoniall, and indifferent things.
The third head of the charge againſt the Dr. is for Uncleanneſſe in Doctrine, and that in two points; the one, denying with the*This Marcion had a baſtard by a ſiſter, for which fact he was ejected, and then denied Marriage to Chriſtians. Ob ſtupratam virginem rejectus, nuptias interdixit Chriſtianis. Eraſmus in his epiſt. before Irenaeus. Marcionites the remedy againſt it, preſcribed by the Apoſtle, 1 Cor. 7.2. the other allowing liberty for it, by penalty of women.
So did Mahomet, and the Papiſts now do, by tolerating Stewes, allowing many female bedfellowes, for one wife, asaSleidan. Comment. lib. 4. p. 79. Cardinal Campeius did in Germany; Pope Hildebrands doctrine was very good news to whoremongers, who for one wife might have the uſe of 600 women,bIdem, p. 200. John of Leyden the Mechanical King of the Fanaticks in Germany, pretended, that he received his impure doctrine by Revelation, and when ſome made doubt of ſuch Libertiniſme, he laid down his cloke upon the new Teſtament, and ſware by them both, that he had that doctrine delivered to him from God himſelf.
Obj. The Dr. is a Profeſſor, and is taken notice of for holineſſe, amongst men of his perſwaſion at leaſt, nay and others, very many.
Anſ. So was Caſpar cRutherfords Survey of Antic. c. 5. p. 15.Swincfield reputed a man grave, civil and fervent in prayer, yet he became a blaſpemous heretique against the nature of Cbriſt, and againſt the Scriptures, ſaying that Chriſt was not only once born, but often, and that we ought to content our ſelves with the teaching of the ſpirit, for, the vocall word is to be rejected as a killing letter.
Our Engliſh falſe ProphetdCambden Annal. l. 4. p. 40. Hacket was a Profeſſor of ſanctity, a hearer of ſermons, a reader of Scriptures, pray…ng with admirable fervency, yet fell from duty to revelation, and from revelation to blaſphemy, ſuch blasphemy againſt God, that even the Divells ſcarce ever durst utter.
The Dr. hath brought in his Proteſtation.
Anſ. Be pleaſed to read the animadverſion upon it, for preſent, conſider the Elceſaits, Priſcillianiſts, and Familiſts, they took liberty to diſſemble in their own defence, though they did ſo upon different grounds.
TheeAlphonſ. de Caſtro. adver. haereſ. l. …0. Elceſaits took a liberty to ſay any thing, becauſe they held that God was more pleaſed with truth in the heart, then displeaſed with falſity in the mouth.
ThefAug. de haer. haer. 7. Priſcillianiſts they allowed in themſelves the denying of the truth, becauſe they held it better to conceal the truth with lying, and perjury, then to confeſſe it with ſhame, and infamy.
TheaCambden Annal. l. 2. p. 18, 219. Familiſts held it was lawfull for them to deny upon their oathes before Magiſtrates what they liſt, or before any other which were not of their own Family, which of theſe the Dr. will chooſe for his brethren we cannot reſolve, it is l…ke, he will acknowledge none of them for his maſter, nor is it needfull, that one Heretick ſhould learn of another, for the ſame Divel may teach them all in ſeverall ages, the ſame Errors, Hereſies, and Blasphemies, asbCal. inſtruc. adv. Libert. c. 1. p. 435. opuſc. Calvin obſerves.
The fourth and laſt head, is ignorance and inſufficiency, we ſhall leave it to the conſcience of every impartial Chriſtian, whether his ſhewing himſelf groſſely‖That is the moſt favourable word, we wiſh there be nothing of pride, contempt, and ſcorn. ignorant of the Lord Jeſus in his Perſon, and Offices, even to a denial of them, and that with reproach, and this in publique, his ſenceleſſe allegorizing of the Scriptures, be not a ſufficient ground for being ſentenced, ignorant, and inſufficient.
As for our awn particular, (if we know our own hearts) we have not been acted in this buſineſſe through ſpleen, paſſion, or perſonal respects, but in ſincerity deſiring, and (according to our meanneſſe) endeavouring the glory of Jeſus Chriſt, and the good of precious ſoules, nor do we find our ſelves moved, (and we deſire we may not) with thoſe unworthy*Robbers, lions, Fierie furnaces, partiall, cruell, envious, unjuſt, killing the Prophets, crucifiers, &c. Theſe and ſuch like are the ſweet flowers of his meeke Rhetorick in his book, to this purpoſe ſpeak the Familiſts againſt the Puritans in their ſupplication to King James, printed An. 606. asperſions, and reflections caſt upon any of us by himſelf, his Lawyer, or his partie.
As for the Dr. himſelf, we heartily wiſh, that God may vouchſafe him repentance unto life, and that God would be pleaſed to open the eyes, and turn the hearts of thoſe poor, ſeduced people who are Belepered with theſe impious, and impure doctrines, and that God would make, and keep the Commiſſioners of this County, and all the counties of this Nation Conſcientious in, and Couragious for the Truth.
C. F.