The Fanning and Sifting of Samuel Oates, Samuel Oates

The Fanning and Sifting of Samuel Oates · Samuel Oates

TO MY Chriſtian Reader in generall: More particularly, To my Country-man Samuel Oates.

Chriſtian Reader,

BE pleaſed to take notice, that when I heard of this man my Countrey-man, come with a reſolution to ſow his ſeed at the corner of a Corn-field in our Towne: being jealous least it might prove as wilde, as that which he had ſcattered up and down in other parts of Eſſex; As God guided my thoughts, I deſired a faithfull brother to goe take his Sermon by Characters from his mouth, which he did moſt faithfully: And having read and compared theſe Notes, with anothers alſo, who wrote at that time; and receiving certain intelligence what impreſsions were left upon the mindes of his hearers: I had no reſt in my ſpirit, till (having laid all other ſtudies aſide) I had publikely examined and anſwered the materials of his two hours Diſcourſe. But never intended ſuch ſudden meditations for the Preſſe, till preſt hereunto by the deſires of the ſtronger, by the neceſsities of the weaker Chriſtian, and by the Adverſaries provocations for half a year together, who, finding a reſentment of the new Doctrine among ſilly women, and weak-headed men, gave out, that ere long, one that had never a hair on his face (and it may be, as little wit in his head, or grace in his heart) ſhould come and confirm what M. Oates had delivered, and confute my confutations. And according to their threats and brags, ſuch an one, or one like him, skipt into the ſame Corn-field, near a well, acted his part, did his beſt, and his worſt, and vaniſht: This youngster, ſtole in when we were not aware of him, ſo as for want of a Notary, we received but various reports of his worke, ſuch as I could neither make head nor foot of; only I am certified he wanted no railing rhetorique againſt our Ministers, who teach not Vniverſall Redemption, and a will in all to believe, as Prieſts that have loſt their light. It ſeems he hath lived under ſome Prelaticall Miniſters, who affected that title; and inſtilled ſome drops of Arminianiſme into the Catechiſme they taught him, whereupon he imagineth all Orthodox and godly Miniſters, who had ever any thing to doe with Prelates, were of the ſame judgement with our Innovatours; but the Lord rebuke ſuch Railers, and ſtop the mouths of ſuch Liers.

This was the laſt occaſion given me to fall upon tranſcribing (out of my Characters, which to me is a tedious work) what I had preached againſt Oates; and having proceeded ſo farre, as to the Vindication of the Parable from his corrupt gloſſe, falſe collection, and ſutable application; in that very juncture of time, Teſtardus came to my hands (an Authour who hath been extant theſe thirteen years, that I never ſaw before) whom I read (as he deſires of his Reader in his Epiſtle) a capite ad calcem, from the beginning to the end, yea over and over again, in ſtraights of ſpirit and time. And having all along ſought to the Father of lights for more clear diſcoveries of truth and falſhood; I had as little rest in reference to Teſtardus, as to Oates, till I drew up the diſcourſe, upon his tenet of univerſall Redemption; which is here inſerted and affixed to that I had preached and wrote before, about the ſame controverſie. The rather, becauſe I finde the Univerſaliſts of this time have lighted their candle (after Arminius was ſtinking in the ſnuff and ſocket) from this Teſtardus, and by comparing the Scriptures which Oats produced for his point, with this Authour; my Reader, and his, I think will conclude with me, that Samuel Oates was one of the diſciples (or diſcipulus diſcipulorum) of Paulus Teſtardus. I have a jealouſie alſo, I think godly, that ſome of our young Academicks (who when challenged of Arminianiſme, doe apologize, they never read nor ſaw Arminius) are Pupils to this their Tutour, and are ſouldiers fighting under his banner, whoſe Colours are the Colours of grace, while he fights for nature, and of a Covenant of grace, while he fights for a Covenant of works and nature all along, as he ſpeaks of the non-elect, or reprobate, as **Fideles verò minimè decet Reproborum in gratiam Eccleſiam turbare. inquit ipſe. Teſt. The. 294, 295.himſelf cals them. Now I leave it to others to ravel his bottom, and to exauthorize this Authour from the number of Claſſick and Orthodox. Truth is not afraid to enter errours den, becauſe, though it be dark, truth carrieth a light with it, to ſearch it out. I ſhall deſire my Countrey-Reader, to peruſe all that I commend to him in the controverſie with a Bible in his hand, and with humility and ſelf-deniall in his heart. My learned Reader, I intreat may have Teſtardus in his left-hand, and the two Teſtaments in his right. What is practicall will ſerve for all who have ſpirituall palats, and can reliſh ſpirituall nouriſhment.

Let Jeſus Chriſt be thy Pearl and Treaſure, and thou wilt not make him common. Jeſus Chriſt, in his Birth, Life, Death, Reſurrection, Aſcention, Seſsion, Interceſsion at Gods right-hand, is not ordinary, nor for all; but for the man and Merchant that findes him, hideth him, joyeth in him, and ſelleth all, to make ſure of him. So we preach, ſo ye have believed, and ſo we ſhall, and muſt ſtill believe that we may be ſaved.

And for you M. Oates, my Countrey-man, as I have, acquainted my Reader in generall, ſo I muſt charge it upon you (as the principall ſtickler in theſe parts, with your new Goſpel and Baptiſme) that you provok't me, both to the preaching and printing of what here followeth, in reference chiefly to the Parables, and your Expoſition. Firſt, You preacht in the town, and to ſome of my ordinary hearers, and fellow-Members, without my leave; then you defended what you had preacht, to him that noted from your mouth. You returned me word from Colcheſter goal (whither and when, as thinking it a fit time and place for reflection, I ſent for your Recantation) that you would fain ſee me in print. And you ſeconded it at Chelmsford-Aſſizes to my face in the Market-place, that if I came forth, if you did not anſwer me, you would procure one that would.

You may remember I then admoniſht you, as a Chriſtian, to forbear the ſpreading of your errour. You told me, you took it to be a truth; but if you have no ſurer props to uphold it, then you gave me at that time and place, Actum eſt de tua cauſa. For then and there you informed me, you learnt this Doctrine of the Church of England, and to my anſwer, you were an apter Scholar then I, who never ſuckt ſuch milk from her brests, and to my queſtion, where? your Reply was, Doth not the Catechiſme in the Service-book teach it? Where, in Anſwer to the Queſtion, What doſt thou chiefly learn in theſe Articles of thy belief? It is ſaid, Firſt, I believe in God the Father, &c. Secondly, I believe in God the Son, who hath redeemed me, and all man-kinde; But remember what I left with you at a preſent parting upon thoſe words (partly out of your deſire, lest the people ſhould flock about us, partly out of my reſpect, to what the holy Ghoſt ſaith, Go from the preſence of a fooliſh man, when thou perceiveſt not in him the lips of knowledge.) That Book nor Catechiſme, never went for the Doctrine of the Church of England, but as Prelaticall ſpirits might have framed thoſe words, or as you with them have wreſted the ſenſe, ſo you did act the Prelats part. For as I ſince finde, in the Title of that Catechiſme, it was to be learned of every childe before he be brought to be confirmed by the Biſhop; It ſeems you learnt it from your childehood, and it may be the Biſhops hands have been upon you at Confirmation, though not at Ordination. You are a true ſonne by this Confirmation, it may be; I am ſure by your Doctrine of the Prelaticall Church; and an Apocryphall text, is good enough, for Apocryphall doctr…ne. A plainer text it was for your darling point, That Chriſt died for the bulk of man-kinde, then the mans buying of the field, in the Parable, you wot of; from which you have, as it were, made your appeal to the Church of England. To that you ſhall go: But firſt we muſt agree, What is the Church of England? Dare you ſay the Prelaticall company? or the profane multitude? This were to ſpeak againſt light. Turn you rather to the 19. of the 39. Articles, put out, an. 1562. and you w…ll finde, what a viſible Church is, viz. A Congregation of faithfull men, &c. A Congregation of faithfull men in England, is a Church in or of England. Now what Church or company of faithfull men will you ſelect, as a pillar (of your ſuppoſed truth) that hath held out your doctrine of univerſal Redemption? I ſhall call forth three witneſses as a ſufficient enumeration. 1. The company that agreed to the 39. Articles, They **Art. 2.acknowledge, That Chriſt ſuffered, was crucified, dead and buried, to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a ſacrifice, not only for originall guilt, but alſo for all actuall ſins of men. But tis one thing, for Chriſt to be a ſacrifice for all ſins of men, originall, actuall; another thing, for him to die for all mens ſins; or, to d…e for the expiating of the ſins of every ſingular man.

2. The company of **Confeſſion of the faith of 7 Anabaptiſt Churches in London.7. Congregations of your own way of Anabaptiſme, who though they be diſtinct in reſpect of their particular bodies for conveniency ſake, yet are all one in Communion, They aaSect. 5.acknowledge, The elect which God hath loved with an everlaſting love, are receemed, &c. And that bbSect 17 See alſo Sect. 21Chriſt being conſecrated, &c. hath fully performed and ſuff…red all thoſe things, by which God, through the bloud of that his Croſſe, in an acceptable Sacrifice might reconcile his Elect only.

3. The company or companies of faithfull men, who differ only, or chiefly in point of Baptiſme, from you, and thoſe fore-named in London, but are with joynt-conſent, united and knit together in fellowſhip of the Apoſtles doctrine, breaking of bread and praiers. Produce me any of them, who for theſe 100. years and upwards, have in England, held forth your doctrine of univerſal Redemption, as the Doctrine of the Church of England, or of the Churches in England. No, they have ever been more pure in Doctrine, what-ever pollutions, too many we have had (the Lord humble us and make us aſhamed for them) in Diſcipline.

I hope by this time, you will be aſhamed, with a ſhame and ſorrow that brings forth repentance, not to be repented of. And my hearts deſire to God for you, and the reſt of my ſeduced Countrey-men, in Norfolk, Norwich, Lin, is, that they may be reduced with you and ſaved with you: For I bear you record, that you have a zeal for Chriſt, but not according to knowledge. If you think to be ſaved, and to help to ſave others, by the doctrine of univerſall Redemption, and by the particular act of rebaptizing, and of being rebaptized, you will ſtill deceive, and be deceived.

Perpend therefore and weigh with your ſelf, or rather, out of your ſelf, with the minde of God, in the Scriptures (as here, and in others more elaborate and ſpirituall diſſertations is) cleared and vindicated. Had you ſold your ſelf wit, fancy and conceit (in Gods matters for Chriſt and Goſpel-truth) you would never have ſo abuſed the Parable of ſelling all, and of buying the field and treaſure, as you did, when you opened your pack of wares in our Town. I know 'tis incident to us all to erre, but where ſelf-deniall prevails, errour ſhall not prevail to hereſie. Errour is a ſerpent with a long tail, full of knots: if unwary, ſelf-confident perſons meet with it, it will winde in and enwrap, in it's endleſse train, a thouſand of them, with which they cannot but be ſtrangled, that do not ſtrangle it.

I am afraid my old friend, T. More. ſometimes of Wels, was thus enſnarled by doubtfull diſputations, with the erroneous Doctours of the times, who hath pleaded your cauſe (of generall atonement) in print. A book I could never meet with to this day; but the other day, when I had finiſht this By M. Whitfield.Piece, there was preſented to my view, a godly, learned, friendly and faithfull Anſwer to that his book. I ſhall hope, by humility and ſelf-deniall, he will recover himſelf upon the reading of it, and I ſhall pray you may prevent him, or joyn, or follow in a Palinodia. Then will you ſee and ſay, it had been better for you both, to have kept to your looms, then to have ſpun ſuch a threed, which will not make a web, and that a garment to cover your nakednes withall. Repent, or you have much to anſwer, a heavy account to give up. For ſuch, as have had a better name for piety, then ever Prelates had, to make a more dangerous narrow bridge to Popery (then they did) by a more refined Pelagianiſme; For you, who have pretended to more ſanctity, then ever Arminian Doctours have done in familiar communion with Gods people, to be more efficacious in deceiving and miſ-leading unſtable ſouls; O, I tremble to think of the account. Repent therefore, and your errour of errours, yet will not be your ruine.

But if the Lord leaves you to your free-will, and you be hardened from his fear, let him that you will procure to anſwer me (if you cannot your ſelf) reconcile theſe contradictions, between your univerſality of Redemption, and your Anti-paedo-baptiſme.

Now the good Lord, the Spirit of truth, deliver his choſen people from both theſe extreams, and from all ſuch interfeering and ſhackling opinions, in whom I am, theirs, and

Yours to read, as to write, to learn, as to teach, John Stalham.