Jews in America, Part 3 · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
THere is another in jaculation that hath gone current among many, that the Puritane of old and New-England is Antimonarchicall, the former is ſufficiently cleared by that Biſhop, who hath left this teſtimony, aReſp. ad Apol. p. 29.Presbyterio lis eſt cum Epiſcopis, cum Rege nulla eſt, or if that be not enough, King Iames bKing Iames workes. p. 340.in this is an irrefragable Aſſertor, The Puritans do not decline the oath of Supremacy, but daily take it, never refuſed it; and the ſame ſupremacy is defended by cInſtitut. l. 4… c. 20.Calvin himſelfe. And in New-England Mr. Williams dLetter 20▪ of the 10 monethmonth. 1635.ſeemed in other things to be extravagant, yet thus he writes to this point: For the Government of the Common-wealth from the King, as ſupreme, to the inferiour and ſubordinate Magiſtrates, my heart is on them, as once Deborah ſpake: and as the Governours and aſſiſtants doe themſelves take the oath of Allegiance, Charter.ſo they have power by their Charter to give the ſame to all that ſhall at any time paſſe to them, or inhabite with them; But, Tempora mutantur, and it may be tis with them, as with us, & nos mutamur in illis. And tis further ſaid, that their Eccleſiaſtique government, is not onelyonly oppoſite to the ancient Epiſcopacy of the land, but to the diſcipline of the other Reformed Churches, even that which the Covenant calleth for: it may be worth our conſideration, that as there was a time when forraigners reformed were not ſo oppoſite to our Biſhops, but thoſe Divines eCalvis. Beza. Gualt. alii.thought well of them, willingly-gave to them Titles of Reverend Fathers, and Illuſtrious Lords; and in their publique convenings, fEpit. Cent. 16. p. 185. 285. & concil. Dordrac.ſpake of that Government with good reſpect, and the valedictory Epiſtle of Mr. Cotton, to the then Biſhop of Lincoln, full of reſpective expreſſions, is yet to be ſeen, So the Biſhops then were not ſuch Antipresbyterians, Caecus ſit, ſaith gAndr. Poſthu. p. 176.Biſhop Andrewes to P. Moulin a Presbyter, qui non videat ſtantes ſine ea Eccleſias, ferreus ſit, quiſalutem cis neget, nos non ſumus illi ferrei, Let him be blind that ſeeth not Churches conſiſtent without ſuch an Hierarchy, let him be accounted iron-hearted that ſhall deny them to be in a way of ſalvation, we are not ſuch iron-hearted men, yea and ſeverall reformed Congregations of ſeverall Nations have not onelyonly been tollerated, but much refreſhed under the Biſhops of London, Norwich, Winchester, &c. Theſe times have widened all differences every where, even among ſuch as are or ſhould be one in covenant; how are diſaffections increaſed, diviſions heightened, which have not only wofully abated chriſtian love, but miſerably augmented iniquities of all ſorts? many being ſcrupulouſly curious about mint and annis, having little reſpect in the meane time to faith, righteouſneſſe, and the more weighty things of the law; and here may be taken up the lamentation of Eraſmus h…p. p. 749., bemoaning himſelfe exceedingly, that he had in bookes cryed up, libertatem ſpiritus, liberty of the ſpirit, which I thinke this age would call liberty of conſcience, I wiſhed thus ſaith hee, a diminution of humane ceremonies, to that end, that divine truths and godlineſſe might be enlarged, Nunc ſic excutiuntur illae, ut pro libertate ſpiritus ſuccedat effraenis carnis licentia, and he doth juſtly call it carnall licenciouſneſſe, for the Spirit of our God, Gal. 5. 20. names contentions, ſeditions, hereſies, &c. workes of the fleſh, which being but lately ſowne, have ſtrangely growne up and multiplyed, ſo that a forraigne penne hath to Englands ſhame printed it thus to the world, iHonor. Reg. Commentar. Dautiſci. 1647.Anglia his quatuor annis facta est colluvies, & lerna omnium errorum, ac ſectarum, nulla à condito orbe provincia tam parvo ſpatio tot monſtroſas haereſes protulit atque haec, Epiſcoporum tempora intra ſexaginta annos non niſi quatuor ſectas protulerunt, & eas plerunque in obſcuro latentes, &c. For I had rather bewaile than reveale the nakedneſſe of the Nation, I had rather ſtirre up my owne ſoule and others to piety, and peace, oh, when will men lay aſide all bitterneſſe, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evill ſpeaking, with all malice; and inſtead thereof be kinde one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God for Chriſts ſake forgave you, Epheſ. 4. 32. I wiſh there were a law to forbid all needleſſe diſputes, I wiſh that it and thoſe other ſeverall lawes were put in execution impartially, ſo that all men by all meanes were provoked to godlineſſe, that would preſerve from every error, for God is faithfull that hath promiſed, If any man will doe the Fathers will, he ſhall know the doctrine whether it be of God, Joh. 7. 17. Hearty endeavours for holineſſe in our owne perſons, and thoſe related to us, would take away the occaſions of many unkind controverſies, for the Kingdome of God is not meate or drinke, this or that government, or any ſuch externalls, no further then they ſerve to promote righteouſneſſe and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoſt, Rom. 14. 17. and this is the beſt way to ſhew our obedience unto Chriſt, for hee that in theſe things ſerveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. ver. 18. When our Countreymen planted themſelves firſt in America, the name of Independency was not knowne; hee indeed that lately hath wrote kIdem ibid.of the ſtate of the Churches in England, drawes ſo the ſcheme that our Novangles are thus become Independents, but with the epithete of orthodox.
Schema ſectarum recentium, Puritani
Presbyteriani,
Angli.
Scoti.
Eraſtiani, ſive Colemaniani.
Independentes, ſive Congregationales.
Orthodoxi Novo-Anglici, Londinenſes.
Pſeudo-Independentes, ſive Fanatici.
Anabaptistae, Quaerentes, Antinomi, & mille alii.
And for our Novangles it cannot be denyed, but many of them well approve the Eccleſiaſtique government of the Reformed Churches, as of old, communi Presbyterorum conſilio Eccleſiae regebantur, they deſire it were Hieron. Tit.ſo now; and ſome of them in New England are amazed at the manner of our gathering of Churches here: thus one writeth lSimp. C. p. 42that had bin a long time a Paſtor among them; What more ungodly ſacrilege, or manſtealing can there be than to purloine from godly Miniſters the firſt borne of their fervent prayers, and faithfull preachings, the leven of their flocks, the encouragement of their ſoules, the crowne of their labours, their Epiſtle to heaven? If men will needs gather Churches out of the world as they ſay, let them firſt plough the world, and ſow it, and reape it with their owne hands, & the Lord give them a liberall harveſt. He is a very hard man that will reape where he hath not ſowed, and gather where he hath not ſtrowed, Mat. 24. 25. and if I miſtake not, ſuch kind of unkind and hard dealing was practiſed here in England even in popiſh times, what meanes elſe that Canon among the Saxon Councells mSir H. S. p Panang. p. …92., Vt ſacerdotes aliorum parochianos ad ſe non alliciant, how like this lookes to that I leave to the judgement of others, but theſe be the words of that rule, Let no Preſbyter perſwade the ſaithfull of the Pariſh of another Presbyter to come to his Church, leaving his owne, and take to himſelfe thoſe tithes; but let every one bee content with his owne Church and people, and by no meanes doe that to another, which he would not ſhould be done to himſelfe, according to that Evangelicall ſaying, Whatſoever yee would that men ſhould doe unto you, doe yee the ſame to them; but whoſoever ſhall walke contrary to this rule, let him know hee ſhall either loſe his degree, or for a long time be detained in priſon. I ſhall by and by ſpeake more to this on their behalfe, now adde onelyonly, that as many in New England approve of the diſcipline of the other Churches Reformed, and ſome of them ſufficiently diſlike the way and manner of our Church gathering here, ſo all of them have now ſeen by experience the neceſſity of Synods: For in their great ſtorm of late that was ſo like to wracke all, the meanes to ſettle it was as ſtrange as the diſeaſe, ſo he writes that was an eye, and eate witnes, They that heretofore ſlighted Synods, and accounted of them as humane inventions, and the blemiſh of A diſcourſe of New England not printed.thoſe Reformed Churches that made uſe of them, are now for the preſervation of themſelves enforced to make uſe of that meanes which in time of peace they did ſlight and contemne; the Synod, ſaith he, being aſſembled, much time was ſpent in ventilating and emptying of private paſſions, but afterwards it went on and determined with ſuch good ſucceſſe, that in token thereof, hee ſaith, wee keepe a ſolemne day of thankſgiving, as there was cauſe, and the two men moſt different in opinion, were ſelected for the publike exerciſe, wherein they behaved themſelves to admiration, the Acts and concluſions of the Synod, &c. I would further aske, if the Independent government, ſo farre as it is congregationall, be not as rigidly Presbyterian as any; ſure I am, unkinde they are not to the other Presbyterians, Mr Winſlow is an irrefragable teſtis herein, who mentions ſome there that are in that way, and knowne to be ſo, yet never had the leaſt moleſtation or diſturbance, but Relat. of proceagainſt Sa. Gort. p. 99.have and finde as good reſpect from Magiſtrates, and people, as other Elders in the congregationall way; yea divers Gentlemen of Scotland, that groaned under the late preſſures of that Nation, wrote into New England to know whether they might freely be ſuffered to exerciſe their Presbyteriall government, and it was anſwered affirmatively they might; and yet further none of them here or there, that continue true to their firſt principles, differ at all in fundamentalls and doctrine from the other Presbyterians, and tis not unlike, but when God ſhall enlarge their borders, they will finde it needfull to approach yet neerer to the way of other Reformed Churches in their diſcipline: And there is of themſelves, that upon obſervation of their former very great danger, have left their judgement, with which I will conclude this Chapter: An excellent Diſcourſe before mentioned.way they have, meaning their Eccleſiaſtique government, if Paſtors and people would ever be of one opinion, but when they ſhall come to be divided into as many opinions, as they are bodies, what will the ſequell be? and I ſee little probability of ſubſiſtence, where Independency yeelds matter of diviſions, but no meanes to compound them.