Gainsayer Convinced, Tract · Part 1 – Part 2
The ANSWER.
Friends:
SO in charity I call you, (becauſe you ſubſcribe your ſelves ſo) though your Paper, from the beginning to the end, be full of gall and bitterneſſe; and ſavours as much as may be of that enmitie, which God from the beginning, did put 'twixt the ſeed of the woman, and the ſeed of the Serpent.
Having received your Letter, and peruſed it, I took it (and as Hezekiah did with the reproachfull letter of Sennacherib, 2 King. 19.) I did ſpread it before the Lord, who knoweth the ſecrets of all hearts, and judgeth righteouſly.
And for Anſwer to it, which you deſired ſpeedily, in that I have been thus long about it, I muſt ſay as Paul did to his Theſſalonians, 1 Theſſ. 2. 18. I would have come unto you (even I Paul) once and again: but Satan hindred me. So I ſay to you in this caſe, I would have anſwered you once and again ere this, but Satan hindred me. You deſire me to anſwer you in Scripture language, I promiſe you here in the beginning, that I will indeavour in 2 Tim. 2. 2 laſt ver.meeknes and love to anſwer, and to inſtruct you (with much patience) if God peradventure will give you repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, and that you may recover your ſelves out of the ſnare of the devil.
But me thinks 'tis ſtrange, that you who deſire Scripture language from others, you who pretend ſo much to the Spirit, ſhould yet ſo farre forget Scripture language, and ſo far put off the meekneſſe of the Spirit, in this your Letter as you do: for I appeal to the world, or rather to God (who knows the hearts from whence theſe expreſſions come) whether it be not fill'd up with that which St. Paul ſaith grieves the Spirit, viz: Bitterneſſe, wrath, anger, clamour, evill ſpeaking, malice: Epheſ. 4. 31. whether it ſavour not of many of the works of the fleſh reckoned up, Galat. 5. 20, 21. viz. hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, ſtrife, ſeditions, envie, with that reviling which the Apoſtle reproves, 1 Cor. 6. 11.
Look upon ſome of your expreſſions: you call us, Time-ſervers, Weather-cocks, blinde Phariſees, Miniſters of Antichriſt, falſe Apoſtles, blood-thirſty men, Popiſh, ſwearers, forſwearers, drunkards, lyars, ſeducers, Jews, Hereticks, men of no Religion, that our Doctrines are deſtructive, and damnable; yea Devils, and the like: and this you have ſet your hands to.
But I ſhall indeavour with the Apoſtle being reviled, to bleſſe; or as the Apoſtle commands us to imitate Chriſt, who being reviled, reviled not again; but committed himſelf to God, who judgeth righteouſly: 1 Pet. 2. 23.
I would willingly ſpeak ſomething to every materiall paſſage in your Letter; but I ſhall paſſe by many of thoſe extravagancies which I am willing, charitably to beleeve, did unadviſedly drop from your pen, and not take notice of them: for ſhould I ſtay upon every piece of your madneſſe and folly, the profit (redounding to you or me) of ſuch a work, would not countervail the labour.
I ſhall therefore paſſe over all your bitterneſſe, baſe ſlanders, your reproaches, your reviling and railing accuſations, with the words of Michael the Archangel contending with the Devill, The Lord rebuke you: and the Lord help you to ſee from what ſpirit they come, I heartily pitie you (as knowing the Author of theſe) and that nothing of what you have ſent, comes immediately from your ſelves, though by reaſon of your ignorance) you have been eaſily ſeduced, and led to ſet your hands to: and (in that) to ſpeak evil of thoſe things you know not. I ſhall therefore ſpeak onelyonly to ſuch paſſages in your Letter, as do demonſtrate to any common eye, the undeniable footſteps of the ſpirit of Error walking amongſt you: I hope the Lord will inable me ſo to diſcover it to you, that you may at preſent be aſhamed, and grieve that you have been nurſing fathers to any of Satans brood; and that for the time to come, ye may with all carefulneſſe learn to avoid the deepdeceit of that ſeeming Angell of light.
To begin.
You firſt ſay, you preſent me with ſuch particulars, as you could not but diſlike, except you ſhould be (as many now adayes) meer Time-ſervers, and men-pleaſers, and ſo prove perfidious to your principles, and prof…ſſions, and make ſhipwrack of faith and a good conſcience, and betray your freedoms into the hands of your blood-thirſtie adverſaries, that have ſo long ſought your downfall.
To this I anſwer.
Firſt, that many of your diſlikes preſented in your Paper are ſuch, that if you father the ground of them upon me, you are falſe accuſers, if you look into the 8. Joh. 44. ver. Chriſt will tell you, that the Devill is a lyar, and the father of lyes. And therefore look to it: if I am not miſtaken, the one half of you at leaſt, (who have ſubſcribed this Paper, and theſe exceptions againſt my praying and preaching) were not preſent, when either of thoſe Sermons were preached; yet it ſeems, (that beleeving by an implicite faith) you have ſet your hands to them: 'twas bravely and boldly ventured.
2ly, I anſwer: that (if ever any did in any thing) you have in this your Paper, if you will look upon it, and the times together) declared your ſelves to be meer time-ſervers, and men-pleaſers; and you have herein proved your ſelves perfidious to your principles and profeſſions, and have made ſhipwrack of faith and a good conſcience: And were it not that the power of the Church, and the golden reins of diſcipline, were at preſent violently taken out of her hands, you might (with Hymeneus and Alexander) be delivered over unto Satan, that you might learn not to blaſpheme.
3ly, Whereas you ſay, that if you ſhould not have preſented theſe your diſlikes, you ſhould betray your Freedoms into the hands of your blood-thirſtie adverſaries.
1. I anſwer. Firſt, I deſire you to remember the words of the Apoſtle Peter, 2 Ep. 2 Ch: 19. who ſpeaking of falſe prophets, ſaith, that while they promiſe them liberty, they themſelves are the ſervants of corruption. It is one bait, which ſeducers do fiſh withall (and never more then in theſe times) viz: Promiſes of Liberty and Freedome; and from hence 'cis that they have many followers; becauſe a carnall heart loves liberty, and accounts the commands of God and his Word a yoke, ſtrong cords, and bands: Pſal. 2. But ſuch a freedome and liberty, while 'tis injoyed, brings a man into the greateſt and baſeſt bondage and ſlaverie in the world, viz: under ſin and Satan. Now I onelyonly adviſe you, that while you ſo eagerly purſue your Freedomes, and are ſo incouraged with the promiſes, and hope of liberty, that you do not become in it the ſervants of corruption; 'tis an eaſie matter to be deceived herein; The heart of man is deceitfull above all things: Jer. 17. 9. and carnall libertie hath a falſe ſhadow of that Chriſtian libertie whereunto we are called.
2ly, For your blood-thirſtie adverſaries who (you ſay) ſeek after your downfall, who they are I know not: I thank the Lord I can waſh my hands in innocency, from thirſting after your blood; the Lord knows I hate none of your perſons; and I can ſpeak that for your ſouls, which Paul did to his Romanes, 10. Chap. 1. ver. Brethren, my hearts deſire and prayer to God for you is, that ye may be ſaved.