The Bloody Tenant Yet more Bloody, Chapter 21
Examination of CHAP. XXI.
Peace.
IN this Chapter four anſwers were given by the diſcuſſer to that great objection of the miſchief that the Tares will do in the field of the world, if let alone and not pluckt up.
The firſt was, That if the tares offend againſt Civility or civil ſtate, God hath armed the civil ſtate with a civil ſword, &c.
Maſter Cotton replies, what if their conſcience incite them to civil offences?
I anſwer, the conſcience of the civil Magiſtrate muſt incite him to civil puniſhment, as a Lord Maior of London once anſwered, That he was born to be a Judge, to a Thief that pleaded he was born to be a thief. If the conſcience of the worſhippers of the Beast incite them to prejudice prince or ſtate, Although theſe conſciences be not as the conſcience of a thief (commonly convinced of the evil of his fact, but) perſwaded of theCorrupt conſciences diſtinguiſhed. lawfulneſs of their actions; yet ſo far as the civil ſtate is endammaged or endangered, I ſay the ſword of God in the hand of civil Authority is ſtrong enough to defend it ſelf, either by impriſoning or diſarming, or other wholeſome meanes, &c. while yet their conſciences ought to be permitted in what is meerly point of worſhip, as prayer, and other ſervices and adminiſtrations.
Hence the wiſdome of God, in that 13 Rom. (reckoned by Maſter Cotton the Mag…a Charta for civil Magiſtrates dealing in matters of Religion) I ſay, there it pleaſeth God expreſly to reckon up the particulars of the ſecond table, chalking out (as it were) by his own finger, the civil ſphear or circle, in which the civil Magiſtrate ought to act and execute his civil power and Authority.
Peace.
The ſecond anſwer of the diſcuſſer was, that the church or ſpiritual City hath laws and Armories to defend it ſelf.
Maſter Cotton excepteth, ſaying, That if their members be leavened with Antichriſtian Idolatry and Superſtition, and yet muſt be tolerated in their idolatry, and ſuperſtitious worſhip, will not a litle leaven leaven the whole lumpe? and how then is theTolleration of idolaters conſidered. church guarded?
Truth.
The queſtion is, whether idolatrous and Antichriſtian worſhippers may be tolerated in civil ſtate, in the City, in the Kingdome, &c. under any civil power: Maſter Cotton anſwers no, they will do miſchief. The reply is, againſt any civil miſchief (though wrought conſcientiouſly) the civil ſtate is ſtrongly guarded. Secondly, Againſt the ſpiritual miſchief, the church or City of Chriſt is guarded with heavenly Armories, wherein there hang a thouſand Bucklers▪ Cant. 4. and moſt mighty weapons, 2 Cor. 10. In the church of Chriſt ſuch worſhippers ought not to be tolerated, but caſt out, &c.
That is true, ſaith Maſter Cotton, but yet their leaven will ſpread.
I anſwer, What is this, but to make the moſt powerful appointmentsCivil weapons in ſpirituals, blur and flight the ſpiritual. of Chriſt Jeſus, thoſe mighty weapons of God, terrible cenſures and ſoul-puniſhments in his kingdome, but as ſo many woodden daggers and leaden ſwords, childrens Bull-beggars, and ſcarcrows, and upon the point ſo baſe and beggarly, that without the help of the Cutlers ſhop or Smiths forge, the church or kingdome of Chriſt cannot be purged from the leaven of idolatry and ſuperſtition?
Peace.
Me thinks the Lord Jeſus was of another mind▪ Mat. 18. when he accounted it ſufficient to cut off the obſtinate, Let him be as a Gentile or publican: and in the very ſimilitude of leaven (here uſed by Maſter Cotton) Paul counted it ſufficient to purge out the leaven, 1 Cor. 5. if that evil perſon were put away from the midſt of them, that is, from their holy and ſpiritual ſociety. Paul never asks (as Maſter Cotton doth) ſince we have not to our ſpiritual armes, armes of fleſh, and a civil ſword to help our ſpiritual, how ſhall the ſafety of the church be guarded?
But let's proceed. The third Anſwer was, That the elect cannot be finally deceived: Maſter Cotton replies. It is true, but God provides meanes of preſervation, &c. And Jezabels tolerating in Thiatira made the church guilty.
Truth.
This Argument was not uſed in derogation of Gods meanes, ſpiritual in ſpiritual things, civil in civil, &c. but by way of ſuppoſition of the worſt, as Job ſpake in another caſe, How helpeſt thou the Arme that hath no ſtrength? Not but that in ordinary ſubmiſſion to means, man ought to help the Lord againſt the mighty. The ſum is this, rather let the Lord alone to help himſelf without meanes, then to help the Lord to ſave his elect (who cannot by vertue of his love and decree finally be deceived) by any ſuch means as are none of his own appointing.
2. It is true, that the church at Thyatira, tolerating Jezabel to ſeduce, was guilty, yea and I add the City of Thiatira was guilty alſo if it tolerated Iezabel to ſeduce to fornication. ButThe tolleration of Jezabel in Thyatira. what is this to the point of the iſſue [to wit, Whether the City of Thiatria ſhould be guilty or not in tolerating Iezabel in that which the City judgeth to be idolatry and falſe worſhip? Jezabels corporal whoredoms (ſinning againſt civility or ſtate of the City) the City by her Officers ought to puniſh, leſt civil order be broken, and civility be infected &c. but Iezabels ſpiritual whoredomes, the civil ſtate ought not to deal with but (there being a church of Chriſt then in Thiatria, and the ſpiritual whoredomes there taught and practiſed) I ſay the church in Thyatira, which in the name and power of Chriſt was armed ſufficiently to paſs and inflict a dreadful ſpiritual cenſure, which God will confirme and ratifie moſt aſſuredly and undoubtedly in heaven.
Peace.
Two reaſons more were alleadged out of the Text. The firſt was, that by plucking up the tares, the good wheate it ſelf by ſuch hurries and perſecutions about Religion, ſhould be indangered to be plucked up; which Maſter Cotton ſalveth thus: to wit, If Gods people themſelves, for their idolatry and ſuperſtition, ſhould be cut off, it will be for warning unto others, &c.
Truth.
Oh ungodly, unchriſtian, that is bloody and Antichriſtian doctrin, by which (under pretence of puniſhing hereticks, ſchiſ…aticks, and ſeditious perſons) the Son of God, the Lord ofChriſt Jeſus under pretence perſecuted. Lords, and King of Kings, hath ſo many millions of times, in his ſervants been perſecuted, ſlaine, and crucified! As for the world, it lies in wickedneſs, is a wilderneſs of ſin over-grown with idolatry and ſuperſtition. The Antichriſtian (falſly called Chriſtian world) in moſt abundant and over-flowing meaſure hath wondred after and magnified the Beaſt, Rev. 13. The two witneſſes propheſie in ſackcloth againſt this beaſt, in all parts of his dominion, by whom alſo they are perſecuted and ſlaine, and yet we read not that they judge or cenſure, or fight for themſelvesThe weapons of the Saints, Rev. with any other weapons then by the word of their prophecie, the blood of the Lamb, their patient ſufferings, the not loving of their lives unto the death.
Peace.
The ſecond reaſon out of the parable was, That the▪ Angels of God have in charge to bundle up theſe tares for the burning. Maſter Cotton replies two things. Firſt, ſo theſe Angels will gather into bundles for the burning murtherers robbers, &c. who are not yet to be tolerated.
Truth.
I anſwer, If a man call Maſter Cotton murtherer, witch, &c. with reſpect to civil matters, I ſay the civil ſtate muſt judge and puniſh the offender, elſe the civil ſtate cannot ſtand, but muſt return to barbariſme. But if a man call Maſter Cotton murtherer, witch &c. in ſpirttual matters, as deceiving The difference between civil and ſpiritual ſlander.and bewitching the peoples ſouls, if he can prove his charge, Maſter Cotton ought to give God the glory, and and repent of ſuch wickedneſs. If he cannot prove his charge, but ſlander Maſter Cotton, yet is the ſlander of no civil nature, and ſo not proper to any civil court, but is to be caſt out (as we ſee commonly ſuits of law are rejected, when brought into Courts which take no proper cognizance of ſuch caſes.)
Peace.
What relief then hath Maſter Cotton or any ſo charged in this caſe?
Truth.
The court of heaven, the church of Chriſt, calls ſuch a ſlanderer to repentance (whether he be within the church or without, though orderly proceeding lies only againſt him that is within) If he be obſtinate, how dreadful is the ſentence againſt ſuch a ſlanderer, both in earth and in heaven? how dreadful the delivering up to hardneſs of heart (a greater plague on Pharaoh, then all the devouring plagues of Egypt) how dreadful theThe dreadful nature of Chriſts ſpiritual puniſhments. delivering up to Satan, the paw and jaw of the roaring Lyon (infinitely far more terrible, had we eyes to ſee it, then to be thrown with Daniel to the devouring Lyon:) There is no reaſon in the world therefore, for theeves and murtherers to be tolerated unto the laſt day without ſentence and puniſhment, becauſe tranſgreſſors againſt ſpiritual ſtate may be tolerated to live in the world, yet puniſhed for ſpiritual tranſgreſſion with a greater cenſure and ſorer puniſhment, then if all their bones and fleſh were rackt and torn in pieces with burning pincers.
Peace.
Maſter Cotton and others will ſay. The idolaters and ſeducers were cenſured ſpiritually under Moſes, and yet were they alſo put to death.
Truth.
I deſire Maſter Cotton to ſhew me under Moſes, ſuch ſpiritual cenſures and puniſhments beſide the cutting off by the civil ſword: which if he cannot do, and that ſince the Chriſtian Church antitypes the Iſraelitiſh, and the Chriſtian laws and puniſhments Not ſuch ſpiritual puniſhments in the national church of Iſrael.the laws and puniſhments of Iſrael concerning religion, I may truely affirme, that that civil ſtate which may not juſtly tolerate civil offenders, &c. yet may moſt juſtly tolerate ſpiritual offenders, of whoſe Delinquency it hath no proper cognizance.
Peace.
Laſtly, Maſter Cotton urgeth, that foreign (2 Theſſ. 2.) ſhould rather be tranſlated preſence then coming.
Truth.
Admit it (though many able tranſlators in divers languages rather tranſlate it coming) and that Antichriſt ſhall not be conſumed by the breath of the mouth of the Lord Jeſus before his laſt coming to judgement; yet then Maſter Cotton muſt give another interpretation of this end of the world, and the Angels, and the fire, then is uſually given: however the tares ſhall be bundled up for the everlaſting burnings, and are at preſent under a dreadful ſentence and puniſhment, and therefore (not offending in civil things) the civil ſtate may the better tolerate them in matters of religion and conſcience; and Paul himſelf (if oppoſed by them) might the better wait with patience, if God peradventure will give them repentance &c.