The Bloody Tenant Yet more Bloody, Chapter 61
Chap. 61. replying to Chap. 64. Examined.
Peace.
IN this Chapter God is pleaſed to leave Mr Cotton to fall into two Evills, then which (ordinarily) greater cannot be among the ſonnes of Men: I ſpeake not of the Aggravations of malice and obſtinacie, which I hope the moſt gracious Lord will keepe him from, but of the ſinnes themſelves in themſelves: The One is monſtrous Blaſphemie and abominable profanation of the moſt holy Name of his moſt High and holy Maker, &c. The ſecond extreameſt Crueltie and Tyrannie againſt Men his fellow Creatures.
For the firſt, after a new refined faſhion and dreſs, he projectsTwo high Tranſgreſſions objected againſt Mr Cotton. how to turne this whole Dunghill of the corrupt and rotten World, into a moſt ſweet and fragrant Garden of the Church, or Dove of Chriſt.
For the ſecond, he contents not Himſelfe with the Severitie and Crueltie of former times exerciſed by the Emperours profeſſing the Name of Chriſt, againſt ſuch, whom they reputed Hereticks, but blames them for applying too favourable and gentle Medicines of Exile and Baniſhment, and in plaine tearmes he ſayth, It had been better they had put them to death.
Truth.
Your obſervation (ſweet Peace) is full of pietie and Mercy: It is moſt true, that a private opinion, or an Act of Antichriſtianiſme and Idolatrie, like a dead flie, may cauſe a ſweet pot of Chriſtian Oyntment, to yeeld a ſtincking ſavour, but ſuch a Doctrine, of ſuch a generall Nature and extent, as reaches to all men, to all the World (in my apprehenſion) ſhould cauſe Men to feare and tremble at ſuch Rocks, againſt which ſuch Gallant veſſells may ſtrike, and ſplit, if the moſt holy and jealous God, be pleaſed a little to withdraw his holy hand from the ſteering of them.
Peace.
Let me (Deare Truth) ſumme up the Heads, to which I ſhall requeſt your Conſideration.
It is true (ſayth Mr Cotton:) when God advanced Conſtantine Touching the Romane Emperours practices in Religious. Affaires.and other Chriſtian Emperours to ſit on the Throne, the Church ſoone became a Wilderneſſe, and he alſo ſeemeth to conſent that the unknowing zeale of Conſtantine and other good Emperours did more hurt to Chriſtianitie, then the raging fury of bloudie Neroes: But withall he addeth that their unknowing zeale did not lye in puniſhing notorious Hereticks, Seducers, &c. And he ſayth, that the Church never had hurt by ſuch puniſhments. He affirmeth that it is no Solleciſme in Religion for the whole World to become Chriſtian: that the World became Antichriſtian by the tolleration of Princes, and their advancing of Church affaires, together with the unwatchfullneſſe of ſuch being advanced: that if the World had renounced Paganiſme, and profeſſed Chriſt to be the Sonne of God, but yet had been kept from the Fellowſhip of the Church till they had approved their profeſſion by a ſincere converſation, it had been no Solleciſme, &c.
Further, He ſayth, the Chriſtian Emperours did permit Hereticks ;to live in the field of the World, that they ſeldome or never put them to Death for hereticall pravitie (though it had been better (ſayth he) they had ſo done with ſome of them, but onelyonly expelled them from populous Cities and Countries, where the Gangrene might ſpread, &c.
Truth.
You have well ſummd up (Sweet Peace) I ſhallChriſts Garden gaines by violent Stormes, and looſeth by ſweete Sunſhines. briefly touch theſe Heads, with Gods aſſiſtance; and firſt concerning the zeale of the Romane Emperours. It is confeſt by Mr Cotton, that upon the good Emperours coming to the Throne, the Church ſoone became a Wilderneſſe, and that was a greater hurt and miſchiefe then ever befell the Saints and Churches under the fierie perſecution of the moſt bloudie Neroes; ſurely ſuch zeale that brought forth ſuch fruit to Chriſtianitie might ſeeme juſtly to be ſuſpected not to be kindled from Heaven, but from Men.
2. It ſeemes not reaſonable to the weakeſt underſtanding, norThe Romane Emperours. ſuitable to the wiſdome and conſtant care and love of Chriſt Jeſus to his Wife and Spouſe in his abſence, that the Romane Emperours ſhould be ſuch Godly Perſons, and that alſo neither by Chriſt Jeſus nor his Apoſtles or Meſſengers the leaſt word ſhould be directed to them, when, as yet, they were extant, in Chriſts and his Meſſengers times; and (by the bloudie Tenent) muſt be ſuppoſed inveſted with ſo high a calling too, ſo high a worke and dutie, as higher is not to be performed in the whole World (and that Ex Officio) to wit, the Eſtabliſhing, Governing, Reforming, &c. the Church, the Spouſe, and Kingdome of Chriſt Jeſus.
Peace. 2.
The Church and Servants of Chriſt had great hurt (notwithſtanding Mr Cottons contrary beliefe) by the Emperours The Arrians perſecuted and perſecuting.perſecuting, of whom they judged hereticall, partly in that the Arrians were hardned by their ſufferings, and Arrianiſme increaſed by the ſufferings of the profeſſours of it; as alſo that the Chriſtians were more ſeverely perſecuted (as hath often alſo come to paſſe (in the Interchanges between the Papiſt and the Proteſtant) when the Arrians came to weare the Sword, and the Orthodox Chriſtians were under Hatches.
Truth. 3.
But that the whole World that wonders after and worſhippeth the Beaſt, ſhould yet poſſibly be of the ſmall Number, that follow the Lambe, and ſtand oppoſite to the Beaſt, on Mount Zion: That the World upon whom the vialls of plagues and vengeance are to be powred according to the infallible Prophecies (not to ſpeak of the World from other Scriptures) thatThe great Difference between this World and Chriſt. this whole World (I ſay) ſhould be brought into ſuch an Onenes with Chriſt Jeſus, ſeemes ſo croſſe to the fundamentall Enmitie between Chriſts Seede and the Serpents, to the priviledges of the Saints, to the puritie of Chriſt, to the ſtreame of Scripture, and in particular to the ſweete laſt Will and Teſtament of the Lord Jeſus, and the nature of his particular Flocks, &c. That I cannot wonder ſufficiently, how any man profeſſing but a ſmall Knowledge of the Myſteries and Kingdome of Chriſt Jeſus, ſhould be ſo vailed, ſo obſcured, ſo to write of the ſtate of Chriſts Church and the World, as Mr Cotton doth?
Peace.
Chriſt Jeſus (Bleſſed Truth) gave not thankes to his moſt holy, moſt wiſe Father in vaine, for hiding from Wiſe and Prudent, and opening to Babes and Sucklings.
Truth. 4.
But further, Such a Converſion of People fromA Chriſtianitie ſtrange from Chriſt. Idolatrie to Chriſtianitie, as fits them to be profeſſours of the Sonne of God, but yet not fits them for the Fellowſhip of Chriſtians in Church State, I finde not in the Teſtament of Chriſt Jeſus. Surely the Converſion of the Theſſalonians was not ſuch, 2 Theſſ. 1. Who turned not onelyonly from Idolls; but to ſerve the living and true God, which ſervice of God in Chriſt no Soule uprightly in love with Chriſt Jeſus, but (in its meaſure) longs after, as vehemently and cordially as ever chaſt Spouſe after her deareſt earthly Husbands preſence and Enjoyment, Cant. 1. & 3. & 5.
Peace.
Gods Spirit (in John) deſcribes one Difference, &c. between the true Spirit and Profeſſours, and the f…ſe, to wit, that ſuch as acknowledge (that is truely as I conceive) Chriſt Jeſus to become in the fleſh, are borne of God.
Truth.
Yea therefore conſequently ſuch a Spirit cannot beAntichriſtian Chriſtianitie. of Jeſus, that makes ſuch a profeſſion of Chriſt Jeſus as the Devills themſelves may make, and (even for want of Regeneration and Perſonall Grace,) the profeſſours are not fit for the Fellowſhip of the true Chriſtian Worſhip, and Worſhippers.
5. But laſtly, if Mr Cotton, or any of his bloudie Judgement woare the Imperiall Crowne of the Worlds Majeſtie, what ſlaughters ſhall we imagine the World ſhould heare and feele? Whether would ſuch fierie zeale tranſport Men? Yea what an Earthly Dunghill Religion and Worſhip ſhould the moſt High God be ſerved with, fit onelyonly for the Dunghill Gods and Goddeſſes, whom all Aſi… (as the Towne-clarke ſpeakes) and the World worſhippeth.
Peace.
If the Report of Mr Cottons interpreting that Scripture of Serving God with all our Might, &c. be true, to wit, ofThe bloudie Tenent tends to an univerſall Conqueſt of the whole World. employing our Civill Armes and Forces to the utmoſt, and that againſt other Peoples profeſſing Idolatrie and Antichriſtianiſme: His Conſcience (as I conceive) muſt needs force on and preſſe after, an univerſall Conqueſt of all Conſciences, and under that (like thoſe bloudie Spaniards, Turkes and Popes) lay under that faire cloake, the Rule and Dominion over all the Nations of the Earth.
Truth.
But may not Mr Cotton better liſten to the voyce ofThe bloudie Tenent in its colours. the Lord Jeſus, ſaying to him and ſuch of his bloudie Tenent, You know not of what Spirit you are of: Were the Emperours too favourable (as Mr Cotton ſayth) in but Baniſhing? How keene a Sword would Mr Cotton draw againſt ſo many Millions of Gangreene Soules throughout the Turkiſh and the Popiſh World?
Peace.
Oh, how farre different would Mr Cottons Sword be from the Sword of the Spirit of God, proceeding from the Mouth of Chriſt Jeſus, yet ſharpe enough with two edges, piercing between Soule and Spirit, &c.
Truth.
Yea how farre different from the Meeke Spirit of the Lambe of God, who came not to deſtroy Mens lives, but to ſave them, yea how different from the former make and noted gentle Temper of Mr Cottons own Spirit, now over-heat and enflamed by his unmercifull and bloudie Tenent?