The Perfection of Justification, To parish ministers
TO The two and fifty Pariſh-Miniſters within the new Province of London, who have ſubſcribed unto that Pamphlet, which is wickedly and unjuſtly called by them; A Teſtimonie to the truth of Jeſus Chriſt, and to our ſolemn League and Covenant.
SIRS,
WHen I reade your un-ſcripture-like termes, which you make uſe of, in preſenting your new modalled Government to the world, as the government of Jeſus Chriſt; I wonder with what faces in theſe times of light, ye ſhould dare to hold it forth as the unqueſtionable government of CHRIST by divine right, and ſhould ſo uncharitably cenſure all men as Schiſmaticks, or ſuperſtitious perſons, who doe expreſſe their diſlike of it, or refuſe to be conformable unto the ſame.
Not to runne farre for an inſtance of one of theſe termes; It ſeemeth that the ſtrange and hidden vertue of your Presbyterian-government hath ſuddenly turned our famous Citie into a Province, and made you Miniſters of this Presbyterian Province. Did ever CHRIST or his Apoſtles turne free Cites or Countreyes into Provinces by bringing in any Eccleſiaſticall government upon thoſe who were converted to the faith? What is any Province to ſpeake properly, but a Region or Countrey ſubdued by force of Armes, and kept under juriſdiction by a Lieutenant ſent thither with Commiſſion to governe; as the Schoole-boyes know very well, who know the meaning of that phraſe in Caeſare Commentaries (in provinciam redigere.) To turne ſuch a free Countrey into a Province to the Romans. I know that it is the deſigne of ſome to turne our Shires and Countreyes into Provinces; and to wreſt power from the Civill Magiſtrate, by which they may ſet up their Lieutenants to enſlave the Magiſtrates and all the people of the Kingdome to their Preabyterian Command and Dominion. But I cannot yet remember when London was turned into a Province, unleſſe ſome of you did ſecretly and cunningly contrive the plot with ſome of the Armie, that the Armie ſhould march throughout the Citie for the bringing of LONDON into the condition of a Presbyterian Province.
Friends, finde words in Scripture for your government, by Parochiall and Claſſicall, Presbyteriall, Provinciall and National Aſſemblies or elſe the people of England will not believe that your government is by divine right, untill you ſhall make Captaines over them, and inforce them to returne againe into Aegypt; Where this ſhall he all the liberty of the King, Princes, Nobles, Parliament, and people of England to believe, that every thing is ſchiſme or Hereſie, which doth oppoſe that as er…rour, which the children of the Adulterer and Whore, I mean the ſonnes and poſterity of the Pope and Popiſh Biſhops, ſhall enjoyne thonto receive as the truths of the Lord Jeſus.
But I touch now upon an unpleaſing ſtring, I ſhall therefore leave it with a ſad Apoſiopeſis: and ſhall entreate you ſeriouſly to conſider ſome things which I ſhall acquaint you with, in relation to my ſelfe, and your dealing with mee, willingly acquitting thoſe among you, and as farre as I may; who having ſubſcribed to thoſe Articles againſt mee, and yet never read or heard of my name in the Booke. Among whom Maſter Downham doth acknowledge himſelfe to be one, who doth profeſſe that if hee had ſeene mee there among the impeached Delinquents and Heretiques, that he would rather for what he hath heard and known of me, have pleaded my excuſe, then have ſubſcribed to my cenſure: And ſhall leave it to your ſelves, to enquire among your ſelves concerning the miſcarriage in this particular.
In the firſt place I doe ſuppoſe that ſome of you upon mature deliberation, may apprehend that you have beene too raſh in cenſuring mee upon Maſter Gatakers teſtimonie, if it ſhall appeare unto you that I was freed by Maſter Marſhall (whom I name in thankefulneſſe unto him for his love unto mee, and to let men know that I have found more of the Spirit of Chriſt, ſincerity, and love in him then in any who have beene favourers of the Preſbyterian government.) To ſhew my willingneſſe and readineſſe to free my ſelfe from miſapprehenſions which men had entertained concerning thoſe things which I held. I did voluntarily goe unto him, and diſcourſed with him concerning my judgement in the things, with which I had beene charged; who did receive ſuch f…ll ſatisfaction from mee, that upon my requeſt bee was willing to write unto Maſter White the Chaire-man; that though I did differ from him in my phraſes and expreſſions concerning the Law, Juſtification and free grace, yet that I held nothing, but what was maintained by many godly and faithfull men concerning thoſe points. And this was done many months before Maſter Gataker did fling his fire-brands at me, to charge me with thoſe things in which in his judgement I had cleared my ſelfe. And leſt any ſhould make nothing of this; uncharitably ſuppoſing that I might hold one thing in my heart, and write another thing to him. I am willing if he pleaſe, that he ſhall Print what I delivered unto him, and make it publique. If this be conſidered by men of tender conſciences, (if that character of a good man be not odious unto you) ſome of you who knew of this, may read your maliciouſneſſe, and all of you your raſhneſſe, who have condemned me by your Cenſures. When Conſtantius deſired Liberius to ſubſcribe to the Proſcription and Excommunication of Athanaſius, he made him this anſwer. O Emperour, Eccleſiaſticall cenſures are not to be paſſed without a great deale of juſtice. (O Imperator inquit judicia Eccleſiaſtica decet cum maximâ proferri juſtitiâ. Trip. Hiſt. l. 3. c. 17.)
Let me ſpeake plainly unto you, not to ſhame you, but to convince you of your fault; When I am moſt ſerious and free from all turbulency of paſſion, I have apprehended that I ſhould have found more juſtice in the High-Commiſſion Court, then among my Brethren. The Civilians ſay that wee muſt not paſſe our judgement upon a law by one line of it. (De lege non judicandum ex ſolâ lineâ.) And Chriſtian juſtice and equity, will teach us, not to cenſure Goſpel-Sermons by one line maliciouſly or ignorantly taken out of it; knowing that a ſpirituall man now, as well as Paul formerly, may have ſome things hard to be underſtood foreign which they who are unſtable and unlearned may wreſt, as they doe the Scriptures to their owne deſtruction.
Secondly, Give me leave to enquire of you, whether ſpirituall prudence would teach you to be ſo violent againſt godly men who differ in ſome notions, expreſſions, and circumſtantialls from you; When there are ſo many Sepulchers wide open againſt you and them, ready to devoure you both. It was the policy of ſome barbarous people, when Alexander came to contend with them for a Conqueſt, as Curtius doth relate it, to put an end of the wars and differences which were among themſelves, that ſo they might be ſtrengthned againſt the common enemy. And the like policy was uſed by the ancient Inhabitants of the Land, when Caeſar came to invade them; & whether Chriſtian wiſdome will make us leſſe prudent and politicke for our own preſervation; I ſhall be willing that it may be determined by the man, who liveth in the cleare light and liberty of the Goſpel. In the mean while I hope that you will not reject the Apoſtles caution, Gal. 5.16. If yee bite one another, take heed leſt ye be devoured one of another.
3dly. Let me tell you one thing which hath been revealed unto me by the Lord. If ye ſhall deal with tender-hearted Chriſtians (who cleave to Chriſt, and are part of his myſticall body, though they differ from you in ſome opinions) in the way of Bonner and Canterbury; leaving the example of Chriſt and his Apoſtles; the Lord will blow upon you, & lay your honour, credit, and greatneſſe in the duſt; while the heavens ſhall rejoyce, ſaying; Thou art righteous O Lord, who haſt judged thus.
4ly. Let me beſeech you not to ſuffer your uncharitable practiſes, to give the lye to your zeale and profeſſions for the maintaining the Law. Walk not contrary to love; profeſſing your ſelves to be for the law, becauſe love is the fulfilling of the law. Labour to be ſuch as Ruffinus doth report Gregory Nazianzen was, who did thoſe things which hee taught, and condemned not himſelfe by doing things contrary to what he taught. (Qui fecit ea quae docuit & ſeipſum minime condemnavit contraria agendo, quam docebat. Ruffin in vitâ Naz.) Remember who they are, who make a man an offender for a word, and turn aſide the juſt for a thing of nought, Iſa. 29.21. And let none of you imagine evill againſt his brother in your heart, Zech. 7.10. Be not ſo uncharitable towards me as you have been, who doe aſſure you that I am able to ſpeak it to the glory of Gods grace, that though I may erre, I ſhall never be an Heretique. (Errare poſſum haereticus eſſe nolo.) Endeavour not to perſwade the world, that I am a patron of Libertiniſme; for if you doe, I hope that I ſhall be able by the power of grace to give you ſuch an anſwer as an old man of Alexandria did to ſome, who ſaid that be was no Chriſtian, becauſe he could work no miracles. This ſaith hee doth prove mee a Chriſtian: That I am not moved with the injuries wch ye have done unto me. (Hoc ipſum ut ijs quas inſertis non moverer injurijs. Caſſian.) So I hope that the free ſpirit of Chriſt will ſo dwell in me, that it will ſufficiently prove that I am no patron of Libertiniſme or looſeneſs: who at this preſent notwithſtanding all the wrongs done unto me, am able to ſubſcribe my ſelfe,
Yours, as far as you are for Chriſt, his wayes, and the liberty of his Saints, JOHN SIMPSON.