Moabite shall not enter into the Congregation of the Lord, even to their tenth Generation. Ifan Ammonite or Moabite cannot Maid. in Lam. beare the being fhut out of the Congregation of the Lord, how can the Saints beare it? But God knows,and our Brethren may know, I hope they shall know, that the thing is not fo: Ono, they looke upon you as the precious Saints of God, their deare Brethren in Jefus Chrift, they bleffe God for the graces they fee in you, and rejoice in the hope of living eternally in Heaven with you.

But why then will they not admit them to their commu

nion?

Answ. In all worship that belongs to Saints, as Saints they joyfully joyne with them; but they thinke there is fome that belongs to Saints as gathered in a Society under Officers, which cannot be performed orderly but in that way; and they think it unreafonable,that any fhould have the benefit of the priviledges of the Church,and be under no power,no difcipline of any Church; that they fhould pick and choose Ordinances, and yet live at li berty; fo that if they walke diforderly, no Church hath any power to call them to an account. Suppofe this to be a reason why they admit not of fome, this is another thing then the judging of them to be Heathens.

Answ.

Let me fay further, I know none of thefe congregated Churches, either here or in other parts, that ever refufed any who appeared to be godly, from communicating with them, if they did but acknowledge themselves to be members of any Church elfewhere, though that Church were in a differing way from it in refpect of government.

You will fay, What need that?

Ifit be to prevent loofeneffe in men who will be under no government,if it be because they judge Sacramentall communion to be a Church-Ordinance; or if it should be through a miftake, yet howfoever this muft not be judged to be the cause that they judge all, that doe not joyne with them to be as Heathens; this is the most uncharitable interpretation that can be.

CHAP.

CHA P. XXVI.

pra&ice.

The fifth dividing practice, The asperfing and seeking to blast the The 5 dividing. credits of those men whom the Lord ufes to be instruments of good..

This hath been an old dividing way, if wee can blaff the His may be done you know otherwise then by the tongue : cheife of a party, we fhall doe well enough with the reft,wherefore let us make as ill interpretations of what they doe as poffible we can; let us faften as ill things upon them as we can have any colour or pretence for; let reports be raised, fomented and fpread, whether they be true or no, it makes no matter, fomething will stick. fer. 20. 10. Report, Say they, and we will re Fortiter calum port it doe but raife a report, let us be able to fay wee heard niare, aliquid it, or there was a Letter writ about fuch a thing, and wee will barebit. boldly affert it and divulge it; the very apprehenfion of it will prevaile with many howfoever, thefe men shall not have that esteeme in the hearts of men fo generally as heretofore they have had, and if we once get downe their efteeme, we shall doe well enough with their caufe; if we can meet with any bold. fpirit that will venture to encounter with them in this, that will dare to take upon him to gather up, or make, or aggravate, or wreft reports, or doe any thing that may render them otherwife in the thoughts and hearts of men then hitherto they have beene, we fhall break them, it is but one or two venturing the hard thoughts of men to make an experiment, fome may bee found fit for fuch a bufineffe, we will finde out wayes to encou rage them; if their hearts begin to faile, we will apply warme cloathes to them, we will one way or other fupport them; this must be done, or elfe whatfoever we doe will be to no purpose; fomething or other muft be found to ferve our ends in this. Doth Mofes prevaile too much in the hearts of the people? fomething must be found against him; if we can finde nothing against himselfe, yet we will finde fomething against his wife Shoe is an Ethiopian Woman, Numb. 12 1. and yet who was the but the daughter of fethro, to whom he had been married many yeers before? for an Ethiopian and a Midianitish woman are all

one;

one; but now we are refolved to pick out whatever we can get information of,though it be in things done many yeers fince,when they were in the Univerfity, when they lived in fuch or fuch places in times of old, it will ferve our turne, we may faften it upon them, Prov. 16. 27. An ungodly man dig geth up evil, and in his lips there is a burning fire: If he hath nothing above ground, he will digge fomething up, though it be what both by God and man hath been buried long fince.

David was a publike inftrument of God for much good, yer Pfalm.31.1. Hee was a reproach amongst his enemies, but especially amongst his neighbours. Nehemiah raised up by God for great fervice, what dirt was caft upon him? he was accused of fedition Exiftimet om- and Rebellion. Paul a peftilent fellow, hee and his company ni pablica with him turned the world upfide downe; what evill can be desalamitatik, vised, but was faftened upon the Christians in the Primitive on nis poputimes? They charge them for being the cause of all their miselaris in commodi Cbriftia ry; if they have ill weather, if the Rivers overflow, if Nilus nos fe caufam; does not flow, if there be any earthquake, plague, famine, hale Tyberis afcen the Chriftians to the Lions: At their meetings they said dit in mania they made Thyeftes fuppers, who invited his brother to a Nilus non af fupper, and prefented him a difh of his owne flesh, a limbe of calum ftetit, his Sonne: Many fuch abominable things were faftened upon fi terra movet, them as are not fit to be named. Teriul tells the Chriftians, that fi fames, flues, they were Fun.mbulones, like men upon a rope, if they went fatim ad Leo- one ftept awry, they were in danger to be undone by it, fo narTertul. Apol. rowly did their enemies watch them, and fo maliciously did adverf. Gentes they aggravate all their mifcarriages. Thus the most eminent

cendit in arva,

nes acclamatur,

cap. 39.

Tam magnus apud amicos ut fere deus factus; tam vituperatus ab inimici,

ut mirum fuit

fie cum terrA devoraret.

after his time, as Athanafiu, he was as miferably afperfed as ever poore man in this world, by the Arrian party,they rendred him moft odious to his friends, and ftrangers.

In the beginning of Reformation, the Waldenfes were so afperfed, that the story fayes of them,there was not one Arrow in the quiver of malice, but it was drawne forth and shot at them. Luther, Calvin, Beza, Oecolampadius, Bullinger, and the reft are by fome in writing rendred the moft black and vile pieces that the earth bore, both in their lives and deaths.I find it recorded of Zuinglius, that he was a man fo eminent, as his friends made him almoft a God; and fo traduced by his enemies, that one would wonder the earth did not open and fwallow up fuch.

a man. The like dealings did that worthy inftrument of God Mr. Knox finde, who in Queene Maries time fled with divers others to Frankford; when men of vile contentious fpirits could not prevaile againft him any other way, they fought to afperfe him, and that fo maliciously, as his life was in danger, accufing him to the Governours of Frankford, for a Sermon preached in England; in which the Emperour was concerned: The words were thefe, England, England, if thou wilt obsti nately returne into Egypt, that is, if thou contralling marriage, confederacy or league with fuch Princes as doe maintaine and advance Idolatry, fuch as the Emperour who is no lesse enemy to Christ then Nero; if for the pleasure of fuch Princes, thou returne to thine old abbominations, then affuredly, O England, thon shali be plagued and be brought to defolation, by the meanes of these whose fa vour thou feekeft.

The fame measure did thofe worthy men of God meete with, who fought after Reformation in Queene Elizabeths dayes, they called Mr. Cartwright an Anabaptift, and whatsoever evill there was in any opinion in thofe times, they faftned it upon him. Mr. Udal was accused for his life, and condemned to be hanged for writing, That if the Parliament did not bring in the Government of Christ, Christ himselfe would bring it in by fome meanes that would make their hearts to ake; or to that ef fect; meaning, as he expounded the words, Christ would in fome way of judgement make way to fet up his own government in the Land, but they wrefted the words to a feditious fenfe, as if he had meant to confpire to raise a force, and by violence of Armes to make the Parliament to yeeld to that way of Government that he conceived to be Christ,justly like thofe accufations that are amongst us at this day, that if fuch kinde of men cannot have the liberty of their way granted to them feeing they have, or hope to have the Sword in their hand, they will take it to themselves, and defend themselves alfo

in it.

Only in this they goe beyond the bitterneffe of the Prelaticall party, they wrefted what was faid or written, these feigne what was never faid or written; who are the fire-brands amongst us, if not fuch men as these? as fire-brands plucked out of the fire, and now they feeke to fire those who plucked them out; but if Ꮓ

this

this be too hot, what will you call them? what will you fay of them? O is this the fruit of all prayers for them, reliefe of them, refpect to them!

Tania ne vos generis tenuit fiducia vestri?

Sed motas praftat componere lites.

Whofoever shall reade that Booke of Bancroft, entituled, Dangerous Pofitions, published and practifed by those who pretend Reformation for the Presbyteriall Government, fhall find the whole fubject of the booke to be the blafting the names of the most eminent godly Minifters that lived in thofe times, rendring them to the State, as men not fit to be fuffered in any Chriftian Common-wealth.The State at that time being wholly for Prelacie, and discountenancing that way of government. thefe men fought for, their adverfaries thought they might be bold to take what liberty they pleased, to calumniate, traduce, and to render them as vile as poffible they might, there was no fuch way to keepe them downe as this; in this, they being like those in the Primitive times, who put the Chriftians into Beares and Tygers skins, and then caft them to the Dogges to be de

voured.

Let the fervants of God but appeare as they are, they will gaine reverentiall refpect even from the multitude; but when thefe ugly things are put upon them, they are prepared to be the objects of their fury.

Quia more tra I have read in Suetonius of the cruelty of Tiberius, who be dito nefas effet cause it was unlawfull that Virgins fhould not be put to death, virgines firan- caufed the Hang-man to ravifh them and then to execute them: gulari vitiata This is the cruelty of fome amongst us, they can doe fome men prius à carnifice, no hurt, but by offering violence first to their names,and if they de in ftrangula- be defiled, then they thinke they may doe any thing with them.. 1. Suer, Tybe#jus, num.61. Of fuch as these are who make divifions amongst us in fo ungodly a way as this, all that I fhall further fay, is,

The Lord rebuke them.

As for the Servants of God they commit their names and wayes to God, knowing that the Lord takes care of their names as well as their foules. If dirt be caft upon a mud wall it sticks,, but if upon Marble, it foon washes or moulders away. God will in time justifie his fervants even in your confciences, by the conftancie of their peaceable carriage towards men, and