A TABLE OF THE PRINCIPAL CONTENTS OF THE BOOK.
Reading edition
PAGE.
[SYLLABUS OF THE WORK 1
ADDRESS TO PARLIAMENT 3
ADDRESS TO EVERY COURTEOUS READER 7
SCRIPTURES AND REASONS AGAINST PERSECUTION 10
MR. JOHN COTTON’S ANSWER TO THE AFORESAID ARGUMENTS 19]
A REPLY TO THE AFORESAID ANSWER OF MR. COTTON.
Truth and Peace, their rare and seldom meeting 31
Two great complaints of Peace 33
Persecutors seldom plead Christ but Moses for their author 34
Strife, Christian and unchristian 34
A threefold doleful cry 35
The wonderful providence of God in the writing of the arguments against persecution 36
A definition of persecution discussed 37
Conscience will not be restrained from its own worship, nor constrained to another 38
A chaste soul in God’s worship compared to a chaste wife 38
God’s people have erred from the very fundamentals of visible worship 39
Four sorts of spiritual foundations in the New Testament 39
The six fundamentals of the Christian religion 40
The coming out of Babel not local, but mystical 40
The great ignorance of God’s people concerning the nature of a true church 41
Common prayer written against by the New English ministers 43
God’s people have worshipped God with false worships 43
God is pleased sometimes to convey good unto his people beyond a promise 44
A notable speech of King James to a great nonconformist turned persecutor 45
Civil peace discussed 45
The difference between spiritual and civil state 46
Six cases wherein God’s people have been usually accounted arrogant, and peace breakers, but most unjustly 48
The true causes of breach and disturbance of civil peace 52
A preposterous way of suppressing errors 53
Persecutors must needs oppress both erroneous and true consciences 53
All persecutors of Christ profess not to persecute him 55
What is meant by the heretic, Tit. iii. 58
The word heretic generally mistaken 59
Corporal killing in the law, typing out spiritual killing in the gospel 62
The carriage of a soul sensible of mercy, towards others in their blindness, &c. 64
The difference between the church and the world, wherein it is, in all places 65
The church and civil state confusedly made all one 66
The most peaceable accused for peace breaking 67
A large examination of what is meant by the tares, and letting of them alone 68
Satan’s subtlety about the opening of scripture 69
Two sorts of hypocrites 74
The Lord Jesus the great teacher by parables, and the only expounder of them 75
Preaching for conversion is properly out of the church 76
The tares proved properly to signify anti-christians 77
God’s kingdom on earth the visible church 78
The difference between the wheat and the tares, as also between these tares and all others 78
A civil magistracy from the beginning of the world 79
The tares are to be tolerated the longest of all sinners 81
The danger of infection by permitting of the tares, assoiled 82
The civil magistrate not so particularly spoken to in the New Testament as fathers, masters, &c., and why? 85
A twofold state of Christianity: persecuted under the Roman emperors, and apostated under the Roman popes 85
Three particulars contained in that prohibition of Christ Jesus concerning the tares, Let them alone, Matt. xiii. 86
Accompanying with idolaters, 1 Cor. v. discussed 88
Civil magistrates never invested by Christ Jesus with the power and title of defenders of the faith 92
God’s people [Israel] ever earnest with God for an arm of flesh 93
The dreadful punishment of the blind Pharisees in four respects 94
The point of seducing, infecting, or soul-killing, examined 96
Strange confusions in punishments 100
The blood of souls, Acts xx., lies upon such as profess the ministry: the blood of bodies only upon the state 100
Usurpers and true heirs of Christ Jesus 101
The civil magistrate bound to preserve the bodies of their subjects, and not to destroy them for conscience’ sake 103
The fire from heaven, Rev. xiii. 13, 2 Tim. ii. 25, 26, examined 104
The original of the Christian name, Acts xi. 105
A civil sword in religion makes a nation of hypocrites, Isa. x. 107
A difference of the true and false Christ and Christians 109
The nature of the worship of unbelieving and natural persons 109
Antoninus Pius’s famous act concerning religion 110
Isa. ii. 4, Mic. iv. 3, concerning Christ’s visible kingdom, discussed 110
Acts xx. 29, the suppressing of spiritual wolves, discussed 112
It is in vain to decline the name of the head of the church, and yet to practise the headship 114
Titus i. 9, 10, discussed 115
Unmerciful and bloody doctrine 116
The spiritual weapons, 2 Cor. x. 4, discussed 117
Civil weapons most improper in spiritual causes 118
The spiritual artillery, Eph. vi., applied 119
Rom. xiii., concerning civil rulers’ power in spiritual causes, largely examined 121
Paul’s appeal to Cæsar, examined 128
And cleared by five arguments 128
Four sorts of swords 131
What is to be understood by evil, Rom. xiii. 4 133
Though evil be always evil, yet the permission of it may sometimes be good 136
Two sorts of commands, both from Moses and Christ 138
The permission of divorce in Israel, Matt. xix. 17, 18 138
Usury in the civil state lawfully permitted 139
Seducing teachers, either pagans, Jewish, Turkish, or anti-christian, may yet be obedient subjects to the civil laws 141
Scandalous livers against the civil state 142
Toleration of Jezebel and Balaam, Rev. ii. 14, 20, examined 143
The Christian world hath swallowed up Christianity 145
Christ Jesus the deepest politician that ever was, yet commands he a toleration of anti-christians 149
The princes of the world seldom take part with Christ Jesus 150
Buchanan’s item to King James 151
King James’s sayings against persecution 151
King Stephen’s, of Poland, sayings against persecution 152
Forcing of conscience a soul-rape 152
Persecution for conscience hath been the lancet which hath let blood the nations. All spiritual whores are bloody 152
Polygamy, or the many wives of the fathers 153
David advancing of God’s worship against order 153
Constantine and the good emperors, confessed to have done more hurt to the name and crown of Christ, than the bloody Neros did 154
The language of persecutors 156
Christ’s lilies may flourish in the church, notwithstanding the weeds in the world permitted 156
Queen Elizabeth and King James, their persecuting for cause of religion examined 157
Queen Elizabeth confessed by Mr. Cotton to have almost fired the world in civil combustions 158
The wars between the papists and the protestants 159
The wars and success of the Waldensians against three popes 159
God’s people victorious overcomers, and with what weapons 160
The Christian church doth not persecute, but is persecuted 160
The nature of excommunication 161
The opinion of ancient writers examined concerning the doctrine of persecution 163
Constraint upon conscience in Old and New England 164
The Indians of New England permitted in their worshipping of devils 165
In two cases a false religion will not hurt 167
The absolute sufficiency of the sword of the Spirit 168
A national church not instituted by Christ 169
Man hath no power to make laws to bind conscience 169
Hearing of the word in a church estate a part of God’s worship 173
Papists’ plea for toleration of conscience 173
Protestant partiality in the cause of persecution 174
Pills to purge out the bitter humour of persecution 175
Superstition and persecution have had many votes and suffrages from God’s own people 176
Soul-killing discussed 176
Phineas’s act discussed 179
Elijah’s slaughters examined 180
Dangerous consequences flowing from the civil magistrate’s power in spiritual cases 183
The world turned upside down 184
The wonderful answer of the ministers of New England to the ministers of Old 184
Lamentable differences even amongst them that fear God 185
The doctrine of persecution ever drives the most godly out of the world 186
A MODEL OF CHURCH AND CIVIL POWER, composed by Mr. Cotton and the ministers of New England, and sent to Salem, (as a further confirmation of the bloody doctrine of persecution for cause of conscience) examined and answered 189
Christ’s power in the church confest to be above all magistrates in spiritual things 190
Isa. xlix. 23, lamentably wrested 190
The civil commonweal, and the spiritual commonweal, the church, not inconsistent, though independent the one on the other 192
Christ’s ordinances put upon a whole city or nation may civilize them, and moralize, but not christianize, before repentance first wrought 193
Mr. Cotton and the New English minister’s confession, that the magistrate hath neither civil nor spiritual power in soul matters 194
The magistrates and the church, (by Mr. Cotton’s grounds) in one and the same cause, made the judges on the bench, and delinquents at the bar 196
A demonstrative illustration, that the magistrate cannot have power over the church in spiritual or church causes 197
The true way of the God of peace, in differences between the church and the magistrate 198
The terms godliness and honesty explained, 1 Tim. ii. 1, and honesty proved not to signify in that place the righteousness of the second table 201
The forcing of men to God’s worship, the greatest breach of civil peace 203
The Roman Cæsars of Christ’s time described 204
It pleased not the Lord Jesus, in the institution of the Christian church, to appoint and raise up any civil government to take care of his worship 205
The true custodes utriusque tabulæ, and keepers of the ordinances and worship of Jesus Christ 206
The kings of Egypt, Moab, Philistia, Assyria, Nineveh, were not charged with the worship of God, as the kings of Judah were 207
Masters of families not charged under the gospel to force all the consciences of their families to worship 207
God’s people have then shined brightest in godliness, when they have enjoyed least quietness 210
Few magistrates, few men, spiritually good; yet divers sorts of commendable goodness beside spiritual 211
Civil power originally and fundamentally in the people Mr. Cotton and the New English give the power of Christ into the hands of the commonweal 214
Laws concerning religion, of two sorts 217
The very Indians abhor to disturb any conscience at worship 217
Canons and constitutions pretended civil, but indeed ecclesiastical 217
A threefold guilt lying upon civil powers, commanding the subject’s soul in worship 222
Persons may with less sin be forced to marry whom they cannot love, than to worship where they cannot believe 223
As the cause, so the weapons of the beast and the lamb are infinitely different 226
Artaxerxes his decree examined 227
The sum of the examples of the gentile king’s decrees concerning God’s worship in scripture 230
The doctrine of putting to death blasphemers of Christ, cuts off the hopes of the Jews partaking in his blood 232
The direful effects of fighting for conscience 233
Error is confident as well as truth 234
Spiritual prisons 236
Some consciences not so easily healed and cured as men imagine 237
Persecutors dispute with heretics, as a tyrannical cat with the poor mouse: and with a true witness, as a roaring lion with an innocent lamb in his paw 239
Persecutors endure not the name of persecutors 239
Psalm ci., concerning cutting off the wicked, examined 241
No difference of lands and countries, since Christ Jesus his coming 242
The New English separate in America, but not in Europe 244
Christ Jesus forbidding his followers to permit leaven in the church, doth not forbid to permit leaven in the world 246
The wall (Cant. viii. 9.) discussed 246
Every religion commands its professors to hear only its own priests or ministers 248
Jonah his preaching to the Ninevites discussed 248
Hearing of the word discussed 248
Eglon his rising up to Ehud’s message, discussed 248
A twofold ministry of Christ: first, apostolical, properly converting. Secondly, feeding or pastoral 249
The New English forcing people to church, and yet not to religion (as they say), forcing them to be of no religion all their days 249
The civil state can no more lawfully compel the consciences of men to church to hear the word, than to receive the sacraments 250
No precedent in the word, of any people converting and baptizing themselves 253
True conversion to visible Christianity is not only from sins against the second table, but from false worships also 254
The commission, Matt. xxviii., discussed 254
The civil magistrate not betrusted with that commission 255
Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron. xvii., a figure of Christ Jesus in his church, not of the civil magistrate in the state 256
The maintenance of the ministry, Gal. vi. 6, examined 257
Christ Jesus never appointed a maintenance of the ministry from impenitent and unbelieving 257
They that compel men to hear, compel them also to pay for their hearing and conversion 258
Luke xiv., Compel them to come in, examined 258
Natural men can neither truly worship, nor maintain it 259
The national church of the Jews might well be forced to a settled maintenance: but not so the Christian church 261
The maintenance which Christ hath appointed his ministry in the church 262
The universities of Europe causes of universal sins and plagues: yet schools are honourable for tongues and arts 263
The true church is Christ’s school, and believers his scholars 264
Mr. Ainsworth excellent in the tongues, yet no university man 265
King Henry the Eighth set down in the pope’s chair in England 266
Apocrypha, homilies, and common prayer, precious to our forefathers 266
Reformation proved fallible 267
The precedent of the kings of Israel and Judah largely examined 271
The Persian kings’ example make strongly against the doctrine of persecution 272
1. The difference of the land of Canaan from all lands and countries in seven [eight] particulars 273
2. The difference of the people of Israel from all other peoples, in seven particulars 278
Wonderful turnings of religion in England in twelve years revolution 280
The pope not unlike to recover his monarchy over Europe before his downfall 280
Israel, God’s only church, might well renew that national covenant and ceremonial worship, which other nations cannot do 283
The difference of the kings and governors of Israel from all kings and governors of the world, in four particulars 284
Five demonstrative arguments proving the unsoundness of the maxim, viz., the church and commonweal are like Hippocrates’ twins 286
A sacrilegious prostitution of the name Christian 290
David immediately inspired by God in his ordering of church affairs 291
Solomon’s deposing Abiathar, 1 Kings ii. 26, 27, discussed 292
The liberties of Christ’s churches in the choice of her officers 293
A civil influence dangerous to the saints’ liberties 293
Jehoshaphat’s fast examined 294
God will not wrong Cæsar, and Cæsar should not wrong God 294
The famous acts of Josiah examined 295
Magistracy in general from God, the particular forms from the people 295
Israel confirmed in a national covenant by revelations, signs, and miracles; but not so any other land 295
Kings and nations often plant and often pluck up religions 296
A national church ever subject to turn and return 297
A woman, Papissa, or head of the church 297
The papists nearer to the truth, concerning the governor of the church, than most protestants 297
The kingly power of the Lord Jesus troubles all the kings and rulers of the world 298
A twofold exaltation of Christ 298
A monarchical and ministerial power of Christ 300
Three great competitors for the ministerial power of Christ 300
The pope pretendeth to the ministerial power of Christ, yet upon the point challengeth the monarchical also 300
Three great factions in England, striving for the arm of flesh 300
The churches of the separation ought in humanity and subjects’ liberty not to be oppressed, but at least permitted 302
Seven reasons proving that the kings of Israel and Judah can have no other but a spiritual antitype 303
Christianity adds not to the nature of a civil commonweal; nor doth want of Christianity diminish it 304
Most strange, yet most true consequences from the civil magistrates being the antitype of the kings of Israel and Judah 305
If no religion but what the commonweal approve, then no Christ, no God, but at the pleasure of the world 305
The true antitype of the kings of Israel and Judah 306
4. The difference of Israel’s statutes and laws from all others in three particulars 306
5. The difference of Israel’s punishments and rewards from all others 308
Temporal prosperity most proper to the national state of the Jew 308
The excommunication in Israel 308
The corporal stoning in the law, typed out spiritual stoning in the gospel 308
The wars of Israel typical and unparalleled, but by the spiritual wars of spiritual Israel 309
The famous typical captivity of the Jews 311
Their wonderful victories 311
The mystical army of white troopers 312
Whether the civil state of Israel was precedential 313
Great unfaithfulness in magistrates [ministers] to cast the burden of judging and establishing Christianity upon the commonweal 314
Thousands of lawful civil magistrates, who never hear of Jesus Christ 315
Nero and the persecuting emperors not so injurious to Christianity as Constantine and others, who assumed a power in spiritual things 316
They who force the conscience of others, cry out of persecution when their own are forced 316
Constantine and others wanted not so much affection, as information of judgment 317
Civil authority giving and lending their horns to bishops, dangerous to Christ’s truth 317
The spiritual power of Christ Jesus compared in scripture to the incomparable horn of the rhinoceros 318
The nursing fathers and mothers, Isa. xlix. 319
The civil magistrate owes three things to the true church of Christ 319
The civil magistrate owes two things to false worshippers 320
The rise of high commissions 321
Pious magistrates’ and ministers’ consciences are persuaded for that, which other as pious magistrates’ and ministers’ consciences condemn 321
An apt similitude discussed concerning the civil magistrate 322
A grievous charge against the Christian church and the king of it 330
A strange law in New England formerly against excommunicate persons 331
A dangerous doctrine against all civil magistrates 331
Original sin charged to hurt the civil state 331
They who give the magistrate more than his due, are apt to disrobe him of what is his 332
A strange double picture 336
The great privileges of the true church of Christ 336
Two similitudes illustrating the true power of the magistrate 337
A marvellous challenge of more power under the Christian, than under the heathen magistrate 339
Civil magistrates, derivatives from the fountains or bodies of people 341
A believing magistrate no more a magistrate than an unbelieving 341
The excellency of Christianity in all callings 341
The magistrate like a pilot in the ship of the commonweal 342
The terms heathen and Christian magistrates 343
The unjust and partial liberty to some consciences, and bondage unto all others 344
The commission, Matt. xxviii. 19, 20, not proper to pastors and teachers, least of all to the civil magistrate 345
Unto whom now belongs the care of all the churches, &c. 345
Acts xv. commonly misapplied 346
The promise of Christ’s presence, Matt. xviii., distinct from that Matt. xxviii. 347
Church administrations firstly charged upon the ministers thereof 349
Queen Elizabeth’s bishops truer to their principles than many of a better spirit and profession 350
Mr. Barrowe’s profession concerning Queen Elizabeth 350
The inventions of men swerving from the true essentials of civil and spiritual commonweals 353
A great question, viz., whether only church members, that is, godly persons, in a particular church estate, be only eligible into the magistracy 353
The world being divided in thirty parts, twenty-five never heard of Christ 354
Lawful civil states where churches of Christ are not 355
Few Christians wise and noble, and qualified for affairs of state 355
The Ninevites’ fast examined 357
Luke xxii. 36 discussed 359
Rev. xvii. 16 discussed 361
Conclusion 363
[MR. COTTON’S LETTER EXAMINED AND ANSWERED.
To the Impartial Reader 367
If Jesus Christ bring more light he must be persecuted 371
Public sins, the cause of public calamities, must be discovered 372
Grounds of Mr. Williams’s banishment 375
Persecutors do no good to men’s souls 377
Mr. Cotton’s proof from Prov. xi. 26 discussed 379
Spiritual offences only liable to spiritual censure 382
Mr. Cotton ignorant of the cause of Williams’s sufferings 383
Civil peace and magistracy blessed ordinances of God 384
The mercies of a civil state distinct from those of a spiritual state 385
Affliction for Christ sweet 390
The state of godly persons in gross sins 393
God’s mystical Israel must come forth of Babel before they build the temple 395
New England refuses church fellowship with godly ministers of Old England 398
Christ considered personally and in his people 398
Mr. Cotton confessing the true and false constitution of the church 401
Difference between God’s institutions to the Jews and anti-christian institutions 403
Coming forth of Babel not local 406
The polygamy of the fathers 410
Every true church separate from idols 411
The substance of true repentance in all God’s children 412
The first Christians the best pattern for Christians now 413
Mr. Cotton against a national church, and yet holds fellowship with it 415
The Jewish national church not to be separated from 417
Mr. Cotton extenuates national churches 420
Mr. Cotton guilty of cruelty in persecuting, yet cries out against due severity in the church 423
God’s controversy for persecution 424
The puritans and separatists compared 424
Mr. Ainsworth’s poverty 426
Four sorts of backsliders from separation 428
Mr. Canne’s Answer to Mr. Robinson’s Liberty of Hearing 429
Preachers and pastors far different 430
The fellowship of the word taught in a church estate 432
False callings or commissions for the ministry 433
The Nonconformists’ grounds enforce separation 436
Mr. Cotton’s practice of separation in New England 436
Persecution is unjust oppression wheresoever 438]
THE BLOVDY TENENT of Persecution, for cause of Conscience, discussed, in
A Conference betweene TRVTH and PEACE.
Who, In all tender Affection, present to the High Court of Parliament, (as the result of their Discourse) these, (amongst other Passages) of highest consideration.
London
Printed in the Year 1644.
First. That the blood of so many hundred thousand souls of protestants and papists, spilt in the wars of present and former ages, for their respective consciences, is not required nor accepted by Jesus Christ the Prince of Peace.
Secondly. Pregnant scriptures and arguments are throughout the work proposed against the doctrine of persecution for cause of conscience.
Thirdly. Satisfactory answers are given to scriptures and objections produced by Mr. Calvin, Beza, Mr. Cotton, and the ministers of the New English churches, and others former and later, tending to prove the doctrine of persecution for cause of conscience.
Fourthly. The doctrine of persecution for cause of conscience, is proved guilty of all the blood of the souls crying for vengeance under the altar.
Fifthly. All civil states, with their officers of justice, in their respective constitutions and administrations, are proved essentially civil, and therefore not judges, governors, or defenders of the spiritual, or Christian, state and worship.
Sixthly. It is the will and command of God that, since the coming of his Son the Lord Jesus, a permission of the most Paganish, Jewish, Turkish, or anti-christian consciences and worships be granted to all men in all nations and countries: and they are only to be fought against with that sword which is only, in soul matters, able to conquer: to wit, the sword of God’s Spirit, the word of God.
Seventhly. The state of the land of Israel, the kings and people thereof, in peace and war, is proved figurative and ceremonial, and no pattern nor precedent for any kingdom or civil state in the world to follow.
Eighthly. God requireth not an uniformity of religion to be enacted and enforced in any civil state; which enforced uniformity, sooner or later, is the greatest occasion of civil war, ravishing of conscience, persecution of Christ Jesus in his servants, and of the hypocrisy and destruction of millions of souls.
Ninthly. In holding an enforced uniformity of religion in a civil state, we must necessarily disclaim our desires and hopes of the Jews’ conversion to Christ.
Tenthly. An enforced uniformity of religion throughout a nation or civil state, confounds the civil and religious, denies the principles of Christianity and civility, and that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.
Eleventhly. The permission of other consciences and worships than a state professeth, only can, according to God, procure a firm and lasting peace; good assurance being taken, according to the wisdom of the civil state, for uniformity of civil obedience from all sorts.
Twelfthly. Lastly, true civility and Christianity may both flourish in a state or kingdom, notwithstanding the permission of divers and contrary consciences, either of Jew or Gentile.