witness the censures upon God's servants afflictions. upon God's servants in the time of God's chastisements perience can and visitations on them, both in scripture, history, and experience. Nor retort the many evils which it pleased in their God to bring upon some chief procurers of my sorrows, nor upon the whole state immediately after them, which many of their own have observed and reported to me; but I commit my cause to him that judgeth righteously, and yet resolve to pray against their evils, Ps. cxli. CHAP. IX. Mr. Cotton. "In which course, though you say you do not remember an hour wherein the countenance of the Lord was darkened to you: yet be not deceived, it is no new thing with Satan to transform himself into an angel of light, and to cheer the soul with false peace, and with flashes of counterfeit consolation. Sad and woeful is the memory of Mr. Smith's strong consolation on his deathbed, which is set as a seal to his gross and damnable Arminianism and enthusiasm delivered in the confession of his faith, prefixed to the story of his life and death. The countenance of God is upon his people when they fear him, not when they presume of their own strength, and his consolations are not found in the way of precedence and error, but in the ways of humility and truth." Answer. To that part which concerns myself, the speech hath reference either to the matter of justification, or else matter of my affliction for Christ, of both which I remember I have had discourse. ["This Confession may be found in Crosby, but without the story of his life and death,' which we have never yet been able to find." Hist. A soul at peace with God may yet endure bats con cerning sanctifica tion. For the first, I have expressed in some conference, as Mr. Cotton himself hath also related concerning some great com- with whom I am not worthy to be named, that after first manifestations of the countenance of God, reconciled in the blood of his Son unto my soul, my questions and trouble have not been concerning my reconciliation and peace with God, but concerning sanctification, and fellowship with the holiness of God, in which respect I desire to cry, with Paul, in the bitterness of my spirit, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Christ sweet. Secondly, it may have reference to some conference concerning affliction for his name's sake, in which respect I desire to acknowledge the faithfulness of his word and promise, to be with his in six troubles and in seven, through fire and water, making good a hundred-fold with Affliction for persecution to such of his servants as suffer aught for his names'-sake: and I have said and must say, and all God's witnesses that have borne any pain or loss for Jesus must say, that fellowship with the Lord Jesus in his sufferings is sweeter than all the fellowship with sinners in all the profits, honours, and pleasures of this present evil world. And yet two things I desire to speak to all men and myself, Let his work, Gal. vi. 4., and then every man prove shall he have rejoicing in himself, and not in another. Secondly, if any man love God, that soul knows God, or rather is known of God, 1 Cor. viii. 3. Self-love may burn the body; but happy only he whose love alone to Christ constrains him to be like unto him, and suffer with him. Two cautions for any in persecution for conscience. Mr. Smith godly, and a light to Mr. Cotton and others, To that which concerneth Mr. Smith, although I knew him not, and have heard of many points in which my con though left science tells me it pleased the Lord to leave him to him to himself in some things. self: yet I have also heard by some, whose testimony Mr. 8 nite com toward those whose upright with of putting death, the Cotton will not easily refuse, that he was a man fearing God. And I am sure Mr. Cotton hath made some use of those principles and arguments on which Mr. Smith and others went, concerning the constitution of the Christian God's infichurch. The infinite compassions of God, which lay no passions sin to David's charge but the sin of Uriah, 1 Kings xv. 5, hearts are have graciously comforted the souls of his on their death- him. bed, accepting and crowning their uprightness and faithfulness, and passing by what otherwise is grievous and offensive to him. And indeed from the due consideration The opinion of that instance, it appears that no sin is comparably so Uriah to grievous in God's David as a treacherous slaughter of the vilest of all faithful, whom we are forced to call beloved in Christ. That opinion in Mr. Cotton, or any, is the most grievous to God or man, and not comparable to any that ever Mr. Smith could be charged with. It is true, the countenance and consolations of God are found in the ways of humility as the and truth, and Satan transformeth him like to an angel of the sanctulight in a counterfeit of both: in which respect I desire to work out salvation with fear and trembling, and to do nothing in the affairs of God and his worship but (like of God's the weights of the sanctuary) with double care, diligence, and consideration, above all the affairs of this vanishing 7 ["As for Mr. Smith he standeth and falleth to his own master. Whilst he was preacher to the city of Lincoln, he wrought with God then : what temptations befel him after, by the evil workings of evil men, and some good men too, I choose rather to tremble at, than discourse of." The fault of this "man fearing God," appears to have been first his becoming a baptist, and then his acceptance of the opinions of certain Dutch baptists, with whom he held communion in Amsterdam. The early opinions. weights of ary were double, so must there be double pondering in all the affairs worship. life. And yet Christ's consolations are so sweet, that the soul that tasteth them in truth, in suffering for any truth of his, will not easily part with them, though thousands are deceived and deluded with counterfeits. CHAP. X. First, the want Mr. Cotton. "Two stumbling blocks, I perceive, have turned you off from fellowship with us. of fit matter of our church. Secondly, disrespect of the separate churches in England under affliction, ourselves practising separation in peace." This "For the first, you acknowledge, as you say with joy, that godly persons are the visible members of these churches; but yet you see not that godly persons are matter fitted to constitute a church, no more than trees or quarries are fit matter proportioned to the building. exception seemeth to me to imply a contradiction to itself, for if the matter of the churches be as you say godly persons, they are not then as trees unfelled, and stones unhewn godliness cutteth men down from the former root, and heweth them out of the pit of corrupt nature, and fitteth them for fellowship with Christ and with his people." "You object, first, a necessity lying upon godly men before they can be fit matter for church fellowship, to see, bewail, repent, and come out of the false churches, worship, ministry, government, according to scriptures, Isa. lxii. 11, 2 Cor. vi. 17; and this is to be done not by a local removal or contrary practice, but by a deliverance of the soul, understanding, will, judgment and affection." "Answer. First, we grant that it is not local removal from former pollution, nor contrary practice, that fitteth us for fellowship with Christ and his church; but that it is necessary also that we repent of such former pollutions wherewith we have been defiled and enthralled." "We grant further, that it is likewise necessary to church fellowship we should see and discern all such pollutions as do so far enthral us to antichrist as to separate us from Christ. But this we profess unto you, that wherein we have reformed our practice, therein have we endeavoured unfeignedly to humble our souls for our former contrary walking. If any through hypocrisy are wanting herein, the hidden hypocrisy of some will not prejudice the sincerity and faithfulness of others, nor the church estate of all." Answer. That which requireth answer in this passage, is a charge of a seeming contradiction, to wit, That persons may be godly, and yet not fitted for church estate, but remain as trees and quarries, unfelled, &c.: Contrary to which it is affirmed, that godly persons cannot be so enthralled to antichrist, as to separate them from Christ. For the clearing of which let the word of truth be rightly divided, and a right distinction of things applied, there will appear nothing contradictory, but clear and satisfactory to each man's conscience. into, godly persons in gross sins. First, then, I distinguish of a godly person thus: In The state of some acts of sin which a godly person may fall during those acts, although before the all-searching and tender eye of God, and also in the eyes of such as are godly, such a person remaineth still godly, yet to the eye of the world externally such a person seemeth ungodly, and a sinner. Thus Noah in his drunkenness; thus Abraham, Lot, Samson, Job, David, Peter, in their lying, whoredoms, cursings, murder, denying and foreswearing |