AN ADMONITION GIVEN Unto Mr. SALT MARSH: WHEREIN His great Sin in writing those Pamphlets Entitled, A New Quaere, Smoak in the Temple, Groans for Liberty, etc. Is plainly laid open before him, and charged upon his Conscience. Where also among other things spoken of, the Calling of the Ministers in the Reformed Churches, is proved to be according to the Word of God.  2 TIM. 3.7. 
Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth.  2 PET. 2.18, 19 
For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.  Cypriani Epistol. 52. Antoniano's Fratri. 
Quòd verò ad Novatiani personam attinet (frater Charissime) de quo desiderasti tibi scribi quam haeresim introduxisset, scias nos primo in loco nec curiosos esse debere, quid ille doceat, cum foris doceat. Quisquis ille est, & qualiscunque est, Christianus non est, qui in Christi Ecclesia non est. Jactet se licèt, & Philosophiam, vel eloquentiam suam superbis vocibus praedicet; qui nec fraternam charitatem, nec Ecclesiasticam unitatem tenuit, etiam quod prius fuerat amisit.  

Imprimatur,  
Ja: Cranford.   
Printed at London by John Dever & Robert Ibbitson, for Ralph Smith, and are to be sold at his shop at the sign of the Bible in Cornhill. MDCXLVI.   

THE PREFACE:  
THE occasion of Printing this following Discourse is this: The Reverend and learned Author upon the coming forth and perusal of some of Mr. Saltmarshes Pamphlets, being much offended and grieved at them; sent him in a private way this Admonition, taking special care, that as it should safely come to his hands, so to let him have notice where he might return an Answer back to the Author, if he had pleased: Now the Author having waited almost four Months for an Answer from Mr. Saltmarsh, and hearing nothing from him, but on the contrary, since he sent him this Admonition, Mr. Saltmarsh, going on in Printing other things of the like nature, as a Book Entitled Reasons for love, unity, and Peace, with pretended Answers to Mr. Gataker, Mr. Ley, Mr. Edward's, Mr. W. 'tis thought fit to make public this private Admonition, which had it done any good upon him, and brought him to repentance, had never been published to the world: But those who sin openly, and being admonished, go on yet more, aught to be rebuked before all, that others may fear and learn; And if this public Reproof does Mr. Saltmarsh no good neither, he may expect to be more sharply dealt with, that he may learn not to blaspheme.   

AN ADMONITION GIVEN UNTO MASTER Saltmarsh.  
Master Saltmarsh,  
ALthough I have no acquaintance with your person, yet by some of your writings, I think I can discern somewhat of the frame of your Spirit; and though I cannot well conjecture what use you will make of that which I purpose to express towards you in love to your Soul; yet I think it my duty at this time, in this manner to admonish you, that sin may not rest upon. You know the Commandment of our God doth oblige me to this, Levit. 19.17. And our Saviour doth confirm the same in cases of offence between brethren. Matth. 18.15. Now I must declare unto you in true simplicity, that your ways of dealing with your Brethren are very offensive unto me; and I conceive that you are bound in Conscience, to give me some satisfaction in that which I shall propose unto you; either by acknowledging and mending the dangerous error of your ways; or else by rectifying my judgement in the apprehension which I have of it.  
The thing than is this, that finding you a Preacher of the Gospel as you call yourself; and meddling with the controversies of the time about Church-Government to give Counsel therein to the State what to do; you follow no Rule of edification, but venture boldly upon all the Ways of destruction, and savour nothing of Charity; in dealing with your Brethren of the Ministry; but endeavour to make them every way contemptible unto the world by injurious and false aspersions; and to provoke their Spirits to invitation and disputes against you, by a disorderly & quarrelsome way of writing against them. I take no delight (God is my witness) as you seem to do (in your public Writings, with a kind of insultation over a whole Assembly of Divines); to lay this charge (in a private way) upon you; but it is a grief to me to express it, that I should find any that calls himself a Minister of the Gospel of Christ, liable unto such faults; and so far out of the way, which Christ's Spirit (the anointing which you so much speak of) doth teach his true Disciples to walk in. Well then, that I may ease myself upon you, of the grief which you have occasioned, to the end that the Lord may be merciful unto you, to incline you (if it be possible) to take away the cause thereof; I shall truly and faithfully let you see whence it doth arise, and how your proceed have begotten it in me.  
I have seen heretofore a little Tract of yours which you call a New Quaere concerning Church-Government, wherein you endeavour to persuade the State to keep it in an Unsettlement: that Tract, in the aim which you have in it, and the way you take to insinvate it, with many fallacies in Divinity fit to entangle the weak, and with many Principles of corrupt, sensual, and worldly state-policy, fit to stir up and confirm Envy and Pride in the hearts of earthly men that have power in their hands; did not a little sad my spirit, when I read it; & had thoughts to have spoken to you about it, when I was at London; but the opportunity was not offered, and so I left off the thought of it, chief when I found that some body answered it.  
But now being out of London I meet in the Country with another Tract, of a far worse nature, (if worse may be) then that was; concerning the Divine Right of the Presbytery, whereof I shall speak unto you plainly, and in all true love, my thoughts, if perhaps God may be pleased to open your eyes, to see the snare wherein you are caught by Satan, to be his instrument, to tempt all men, to all manner of disorders, to disturb this distracted State, and bring it to Rvine, which I beseech God in mercy to prevent. For truly the way which you have taken, and wherein you proceed with a great deal of confidence, provoking others to follow you and to answer you in the same kind; if it should be entertained on all sides; can produce nothing but the Gall of bitterness, and destruction in the end. For if ye by't and devour one another; ye are in danger to be consumed one of another saith the Apostle. Gal. 5.15. Therefore he is careful to Teach men, that suppose they live by the Spirit of Christ, to set themselves to walk also in the Spirit, from ver. 16. till the end of the Chapter, showing that he who endeavours to walk in the Spirit, shall not be led away to fulfil the lusts of the flesh, because such as are Christ's, have Crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts, and are not desirous of vain glory, by provoking one another, or envying one another; as (in all that I have seen of your writings in this kind) you are fully and strongly bend to do; and that under a kind of pretence of zeal for Religion and Moderation: when as, in effect I meet with none that useth more devouring words than you have done; or that applieth them with more cunning to deceive, and to work mischief in the minds of men. Pardon these expressions, they are not words of passion to reproach, but of compassion to warn you of the Spirit by which you are led; that you may reflect upon yourself, and take heed unto your way; and not excuse the matter, with colourable pretences. For what although some Antagonists have set themselves to discover the shameful nakedness of your Brethren unto the world; and to grate upon the sores that are painful, rather to warn others of a danger, then to recover these that are the cause of the danger, from the error of their ways? I say; what although some have done thus; & have not dealt with the men of a dissenting judgement as with Brethren, overtaken in a fault; to restore them in the Spirit of meekness: should you therefore that pretend to be spiritual, suffer yourself to be provoked by them to follow the same way of irritation; to increase the fuel of wrath; and inflame the Spirits of men whom you judge carnal and destitute of the anointing? Suppose they deal uncharitably with those that you stand for; is it therefore lawful for you or expedient to the cause of Religion, or advantageous for your own aim, to deal as uncharitably with them, or rather more injuriously? you that affect so much the Spirit, and plead for love; should you be overcome with evil, to recompense evil for evil, and not rather study to overcome it with good? recrimination is no just defence; and chief with such a kind of reproachful accusation as you make use of; and in such away of applying it as you are fallen upon: for if your accusations be not only rail, but falsehoods; and if you apply them to the unsettlement of all men's affections towards each other; namely to stagger the weak of all sides and incense the strong of each side to their utmost endeavours of strife; if (I say) this be so; then let me entreat you to reflect upon yourself, and consider what use Satan makes of your tongue and pen for his ends; for if you are not afraid to write in public that which I see under your name; I may without uncharitableness, imagine, that your tongue in private will not spare to walk through the earth in a more desperate path, perhaps than I can, or will admit into my thoughts, of him whom I do esteem a brother, therefore, as to a brother, for whom I am solicitous (I speak it in the right of Christ) let me entreat you (before I come to the particulars which I purpose to lay before you, from your writings) to take heed to your speaking; It is incident to men of nimble wits, to speak freely, to plot designs, and uttering them, to set themselves or others upon the acting thereof; and I am afraid it may be made some part of your employment, to work the divisions of this State and Church to the height by private contrivements; if your spirit in your more secret walking, be not otherwise affected towards your Brethren, and tempered towards the public Peace; than it appeareth unto me to be in your public counsels and writings: whereof now to discharge the grievances which I have against you at them (I should have said rather against them unto you); I will give you a distinct and particular acount; and lest I should seem to complain without a cause, or take upon me towards you more, than I would have you to do towards myself in the like case: therefore let this be said once for all all, Cursed be he that doth the work of the Lord deceitfully: or that under the Colour of Christian love, in such a case doth seek any other advantage then the gaining of his Brother to a clear duty in the Gospel. If then I shall err in judgement (for who can presume to be without error) I desire you to rectify my mistakes, with the same affection whereby I offer myself now to discover your mistakes unto your Conscience, beseeching the Lord in mercy to let you see the danger of them, for your good, and the preservation of others that may be endangered by them, and wrought upon to follow your footsteps.  
First it is a grievance to my spirit to find a specious promise in the title of your Treatise, stirring up an appetite to taste of some ripe fruit of tenderness, which my Soul desireth in all these Controversies, when as in the Treatise itself, I can find no cluster at all of comfort or refreshment. And therefore I have cause to cry out with the Prophet Mich. 7. Woe is me for I am as when they have gathered the summer frvits as the Grape-gleaning of the Vintage: there is no Cluster to Eat, the good man is perished; they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his neighbour with a net etc. If then you will ease me of this grief I pray you show me where the Brotherly tenderness is, and that sweetness which Master Bachiler commends your Treatise for. If it be not where but in pag. 8 and 9 where you propound for the Parliament that all sides may enjoy their liberty in their judgement, as now they do which is in strife and contention for it, with all manner of contrivements to make their practice according to their judgement, prevalent against each other; if this be all, what the better will the State or Church be for this Counsel? What love will this beget? Will it not rather in the unsettlement of all relations and bands of mutual edification and of orderly proceed (which should prevent offences, which beget murmur and disputes) leave the Reins lose unto all men to run riot one against another; and in a Carnal way pleasing themselves (as you I conceive have done in this Treatise) they will not care whom they do displease. I did truly expect some lenitive and mollifying cataplasm or ointment to abate the inflammation of our pains and sores; and behold a cold water sprinkled upon them only on the outside to make them burn more vehemently and ache more inwardly, & harden the boiles that the corrupt matter may never be purged out. If you had either used some arguments convincingly pressed home, to provoke men to that love which Christ requires in us all, and to that forbearance in love which might tend to the healing of breaches: or if you had propounded some equitable ways of Treating between the parties to come to a better understanding and reconcilement of differences: or if you had showed how the distemperate execesses of passionate men on all sides, might be without violent courses (which may reflect upon the Consciences of tender & weak ones) taken away; I would have relished some sweetness in your spirit, or some tenderness towards your Brethren. But in very deed your spirit (if I can see any thing in the disposition of spirits, (1 Cor. 4.6.) is contrary to the Apostolical rule (even there where your tenderness doth lie) puffed up highly for one against another & if your conclusion of the Treatise, wherein you declare the aim you have in writing should be believed aswell as the title; it will appear that the title of tenderness is a mere flourish and bait to allure a simple soul to swallow a hook: for you profess in plain terms that you writ to provoke others to show their strength against you, as in a matter of high concernment; and yourself being a man (forsooth) that regard neither an University nor a Pulpit; neither a Doctor nor a Teacher of these Reformed Churches, as if they were all inferior unto your anointing; because some of them have not much more than Art and Habit. What do you mean by this? Doth this proceed from a sweet fountain? Can there be tenderness towards a brother, without humility in ones self? And can such unsavoury provocations, in such high terms, stand with true inward humility? Only by pride cometh contention saith, Solomon Prov. 13.10. And the Apostle James. 4. tells us, that wars and fightings come from our lusts; Look then to your aim, and see what it lusteth after; and in what manner your spirit doth express that lust which it hath; and then tell me from your Conscience, whether your lust is not to envy and to strife? And if it be clearly by your own words found such; do not boast too fast of your anointing; and do not lie against the Truth of your aim with a pretence of tenderness: for though you lay no claim to Arts nor Habits; yet the wisdom by which you are led in this matter descendeth not from above but is earthly and sensual. Which I grieve to see, and wish that you would lay it to heart to be humbled before God for it, that he may be merciful unto you, and give you indeed that anointing, which you seem to boast of; for not he that commends himself, or can discommend others, is praise worthy; but he whom God commends, by giving him the spirit of wisdom unto sobriety, in thinking of himself, and unto charity, and meekness in dealing with others: which I wish you from my heart henceforth.  
The Second Grievance is, the insulting over your Brethren of the Assembly in your Preface to them; by triumphing over them as Humbled from that height wherein you seem to intimate that they thought themselves set; what do you here gain either for their edification or your own? and by reproaching them with a fault of going beyond their bounder; I am afraid, as you intent not to heal any thing in them, but to exalt yourself alone, to be equal to them all, in your own imagination; so perhaps in depressing their estimation to the magnitude of yourself; you may have a worldly end, to please some that seek pretences against them. I leave this to the Consideration of your Conscience, whether I have not cause to suspect some such thing, where so much of worldly respect to greatness, and in order to that, such self-love is expressed in so high a degree, as to despise all their judgements in comparison of your own. Who is ignorant, that as laying too much weight upon the voices of Synods or Assemblies of men; there hath been or may be, a Mystery of Iniquity; but will you deny that there hath not been or may not be, as great, or a greater Mystery of iniquity, in that Spirit, which doth extol itself above the spirit of the Prophets, when it ought to be subject thereunto? whereunto if you (who boast yourself so easily in vanity) are not in danger to be tempted, I am much deceived: therefore it will be your wisdom to look in humility to your standing, lest you be also tempted, seeing you think that a whole Assembly of men, of greater abilities than you self, may come to fall.  
The Third Grievance to my Spirit is this; that you are not afraid to inform the world of many Untruths to the prejudice of your Brethren, that they may be disrespected in their Ministry.  
And the Fourth Grievance, is this; that you have a peculiar Artifice in the Application of your accusations to exasperate men's spirrts with hatred against your Brethren, beyond any man that I have known.  
Under these two heads I comprehend all the particular Grievances which are in the whole Treatise, which is nothing but a bush of thorns which scarce can be touched any where without a prickle: and if your spirit can bring forth none other fruits (which I hope by repentance it may) your end will be sad; for you that can kindle so much fire in other men's spirits; must needs have a great deal of fuel within yourself, which you will do wisely to cast out betimes, lest you taste of the fruit of your own do and your backsliding reprove you when it may be too late.  
I shall endeavour only to point at matters briefly; and to ease my spirit of the burden which you have laid upon it; I shall rectify your mistakes; and show what should have been done for edification in truth; if your aim had been upright and to gain your lawful end if you had followed a commendable course:  
Under the third head of grievances, I rank all the Untruths wherewith you asperse your Brethren: and by the untruths I mean all the falls positions in matter of Doctrine, which you father upon them; either as their own or such as they are bound to make good; and all the false Assertions which you lay as grounds of truth to be received by all; that they in their Ministry may be vilified; and all the injurious inferences whereby you misreport their meaning, in their Petition to the Houses.  
1. Here you tell us that they pretend a Right to the Ministry, by virtue of that Ordination only, which is derived by a Personal succession from Bishops, and so upwards to the Apostles without interruption: and from this false supposition of your own, which you father upon them as their position, you spin out a great many absurdities, which you will oblige them to make good; or to be guilty of. This is the matter of pag. 1 and 2.  
Secondly, Than you oppose the Nature of their Congregational Eldership to their Classical and Synodical; and upon unsound grounds, which you assert as truths; calling the Constitution of their Elders, and of the extent of their Congregations, into question; you labour to bring a disrespect upon them, and this is the matter of pag. 3. and part of pag 4.  
Thirdly, Because they pretend Art to have such an immediate Call as the Apostles had, but have only an ordinary measure of gifts, you infer from thence that they have no right to challenge Church-power to themselves, or to allege and apply the Scriptures giving that power to Ministers, unto themselves: and this you insist upon, pag. 4. 5. 6.  
Fourthly, You traduce the purpose and the end of the Constitution of a Nationall Assembly and make it formidable to a State, and no loss than Antichristian. pag. 7.  
Lastly, your inferences upon the heads of the Petition, are the vilest and most injurious misrepresentations of their meaning that any can devise; to make them be thought proud and intending to exalt themselves above the Parliament, to make them guilty of misinterpreting the Nationall Covenant; and to make them wholly dependent in all their Administrations upon the State, or else to be thought absurd in petitioning the removal of the Commissioners, and this is the substance of your pag. 11, 12, 13, 14.  
These things are nothing else but a mass of Untruths, and false representations of matters tending only to stagger the Simpler sort and to gratify the enemies either of that Church-Constitution; or else of all Religion that by the dissolution of that frame of Government they may be able to sin without control, and do what they will,  
Now that any who calls himself a Preacher of the Gospel, should set himself thus to traduce these whom he calls Brethren: to the end that their Ministry may become contemptible, is a sad matter unto me: both in respect of the Gospel which thereby is made unprofitable unto many: and in respect of these that are wronged, and him that doth the wrong. But that I may not seem to delight so much in the aggravating of wrongs as in the rectifying of them: I will Charitably suppose that you have erred partly through ignorance; and partly through heat of passion in all these misrepresentations of matters: and not against the light of your Conscience, and through pure Malice. For although there is a spirit of Malignity in our corrupt nature leading us to wrest things to the worst sense, which concern those to whom we seek to insult over: yet I hardly can think that any who is not a reprobate and void of all Conscience; can wittingly and willingly against his own knowledge set himself thus to be injurious unto his Brethren in the profession of the Gospel; to make them Universally odious and despicable in the Ministry. Therefore I think it only an error of judgement in you heightened with passion, to take advantages against them, to exalt yourself over them, and make them despicable. And to Remedy this evil, I will give you my true sense of these things which are alleged wrongfully by you to their disreputation; that your mistake may be rectified.  
I say then that the Reformed Church in these and other parts, which hath received the light of the Gospel since the discovery of Popery doth hold that the true Ordination of Ministers doth not depend upon any Personal Succession of Men, but upon the appointment of God: who hath given by the Manifestation of his Truth, gifts unto his Church which are to be administered therein by the Office of the Presbytery, which hath a power to propagate itself; for the continuance of the work of the Ministry in this world. If then since the Apostles times there hath been a Church; that is a Company of true Believers in the world, always extant; (whether visible or invisible to the world, that is not material; all hold that the Church is always visible to itself) we must acknowledge that to that Church the gifts of the Spirit have never been wanting therein: and if the gifts have never failed, there hath always been a Power in the Eldership of that Church to administer the same unto the members thereof; by verve of God's Commandment. 1 Peter 4.10, 11. As every man hath received the gift, even so, minister the same one to another as good Stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak let him speak as the Oracles of God, if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth. From this Commandment we learn that God hath always in his Church Stewards of his grace; and that he doth give unto them an Ability to minister the same. This ability is partly inward in the property of the gift, partly outward in the property of the Office, by which it is to be administered unto the Church in an orderly way: and that the orderly way of administration may not fail in the house of God (for God is the God of order and not of Confusion) no man is to take the Office unto himself, but he is honoured therewith who is called thereunto by God as Aaron was Hebr. 5.4. Now the power of calling in an ordinary way, is by the Office of the Eldership in the Church, and not by any Personal Succession: For it is the Eldership that giveth Ordination by the imposition of hands. 1 Tim. 4.14. and where the Office is established, it may and aught to be propagated by these that are entrusted therewith towards others that are fit to Administer the same unto others also that there may be a perpetual continuance thereof: for so the Lord hath appointed. 2 Tim. 2.2. We say then, that the Lord hath never left the world without some true Ministers of the Word; by their Ministry of the Word, Faith hath been begotten; and with Faith the gifts of the Spirit sent forth; and where the gifts have been, the Administration thereof hath also been by virtue of an Office residing in those to whom God doth give ability: if then a Minister of the Reformed Church be called unto an account of the Right which he hath unto his Office; he will give this proof of it: That in a true Church of God, according to his appointment, after trial, and manifestation of his gifts and graces, found fit for edification; he was called, and by these that did Administer in that Church the Office of the Eldership, was in an orderly manner ordained and dedicated with Prayer and imposition of hands unto God, to have a lot and part in his Service: and they justly reject from the Society of that Office all such as come not in by this orderly and ordinary way; nor ought they to admit of any; or acknowledge him to be a Steward of the Mysteries of God, who is not thus called by the Eldership of some true Church.  
If you knew this to be the true meaning of the Reformed Churches, and did nevertheless run out upon the Cavils you have in your first and second page, you are much to blame; but if you knew it not; you should have made enquiry; and not have condemned your Brethren upon a false presupposal: the Ministers of the Low-Countries and of France are not ordained by Bishops; and none doth question their Calling to the Ministry.  
As for the congregational, Classical, and Synodical Presbyteries; if they be Rightly Constituted and met together in the Communion of Saints for their mutual edification in love, they all stand a like by Divine Right; for if the Eldership of one single Congregation hath a right from God to determine that which is fit for its own edification within itself; it cannot be denied but the Elderships of many Congregations joined together have the same right: whatsoever they have Single; they cannot lose Conjoined, but their Right is rather strengthened by their union. And what you speak of a prudential Judicature, is but a Cavil: All Churches have a right from God to judge of all affairs Prudentially for their own building up in love by the Rules. 1 Cor. 14.26, 40.  
Then to the exception which you make against Elders as Constituted by the countenance of an Ordinance of Parliament, and not by the Apostolical Scripture-Rule; I say that their constitution to be Officers in the Church is only from the Apostolical Rule and the Parliament-Ordinance is but an outward accidental concurrence and help to the settling of them by the Rule; therefore this is nothing, but a Cavil in like manner. So is also that which is called a Parishional Congregation, nothing else but a Circumstantial outward boundary of a certain number of people, in which a Spiritual Congregation is to be settled according to the Word; and therefore this is another Cavil like unto the former. And as for the Assembly in this Extraordinary way of Reformation; it is a necessary help in the Communion of Saints for Counsel and Advice to maintain the Unity of the Spirit amongst Brethren in the bond of Peace; and their Convocation by the approbation of Parliament, is but accidental to the Right which the Ministers have to come together to do things for mutual edification, and to determine among themselves their ways of orderly proceeding in love.  
We confess that the Primitive Elders and Apostles were immediately and more eminently qualified, than these that are now in place, but we say also that the different measure of gifts makes no essential difference in the nature of the Administration; there is but one Faith, and one Spirit, and one Body, the anointing of all is the same; and every member is bound in his place, according to his Office, Rom. 12.4. to supply to others that gift for the Administration whereof Ephe. 4.16. the whole Body by Christ's Ordinance and under him is fitly joined together and compacted: that God may be glorified in all things by Jesus Christ. If we believe in the Word of the Apostles, we have Communion with them, and are bound to follow them in all the Ordinances of worship, and of mutual edification. 1 Cor. 11.1, 2. The Corinthians were no more privileged to this than any Company of true believers are now; therefore it is but a mere Cavil to tell us, because we have not such a degree of the anointing, that we may not Administer the Ordinances; according to that degree and measure of gifts which we have: there is a promise that if we be faithful in little we shall be set over much. If we believe truly we have a right to all the Ordinances by the Word; and all Offices and Officers in their Administrations, are warranted thereby 〈◊〉 edify their fellow members within themselves, without any dependence upon any extrinsecall power: and although they ought to do this; and to do it as by the ability which God giveth; yet they cannot pretend to any infallibility in their Administrations, whether of Doctrine, of Worship, of Government, or of Censures, but in humility as under the Direction of the Word, they make use of their gifts till God bring them to the Stature of a Perfect man in Christ; and that they may come to this perfection they stand jointed and compacted with their Brethren in the Communion of Saints, and think it not safe or lawful for them to disjoint themselves, as I understand you have done; from such as call upon God out of a pure heart; and are grounded in the same Truth of Faith with them, and are united to the same God and Father by the same Covenant of Grace in Christ: from such you have separated yourself, and are now become a Cavillator and wrangler against them, seeking by all means of railing and false imputations to disturb their Peace, and make people disaffected towards them: for which sin if you repent not, you will become a wandering Star, and never settle for ever: from which judgement I beseech the Lord to preserve you: for I fear that you are on the way of losing your hold of the Scriptures, aswell as of the Truth of Love to the Brethren. When men once take a liberty to do all things that their own Spirit doth lead them unto by passion, and boast withal of the Spirit and anointing, and despise others in comparison of themselves; and do not study to show from the Scriptures that light which God hath manifested unto them for the instruction and direction of others to recover them with love and meekness from the ways of error; but insult over them, and trample upon them for their defamation and destruction, (I say) when men are thus acted by Satan; they are in a dangerous condition.  
Concerning a Nationall Assembly we say that it hath no power but in matters of Spiritual concernment; and that the Divine Rights which is in all the particular Churches by an aggregation of strength is Contracted in it, and therefore is the true supreme Judicature in matters of difference amongst Brethren: yet according to the Word, and by the Word, and through the manifestation of the will of God, the judgement is Authoritative and not otherwise: and you but Cavil and play the Politician to flatter Statesmen, for some ends of your own, when you labour to stir up a jealousy in the Parliament against the Authority of a Nationall Assembly: their Spheres are so fare different in nature, their ends so distinct, their Principles so fare distant; and the Manner of their pro●●eding in dealing with those that relate unto them, so quite oppsit; that 〈◊〉 they will not purposely go out of their ways they cannot entrench ●pon one another's borders of Power, but each is under God immediately within itself, over all its members; and one is mutually subordinate to another according to his Will: the Ecclesiastical Persons are under the Civil Judicature in matters of this World; and the Civil Persons are under the Ecclesiastical Judicature in matters of the World to come; but you confound all these Relations, and either ignorantly or wittingly for some ends, will heed this distinction of Powers, committed to each in their several Administrations under God; the one for the inward, the other for the outward man, which ought no more to be at variance in a State then Soul and Body in one and the same Man in their facultties and operations upon their distinct Objects. Here you show the railing disposition of your mind, when you parallel the Nationall Assemblies of all the Reformed Churches (against all evident experience of their behaviour to the contrary; and against the clear light of their Doctrine whereby they Challenge no interest in the Government of worldly matters) with the Papal and Antichristian Power, which hath exalted itself above all that is called God on Earth, and in Heaven also.  
The inferences which you make upon their Petition are such as truly deserve none other observation but this; that it is an untruth which you say at the beginning of every inference; namely that you may infer from their words that which you do infer, for I say that you may not make evil inferences and misconstructions of any man's meaning from his words; if they can bear any better sense than you can put upon them to his prejudice, may you be injurious and uncharitable to your Brethren? May you accuse them of wicked intentions against their clear professions? if you may do this, what may you not do? I pray you look to yourself what liberty you take: you pressed to be in a Spiritual liberty; but look now whether in using your liberty thus, you give not an occasion to your flesh, to sow the seed of divisions of Complaints of murmur and disputes, and of all evil affections against your Brethren.  
Therefore the last grievance which I shall offer unto you to Consider in your way, is, the Artifice which you use to exasperate the Spirits of men by a misconstruction even of the best things which are in them to the worst sense; with so much boldness and variety of applications, and in such a tautological way to beat it upon the imaginations of Earthly men; and to intricate the thoughts of the simple, that it is a great matter of sorrow, to see you so busy in a perverse zeal to sow dissension amongst Brethren. You build upon your own false supposals and inferences, a kind of Method to instruct people in the ways of opposition; wherein It will not trace you because it is tedious and unprofitable, and needless to show you all the deceitful windligs of your Spirit; to which you give an unlimited liberty to entangle men by fallacies. I shall rather represent unto you what in your case if you had been zealous for the Truth and not for deceiving, and leading men out of the way; you should have done. Harken now then, and consider, you that talk so much of Truth. All The Truth which we should aim at, and bear witness unto, one towards another; is either of Doctrine or Practice: The Truth of Doctrine is the Testimony of the Word and Spirit, whereby God hath revealed himself and the things belonging to Christ and his Kingdom, unto us: that by this knowledge we might receive all things pertaining to life, and to Godliness. The Truth of Practice is that upright and sincere dealing with others in God for their good according to our best knowledge of the things which we would desire to have from them in the same kind. The means to make this Truth of both kinds effectually profitable to ourselves and others, is to endeavour that which the Apostle exhorts us unto, Ephes. 4.15. Namely to speak the Truth in Love; and the effect of this endeavour will be, that which he doth promise, there shall follow thereupon, Namely to grow up in all things into him, who is the Head, even Christ. Thus than whether it be a matter of Doctrine or of Practice whereunto we are to bear witness; if we desire thereby to grow up within ourselves, or to build up others into Christ (which is the only warrantable aim we can have) we must apply our minds to speak the Truth in Love, and to do the Truth in Love; For the original words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contain the sense of both in one expression. If then this is the Rule by which we should walk in all things, that we may approve our Consciences to God as his true servants, and enjoy Christ by walking after his Spirit in all things: then we must never suffer any humane and worldly aims to sway our thoughts, to speak or act, that which may tend only to satisfy our own or other people's humours; but before we undertake a business towards others, whether the concernment be private or public, we should settle the affections of Truth, and discern the way of uttering them in Love, to gain these with whom we deal, to some duty of godliness, wherein they and we may grow up in Christ. Now then to apply this Spiritual Method of proceeding to your Case, let us State the Question which you make, and consider how you should, and I would have proceeded, if it had been my Case; to desire a Resolution for myself or others in it.  
The Question is Concerning the Divine Right of the Prebyteriall Churches to judge themselves of the scandals of their Members according to the Word of God; whether yea or no it doth belong unto them? I would have set down this Quaere distinctly, as a Doubt: and then would have sought out a way, to resolve myself without partiality only for love to the Truth in it: and to this effect I would have looked upon the frame and constitution, with the Doctrine and Practice of the Churches which are called Presbyterial: and set down truly all that I should have found substantially material in them for their own being; or distinctively observable to difference them from other Churches. Then in the second place I would have made enquiry of their true meaning of that which they call a Scandal in a Member, and of that which is called Judging within themselves of Scandals. And lastly of that which is called a Divine Right, whereunto they pretend in this act of judging, and when I should have satisfied myself in this enquiry so fare as I could attain; if then I had judged them to be in an error either of Doctrine or Practice hurtful to the Kingdom of Christ, and to their own and others interest therein; I would have taken a resolution to deal with them in Truth and sincerity to reclaim them from that error; and answerable to such a resolution, would have declared unto them my aim in dealing with them; and desired them to weigh, and seriously to consider the doubts which I had concerning their Pretence of a Divine Right, persuading them to lay down the plea thereof. And if in their ordinary Practices to maintain and get possession of this Right I should have observed things destructive to the glorious Gospel of Peace, or to the edification and true liberty of their Brethren, I would with all zeal and true affection have warned them of the danger, and laying the fault clearly before them on the one side, I should have laboured to cause them to see the duty which God requireth of them on the other: and so commended them to the Grace of God; having discharged my Conscience towards them. And thus I have at this time discharged my Conscience towards you: and I have endeavoured to walk within the compass of my Rule in considering you and your ways, and in dealing with you freely and roundly to pull you out of the fire; so I shall desire you to deal with me by the same Rule, and if in this matter of grief, which your unruly dealing hath occasioned; I have exceeded in a Word of censure too sharply here or there perhaps; I shall desire you not to take it in the worst sense: I have not much time to spare from some other employments, and therefore in the grief of spirit, and being in haste withal to dispatch these thoughts unto you; I may easily have failed in some words: for in many things we fail all, saith the Apostle James 3. (not excluding himself) and he that offendeth not in a word, he is a perfect man; therefore I must plead for a Charitable construction of all my expressions; and the rather, because the former part of this letter to you is already sent to London, before I could deliberately review it, as I might have done if time would have given me leave; nor have I any Copy of that which is gone, which is at least three parts of four; but I hope the friend to whom it is sent will keep a Copy thereof for me; and will not (I know) do any thing in the divulging of these things to your prejudice: but will faithfully concur with me in this aim of your edification.  
I pray you look not upon matters in appearance, but look upon them in the Truth: set yourself to be a Servant of the Truth, in Love; by provoking all men unto the love which Christ requireth of us; and not to the wrath which our passions (by conceiving of things according to their worst construction) may waken in others; to trouble them and increase their sin: Remember, that the wrath of man doth not fulfil the righteousness of God: and if your zeal be a wrathful zeal rather to find out faults, and make them odious, then to amend and heal the breaches of our spirits; you will be so far from doing good to those with whom you deal, that you will not only make them less corrigible; but you will make your own side worse, by being out of all patience against them: for the Method that you follow, as it is pleasing to the fancy of flesh and blood; so it cannot but work upon those that are ignorantly zealous, (and that give credit unto your assertions) most violent and distempered commotions, against those whom they imagine to be so hateful to God; and so injurious to the public and to all their Brethren, as you make them, and if they be not so hateful indeed as you make them; what judgement, you may expect; and reward, for judging of others unjustly, in the day of Accounts; I leave you to consider: It is very good to mind often that we shall give an account of all our idle words: and that by our words we shall be judged: and by our words we shall be condemned. The Lord teach us his fear in all things, and grant, that before all keeping, we may keep the ways of our heart from double aims in spiritual matters: not to look a▪ squint unto the worldly designs of States, or great-Ones; to serve their turns with our endeavours. Do not inquire who I am, you may come to know me in due time; look upon me, as I do upon you, in your Writings; I never saw your face to my knowledge, and perhaps you will never see mine: I desire to know no body after the flesh; take you only notice of that which I am to you in the spirit,  
Your Friend, for Christ's sake, willing to serve you, M.W. J.D. S.B. April 24. 1646.   

Postscript.  
SIR,  
IF you shall think fit to return any Answer to these things, which I have offered to your consideration; you may inscribe your Letter with the letters which express my name, in the foregoing subscription; and you may be pleased to send it to the place, which he that doth bring this unto you, shall name: and from thence it will be safely addressed to me: Thus again, I rest  
Yours, as before, M.W. I.D. S.B.  
FINIS.