CHAP. CXXXVIII.
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Williams, Roger and Underhill, Edward Bean
2. The needlessness of it: for with a word to his Father, he could have twelve legions of angels.
3. The counsel of God to be fulfilled in the scripture: thus it ought to be.
Peace. It is much questioned by some, what should be the meaning of Christ Jesus in that speech, All that take the sword shall perish by the sword.
A threefold taking of the sword.
Truth. There is a threefold taking of the sword: first, by murderous cruelty, either of private persons; or secondly, public states or societies, in wrath or revenge each against other.
Secondly, a just and righteous taking of the sword in punishing offenders against the civil peace, either more personal, private, and ordinary; or more public, oppressors, tyrants, ships, navies, &c. Neither of these can it be imagined that Christ Jesus intended to Peter.
Thirdly, there is therefore a third taking of the sword, forbidden to Peter, that is, for Christ and the gospel’s cause when Christ is in danger: which made Peter strike, &c.
Peace. It seems to some most contrary to all true reason, that Christ Jesus, innocency itself, should not be defended.
Truth. The foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of man.
It is not the purpose of God, that the spiritual battles of his Son shall be fought by carnal weapons and persons.
It is not his pleasure that the world shall flame on fire with civil combustions for his Son’s sake. It is directly contrary to the nature of Christ Jesus, his saints and truths, that throats of men, which is the highest contrariety to civil converse, should be torn out for his sake who most delighted to converse with the greatest sinners.
It is the counsel of God, that his servants shall overcome by three weapons of a spiritual nature, Rev. xii. 11; and that all that take the sword of steel shall perish.
Lastly, it is the counsel of God, that Christ Jesus shall shortly appear a most glorious judge and revenger against all his enemies, when the heavens and the earth shall flee before his most glorious presence.
Rev. xvii. 16, the kings’ hating of the whore, discussed.
Peace. I shall propose the last scripture much insisted on by many for carnal weapons in spiritual cases, Rev. xvii. 16, The ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her with fire.
Truth. Not to controvert with some, whether or no the beast be yet risen and extant:—
Nor secondly, whether either the beast, or the horns, or the whore, may be taken literally for any corporal beast or whore:—
Or thirdly, whether these ten horns be punctually and exactly ten kings:—
Or fourthly, whether those ten horns signify those many kings, kingdoms, and governments, who have bowed down to the pope’s yoke, and have committed fornication with that great whore the church of Rome:—
Let this last be admitted, (which yet will cost some work to clear against all opposites): yet,—
First, can the time be now clearly demonstrated to be come? &c.
Secondly, how will it be proved, that this hatred of this whore, shall be a true, chaste, Christian hatred against anti-christian, whorish practices? &c.
Thirdly, or rather that this hating, and desolating, and making naked, and burning shall arise, not by way of an ordinance warranted by the institution of Christ Jesus, but by way of providence, when, as it useth to be with all whores and their lovers, the church of Rome and her great lovers shall fall out, and by the righteous vengeance of God upon her, drunk with the blood of saints or holy ones, these mighty fornicators shall turn their love into hatred, which hatred shall make her a poor, desolate, naked whore, torn and consumed, &c.
Peace. You know it is a great controversy, how the kings of the earth shall thus deal with the whore in the seventeenth chapter, and yet so bewail her in the eighteenth chapter.
Truth. If we take it that these kings of the earth shall first hate, and plunder, and tear, and burn this whore, and yet afterward shall relent and bewail their cruel dealing toward her: or else, that as some kings deal so terribly with her, yet others of those kings shall bewail her:—
If either of these two answers stand, or a better be given, yet none of them can prove it lawful for people to give power to their kings and magistrates thus to deal with them, their subjects, for their conscience; nor for magistrates to assume a tittle more than the people betrust them with; nor for one people out of conscience to God, and for Christ’s sake, thus to kill and slaughter and burn each other. However, it may please the righteous judge, according to the famous types of Gideon’s and Jehoshaphat’s battles, to permit in justice, and to order in wisdom, these mighty and mutual slaughters each of other.
Peace. We have now, dear Truth, through the gracious hand of God, clambered up to the top of this our tedious discourse.
Truth. Oh! it is mercy inexpressible that either thou or I have had so long a breathing time, and that together!
Peace. If English ground must yet be drunk with English blood, oh! where shall Peace repose her wearied head and heavy heart?
Truth. Dear Peace, if thou find welcome, and the God of peace miraculously please to quench these all-devouring flames, yet where shall Truth find rest from cruel persecutions?
Peace. Oh! will not the authority of holy scriptures, the commands and declarations of the Son of God, therein produced by thee, together with all the lamentable experiences of former and present slaughters, prevail with the sons of men, especially with the sons of peace, to depart from the dens of lions, and mountains of leopards, and to put on the bowels, if not of Christianity, yet of humanity each to other?
Truth. Dear Peace, Habakkuk’s fishes keep their constant bloody game of persecutions in the world’s mighty ocean; the greater taking, plundering, swallowing up the lesser. Oh! happy he whose portion is the God of Jacob! who hath nothing to lose under the sun; but hath a state, a house, an inheritance, a name, a crown, a life, past all the plunderers’, ravishers’, murderers’ reach and fury!
Peace. But lo! Who’s there?
Truth. Our sister Patience, whose desired company is as needful as delightful. It is like the wolf will send the scattered sheep in one: the common pirate gather up the loose and scattered navy: the slaughter of the witnesses by that bloody beast unite the independents and presbyterians.
The God of peace, the God of truth, will shortly seal this truth, and confirm this witness, and make it evident to the whole world,—
That the doctrine of persecution for cause of conscience, is most evidently and lamentably contrary to the doctrine of Christ Jesus, the Prince of peace. Amen.
FINIS.
MR. COTTON’S LETTER, LATELY PRINTED, EXAMINED AND ANSWERED.
BY ROGER WILLIAMS, OF PROVIDENCE, IN NEW ENGLAND.
LONDON: IMPRINTED IN THE YEAR 1644.