The Preface.

IN the last week of June, or the first of July, 1644. in one of those
two weeks I am certaine came forth my Answer entituled
Antapologia to the Apologeticall Narration: Ever since which
time I have forborne the Presse, out of an expectation of a Reply
which was with great confidence by many of the Independent
party at severall times given out I should have with
much patience passing by the many reproachfull scornfull speeches and railings
both in publike Sermons and printed Pamphlets,
and many other waies cast upon me
and my Antapologie: I was not willing to be
provoked, or to trouble my self at the barking
of every dogge who according to kinde,
did bark at the Moon thats all but not
hurt it: could scoffe and jeer at the Antapologie, but knew not which way to go
about to answer it but rather resolved to reserve my time and strength, for
some learned and solid Reply from the Apologists, or any other for them, to
which I might have given a Rejoynder. But now eighteen Moneths being almost
expired since the Antapologie came abroad into the world time sufficient for five
such eminent persons, or some other to have returned an Answer in, if ever they
intended it and now being without all hopes of any Reply from them there
being none in the Presse, as I can learn but rather 'tis given out by the Apologists
themselves, and their neerest friends, that for peace sake they forbeare it which
let them beleeve it that will, I do not I shall waite no longer, but am resolved
to appear again in publike against the errours of the time, and to set forth Tractates
and Discourses upon such Subjects and Points, as I conceive may make most
for the glory of God, the peace of this Church, and be most seasonable for the
present necessity, be opus dies in die suo. I have all this while, out of choise and upon
serious deliberation, declined the setting forth any Tractate of the Controversies
of the time although I have been by Learned men oft call'd upon, yea,
earnestly sollicited thereunto lest the Apologists, or some other for them, should
have taken occasion by answering that, to have some cloak and excuse for not
replying to my Antapologia: but having given all this time, and finding by experience
all their great words and threats of an Answer both in print by
Mr John Goodwin, yea the Apologists
themselves in the Assembly, and
many of their disciples to be but
meer flourishes and great swelling
words of vanity on purpose to feed
their deluded Proselytes for the present
who called upon them for an
Answer I shall now finde them
more work, and adde many other
Treatises to the former. And however
upon the Reason before specified,
I have been thus long silent, and
discontinued the Presse; yet for
hereafter, I do give it under my hand,
that I will make amends, and redeem the time because the dayes are evill; promising
the grace of God enabling me, and sparing me life, health and liberty
that for this next year, or longer, as the troubles of the Church may continue, to
be often setting forth one Tractate or other. I aime at, and shall endeavour to be
like that tree spoken of in the Revelation, to yeeld fruit every moneth, and that
the leaves of the tree may be for the healing of these Nations. Now to give
some account to the Reader, of the nature of this following Discourse, and of
my seepe therein; This present Treatise is not so much against any one errour
and sect, as against all I have heard of, a Discovery of, and Directions against that
many headed monstrous Hydra of sectarisme sprung up in these times in England:
a worke and undertaking, which I well know and expect, will cause me
all the hatred, envy and danger, which the cunning, malice, power or blinde
zeal of all the sectaries in England can procure. Paul speaks in his Epistles to the
Corinthians among other troubles of his fighting with beasts as Ephesus after the
manner of men, 1.Cor. 15.32. and of a messenger of Satan sent to buffet him,
2. Cor.cap.12. which were none of the least dangers and sufferings he met withall,
as will appear both by looking into the texts themselves, and consulting some
learned Divines upon those Scriptures. Now in this present work, and some other
following Tractates, something like to these I have to conflict with, namely,
wilde beasts, grievous wolves, as the Scripture calls hereticks and false Prophets,
Mat.7.15. Acts 20.29. and with messengers of Satan, false Apostles, transforming
themselves into the Apostles of Christ, 2.Cor.12.13. and 'tis never the lesse hazardous
nor difficult, that they are wolves in sheeps cloathing, and Satan transformed
into an Angell of light. Now for me, a poor weak sinfull man, who have
no armes of flesh to back me, none of those relations to the great, Noble and
mighty of the times, which many have, in an age and time when truth is fallen,
but heresie and errour prevails in all places, cried up as new light, and as new
truth, yea, sectarisme is set up in places of honour and profit, and sectaries are
delivered, to appear in open field against, and to contend with them, is a hard
and dangerous service. But I know whom I serve, and he who is with me, is
stronger then they who are against me: and in this cause of God, his truth and
all the reformed Churches, I fear not what man can do unto me. I well understand
that I put my hand into a Hornets nest, and shall raise up against me all the
spirit of separation, schisme and errour thorowout the Kingdome, from the
highest Seeker to the lowest Independent: but I value it not, jacta est alea as Luther
spake upon a like occasion, I can comfort my selfe with that of David, Psal.
118. 12. They compassed me about like Bees, they are
quenched as the fire of thorns, but in the Name of the
Lord I will cut them off. That God which delivered Paul from beasts as Ephesus,
and from the messenger of Satan, that encouraged and enabled little David to
fight with a Bear and a Lion and to pull a Lambe out the Lions mouth, yea to kill
both the Lion and the Bear, hath, doth, and will preserve me till I have finished
my testimony. Only my earnest desire is to the Orthodox and Pious Reader,
that for the Lord Jesus Christs sake, and for the love of the Spirit, they would
strive in prayer to God for me, that I might be delivered from unreasonable
men, and from them that are disobedient; and that my service and labours in this
kinde may be accepted of the Saints, and that I may be so strengthened with
might by his Spirit, that in zeal and faithfullnesse, and yet in love, humility and
wisedom, I may speak as I ought to speak in all my following Treatises. There
are two things, amongst many, that I have oft thought upon, and observed both
from the Scriptures and the works of holy men, both ancient and modern,
which in this cause against the Sectaries, makes me not to be troubled at reproaches,
evill reports, &c. First, that those Ministers, who out of zeal to the glory of
God, love of his truth, compassion to poor soules, have appeared and acted vigorously,
by preaching and writing against the errours of the times and places they
lived in, have still met with a great deal of malignity, hatred, reproaches, and
speaking all manner of evill against them falsely, as also many misconstructions,
neglects and unkinde dealings from friends. Secondly, Notwithstanding all this,
they have gon on in their work and way, with constancie and heroick resolution,
triumphing and rejoycing in their sufferings, rather rising higher, and
growing more bold, then being moved or discouraged: of both these I will give
some instances: Christ the chief Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, for speaking

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against the Sectaries of the time, namely the Pharisees, Sadduces and Herodians,
was maligned, reproached, laid in wait for; as also his own Disciples, and Iobus,
were sometimes offended at him, as Iob. 6.60.61, 66. Matth.9.14.15,16,17.
and yet Christ endured contradiction of sinners, and bare witnesse to the truth.
Paul for opposing false teachers, and the errors which had crept into the Church
of Corinth and Galatia, met with great reproaches, bad reports, not only from the
false Apostles, but from many of the people, insomuch as they counted Paul an
enemy, passed judgement on him, and spake contemptibly of him, Gal.4.16.17.
2,Cor.10.10,11. 1 Cor.4.3.8,9,10'13.14. And yet Paul counted it a small thing
to be judged, and could take pleasure in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions,
in distresses for Christssake, 2.Cor.12.10. and none of these things moved
him, so he might finish his course with joy, and the Ministry which he received,
to testifie the Gospell of the grace of God, Acts 20.24. Athanasius
for opposing the Arians and detecting their
wayes, was conspired against, accused and pursued with an unsupportable hatred;
and yet he went on with great zeal and courage against the whole world,
which at one time was made Arian, so that he was resembled by the Fathers to
an Adamant, for his enduring all things. Augustine and Hierom, both of them, for
preaching and writing against hereticks and schismaticks, especially Donatists,
suffered many reproaches, and yet rejoyced, counting their sufferings a signe of
their greater glory; as Hierome writing to Augustine,
congratulates Augustine for deserving the hatred
of all hereticks, which he rejoyced was common to
himself with him, and that which is an argument
of the greater glory, all hereticks do detest you,
and persecute me also with the like hatred, that
whom they cannot kill with swords, they do with
wishes. Yea Augustine in opposing Pelagius errours,
Pelagius being a man of a strict life, and of great
authority among all, having many famous men
that adhered to him, as Calestius, Julianus Episcopus,
Sulpitius Severus, and others, was censured by
some of his friends, to be too sharpe and bitter, and
his writings had many misconstructions: There
were Epistles by Prosper and Hilarie sent to Austin,
wherein they expresse, that many, who were most
eminent in the honour of Priesthood, did reprehend
Augustin, as if without a cause he had been too vehement, and had too sharply
managed the controversie against Pelagius; yea, among the auditours of Augustine,
all did not truely and with a right hand receive it.
Luther, as his name was hatefull to the Papists, so also to the Sectaries of
that age: Thomas Muncer, one of the first preachers and ringleaders
of the Anabaptists Luther having had some conflicts with
him and others of that Sect put forth some writings, wherein hee did pour
out his rage and fury against Luther, reproaching Luther, that hee wanted a
spirit of Revelation, and savoured onely carnall outward things; and after
Luther had reproved Muncer for his opinion of liberty,
and the wayes he went in, he set himself against
Luther, thundring out railing speeches, saying that
Luther did equally offend as the Pope of Rome, yea that Luther was worse
then the Pope himself, promulgating only a carnall Gospel: but Luther all his
dayes, both against the Papists and Sectaries, Swenckfeldians, Antinomians, Anabaptists,
notwithstanding all reproaches, went on with courage and rejoycing.
Luther esteemed evill speakings as meat fatning
him; Luther was afraid of praises, but rejoyced
in reproaches and blasphemies. Tis enough to me,
saith Luther, if I please Christ my Lord and his saints:
I doe from my heart rejoyce and give thanks to my
God, that I am hatefull to the Divell and all his
scales. I am certain saith Luther that the truth of God cannot be rightly
handled and maintained without envie and danger; and this is the onely signe
that it hath been rightly handled, if it offend; I do
daily more and more please my self, and am proud
that I see a bad name increases to mee. Zuinglius
that great leader of the Reformation in Helvetia, for disputing and writing
against the Anabaptists, was by Balthasar Hubmerus Pacimontanus though
Zuinglius had done him many offices of love loaded
with so great reproaches, that hee was necessitated
to make an Apologie for himselfe to satisfie the
brethren. Calvin that faithfull Pastour of Geneva,
as his labours and zeal against Popish heresies are known to all, so did hee
write and act against all other kind of errors that sprung up, against the Anabaptists,
Libertines, Servetus, Valentinus Gentilis, Stancarus, as his works witnesse
and for his pains and zeal, being as a Christian Hercules overcoming so
many monsters, he was called Heretick, Ambitious, affecting
a new Papacie, one that studied to heap up riches,
a Railer; so that Beza writ an Apologie for him; yea,
some neighbour Pastours reproached him as if he made

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God the authour of sin, because he excluded nothing
from Gods externall providence: in a word, being
so couragious a defender of sound doctrine, hee was
at home and abroad vehemently opposed; and yet for
all these he went on in his work, like another Paul and Athanasius, with undaunted
resolutions and pains: upon occasion he spake
thus of his hard usage and ill requitall, Certainly, if I
had served men, I had made a bad bargain; but 'tis well
that I have served him who alwayes payes his servants
that which he once promised them: And 'tis enough
that I live and die to Christ, who is gain to his in life
and death.
Calvin was so hatefull, that some named
their dogs Calvin; others changed Calvin
into Cain; many out of hatred of him,
did professe they kept away from the Lords
Supper. Now for the first of these, namely reproaches, scorns, &c. I do certainly
expect and prepare; for the disciple is not above his Master, nor the servant
above his Lord: it is enough for the disciple that hee be as his Master,
Matth. 10. 24,25. And what am I better then those learned Fathers, Augustine,
Athanasius, and those first Reformers, Luther, Zuinglius, Calvin? 'Tis
honour enough for me to be somewhat like to them in sufferings. I have had
some experience of the Sectaries malice, hatred, rage upon my former Books
and Sermons that I have preached, and therefore know that this and other
Tractates will inflame them. I am in my conscience fully perswaded, that this
Tractate is at this time both seasonable and usefull in many respects, yea necessary,
and that for all sorts of men, Magistrates, Ministers, people, both those
that stand, and those that are fallen, yea the very Sectaries themselves, and in
justice and all reason I might expect thanks and kind acceptance of my labour
and pains. But I look that the Sectaries of all sorts will storm, and cast out
of their mouthes floads of calumnies, reproaches, both against my selfe and
book, besides all other wayes doe mee all the mischiefe they can and dare;
yea, I fear, that too many Brethren, partly through their relations to many
Sectaries, and through that lukewarm temper in reference to errours of
minde that hath long possessed them, who think every one too hot that appears
against the Sects, will not so cordially approve this work. I can truely
say, that in my former Books and Lectures I have been too much deserted,
and not received those incouragements which many have done from Brethren
upon like occasions: but none of these things move mee; not the losse of
good name, not the unkind deserting of friends, neither count I my life dear
to my self, so I may finish my course, and the ministry which I have received,
to testifie the Gospel and the truth of God against the errours of the time.
And as I know persecutions and afflictions abide mee in this way; so it shall
be my prayer and endeavour to follow the example of Christ, and those servants
of his before named; and had I not long since set down, and counted
my cost, giving up my name to God to take care of it, and my face to the
smiters, I should not have thus appeared in writing and preaching: but I have,
through the grace of Christ, learned to account it an honour to suffer for
truth, and opposing errours, as well from Sectaries, as from Popish spirits: in
this matter of opposing the present errours, I slight all the power, malice and
policie of all the Sectaries in the Kingdome. And I am resolved, by the grace
of Christ, which hath enabled mee hitherto, to go on in a constant, cheerfull
opposing and writing against the errours. I have
determined with my selfe to fear nothing in this
cause, but to contemn all things; yea, the higher
the errours arise, and the more mighty they grow,
the more to rise up against them: I value not my name, nor my life, if compared
to the truth of Christ; but shall take pleasure in reproaches, necessities,
sufferings in such a time as this, when few are valiant for the truth; no gold
shall bribe me, nor preferments take me off; no lack of supplies shall dishearten
me. I shall maintain this warfare at mine owne charges, and this good
cause cannot be starved for want of fees. And whatever can happen to mee
in this cause, I shall rejoyce, yea and will rejoyce, as remembring those speeches
of Christ, Joh. 18. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the World,
that I should bear witnesse to the truth. Matth. 5.12. Rejoyce and be exceeding
glad, for great is your reward in heaven.