The blovdy tenent, of persecution, for cause of conscience, discussed, in a conference betweene trvth and peace vvho, in all tender affection, present to the high court of Parliament, as the result of their discourse, these, amongst other passages, of highest consideration.

CHAP. XIX.

Peace.

THe place then being of such great importance as concer∣ning the truth of God, the bloud of thousands, yea the bloud of Saints, and of the Lord Iesus in them, I shall request your more diligent search (by the Lords holy assistance) into this Scripture. I shall make it evident, that by these Tares in this Parable are meant persons in respect of their Religion and way of Worship, open and visible professours, as bad as briars and thornes; not onely suspected Foxes, but as bad as those greedy Wolves which Paul speakes of, Acts 20. who with perverse and evill doctrines labour spiritually to devoure the flocke, and to draw away Dis∣ciples after them, whose mouthes must be stopped, and yet no carnall

force or weapon to be used against them, but their mischiefe to bee resisted with those mighty weapons of the holy Armoury of the Lord Iesus, wherein there hangs a thousand shields, Cant. 4.

That the Lord Iesus intendeth not doctrines or practices by the tares in this Parable is cleare: for

First, the Lord Iesus expresly interpreteth the good seed to be persons, and those the children of the Kingdome; and the tares also to signifie Men, and those the children of the Wicked one, ver. 38.

Secondly, such corrupt doctrines or practices are not to bee tolerated now as those Iewish observations (the Lords owne Ordinances) were for a while to be permitted, Rom. 14. Nor so long as till the Angels the Reapers come to reape the Harvest in the end of the world. For can we thinke that because the tender Consciences of the Iewes were to be ten∣dred in their differences of meats, that therefore persons must now bee tolerated in the Church (for I speake not of the Civill State) and that to the worlds end, in superstitious forbearing and forbidding of flesh in Popish Lents, and superstitious Fridayes, &c. and that because they were to be tendred in their observation of Iewish Holidayes, that therefore un∣till the Harvest or Worlds end, persons must now be tolerated (I meane in the Church) in the observation of Popish Christmas, Easter, Whitson∣tide, and other superstitious Popish Festivals?

I willingly acknowledge, that if the members of a Church of Christ shall upon some delusion of Sathan kneele at the Lords Supper, keep Christ∣mas, or any other Popish observation, great tendernesse ought to bee used in winning his soule from the errour of his way: and yet I see not that persons so practising were sit to be received into the Churches of Christ now, as the Iewes weake in the Faith, (that is, in the Liberties of Christ) were to be received, Rom. 14. 1. And least of all (as before) that the toleration or permission of such ought to continue till Doomes day, or the end of the world, as this Parable urgeth the Toleration: Let them alone untill the Harvest.

Notes

• Tolera∣tion in Rom. 14. conside∣red. Toleratiō of Jew••sh ceremo∣nies for a time upon some grounds in the Je∣w••sh Church, proves not toleration of Popish and Anti christian Ceremo∣nies in the Christian Church, although in the State.