Simplicities defence against seven-headed policy. Or, innocency vindicated, being unjustly accused, and sorely censured by that seven-headed church-government united in New-England: or, that servant so imperious in his masters absence revived, and now thus re-acting in Nevv-England. Or, the combate of the united colonies, not onely against some of the natives and subjects but against the authority also of the kingdom of England, ... Wherein is declared an act of a great people and country of the Indians in those parts, ... in their voluntary submission and subjection unto the protection and government of Old England ... Imprimatur, Aug. 3d. 1646. Diligently perused, approved, and licensed to the presse, according to order by publike authority.

Here cometh a letter to hand, was wri••ten in th•• time of our confinement, & lying in bolts, & irons in the Massachusets, oc∣casioned by one of our wives, she hearing doctrine delivered (in that part of the countrey where she was d••iven with her chil∣dren) questioning the truth of it, writ to ••er husband to desire his thoughts of it; i•• was gathered from Mat. 24. 29. & ••lluding also to Hob. 12. 26. 27. for the explication of it, the substance of the doctrine was, that such a time of reformation, & restau∣ration of the church of God, here on eart••▪ was coming, the glo∣ry vvhereof should darken the Sun and Moon, & cause the stars to fall from heaven, that is, saith he, make the Apostles doctrine & order of the Churches in those dayes to appeare as darknes in comparison of that light vvhich should now appeare, shew∣ing also, that the ministery of the Apostles vvas that vvhich might & should be removed, that a more excellent glory might be brought in, and remain, concluding that the ministery of the Apostles, was but a ministery of witness••, but one should here∣after appeare having the presence and ••••ality of that which they but onely witnessed, and gave testimony unto.

Here followeth a true copy of the answer given unto the things propounded as above, in way of satisfaction, how we are to think of such kind of doctrine, which the world is so taken up with, and see••s to stand in such ex∣pectation and hopes of.

COncerning that point you wri•• fr••m Mat. the 24 29. as also Heb. the 12. 26▪ 27. N••m••••••, that the Apostles ministery, was a ministery of witnesse, •••• ••••••dily grant; but

that it was no more then a ministery of witnesse, we utterly de∣ny, for it had not onely witnesse, but judgement also of condem∣nation and absolution in it, therefore the Apostle saith, God shall judge you according to my Gospel; for the Apostles are not, but through the Spirit of the Sonne, who is that faith∣full and true witnesse, yea, and the judge of all, also; and higher then his ministration (who comes out of the bosome of the Fa∣ther) we look nor nor ever desire to go, Therefore we onely con∣fesse him, who is, and who was, and who is to come, and there∣fore reject such a Gospell as professeth such persons, times, and ministrations past, as never shall come again, and such persons, times and ministrations to come as yet never were, as a cunning device and sleight of Sathan to beguile the soules of men, either to stand in expectation of things to come▪ or else in admiration of things past, whiles in the mean time they are kept void of faith, which gives being unto the things, yea even at the present time; otherwise it is but to know persons and things after the flesh, but henceforth know we no man after the flesh, no though we have known Christ Iesus after the flesh, yet henceforth know we him no more.

And for the Sun being darkened, to be the ministery of the Apo••tles becoming dark in respect of a greater light appear∣ing, we may in no case allow; for the Sunne there spoken of, is that Sunne of righteousnesse, a greater then which shall never appear, but when the crosse of Christ (spoken of in that Chap∣ter) is evidently set forth, and declared to be that which in∣deed it is; then is that sunne of Righteousnesse, that is light in it self, turned into darknesse, in all the men of the world, even as the Saints, which are darknesse in themselves, become light in the Lord; for as the wicked turn the truth of God into a lie, which is truth in it self, and ever will be, so they transform the light of the Lord into darknesse, which in it self is light and can never be darknesse: the Moon also, whose time is to appeare, and her place to have dominion in the night, shall not give her light▪ she shall fail in her office to shine, waxe, waine, and ••o set bounds to times and seasons, that is, the wicked shall see themselves deprived of all hope to attain to a change,

time or season, which shall alter their wofull condition, or re∣move the wrath of the Lord from them, yea in their looking back to the changes of their life before, wherein they have thought themselves so well exercised▪ the Moon in that respect shall be turned into blood (as Ioel speaks in the same case) all times shall affor•• them no hing else but to see how they have been practising the shedding of that innocent blood, even from the blood of Abe▪, whom his brother slew ••n the field, where they were exercised in ordinary imployments, in the things of this life, unto the blood of Zacharias slaine (between) or in the middle of the temple and the altar, ••••en in the very height of their worship and ordinances, so much stood for at this day. No∣thing but such manner of light, or such a time or season (shall that light of heaven) the times and changes which they have passed through afford unto them▪ ye•• the starres shall fall from heaven, even cease to afford their various glories and lights, yea that day starre shall never give notice of that day springing from on high to visit them, or the rise of that Sunne of righteous∣nesse, with healing under his wings, nor shall their severall o∣perations, and vertues yield any refreshment unto these terrene & sublunary things, that is, all those ••everall glories, and vari∣ous vertues and operations that are in that bright morning star the Lord Iesus, and in those seven sta••rres which he holds in his right hand, they shall all fall off, and lose th••ir lustre, light, and influence, in and towards the earthly sonnes of Adam, as though they had never been; for as t••e rejoycing of the lamp of the righteous is a putting out and cess••tion of all sinne and sor∣row, even so the putting out of the candle of the wicked, is a cessa∣tion, and utter de••olishing of all the ••ertues and excellencies of Christ unto them, as though they were not at all, nay more then so, for as the sinne and miseries which non are by nature subject unto, are made througe the wisdome of God, a meanes whereby we see the height and depth, yea all the dimensions of the love of God do appear unto us, so are the excellencies that are in Jesus Christ, made (through the wisdom of that serpent) means of torture & torment to the wicked for ••ver, even as the excellen∣cies of these visible heaven•• would be a greater torture to man to

lose them then if he had never seen or enjoyed them; and thence it is, that the powers of heaven are shaken or the dominions of heaven; for every thing in the heavens hath its Lordship, the Sunne hath dominion of the day, the Moone and the starres; the dominion of the night; the Su••ne hath Lordship in shining, when the Moon hides her face; but not in setting bounds to times and seasons; for the Moon hath Lordship in that, but not in affording vertue and influence ••o herbs & plants, for the stars have power and dominion in that, yea every starre hath its particular pow∣er and vertue, yet can they not water the earth. The clouds have their dominion in that, yet cannot they serve man to breathe in; the aire bath dominion in that; so it is in the heavenly powers of our Lord Christ, whatsoever is in him hath its dominion, so as all the rest have not their glorie without it, so that whatsoe∣ver is declared in the Kingdome of heaven it is the first and the chief, and all the rest do serve to make up all its power or chief••ie, so as all the Elders cast down their crownes before ••t; all the excellencies that are in Christ Jesus, as love, wisdom, righteousnes, holines power & glory, all things in him have do∣minion and power, & all these heavenly powers whatsoever are shaken, that is removed out of their places, not to appeare in them any more, for the place wherein God declared his image at the first, in the beginning was man; but when the crosse of Christ is truly declared, then are all these heavenly powers sha∣ken out of man, yea, removed out of that proper place given un∣to them in the beginning; therfore it is said, immediately after these tribulations, or immediately with these tribulations, (as the word wil also beare) that is, the preaching of the crosse and thse things are inseparable; no marvell therefore, that when e∣ver the crosse is preached, the champions of that man of sinne come out against it, striving to retain their god; for ••s it would be to nature in things of this life to see all chief powers and hea∣venly bodies so shaken, as to remove them out of their place for ever; the very thoughts whereof are dismal to the mind of man; so, & infinitely more is it to the soul of a man to have the excel∣lencies & noble powers and dominions of God removed out of his heart where he placed them in the act of his first creation, are so

that the exellencies of Christ, are ever shaking and ever removing out of their place in the wicked, that the heig•••• of their torment may ever appear and remain: for these things are shaken and removed in them, through the wisdom of the Serpent, that those things that cannot be shaken, namely, the wrath and ven∣geance of God may remain; even so it is in the godly, their sins and miseries are ever shaking and removing out of their proper place, that those things that cannot be shaken, namely, the grace and righteousnesse of Christ may rema•••• for ever; therefore the voice o•• the Gospel shakes both heave•• and earth, in that place alluded unto in your letter Hebr. 12▪ ••6. 27. alluding both to Mount Sinai, and Mount Sion, so th•••• the word yet once more declares a double removall, yea, and that of things that are made; for man was made in the image of God, yet the wisdome of the Serpent removed this image, that mans righteousnesse which is nothing but abomination in the sight of God, might e∣ver remain, So also Christ was made sin, but the wisdome of God removed this sin in the very act of his being made so that the righteousnesse of God might remain and abide for ever; and then, and then onely shall or doth appear the signe, or the mira∣cle or wonder of the sonne of man in h••aven, in those clouds of, witnesse▪ or in that cloud of witnesses with power and great glory▪ so as all earthly kindreds shall mourn and wail before him, Even so Ame••▪ Now the signe or wonder of the Son of man is this, that God made him a wo••ld of life at the f••••st, for he breathed into his face, the breath of lifes, (as the word i••) for the life of all the world was in him; and yet thi•• world of life is become nothing else but a world of death in ••••e wicked, and no life of God found in them at all; so is that son of man in the second Adam made a world of sinne and death, and yet this world of sinne and death is become a world of righteousnesse and life unto the godly, and no sin nor unrighteousnesse of man found in them, for never was guile ••ound in his ••outh, Even so. Amen, and this is the signe or miracle of the Son of man, which the world knowes not of, and therefore ••••th so many empty con∣j••ctures what it may be thought to be, g••••i••g up into Heaven

after it: when as it is come down unto us, and they know it not. Rom 10. 7. 8.

Thus have I given you my thoughts as brief as I could con∣cerning what you propounded unto me, and blesse the Lord that you ministred occasion to look into the text. However we are set apart as a forlorn people in the eyes of, & by the world, yet doubt I not, but our God hath singled us out for other ends and uses, who hath put us into the Isle of P••••mos, or among the nati∣on of the dead, or deadly, (as the word signifies) to reveal un∣to us the great mysteries of his Kingdome, that we may declare unto those that now be h••re, how to have their hope in God, & that it may be told unto our childrens children that noble work that he hath wrought for us in our Lord Christ, who is over all, God blessed for ever

Amen.

Your loving husband in bonds, and yet free, Samuel Gorton.