Mr. Cottons letter lately printed, examined and ansvvered: by Roger Williams of Providence in New·England.:

CHAP. III.

Thirdly Mr. Cotton endeavoureth to discover the sandines of those grounds out of which (as he saith) I have banished my selfe▪ &c.

I answere, I question not his holy and loving intentions and affections,* 1.1 and that my grounds seem sandie to himselfe and others. Those intentions and affections may be accepted (as his person) with the Lord, as David of his desires to build the Lord a Temple, though on sandy grounds. Yet Mr. Cottons endeavours to prove the firm rock of the truth of Jesus to be the weak and uncertain sand of mans invention those shall perish and burn like hay or stubble. The rockie strength of those grounds shall more appeare in the Lords season, and himself may yet confesse so much, as since he came into New England he hath confest the sandines of the grounds of many of his practises in which he walked in Old England,* 1.2 and the rockinesse of their grounds that witnessed against them and himself, in those practises, though for that time their grounds seemed sandie to him.

When my selfe heretofore (through the mercy of the most high discovered to himself and othereminent servants of God, my grounds against their using of the Common Prayer; my grounds seemed sandie to them▪ which since in New England Mr. Cotton hath acknowledged rockie,* 1.3 and hath seen cause so to publish to the world in his Discourse to Mr. Ball, against set Forms of Prayer.

But because the Reader may aske both Mr. Cotton and me, what were the grounds of such a sentence of Banishment a∣gainst me, which are here called sandie, I shall relate in briefe what those grounds were, some whereof he is pleased to dis∣cusse in this Letter, and others of them not to mention.

After my publike triall and answers at the generall Court, one of the most eminent Magistrates (whose name and speech may by others be remembred) stood up and spake:

Mr. Williams (said he) holds forth these 4. particulars;* 1.4

First, That we have not our Land by Pattent from the King, but that the Natives are the true owners of it, and that we ought to repent of such a receiving it by Pattent.

Secondly, That it is not lawfull to call a wicked person to Sweare, to Pray, as being actions of Gods Worship.

Thirdly, That it is not lawfull to heare any of the Mini∣sters of the Parish Assemblies in England.

Fourthly, That the Civill Magistrates power extends only to the Bodies and Goods, and outward state of men, &c.

I acknowledge the particulars were rightly summ'd up, and I also hope, that, as I then maintained the Rockie strength of them to my own & other consciences satisfaction, so (through the Lords assistance) I shall be ready for the same grounds, not only to be bound and banished, but to die also, in New England, as for most holy Truths of God in Christ Jesus.

Yea but (saith hee) upon those grounds you banished your selfe from the society of the Churches in these countries.

I answer, if Mr. Cotton mean my owne voluntary withdraw∣ing from those Churches resolved to continue in those evils, and persecuting the witnesses of the Lord prefenting light un∣to them,* 1.5 I confesse it was mine owne voluntary act; yea, I hope the act of the Lord Jesus sounding forth in me (a poore despised Rams horn) the blast which shall in his owne holy season cast down the strength and confidence of those inventi∣ons of men in the worshipping of the true and living God. And lastly, his act in inabling me to be faithfull in any mea∣sure to suffer such great and mighty trials for his names sake. But if by banishing my selfe he intend the act of civill banish∣ment from their common earth and aire,* 1.6 I then observe with griefe the language of the Dragon in a lambs lip. Among o∣ther expressions of the Dragon are not these common to the witnesses of the Lord Jesus re••t and torne by his persecuti∣ons?* 1.7 Goe now, say you are persecuted, you are persecuted for Christ suffer for your conscience: No, it is your schisme, heresie, obstinacie, the Divill hath deceived thee, thou hast justly brought this upon thee, thou hast banished thy selfe, &c. Instances are abundant in so many bookes of Martyrs, and the experience of all men, and therefore I spare to recite in so short a treatise.

Secondly, if he mean this civill act of banishing, why should he call a civill sentence from the civill State, within a few weeks execution in so sharp a time of New Englands cold.* 1.8 Why should he call this a banishment from the Churches, except he silently confesse, that the frame or constitution of their Churches is but implicitly National (which yet they professe

against) for otherwise why was I not yet permitted to live in the world, or Common-weale, except for this reason, that the Common weale and Church is yet but one, and hee that is banished from the one, must necessarily bee banished from the other also.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Good intenti∣ons and affe∣ctions in Gods people, accepte with God, when their in∣devours perish and burn like stubble, &c.
• * 1.2

  Many grounds seemed sandie to Mr. Cotton in Old Eng∣land, which now he confes∣seth to be rockie.
• * 1.3

  Mr. Cotton formerly per∣swaded to pra∣ctise Common Prayer: but since hath writt'n against it.
• * 1.4

  The 4 particu∣lar Grounds of my Sentence of Banishment.
• * 1.5

  Christ Iesus speaketh and suffereth in his witnesses.
• * 1.6

  The Dragons language in a Lambs lip.
• * 1.7

  Gods children persecuted are charged by their enemies to be the au∣thors of their own persecu∣tion.
• * 1.8

  A Nationall Church the silent Com∣mon weale, or or world, si∣lently confest by Mr. Cotton to be all one.