P A R T I; Revereñd Mr. RichardBaxter. 7 5 little Bookóf Mr.Tho.Weld's ofthe Rifeand Fall ofAntinomianifm,and Familifm íh New-England; where their Opinions and there Providences are recorded by him that was a reverend Minifter there : One Mrs. Dyer, a chief Perfonof the Sett, did Ertl bring forth a Monfter, which had the Parts of almoft all fortsof living Creatures, time Parts like Man, but molt ugly and mifplaced, and Tome like Beafts, Birds and Fifties, having fibrils, Fins and Claws ; and at the Birth of it the Bed Ihook, and the Women prefent fell a Vomiting and were fain to go forth Of the Room : Mr. Cotton was too favourable to them, till this helpt to recover him : Mrs. Hurrbinfan, the chief Woman among them and their Teacher, ( to whole Exercifes a Congregation of them ufed to affemble) brought forth about 30 mithapen Births or Lumps at once ; and being banilhed into another Plantati- on was killed there by. the Indians. Sir Henry Vane being Governor, and found to be the fetterFautor and Life of their Caufe, was fain toheal away by Night, and take Shipping for England, before his Year of. Government was at an end. - But when he came over into Englandhe proved an Inftrument of greater Cala- mity to a People more Gnful and more prepared for God's Judgments : Being chofen a Parliament Man, he was very adtive at fielt for the bringing of Delin- quents to Punilhment : He was the Principal Man that droveon the Parliament to go too high, and a& too vehemently againft the King: Being of very ready Parts, and very great Subtilty, and unwearied Induftry, he laboured, and not without Succefs, to win others in Parliament, City and. Country to his Way. When the Earl of Strafford was accrifed, he got a Paper out of his Father's Cabi- net (who was Secretaryof State) which was the chief Means of his Condem- nation : To molt of our Changes he was that within the Houle, whichCromwell was without. His great Zeal to drive all into War; and to the higheft, and to cherifh the Salaries, and efpecially in the Army, made him above all Men to be valued by that Party. His Unhappinefs lay in this, that his Doctrines werefo dowdily formed andex- preffed, that few could underhand them, and therefore he had but few true Difci- pies : The LordBrook was (lain before he had brought him to Maturity : Mr. Ster- sy is thought to be of his Mind, as he was his Intimate; but he hash not opened himfelf in writing", and was fo famous for Obfcurity in Preaching ( being, raid A Pofk Sir Benj. Rudiard, too high for this World, and too low for the other) that he 7,ytrster- thereby proved almoft Barren alto, and Vanity and Sterility were never more hap- ry'sisfince pity conjoined : Mr. Sprig is the chiefof hismore open Difciples ( too well known Pabliied. by a Book of his Sermons.) This Obfcurity by fome was imputed to his not underftanding himfelf; but by others to defign, becaufe he could fpeak plainly when he lilted: the twoCourts, in which he had molt Succefs, and fpakemolt plainlywere, His earneft Plea for uni- verfal Libertyof Confcience, and againft the Magiftrates intermedling with Reli- gion, and his teaching hisFollowers to revilethe Miniftry, calling them ordinari-` ly Blackcoats, Priefts, and other Names which then favoured of Reproach ; and thofe Gentlemen that adhered to the Miniftry, they faid, were Frioft-ridden. When Cromwell had ferved himfelf by him as his fureh Friend, as long as he could ; and gone as far with him as their way lay together, (Vane being for a Fanatick Democracie, and Cromwellfor Monarchy) at laft there was no Remedy but they mutt part ; and whenCromwell cart out the Rump (as difdainfully as Mendo Excrements) he called Panea Jugler, and Martin a Whoremonger, to excufe his ufage of the reft as is aforefaid, When Vane was thus laid by, he wrote his Book called Theretired Man's Medita- tions, wherein the belt part of his Opinions are foexpreffed, as will make but few Men his Difciples: His Healing 2ueflion is more plainly written. When Cromwell was dead, he got Sir Arthur Hafelrigge to be his dote Adherent on Civil Accounts, and got the Rump fee up again, and a Council of State, and got the Power much intohis ownHands. When he was in the height of his Power he fet upon theforming of a new Commonwealth, and with tome of his Adherents drew up the Model, whichwas for popular Government ; but fo that Men of his Confidencemuft be the People. Ofmy own difpleafing him this is the true Account: It grieved me to fee a poor Kingdom thus tort up and down in Unquietnefs, and the Minifters madeodious and ready to becart out, and a Reformation trodden under Foot, and Parliaments and Piety madea Scorn, and fcarce any doubted but he was the principal Spring of all: Therefore, being writing againft thePapilts, coming to vindicateour Re- ligion againftthem, when they impute to us the Blood Of the King, I fullypro- L a ved
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