i<8o The IFE of the L c,>§. to underftand it, and next enquired modeftly into the State of their $owls, and laffly, endeavoured to fet all home to theconvincing, awakening, and refolving of their Hearts according to their feveral Conditions ; bellowing aboutan Hour (and the Labour of a Sermon ) withevery Family ; and I found it foeffeeitual through the Bletliog of God, that few went away without fome teeming Humiliation, Cotivietion, and Purpofe and Promife for a holy Life, and except half a dozen or thereabouts of the moll ignorant and fenfelefs, all the Familiesin the Town came to me ; and though the first time they came with Fear and Backwaidnefs, after that they longed for their turn to come again : So that I hope God did good tomany by it : And yet this was not all the Comfort I had in it. § 42. For my Brethren appointing me to preach to them about it, on a Day of Humiliation atWorcefter when we let upon it, I printed the Sermon prepared for that ufe, with neceffary Additions, containing Reafons and Dire&'sons for this Work, ( in a Book called The Reformed Pallor ) which'excited fo many others to take the Courfe that we had taken, that it was a far greater Addition to my Comfort, than the profiting of the Parith or County wherewe lived : Yea, a Re- verend Pallor from Switzerland wrote me word, that it excited them to Thoughts of pra&ifrng it there, though thedulnefs of force Paftors and the backwardnefs of the People were their great Difcouragements. § 43. But all thefe Beginnings which fo comfortably fmil'd uponus from all parts of the Land, were clowded and obitrueted by the proud Coco- on fouggh thetCor éntli- motions, and rebellious unquiet Humour of the Fanaticks ; efpecial- me to tpeak together of ly the Military Anabaptifts ;whothinking it lawful, becaúfe it feem'd theft things, yet the to fet up their Se&,'did oppofe theMiniltry and trouble the Peaceof matter of this Sention the Nation, and raife Stirs against all fetled Government, even againft and the following was the Ufurper whom they had themfelves fet up. And whenCromwell for time about two or was dead the three Years after that fet up his Son, and pull'd himdown again, and let up which foltoweth. others, and pull'd down them, and never ceafed rebelling and over- turning all before them, till they had not left themfelves a Bow to ftand upon. And Harrifen's Party in the Conventicle called, The Little Parlia- ment, as they cart out all the Minigers in Wales at once. (who though very weak and bad enough for the molt part, were better than none, or fo few Itine- rants which they fet up) fo they attempted and had almoft accomplifh'dthe fame in England : The Independants thought that the Parifhes were no true Churches, and the Anabaptifts thought that chofe baptifed only in their Infancy, were no Chriftians ; and fo that they might have true Churchesand Chriftians, many In dependants fecretly, and the Anabaptifts openly promoted the Eje&ion of all the as 7an. Paritliíniniffers in England at one Vote, that fo theymight let up thebelt of them 1559. the again in an other way, to make Men Chriflians, and gather New Churches, commit. Co - which they thought was better than to, reform the old. tee ofpar- g liament (the Rump as theywerecalled) Voted Liberty of Religion for all, not excepting Papifis., b 44 Thefe Endeavours having been on foot all the time of Oliver's Ufurpation, and before, promoted the Generation of Seekers, Ranters, Quakers, and fuch others, who fens forth many railing Words andPamphlets, and the Scope ofall was againft the Miniltry (which yet got ground even in ehefe licentious times, and prevailed againft them, and carried on their Work) : This was force Diverfion ro, us, while 1 and others were fain to difputeagainst Anabaptifts, and Quakers, and, Seekers, and- to anfwer theirrailing inve&ives, and to build with our Weapons in our Hands So that (befrdes my Writings againft them) I feldom preach -; ed a Le&ure but going and coming I was railed at by a Quaker in theMarket- place in the way, and frequently in the Congregation bawled at by the Names of [ Hieelin, Deceiver, falfe Prophet, Dog,] andinch likeLanguge : But-allthis in the Iffue turthered our Work. § 43. Before this there were two very fober Men in London (Mr. Lamb and Mr. Allen) who were Paftors of an Anabaptift feparated Church : The Wife of one of them (an extraordinary intelligent Woman ) wrote me a Letter that her Husband wasin troubled Thoughts ( not about Anabaptifry, but) about Separa- tion upon that account, and that if I would writero him now, it might do him ,good ;. which I did, and gave him many Arguments to procFe that though he fhould continue in his Opinion against Infant -Baptifm,yet he ought not to make it a Reafon of denyingCommunion with his Brethren of another Mind. Thefe Ar- guments met wich Thoughts of his own that tended the fame way, and in conclu Lon
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=