Answer. First he doth not rightly allege my words; for a little before he confesseth my words to be, that anti-christian drunkenness and whoredom is to be confessed of all such as have drunk of the whore’s cup, or but sipped of it. In which words I plainly distinguished between such as have drunk deeper of her cup, as papists, popish priests, &c., and such, as in comparison have but sipped, as God’s own people; who yet by such sipping have been so intoxicated, as to practice spiritual whoredom against Christ, in submitting to false churches, ministry, worship, &c.
Secondly, whereas he saith every sipping of a drunkard’s cup is not sinful:—
I answer: neither the least sipping, nor constant drinking out of the cup which a drunkard useth to drink in, is sinful; but every drunken sip, which is our question, is questionless sinful, and so consequently to be avoided by the sober, whether the cup of corporal or spiritual drunkenness.
CHAP. XVIII.
Mr. Cotton.
Mr. Cotton. “Yea; but,” saith he, “the three thousand Jews were admitted when they repented of their murdering of Christ, although they never saw all the superstitious leavenings wherewith the Pharisees had bewitched them: and so no doubt may godly persons now, although they be not yet convinced of every passage of anti-christian superstition, &c.; and that upon this ground, that spiritual whoredom and drunkenness is not so soon discerned as corporal.”
[Answer.] I answer, it is not indeed so easily discerned, and yet not the less sinful, but infinitely transcendent, as much as spiritual sobriety exceeds corporal, and the bed of the most high God, exceeds the beds of men, who are but dust and ashes.
The first Christians the best pattern for all Christians now. The power of true repentance for killing of Christ.
Secondly, I answer, the converted Jews, although they saw not all the leavenings of the Pharisees, yet they mourned for killing of Christ, and embraced him in his worship, ministry, government, and were added to his church: and oh! that the least beams of light and sparkles of heat were in mine own, and others’ souls, which were kindled by the Holy Spirit of God in those famous converts at the preaching of Peter, Acts ii. The true Christ now in his worship, ministry, &c. being discerned, and repentance for persecuting and killing of him being expressed, there necessarily follows a withdrawing from the church, ministry, and worship of the false Christ, and submission unto the true: and this is the sum and substance of our controversy.