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A74986 An antidote against heresy: or a preservative for Protestants against the poyson of Papists, Anabaptists, Arrians, Arminians, &c. and their pestilent errours. Shewing the authors of those errours, their grounds and reasons, the time when and occasion how they did arise; with general answers to their arguments taken out of holy scripture and the ancient fathers. Written to stay the wandering and stablish the weak in these dangerous times of Apostasy. / By Richard Allen, M.A. sometime Fellow of Penbrooke [sic] Colledge in Oxford. Allen, Richard, b. 1604 or 5. 1648 (1648) Wing A1045A; Thomason E1168_2; ESTC R208803 57,457 159

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the right hand of God Acts 3.21 Whom the heavens must receive until the time of restoring all things 1 Cor. 11.25 The Communion is a remembrance of his death till his coming again Object Our Saviour himself says Behold I am with you always even to the end of the world Sol. That is according to his Godhead grace and Spirit for according to his manhood he is altogether absent from us and locally in heaven So our Saviour says again Me ye have not always Mat. 26.11 CHAP. XI Of Predestination Truth SEeing the benefits of Christs death reach not to all but to a certain chosen number now follows the Decree of Gods Predestination chusing some to life eternal and rejecting others leaving them in their sins to be damned for the same Adversaries to this truth are 1. Errours Pelagians both old and new that scoff at this doctrine denying the same as there are at this day that say it is not sutable to God nor agreeable to his nature to pick and choose thus among men to chuse some and refuse others is partial and unjust 2. Libertines abuse this doctrine as of old the Predestinates did to all looseness thinking that now they are predestinated it is no matter how they live because nothing can help or hinder their salvation 3. Socinians and Arminians say That Predestination signifieth nothing else in holy Scripture but Gods decree and purpose to save those that shall beleeve and obey and dam● those that shall not denying the Independency of it 4. Denying the eternity of Predestination affirm That God doth elect none until they do beleeve 5. And deny the certainty and stability of it affirming that it is changeable so that the elect may become reprobates and the reprobates elect 6. The Papists in this point are contrary to themselves affirming both that God hath chosen freely of his meer grace and yet hath not chosen us but upon foresight of our good works Bellarm. l. 2. de Gra. et lib. arb c. 16. But the general opinion among them is That the Kingdom of Heaven is prepared for them that are worthy of it and deserve it by their well doing and that a man doth make himself eligible to life eternal by his good works Antidote There is a Predestination i. an election of some to eternal life and a reprobation of others to eternal destruction Rom. 9.22 23. There are vessels of wrath fitted for destruction vessels of mercy prepared for glory Acts 13.48 As many as were ordained to eternal life beleeved Prov. 16.4 The Lord hath made all things for himself yea the wicked for the day of evil Jude 4. Before of old ordained to this condemnation August De civit dei l. 15. c. 1. There are two Cities or Societies of men one predestinated to raign for ever with God the other to suffer eternal punishment with the Divel Secondly Predestination both election and reprobation is eternal Rom. 9.11 Before we are born or have done good or evil Ephes 1.4 Before the foundation of the world 2 Tim. 1.4 Before the world began Thirdly It is free and independent there is no moving cause of election to life in the persons predestinate either foresight of faith or good works but only the will and good pleasure of God And although sin be the cause of damnation being an act of Gods Justice yet of reprobation being an act of his absolute power there is no cause but the good pleasure of God Rom. 9.18 He hath mercy on whom he will and whom he will he hardeneth Ephes 1.5 We are chosen according to the good plesure of his will Verse 7. According to the riches of his grace Verse 11. After the Councel of his own will 2 Tim. 1.9 Not according to works but according to his own purpose There can be no other cause beside the Wil of God because there is nothing before the Will of God which is it self the cause of all things that are August Faith and obedience are the effect of election and cannot be the cause because they follow after and do not go before it Acts 13.48 As many as were ordained unto eternal life beleeved 1 John 4.19 We love God because he loved us first Rom. 8.29.30 From Gods Purpose proceeds Predestination from Predestination Calling from Calling Justification Faith Obedience c. To say then we are predestinate in respect of our faith or works is not only to invert the words of the Apostle and falsifie his doctrine but even to alter the very course of nature by setting the effect before the cause Rom. 9.12 Before they had done either good or evil it is said Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated Was it the foresight of their good or evil works to come that moved God hereunto That the Apostle denies in these words That the purpose of God according to election might stand not of works but of him that calleth August lib. de Predest c. 7. Fourthly It is immutable and unchangeable the elect can never perish nor the reprobates be saved 2 Tim. 2.19 The foundation of God remaineth sure having this seal the Lord knoweth who are his Luke 10.20 Their names are written in the book of life John 10.3 He calleth his sheep by name 1 Pet. 1.5 They are kept by the power of God unto salvation They can never fall away and perish for whom he did predestinate them he also called c. Affording them in due time all those means that shall infallibly bring them unto glory If any man making a fair shew of holiness fall away it is no Argument that the elect may fall away but that those which fall away are not elect 1 John 2.19 They went out from us because they were not of us for if they had been of us they would have continued with us We see it plain now that God hath made a difference between men chusing some and refusing others Latet discretionis ratio non latet ipsa discretio Ambros de Vocat Gent. We see the effect we cannot perceive the cause the thing it self is manifest the reason of it is hidden and secret to us and yet though it be unknown we know it cannot be unjust because it is the good pleasure of his will who is righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works Doth any man yet complain Hear the Apostle Rom. 9.20 21. O man who art thou that repliest against God! Hath not the Potter power over the clay Do not dispute but fear and admire with the same Apostle Rom. 11. O the depth of the riches of the wisdom of God how unsearchable searchable are his Judgments But we are all by nature one mass of corruption one is chosen another is left God sheweth mercy upon one and not upon another how can any man complain now when all were alike corrupt and culpable and no desert in any Will every man dispose freely of his own and shall not God If any man
overthrow and therewith the whole Gospel burying Christ again that is risen for our Justification For if our works before or after Justification do merit grace and life by congruity or condignity then is Christ in vain and become of no effect To the Adversaries we say First 1. That we are justified without works by faith alone not that faith is or can be alone without good works in respect of its Essence but in the act of Justification it is alone as it is an Instrument of Justification Psalm 143.2 Enter not into judgment with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified Iob 15.15 What is man that he should be just or he that is born of a woman that he should be righteous Rom. 3.20 By the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified Gal. 3.11 And that no man is justified by works is evident For the just shall live by faith Rom. 3.28 We conclude then that a man is justified by faith without works Good works indeed may justifie us before men as an evidence of our faith and of this S. Iames speaks Iames 2.24 Ye see then how by works a man is justified But before God we are justified only by the perfect Righteousness of Christ applyed unto us by the hand of faith wherein our own works have not the least finger Secondly we are justified by faith not as the cause but only as an Instrument of our Justification not as it is a vertue inherent in us but as it goes forth and apprehends and applies Christ unto us not by the merit of faith but by the merits of Christ applyed by faith and therefore it is said Rom. 3.22 The righteousness of God is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all that believe And v. 24. We are justified through the redemption that is in Iesus Christ And Phil. 3.9 The righteousness whereby we are justified before God is called the righteousness that is through the Faith of Christ and the Righteousness by faith and therefore when it is said we are justified by faith it notes the use or effect not the merit or dignity of faith For 1 Cor. 1.30 Christ is made unto us Righteousness And 2 Cor. 5.21 We are made the Righteousness of God in him Thirdly There is a glorifying Righteousness in the world to come In this world a sanctifying a justifying Righteousness that wherewith we shall be dothed in the world to come is both perfect and inherent that wherewith we are sanctified in this life is inherent but not perfect that wherewith we are justified is perfect but not inherent The Righteousness whereby we are justified before God is not inherent in us but in Christ in us not by inhesion but imputation the Righteousness of Christ whereby we are justified is not infused but imputed to us and accounted ours So Rom. 4.5 Abraham was iustified by a Righteousness imputed or accounted unto him 2 Cor. 5.21 We are made the Righteousness of God in him the Righteousness of God not ours in him not in us August Enchirid. cap. 41. Fourthly When we say we are justified by faith alone we do not mean a faith that is alone that is solitary without good works but a living faith and a working faith for a dead faith cannot justifie and a living faith cannot be idle but worketh by love Gal. 5.5 We are justified by faith alone without works not that works are separated from faith or can be but only excluded from the act of Justification The parts of our Justification are 1. The imputation of Christs righteousness 2. Forgiveness of our sins The inward moving cause is Gods mercy the outward is Christs merit The formal cause is the imputation of Christs righteousness the instrumental faith and faith without works whereby works are excluded not from the nature of Faith but from the act of Justification CHAP. XIV Of Sanctification Truth WHom he justified them he also glorified Our glorification which shall be finisht and compleated in the life to come is begun in this life partly in regard of our condition wherein we are made happy and partly in regard of our nature wherein we are made holy We are made holy in our nature by the grace of Sanctification which is the renewing of our whole nature though not wholy in this life according to the image of God in righteousness and true holiness Adversaries to this truth were 1. Errours Simon Magus and his disciples who gave libertie to all looseness and uncleanness saying That sin defiled the body but not the soul and they are followed by the Libertines of our age who scoff at all sanctitie or holiness of living And if you observe you shall find that holiness of life is had in great esteem and reverence among all sorts and sects among Papists and the very Turks themselves after their way only it is in disgrace among our common Protestants who usually despise and brand those with odious names who are any way strict and severe in their lives endevoring to live in the fear of God 2. Some Anabaptists as the Adamites and Familists say that they re perfect and pure from all sin and that there are men living as perfect and pure as Christ was So the Pelagians and Donatists of old of latter time● a Sect called Fratricelli affirmed that a man might attain in this life to that perfection to be without sin and he that is so is freed from all subjection to mortal men and had no more need of prayer fasting or such exercis●s of piety Among these Perfectists we reckon also the Papists 3. There be others so contrary to the Papists who would have justifying righteousness inherent in us that these will have none at all affirming that Christ is the new creature and all graces are in Christ as in the subject none in us upon which follow many other strange doctrines Antidote Now we are justified by faith through the free grace of God we ought to follow after holiness with the more diligence 1. That we may glorifie Gods name who hath done so great things for us 1 Cor. 6.20 Mat. 5.16 1 Pet. 2.12 Because 2. it is the will of God 1 Thes 4.3 Because 3. it is the end of our election Eph. 1.4 He hath chosen us that we should be holy 4. It is the end of our Redemption Luk. 1.74 He hath saved us that we should serve him 5. It is the end of our calling 1 Thes 4.7 God hath called us unto holiness and Heb. 12.14 Without holiness we shall never see God Secondly Though we ought to endeavour and follow after holiness yet we can never be perfect or without sin in this life 1 John 1.8 If we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us James 3.2 In many things we offend all 1 Kings 8.40 There is no man that sinneth not Prov. 20.9 Who can say I am pure from my sin Eccles 7.10
therefore it ●s not a thing indifferent because it is an ordinance of Christ nor yet absolutely necessary to salvation as hath been said before Baptism is called the lavacre of regeneration Tit. 3.5 and Joh. 3.5 it is said Except a man be born again of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God not that any part of our Regeneration is ascribed to water but only by water the office of the Holy Ghost is declared as also by fire Mat. 3.11 which some mistaking did brand their children with a hot iron Though the outward washing of water then be not the very washing away of sin yet it is so called the sign borrowing the name of the thing signified for the more forcible perswasion of our hearts and stronger confirmation of our Faith that our eyes are not fed with bare signs but presented with the thing it self and that our sins are as certainly done away by the blood of Christ as our bodies are cleansed by the washing of water To let pass those ridiculous toies of salt spittle and other stuff used by the Papists the main difference at this day among us is concerning circumstance of time The Pelagians and Anabaptists deny Infant-baptism and both upon the same ground With this Errour of the Anabaptists many godly people are entangled that are free enough from the rest of that pestilent Sect. Their Reasons are 1. Because there is neither precept nor example for it 2. Infants do not beleeve but it is sayed Acts 8.37 If thou beleevest thou mayst be baptized Answ It is answered To the first That there is both precept and example for Infant-baptism the precept is Mat. 28.19 the examples are Acts 16.15 33. 1 Cor. 1.16 where Infants are included as part of the nations and housholds and although there be no express command for baptizing Infants yet seeing also there is no express exception they must be baptized or else those general precepts and examples including all both Infants as well as men are not followed and observed And if it be sufficient Reason against Infant-baptism that there is no express precept or example for it then let the Anabaptists themselves for shame leave off that shameful stripping and dipping their proselytes or else shew me where they have any express command or example for it Object Secondly They that do not beleeve must not be baptized but Infants do not beleeve Ergo. Whosoever doth not labor shall not eat 2 Thes 3.10 But Infants cannot labour Ergo. Answ Both these Arguments are somewhat alike and neither good because that is drawn to Infants which belongs only to men of years And indeed this latter is the better of the two because it hath an express text for confirmation which the other hath not But to remove that rub of the Anabaptists out of the way concerning the Faith of Infants We say 1. That they have reasonable souls faculties of understanding and will which are the seat of Faith and the weakness of the Organs cannot hinder the power of the Holy Ghost to work Faith in them if he please 2. Without Faith there is no salvation if Infants then have not Faith the Anabaptists must shew some other way of salvation besides Faith in Christ or else conclude that all Infants dying are damned but yet I hope they will not pass this cruel sentence upon them unless they provide a Limbus or place of ease for them as the Papists do 3. Circumcision is the seal of the Righteousness of Faith Rom. 4.11 And yet it was administred to Infants Infants therefore ought to be baptized and as good reason there is to baptise as there was to circumcise them 4. We have many presidents of children that were regenerate and sanctified as of Jeremiah John Baptist c. who were filled with the Holy Ghost from the womb and if children have the Holy Ghost then they may be baptized Act. 10.47 Can any man forbid water that these should be baptized who have received the Holy Ghost as well as we 5. Our Saviour himself testifieth in express words That Infants beleeve in him Mat. 18.6 And that babes and sucklings confess him and bear witness unto his name Mat. 21.16 And did grace them with many favours own them for the children of God taking them in his arms laying his hands upon them and blessing them saying That to them belongs the Kingdom of God Who then shall be so bold or impious to refuse and reject those that our Saviour himself received and embraced so lovingly giving such gracious testimoneis of them with whom God entered into Covenant as well as with their parents Gen. 17.7 And unto whom the promises of God were made as well as unto them Acts 2.39 But say the Anabaptists how shal we know that children believe And saith one If I had a certificate from God that a child believes I would not stick at his Baptisme Let them tell us what infallible certificate they have for men of riper years And whether they do not plunge more hypocrites and unbelievers in their flouds then we sprinkle at our fonts is a question to be made But the Anabaptists contradict themselves crossing one Argument with another overthrowing their own grounds and destroying the foundation that themselves have layd As for their stripping it is against common honesty and modesty and that dipping is not necessary to be used is clear by their own Argument because they have no where one express word of command or warrant for it And also the blood of Christ is called the blood of sprinkling Heb. 12.24 And as it was typified under the Law by divers sprinklings so it is exprest under the Gospel by sprinkling as well as dipping CHAP. XXVI Of the Lords Supper Truth THE Lords Supper is the Sacrament of Preservation in the Church wherein by the signs of bread and wine are signified sealed and exhibited to every faithful receiver the body and blood of Christ for his spiritual nourishment and continual growth in him unto life everlasting Adversaries of old were many that did either despise and refuse this holy Sacrament or abuse or prophane it either mingling adding or altering and changeing the Elements and substituting others in their places But to let them pass at this day the principal Errours Errours are these three Antidote The first is of Transubstantiation and that holdeth that after the words of Consecration and by vertue of the same there is a conversion or turning of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ so that the very true and natural body of Christ is corporally present and carnally eaten in the Sacrament the substance of bread and wine being vanisht away nothing remaining thereof but only the outward accidents to serve the senses The first occasion of this heresie seems to be given by the Capernaites John 6.52 but was confirmed under this title by the Councel of Lateran called against Berengarius in