God and his making preserving shewing favour too and judging of them by Christ And so nations as wel as world when so spoken of in indefinite affirmations admits no exception of any but God in Christ as Act. 17 24.26 21. Psalm 86 9. Where of all nations that God hath made it is affirmed that they shal come and worship before him And is not that by vertue of the ransome Christ hath given for them as Esay 45.23 Phil. 2.7.11 which explicates Joh. 12.32 And there is a reason fit for faith and better then All Mr. Garners contradicting reasons of unbeliefe Psal 86.10 For Thou art great and dost wondrous things Thou art God alone These and all such like places are so to be understood But now if the word World be spoken of by God with reference to some times as the world that then was and perished by water the world that now is and is reserved unto Aire The world to come we understand it accordingly yet as generally and largely as the words so spoken will beare sutable to God And so when nations are spoken of narratively in respect of some things past or prophetically in respect of some things to be after done and yet in time also we understand it accordingly yet in the largest sense the words so spoken will beare But now when God speaketh of All men All nations or the world concerning the Babylonian Persian Grecian or Roman Monarcks we have no ground not reason to understand it so largely as when hee speakes of Christ much lesse when vaine men or weake men speake of all men or the world yea even Gods Commands to his servants to preach the Gospell to every creature and in All the world wee understand not in so large a sense as when God speakes of the person of Christ his Sonne and his workes by him but then by All men every man The world we understand All where they come one or other of his servants from age to age And this is an usuall thing in Scripture and among men To call a part by the name of the whole as the Church in such a house was but a part of the Church in Rome Rom. 16. And that Church but a part of the whole Church which is but one and the calling a part by the name of the whole doth not deny the being of the whole to Annihilate the residue and limit all to that part But the being of the whole gives ground of truth for so calling the part by such a name And so that Christ dyed for All. A good ground for his Servants to preach Gospel too pray for all where they come But their so preaching and praying is no limitation of the death of Christ to have been for no more then they so preach to and pray for And so that God made all men righteous that all sinned that Christ dyed and gave himselfe a ransome for All that all must dye rise and come to Judgement is a good ground to say to any sort of people God so made you yee have sinned Christ hath dyed for you c. or for any to say God made uâ— c. But against the limiting these things to such applicatory speeches as is shewed full enough in the opposed Treatise in the 5 and 11. and 12. and 13. Chapters at large which remaines unshaken yet and may serve as to shew the vanity of Mr. Garners bringing in the divers acceptations of the words Every or All pag 41 And the World pages 62 63 64 65 66. And the whole World pages 95 96. so far from the businesse to give a right understanding and fitted to blind the eyes of the Reader and to make him beleeve he seeth that which he seeth not And this already writ with that in the fore-mentioned chapters of the other Treatise may serve both to answer all his book and to shew what that sense is which he calls our corrupt sense namely that it is no other but the plaine sayings of the Holy Ghost in and about the foundation and beginning of the Gospell of Christ understood and beleeved in their owne expressions and according as the Holy Ghost expounds them and wils us to understand them as the words not of men but of God and as spoken by God of his Sonne Christ and his great workes by him and so we understand and beleeve as it is written 1 Joh. 4.14 We have seene and doe testifie that the Father sent his Sonne the Saviour of the world And that Jesus that was born of the Virgin Mary and suffered under Pontius Pilate Mat 1. Joh. 18. Mat. 16 16. Is Christ the Son of the living God Joh. 4.42 The Christ the Saviour of the world And that Joh. 3.17 God sent not his Sonne into the world to condemne the world but that the world through him might be saved And that to this end 2 Cor. 5.15 He dyed for all And Heb. 2 9. By the grace of God tasted death for every man yea so died for all that all died 2 Cor. 5 14. And that he rose from the dead the third day 1 Cor. 15.4 and gave himselfe a ransome to God for all men 1 Tim. 2 6 And is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world 1 Joh. 2.2 And wils that this Gospell bee preached to all men where his servants come as a truth that they might beleeve on him Mat. 28.19 Marke 16.15 Joh. 1.7 And that whosoever beleeveth on him shall have everlasting life John 3.16.36 And who so beleeveth not seeth not life but abideth under wrath John 3.18.36 Behold the sense in the sayings of the Gospell yea the sayings themselves And if any man could not conceive how these sayings should bee right and true yet it became him to beleeve them to be right and true because they are the sayings of the Almighty God of Truth concerning his Sonne Jesus Christ for us and they are light though our understandings be dark and we do well to take heed to them as to a light shining in a dark place till the day dawn and the day star arise in our hearts Ioh. 1.4 5. 2 Pet. 1.19 And not to preferre darknesse before light and count our understandings light and his sayings darknesse and so with our understandings find follies falshoods and absurdities impossibilies of truth in his sayings and so call them errours and then goe frame and fashion them by wresting and cutting them to peeces and forcing senses on them to our understanding and call that The mind of God But if M. Garner thinke the sayings of God are foolishnesse let him know that the foolishnesse of God that men count so is wiser then men and will confound their wisdome one day 1 Cor. 1.19 20 25. nor can he helpe it by calling these sayings our corrupt sense Let all that desire to know whether in this I speake truth reade thorow that opposed Treatise and see if these recited sayings of Scripture be not
hath run himselfe into such snares as he snares himselfe worse to get out againe saying every one is enjoyned to beleeve on Christ page 7. And yet that it may be denyed that all men are bound to beleeve on Christ page 68. Put a duty to beleeve instead of Christ for the foundation of faith page 7. Proclaiming such commands as God gives for men to walke in to be some of them contrary to the inward mind of God some contrary one to another surely if Enthusiastes may be granted this denies them nothing but how may this appeare he saith God gave Abraham a command to kill his Sonne and then another not to kill which latter being his purpose was crosse to the former command page 49. 84. But where will he prove this not in the revealed word of God for that tels us God bad Abraham offer his Sonne for a burnt offering and so much was revealed Gen. 22.2 And Abraham not knowing that this contained any lesse then to offer him up a burnt offering he did offer and intended to slay there was his tryall but the latter command though crossing Abrahams intentions did enlighten his understanding and so he saw not one command crosing another but obeyed both in offering his Sonne Heb. 11.17 and not slaying him but offering the Ram a burnt offering And as for Pharaoh he had hardened his own heart long before nor was Gods hardening any other but the withstanding that opperation by which he had before been moving his heart and so justly for his rebellion and cruelty leaving him to Satan yet did he command nothing in charging him to let his people goe but what he would have done there being a people to be let goe and he had done well if he had willingly yeelded it but he brought him to it at last as he will one day all those that in the day of grace refuse to acknowledge Jesus Christ the Lord bring them to it Phil. 2.10 11. Oh what spirit is that which so sets out the command of God that he is faine to plead the equity of them with that Rom. 9.20 did the Apostle so in that place or hath God done so Ezek. 18. surely his commands are righteous altogether Psal 19. I set passe that might be said in that which followes page 7. to avoid provocation But as he deales with the command so he is as crosse to the Apostles in setting forth the Gospell to be beleeved consider page 169. First saith Mr. T. W. no man is bound to beleeve Christ dyed for him till he seele his need of him and be humbled but first to beleeve that God hath given his Sonne to purchase redemption for all repenting sinners Now what Gospell is this what humiliation and repentance is that and whence comes it that must be before a man beleeve so much as that Christ dyed for him Christ dyed for the ungodly his enemies c. But such as have repented are not so called yea the Apostles have preached the death and resurrection of Christ for men to call and move them to repentance Acts 13.37 39. 1 Cor. 15.14 Secondly he saith it is their duty to see and feele their sinnes and be so humbled for them as thereby they may be brought to repentance See here they must not see their sinnes by this doctrine as Christ was made finne and a curse for them nor look upon them as they have pirced him and so come in to him for they may not yet beleeve that he dyed for them how crosse is this to the Scripture Zach. 12.10 and the Apostles preaching of repentance who set it forth as the gift of Christ that is risen from the dead and exalted and urged it one that ground that in beleeving it might be effected Acts 2. 3. 13. 17.31 Thirdly hee saith that when they are truly humbled and brought to repentance it is their duty to renounce their own righteousnesse and rest on Christ alone for salvation strange doctrin that a man should rely on Christ before he can beleeve that Christ dyed for him surely Paul was otherwise led the knowledge of Christ produced his repentance faith confidence and not these that Phil. 3 7 8 9. Fourthly he saith that doing this they ought to perswade themselves that Christ dyed for them c. here is right the cart to lead the horse and the building made the foundation surely the Apostle receiving the atonement throug divine love manifested in his death did let goe his own righteousnesse and depend on him to besaved by his life Rom. 5.8.10 11. Thus have I noted the Gospell and saith Mr. T. W. sets forth Oh you that through grace beleeve is not this a humane faith did such a faith ever support you in a day of tryall and when God by Spirit in the word of grace testified of his Sonne and in discovery of his rich grace to your heart brought you in to believe did not that melt humble and worke repentance in you or were you left to view reason from such things in you selves to parswade your own hearts to believe I must a peale to beleevers in this and so to M. T. W. his own heart because of that 1 John 4 5 6. That which he saith is the third ground Tho. Mocre brings to prove that Christ dyed for all is those generall expressions which the Scripture useth in speaking of Christs Death Surely if I can find him right in none of his heads of proceeding it is time to let answering of him alone 1 Tim. 2.6 Heb. 2.9 not an expression only but the whole sentences I writ to testifie the truth of them in the sense the words import whatsoever Title was put on my Book of which I need not be a shamed but before I began to prove I endevoured to cleare the businesse by severall distinctions in five severall chapters containing 32 pages and now I have by reason oâ— his and another not the worse because a Shoo-maker and another not the worse because an Apothecary seeing they are Christians calling them proofes yeelded them so to be and out of the first distinction Mr. T. W. hath affirmed two grounds though he hath disproved nothing by it then in the first chapter I shewed how the question is stated by divers the first as I had it from such as Mr. W. cals lay-preachers and that I opposed and that is it Mr. T. W. labours to maintain the second as it is stated by those called Arminians which I also have confuted in the Treatise the third as some Ministers have stated it the fourth and fifth as some learned sober and judicious Ministers in great place whom I love and reverence as godly howsoever they be affected towards me have stated it the sixt as some learned writers are reported to have stated it the seventh as it was stated in the Synod of Dort which I approve as good and true the last as Doctor Davenant stated it to
AN VNCOVERING OF MYSTERIOVS DECEITS BY WHICH MANY ARE KEPT FROM REPENTANCE AND entring the doore of Life In a Reply to M. Garners opposition of Truth stiled Vnvailing of Mysteries With Addition of A Reply to Mr. Thomas Whitfeild his Treatise with a three-fold Title BY THOMAS MOORE JOHN 5.39 Search the Scriptures for in them yee thinke yee have eternall life and they are they which testifie of mee Saith Christ Whose sayings are all True and Right LONDON Printed in the yeare 1647. CHRISTIAN READER BEing once in conference with Mr. Robert Garner that should have been about the lawfulnesse or unlawfulnesse of Baptizing Infants I desired the foundation of all might be first discoursed concerning Jesus Christ whether hee were the Propitiation for the sins of the whole world or no which took up our time without agreement then I yeelded him to wave that And if he would either set downe 1. What the Ordinance not the forme or materials but this ordinance of Baptisme is 2. Vpon what grounds to be administred 3. To what end and then set downe his position of the unlawfulnesse of baptising the infants of the Church And I would answer him or if he required I would answer the three questions and set down my position of the lawfulnesse of baptising the infants of the Church or profest Christians But more of him in this I heard not till I met with his book in which he hath fallen on the foundation endevouring to darken it and confute with his pen what he could not with his tongue and therein hath been pleased to joyne two brethren of his own judgement and practise about Baptisme with me thinking his friends will take it that he answers one in answering the other and so confutes both when he confutes neither the men I reverence and love and esteeme gracious and in many things before my selfe but I suppose if they did believe and hold the foundation in respect of the extent of it as I doe they would not count unlawfull the baptising of such infants as by gracious providence are brought into the charge tuition of Christians to bring up for Christ as I hope all Christians take their little ones to be But far be it from me to judge my Brethren that doe or leave undone to the Lord and for the Lord in maner of using an ordinance what have I to do to judge the servants of my Lord and Master to his own master he standeth or falleth but answer I may when they call me to it only for the truth of the Gospel and the plain sayings of Christ and against that which opposeth the same and so cals Christ execrable in opinion or practise do I contend and so far should I contend against the denying baptising infants or renouncing that Baptisme then received to take another and still love those I contend with yea as brethren so farre as they exalt Christ But the opposition of the truth of Christs own words in the Gospell and the faith thereof I cannot look at as done to the Lord in any better maner then Saul thought in his conscience he was bound to do many things against the Name of Christ Therfore meeting with a book of Mr. Garners with a glorious title opposing all the way the truth of the sayings of Christ I have been notwithstanding my love and reverence of the man and his parts the more plain and rough in discovering or uncovering those Mysterious Deceits covered over with acknowledgement of some parts of truth and pretence of unvailing Mysteries which I had no sooner done but there was sent me from London a Book of one Mr. Tho. Whitfeilds some yeares since a Minister in Northampton-shire and a Lecturer as they say also at Stamford and since as himselfe saith at Yarmouth and now I suppose againe in Northampton shire nigh Rutland who pretended an examination of my Booke which either he did very sleightly or answered very unfaithfully and mistaking or flying my sayings framed other supposing to answer me in Answering Arminius To whom for all that concerneth my Book my Answers to Mr. Garner do fully answer yet I have afforded a small reply to him that he may not thinke himself sleighted nor adored only I am sorry for the sake of Ministers profest Divines that so grave a one should publish Arminianisme with such weake and unsavoury confutations after such sound and learned ones â—xiant And yet more that hee should maintaine an opinion to condemne his practice for would he from place to place stand Minister over a people not being sure Christ Dyed for them all or would he receive wages for work of such for whom he hath no certaine ground that there is a possibility of his Ministry to be profitable to them or will he baptise any for whom Christ hath not Dyed or eate the Lords Supper with such will he 〈◊〉 an uncertain and be as one that beats the aire far be it doth not this if it should be so give occasion to others to speake evill of such Ministry Baptisme and Communion Surely for those of M. Whitfeilds mind being conscionable I marvell not they run into Mr. Garners opinion and practise As for my self seeing neither of them have granted those Christian requests in my Epistle before that Book nor can oppose but by confounding what the Scripture makes distinct and running to reasonings and wresting Scripture sayings I am still more confirmed and finding the quintescence of all oppositions I have met with to bee in Mr. Garners Booke I have resolved to let this Reply be for Answer to all till I meet with those that discourse more soundly not doubting but there are that may helpe me still with better expressions in mean time I have writ this to prevent many from being discouraged and turned aside from Christ desiring the Lord to make us of one mind in him as the Truth is in Jesus And so rest Thy servant in and for Christ THOMAS MOORE AN VNCOVERING OF MYSTERIOVS DECEITS BY which many are kept from repentance and entring the doore of life THE FIRST PART THis very Distinction in considering the redemption by Jesus Christ as it is wrought effected and prepared by himself with God for men And as by Spirit hee makes it knowne and there-through draweth men to himselfe and workes it in men affirming the one perfect and before the other and larger then the other is exeeding faulted by some Advarsaries of the truth of the extent of these sayings Joh. 3.17 God sent not his Son into the world to coÌ„demn the world but that the world through him might be saved Joh. 4.42 The Christ the Saviour of the world 1 Joh. 4.14 The Father hath sent the Son the Saviour of the world Ioh. 12.47 I came not to judge the world but to save the world 1 Cor. 5.15 He dyed for All 1 Tim. 2.6 Gave himselfe a ransome for all 1 Jo. 22. And is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world This
which I stood page 33.36 Then I began to prove by opening the question and answering it in twelve answers by plain sayings of Scripture without interpretation or glosses chapter 7. page 37.38 39. which when Mr. T. W. can doe to prove Christ dyed not for all or only for an elect company or that all he dyed for shall have eternall life or that there is a world yet in Scripture called a beleeving world that are the sinners and unjust for whom Christ dyed he may be credited else he doth nothing to purpose then I proceeded to more enlarged proofe 1. By considering Christ as the common person in the room of all mankind of whom the first was a figure chapter 8. page 40 49. 2. By considering the joynt mentioning of creation and redemption by Christ chapter 9 page 49 52. 3. By considering the constancy of the Scripture in changing the person when having mentioned the generall it mentions any speciall chap. 10. p. 53.54 4 By considering 1 Tim. 3.6 and Heb. 2.9 in the force of the words the scope and circumstances of the places chap. 11.12 p. 55 56. 5. By considering like places of Scripture speaking in like manner chap. 13. p. 66. 70. To all which M. W. hath said nothing to confute any one argument 6. By adding six arguments to satisfie such as must have reason satisfied with addition of 18. severall proofes chap. 20. page 129. to 137. with addition of more proofes chap. 21. p. 138. 143. with removeall of doubts chap. 22. now Mr. W. only pitches upon the generall expressions the sixth of the 18. proofs p. 233. Did this learned man examine my Booke well or goe about to answer me to call this my third ground and to say nothing but that which is already answered in the Booke and the least refuted by him that for answer to all I need but say read the Treatise againe and for such generall words as All men Every man the World he taketh paines to no purpose The Treatise sheweth as many significations as he but how it is taken when it is spoken by God of his great workes by and concerning his Sonne in this he hath done nothing and all he hath said is fully answered in the Treatise chap. 5 11. 12. 13. And at large in answer to Mr. Garner as for the objections I answered I never medled with them so long as I looked on them as Schoole disputes framed against Arminius by learned men who in their grounds of Religion have confessed as much as I say but when they were sent me by a Gentleman sometime as report is a Black smith no dishonour to him in the eyes of the wise in opposition to the truth I have so answered them and Mr. W. hath strengthened my answers by faulting and not confuring any one of them as he that reads may there see In which all his here now moulded objections queries and reasons are answered and again in answering the same things to Mr. R. G. on the same words in the second and third part of that Reply only I shall here hint some things as answers to some new expressions of his 1. I beleeve according to Scripture two Adams or men the first naturall the second spirituall and the sayings of Scripture as they are of things belonging to the first I understand in a naturall sense and as they are of things belonging to the second I understand in a spirituall sense and yet both in that sense the words in such sayings imports which is rightly called the litterall sense 1 Cor 15.45.48 And this in answer to Mr. W. p. 8.9 whose crosse and carnall expressions I forbeare to put to tryall 2. I never said nor writ that every child can understand such a figure as this the Pot seethes over where the subject is put for the adjunct alas many Children may take the fastened grumble on the outside as well as the pottage within for an adjunct But I said such a saying may be understood by meane Country people that know not what to call such figures yea and profitably so as the end of such a voice being to hasten the Mother to save the pottage from being lost which if shee stay to here a Clearke open the figure and being delighted in hearing how figurative the childs speech was all may be lost I apply it not But in the other figure though a part be sometimes put for the whole that excludes not the whole or else that he cals a part is the whole But that God made all Nations should be a figure put for part and that God made Israell should be the proper speech to limit and explicate I hope Mr. T. W. will not say and this for answer to his p. 13. 3. I am not willing to urge his taking men off from beleeving the resurrection of all men from the testimony of Scripture to take it on his word 1 Cor. 15. For since by man death is not that the death of all by man also the resurrection of the dead is not that as large as the former did death befall any more by the first man then were made righteous in him and he stood for and they sinned in him and shall any more be raised by the second then those whose natures he hath taken and for whom dyed and rose let Mr. W. prove that till when I prefer the text v. 22. For as in Adam all dye evenso in Christ shall all be made alive though I beleeve a more aboundant and excellent life for such as by grace are one in him 4. I am sorry for his rashnesse and bold adventure to give occasion of strength to those that would hold many Gods and have many wives and be justified by their own workes as if the word But or only or that which is as much or more were not in the Scripture for these what are not mens words and humane righteousnesse plainly excluded in our justification before God Rom. 3.20.21 27 28 9.32 10.3 Is it not plainly said there is but one God 1 Cor. 8.6 and saith he not expresly Isay 45.21 22. No God else besides me none besides me I God and none else and surely though men should love their enemies and their Brethren and their Children And I am perswaded Mr. W. would those at least where he is Minister should love him and that with true and faithfull love also and yet this is more then to love their wives only But if Mr. W. meane it of that peculiar love and fellowship that ought to be between man and wife I suppose he better knowes the law of nature the law mortall and Leviticall then so to object did not God make twaine one Hath he not forbidden to take another to vex her life Hath he not forbidden fornication Adultry c. Is there another Minister besides M. W. or any judicious among the people that will thus reason when he can shew the place in holy