A MANIFEST AND BREIFE DISCOVERY Of some of the Errours contained in a Dialogue called the Marrow of Moderne Divinity Wherein is shewen especially the Authors errour in the manner of the Iustification of a Sinner and the Truth cleared from all the falshoods contained in that Booke concerning the same with some other of his Errours Iude the 3. Contend for the Faith which was once delivered to the Saints 2. Epistle of John verse 9. whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the Doctrine of Christ hath not God he that abideth in the Doctrine of Christ he hath both the Father and the Sonne LONDON Printed by T. W. for Joshua Kirton and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the White Horse in Pauls Church-yard 1646. To the Christian Reader that desires to know the wayes of God in the Gospell touching the way that he hath set forth to bring Poore Sinners to Christ to be justifyed by him and desires to walke therein Grace and Peace c. CHristian Reader there came lately to my sight a Booke called the marrow of moderne divinity which when I had read the title page my heart rejoyced within me hoping that now God had stirred up some man to compose the differences that are betweene the legalist and the Antinomist they both erring from the truth which was the thing I exceedingly desired But after I had read it over two or three times and considered well of it I found I was much deceived in my expectation And then I began to wonder that this Booke should come to the third Edition and be received so generally I finding so many mistakes in it especially in the manner of the Iustification of a Sinner wherein be hath gone the direct way with the Antinomist Therefore I could not chuse but set my selfe to worke to vindicate the truth of God seeing others are silent herein and according to my poore ability to set forth the truth which I have beene taught of God I doe not intend to write of all his mistakes for that were too great worke for me but only of some of them and breifly also except one which I cheifly intend I know not the Author but by his Booke nor ever heard so much as his name Therefore I cannot doe this in any spleene towards him nay this I will say for him he hath set downe many excellent truths and hath shewed himselfe a painfull and laborious man in collecting the opinions of so many Divines yet if he erre from the truth I hold my selfe bound to let him and others know his errour and I deale no otherwise by him then I desire to be dealt withall my selfe If I erre from the truth for it is the glory of God and his truth that I seeke above all if my heart deceive me not Christian Reader I beseech the seriously to consider of the exceptions here taken by me and weigh them by the Scriptures and if there be truth in them receive them with meekenes of Spirit I shall be breife in the examination of the Booke for my ability of body will not serve me to be so large as otherwise I would the Lord give thee wisdome to understand his truth and a willing heart to obey and yeild unto it And so now I direct my selfe to the Author of the Booke commending thee to the Grace of God I remaine Thy Poore servant in the Lord Jesus Christ I. A. A manifest and breife discovery of some of the errours contained in a dialogue called the marrow of moderne divinity HAving of late read over your Booke called the marrow of moderne divinity and by often perusall thereof found many things in it which I conceive is not truth I have presumed in the defence of the truth which I have learned out of the Scriptures to examine some things delivered by you in your Booke not doubting but you will be ready to hearken to the truth from any that shall make it appeare unto you I shall take some small exceptions at divers things therein because I intend one speciall thing which is the greatest matter of all and wherein any one being deceived the greatest damage consists But before I come to that which I cheifly intend I take notice of some things in the fourth page of your Booke you say the new Testament mentions a threefold law you might have added more if you had pleased what say you to the law of the Spirit of life Rom. 8.2 It is very necessary for us to consider how you have distinguisht the law of workes and the law of Christ for you say the ten Commandements may be said to be the matter of the law of workes or the matter of the law of Christ You have here made a distinction that neither the Scriptures set forth nor any Authour that ever I heard of But to answer you directly the law of the ten Commandements is all one and the same not differing in it selfe but is a holy just and perfect law proceeding from a holy God and binds all men to the obedience of it and condemns every transgression against it yea the most holyest man and he that is in greatest favour with God if he transgresse it condemns him as justly as the most ungodly wretch living But the difference lyes in this That the one namely true beleevers are justified by Christ from the Curse and penalty of the law and unbeleevers lye under the condemning power penalty and curse of the law But you and I differ only in your distinction for I doe not find throughout all the New Testament that the law of the ten Commandements are called the law of Christ There are other lawes of Christ as the law of grace the law of Faith or beleiving in him and many other Commandements or lawes of Christ which are not contained in the law of the ten Commandements and so are none of the matter thereof As for the text Gallat 6.2 It is set downe by the Apostle as one speciall law of Christ to beare one anothers burden But this will not prove your assertion that the law of the ten Commandements is the matter of the law of Christ I meane as he is the Mediator of the New Covenant Yet doe I not deny but that the law of the ten Commandements may be a rule and direction to true beleivers to walke by yet beleevers doe not worke by any compulsion of that law but after a more free way of love unto God and Christ arising from the love of God in Christ unto them the love of God constraine them to holinesse of life to labour to honour God And the Apostles generally doe urge and presse beleevers to holinesse from the free grace of God and from the mercies of God extended towards them in Iesus Christ as we may see Titus 2.11.12 Romans 12.1 The law of the ten Commandements is an absolute perfect holy and just law yet it setts not forth Christ neither is faith required therein
nothing but absolute and perfect obedience to the same is required therein It brings us not to Christ but wounds us and leaves us destitute in respect of any helpe it can afford It is the law of the Gospell that releeves us Page 7.8 I let passe your fine distinction of the law of the ten Commandements calling it the matter of the Covenant of works and not the Covenant it selfe your reason is weake for had not the Lord absolute authority to lay a command upon the Creature and man bound to obey though he gave no assent And now I come to examine whether this law of the ten Commandements was given to Adam and writ in his heart in Paradise before his fall You have affirmed that it was written in his heart before his fall page 7. and the 10. and indeed throughout your whole Booke I deny it and I demand your proofe for your opinion out of Scripture We read but of one Commandement given to Adam in Paradise But you tell us of ten more you will be wise above that which is written I acknowledge that Adam was Created a perfect Creature full of holynes purity and uprightnes But yet that it was in respect of the writing of the ten Commandements in his heart before his fall I cannot see neither find I any Scripture to lead me to beleeve it I acknowledge that assoone as ever Adam had transgressed he came to know good and evill which he did not know before And this law of the ten Commandements was then writ in his heart and he that could not keepe one Commandement had many more given him so that now by his fall the very flood gates of Sinne were set open through his transgression to the drowning of himselfe and his posterity in misery But because this opinion is so often repeated by the Author in his Booke I desire to know to what it tends and what use we may make of it doth it serve to illustrate or set forth any point of Doctrine in the Scriptures or doth the contrary which I have affirmed oppose or gain say any truth If it be so that neither is done hereby Then I say you have troubled your Readers with needles doctrine no way tending to edification but is a meere fancy of your owne Braine You tell us it is the opinion of all Authors and Interpreters that you know but you tell us none of their names nor none of the Scriptures they have so interpreted for the proofe thereof And so I take it as your owne opinion which I dare not receive untill I see better ground for it I take notice also how finely you would insinuate unto us that Adam in eating the forbidden fruit did breake all the ten Commandements and have you gone through them all doubtles you have pleased your selfe therein but what content you have given to your Reader in it I leave it to the judicious to consider of and so passe it over and come to something that remaines Page 28. and 29. You affirme that Adam fell the very same day that he was created and the ground of your opinion is Psalme 49.12 which text in the Hebrew you say is thus read Adam being in honour did not lodge a night in it you have a good art in adding to the Scripture as I shall shew hereafter And you have quoted Mr. Aynsworth in the Margent to helpe you but he doth not I have examined Mr. Aynsworth upon that Psalme but he affirmes no such thing he saith this may be minded both for the first Adam who continued not in his dignity And so for all his Children these are his owne words Now how can you gather from hence that Adam fell the same day he was created I wish you to observe that the holy Ghost in that Psalme intends no such thing as Adams fall but of mans being in honour the instability thereof and the short continuance of it And I suppose you know Adam to be the common name of man and therefore the first man Adam cannot be here meant Leave these your fained devises and keep close to the Scriptures and seeke not to know in divine things anything but what is there written To the law and to the Testimony if they speake not it is because there is no truth in them Be not wise above that which is written and doe not you publish that for truth which you have no ground for secret things belong unto God but thins revealed unto us c. So likewise is your conjecture of Adams sacrificing on the same day that he was created and that God cloathed him with the skins of those beasts which he offered in sacrifice But I leave these things as your owne imaginations yet this I say that it is not probable that he fell the same day that he was created for there were many things passed after man was created which are set downe in the second Chapter of Genesis which is not likely were done all in one day neither doe I know of what use this opinion is but I leave it to the Reader to consider off And although I freely confesse that Christ offered up himselfe the sixth day of the weeke And that Adam was created the sixth day But must it therefore needs follow that Adam fell the very same day that he was created I know no necessity thereof Page 43. I wonder you durst be so bold as to alter the words and so the fence and meaning of the Apostle Rom. 5.13 Your words are thus before the time of the law sinne was in the world yet did they not impute it to themselves because there was no law But the Apostle hath it thus for untill the law sin was in the world but sinne is not imputed where there is no law The Apostle proves plainly here that there was a law written in mens hearts before the giving of the law upon mount Sinai the breach wherof was imputed unto them for there was not any time since Adams fall wherein there was nor a law to condemne man for sinne and so their sinne was imputed unto them at all times And not as you say they did not impute it to themselves I pray you take knowledge what the same Apostle saith in the second Chapter of his Epistle to the Romans verses 14 15. For when the Gentills which have not the law do by nature the things contained in the Law these having not the law are alaw unto themselves which shew the worke of the law written in their hearts their conscience bearing also witnesse and their thoughts the meane while accusing or els excusing one another Take heed how you alter any text of Scripture to maintaine your owne opinions it is very daingerous to adde or to detract from Scripture And now having gone over some of those things I intended with a great deale of brevity and passing by many things which I might justly have taxed as mistakes in that booke I come now to
Ghost in his good time doth perswade the heart and evidence to the soule his peace and reconciliation with God and his interest in the promise of Grace through Christ Faith is the gift of God to you it is given to beleeve It is not in mans power to beleeve Beleeve it for a truth no man can possibly beleeve to justification of life nor shall ever rejoyce with the Bridgroome that hath not first mourned with the mourner I wonder these things should be unknowne to men in these dayes and that so much confusion should be amongst them in the matter and manner of the justification of a Sinner So that we cannot certainly learne by them what repentance is not what Faith is nor how it is wrought in the heart Some teaching outward dutyes and obedience to the law to the begetting of Faith and rejoycing therein that they are called legall Preachers as I my selfe have heard Others againe would be so fame from them that they will teach only as they pretend the Gospell-way and that they will do by teaching only beleeving And as for repentance the beginning of the Gospell they will not mention or very little and that then it followes justifying Faith and never goes before it and what is their reason Because say they the Gospell setts forth free Grace and requires no act of ours at all but only beleeving Well then beleeving is an act of ours here is something for us to doe But I would know of them whether beleeving to life be in their power The Apostle saith to you it is given to beleeve and that Faith is the gift of God Then there is no power in us to beleeve the very act of beleeving is of free grace And so is repentance of free grace God is the giver of repentance as well as Faith Acts. 11.18 2. Tim. 2.25 For although repentance be wrought in us and we act it yet it is God that gives it and it is nothing else but the free grace of God to perpare the hearts of Sinners for the receiving of the forgivenes of Sinnes and peace and reconciliation with God by Faith in the Lord Iesus Christ All the Prophets in the old Testament have called for repentance in the first place that so they might be prepared to receive mercy Iohn the Baptist Preached it to prepare them to receive the Lord Christ Our Saviour himselfe Preached it in the first place before beleeving The Apostles Preached it before Faith in Christ to the forgivenes of Sinnes The very truth is that the same way which was formerly to others the same way to salvation is for us now and we must goe the same way that they went which were before us new wayes are dangerous We must not looke for a nearer way to Heaven then the Saints and people of God have gone before us and though it be a narrow and a straight way yet it is a sure way it leads to happines Page 113. I may also justly except against his exposition on the 11. to the Hebrewes verse 6. without Faith it is impossible to please God that is saith he As Calvin saith whatsoever a man thinketh purposeth or doth before he be reconciled to God in Christ is accursed and not only of no value to righteousnes but of certaine deserving to damnation I must confesse I am amazed to thinke such things should be published I honour the memory of that Holy Man Mr. Calvin yet if it were his opinion I must needs say it was an errour in him for there be many things done by men before reconciliation with God that are not Sinne. For Sin is the transgression of some law but what law forbids a man to heare and read the Scriptures may it is commanded by Christ himselfe search the Scriptures Io. 5.39 Men may Sin and doe Sin in hearing and reading the word but the worke it selfe is no Sin For we must distinguish between the worke and the manner of the doing it It is no Sin for a man to humble his soule in seeking mercy and grace and favour with God which must be done before we can come to that Faith which makes our persons acceptable to God and we well pleasing unto him through Christ as Enochs Person was And indeed it is impossible our persons should be accepted or we become pleasing to God by any other way then by Faith in Christ And the reason is rendred by the Apostle in the words following For he that commeth to God must beleeve that he is a rewarder of them that dilligently seeke him which is a lesser degree of Faith then that which makes us to become pleasing in his sight through Christ Iesus Nor can we truly say that all the actions of unregenerate men are Sinne Ahabs repentance was not Sin it was no breach of any law of God nay God takes notice of it and bids the Prophet to take notice of it yea and rewards him for it in deferring the judgement pronounced but he never rewards any man for Sin but denounceth judgement against them Thus have I endevoured to pick out some of the Bones that the Authour hath left in amongst the marrow of moderne divinity and I hope I have performed it with plainnes and I have done it after a loving manner without malice to the Authour whom I know not nor yet could ever perfectly heare of by any man But that which I have writ is in the defence of the truth so much oppugned by the Authour which truth is deare unto me and so should be to all Gods people I must confesse and doe it freely that I love the Authour and am perswaded of the truth of many things delivered by him in his Booke and for which grace bestowed on him I blesse God and pray the Lord for a further increase upon him but the truth I value above all I find the Booke commended by worthy Divines whom I honour but yet my Faith is not to depend upon man but only upon the Scriptures the written word of God And I desire that this which I have written may be tryed by that touch stone and none else And then I am confident it will be found truth when that opinion of the Antinomians maintained by this Authour will be found an errour For he hath directly gone along with them in this thing namely that there is no Evangelicall preparations to Faith in Christ which is the maine thing I have now disproved and have I hope sufficiently proved that there must be such preparations to Faith in Christ And it is impossible for any other to beleeve in Christ to the saving of the soule but only such as are so prepared Christ himselfe saith non can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him Iohn 6.44 Errour is very dangerous especially in the foundation and principles of the Doctrine of Christ whereof repentance and Faith are two of the maine Heb. 6.1 And therefore with great care to be looked into and to be truly knowne and how they are to be distinguished from other the effects of the Spirit Christian Reader what I have done herein I commend unto thy wisdome and I desire the Lord to give both thee and me such understanding in the truth and wayes of God that we may not be carryed away with every wind of Doctrine from the truth to the errours of these times Now to him that is able to keepe and preserve us in his truth be all praise honour and glory through Christ Iesus for ever Amen Iames. 2.1 My Brethren have not the Faith of our Lord Iesus Christ the Lord of glory with respect of persons FINIS
that which I cheifly intended and without which I had never set upon this worke for there is lesse danger in those I have already taken notice of then in that which followes and the Lord asist me in discovering of the truth in laying open the palpable errour of the Author Indeed it greived my heart to consider how men in these late dayes are fallen into errour and cannot understand the very first principles and beginnings of Christ but they are at the toppe at first before they have laid the first stone of the foundation of the building and indeed it proceeds from an errour in the understanding in the waies of God They conceive that if there should be any preparations to Faith in Christ that it would much derrogate from free grace and therefore will admit of none for saith this Author it is to bring mony in the hand and Christ bids come buy wine and milke without mony that is Grace and salvation without mony or price I confesse it is truth for we must receive all freely even of free grace But yet I pray you call to mind who they are that are called to this feast it is only the thirsty Ho every one that thirsteth come yee c. It is not every one but only the thirsty the broken in heart namely the repentant Soul which thirsts for mercy When I consider the Author in the pages of his booke 135 136. 137. 138. 139. I cannot but wonder at the blindnesse of the man in the waies of God as touching his working upon the hearts of poore Sinners in bringing them to beleive in Christ to be justified by him He seemes not to know what Regeneration is for he hath never mentioned it in all his booke nor what Repentatce is nor how we come to this excellent guift of Faith nor tells us what it is but only that wee must belive in Christ and take Christ but who is the worke of this Faith he tells us not but speakes of it as if it were in our own power to beleive whereas it is not for the Apostle saith to you it is given to beleive c. I shall have occasion to speake of these things more at larg and to let thee Christian Reader understand his great errours and the wrong he hath done the people of God in publishing his booke in these particulars But first I will note some things out of his booke in those pages I have mentioned and I will do it breifly In page 136. he saith That the Lord justifieth his children before they repent or truly humble themselves c. But he hath not set downe any place of Scripture for the proofe thereof we must take his owne word I shall prove the contrary very shortly I mean in their owne fence and feeling God doth never justifie any before they repent and humble themselves in seeking mercy from him Page 137. where it is objected by himselfe that the Scriptures hold forth that the Lord hath appointed Repentance to goe before Faith for it is said Marke 1.15 Repent and beleive the Gospell He answers indeed sometimes the name of repentance is given to those preparatory beginnings which he calls Legall fits and terrours which are both in nature and time before Faith and thus he saith Judas is said to repent and saith that it is all the repentance that goes before Faith in Christ O horrible wickednes how dare this man affirme such a thing that our Saviour Christ in this place should Preach and call for no other repentance before beleiving but such as Iudas had But he goes on and tells you that true and Evangelicall repentance is a fruit of Faith and cannot be before Faith in Christ I shall shew you the contrary very speedily and that it is not a fruit of justifying Faith but a worke of the Spirit to prepare the heart to the beleiving of the promise He saith also that he holds that repentance is a consequent of Faith and that it followes after But why did you not set downe unto us what this repentance is which you meane and say followes Faith I am glad yet that you doe not cast repentance quite away but will let it have a little place in your thoughts God grant you true repentance in your heart for so violating the wayes of God so plainly set downe in the Scriptures Page 138. He confesseth that legall fitts of feare and terrour doe goe before Faith in Christ ordinarily and in some measure in some but not in all and he instanceth in Zacheus and Lidia To which I answer that that which he calls legall fitts of feare and terrour we shall find them to be another thing and to be true repentance towards God And for Zacheus we cannot conceive but that his heart was truly broken and humbled at that very time And there was a manifest signe thereof expressed in his present resolution to make restitution And for Lidia she is said to be a worshipper of God and doubtles one that with Simeon waited for the consolation of Israel her heart being fitted and prepared to receive Christ And to this truth Doctor Gouge gives testimony in his Booke called the whole Armour of God And indeed no sooner did Lidia here Paul Preach Christ come in the flesh dead and risen againe but she received him in her heart Thus farre I have gone in setting downe some of the Authours errours I shall now come the Lord assisting me to discover the truth of the wayes of God laid downe in the Scriptures concerning his working upon poore Sinners in bringing them unto Christ to be justified by him through Faith And I shall shew you what repentance is and what that speciall Faith is and how they are wrought A worke of great worth and very needfull And yet altogether omitted by the Authour of the Booke and I shall further discover his errours by setting forth the truth The Authour hath often alleadged in his Booke that famous and godly Martir Mr. William Tindall And I doe wonder that he could not see his doctrine concerning repentance and Faith He tells us plainly in many places that repentance must of necessity goe before that Faith that justifieth and that the Faith that justifyeth all wayes followes repentance as page 32. and 96. and 146. of Mr. Tindalls workes and in the last page here mentioned he saith repentance goeth before Faith and prepareth the way to Christ and to the promises But the Authour had no mind to take notice of this truth which was so contrary to his opinion for he hath found a nearer way to Heaven then all the Saints and Servants of God did in former times Christian Reader take knowledge of this one thing which may helpe thee in the understanding of the truth of God and may deliver thee from some of the errours of these times namely that there is a twofold administration or dispensation of the Gospell The one generall the other more speciall The