the Heavens Brass and the Earth Iron or bring other severe judgements every considering man may clearly discern that the abounding Wickednesse of the Sons of Men have provoked the Giver of all Goodness to take his Mercy away and may well read in all his stroaks a loud call to repentance But further if men do but humble themselves under his hand and return from their evil wayes how graciously doth he return to his ordinary way of shewing Mercy Also if we do consider his governing the World it most wonderfully declares his infinite and eternal Being Take these instances first the Sun Moon and Stats keeping so constant a course ordinarily from Age to Age as also Day and Night Summer and Winter Seed-time and Harvest following each other in a setled course And if the Lord at any time alter the course of any of his Creatures as when the Sun and Moon stood still in Joshua's dayes and came back in Hezekiah's dayes ten degrees the Red-sea divided in Moses's dayes and the River of Jordan driven back or any like act done it alwayes was brought to pass at such times and for some such noble ends as that it did alway more abundantly preach forth the Power Grace Wisdom Justice and unspeakable Goodness of an Eternal God Quest But how know you that these wonderful Works were done Answ Manifest it is that in no age no not in this we now live in can any of the great Works of God get any credit in the world till they are manifest beyond all possibility of dispute therefore there can be no ground for a doubt Secondly Consider his Strength Wisdom and Goodness in governing the World so as that his poor People live in it It is most manifest to all that do consider it that of them that love and fear God and are the most conscionable in minding and observing his Word Works and Worship that they are very few few few in comparison of the multitudes numberless multitudes of blasphemous-Atheists Idolaters prophane unjust deceitful Covenant-breakers with other like workers of Iniquity all setting themselves with open mouth to devour this little Remnant and diging to Hell for deep Counsels to destroy them and yet for all their unjust and cunning policies and oft-times open violence exercised against them through the rich Goodness divine Wisdom and Providence of God they have never yet been rooted out of the Earth but although they have been almost blotted out with the rage and persecution of the World yet hath the Most High still preserved a little Flock of Lambs amidst a world of wolves who fain would but never yet could wholly devour them which plainly proves that there is a God that hath more Power Wisdom Goodness than all their Enemies have strength or malice who ever lives to take care of them Again the Signs that God often sheweth in the sudden and unexpected overturning of their Enemies from time to time is of a very convincing nature to prove that certainly there is a God that judgeth the Earth Quest Seeing you have proved the undoubted and certain Being of a God what is the next weighty Truth that stands in need of proof Answ The next Truth most needful to be cleared is the holy Scriptures to be the Words and Counsels of God Quest Is there any with us do deny them Answ Yes there is some do deny them and more would if fear or shame did not stop their mouths as appears by their works Quest What Books do you mean by holy Scriptures Answ The Writings of Moses and the Prophets till Malachies dayes committed to the antient Church of the Jews and received by them as also the Books of the New Testament from Matthew to the Revelation Quest And wherefore do you reject those Books commonly called Apocrypha do you think the Spirit of God had no hand in the writing of them Answ It seems too hard to conclude that those that wrote those stories had no Light or aid from the Spirit of God in the writing of them they might be good men and hand forth some truths and useful things as many doubtless have done both in former and latter Ages who although we may make good use of their Books yet may we not receive them as infallible Prophets writings but receive or reject or suspend our judgements as we see they agree or disagree with the Word of Truth and clear Reason or appear doubtful Quest But is there reason to take this liberty with those Books what are your grounds to doubt of their infallability Answ Clear it is that however there are good Counsels in some of those Writings yet they seem to be written by some Jews in or after the captivity when their light in all probability was much dimmed and not by the Prophets Also how far from the language and stile of the infallible Spirit of God those Writings are some of them is evident the Spirit of God useth not to acknowledge infirmity and a doing as well as he can for he is perfect and therefore doth nothing meanly Again as there be absurdities not fit to be put upon the holy Spirit as this for one to go about to make us believe the Devil will be frighted away with smoak so also there is one stark lie so rank that a fool may discern it the same person that saith in one place he is the Son of Ananias saith in another he is an holy Angel There be other exceptions I will not now spend time about these may suffice to let you see some ground wherefore I cannot own them to be of divine Authority Quest But how will you prove that those books known by the names of the Old and New Testaments are the infallible Words of God and so the safe Rule to lead men in the true Path of believing and obedience to Life everlasting Answ First They may be known by their noble stile as for example When you hear any persons express themselves judiciously acutely in excellent Language although you never saw them before yet may you safely conclude that they are persons of excellent breeding and quality although they should appear in never so mean a dress So may it much more be concluded concerning the Scriptures their dialect hath that Majesty Holiness Grace and high Wisdom in them most elegantly manifesting the perfections of a divine Being in them and declaring the judiciousness faithfulness and perfection of all his Intentions and Proceedings with the sons of men that it is not likely possible for any gracious considering man to call there Authority into question Secondly The blessed Intention and scope of them discover them to proceed from the holy Spirit all the Commandments Threatnings Promises Warnings Counsels Declarations contained in them unanimously tending to advance Godliness in the hearts and lives of men Thirdly The several Doctrines and points of Truth contained in them are so wisely and holily compacted standing in so sweet an Union together and so
of Twenty Cubites long where it was by the Ministers of the Temple Christ's deadly enemies kept safe enough from any hand of earthly man none but a Messenger from Heaven could rent it again the Earth did quake and the Rocks rent which could not be but by an omnipotent Power all which made the Centurion and his Company though in all probability they were Heathens being Souldiers in Caesars Army cry out and say Truly this was the Son of God and if Souldiers who are commonly rude persons especially when they have such Masters as they had if they could not chuse but see this how much more should all men consider and take notice of God's Testimony so gloriously born on his behalf Thirdly The Resurrection of Christ proves it beyond exception Quest Yea but how shall that be proved clearly Answ There be three evident proofs of it 1. The witnesses of it are a considerable number not less than Five hundred at once 1 Cor. 15.6 7 8. and some of these died for this Testimony and what their holy Doctrine and Life was is to be seen in the New Testament and neither credit nor profit was to be gained by this Testimony besides two of these witnesses were such as had they not been extraordinarily convinced of the truth of it would not have believed it themselves Thomas proclaiming his unbelief till he felt and saw the print of the nailes and thrust his hand into his side which the Spear had made John 20.24 25. And as for Paul he persecuted this Testimony unto the death and had his hand in the blood of Stephen for it not altering his bloody purpose till by a Voice and a Light from Heaven he was smitten blind and unto the earth and he made to know that that Jesus whom he persecuted in his People was risien and ascended 2. The miserable excuse that was made to blind the Peoples understandings that they might not believe he was risen proves it evidently for he was laid in a Tomb which had a stone so great on the top of it that the good women were in care to get it removed when they came to anoint him Also there was a strong guard of Souldiers set to watch lest his Disciples should steal him who were so afraid of their own lives that they durst not meet but in the night an unlikely company to steal their Masters dead body from a band of Souldiers But now to make the world believe that these poor frighted men stole him away while they slept is most impossible for who can believe that the whole Guard should be asleep all at once or who can believe his Disciples durst venture to roul off that Stone in the midst of those Armed men to steal his Corps from them they being set there on purpose to prevent them from this act muchless was it possible for them to be able to give a just account whether he were stollen away or risen again if they had been all asleep indeed and it is not at all likely that those armed Souldiers ran from the Sepulchre to the High Priest in such a fear because the Disciples had stole him but indeed because the Angel of the Lord terrified them away from that fruitless work Neither yet can it enter into any mans heart to believe that ever the Priests and Elders of the Jews would ever go about to perswade the Governour to peace and reconciliation with those Souldiers that had so much neglected their duty to suffer him to be stole if indeed he had been stole but they would much rather have perswaded him to take them and hang them up every man of them for their negligence if it had not manifestly appeared that Jesus whom they caused to be crucified was indeed risen again from the dead Thirdly and lastly Besides the wonderful Miracles his Apostles did work in his Name the Gifts bestowed upon them so suddenly after his Ascention according to the Promise made to them the which we read of Acts 2.1 to the 11. proves it clearly for from whence could poor Fisher-men ignorant and unlearned at an instance attain such Gifts of Knowledge Courage Utterance as is there exprest but that it must needs be by the Power of the holy Spirit To all which I only ask this question I desire that the most unbelieving Jews will tell me what they expect from the Messiah they look for or what they can think he should be that Jesus Christ is not When this is soberly answered I will set Pen to Paper again if the Lord please that I live to see it in the mean time as one desiring the Salvation both of Jews and Gentiles I intreat all men to consider the main grounds of Religion and to get such sound Principles for the Foundation thereof as will substantially bear up the whole body of it A brief Answer to William Russel in a Book of his entituled No Seventh-Day-Sabbath in Christ's New Testament ALthough that which I have written already is enough to stop the mouths of all Opposers of God's most holy Law yet because the ignorance and folly of men is so great in this day I shall add a few words to what I have written already upon the occasion of a late Book I have seen intituled The Seventh-Day-Sabbath not Commanded by Jesus Christ in the New Testament but I desire thee good Reader not to expect that I should waste my time or be at the cost to follow William Russel with a Reply to that green-headed Piece of his that consisteth for the most part of it of Debates and Reasonings of other men but I shall apply my self to touch briefly some few passages asserted by William himself And first to that learned Assertion in the 12th page of his Book where he concludeth since his eyes were opened that the Ten Words being abolished as the first Covenant to do for Life they cannot continue as a Rule of Life the distinction is so nice that it is groundless To which I answer It is well you confess them to be the first Covenant and once given for Life the good Lord give thee and others Wisdom to take notice of the time when it was so given for it could never give Life therefore it must be in that day when it would have continued Life to eternity if it had been kept and therefore be not so witless as to think that when God gave his Law at Sinai as a Rule of Life for thy self confessest that so he did to Jews and Proselytes that then he intended it as a Covenant to do for Life for if he did he must intend to condemn them all for nothing is more evident than that they were all sinners and impossible it is that thou canst deny it to be against this Law they sinned For thou affirmest in the 37 page of thy Book That the New Covenant was not in force till after the Death of Christ therefore they could not according to thy judgement
sin against that Covenant and thy self confessest in the 23 page That there is but two a first and a second and that is the only Truth almost asserted by thee for such a piece of ignorance and folly I think never saw the light ever under the curse of it it is a poor priviledge the Jew had above the Gentile Mr. Jves will not consent to this I believe for it takes away the main Piller of all his building but your skill in the study of Divinity is well seen when this distinction is too nice for you You are like to make good sence of the Epistles to the Romans and Galatians and the Scriptures in general therefore for shame retract thy work and buy a Catechism and place thy self under the Ministry of some guide that is able to instrust thee in the main Points of Religion at least that thou be not a shame to thy self and to all that are in communion with thee Compare these words with what is exprest in the 20 page namely That under this Law no believing Gentile can be because it was given to none but Jews and Proselyted Gentiles Well if this be all true then the rest of the world were under no Covenant at all Oh rare Divinity But secondly Take notice of your skill in distinguishing between Proselyted Gentiles and believing Gentiles as if the Proselytes must needs be unbelievers if they believed not what made them joyn themselves to the Lord and his People You Sabbath-Breakers are excellent Logicians but very silly in the use of Reason Oh lay by that vain deceit that makes you swell with folly and pride and in humility search the holy Scriptures and be not so absurd as to believe that nothing is New Covenant but what is writ since the Death of Christ and given to the Gentiles and that all given forth before and that hath been committed to the Jews must needs be Old Covenant these and such-like Doctrines you would perswade us against the Sabbath withal the Lord send you all more wit I have striven by writing and reasoning all I could to put a stop to those swarms of Errors you have run into to avoid Sabbath-keeping and I intended my Book to see if you would consider it and intended to exercise Patience with you yet being exceedingly unwilling the world should know your folly but your selves proclaim your own shame and if I should still be silent the world would think that we were all alike therefore I can do no less than bear a Testimony against your folly although I have something else to do than to follow you in your Wild-goose chase Observe one note more out of the 24 page where he confesseth That all Adams unbelieving Children are bound to observe the first Covenant and shall be charged if they break it And here you may note by the way how directly contrary he is to himself in the 12 page and 20 page But secondly he saith That now since he believed he is none of Adams stock To this I answer That if he had good store of Land some body would soon be with the King to beg him But secondly I say Abel was a true believer yet if he 〈…〉 honest man ◠and yet I believe William Russel is as truly descended from Adam as he was And in the 20 page he denieth that the second Table of the Law was written in the heart of Adam for this reason because he had no Neighbour Now I say no man need to wonder that the Sabbath is denied to be naturally moral if not any of the six last Commands be and sure I believe they were never written fairer in any mans heart than in Adams in innocency Christ alone excepted but it seems he doth not think the Lord wise enough to make a Law at once for ever to bind all Ages and Conditions of men but that upon every change of condition he must give him a new Law or the old in a new form at least And in the 37 page He denieth Christ's Mediatorship to be of force till since his Death And in the 35 and 36 pages he affirmeth that When the ten Words were given at Sinai as a Rule of Life they were also given to do for Life and the breakers cursed without Mercy The very naming of these things is enough to reprove the folly of them Sure the Judgement of God is upon this mans right eye What is become of Abraham Moses and all the Patriachs and Prophets doth he think Or is there any other way to Salvation than through New-Covenant-Mercy But now you see the mans heart so willing he is to be rid of the Sabbath that rather than he will keep that he will pack the Gospel and it out of doors together yea his own received Principle the Redemption of all mankind by Jesus Christ And this is his reason in the 38 page wherefore he doth not keep Sabbath namely Because Christ as Mediator of the New Testament hath not commanded it and he saith nothing but what he hath so commanded is his duty Now observe the true consequence of these opinions if nothing be W. R. his duty but what Christ as Mediator hath commanded What necessity could W. stand in of his Death at all for if Christ had not come to bring him a Law to sin against he had none it seems to sin against before and so could stand in no need of blood to cleanse him Again if nothing be his duty but what Christ hath so commanded then you must know that no part of the Old Testament nor much of the New is any part of Williams Bible and what need he have put himself to so much trouble to frame so many quibling arguments to help himself against Mat. 5. he might have only said it was given forth before the Death of Christ and it had been as good as all those arguments and a thousand more but W. had forgot that answer or else he trusted more to his Logick than to that answer for those that have good skill in that art can prove that a Fox hath eight legs to him that never 〈…〉 he may not know which is best to deny the major or the minor yet can you never perswade him that a Fox hath more than four legs And for that Text Mat. 5. and James 2 hath more strength to prove the perpetuity of the Sabbath than all the Logicians in Bucks can take off and that Mr. Ives well knew when to rid himself of those Texts he told his Antagonists Those Books did not belong to us Gentiles but were written to the Jews and belonged only to them And I cannot but observe one passage more in the 54 page of his Book where he affirmeth that Our Saviours Doctrine and Practice taught to do servile work on the Sabbath repugnant to the Letter of the Law of God This passage would make one think that the man either knows not or cares not what he saith for if
this were indeed true we might well give over writing Books about Religion for there could be no possibility of Salvation neither for Jew nor Gentile For if Christ were a sinner his blood could take away no sin and a sinner he must needs be if he broke Sabbath and taught others so to do in a very high degree although the Sabbath had been but ceremonial for there was no shadow of the Law could be neglected the smallest of all the Ceremonies without sin till by Christs Death they were abolished But if William had had so much charity for his Saviour as to have judged him a better expounder of the Law than the Pharisees he had not fallen into this blasphemy Is it not enough for the Pharisees to lay that sin to his charge but you must second it to the hardening of the poor Jews and the destroying of the Faith of the Gentiles as much as in you lieth Therefore if the Sabbath-keepers be ignorant of Christ's Mediation as you tell your Reader they be if they come to you for knowledge they are like to be well helpt up As for your discourse about what is naturally moral and positively moral it is not worth a dispute there is so little between them the one as truly binding the Conscience as the other but for the Sabbath I have some reason to believe that it is naturally moral First There was never any people professing a God but kept one day in seven for his Worship And there is no Precept of the first Table that men do come nearer to ordinarily that have not the express Letter of the Law for their Rule Secondly The time is yet to come that ever I heard or saw any man dispute or write or preach against the Sabbath but he at that very time and in that very work asserted some thing that did plainly manifest that it was fairely written in his heart or else run himself upon this Rock that he shamefully broke the fifth Commandment to dispute down the fourth as I could give instance if need were But answer The first is Wherefore I am so sharp in my Answer to W. Russel To this I say I am taught of Solomon so to do in such a case as this Prov. 26.3 4.5 2. I was in fear he would greatly dishonour the Gospel when he was going to print and desired to see his Copy and to reason with him first but he would not and 't is just to lash him that is past Counsel The second Question I expect is Wherefore I do not as well answer Mr. Ives as he To this I say For his Book Mr. Braborn hath answered it but for his dispute I have in part and shall in a few words more give some little account of it the naming whereof is answer enough When he began he denied the Seventh-day-Sabbath upon this account That it was never given to the Gentiles neither by the Law of Nature nor by the Law of Moses nor yet by the Law of Christ and his whole discourse was to this effect so that the Appendix of his dispute is in those words which to answer is enough and truly the answer to them is needless if we lived in an Age where Wisdom is to be found For what man of any reasonable understanding but must needs see that this Arrow is shot at the heart of the Scriptures as well as the Sabbath the whole Old Testament being as well denied to be a Rule of Life to the Gentiles as the fourth Commandment for all men know that as many as ever the Old Testament was given to the Sabbath was given to and he all along throughout the whole dispute made it his business to deny the Sabbath was ever given to any People or the observation thereof required at their hands save the Stock of Israel and those that Proselyted themselves and came and lived in the Confines of Palestina and it was no slip of the tongue nor an Arrow shot at a venture but his mind and intention to exclude all the Scriptures that ever were written to the Jews from being any Law or Rule of Life to us Gentiles is manifest in that he denied the Gospel of Matthew the Epistle to the Hebrews and the Epistle of James only for that reason because they were written to the Jews and so concerned not us Gentiles And his exception against the Sabbath was not that which is common to some others namely that it was of a differing nature from the other nine but because it was Moses's Law and therefore never given to the Gentiles I need give no answer to this having said enough to this point before in the former part of my Book neither when I began to write did I intend to meddle with disputes but did think this Errour so sordid that it would die of it self and I had no pleasure to give it a resurrection but finding the contrary that it is as a spreading Leproâ—â— spanâ— there be yet some no wiser than to build upon this man as an Orâ—â—â—â— therefore I have given thee good Reader a true account of that Dispute so much magnified Now for to follow these men with any further reply than barely to discover their Errours I cannot see it reasonably to be expected until first themselves have declared what Books or parts of Books of the New Testament they do own as a Rule of Life to bind the Consciences of believing Gentiles that we may know by what Texts of holy Scripture the controversy shall be decided for if we should prove the Sabbath a duty from Matthew the Acts or James and they or any of them that deny the ten Commandments should answer These Books were given to the Jews and concern not the Gentiles all our labour is lost but when you have called a Council and agreed this among your selves then shall you have a fuller Answer if it be needful and required if I live to see it THE END