because Christ dieth no more and death hath no more dominion over him Rom. 6.9 Yet our Saviour Christ though he be God also yet being therewith the Sonne of man by an Incarnation with humane Nature sin excepted He hath power to forgive and doth forgive as aforesaid as the aforesaid sins of all men as against himselfe without any oblation sacrifice atonement or propitiation made to him the Sonne of man and from thence he exhorteth all men so largely often and freely to forgive one another their trespasses as appeareth Mat. 8.21 22. and in the prayer he taught his Disciples and in Luke 17.4 Thus we finde that all the sins that have been are or are to be acted by any man or all men ever since God the Fathers virtually applying at Adams fall the effects of Christs blood shed for all mens sins And from that time unto the end of the world sinnes against Christ only and his in lightning in abling preparative worke and that they are all as concerning everlasting punishment all forgiven to all the sonnes of men excepting only our Saviour Christs former own exception concerning those of them sinnes which are by some men themselves rebelliously transformed into the sinnes against the Holy Ghost by their persisting obstinately and wilfully in unbeleese against the holy spirits gratious teachings which are alwaies by grace annexed in due season to our Saviours in lightning all men so effectually as is proved in my 6 and 7 Distinctions The eleventh Distinction sheweth what those sins are which in Scripture are accounted to be sinnes against the Holy Ghost and that they shall never be forgiven neither in this world nor in the world to come and the cause why whereby the second death is discovered also OBserve herein considering that Christ doth inlighten every man that commeth into the world so that no fewer than all men through him might beleeve John 1.7 9. And also that in obedience to his Fathers will he doth bring all men unto the knowledge of the truth accoding to 1 Tim. 2.4 as is largely proved in my 6 and 7 Distinctions And considering therewith that the Apostle absolutely affirmeth that if we finne wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins but a certain fearfull looking for of judgement and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries Heb. 10.26 27 so that effect Heb. 6.5 6. From hence we see proved that those sinnes which are sinnes against the Holy Ghost are the sinnes which some men doe commit against the holy Ghosts teachings after they are by Christ in due season inlightned and after they are helped to the knowledge of the truth and whereas those sins are by Christ said to be unpardonable as in Mat. 12.13 I find the cause to be first in respect that they are sinnes against the second Covenant being the Covenant of grace secondly that they are sins persisted in against the spirit of grace Heb. 10.29 its dictates and teachings who being so offended being God having no INcarnation with humanity These transgressions against God the Holy Ghost by transgressing against the second Testament in wilfull persisting cannot be forgiven without a valuable satisfaction made to satisfie justice with And thirdly I finde the irrecoverable cause to be because there cannot be any valuable satisfaction made for men to satisfie justice for a deity offended who hath no Incarnation with humane nature but by one who though being God and one in Union in the Trinity is made capable to suffer death by taking upon him humane nature And fourthly to conclude this cause I finde that although Christ being so made capable to suffer death did dye to satisfie God the Fathers justice for the sins which as an unresistible violent inundation overwhelmed all Adams posterity though sinners in the seed for sins by him acted without the personall consent much lesse actuall performance of any one of them so preserving all men from the curse of the Law and first death due for the transgressions against that Law ' as in my 4 and 5 Distinctions Yet concerning mens owne actuall and personall sinnes in their individuals wilfully and persistingly acted against the Holy Ghost and second Covenant after their inabsing and inlightenment considering that there is none other of the Trinity but Christ Jesus capable to suffer death nor any other to be found any wise able to make satisfaction to that deity the Holy Ghost so oftended having as God the Father no incarnation with humane nature From hence proceeds the irrecoverable eternall fearfull condition of such Transgressors openly discovered in these few words of Scripture where it is said that without shedding of blood is no remission Heb. 9.22 and by its affirming withall that Christ being raised from the dead dyeth no more and that death hath no more dominion over him Rom. 6.9 From which cause those wilfull persisting transgressors of the second Covenant against God the Holy Ghost must in justice unavoidably perish in the eternall second death Thus I have briefly hinted what the sins against the Holy Ghost are and what the cause is that they are unpardonable as appeareth also Rev. 10.14 15 21 8. Now beloved if you please herewith to take farther notice of the impossibility of their recovery Mat. 12.31 32. and Heb 6. and some particulars of their eternall punishment discovered in Heb. 10.26 27. 2 Pet. 21. Rev. 21.8 Jude 12. 2 Pet. 9.10 2 Thes 1.7 8 9. I shall not need to make any further discovery to shew you what the second death is which is to be a much more sorer punishment then pertained to the breach of Moses Law Heb. 1.29 Only I do intreat you to take notice that because our Saviour Christ hath said that all sinnes and blasphemies shall be forgiven unto the sons of men but only the sinnes or blasphemies against the Holy Ghost That some men have cavilled at this our Saviours affirmation saying then all unbeleevers actuall sins are remitted without any punishment because in that sence the unbeleevers doe perish eternally for their unbeleefe only They herein contrary to Scripture separating the act of unbeleefe it selfe from the evill actions of men or actuall sins of men wilfully persisted in after inlightenment until those men prove to be of that sort of men that are called Goats Mat. 25.32 33. and of the serpentine seed Gen. 15. their actuall sins being also thereby by them transformed into the same nature by their wilfully becomming the children of the Devill John 8.44 From hence that fearfull affirmation ariseth that some men are twice dead that were not only once dead by that one mans offence Rom. 5.12 by the first death but though being fully set free by Christ from the eternall danger of that first death and law of works as in my 4 and 5 Distinctions they doe through their owne wilfull defaults fall into the danger of the eternall second death for their wilfull
and eares must be opened Acts 16.14 Job 36.11 Psal 146.8 For which end God gratiously hath perfected in and by our Saviour Christs performances only a common salvation whereby the naturally inchanted and deluded judgements of all men occasioned by Adams fall are set so free in the inward man in due season as that they may thereby if they make good use thereof choose light and life as is proved in my 6 and 7 Distinctions And if any man do imagine that the salvation of all men this cause of great joy for all people the blessings appropriated by and in him Abrahams feed to all Nations and all the Families of the Earth are intended to be of God but as temporall blessings to some part of men to be injoied by them in this life only then see the misery that inevitably fals to those men thereby for the Apostle saith If in this life onely we have hope in Christ then we are not only of some men but of all men not only miserable but most miserable 1 Cor. 15.19 So that in that sence those temporall blessings intended to some part of men are extended forth only to aggravate their eternall woe and misery which once the Scripture cryeth down and affirmeth that God is good not only to some but to all and that not only his mercies but his tender mercies are over not only some but over all his works Thus farre that there is a common salvation perfected by and in Christ intended on Gods part to procure the eternall salvation of all men if they persist not in resisting the operations of the Holy Ghost gratiously tendred therein to every man The second Distinction declareth what the common salvation is and the extent thereof for the benefit of all men whereby is set forth in good part the excellency of the restored second life of mankinde gratiously intended by Christ on Gods part to preserve all men from the eternall second death WEE are to effect this discovery feriously to treasure up in our memories what in Scripture is fet forth to be a generall losse or common inbondagement that befell all men by the destructive Adams fall and we shall finde that one extraordinary great and common losse which befell all men thereby was such that as considered in its own nature it did utterly deprive all mankinde for ever of that estate of possibility to be eternally saved which Adam had given unto him by grace of Creation in himselfe or in his own power as the publick trust for all his posterity and though by no constraint of God as is cleared Eccle. 7.29 yet by his own perverse behaviour against his faithfull Creator under his gratious hand working by his finding fault with his good condition then given him he in effect rebelliously faying Why hast thou made me thus that I must depend on thee and not subsist upon or by mine owne inventious So marring himselfe under his gratious Creatours hands as is instanced Rom. 9.20 Thus by his forsaking of Godsirst he himselfe wilfully lost the freedome of will possibility and ability in himselfe to continue in his injoyment of the blessed use of which he was possest by Creation by which one losse was then lost all the unexpressible blessings thereto belonging And also he then and thereby lost the reall possibility which all his posterity had by propriety in him whilst he stood to injoy all those blessings Yet notwithstanding I beseeth you further to note that he lost thereby no more for himselfe and his posterity in reference to the point in hand but only a possibility to be eternally saved for more than a possibility to be eternally saved he could not lose neither for himselfe nor any one of his posterity for he himselfe though being the great and publick patterne for mankinde in whom God did set forth the extent of his gratious intentions to all men as concerning the Creations yet even he was thereby possest of no more nor of any firmer established Condition in himselfe than a possibility only that he might be eternally saved for in reference to this cause by the utmost extent of his estate which was given him by Creation as you know it was possible that by his well acting in that freedome of his will he might have been eternally saved So also you know on the contrary part that he by his evill acting in that his freedome of his will he might lose that his blessed estate for ever which he hath done and by his fall did unavoidably overwhelme all mankinde in an utter impossibility as of themselves to be eternally saved Note therefore that Christ the restoring Second Adam by virtue of a salvation first wrought by his Death Resurrection and Ascension in himselfe for all men to make way for his gratious operating by his spirit in all men as is proved he doth in may 6 and 7 Distinctions by that means helping all mankind out of that impossibility as of themselves to be eternally saved so as that all mankinde shall in due season injoy by free grace in their owne particular personall possessions a restored ability where by in their well using of that ability to them by the spirit communicated by beleeving they might obtaine eternall life and all the unutterable priviledges mercy and blessings thereto belonging This is the common salvation of all men and is an effectuall salvation of all men from their imposibility in which they were all involved by Adams fall Although men may and some men doe by their wilfull abuse of that their restored freedome and ability by grace given them of themselves Adam-like forsake their owne mercies Jonah 2.8 of themselves choose their owne destructions Hos 13.9 of themselves draw back to perdition Heb. 10.39 and so of themselves by their owne particular personall choise refuse and so for ever lose eternall life Now to make it appeare visibly by Holy writ that our Saviour Christ his restoration of free do me and ability to all men in a common salvation where by they might or may in their well usage thereof attaine to the enjoyment of eternall life and all the blessed priviledges thereto belonging is for all men an effectual salvation or ransomed condition although some men through their own wilfull defaults by abusing that freedome are not eternally saved I pray you let us consider what extent in this point the Scripture alloweth to Christs offices as Saviour of all men 1 Tim. 4.10 or Ransomer of all 1 Tim. 2.6 For which end observe that Jude in his extraordinary diligence clearly to discover the common salvation expresly called so by him in ver 3. used the antient types for exemplary proofes according to the frequent example of our Saviour Jesus Christ and his Apostles as appears in Luke 7.29 John 3.14 John 6.48 Gal. 4.22 26.1 Cor. 10.1 12. and many other places So Jude to expresse his meaning concerning the common salvation by him so called in ver 3. brings in the
is proved in my 14 and 15 Distinctions But it may be some men will say hereto that if God doth by Christ only set all mens wils free and so only enable all men to beleeve and abide in beleeving and doth further by an almighty power over power some men to beleeve and to abide in beleeving but then leaves it to their will as he did to Adam our publick pattern Then God at all adventure did commit his dearely beloved Sonne to suffer death for all men not being sure that any one of them would accept of any benefit there-from so that God was not sure that the glory of his mercy should be magnified by any of the sonnes of men and so you by this your tenent in this respect say Christ might have suffered his agonies and torments of death in vain To which I answer that Gods mercies aforesaid would have been magnified in all men although all men had refused it And for example herein note that even those that doe refuse that mercy purchased for they by Christ shall one day bow the knee to him and not only those that do beleeve in him but every tongue shal confesse even those that in this life time will not that Christ should reigne over them by his spirit Luke 18.14 shall confesse that Jesus Christ is the Lord to the glory of God Phil. 2.11 for the wilfull unbeleefe of men shall not make the faith or faithfulnesse of Gods intentions towards them without effect Rom. 3.3 for God shall be justified of all men when he is judged Romans 4.26 Psalme 51.4 And in this point the unrighteousnesse of men shall commend the righteousnesse of God Rom. 3.5 because his operations to for and in them were really and gratiously intended for their salvation though they have abused his mercy and the Apostle to this end affirmeth if wee beleeve not yet he abideth faithfull he cannot deny himselfe 2 Tim. 2.13 which I pray observe Thus we finde that whether men do make good use of Gods mercies or not which as the golden Scepter is holden forth to all men yet not only all men but according to Scripture Luke 2.10 all the glorious Host of Heaven shall or will glorifie God not only in his justice but also for his faithfulness on his part gratiously intended and accordingly extended forth to all men or every man You know beloved that though God did fore-know that the Angels that fell would abuse his mercy yet he estated them in his mercy and also inabled them to remaine therein and he dispossest not them of that blessed estate but it was they that kept not their first estate and left their own habitation Jude 6. You know also that God did fore-know that Adam would not continue in his grace and goodnesse extended unto him by Creation yet you see that God proceeded on and did Create the world for Mankinds use and also gave Adam power to keep that his first blessed estate and forsook not him untill he forsook God first therefore it is no strange thing that God proceeded on and did by Christs performances establish the restoration of all men in inabling them in the inward man though he did foreknow that some men though infranchised and inabled by the restoration would reject his mercy purchased therein for them by Christ But in further answer know that although Adam did rebelliously refuse to continue in Gods grace of Creation yet accordinly as hath been proved that as all men are inabled by Christ so God did fore-know that some men would by that ability given them by their well usage thereof accept of and abide in his mercy by Christ procured for all and did fore-know that some men would chearfully yield obedience to the faith so that I hope you shall not need to be further troubled with that fallacious feare thus knowing that God runs not into any hazard in anything that he hath done doth or ever will doe or suffer to be done Observe herewith that Gods foreknowledge of what mankinde the Creature will in future doe puts no necessity upon any man so to doe but leaveth all men after inablement in a voluntary estate by restoration as our grand patterne ADAM was left by Creation The eighteenth Distinction is a short application of these last six Distinctions for further clearing the cause of election and reprobation FOR the discovery of Election and Reprobation and what is the cause of them if it please you we will take a little review of what to that purpose hath been said in my last six Distinctions In my twelfth Distinction which is concerning the Potter and his Clay it is proved that God maketh no dishonourable vessels unlesse it be by way of just punishment for marring of themselves under his well-intending forming hand and that God doth sharpely reprove such men that do charge him to make an imperfect work or dismembred one or a work that is worth nothing as some translations have it Isa 45.9 and also it is therein proved that Jeremy plainly setteth forth that by that one lump or same lump Rom. 9.21 It is not meant the one totall lump of all mankinde as some men fallaciously to maintaine eternall reprobation would have it but that by that one or same lump is meant the particular lumps of severall Kingdomes distinguished Nations and particular persons which God hath on his part first by Christ put into a good condition and would upon his Potters wheel by good meanes used with them under his well intending hand so preserve them for ever if they the Clay do not persist in resisting his good intent finding fault of and for themselves with his good form put on them by restoration as Adam did for all at the blessed Creation in effect complaining against the former good why hast thou made me thus to be governed by thee and to depend on thee no I will doe the abomination of my evil heart as those very men the Clay answered their gratious exhorting Potter as amongst many places so in Jer. 18.12 wherein the originall description of the Potter and his Clay is recorded from whence Rom. 9.21 is derived and that God doth not forsake any one man before that man doth actually and personally forsake him first And considering that it is proved in my 13 Distinction that God doth no where say that before Esau was born he hated Esau with an eternall hatred but that expression of hatred is only a recitall of what God did speake to Malachi concerning Esau many hundred of years after Esau was born in which long processe of time God had received long and exact experience not only of Esau's prophanenesse but also of all his personall and his posterities tyrannicall injurious behaviour both to himselfe and the posterity of Jacob. And that the expression of God concerning his hatred of Esau mentioned in Mal. 1.2 3. was but exemplary to shew that no mans wickednesse shall be sheltred from Gods indignation
thing and doe despite to the spirit of grace ver 29. which you know no man could be rightly said to doe if they were not so first bought and so drawn to Christ and so reconciledly gathered together in him and first sanctified with the blood of the Covenant in him even before they doe deny the Lord that bought them and before they doe account the blood of the Covenant an ungodly thing with which saith the Apostle if we will beleeve him even those Apostates were sanctified Heb. 10.19 then what need any further proofe in this point The three and twentieth Distinction declareth that all men by restoration are justified in Christ vertually from the curse of the Law and first death though no man is by imputation personally justified untill he be a confiding beleever BUT in this discovery I will first if you be pleased distinguish what the nature or extent of this justification of all men in him is Therefore thus First all men are by Christs performances in the common salvation mentioned Jude 3. and 1 Tim. 4.10 justified vertually in Christ before God from the transgressions against the Morall Law or first Testament and first death according to the scope of Rom. 5.18 20 21. and Heb. 9.15 Secondly that by beleeving such beleevers are by imputation personally justified not only before God but also in their own sence and feeling by a well grounded peace in their consciences by faith setled Thirdly that by good works and words men are declaratively justified in the view of the world In the first of these sences all men are justified in Christ before God by Gods non-imputation of the worlds sins unto them 2 Cor 5.15 compared with the 18 and 19 verses following and with Rom. 5.20 21. In the second sense abiding beleevers are not only personally justified before God by a non imputation of the worlds sinnes as before but also by Gods imputation of Christs righteousnesse unto them they are apprehensively justified by the pacification of their own consciences by the blood of Jesus Heb. 4.3 In the third sence one man is justified in the sight of another as farre as men may judge Mat. 5.16 Now beloved take this for granted that in all causes concerning the common salvation of all men I do alwaies mean in the first of these three senses Hereto note that as all men lost their righteousnesse by the destructive first Adams fall which all his posterity had respectively in him whilest he stood to shew unto us that that great losse is repaired in Christ the restoring second Adam Acts 3.21 Observe that in this point it is said and he shall be called the Lord our righteousnesse Jer. 23.6 So accordingly it is said he hath made him to be sinne for us who knew no sinne that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him 2 Cor. 5.21 This is Gods end on his part in him for all men and to make it appeare clearly that the expressions our us and wee in those Texts used are not usually meant of the elect or beleevers only as some men doe vainly imagine but of the world or all men of the world Note that this 21 verse is naturally derived from the 19 verse immediately going before where it is said that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himselfe not imputing their trespasses unto them also that both these verses doe relatively follow in his direct pursuance of his discovery to confirme the largenesse and effectuall extent of Christs dying for no fewer than all as in the 14 15 verses preceding in the same Chapter being his fundamentall foundation of that his large discovery And for further proofe herein the Apostle having shewed that by the Law all the world became guilty before God Rom. 3.19 then from that very ground he saith in the 23 verse all have sinned and come short of the glory of God being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus Rom. 3.23 and 24. Now note it is not here said all have sinned and the elect or beleevers only or that some men only are justified but the coherence of the Text saith all have sinned being just fied but as in his ground-plat he said that by the Law all the world became guilty before God and in this Text that all have sinned So in clearing that generall guiltinesse he brings in that pretious antidote of Christs the Lambs blood for no fewer than all that as all have sinned and become guilty before God so all are justified all have sinned being justified but still freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus And you know that redemption by a price paid by his pretious blood-shed is no other in effect but a ransome paid then hereto note to shew the largenesse of redemption that he gave himselfe a ransome for no fewer than all men 1 Tim. 2.6 And the genuine sense of that Text Rom 3.23 is utterly destroied if we do not grant that there are as many justified in him before God by that redemption which is in Christ Jesus as have sinned which the Text tels us is no fewer than all men for saith the Text in substance all have sinned being justified freely by grace from the curse of the Law or first Testament Hebrewes 9.15 Romans 5.19 20 21. But note further though all men are thereby so justified in him whether any man doe beleeve or not yet not any man but beleevers do personally injoy the comfortable use of the benefit thereof neither are any imputatively justified in themselves from their sinnes of frailty against grace also but beleevers only Againe to justifie the truth of the justification of all men by and in Christ before God from all the aforesaid transgressions it is said therefore as by the offence of one judgement came upon all men to condemnation even so by the righteousnesse of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life Rom. 5.18 And to make this more plain I finde it in another reformed Bible thus Likewise then as by the sin of one condemnation came on all men even so by the justifying of one commeth the righteousnesse that bringeth life upon all men Here you see fully proved that by Christ the free gift his being given to the world John 3.16 such a justification proceedeth therefrom as doth bring life upon no fewer than all men though some men after their infranchised ability restored doe wilfully refuse life and light and do love and choose darknesse which our Saviour saith is the punctuall cause of condemnation John 3.19 And beloved the litterall Text maketh this truth yet more plaine even to open view for from the same ground in the same Chapter as it is affirmed that the Law entred that the offence might abound so it also restifieth with this reserve But where sinne abounded grace did much more abound ver 20. So hereby is exprest that as sinne abounded
men for them themselves to do or leave undone who will have by Christ in due season their wils and apprehensions freed as is by Scripture proved in my 6 and 7 Distinctions so that thereby they are inabled spiritually to heare and understand and feare and love and be obedient to the faith How far this tract discovereth what fallacious scholasticall shifts some erroneous Protestants are in many considerable Scripture points inforced to use by reason of their not being guided by the litterall sense of the plaine Texts of Scripture which doe unanimously confirm the common salvation or infranchisement of all men in the inward man in due season and that thereby some of them have and doe confirm that God did by decree by his absolute will and power only reprobate some part of mankinde without any respect by him had to their doing evill merely as Creatures without any cause done or fore-seen to be done on the creatures part Thus they charging God contrary to his own word with palpable tyrannicall partiality and respect of persons or else with some other Protestants that dare not stand to that horrid and hideous affirmation do say that God did not so tyrannically reprobate any man But they thinking to moderate the businesse yet by being deluded also by humane art do as fallaciously maintaine that God fore-knowing all men fallen into Adams sinning did only by preterition passe by some men so as decreedly they should not have any such means used with them whereby they might be inabled in their good use thereof to obtaine eternall life but that some men of Adams posterity must upon necessity eternally perish though it then could not be in their own actuall sinnes yet in those sins which unavoidably as a violent irresistible inundation overwhelmed them originally by another mans offence to which sins they never actually consented and to which transgressions they much lesse personally acted it being committed by Adam before they had a being or before they were born They by that means rendering our good God who is a faithfull Creator unfaithfully forsaking some men of Adams posterity even whilest they were as concerning their own personall consent or act innocent Creatures and also before they were after the fall inabled to depend on him and also before they had actually or personally forsaken him which tenent is proved by Scriptures to be absolutely false in my 16 and 17 Distinctions which preterition by them imagined if you doe but view the intrals of it you shall finde it to bee in effect no other than a disguised or masqued tyrannicall decreed reprobation for as hath been said he that hath power and doth keep from a man his sood of lively-hood may as really kill that man so as if he cut off his head with a sword How far this tract doth detect the error that is in the protestant tenent concerning Christs giving himselfe a ransome for all men by their affirming that Christ doth not effectually ransome any man except that man be eternally saved which fallacy is ripped open to view in my 2 6 and 7 Distinctions wherein is proved that Christ doth effectually ransome all men and save all men from the impossibility to be eternally saved that came over all by Adams fall and estates them by himselfe with a possibility in themselves to be eternally saved How far also though not medling with the impertinent tradition of popery this tract doth shew plainly that the many hereticall errours of the Papists upon which the whole rabble of their false destructive doctrine and fantasticall ceremoniall discipline doth depend was hatched and is nursed by their not making use of the large and true Scripture extent of the common salvation of all men in setting free all men in due season in the inward man minde and will by free grace so that in their well usage of that meanes they might beleeve and might be eternally saved for by the Papists casting away this Scripture-truth confirming the gratious setting free of all mens by the fall diabollically captived wils they do fallaciously affirm that man hath free will by nature or by originall descent from Adams loines which naturall freedome of will by its consenting to good is the disposing cause of our justificarion For as I finde recorded they say that works Congruo are the disposing cause of our justification Andrad in Conc. Trid. Ses 6. which as they say is of mens selves and standeth of the assent of mens wils and reason and this faith say they is Catholike and perfect but yet unformed and as soon as works are thereto joined they call it formed and then say they it is meritorious condigne and justifieth for say they we are justified by faith and charity together as the disposing cause of our justification as a necessary cause to obtaine at Gods hand the grace of justification but rather by charity Conc. Trid. Ses 6. than by faith because say they that charity goeth before our justification as a necessary cause to obtaine at Gods hand the grace of our justification and adoption of his children Thus by the Papists rejecting the Scripture-testimony concerning the setting free all mens wils by free grace by Christ procured in the common salvation as is proved in my 6 and 7 Distinctions they are so wildred an deluded that they doe heretically appropriate the disposing power to act meritoriously well unto mens well acting in the freedome of their natural wils Conc. 6.9 And because the Scripture doth maintain so strongly that no mere man hath freedome of his will by nature and that as in the tract is proved that no mere man whatsoever no not Adam if he had stood in his estate of innocency much lesse any beleever who are all as concerning themselves defective cannot nor could not have the least footstep at any time in any one thing to challenge the least reward as due of debt to them from their Creators hand otherwise than he by whom they are what they are and from whom they have received whatsoever good they have is pleased according to his Covenant made by his owne free grace to account them worthy and that though all beleevers are not in themselves in this life righteous yet by Christ to impute righteousnesse unto them that doe beleeve in him that justifieth the ungodly But this Scripture-truth is so mortally destructive to their fancied meritorious life with God that rather then they will lay down their bosome-imbraced delusions and humane traditions they will venture at one stroke desperately to hazard to deface the Holy writ it selfe and as I find recorded that some of their deceived Grandees have thrust into the world this blasphemous conceit that the written Gospell is but as a nose of was Vita Pont. which may be set or turned divers waies as it best pleaseth the humours of men that steer the course for their doctrine and discipline or as some of them have said the written Gospell