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A96714 Antinomians and familists condemned by the synod of elders in Nevv-England: with the proceedings of the magistrates against them, and their apology for the same. Together with a memorable example of Gods iudgments upon some of those persons so proceeded against. Winthrop, John, 1588-1649,; Weld, Thomas, 1590?-1662, 1644 (1644) Wing W3094; Thomason E251_10; ESTC R212499 69,974 70

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beleevers in common 1 John 5.13 to distinguish the persons of beleevers from unbeleevers the water is annexed to the Spirit and bloud 1 Iohn 5.8 Errour 76. The Devill and nature may be cause of a gracious worke Confutation 76. The words are unsavoury and the position unsound for taking gracious according to the language of the Scripture gracious words Luke 4.22 Let your speech be gracious gracious words are such as issue from the saving grace of Christs Spirit indwelling in the soule which neither the Devill nor nature is able to produce for Christ professeth Iohn 15.3 4. Without me yee can doe nothing nothing truly gracious Iohn 3. What ever is borne of the flesh is flesh and Rom. 7.18 In my flesh dwels no good truly spirituall and gracious Gen. 6.5 Every imagination of the thoughts of a mans heart are evill and that continually Besides the Devill is that evill and wicked one onely wickednesse an adversary to Gods grace and glory that which is contrary to corrupt nature and the hellish nature of Satan and above the power of both they cannot be the causes of gracious works Errour 77. Sanctification is so farre from evidencing a good estate that it darkens it rather and a man may more clearely see Christ when he seeth no sanctification then when he doth the darker my sanctification is the brighter is my justification Confutation 77. This is contrary to the Scripture of truth which rather giveth the name of light to sanctification and holinesse and even for this use to cleare our justification 1 Iohn 1.6 7. For the holy Ghost concludes as from a cleare and infallible promise and proposition that if we walke in the light as he is in the light then doth the bloud of Christ cleanse us from all sinne meaning that then and thereby it appeareth that it is done as by the contrary unholinesse and unholy walking is like darknesse which obscureth all the goodly presumption flourishes and hopes of an unregenerate man vers 6. For this purpose 1 Iohn 5.8 the water of sanctification is made a witnesse now the nature of a witnesse is not to darken and obscure matters in question but to cleare them and Psal 51.10 11 12. when David saw his heart so uncleane and his spirit so altogether out of order his justification was not then brighter for then he should have had the joy of his salvation more full and not so to sinke as that he begs it might be restored to him as implying that his joy for the present was wanting to him Errour 78. God hath given sixe witnesses three in Heaven and three in earth to beget and build justifying faith upon Confutation 78. This expression answers not the patterne of wholesome words for if this position be taken thus God hath given all these sixe witnesses both to beget and also to build justifying faith upon it is contrary to Scripture for God hath not given all these fixe witnesses to beget justifying faith because the water of sanctification which is one of the sixe doth not goe before justifying faith but followeth after it for our hearts are justified by faith Acts 15.9 Errour 79. If a member of a Church be unsatisfied with any thing in the Church if he expresse his offence whether he hath used all meanes to convince the Church or no he may depart Confutation 79. Contrary to the rule of our Saviour Matth. 18. If thy brother offend convictingly admonish whence it is evident that in our carriage towards a private brother we must convince him before admonish him much lesse separate from him Therefore our carriage towards the whole Church must upon greater reason be with like prudence and tendernesse whence the argument followes thus An offence taken before conviction will not beare an admonition much lesse separation from a brother or Church but the offence in the question propounded is such Ergo. Errour 80. If a man thinke he may edifie better in another congregation then in his owne that is ground enough to depart ordinarily from word seales fastings feastings and all administrations in his owne Church notwithstanding the offence of the Church often manifested to him for so doing Confutation 80. It is contrary to the condition and station of a member of the body in which he stands 1 Cor. 12.27 A member must not put it selfe from the body upon its owne thoughts as the admission of a member was by the consent of the whole so likewise must his dismission be It is contrary also to the duty of a member Ephes 4.16 there must be an effectuall working in every part for the edification of the whole which this departure from the administration of all the holy ordinances in the Church will necessarily hinder It is contrary also to the good of the whole Church and the rule which the Lord hath appointed for the preservation thereof 1 Cor. 14 33. God is not the author of confusion and therefore not of this practise which will certainly bring it for if one member upon these his imaginations may depart why may not ten yea twenty yea an hundred Why may not the Pastor upon such grounds leave his people as well as they him considering the tye is equall on both parts Error 81. Where faith is held forth by the Ministery as the condition of the covenant of grace on mans part as also evidencing justification by sanctification and the activity of faith in that Church there is not sufficient bread Confutation 81. This position seemeth to deny faith to be a condition at all or at all active and so if condition in this place signifie a qualification in man wrought by the holy Ghost without which the promises doe not belong to men this is contrary to Scripture for John 6.48 Christ is the bread of life and yet in the same chapter faith is held out as a condition of the covenant by the Ministery of Christ himselfe and the activity of it is held forth in these words Verily I say unto you unlesse yee eate the flesh and drinke the bloud of the Sonne of man you have no life in you and who so eateth c. As for the lawfulnesse of evidencing justification by sanctification if it be understood of that sanctification which is by faith in Christ it is contrary to the intent of the whole Epistle of John besides many other places of Scripture which yet hold forth bread sufficient if by sufficient is meant that doctrine which in its right use is wholsome and good food for it was written that their joy might be full yet the evidencing of justification by sanctification is expressely held forth chap. 1. vers 7. where he saith If we walke in the light as Christ is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the bloud of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sinne by walking in the light in opposition to walking in darknesse spoken of before verse 6. Sanctification is evidently meant and this is
cause why he was sent for viz. To satisfie the Court about some passages in his Sermon which seemed to be offensive and therewith a copy of it was produced and he was demanded whether he would owne it whereupon he drew forth another copy which he delivered into the Court as a true copy for the substance of it so he was dismissed very gently and desired to be ready when he should be called for againe The next day he was againe sent for by the former messenger About this time a Petition was delivered into the Court under the hands of above forty persons being most of the Church of Boston being none of the Petitions before mentioned which were delivered after to this effect that as free-men they might be admitted to be present in the Court in causes of judicature and that the Court would declare whether they might proceed in cases of conscience without referring them first to the Church To this the Court answered on the backside of the Petition that they did conceive the Petition was without just ground for the first part of it the Court had never used privacie in Judiciall proceedings but in preparation thereto by way of examination of the party c. they might and would use their liberty as they should see cause and for the other part of the Petition when any matter of conscience should come before them they would advise what were fit to be done in it When Mr. Wheelwright came in the Court was private and then they told him they had considered of his Sermon and were desirous to aske him some questions which might tend to cleare his meaning about such passages therein as seemed offensive he demanded whether he were sent for as an innocent person or as guilty It was answered neither but as suspected onely Then he demanded who were his accusers It was answered his Sermon which was there in Court being acknowledged by himselfe they might thereupon proceed ex officio at this word great exception was taken as if the Court intended the course of the High Commission c. It was answered that the word ex officio was very safe and proper signifying no more but the authority or duty of the Court and that there was no cause of offence seeing the Court did not examine him by any compulsory meanes as by oath imprisonment or the like but onely desired him for better satisfaction to answer some questions but he still refused yet at last through perswasion of some of his friends he seemed content The question then put to him was whether before his Sermon he did not know that most of the Ministers in this jurisdiction did teach that doctrine which be in his Sermon called a Covenant of works to this he said he did not desire to answer and hereupon some cried out that the Court went about to ensnare him and to make him to accuse himselfe and that this question was not about the matter of his Sermon c. Upon this he refused to answer any further so he was dismissed till the afternoone The reason why the Court demanded that question of him was not to draw matter from himselfe whereupon to proceed against him neither was there any need for upon a conference of the Ministers not long before there had beene large dispute betweene some of them and himselfe about that point of evidencing Justification by Sanctification so as the court might soone have convinced him by witnesses if they had intended to proceed against him upon that ground In the afternoone he was sent for againe in the same manner as before and the Ministers also being in the Towne and come thither to conferre together for further discovery of the ground of the disterences which were in the Countrey about the Covenant of Grace c. they were desired to be present also in the Court to beare witnesse of the proceedings in the case and to give their advice as the Court upon occasion should require so the doores being set open for all that would to come in and there was a great Assembly and Mr. Wheelwright being willed to sit downe by the Ministers his Sermon was produced and many passages thereof was read to him which for the better understanding we have digested into this order following He therein describeth two Covenants the Covenant of Grace and the Covenant of Works the Covenant of Grace he describeth to be when in the point of Justification and the knowledge of this our Justification by Faith there is nothing revealed but Christ Jesus but if men thinke to be saved because they see some worke of Sanctification in themselves as hungring and thirsting c. this is a Covenant of Works if men have revealed to them some work of righteousnesse as love to the brethren c. and hereupon come to be assured that they are in a good estate this is not the assurance of Faith for Faith hath Crist revealed for the object therefore if the assurance of a mans Justification be by Faith as a Work it is not Gospel Having thus described those who goe under a Covenant of Works he pronounceth them to be enemies to Christ to be Antichrists to be flesh opposed to spirit such as will certainly persecute those who hold forth the truth and the wayes of Grace he resembleth them to the Philistims who stop up with the earth of their owne inventions the Wels of true beleevers he resembleth them also to Herod who would have killed Christ so soone as he was borne and to Herod and Pilate who did kill Christ when he came once to shew forth himselfe and would have kept him eternally in the grave he further describeth them out of the second Psalme to be the people of God as the Jewes were and such as would take away the true Christ and put in false Christs to deceive if it were possible the very elect he also describeth them by that in Cant. 10.6 they make the children of Grace keepers of the Vineyard they make them travell under the burden of the Covenant of Works which doth cause Christ many times from them He commeth after to a use of exhortation wherein he stirreth up all those of his side to a spirituall combate to prepare for battel and come out and fight against the enemies of the Lord those under a Covenant of Works he shewes whom he meaneth thus to excite alluding to Davids valiant men to Baruch Deborah Jael and all the men of Jsrael and bind them hereunto under the curse of Meroz He further exhorteth them to stand upon their guard c. by alluding to the 600. valiant men who kept watch about the bed of Solomon a type of Christ then he encourageth those of his side against such difficulties as might be objected as 1. If the enemies shall oppose the way of God they must lay the more load on them and kill them with the Word of the Lord and there he alludeth to those places which