Spirit and sufficient Rule 23. That men must believe the Scripture without reason for their believing it or must believe it to be Gods word without seeking any proof that it is his word 24. That it is meritorious to believe the Scripture to be Gods word without knowing any proof or reason of it this being an infused faith and proof making it but acquired 25. That we must believe Gods word no further than we have evidence of truth from the nature of the matter revealed 26. That Mahomet is the Paraclet promised by Christ V. Of the Creation 1. That this world was from eternity and not made in time 2. That an evil God made this earth or a middle God between the perfect God and the evil one As old Hereticks variously spake 3. Or that such an evil or middle God made the body of man 4. Or that such an evil or middle agent made the woman 5. That God made sin and death and disorder before sin deserved them 6. That when God had made this world he left it to the Government of certain Angels who fell and necessitated man to fall 7. That the World is Gods body and he the Soul of it and no more 8. That the world came by chance or by a fortuitous conflux of atomes and was not made by Gods wise and powerful word or action 9. That there is nothing in the world but matter and motion and the various shapes of matter caused by motion or at least nothing but God and matter and motion and its modal effects 10. That the world is Infinite as being made by that infinite God who made it as great and good as he was able and therefore infinite in his own similitude VI. Of Angels and Spirits and Heaven 1. That men can certainly tell the space number and order of all the celestial regions orbs or spaces and the number of Angels or when the first were made 2. That this world or earth was made by Angels only 3. That the fallen Angels were necessitated by God to sin and to tempt man 4. That God hath so left to Angels the Government of this world as not to govern it himself save by such leaving all to their free contingent action 5. That all that which scripture ascribeth to the Holy Ghost is done only by Angels 6. That we may know which are our Guardian Angels 7. That men may choose their own guardian Angels or spirits 8. That we must pray to Angels though we see them not or have no special notice when they hear us 9. That Angels lusted after women and begat Giants of them before the deluge 10. That they fight with each other for the government of the Kingdoms of this world even the good Angels among themselves VII Of Man as man in his nature and first state 1. That mans soul is God or part of God 2. Or is only a part or act of an universal soul of the world and is no singular or individual substance in each one 3. That the soul is but a quality motion or action of a higher agent 4. That the soul is mortal and dieth with the body being either annihilated or asleep or sunk into a meer potentia or hath no knowledge will sense or action or is swallowed up in the universal soul so as to lose its proper or numerical existence 5. That mans soul is of the same species as the bruits 6. That mans spirit only is immortal and continueth after death but not his soul 7. That mans soul or spirit was from eternity 8. That it was made before this earth and sinned in a former body and was thrust for punishment into this body and world 9. That the souls departed of men are sent back into beasts or at least into other men and so are oft born 10. That mens souls are fallen Angels 11. That Adams soul was made first male and female before it was incorporate 12. That Adams body was the cloathing that God made him after he sinned having no body before 13. That neither soul nor body was made after Gods image as Epiphanius ill affirmeth 14. That mans Vital faculty Intellect and Will are but accidents of his soul 15. That the soul is moved but as an engine by an extrinsick cause and hath not any Essential self-moving form or power 16. That no man can do more or less or otherwise than he doth because God as the first mover necessitateth all his actions 17. That the will hath no habits but a meer power and liberty 18. That Adam and Eve had no holiness or holy inclination to love God as God and to obey him but a meer neutral possibility 19. That Adam had not help or strength sufcient or necessary power to have forborn his first sin 20. That man was made only to be an inhabitant of earth as Angels are of heaven and is not capable of an higher habitation VIII Of sin Original and subsequent 1. That God is as much the Cause of all sin as he is of darkness and such other privations and that he made Adam sin or that he irresistibly predetermineth every ones will to every forbidden act which it doth 2. That the Devil irresistibly necessitated Adam to sin and so some superior cause did the Devils 3. That sin is not only the occasion of much good but a proper cause and as such is decreed willed and caused by God 4. That God made a Covenant with Adam that if he sinned all that came of him should be reputed sinners farther than they were really seminally in him and by natural in-being and derivation were partakers of his guilt and corruptions and so that God made them sinners by his arbitrary imputation when naturally they were not so 5. That Original sin necessitateth every sin of omission or act which ever after followeth in the world 6. That sin being a meer privation all are by nature deprived of all moral good and so all are equally evil and as bad as those in hell notwithstanding any thing that the Redeemer hath done to prevent it 7. That infants have no Original sin no guilt of Adams sin and no sinful pravity of nature 8. That Infants have no participation of guilt of any nearer parents sin but Adams only and God doth not inflict any punishment on children for their fathers sin because of their derived guilt by nature 9. That therefore Infants have no need of a Saviour to suffer for their sin nor of a pardon 10. That Infants need not the Holy Ghost to sanctifie them by killing any sinful pravity or inclination in them 11. That sin was not the cause of death 12. That sin deserveth not hell or an everlasting punishment IX Of Redemption and the Covenant of grace made to Adam and Noah 1. That God made no promise Covenant or gift of grace to Adam after his fall 2. That God made the Covenant of grace only to Adam and the elect and not to all mankind in him
not and hateth them not nor punisheth them with any correcting punishment 10. That they that have the spirit need not study for matter method words or affection 11. That they are perfect or their duties perfect who have the spirit because all the spirits works are perfect 12. That the day of grace may be so past with some as that sincere faith and repentance and a changed will that loveth holiness and consenteth to the Covenant of grace may be rejected of God and unavailable to salvation XIII Of Justification and pardon 1. That God forgiveth the deserved punishment of no sin but requireth it of the sinner himself and Remission is only the destroying of sinful dispositions and preventing future sin and not forgiving the punishment of what is past or will be 2. That Christ's sacrifice and righteousness is not the meritorious cause of our pardon Justification adoption and Salvation 3. That Christ is not the Lord our righteousness or made of God to us wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption nor we made the Righteousness of God in him or that it is not the Righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ which justifieth us 4. That Christ suffered for his own sin being either actually a sinner or our sins made properly his own sin in the guilt of culpability and not only of punishment before he suffered for them And so that he was by real imputation or Divine reputation the greatest Atheist infidel malignant murderer adulterer c. in the world these sins being in their forms or culpable guilt translated from all the elect on him 5. That all the elect were justified from eternity or before they were born or while they were no true believers by that justification which the Scripture meaneth when it saith we are justified by faith 6. That the elect are justified by the Law of innocency made to Adam or the Law of works made to and by Moses to the Jews because they were Legally in Christ fulfilling them and did perfectly fulfill them in him 7. That the sense of the Law of innocency was Thou or Christ for thee shall be innocent and obey perfectly to the end or die 8. That the Gospel Covenant or Donation is not Gods justifying instrument gift or Law 9. That God reputeth us to have been perfectly innocent from our birth to our death or at least since our believing because we were so Legally in Christ and yet reputeth us such sinners as need a Saviour and Christ suffered for our sins though we were so innocent 10. That the elect have no need of pardon at all because they are perfectly obedient by imputation 11. That at least we need no pardon of any sin committed since we believed save only of temporal correction 12. That pardon and justification actually remit all sin at once that is yet to come and is yet no sin as well as that which is past and present 13. That pardon and justification are perfect as soon as we believe 14. That therefore no true penalty no not corrective is inflicted or remaineth after our first faith 15. Therefore to such none of their wants of grace or Communion with God nor permitted sin nor suffering nor death are any true punishments for sin for the demonstration of paternal justice 16. That therefore no believer must pray for the pardon of sin it being perfected already nor seek for it of Christ by faith 17. That therefore there is no further condition or means to be used by us for pardon of new sins or for fuller pardon 18. Therefore there is no other or perfecter justification at the last judgement 19. That faith is not imputed to us for Righteousness 20. That against the false accusations that we were impenitent infidels ungodly hypocrites we need no personal Repentance faith piety or sincerity to justifie us as the righteousness contrary to this accusation but only the imputed righteousness performed personally by Christ himself 21. That we shall not be judged according to our works nor in any respect justified before God by our works nor is St. James so to be understood nor Christ that saith By thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned Mat. 12. 22. That men are justified by the works of the Law of Moses or of innocency or some other works which must be joyned to the righteousness of Christ to make it sufficient to its proper part or office and are not only subordinate thereto 23. That we are justified by faith only in our Consciences as knowing that we are otherwise justified before God 24. That we are justified only by inherent righteousness and that pardon of sin and acceptance for Christs merits and mediation is none of our justification at all 25. That a man unjustified must believe that he is justified that thereby he may be justified taking justification in the same sense 26. That God doth not make men just before he sentenceth them just 27. That Christ justifieth only by his Priestly Office and not by his judicial sentence 28. That we are justified by no act of faith but only by the act of resting on or also accepting Christs imputed justifying righteousness 29. That being perfectly justified by the first act of faith we are never after justified as to continuation by any act after that first instant 30. That to expect justification by believing in God the Father or the Holy Ghost and in Christ as Christ in his person and whole office of a saviour and not only by the foresaid single act is to seek justification by works reprehended by Paul or unlawfully 31. That faith or repentance are not by Gods gift or promise made any conditions necessary to be done by us through his grace that we may have right to Christ or pardon or justification 32. That our believing in Christ is of equal impossibility to us as our personal perfect innocency 33. That to believe Heaven and that God will glorifie us for the sake of Christ and as a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him is no act of that faith which justifieth as a Condition of justification or salvation 34. That it is all mens duty to believe that they are elect 35. That justifying faith is only a full assurance that we are elect 36. That true faith is inconsistent with doubting or imperfection 37. That it is unlawful to trust to any thing in us or done by us as a means or condition of pardon or salvation though but subordinate to Christ 38. That no meer death-bed faith or repentance is accepted to salvation or pardon because good works are part of the condition 39. That there is no degree of pardon given by God to any but the elect that are saved 40. That all praise that is ascribed to any thing in our selves or done by us or to any subordinate act of man as a means to our salvation or final justification is a dishonour to God and our Saviour and
as that they forfeit their Toleration § 47. Those are to be accounted Intolerable who do more hurt than good and whose silencing and suppression will do more good than harm All men are faulty and do some harm And few are so bad as to do no good But that which prevaileth must prevail in the judgement of the Magistrate And yet when the suppression of a hurtful person will do by accident much more hurt to the Church or Commonwealth than the doth as it may fall out he is not to be so hurtfully suppressed § 48. Those therefore are intolerable in the Ministry 1. who through ignorance or disability are utterly insufficient for the necessary acts of the office and so will marr and disgrace the work appointed them and make Religious exercises scorned 2. Those that are hereticks in a strict sense that is that deny any Article of faith or practice necessary to Salvation or preach that which plainly overthroweth it 3. Those that are against or utterly corrupt any necessary part of Church-order or of the publick worship of God so as that God accepteth not worship so corrupted or that it tendethto more hurt than good to the assembly 4. those that will not profess the Essentials of Christianity Ministry and Church Communion 5. Those that live such scandalous and wicked lives as disgrace the Ministry and do more hurt than they do good 6. Those that will not promise and perform necessary diligence in the work of the Ministry which they undertake but idly neglect the flock 7. Those that by malignity and misapplication of truth turn their preaching or discourse to the reproach of serious godliness making people think that it is needless or hypocrisie 8. Those that will not promise and perform subjection to the supream Governours of the Kingdom or Republick 9. Those that will not forbear such reviling of Tolerable dissenters as tendeth plainly to destroy love and peace and to turn publick assemblies into stages of malignant strife 10. Those whose Religion or opinion is for burning destroying or exterminating either all dissenters or the innocent or tolerable while they call them Hereticks or that are for the subjecting of Kings or States or people to foreign Usurpers or for giving such a foreign Usurper power to excommunicate depose or murther Kings or temporal Lords and absolve their subjects from their Oaths of allegiance or force them to destroy or exterminate their innocent or tolerable subjects and that exempt the Clergy from subjection to Kings § 49. The Approved Tolerable and Intolerable thus distinguished and thus used by the Magistrate will best answer the ends and interest of Christianity and the Laws of Christ and will do as much to preserve Love Unity and peace as is on earth to be expected which all other contrary ways will unavoidably violate CHAP. IX Objections answered § 1. 1. SOme object against any restraint in Religion and the countenancing and preferring of one sort before others and say that the Magistrate should equally tolerate all or else he will discontent those that are but tolerated and much more those whom he useth as intolerable But this is so unchristian and unreasonable that I think it needless to say much against it Few men that believe there is a God and a life to come and that religion is mans duty and interest can believe that God hath appointed Government for no higher ends than our bodily peace and safety If men once believed what divers Popes have written that the office of the Priest excelleth the Kings as far as the soul excelleth the body and as the Sun excelleth the Stars it would cause religious people to set as light by Kings as they do by these worldly things which Kings have power over § 2. 2. Obj. But each party think themselves in the right and Kings and Parliaments are fallible and if they trouble those that are in the right they are persecutors if others yet they shall be accounted so Answ Being is before Thinking either the King is in the right or the sufferers If they are in the Right either their cause is evident and such as a willing diligent person may understand or not If it be clear the Prince is a persecutor that troubleth them If it be too hard for him he is unfit to be an active man against them for he cannot do it in faith and therefore sinneth and may be a persecutor for ought he knoweth If he or they be ignorant through wilfulness or negligence it will not excuse them If their cause seem clearly good to them and clearly bad to him one of them must needs be sinfully erroneous and it is the erring party that God is against who will be the final judge § 3. 3. Obj. But it is a thing that Princes and Statesmen are ignorant of they are not bred up in the study of Religion Bishops and Clergy-men are liker to understand such matters and it is their work Ans 1. God hath commanded that Kings and all Rulers study his word As Justices should know the Kings Laws the King and they should know Gods Laws It is as truly their office to Rule by them as it is the Ministers to Teach and Guide by them Government by the Sword and Church Government by the word and Keys are to be exercised according to the same Law of God and both have their use about causes Ecclesiastical in which we swear the King to be supreme as to that part which is to be done by the sword or corporal force 2. This objection long used by Popes and their Prelates hath been sufficiently confuted by themselves Church history putteth us quite past doubt that it went ill with the Church while the Clergy had all the power of Religion It hath been Popes and Prelates and Priests that have worse corrupted Religion and disgraced the Church and embroiled the world in religious quarrels and Schisms than ever Emperors and Kings have done Thirteen hundred years lamentable experience confuteth such thoughts as many have and as I have sometime been tempted to my self how well it would go with the Church if the disposal of all matters of Religion were rather in the hands of the Bishops and Clergy than of Kings and Parliaments Nay rarely are any Magistrates so hot for persecution and religious cruelty as the Bishops and Clergy or those that are stirr'd up by them against dissenters or one another The doleful devastations and Schisms about Nestorianism Eutychinnism and such like were caused more by the Bishops than the Magistrates And though Constantius and Valens did much against truth and peace it was by their Clergies instigation He that will consider the lives of Constantine M. Theodosius Senior and Theodosius Junior Aâ—astasius c. and of Charles Otho the Henries and others since in the West will see how much ado the Emperors had to keep the Prelates from Schisms and confusions And he that readeth but the Laws of the Spanish French