took such rooting that the power craft and malice of men and Devils cannot root it out It s evidenced by the purity and spirituality of its Doctrine By the sublimity of the Mysteries revealed in it wherein the highest wisedom of God shines forth By the greatnesse and excellency of the rewards punishments By the holy Spirit appearing in the serious professors of it such a Spirit of holinesse as is no where else to be found in the world And by the design it hath to glorifie God and to humble Man c. By these and the like evidences the weakest may easily be convinced That the Christian Religion is the only true Religion of all others in the World and so be directed to make choice thereof CHAP. V. Further Directions how to chuse the right and safe way amongst such diversities of Sects and opinions as be amongst Christians A discovery of the fundamental Doctrines of Faith and practical duties of Godliness generally imbraced by al Christians in al times and places with advice in reference unto them HAving inquired into the several Religions this day professed in the world and found upon good evidence the Christian Religion to be the only true Religion men may venture their Salvation upon Wee meet next with no small difficulty whereby weak and ignorant persons are perplexed occasioned by the diversity of Sects and opinions which are found amongst Christians viz. Quest To know after they once be resolved to be Christians how to chuse the right and safe way amongst such various Sects and different perswasions of those called Christians unless a man might be saved in any of these Sects and wayes What directions are there for the safe conduct of such as are at a losse herein Answer Because this is a grand case wherein very many in these sad times of Division greatly need Direction I shall guide them to a safe way wherein they may securely walk and venture their Souls without fear of miscarrying And it is this Let them labour to understand clearly and to imbrace heartily those Fundamental Catholick verities of the Christian Religion which are more clearly laid down in the holy Scriptures and have been owned by the Churches of Christ generally in all ages places ever since the Apostles times to our dayes and transmitted to us in their Creeds and Confessions of Faith and are now owned by all worthy the name of the Christians without dispute through all the Christian World let them so believe them that they influence their Hearts and Lives throughly And also all those Confessed duties of godliness that all Christians are agreed in and walk up to the practice of them and their Souls shall certainly be secured Know that notwithstanding these diversities of Sects and varieties of opinions which are found amongst Christians from which they are not privileged as neither are those other three Religions Heathenisme Mahometanism and Judaism as before was shewed nor shall be fully whilst we be imperfect and know but in part and are in part carnall as well as Spiritual whilst the envious one shall fow Tares in the field of the Church and it shall be the pleasure of God to suffer these things to be that they which are approved may be made manifest Yet know That there are some fundamentall and Catholick verities of the Christian Religion which are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 points generally believed of all having antiquity universality and consent concurring with them which the Scriptures call the foundation 1 Cor. 3.10 11. The principles of the Doctrine of Christ Heb. 6.1 The form of sound words 2 Tim. 1.13 Rom. 6.17 The proportion or Analogy of Faith Rom. 〈◊〉 6. Which have been conveyed down from the Apostles even to us in this last age of the World nor could the gates of Hel ever prevail so far as to extirpate them And these are such Confessed duties of godlinesse as none that have pretended to be Christians have dared openly and directly to gainsay Now these are the points that have greatest influence on our hearts and lives to sanctifie and change them and to promote the life and power of godlinesse and rarely those questions and matters of dispute that are so hotly contested about and these avail to the saving our Souls upon our hearty imbracing and receiving these or our renouncing of them either in heart or life depends our Salvation or Damnation We had need therefore to set our hearts on these things that we cordially believe these Doctrines and practise those Duties and so doing we shall secure our eternal Salvation Now for further improvement of this advice we shal more particularly inquire into these great and necessary Doctrines of faith and duties of godliness and lay down some brief account of them in order to our belief and practice and so consequently to Salvation 1. For the Fundamental Doctrines of the Christian Religion Not that I undertake to give an exact account hereof for to determine this saith a learned man is the master-piece of all the Divines in Christendom but only do declare those truths which being more clearly laid down in Scripture have been generally imbraced by all Churches worthy the Name of Christians setting aside controverted points wherein so much truth is contained as being joyned with holy obedience may be sufficient to bring a man to everlasting Salvation This being premised they may be reduced to these four Articles 1 Concerning God That there is one God of an infinite perfect and spirituall nature Subsisting in three most glorious persons the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost who is the maker preserver Governor of all things and intends his own glory in all his Works That the greatest concernment of reasonable creatures is to know acknowledge this God to fear love adore and glorify him and their chief felicity stands in his love and favour in fullest conformity to his Image and nearest communion with him and in no earthly good separate from him This is one Article of Religion necessary unto Salvation to be known and believed and not controverted amongst Christians Believe this throughly and let it influence your hearts and lives so as you study to know this God and to get acquaintance with him to fear love and serve him to own him for your Soveraign Lord chief good 2 Concerning man That God made man at the first in a very holy happy estate from which he soon fel through Satans Temptation and all mankinde became plunged into sin and misery That we are all hainous offenders against the God of Heaven under his dreadful wrath and the curse of the Law barred out of Heaven and happiness and lyable to eternal torments if not speedily reconciled to God and pardoned and by renewing grace sanctified and converted which neither we nor any meere creature is able to do for us This is another Fundamentall Article of Faith so clearly laid down in Scripture as it 's beyond all controversie
afflictions and persecution and follow him in a way of holinesse purity in the straight way And then he will give him a Crown of life he shal have an hundred fold in this life with persecution that is the comfort of an hundred fold if he misse of such increase in the same kinde and eternall glory in the World to come Now we must sit down consider what we do as Luke 14.28.31 Christ teaches by the parable of him that builds a Tower and of the King that goes to warfare Now thus to chuse our Religion to espouse the Christian Faith for better for worse to take the sweat with the bitter the Cross with the Crown This is another Act wherein this choice stands 3. Act is a setled purpose and full resolution to live and dye therein to adhere and cleave thereto even to the end to be faithful to the Death to cleave to the Lord with full purpose of heart as we read Joshua his resolution I and my house will serve the Lord we are resolved who ever depart from Jehovah we will cleave unto him And as the Disciples John 6. when many forsook Christ and the Christian Religion their Lord saith unto them and will ye also go away Peter answers in the name of the rest whether shal we go for thou hast the words of Eternal life Alack if we draw back from the Lord his soul shall have no pleasure in us we draw back unto perdition but if we continue in the faith we shal then have the Crown of life Life and Death are before us herein as Moses told the Israelites if we serve the Lord and fear him and cleave unto him then life but if we turn from him and his truth and wayes then Death all a mans righteousnesse shal be forgotten he shal dye in his sins Thus in these three Acts stands the right chusing of a mans religion CHAP. III. Considerations evidencing it a principal point of wisdom for a man to make a right choice of that Religion he professes in the World and ventures his Eternal Salvation upon HAving shewed wherein this wise chusing ones Religion stands and what Acts must concur thereto We come next to demonstrate it to be such a principal point of wisedom for a man to make a right choice of his Religion he professes in the world and ventures his Salvation upon This may be evinced from the ensuing Considerations 1. The Necessity for a man to be of some Religion and if so wisedom should direct to make choyce of the best Now it 's necessary to be of some Religion We cannot live without God Acts 17.28 In him we live move and have our being And is it not fit then we should acknowledge God and worship him in the very framing of the nature of man there are such principles of Religion ingraven in him that cannot be razed out that have taught the very Heathens to worship a Deity so that we should be worse then Heathens yea become very beasts and below men if wee should not be of some Religion Besides it is the expresse command of God by his written Laws given to the Sonnes of Men that they adore worship and serve him he expects it as an homage from them and will not loose his glory Such Atheists are accursed by him as cast off all Religion live without God in the World And though some such Atheists have been found who in their prosperity forget God whilst they can better shift without him yet in their miseries and dangers they have been forced to acknowledge God and call upon him as the Mariners in the Ship with Jonah c. Now if it be so Is it not fit to chuse the true God and the true Religion 2. There are many false Religions in the World and we may soon be imposed on and deluded if we make not a wise choice of our Religion There be many Lords and many gods so called saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 8.5 though to us there is but one living and true God ther 's many wayes of Religion Heathenism Mahometanism Judaism and Christianity and amongst Christians how many different wayes this day scarce to be numbred and therefore we had need to make a good choice The greatest part of the World were deceived in former times of old the whole World almost followed false gods except Israel At this day some observe if the World be divided into thirty parts nineteen of them are Heathen Idolaters six be Mahometans some though inconsiderable Jews and only the other five parts of the thirty be Christians and how many different wayes be amongst them Protestants Papists Muscovites Greeks in Europe besides multitudes in other parts of the World And these admitting many subdivisions amongst themselves Therefore we had need to make a wise choice 3. It 's that whereupon our greatest interest depends on the right chusing ones Religion or our mistakes about it eternall happiness or misery life or death depend Deut. 32.46 47. in things of great importance men use much deliberation and make the wisest choice they can how necessary is it here That opinion or dream that every man may be saved by his own Religion if he be true to it is more becoming Turks then Christians They say there are three Banners whereby men are conducted to Heaven Moses's Christs and Mahomets but we Christians know no other way to Salvation but one viz. by faith in Jesus Christ for there 's no other name under Heaven to be saved by but by the name of Jesus Christ Acts 4.12 Indeed many lesser differences may be amongst them that hold that one Faith They may hold the head Christ and yet differ in smal things with safety to their Souls if they build on the foundation and corner-stone Jesus Christ heartily believing the principles of the Christian Faith and living according to them though they add thereto the Hay Stubble and wood of smaller errors they may be saved notwithstanding these 1 Cor. 3.15 Salvation may be had amongst several forts of Christians that all agree in the great Articles of the Christian Faith and live piously and charitably whether Lutherans Calvinists Arminians Anabaptists Episcopal Presbyterian Independent c. These are not different Religions but different forms of the same Religion wherein the children of the same Father are dressed up in different habits But where any differ in fundamentals and even turn to another Religion to another Gospel or Christ as the Apostle speaks to the Galatians as too many Sects amongst us are found to do viz Papists Socinians Quakers c. Those I mean who are throughly such not all that ignorantly adhere to them it would be foolish charity to flatter them with hopes of Salvation in such wayes if living and dying according to those corrupt principles because they are in the number of those Damnable Heresies the Scripture speaks of Now this being clear that Salvation dependeth upon espousing the right Religion What
things that there seems nothing more requisite to be said by way of reply thereunto Thus much was needfull to be certifyed because some have slighted Mr. Balls Book not deeming it worth reading because sufficiently answered by Mr. Cotton whereas indeed this Book may serve for a sufficient reply to his Answer CHAP. IX Wherein are laid down some general Rules of Caution to preserve Christians from rash and unjust separation The Conclusion of the Discourse ALthough the answering all objections and satisfying every scruple that may occurr about this point of Communion with the Congregations in England is a work too large to be undertaken in these Papers and indeed needless in respect of that abundant pains taken therein by those Writers before referred to yet because I may not leave the sober and humble Christian altogether without help that is desirous to find something here that may satisfy his Conscience about the premises I shal lay down some general Rules of caution which being duly considered and improved may through the blessing of the Lord much conduce to prevent or heal rash and unjust separation which are these that follow 1. Do not rashly separate for such things as have been found in almost all the Churches of Christ upon Earth both in former and latter times the reason is because though we say not the Church is so absolutely Infallible that it cannot err in the least particular yet we may easily defend That the Universal Church in all places and ages cannot err so dangerously so as good Christians ought not to keep communion with her but are bound to make separation from her for this would inferr that she hath wholly fallen from Christ and her bond of Union with him is dissolved and he is no longer present with her for till then Christians are not wholly to separate from her yea that Christ hath no Church in the World c. And if so what will become of the promises of Christ that Hel gates shal not prevail against her that he will be with her to the end of the World that he will send his Spirit to lead her into all Truth and it shall abide with her for ever which promises though directly and primarily they were made to the Apostles who had the special presence of Christ and the guidance of his holy Spirit in the most eminent manner yet were made to them for the behoofe of the Church Universal and shal be verified to it This duly considered would much prevent the scandal taken at Bishops at forms of Prayer c. For who is there if acquainted with the State of the Church that knows not that Bishops even in a superiority of power and jurisdiction over other Ministers have been in the Church of Christ almost universally from the Apostles times to our dayes and that set Forms of Prayers have been of exceeding long continuance in the Christian Curches through the World Therefore such as separate for these things now must have been led by the same principle to have separated from almost all the Churches of Christ upon Earth which thing how dangerous it is needs not much to be spoken to her to manifest the same 2. Let not inconveniences defects additions or errors Circumstantial cause you to withdraw Communion wholly from the Churches of Christ in the substantial duties of Gods Worship where the essentials are preserved though some lesser evils may be found do not utterly refuse Communion there The Lord Jesus wil not reject such Churches therefore do not you Ames eas Lib 4. Cap 24. This hath passed for good Divinity generally amongst Non-Conformists who acknowledge Communion may be maintained where some divine institutions are wanting and some humane additaments meerly extrinsical are joyned to Divine Worship Commis papers p. 3.12 They say that where the substantials of Worship are preserved Bayne on Eph 2.15 though the external forms and modes be more inconvenient disorderly and defective Hilders on Ps 51. Lect. 35. yet it s lawfull yea a duty to offer such Worship to God rather then none at all That what ever is not in our power to reform it shall be our zeal and piety to tolerate and with patience to bear in such Churches there may be more cause to rejoyce then to grieve Indeed the contrary practice would lead to separation from all the Churches of Christ upon Earth for which of them all is perfect 3. As Christians should fly from what is really Idolatry Will-worship Antichristianism Popery c. So let them not be affrighted with those names when imposed on things without good grounds lest they be scared from necessary duty and Worship for these terrifying names have been abusively applyed to deterr weak people from the true Worship of God E. G. Idolatry Will-worship imagery hath been charged upon set forms of Prayer and they have been censured to be forbidden in the second Commandement But what Christian not prepossessed beforehand with prejudice against them can finde them therein condemned or in any of the Commentaries of the Prophets or Apostles or in any Exposition of antient or modern Writers till some few of latter times May not any simple plain hearted Christian to whose apprehensions the Scriptures are suted in all necessary duties Psal 19.7 profess he is not able to see any such thing but on the contrary he findeth set forms not onely used and prescribed in the Old Testament but also in the New he finds Jesus Christ giving a form to his Disciples as John did to his and how can he then resent those charges of Imagery Idolatry Superstition but as meer Scare-crows The like may be said of the charge of Popery drawn up by some against the present forms of Prayer by Law established that they are taken out of the Mass Book are Popish Prayers c. which affrights some poor weak Christians they are afraid to come near them When as it cannot be denyed that 1. they were compiled by sundry godly men of the Reformed Religion some of them afterwards Martyrs in Queen Marys dayes were ever highly valued by them 2. The Papists have ever had them in detestation Queen Mary is reported to have razed them out of the Parliament Records so as it could not till some hath late Acts passed be well known which was the authorized Book and Harding their great Champion saith of it in his dispute with Bishop Jewel on Art 3. That it 's such a service as their good Catholicks cannot joyn with us in not only because it is in the vulgar Tongue but because saith he many necessary things are wanting in it and many things repugnant to the Faith and custome of the Catholick Church 3. Popery cannot return upon us whilst the said Common-Prayer-Book is kept unaltered how can their proper Sacrifice Communion in one kind Prayers to Saints c. come in whilst this is kept up and observed and as for the taking these Prayers out of the