when they have the Fee which their Fathers had and kept by their Allegiance to their death for them to succeed after them and they are punished when they have lost their Fee which their Fathers lost and did not keep by their felony to their death for them to lose after them what they might have had if their Fathers had performed the Condition So if Parents for their Vertue be made free their Children shall be free but this hath no true respect of reward but good fortune So if Parents for their Fine be reduced to slavery their Children shall be slaves but this hath no true respect of punishment but evil fortune Because no body before he is can have right that he should be born in such or such a condition but when he is born so or so it is his good or bad chance As an Infant in his Mothers womb is not properly acquitted when his Mother is acquitted and saved her life nor properly condemned when his Mother is condemned and loseth her life The CONTENTS Transition Demonstrations Traditions Scriptures Representative Church Some body must determine Pride Calumnies Scriptures Collections TITLE V. Of a Judge of Christs Laws Transition AFter all the discourse of Laws and the Law-maker there is a great cry that makes a great disturbance Who shall be the Judge and Interpreter of Christs Laws No hopes ever to convince such that take all upon trust and will be blinded for Policy and Interest but let Wisdom still speak and she will be justified of her Children and none but wilful Souls will stop their ears A Judge they lack and such as must be infallible but they cannot agree who this should be If some Moral Truths are as demonstrable as others which they call Mathematical then what need of a Judge When such moral Propositions are as Scientifical of themselves and create as full an assent to the understanding as Natural things which are perceptible of themselves and create a full apprehension to the sense The Laws of Nature are plain and as plain consequences may be made from them As that no man should steal or kill and from thence it is demonstrated That if Sejus or Titius do steal or kill they sin against the Law of Nature And such Ratiocinations as are rightly framed from necessary Principles create as undeniable Demonstrations As that a man is Risible Demonstrations because he is Rational That a Horse is one true and good because he is an Ens or that the Periphery of a Circle is Equidistant from the Centre Now if the Laws of Nature be so plain then they need no Judge And if the Positive Laws are so plain as they are or ought to be then they need no Judge also All Intellectual Entities have hitherto by the most of men been accounted probable only allowing by great favour infallibility to Revelations and therefore have been the more slighted and nothing thought worthy of credit but material Entities and objects of sense Now if Revelations come as they may do to the understanding as well as Natural notions and Sensual objects why may they not as plainly be apprehended supposing them as they must to be as plainly revealed as the rest are imprinted in the Soul or conveyed thither by the sense But still the Question is Who shall be the Judg and this Judge must be infallible too The old beaten way is to believe as the Church believes and the Churches Faith is resolved into the Pope or a general Council with or without him not yet agreed Surely there is a fallacy in the word Church as in the word People The Church is either taken for all the Church and the People for all the People which cannot meet to agree all or for the most part or best of the Church or People which can hardly meet to agree all So there is no certainty in either SECT I. Universal Traditions are doubtful Traditions The Eastern Church had one Tradition about Easter from St. John the Western another from St. Peter the Millenaries received their Tradition from Papias St. John's Disciple the rest denied it Councils were hardly ever universal or universally agreeing and mostly packt a few popular Orators and Politicians swayed all the rest So that we are at no certainty by these Certainty is either in Nature things actually existent to sense or in Morality from prime principles undoubted conclusions in the mind by Rational or Mathematical Demonstrations actually existent to Reason The Law of Nature is plain enough Consequences from thence are clear if rightly deducted by the help of Art Laws Positive are to flow from thence Subjects may know by these Laws what they are to have and what they are to do SECT II. Scriptures The Scriptures are God's Positive Laws commanded in his Will and Testament with Promises of Rewards so that by them all Subjects and Legatees understand what they are to have and what they are to do And as the Laws and Testaments of wise and good men are evident so much more the Laws and Testaments of God And therefore in all these Laws there is sufficient Certainty to every one who when all comes to all must judge as well as they can for themselves and the Laws fundamental and necessary are so plain that they may judge Else why should those Promises be made and those Duties be commanded if they to whom they were made and enjoyned could not possibly apprehend them and what other infallible Judge can be imagined especially when besides their own Judgments the Spirit is promised to all that will use what God hath already given them to lead them into all truth And so Christ the only Infallible Judge hath promised to be present by his Spirit unto the end of the World If in this state of Imperfection there remain doubts as there will we must be content to doubt as we do about such manners and circumstances of things as are not absolutely necessary to salvation the ignorance whereof may safely consist with our salvation If others be given over to believe lies it is a just Judgment of God upon them for their carelesness and sensuality As is the case of the Heathen Idolaters who though they knew God yet they glorified him not as God but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish hearts were darkened But still Wisdom is justified of all her Children and the true Faith hath been kept by them and will be kept unto the end of the World and Truth is Truth still In natural Principles all conceptions agree as to worship God to do as we would be done by c. and in supernatural Principles there is the same harmony of Faith in God and a good life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Thus the whole Church i. e. all Christians in all ages have received the Gospel and kept the Faith and so the Church is the pillar and ground of Truth The Church of God is guided
the Magistrate Thus it becometh us to contend earnestly for the Faith which was once delivered to the Saints and not to quarrel about such matters but to fulfil all Righteousness I have said all this to satisfie if it might be all Parties concerning the spiritual service and perfection of the Gospel and especially to convince the Fanaticks that the Church of England is neither Jewish nor Heathenish nor Popish but the purest Reformed Church in the world for the Antiquity of its Doctrine and Discipline for the paucity easiness significancy and decency of its Ceremonies avoiding all Superstition as much as possibly she can as you have an account given in the Prefaces before the last book of Common Prayer to the intent that all Separatists might be perswaded to conform having no just cause of scandal given them to crie out against us as they do for Carnal Preaching and Worship We call Heaven and Earth to witness we have done all we can but still they are not pleased If we pipe unto them they will not dance and if we mourn unto them they will not weep We must leave them till they be of a better mind As for us and our Churches we will strive to worship God with our Spirits and with our Bodies also We will pray with the Spirit and we will pray with a Form also we will sing with the lifting up of the Spirit and we will sing with the lifting up of our voices also Eph. 5.19 Speaking to our selves in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord. We desire to be filled with the knowledg of his Will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding Col. 1.9 that we might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitful in every good work and encreasing in the knowledg of God That our hearts might be comforted Col. 2.2 3. being knit together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgment of the Mystery of God and of the Father and of Christ in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledg The last Reason for spiritual Service Prayer and other duties are Relativi Juris which I shall conclude withal to Reas V rivet all the rest is this Prayer Praise Hearing Fasting Meditating Alms are no Ceremonies but are clothed with them as Offices But yet even these Holy Duties are but Relativi Juris much more are their Rites that is Duties not to conclude upon but to use for a farther end But Self-denial Crucifying the Flesh Putting on the New Man Cutting of the Right Arm Plucking out the Right Eye Sincerity Love Dying to Sin Rising to Righteousness these are done for themselves and have no other end So that when we are come thus far we have no farther to go in the way of Holiness I mean These Duties have their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Aristotle speaks of Sapience they have their end in themselves And other Duties together with their Rites attending them are Means Spiritual for the Spiritual Ends of Sanctification to the Heavenly Ends of Eternal Glory Amen The End of the First Volume The NATURE of the Two Testaments OR The DISPOSITION of the WILL and ESTATE Of God to Mankind For HOLINESS and HAPPINESS By JESUS CHRIST Concerning things to be done by Men AND Concerning things to be had of God Contained in his two great Testaments The LAW and the GOSPEL Demonstrating the high Spirit and State of the GOSPEL above the LAW The Second Volume Of the ESTATE of GOD Concerning things to be had of God By ROBERT DIXON D. D. Prebendary of Rochester LONDON Printed by T. R. for the Author MDCLXXVI TO THE READER I Have travelled through the large Field of the Disposition of God's Will by way of Testament and Covenant in the Law and Gospel dispensed by the Mediation of Moses and Christ concerning his Laws and Commandments I am now coming to treat of the Disposition of the Estate and Inheritance of God by way of Testament and Covenant in the Law and the Gospel dispensed by the same Mediation of Moses and Christ concerning Blessedness and the Rights Titles and Tenures thereof This will be the ground of Future Enlargements upon Faith and Justification Liberty and Assurance of this Divine Estate thereby In which if as before I use many Jural Notions according to the State of Law I hope the Learned will not take offence I am sure the best learned in the Laws will not I may not of right be denied my liberty of expressing my self as well as others and if they like not my Notions I may be even with them and not like theirs But some body may like them and if the wiser sort do it sufficeth But let not the Newness prejudice the Trueness of my Rational Sentiments Discovery Here is no New Truth but a new way of Discovery of the Old Truth and it may be hereafter found to be a better way for peace and quietness than hitherto hath been used no disparagement to the improvements of our Learned Antecessors Enlargements there are in all Arts and Sciences in Ages far remote from the first which is no disrespect at all to the first Inventors and Founders of them It is pleaded by some that nothing can be said but what hath been said already I would gladly understand upon what sober and rational account such a saying can proceed from any wise considering man or who can say unto the Almighty with reverence to the unsearchable riches either of his Wisdom or Grace hitherto thou hast glorified thy self in giving wisdom and understanding unto the Sons of Men but farther thou canst not or wilt not go thy Treasures are exhausted or thou wilt not open them any further God's wisdom is inexhaustible and his Grace is not sparing to communicate it more and more It may be that some New Veins of Golden Oar are found out which ancient and learned Indagators could not come at and our new men being too confident that all was done to their hand and lazy withal never looked after And this is the cause why so many excellent men have raised the Line of Evangelical knowledg among us so little above what was delivered unto us by our first Reformers Such are become guilty of doing little else with that talent of Gospel-light which God gave them at first as a stock to set up and trade withal for him but only to put it in a Napkin not adding a hair's breadth to their Stature in the knowledg of Christ Hereby falling into that ignoble Principle to believe as the Church believes and take all upon Trust Is there any greater Slavery than that of the Mind Slavery to be imposed upon to believe and do all that is magisterially dictated Must I have no Judgment nor Will left for my self but another perhaps more ignorant and wicked must understand and choose for me
drowning himself under the water a sign of dying unto sin being buried with Christ and rising again out of the water a sign of rising with Christ unto newness of Life So that if thy Faith oblige thee to the duty of a Son it will oblige God to the Blessings of a Father and he will not only by Nature and Grace adopt thee to be his Son but by Covenant and Pact institute thee to be his Heir and if thy faith oblige thee not to the duty of a Son it will disoblige God from the Blessings of a Father and he may disinherit thee having broken the Covenant for thy treachery and rebellion The Faithful have a promise I will be to thee a Father 2 Cor. 6.18 and thou shalt be to me a Son So they believing and accepting God for their Father he accounts their Faith to them for their right to be his Sons and gives them the Spirit of his Son to cry Abba Father imputing a present right to a future inheritance of Sons and Heirs and Joynt-heirs with Christ Ro. 8.17 Gal. 3.29 Gal. 4.7 Hebr. 1.14 Heb. 6.17 James 1.5 Heirs of God according to the promise Heirs of God through Christ Heirs of salvation Heirs of promise Heirs of the Kingdom which God hath promised to those that love him Now an Heir is a Person justified to a future Estate so that to be justified by Faith and to be made an Heir of God are things either all one in effect or the later is but the property or consequent of the former as the Apostle saith That being justified by his Grace we should be made Heirs according to the hope of Eternal Life SECT III. The Faith we have hitherto described to be Faith in God or of God Faith in Christ Mar. 11.22 Acts 3.16 John 14.1 is also Faith in Christ or of Christ Have Faith in God or of God through Faith in his Name or of his Name i. e. Christ Ye believe in God believe also in me Ye have been taught to believe in God as the Creator and Conservator of the World Psal 78.7 so do ye also believe in me the Son of God the Author and preserver of the Church 29. Joh. 6.27 the Prince of Life whom God the Father hath sealed This is the work of God that we believe in him whom he hath sent 1. Faith in God is an high esteem of God's Existence Goodness and Greatness and an acceptation of his will and kindness So 2. Faith in Christ is an high esteem of Christ's Person the Son of God and the Son of Man the Mediator between God and Man and an acceptation of his promises Hebr. 9.15 For this cause he is the Mediator of the New Testament that they which are called might receive the promise of his eternal inheritance The Devils have an Estimatory Faith Thou art the Holy one of God Mar. 3.11 Mar. 1.20 22. A Preceptory Faith also to obey Christ as when he cast them out of the herd of Swine and at other times A Judicatory Faith Math. 8.29 that Christ is their Judg Art thou come to torment us before the time Luc. 8.28 But they have no Promissary Faith in God or in Christ Not that they want a will but they have no Promises but altogether threatnings and instead of being justified to a present right to a future Blessing they are condemned to a present right to a future curse which is everlasting fire Math. 25.14 prepared for the Devil and his angels Reserved in everlasting chains of darkness Jude 6. unto the judgment of the great day For to Mankind only are the promises made by God in Christ by the Will of God to be justified by Faith because Christ only took upon him our Nature and not the Nature of Angels Faith in the Patriarks was immediate in God Faith in the Jews was mediate by Moses Faith in Christians is mediate by Christ called therefore the Faith of Jesus Christ SECT IV. Christ the conveyer of Faith 1. Because Christ is the Conveyer of it through whom we believe in God For that our Faith may meet with God aright it must pass unto him the same way whereby his promises are conveyed unto us Now his promises are conveyed unto us 1. immediately and so our Faith passes immediatly unto God 2. mediately in Christ therefore our Faith must pass by Christ unto God Thus God did immediatly declare his promises to Noah for the saving of himself and others in the Ark. Gen. 6.18 Gen. 15.4 And to Abraham for a Son and Heir of his own Body Thus God did mediatly declare his promises to the Israelites by Moses for their deliverance out of Egypt Exod. 3.16 2 Sam. 7.4 Jer. 29.10 As also to David by Nathan for the everlasting establishment of his Kingdom to his Seed As to the Jews by Jeremiah for their return out of Captivity As to Zacharias by Gabriel That his Wife Elizabeth should have a Son Luc. 1.13 And as all God's promises in the Gospel are by Jesus Christ whose Ministery is most excellent therefore by him our Faith must pass unto God Hebr. 1.1 Heb. 8.6 Who in these last daies hath spoken unto us by his Son who is the Mediator of a better Covenant established upon better promises Therefore as God's promises arrive at us immediatly or mediatly so our Faith arriveth at God immediatly or mediatly Joh. 13.20 For Faith in God's Messenger is Faith in God who sent him He that receiveth whosoever I send receiveth me and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me i. e. believeth And on the contrary He that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me i. e. diffideth So God punished the Jews for not believing by the means of a Messenger with the Sword and Famine because they did not hearken to his words Jer. 29.18 which he spake unto them by his Servants the Prophets rising up early and sending them but they would not hear So Zacharias was stricken dumb for not believing the Angel Gabriel that came to him from God Such a mediate Faith had the Israelites who believed in Moses but their faith terminated in God Loe I come to thee in a thick cloud that the People may hear when I speak unto them Ex. 19.9 and believe thee for ever In the Original it is Believe in thee Christ said the Israelites trusted in Moses yet God was the ultimate end where their Faith rested and Moses the means through whom it passed Faith mediates in Christ Joh. 5.45 but terminates in God The trust we have to God-ward is through Christ 2 Cor. 3.4 Through him both Jews and Gentiles have an access by one Spirit unto the Father By Christ we do believe in God Eph. 2.18 1 Pet. 1.21 that our Faith and Hope in Christ might be Faith and Hope in God Christ saith He that believeth
matters of Fact to be evident to all that have their senses rightly disposed and exercised upon them and are really infallible as to sense We understand matters of Right to be open to all Understandings that are rightly disposed and exercised upon them and are really infallible as to Reason We understand matters of Positive Law concerning Rights grounded upon Nature's Law to be clear to all Judgments that are rightly disposed and exercised upon them and are jurally infallible as to Justice The Judg judges of these Rights or Wrongs according to the sense of the Law as it stands before him and according to the Scope Analogy and Proportion of the whole Law as it is apprehended and digested by him and this is adjudged to be Law by wise Respondents Thus he does Jus dicere declares what is right according to Law as well as he can which it may be is not right in it self but it must be taken for right till it appear to be wrong lest we should run in infinitum and never determine at all For Praetor Jus dicit etiamsi iniquum dixerit And if the Supreme Power confirms it there is no appeal but to God we must rest satisfied And this is all that can be done by Men when all is done And this Subjects must stand to as to their practise not as to their judgments altogether so long as they are not plainly and diametrically against Faith and a good Life concerning which the Scriptures give us the best account Now though Men may presume to judg of the mind of the Laws of Men because they make them themselves and so do know their own meanings Yet what Man or Society of Men dare presume to judg of the mind of the Laws of God who is his own Law-maker and so does know his own meaning But God will reveal his Mind and Will to those that humbly seek to him for it and so they shall judg for themselves according to the judgments which God hath given them in Nature and upon their right using of the same according to what he shall further illuminate them by Grace But who shall presume uncontrollably to judg for others by imposing his Sentiments upon them though they may in the mean time command his outward Man yet I cannot tell how they can command his inward Mind and Will for that it must be best at last to leave every Man to God and his own Conscience still keeping obedience and peace both in Church and State SECT IV. 1. So there is no Absolute Supreme Power and Law-maker but God Collections He is the Judg of all the Earth and so he doth whatsoever pleases him and the Judg of the World must needs do right 2. Thus God hath left us a Law written not only without us but within us which is the Word of God and that is it that we must judg our selves by and shall be judg'd of God by at the last day and in this Word by his Grace we will trust Unusquisque cui veritas est cordi qui salutis suae est avidus ex Scripturis tantum haurire potest quantum ad ipsum in vitae aeternae viâ dirigendum sufficit The Ball of contention if both sides give way may be tost up and down to and fro for ever and we never the wiser Disputes are endless but we have no such custom neither the Churches of God We will labour to understand as well as we can and do as well we can and use all the good helpes we can and pray for pardon in all our failings and judg no body but our selves and this we hope will be our safety and peace And this is all we can or will say for this is our judgment but God knows better And for ought I can learn from all the Controversies about this Point when all is done every one must judg for himself as well as he can and God for us all The CONTENTS Transition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heresy Sect. Separation Christian Society Corruptions Sectaries How Hereticks are to be dealt with Rules for Hereticks TITLE VI. Of Heresy Transition THIS Title to enrich this Volume I thought fit to add concerning Heresy so long and so lowdly cry'd out upon and cursed in the Church and Kingdom of Christ For which reason it will not be amiss to venture to say something in description of this ugly Monster like the Giants feign'd of old to disturb the World and boldly threaten to pull Jupiter out of his Throne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal. 5. The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Sect as it is for the most part rendred in our last English Translation and in that published Ann. 1570 as also in Tindals and Coverdals Translation and also in the Italian and French in the Text or Margin Heresy Heresy is vulgarly taken for an obstinate error repugnant to some fundamental Article of the Christian Faith But the word Heresy mentioned in the Scripture is never taken in that sense to signifie such an error in the Judgment which can never have a will or appetite to erre But since the time of the Apostles it is that this odious sense hath been imposed upon the word Heresy by means whereof that sense which the word constantly bears in Scripture is perverted and generally mistaken For wheresoever the word Sect is mentioned in our last English Translation Sect. there the word of the Holy Ghost in the Original is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e Heresy See Acts 3.17 and Acts 15.5 and Acts 24.5 and Acts 26.5 and Acts 28.22 And wheresoever the word Heresy is mentioned in the said Translation there the thing to be understood according to the true and right sense of the Scripture is Sect. See Acts 24.14 Wherefore after the way which they call Heresy it should be translated after the way which they call a Sect for the words are an answer of St. Paul to the Charge of Tertulius the Orator who had inform'd against him That he was a Ring-leader of the Sect of the Nazarens in the former part of that Chapter ver 5. and in both verses the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in both verses it is rendred Sect by the Italian and French Translations See 1 Cor. 11.19 Wherefore there must be also heresies amongst you it should be translated There must be also Sects amongst you And there in our last English Translation Sects is put in the Margin and that with good reason For the words are a reason why S. Paul did partly believe that there were Schisms or Divisions among the Corinthians namely because of the conditional necessity of such Divisions or Sects for the manifestation of them that are approv'd and this is yet farther manifest from their separations which they made in the Church where being assembled for the Communion every one took before his own Supper apart ver 21. which supping apart argued them Sectaries And