would abound more and more For yee know what commandements wee gaue you by the Lord Iesus For this is the will of God euen your sanctification that yee should abstaine from fornication The exhortation is very forcible and full of waight Hee presseth it by the authority of the Lord Iesus he mindeth them of it as one of those lessons he had deliuered formerly by word of mouth and they had receiued hee calls it a duty How yee ought to walke yea a duty to God How yee ought to walke and please God hee calls it a speciall commandement which hee gaue them by the Lord Iesus as which the Lord Iesus gaue him in charge to deliuer to them hee calls it the will of God he calls it their sanctification Now what is all this which the Apostle here aymeth at What but this That yee abstaine from fornication Whence I argue thus Proposition Abstinence from fornication is a part of keeping of the Morall Law Assumption But this abstinence from fornication is a duty acceptable to God is a doctrine to be taught by the Ministers of Christ to be receaued by the people of God is a commandement of the Lord Iesus it is the will of God it is our sanctification or a fruite and effect of it Conclusion Therefore the keeping of the Morall Law is commanded of God of Christ as a duty to all true beleeuers To what part of this Argument will the aduersary answere To the Proposition That hee dare not for the Law sayth Thou shalt not commit adultery To the Assumption That he cannot for that is the Apostles in the fore alledged place Therefore I will conclude with this conclusion That the keeping of the Morall law is commanded of God and of Christ as a duty to all true beleeuers When I vrged this argument or the * as rhis What soeuer is Gods will we should doe is our duty to doe But the doing of Gods Law is Gods will wee Should doe therefore it is our duety to doe Gods law so farre as we are able Now all this is plainely concluded by the Apostle This is the will of God euen your sanctification that ye should abstaine from fornication To abstaine froÌ„ fornication is a part of keeping the Moral Law and what is true of a part is true of the whole as Iam. 2.10 11. like in forme syelogisticall out of this very place of the Apostle to this our aduersarie occasionally face to face and had to satisfie his demande repeated it ouer twice or thrice hee could not giue a present answere but desired to haue it written downe But I expect not an answere because none can be giuen to this which is here written No can he not in all his budget finde an answere doth hee not as I heare hee was wont to doe at least carry his trunk-hose full farsed stuffed with Protestant Authors as Luther Zanchee Paraeus with sundry others of good note that with their graue authority and reuerend names he may the more easily impose vpon his credulous and ignorant Disciples who admire that most which they vnderstand least cannot he out of all these beate out an answere to these things For of these he braggs much in the conclusion of his letter But till hee can bring some I will content my selfe to bring his belweather Author euen Luther whose no lesse puissant then elegant and heauenly speech wherewith I will for this time conclude this short discourse shall run full butt vppon and push downe all that he hath sayd for his pretended counterfet false hereticall scandalous Anabaptisticall libertine fayth Luthers words are Admittimus quidem Mosen legendum audiendum a nobis vt predictorem testem Christi Deinde vt petamus ab eo exempla optimarum logum morum Cetaerùm dominium in conscientiam nullo modo concedimus ei ibi mortuus et sepultus esto nemoque sciat vbi sepulchrum eius sit we indeede admit of Moses to bee read heard of vs as a Prophet witnesse of Christ Againe that wee may fetch from him examples of good lawes and manners But dominion ouer the conscience to a man in the state of grace as Rom. 6.10 wee by no meanes yealde him there let him bee dead and buried and let no man know where his sepulchre is So Luther And in his argument vpon the Galatians Sum quidem peccator c. I am indeed a sinner according to this present life and the righteousnesse of it as the son of Adam where the Law accuseth me death raigneth and will deuoure mee but aboue this life I haue another righteousnesse another life which is the Sonne of God who knoweth not sin and death but is righteousnesse and life eternall for which also this dead body of mine shall be raysed vp againe and freed from the bondage of the Law and of sin and together with the spirit it shall bee sanctified So both these remaine while we liue here the flesh is accused exercised made sad and contrite with the actiue righteousnesse of the Law but the spirit raigneth reioyceth and is saued by passiue righteousnesse because it knoweth it hath the Lord sitting in heauen at the fathers right hand who hath abolished the Law Sin Death and hath tâ—ampled vnder feete all euill things hath led them captiue and tryumphed ouer them all So he Now God forbid that I should glory but in the crosse of our Lord Iesus Christ by whom the world is crucified vnto me Gal. 6.14 and I vnto the world For in Christ neyther Circumcision auayleth any thing nor vncircumcision but a new creature 15 And as many as walke according to this rule peace bee on them and mercy and vpon the Israel of God I thought here should haue bin an end But as the Prouerbe is 16 One absurdity begets a thousand as one of Lerna his 7 heads being cut off 3 grew in the place thereof Parua mâ—tu primo mox sese attollit in auras Ingred túrque solo et caput inter nubila condit Monstrum horrendum ingens c. Virgil. Aenead Such is the nature of heresie which of a small seede growes to be an hiddeous monster if it bee not strangled in the first conception Like Fame which for feare at first is small but finding entertainment with Dame Credulity and loquacity growes bold and big vpon it Or like a small leprous spot in the beginnig which quickly runneth ouer the whole body Or like a drop of sweet poyson which at first goes pleasantly downe but in a short time insinuateth it selfe to the infecting of the vitall spirits and ceasseth not till it hath wrought its mortall effect Or like a Gangreene or like a Canker as the Apostle compares it This Antinomian leprosie doth spread and get strength and boldnesse euery day euen vnto impudency madnes And the reason it finds so many disciples to imbrace it because cutting off sanctification denying
generally taught by the most sound learned and orthodox Diuines in England and so I may safely say in all the world then hee may well suspect a Pad in the straw and a serpent to lurke vnder the greene leaues and some thing more in it then at the first appeareth For touching the first position What one Protestant Diuine doth not hold and teach that sin is most detestable to God which his pure eyes cannot behold and that it makes a man odious in Gods sight Witnes the bitter and cursed death of the son of God himselfe which hee suffered for sin otherwise wee had all remained vnder the curse left to eternall perdition the iust punishment and reward of sin if it had not bin remoued by Christ So as herein the author hath no colour of accusation against his hoggs and doggs his aduersaries but this first Position serueth onely as an vsher to lead in the rest or as a harbinger to take vp the best rome in mens conceit for the rest of the traine by prepossessing the readers minde with an expectation of sutable doctrine in that which followeth Num 23.8 Wherein we shall finde that he playes but the cheater who showing one peece of good gold out of his purse would perswade his gull that his purse is full of such when all the rest is but counters or counterfet gold double guilt For the second position what Protestant Minister of the Church of England of what ranke soeuer bee he reckoned among his hoggs or among his doggs that holdeth not and teacheth not that the onely remedy to remooue mans misery by sin is Iesus Christ his death and passion his obedience actiue and passiue his whole righteousnesse freely imputed of God to euery true beleeuer What Protestant Diuine or other but holds iustification to be by fayth freely without workes And that those whom God iustifyeth hee so acquiteth them in abolishing their sin that hee remembreth it no more but casts it behinde his backe seeth it not any more in asmuch as he doth graciously for his sonnes sake not impute it to them So as what needes all that heaping vp of places of scripture as if none but the Author tooke notice of them or as if his doctrine were so vnknowne or doubted of as it needed such a cloud of proofes Yet some particulars in this position would bee a little talked with all As 1. where hee sayth That all sins in the beleeuers are vtterly abolished out of Gods sight by being not imputed This is most true Yet it puts mee in minde of that which I heard long agoe scattered abroad by this very Author that God seeth no sin in his children Which Aphorisme taken vp of the vulgar may breede in them that beleeue not presumptuous thoughts and resolutions voyd of the conscience of sin Therefore this poynt would be a little opened True it is God seeth no sin in his beleeuing children for which hee inflicteth the curse or any satisfactory penalty vpon them Thus when Balack would haue had Balaam to curse Gods people hee answered How shall I curse where God hath not cursed And v. 19. God is not as man that hee should lye or repent hath he sayd and shall hee not doe it Behold I haue receiued commandement to blesse and hee hath blessed and I cannot reuerse it And hee renders the reason He hath not beheld iniquity in Iacob neyther hath he seene preuersenesse in Israell the Lord his God is with him and the shout of a King is among them Surely there is no inchantment against Iacob nor diuination against Israell For Christ hath borne Israels sin in him hath God the Iudge fully punished it his iustice is fully satisfed for all Israels debts So that all being satisfied and discharged in our surety Christs righteousnesse and satisfaction made ours now God seeth not sin in his beleeuing children as a iudge to punish them yet he may be sayd to see as a father to chastise them Or when he chastiseth his childe hee seemeth to see his sin though done away in Christ and pardoned in Gods Court to the end his childe may come to see it and so haue the euidence of pardon sealed vnto him in the Court of his owne conscience And this is that which all sound Protestant Ministers teach and beleeue A second thing I note in his second position is if not an absurdity yet an obscure speech his words are All my sins both of my person and workes are truely abolished not out of me that there may be place for fayth Why Are sins abolished actually by imputation before fayth bee wrought that the abolishing of sin makes way to fayth True it is Christ hath taken away our sins and by death abolished death before we haue fayth to apply it for our fayth is from the merite and vertue of his death Otherwise I know not what sense to make of his words vnlesse hee meane that fayth alone takes place in the beleeuer working and doing all infallibly and freely as else where he expresseth himselfe without the Law of the ten Commandements 3 I note a falshood in it for he sayth All my workes are of vniust made iust before God What these works are I finde in other of his scatered pamphlets to wit all naturall ciuil religious sanctified actions which being in themselues as he sayth foule and filthy are made perfectly holy and righteous by free iustification Now this is a thing both imposible and were also vniust for God to doe it It is impossible for God to make a worke that is vniust to bee iust Indeed Antichrist arrogateth this omnipotent or rather impotent power as deriued from God to make ex iniustitia iustitiam righteousnesse of vnrighteousnesse but Gods omnipotency stretcheth not to make an vniust worke to be iust For then he might seeme to be both improuident and vniust in appointing his sonne to take away sin by the sacrifice of himselfe in case God could haue made of sin no sin by his meere omnipotency Indeede God can make a thing to cease to bee or hee can make a thing to bee which had not a being as hee did all the world but hee cannot so abolish a thing as to cause the former being of it not to haue bene a being after it hath once actually bene So of a wicked worke God is so powerfull so good so iust as that hee cannot make the wickednesse to bee good for that implies a contradiction but hee can and doth so abolish the wickednesse of our workes by Christ by not imputing of them as if it had neuer bin But to say our workes are of vniust made iust this as it is a phrase not vsed in scripture so in the Antinomians sense it tends to the bringing in of a heauenly state of perfection in this life For he would inferre herevpon that a man once in Christ iustified is altogether without sin in Gods sight abusing that place of Iohn 1 Ioh.
semqer all wayes in their due time and place Fiftly they deny that the Lords day the christians Sabbath hath any relation to the fourth Commandement of the Sabbath day as succeeding in the place of it And their reason is because say they the Lords day is not by any Diuine institution but humane onely and therefore not of the same force with the fourth Commandement This assertion reason is noe lesse vnresonable and peremptory then the former How The Lords day not of Diuine instiutiō but humane onely Ecclesiasticall they grant though Apostolicall they name not but in no case diuine that they expressely and stiffely deny First therefore wee will proue that the Lords daye is of diuine institution Secondly that it succeeds in the place of the Sabbath and so beitng of deuine instituiton hath the force of a Commandement First that it is of deuine institution thouigh wee haue no expresse Word of Christ yet we haue his Act worke for it Which is euer as good as his word We shewed before how Gods Act in his resting in blessing and sanctfying the Sabbath or seauenth day was his institution For to what end did he blesse and sanctifie it For himselfe what needed hee No surely for man for whom the Sabbath day was made to rest in as well as the sixt to labour in For the Sabbath was made for man saith the Lord of the Sabbath This institution was in Paradise It stands indeede Gen. 2.2 before the fall of Adam But if Adam fell the same day of his Creation being the sixt day as the best Diuines thinke then it is set by way of anticipation or Hysteron Proteron and so this seuenth day began next after the Fall when the son of God incarnate was cleerely promised in which respect the Sonne of man Christ was Lord of the sabbath day being the Institutor of it vnder whom Adam began his spirituall life in the obseruation or sanctification of the Sabbath And then I doubt not he began to Sacrifice as hee taught his sonnes afterwards as wee see Gen. 4. it being not vnprobable that those skins wherewith God cloathed Adams shamefull nakednes were of the Sacrifices which God taught him now vnder Christ to offer as a type of Christ cloathing vs with the robe of his righteousnes imputed to vs and merited for vs by the sacrifice of his death which sacrificing shall wee deny to bee of diuine institution because wee find it not there expressely commanded Otherwise it had beene will-worship and so abominable whereas God had respect to Abel and to his offering And that he respected not Cain it was on Cains parte for want of faith Heb 11 4 And why should not man then in the state of inocency haue a Sabbath to rest solemnly in and to be vacant for Gods worship as hee had a taske though not toylesome layed vpon him to dresse the garden and so much the more being now cast out hauing a hard and sore toyle imposed on him to till the ground whence hee must eate his bread with sowre or brackish sauce to wit the sweat of his face Other wise if hee had had no Sabbath to rest in his state had bene most miserable as attended with incessant toyle and trauell And when in most likelyhood did Cain and Abell bring their sacrifices Most likely on the Sabbath For the text sayth Mikets iamim in the end of the dayes which some referre to the end of the yeare Gene. 4.3 as Ex. 22.16 and why not also may it be ment of the end of the weeke dayes But I will not contend Thus Adam no doubt had the Sabbath not onely before his fall written in his heart but after his fall a speciall day euen the seauenth assigned him vnder Christ the Redeemer the Lord of the Sabbath And Gods owne act in resting from the worke of Creation and in blessing and sanctifying the Sabbath day for mans vse and comfort was warrant enough to make it of diuine institution without any other expresse Commandement The like wee say of the Lords day That which gaue it a stampe of diuine institution was the Lords owne Act in blessing and sanctifying this Lords day with his blessed and glorious Resurrection when now hee ceassed from the worke of Redemption a greater and more glorious worke then that of Creation now beginning also and consecrating the eternall Sabbath So that this very act of Christ was a sufficient consecration of this day as the Sabbath of our Redemption and therefore iustly styled by the Holy Ghost the Lords day because consecrated not onely to him but by him as the author of it Therefore also is he rightly intitled Lord of the Sabbath day of the Iewes as alone hauing a power to abrogate that and to initiate this day For in like manner the Sabbath is called Gods owne Holy-day Isay 58. and the Sabbath of the Lord our God Exod. 20. which hath relation to Christ the Redeemer Exod. 20.2 to shew that hee is the Lord and institutor of it So that it belonged to him alone to cancell the old and to consecrate a new Sabbath to Christians in memoriall of a better Creation and as the entrance iniatition to the eternall Sabbath Againe obserue how he honours this day For the very day of his Resurrection his Disciples being assembled hee presents himselfe personally vnto them comforting and confirming them with the sensible euidence of his Resurrection and breathing on them the gifts of the Holy Ghost And because they should take speciall notice further of this day iust eight dayes after when this day came about againe hee appeared to them the second time where they were assembled and standing in the midst of them as Lord of his Church salutes them with his peace and shewes them many signes for the fuller confirmation of his Resurrection And yet for the more abundant confirmation of the consecration of this day after his Ascention hee sends the Holy Ghost on this very day 50 dayes after his Resurrection whose powerfull presence was an euident sanctification of this day by his manifold giftes graces to his Church vnto the end of the world And it is specially to be noted that on those dayes wherein Christ appeared to his Disciples and the Holy Ghost descended they were all assembled solemnly together in a holy communion in prayer and other sacred duties So that Christs twice appearing vnto and the Holy Ghost descending visibly vpon his Disciples when they were assembled and all vpon this day was warrant sufficient for the Apostles and so for the succeeding Churches to continue the sanctification of this first day of the weeke by their holy assemblies and exercises as Prayer Preaching administring the Sacraments Almes c. They saw that this was the speciall day selected and sealed by Christ and the Holy Ghost For in the mouth of 2. or 3. witnesses shall euery word be established for publique sacred assemblies wherein they might
places where the bankes of the publike Ordinances together with the fruite thereof to wit priuate familie-duties are wanting an vniuersall deluge of all licentiousnes doe not ouerflow al whereas on the contrary where the Lords day is most duely and dutifully obserued and sanctified in a conscionable frequenting the holy assemblies in publick prayer hearing the word faythfully preached the Sacraments duely administred and the like there is not onely a beautifull face but a sound body of religion to bee seene Especially where a good Ministry and Magistracy are the ioynt pillars of the Corporation So as from the right sanctification of the Lords day doth spring all holynes and power of religion where by God is honoured the commonwealth it selfe is made glorious as being established and combined with the most firme bonds of pure religion the Crowne and security of Kings and Kingdomes I might hereunto adde many more motiues which though they bee necessary for these licentious times if as well the remedies could bee indured as the maladies cannot yet I forbeare at this time as not so sutable to this short discourse wherein I feare already I haue bene too tedious though occasioned if not rather inforced by the inportunate Antinomians the enemyes of all true piety But to shut vp all in a word let mee here giue the Reader one summary view of their absurd and impious Tenets Positions that the Antinomians and such like Libertines and sectaries hold with their vsuall euasions and distinctions THese Antinomians teach that God sees no sin in his iustified Children and though he know sin to be in them yet he sees it not thus making God like to a blinde man who seeth not those thinges which he knoweth And where wee obiect God sees sin in his iustified Children for hee reproues and corrects them for it they answere that particular congregations consist of a mixed multitude some belieuers some not and vpon the vnbelieuers onely are the corrections and reproofes and not on the other And when t is obiected God saw sin reproued and corrected it in Dauid a belieuer in Christ who sayth Psa 69.5 Thou knowest my foolishnesse and my sins are not hid from thee they answere with mayntaining that the iustification of the Saints before Christs death and since is not alike but because there is great difference in the manifestation to them before and vs now therefore there is a difference in their iustifying God did see sin thorough the righteousnesse of Christ imputed vnto Dauid but not through that which was imputed to Paul so they Obiect But Paul himselfe prooueth that the iustification of all the Saints both before and since Christs death is alike But this they will not allow of but still will haue euasions Ob. But he sees their Sinnes daily because dayly hee commands them to pray for pardon To this they answere that that Petition is to be sayed eyther onely for modestie or else for the further manifestation of their iustification Ob. But doth iustification abolish Sin cleane out of a belieuer No for then we should lye 1 Ioh. 1.8 10. Ob. But do you see sin in you and doth not God see it No God sees it not for hee lookes vpon vs onely in the righteousnesse of Christ in that greene glasse all he lookes on in it is greene And to this purpose they misapplie many speeches out of Luther on 〈◊〉 and others Ob. But we are indeede perfectly iustified but not perfectly sanctified in this life because the righteousnesse whereby we are iustified is Perfect inherent in Christ and onely imputed vnto vs but our sanctification is from Christ and inherent in vs not perfect in this life but still imperfect For that they answere first that the Scripture speaking of sanctification meaneth it in a large sense comprehending iustification vnder it and so they will not admit or very hardly of that distinction betwixt iustification and sanctification but iumble them together And secondly they say that a belieuer is as perfect here as euer hee shall bee hereafter but onely in regard of manifestation and to that purpose they alledge this text Because as he is so are wee in this world Ioh. 4.17 Ob. But the Scripture euery where excites vs to grow in sanctification and the more wee grow therein the more assurance wee haue of our iustification But this they deny for they will not haue our sanctification to prooue our iustification but that must bee manifest vnto vs onely by fayth Ob. But ought not a belieuer to walke in an holy course of life That word * One of theâ— writ in a lettâ— to an orthodoâ— Minister It is vayne babling when men are cast downe to rayse them by duties and flâ—daubing to buâ—â— men on doeings though duties dyed in the blood of Christ Then Paul was a babbler in deed aâ— the Athenians called him who thus raised by duties as Heb. 12.12.13.14 Then Peter was a daw who built by duties 2 Pet. 15 to 15 we accordingly teach duties but disclame merits as Christ teacheth vs Luc 17.10 he there commendeth duties but condemneth merits So wee ought they cannot brooke but they say that he cannot but walke in an holy life Ob. But what then is the rule of that holy life Answ The matter of the Law say they but not the Law as it is a Law for they are not vnder the Law but vnder grace and the Law is not giuen to a righteous man 1 Tim. 1.9 The Law of loue onely now setteth them a worke to walke in an holy life for they are free now not onely from the curse of the Law but also from it as it is a command or rule of life And therefore they say They must bee farre from any thought of displeasing God at all by any thing they faile in So as they must take heede of being cast downe for any failings Flat contrary both to the Apostles precept and to the Corinthians practise 1 Cor. 5.1 2.3.4.5 and 2 Cor. 7.9 10 11. Againe Neyther say they must we thinke of â—â—aâ—siâ—â— God at all in whole or in part by any thing at 〈…〉 set vp a calfe of our owne works to dance abou◠〈…〉 like is their Rhetoricke whereby they peâ—◠〈…〉 pose vpon their Simple Disciples who are like Reeds easily shaken with euery wind of nouell doctrines such as tend to carnall liberty to possesse the soule with spirituall pride But the Scriptures do not so teach vs Christ Read 1. Thes 4.1 Col. 1.10 1 Cor. 7.22 Heb. 12.5 oâ— ha◠〈◊〉 which our pleasing of God there commended by weldoing the fruite of a liuely fayth is not meant of pleasing by way of satisfaction for so Christ onely pleased God but of acceptation in and through Christ But if we shall once bee possessed with this conceit that neyther our Sins displease God noâ— our best sanctified actions do please him what shall 〈…〉 and false flesh to become eyther as senselesse stockes and stones or as sensuall beastes putting no difference not 〈◊〉 conscience of good and euill when I say wee 〈◊〉 perâ—â—aded that neyther our best actions please God 〈…〉 worst displease him This is right Stoicall doctrine to bee 〈◊〉 with nothing at all to repent of nothing and 〈…〉 â—â—â—â—rence betweene the â—â—â—ling of a cocâ—â— and of 〈…〉 â—â—ctrine which nature it selfe abhorr 〈…〉 â—o Oratâ—â—â— condemnes The second such lik◠〈…〉 that they hold And who 〈…〉 same they â—â—â—â—me and 〈…〉 thâ— dead fayth FINIS