death when men are so overwhelmed with miseries that they seem to be dead and buried whilest they are alive The Prophet fore-tells that they should be brought into such a condition for their sins and yet God should deliver them out of it when they repented which came to pass for they were delivered into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar and after delivered by the Edict of Cyrus But who can better expound the Prophet then the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. 54. who expounds it of the Resurrection So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this Mortalitie shall have put on immortalitie then shall the saying be brought to pass that is written death is swallowed up in victory And that very fitly for when we die death gets the victory over us when we rise again life gets then victory of death You bring a place out of the 27. of Isaiah v. 1. which if you will apply unto the Devil and his Angels is enough to break their hearts could they conceive any hope of your redemption In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan that crooked Serpent and he shall slay the Dragon in the Sea In that day when God shall do this shall be sung this song the Church is a Vineyard of red Wine I the Lord do keep it I will water it every moment lest any hurt it I will keep it night and day Fury is not in me that is though he correct it in his anger yet his fury shall not rest upon it though bryers and thorns should be set against him he would go through them and burn them up together By briers and thorns he means the Enemies of his Church whom he will destroy for ever in the day of Judgment But some interpret this place of the destruction of the Babylonians by the Persians and their deliverance by Cyrus which afterwards came to passe and then the Church had cause to sing that song Your last Argument overthrows your own cause Isa. 30. 33. Tophet is prepared of old for the King it is prepared it consists of fire and much wood the breath of the Lord like a stream of brimstone doth kindle it Tophet was a Temple in the valley of Hinnon wherein stood the abominable Idol of Saturn to whom the Israelites offered up their children and that they might not hear their mournful cries they sounded bells to drown their voices from whence it came to be called Tophet of Toph which signifies a bell By this vallie of slaughter the Prophets do many times set forth Hell and the torments thereof Again the Assyrians or the Babylonians were always cruel enemies to the Church of God they often invaded their Country burnt up their Cities slew their people and carried them away captive wherefore Satan and his Angels with his instruments are many times compared to the King of Babel his Souldiers and his people Now in this place the Prophet goes about to set forth the day of judgement when not onely the Babylonians but all the enemies of the Church shall be destroyed Satan and his Angels Tyrants Persecuters Hereticks c. and he begins it in this manner The Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard and shall shew the lighting down of his Arm with the indignation of his anger and with the flame of devouring fire with scattering and tempest and hailstones For through the voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be beaten down which smote with the rod with the rod of his mouth when he shall pronounce the last sentence against them But what shall become of them they shall be cast into Hell and all the people that forget God which hell is here called Tophet when was this made of old But it cannot hold them all Yes 't is deep and large There wants fewel no there is fire and much wood Though it be kindled yet it may go out no it is like a burning River of Brimstone the breath of the Lord continually kindling it and wherefore is all this to burn the Assyrian and his Babylonians This exposition is plain enough yet to do it more fully Transitus Virgae fundatus quem requiescere faciet Dominus super eum He shall make the rod of his anger to rest upon him That is upon Satan and his Angels and the wicked that shall be tormented in those flames they which worshipped the Beast and his image and receive his mark in their forehead or hand the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation and shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the Lamb and the smoke of their Torments ascendeth up for ever and ever and they have no rest day nor night Apo. 14. 11. what can be more strong against you to prove the eternity of the punishment of the damned You conclude these are all the fruits of hell to take away their sins and great fruits they are if true to Purge the Devils and the damned it far exceeds the fire of Purgatory for that onely purgeth some as the Papists vainly teach of their venial sins and the temporal punishment of their mortal but this purgeth all Cain Esau Judas Julian the Devil and damned but let me tell you you were not best to trust to it but make your peace with God if it may be before you come there for if you come to be shut up in that Dungeon or as in the 20. Revel. 10. when you shall be cast into the Lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false Prophet are and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever eternity in your own sense there will be no hope of deliverence When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord 2. Thes. 1. 7 8 9. What can be more plain to all except to such as have their understanding darkned by the ignorance that is in them and their minds alienated from the life of God because of the blindnesse of their hearts and because they will not receive the love of the truth that they may be saved but provoke God to send them strong delusion that they should beleeve a lye and be damned But you wickedly and vainly boast that you fight against the enemies of the truth when it appears plainly that you fight against the friends of the truth nay against the truth it self and that you are not a brother of Christ as you in the pride of your heart call your self but a brother of Anti-Christ whom Christ will destroy with the breath of his mouth I am come to examine the 5. Chap. which is of Christs ascension and his coming to Judgement
signes of his comming 1. The preaching of the Gospel through the whole World Mat. 24. 13. 2. The revealing of Antichrist 2. Thes. 2. 3. 3. A general departing of men from the faith 2. Thes. 2. 3 4. Corruption of manners Men shall be lovers of themselves Covetous boasters proud Blasphemers c. 2. Tim. 3. 2. 5. Great calamities Mat. 24. 6. 6. Deadness of heart Luke 21. 26. 7. The calling of the Jews Rom. 11. 25 26. 8. The sign of the Son of Man Mat. 24. 30. The manner of his comming with power and great glory Mat. 24. 30. with all his holy Angels Mat. 25. 31. With the voice of the Arch-angel and the Trumpet 1. Thes. 4. 16. Mat. 25. 31. He shews what he shall do He shall separate the Sheep from the Goats c. He shall say come yee blessed go ye cursed c. Then the consequent The Sheep shall go into everlasting life and the Goates into everlasting Torment Besides he commanded his Disciples to preach this doctrine Acts 10. 40 41 42. Now what can be set down more plain more punctually so that we may say boldly with the Apostles Now speakest thou plainly and speakest no Parable Iohn 16. 29. Let not therefore the scoffing Athiest say Where is the promise of his comming for since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation Nor let any Apostata ask in derision what his Throne is made of or seek to know the particular time of his comming For our God shall come and will not keep silence devouring fire shall go before his face and a mighty tempest shall be stirred up round about him Then shall be execute judgement apon all and to convince all that are ungodly among them of their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him Jude 15. Psal. 50. The next thing observable that I meet with is your quoting that in the 3. of the Colossians Verse 1. If you be risen with Christ seek the things which are above c. Of which words the sense may be first considered and then what force the consequence may be to the purpose The things above are primarily the joyes of Heaven 1 Cor. 2. 9. secondarily the gifts and graces of Gods spirit as faith love sanctitie according to that of Iames 1. 17. every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and commeth down from the father of lights c. which gifts do far exceed the things below and are the way to bring us to the Kingdome of Heaven Non est via ad Regnum sine primitiis Regni The Apostle gives several reasons to move us thus to seek The first is because we are risen with Christ sacramentally in Baptisme Col. 2. 13. being buried with him in Baptism wherein also you are risen with him and really by the inward working of the spirit of God which had raised them up from the death of sin to the life of righteousness Titus 3. 5. Secondly because Christ sits at the right hand of God And therefore where our treasure is there should our hearts be also Mat. 6. 21. Thirdly because Christ should come to judgement When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall we also appear with him in glory Col. 3. 4. by life here is understood eternal life 1. Iohn 5. 11. also according to that in Heb. 5. 9. he is called our life because he is the Author of our everlasting life Fourthly because he bestows this life Luke 12. 32. But when may it be asked doth he bestow all this At his appearance Christ appears three wayes First corporally God was manifest in the flesh 1. Tim. 3. 16. Secondly spiritually when he makes himself manifest to the eyes of our souls by the preaching of his word Gal. 3. 1. Lastly when he manifesteth himself in glory and commeth to judge the World Phil. 3. 20 21. Let our conversation be in Heaven from whence also we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body according to the mighty working whereby he is able even to subdue all things to himself In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Iesus Christ Rom. 2. 16. Not that we shall have other bodies but the same Iob sayes in my flesh shall I see God I shall see him for my self and mine eyes shall behold and not another Iob 19. 26 27. But they shall have new qualities 1. Cor. 15. 52 53 54. And now how doth that text of Col. 3. 1. serve for your purpose The truth is you could not have brought any place that did more strongly confute your Heresie It seems plainly you do not understand the Scriptures I shall adde something before I proceed concerning the Allegories which indeed are not Allegories but fancies by which you overthrow as much as in you lies the true sense and meaning of the Scriptures the Articles of sound faith and the foundation of true Religion You say The Scriptures are an Allegorie and to prove it you quote Gal. 3. 24. meaning the 4. 24. Which words are These things are an Allegory that is Abraham having two sons one by a bond maid the other by a free-woman it pleased God to signifie by these two the two Covenants Now these being an Allegorie doth it prove that all the Scriptures are an Allegorie What is the History of the creation of the World The History of the Kings The History of the Acts of the Apostles And of our Redemption by Christ If you make such Allegories you will leave nothing sound in the Word of God The Holy Ghost doth not set down the principles of our Religion such as are Christs ascension and his comming to judgement Allegorically but plainly so that he that runs may read them and he that reads may understand them And I doubt not but that it will appear to all that are not wilfully blind that your Book is not truth triumphing against the enemies and aspersers thereof but falshood aspersing truth and the defenders of it which by Gods assistance I have wiped away and howsoever truth may for a time be clouded yet it will break through the thick mists of errour and Heresie for The truth is great and will prevail The end of the first two disputations CHAP. VII In this Chapter you go about to overthrow the Resurrection of the body Although you say I do grant the Resurrection of the body and do not denie it though you say I do And again you say there were some then as well as now that think the Apostle meant carnally the rising again of the same body of flesh and bones Also you say speaking of the Resurrection of the dead Page 34. line 21. this Resurrection is to be within you and you are to know it while you
because there were an inward judgement therefore there should not be an outward a secret judgement therefore not an open Doth not Saint Paul teach the contrary Rom. 2. 5. Thou after thy hardnesse and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath and Revelation of the righteous judgement of God c. Again because wicked men have here inward darknesse therefore you conclude they shall not be cast into outward darknesse Christ himself teacheth otherwise Math. 8. 12. The children of the kingdom shall be cast into outward darknesse there shall be weeping and Gnashing of teeth and so likewise in Mat. 22. 23. and 25 30 or if by judgement you mean regeneration as it seems you do that is not a judgement but a great mercy that God should take men out of the power of darknesse and translate them into the kingdome of his dear Son And this judgement as you call it is not general but an especial grace belonging unto the Church of Christ as appears Ephe. 1 3 4 Cap. 2. 1 2 3 4. Cap. 5. 25 26. 1 Pet. 2. 9 10. Col. 1. 12 13. yea from this we may take a medium to prove the general day of judgement because the tares must be separated from the wheat the sheep from the goats which man cannot do who knows not the heart but God that searcheth the heart and trieth the reines and he shall do it openly at the general day of Judgement as our Saviour Math. 25. 31 32 34 c. but because you denie this article of our faith I shall confirm it out of the Scriptures and first I shall begin with Enoch cited by Iude Verses 14 15. Whole Sermons of our Saviour Mat. 24. 31. to the end of that Chapter and Mat. 25. Acts 17. 31. 1 Thes. 4. 16. Heb. 9. 27. Rev. 1. 7. Rev. 20. 11 12 13 14 15. with many more which I shall desire the unsatisfied Reader if any such there can be to read them in the Bible and save the labour of Repetition and in the reading them he shall not only finde the truth and ground of this general judgement but the very circumstances of as it 1. The Person that shall judge Iesus Christ 2. The time the latter end of the world 3. The place the clouds 4. The manner of his comming to judgement with majestie and great glory and all his holy Angels 5. The persons that shall be judged the quick and the dead 6. The judges action He shall separate 7. His sentence Come ye blessed go ye cursed 8. The execution These shall go into everlasting life those into everlasting torment And now what can be more evident so that you your self that have wickedly contradicted it cannot but confess it unless you are given up to believe your own delusions and on the contrary to denie a truth as apparent as the light of the Sun at Noon-day in the Scriptures and that without any figure You object Heb. 9. 27. it is appointed for all men once to die but after this the judgement and say this death is a dying into sin and trespasses First for the place of Scripture what can be more plain and forcible against you It is decreed where Gen. 2. 17. In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die and so it was for from that time he and all his posteritie were subject unto death and as death is decreed so is also judgement God hath appointed a time in which he will judge the world Acts 17. 31. and this is not before death as you would have it but after death The words are after death comes the judgement but you say this is meant of a spiritual death a silly shift did God appoint that any man should die the death of sin no he appointed him to die a death for sin and transgressions Secondly its manifest the Apostle spake here of a corporal death he answers an objection to wit if Christ be the Messias how comes it to pass that he died His answer is it was appointed for all men to die and therefore for him now I hope you will not be so graceless as to say that Christ ever died the death of sin and therefore it must be understood a death of the body which he voluntarily suffered that he might destroy him that had power of death which was the Divel Heb. 2. 14. Your second objection is taken out of Iohn 5. 22. The father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgement to the Son That is the father judgeth the world in and by the Son and he doth it not with partialitie as do corrupt judges but with righteous judgement for we are sure that the judgement of God is according to truth Rom. 2. 2. and verse the sixth who will render to every man according to his deeds to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory c. Eternal life but to them that are contentious and do not obey the truth indignation and wrath c. and when at the day of the Revelation of the righteous judgement of God Third objection 1 Pet. 4. 17. For the time is come that judgement shall begin at the house of God to whom I answer if it shall begin with us what shall become of those that abide not in the Gospel The same Apostle doth resolve it 2 Pet. 2. 9. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the righteous out of temptations and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished Fourth objection out of Mal. 3. 3. He shall sit as a Refiâ—er and Purifier of silver and he shall purifie the Sons of Levi c. which words are spoken of Christs first comming in the flesh as appears by that spoken before in the first Verse behold I will send my messenger before which is applied unto Iohn the Baptist Mat. 11. 10. Behold I send my messenger before thy face which shall prepaâ—e thy way before thee But what shall become of those that will not be purified that will not abide the day of his comming surely you shall finde another day for them in Mal. 4. 1. Behold the day commeth that shall burn as an Oven and all the proud yea and all that do wickedly shall be stubble c. Fifth objection out of 2 Pet. 3. 8. one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day for answer to which that I may conclude I will only adde the foregoing words of Peter on which these have dependence and in which the objector is concerned Knowing this saith the Apostle Verse the third there shall come in the last dayes Scoffers walking after their own lusts and saying where is the promise of his comming For since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the creation for this they are willingly ignorant of c. Verse 9. but the Lord is not slack I need not adde more to prove the
torment me not before the time You say that God hath been with you to make sweet and pleasant your sufferings and Imprisonment to you It is a fearful judgement when God gives up men so far to believe their own lies that their own Poyson becomes pleasant and delectable unto them and that he doth this we find 2. Thes. 2. 10 11 12. Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie That they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness You boast of the sufferings as for the truth when they are for your abominable Blasphemie and bearing witness to lies for denying Christ Assention Session and the general day of judgement in that sense which the Scriptures deliver them unto us we know there are Pseudomartyrs as well as true Martyrs and as God comforts and supports the one so the Divel deludes and deceives the other for it is manifest to all sober Christians that read your Book you suffer not as a Martyr but as a Malefactor for rotten and detestable Heresies You complain some have revil'd you as a Blasphemer you should have said rebuk'd you What they have done I know not but I am sure it is their duty to warn their sheep to beware of the Wolf our Saviour himself hath done it Beware of false Prophets that come unto you in Sheeps cloathing but inwardly they are ravening Wolves Mat. 7. 15. and if they neglect to do it and the Sheep perish they shall answer for their blood Eze. 3. 20. But if they do it and the Sheep be slain the Shepherds shall deliver their own Souls Ez. 33. 9. And certainly a more dangerous Wolf or Heretick was not in the Church from the dayes of the Apostles until this time What do I speak of one if Pythagoras's transmigration of souls could captivate my belief I should not judge unreasonably should I judge that the souls almost of all the former Hereticks were transported into you for not any one of them maintained so many damnable opinions God give you a sight of your sin and grace to repent that if it be possible the sin of your heart may be forgiven you As for your Book it is a Labyrinth of errours and you your self a blind guid that run headlong into the pit of perdition and draw others after you For the Aspersions which you and your deceived followers cast upon us the Ministers we regard them not It is an honour to be evil spoken of by such companions especially for the truth and for righteousness-sake But we shall leave our cause to God and pray with the Psalmist Psal. 35. 1. plead thou our cause O Lord with them that fight against us and Psal. 27. 12. Deliver us not over unto the will of our enemies for false witnesses are risen up against us and such as speak wrong Before I enter upon this disputation it will be requisite to say somewhat of Blasphemie because it is much spoken of in the ensuing discourse To Blaspheme God is to detract from his sacred majestie to offer injurie to his holy name and dishonourable and reproachful speeches the sin of Pharaoh Exod. 5. 2. the sin of Rabshaketh 2. Kin. 18. the sin of the Israelitish womans son Lev. 24. 10. The punishment of this sin was death when it was manifest and notorious Lev. 24. 16. Dan. 3. 29. This sin is committed three wayes First when that is ascribed unto God which is repugnant to his nature as if any say he is corrupt or subject unto evil affections Secondly when that is taken from him which is proper unto him as when any shall say God is not merciful good just c. Thirdly when that is attributed to the creature which is proper to the Creator as when any shall say the Angels made the world or that a meer man can forgive sins Or if any shall assume to himself the name of the Messias as did the false Prophets c. moreover I may adde that Heresie is Blasphemie and that Hereticks are Blasphemers First because they manifestly oppose the truth and so God who is prima veritas upon which account St. Paul condemns Hymineus and Alexander 1. Tim. 1. 20. Secondly because they make God the Author of their lies by wresting his word to confirm their errours which is the property of Satan the patron of lies Thirdly because they set Gods stamp upon their counterfeit mettal telling the people it is Gods gold when it is no other then Satans dross of most of which this Heretick is guiltie as will appear by the ensuing discourse these things premised I proceed Christ who knew no sin you say took part of mans flesh and blood which was sinful Again you say Christ took upon him the sinful nature of all that sinned By Christ it seems you mean the Deity And by sinful nature you mean his Humanitie for what else can be your sense Which Proposition is both false and Blasphemous for the Holy Ghost in the conception sanctifi'd the Masse whereof Christ was made and separated it from sin Luke 1. 35. The Angel said the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the most High shall over-shadow thee therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God The holy thing which shall be born of thee implies he was holy before he was born And this was done upon special cause First that it might be joyned to the Person of the Son which could not have been if it had been defiled with sin Secondly Christ was a Saviour as he was both God and man If he had been sinful himself he could not have saved others but should have stood in need of a Saviour himself therefore the humane nature of Christ was not polluted with Original sin but was sanctified And this sanctification hath two parts First the stoppage to the propagation of Original Corruption and the guilt of Adams Sin which was on this manner God in the beginning set down this order concerning man that what evil or defect he brought upon himself he should derive the same to every one of his Posteritie begotten of him and accordingly when any father begets his Child he is in the place of Adam and conveys into it beside the nature of man the very guilt and corruption of nature now for preventing this evil in Christ God provided in great wisdome that he should be conceived by the Holy Ghost without any generation by man and by this means he took the substance of the Virgin Mary and not the guilt and corruption of the substance Secondly as your proposition is false so it is blasphemous for you charge Christ with Original sin for as the soul and body make but one man So the divine and humane nature make but one Christ not the divine nature alone as you erroneously suppose
live in this body and in page 35. Thus you say and unsay and indeed say you know not what your intention is so neer as I can gather to deny the Resurrection of the body out of the grave and to allow only of a Resurrection from the death of sin as may appear in your answer to the 7. Article at the end of your Book and to maintain or rather insinuate this you most wickedly abuse the Scriptures confound the sense of them and pervert the meaning of the Holy Ghost First therefore I will prove the veritie of the Resurrection of the body and then answer your absurd contradictions and cavils First I will prove the Resurrection of the body by the Resurrection of Christs body who is our head and then by the Resurrection of our own who are his members Christs Resurrection is confirmed by the Testimony of the four Evangelists Mat. 28. 7 9 10 12 14. Mark 16. 6 14. Luke 24. 6 7. Iohn 20. 9. And in 1. Cor. 15. 4 5 6. first he was seen of Cephas then of the twelve afterwards of 500 of the brethren at once The testimony of Angels Mat. 28. 6. nay of his enemies Verse 11 12 13. some of the watch came into the citie c. this now is so plain that it cannot be denied and I think you will not be so desperately-wicked as to say that this must be understood spiritually of a Resurrection from sin for Christ was never dead in sin but purified in the womb if you should your Master would confute you We know who thou art even the Holy one of Israel If Christ be risen how say some among you that there is no Resurrection 1 Cor. 15. 12 13. If there be no Resurrection then is not Christ risen but Christ is risen therefore there is a Resurrection for Christ is a publick person in the place of all mankinde he rose not for himself but for us all And therefore the Apostle uses that expression as in Adam we all died so in Christ we shall all be made alive Again Christ is compared to the first-fruits which comparison is very significant the first-fruits were a sheaf of the first of the Harvest Levit. 23. 10 11. which was raised and lifted up before the Lord and then not only that was holy but the whole Crop Christ likewise was the first and best of the Crop he was first lifted up and then not only he but we all become living Sheafs Again the same Corn that is sown though it be corrupted in the ground springs up again so the same body that is sown shall arise the qualities thereof being changed as the Apostle says it is sown in corruption it is raised in incorruption it is sown in weakness it is raised in power it is sown a natural body it is raised again a spiritual body not a spirit but a spiritual body a body endowed with spiritual qualities and they are first charitie secondly impassibilitie thirdly agilitie The just shall shine as the Sun Mat. 13. 43. 1 Cor. 15. 43 44. Rev. 7. 17. Or if Christ be not risen then are we still in our sins but we are not still in our sins therefore Christ is risen This argument will clear the matter if we observe the force of it The Humanitie of Christ is united unto the God-head from whence it received spiritual life now we are united unto Christ by the spirit which createth faith in us We I say not our bodies only but our souls also And by vertue of this union our souls and bodies do rise again our souls from the death of sin and our bodies from the death in the grave If the spirit of him that raised up Iesus from the dead dwell in you he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies Rom. 8. 11. Lastly the Resurrection of the body may be proved by that place in Iob Chap. 19. 25 26 27. which is a plain prophesie of the Resurrection of the body observe the words I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth and though after my skin Worms destroy this Body yet in my flesh shall I see God Whom I shall see for my self and mine eyes shall behold him and not another though my reines be consumed within me Job was then in the condition of a dying man his skin cleaved to his bones he was a meer skeleton and all wordly comfort failed him and therefore he comforts himself with this meditation of the Resurrection I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand upon the earth at the last day The word is not {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} shall stand but {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} shall rise again upon the earth though he was not upon the earth by the malice of his enemies yet he should rise up again and stand and when should this be in the latter day 2. He argues from our Redeemer to himself because he shall rise again I shall rise again what is done in the head shall also be done in the members 3. He saith I shall see in my flesh with these eyes and not with anothers Lastly for himself for his benefit notwithstanding his â—eins were consumed though he were in that deplorable condition And what can be more plain to prove the Resurrection of the body so that if your eyes be not blinded that you cannot see you must of necessity confesse it You say here is a Mystery there is no Mystery except one of your own making and that is such a confused one as neither your self nor any man else knows what to make of it You say that the Redeemer was in Iob though he knew â—t not How could that be doth not his confession of his Redeemer of the Resurrection nay of his own Redeemer prove the contrary could any man make such an excellent confession of a thing and in such a manner as Iob doth and not know it can such fruits arise from ignorance Doth not Iob say plainly I know that my Redeemer lives You say that Iob was then in darknesse I say so too if you understand it of his civil estate for the Sun of his prosperity was set and therefore he comforts himself with a spiritual estate with the Resurrection a usual thing with the holy Prophets Isa. 26. 19. Thy dead men shall live together with my dead body shall they arise awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust for they dew is as the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead See Eze. 37. from the beginning to the ending where God signifies the deliverance of Israel out of captivity by the Resurrection of the dry bones To this purpose hath the Apostle Paul expressed himself in 2 Cor. 1. 8 9. For we would not brethren have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia that we were pressed
out of measure above strength in so much that we despaired even of life But we had the sentence of death in our selves that we should not trust in our selves but in God which raiseth the Dead But you say Iob was then in darknesse uttering words without knowledge for which he was reproved first by Elihu Secondly by the Lord and thirdly he confest it 1. Oh horrible that you should have the impudence to say or infer that Elihu reproved Iob for that most excellent Confession when it is plain as the Sun that he reprehended him for saying I am clean and there is no unrighteousnesse in me c. Iob 33. 9. doth not Elihu restrain his words to the same expression Behold in this thou art not just verse 12. 2. You affirm that God reproved him for it By which it seems you know not what you say or care not what you affirm for that which God reproved him for was for standing too much upon his own innocency And though Iob was not thus afflicted for his sin but for a Triall as appears Chap. 1. and Chap 2. yet was there matter enough in him that deserved it if God should have entred into judgement with him 3. You say that Iob confest it Doth he confesse that he had erred in that confession of his concerning the resurrection or that he had maintained a false cause no God himself determines the contrary Chap. 42. 7. My servant Iob hath spoken the thing that is right and you have not and therefore they were appointed to go to Iob that he might pray for them The cause that Iobs friends maintained was that God did handle men in this world according to their deserts and therefore Iob was a wicked and cursed creature because thus afflicted and tormented Iob maintained the contrary that God did not alwayes handle men according to their deserts in this world for many times the wicked have prosperitie and Gods children adversitie Iob 21. 8. Now though the foundation of Iobs cause were good yet in the prosecuting of it he committed many errours through the infirmities of the flesh for which God reproved him but on the contrary the foundation of his adversaries cause was evil 'T is therefore a false and an impudent assertion to say as you do that Iob never spoke the thing that was right of the Lord until he said now do mine eyes see thee c. Job 42. 5 6. The reason that moves you to deny or at least to underminde and overthrow the Resurrection of the bodie is because there is a Resurrection of the soul and you may aswel denie there is no death of the body because there is a death of the soul in sin as Satan slays both so Christ doth raise up both in his members If the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead be in you he that raised up Jesus shall also quicken your mortal bodies c. Rom. 8. 11. but this hath been sufficiently proved already I shall only adde our Saviours argument to the Sadduces Mat. 22. 23 24. unto Verse 32. God is not the God of the dead but of the living for all live unto him that is they are alive in his account because he hath decreed to raise them again I shall turn your proof out of the 11. Iohn Vers the 21 22 23 24 25. upon your self Christ comes to Bethany where Lazarus lived who was now dead Martha goes forth to meet him saying Lord if thou hadst been here my brother had not died Christ answered thy brother shall rise again and this is spoken of the Resurrection of the body for his soul was then in the hands of God Martha replies I know that he shall rise again in the Resurrection at the last day So 't is plain that the Resurrection was no strange and new doctrine then though it be now so to you Martha knew it and believed it as did Iob also Iob 19. Christ taught it saying I am the Resurrection and the life Iohn 10. 25. that is the cause of the Resurrection of the body and the life of the soul not a bare signe to signifie as you falsely and foolishly affirmed but an effectual cause 1 Cor. 15. 20 21 22. also he teaches it Iohn 2. 19 20 21. where he saith unto the Jews destroy this temple and in three dayes I will raise it up again which he spake of the temple of his body mark Christ can any thing be more plain which he performed accordingly Mat. 28. Mark 16. Luke 24. now Christ was a publick person what he did he did not for himself but for us also so that if we believe that Jesus is dead and is risen even so them that sleep in Jesus will God bring with him CHAP. VIII In this Chapter the doctrine of the Trinity is principally treated of I will therefore first set down the truth that we may the better discern the falshood The Doctrine of the Trinity God is a most simple infinite eternal immutable and omnipotent spirit One in essence three in Persons Father Son and the Holy Ghost A spirit Iohn 4. 24. simple Col. 1. 15. 1. Tim. 1. 17. the image of the invisible God whom no man hath seen nor can see Eternal Exo. 3. 14 15. Immutable Mal. 3. 6. Omnipotent Gen. 17. 1. Rev. 19. 6. I name but some of his Attributes because I am to speak principally of the Trinity God is one in essence three in Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost One in essence Deut. 6. 4. 1 Cor. 8. 6. Three in Person Father Son and the spirit 1 Iohn 5. 7. an example we finde of this in the Baptisme of Christ The Father speaks from Heaven the Son stands in the Water and the Holy Ghost descends in the likeness of a Dove As in the Sun there is the body of the Sun the beams issuing from the body and the light and yet there is not 3. Suns but one Sun so is there the Father the Word and the Spirit three distinct Persons in the Deity and yet not three but one God These three you call three Manifestations Which are three Persons three Hypostases three Subsistances in one essence as in a Rivulet there is the fountain or Well-head in the Earth the spring boyling out of it and the stream which is made of them both and dilateth or sheadeth it self far from thence which three are distinct subsistances and yet but one Water You tell us of Christs being within us c. We know it But not corporally for so he is in Heaven but spiritually or by his spirit 1 Cor. 6. 19. know you not that your body is the Temple of the holy Ghost which is in you c. this spirit unites us to Christ by working faith in us whereby we are united to him according to that in Ephes. 3. 17. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith and Christ is said to dwell in us by
they were not at the Tabernacle yet they were of those that were written by Moses and presented unto the Lord and therefore the Lord put his spirit upon them Verse 26. Now I pray what Moses hath written your name and presented it unto the Lord Besides we must not gather general Rules from extraordinary examples Because Deborah and Huldah prophesied therefore shall any infer that Women ougth to teach in the Church Doth not the Apostle teach the contrary 1 Cor. 14. 34. 1 Tim. 2. 12 CHAP. 18. The subject of this Chapter is Original sin You speake much in the commendation of young children which were commendable in you were it not done for by-ends you set them forth in their most beautiful Characters but Latet anguis in Herba you would shroud an old Pelagian Heresy under them You magnifie their condition as being free from actual sin but your purpose in it is to denie Originall Sin You say They are not born in sin First therefore I will shew what Original sin is and that it is in all men by Nature and then answer your Cavills For the better understanding of it we must know there were in Adam before his fall three things 1. The substance of his body and soul 2. The faculties and 3. The qualities of them that is to say the image of God consisting in a conformity of all his wiâ—l and affections and powers to Gods will Now when Adam sinned he did not lose the substance or faculties of his soul and body but the conformity of his will and Affections and powers to Gods will and consequently in stead of that comes want of Original righteousnesse and a pronesse to sin and wickednesse Now that this is in all mankinde by nature appears in Psa. 51 5. behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me Eph. 2. 3. We are all by nature the children of wrath Gen. 6. 5. Again the Circumcision of infants under the Law proves something there was in the soul that ought to be cut away which God promised to do Deut. 30. 6. Likewise the Baptisme of Infants doth shew there is something unclean that hath need of cleansing which God hath promised to do Iohn 3. 5. Titus 3. 5. Ephesians 5. 26 27. The death of infants doth confirm it who die not ex necessitate naturae but ex merito peccati not out of the necessity of nature but for the punishment of Original sin for the wages of sin is death or death is the wages of sin Rom. 6. 23. now it cannot be meant of actual sin and therefore it must be for Original sin Which is cleer out of Rom. 5. 12 18. Your argument ab injusto that it is an hard thing to say that thousands are now in hell for Original sinne Who art thou that disputest with God Rom. 9. 20 if they be the children of Christian Parents there is hope of mercy though they die without the Sacrament of Baptisme because they are born within the Covenant If they be the children of Infidels we may remember the book of life which no man knows but God therefore we may suspend our judgement therein So it is we know whosoever is not found written in the Book of life shall be cast into the Lake of fire Rev. 20. 15. But a strange thing it is that this should be a hard saying to you if any man said so who deny the perpetuity of Hell fire You object Mark 10. 13. And they brought young Children to him that he should touch them This place makes against you it shews there was somthing in them that was to be healed or else they would not have brought them to Christ to be touched you confesse it is brought to prove the Baptisme of Infants and so it is not without reason for if they be born of beleeving parents as those were otherwise they would not have brought them to Christ to be touched and blessed then have they as good right to the Sacrament of Baptisme as the Children under the Law had to the Sacrament of Circumcision in regard the promise was made to Abraham and to his seed and to all that are afar of even as many as the Lord our God shall call Acts. 2. 39. You object Matth. 18. 2 with an absurd exposition of it For his Disciples striving for superiority his answer related particularly to their ambition that they should not strive for Superiority but be converted and become humble otherwise they should not enter into the kingdom of Heaven but let me ask you what then should become of them you should have done well to have expounded that also but it was not for your purpose Also the conference of Christ and Nicodemus Iohn 3. 4. This makes not on your side doth not Christ plainly tell him except a man be born again of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God He gives a reason for it in the next Verse That which is born of flesh is flesh c. Lastly you contradict your self fouly in this Chapter you say you denie not the Baptizing of Children with water to them that are free to do it and immediately you call Baptisme Iohns administration of water and say it was onely to last Iohns time and then to be made void CHAP. XIX It is the saying of the Apostle 2 Tim. 3. 13. That evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived Here we have it verified in you for here you are grown to such to such an height of impudence that you dare out-face a truth as apparent as the light at noon-day You say We have no ground from the Lord Iesus Christ by precept nor example to Baptize with water What say you to that of Ioh. 3. 5. before mentioned where our Saviour tells Nicodemus that except a man be born of water and the spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdome of God Likewise that of our Saviour himself Mat. 28. 19. Go therefore and teach all Nations Baptizing them in the name of the Father Son and holy Ghost Have we not examples for it also read Iohn 4. 1 2. Again can you answer to that of the Eunuch Acts 8. 36. And as they went on their way they came to a certain water and the Eunuch said see here is water what doth hinder me to be Baptised and they went both down into the water both Philip and the eunuch and he Batised him v. 38. The very name or signification of the word Baptisme from {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} may confute you moreover water is one of the parts of the Sacrament Is it not called the Laver of Regeneration Titus 3. 5. wherein Christ doth wash and cleanse his Church 1 Cor. 6. 11. and such were some of you but ye are washed c. Eph. 5. 26. that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word