Heaven Christians must not be compelled to give their substance XX. Article I do believe through Christ the Dead shal rise Because he lives who once did not despise To die for them Yea from the graves of earth Each individual body shall come forth Both just unjust though when they were sown Weakness and all Infirmity was shown Yet in the Refurrection they shall be Made strong and firm to all eternitie Each pious man body and spirit joyned To their desired place shall be assigned The test of Antiquity Every part of the bodies perishing either in death or after it in the grave or wheresoever shall be restored renewed and of a natural and corruptible body it shall become immortal spiritual and incorruptible Be it all made into pouder or dust or by chance or cruelty dissolved into air or water yet can it not be kept hid from the omnipotency of the Creator who will not have one hair of the head to perish Thus shall the spiritual flesh become subject to the spirit yet shall it be flesh still XXI Article After the dead are come forth of the graves Whether of Earth or Seas fierce raging waves A Judgment that 's eternal shall be given At Christs appearing coming down from Heav'n Which Judgment which everlasting Sentence Can never be revoked by repentance Then good and bad each must rewarded be As Christ the nature of their work shall see The test of Antiquity In all these Chapters Augustine asserteth and proveth the resurrection of the Bodies of all men from the graves of earth or howsoever consumed and he proves the Bodies of the Saints shall be spiritual and glorious in the Resurrection and yet that they cease not to be bodies of real flesh And he proves that a body of flesh and living may endure in the fire unconsumed and yet tormented There are saith he a kind of Worms that live in the fervent Springs of hot Baths whose heat is such as none can endure it at certain times and yet those Worms do so love to live in it that they cannot live without Whence he observes seeing bodies of flesh may live in fire and be nourished by it 't is easie to believe that a body of flesh may live in the fine and be tormented by it because to nourish is not proper to the fervent heat of fire but to torment is proper thereunto XXII Article I do believe the same Christ which did shew Himself alive by tokens plain and true Who was beheld ascending into Heaven Quite from the sight of the select Eleven The same the very same shall come again In the same manner wherein he was ta'ne Up from the Earth And when he shall appear The Saints their fruits of Faith shall richly wear For Christ the King of kings and Lord of lords Shall reign according to the holy words Of these great Prophets in the Margent quoted For every Kingdom under Heaven 's allotted Unto our Christ yea and unto his Saints Whose heads a place to rest sometimes now wants Yea God hath said they then shall rule the Nations Though here erst while they meet with Tribulations The test of Antiquity John's mention of a thousand years Rev. 21. and Christ's words I will not drink henceforth of the fruit of the Vine until the day that I drink it new with you in my Father's Kingdom with many Prophecies touching Christ's Kingdom in Jerusalem made some think that Christ would return into the World raise the Saints in their Bodies and live a thousand years here on Earth in all joy peace and prosperity The first Author of this Opinion was Papias Bishop of Jerusalem who lived in the Apostles times He was seconded by Irenaeus Apollinarius Tertullian Victorinus Picktaviences and Lactantius And many Martyrs and righteous persons held this opinion XXIII Article The holy Scriptures are the Rule of Saints In Faith and Life sufficient for their wants Through Jesus Christ Yea they are profitable To all good works God's servants to enable The test of Antiquity The error of our forefathers ought not to be followed but the Authority of Scripture and the Commandments of God which he teacheth us Truly through ignorance of the Law they receive Christ for Antichrist I dare not use to receive that which I read not Think not that it is in any other writing if it be not in the Scripture Let us seek to be resolved in the Gospel If we find it not there where shall we find it XXIV Article In Gospel-times I do believe men ought In things Religious to be forc'd to nought Against their Consciences by Persecutions Or Penal Laws ' gainst Gospel-Institutions But all should have like liberty as those Who in like cases do desire to chose What they think near'st the Truth But if the Pow'rs Wil take what 's theirs not give us what 's ours We say they act not as the Lord directed When he bad do to others what 's expected By us from them And tells us Tares with Wheat Must grow together till the Harvest great The test of Antiquity Ambition doth aid it self by the Name of Christ The Church doth fear and compel the people She that was made holy by Persecutors terrour now persecuteth c. Let them both grow together until harvest Which thing he spake to forbid the shedding of Bould for if the Hereticks should be put to death War should be without Truce c. This is then our desire unto your Reverence if it may be that you would confer with our Bishop peaceably to the end that Error might be taken away and not Men taken away But we to the contrary do not desire any will he nill he to worship or adore our God for we trust in his Majesty that he hath great power to avenge himself on them that contemn him XXV Article This I believe concerning Magistrates In every Nation should be Potentates For punishment of all that do transgress By sleshly lewdness or dishonestness And that in order thereto Civil Laws who 're just wholsome ought ' decide the cause ' Mongst Men as such ' thout having vain respect Of persons or to this or t'other Sect. Due Punishment and likewise due Reward Each one should have ' thout partial regard And we believe Christ's Gospel doth enjoyn Our selves and all men freely to resign Our selves as Subjects unto Magistrates In their appointments Only what relates Unto God's Worship wherein this we say That there such Rulers have no power to lay Their Edicts on men's Consciences by force But if they do yet shall we take 't no worse Than humbly tell them we must needs obey What God commandeth rather than what they Herein appoint us and shall never bow To Men in these concerns Nor shall we show Our selves rebellious though they go to wrong us But bear with patience what 's
should leave them Cathederal So then it seems for things meerly religious Thou would have no man flain O most prodigious But then the Tâ—res will over-grow the Wheat And every one will publish his dâ—ceit Whereas by â—â—ans of my sharp punishment These evils I can easily prevent Jayle T is known that for more than three hundred years The Church had no defence from worldly Peers Yet Truth with purity did greatly prosper Errors they quash'd as falt as they did foster At least in such sort as may equallize What thou hast done by severe penalties Cathederal I said that 〈◊〉 would ' mongst the Wheat increase But this thou tacitly goest by in peace 'T is not the Heresie but Hereticks There is the spinch where this Conference sticks Now if to Kings it do not appertain These Tares to put away they must remain Jayle To them it appertains not as they 'r Kings For so men may be though plung'd deep in things Which makes them Hereticks Also the Tare Which Christ intendeth by him suffer'd are Here to â—eâ—ain until the Judgment-day Yet hath the Church them alwayes put away Cathedral Well this in short I see is thy opinion Kings ought protect all those in their Dominion In Life Estate and all things necessary If from their Civil Laws they do not vary As for the Church she only may do this Punish with Censures such â—s do amiss Jayle What is the utmost bounds of Kingly powers I 'le not dispute in this discourse of ours Which may perhaps be more than I well know Yet sure in Church-respects the Scriptures do Not give them pow'r as Kings to execute Church-Discipline and that 's what I dispute Cathedral If Kings did not assist by penalties My Church I see men would me soon dispise Nor could I live sith all my Maintenance I chiefly have by their good Countenance And hence it is men readily obey My Discipline in whatsoere I say Jayl Alas alas that thus it should be said And truly too O how 's Christs Gospel made A meer pretence whilst men their Bellies do Make their great God But this th' Apostles show Was once the way that false Apostles went And to the same way they are still intent Cathederal What wouldst thou have men sit i' th Church as Judges Of her misdoings only as her Drudges Take from my Church the profits thereto due And Officers thou wouldest find but few And thus the Church-affairs would soon be slighted Yea and perhaps the Church would be benighted Jayl Benighted why Is Silver your great Candle Or th'Oyl that feeds it One this point did handle In the Affirmative who appertains Unto thy Church when like to lose his gains Of Tithes But Paul yea and all such as he Us'd to perform their Office without Fee Cathedral Paul doth allow such as do minister In Church affairs thus to be sinister So as to live upon the Church So then We do what Paul allows ev'â— all my men Which at my Altar serve or in my Court. Thus have we Fees and Tithes in Gospel-sort Jaylâ— Such as are taught ought to communicate By gift to such as do officiate That it might be a fruit to the account Of such as give but no Text doth amount To prove that you by force should ought compel For what you pâ—â—ach from those mongst whom ye dwell Cathedral I see thou wouldest all our holy things Proceed as fruits which from the Spirit springs Whether our service to the Church or their Respects to us for all our pious care But still I tell thee nâ—ll thus my Revenue Nor Church nor Ministry would long continue Jayle No Argument more clear that thou art none Of Christ his Spouse that fair and lovely one Whose things are all perform'd by Charity Which works by love Now this disparity 'Twixt her and thee shews you cannot be one Till Grace abound and Selfishness be gone Cathederal I will not yeeld to this thy Argument Yet further talk about it I 'le prevent And hear if thou hast yet a fresh Objection Left unpropounded more for my detection Then prove thy self what thou denieft to me To wit Christs Church now let 's thy Answer see Jayle Object a very redious thing it were To say all that might be objected here But this I say the walking of thy Churches Shews that amongst you all uncleanness lurches So that as Paul saith it were a great shame The things you do in secret once to name Cathederal What then 't is known we have a discipline Provided to the end we may refine Our selves from these enormious voluptions And we have now removed some corruptions The rest in time may be removed all Intending this I am not criminal Jayle Thy Discipline small power hath but where Thou may stiget money or something appear That 's truly godly those are punished But even in thy Court is found inbred Great vileness and of late it is increased Abroad much more than when thy Court last ceased Cathederal Leave prying thus into my Churches walking I 'm tired out with thy unpleasant talking I'now expect to hear thine own defence But not in this enterchang'd conference But by a speech continu'd till thou do The heads of what thou holdest plainly show Jayle The heads of what I hold then I will shew As 't was presented to the Kings own view Signed with fourty hands of such as own The said Confession which hath now been shown In most parts of this miserable Nation Whose Church doth change 〈…〉 Powers have translation CHAP. VI. The Arg. The Jayl the Symbole of her Faith With Scripture tight doth sing And brings some of the Antients forth To witness every thing I. ARTICLE ONe God alone the Father I believe From whom all things their being did receive Eternal glor'ous and his Attributes To tell forth fully no tongue once reputes It self sufficient but with admiration Must give to him the highest Adoration The Witness of Antiquity There is but one God in Trinity three Persons in Unity one God We believe hold and faithfully maintain that God the Father begat his Wisdom by which all was made his only Son one with one co-eternal most equal and that the Spirit is both of the Father and of the Son consubstantial and coeternal with them both and that this is a trinity in respect of the persons and but one God in the inseparable Divinity c. II. ARTICLE In the beginning God created Man In a condition so compleat as then No misery was mixed therewithal From which he by transgression took a fall And hereupon he misery archieved On him and 's off spring yet it is believed By me that both this death and misery Extendeth not to all eternity The Witness of Antiquity By the death of the body we reade that some have died not for their own but for the sin of others But in the death of the soul none dieth for the sin of another For as
filthy gain and they think gain to be piety and godliness VIII ARTICLE About Election this is that I 've said That God from aye before the World was made Hath chosen unto Life such as believe And so in Christ through grace he 'l them receive Yet I am confident God's purpose here Stands not upon what Faith did fore-appear Or Works done by the creature but alone God's Mercy Kindness and Compassion Thus 't is of God who calleth Yet behold Let no man think that now he may be bold To live in sin for as our God is pure So can he no ungodly man endure Then this Decree to every Godly man Hath its extent as David witness can The test of Antiquity According to his mercy he saved us This goodness which doth flourish in Christians doth arise out of the root of Divine Piety or Love for God by his Mercy hath saved us in Christ The Apostle saith not he hath chosen us when we were holy but that we should be holy Election goeth not onely before Works but before Faith where all good Works do begin IX ARTICLE Concerning Reprobation this I say No men as men of old were cast away But as they have God's Grace in wantonness Abus'd and lived in ungodliness To those indeed God sendeth strong delusions That they might damned be Sith vain confusions They rather chose than Truth in faithful love And hence it is God's Wrath ' gainst men doth move Yea against ev'ry soul that doeth evil So as to die the servant of the Devil The test of Antiquity The Damned cannot complain justly because it is their wickedness that doth cast them down into pain He was worthy to lose an unprofitable Faith which did not exercise Charity God is good and he is just He may save a man without good works of his because he is good but he cannot condemn any man without his evil deserts because he is just X. ARTICLE Concerning Infants I believe they shall Suffer no death but that that 's temporal And this their father Adam brought upon them But th'second Adam shal take it quite from them And further than that death that 's temporal No one shall die for Adams sinful fall Christ hath avouched Infants ' thout exception To appertain to Heav'n Then rejection Of Infants into Hell is such a preaching As doth want Charity and cross the teaching And nature of our God Yet thus they teach Who do the Church her Baptisme impeach Contending that to Infants it pertains To some of whom yet they allow no gains By means of Christ his Death for this they say He only dy'd for some And now we may Demand how they did know he dy'd for those Whom they baptize and did the rest dispose To hellish torments See the cruelty Of those who sprinkle Babes infancy The test of Antiquity By the death of the body we read of some that have dyed not for their own but for others sins But in the death of the soul none dieth for another God cannot condemn any man without his evil deserts because he is just XI ARTICLE The only way by God and Christ ordained Whereby the sons of men should be constrained To sit down in Christs Church is Gospel-preaching Wherein a reconciled God is stretching His Hand of Love extensively to all And then to dip or baptize such as shall Repent from sin and faith in Christ profess Through Gods forbearance and great tenderness I say such only as are catechised Are in the Scripture bid to be baptized Into the Name of Father Son and Spirit But as for those who would by Legal merit Or Parent int'rest bring a fleshly seed Into the Gospel-Church all such indeed I do deny with that Scriptureless thing Most truly called Infant Sprinkling Which custom hath or would make void God's Word And bind the Church still with a Legal cord Unto a fleshly line And the New-birth Would as a useless thing fall to the Earth This is one reason why we separate From all such persons that participate We may not with these darksome wayes of theirs But rather by reproofs break through these snares The test of Antiquity The Lord commanded his Apostles that they should first instruct and teach all Nations and afterward should baptize those that were instructed in the mysteries of Faith For it cannot be that the body should receive the Sacrament of Baptism unless the soul hath received before the true Faith The dipping into the Water is the going down into Hell the coming up out of the Water is the Resurrection We must know that at the first Believers were baptized simply in Flouds and Fountains XII ARTICLE I also do believe that the baptized Believing souls ought thus to be advised To seek unto the Lord for his donation The Spirits gifts for their mortification That by that Grace their Life their Profession May not unto each other seem oppression The way to ask this Gift in Scripture stands Known to be Prayer with laying on of hands As one first point which in Christs doctrin's shown Whereby his Saints are from all others known The test of Antiquity Laying on of hands hath ever been the custom of the Church Laying on of hands what is it but prayer over a man The first degree of Christianity is to be repentant of our former life Next to be taught that true-innocency and soul-health is to be hoped-for of God Then forthwith that we be purged by holy Baptism Then that we receive the holy Ghost by laying-on of hands XIII Article Concerning Perseverence this I say And do believe that in Christ's blessed way Men ought without a tossing to and fro Continue stedfast and these things must do Meet in a Church-Society together In the Apofiles Doctrine to consider And call to mind in Pray'r with breaking Bread Their Saviour till he come to raise the dead The test of Antiquity I pray you O ye Bishops which do think your selves to be so What Suffrages have the Apostles used for to preach the Gospel with what power were they aided Did they assemble the Church by the Kings Edict They nourished and kept themselves by their hand-labour and assembled the Church against the Edicts of Kings When wise and good People do meet together we must not call that a Faction or Sect. Saint Luke declareth the Order of the Primitive-Church That the Faithful assembled themselves often times for to preach the Word and celebrate the Lords Supper We assemble to pray for the Emperour c. and for Peace to make commemoration of Divine Scriptures and do feed and nourish the Faith with voice and holy words We plant and graft most strongly our Faith And do labour much to imprint in our hearts the discipline of the Commandments XIV Article I say moreover though I thus contend For th' old Church