whole body of the Congregation but I doubt you meane the execution of it which is to be inflicted not by all but by many 1 Cor. 5.3 2 Cor. 2.6 and so they are to admit of Infidels when they become Christians but those that are already baptized neede not such admittance The three and fortieth article You beleeve that a particular Church must trie their Officers gifts and then they may preach publickely and take upon them the charge of a Pastor but I doubt of it your answer is that when Christ gives ability to any they ought to improve it for their Masters advantage but I say it must be also in that place where their Master sets them or else they doe it for their owne advantage and not for his but you say if they be found false your Churches will not be corrupted by them but I say if children be left fatherlesse and have none to take care of them they will soone be corrupted and to say that you will not be corrupted and yet use no meanes to preserve your selves is but presumption like Peter who said that he would not deny his Master and yet tarried in the High Priests hall so your Church will not be corrupted and yet you take away those that are appointed to keepe you from corruption The sixe and fortieth article you beleeve that none must separate from a Church rightly constituted for corruptions that are in it but if you doe not dissemble you make it an article of your faith to beleeve your selves to be Schismatickes The nine and fortieth article You beleeve that you are bound to yeelde subjection to all civill Lawes made by the King and Parliament and yet you daily oppose Government The two and fiftieth article you beleeve that you have a conscience voyde of offence both towards God and towards man when as you cast off Gods Law in the worke of conversion Article 25 and mans law in Ecclesiasticall things Witnesse your setting up Churches without their authority these be your articles of faith then you saide you would beleeve all that is written by the Prophets and Apostles desiring to disclaime all heresies and opinions which are not after Christ But I charged you upon this promise of your owne and upon your generall promise together with your seven Churches to be as good as your word and not to dissemble in the very articles of your faith but when I had waited the full time appointed and saw no answer come I went to know the cause of it and he told me flatly that he would never write more unto me CHAP. II. Behold greater Abominations the Anabaptists maintained against me That the bodies of men consisting of flesh and bones is their Soules and that they have no other Secondly that the breath of men and beasts is their spirits and that it is immortall and liveth when their bodies are dead Thirdly They hold that in the resurrection the bodies both of men and beasts shall rise againe and their breath shall be infused againe into them TO these things I answer First That man hath two natures the one a Divine or spirituall substance like that of Angels adorned with divine faculties as the Understanding Judgement Reason Will Affection and Conscience the other part of man is humane being made of the foure Elements as all mortall creatures are and what casualties befall a beast may befall a man and man hath no preheminence above a beast for all is vanity Eccle. 3.19 but the soule spirit or heart of a Man that divine thing may be bound in the bundle of life 1 Sam. 25.29 being uncorruptible 1 Pet. 3.4 so then when the corruptible body dies the spirit depart from it and returnes to God that gave it Eccl. 12.7 Therefore when the Scripture calls this divine thing a Spirit distinctly it is for the most part to be understood of those principall faculties of it as the Understanding Reason and Judgement This is the spirit of your mind Ephes 4.23 because the Spirit searcheth all things yea the deepe things of God 1 Cor. 2.10 And when the Scripture distinctly calleth this divine thing the Heart it is to be understood the Conscience If thy heart condemne thee God is greater 1 Joh. 3.2 Davids heart smote him 2 Sam. 24.10 The Law written in the Heart or Conscience Rom. 2.15 And when that divine thing is called the Soule distinctly it is to be understood the Will and all the affections saith Paul We were willing to have parted unto you our owne soules because you were deare unto us 1 Thes 2.8 Hannah powred out her soule before the Lord 1 Sam. 1.15 Yet when that divine thing is called by any of those names it is to be understood the whole inward man although sometimes Spirit signifies the principall ruling faculties and by Soule is meant the Will and Affections that are to be regulated by them and so here is meant the Conscience as an officer in trust to see that this divine order be kept within us yet for substance it is the same thing although declared by severall faculties of it Now I shall prove that this divine thing the soule spirit or heart of man is not the body consisting of flesh and bones first from the immediate causes from whence they came and they differ thus we have fathers of the flesh and we give them reverence but God alone is the father of spirits Heb. 12.9 Numb 16.22.27.16 then although the fathers of our flesh begot our bodies yet saith the Lord all soules are mine Ezek. 18.4 for he formed the spirit of man within him Zaâ—h 12.1 and he gave it Eccles 12.7 then the soule is not the body Secondly the soule and body differ when they returne out of the world then the body returnes to dust from whence it came Gen. 3.19 and the spirit or soule returnes to God that gave it Thirdly when the separation is made the body dyes for it is appointed for all men once to dye Heb. 9.27 We must needes dye all and be as water spilt upon the ground 2 Sam. 14.14 but after death to Judgement When the body is dead the spirit of man goes upward Ecces 3.20 21. to a particular Judgement Then this living soule Gen. 2.7 this incorruptible heart of man goes before the Judge and receives either the sentence of absolution or of condemnation while the body is dead and at the resurrection when the bodies of all are raised and made capable to receive their finall estate then they shall be brought before the Judge to have the sentence passed upon them for it then if the soule can live and receive judgement when the body is dead then the soule is not the body Fourthly the body lives no longer then the soule is in it for when the soule of the childe was gone the body lay dead but when the soule came into him againe the Prophet said see thy sonne liveth 1 King 17.20 21 22 23. but to
AN ANSWER OR CONFVTATION OF Divers Errors Broached and Maintained By the Seven Churches of ANABAPTISTS Contained in those Articles of their Confession of Faith Presented to the PARLIAMENT and other grosse Opinions held by them against the cleare light of the GOSPELL By THOMAS BAKEWELL 2 TIM 3.8 9. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses so do these also resist the truth men of corrupt mindes reprobate concerning the faith But they shall proceede no further for their folly shall be manifest unto all men as theirs also was Imprimatur John Downham LONDON Printed for Henry Shepheard and William Ley and are to be sold at the Signe of the Bible in Tower-Streete and at Pauls-Chaine neare Doctors Commons 1646. The Contents of this Boooke CHAP. I. THis Chapter containes a confutation of many errours mentioned by the Anabaptists in their Articles of faith defended against me by one of their Teachers CHAP. II. This Chapter containes other wicked errours of the Anabaptists mentioned against me First that the bodies of men consisting of flesh and bones is their soules and that they have no other Secondly that the breath of men and beasts is their spirits and that it is immortall and liveth when their bodies are dead Thirdly they hold that in the Resurrection the bodies both of men and beasts shall rise againe and their breath shall be againe infused into them CHAP. III. This Chapter containes wicked errours mentioned against me by the Anabaptists who hold an Universall Redemption by Christ if not of beasts as was mentioned in the former Chapter yet of all men although they be already in hell torments CHAP. IV. In this Chapter they hold it unlawfull to use that Prayer of Christ Math. 6.9 as a Prayer by the godly and the ungodly with a briefe confutation of that errour CHAP. V. This Chapter containes a disputation with the Anabaptists about the Magistrates power in commanding those of a contrary judgement to conforme in publicke worship or to punish them in case of refusall To the Reader CHristian Reader The Apostacy of others should be as a warning to us that as we have set our hand to the plow of profession we may not looke backe Luke 17. but goe on unto perfection and presse toward the marke and for the joy that is set before us we should endure the Crosse and runne with patience the race that is set before us and never turne to the right hand nor to the left but goe on thorough the narrow gate along the straight way to Zion with our forces thitherward and encourage our hearts to the Lord by that everlasting Covenant that shall never be forgotten and we shall obtaine if we faint not the end of our faith shall be the salvation of our soules if we hold out to the end we shall be saved being faithfull to the death we shall have the Crowne of life then I say Good Reader take heede of Apostacy doe not beginne in the spirit and then end in the flesh for then your former righteousnesse shall never be remembred but for your sinne you shall dye but to those that persevere in the way of righteousnesse all their former sinnes shall be forgiven and never remembred more but they shall be cast into the bottome of the sea and blotted out of the book of remembrance and they shall be esteemed as perfectly righteous having no spot nor wrinckle nor any such thing then keepe thy garments for thou must walke with Christ in robes made white in the blond of the Lambe pure religion will keepe thee from being spotted by the world and that thou mayest so doe keepe thy selfe from the fornicatours of the world yea from both scandalous and erroneus persons doe not inquire saying how doe they serve their Gods Deut. 12.31 Come not among any erronius persons Israel living amongst them soone learned their workes Psal 110.35 enter not into their paths goe not with with wicked men avoyde it passe not by it turne from it and come away Prov. 4.14 15. If they say loe here is Christ or there beleeve them not for there shall arise false Christs and false Prophets that if it were possible would deceive the very elect Wherefore if they say behold he is in the desart goe not forth behold he is in the secret chambers beleeve it not Math. 24.24.26 If they preach any other Gospell then that the former Saints have beene taught let them be accursed Their new Lights is but Satans delusion when he transforms himselfe into an Angel of light The old way is the good way our Fathers walked therein and were not confounded Psal 22.44 Then if they bring not this doctrine receive them not into thy house nor bid them God speede 3 Jon. 3.10 Pertake not of other mens sinnes keepe thy selfe pure and he not carried about with every winde of doctrine The slight of men and cunning craftinesse whereby they lie in waite to deceive with fairs words They deceive the hearts of the simple and carry away captive unstable soules into destruction then it is a good thing the heart be established with grace Be ye rooted and built up in Christ and stand fast against all the wiles of the divell be not like the Athenians desiring to hearâ— have not itching cares after novelties labour to have godlinesse with content and a setled minde upon the truth of the Gospell so shalt thou stand in these perillous dayes When iniquity abounds and the love of many waxes cold labour to love the truth and thou shalt not be given up to beleeve liâ—s labour to doe the will of God and thou shalt know his doctrine whether it be of God and receive nothing for truth till thou hast weighed it in the ballance of the Sanctuary let not thy affections be fastened on any thing before thou hast tryed it receive nothing for the love of men nor respect of persons but search the scriptures and see whether those things be so and follow Paul but as he followes Christ and if sinners entice thee consent thou not if they say come let us heare such a Trades-man preach goe not with them least thou be snared to thy destruction Then doe not tempt the Lord nor presume of thine owne strength to stand in such temptations but take heede least thou fall be ever jealous of thine owne heart for it is deceitfull above all things keepe it with all diligence and leane not to thine owne understanding and if thou desirest satisfaction in any point in controversie acquaint thy Pastor with it before thou give consent to any thing new come up or to walke in a way not cast up from the ancient pathes reads this Book and let the Scripture be thy Judge and if it satisfie thee in any thing give God the prayse and let me be remembred in thy prayers and I shall remaine thine in all Christian duties to be commanded THOMAS BAKEWELL A CONFUTATION OF Divers Errors of the Anabaptists contained in their
suffice to shew that the soule is not the body Secondly they hold that the breath of men and of beasts is their spirits and that it is immortall and liveth when their bodies are dead To this I shall doe as before to prove that their breath is not their spirit and answer what they have to say to the contrary as I goe along onely as I said before that the spirit soule or heart of man is for the most part meant the same thing for substance onely by spirit some times is meant the understanding or principle ruling part of that divine thing and the soule is meant the lower parts or lesse principle the will and affections which are to be regulated by them and by the heart is meant the conscience that officer of the soule which hath a charge to see that this Order be kept yet I say for the most part when any one of these is named all that divine thing is meant then the breath of man and beasts is not the spirit I prove by these arguments First mans breath is a vanishing thing his breath is in his nostrils and wherein is he to be accounted of Isa 2 22. It is a winde that passeth and commeth not againe Psal 76.39 It was breathed into man Gen. 2 7. the Lord commanded the winde to breath and the breath came into them But the soules of men are created 1 Pet. 4.19 God is the Father of the spirits of all flesh Numb 16 22. and the heart of man is incorruptible 1 Pet. 3 4 then the vanishing breath of men and beasts is not their spirit Secondly man and beast have all one breath and yet the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of beasts goes downewards to the earth Ecclâ—s 3.19.20 21. therefore the breath of men and beasts is not their spirit Thirdly Job makes a distinction betweene the spirit of man and his breath saying if God should set his heart on man to gather unto himselfe his spirit marke and his breath Job 34 14. Here is that divine thing the spirit with the signes of it which is the breath then all flesh shall perish and turne to dust but his spirit shall returne to God that gave it and the spirits of men and Angels can live in the third heavens above the region of the winds without breath neither shall men when their bodies are made spirituall at the resurrection neede any breath for it is no part of soule or body and Legions of spirits have beene in one man and yet I supose he had no more breath then another man and they might all speake and yet the man not breath then I suppose the breath is but a part of the winde already created infused into mortall creatures while they remaine mortall in this life and then to returne and never come againe Psai 78 39 therefore the breath of men and beasts is not their spirits But they say the â—oure windes are called the foure spirits of the heavens Zach. 6.5 Hence they conclude that winde or breath in man is his spirit I answer the winde moves the cloudes of heaven as our spirits move us or as the vitals of beasts move them therefore they are called the spirits of the heavens but our breath doth not move us so but rather some thing within us moves us and when our breath goes out in speaking or otherwise we should dye if we had not something else within us to draw it in againe acting with our vitals and when that power is gone we dye But they say the body without the spirit is dead Jam. 2.26 and that say they is their breath But if we should grant this that the body without breath is dead yet it will not so follow that breath is the spirit but that breath is a signe of life or a signe that there is a spirit in that body which doth produce that breath As the fruite of the tree is not the life or spirit of the tree but rather a signe that there is life in that tree that doth produce these fruits Then they say Mans breath of life was breathed into him Gen. 2.7 and when the childes breath was gon he died 1 King 17.17 And if God take away breath from all mortall creatures they dye and returne to dust Psal 104.27 therefore say they the breath of man and beast is their spirit I answer as before it will not follow because the signes of life come and goe with life that therefore it is life it selfe There be many signes of life as eating drinking walking and talking and when they cease man dies yet these be but signes of life and so is breath in men and beasts and therefore it is not their spirit Fourthly to affirme that the breath in man and beasts is their spirits many absurdities would follow for they having one breath Eccles 3.19 and if this were their spirit then a beast may have the spirit of wisedome and knowledge Isa 11 and the spirit of a beast might search the deepe things of God as well as the spirit of man 1 Cor. 2.10 11. and the spirit of a beast may be wounded Prov. 18.14 and if breath were spirit then God would delight in broken breath Psal 51. and in poore and contrite breath Isay 66. And if breath be spirit some shall be borne of breath and God will give new breath and all the gifts of the spirit would be nothing but more breath added and when the spirit also departed from Saul his breath failed him and those that separate from the Church do it because they have not the breath Jude 19. and Daniels excellent gift of the spirit was nothing but a great breath And when God requires that we should Sing and Pray with the Spirit he meanes nothing but breath many more vile absurdities would follow if we should be so damnably blinde as to beleeve that the breath of men and beasts is their spirit as some Anabaptists hold Thirdly they hold that in the resurrection the bodies of men and beasts shall rise againe and their breath shall be infused againe into them To this as to the rest I shall shew that the bodies of beasts shall not rise againe and for brevity answer what they have to say against it as I goe along First beasts have not immortall spirits as I have shewed before unto which their bodies should be againe united but their spirits are gone downeward to the earth Eccles 3.21 Then if these beasts should be raised up againe it would be a new creation of beasts out of the earth as they were at the first and could not be a resurrection of them from death to life Secondly the Scripture makes no mention of the resurrection of beasts and we must not be wise above that which is written 1 Cor. 4.6 but the Scripture saith Thou bringest man to destruction and sayest returne ye children of men Psal 90.3 As in Adam all dye so in Christ shall all
be made alive but every man in his order 1 Cor. 15.21.22 23. So then although we beleeve the resurrection of men we dare not beleeve the resurrection of beasts But they say That when the Lord hath takeâ— the breath of all creatures and they are dead and turned to dust then he sends forth his spirit and they are created and so he renues the face of the earth Psal 104.29 30. this they say is a plaine resurrection of all the creatures from death to life I answer Here in this place they are said by the Spirit of God to be created and so in Gen. 1. The Spirit of God moved upon the waters in the work of Creation And saith Job The Spirit of God made me Job 33.4 all this I grant yet this will not prove a resurrection unlesse you make the worke of Creation to be a resurrection from death to life But they say this was spoken after they were dead and returned to dust Psal 104.29.30 I answer this is frequent in scripture For things that were done first to be set downe last 1. Sam. 15.35 There is mention of Sauls death and Samuels mourning for him and then Chap. 17. Saul conferres with David about his going to fight with Goliah and afterwards he persecutes David But was all this after his death because it is set downe after it Againe thou renuest the face of the earth this cannot be meant of the resurrection from death to life but rather it is to be understood an enlarging of strength and comfort after some great scarcity with a new supply of plenty But here is nothing concerning resurrection from death to life Thirdly the Saints of God never expected any resurrection of beasts that ever I read of before these Anabaptists but they have alwayes expected a resurrection of men for saith Job Job 19.25 When wormes have destroyed this body yet in my flesh I shall see God And Martha saith I know that he shall rise againe in the resurrection of the just Iohn 11.24 and saith David My flesh shall rest in hope Psal 16.9 And besides the Saints in all ages embalmed the dead and buried them in coffins and sepulchers and cleane linnen to declare that they expected that they should rise againe but I reade of no such thing done to beasts and they that expect their resurrection might doe well to bury them more decently that the world may see that they beleeve a resurrection of beast Fourthly there is no example in Scripture that any beast ever did rise from death to life but we have many examples of men and women received their dead raised to life againe Heb. 11.35 and the man that was buried in the Sepulcher of the Prophet and touching his bones he revived and stoode upon his feete 2 King 12.21 And in the New Testament one newly dead and another in the coffin and another dead foure dayes and many came out of their graves at the death of Christ then if we have so many examples of men that arose and not one of beasts we must beleeve the one and reject the other as an abominable errour Fifthly beasts can neither dye the death of sinne nor suffer the death of eternall punishment neither can they rise to the state of grace nor to the state of glory which were a most miserable and shamefull thing for any to affirme therefore there is no resurrection for beasis Sixthly To rise from death to life at the last day is called the resurrection of the just and the unjust Acts. 24.15 Now if they say that beasts have done evill they shall come forth to the resurrection of damnation Iohn 9 25. or if some have done good and some evill then some of them shall be saved and some damned and then they must come before Christ the Judge on the Throne to receive either the sentence of absolution or condemnation These abominable errours are not fitting to be named amongst Christians much lesse to be embraced and defended by any and it would seeme incredible that any should be so blinde as to harbour such errours where the light of the Gospell comes but onely we know at the downefall of Antichrist The divell will stir up all the old heresies that ever was to uphold that tottering Babell But to come againe to the argument the covenant of workes was not made with beasts but with man onely then it was not the beasts but man onely that sinned against that Covenant of workes and man onely was punished for the breach of it and not the beasts although his punishments was not only upon his person but upon his whole estate and so accidentally the beasts were punished but not as their punishment for their sinne but as mans punishment for his sinne Then if beasts have neither sinne nor punishment from what should they be redeemed but they say if all men were not redeemed how should they rise again I answer Although all men are not redeemed neither doe they all rise by vertue of redemption yet Christ by his power will raise those that are not redeemed to partake of that punishment that is due to them for acting in that sinne with their soules when the whole man broke Covenant with the Eternall God But they say it is sufficient to punish the soule eternally although the body rise not I answer if they had kept that Covenant the body should have had the benefit of it to eternity therefore because it sinned with the soule it must suffer with it eternally But they say the body riseth without sinne I answer yet if it did so the soule being filthy and comming out of hell will defile it as a just requitall to the body which defiled the cleane soule as soone as it was infused into it but I suppose the bodies of reprobates shall not rise without sinne But as the tree falls so it lies there is no repentance in the grave but the same body and no other shall arise Job 19.26 For sin shall lye downe with him in the dust Job 20.11 and having the guilt of sinne upon it As a Part of the curse it shall be raised to partake with the soule in punishment for the whole man sinned and the whole man shall be punished eternally But they say As by the sinne of one man death came upon all men and beasts so by one man came the resurrection of the dead For in Adam all dye so in Christ shall all be made alive 1 Cor. 15.21 22. Answ Beasts were but the goods of men it was man onely that sinned and was punished for all men being in Adam sinned and died for their owne sinne for it was theirs as soone as they were in him by nature so also those that are in Christ shall rise againe to grace here and to glory hereafter CHAP. III. Turne thee yet againe and see greater abominations They hold an Vniversall Redemption if not both of men and beasts yet of all men although they be already