necessity of the Implicit or Implyed Faith The Express Knowledge and Faith respecting those particular Cases Passages and Circumstances above mentioned or any others recorded in the Scriptures Historically related in them This Express Knowledge and Faith I say neither was nor is indispensibly necessary to all men but such only to whom it is revealed or preached yet is most profitable and comfortable to all to whom it cometh The Implicit Knowledge and Faith of it respecting Christ as he was to come in the Flesh suffer Death for the Sins of the World and be a Sacrifice unto God for their Reconciliation and rise again for their Justification so that the Substance of the Doctrine hold forth in that Promise Thaâ— the Seed of the Woman should bruise the Head of the Serpent c. and in the Sacrifices and other Figures of the Law and in the Figures and Types of the outward Creation as inwardly opened to mens reasonable Understanding by the divine Light of the Word in them might suffice to such who had no more given them or by what other means and helps whether both outward and inward or only inward as at the instant of Death according to Job 33.22 23. God was or is pleased to afford beyond our reach for we know but part of his ways which are most equal and yet are far above our thoughts and much more as the Heavens are above the Earth 2 dly By distinguishing Salvation begun and Salvation finished and perfected and the two-fold inward States Ministrations and Births which are both of God and Christ the first making men at best Servants of God or Sons by the Bond-woman or the Law of the first Ministration and this may he had without all Faith of Christ as come in the Flesh and this beginneth a good Work of God in men and may be called Salvation begun and may be compared to Corn or Fruit in the Blossom the second making men Sons of God by the Free-woman and receiving the Spirit of God and Christ as it is a Spirit of Adoption and may be compar'd to Corn or Fruit in the Kirnel and this is never had nor never was had without the Faith of Christ and the Faith of Christs Doctrine as to the substance of it to wit that God was to save men by a Saviour who should be both God and Man and as Man should dye for our sins and rise from the dead and thereby overcome the Power of Death first in his own Person and last in his Members this is the substance of the Gospel-Promise and Doctrine comprehending in it an inward enjoyment of God and Christ to all who have the true Faith of him as to the Substance of it from the beginning of the World implyed and folded up in that first Gospel-Promise concerning the Seed of the Woman and that the promised Seed of the Woman should be both God and Man as the Faith of all the faithful from the beginning of the World is demonstrated from Eve's words expressing her Faith at the Birth of Cain Gen. 4.1 I have got the Man the Lord the Hebrew word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is one of the greatest Names of God so doth Luther in his High-Dutch Translation of the Bible translate that place and so doth the English Cann and so doth the Hebrew bear it which yet hath not this sence as if Eve had been so for mistaken as to imagine that Cain should be the Messiah or Saviour of the World as some have thought she did so miserably Mistakeâ— but as was common to faithful Men and Women to do to give Names to their Children sâ—gnifying their Faith of some great Blessing that they expected afterwards to come or some great benefit formerly received thus Rachel called her first born Joseph i. e. joyned with respect to Benjamin that was born divers years afterwards and Joseph named his two Sons Names that did not relate to them but to himself and Eve named Abel that signifieth Vanity not with respect to Abel who was the first Martyr for the Faith of Christ but with respect to the vanity of Mans miserable state by sin 5 thly And that the Faith in Christ as he dyed for us and rose again to reconcile us unto God is altogether necessary to mens perfect Justification and Salvation is evident from this that as Paul reasoneth and proveth most clearly both in his Epistle to the Romans and Galatians By the Work of the Law no Flesh is justified but by the Faith of Christ â—or the Law worketh Wrath and by the Law is the Knowledge of Sin and the Law saith Cursed is every one that abideth not in every thing to do it that the Law saâ—th And this was not only the outward Law among the Jews but the inward Law or first Ministration of Light both in Jews and Gentiles for as Paul said He had proved both Jews and Gentiles to be all under Sin so that every Mouth is stopped and the whole World is guilty before God for none but have sinned at one time or another and one sin bringeth Wrath and the Curse on him that hath sinned and no Obedience can remove this Wrath or Curse without Christ who became a Curse for us and gave himself a Ransom for us and paid the Debt of our sins for us the Just suffering for the Vnjust And some are justified by Christ but through Faith in him as he dyed for them and rose again c. for he that believeth yet is Condemned already and therefore the Ministration of the Law whether outwardly writ on Tables of Stone or inwardly writ on stoney Hearts is the Ministration of Condemnation preparing for Christ and leading unto Christ and such who are under the Law â—et them be ever so Obedient just and Conscientious because they have sinned and are not Perfect are held under it shut up as in a Custody or Safeguard as the Man-slayer in the City of Refuge and are not perfectly justified but are under fear their Thoughts Accusing and Excusing for though they are Excused or Accused or to say justified in some good things done by them yet that can be no perfect Justification because their state is imperfect and therefore for that all have sinned all have absolute Necessity to flee to Christ and lay hold on him by Faith as he dyed for us and rose again and hath by his Obedience unto Death purchased for us Remission of sin and eternal Redemption and Salvation and Life Eternal without which Faith as to the Substance of it there is no Remission of Sin nor perfect Justification nor Salvation and to say otherwise is to contradict the whole current of Scripture and to preach another Faith and Gospel than Christ and the Prophets and Apostles Preached and therefore is not to be received but rejected if an Angel from Heaven should preach it G. K. FINIS
to query things that call not into Question any one Article of the Christian Faith But further to clear the matter I do affirm that I never said to any nor did I ever conclude in my thoughts that the Doctrine of the Revolutions as they are commonly understood or as delivered in that Book was the matter of my Faith or were things inwardly revealed or opened to me by the Spirit of Truth as I am free to say concerning all things of my Christian Faith which I both believe and profess nor have I ever had any Controversie Strife or Contention with any man about the Revolutions so called and I have been very shy and backward either to lend or recommend the said Book But it is one thing what a man may suppose to be a probable Opinion or rational Hypothesis either as touching the Doctrine of the Revolutions of which there are many sorts asserted by Authors or as touching any other Doctrine in Astronomy or Physick and it is far another thing what a man asserts to be his Christian Faith grounded upon the inward Evidence and Testimony of Gods Spirit in the Heart But as to my real sence of the Opinion of that called the Revolutions which do generally relate to Times past and not with the least certainty to any one particular Person to the time to come ever since the Death of Christ If any hold any such Opinion or Doctrine of them as I know none that do that doth teach That men may delay their Repentance or living a good Life in hope that they shall live again after Death I do sincerely declare I have alwayes abhorred any such Doctrine and judged it Wicked and Abominable and still I do so judge and hope so to do while I live and I have upon many occasions born my zealous Testimony both in publick and in private to the contrary viz. That to entertain any such hope to live again in order to Repent and live a good Life after a man has neglected the present Opportunity wherein to Repent c. in this present Life is as Wicked as it is vain for The Grace of God that bringeth Salvation teacheth us to deny Vngodliness and Worldly Lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present World Tit. 2.11 12. But it teacheth no man to delay his good living to any time after Death either in hope of a Purgatory while the Soul is out of the Body or in hope to live again in a mortal Body for NOW is the accepted Time NOW is the Day of Salvation 2 Cor. 6.2 And it is the last Time as John hath declared 1 John 2.18 And also Paul saying Rom. 13.11 And that knowing the Time that NOW it is high Time to awake out of sleep c. let us therefore cast off the Works of Darkness and put on the Armour of Light for the Times of Ignorance God wincked at but NOW comenandeth all men every where to Repent Acts 17.30 And as John said Mat. 3. 10. And NOW also the Ax is laid to the Root of the Trees therefore eveâ—y Tree that bringeth not forth good Fruit is hewn down and cast into the Fire And therefore if any hold such Doctrine of Revolutions that putteth men upon delaying their Repentance or neglecting to live a good Life in hope to live again after Death to Repent and Amend as I have alwayes abhorred it so I hope I shall alwayes do and bear my faithful Testimony against it And whereas the said Person hath accused me before divers Witnesses That my manner of Preaching the Faith of Christ Crucified and Raised again its being necessary to make men Christians and Sons of God of the Free Woman and Children of the New-Covenant doth infer my holding of the Revolutions to wit that all pious Gentiles dying without all bearing Christ crucified and raised again preached to them must of necessity live again in a mortal Body in order to hear that Doctrine outwardly preached to them or then be damned The which Alternative I possitively deny And by this his Accusation he hath shown what a Changeling he is from better to worse in so finding fault with my Doctrine for Preaching or Printing the necessity of this Faith to Salvation which he hath so frequently held forth himself owned and approved in my Books And I propose it to the serious Consideration of all sincere Christians Whether this Difficulty show much so ever real or seeming doth more pinch or straiten me than all Christendom that universally assert the necessity of faith in Christ crucified and raised again to make men true and sincere Christians and that by this Faith men are justified sanctified and attain to eternal Life and that therefore no Jew or Turk can be a true Christian because they have not this Faith however otherwise just and conscientious they may be And whether seeing the whole strain and current of the Scripture both of the Old and New Testament is such as doth demonstrate the necessity of this Faith and Gospel to be preached to all Nations to wit That Christ Jesus the Son of God dyed for our sins and rose again for our Justification and that it is plain from express Scripture That this Justification is not obtained nor Salvation to wit finally fully and perfectly without this Faith I say Whether in opposition to and in prejudice of the Revolutions and for avoiding that Doctrine and laying it aside we must and ought to lay aside the Preaching and Faith of Christ as he outwardly dyed for our sins on the Tree of the Cross and rose again for our â—ustification as a thing unnecessary and indifferent as it must needs be if men may be compleat and perfect Christians without this Faith and perfectly overcome all sin and attain to a perfect state of Sanctification without it and may be Children of God and Sons of the free Woman and have the Spirit of Adoption without this Faith And if so then doth not this wholly render Pious Paganism or Gentilism to be perfect Christianity and perfect Christianity to be nothing else than pious Gentilism And doth not this make the Faith and Knowledge of Christ both without us and within us of none effect for it cannot be proved that ever any had the true Knowledge or Faith of Christ within them but who had the true Knowledge and Faith of Christ without them for though Christ was and is in Pious and Conscientious Gentiles in thâ—ir meer Gentile state yet they did not know him as such nor did they believe in him as Christ as all sincere Christians did and do And shall not this be of most evil tendency thus to make void the Faith of Christ crucified without us and raised again in prejudice of and in opposition to that call'd the Revolutions as my Accuser hath done though he himself hath declared his favouring of the Revolutions as a probable Hypothesis and hath frequently and but very lately declared the necessity
of the Faith of Christ as he was crucified and raised from the dead without us its being necessary to Salvation bringing for it Rom. 10.9 whereof many are Witnesses And to saâ— This Faith is necessary to such to whom it is preached to make them Christians and perfectly to justifie sanctifie and save them but not to such Pious Gentiles to whom it is not preached as if they could be perfectly Christians and perfectly justified perfectly sanctified and perfectly wholly and fully saved without it this most evidently doth contradict the Scripture that holdeth forth the necessity of its being preached that it may be received in Gods ordinary way of working for which see Luke 24 46 47. Acts 4.10 11 12. cap. 10.43 44. cap 11.14 cap. 13.46 cap. 28.28 compared with vers 23. Rom. 3.30 cap. 8.2 3 4 cap. 16 25 26. Ephes 3.4 5 6. 1. 13. Col. 1.21 22 23 26 27 28. And surely if the Gospel and Faith of Christ both outwardly and inwardly was not necessary to be preached to the Nations to Salvation then Christs Command to the Apostles to preach it was a superfluous and unnecessary work and in vain was it that so many Thousands should suffer Martyrdom and Killing for that Faith and the preaching of it And at this rate the Gospel and Faith of Christ both without us and within us is not only an unprofitable but a burdensom Yoke of Bondage laid on People by having it preacht to them seeing they could have been good and perfect Christians without it if they had never had it preached to them and could have been perfectly justified perfectly sanctified and perfectly saved without it in their meer Gentile state which is a plain overturning and overthrowing the Christian Religion Faith and Gospel and an evident confirming what the Adversaries of Truth have cast upon us the People called Quakers That their Christianity is nothing else but refined Paganism or Gentilism but I hope all the sincere hearted and true Lovers of Christ are and will be otherwise minded and stand up with holy Zeal to assert their true Christianity and Christian Faith and Religion to be altogether another thing than the most refined Pious Gentilism and differing from it as much as Gold differs from Brass or as the Light of the Day differs from the Light of the Night and that principally because they have the true Knowledge and Faith of Christ as he dyed for them without them and rose again and is gone into Heaven there making intercession for them c. and also living and ruling in them conforming them to his Death and Resurrection which they could not have without the Faith of him as he was outwardly crucified and raised again But if any say The Gospel and Faith of Christ as he dyed and rose again tho' not absolutely necessary to perfect mens Salvation yet is very profitable to facilitate and make the Work the more easily and speedily to be done I Answ If not necessary it may be concluded not profitable nor of service to make the Work more easie for wherein is it more profitable not being necessary for in all other things that are not absolutely necessary but profitable and serviceable the profit service is apparent as when a man may labour the ground to raise Corn with Hoe and other Instruments without plowing or a man may go from one place to another by walking without riding or sailing but no such thing is apparent in this case as if the necessity of the true Knowledge and Faith of Christ both without us and within us which cannot be divided be once laid aside that it cannot be supposed to be profitable but rather it ought to be concluded both unprofitable and hurtful as enjoyning more Precepts relating to God to our Selves and to our Neighbours than the Gentile Dispensation did or doth and for this cause it is that Christianity excelleth Judaism and is far more profitable and serviceable to perfect our Salvation as containing fewer Precepts than the Law under Judaism did and at this rate it would follow because Gentilism containeth fewer Precepts than Christianity therefore Gentilism is the more profitable doth more facilitate mens Perfection who are under it even as an Artist that can perfect his work with fewer and less chargeable Tools Instruments is the most perfect and is worthy of most praise but because all the Precepts of Christianity are spiritual and given us by God and Christ to bring us to that spiritual Perfection that the Law either of Judaism or Gentilism simply considered could not do the Law being weak through the Flesh and so could not make perfect therefore it is that on that very account Christianity is the most excellent Dispensation both for its Spirituality and giving more plenty of Precepts than Gentilism did or doth for as Christianity hath more plenty of Precepts that are highly spiritual and tending to a more high and spiritual Perfection than Gentilism so it hath more plenty of divine Grace and of Life to enable them who are under it to perform them whereby they attain to the Perfection designed But this Doctrine That the Gospel Faith of Christ both outwardly and inwardly is not necessary to perfect the work of mens Salvation doth most manifestly contradict the whole current of holy Scripture and is a most pernicious and pestiferous Principle altogether tending to the dishonour of God and Christ and contradicting his holy and divine Attributes of Mercy and Justice Wisdom and Power and to the deceiving the Souls of men that credit it to lead them into the Pit of Destruction and therefore ought to be with all godly and fervent Zeal witnessed against and reproved notwithstanding of the foolish and idle Clamours of the Ignorant and Self-conceited and Self-willed Men that oppose it whatever their Pretences be either in Prejudice of the Doctrine of the Revolutions so called or any other whatsoever for the Faith and Gospel of Christ as he is both without us and within us which cannot be divided being one of the greatest of Truths how can it infer any Erro or dangerous and hurtful Consequence either relating to the Revolutions or any things else and if any either do not or cannot see but that the necessity of the Faith and Gospel of Christ crucified and raised c. in order to perfect Salvation must needs infer the Necessity of the Doctrine of the Revolutions at least after some sort but not as vulgarly understood I do say it is more tollerable to admit the Consequent than to deny the Antecedent for the Consequent in respect to the Antecedent is but a matter of small Moment whether true or false I meddle not at present to determine and if an Error is but of an inferiour degree and is rather an Error in that call'd Philosophy than in Divinity and is rather a mistake in Opinion grounded upon a pretence of Reason than any Error in the Faith unless it can be
in Flesh and offer up himself a Sacrifice in his Body of Flesh for the sins of the World and should dye and rise again and by his Death and Resurrection should bruise the Serpents Head that is conquer and break his Power in all the faithful so as perfectly to deliver them from Death both Spiritual and Natural the Spiritual here and the Natural hereafter at the Resurrection of the Dead And by the bruising of his Heel is understood his Sufferings and Death in the Flesh occasioned by the Devil's Instigation as all sound Christians of all Professions generally acknowledge and in Testimony of this Faith it was that the Faithful before the Law and under the Law by Gods direction offered up Sacrifices of clean Beasts that were Types and Memorials of Christ the Lamb of God that was to be slain and offered up for the sins of the World and the Faith of all the faithful for the Remission of sin and cleansing and sanctifying was not in the Sacrifices which they offered but in Christ whom they represented and of whom they were Types And before Christ came in the flesh not only the People of Israel offered Sacrifices and practised Circumcision all which were Typical of Christ in the Flesh but many other Nations as not only the Posterity of Ishmael and Esau but other Nations that learned it of them And that Circumcision was Typical of Christ and had a special Relation to Christ and Faith in him as he was to come in the Flesh and to his Death and sufferings is clear from Rom. 4.11 where it is called A Seal of the Righteousness of Faith And as the Church of God hath never failed in the Earth since the beginning of the World nor will to the end of it so nor hath the Doctrin of Gods Salvation concerning the Saviour of the World and the Mediator betwixt God and Men who should be both GOD and MAN failed or been wanting as in respect of the essential parts of it even from being outwardly preserved delivered and conveyed from from Age to Age in some measure and degree for the benefit of Mankind in general and therefore in all Ages even in the Darkest Christ as he was to come in the Flesh and be an Offering for the Sins of the World was sufficiently set forth for that time to be the Object of mens Faith in those Ages and Parts of the World where these Types and Figures of Sacrifices and Circumcision were extant and even these who did not practise them yet might hear of them by others and it may be very probably defâ—nded by a rational Hypothesis and so doth R. B. call his Doctrine in his 6 th Thesis viz on Hypothesis that no Nation under Heaven was so left destitute of all outward means but that partly by the Report of the Sacrifices of clean Beasts offered to the true God and by Circumcision and other Types Figures and Shadows that had been used from the beginning and partly from the Types and Figures given to Mankind in general in the whole visible Creation the Mediator betwixt God and Men the Saviour and Redeemer of the World who should be both God and Man or God manifest in Flesh and who as Man should dye for the sins of the World and rise again was proposed in some sort though obscurely answering to that Dispensation wherein Christ was the Mystery hid from Ages and Generations that was in after Ages clearly to be revealed according to Ephes cap. 3. 5 9. Col. cap. 1.26 Rom. cap. 16.26 and set forth to be the Object of mens Faith and Hope of Salvation and Remission of sin and Reconciliation with God the inward Light of the divine Word that is the Light of men that ever did in 〈◊〉 Ages and ever doth and ever will enlighten every man that cometh into the World acting or operating by its heavenly and divine Influence upon their reasonable Faculties of Understanding and all their national Powers to cause them both know and believe that God would be merciful to them and forgive their sins upon their Repentance and Amendment of Life for the sake of the Mediator Redeemer Saviour of the World who should be both God and Man or it by an unavoidable case as R. B. wordeth it in his 6 t Thes some or many are excluded from this benefit of having it outwardly revealed to them as others had yet that defeâ—t may be supplied by inward divine Râ—velation in all extraordinary Cases revealing at least the substance of that great Mystery of the Mediator the Saviour of the World by whose Death and Blood men through Repentance and Faith in him should be reconciled unto God and have their sins both forgiven and pâ—rged or washed away 3 dly But yet we ought not universally to confine this Faith of Christ as without us or within us to the narrow bounds of outward Preaching it either by the Prophets in their Day or to the Evangelists and Apostles in their Day or to the hearing or reading of the holy Scriptures or to the outward Ministry of Angels oâ— Men well knowing and believing That as God gave it to our first Parents without all Ministry of Men and as he gave it to Abraham to Job to the three Wise Men that came from the East to worship Jesus in Bethlehem so he hath given it to many others and can or may give it to as many as he pleaseth without all outward Ministry yet I say in Gods ordinary way he is pleased to give it by the Ministry of Preaching and for this cause he revealed it to the holy Prophets and Apostles that by their Ministry and Writings it might be made known to all Nations for the Obedience of Faith Rom. 16.26 and the said Doctrine as outwardly delivered by their Ministry and as delivered by the Ministry of faithful men succeeding them in the same Faith God is pleased to bless with a New divine Visitation and Illumination of more Light and Grace than was or is given to such where this Doctrine is not outwardly preached to bring them to the Obedience of that Faith And to declare my Mind with all plainness As I can find no Faith in Christ in all the Scripture but what hath always a respect to Christ as that great Offering and Sacrifice for sin without us as well as to his inward and spiritual Presence and Appearance in us according to measure teaching us and enabling us to apply to us the benefit of his Death and Sufferings Resurrection and Ascention and Mâ—â—â—â—tion for the Remission of our sins and our Eternal Salvation as the â—â—â—ness of all Grace and Truth dwelt and still dwelleth in the Mâ—â— Christ Jesus without us and of whose Fullness we daily more and more partake who believe in him and in God the Father through him and who pray to God in his Name and Worship and Obey him so I can own no other Faith but this to be the true Christian Faith