befall vs by other meanes then by such Fayth truly fastned vpon God the Father his willing Alsufficiencie In the lacke whereof our Romish Aegiptians deuisors of fast and loose for aduantage did perish * About 200. yeares they haue bin shut vp from deceiuing people as afore 800. years more insuing this present they must more and more be bridled My ground is S. Iohns Reuelation and more and more must perish although by their owne hand and owne inuentions In the beliefe of this I heretofore opposed in more then an ordinarie manner howsoeuer I haue been diuersly smitten for it the Lord lay it not to their charge and the same I am still howsoeuer I expect for that the more hard entreatie where Amalekes may preuayle But he that began that Faith augment it in mee and I eare long shal see the saluation of our God God hath layde the Axe now to the roote of that Tree I hope our high right honorable senate of Parliament will take the present occasion of cutting it downe Touching the Creation of Heauen and Earth Moses hath spoken plainely in the first and second of Genesis But there he hath briefly touched the Visible Creature Spheares and Starres aboue and the Earth with her Seas and continents below But afterwardes he reuealeth the Inuisible creature inuisible in the owne proper nature because Spirits namely the Angels appoynted of God for ministring spirits vnto the good of the heires of saluation as also for the execution of corrections and punishments vpon the transgressors So that for the good of the obedient the visible and inuisible creature is appoynted The Angels to pitch their Tabernacles of defence round about them and as * Iob 5. 23 c. Eliphaz noteth from the times of Genesis the stones beastes of the field c. to be at league with them Lord encrease my Fayth vnto obedience Section 2. ¶ And in Iesus Christ his onely Sonne our Lord which was conceaued by the holy Ghost borne of the virgin Mary suffered vnder Pontius Pilate was crucified dead buried He descended into Hell The third day he rose againe from the dead he ascended into heauen and sitteth on the right hand of God from whence he shall come to iudge the quicke and the dead AS the first part of Beliefe touched God the Father so the second toucheth his Sonne the Word by whoÌ„ he made all things Which Sonne is tearmed Jesus that is Sauiour and Christ or Messiah which signifieth Annoynted because he was of God the Father annoynted to be the Sauiour of Adam and his chosen-seed which in Adam had sinned through the meanes of Satan an Apostate Angell and so could not be saued but by him that could abace himselfe as low as Adam and the seed of his loynes had sinned hie seeing Contraries must cure Contraries Mankind had sinned highly in that being but earth he laboured proudly to be a God The cure then must be wrought by God on high humbling himselfe in the behoofe of man so low as the earth The Sonne of God did this first by assuming or taking vpon him the very nature of man body and soule Secondly by vndergoing the smart of our sinnes and dying in our nature for vs. Thirdly in rysing againe from vnder the decreed death Fourthly in ascending vp to the Father carying our sinnes captiue And fifthly by shewing himselfe the Iudge As the latter Scriptures being but commentaries vpon Moses doe plainely shew all this so Moses taught this as truly though not so openly 1 That the Sonne of God should assume our nature for such purpose Moses doth intimate in Gen. 3. 15. when he sayth That the womans seed should breake the Serpents head And of him the Apostle * Galat. 4 4. Paul expoundeth it As it is said The womans seed not mans because mans hand should not cut this Stone from the Monntaine it should triumph ouer the Serpent of Hell Dan. 2. which then had acted the Serpentine beast of the fielde So the Womans seed being onely passiue could not doe that otherwise then it should receiue life from some actiue power which if not Mans then needs it must be of God seeing Angels could not vndergoe the waight of that burden the Fathers infinite iustice being so to be satisfied in mankindes nature which had so offended Neither is such conception strange in Moses when as Sarah Arch-mother of beleeuers doth by vertue of the Lords promise conceaue and bring foorth Isaac after it ceased with her to be after the manner of women 2. 3. Neither any nature but that which is infinite namely God could so liue and die for satisfaction and rayse vp our assumed nature for our iustification All which Moses hath prophetically deliuered * Heb. 11. 19. in the parable of Isaac Gen. 22. There Abraham hy-father a figure of our Hy-father in heauen hath his onely Sonne Isaac one with our nature a seed according to Promise him he hath allotted vnto death The Sonne obayes The first day Isaac dyeth in Abrahams resolution and the will is accepted for the deed but after a sort he receiued him againe from death vnto life and that on the third day And his returne home againe was as an Ascension from the earth vnto glory 4 And as Isaac so returned in a parable from death to life so he became the Sonne of his right hand when Ismael stood on the left and that Foe was made his footstoole 5 Which Isaac shewed himselfe in time a Iudge of spirituall quicke and dead when he gaue a perfect iudgement according to the decree of Abram Malachi 1. 2. 3. Hie-father of heauen in separating betweene Esau and Iaakob Rom. 9. 23. this being chosen and the other forsaken though both of one bedd and naturall generation Through all Moses the doctrine of the promised seed shineth though encompassed with cloudes of Ceremonies the full reuelation whereof awayted the fulnesse of time * Heb. 11. 40. God prouiding that better thing for vs that they without vs should not be made perfect The Article touching the seconde person in the Godhead thus cleared some will aske me Where in Moses do ye find that Christ should Descend into Hell the place of the damned there to triumph in his soule I answere I finde it not in Moses neither in Doctrine nor Shadow for any thing I could euer obserue That dying he should descend to Sheol as the Creed in Hebrew speaketh or to Hades as the Greeke speaketh or to Inferos as the Latine speaketh I find in Moses seeing he as all the slaine Sacrifices his shadowes intended was to go the way of all flesh In which sense Jaakob sayth thus in Gen. 37. 35. * Cabalistically one mâ—ght say that the letters in Aeredh that is Aleph Resh and Daleth in Hebrew numeration 205 they might import the time of his seede being in Egipt being much thereabouts so many yeares From the word Reau descend
Beleife that euery true Christian hath First touching Remission of sinnes a benefite in this life afforded to euery penitent beleiuer Secondly two benefites after this life the Resurrection of the flesh and Eternall life Remission of Sinnes bringeth necessarily with it First that euery Christian is a Sinner Secondly the meanes whereby such forgiuenes of sinnes be had Thirdly the effect which such Remission hath in the heart of euery true beleiuer 1 That we are Sinners that is Not doers of the Law 1. Iohn 3. 4. for Amartia is Anomia Sinne is a not-doing of the Law whether it be by Omyssion or Transgression it falleth out two wayes one by Originall sinne deriued Ex traduce from our first Parents Adam and Heuah for out of such a bitter Fountaine we can draw no sweete water Besides we are Sinners Actually that is by our owne immediate act wee hauing subscribed to the law of sinne in our members both by thought word worke One of these Actions much more both are sufficient for our arraignement and condemnation 2 The Meanes whereby we are freed of both these Criminations are onely the sufferinges of the Just for the vniust and that is the sufferings of Christ Jesus for vs seeing hee alone is the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world we by his blood and by no other haue our garmentes and conuersation made white Our sinnes in the Law being resembled copiouslie by sundry pollutions and his cleansing of vs by his blood being resembled by the * Heb. 9. 21. c. blood of Animals sprinkling the Tabernacle and Alter there beeing without blood no Remission Which cannot otherwise be vnderstood by the penners of this Creed seeing no Angell or Man is in this Beleife introduced for a Sauiour in whole or in part but the Sonne of God solely who became Jesus the Sauiour and the Christ or Annoynted-one to this purpose The Manqueller in the Law Num. 32. 22. that was set free vpon the death of the Hie-priest did plainely figure out the deliueraunce of a penitent sinner by the death of our Hie-priest Iesus 3 The Effecteâ— which such Remission worketh in our hearts is Loue vnfeigned whereby we are ready to forgiue to our brethren the sinnes whereby they haue transgressed against vs euen as God hath freely forgiuen vs. Our sinnes towardes God being compared to Talents and our brethrens towards vs being assimilated to Pence Which Forgiuenesse at Gods hand as it is dayly and oft in a day so we are thereby inuited to do the like towards our neighbour To God we are to pray for their Remission though them selues doe it not and we are in Gods name to pronounce it vnto them so oft as they shall turne backe and say It repenteth mee Herevpon it is that Moses introduceth Josephs brethren saying Forgiue now the trespasse of thy brethren and their sinne Whereto Joseph replyed Feare not for am I not vnder God as if he should say Feare not my laying of your sinne vnto your charge for as I am subiect vnto God so I as freely forgiue you as he hath forgiuen to mee my trespasses Genes 50. 17. c. Nor did the Law of Sin-offrings vrge lesse Blessed is he whose wickednesse is forgiuen Psal. 32. 1. 2. and whose sinne is couered Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquitie Lord for thy Sonnes sake forgiue vs our sinnes Section 7. ¶ Resurrection of the Flesh. THe Church being considered as afore with the mayne benefite she reapeth at Gods hand in this life which is Remission of sinnes now follow two benefites after this life The first is Resurrection of the body and the second is Life eternall ensuing The Resurrection of the body is that which the Sadducies denied as Familistes amongst vs. And how doth our Sauiour prooue it From these wordes of Moses in Exod. 3. 6. where the Lord sayth I am the God of thy Father the God of Abraham the God of Isaac the God of Jaakob From whence he thus concludeth Math. 22. 32 God is not the God of the dead but of the liuing as if he had sayd in moe words neither Abraham nor Isaac nor Jaakob was onely soule but also body and therefore the Lord saying hee is their God it must necessarily follow that he was the God both of body and soule Which neither could be except the body liued to him in the assuraunce of Resurrection for being vnited to the soule in endlesse glory This stopped the mouthes of them Sadducies and I pray God also the consideration thereof may stoppe the mouthes of our Semi-atheistes denyers of the bodyes resurrection flowted of naturall Philosophers in Athens but prescisely taught of the Apostle and that with a difference of Glory in the resurrection as there is a difference of glory betweene the Sunne Moone and Starres As for the * Compare Math. 20. 1. with Chap. 21. 33. Parable of the Workemen called into the Vineyard at the sixt ninth and eleauenth hower and each receiuing a penny that medleth nothing in proprietie with the kingdome of Glory but with the kingdome of Grace in this life where the last namely the Gentile so well as Israel the first receiueth the earnest-penny of saluation which is the spirit of Adoption the spirit of our Mediatour Jesus a sufficient recompence to the first and last by the vertue of which * Rom. 8. 11. spirit our bodyes are raysed vp vnto Glory As for the Rising of the misbeleiuer it is but a rising to fall for as God will be none of their God so to the Diuell and his Angels they be referred and this is the finall Curse pronounced against the Lawes transgressers throughout all Moses Section 8. ¶ Life Euerlasting THe first benefite to the Church after this life was noted to be the Resurrection of the flesh The second and last is Eternall life both of body and soule Some like craftie smooth-faced Sadducies haue denied that Moses any where teacheth such Eternall life But I pray such Doctors to tell mee why the Lords speach to Moses which before prooued the bodyes Râ—surrection doth not also as necessarily prooue Eternall life If Jehouah be the God of Abraham and therefore whole Abraham must needes liue which cannot be if the body should not rise then his beeing the God of Abraham prooueth Euerlasting life to appertaine vnto whole Abraham seeing Jehouah liueth euerlastingly the God of Abraham And I would further know of the couetous Sadducie why is not Eternall life fitly necessarily and plainely taught of Moses in Genes 5. when as it is sayd that God translated Henoch from this world to himselfe And when Moses in Exod 32. 32. doth in his Zeale for Israel say thus to the Lord I pray thee rase mee out of thy Booke which thou hast written What Booke speaketh he off sauing of the Booke of life that contayneth the names only of such as through the Lord of life
Iesus are sealed vp vnto Eternall life If he reply these places and many moe doe teach necessarily Eternall life but his meaning was that the phrase of Eternall life was not vsed of Moses Thereto I answere so the Sadducie may denie all the artificiall tearmes of Diuinity which the Prophets Apostles all haue introduced in the wisedome of Gods spirit And so he may carpe at all Religion at euery mans writing contending about Tearmes till he haue forgotten the thing and matter it selfe This Eternall life is a full fruition of God all glorious * 1. Iohn 3. 2. seeing him as he is and enioying that sight for euermore When Satan sayd Yee shal be as Aelohim Gen. 3. he spoke as did Caiphas a truth against his purpose vnderstanding For God that called Light out of Darknesse hath out of Death fetched Life yea such a Life as whereby euery of the Saued shal be as God though not God by God his beeing so all in all Vnto this Eternall life is opposite eternall Death This prouided for the Diuell and his Angels and all misbeleiuers as the former prouided for true Beleiuers vnited to their Head Christ. The Diuell and his are thrust out of the Creed because thrust out from the presence of Gods glory Let them all that would partake in that Glory labour their assurance thereof by a true working Fayth I beleeue Lord helpe my vnbeleife Amen Such hath been and such is my Fayth Whatse're the close Seducer sayth The sundry Bookes I erst haue writ To all the world will witnesse it Erubescas nonnè Satana Epilogue to the Christian Reader OVr Sauiour hauing to doe with the Sadducies who admitted no other Scripture for Canonicall sauing the writinges of Moses hee by Moses answereth them as being sufficient for proouing any Article of Fayth which had in after times been taught by the Prophets Himselfe or his Apostles seeing Himselfe came but to fulfill the Law which caused Isaiah to bid his Hearers Goe to the Law as the Apostles were interpretours of Law and Prophets Nor for other purpose was it that our Sauiour sayd thus to the Jewes Had yee beleeued Moses yee would haue beleeued mee John 5. 46. 47. for he wrote of mee But if yee beleeue not his writinges How shall yee beleeue my words The matters of Saluation were perfect in Moses howsoeuer there was more light in the expositions of the Prophets and most light in the labours of the Apostles Wherevpon I conclude that nothing is to be held for an Article of Religion as essentiall vnto Saluation which cannot be made good out of Moses Which one lesson if it had been well learned it had preuented the manifold Schismes which a number run into partly about Quiddities touching the Godhead partly about Externall forme of Church discipline and partly about Ceremonies of order and comlynes by such meanes violating the Fayth breaking the bondes of peace and loue wrathfully eger about circumstaunces euery Sect in their humour till substaunce of Fayth and the groundes of Charitie be neglected tything with the Pharises Mynts and Anise at the best neglecting meane times Barútera tou nomou the waightier thinges of the Law as Iudgement Mercie and Fidelitie while thus one doth bite another one is consumed of another Manasses eating vp Ephraim and Ephraim Manasses Galat. 5. 5. Isa. 9. 20. 21. and both against Judah The Lord redresse it and giue vs grace to do all thinges in loue Amen PRay for mee Friends pray for my constancie That in true Faith Clapham may liue die So shall his life and death be for thy good While some sticke vp vnto the knees in Mudde Feeding on earth digging with Moâ—es to hell God do encrease our Fayth and Loue. Farewell Pergite ¶ To the fainting Friend Thou weary art of doing good Though I the same to losse of Blood Reward is ioyn'd with Constancy When Iudgment whips Apostacy Memor esto vnde excideris Resipisce ¶ To the Enemie Do wring and wrest do rayle and rend Yet I will blesse vnto the end Domine ne statuas Ei hoc peccatum FINIS The Printer The Auther being a farre off some faults may haue passed mee I pray you impute them to meere ignoraunce