whereof take these few John 1.13 Which were born not of bloud nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God John 3.6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit 1 Cor. 2.14 15. For the natural men perceiveth not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him Neither can he know them for they are spiritually discerned But the spiritual man discerneth all things but is discerned of none 1 Cor. 15.22 For as in Adam all die so in Christ shall all be made alive and verse 45 46 47 48 49. As it is written the first man was made a living soul but the second Adam was made a quickening spirit Hewbeit that was not first which is spiritual but that which is natural and then that which iâ— spiritual The first man is of the â—â—rth earthy the second mâ—n is the Lord from heaven as is the earthy such are they that are earthy and as is the heavenly such are they that are heavenly and as we have born the image of the earthly so must we bear the image of the heavenly c. More particularly we answer That this one by whom sin entred into the world is not meant our first parent Adam but our own earthy or natural man which is called Adam and Edom from the earth of his foundation For the apostle shews that Adam our progenitor was not the original or first sinner 1 Timothy 2.14 For Adam was not deceived but the woman being deceived was in the transgression according then to your Doctrine the apostle should have said By one Woman sin entred into the world But you hear before how Solomon Eccles 7.29 and the Lord himself Hos 14 1. scribe our fall to our selves This is yet clearer out of the 14. verse here where the apostle speaks of some who sinned after the similitude of Adams transgression but makes mention of none that sinned in him where he had fair occasion to speak of it yea if he had been of your belief he had committed a grievous neglect totally to omit it in silence Secondly here by the world into which sin entered we must understand the world of fallen and corrupt men as our Saviour doth Joâ—n 3.16 17. and John 15.17 18. and not all mankinde as you do c. Thirdly by death is not meant the bodily death which doth not presently ensue upon our fall no more then it did upon our first parents but a death unto righteousness or the life of innocencie with the contrary body of sin and so obnoxiousness to eternal death is hear meant Fourthly these words and death passed upon all men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are thus to be rendered in as much or so far forth as all have sinned and as Moses in the 14. verse is not he that was the Lawgiver but the work of the Law drawing us to God so neither is this man the litterall Adam For Paul here saith That death reigned from Adam to Moses which must be understood necessarily thus from the fall of our natural Adam till the work of the Law came For otherwise the extent of the reign of sin should reach from the first man to the last and not to Moses onely Which thing the 13. ver holdeth out more plainly that he meant by Mose the Law For it is there said That until the Law sin was in the world which must be conceived that until the work of the law sin is in the world that is likewise in the faln corrupted men undiscovered which is plain from the latter part of the 13 verse where it is said sin is not reputed nor regarded as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies and so Coverdel translates it and not imputed when there is no Law for that is false that sin was not imputed when there was no Law extant for it was imputed to Cain Gen. 4. and he was punished So to the old world and they punished Gen. 6 so to Babels builders and they punished Gen. 11.7.8 so it was imputed to Sodom and Gomorrab and they punished Gen. 19. when there was none of Moses law extant but it is a very truth that sin is not reputed not regarded when there is no work of the Law discovering sin unto the man so St. Paul saith of himself Rom. 7.9 that he was alive without the Law and verse v. he saith he had not known lust but by the Law and Rom. 3.20 it is said that by the Law cometh the knowledge of sin Thus you see how death raigned from Adam to Moses yet not from the first individual Adam to Moses the Law-giver but in the 2. part of the 14 ver it is not affirmed that any sinned in the first individual Adam for he saith Some finned not after the similitude of Adams transgression over whom notwithstanding death reigned Now that expression hinteth these two things First Some sinned like Adam not in Adam others sinned not after the similitude of his transgression but some other way as after Esau's transgression Hebr. 18.16 17. or the like according to that Eccles 7.29 Surely if the Apostle had beleeved any such thing as the raigning of death over all men by the first mans sin he would not have omitted that and onely mentioned from Adam to Moses for all may perceive his main designe is from verse 12. to the 15. to set forth the inlet and extent of deaths reigning over sinners therefore he would have used the fullest and plainest expression serving to that purpose but the 19. verse is more plain against universal corruption by the first mans disobedience for there the Apostle useth the word many and saith by one mans disobediene many not all were made sinners Therefore all fell not in the first individual Adam If any yet reply That many in that place is tant ' amount and equivalent to the word all We Answer That then by the same reason the word many in the latter part of the verse must have the same latitude allowed for the Apostle setteth down a full comparison of equals in that verse here the verse must be thus interpreted That as by one mans disobedience all were made sinners so by one mans obedience all are made righteous If any yet reply and say By one mans obedience all that repent and beleeve are made righteous then by the same inter retation By ones mans disobedience all are made sinners that imitate him and sin like him after the similitude of Adam 's transgressions Thus all men may see there is nothing gained by interpreting the word many by a Synecdoche for all are made sinners by one mans disobedience for the latter part of the verse must have the word many so explained which to affirm namely that all are righteous by Christ by an absolute and uniuersal Justification is accounted as detestable an Heresy as it hath been hitherto to deny that
should them compel Which men at will in sacred things deprives Of will as that which no man drawes but drives Hence threats and promises man hath no merit Nor preach nor teach He is a block no spirit Which takes away the Law or its best fruits As not performable by best recruits In vain 't was writ man made and grace distilld If by Christs help it cannot be fulfill'd Which saith the Saints may will not further go Doth not God grant to will and then to do Which will have God to justifie the lewd While they with sanctity are not endu'd Nor are nor will be justified within As men devoted to inherent sin Which freeth all men both from sin and hell By Christ his outward cross and passing-bell Not urging once the needful death of sin Nor th' inward cross which victory must win Most pretious we hold his blood and merit But first we should be purged by his spirit Such a physitian which maketh Christ As doth not heal the Lepry with the priest But hides the sore from th' eye with cloth or plaster Were men of old so healed by this master Which in beleevers all good works destroyes Whilst it their phansy filleth with these toyes Faith alone saveth do but this believe Do not thy self with further trouble grieve Which cals the called to security Saying none such though they may step awry Can finally or totally relapse With such soft pillowes some men get long naps Which saith what hurt doth sin Christ for't was kil'd What need obedience he hath all fulfill'd Which Satans kingdom stronger makes then Christ For not till death his kingdom is dismist Thus death a passive stronger is then life Then Christ himself to end this ghostly strife Go on with this thy Christ drink rant and whore He is the purse bearer and payes the score He is thy porter all thy burdens beares But all without thee nought within repaires How wide the way how broad mak'st thou the gate Which leads to life But Christ hath made it strait What prodigies doth this new blazing Star This faith of thine bring forth O Synod rare Recount thine articles see how they thrive With five begun they end with three times five Five Amoritish Kings were hang'd but now do rise These Amorites vain talkings signifies O Midian now do thy five Kings return Midian is strife her raised heads we mourn See Philistins your cities rais'd from death Ashkelon Ashdod Ekron Gaza Gath. Goth is wraths winepress Ashdod wasting sore Ekron a rooter out of rich and poor Ashkelon false weights in judgement useth Gaza the knowing wealth which most ammuseth Philistins are men involved in ashes Or such as fall down drunken with their glasses The five sons of the Gyants now revive Errors of many cubits high do strive The Horim clothed in white specious sins The Emims terrible with force and grins Zanzummim with their perverse thoughts wee find The chained Anakims stay not behind Builders of Babel of a triple sect Gomarist Papist Lutheran erect With strife war and bloodshed a Babel new Which counts her self the spouse of Christ most true Yet from his life doth lewdly go astray With world sin Satan doth the Harlot play Three unclean frogs their own respective catt'l Of God Almighty's wrath prepare the batt'l As Midianites fell by intestine strife And Edom Moab Ammon lost their life So this divided Babel now shall fall And blood shall drink who unto Christ gave gall A remnant of each Sect with Lot escape Which eat not of the Sodomitish grape Then fly from Babel and her sins forsake Least thee her judgements chance to overtake Dismiss this Faith with her more monstrous brood Then Nilus beares that Monster bearing flood Your faith a fidle ill tun'd instrument Shall we dance to 't and sing in one consent Become a child again and go to School Who will be wise must first become a fool Forbidden fruit of knowledge thou must hate Obedience to life sets ope the gate Learn first with Christ to dye with him to live Ere thou of Christ true testimony give True faith brings down from heaven the fire of love This firy Chariots mounts men up above What Cov'nants promise what the law doth will Both law and prophets Love doth all fulfill What 's tree of life what 's Paradise above What 's Edens stream what 's bliss eternal love What 's God but love No Mars no Cupid blind This darling vertue doth inflame his mind FINIS ERRATA PAge 10. line 4. for relations read revelations p 19. l 4. before essential put in attribute so p 20. l 32. for inward and r inward or p 24. l 10. of the chapter for work r rocks and l 15. for knowledge r foreknowledg p 30. l 5. for that not r not that p 31. l 21. for would r could p 32. l 21. after Angels put in And men p 43. l 8. for no r out p. 98. l. 19. for intentive r. incitative p. 99. l. 20. for spirit r. spiritual p. 110. l. 36. after when r. as p. 125. l. 10. for view r. review and l. 23 for all r fall p. 126. l. 1. for but r. one And l. 18. for Remalia r. Remaliahs son p. 127. l. 30. for unregerate r. unregenerate p. â—â— l. 1. for retain r. return p. 140. l. 15. for the r. your p. 144. l. 36. for interminate r. indeterminate p. 155. l. 15. for that r. the. And l. â—â— for makers r. workers p. 156. l. 15. for person r. personal p. 158. l. â— for repeated r. revealed p 174. l. 32. for justified r. sanctified p 201. l. 12. after against his put in will p 208. l. 20. for hopes r. hopers p. 221. l. 1â— for whom r. when p 22â— l. 32. for fourthly r. fifthly p 24â— l. 12. of the chapter for would r. could p 250. l. 28. for being by 1. Beingly p. 270. l. 9. for possibility r. visibility p 273. l. 13. for of r. iâ— l. 23. put out odde p. 274. l. 8. for be not r. not be p 276. l. 9. put opt delusion and l. 23. after passeth put in with p 280. l. 10. of the châ—â— for tumble r. jumble p 285. l. 5. for certifie r. rectifie p 297. l. 28. for of his r. of this p 298. before l. 2. add And p 310. l. 24. for verticum r. viaticum The late SYNODS Confession of Faith EXAMINED CHAP. I. Of the Holy Scripture ALthough the light of nature and the works of Creation and providence do so farr manifest the goodness wisdome and power of God as to leav men unexcusable a Rom. 2.14.15 Ro. 1.19.20 Psal 19.1.2.3 RoÌ„ 1.32 with Chap. 2.1 yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and of his will which is necessary unto salvation b 1 Cor. 1.21 1. Cor. 2.13.14 Therefore it pleased the Lord at sundry times and in divers manners to reveal himselfe and to declare that his will unto his
lusts will ye do Now this father makes use of a twofold mother to beget men in wickedness besides their own lust which when it is intised and drawn away by temptation conceiveth and bringeth forth sin Jam. 1 14 15. The first is the lying word and promises with which he deceiveth men as he did Eve saying Gen. 3.4 5. Ye shall not dye for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof then your eyes shall be openâ—d and ye shall be as Goâ—s knowing good and evil The second is the false Synagogue which through Satans help begets men in a false faith religion and worship Thus the Lord speaks to Ammi or his own people which were in the false Synagogue of Israel or the 10. tribes Ho. 2.1 2. Say unto your brethren Ammi and to your sister Ruhama plead with you mother plead for she is not my wise neither am I her husband let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her fight and her adulteries from between her breasts c. On the other hand in the work of the new birth as God is our father so the word of truth is our inward mother Jerusalem or the Church which is begotten from above is our outward spiritual mother Ja. 1.18 Of his own wil begat he us with the word of truth that we should be a kinde of first fruits of his creaturs Gal. 4.26 But Jerusalem which is above is free which is the mother of us all Come we now to enquire which of these mothers David here speaks of Not of his natural mother doubtless for as his father Isai which signifies a gift was a pious man in Israel so no doubt is to be made but his mother was a godly matron and being both of them well grown in grace ere they begot this their youngest son they were more likely to convey grace and holiness if that be communicable then sin unto him since at this age they must needs be well grown in goodness and very mortified persons But that it was the lye or lying promises of Satan with the folly therein contained by which he was shapen in iniquity and conceived in sin as our first parents were and all their faln posterity have been since procreated no man of wisdom will doubt And this is here the more evident to be Davids meaning because in the next verse following he by way of opposition having now hope after his late fall to be holpen up again speaks of a new Spiritual Father and Mother saying verse 6. Behold thou desirest truth in the inward parts and in the hidden part thou shalt make me know wisdom which wisdom is a mother and hath her children Mat. 11.19 But wisdom is justified of her children as the lie and folly or Belial hath her brood likewise unto whom the Lord speaks thus Isai 57.3 But draw near hither ye sons of the Sorceress the seed of the Adulterer and of the whore So we read often of lying children or the sons of the lie and of the sons of Belial yea David himself attributes his sinnes to his folly 2 Sam. 24.10 saying I have done very foolishly Of these two Solomon speaks thus Prov. 14.8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way but the folly of fools is deceit and Prov. 15.21 Folly is joy unto him that is destitute of wisdom and the Apostle saith the like Gal. 3.1 5. Objection It is said Psal 58.3 That the wicked are estranged from the womb they go astray as soon as they be born speaking lies Answer First we may here take notice that the Prophet speaks not this of all men but of the wicked onely Secondly it must needs bee the womb and birth of iniquitie and not the natural birth of which he here speaks For otherwise how can men go astray or speak lies so soon at they are born The 6. Objection Ezek. 16.3 The Lord speaks thus unto Jerusalem Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan thy Father was an Amorite and thy Mother an Hittite Answer The Lord doth not here upbraid the Jews with the corruption derived from our first parents but with wicked poslutions learned from the Canaanites although the name Amorite serves fitly to represent the Divel with his lying promises for it signifies a vain-talker or man of words as the name Hittite sets forth the soul that is prostrate to him The 7. Objection Paul confesseth thus much concerning himself and the Jewes Ephes 2.3 Among whom we all likewise had our conversation in times past in the lusts of the flesh serving the desires of the flesh and of the minde and were by nature the children of wrath as well as others Answer it is one thing to be sinners from our first Nativitie and another in time to become the children of wrath by our personal fall and actual disobedience which also coming to pass in our natural man and by his desault we may truly be said by nature to be the children of wrath especially when sin by custom becomes a second nature unto us Yet doth the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here translated by nature import no more but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is really and truly such by disobedience as the same word signifies Galat. 4.8 Howbeit when ye knew not God ye did sert vice unto them which by nature are no Gods The 8. Objection But the grand objection which our opposites bring is that of Rom. 5.12 c. where it is said That by one man sin entred into the world and death by sin and so death passed over all men for that all have sinned Unto which we first answer in the general That this Chapter seems to be one of those places unto which Saint Peter aludes 2 Epist 3. Chap. vers 16. saying In which to wit the Epistles of Saint Paul are some things hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest as they do the other Scriptures to their own destruction For here are seven things rightly understood by few but perveretd by many First the Justification of faith whereby we have peace with God verse 1. Secondly the time of our small strength in the natural man when we first fell through the power of temptation Christ dyed in us and for us v. 6. Thirdly the love of God then in letting his Son die for us and not destroying us v. 7 8. Fourthly the bloud of Christ through which we are justifie by faith v. 9. Fiftly the death of Christ or rather his like death through which we are reconciled to God v. 10. Of all which we shall speak in their due places Sixthly that one man Adam in us through whose disobedience all are made sinners And lastly That one man Christ in us through whose obedience many shall be made righteous which two Adams are not onely paralleled and opposed here with their fruits and effects but in many other Scriptures likewise
all and every one to be sinners by the first individual mans disobedience but grant that the word many in both parts of this 19. verse must be explained by the word all how clear then without any darkness is the meaning when it is said by one mans disobedience namely the natural Adam 's disobedience all are made sinners because all that ever sin sin in that natural Adam for John 3.9 he that is born of God sâ—â—neth not neither can he sin because he is born of God Hence by the obedience of one that is the heavenly Adam many that is all are made righteous according to that Cor. 15.48 As is the earthy so are they that are earthy and as is the heavenly so are they that are heavenly and therefore as we have borne the Image of the earthy by our disobedience so let us seek to bear the Image of the heavenly That as Rom. 5 19. by one mans disobedience we all may be made righteous Thus we hope it plainly appears that no place in the fifth of the Romans asserteth the imputation of the first mans sin to all posterity though it do affirm that by one man sin entered into the world which must be understood of the one natural man or common Adam in and upon us all according to that 1 Cor. 15.22 For as in Adam all die so in Christ shall all be made alive That is as all die in the earthy Adam that do die so all that live are made alive in Christ the Heavenly Adam We come now to answer the arguments brought à simili whereby you deceive your selves and others As first It is usually said That Traytors are not onely punished themselves for their Treason but their posterity also have their blood tainted and deprived of their inheritance But we demand by what Law Is this by Gods Law and Command that the posterity of a Traytor should be so tainted and deprived or by mans law without warrant from Gods Law If so That doth not argue God will deal with Adams posterity to taint them for his sin and deprive them of an inheritance immortal which the Lord giveth and not man for the first mans sin But to apply our selves to your simile We answer That none but the fathers are punished with death for that sin their children are onely disinherited of the lands and honours which are hereditary but are not made uncapable of new and though all this be done In terrorem yet it leaves Traytors life and being with manyfold capacities of well being but you leave a great part of Adams posterity for his sin by you imputed to them no hope of salvation yea you expose them to eternal destruction for that same they never consented unto nor could avoid Another Objection à simili is this That as the soâ—â— of Achan Josua 7.24 perished with him for his sin so may we justly perish with the first Adam for his sin We answer First Achan's sons being acquainted with the hidden Treasure and approving the thest as it is probable they might were involved in the fin and worthy to be partaker of the punishment Secondly It was but a temporal death which his sons suffered and not an eternal destruction Lastly It is objected That as young Vipers or Serpents are killed with the old ones because we know they have the poysonous nature in them So may Adams posterity â—e destroyed with him We answer That the similitude cannot hold for as we have proved already Adam's posterity are created innocent yea righteous still even in the nautral man besides a spiritual Adam that lieth hidden in all men True it is That by a voluntary fall and the addition of manifold rebellions many men as John calleth them Matth. 3.7 make themselves a generation of vipers but they are not so born by their descent from the first finful Adam Thus we need not throw dirt in the face of our first parents nor transfer the guilt of our fall to those which lived almost six thousand years before us if we rightly understood what we our selves have done yea if we understand that one man before spoken of Rom. 5.12 to the end of the chapter to be opposed unto or paralleled with Christ in a contrary way or course then we may conceive that one man as properly if not more truely to be meant of one personal yet common Adam as of our first progenitors to defame him which will be more fully declared when we speak of Christ the other member of the collation or parallel in the 5. chapter that is concerning Christ the Mediator We beseech you to pardon this our long aboad upon your third Section because we know by experience our opposing the tradition of original sin in children will be most stumbled at and wondered at by them that never surveyed the Scriptures about it In your fourth Section you proceed and say From this original corruption whereby we are utterly indisposed disabled and made opposite to all good and wholly inclined to all evil do proceed all actual transgressions Where to your former error of deriving both the guilt of Adams fall and the corruption of nature to his posterity you add three more according to the multiplying nature of error But first you will not deny that Adam was in the estate of regeneration before he begat any of his children and what true reason can there be given why grace and the renewed Image of God being inherent and connatural should not be derived to his seed as well as his corruptions which were not either universal or perfect in degree even before he by grace was renewed again as we have already proved but of that enough before II. How do you prove that the first fall which we call original sin whether happening in Adam or our selves doth presently render us both unable yea and altogether indisposed and opposite to any good For the whole Image of God is not blotted out at once Doth not the Lord testifie of Jeroboams son-who was sick That there was some good thing left in him towards the Lord and therefore he is taken away before that those last sparkes be extinguished 1 Kings 14.13 III. As the Image of God is defaced gradually so corruption is contracted by degrees so that all men are not corrupted in every part nor alike deeply corrupted so Judah by continuance in sin in process of time had more polluted her self then Samaria her elder sister or Sodom her pounger Ezek. 16 45 46 47. c. The last age of the old world upon which the deluge was sent was more corrupt then any that went before it and thereupon it was destroyed Therefore that which the Lord speaks in complaint of that age is not equally applicable to all ages and muchless to all persons Although that is true of all grown men which the Lord speaks Gen. 8.21 That the imaginations of mans hears are evil from his youth that is from the first times of his
Inâ—rdinate affection evil concupiscence and coveâ—ousness c. This is that Earth which is opposed to be the Heaven of Gods holiness Eccles 5.2 For God is in Heaven and thou upon the Earth For the Lord is present in this outward Earth aswel as we in this Earth all men sin but there are some places in the new Testament also which you oppose us with as first that Luke 17.10 So likewise you when ye have done all these things say ye are â—â—p ofitable servents But this place if well considered makes more against you then for you for our Saviour there implyes that we may do all things which are commanded to wit through his grace yet having so done we are unprofitable servants to God for we have done but our duties and that through grace also and so have added nothing to the Lord. But a second and a grand objection is made out of Rom. 7.14 15 16 17 18 19. c. For the Law saith the Apostle is spiritual But I am carnal sold under sin Answer Although this place is commonly taken as if the Apostle spoke here of his own personal and present estate yet it is certain he did not first because elsewhere speaking of that estate he contradicts what is here spoken by him as 1 Cor. 4.4 For I know nothing by my self but here the person spoken of knowes much evil by himself and Phil. 4.13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me but he that is here intended though to will is present with him yet findes no means or power to do any good yea that which the Apostle speaks of his present estate chap. 8. of this Epistle to the Romans verse 2. is directly opposite to what is complained of verse 23 of this 7 chapter for in that 23. verse the complaint speaketh thus But I see another law in my members warring against the law of my minde and bringing me into coptivity to the law of sin which is in my members Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death But Rom. 8.2 Paul saith For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death what can be more contradictory then this last place is to the former So that of necessity the fist place must be understood of babes in Christ whom Paul here personates instructs and comforts and the latter of his own present condition and victorie as Occumenius and others well observe and what was more usual with the Apostle then to speak of that which concerns others in his own person 1 Cor. 4.6 And these things brethren I have in a figure transferred to my self and Apollos for your sake 1 Cor. 13.11 c. When I was a child I spake as a child c. Thirdly You alledge against us and this truth the words which the Apostle speaks to the Galatians chap. 5. verse 17. For the flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these are contraeâ—y the one to the other so that ye cannot do the things that ye would Here say you the Apostle describes that combat betwixt the flesh and the spirit which must continue while we endure in the body Answer But where do you read that this conflict must last so long The Apostle saith a good space before his death 2 Tim. 47. I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith Were not the Galatians Babes in Christ so young and weak that the Apostle had no sooner left them then they were ready to be drawn away from Christ by the false Apostles See Gal. 1.6 with 3.1 2. Now to make their estate the highest pitch growth of a Christian in this life is as if we should take the scantling of a child and conclude that it is the full stature of mankinde and that no man is or can be of a taller groth Fourthly You object what St. James writes chap. 3.2 For in many things we offend all where you imvolue him and his fellow Apostles in that plural number To which we answer That the Apostle can no more be there implyed then in the 9 verse where he saith again and that plurally With the same tongue we bless God even the Father and with the same tongue we curse men which are made after the similitude of God Was James or the Apostles now of the number of those that still cursed men But it is frequent for lenity sake and in a winning way for the Prophets and Apostles of Christ to speak in the plural and sometimes in the singular number those things which concern not themselves but their hearers onely Nebem 5.10 I pray you let us leave of this usury saith the man of God who was no wayes guilty of that sin Isa 59.10 the Prophet speaketh this We groap for the wall like the blind and we groap as if we had no eyes Lastly It is objected out of 1 John 1.8 That the Apostle saith directly If we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and there is no truth in us Answer The same Apostle implyes ch 4 17. that he and his fellow Apostles were now without sin Herein is our love made perfect that we might have boldness in the day of Judgement because as he is so are we in this present world There is no fear in love but persect love casteth out fear The Apostle therefore speaks the former words to those that were young in Christ and yet imperfect as is evident chap. 2. verse 1. My little children these things write I unto you that ye sin not c. Yea he explains himself so Chap. 1. verse 10. that he may be safely taken into the number If we that say we have not finned we make him a lyar and his word is not in us And thus much of your first erroneous proposition in your 5th and last Section Your other Thesis wherein you affirm That though this corruption remains in the regenerate during life yet it is actually pardoned is false also and contradictory to these ensuing and many other Scriptures Prov. 28 13. Luke 24.47 Acts 8.20 Acts 26.18 or as we shall shall shew at large chap. 11. by Gods assistance Now for a conclusion of this last Section give us leave to propound these Queries unto you First whether those ten unbeleeving spies did not highly displease God and much hinder injure and prejudice the people which hearkened unto them who cryed that there were such Anakiâ— in the way that they could not be subdued by them and Cities so high that they were walled up to Heaven and therefore not 〈◊〉 be scaled Numb 14. Did not the people too slothful and averse before to fight the Lords battail against the Canaanites become therethrough wholy unbeleeving even despairing of victory and altogether indisposed to the fight enjoyned by the Lord Were not both they and those their leaders
the seeking of them Rom. 10.14 15 c. A second let is a depraved judgement Act. 26.9 for I verily thought with my self thâ—t I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus A third impediment is the want of due remembrance and serious consideration of what we know in generall Lam. 1.9 He filthiness is in her skirts she remembred not her latter end A fourth bar is the power of Temptation of which the Apostle complaines 2 Cor. 12.7.8 A filth and a powerful obstacle is habit and custome in sin of which that is verified Qui non est hoâ—iè erà s minùs aptus erat Lastly Gods final desertion one of the heavyest of Judgements is an unremovable obstacle to the willing of good because seconded with Satans power Hence we may take a view how far the faln man can will good convert himself or prepare himself thereunto namely so far forth as men have some light of nature left or new illumination and convincing grace the which of all other is most necessary for the work of a true conversion Jer. 23.24 O Lord I know that the way of man is not in himself it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps Secondly This may be done with the more facility so far as they are chastned by the hand of the Lord and make a good use of it which made the Prophet Jeremy to pray as he doth Jer. 10.24 Correct me O Lord yet in judgement and not in thine angor lest thou bring me to nothing Howbeit in all this the Lord seems to lay no violent hand upon the will but works upon it by understanding judgement and reason with the use of sense and because he is the Author of the new understanding and judgement which leads and drawes the will he is said to work the will also Phil. 2.13 for Causae causae est etiam causa causaei But the main way whereby the man after illuminating or preventing grace can prepare himself to turn his heart or will is by frequent meditation and deep consideration of what he knows by grace or nature In your two last Sections First according to an ordinary distribution you distinguish the condition of converted sinners into a State of Grace and a State of glory but albeit there be different degrees in their new Metamorphosis or change yet their least estate in regeneration is a State of Glory as on the contrary the highest degree of that change and exaltation is a state of Grace For the proof of the first of these consider what the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 3.18 But we all with open face beholding as in a glass the Glory of the Lord are transformed into the same Image from Glory to Glory as by the spirit of the Lord. 2 Pet. 1.3 Through the knowledge of him who hath called us unto Glory and Vertue And for the evidencing of the latter weigh well what Saint Peter writeth 1 Pet. 1.14 wherefore gird up the loins of your minde be sober and hope to the end for the Grace that is to be brought unto you at the Revelation of Jesus Christ See also 1 Pet. 3.7 as heirs together of the Grace of life But more particulary for your fourth Section As in the beginning of it you attribute too much to the first work or degree of our regeneration so you detract too much from the last and highest period of the same in the end of that Section For first you say but not truely That when God converts a sinner and translates him into the State of Grace he presently freeth him from his natural bondage under sin and by his grace alone enables him to will and to do that which is spiritually good Here brethren you go too far for the Apostle in the behalf of the young Babes or converts complains thus Rom. 7.8 9. For to will is present with me but how to perform that which is good Lâ—nde not for the good that I would I do not and the evil that I would not that do I. How then are they freed when the Apostle saith ver 23 He findes another Law in his members not only warring against the Law of his minde but bringing him captiue to the Law of sin in his members whereupon he cryes out verse 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of deaâ—h Is a bondage then against your wils no captivity yea it is the most grievous bondage of all others in our sense and feeling though not so perilous to the soul as a willing subjection unto sin Indeed it is true of the young in Christ which the Apostle writs to them of that age 1 John 2.14 I have written unto you young men because ye are strong and the word of God abideth in you and you have overcome the wicked one But the Babe in Christ cannot attain thereunto while he is a chide Now in the close of that Section you flag and fall as much too short saying That this convert at his highest pitch for so you mean by reason of his remaining corruption doth not perfectly nor only will that which is good but willeth that which is evil also The which though it be true of the Infants aforesaid and perhaps may sometimes be verified of the middle ort yet it is not true of the old or aged men in Christ such as the Apostles themselves were as we have proved before In your last Section you do as you are wont wholly transferring the state of Glory in which the will of man is made immutably good out of this world but herein you are some what mistaken if we may give credit to these Scriptures Rev. 3.12 21. C. 1.2.3 4 5 6. CHAP. X. Of effectuall calling ALL those whom God hath predestinated unto life and those onely he is pleased in his appointed and accepted time effectually to call a Rom 8.30 Rom 11.7 Eph 1.10 11. by his Word and Spirit b 2 Thes 2.13 14. 2 Cor 3.6 out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ c Rom. 8.2 Eph 2.1 2 3 4. 2 Tim. 1.9 10. inlightning their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God d Act 16.18 1 Cor 2.10 12. Eph 1.17 18. taking away their heart of stone and giving unto them an heart of flesh e Ezek 36.26 Eze 11.19 Phil 2.13 Deut. 36.6 Ezek 36.27 renewing their wils and by his Almighty power determing them to that which is good f and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ g Eph 1.19 John 6.44 45. yet so as that they come most freely being made willing by his grace h Cant. 1.4 Psal 110.3 John 6.37 Rom. â— 16 17 18. II. This effectual call is of Gods free and special grace alone not from any thing at all foreseen in man i 1 Tim 1.9 Tit. 3.4 5. Eph 2.4 5 8 9. Rom â— 11. who is
bow us we are incorrigible and deplorate Isa 1.5 6. Isa 9.13 yea and are sure to perish in the end Prov. 29.1 He that being often reproved hardneth hss neck shall suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy Other means are named and commended unto us in the word which shall work upon some when the word will not As the good conversation of the wife towards an unbelieving husband or disobedient to the word 1 Pet. 3.1 2. But Gods most usual and powerful way of converting sinners is by his spirit and severe chastisements those especially upon mens consciences which we elsewhere call the work of the Law though ofttimes wrought without the written Law or Word of which the Psalmist speaks Psal 94 13. A fourth mistake of yours there is That you say all men are by nature in the state of sin and death For we have already proved that to be false And doth not the Apostle say Rom. 2.27 That if the uncircumcision which is by nature fulfil the Law taking it for granted that some may do so he shall judge thee who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the Law True it is that the word nature is not always taken in one notion by the Apostle himself but as by nature here he understands a state of men without the written word so by nature Ephes 2.3 where he saith that we were by nature the children of wrath as well as others he intends either corrupt nature or a reality of the thing as Gal. 4.8 you did service to them which by nature are no Gods that is not really such 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A fifth errour of yours in that Section is that you say God in this his effectual calling of men determines the will to that which is good wherein as we said before he should overthrow that course and order which himself hath set up making us free Agents and leaving our wills free and interminate Yet we grant that the Lord bowes and inclines the wils of men from evil to good by illumination in the understanding and working upon the judgement as we said before but he laies no violent hands upon the will immediately Finally you have other mistakes in the first Section also as when you say that God in his effectual calling of men takes away the stony heart and gives them an heart of flesh for that is not wholly done in our first conversion but in process of time by our cleansing from sin and renewing in Jesus Christ according to the Covenant Ezek 36.25 26 27. Nor are all converts brought to Jesus Christ at the first as you here dream for the father hath his work of regeneration upon us ere we are brought to know or beleeve on the Son for his worke of spiritual redemption which is the second step or degree of our regeneration as we shew in the sequel of this tractate Yea whosoever resists the father in his work or doth not continue in it he is not brought by the father to the son to be saved by him from sin and Satan John 6.44 Nor is your second Section so sound or Orthodox in all points as we could wish it For you say there but not truly That he who is called of God is altogether passive until quickned and renewed by the holy Ghost For though in the works of illumination correction and reproof he is passive yet afterward in the turning of his will and desires to God and goodness he is active as the Apostle speaks 1 Thes 2.19 For they themselves shew of us what mannor of entrance we bad unto you and how ye turned to God from Idols to serve the living and true God So Acts 11.21 And the hand of the Lord was with them and a great many beleeved and turned to the Lord. Wherefore doth the Lord require this motion at our hands so often if we cannot turn after inlightning and convincing grace Ezek. 18 30. Wherefore repent ye and turn ye from all your transgressions and verse 32. Wherefore turn ye and live see Eze. 33.11 Joe 2.12 13 14 c. In your third Section you abate something of your wonted rigour in saying That all other elected persons besides infants who are uncapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the word are regenerated and saved by Christ through the Spirit who worketh when and where and how he pleaseth If you grant then that there is an elect people among all nations as John saw an infinite or innumerable company of such standing before the throne of God and before the Lamb cloathed with white rober and palms in their hands Re. 7.9 you have here yeilded that they may be called without the ordinary means of the word and this is no other thing in effect then what ye have here maintained For if the Lord could do this in Elihu Job Rahab the widow of Zarephta and Paul all which were converted without the word what hindereth but that he can do the like all over the world in all ages and generations of mankinde if they obstruct not his working In this Section we pass over that which you spake in the beginning of it concerning elect infants because we know no other sort of infants And that such need no regeneration we have shewed before In your fourth and last Section you have heaped up together many untruths as these by name First That there are some persons that are not elected which being understood of a special and final election is true but being taken of Gods general and conditional election is false as before Secondly You say That such as are not elected and so not saved though they may be called by the ministry of the word yet they receive onely the common operations of the spirit It is most certain that many who are not finally elected and saved besider a true and effectual calling vouchsafed from the father have in some measure received a true faith bringing forth repentance for a time a true love turning them to God and bringing forth a temporary obedience a true hope which brought forth patience yea and some proportion of purifying and sanctfying grace as is evident out of these Scriptures and others 1 Tim. 1.19 and chapt 5.12 and chapt 6.10 Heb. 6.4 5 6. and chapt 10.28 29. 2 Pet. 2.20 21 22. Thirdly You say That such never came truly unto Christ and therefore cannot be saved where it is true that such can never be saved from the power of their spiritual enemies who never came to Christ nor Christ to them yet many of them which were never chosen out of the furnace nor in the end partake of eternal life yet were brought for a time both to beleeve in Christ and in some measure to obey him who yet afterward fel from him and lost all that which they had wrought with their future hopes of which number were those apostate Disciples of Christ mentioned John 6.66 with Judas Demas
as we have said before yet we read nowhere of any power proceeding from thence in the mortifying of sin though that his suffering should be both a patern and a motive to follow him in his like death as hath been said Yea the Apostle ascribes weakness and not power to Christ in his death as that whereby he could properly suffer 2 Cor. 13 4. For though he was crucified through weakness yet he liveth by the power of God It was power indeed whereby he was raised up Rom. 1.4 And it is through the same power that those who are dead with him must be raised up again Phil. 3.10 That I may know him and the power of his resurrection c. So then there is express mention in the word of the vertue or power of his resurrection to be imployed in this work of our regeneration but none of the power or efficacy of his death yea that benefit which we have by the death of Christ followes the work of sanctification in order of nature and doth not go before it as hath been proved sufficiently before Thirdly Whereas you say or imply That the whole dominion of sin is destroyed in those that are in any measure called and sanctified it is a thing rather to be wished if it were the will of God then to be granted for truth for we find the contrary in our own experience while we are babes in Christ yea the Apostle describing the estate of such in his own person because he had been formerly in that â—state complaineth grievously of the remaining and dominion of corruption Rom. 7.23 24. But I see another law in my members rebeiling against the Law of my minde and bringing me into captivity to the Law of sin Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death indeed if you had said that the former love which the least of Saints had to the body of sin and their willing subjection thereunto is in some measure destroyed you had spoken truly but is not a dominion against their wils a dominion still Yea it is the most grievious tyranny of all other and the hardest to be born So then there is left in all the regenerate a dominion and tyranny of sin till by grace they obtain power and victory against it though this dominion is now invitum imperium and not so dangerous as it was in the time of their voluntary subjection thereunto Fourthly That which you speak in the close of that Section is true or false as men bestir themselves in resisting sin and seeking Gods grace there against or otherwise neglect those duties to wit That the several lusts of this body of sin are more and more weakned and mortified and they more and more quickned and strengthned in all saving graces to the practise of true holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. Your second Section presents but one error upon the matter but it is a material one to wit That our sanctification in this life is always imperfect and that there abide some remnants of corruption in every part that hence ariseth a continual and irreconcileable war the flesh lusting against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh Gal. 5.17 But brethren if our sanctification must not be perfected here when or where must it be made up Is not this life the time of our regeneration Tit. 2.11 12 13. For the grace of God which bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world looking for that blessed hope and that glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Must some corruption still remain in every part Why so hath God such pleasure in it Shall Christ lose the end of his comming of which the Apostle speaks in the next verse Tit. 2.24 Who gave himself for us that he might redeem from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works See Ephes 5.25 27. of which we spake before And though while the flesh and the spirit continue there remains an irreconcileable â—ar betwixt them must that war last alwayes had not Saint Paul sought a good fight and finished his course 2 Tim. 4.7 Had he not subued his body and brought it into subjection 1 Cor. 9.27 shall we never attain to be of a taller Stature and growth then those new born babes in the Galatians That you apply their conflicts and weak estate spoken of Gal. 5.17 to all But we must pardon you for in your third Section you seem to contradict all this again saying In which war although the remaining corruption for a time may much prevaile yet through the continual supply of strength from the sanctifying Spirit of Christ the regenerate part doth overcome and so the Saints grow in grace perfecting holiness in the fear of God but concerning this we must refer you to what we spake before upon Chap. 6. Sect. 6. Surely as God caused his word to be written that we might there through become absolute 2 Tim. 3.14 16 17. And hath given gifts from heaven unto his Apostles Prophets Evangelists and Teachers to bring us unto such a stature of perfection in Christ Ephes 4 10 11 12 13 14. So he praying for the perfecting of the Saints Heb. 13.20 21. 2 Cor. 13.9 1 Pet. 5.10 did pray for things feasible and attainable nor can the prayer of Christ for the same thing be irritous Joh. 17.23 I in them and they in me that they may be made perfect in one CHAP. XIV Of saving Faith THE Grace of Faith whereby the Elect are inabled to believe to the saving of their souls a Heb 10.30 is the work of the Spirit of Christ in their hearts b 2 Cor 4.13 Ephes 17.18 19. Ephes 2.8 and is ordinarily wrought by the Ministry of the word c Rom 10.14.17 by which also and the administration of the Sacraments and prayer it is increased and strengthened d 1 Pet 2.2 Act 20.32 Rom 4.11 Luk. 17.5 Ro 1.16 17. II. By this Faith a Christian believeth to be true whatsoever is revealed in the word for the authority of God himself speaking therein e Joh. 4.42 1 Thes 2.13 1 Joh 5.20 Act. 24.14 and acteth differently upon that which each particular passage thereof containeth yeilding obedience to the commands f Rom 16.26 trembling at the threatenings g Isa 66.2 and imbracing the promises of God for this life and that which is to come h Heb. 11.13 1 Tim 4.8 but the principal acts of saving Faith are accepting receiving and resting upon Christ alone for justification sanctification and eternal life by vertue of the Covenant of grace i Joh 1.12 Act 16.33 Gal 2.29 Act 15.11 III. This faith is different in degrees weak or strong k Heb 5 13.14 Rom 4.15 20. Matth 6.30 Matth 8.10 may be often and many
me saith the Lord Zach. 14.16 c. And it shall come to pass that every one that is left of all the Nations that came against Jerusalem shall even go up from yeer to yeer to worship the King the Lord of Hosts c. In your fourth Section you yet seem to digress further from the truth in saying That the judiciall law did expire with the state of the Jewes for doubtless whensoever their Commonwealth shall be restored that Law shall be revived yea how far it may now oblige all Christian states to follow it is worth your inquiring You say That the general equity of it may still continue In which words you recommend the whole upon the matter for what is there to be found in it but equity it self can ever the Christian Nations hope to finde out better political Laws then those which first came from Heaven Yea what by the Testimony of almost all men were more to be wished for in a Christian state then that their Laws might be few in number just in themselves and eafie to be known as those would be if they were gathered into a body and that such as have controversies might have a speedy dispatch as in Moses his dayes In your fifth Section you do justly maintain the continued authority and obligation of the moral Law over all persons under the Gospel Where you truly affirm That Christ doth not any way dissolve but muchst engthen this obligation which thing he doth by his Doctrine Mat. 5.16 17 18 19. by his example John 15.10 and especially by the end of his coming which is to fulfill it in us Rom. 8.3 4. and not for us otherwise then we have shewed before as you in your next Section partly imply In your sixth Section though you do not shew what it is to be under the Law yet there you truly set forth many most precious uses of that law even for the regenerate Nevertheless you forget a singular peice of service it did them in their first converson by God their fathers cooperation when it first made known their sin and misery unto them and was their Schoolemaster unto Christ Galatians 3.22 23 24. At which time while we were under the work of the Law breeding fear of wrath for we alwayes remain under the rule of it till it be dead we were troubled with the spirit of bondage which made us justly fear the wrath and vengeance to come Rom. 8.15 And this was the first great bower and encliner of our wils to leave our wicked wayes and keep Gods Commandements yet an impulsive out of self love and self preservation for the present till faith in Gods gracious promises did kindly melt and charge our hearts to bewaile and leave sin as also to work righteousness out of love and good will to him that was so gracious towaâ—ds us And in this sense we may grant you that which you speak of in your seventh and last Section of the Spirits subduing our wils for it is by the work of the Law that our pride is first brought down and our strong inclination to sin with ouâ— utter aversness to righteousness becomes broken in us but our wils are sweetly attracted and framed to choose the good and nil theevil by the apprehension of mercy and grace from God whom in our own sense by the sentence of our own consciences we deserved nothing but peâ—dition Lo this is that wise powerful and gracious work of God in the conversion of a sinner which you call Gods irresistable working and yet is nothing less then a compulsion though it wants not strong impulsions at the first to work upon our stiffe yet not inflexible wils That these forementioned uses of the Law are not contrary to the grace of the Gospel but either make way for the same or sweetly comply therewith as you speak in this last Section is undoubtedly true And therefore the believer under the Covenant of grace remains still in some sence under works But yet if the Spirit of Christ both can and usually doth subdue our wils and inable us freely and chearfully to do the will of God revealed in the law as you here speak what letteth but that our corruptions may be abolished our sanctification perfected and our obedience to the law made compleat especially if we seek that grace contrary to your former doctrines Yea if Christ by his Spirit can and will so fulfill the Law in us which of the Saints made perfect in the world to come you will not deny what great need can there be at that time may some say of Christs outward obedience to be our righteousness But of that sufficiently before For a conclusion then of this Chapter as you here tacitly oppose the Antinomians and other such adversaries to the law so we pray you remember that it is upon your own grounds here and elsewhere that they desert the Law for they thus argue If Christ hath fulfilled the Law for us in his active and personal obedience to make us compleatly righteous before God what need is there of our obedience to the same Yea some of them are so bold as to say They see not how God in Justice can require obedience to his Law the second time at our hands which he hath both exacted and obtained already from his Son in our behalf yea why should any still perish for their disobedience against the Law who yet believed on Christ as some do Mat. 7.21 22 23. Thus they argue for themselves out of your own principles so dangerous a thing it is to lay a sandy foundation in the bottom of the structure But is not the keeping of Christs words and sayings and therein the fulfilling of the Commandements through his grace and help that immoveable rock which he hath commended to every wise builder for a sure foundatition Mat. 7.24 25. CHAP. XX. Of Christian liberty and liberty of Conscience THE Liberty which Christ hath purchased for believers under the Gospel consists in their freedom from the guilt of sin the condemning wrath of God the curse of the moral Law a Tit 2.4 1 Thess 1.10 Ga 3.13 and in their being delivered from this present evil world bondage to Satan and dominion of sin b Gal 1.4 Col 1.19 Act 26.18 Ro 6.14 from the evil of afflictions the sting of death the victory of the grave and everlasting damnation c Ro 8.28 Psa 119.71 1 Cor. 15.54 55 56 57. Ro 8.1 as also in their access to God d Ro 5.1 2. and their yeilding obedience unto him not out of slavish fear but a child like love and willing mind e Rom 8.14 15. 1 Joh 4.18 All which were common to all believer under the Law f Gal 3.9 14 but under the new Testament the liberty of Christians is further enlarged in their freedom from the yoke of the Ceremonial Law to which the Jewish Church was subjected g Gal 4.1 2 3 6 7 Gal
But if any man say unto you this is offered in sacrifice to Idols eat it not for his sake that shewed it and for conscience sake conscience I say not thine own but of others for why is my liberty judged of another mans conscience Yea some grow so far as to alow a liberty upon occasion to be present before an outward Idol without superstition or adoration in the heart because that the true beleevers well informed know that such an Idol is nothing in the world 1 Cor. 8.4 That is say they neither such a God as some out of a superstitious devotion would make it nor such a Divel or defiling thing as others out of their superstitious conceits and feares would have it to be this practise they would justify from Ezekiels presence before Idols Ezek. 8. throughout and Pauls present beholding of Idols and Idolaters at Athens Acts 17 23. And from the answer which Elisha gave to Naamaus quaere and scruple 2 Kings 5.18 19. True it is indeed That the great Idol is the God of this world and next to him our lusts and corrupt desires Col. 3.4 covetousness but any other thing by too much esteem love or fear of it or trust and confidence in it may be made an Idol even our Authors ministers shepherds may be Idolized Zac. 10.2 Zac. 13.2 Your second fail in this first Section as we said is your preposterous placing of the Christian liberties which you recite for you set freedom from the guilt of sin the condemning wrath of God and the curse of the moral Law before deliverance from bondage to sin and Satan which in order of nature must go before as we have proved before Your third fail is in mistakes for the sting of death is sin it self 1 Cor. 15.5 6. which if it cannot be subdued wholy in this life as you affirm then the sting of death cannot be wholy taken away or we freed from it here So likewise the victory which the Apostle there speaks of is not that of the Grave but of Hell which is the inward condemnation of conscience against both which the Apostle triumphs With thanksgiving to God for the victory that is to be had in Christ Jesus for all true beleevers In your second Section you straighten liberty of Conscience as much as you did Christian freedom in the first for though the requiring of an implicite faith be destructive to Liberty of Conscience and the imposing of the doctrines and precepts of men upon us as if they were the commandments of God from which your selves are not free in the next chapter and elsewhere is very injurious likewise yet the Liberty of Conscience may be divers other wayes invaded and infringed As first By violent means to seek to alter conscientious mens judgments and their present perswasions for it is the office of him that is the Lord of Conscience To lighten and change mens mindes when and how he pleaseth Phil. 3.15 Let us therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded and if in any thing you be otherwise minded God shall reveale this unto you Secondly By like forcible means to incite anothe to will and act against his Conscience and much more by imprisonment mulcts terrours or threats Romans 14.15 20 21. For this is to make him destroy his soul verse 20 23. Thirdly we may not disturbe the peace of mens Consciences or make their hearts sad with our invectives or menacing them causelessly with terrours from the Lord Ezekiel 13.32 Because with lies ye have made the hearts of the righteous sad whom I have not made sad c. In your third Section you do deservedly oppose the practice of any sin and the cherishing of any the least sinful lust upon pretence of Christian Liberty But whereas you add ' That this is to destroy the end of Christian Liberty which you there place in two things deliverance from the hands of our enemies and a freedom to serve the Lord without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the daies of our life you in some sort contradict your selves in calling these the end of our Christian Liberty which you had in the first Section made two main parts of our Christian Liberty as indeed they are In your fourth Section you have set good bounds betwixt the subjects or subordinates and the Governours saying That they who upon pretence of Christian Liberty shall oppose any lawful power or the lawful exercise of it whether it be Civil or Eclesiastical resist the Ordinances of God Wherein your Doctrine is sound and good whatever your practice hath been or may be to the contrary For God is the Author of order and not of confusion and he which hath armed superiors according to their state and degree with authority hath imposed subjection in all lawful things with many other respective duties upon the inferiours and subordinates It is true likewise That no such opinions should be published or practises maintained as are contrary to the light of Nature to the known and received Principles of Christianity in all Ages especially those of the Primitive and purest times whether they concerne Faith Worship or Conversation or are opposite to the power of Godliness But how far the different opinions and judgements of men may by learned men who yet want spiritual eies be judged erroneous prejudicial to the power of Godliness either in their own nature or in the manner of publishing and maintaining them we know not We are as much for modesty and sobriety in men and as far from any thing that is destructive to the external Peace and Order which Christ hath established in the Church or Common Wealth as your selves or any other But we would not have you assume to your selves or attribute unto others a power to lord it over mens Faith and Consciences especially when men walk obediently towards those that are in places of Rule and Authority and live a Godly honest sober peaceable and unblamable life If Men will do wickedly and pretend a liberty in Christ so to do let them be liable to the sword of Justice for so doing But far be it from us so much as by example to draw a weak brother a Saint and fellow servant of the Lord whom no man can accuse but for his different judgement to do any thing against Conscience whereby he should condemn himself as the Apostle speakes Romans 14. How much more ought Governours to be tender and abstemious in the use of violent and coercive meanes to precipitate men into such perilous and destructive courses All Authority is given of God for mens welfare and much more for the Preservation and not the Destruction of the Soul But Brethren you which are so punctual in teaching the Subject his duty to free your selves from flattery temporising or partiallity might have done God and his people yea the Governours themselves no disservice in minding them of their duties also and so setting due limits and boundaries
monitions commandements and requirings you seem to lay some default upon God himself saying That he withholdeth that grace from them whereby their hearts that is their wils and affections might have been wrought upon which both derogates from Gods mercy and is inconsistent which innumerable Scriptures testifying the contrary as Esai 5.4 What could I have done more for my vineyard that I have not done Mat. 23.37 How often would I have gathered thy children as a ben gathereth her chickens under her wings but see would not Acts 7.51 Ye stifnecked and uncircumcised in heart and eares ye do alwayes resist the holy Ghost as did your Fathers so do yee CHAP. VI. Of the fall of man of Sin and of the punishment thereof OVR First Parents being seduced by the subtilty and temptation of Satan sinned in eating the forbidden fruit a Gen 3.13 2 Cor 11.3 this their sin God was pleased according to his wise and holy counsel to permit having purposed to order it to his own glory b Ro 11.32 II. By this sin they fell from their original righteousnesse and communion with God c Gen 3.6 7 8. Eccl 7.29 Ro 3.23 and so became dead in sin d Gen 2.17 Eph 2.1 and wholy defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body e Tit 1.15 Gen 6.5 Jer 17.9 Ro 3.10 to 19. III. They being the root of all mankinde the guilt of sin was imputed f Ge 1.27 28. and Gen. 2.16 17. and Act 17.13 with Ro 5.12 15 16 17 18 19. and 1 Cor 15.21 22 25. and the same death in sin and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation g Psa 51.5 Gen 5.3 Job 14.4 Job 15.14 IV. From this original corruption whereby we are utterly indisposed disabled and made opposite to all good h Ro 5.6 Rom 8.7 Rom 7.18 Col 1.21 and wholly inclined to all evil i Gen 6.5 Gen 8.21 Rom 3.10 11 12 do proceed all actual transgressions k Jam 1.12 15. Eph 2.2 3. Mat 15.19 V. This corruption of nature during this life doth remain in those that are regenerated l 1 Joh 1.8 to Rom v. 14.17 18 23. Jam 3.2 Pro 20.9 Eccl 7.20 and althoug it be through Christ pardoned and mortified yet both it self and all the motions thereof are truely and properly sin m Ro 7.5 7 8 25. Gal 5.17 VI. Every sin both original and actual being a transgression of the righteous Law of God and contrary thereunto n Joh 3.4 doth in its own nature bring guilt upon the sinner o Rom 3.9 19. whereby he is bound over to the wrath of God p Eph 2.3 and curse of the Law q Gal. 3.10 and so made subject to death r Ro. 6.23 with all miseries spiritual Å¿ Eph. 4.18 temporal t Rom. 8.20 Jam. 3 39. and eternal u Matth. 25.41 2 Thess 1.9 CHAP. VI. Of the fall of man of Sin and of the Punishment thereof examined IN this Chapter of mans fall you have given sufficient evidence of it for except the first and last Sections all parts of it are a resemblance of the depraved man you spake of sufficiently corrupted In the second Section these are your words By this sin they that is our first parents fell from their original righteousness and communion with God and so became dead in sin and wholly defiled in all the faculties of soul and body In which words we finde the fruits of the forbidden tree evil as well as good error as well as truth That they fell from their former communion with God from some degree of original righteousness and that they became dead that is liable to eternal death we grant you but that they fell wholly from original righteousness at the first Act of their Apostacy or that they presently became so wholly defiled as you speak are great mistakes As to the first of these did not the Image of God in which they were created consist in holiness and righteousness Now you know habits are not lost by one act or two Again the thing that God threatned was a gradual punishment as well as a certain In dying ye shall die Furthermore those that fall away from inchoated grace and that renued Image of God which is not at first so strong and vigorous as Gods similitude was in the first man though they die and being in a great decree of languishing are said to be dead yet they die but gradually after great debilities and decay may be kept alive and recovered Rev. 3.1 2. I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die for I have not found thy works perfect before me Now as for the second that they became wholly defiled in all parts and faculties no Scripture speaks it nor could it be till the whole Image of God was extinguished by contrary corruptions True it is that if the Lord had wholly left them to themselves as he did the rebellious and backsliding Angels it would have fared no better with them in the end then you speak of but the father of mercies was pleased to appear unto them in the cool and declination of the day before it was dark night with them and by his covenant of grace to help them up again In the third Section you say They being the root of all mankinde the guilt of the sin was imputed and the same death in sin and corrupted nature corveyed to all posterity descending from them by ordinary generation where that they were the root of all mankinde is undoubtedly true but all the rest of that Section may be justly questioned And first that passage where you tacitely exempt Christ from the imputation of this sin made unto him for doubtless that with all other sins of ours were laid upon him But secondly it may be upon good ground hoped that it neither was nor shall be imputed to any of their posterity who are not the imitators of the same in actual rebellion for that just Lord doth not onely forbid the punishing of the children for the iniquity of their parents even with temporal death Deut 24.18 but he swears also by his own life that he will not do that thing Ezek 18.1 20. Then what you there affirm in the second place is more improbable then the other to wit That the same death in sin and corrupt nature is conveyed to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation is yet more improbable For first that some men are sanctified from the womb as Jeremiah and John the Baptist were and the Virgin Mary might possibly be none will deny And secondly that all others are still created innocent in some measure of Gods image there are not a few Scriptures which seem to testifie it of which Genesis the 9.6 is one where the
fal for so they then begin to be True it is that the great wickedness which the Psalmist complains of in his enemies and the persecutors of Gods people Psal 14 1 2. and Psal 36.1 2 c. as also that which Isaiah confesseth to God Chap. 59.2 3 4 c. is to be sound in too many and that not alone in those that are meer strangers unto God but in many members of the visible Church and therefore the Apostle applies those sayings to the Jews to prove them guilty of sin and death as well as the Gentiles Rom. 3.9 10 But though it must of necessity be granted which the Apostle affirms there afterwards Rom. 3.23 That all both Jews and Gentiles since the fall have sinned and come short of the glory of God Yet it will not follow from hence that all are alike deeply corrupted as they imply And this is your second mistake in this Section Lastly Whereas you say in the close of this Section That all actual transgressions do proceed from this original corruption of which you here speak It is false undoubtedly For Satan tempts men to many sins whereunto they have no previous inclination and suggests unto some of Gods servants such blasphemies as they abhor so far are they from being natural or familiar to them cannot that subtile powerful adversaries now tempt men aswel without corrupt inclinations as he did our first parents in their innocency Lastly to take a view of your fifâ—h Section you do not only affirm gross untruths there but seem to contradict your selves also As first That this corruption of nature doth remain in the regenerate during this life of which afterwards And then you adde Though it be in Christ both pardoned and mortified What do you say brethren Is it mortified by Christ and yet doth it remain Secondly Is it pardoned and yet doth it abide still in us For the first of these must it remain in us all our life time when then must it be quite purged out Must it be done in Purgatory hereafter or must men carry the remainders of sin with them into Gods Kingdom whereinto no unclean thing can enter Rev. 21.27 Surely you did not foresee what a world of absurdities would follow hereupon Must we not be implanted into the similitude of Christs death his total death that we may be implanted into the likeness of his resurrection Rom. 6.5 Certainly as the pattern was not a bare wounding or an half death in Christ so must our mortification be no less then a full death likewise Can Christ also be frustrate of the end of his coming who gave himself for his Church that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word That he might present it to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinckle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish Ephes 5.25 26 27. Since this washing as the Apostle speaks must be by the water of the word surely it must be effected in this life Thirdly Is corruption a thing so well pleasing to God and his Chirst that he will not depart with it or wholly lose the presence and society of it See 2 Cor. 6.14 15 16. For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness and what communion hath light with darkness and what concord hath Christ with Belial and what agreement hath the temple of God with Idols Is not sin and corruption an enemy to Christ as well as death Now the Apostle faith That the last enemy which shall be destroyed is death If death then be the last enemy then of necessity sin must be destroyed before But since you are wont to object many things against this Let us take a view of your objections First you say That as the Canaanites were left to prove the faith and obedience of the Israelites Judg. 3.1 so the Lord in the beginning of our regeneration leaves many corruptions to exercise our faith love and obedience likewise Answer It is true that they are left at the first for that end But would the Lord have them alwayes to continue in us On no For as the Lord was displeased with his people Israel for permitting those Nations still to dwel among them when they should have subdued them or cast them out Judg. 2.1 2. so will the Lord be highly offended with us if we roote not out these wicked Nations through the help of his Christ 1 Cor. 15.25 It is certain that David a man after Gods own heart subdued all the Canaanites so that when Solomon succeeded him there was neither enemy left nor evil occurrent 1 King 5.4 And so hath Christ the promise that all his enemies shall be his foolstoole Psal 110.1 Acts 2 34. Yea he is given to us for our final deliverance from them and conquest over them Luk. 1.71 John 3.8 Secondly You say That corruption is lest to keep us humble least we grow proud Answer If all corruption were purged out what should become of pride Are not the Angels and Saints in Heaven most humble Thirdly you alledg that which Salomon speakes 1 King 1.48 's For there is no man that sinneth not Answer peradventure it may be granted that there is no man that ordinarily lived to mans estate who hath not often sinned Christ excepted Howbeit it doth not follow from hence that the regenerate shall always do so for St. John 1 Epist cap. 2. ver 1. writes to the Saints not to sin see also cap. 4. vers 17. Fourthly You are wont to urge that place Prov. 20.9 who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin Answer First that kind of interrogation doth not always imply a nullity but sometimes a paucity onely as Isa 53.1 who hath beleeved our report Secondly No man can say that he hath done this by his own strength Fifthly Some also object that place Prov. 24.16 the righteous falleth seven times and riseth again Answer The words following shew that this is to be understood of affliction not of sin which words are these But the wicked fall into mischief Sixthly That place Eccles 7.20 is much insisted upon For there is not a just man in the earth which doth good and sinneth not which place may be three wayes answered and yet the saying hold true First That though there were no such man in Solomons time being the infancy of the Church yet after-times might bring forth many such when a fuller dispensation of grace should come James 4.6 and Hebr. 11.40 God having provided some better things for us that they without us should not be made perfect Secondly It is not improbable that there hath been no man in any age Christ excepted who hath not sinned or done that which is good continually as we said before Thirdly There is an Earth of sin and corruption in which there is no man but sinneth often Colos 3.5 Martifie therefore your members which are upon earth Fornication Vncleanness
afterwards being taken in due time may be recovered and revived by the respective means which you here set forth Yea whatsoever you here surmise to the contrary as we have proved it may be finally and irrecoverably lost by security presumptuous rebellions finall and total Apostacy See 2 Joh. 8. Look to your selves that we lose not those things which we have wrought Rev. 3.11 Hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy crown But the absolute and final assurance of which we speak is neither subject to shaking nor any diminution and much less to a total and finall amission as the place before cited proves For when a man attaines to that estate his seed remaineth in him and can never be lost as we said before 1 John 3.9 See Revelations 3.12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God and he shall go no more out c. And I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the City of my God which is new Jerusalem that cometh down out of heaven from my God and I will write upon him my new name and verse 8.10 of that Chapter Jeremy 32.40 John 14.16 23. Hebrews 17.28 Revelation 7.14 15 16 17. Revelation 21.3 4 5 6. Wherefore we ought as you say in your former Section to give all diligence to make our calling and Election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 as neither of which is sure or absolute at the first And this we must do not by searching out certain markes and tokens which proves us to be in some estate of grace but by adding vertue to vertue and a spiritual progress even to the end 2 Peter 15 6 7 8 9. Wherefore adde unto your faith vertue and to vertue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patienece godliness and to godliness brotherly kindnesss and to brotherly kindness love where the Apostle sets forth seven steps of spiritual progress beyond saith which you take to be the highest estate of grace in this life and then addes this encouragement upon our respective proceeding verse 12. For so an entrance shall he abundantly Ministred unto you into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ CHAP. XIX Of the Law of God GOD gave to Adam a Law as a covenant of works by which he bound him and all his posterity to personal entire exact and perpetual obedience promised life upon the fulfilling and threatned death upon the breach of it a Gen 1.26 27. with Gen 2.17 Ro 2.14 15. Rom 10.5 Gal 3.10 11. Eccl 7. â—9 Act 2â— 28 II. This Law after his fall continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness and as such was delivered by God upon mount Sinai in ten commandements and written in two Tables b Jam 1.25 Jam 2.8 10 11 12. Ro 13.8 9. Deut 5.32 Deut 10.8 Exo 34.1 The four first commandments containing our duty toward God and the other six our duly toward man c Mat 22.37 38 39 40. III. Besides this Law Commonly called morall God was pleased to give to the people of Israel as a Church under age ceremonial Laws containing several Typical ordinances partly of worship prefiguring Christ his graces actions sufferings and benefits d Heb 9. c. Heb 10.1 Col 2.17 Ga 4.1 2 3. and partly holding forth many instructions of moral duties e 1 Cor 5.7 2 Cor 6.17 Jud. v. 23. all which ceremoniall Laws are now abrogated under the New Testament f Col. 2.14 15 16. Dan 9.27 Eph 2.15 16. IV. To them also as a body Politicke he gave sundry Judicial Laws which expired together with the state of that people not obliging any other now further then the general equity thereof may require g Exod 21. ch Ex 22.1 to 29. Gen 9.10 with 1 Pet 2 13 14. Mat 5.17 with v. 38 39 1 Cor 9.8 9 10. V. The moral Law doth for ever binde all as well Justified persons as others to the obedience thereof h Ro 13.8 9 10. Ep 6.2 1 Joh 2.3 4 5 6. and that not only in regard of the matter contained in it but also in respect of the authority of God the Creator who gave it i Jam 2.10 11. neither doth Christ in the Gospel any way dissolve but much strengthen this obligation k Mat 517 18.19 Jam 2.8 Rom 3.31 VI. Although true believers be not under the Law as a Covenant of works to be thereby justified or condemned l Ro 6.14 Gal 2.16 Gal 3.13 Gal 4.4 5. Act 13.39 Rom 8.1 yet it is of great use to them as well as to others in that as a rule of life informing them of the will of God and their duty it directs and binds them to walk accordingly m Ro 7.12 22 25. Psa 119.4 5 6. 1 Cor 7.19 Gal 5 14 16 18 19 20 21 21. discovering also the sinful pollutions of their natures hearts and lives n Ro 7.7 Ro 3.20 so that examining themselves thereby they may come to further conviction of humiliation for and hatred against sin o Jam 1.23 24 25. Ro 7 9 14 23. together with a clearer sight of the need they have of Christ and the perfection of his obedience p Gal 3 24. Rom 7.24 25. Rom 1.3 4. It is likewise of use to the regenerate to restrain their corruptions q Jam 2.11 Psal 119.101 104 128 in that it forbids sin and the threatning of it serve to shew what even their sins deserve and what afflictions in this life they may expect for them although freed from the curse thereof threatned in the Law r Ezra 9.13 14. Psa 89.30 31 32 33 34. The promises of it in like manner shew them Gods approbation of obedience and what blessings they may expect upon the performance thereof Å¿ Lev 36.1 to 15 with 2 Chr 6.16 Eph 6 2 3. Psa 37.11 Although not as due to them by the Law as a Covenant of works t Gal 2.16 Luk 17.19 So as a man doing good and refraining from evil because the Law encourageth to the one and deterreth from the other is no evidence of his being under the Law and not under grace u Rom 6.12 14. 1 Pet 3.8 9 10 11 12 with Psal 34 12 13 14 15 16. Heb 12.28 29. VII Neither are the forementioned uses of the Law contrary to the Grace of the Gospel but do sweetly comply with it w Gal. 3.21 the spirit of Christ subduing and inabling the will of man to do that freely and cheerfully which the will of God revealed in the Law requireth to be done x Exek 36.27 Heb 8.10 with Jer 31.33 CHAP. XIX Of the Law of God examined TRuth it self hath no such cause to wage Law with you here as elswhere most of those things which you have here set forth especially concerning the moral law being legal just and true though herein you
contradict your selves in other places yet you have here and there your illegalities and mistakes also in this Chapter In your first Section you truly say That God gave to Adam and all his Posterity such a Law and covenant of works as you describe with power and ability to keep it And is he not the same God still in wisdom mercy and justice requiring nothing at any mans hand but what he will enable him to doe by his preventing or assisting grace if hee seek it In your second Section you say and that truly That the Law given to Adam being the same in effect with the Moral Law delivered upon mount Sinai continued to be a perfect rule of Righteousnesse Nor must the Israel of God think to obtrude upon the Lord any other acceptable righteousnesse for ever then is therein required and described Deut. 6.24 25. And the Lord commanded us to doe all these statutes to fear the Lord our God for our good alwayes that he might preserve us alive as it is this day And it shall be our righteousness if we observe to doe all these Commandments before The Lord our God as he hath commanded us Psalm 119.144 the righteousnesse of his testimonies is everlasting For the performing of which righteousnesse because it was become impossible to the fallen Man Christ is freely bestowed upon us Rom. 8.3 4. And so it is the end and drift of the law to send us unto Christ to seek our power wisdom and righteousnes from him Rom. 10.4 Gal. 3.22 23 24. But whereas you say in the end of that Section That the four first Commandments contain our duty toward God and the six last our duty to Man Perhaps it will prove a distribution more common then sound For as the whole Law is spirituall Rom. 7.14 so it seems first to require duty toward God in all the ten Commandments and then to call for Service toward men in the second place For the first four Commandments which St Augustine and some of the Ancients reduce to three only your selves doe not deny it Let us then take a view of the rest Doth not the fifth Commandment enjoyn us first of all to honour our heavenly Father and the Wisdom or Hierusalem from above our spirituall Mother 1 Sam. 2.20 For them that honour me I will honour Mal. 1.6 If I then be a Father where is mine honour Matth. 11.19 But Wisdome is justified of her children so Luke 7.35 Gal. 4.26 But Jerusalem which is from above is free which is the Mother of us all Prov. 7.4 Say unto Wisdom thou art my Sister and call understanding thy Kinswoman Doth not the sixth Commandement forbid spiritual murther in the first place to wit the killing of Christ the quenching of the Spirit and the destroying of the inward messengers and motions Jam. 5.6 Ye have condemned and killed the just one and he resisteth you not Eph. 4.30 And grieve not the holy Spirit 1 Thess 5.19 Quench not the Spirit Thus the Apostles complaines of the Apostates that they crucifie afresh the Son of God and put him to an open shame Heb. 6.6 Doth not the seventh Commandement first prohibite spiritual whoredom against God Hos 4.15 Though thou Israel play the harlot yet let not Judah offend Jam. 4.4 Yee adulterers and adulteresses c. Doth not the eighth precept first restrain us from theft and robbery against God Malac. 3.8 Will a man rob God but ye have robbed me Rom. 2.22 Thou that abhorrest Idols dost thou commit sacriledge See Act. 12.22 in Herods example Doth not the ninth also first inhibit a false testimony against the Lord Jeremy 5.12 They have belyed the Lord and said it is not he 1 Cor. 15.15 Yea and we are found false witnesses of God c. Yea though the tenth commandement may seem to lay restraint upon us only in the behalf of our neighbor yet who hath so neer vicinity to us as God in whom we live move and have our being so that not only an open these against him in taking that which belongs to him as Achon did but even to assume or once desire that which belongs unto the Lord is impious as we see in Herod who took and consequently affected the glory that was due to God Acts 12.22 23. Nor doth the Lord want a house Isa 56.7 Mat. 21.12 13 14. Nor is he destitute of a wife Ezek. 16.8 And I sware unto thee and entered into a Covenant with thee saith the Lord and thou becamest mine See Re. 2. or of men servants and maid servants Psa 116.16 Truly O Lord I am thy servant and the son of thine handmaid Nor is he without his Oxen and Asses 2 Cor. 9.10 Mat. 21.1 2 3 4 5. which if they be alienated from him in our desires it is a sin of concupiscence-against the last Commandement So that it is most true in this regard which Saint James speaks chap. 2.10 For whosoever shall keep the whole low and yet offendeth in one point is guilty of all for any one sin against God breaks all the Commandements It is Idolatry witcheraft murther adultery c. 1 Samuel 5.15.23 And as the six last first oppose sin against God so the four first in the second place restrain sins against man Thus we may not impose a false God upon our neighbor nor set up a false worship before him nor swear falsly to his hurt nor by prophaning the Lords Sabbath or everlasting rest before our neighbor insnare his soul And what we speak of the negativepart is true of the affirmative or possitive throughout all the Commandements so that the great duty of love to God and our neighbor seems to run through the veins of every Commandement And as these two are inseperable in the new creature so the whole Law by the Apostles own Testimony is fulfilled in this one Commandement Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self Rom. 13.8 Gal. 5.14 which cannot hold true except the Lord be our first neighbor who is to be loved in the first place and surely if we should not offer that wrong to God which we would not admit were we in his stead we should not sin as we do In your third Section you set not forth the whole extent of the Ceremonial Law which was to represent Christs inward death and sufferings as well as his outward He being the Lamb slain in us from the foundation of the world Rev. 13.8 and to be a document unto us shewing how we must follow him unto eternal life Howbeit you seem to go too far in saying It is wholly abrogated now under the new Testament for though the costly and burthensome yoke thereof is taken from the Gentiles yet some part of it by the words of the Prophets may remaine in use among the Jews after their calling and restauration Isa 66.23 And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another and from one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come to worship before
of his spiritual ordinances epecially and these are first the commandments of the morall Law and then his other precepâ— subservient thereunto as the Scripture every where cals them Gods ordinances 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Exod. 18.20 2 Kings 11.37 but not of the preaching of mans doctrine the administring the Sacraments not without ignorance perhaps some superstition and confusion as you often do and which you account to be the main if not the only ordinances of God Thus we fear that will finde you guilty of which the Prophet complaines Isa 24.5 The earth is defiled under the inhabitants thereof because they have transgressed the Laws changed the orâ—iâ—ancâ—â— broken the everlasting Covenant c. For what ordinances do you speak of to the people but of your way of preaching and administring the Sacraments c. In your Directory for worship you have omitted the ten Commandements Gods principal ordinances but highly magnified your kinde of preaching which hath more of art then of the spiritual gift of Prophecy in it your keeping of an outward day in every week holy with your self chosen worship and other meer humane â—rdinances Is not this to change the ordinances as Isaiah speakes In your fourth which is your last Section You first set out the respective duties of Subjects to Magistrates well and truly Secondly you rightly affirm That neither difference in religion no nor Infidelity it self do make void the Magistrates just and legal authority nor free the people from their due obedience to him If Infidelity it self cannot do this what other thing can Yet it must be granted that when Magistrates are esective and chosen conditionally the breaking of a fundamental condition may disanull his place and claim Thirdly you say here That Ecclesiastical persons are not exempted from their obedience which is but true in part in regard of civil honor obedience and all needful assistance especially where the Magistrate is no more but civil But in matters of faith salvation and damnation the consciences not only of Ecclesiastical persons as you call them but of laicks themselves are exempted from his tyranny and force therein they are only the subjects of Christ Yea in these things some persons may have authority over the Magistrate himself in the Lord though that Magistrate be a Christian also to wit such persons as are inspired and sent of God to be his mouth as Naâ—han and Gâ—d were to David and John Baptist was to Herod and diverse other Prophets were to their respective Princes and Governors Lastly you justly shut out the Pope and his jurisdiction from us as those which have taken the oath of supremacy but here you are too general in your affirmatives for want of due distinction or limitation for in some parts of Italy which are the Popes inheritance he hath power and authority over his subordinate officers and the people as other Princes have and may justly deprive those that are under him of dominions and lives when they break such capital Laws as deserve death confiscation and disinheriting but he may not do this to forraign Princes and States nor to their people who are not under his lawful jurisdiction whether upon the pretence of heresie or any other like pretext Yet some Papists are confident of this that now you have deprived the Pope of his deprivative authority over Princes you will assume it to your selvs or bestow it upon your friends when and where you think good to serve your own turns CHAP. XXIV Of Marriage and Divorce MArriage is to be between one man and one woman neither is it lawful for any man to have more then one wife nor for any woman to have more then one husband at the same time a Gen 2.24 Mat 1.19 56. Prov 2.17 II. Marriage was ordained for the mutual help of husband and wife b Gen 2.18 for the increase of mankind with a legimiate issue and of the Church with an holy seed c Mal 2.15 and for preventing of uncleanness d 1 Cor 7.2 9. III. It is lawful for all sorts of people to marry who are able with judgement to give their consent e Heb. 13.4 1 Tim 4.3 1 Cor 7.36 37. Ge 24.57 58. yet it is the duty of Christians to marry only in the Lord f 1 Cor 7.39 and therefore such as profess the true reformed Religion should not marry with Infidels Papists or other Idolaters neither should such as are godly be unequally yoked by marrying with such as be notoriously wicked in their life or maintaine damnable heresies g Gen 34 14. Exod 34.16 Deu. 7.3 14. 1 Kin 11.4 Neh 13.25 26 27. Mal 2 11 12. 2 Cor 6.14 IV. Marriage ought not to be within the degrees of consanguinity or affinity forbidden in the word h Lev 18 c. 1 Cor 5.2 Am 2.7 nor can such incestuous marriages ever he made lawful by any law of man or consent of parties so as those persons may live together as man and wife i Mar 6.28 Levit 18.23 25 26 27 28. The man may not marry any of his wives kindred nearer in blood then he may of his own nor the woman of her husbands kindred â—eerer in blood then of her own k Lev 20.19 20 21. V. Adultery or fornication committed after a contract being detected before marriage giveth just occasion to the innocent party to dissolve that contract l Mat â— 18 19 20. in the case of adultery after marriage it is lawful for the innocent party to sue out a divorce m Mat 5.31 32 and after the divorce to marry another as if the offending party was dead n Mat 19.9 Rom 7.2 3 VI. Although the corruption of man be such as is apt to study arguments unduely to put asunder those whom God hath joyned together in marriage yet nothing but adultery or such wilful desertion as can no way be remedied by the Church or civil Magistrate is cause sufficient of dissolving the bond of marriage o Mat 19 8 9 1 Cor 7 15 Mat 19 6 wherein a publike and orderly course of proceeding is to be observed and the persons concerned in it not left to their own wils and discretion in their own tase p Deu 14 1 2 3 4 CHAP. XXIV Of Marriage and Divorce examined IN this tract of marriage and divorce the path is so trite that it is no wonder if you deviate not as you have done hitherto yet are you sufficiently deficient in many things and in some other mistaken here also Your defects are these among others First since those that marry shall have trouble in the flesh as Saint Paul speaketh 1 Cor. 7.28 and marrying brings with it of necessity many avocations lets and distractions from attending upon Gods service and the seeking of his kingdom 1 Cor. 7.32 33 34. you might very seasonably in these calamitous times wherein the people like the generation before the flood are mad upon