enquiry from whence he came or who ordained him he could not doe such a worke except God sent him though he came from Rome If thou saist Euangelists may preach the Gospell to the people and ordaine Elders as Timothy and Titus did It is true but where be they who shall ordaine such and send them to doe this Apostles we haue none If thou saist disciples may preach as the seuentie did c. I aske still who made those disciples Didst thou euer know a field beare good wheate that was neuer sowne If thou hast found good disciples doubtles there was one or other that did first informe them So that thou mayst see thou art still in the same case thou wert in and that of necessitie it will follow that if there can be no true Church till there be a new outward ordination then there will neuer be a true Church Wherefore we conclude against thee and against all that are of thy iudgement that as you erre greatly in all your former points so in this and as many of the former do agree with the ancient errors of the Antichristian Church of Rome so doth this for they deny Gods predestination and election of some particular persons in Christ to grace and life from the foundation of the world and so doe you They teach free will and falling away from the best grace and that the certaintie of mans saluation doth depend vpon his acts of faith obedience and continuing therein and so doe you They teach that outward ordination and succession doth make constitute and proue a true Church and so say you in part if not in the whole That whereas you charge others to be of Antichrist and his Church it is euident you are more neerely allied to her by these deceitfull doctrines of hers then they can be with the things ye charge them with Nay they may notwithstanding be free from her when you shall by this meanes be found children of her If outward ordination and succession in that kind doe make constitute or be an Argument sufficient to to proue a true Church a Church wherein Christ dwelleth against which the gates of hell shall not preuaile to which Christ hath giuen the keyes of the kingdome of heauen and power to bind and to loose to remit and to retaine sins which is the pillar and ground of truth which hath the spirit of truth which Christ promised to be with vnto the end of the world and that wheresoeuer two or three of them should be gathered together in my name he would be in the middest for all these treasures and many more do belong to the true Church which is the body and spouse of Christ then the Chuch of Rome hath as good ground for the proofe and confirmation of her selfe to be the same true Church as any Church else whatsoeuer nay better ground then any other can shew And therefore her children which stands for her and doe pleade her cause take this to be and doe vse it as the strongest and most inuinciblest argument they haue to proue their Church to be the onely true Church this day extant and that all Churches and Christians ought therefore to come vnder her gouernment to be taught and nurtured by her to submit to her counsels ordinances canons decrees doctrines of faith rules for manners ceremonies censures and whatsoeuer she shall impose because what such a Church which hath those forenamed priuiledges shall agree vpon teach or command is truth and may not be questioned or opposed and therefore it is said For it seemed good vnto the holy Ghost and to vs. But we vtterly deny any such ordination or succession to make constiture or to be an argument sufficient to proue such a true Church and affirme that a Church may be false and Antichristian notwithstanding the same For although there be such an ordination and succession a Church against which the gates of hell shall not preuaile as the Lord himselfe declareth saying And vpon this rocke will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it to which all those former priuiledges do belong and are to continue with vnto the end of the world yet we denie that kinde of ordination and succession to be it or to haue any of those priuiledges belonging thereunto but that it may be notwithstanding an vtter aduersary to the true succession and to all those her treasures which wee proue thus That kind of ordination and succession which haue opposed the word and truth of God that haue persecuted and murdered his seruants from time to time for the preaching and maintaining of the same truth and word of God is not nor can be that ordination and succession or church against which the gates of hell shall not preuaile nor to which any of those treasures do belong but may be an aduersary both to it them But the outward ordination and succession in the roomes publique offices and seates of the true Elders and Priests of God which is the best ordination and succession the Church of Rome that now is hath or can pleade for her selfe and which the separations doe contend for haue opposed the word and truth of God haue persecuted and killed the seruants of God which preached and maintained the same his word and truth and for the same cause Therefore the outward ordination and succession in the roomes publique offices and seates of the true Elders and Priests of God is not nor can be that ordination and succession or church against which the gates of hell shall not preuaile or to which any of her priuiledges do belong but may be an vtter aduersary both to her and them And that such an ordination and succession as the Church of Rome and our Separatists pleadeth and contendeth for haue done and may doe all these euils against the truth and true seruants of God is euident by those Priests Elders and Scribes of the Church of the Iewes who had their outward ordination and succession from the former Elders and Priests yea from Moses and Aaron and sate in their seates and supplied their places and yet neuerthelesse were the great opopposers of Gods word and truth and the persecuters and murderers of the Prophets and righteous men of God which preached the same his word and truth from time to time as Christ himselfe often affirmeth to their faces and foretelleth them in a parable that they would be the betrayers and murderers of him also which shortly after came to passe And the Church of Rome for her part hath shewed herselfe in enmitie to the truth and bloody proceedings against the maintainers thereof for aboue a thousand yeares not onely to equall but to out-strip Ierusalem and to be euen the perfection and full accomplishment as it were of all abhominations cruelties against the truth of God and his Church according as Christ by the ministery of his Angell vnto his seruant
venome therefrom whereby they burst asunder so likewise doe all such persons who haue not their hearts established with true sauing grace but with sundry meates that is to say with sundry strange and different opinions I call them strange because they were neuer heard of in all the Scriptures as hereafter shall appeare running from one forme of religion vnto another vntill at last they come to sucke and feed vpon that poysonable heresie of the Familists who are not worthy to haue so much as the name or title of religion giuen vnto them it being not onely the last straine or faction they commonly run into but also destroying and damnable whereby the word of God is by them blasphemed and the way of life and truth euill spoken of to the great dishonour of the great and mightie Ichouah who will one day breake and teare them in peeces as with a rod of iron when none shall be able to deliuer them as a iust recompence of reward for all such as take pleasure therein So then beloued brethren friends or kindred of what sex or condition soeuer whether yong or old rich or poore be exhorted and forewarned hereby not giuing the least heed vnto any lying spirits vnder what pretence soeuer they haue may can or will present themselues vnto you but on the contrary labour by the grace and power you haue or shall receiue of the Lord to resist and auoid them euen as our Lord and Master did that archspirit and enemie of all mankind knowing that if the least way be giuen you will be in danger to be inthralled and insnared by their deceiuings And although some of them be more defectiue and more dangerous to infect the soules of men then others be as most certaine there are for there are degrees as well in difference of spirits as of nature and naturall parts yet I say they which may conceiue haue most soundnesse in their opinion it will be found vpon due and iust triall not to be that which they would seeme both vnto themselues and others to be which hereafter will appeare Of these things my beloued I can in some measure best aduertise you being through want of the true sauing knowledge and vnderstanding of God and his truth caught and intangled by some of them wandring vp and downe amongst the drie hils and mountaines conceiuing comfort when alas I was far from it and the farther I wandred vp and downe in that Egyptian darknesse the more intricate labyrinth of error and darknesse my soule was plunged into like vnto a blind man who hauing not his perfect sight goes on in darknesse vntill at last he falls into a pit of destruction for want of a guide to conduct and leade him and especially when I walked with the Anabaptists which way and practise of theirs shall euidently appeare to euery honest true and sanctified heart not onely to ouerturne and race the foundation of all Christian religion but also in as much as in them lieth to destroy the faith of Iesus Christ all which time though strangely deluded yet was I kept by the power and prouidence of God from being seduced and led into that destroying and irrecouerable way of death before mentioned namely the Familists though very nigh vnto it hauing one foote entred therein whiles I walked with the people aforesaid vntill at last the Lord in his appointed time was pleased to giue me a true sight of the misery wherein I was plunged one meanes whereof being the rod of correction which God had laid vpon me it draue me the more seriously to examine things and to consider with my selfe whether the cause for which I suffered would any whit auaile me vnto saluation or whether it would minister comfort vnto me in that great and teerible day of the Lord. So vpon a more serious suruay of those positions I then maintained I found them all too light yea so light as they were not able to stand against those truths which the holy Scriptures teach and maintaine whereupon immediatly I reiected my former receiued opinions as erronious and wicked so that I may say and that truly with that holy man Dauid It was good for me that I was corrected and chastised for till then I went astray Yet notwithstanding though I was cleane escaped therefrom within a short time after I was so far from hauing or enioying true peace and comfort that in stead thereof my poore distressed soule was accompanied with nothing but strange feares terrors and guiltinesse of conscience crying out against me for nothing but vengeance the misery whereof was such as caused me to lament the time wherein I was borne not regarding wife children or any friends whatsoeuer that came to visit me The misery wherein I was did depriue me of being sensible of the least ioy either in heauen or on earth being altogether benummed therewith compassed and set about with many strange and fearfull apparitions of temptations the primary and first cause thereof was that originall guilt which I drew from the loines of my first parents being the very seed and spawne of all my actuall transgressions and so being confounded vtterly lost yea oft times in despaire fearing there was mo mercie with God for me my sins being so heauy a burden vpon my soule then euen then when I was in greatest despaire God by his Spirit was pleased to worke in me a contrite and broken heart whereby it was turned from being a stubburne and stonie by dissoluing 〈◊〉 into a heart of flesh as soft as water and therein through 〈◊〉 infinite loue and goodnesse did by a more speciall work 〈◊〉 his Spirit write his euerlasting couenant of loue and mercy â—â—ich it so much sued sought and longed for with full assurâ—â—â—â— of the remission of all my sins whereby I stand sealed 〈◊〉 the day of my redemption is accomplished in the second resurrection that as certaine as my Redâ—emer liueth and cannot die so certaine I am that one day I shall enioy that glorious inheritance purchased through the merits of Iesus Christ which happie and blessed estate my soule could not enioy whiles it stucke fast in the quick sands of Anabaptistry being euen welnigh smothered and ouerwhelmed in error and darknesse vntill the Lord was pleased to open the eyes of my vnderstanding by hearing the word and doctrine of truth which is maintained by and in the Church of England as namely the doctrine of repentance free iustification by faith Gods eternall predestination and election from the foundation of the world that no man hath free will or power to obtaine his owne saluation and that originall sin to be in all the posteritie of Adam euer since we fell from that happie blessed estate which once we had in him with many other excellent truths all which is such a certaine and sure foundation that whosoeuer can attaine to walke in the power thereof the gates of hell shall neuer ouercome nor destroy him yet
hate and reiect such as he hath formerly loued and iustified Answ TO teach that the stedfastnes of mans iustification saluation doth depend vpon his owne will in continuing in the act of beleeuing and works of righteousnes and that such as haue faith in Christ regenerate persons hauing their names written in the book of life may fall away from all become vnregenerate and haue their names rased out of the booke of life and perish and yâ— God doth alter his purpose promise of mercie and loue and come to hate and reiect such as he hath formerly loued and iustified to teach all this I say is to denie the very foundation and to make God vnfaithfull and is one of the maine errors of the Antichristian Church of Rome But the doctrine of the Church of God is this That such as to whom God hath giuen true repentance and faith in Christ whereby they are iustified from their sinnes and haue their hearts sanctified such as haue their parts in the first resurrection whose names were written in the booke of life from the foundation of the world shall neuer fall away from this estate nor from any part thereof because they stand not neither are kept by the strength of their owne will act of faith or works of righteousnes but by the power strength of God in and through the vertue and life of Christ their head For as God the Father did of himselfe first chuse them in Christ his Sonne and predestinate them vnto the adoption of children and to be conformed to the image of his Sonne euen from the foundation of the world and as he also in time calleth them to repentance iustifieth them purifieth their hearts by faith through grace in Christ and by the Spirit of his Son which he sendeth forth into their hearts doth adopt them to be his children and conforme them to the image and likenesse of his Sonne both in respect of his death and also in regard of his resurrection dying to sinne and rising to holinesse and newnesse of life from minding earthly things to set their affections on things that are aboue where Christ sitteth at his right hand so I say it is God which in and through his Son doth keepe and defend them as it is written Who are kept by the power of God through faith vnto saluation Yea he is the rock of their saluation and strong tower of defence he is their watch-man which doth neither slumber nor sleep their shepherd that feedeth them as the Psalmist speaketh he is the husband-man that did not only ingraft and plant them in his Sonne the true vine and cause them to beare fruite in him but euery branch that beareth fruit in him he purgeth that it may beare more fruit he gaue them his Sonne and his Son them and the Sonne reiecteth none that come vnto him but taketh them into his protection like the good shepherd and they heare his voice and he knoweth them and they follow him and he wil giue them eternal life they shall not perish for none are able to pluck them out of his hands and the Father that gaue them him is greater then all and no man is able to plucke them out of his Fathers hands Nay if Satan should desire to sift them and that their faith through the violence of temptation should seeme to faile as touching their act of beleeuing and that their fruit by meanes thereof should not appeare for so it may sometimes befall them as it did the Apostle Peter yet notwithstanding the Lord their rocke the foundation and chiefe corner stone whereon these liuely stones are built sustaineth and vpholdeth them the vertue and strength of him the true vine in which they are ingraffed the Son in whom they haue beleeued he hauing also prayed the Father that their faith faile not shall raise them vp refresh them and make them to flourish again as well in regard of their faith as fruites and being thus conuerted and raised vp shal be able thenceforth to strengthen their brethren And in these respects considerations Christ faith to Peter Vpon this rocke will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it For as at the first they were not iustified from their sinnes by their owne act of beleeuing though their act of beleeuing were necessary vnto their iustification nor yet by their works of righteousnes which followed though they were also necessary for the proofe and manifestation of their faith but by the free grace of God in Iesus Christ ministred vnto them by his word and Spirit which their act of faith onely in their hearts doth entertaine so neither doe they stand or are vpholden by their act of beleeuing though it be necessary also for their continuall comfort that they should be euermore exercised as in the word and promise of God so in the act of beleeuing going on still from strength to strength drawing nearer and nearer vnto God in the full assurance of faith vntill at last they come to see his face and enioy his presence in the promised Ierusalem where is all fulnesse of ioy and at whose right hand there are pleasures for euermore as assuredly one day they shall not yet by their works of righteousnesse though it be likewise necessary that they should be alwayes walking in and working the works of righteousnes but the stedfastnesse and certaintie of their estates in Christ their life saluation and glorie euerlasting dependeth on the stedfastnesse certaintie and vnchangeablenesse of Gods purpose promise loue and on the loue and life of Christ their head which was once dead but is now aliue and liueth still for euermore And so sure and certaine as God purposeth and it cometh to passe as he promiseth and faileth not loueth once and loueth to the end so sure as Christ which loueth them liueth shall they abide in him liue by him and not die for euer as it is written He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him As the liuing Father hath sent me and I liue by the Father so he that eateth me euen he shall liue by me For he is the bread of life and euery one that beleeueth in him doth in a spirituall maner eate of him and so liueth by him and shal haue euerlasting life For as Saint Paul reasoneth If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne much more being reconciled shall we be saued by his life So that he that is once iustified by the blood of Christ and reconciled to God through faith in him his estate is certain and permanent and though the mountaines shall depart and the hils be moued yet shall not the kindnesse and loue of God in Christ depart nor the couenant of peace towards them in
life is by one euen Christ and none shall liue but by him And that not any one man whatsoeuer old or yong male or female shall euer enter into life except he be changed from that he is by nature by a heauenly power of grace through the Spirit Christ himselfe fully ratifieth and confirmeth saying Verily I say vnto thee except a man be borne againe he cannot see the kingdom of God And againe the second time Verily verily I say vnto thee except a man be borne of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdome of God Meaning by a man euery child of man without exception of what age or sex soeuer if he be one conceiued and borne of flesh he must be borne againe of water and of the Spirit or else he cannot be saued Meaning by water a heauenly power whereby the heart which is naturally euen from the birth hard and stubburne being seasoned with Adams sinne euen from the conception is dissolued and made meeke and tender as water and by the spirit a heauenly gift of the holy Ghost which comforteth his tender heart and brings vnto it from God in and through Christ peace and ioy vnspeakable and that children are capable of this in and from the womb let the babe which sprang in his mothers wombe for ioy giue testimonie And if any shall say Christ doth not call a child new borne a man let him reade these words of Christ A woman when she trauaileth hath sorrow because her houre is nigh but as soone as she is deliuered of the child she remembreth no more the paine for ioy that a man is borne into the world If children dying before they commit actuall sinne are saued because they haue no originall pollution of sinne as these silly men say then Christ died not for children neither was he promised vnto them nor yet are they saued by him but by their owne innocencie and so this promise The Seed of the woman shall bruise the serpents head belonged only to Adam and Euah and not to any of their children because they were to be borne all innocents without sinne These with many other absurdities will follow from this their doctrine But it is an error as their other points are and therefore error must needs be the consequence of it If one should aske these men at what age a child may commit an actuall sinne whereby it doth lose it innocencie and perfection of nature and then at what age it is capable of the new birth and also why the lust or thought of euill in the heart as well as an act of euill may not take their innocencie and vertue of nature from them It is much to be maruelled what answers they would make But to leaue them to better conderations hoping they will now see their folly and learne to be wiser for time to come Their sixt point That none ought to be baptized but such men and women of yeares onely as haue attained to true repentance and iustifying faith being both in the account of the Church and in the sight of God regenerate persons and that the baptisme of children vsed is no baptisme at all but is the marke of the Beast spoken of in Reuelat. 13. Answ THe doctrine of the Church of God is that not only such men and women of yeares as haue true repentance and iustifying faith but that all which do beleeue Iesus to be the Christ and acknowledge him submitting themselues to be informed and guided by his word and Gospell may be baptized though as yet they neither haue true repentance nor iustifying faith and that the children of all such may be baptized That such as haue true repentance iustifying faith may be baptized it is granted of all men without any further consideration to be past all question but it is euident there may be such who yet notwithstanding may not lawfully be baptized Cornelius Lydia and the Eunuch were true worshippers of God as the Spirit testifieth of them and therefore had both true repentance iustifying faith before they knew Christ to be come in the flesh yet these might not be baptized till they did know and acknowledge Christ to be come in the flesh and that Iesus Christ was he but Christ being manifested vnto them the Scriptures concerning him being vnfolded and God opening their hearts to attend vnto the same and they beleeuing the truth thereof were baptized being now of all other the meetest persons therefore For we are to know that when Christ came into the world he found the people in seuerall conditions some though but few very true Israelites who had both repentance and iustifying faith before Christ as touching his personall appearing in the flesh was known vnto them as Simeon Nathaniel those before named and others For the same way to saluation that is now was euer euen from the dayes of Abell and shall be to the end as repentance from dead workes and faith towards God c. And some poore repentant sinners and these were few also which had not yet Iustifying faith but onely trauelling vnder the burthen of their sins did much desire to be releiued Such were those poore which are spoken of the bruised and heauy laden Sicke lost dead c. And others were they that had neither repentance nor faith as the multitudes of the Iewes and of the whole world and to these seuerall sorts of people the Gospell was preached in seuerall maners To the first sort that Christ was now come euen the messenger of the couenant whom they desired in their hearts to see and heare as one that did spiritually dwell in their hearts already these beleeuing were baptized To the second was preached that Christ is come and also that the glad tidings of peace and reconciliation with God in him did belong to them in particular and therefore Christ calleth these particularly saying Come vnto me all ye c. Againe The Sonne of man is come to seeke and saue that which is lost c. The poore haue the Gospell preached vnto them and these beleeuing and acknowledging Christ were baptized And to the other third sort Christ was not to be preached in any such special peculiar manner as to the former but more generally as namely that Christ is come in the flesh c and that repentance and remission of sinnes is granted in his name so that whosoeuer doth repent and beleeue the Gospell shal be saued Now they that did beleeue and accknowledge the truth of these things as Iudas the many disciples mentioned in the fourth and sixt of Iohn the thornie and stony ground Simon Magus with many others were and might lawfully be baptized though they had not yet true repentance nor iustifying faith Nay it is manifest that neither Christ nor his Apostles did reiect any from the outward baptisme for the want thereof so as they did beleeue and outwardly submit themselues to the
Here we see by the plain commandement of God exhortation of Saint Paul that a separation ought to be made from all kind of Idolatry and vnrighteousnes of the heathen and from all fellowship with them in their vncleane things But here is no separation from the Church though these superstitious Christians were in it Nay it is euident there was neuer any separation admitted either by word or by example except by those that separated themselues to make sects which are reproued by the Apostles vntill such time as by the mallice and subtiltie of the Diuell and through the pride and wickednes of the Bishop and Church of Rome after they had gotten Iurisdiction ouer all that they had brought into the Church the Idolatries and abhominations of the Pagans and so cunningly compounded them with the name and religion of Christ that no man could pertake of any good among them but he must pertake of the euill also Then and not till then I say the Lord commanded saying Goe out of her my people that ye be not pertaker of her sinnes and that you receiue not of her plagues This was not because there were many offenders in the Church of Rome nor because of their personall presence in the Assemblies but because the Lord would not haue his people partake in their owne persons of their sinnes which if they continued with them could not be auoided Neither was there a separation to be made from the Church of the Iewes as bad and as cruell as it was but Christ and his Apostles did alwayes both by word and example teach the contrary onely the false doctrine and hipocrisie and wickednes of the Iewes they warned the faithfull to take heed of And as concerning the Church of England which thou so much contemnest although there be many euill workers vngodly and vnregenerate persons superstitiously minded as well of the Ministery as of the people as out of all doubt there are For if of but twelue Apostles one was a Diuell and that there were false Apostles and false teachers proud and couetous in the primitiue Churches and false brethren belly gods and such like when Christians were but few in number How should it be but there must now be many yet this is not sufficient ground for thy seperation Nay suppose as the truth is that the faithfull be but few in number and rare as the dust or oare that gold commeth of and the vngodly as common as the clay that men make pots of as the Prophet speaketh For doubtles if God said of the Israelites that though their number were as the sand of the sea yet but a remnant of them should be saued we haue no reason to thinke it should be otherwise with vs Nay Saint Paul sheweth plainly that God will finish the worke and cut it short in righteousnes because a short worke will the Lord make vpon the earth Yet what of this thou hast no ground from hence to proue a separation Nay vnlesse thou canst proue that the Church of England hath set vp and doth command the Abhominations of the heathen as doth the Church or Rome and so mix them and Christian religion together as thou couldest not partake of the good but thou must partake of the euill and so sinne against God in thine owne person thou hast no ground at all for thy separation Art thou offended because God hath beene so gracious to this kingdome aboue all other nations in causing the Princes and Kings thereof now in these latter dayes to set their helping hands to the repairing and building vp againe of the decaied walles of Ierusalem and to the restoring of the morning and euening sacrifice of praise and thanksgiuing as it was in former time and in the dayes of old Dost thou not know it was the word of truth the sword which proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord ministred by his faithfull seruants whom he raised vp in these latter times which hath beene the cause of the reuolt of the Church and Kingdome of England from the abhominations and tyranny of the Church of Rome and that God hath done it for his chosen sake according to his word art thou not bound to be thankefull vnto God for the same and with gladnesse of heart to imbrace all the good he hath vouchsafed yet so as not therewithall to iustifie any of the present euills nor yet to rest thy selfe secure in that good which is in being as if all things were already come to their full measure and so exclude thy selfe from all future grace and truth which God hath decreed in and by his word to bring to light For as the truth and dayly sacrifice which Christ and his Apostles did erect were not all wholy in a moment cast to the ground nor the abhomination of desolation set vp at full in one day but that the one increased by degrees and the other wasted accordingly so must it now be in the restauration as then iniquitie and falsehood increased and truth and loue faded and waxed cold so now on the contrary iniquitie and falsehood must consume and be expelled and truth and the loue thereof must increase and come to their place againe Iudgement was to begin at the house of God but it must end in the house of iniquitie Learne therefore now to be a wise let the confusions which the heady extreams of those carnall contentious times haue brought forth admonish thee to take better heed embrace thankfully and make right vse of the present good thou seest in place shun the euils and labour to increase in the wisdome which is from aboue doubtlesse there are great riches and treasures with God to be attained such as the carnall mind shall neuer see nor know conuerse with the wise and holy in heart such as are spirituall and heauenly minded haue speciall fellowship with them pray weepe and reioyce dayly together with them call often to minde the hope of the ioy and glory ye shall receiue in the world to come in the day when Christ your Lord shall appeare hope loue and long for his appearing and edifie your selues with these things pray vnto God and vse all good meanes according to your measure and place to redresse what is amisse in others labour thorough patience and meeknesse to winne them to the truth and loue thereof so shall ye be profitable members of the Church of God diligent and faithfull seruants of Christ You are not ignorant I suppose of the manifold mischieues that men haue fallen into by reason of the fleshly wranglings which haue been in these late times what confusion diuision and distraction there is among the people what and how many sundry opinions and seuerall sects there are yea sects vpon sects diuision vpon diuision error vpon error hath been bred and brought forth Many haue risen in these latter times speaking peruerse things to draw disciples after them to get themselues a name