afterwards preacht before him and divers other earnedmen upon very short warning and far shorter prepaâ—â—tion of my knowledge But what may we think â—e plain honest man before mentioned were he now alive might and would say â—pon his seeing how much honour humane â—earning had now got even among reformed Christians as to be esteemed essentially necessary to Christianity and to be so much advanced as even by eminent Pastors of the reformed Churches to be accounted a gift of the Spirit and to be continued in their Churches in the room and place of those powerful and true gifts of the Spirit which were at first established by God in his Church whereinto Christians were all baptized by that one Spirit and thereby made partakers of some manifest gift thereof whereby to become serviceable and profitable to the Church or Body of Christ even as all the Members of a natural body are serviceable and helpful one to another Answ I conceive he might and would tell us That it is no marvel that the true-born gifts of the Spirit are now ceased and withdrawn from all their Churches upon their entertaining such a Bastard as humane Learning into their Communion and Fellowship as a necessary Fellow-helper and gift of the Spirit And that God who had commanded them not to be unequally yoaked could noâ— possibly endure to have his own holy and blessed Spirit so unequally yoaked For whaâ— Communion hath Light with Darkness Anâ— what concord hath Christ with Belial 2 Cor. 6 14 15. Yea he might tell us That no virtuous anâ— Christian Woman in his days would endurâ— Co-habitation with a nasty Strumpet thâ—â— did partake of her Husbands Affections anâ— Conjugal rights with her self but woulâ— make use of her Christian liberty and depart He might also tell us That humane Learning and the true gifts of the Spirit are not necessary to be both in one Church for they having the gift of Tongues what need have they to acquire them by humane Learning And if they have them by Acquisition what need have they of them also by meer gift of the Spirit Besides if these were both in one Church there would be some Emulation between them and a contest for Superiority He might also tell us That humane Learning is no gift of the Spirit given forth by Christ Act. 2. 1. Because Peter and John who had these gifts of the Spirit poured on them were both of them ignorant and unlearned men in respect of humane learning Act. 4. 13. yet were both of them able to communicate the gifts of Tongues to others by meer laying on of hands Act. 18. 14 17. compared with Act. 19. 6. 2. Because the gifts of the Spirit as that of Tongues were given by Christ to attest the Truth of the Gospel and to convince unbeâ—ievers giving them a sure ground of Faith But so are not Tongues nor any other Science acquired by humane Learning or Induâ—â—ry For 1. In case we would fain know whether R. â— his dogmatizing the baptizing of Infants to be a divine Ordinance of Jesus Christ be true or not this cannot certainly be determined by humane Learning nor is it any divine evidence to prove it because Mr. Tombes and many more by humane Learning maintain and attest the contrary But if either of them had the gifts of the Spirit to attest the truth of his respective Doctrine then it might soon be determined whether taught the truth because the true gifts of the Spirit never did nor can witness any false but always true Doctrine but all Heresies and false Doctrines yea the most absurd Doctrines among the Papists or that are or can be invented are maintained and attested by humane learning And 2. In case we would know whether the many Arguments produced by R. B. to prove the Ministry of the reformed Churches to be the true Ministry of Jesus Christ be true and sound or not And whether the multitude of Scriptures prest by him to that service be truly and in their genuine sence cited or not this cannot be determined by humane Learning Because the Papists be furnished altogether as well and have as great a measure of humane Learning whereby they are as able to pervert Scripture and produce as many Arguments to prove their Ministry to be the onely true Ministry of Christ as any of the Ministers of the reformed Churches can do to prove theirs the true Ministery of Christ but by the true gifts of the Spirit all these doubts and questions would soon be determined and that infallibly And since the true gifts of the Spirit are now wanting let us yet see what may be said for the determining of these questions and doubts and that from grounds granted by R. B. himself wherein I shall be very brief leaving the further Amplification thereof to others more able The Grounds on which I shall raise my proof are onely two The first is in page the fourth of his first sheet where he citeth Luk. 10 16. He that heareth you heareth me c. This saying of Christ he useth in the behalf of the Ministers of the reformed Churches holding them to be the true Ministers of Jesus Christ whereby he grants That this speech of Christ is truly applicable to all true Ministers of Jesus Christ This is the one Ground The other is in the sixteenth page of his second sheet where he proposeth If a Minister be in quiet possession of a place and fit for it the people are bound to obey him as a Minister without knowing that he was justly ordained or called For the proof whereof he produceth three Arguments the last whereof he draws from an absurdity which would follow thus viz. Else saith he the people are put upon impossibilities Whereby he grants That God puts not people upon any impossibilities This is the other Ground From both which true and undeniable Grounds the plain man before mentioned might conclude That the Ministers of the reformed Churches are not the true Miniâ—â—ers of Jesus Christ for this Reason Because they of the Synod of Dort were all Ministers of the reformed Churches both the Remonstrants and Contra-Remonstrants Now it is impossible for any to believe both these parties nor doth God require any to believe them nor can he in justice require it of any it being impossible but he requires the obedience of Faith to all his true Ministers therefore the Ministers of the reformed Churches are not the true Ministers of Christ And (i) To instance in particular all the contradictory Doctrines and Tenâ—nts which have been and are between the Ministers of the reformâ—d Churchâ—s would be a task too hard for any man to undertake they being so inâ—inâ—te I have here instanced in … which may serve as well as many to state and determine the case of the rest then again For us to believe onely one of the parties they being all Minister of the reformed Churches and so true Ministers of Christ as R. B. asserts
we shall then be necessitated to despise the other party and by consequence to despise Christ and God himself but God puts no people upon any such necessities and therefore also the Ministers of the reformed Churches are not the true Ministers of Christ Whence will as a necessary consequence follow That all the Arguments which are or can be brought by R. B. to prove them such are fallacious and deceitful and all the Scriptures brought by him to ground and make good the said Arguments are perverted and abused because no good or sound Argument nor any Scripture in its true and genuine sence can be brought or produced to prove a lye and falshood as this is And if they who said they were Jews when they were not blasphemed Rev. 2. 9. What do they less who say They are the Ambassadors and Ministers of Jesus Christ when they are not Now if any skilful in humane Arts will please to put these Grounds and Reasons into Syllogistical Forms he may but I must let him know That this is not desired by the forementioned plain man for we may gather his Opinion of humane Learning and of the Art of Logick by his words uttered at Nice who had therefore rather with a plain and sincere minde with Faith and good works trust to such plain and downright Grounds and Reasons of his own then to any Artificial Logical or Fallacious Arguments brought now into the Churches by humane Learning whereby such a cunning Sophister as R. B. is able to make plain men such as he was believe The Crow is white the Swan black and the Moon to be made of green Cheese A POST-SCRIPT READER THe supposed ground of this Charge if he had any at all from my mouth was from a small Conference he had with me some five years since after which about three years since he sent me a Book of his Infidelity desiring me impartially to read it over which when I did I found therein very many things unsound at least to my apprehension some few whereof I noted in the Margent with my Pen with some hints of my exceptions thereunto which Book when I had thus gone through I returned unto him again with an Epistle in a blank Page thereof The Copy of which here followeth To Mr. RICHARD BAXTER At KIDDERMINSTER This deliver SIR I Have read over this your elaborate Piece most Learnedly and Zealously compiled wherein are many observable Things some excellent Good and some liable to Exception being asserted with much more Confidence then Proof at least as I conceive I have noted some few Places bear with the Rudeness and Imperfections thereof being sudden Conceptions hastily exprest not in the least intending it for your scanning but marking them meerly for my own further Consideration upon a Re-view But in my second Thuoghts considering your Ingenuity and Worth in divers respects to exceed the ordinary Pitch of Men of your Function I altered my Intention and resolved to subject the same notwithstanding all its Defects to your View well knowing that you by your far greater Abilities can easily descant what further and more exactly to that or the like effect might be urged by an abler Pen which I wish you would please impartially and without offence to consider as I have done your Book sent me I hope in much Candor and Love for which being much obliged I kindly thank you Farewel Decem. 1. 1655. Clement Writer The Reasons of my thus returning the book were chiefly these First I saw the contents thereof were such as made me something suspect that it was sent me as an Assault to provoke me to some open Contest with him which I desired to prevent as being not onely indisposed thereunto but also utterly unable to incounter with such an Assailant though it were to defend Truth against him Secondly considering if I should have made no return nor given him any account at all of my reading it he might have imagined that Truth had been on his side and have ascribed the modesty of my silence to the prevalency of that which he mis-calls Truth Wherefore to prevent both these I sent him in this loving and private manner my notes for him to consider of taking him then to be both honest and ingenious but I am not the first that hath been mistaken in that kind and therefore thought that by my communicating to him my apprehensions in this Friendly and private manner I should have had the like Love and Friendship returned me or at least never any way to have been quarrelled with about our different perswasions otherwise then by some friendly and private conference about the same which I expected and desired But I heard nothing from him at all about my Notes nor ought else until about August 1657. He being then in Worcester sent to speak with me I readily went my selfe alone thinking then he intended some such Conference but I was much deceived therein for coming to the House where he was he sent for me up to him in a Chamber whereinto I had no sooner entred but in came one slinking after me in a Ministers habit and without speaking any word sate him down at a distance from us in the same Room which observing I resolved in my self to be very reserved whatsoever his business was with me The Scoene being thus set in a stern authoritative manner he began to question me about a small Treatise then lately come forth intituled Fides Divina wherein as it seems some few of his Doctrines are touch'd demanding of me who was the Author of that Book I told him If I knew I would not tell him without the Authors leave seeing the Author himself had conceal'd it He then told me That he knew that I was the Author because it concurred with my Animadversions or Notes which formerly I had sent him To which I answered If he knew the Author before why did he but then ask to know who it was Telling him withal that he might be much mistaken in his Conclusion from such a Ground because there were very Many in England of the same Judgement with my Notes and far abler then my self to compile such a Book After which he would have had me declare my Faith and he would declare his and then see how far we agreed and in that we differ'd he would reason or Dispute it with me but this I declined telling him That I was no meet Match for him so great a Scholar unless I had some as great as himself to unty his fallacies wherewith hee might else soon entangle me Yet then the better to allure me to speak out fully according to the monstrous shape and ugly look of his aims He said to me What dare you not declare your Faith You need not fear any thing now in this time of Liberty But this Bait neither would be swallowed by me for I then ask'd him If it would be his wisdome without all fear upon such terms to
An Apologetical Narration Or a just and necessary VINDICATION OF CLEMENT WRITER AGAINST A Four-fold Charge laid on him BY RICHARD BAXTER And published by him in Print Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this To visit the Fatherless and Widows in their Afflictions and to keep himself unspotted from the World Jam. 1. 27. In vain do they worship me teaching for Doctrines the commandments of men Mat. 15. 9. Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you FOR I was an hungry and ye gave me Meat I was thirsty and ye gave me Drink I was a Stranger and ye took me in Naked and ye clothed me c. Mat. 25. 34 35 36. Woe be to you Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites for ye shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men for ye neither go in your selves neither suffer ye them that are entring to go in Mat. 23 13 14. The Second Edition with an Appendix by the same Author LONDON Printed for Daniel White and are to be sold at his Shop at the seven Stars on the North-side of St. Pauls To the Reader READER I Have here set before thee the whole business between Mr. Baxter and my self intreating thee to bear with such faults as happily thou mayst apprehend either in me or the Book and the rather let me move thee hereunto First Because I may requite thee with the like kindness when ever thou shalt be provoked in like manner to make thy Defence being openly set upon by such a potent Assailant as now I have been Secondly because it is more then probable that thou and I as well as all other men may be mistaken in apprehending of Errors when indeed and in truth the Error may be and many times is meerly in our own apprehension being much vitiated by Custom and Education Wherefore I advise thee once and again seriously and impartially to consider the whole matter over and over and then also not hastily to enter into the seat of Judgment because things of such high deep and weighty concernment need always due and exact weighing and that with sutable Balances wherein humane learning must neither have the pre-eminence nor bear any sway at all And especially in thy judging be very sollicitous and exceeding careful so to doe it as neither to wrong the Truth nor thy own conscience For if thou doest I assure thee whosoever thou art all the Honour and Advantage Profit and Preferment which thou shalt either retain or get thereby will proveâ—tly unreparable damage at last Pray with me therefore that the eyes of our understandings may be opened and anointed with Eye-salve that we may clearly see perfectly apprehend and certainly judge between both Persons and things that differ And in the mean time to exercise mutual Charity and forbearance one towards another at least until our Ignorances be much less and our Authority much more to judge one another in these matters Worcester this 25. of March 1658. Farewel Reader I am against my will provoked by Richard Baxter to make here my just Defence against some charge laid upon me by the name of Clem. Writer in a Pamphlet of his INTITULED A second Sheet for the Ministry wherein though he something mistakes my name yet I suppose I am the Person he ayms at THe first Charge is in p. 6. thus That Clem. Writer told him That no man is bound to believe that Christ did rise again or the rest of Christianity that seeth not Miracles himself to prove it Answ 1. I deny these words in manner form and sence to be ever spoken by me And 2. If any such words or of like import were spoken by me it was to this effect and meaning namely That no unconverted or unbelieving man is bound by God upon pain of damnation to believe and obey the Gospel without Divine evidence to attest unto him the truth thereof whereon undoubtedly to ground that his faith c. This long hath been yet is and must be my judgement until I am otherwise informed and I conceive there are sufficient grounds both from Scripture and Reason to confirm me therein But I leave it to Gods will not determining what Divine evidence he please to use for that purpose whether Signs Wonders diversities of Tongues Miracles casting out of Devils curing of the Lame healing of the Sick raising of the Dead for I finde that by these and other the like demonstrations of the powerful works and gifts of the Spirit he usually confirmed the Word every-where preach'd by his true Ministers for the conversion of men to the Faith of the Gospel insomuch as by the meer shadow of Peter and by the very handkerchiefs of Paul were special Miracles and many Cures wrought as may be seen in Mark 16. 20. Heb. 2. 4. Act. 2. Act. 5. 14 15 16. Act. 8. 6 7. 1 Cor 2. 4. Compared with Act. 19. 11 12 18 19 20. and many other places And as for Tongues these were for a sign not for them that believe but for them that believe not 1 Cor. 14. 22. And we likewise finde that the end of Christs sending of these powerful gifts of the Spirit to abide with his true Ministry and Church for ever Joh. 14. 16. was chiefly to convince the unbelieving world Joh. 16. 8. Thereby not onely to afford them successively in all Ages an infallible ground of Faith but also to bring them under guilt of much sin if they obeyed not the Gospel which otherwise would have been no sin at all in them Joh. 15. 24. And hence it was that the Apostles themselves were commanded to stay until they were endued with power from on high to enable them to do those mighty Works for the attestation of the truth of their Mission and Message for the conversion of men to the Faith of the Gospel Luk. 24. 49. Act. 1. 4 8. And it 's likewise worthy our Observation That neither the twelve nor yet the seventy were sent out at first until they had power given them over Devils and diseases c. whereby to enable them by Divine Evidence to attest the truth of that their Mission although they were then sent but to preach in the Land of Judea only Mat. 10. 5 6. Luk. 10. 1. c. And these being persons meerly of the same Language Kindred and Country might therefore have challenged to have been credited by the Jews upon their own bare testimony only without producing any Divine Evidence at all if any had been so to be credited Yet neither were they nor ought they nor Christ himself to be so credited in these matters as is most evident Joh. 10. 37. Joh. 5. 31 34 36. compared with Joh. 15. 24. And since that none of these were nor ought to be so credited how then dare any mortal man or men of what degree order sort or company soever now upon the face of the Earth assume or challenge to themselves any such Authority or Divine
Prerogative over any other man or men whatsoever For as the Divine Evidences were formerly so are they yet for the very same ends and purposes still useful and necessary to accompany the Ministry and so will they alway accompany the true Ministry for the conversion of men to the Faith of the Gospel But for R. B. thus to extend my words besides or beyond my meaning or to confine them short thereof is not to be allowed by me nor can it reasonably be approved by any man for whereas my meaning is limited onely to the conversion of unbelievers he extends them to any whether converted or unconverted as if I had been so irrational as to say or think That no man after his Conversion to the Faith of the Gospel was bound to believe or practise any other or further Duty of Christianity without some new Miracle yea new Miracles done in his sight to prove it for so much in effect his Charge amounts unto And who would ever think R. B. to be so void of understanding or ingenuity rather as to lay such and so irrational an aspersion upon any man that never did or thought him harm Now let any man in love convince me of my Errour in this my Position and I shall take it kindly and be as ready to retract and tread it under foot as he would have me but of all men in the world R. B. is least able to do it or to accuse me for it having asserted as much or more himself for in his Saints Rest Part 2. pag. 201. of the sixth Edition he asserts That Divine Faith hath ever a Divine Testimony and in pag. 205. That we must know it to be a Divine Testimony before we can believe fide Divina by a Divine Faith and I hope by a Divine Faith he intends no other then a true and saving Faith which must necessarily have a divine and infallible ground to be built on seeing of other Faiths he plainly tells us in pag. 201. That to believe implicitely that the Testimony is Divine or the Scripture is the Word of God this is not to believe God but to resolve our Faith into some humane Testimony even to lay our Foundation upon the Sands where all will fall at the next Assault And in pag. 236. he expresseth himself thus viz. I demand with my self by what argument did Moses and Christ evince to the world the verity of their Doctrine and I finde it was chiefly by this of Miracles and surely Christ knew the best argument to prove the Divine Authority of his Doctrine and that which was the best then is the best still And in pag. 33. of his book of Infidelity part 1. he tells us That Tongues are not for them that believe but for them that believe not that is saith he to shew them the power of Christ and so convince them And in part 4. pag. 46. of the same Book he tells us If it had no divine attestation or evidence that it is of God then you might (a) And I hope no man is bound by God to believe that which he may without sin or danger reject reject it without sin or danger Now let any rational and impartial man judge if R. B. himself hath not asserted sufficient and more then enough to justifie my Position and all that which I hold in the point yea and that which is tantamount the same although in many places of his writings he contradicts it which is no rare thing to see in men of his undertakings though they both speak and write much less then he hath done And amongst the multitudes of his failings in that and the like kinde in his voluminous writings thou mayst finde him friendly remembred of some few in a small Treatise entituled Fides Divina which when thou hast read then tell me If a Bear may not be known by a small Member even by his foot alone And whereas R. B. at the end of that his Charge intayles this viz. Adding withall That indeed Antichrist may do Miracles What cause of exception can be taken at Answ this my so saying when the Scripture it self affirms That the second Beast which came up out of the earth who is an Antichrist at least wrought Miracles Rev. 13. 11 14. Rev. 19. 20. This R. B. in his Saints Rest pag. 206. flatly contradicts by telling us there That no created power can work a Miracle Let him be pleased hence to be asked these sober Questions 1. Do you indeed and in truth as you pretend believe the Scripture to be the VVord of God 2. And that it was confirmed by Miracles as you assert it to be about the midst of your Preface to your Book of Infidelity and in divers other places of the same Book 3. How then dare you so presumptuously put the lye upon God by your flat contradicting his Word as here you have done This Charge lies upon him unavoydably unless he can prove that Beast to be an uncreated power which he can never do But we may see here as in many other places how he plays Bo-peep with us in rendring such persons abominable who do not with all readiness and without any chewing swallow all that which he pleaseth out of his own fancy to say of the Scriptures indefinitely being the VVord of God and that they (b) Which indeed is the harder for any man to belive because that some stuck not to raze and blot out of them senâ—ences above 1200 years since as Socrates reports lib. 7. ca. 31. And what hath been the boldness of others in that or the like kinde to do to them before and since is not known nor can be imaginâ—d were confirmed by Miracles when indeed and in truth he believes neither the one nor the other himself for if he did how durst he be so bold as flatly to contradict them as here he hath done And upon my saying that Antichrist may do Miracles R. B. infers thus viz. So it seems for all the talk Miracles themselves would not serve if they saw them Answ By this your inference you imply as if the signes and Miracles wrought by God himself for the Confirmation of the Gospel were no way dscernable by men from such as were or may be wrought by the Devil and his Instruments Is not this a casting a high disparagement upon the wisdom power and justice of Almighty God in his requiring faith and obedience to the Gospel upon pain of Damnation and yet produce no other nor better evidence for the Confirmation of the truth thereof then Satan or his Ministers can do for the Confirmation of falshood Doth not this amount to high Blasphemy against God himself For did not the Signes and Miracles wrought by Moses in Egypt so far transcend all those that were or could be wrought by the Egyptian Sorcerers or by the Devil himself as they were apparently discernable by all that saw them from those wrought by the
disagreed about the Definitions of Faith Repentance and almost all Graces N. This proves them no true Divines The Third PART Page 9. B. If we can evince this That Christs great works and his Disciples were done by the Holy Ghost and not by evil spirits then I think we shew the credibility and certainty of Christian Religion N. I conceive the doubt lies not in this A. For it being granted That those works were done by the Power of the Holy Ghost yet the doubt still remains in full force namely How your Doctrines are any more confirmed by Christs or the Apostles works then the Jesuites or Dr. Kendals Mr. Crandons or Mr. Tombes his Doctrines by all whom most of your Doctrines are contradicted or then his Doctrines who may contradict both yours and theirs also Page 55. B. And what I speak of sight I say also of just report he that will not believe c. N. But by what warrant do you equalize these since Christ hath put so vast a difference between them John 15. 24. John 10. 37. Page 59. B. What evidence can be mentioned de facto of a divine attestation that ever God gave to mankind in any case that is higher clearer and more convincing then those works by which he hath sealed the Scriptures N. This is most true being applied as it ought to the preaching of Christ and his true Ministers whose preaching they did seal and attest but not the Scriptures nor any mans preaching from them is sealed by those mighty works formerly (k) This and divers other reasons are here urged which are not so much as hiâ—â—ed by the Author of Fides Divina done for a thing sealed precedes the sealing thereof Page 62. B. The inward work of the Spirit is either of common gifts as Learning or the like succeeding our industry or extraordinary as Miracles Tongues Prophesie c. N. Is it learning which makes Learning attained by Industry a Gift of the Spirit or is it not at least in consideration and if this may be justified by a distinction of Common and special or extraordinary then every natural gift and Science or Trade may as well be accounted a gift of the Spirit and given forth upon Christs Ascention A. Wherefore as the Art of making Hats Gloves Shooes Kettles or Pots and other the like Crafts acquired by Industry be not any of the gifts of the Spirit shed forth by Christ upon his Disciples mentioned Act. 2. so the Craft of humane Arts and Sciences acquired by Industry is no gift of the Spirit given forth by Christ for whatsoever is attained by Acquisition is not by gift and so on the contrary Page 67. B. Such works were done when in all Churches many of them were so common c. N. Were these common why then do you elsewhere term them extraordinary And why might not we expect them to be as common now as then if we had true Ministers and Churches now as then Mar. 16. 17. Page 69. B. There being but one Regeneration but one Baptism to signifie and seal it N. Where in Scripture is Baptism termed a seal of Regeneration A. Or of any other thing Page 71. B. If I had not done the works which no man else could do c. N. Among them is here and elsewhere omitted A. Which is no fair play nor just dealing Page 73. B. In case they hear onely of Christs Person Sufferings and Doctrines c. N. This hearing of Christs Person c. need to be attested likewise to bind men to believe else men may wave it without sin unless the Servant be greater and of more Authority then Christ their Master John 10. 37. Page 74. B. It is a not believing when they have fullest evidence to force belief N. The fullest evidence was to them in whose sight and presence the mighty works were done but not to such who onely hear of them by the report of another or by tradition or the like Page 75. B. The Spirit of Christ especially in his extraordinary works is the convincing attesting seal to draw men to believe and there is but one such Spirit and Seal N. Then where this one is wanting convincing is wanting John 16. 7 8 9. Whence I quere Whether the ground of this sin against the Holy Ghost be not also wanting since it is granted That there is but one such Spirit and Seal and this one being wanting A. You your selves confess That those convincing gifts poured out upon the Apostles are ceased against which the sin against the Holy Ghost might be committed and you never yet produced any thing in its stead armed with like Power and Authority for Convincement whereby to bring men under sin much less under the sin against the Holy Ghost for not believing any of you all Page 76. B. It is now the duty of all men to believe and repent N. Mens duty is in their power else not their duty required by the Gospel unless you can make it good news to any man to be required either to carry Pauls Church on his back or else be hanged Page 133. B. They to wit the Mahometans will not suffer it to be disputed nor reasoned of but absolutely to be believed without asking any evidence for its truth N. This is a fault among many who call themselves Christians as well and as much as mong Mahometans A. Yea and most of all among such as call themselves Ministers of the Gospel Page 191. B. The first Declaration of this undertaking to wit of Christs conquest over the Serpent c. was to the Serpent himself Gen. 3. 15 but doubtless in the ears of man to his comfort N. This is more then you find made known in Scripture Page 191. B. Here is meant the Devil himself the tempting Serpent N. So also is this and many other things affirmed by you A. Besides the Scripture tells us The tempting Serpent was a Beast of the field Gen. 3. 1. but so is not the Devil Page 195. B. Whether the Angels were ministring Spiritâ— to Adam in Innocency is more then I finde made known in Scripture and therefore I think it unsafe and imprudent to conclude either that they were or they were not N. This Moderation had been well used in many other places instead of your peremptory Assertions in things as doubtful A. Yea and more improbable by much Page 219. B. He to wit Christ telleth us That it was he to wit the Devil that deceived Eve 2 Cor. 11. 3. N. How doth this appear or Where doth Christ tell us so A. Not in the Text cited by you for that tells us It was the Serpent that beguiled Eve Page 245. B. Christ hath appointed the first day of every week for this end N. Where is this to be found Page 244. B. Christ used other kind of weapons then theirs they pleaded by words and he with mighty works they used Sophisms c. N. If we consider by what argument did
Christ evince to the world the truth of his Doctrine we shall find it was by this of Miracles and undoubtedly Christ knew the best Argument to prove the divine Authority of his Doctrine And that which was the best then is the best still See Saints Rest page 236. A. Yea and do not all the Ministers of the Gospel as they call themselves I may say of all the various Gospels now on foot in the world contest against one another onely by words and Sophisms c. without using any of the fore-mentioned weapons used by Christ as well and as much as any of the learned Philosophers and Artificial men here specified by you Page 247. B. Christ obtained victory over Satan and his best armed Souldiers both Jews Idolaters Conjurers Sorcerers Hereticks with their Witchcrafts and jugling Delusions the great learned Philosophers of all Sects with Orators and Poets and the rest of their learned men N. Are not all these sorts of Enemies to the Truth yet remaining A. Yea and hath not Christendom since given entertainment even to such as are the most notorious Deluders of them all and admitted them into highest place Rule and Authority in the Church witness our Author who informs us That the Supremest Officers even Popes themselves have been Hereticks Whoremongers Sodomites Symonists Murtherers See the lives of Silvester 2. Alexander 3 and 6. John 11 22 and 23. Gregory 7. Vrban 7. and abundance more John 13. was proved in Council to have ravished Maids and VVives at the Apostolick doors murthered many drunk to the Devil asked help at Dice of Jupiter and Venus c. in his second sheet page 13. And can it be imagined but that such heads had suitable bodies and members If any Reformation since be urged Answer not in Rome nor in the Reformed Protestant Churches witness Mr Whites Centuries being all Protestant Ministers and that of the reformed Churches and witness yet their continual supplying their Churches with teaching Ministers generally out of their Magazine of Artists and Sophisters even to this day Yea and doth not our Author being one of the most eminent Ministers of one of the most eminent reformed Churches so highly magnifie and advance humane Learning that he accounts it a gift of the Spirit delivered by Christ himself to the Church and therein to continue as before is noted out of his book of Infidelity part 1. page 38 Nor is any of all this more then what we finde foretold vizt That Antichrist should sit in the Temple of God and be there worshipped as God I shall not say that humane Learning is a special Limb of that Beast but I will say that Antichrist shall never attain to that his Advancement but by the special assistance and means of humane Learning nor shall I say that this worshipping of humane Learning as a Gift of the Spirit is a part of the fulfilling of that Prediction but this I must and dare say That the Scripture informs us How that the Apostle Paul by the spirit of Prophesie declared to the Church That after his departure grievous Wolves should enter in among them not sparing the Flock and that of their own selves should men arise speaking perverse things drawing Disciples after them and that in the latter times there should be a departing from the Faith and a giving heed to seducing spirits and Doctrines of Devils speaking lies in hypocrisie having their Consciences seared with a hot Iron And that Christians should turn away their Ears from the Truth and having itching Ears should be turned unto Fables and should heap to themselves Teachers for the purpose Act. 30. 29 30. 1 Tim. 4. 1 2. 2 Tim. 4. 3 4. which also is confirm'd by Peter telling Christians that there should be false Teachers among them who should bring in damnable Heresies denying the Lord that bought them 2 Pet. 2. 1. Now tell me is not here work cut out sufficiently meet for the most notorious exquisite of this learned artificial Rabble aforementioned yea even for the very worst of them as Witches Sorcerers and Conjurers c. for who 's more meet to teach Doctrines of Devils damnable Heresies c. then Such unless it be the Devil himself The Fourth PART Page 40. B. His teaching is joyntly by his Word Ministers and Spirit N. VVhere or who are they Page 40. B. Mat. 28. 19 20 21. where he bids them first disciple the Nations which contains the convincing of them of age of the Fundamentals and procuring their consent and then baptize them that they may be solemnly engag'd N. That is whom they convincingly did disciple those onely they ought to baptize A good and honest confession for the Anabaptists Page 40. B. Now there are two gross Errors which Professors do oft run into to their perdition the one is when they do not first lay the Fundamentals as Certainties but hold them loosly N. Can any make Fundamentals of Uncertainties Page 41. B. If they read the Scriptures c. and when they are at a loss they do not go to their Teachers N. How ill is it that the Bible had not been kept in an unknown Tongue and not made so common Page 42. B But they go as confident censurers and as Boys that will go to School to dispute with their Master N. And who many times are these Masters even very Boys coming from the University Page 42. B. They receive not the truth in the love of it that they may be saved God oft gives them up to believe a Lye and reject that truth which would have saved them if they had received it N. This is only of such as reject such a Ministry which is absent from among us Page 45. B. I have shewed you already how fully he hath sealed his Testament N. At his last Supper he said This is the blood of the New Testament which was before any of that which we call the new Testament was written Page 46. B. If it had no divine attestation or evidence that it is of God then you might reject it without sin or danger N. Here it 's confest whatsoever Doctrine is brought by any for divine without divine attestation may be rejected without sin Pa. 56. B. But when God hath put his seal to it and proved it to be his own if after this you will be questioning it c. N. This need better proof if the Scripture be here meant A. Or your or any other mans Doctrine drawn from Scripture Page 46. B. Think not the proved sealed Word of God is ever the more to be suspected because the matter in it doth seem strange and unlikely to your reason N. No rational man is guilty of this by his so thinking A. But he must upon some sufficient ground know it to be the sealed and proved word of God else he cannot in reason but doubt it to be such About the middle of his Preface B. The Holy Ghost by special inspiration was the