that the very true originals might be both produced and known For Resolution in the Premises conference being had with divers Schollars of eminent esteem for piety learning and ability in Divinity one whereof with womanish frowardness used altogether authoritative admonitions and censures instead of Argument and Reason which was expected and onely could satisfie But the other no less learned but much more ingenuous acknowledging the charge in the general to be just answered That notwithstanding the variations or contradictions either in Copies or in Translations yet they were all true in the substance whereas the truth in the substance was not the doubt nor question but this How the said Copies or Translations so qualified as aforesaid could or can with any Justice or Reason be imposed in each several Language on each several Nation people as the undoubted Word of God And how the various Expositions Doctrines and Conclusions drawn from these by their several and respective Ministers can be proposed to the people in each several Nation as the preaching of the true Gospel of Christ and Word of God to be believed in for salvation especially considering how that their preaching is altogether fallible seldom probable often contradicting and condemning one the other for erronious persons and Hereticks and one the others Doctrine for Error and Heresie c. Whereas it is evident by these Scriptures we have that the true onely Gospel Gal. 1.8 9. or Word of God being a great Mystery was hid in God Eph. 3.9 and first delivered to Christ Joh. 12.49 50. who gave it to his Disciples Joh. 17.8 14. Whom he deligated as his Witnesses and Embassadors Acts 10.41 2 Cor. 5.20 Authorizing them to publish the same unto the world as Gospel to every creature Mar. 16.15 Act. 10.42 Yet this their deligation or Authority was not compleat until they were endued with power from on high by coming down of the holy Spirit upon them Lu. 24.49 Act. 1.4 And when they were thus baptized with the holy Spirit themselves Acts 1.5 they then preached this Word of God 1 Pet. 1.25 or this Gospel by the holy Spirit sent down from heaven 1 Pet 1.12 i.e. God confirming the Word Mar. 16.20 and bearing witness thereto with signs and wonders and divers miracles and gifts of the holy Spirit Heb 2.4 Upon which infallible Testimony and evident Divine demonstration of the Spirit and Power of God was the Christian faith and Churches then founded by the Apostles and true Ministers 1 Cor 2.4 5. Heb. 6.1 2. and no other then the same Foundation can any man now lay more lawfully then he may now preach any other Gospel then the same that was then preached by the Apostles and true Ministers 1 Cor. 3.11 Gal. 1.8 9. Nor did these only publish this Gospel or Word of God thus witnessed but did also in their Ministry propose the gifts of the Spirit to be promised to all believing the Gospel or called thereby both near and afar off Acts 2 38 39. And they being made able Ministers of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3.6 did accordingly administer the same by laying on of hands upon them Acts 8.17 18. Acts 19.6 Gal. 3.5 making good the promise of Christ to all believers that these signes should follow them that believe Mar. 16.17 18. Thus were they all baptized into one body by one spirit and were all made to drink into one spirit 1 Cor. 12.13 i.e. every one of this body had some manifest gift of the Spirit whereby they became Members of that body to profit the body withal 1 Cor. 12.7.12 Rom. 12.4 5 6. so as if any one had not some such gift of the spirit the same was none of Christs i.e. none of that his body or Church Rom. 8.9 The consideration of all which puts me thus further to query 1. Whether the said Copyes or Translations of the Bible or any Doctrines or Conclusions drawn from thence by men fallible and subject to error and mistake as other men are be any other or more then humane Testimony or so great as that of John Baptist mentioned Joh. 1.27 28 29 31 36 2. Whether all humane Testimony even that of John Baptist among the rest was not rejected by Christ as an insufficient ground for divine and saving faith to be built upon Joh. 5.32 33. 3. Whether did not Christ produce greater witness then that of John or any other humane Testimony without which the sons of men were not bound or required to believe Joh. 5.36 Joh. 15.24 Joh. 10.37 4. Whether any ought to be received for true Ministers or Ambassadors of the Gospel of Christ who seek their Ambassie out of Books or Libraries or make the various Commentaries or Expositions of the said Copâ—es or Translations or their own or other mens Doctrines or Conclusions therefrom the matter or ground of their Ministry or Embassie 5. Whether any ought to be received for true Ministers or Ambassadors of the Gospel of Christ who are not witnessed to by evident demonstration of the Spirit and Power of God as aforesaid seeing the reasons thereof both in the Apostles time and since are the same so that if it was not then superfluous it was since and is yet necessary even for the same ends and purposes Rom. 15.18 19. Acts 8.6 9 35 42. 11.21 and if the said witness of God was so absolutely necessary to evidence the Truth of Christs own Ministry as without it his own and other mens Testimony of him was invalid and not to be believed but might be waved without sin then no Ministry of the Gospel since ought to be believed or received as such upon easier or lesser terms for no servant is greater then his Master but the first is true Joh. 5.31.33 34 36. John 15.24 Joh. 10.37 6. Whether any ought to be accounted true Churches or Members of a true Church of Christ who are destitute of the said baptism of the spirit or who make the said fallible matter or Ministry or humane Testimony the ground of their faith and where in Scripture can we find mention of any such Church of Christ it being most consonant both to Scripture and Reason 1. That every member of that body be conformable to its Head in partaking of the Spirit in some measure with manifestation which Christ the Head received above measure whereby it ran down or extended it self to the whole body to each member in particular whereof the Oyle poured on Aarons head and running down to the very skirts of his Garment was a lively type and figure Psal 133.2 2. That the great structure of Christianity whose Principle is That a man at his first entrance therein should be required to deny himself and to forsake all his worldly enjoyments in this life only on the assurance he then receives of the great glory and rewards promised in the life to come should then also have this faith of his established upon Divine and infallible Evidence less
from Luke 24.21 22. where two of the Disciples after they had with much sadness declared how the chief Priests and Rulers had delivered Christ to be condemned to death and had crucified him said we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel intimating thereby that he being then dead and gone they were quite hopeless expecting nothing less then his rising again for after when they heard by the women that he was alive they were astonished at it in Mark 16.13 when upon his appearing unto two of them these went and told it to the rest of the Apostles yet they believed it not and hence it was that he appeared and shewed himself to his Disciples 500 at once and familiarly and often to such of them as he intended to make his Apostles and chief witnesses to the world to confirm this their belief in his resurrection insomuch that when he first appeared to them he shewed them his hands and his feet and bad them handle and see Luke 24.39 Jeh 20.20 c. where it is very observable that Thomas not being then present would not believe the report of all the rest of the Apostles that he was risen unless he might see and handle his wounds also as they had done wherein also afterward Christ gave him satisfaction by permitting him to do so likewise and then withal left a blessing in the hands of the Apostles for all such other of his Disciples who had not seen him as they had done yet did believe his resurrection Wherefore most requisite it was That as well for the communicating of this blessing as for the confirmation of the Disciples believers in the belief of Christs resurrection they should write the Narratives of all these things and most probable it is the Apostles did therefore write the three other Gospels for these ends and purposes as may be gathered by comparing John the Apostle with the Apostle John that is Joh. 20.31 with 1 Joh. 5.13 I have been the larger upon this because I finde not only ordinary men but most learned profound Teachers do pervert this place of Scripture to the mis-leading of many whether ignorantly or purposely I will not determine 1 In making the sence of the words as if Christ thereby did intend a blessing on all such as in the future should believe the teachings of men without seeing any divine evidence to attest the truth of their Doctrine whereas Christs words had respect onely to such other of his Disciples or believers who had not seen Christ as Thomas did yet did believe his being risen again which Thomas by no means would do until he had both seen and felt him 2 In making the Apostles words in vers 31. to be intended to all the world as a ground sufficient for true and saving faith whereas if it were so it might serve instead of a true Ministry in all nations when as to the generality of mankinde it was meer barbarism coming from the Apostle but in one language onely which would have been a failer not imaginable in the Apostle having the guift of tongues enabling him purposely to teach all nations people in their respective languages and accordingly no doubt he would have written if he had intended it for any such great and general use but it is most plain that his intention therein was onely to confirm believers of that one language in their belief of that one great article of Christs being the Son of God whereof they could not doubt if they firmly believed his resurrection And if we may have leave to give a like credit to the Scripture in this matter and to make conclusions from plain premisses such as many would have us give and make from none at all or at best from such as are far more dark We may both see and conclude that the Scripture is so far from testifying it self to be any sufficient ground for faith and conviction to the unbelieving world that it testifies the quite contrary 1 In that it testifies that the power of God by signes and miracles accompanying the Ministry and attesting the truth and divine authority of their doctrine was the onely true ground of faith and conviction unto unbelievers as before is set forth and is evident by these texts Ioh. 16.7 8 9. Acts 1.4 8. Luke 24.49 Act. 1.1 2 3. Mark 16.20 1 Cor. 2.4 5. compared with Rom. 15.18 19 20. Act. 8.6 And that thus and upon this foundation of the Apostles and Prophets the true Ministry of the Gospel fitted by gifts Ephesians 4.8 11 12 13. Christ Jesus himself being the chief Corner-stone was Christian belief and Churches founded Ephes 2.20 And that no foundation other then such can any man warrantably lay or plead for 1 Cor. 3.11 2 In that it testifies That whatsoever is delivered in any unknown tongue or but in a doubtful and uncertain sence is as barbarism not obliging any to believe it 1 Cor. 14.7 8 9 10. for no man is bound or can infallibly and convincingly believe any thing which is not infallibly and convincingly revealed to him Notwithstanding all the uncertainties afore specified yet how doth each Sect of Christians assert that they are of the true belief and many therefore challenge the highest priviledges of true believers mentioned in Scripture to belong unto them yea and some such do they assume to have as no true believer ever had in this life I shall give instances They assume to be true believers and to have the Spirit of God yea the same as true believers formerly had and by which the Scripture was given forth To be actually justified to have eternal life and to be already passed from death to life To have Christ and his divine nature within them and that white stone wherein a new is written which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it c. Wherein if I am not exceedingly mistaken they are first in their conceiving themselves to be true believers yet ground it upon various yea on contrary doctrines and want both the true ground upon which true believers built their faith and the same power whereby true believers were to be known Mark 16.17 18. or that they have the same spirit by which the Scripture was given forth and yet make use of and cite texts amiss rendered in translations even as others do who pretend not to have the Spiâ—it Secondly what can reasonably be imagined or understood by believers being justified by faith I am inclined to think it is no more then their being saved by hope and what is or can be meant by this more then now in this life to hope to be saved hereafter in the life to come as the Apostle reasoneth Rom 8.24 25. where speaking of himself and other believers saith we are saved by hope but hope that is seen is not hope for what a man seeth why doth he yet hope for for if we hope for that we see not then do we
then which cannot be any sufficient ground nor prove better in this case to men then the house mentioned by Christ did to the foolish builder who built the same upon the earth without foundation which suddenly fell the fall whereof was very great Lu. 6.49 When the Premises are duly weighed it will be the less marvel that the Doctriens and Opinions of the most able learned and best men in the world have been and are so various full of cantradictions and opposite one against another as may appear to any that shall but look into the great controversies that in all or most ages that we hear of have been holden and maintained both in Churches and Councils and amongst the most studious Fathers and wisest Pen-men and Preachers in all these points viz. Some have and do hold the Deity to be ubiquitary Some circumscribed of the later Opinion was our late King JAMES renowned for learning and depth of Judgement Some have and do judge the Deity to consist of a threefold personality Others have and do hold Christ and the Holy Chost to be creatures and Gods only by deputation Concerning the Decrees of God some have and do hold the greatest part of mankind and devils to be designed to everlasting damnation Some have and do hold and believe the contrary Some conceive that all mankind may be saved if they will Others have and do believe that not only they but the Devils at the last day shall be saved yet so as by fire Concerning the ordering and governing of the world some will have it performed by God whom they say is present in all places and doth all things as himself will not allowing any thing to be contingent but that all things whatsoever even the most inferiour yea and the most wicked to be wrought by him affirming That wicked men do commit their Wickedness by the just impulse of God That the Devil and wicked men cannot conceive nor contrive nor execute any mischief nor so much as endeavour its execution any further then God himself doth command them and they are compelled to perform obedience to such commands That Adultery or Murther in as much as it is the Work of God the author mover and compellor it is not a crime but in as much as it is of man it is a wickedness and so making God the predeterminer of all events whether holy or unholy clean or unclean good or evil Some ascribe only good actions to God and to his good Angels Others assign all to men because they shall be judged according to their Works which they conceive cannot be reputed theirs if they were not free and voluntary agents in the doing of them Some wil have all evil actions to be done by the Devil Some judge him to have sole command of this world because he is called the God of this world and Prince of the Air. Concerning the person of Christ some have judged it to be constituted of two natures some only of one which some have holden to be Divine only others humane Concerning the death of Christ some have and do restrain it only to the Elect others have and do extend it to all mankind and some to all creatures or the whole Creation Concerning the nature of his death some thought all mens sins to be discharged thereby some the sins of the Elect only and that Faith serves only to reveal this to them and to give them comfort in it Some conceive no mans sins to be pardoned by his death but that it served only to confirm the truth of his Doctrine namely Remission of sins salvation through an endeavour'd conformity to his life and preaching And according to this diversity of Opinions of God and Christ are the diversity of definitions of Faith and the end and use of it which some conceive to be Justification others only Sanctification and some both No less various are they in their Doctrine concerning Faith how it is obtained which some hold to be by infusion others that it is acquired so concerning perseverance in Faith Concerning our Estate by birth whether damnable or not Concerning the Sacraments and wherefore they serve Concerning the persons that are to administer them The persons whom they are to be administred to and when and upon what conditions Concerning the Sabbath-day whether moral divine or humane when it beginneth when it endeth and what works may or may not be done upon it In all these and sundry others even concerning Marriage we find them no less divided then in those before mentioned Moreover there are many of great learning who affirm Remission of sin to be a fruit or consequence only and no part of our Justification Many there are on the other side who make Remission of sin antecedent to Justification and Justification to be its immediate consequent Many take Remission of sin to be the whole of our Justification yea What large disputes and Treatises are written very much to prove this and many famous men for learning there are that maintain it Many there be that take Justification to consist partly in Remission of sin and partly in the imputation of Christs own Righteousness and these with the former say That accepting us as Righteous is a consequent of Justification Sin must first be remitted say the former and Christs Righteousness imputed ours say the later before God can accept any man as righteous Likewise are they at variance both how and when Justification is obtained 1. How whether it be by the active or passive obedience of Christ or both some say one way some another some say it is by Faith as it is an act others as it is an habet and some say it is by Works 2. When it is obtained Some say it was from eternity by an eminent act of God and that all the sins of the Elect were actually pardoned the Debt-book crossed the Hand-writing cancelled c. and that this grand Transaction between God and the Mediator Jesus Christ was concluded on and dispatcht long before men had any being in Nature or Grace Some say it was only from the death of Christ and some others say it is not until we actually believe Infinite are the differences even between men of greatest eminency and of most exquisite learning and parts as well about the definition of Faith Repentance and almost all other graces as about the most substantial and highest points in Divinity and of the Gospel as may be further seen in Mr. Blakes Exceptions Mr. G. Kendals Answer to Mr. Joh. Goodwin Mr. Ayre 's Justification of Infidels Mr. Joh. Craudons Anatomy and Mr. R. Baxters Answers and Replyes to all these And from whence can it be imagined that all these variety and contrariant Faiths and Opinions do come but from the variety uncertainty and insufficiency of the Scripture clearly to resolve these Points and vindicate them from all such Exceptions as lie against them on each hand but the Scripture is so far