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A77726 An answer, or confutation of divers errors broached, and maintained by the seven churches of Anabaptists contained in those articles of their confession of faith propounded to the Parliament, and other grosse opinions held by them against the cleare light of the gospell. By Thomas Bakewell. Imprimatur John Downham. Bakewell, Thomas, b. 1618 or 19. 1646 (1646) Wing B526; Thomason E336_10; ESTC R200810 49,330 53

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workes faith in us Rom. 10 17 by which we beleeve in Christ then is not the VVord of God necessary to save where it is although God is able to worke faith in his elect without it in places where it is not but this being the orrdinary way for our salvation and while this lasteth we must not seeke any extraordinary way then you say the way that God saves men you will leave to him and every mans experience when as you make it an article of your faith to beleeve that the Law of God can be no instrumentall meanes to worke any qualifications as the Law to fit the soule for the seeds of grace when as three thousand witnesses by experience were pricked by the Law in one place Acts 2.37 before the Gospell was applied to cure them and multitudes more in scripture besides every godly mans owne experience but your conscience hath forced you to renounce this article and instead of beleeving it you leave it to every mans owne experience The seven and twentieth article you beleeve that the three Persons in Trinity are made over to Christians in their fulnesse but I suppose they have no more of God then a finite creature is able by the weake hand of faith to receive According to thy faith be it unto thee Math. 8.13 But you answer God makes knowne his grace and good will to man in Christ by his Spirit so farre as he pleseth but who doubts of this but I suppose we are not capable to receive the fulnesse of God we have but our measure according to the gift of Christ Ephes 4 7 13. neither doe we receive the fulnesse of Christ but out of his fulnesse we receive Iohn 1.16 The nine and twentieth article you beleeve that those which are beleevers are in truth really separated both in soule and body from all sinne through the bloud of the everlasting Covenant but I much doubt of this you answer that you beleeve all sinne is so taken away by Christ that it shall never hinder the salvation of any beleever but this is not my doubt then you say for a beleever to have no sinne while he lives in the flesh that you deny and so have cast away this article of your faith in which you have published to the world that you beleeve that every beleever is really separated from all sinne both in body and soule by the bloud of Christ then for shame doe not carry one face in private and another publickcly to the world The three and thirtieth article you beleeve that Christ hath a spirituall Kingdome here on earth which is his Church that he hath purchased and redeemed but this I grant then you beleeve that this purchased redeemed Church of Christ is visible and a company of Saints called and separated from the world by the VVord and Spirit of God to the visible profession of faith and the Gospell and baptized in the faith and joyned to the Lord and to each other by a mutuall agreement in practicall enjoyment of the Ordinances commanded by Christ their Head and King but I much doubt of these things then you answer saying you beleeve that the Church of Christ is a purchased people called to their visible profession of him and for invisible things you leave to God till he make them visible But here all men may see the falsenesse of your faith for when you should bring it into the presence of God then you leave it but how dare you publish to the world that those whom Christ hath purchased and redeemed are visible making profession of faith and the Gospell and baptized and joyned to the Lord and to each other in the practicall injoyment of the Ordinances When as know I put you to it you dare not stand to it but you will leave it to God and so you cast away this article also and I thinke if I should goe to all whose hands are at them they would shuffle in the same manner and I would wish you to take them to helpe you and so if you can prove all the redeemed of Christ to be such I am sure he saith himselfe other sheepe I have which are not of this fold them I must bring in Iohn 10.16 then are all visible and called and already make profession c. Nay those that are in the state of grace are not so visible for that white stone and that new name written no man knowes but he that hath it Revel 2.17 they are called hidden ones Psal 83.3 and the Lord had seven thousand which the Prophet knew not of 1 King 19.18 And sometimes the Saints themselves in the visible Church may disagree Witnesse Abraham and Lot and Paul and Barnabas Gen. 15.7 Acts 15.39 and then the cruelty of this article shewes from whence it came which condemnes all that are not in your Church to be reprobates then I cannot blame you for leaving it to God when you are questioned for it but if your heart condemne you take heede of hypocrisie God is greater then your heart and knoweth all things 1 Iohn 3.21 The foure and thirtieth article you beleeve that to this visible Church all are bound to come and acknowledge Christ to be their King Priest and Prophet and to be enrouled amongst his houshold servants now this I grant if you mean the universali invisible Church but I much doubt whether it ought to be so in yours or in any visible Church but you answer that you know not how any can be either Sonnes or Servants of God that are not of his houshold this I grant to be true in the invisible Church but as I proved before all are not visible so then their names ought to be written in heaven Luke 10.20 but not written amongst your company then you say that you are ignorant of any invisible Church or House of God I answer Ignorance will not excuse your sinne for Christ is the Head of the body or Church both of things visible and invisible Revel 1.16 17. then although you know not the Church of the first borne in which the soules of just men are made perfect yet you may know that there is such a one Heb. 12. and although the Saints departed know not what is done in the visible part of the Church here as the Prophet saith Isai 63.16 will this prove that there is no such thing Againe if you know nothing in the Church but what is visible to all you plainely show your selfe to be an hypocrite For spirituall things are spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2.14 there is foode which you know not of you have not tasted of that hidden Manna Revel 2.7 Iohn 6.32 and while your name is at those articles you want that inward grace of faith to beleeve them and so cannot see like Moses him that is invisible Heb. 12.27 The sixe and thirtieth article You beleeve that every particular Church hath power to chuse for themselves meete persons into office and none other
better the creatures die then wee should want food yet wee doe not kill them as desiring their destruction but to satisfie our hunger so doth the Lord for the glory of his Justice But they say God doth not decree to damne them till hee hath tryed and found that they will not be saved but I say again God never decreed to damne any but onely he decreed to glorifie his justice and for that he need not stay to see what man will doe can any deliver out of his hand if he worke who can let it Esay 43.13 Seventhly Those for whom Christ dyed shall be justified and saved for The free gift came upon all to justification of life Rom. 5.18 and Whom he justified shall be glorified Rom. 8.30.33 Who shall condemn if Christ hath dyed for them ver 34. The ransommed of the Lord shall come to Sion with everlasting joy Esay 35.10 But some shall neither be justified nor glorified but condemned and punished everlastingly therefore they are none of those that Christ dyed for nor none of those ransomed of the Lord then Christ did not die for all and every man in the world But they say the death of Christ for all and every man in the world is the foundation of justifying faith I Answer That cannot be but this is rather a ground of it that Christ hath not dyed for all but for some of mankind and then with a speciall faith to believe that he hath dyed for me in particular and this faith instrumentally justifies us but when we believe with a generall faith that Christ dyed for all men this cuts off a speciall faith for our selves are one of the whole world and so wee shall apply it to our selves no more then to any reprobates Then they say If all shall be saved for whom Christ dyed then none of them could perish but some shall perish for whom Christ dyed and are damned that he bought 1 Cor. 8.11 2 Pet. 2.1 I answer It was but in the judgement of charity that Christ dyed or bought them but they say Christ came not to judge the world but to save the world Iohn 12.47 48. Therefore he dyed for all I Answer while Christ is mediator he is come to save the world and not to judge them that believe not but at the last day his words shall judge them and condemne them So then his first comming is to save the world not the universall world but the multitude of the elect which may well be called a world being so great a multitude Revel 19. And as the Iews said The world is gone after him Iohn 12.19 Then they say God so loved the world that hee gave them his onely begotten Son and yet none are saved but they that believe in him Iohn 3.16 Hence say they Christ is given to all and yet faith makes the difference and hath the promise of eternall life and not the other although Christ dyed for them and Gods love to all and yet not all saved But if God love them I would know what could hinder their salvation shall Gods beloved ones perish so then their conclusion is this not he whom God loves shall be saved but he that will of himselfe believe shall have eternall life but it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercie for his will shall stand and hee will doe all his pleasure Then they say Christ came to his own and his own received him not Iohn 1.12 but that is not his fault for he comes unto them but it is their own fault for they will not receive him so they conclude they are his by purchase and yet they will not be saved I answer they were his own visible Church by a Nationall Covenant having his Ordinances and distinguished from other Nations by circumcision and not by any true work of grace in their heart and so others might goe to heaven when those children of the Kingdom are thrust out Mat. 8.12 Or if it be spoken of any of the elect that were his own and yet would not receive him it was but onely at that present yet after they had crucified him at Peters Sermon they received him Act. 2.41 Then they say put the case that Christ taketh away the sins of the world and this world is the elect then it must needs follow that some of the elect shall perish but what a damnable inference is this Christ taketh away the sins of the elect therefore some of the elect must needs perish I answer It is true if wee should maintain as they doe that God hath elected everyman in the world which would be no election to take all but the elect is a certain number chosen of God and given to Christ whose sins he hath taken away or at least is taking them away and when that work is finished they shall be glorified and that world meaning the multitude of the elect that Christ came to save shall certainly be saved For the Lord hath laid help upon one that is mighty Psal 89.19 He is mighty to save Esay 63.1 And he hath finished the work his Father gave him to doe Iohn 17.4 and still he is his Son in whom he is well pleased then how shall they miscarry when Christ takes away their sins to this they have a bundle of arguments together as if they would prove that Christ dyed for all and every man in the world although the greatest part be not saved but damned 1 They say Christ dyed for all those that are damned that he might get the victory over sin death hell and the Devill by his own death and triumph over all Mat. 28.18 1 Pet. 3.2 Iob 2.9 Ephes 1.19 20 21 22 23. Philip. 1.10 I Answer Is it a signe of victory over hell death sin and Satan when they shall take from Christ those that he hath bought with his heart bloud if Christ hath paid for them shall death and hell sin and Satan take them out of his hand when as he sayth no man shall pluck them out of his hand and his Father is greater then all and no man shall pluck them out of his Fathers hand Joh. 10.28 29. then shall the devill and sin doe it to get victory to your Saviour but it seems by this that the Devill is your Saviour and not Christ for if Christ have the keyes of hell then none shall perish that he hath bought and this is his victory that he will save them in spight of all his enemies Psal 110.2 But they say if all the Sins in the world had not been laid on Christ but the sins of the elect onely then he had not gotten the victory over all sin but over some sin I answer all sorts of sins are in his people which he hath overcome that it dies daily in them and for the sins of reprobates they shall be restrained by him and at lest all things that offend shall be taken out of
and further I say that our positive laws binde our Magistrates and people as strongly being grounded on the morall law being the law of nature as the Jews positive laws bound them although theirs was written in the Word and ours are not Thirdly He would know whether the matter and forme of the worship of God under the Gospel lies not in as plain precepts and commandements as the matter and forme of the Jews worship and whether to urge and compell men to any other be not sin Here I shall first grant that the matter and forme now is in as plain precepts and commandements as the Jewes was and to compell men to any other is sin But here lies not our controversie for our Magistrates neither command other things then CHRIST hath appointed to bee the subject matter of the Church although themselves most abominably brought a Cat to the Sacrament Neither doe wee admit Infidels or Turks unlesse they leave their Religion and become Christians neither doe wee take away the bread or the wine or change them or add any thing else to them not doe we take away or change any other ordinance but themselves have cast away much of the subject matter of the Church being esteemed of them but as reprobates although many of them be the deare children of GOD unlesse they please then humours and they have cast away the Ordinance of singing of Psalmes and all family instructions admonitions prayers watchings over one another in love and building up one another in faith Thus they have almost cast a●●y both matter and forme of the true visible Church when as they cannot ta●e us as wanting any Ordinance nor of having any supersluous of our own devising Then if Magistrates should command any other matter or forme they would sinne in to doing yet it will not follow that when Magistrates command the same that CHRIST hath set up that then they should sinne The Lord said to Moses ' The Magistrate gather the people together both men women and children and the stranger that is within the gates that they may heare and that they may learne and feare the LORD thy GOD and observe to doe all the words of this Law Deut. 31.12 and saith Christ compell them to come in that my house may be filled Luke 14.23 then I hope it will not trouble your consciences to be compelled to heare the word which is the onely way to know the Covenant between God and Christ in our nature and when it is known it will bereceived They that know thy name will trust in thee Psal 9.10 yet the Magistrates will not command you to believe they are not Lords of your faith but they may be helpers of your joy but saith is the gift of GOD the Magistrate onely commands to come to the paths of wisdoms doors that we may be blessed Prov. 8.33 this is the way to come in to the Covenant of Christ the Lord of the Church and when this is done we need not make another Covenant with the members as they d●e at New England and if they were in Covenant with Christ as they pretend the members neede not make such soldering for a Christian hath right to all Churches as well as to one Church and needs not way● for the members ad●mttance although their Lordly pride besuch while they pretend humility that they will not allow of it Lastly he would know whether any people under heaven have power to frame the outward government of the Church so perfectly that it shall neither have sin nor failing in it i● not then saith he where is there power to command obedience to that which is sinful I answer It is true none have power to frame such a government that hath neither sin nor failings in it therefore the Parliament doth not take upon them to frame any government for the Church because as I said before their power is not in the Church nor over the Church but in relation to the Church as lending their power to assist it therefore they have called the assembly of Divines to search the Scripture to see what government Christ hath appointed for his Church who is the Lord and King of it then there businesse is onely to search this our and then the Parlinment by a positive Law of the Land will command that this government shall be observed and no other but when all the Assembly or the greatest part shall conclude upon one way of government and the Parliament hath established that Government by a Law of the Kingdom then I say although there shall be some failings in it yet it being as neer the rule as all our Divines upon diligent search can finde out and the Parlian●ent hath made it a Statute to bee observed it must bee obeyed and all those Scriptures and Reasons before alledged serve to confirme it and those that will not doe the Law of GOD and the Law of the King let judgement be executed speedily upon him whether it be to death or banishment confiscation of goods or imprisonment Ezra 7.25 26. and then it will be but a weake excuse to renounce a positive Law of the Land upon this ground saying It is not perfect without sin or failing therefore I will not obey it by this argument they may renounce all our Laws and Magistrates for no humane Ordinance nor Magistrate can be without sin or failing then by their argument both must be cast away and so live like sons of Belial without any government but this shews how unsufferable that faction is to be among Christians But suppose they should have free leave to frame their own government what they would have upon condition it should be confirmed by an act of Parliament I am confident they would not agree to have it done because they all seeke to have a gap open to turne to what Heresie they please This also shews how unsufferable they be amongst us But suppose they were willing to have such a government established as they should like of then I would know why a whole assembly of faithfull learned wise godly and pious men should be denyed that which they will grant to a few and some of them factious and others hereticall nay why will they not grant our Assembly so much as they grant to one single man who setteth up what government he pleaseth and they all freely obey him when he aymes at his own ends to gather Churches that he may vent his Heresie and faction which is a thing to be abhorred of all godly Christians being more enslaved to him then ever they were to the Prelates if they had but eyes ●o see it The meane time all may see how these men despise the Magistrates power in relation to the Church when they command obedience to it or punish the opposers of it FINIS