the Scriptures are the rule of Faith And they being so the promised Reward is to be had by all that take hold of the offered Mercy according to the Conditions as it is there tendred And so not only the Elect but all believers will be partakers of the promised Mercy But in this latter Confession of Faith 1655. There they believe that Christ dyed only for the Elect. And that Faith comes from the gracious efficacious operation of the Holy Ghost which Illuminates their Souls and carries them to relie on the Mercy of God to be applied by the merits of Jesus Christ Yet they also in this Confession hold that good works are so necessary to the faithful that they cannot come to the Kingdom of God without doing of them And that they must keep the Commandments But tho' in this latter Confession they believe that their Faith in Christ Jesus doth come through the efficacious work of the Spirit of God in them the which is not unlikely because more of the gracious Influence of the Spirit is with them by reason they were to withstand all the fury of the Enemy and to continue to bear their Testimony against all the Superstitious and Idolatrous Worship of the Beast And also to walk in a holy and exemplary Conversation that thereby they might be a Light to the World As for Sins of Ignorance Sins of Infirmity Sins of Surprisal will not be laid to their charge they being kept from wilful and presumptuous Sins which is the great Transgression Psal 19.13 And as in their Articles they say This Church cannot be quite destroyed but that it will always remain This being according to what the Lord hath promised them they being the Church that the Lord prepared a place in the Wilderness and therefore they are of that Remnant or Sheep which were his Father 's before and given to him To whom he promised That none should pluck them out of his Hand John 10.27,28 Those are they to whom the Five Talents were given that according to their Day they might have ability to stand So that if any among them have at any time fallen into a loose or prophane Conversation or adhered to the Beast we may with St. John say They were not of them although they coinhabited with them in the Wilderness in the place the Lord prepared for them because they went out from them For had they been of that Fold to whom Christ made the forementioned Promise they would have continued with them 1 John 2.19 But Christ saith He hath Sheep of another Fold that are not to be brought into that Fold until such time there is but one Shephard and then there shall be but one Fold and one Shepherd Joh. 10.16 And that will be when the Lord again comes For tho' there was at the first publication of the Gospel a peculiar People chosen from among the Gentiles to the Praise of hiâ— Name yet at that time there was many Shepherds But those peculiar People of the Gentiles had not â— promise that none of them should be pluckt out of hiâ— hand and St. Paul cautions them fearing least the Serpent should beguile any of them 2 Cor. 11.3 But the Vaudois as well as we have lost the righâ— apprehension of this World which is to come thâ— knowledge of which was as a Light that shineth in â— dark place untill the Day dawn and the Day-Star 〈◊〉 rise in their Hearts which is an inherent perfect Righteousness will then be given when the Lord agaiâ— comes the which crowns Life to the Soul not onâ—… to the raised Saints but to Israel Isa 60.21 Thy Peopâ—… shall be all Righteous And also to the living Believer thâ—… longs for the Lords appearing to all such he will giâ—… the Crown of Righteousness at that Day 2 Tim. 4.8 The which things St Peter's care was they should always have in remembrance after his Decease 2 Pet. 1.15 He fearing least at any time they should let them slip which since for these many Years is come to pass they having lost the knowledge of these things But God having abounded in his Love to them in electing and forechosing them without their foreseen willing and running as he did likewise at the first publication of the Gospel choose a peculiar People from among the Gentiles to the praise of his Name Therefore the Vaudois as well as us by this their last Confession have thought that God had denied Man the freedom of Will to will his own good the which is quite contrary to what they held Two Hundred Years before the ancientest Acts they now have were made which were those in 1â—00 for Two Hundred Years before that time Claudius Bishop of Turin and of the Vallies writ sharply against all the Errors of the Church of Rome This Bishop maintained the Doctrine of St. Augustine concerning Grace as the late Author of the History of the Vaudois saith in Page 7. And Augustine tells us lib. de precat merit chap. 18. That it was the great care of every Orthodox Teacher in his time to take heed least they did so defend Grace as to deny Freewill and least they should so defend Freewill as to deny Grace And a good care it was and further the Author saith Neither is there I think to be found one of the ancient accounted Orthodox that hath maintained in the strict sence opposed that God commanded Men what they could not do with the common helps that he affordeth But all abhorred it as an Opinion laying high accusation upon God till many Years after Augustine altho' Augustine did fall into mistakes himself as to this point he not understanding how the Election ran And some of the Protestant Christians not apprehending the difference between the Eternal Life that Christ gave to his Sheep that were his Fathers before and given to him that unto them the Eternal Life was given to continue to their Persons and Posterity But the Eternal Life that Christ gave to every true Believer was no otherwise than whilst they did remain such they should never come into Condemnation for a Believer according to the Gospel is no longer a Believer than he yields to Christ his sincere Obedience Rom. 6.16 St Paul said to them that had embraced the Faith so as to yield Obedience unto Christ Know ye not that Christ is in you except you are Reprobates 2 Cor 13.5 That is except ye have rebelled by relinquishing your Obedience and so are become Reprobates as Israel formerly had done and therefore said of them Reprobate Silver shall Men call them because the Lord hath rejected them Jer. 6.30 which rejection was for their Sin And the Prophet speaking of the Body of the People that had wilfully Transgressed saith All our Righteousnesses are as Filthy Rags and our Iniquities like the Wind have taken us away Jsa 64.6 And the People of Gods Curse to Judgment will be them that will wilfully persist to do the thing which the
and Apostles agree that Salvation will be when the times of Refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord Acts 3.19,21,22 And Christ saith Search the scriptures for they were they that dâ—d testifie of him John 5.39 And then there was no other Scriptures but the Old Testament Now all Christ's Sufferings being fulfilled in the plain Letter of the Word and left us upon Record ever to believe the same And as in the Word it is Prophesied that Israel should be scattered so we evidently see the same and we ought also and are bound to believe all the great Prophesies and Promises relating to Christ's second coming that they will be performed in the plain Letter of the Word and as it was Prophesied that God would pour forth his Spirit Joel 2.28,29 Of which St. Peter saith It was made good to them in that time Acts 2.16,17,18 Which was for the Confirmation of the Gospel and as an earnest of their Inheritance in time to come or Restitution Before which time as in Joel 2.30,31 God will shew wonders in heaven and in earth blood and fire and pillars of smoke which accordingly has come to pass for by wars much blood hath been spilt And the Lord in a great and wonderful manner hath sent out of the earth fire and pillars of smoke for these many hundred years but much more of late And it is said verse 31. The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and terrible day of the Lord come This came to pass when the Nations which had embraced the Faith came to have no love to the Truth God then gave them up to Delusion 2 Thess 2.10,11 For when the people could not endure sound doctrin but after their own lusts they did heap to themselves teachers having itching ears and they turned away their ears from the truth and were turned unto fables 2 Tim. 4 3,4 And when the Seducers and false teachers went about to deceive they then became deceived ch 3.12,13 For God doth never so punish without a cause Eze. 14.23 And then was the Sun turned into darkness for in the Scriptures the Teachers are termed the Light of the World and when the Sun the Teachers were darkned the Moon which is the World of People which receiveth her Light from the Teachers as the Moon doth her Light from the Sun the People were soon turned into Blood by hating and killing one another The Pope and his Clergy pretending to be the true Church Mahomet the true Prophet and every Sect the right Remnant and thus the Prince of Darkness carries on his Designs in setting Men to hate and kill one another through these Divisions Now in that Prophesie of Scripture is of more than a private Interpretation 2 Pet. 1.20 But we must be sure to put no other Interpretation on it but what we can make plain from the Word And in Joel 3.15 It is also said The sun and moon shall be darkned and the stars shall withdraw their shining Here the Prophet may have a Reference to the material Sun Moon and Stars which by the Glorious Appearing of the Lord will be obscured by his Brightness But when the Nations came to have no love to the Truth God suffered a Spirit of a strong Delusion to go forth 2 Thess 2.11 For God hath determined that those that will not deny themselves for him shall suffer by him for unto them that are contentions and will not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath upon every soul of man that doth evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile but glory honour and peace to every man that worketh good to the Jew first and also to the Gentile Rom. 2.8,9,10 For there will be a Redemption in time to come for all that order their Conversation aright and have not been wilful Opposers of the Truth which is one of the worst of Unrighteousnesses And though it is those who comes in Heirs to the Promises made to the Fathers that are made partakers of the greater Glory yet there is Glory and Salvation for others of a lower degree And though the Jews that have been since Christ's time were cast off for the Sins of their Parents yet not for ever and ever to be forgotten of God without their own Sins does occasion it for there will be a Redemption in time to come for some and if Israel for the Sin of their Parents has been left to stumble on the dark Mountains these seventeen hundred years no wonder if the Adopted Seed has been left to stumble thereon for above this thousand years For it is Israel who as touching the Election is beloved for their Fathers sake Rom. 11.28 For though there was but a Remnant chosen from among them that were chosen according to the Election of Grace verse 5. Yet they were all Gods chosen and elected People for their Fathers sake Isaiah 45.4 And this God did because he loved their Fathers because they had walked with a perfect Heart before him The which when the Lord proved Israel in the Wilderness they did not And therefore the Lord saith Deut. 31.21 For I know their imaginations which they go about even now before I have brought them into the land Here because God would have us take notice when it was he knew it therefore he redoubles his Words and saith even now at the time when they were in the Wilderness But we do never read of God's foreknowing his Drowning of the World till he saw the Wickedness of Man was great and then it was that it grieved him at his Heart that he had made Man but God's choosing Israel was for their Fathers sake and not that he had Elected them without a why or a wherefore but when God had proved and tryed Israel in the Wilderness and as they had there often miscarried God saw they would again fall away for which he determined to leave them to Blindness the like God foreseeing that the Gentiles would fall away for which he determined to leave them to Delusion For as of old when the People fell away Rom. 1.18,20,21 the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made even his eternal power and godhead so that they were without excuse because when they knew God they glorified him not as God but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkned verse 28. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge God gave them up to a reprobate mind So we see Man 's not improving his Day of Grace has been his Destruction all along and not that they had not a Day of Grace given them and it is such that God gives up to Delusion that first deceives and deludes themselves
of the letter but of the spirit for the letter killeth but the spirit giveth life Now the Apostles received their Knowledge immediately from the Lord Christ and also of the Spirit for the Holy Ghost was given to be in them by which they also understood things to come and by the Spirit they were made able Ministers not of the Letter but of the Spirit for all the Gentiles when they were first to be called in had he then Preach'd the Letter of the Law to them they then had thereby all been Condemned But the Apostles were upon the first Publication of the Gospel to Preach Remission of Sins by Christ to every one that would turn from their evil way and by that turn they were to live in obedience to the Letter of the Word And in that he saith they were made able Ministers of the New Testament was in that the Holy Ghost was then given as a Witness to their Testimony to confirm the Truth of their Word and likewise they did Administer the Spirit for 〈◊〉 the laying on the Hands of the Apostles the People received the Holy Ghost Acts 19.6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them the holy Ghost came on them and they spake with tongues and prophesied So also Acts 8.17 But should any Man now pretend to Preach such Doctrin of Administring the Spirit and not the Letter of the Word the People had good reason to believe that Man was out of his Senses But some have given such a turn to these Words of the Apostle from hence pretending they are not to take the plain Letter of the Word as it is spoken but according to the Spiritual Interpretation which they have put upon it the which has been according to their own Fancy And so by leaving the plain Letter of the Word in what God hath declared promised and sworn to are thereby fallen into these great and dangerous Mistakes for the Scripture admits of no other Spiritual Meaning than what is there specified which is that we perform not the Letter or practical part of the Word to be seen of Men but in sincerity of Heart so as to Worship God in Spirit and Truth But in the Word there are many Figurative Speeches which admits of no other Interpretation than what can be made out from the Word leaving nothing therein to contradict what we say And likewise some have got another way to uphold their false received Notions which is that God speaks after the manner of Men and according to Man's Understanding and if so how doth any Man dare to open another â—…ay for Man to understand of God than what God thought fit for Man's Understanding But there is no such thing said of God throughout the Word but St. Paul to 〈◊〉 the Covenant said that he spake after the manner of 〈◊〉 though it be but a Man's Covenant yet if it be confirmed no Man disanulleth it Gal. 3.15 But our Reformers had done well if they had said there was a great Secret in the Word which as yet they understand not and that it was not to be medled with till the Lord did give more Light according to his Promise before the time of the end and not to have set the Scriptures by their mistaken Interpretations at an unreconcileable Difference as they have done or it would have been much better to have thought that when the False Teachers had ingross'd the Word into their own Hands that they might have put in some words to make the New Testament appear to contradict the Old in what God had positively Promised and Sworn to therein seeing that God had intrusted Man with the Word for his Posterity as Adam was intrusted with Eternal Life for his Posterity the one being forbidden to Eat of the Tree and the other that they should neither add to nor diminish from the Word Gen. 2.16,17 Deut. 4.2 Rev. 22.18,19 But as a Reverend and Worthy Dr. said That when the Reformers first came out of Popery they did plainly see that the Papists were wrong but they themselves did not understand how to come right and indeed in losing the true meaning of the Word it was a hard matter so to do But now God according to his Promise has caused Light to break forth at Evening time Zach. 14.7 And has removed the occasion of Mistakes that thereby Knowledge might be increased whereby the God of Truth is made plainly appear to speak Truth as he is Truth and that he will do in all things according as he has said who having employed and enabled a weak Worm to vindicate his Truth and Justice to the Glory of his Name and the Comfort of Mankind Now such as will stand up to vindicate their false received Notions thereby to make the God of Truth a Lyar let them take what will follow for their Pains I am sure that the honest Heart will be glad that the Truth of God's Word is made plain and his Honour therein Vindicated I understand that some of the Honourable of the Clergy of the Church of England are well-wishers to the Truth and the soundest in the common Faith in the Knowledge of which is our Interest are part of the French Protestants part of the Church of England the Danish and Swedish Ministers and the Baptists that acknowledge that Christ Died for the World I am not to speak for Favour or Affection but as the Truth is in Jesus according to the Gospel A Papist told me that the Church of England gave the Sacrament as the Body and Blood of Christ the which I denied for though they give indeed the Bread and Wine in the words of Christ yet they do not give it as his real Body but as his Figurative Body as Christ did when he was setting whose with them at the Table for the Lord was no otherwise broken in the Sacrament than he was Slain in the Paschal Lamb yet he was said to be Slain in that Sacrifice but what great Mistakes has it caus'd the Christians to be in because they and we have lost the right Apprehension of the Scripture way of speaking XVIII An account of the Lord's five times Hiring Labourers into his Vincyard WHereas the Lord saith Matth. 20.1,2 ' The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a Man that is an Housholder which went out early in the Morning to Hire Labourers into his Vineyard and when he had agreed with the Labourers he sent them into his Vineyard ' In the first place we are to take notice by the Comparison that every time the Lord hired Labourers to work in his Vineyard he came forth from Heaven and Hired them that is Agreed or Covenanted with them himself as with Noah and likewise with Abraham and also with Israel in the Wilderness and so Christ when he Established the Gospel the Agreement was that all that were Hired were to Work in the Vineyard and to have a Reward for their Labour And at the last time when the