Father so the Our in the second Article is set to denote all and every one of us every man in the world without any exception to be redeemed by God the Son § 5. And accordingly the Catechisme of the Church of England established by Law and preserved in our Liturgie as a special part of it expounds the Creed in this sense I believe in God the Father which made me and all the world 2. In God the Son who redeemed me and all mankinde 3. In God the Holy Ghost who sanctifieth me and all the elect people of God Where as Creation is common to more creatures then redemption and redemption then sanctification so Mankinde to which Redemption belongs as it is farre narrower then the world or the works of God's creation so is it farre wider then the catalogue of all the Elect people of God to whom sanctification belongs § 6. So in other parts of our Liturgie in Consecrating the Eucharist we have this form of prayer Almighty God which didst give thine only son Jesus Christ to suffer death upon the Cross for our redemption and made there by his one oblation of himself once offered a full perfect and sufficient sacrifice oblation and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world And accordingly in the administration of that Sacrament the elements are delivered to every communicant in this form The body of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given for thee and The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ which was shed for thee preserve thy body and soul into everlasting life Which supposeth it the doctrine of our Church avowed and professed that Christ's death was not only sufficient for all if God would have so intended and designed it but that he was actually designed and given for all not only as many as come to that Sacrament which yet is wider then the Elect but us men or mankinde in general whose salvation was sought by God by this means § 7. So in our Articles also Christ suffered for us that he might be a sacrifice not only for Original sin but also for all the actual sins of men Art 2. And by Christ who is the only mediator of God and men eternal life is proposed to mankinde Art 7. And Christ came as a Lamb that by the offering of himself once made he might take away the sins of the world Art 15. And The oblation of Christ once made is a perfect redemption propitiation satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world Ar 31 All which I have thus largely set down to shew the perfect consonancie of our persecuted Church to the doctrine of Scripture and Antiquity in this point wheron so much depends for the stating determining other differences which have also a special influence on practise § 8. As for the ill consequences toward the obstructing of good life which are considerable to attend this one doctrine of Christ's dying for none but the Elect they will be most discernible by attempting the Reformation change of any vicious Christian that believes that doctrine or the comfort of any disconsolate despairing Christian that hath gotten into this hold and remains fortified in the belief of it § 9. For the former 't is evident and that which he is supposed to believe if he believe the Foundation as I presume him now to doe when I set the case of a vitious Christian that there is no salvation to be had for any sinner but only by the sufferings of Christ and that redemption by him wrought for such If therefore a vitious liver believing that Christ dyed for none but the Elect shall have any attempt made on him to reform and amend his life 't is certain that one medium to induce him to it must be a tender of mercy from Christ of present pardon and future blisse upon his Reformation But if he be able to reply that that mercy belongs only to the Elect and he is none of them it necessarily follows that he that would reduce this stray sheep must either prove convincingly to him that he is one of the Elect or else hath no farther to proceed in this attempt § 10. And if he thus attempt to perswade the vitious Christian that he is one of the Elect then 1. the very attempt confesses to him that a vitious person remaining such may be in the number of the Elect and from thence he will presently be able to inferre that then he needs not reformation of life to constitute him such and if so then reformation of life is not the condition on which only bliss is to be expected and without which it is not to be had it being supposed and acknowledged by both parties that all the Elect shall have it and so the medium which was thought necessary to perswade his reformation the tender of mercy from Christ upon reformation is already vanished and consequently 't is to no purpose to perswade him that he is one of the Elect which was useful onely for the inforcing this medium And so the very making this attempt is destructive to the only end of it § 11. But if this were not the result of this attempt yet 2dly 't is in the progresse agreed to be necessary that he perswade this person that he is one of the elect And what possible medium can he use to prove that to a vitious person A priori from any secret decree of God's 't is certain he cannot demonstrate it for he hath never entred into God's secrets and 't is sure the Scripture hath revealed nothing of it Whatsoever it saith of the Book of life never affirming that particular man's name is written there And then the one possible way of attempting it is à posteriori from the fruits of election and those are not supposeable in him who is supposed a vitious liver who lives in that estate and is by him acknowledged to doe so for otherwise why should he think it necessary to reduce him wherein he that lives shall not inherit the kingdome of God For his proof whatever it is will easily be retorted and the contrary proved by interrogating Shall the adulterer the drunkard the vicious Christian inherit the kingdome of God If he shall what need I that am now exhorted to reform my life reform it If he shall not then certainly I that am such am none of the Elect for all that are elect shall certainly inherit the kingdome of God § 12. The onely reserve imaginable is that this vitious Christian be perswaded to believe in Christ and if he doe so he shall by that know that he is one of the Elect and so that his sins shall be pardoned c. But if this be the method made use of then 1. this is not the attempting to reform to work repentance which was the thing proposed in this first case but to work faith in him and with men of those opinions these are two distinct things
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that that people are composed to the greatest sobriety among whom the citizens stand in more fear of dispraise then of law supposing that state to be best qualified where virtue and every part of good living which laws are wont to prescribe hath acquired so great a credit and reputation among all that without fear of punishment from laws or Magistrates the very dread of shame and disgrace shall be able to contain all men within the bounds of exact living and awe them from admitting any thing which is foul or sinful To which purpose also is that of Hippodamus the Pythagorean that there be three causes of virtue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and shame is the last of them of which saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. good customes are able to infuse a dread into all men that are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 well cultivated and make them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to have a reverence or pudicitious chaste fear of doing any thing which is ill And according to this prudential notion of these wise men of the world is this piece of Christian discipline instituted by our Saviour to deprive vice of its greatest temptation the praise of men to exalt and set up virtue the onely creditable thing and brand sin as infamous And if this of shame superadded to the former of losse and both being met together as the sinners portion here perfectly prefiguring the two saddest ingredients in hell deprivation of the blissful vision and confusion of face cannot prove efficacious and successful to the mortifying of unprofitable vice the Church doth then give over the patient as desperate pretends not to any farther methods of working on such obdurate sinners § 34. Nor indeed is it reasonable it should when beside the Foundation consisting of so many stones each of them elect and pretious chosen by the wisdome of heaven for this admirable work of reforming the most obdurate Jew or heathen this series and succession of so many powerful methods being farther prescribed by God and administred by the Church have found so discouraging a reception that nothing but the violence of storming or battery the course which God is forced to take for the destroying but cannot without changing the course of nature for the converting of sinners can hope or pretend to prove successful on them § 35. What hath been said of the wise disposition of God in preparing instituting this series of necessaries for the effecting this great work the reformation of mens lives the latter annext to the former each to adde weight and authority and to vindicate the contempts of the former might more largely be insisted on yet on a farther designe to give us a just value of that sacred office which Christ fixed in the Church in his Apostles and the Bishops their successors and honoured it and them in this especially that he hath put these weapons into their hands intrusted to and invested in them the Power of dispensing all these and by that means rendred them necessary to the planting and supporting a Church of vital Christians to the maintaining of pious practise in any community of Professors But this would soon swell this discourse beyond the limits designed to it § 36. All that is behinde will be by way of Comment on that part of the Church of England's charity which hath constantly called to God that he will inspire continually the Vniversal Church with the Spirit of truth unity and concord and grant that all they that doe confesse his holy name may agree in the truth of his holy word and live in unity and godly love A Prayer O Most gracious Lord God the Creator of all things but of men and all mankinde a tender compassionate father in Jesus Christ thou that hast enlarged thy designes and purposes of grace and mercy as the bowels and blood-shedding of thy Son with an earnest desire that every weak or sinfull man should partake of that abysse that infinite treasure of thy bounty Thou that hast bequeathed to us that Legacie and example of a sacred inviolate Peace a large diffusive charity We meekly beseech thee to overshadow with thy heavenly grace the souls of all men over all the world O Lord thou lover of souls to bring home to the acknowledgment and embraces of thy Son all that are yet strangers to that profession and in whatsoever any of us who have already received that mercy from thee may be any way useful or instrumental to that so glorious end to direct and incline our hearts toward it to work in us all an holy zeal to thy name and tender bowels to all those whose eternity is concerned in it O give us a true serious full comprehension and value of that one great interest of others as well as our selves shew us the meanest of us some way to contribute toward it if it be but our daily affectionate prayers for the enlarging of thy kingdome and the care of approving all our actions so as may most effectually attract all to this profession And for all those that have already that glorious name of thy Son called upon them blessed Lord that they may at length according to the many engagements of their profession depart from iniquity that that holy city that new Jerusalem may at length according to thy promise descend from heaven prepared as a bride adorned for the husband Christ that that tabernacle of God with men may be illustriously visible among us that we may be a peculiar people and thou our God inhabiting in power among us that we which have so long professed thee and been instructed by thee may no longer content our selves with that form of knowledge which so often engenders strife contentions animosities separating and condemning one another and that most unchristian detestable guilt of blood but endevour and earnestly contend for the uniform effectual practise of all the precepts of thy Son the fruits and power of all Godliness that all the Princes and people of Christendome the Pastors and sheep of thy fold may at length in some degree walk worthy of that light and that warmth that knowledge and those graces that the sun of righteousness with healing in his wings hath so long poured out upon us Lord purge powerfully work out of all hearts that profaneness and Atheisticalness those sacrilegious thirsts and enormous violations of all that is holy those unpeaceable rebellious mutinous and withall tyrannizing cruell spirits those prides and haughtinesses judging and condemning defaming and despising of others those unlimited ambitions and covetings joyned with the invasion and violation of others rights those most reproachful excesses and abominable impurities which to the shame of our unreformed obdurate hearts doe still remain unmortified unsubdued among us but above all those infamous hypocrisies of suborning religion to be the engine of advancing our secular designes or the disguise to conceal the foulest intentions
of bringing down that most sacred name whereby we should be saved to be the vilest instrument of all carnality and by the power of thy convincing Spirit Lord humble and subdue all that exalts it self against the obedience of Christ And when thou hast cast out so many evil spirits be pleased thy self to possesse and inrich our souls to plant and root and confirm and secure in us all those pretious fruits of piety and faith and obedience and zeal toward thee of purity and meekness and simplicity and contentedness and sobriety in our selves of justice and charity and peaceableness and bowels of mercy and compassion toward all others that having seriously and industriously as our holy vocation ingages us used all diligence to adde unto our faith virtue and to virtue patience and perseverance in all Christian practise we may adorn that profession which we have so long depraved and having had our fruit unto holiness we may obtain our end everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen The Contents CHAP. I. THe Notation of the word Fundamental Page 1 CHAP. II. The Division of the discourse into four parts What are Fundamental in general Page 15 CHAP. III. A particular view of Fundamentals Jesus Christ indefinitely Page 24 CHAP. IV. Jesus Christ Crucified Page 35 CHAP. V. Jesus Christ raised c. Page 38 CHAP. VI. Other Articles of Belief in Christ Page 42 CHAP. VII The Faith in Baptisme Page 56 CHAP. VIII Of the Creeds in general and first of the Apostles Creed Page 58 CHAP. IX Of the Nicene and Athanasian Creeds together and severally of the Nicene Page 82 CHAP. X. Of the Athanasian Creed Page 91 CHAP. XI Of the Superstructure and the particular branches thereof Page 94 CHAP. XII Of the Doctrines that hinder the superstructing of good life on the Christian belief first among the Romanists a Catalogue of them especially that of the Infallibility of the Church 2. Among others 1. that of the Solifidian Page 108 CHAP. XIII Of the Fiduciarie Page 120 CHAP. XIV Of Christ's dying for none but the Elect Page 130 CHAP. XV. Of the irrespective decrees of Election and Reprobation Page 145 CHAP. XVI Of the Predetermination of all things Page 156 CHAP. XVII Of the Spirits acting all things within the man Page 192 CHAP. XVIII Of the Mistakes concerning Repentance Page 202 CHAP. XIX Of the necessaries to the superstructing of good life on this Foundation Page 211 A Prayer Page 240 THE END ERRATA PAge 51. line 12. re Christ p. 60. § 4 l. 9. re Eutychen p. 77. l. 1. after omitted adde p. 90. l. 25. after practise adde p. 95. l. 17. after the adde most p. 110. marg the note subditos-with that next following it Valdi belong to p. 111. l. 7. and the word guilt p. 111. the note Summorum belongs to lin 19. and the word deviabilis p. 111. the note 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 belongs to p. 112. l. 16. and the word secure p. 114. l. 19. after principle for put l. 20. after falshoods for put l. 21. after practises adde l. 23. after bread adde of l. 24. after God adde p. 128. l. 4. after not re but be reasonable p. 172. l. 19. after nature adde and p. 178. l. 10. dele was p. 189. l. 20. re 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 198. l. 17. re § 11. p. 200. l. 5. for if re of p. 204. l. 27. after being adde l. 30. after God adde p. 206. lin 9. after Repentance adde which is not repentance p. 213. l. 17. after § 6. re First p. 219. l. 3. for in re of p. 223. l. 7. for service re sacrifice p. 229. l. 26. re diffused Foundation is a relative and figurative word The relation of it to superstructure Building on the sand and on a rock The difference between them The Superstructure to which Foundation here relates Two sorts of Superstructures Heaven The Church Heaven cannot be it for two Reasons The first The second Fundamental to a Church to Piety and Christian life This notion of Fundamental confirmed by S. Athanasius Edifying Four branches of discourse proposed The General way of defining Fundamentals by what the Apostles taught every where The foundation laid 1 Cor. 3.11 1 Tim. 6.20 Jude 3. 2 Tim. 1.13 Eph. 4.5 Approved in common by the Apostles Comprehensive of all necessaries to the planting of a Church not to the conversion of every particular person Some Jews reduced to good life without this foundation Synesius a Bishop before he believed the Resurrection Jesus Christ the Foundation 1 Cor. 3.11 The Christian foundation compared with the Natural with the Judaical with the heathen and Mahomedan Christ crucified the Foundation What propriety the Crosse hath to this Christ's resurrection the Foundation an Argument of the greatest conviction A pawn of our Resurrection Corporal and Spiritual An example of new life to us The Mysterie of Godliness 1 Tim. 3.16 God made manifest by the Flesh The Arians doctrines against it De Fide p. 53. God justified by the Spirit God seen of Angels Preached among the Gentiles Believed on among men the Jewes the Gentiles Received up into glory The Father Son and holy Ghost The Apostles Creed Proved to be the Apostles †Ecclesia per universum orbem usque ad sines terrae seminata ab Apostolis à discipulis corum accepit eam fidem quae est in unuÌ„ DeuÌ„ patreÌ„ omnipotenteÌ„ c. Iren l. 1. c. 2. * Quid si neque Apostoli quidem scripturas reliquissent nobis nonne oportebat Ordinem sequi traditionis quam tradiderunt iis quibus constituebant Ecclesias Cui ordinationi assentiunt mullae gentes barbarorum quorum qui in Christum credunt sine chartâ atramento scriptum habentes in cordibus suis salutare veterem eruditionem diligenter custodientes in unum Deum credentes c. Iren l. 3. c. 4. The articles thereof fundamental to good life * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The article of God the Father Of God the Son Of God the holy Ghost Of the Holy Catholick Church Of the Communion of Saints The forgiveness of sins Misinterpreted Rightly understood The want of this to Renovation in a first a second a third respect The necessity of it The belief of the Resurrection of the Body Fundamental to Renovation The want of it very hurtful The perswasion gainfull Everlasting life The necessity of the belief of that The design of â—â—â—er Creeds Defined Of the Nicene One God Of all things visible and invisible One Lord Jesus Christ c. The H. Ghost the Lord and giver of life c. One baptisme for the Remission of sins The Doctrine of the Athanasian Creed The Censures The generall nature of the Superstruction in five particulars The specialties of it Piety in opposition to Idolatrie Piety in opposition to Formality To Hypocrisie To Sacrilege To Profaneness Obedience to Superiors Charitie e. Puritie Contentedness· Taking up the Crosse