require your blood wherein your lives are at the hand of every Beast c. Whereby he sheweth how precious the blood of men was in his eyes that would punish the shedding thereof both on men and Beasts and therefore to the end they might forbeare the spilling of each others life he withheld them from eating the life that is the blood of Beasts It might seeme a kinde of cruelty to eat Beasts blood and want of humane clemencie wherefore Solomon noteth a righteous man even by this that he regardeth the life of his Beast and addeth on the contrary But the mercies of the wicked are cruel By which opposition it appeareth that God in restrayning the life or blood of Beasts intended hereby to restrain men from cruelty 3. We hold the abstinence from blood to be figurative and temporarie upon that which is written Col. 2.16,17 Let no man condemn you in meat and in drink or in respect of an holy day or new moon or sabbaths which are a shadow of things to come but the body is of Christ Where he plainly reckoneth meat and drink among other shaddows and excepteth not any meat no not blood nor any feast no not the Sabbath If it be said Paul speaketh of meats and drinks under Moses law onely and not of blood which was forbidden long before to Noah wee answer 1. that blood was also forbidden in Moses law amongst other meats therefore is here also abrogated among other meats 2. Again as much may be said for the Sabbath of the seventh day as for blood yea more both in regard of the antiquitie and of the use and end For the prohibition of blood began but in Noahs time but the seventh day was sanctified from the beginning of the world so that if blood may be exempted from the Apostles general abrogating of meats because that edict was more ancient then the Law then much more may the seventh day be exempted from amongst the other sabbaths because it was of farre greater antiquitie The use and end also of the seventh day was more excellent then that of blood for blood was forbidden as you alledge because it was the life of the Beast but worke on the seventh day was forbidden for a rememberance of the creation of the world and rest of God and for a signe that we might know that the Lord doth sanctifie us so that the end of the sabbath in this respect excelleth the end of blood And if further it be said as afterwards in your Letter you urge that blood was forbidden because it was the life and seeing it is the life to this day therefore to this day it may not be eaten we answer As much may be said for the Sabbaths that to this day and always a rememberance is to be kept of the creation of the world and rest of God now and always it is the Lord that sanctifieth us Wherefore we conclude from this Testimonie of Pauls that if none may condemn us in respect of the seventh day more then of the other feasts and sabbaths so neither may any condemne us for blood more then other meats or drinks which were shaddows of things to come whose body wee have in Christ 4. That the prohibition of eating blood in Gen. 9. was figurative appeareth by the punishment of murther there presently annexed the Lord saying Whoso sheddeth mans blood by man shall his blood be shed Yea at the hand of every Beast as well as of every man God required the blood of man And of the beast he required it thus as at the publishing of the law appeareth that the oxe which goared to death man or woman should be stoned to death and the flesh thereof not eaten Exod. 21.28 And that this was figurative your self we think will not deny for you mention no scruple thereof in your Letter But if any would make conscience of suffering such a beast to live or eating the flesh thereof he might fetch his ground from Noahs time as well as you that will eat no blood 5. It may be shewed to be a Type or shadow and now abrogated by the same reason that Paul alledgeth for eating all other meats saying Every thing that is sold in the Shambles eat ye making no question for conscience sake for the earth is the Lords and the plenty thereof which testimonie of David if it be of weight to settle the conscience touching other meats then of blood also seeing it is a part of the plenty of the earth and the Lords as well as any other thing which now he hath given us free use of by Christ according as it is written that this world and all other things are ours we Christs and Christ Gods 1 Cor. 3 21,22-23 Thus have we shewed you something of that which may be said against the perpetuity of that law in Gen. 9. which is the ground of your erronious building The next reason by you alleadged from the law of Moses falleth with the former and by all the arguments which we have brought is shewed to be Typical and you may aswel deny any other of Moses ordinances to be shaddows as this Yet you say that Levit. 17.11 is misalledged where God saith For the soul of the flesh it is in the blood and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls If this be misalledged as you write and proveth it not to be a shaddow then we must believe it is the substance and truth Then atonement for mens sins is wrought by the blood of Beasts in deed and truth not in Type and figure See whither your error leadeth you The Holy-Ghost saith It is unpossible that the Bloud of Bulls and goats should take away sins Heb. 10.4 but it is the blood of Christ that cleanseth us from all sins 2 Joh. 1.7 Whereas therefore the Law saith I have given Beasts blood upon the altar to make atonement for your souls it must needs be figuratively spoken And you are greatly to blame to write as you have done that this Scripture is misalledged Yet to qualifie the matter and help your self you write that you confesse as the truth is that the sacrificial blood had two causes why it might not be eaten the one general because it was the life the other particular because it was the atonement But this is not to confesse as the truth is for you confesse not at all that it was typical which you must do except you will renounce Christ who is the truth Nay afterward you write very peremptorily that It was not is not nor ever shall be proved that the not eating of all blood was typical Yea that it had not any foot of type or ceremony in it And further from the truth is that which followeth in your Letter that the cause of forbidding common blood was one onely to wit because it is the life which remaineth still the cause before the
A Seasonable TREATISE FOR THIS AGE Occasioned by a Letter written by one Mr. Woolsey prisoner in Norwich to the then-exiled Church at Amsterdam in which he endeavours to prove it unlawful to eat blood things strangled and things offered to idols now in the times of the Gospel Which Letter is by the consent of the said Church answered the Grounds and Reasons therein examined and refuted and the contrary thereunto proved from Scripture By Francis Johnson Pastor Henry Ainsworth Teacher Daniel Studley Elder Stanshal Mercer Elder Of the same Church Written long since but never published till now Gal. 5.1 Stand fast in the liberty that Christ hath made you free and be no more entangled in the yoke of bondage Col. 2.16,17 Let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink or in respect of a holy day or of the new moon or of the sabbath day which are a shadow of things to come but the body is of Christ London Printed by J.C. for Tho. Wall and are to be sold by J. Briscoe at the blue Bible in great Green-Arber 1657. To the Reader THe Lord hath been pleased in his tender mercy towards his Church in all ages to raise up faithful instruments as these whose names are set to this Treatise especially that faithful godly man Mr. Henry Ainsworth who appeared whilst he lived a bright Star in Christs right hand labouring abundantly in the work of the Lord in opening the Scriptures as his Commentaries on the five books of Moses the book of Psalms and the Song of Songs do manifest as likewise his Communion of Saints Counter-poyson and Defence of holy Scripture together with his Trying out of Truth Arrow against Idolatry and divers other Treatises written by him in defence of the truth of God like a faithful Shepherd who never fled from the flock over which the holy Ghost had made him overseer but like a valiant * souldier of Jesus Christ riding upon the white horse of his Word under the conduct of Christ our * Captain fought the good fight of faith and finished his course so that I may boldly say by what I have heard from some that remain alive who saw his life and death and by what I have read in his Works that he hath received a crown of righteousness and as the Apostle saith of Abel whose works were righteous that he being dead yet speaketh so in like manner though he be dead yet he speaketh in his Works as in other so in this Treatise God having given him a gift in opening the mysteries contained in the Law of Shadows Many in these days are troubled about the eating of blood things strangled and things offered to idols wherein I doubt not through the blessing of God if this Treatise be read with a single eye here will appear many reasons deduced from Scripture satisfactory to any doubting soul in that particular who owns the Scripture comparing spiritual things with spiritual according to the advice of the holy Ghost To the law and to the testament wherein is revealed the whole counsel of God so that men need not say in their hearts Who shall ascend into heaven c. as if the Lord had not left in his written Word a perfect rule for all his Saints to walk by in the order of his Gospel and to resolve all doubts And hereby Satan gets advantage to ruinate the communion of Sains in that they are carried about with every wind of doctrine till through confusion they even deny the Lord that bought them slighting his Word that shall judge them one day calling it a dead letter owning nothing as the Word but Christ though the Scripture saith Every word of God is pure But those that thus slight the Scripture believe it not for those that believe it and receive it not as the word of man but as it is in truth the word of God find its effectual work in them as a light shining in a dark place David saith Through thy precepts I get understanding therefore I hate every false way For the law of thy mouth is better unto me then thousands of gold and silver I rejoyce at thy Word as one that findeth great spoil Also Job also saith I have esteemed the words of his mouth more then my necessary food If Gospel-professors would thus esteem of the words of God surely there would not be such distraction amongst them I shall say no more in commendation of the Authors of this Treatise though praise is comely for the upright but desire the Lord to set home what is here written to the hearts of all those that are troubled in this point and preserve his elect from the dangerous Errours of these times keeping their garments always white that they may be found worthy to enter into the joy of their Lord Amen T. W. The Elders and Brethren of the English Church in Amsterdam To Mr. Woolsey prisoner in Norwich wisdom and grace be multiplied by Christ to acknowledge and walk in Christ as we have received commandment from the Father AS it is a part of our joy and comfort amidst the many afflictions allotted us in this life to behold the truth of the Gospel prevaile with those that are upright of heart and tread with a right foot in the practise of the same so it is no little grief to see or hear of the declining of any from the strait paths of the Lord to either hand of which sort there is great store this day as always hath been before time Touching whom we may complain to the Lord with the Prophet * Thou hast multiplied the Nation but hast not encreased the joy And you which in your late Letter unto us blame the diversities of Opinions in the small number of those that are Separated from the Idolatrous Church ad errours and lyes dissonant and contrary to the whole truth of God and true libertie of the Gospell c. should have laid to heart your own words and spared to publish so dangerous an error under pretence of clearing your selfe as you say both of error and heresie But as all the rivers of Damascus could not wash away Naamans Leprosie so neither can all the reasons that you have rendered excuse or cleanse your Doctrine from the contagion of heresie if you persist and go forward thus to hold your selfe to perswade and thrust upon others your abstinence from meats which is reckoned by the Holy Ghost for a Doctrine of Devils 1 Tim. 4.1.3 Touching which point although you have had heretofore sufficient answer wee doubt not by that faithful Martyr of * blessed memorie Mr. H Barrow wherein as you ought and should so we might and would rest without making further reply Yet because wee have for the present no Coppy of those writings that might witnesse for us hereafter neither as we thinke were they sent unto you in the name of the
whole Church then at London we have now written briefely what God hath given us to see in this matter hoping that this joynt sentence of our Church confirmed by the Word of the Lord will take effect through his grace for the disswading and reclaiming of you from your Errour otherwise that you may have the less excuse in the day of Christ And God which hath taught us from our youth until now forsake us not even in our old-age and gray heads till we have declared his Gospel unto this generation and the truth thereof to so many of those that are to come as it shall please him The Doctrine which in your Letter you would maintain for the truth of God wherein you are obedient unto him you say as all others must be that truly fear his Name is That you will not willingly eat blood nor things strangled nor things offered to Idols For the abstaining from Bloud you alleadge three Reasons 1. The commandment of God to Noah Gen. 9.4 2. His commandment by Moses to Israel Deut. 12.16 Levit. 17.13,14 And 3. by the whole company of the Apostles Elders and brethren at Jerusalem to the Churches of the Gentiles Acts 15.23,28,29 From which you conclude that it remaineth firm and sure to this day as any other testimonies of holy Scripture to be observed of all the faithful till the coming of Christ After this you make answer to certain mis-alleadgings as you call them of other Scriptures against this truth And first for the commandment given to Noah you write that nothing hath been or can be said against it Whereto we answer that we have cause to doubt of your fidelity when you affirm nothing hath been said and to blame your confidence for avouching nothing can be said against the perpetuity of that commandment And for the first to free your self of suspicion we pray you send us a true and perfect Copie of all that Mr. Barrow to omit others did write unto you for there we are perswaded something hath been said against it For the later we wish you to follow the counsel of the holy Ghost that saith a Vnderstand according to sobriety and be not wise in your self considering that the Word of God b came not out from you neither came it unto you onely The abstinence from blood commanded to Noah we hold to be temporary and was then a figure for the time present but is now disannulled c for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof And that for these Reasons 1. Because the other observations of Religion in those times before the Law was given by Moses were for the outward things figures and shadows d as building of Altars offering of Sacrifices e difference of beasts clean and unclean f paying of Tythes offering of g First-fruits h Circumcision and sundry the like So that it helpeth not to say abstinence from bloud was commanded before the Law of Moses and therefore is now to continue more then it will help a Jew to say Circumcision c. was commanded before Moses Law Yea Christ himself saith i it was not of Moses but of the fathers therefore it is to continue still 2. We understand according to that small measure of light which God hath given us in those dark shadows that abstinence from blood was a figure of our sanctification and that in three respects 1. The first concerning Gods Worship and Service which that it might with the more holiness and reverence be used and regarded he would have some special things not profaned or in common use of men So he forbad the making or using of that holy Oyl wherewith his Sanctuary and Priests were anointed Exod. 30 23,31-33 and the like of that precious Perfume Exod. 30.37 Also he forbad them to eat that fat of beasts which they should burn on the altar to the Lord Levit. 7.25 And that the blood was forbidden also in this regard appeareth by Levit. 17.11 For that the soul of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you saith the Lord for an atonement for your souls So that the common eating of any blood might have bred in them a contempt of the price of their atonement which was in figure the blood of beasts but in truth the * blood of Christ And for as much as this sacrificing of Beasts was in Noahs time and †before it was meet in the wisdom of God when he gave them flesh to eat to debar them of the blood for the cause mentioned The second respect concerned thankfulness to God for the use of his creatures which he giveth unto the sons of men Therefore of them all the Lord reserved one principal part from himself that thereby his people might acknowledg his goodness Such was the law of all * first-fruits Deut. 26. which every man was to bring before the Lord acknowledging h his own unworthiness and Gods mercie in giving him the increase of that good land In like sort they were forbidden to do any work with their first-born bullock or sheere their first-born sheep or eat them otherwhere then before the Lord Deut. 15.19 Yea all their own first-born Children they must redeeme and the very unclean beasts they were to redeem or kill Exod. 34.19,20 Every tree that they planted for meat they might not eat thereof the first three yeares in the fourth year all the fruit was to be holy to the praise of the Lord and in the fifth year they did eat Levit. 19.23 When they eat of the bread of the land they must offer a cake of the first of the dough Num. 15.19,20 and sundry the like Accordingly do we understand the Lords minde here that giving them flesh to eat he restrayned the blood as being a thing wherein they had no interest but the Lord for that it was the soul or life that is the Chiefest part of every beast and so their restraint from blood to be an occasion for them to praise the Lord that had permitted them the flesh to eat The third respect concerned the love of men each to other that they should abstain from Cruel affections and salvage fierceness and put on the bowels of meekness gentleness compassion c. not onely towards their friends but also their enemies whereunto they were led by sundry figures and taught their duties to men by their behaviour to brute beasts Of this sort were the abstayning from any bird when they took the eggs or the Yong Deut. 22.6,7 The helping of their neighbours yea their enemies beast when it is strayed or lay under the burthen Exod. 23.4,5 Deut. 22.4 The not muzling of the oxes mouth that trod out the corn Deut. 25.4 The resting of Beasts on the Sabbath day Deut. 5. which such like And that the Lord in sparing the blood of Beasts had regard herein to the blood of men appeareth by the next words in Gen. 9.5 saying And surely I will
by Moses alleadged to that end neither can by any at this day be so applied as before we shewed And as you teach contrary to Pauls Doctrine unto the Romans so do you the like to that which he taught the Corinths For will you say unto us in Amsterdam as he said to them in Corinth Whatsoever is sold in the shambles eat and whatsoever is set before you by an unbeliever eat making no question for conscience sake Then may we eat both blood and strangled seeing some such things are often sold and set on Table before us But you by your Letter would have us touch no Idolathites eat no strangled taste no blood and this you teach as firme and a sure Doctrine to this day as any other testimony of holy Scriptures to be observed of all the true faithful till the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ And if this be so then it behoveth us to ask many questions for conscience sake otherwise then Paul taught For we must enquire at the shambles touching every * little beast bird that we buy whether it were duely slaine or no and the blood let out according to the law Levit. 17.13 At every strangers table that we come we must do the like both for strangled things and blood which often is mixed with other meats especially of broths wherein meat not throughly cleansed of the blood is boiled Yea we must come to the Jews superstition that buy not their flesh at the shambles of the Gentiles but flay them themselves for the perfect letting out the blood for otherwise we may offend like the Israelites in the days of Saul 1 Sam. 14.32 33,34 Thus as Paul taught a Doctrine of Christian liberty and comfort for the conscience in meats and drinks so you teach a Doctrine of bondage yea of fear and doubt and distraction of Soul whiles you urge abstinence from these things even as any other Doctrine of the Gospel The Lord Jesus which cast out that dumb spirit that rent and tare the possessed mans body and threw him to the ground and sometimes into the fire sometimes into the water cast out by his grace this spirit of error from you that thus distracteth and tortureth the conscience and casteth it down to earthly traditions and rudiments of the world At the least he preserve us and all his from it and stablish our hearts with grace not with meats in which they have not been profited that have walked These things have we written according to the measure of grace given unto us for your good and reclaiming if such be the will of God which we desire If not yet for the confirmation of others in the truth and liberty of Christ and discharge of our duties before him who as he hath in mercie vouchsafed us the kingdome of his grace here on earth so let him in like mercie give us and all his people in due time the kingdome of his glory in the heavens Amen The Elders of the English Church at Amsterdam subscribing in the name and with consent of the whole Church Fran Iohnson Henr Ainsworth Daniel Studley Stanshal Mercer Amsterdam Mon. 12. 7. 1602. FINIS * 2 Tim. 2.3 Rev. 19.14 * Heb. 2.10 Heb. 11.4 See the 5 Books of Moses and Ains. Notes on them 1 Cor. 2.13 Isai. 8.20 Rom. 10. Act. 20.27 Eph. 4.14 Prov. 30.4 1 Thes. 2.13 2 Pet. 1.19 Psal. 119.104 72 162. Psal. 33.1 Rev. 3.4 * Isa. 9.3 2 Kings 5. * Prov. 10.7 Psal. 71.17 18. a Rom. 12.3.16 b 1 Cor. 14.36 c Heb. 7.18 d Gen. 8.20 12.7 e Gen. 7. f Gen. 14.20 c. 28.22 g Gen. 4.4 h Gen. 17. i Joh. 7.22 * Heb. 9.14 †Gen. 4. * Exod. 23.19 h vers. 2,3 c. verse 5,9,10 Prov. 12.10 Levit. 17. Deut. 12. Gen. 2.2,3 Gen. 9. Levit. 17. Exod. 20.10,11 Exod. 31.13 Heb. 11.3 Reve. 4.11 14.7 Heb. 4.10,11 1 Thes. 5.23 verse 6. verse 5. 1. Cor. 10.25,26 Psal. 24. verse 4. The like may be said for the sabbath day as before we have shewed Rom. 16.25,26 Reve. 5. Gal. 3.28 Gal. 3.24 Col. 2.2 â—8 Mat. 28.18 Psal. 8.6 1. Cor. 15.27 1 Cor. 3.21 22. Gal. 4.7 Rom. 8.17 Col. 2.16 Rom. 14.14 Matth. 15.11 1 Tim. 4.1,3 Gal. 4.9 Gal. 2.5 verse 5. verse 24. verse 20. verse 39. verse 21. verse 10. verse 12. verse 14,15 verse 19. 1 Cor. 8. verse 25. verse 27. verse 26. Psal. 24.1 1 Cor. 3.21.22 1 Cor. 8.28 Verse 4. Rom. 15.1 Chap. 14.20,21 1 Cor. 10. Rom. 14â— 1 Cor. 10â— Chap. 15 2 To Corin. Gal. Col. Tim. Titus Idolathites Strangled Mark 1.14 Mat. 13.38 Psalm 2.6 Luk. 16.16 Acts 28.31 Rom. 14.14 1 Cor. 10 1 Cor. 10 1 Cor. 10 Col. 2.21 * as coniâ—s c. 1 Cor. 10.29 Mark 9.17 verse 22 1 Tim. 4.1 Heb. 13.9