fulfilled by the flesh but by Faith onely So that by Christ wee doe fulfill both the Forme and the Truth the Letter and Spirit the olde and new Couenant By Faith wee are formally righteous according to the Lawes exact rule by Loue truly righteous according to the Morall Truth of the same Law So that by this the Morall Law is confessed to be still holy iust and good if lawfully vsed 1. Tim. 1. 8 9. It serues still to conuince all men of sinne and to bring them to Christ for perfect obedience and full satisfaction yea so farre are wee from granting the Laws abolishing in part or in whole that we still affirme God will bee euer iust and transgressors shall neuer escape his terrible and powerfull hand Neither shall this Law lose its force in all sorts of men yea in the godly themselues to weaken the old-man and to humble them daily vntill it may bee triumphantly said O death where is thy sting O Hell where is thy victorie The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the Law But thankes bee vnto God who hath giuen vs the Victory through our Lord Iesus Christ 1. Cor. 15 55 56 57. And this is that by which all Enmitie is slaine and Peace made yea all that beleeue whether Iewes or Greekes Male or Female bond or free haue free accesse by one Spirit to worship the Father through the Sonnes mediation and this Liberty is part of that Glorie which the very Angels themselues desire to behold 1. Pet. 1. 22. CHAP. III. Answeres to some Obiections which seeme to be against this Libertie HAuing now expounded and testified there are some Questions to bee examined that doe concerne this Liberty that all lets being remooued the imbracing thereof may be the more boldly perswaded to all that shall acknowledge so glorious a condition and the contrarie appeare as it is an intollerable bondage too heauie for any to vndergoe Obiect And first some say If it bee so that the Law Morall is still of force why then haue wee left off the Seuenth Day Sabbath which that Law expresly inioynes our Lord obserued the Apostles were taught to keepe and did obserue after Christs death and Resurrection Resol The answere is That a Sabbath wee doe keepe and a Seuenth Day wee doe still obserue vnto the Lord yet not that Sabbath not that Seuenth Day so wee haue learned to obserue no dayes nor moneths nor times nor yeeres as that Law inioyned Gal. 4. 10. But wee haue learned to esteeme all dayes alike in respect of that Law that olde Letters seruice Rom. 14. 5. wee are not now so to serue God Rom. 7. 6. A new spirituall seruice wee are to yeeld And that a Sabbath Day we doe still acknowledge it is by vertue of the Commandement it selfe as farre as it is Morall which saith Remember that thou keepe holy the Sabbath Day or remember the Sabbath Day to sanctifie it as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee Exod. 20. 8. Deut. 5. 12. But all the strife is what day it must be kept seeing the seuenth from the creation was blessed to that end and made holy for that purpose And what God hath blessed is blessed for euer what he hath made holy no man may pollute He is not as man that hee should repeat he hath spoken and it cannot be reuersed This is granted to be vndoubtedly true but withall the end must be considered why that day was instituted vpon the ground of creation to be also obserued in that manner And for this let vs heare the doctrine of the Lord of the Sabbath where hee saith That the Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath Mat. 2. Matt. 12. If then man were not made for the Sabbath but the Sabbath for man God may also dispose and change it for mans good for whom it was made as well in the day it selfe as the manner of keeping it Neither may it be said that the day remaineth any longer blessed and holy then man for whom it was made and whom it serueth can receiue holinesse and happinesse thereby Seeing man is not subiect to it but it is subiect to man by vertue of Christs Lordship which as the Sonne of man he hath of the Sabbath Mark 2. 27 28. And as it partly appeareth by some bodily labours which Christ himselfe commanded some to doe in case of necessitie as to take vp their beds and goe to their houses which some held vtterly vnlawfull at that time and by that the Priests might without scandall kill and dresse and offer the sacrifices on that day Mat 12. And Children were also circumcised on that very day Iohn 5. 8. 9. Iohn 7. 22 23. Now then as with the destruction of Israels common-wealth the holy temple which serued their vse was destroyed and the holinesse vanished and Canaans blessednesse is also gone as it stood distinguished from other lands And all mans holinesse and happinesse naturall is now vanished the Iewes prerogatiue aboue all other nations abolished So also the holinesse and blessednesse of that seuenth day is vanished and quite done away with the death and destruction of man himselfe Indeed had man to this day retained and continued in his first estate that day had retained its first blessednesse and continued its holinesse still but as little comfort as man hath left in himselfe at this day of any holinesse or blisse by vertue of creation so little benefit shall man find in that daies obseruation on that ground and in that manner as it was inioyned And in steed of blessednesse and holinesse which he may for a while fondly expect by obseruing that day he will soone find the great arerages of curses which he runs daily into by that laws transgression So that if God at this day did require that dayes obseruation in that manner no flesh could stand with any comfort before his maiestie As for their Argument à principio from the beginning Man himselfe hath beene also from the beginning yea mans creation is more ancient then that daies institution yet as that proues not mans blessednesse now by that his creation is so ancient vnlesse he seek it another way so is that no sound reason to proue that day to bee now obserued by man seeing wee haue many probabilities that it was neuer obserued resurrection Mat. 13. 34. Ioh. 16. 25. And it might parabolically denote that they should pray that they might not be vtterly extirpate and rooted out as they must be if surprized in the Winter when they cannot flie farre or on the Sabbath day when they were secure and not willing to escape or take filght at all For that if they be set vpon when they were either vnwilling or vnable to escape they must then perish and be vtterly destroyed for euermore The sum then of that Prayer is that God would lay no more vpon them then they were able to beare but giue them an issue with the triall
Math. 6. 13. 1. Cor. 10. 13. As for the Apostles obseruing that day as the manner was and according to that present custome It was that they might become all things to all men that if it were possible they might win some 1. Cor. 9. And for this cause was Paul a Philosopher at Athens a Iew at Hierusalem a Gentile at Antioch he made vse of all places tooke aduantage of all assemblies and neglected no fit times to publish the Gospel that if it were possible some might bee saued And if of conscience hee kept it why find we not one word in all his so large fluent and excellent Epistles sauouring that way nor in that holy Historie of the Apostles acts but many denoting that Sabbaths abolishing and the practise of meeting on our Sabbatisme or Lords day And if that day were granted might by some few in our Church be obserued as it was inioyned what an intollerable yoake and heauie burthen were this for old folkes and young children How many questions would it breed about kindling fires dressing meate and many other such things How should some Nations bee vtterly excluded who can neuer keepe it so by reason of the temper of their climate And by this any face of a Church shall be vtterly denied these many hundred yeeres the iudgements of our owne Martyrs questioned and our owne present reformed and glorious Churches quite excluded Let one such absurditie be but granted and a thousand follow But it is further affirmed by vs That the reason or ground the very Basis or foundation of the Sabbaths obseruation is now changed therefore the day is also changed The reason of that Seuenth dayes rest was Gods owne rest from the worke of Creation Exod. 20 9. 10. And the Apostle to the Hebrewes vrgeth expresly another certaine day of hearing and pressing the absolute necessitie of mutuall exhortations for the holding fast of our confidence Heb. 3. 6 7 8 9. in the prosecuting of that argument to the conclusion thereof in the tenth Chapter where hee vehemently enforceth the cleauing close to holy assemblies vpon the hazard of wilfull sinning and vtter departure from the faith out of which there is no recouery and for whom no Sacrifice is left Heb. 10. 23 24 25 26. By the way in the fourth Chapter hee speaketh of the vniuersall Day of grace by saying To day and on this day telleth vs of a particular Day of hearing that quicke and powerfull Word of God so that as on that Day of the Law there was a Day of hearing that other Seuenth Day Heb. 4. 4 5. so on the Day of the Gospell another Day yet a certaine knowne Day and one of the seuen still remayneth for hearing The wordes are plaine that hauing spoken of the rest into which by Faith we enter Verse 3. hee confirmeth this rest by a place out of the Psalmes As I haue sworne in my wrath if they shall enter into my rest The day on which this rest was proclaimed was instituted long before for the works from which God rested and for which he ordayned that Day of rest were finished from the foundations of the world This is in the next Verse confirmed by another Scripture proofe thus For hee spake in a certaine place of the Seuenth Day on this wise And God did rest the Seuenth Day from all his worke Gen. 2. 1 2. And in this place saith he againe If they shall enter into my rest Whereupon the Apostle inferreth Seeing therefore it remayneth that some must enter therein and they to whom it was first preached entred not in because of vnbeliefe Againe hee limiteth a certaine Day saying in DAVID To day after so long time as it is said To day if you will heare his voyce harden not your hearts And by the way mentioning also Canaans rest which yet was not this rest hee vpon all this concludeth for a Sabbath daies obseruation thus There remaineth therefore a keeping of a Sabbath to the people of God Heb. 4. 9. As if hee should haue said in other words thus Seeing it remayneth that a rest is still for Gods people to enter and that the olde Sabbaths rest was not it nor yet Canaans Land but that at this day the same rest typed by both is offered to beleeuers there is therefore also left a Sabbath Day to Gods people that so this rest may be preached vnto them as it was to the Iewes in Moses and Dauids times And this will bee cleare if the proprietie of those words bee but duly weighed Relinquitur itaque Sabbatismus There remaineth therefore not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a keeping of a Sabbath as in the margine of our last Translation it is truly rendred to the people of God Not a rest onely but a Sabbatisme also to heare of that rest haue Gods people left them at this day The reason followeth that it cannot be meant of the seuenth before mentioned Verse 4. 5. where mention is made of Gods peculiar rest but of another day noted by another kinde of rest thus For hee that is entred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into his rest hath ceased from his owne Workes as God did 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from his So that the Apostles reason Verse 10. stands on these wordes As God rested from the workes of Creation and instituted a Sabbath for his owne people at that time on the very day of his rest so also Christ hauing rested from his owne workes hath ordained a keeping of a Sabbath on the day of his rest for all Gods people Christ Iesus who passed into the Heauens had a day wherein hee gaue ouer his workes as God a day whereon hee ceased from his If this day of Christs rest differ from that of Gods why should we not keep a different Sabbath Christs peculiar Day of rest from his owne proper workes notes a peculiar Sabbath Day The daies differing the Sabbath may not be the same so that two seuerall Sabbath Daies haue beene instituted by GOD and Christ one now abolished with the olde Couenant the olde Letter the olde Man the other established by the new Couenant for the new seruice to the new Man so that old things are passed away and all things are become new 2. Cor. 5. Two seuerall Sabbath daies daies of meeting certaine knowne daies offering to the Iewes then and to vs now one the same rest the rest of Faith the true vndoubted entrance into that euerlasting rest which we shall enioy in Gods presence for euer-more So that to shut vp all of this place I doe frame this argument The first Sabbath is ended and a new Sabbath ordained by Christ But no new Sabbath can bee vnderstood to bee ordained by Christ besides his glorious Resurrection Day Therefore the olde Sabbath is now ended and the Lords Resurrection Day succeeded in place thereof And the very Day of Christs rest was that Resurrection Day then hee entred into his
if my obedience were once fulfilled Which vengeance God auert if it be his will by giuing them hearts to raze out some vntruths out of their more then satyricall Inuectiues and forbeare reproches for time to come And desiring thy patience to reade the whole ouer passing by the quotations in reading though not in trying the truth of them all I rest Thy brother that prayeth for thee IOH TRA. May 5. 1620. A TREATISE OF LIBERTIE Against Judaisme CHAP. I. The Authors preparation of himselfe to write and helpe to some others to read profitably what followeth in this Booke AMongst the manifold fruits of the holy Spirit there is one which is often read freely acknowledged much commended yet least practised by the most that should be the greatest proficients in Christs Schoole and it is Meekenesse which is expresly required of all whether Instructors or instructed in authoritie or vnder gouernement Pastors or people men or women and hath beene euer of great price with God in the time of the Law as it is now much set by and highly valued in the Gospels peace As beneficiall it is as any other grace attended with as many pretious promises as manifest a signe of the truth of Gods grace as may be had So that though a Lyons boldnesse a Serpents wisdome a Doues simplicitie or rather innocencie be true badges of sound Christianitie yet it may be said and that truly that a Lambe-like meekenesse surmounts them all Neither is it left to euerie mans choyce to be meeke or no but the man of God is inioyned it and to all other men it is commanded in plain words as to Timothie Thou O man of God flie these things namely doting about questions strife of words peruerse disputings the loue of money and follow after righteousnesse godlinesse faith loue patience and meekenesse 1. Tim. 6. 11. And The seruant of God must not striue but be gentle to all men apt to teach patient in meeknesse instructing those that oppose themselues if God peraduenture will giue them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth 2. Tim. 2. 24 25. And to Titus the first Bishop of that Church of the Cretians he saith Put them in mind to be subiect to principalities and authorities to obey Magistrates to be readie to euerie good worke to speake euill of no man to be no brawlers but gentle shewing all meekenesse to all men Tit. 3. 1 2. So that such as set light by this duetie are no better then Rebells against God and what euer pretence they may haue Rebellion is written in all their fore-heads Besides Christ himselfe hath pronounced them blessed Math. 5. 5. They shall inherit the earth when ianglers and such as are contentious and full of strife shall be authors of their owne woe and plunge themselues into much miserie and be an occasion of rooting themselues out of their habitations meeke ones shall peaceably possesse the places where God hath graciously planted them so saith the Psalmist Yet a little while and the wicked shall not be thou shalt diligently consider his place and it shall not be But the meeke shall inherite the earth and delight themselues in aboundance of peace Psal 37. 10 11. Neither shall meeke ones erre in iudgement but they shall be taught Gods way Psal 25. 9. Yea such is the excellencie of their condition that Gods Kingdome is their vndoubted possession seeing against them there is no Law Gal. 5. 23. And it is an euident note of election Col. 3. 12. And a notable helpe to make Gods Word a sauing Word to such as heare it Iam 1. 21. And a meeke and quiet spirit God highly prizeth 1. Pet. 3. 4. Meeke ones of all others haue a possibility of being hidden in the day of the Lords wrath Zephan 2. 2 3. Who then is he or where is he that will be slacke at all in labouring to be as meeke as a Lambe in all his conuersation And that such as are desirous may attain it the blessed Spirit hath left directions how such may be holpen thereunto As first by the due and serious view of what we our selues haue beene and at left our pronenes to the same or like euils with which others are or haue beene intangled and ouercome So Paul willing Titus to teach his Disciples to shew all Meekenesse to all men vseth this as a reason or motiue thereto We our selues also were vnwise disobedient deceiued seruing diuers lusts and pleasures liuing in malice and enuie hatefull and hating one another Tit. 3. 3. As if he should haue said Why should we behaue vs angerly or proceed bitterly or disdainfully against any seeing none are so odious but we haue beene as vile as they They be foolish and haue not wee beene vnwise they rebellious and we were disobedient they deceiued and intangled with errours and we once knew not the way of peace they serue lusts and pleasures and wee haue beene as base slaues to our owne desires they are now malicious and we haue liued in malice and enuie they deserue contempt and we haue been worthie of all manner of hatred Moreouer if we consider that which may yet befall our selues seeing we stand not by any power or strength of our owne this will much auaile vs to worke in vs Meekenesse Not onely to open prophane and such as are not yet called but to failing brethren especially as haue beene ouertaken by some subtile and strong temptations that they may bee restored againe to their former standing and that in the Spirit of Meekenesse Gal. 6. 1. If spirituall men did but weigh this duely there would not be so bitter inueighing against others in the state of lapse much lesse in the case of recouerie when men are knowne to acknowledge willingly all their failings or haue in them a good forwardnesse to confesse and forsake them as they daily perceiue them to be faults indeed And if we set before our eyes examples it may helpe much thereto Seeing it is left as Moses chiefe praise that he was a verie meeke man aboue all the men that were on the face of the earth Numb 12. 3. And our Lord proposeth his owne example in this aboue all other things where he saith Learne of mee for I am meeke and lowly in heart and addeth a promise vnto it You shall finde rest to your soules Matth. 11. 29. And if these helpe not pray for it earnestly as Zephany willeth where he saith Seek the Lord ye meek of the earth seeke righteousnesse seeke meeknesse Zeph. 2. 3. So that to shut vp all This Meeknesse is an excellent ornament to all and the proper liuery of Gods Elect whereby they may bee discerned from such as are filled with gall and wormewood By this the penne that is truely guided is kept from dropping downe any poyson of bitternesse to grieue any from all proud scorning of failing brethen and by it men are holpen to reade things written with such respect as if they had
Glorie Luke 24. 7. 26. that was the day of his exaltation Ephes 1. 20. Then became he the head stone of the corner Psal 118. 22. The head of the Church Ephes 1. 22. and 5. 23. Gaue gifts to men Ephes 4. 8. as on a chiefe Festiuall Day Nehem. 8. 12. Esth. 9. 22. prooued his Resurrection Luke 24. 39. preached his ascension Iohn 20. 17. Gaue the Holy Ghost Iohn 20. 22 and authoritie to the Apostles to binde and to loose to remit and retaine sinnes Verse 23. Opened their vnderstandings to vnderstand the holy Scriptures Luke 24. 45. Powred out more abundantly the gifts of the Holy Ghost Act. 2. 1 2 3 4. Gaue Peter power to conuert so many thousands Verse 37. 41. All were on that Day baptized Verse 41. The Church established and manifestly distinguished Ver. 44. The Disciples met on this day at breaking of Bread Act. 20. 7. This Daies Festiuitie was instituted in the Churches of Corinth and Galatia as appeares by the Almes appropriate thereto 1. Cor. 16. 1 2. The Reuelation opened to Iohn in Patmos Reuel 1. 10. It was knowne to the seuen Churches of Asia by its owne name as a peculiar Day Thus to the Law all daies are now alike yet to the Lord a Day yea a Sabbath Day one of the seuen is to bee obserued alike to the Law for that to the Law we are all dead and a dead man keepes all daies alike yet wee who are raised againe from the dead Ephes 5. 14. wee that liue no more the life of the flesh but by the power of the Spirit not according to the flesh but to the Spirit doe set apart weekly one day of seuen for the Lords Seruice which very day as is prooued Paul writing to the Hebrewes according to his wont endeuouring to speake to their vnderstanding calleth a Sabbatisme Heb. 4. 9. And to the Gentiles a day to the Lord Rom. 14. 5 6. And Iohn expresly the Lords Day Reuel 1. 10. This is then the Day which the Lord hath made and if any be contentious for that other day with the Iewes or deny any Sabbath Day and so would leaue it as a bare Ordinance of man with the Libertines or haue both daies obserued with the Ebionites wee answere them all Wee haue no such custome nor the Churches of God 1. Cor. 11. 16. Obiect As for that Law of difference of things for food Leuit. 11. Deut. 14. if any say such a Law hath beene euer and precisely obserued by Israels Common-wealth while that Iewish Politie stood and that all sorts of transgressors are terribly threatned and for it the Israelites were chiefly reiected Ans The answere is It is true that a difference was put euen in Paradise between things for food and after mans expulsion therefrom a difference held betweene things for Sacrifice and say for food yet was that difference taken away when Noah had free libertie to eate of euery moouing liuing thing as of the greene herbe before he had eaten Gen. 9. 3. And albeit after that againe another limitation was made to one peculiar people when God began to distinguish betweene the Nations and chose to himselfe one peculiar Nation to be his owne people Leuit 20. 24 25. yet was that difference of wholesome Creatures no longer continued then all Mankind remained seuered by that partition wall Ephes 2. 14. Acts 10. 28. But when once the fulnesse of time was come and by the bloud of Iesus all things were reconciled to God Col. 1. 20. which were before in bondage and seuered for mans transgression Rom. 8 20. 21. then God also declared to Peter by a Vision that such obseruations put no longer difference betweene men and men But as hee himselfe had mixed all sorts of Creatures in one Sheet and none of them might any more bee termed vncleane seeing out of Heauen they came and into Heauen were againe receiued so Peter by that learned to esteeme no man from thenceforth vncleane for any want of legall clensing or by reason of the practice of that Lawes transgression Act. 10. 11 16 28. And hath now taken out this Lesson That it is Faith in Christ Iesus that is required of euery man for his acceptance with God Heb. 11. 6. For so Peter after confesseth in the face of a Councell that God put no difference betweene himselfe and the Gentiles after their hearts were purified by faith Act. 15. 9. And by this it may appeare that this Law ceased and had its period by that Cornelius a Gentile and not obseruing the Law but onely exercised in those powerfull Duties of Fasting Prayer and Almes-deeds was by Faith accepted as well as Peter who till that time not onely beleeued as now Cornelius did but also was able with boldnesse to protest before God that no common or vncleane thing had euer entred into his mouth so the Churches of Iudea were all zealous of the Law Act. 21. The Churches of the Gentiles obserued no such things Gal. 2. And these accepted and as famous Churches as any of those and Paul speaking expresly of daies and meates legall concludes thus I know and am perswaded by the Lord Iesus that there is nothing common or vncleane of it selfe Rom. 14. 14. That is if mens hearts bee purified by Faith Titus 1. 15 16. Then all things are pure to them That is all such things as that Law made vncleane for food Those things which some through weakenesse giuing heed to Iewish Fables esteemed vncleane As for that threat to the Gentiles which seemes so terrible to such as vnderstand it not aright it is nothing else but a powerfull application of the Prophets speech to the present hypocriticall Iewes who stood so much on their Prerogatiues and Priuiledges and their segregation from other Nations and yet by their secret abominable practises did breake downe that partition wall with which for the present they were seuered from others by doing the same things or as vile which they so much abhorred in the Gentiles practise To them the Prophet saith in effect that when the Gentiles Church shall be come in and all promises accomplished euen to that nation and people of the Iewes that then shall follow a day of vengeance wherein God shall come with fire and sword in terrible indignation against all that haue abused his long suffering and patience whether Iews or Gentiles and at that day those present hypocrites to whom he then spake shall share in torments with the whole world of damned men Isa 66. 12 13 16 17. Neither is it any prophecie at all of any caters of Swines flesh at this day but at that time for so speaketh the Text in the present tense Sanctificanâ—â—s or Qui sanctificant They that doe sanctifie themselues and not in the future tense they that shall And if any say we are commanded to touch no vncleane thing at this day Let the occasion of that precept be but duely considered and it is cleare that there