the greatest multitude of zealous professors they drowne them with themselues in the dead fayth and instead of a true fayth in Christs righteousnesse doe make them to rely and hang vpon their owne holinesse workes and well-doings whereby people are euer troubled in conscience or else glory with the Pharises Luke 8.11 in a prepostrous false bastard sanctification and Anabaptisticall mortification and obedience in doing the law of God flowing from no true loue or charity and so as the former profaine Ministers doe make dogg-christians so greedily feeding vpon the fifthy pleasing carrion of the secret lurking vaine glory of their owne holynesse obedience workes and well-doings that these most Iudas-like and traiterously trample the pearle of free iustification and free grace vnder the feete of their Pharisaicall affections and doe not onely fall a barking like doggs at the few * Meaning those of his Antinomian and lawlesse sect foresayd true Ministers of Christ and so trouble the true beleeuers with all manner of caluminations raylings and slanderings as that they are against sanctification and good workes whereas they onely bring in the true meanes of true sanctification and of doing all good workes and that those true teachers destroy the law when they truely stablish the law with such-like innumerable caluminations but also sticke euen violently like doggs to fly in the true Ministers and people of Gods faces and are ready if they can to teare out their very throats with bitter hatred and cruell persecution are not these truely Christs dogg-christians the Disciples of such false masters plainely declaring that whilst they contend for the law they are both in words and deedes the greatest destroyers of the law and that their bragging obedience is most grieuous disobedience all their holy sanctification is dubble sin and iniquity and that their whole worship of high esteeme with men is idolatrous and abomination before God traiterous to their King and dangerous to the betraying and destruction of their whole Country and Kingdome wherein such liue Therefore in my hearty loue and in the sincerity of my bettered affections I pray you take heed of this blinde zealous dead fayth and content not your selues in the carnall knowledge of free iustification c. Thus farre of his skirmish Wherein thou mayest good reader obserue how he magnifieth himselfe as the onely true Prophet opposed by many hundred of false Prophets those hee rankes together with their hearers and seuerall congregations into two companies the one a heard of hoggs the other a kennell of doggs and of these two he makes vp the vniuersall body of the Church of England as which God hath giuen vp to bee plagued with such ministers of the blind dead fayth as his vsuall manner of language is to call it So as in summe he makes the Church and nation of England to be an accursed Isle of hoggs and doggs Againe for all this note how sliely like the subtile serpent hee seekes by insinuation to patronize his doctrine vnder the authority of the Church of Englands established doctrine as grounded thereon and consonant thereunto and so consequently vnder the Kings protection a pestilent peece of policy and practice though by necessary consequence hee makes the Defender of the fayth no better that which my very thought abhorreth then one of his hogg or dogg-christians and on the other side labours to make all his aduersaries odious as being in their doctrines enemyes to the King and State a notable practise of heretickes in all ages and such are all Ministers in Court City Country all Courtiers Citizens Country-men that follow not this man in his conceited true liuely fayth Come we in the next place to his maine battalion which hee rangeth into 3 squadrons Namely hee sets downe the state of the doctrine in 3 Propositions which he cals his 3 Protestant positions The first is that the horrible filthinesse of sin is such to Gods infinite pure and righteous nature that God cannot but abhorre curse and detest the creature that hath any sin in his sight as these and such like scriptures teach Deut. 27.26 2. Pet. 2.4 Rom. 5.12.15 Esa 59 2. Iob. 15.16 The second is I beleeue that for remedy of this my misery by sin God by the power of his imputation doth though mystically yet soe truely cloth mee with the wedding garment of his sons perfect holinesse and righteousnesse Esa 61.10 that all my sins both of my person and works being truely abolished not out of me 1 Ioh. 1.8 that there may be place for fayth Heb. 11.1 Rom. 4.18.19 to 21. but yet vtterly abolished out of Gods sight Col. 1.22 I and all my workes are of vniust made iust before God that is perfectly holy righteous from all spot of sin in the sight of God freely by faith only without works And I say By fayth onely without workes because onely true fayth seeth this and onely true fayth inioyeth this And thus by Christs stripes am I healed Esa 53.5 And so God is well pleased and at peace with mee For being iustified by fayth we haue peace with God Rom. 5.1 And am truely blessed Rom. 4.6 For as many as are of this fayth of free iustification are blessed with faithfull Abraham Gal. 3.8.9 and shall be certainely glorified for whom God iustifieth them he also glorifieth Rem 8.30 All which Protestant position of free iustification is abundantly and clearely taught by these and such like scriptures Esa 43.25 Esa 44.22.23 Ioh. 1.29 Heb. 1.3 Heb. 9.26 1. Ioh. 1.7 Reu. 1.5.6 Dan. 9.24 Rom. 3.21.22 Rom. 5.17.18.19.21 Eph. 5.26.27 Reu. 3.18 Col. 1.22.23 Rom. 8.4 Col. 2.10 Rom. 9.30 Heb. 10.14 Esa 62. Phil. 3.8.9 Tit. 1.15 Heb. 11.4 The 3 is my third position is that this true fayth of free iustification doth infallibly inflame the heart with true loue Gal. 5.6 which makes the true beleeuer to breake off from and mortifie his former corrupt and profane conuersation and brings forth a declaratiue obedience and redinesse to euery good worke and a free and cherefull walking in all Gods will and commandements declaratiuely to manward which is true sanctification as these and such like scriptures teach Tim. 2.11 to 15. 1. Ioh. 3.5.6.9 Eph 2.10 Rom. 6. Eph. 4.22.23.24 Math. 5.16 This is the Protestant fayth this is the established doctrine of our Church these are the 3 positions that here hee makes the woman-Disciple to speake I haue too lately receiued and which haue so changed mee out of the blinde zealous dead fayth into the true liuely iustifying fayth Thus you haue his 3 Protestant positions as hee calls them set downe word for word which an indifferent reader yea a sound Protestant perusing and knowing no more of the authors minde then what is here expressed hee would at the first sight perhapps take all for harmelesse and sound doctrine But when he shall consider how all these positions as Protestant as they bee stand in opposition to all that doctrine which is
glasse wherein looking the face of our soules and beholding our speckes and imperfections we may get them washed in the fountaine of Christ blood and may make straight pathes vnto our feete Heb. 12 i3 least that which is lame be turned out of the way but rather that it bee healed This is that perfect law of liberty wherein who so looketh and continueth therein hee being not a forgetfull hearer but a doer of the worke this man shall be blessed in his deed Iam. 1.25 This is that glasse 2 Cor. 3.18 wherein wee beholding the glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from glory to glory euen as by the spirit of the Lord. So farre are we from holding a state of perfection of faith in this life as though our faith could doe all things of it selfe and did not neede a dayly supply of grace which must bee procured by the word of God eyther preached or read or meditated and conferred vpon and that also by the meanes of prayer Lord increase our fayth But this our Aduersary shutts out the law quite as out of date to a true beleeuer and of no vse at all not so much as to be a rule of life and conuersation his liuely faith doth all and hath noe neede of the word of God to direct or assist it Now that this is the summe of his doctrine concerning his liuely faith yee may gather from his owne words saying fayth infallibly inflames the heart with true loue making the true beleeuer to breake off his former corrupt conuersation c. This word Infallibly implies that faith doth by a continued and vninterrupted act inflame the heart with loue to doe all workes of sanctification and so it hath no neede of Gods word as a rule to bee guided by but the spirit is instead of the word But you will say So much is not expressed in the letter True But you must know that this is the doctrine which he priuately instilleth into his Disciples As in one of his scattered writings I find these words that this fayth of free iustification doth cause vs to walke infallibly in the steps of the workes of our father Abraham whereby like Abraham freely without the law of the ten Commandements wee walke holily righteously and soberly in all Gods Commandements declaratiuely to manward Yea comming sometimes to contest with mee and to charge mee for preaching the dead fayth himselfe did vtter so much to mee by word of mouth that after a man is once inlightned by fayth the spirit guides him so as he hath no need of the word or of the Morall law for a rule to direct him This Doctrine is so familiar among his Disciples as they professe it and are prowd of it so farre are they from making scruple or dainety of it as once to deny it So that this is one of the markes and properties of his liuely fayth that it hath no neede of the Morall Law to bee a rule vnto it in poynt of conuersation or in the workes of sanctification otherwise neyther is it the true liuely fayth nor this the true sanctification A second property and prerogatiue of this his liuely fayth is this that it oweth no obedience to the Morall Law in poynt of duty Hee denyeth the works of sanctification to bee duties What are they then Fruits sayth he So say we too fruits they bee yet duties too Here is the difference then Because wee say the fruits of fayth are duties therefore hee sayth ours is the dead fayth Al this hee hath auouched and that most vehemently as his manner is to my face And howsoeuer he hath not in plaine words expressed so much in this his letter as being more shy and cautelous what hee publisheth abrode hauing bene hampered by me and others and puzzled with some arguments which hee could not answere but sayd hee would answere them when they were written Yet ye may easily gather so much out of his writing For he cals the obedience of a beleeuer onely declaratiue and to bee done declaratiuely to manward Note it well This declaratiuely to manward excludes all duty to Godward For else what vse is there in this place eyther of Declaratiue or much lesse To manward For all obedience in conuersation is declaratiue and all declaratiue is to manward So as all this mans obedience is to manward in poynt of declaration but none to Godward in poynt of duty For if it bee of duty in obedience to Gods law then his fayth also should be the dead fayth But herein stands the prerogatiue of his true liuely fayth that as it doth not so much as reflect the eye vpon the morall Law as to learne obedience from the rule thereof so much lesse doth it acknowledge it oweth any obedience thereunto as a duty to God On the contrary we for holding and teaching that the Morall Law and so Gods word stands not onely for a rule of direction for sanctified obedience but also requireth of the faythfull a cheerfull yet dutyfull conformity thereunto we I say for this very cause must heare Hoggs or Doggs Hogg-christians or Dogg-christians as holding the blind zealous dead fayth So thus stands the state of the question betweene vs about the liuing and the dead fayth and herein we come now to ioyne yssue First then wee are all agreed on both sides that the true liuely fayth is no other but that whith the scriptures teach and allow for the true liuely fayth which promised and granted I argue thus That fayth Proposition which the Scriptures teach and allow for the true liuely iustifying fayth that and no other is the true liuely iustifying fayth But the Scriptures teach and allow that and no other Assumption for the true liuely iustifying fayth which resting only on Christ for iustification by the onely imputation of his righteousnesse doth notwithstanding looke vpon the Morall Law of God as a rule of Christian conuersation and sanctification acknowledging the conformity thereunto as a duty which God requireth of euery true beleeuer according to that Luk. 1.74.75 That we being deliuered from the hands of our enemies should serue him c. Therefore this fayth and none other is that which the Scriptures teach and allow for the true liuely iustifying fayth The Proposition is vndeniable The Assumption I proue And first from the very giuing of the Morall law in mount Sinai For it was giuen in and by and vnder Christ the Redeemer * Deut. 18.18 As the Apostle sayth It was giuen in the hand of a Mediator which Mediator was personally Moses but typically Christ of whom Moses was a type and figure And Christ was that heauenly * Exo. 25.40 Heb. 8.5 Patterne or Antitype according to which were all those things deliuered to Moses in the Mount yea not onely the Ceremoniall Law but also the Morall Law giuen by Christ himselfe where hee sayth I am the Lord thy God which hath
asked wherein doth the first Couenant and the second chiefly differ Answer There are sundry opposite differences betweene the two Couenants 1 The first Couenant was of mans works the second of Gods grace and these two in the poynt of iustification are opposite one to the other Rom. 11.6 2ly The first couenant was made with Adam and all his posterity vniuersally the second onely with Abrahams seede called the womans seede Gen. 3.15 to wit Christ and all the Elect. so Rom. 4.1 3ly The first couenant stood vpon mans owne righteousnesse the second stands vpon anothers righteousnesse to wit Christs rigteousnesse made ours by imputation 4ly The first couenant stood vpon the mutability of mans will so as it was quickly broken but the second stands firme vpon the sure foundation of Gods immutable will good pleasure and eternall purpose in himselfe so as it can neuer bee broken being an euerlasting Couenant 5ly The first was a couenant of iustice without mercy the second a couenant of iustice and mercy together iustice fulfilled by Christ and mercy extended in and for Christ to all the Elect. 6 The first Couenant had no other reward reuealed to the first Adam from the Earth earthy but what was confined to the earthly Paradise but the second hath the Kingdome of Heauen set open in Christ the second Adam the Lord from Heauen vnto all the Elect. These and the like differences betweene the first Couenant and the second well considered and conferred together will plainely shew that the Law giuen vnder Christ the Redeemer in Mount Sina was not that first Couenant of workes For besides the fore alledged reasons there is mention made of Gods mercie in the second Commandement and of the promise of the land of the liuing the Kingdome of Heauen tiped in Canaan in the fifth Commandement Which mercy and kingdome were not comprehended in that first Couenant of workes But so much of the first proofe of our Assumption which was that true iustifying fayth though it rests vpon Christs righteousnesse onely for iustification yet it lookes vpon the Morall law as a rule of Christian conuersation and acknowledgeth the obedience thereunto as a duty which God requireth of euery true belieuer The second proofe is in Math. 5. Reade for this from the 16. verse to the end of the chapter Where our Master Christ in his diuine sermon vpon the Mount expounddeth to his disciples and all faythfull hearers and doth as it were giue them a Commentary vpon the Morall law which the same Christ deliuered to Moses in the Mount which hee sets before his scholars as a rule of the duties of sanctification and christian conuersation Math. 5.20 in which their righteousnesse they must exceede the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees otherwise they could not enter into the Kingdome of Heauen But how shall Christ escape the censure as one that preacheth the dead fayth surely I know not while his faythfull Ministers preaching the same doctrine are censured as preaching the blinde zealous dead fayth and are called doggs for their labour But because Christ preached and pressed the Morall Law as a rule of Christian obedience and called that also their righteousnesse therefore did he teach or meane that this was their righteousnesse in the sight of God Nothing lesse For he that said Math. 5.20 Except your righteousnesse exceede the righteousnesse of the scribes and Pharises yee shall not enter into the Kingdome of Heauen sayd also VVhen yee haue done all these things that are commanded you say wee are vnprofitable seruants we haue done that which was our duety to doe Marke he cals our obedience to the Law of God our duty yet so as wee are not thereby iustified And yet wee preach the same doctrine of our Master Christ must bee rated as Doggs as preaching the dead fayth The 3d proofe is from that exquisite forme of Prayer prescribed by Christ in the fifth petition Math. 6 12. Forgiue vs our debts as wee forgiue our debters All sins are debts to God All sins are breaches of the Morall Law therefore the keeping of the Morall Law is a debt that wee owe to God The Proposition is Christs The Assumption is the Apostles So as nothing remaines for the Aduersary to deny but the Conclusion The fourth proofe is from the Apostles words Gal. 5.6 that which the aduersary also alledgeth for the proofe of his third position In Iesus Christ neyther circumcision auaileth anything nor vncircumcision but fayth which worketh by loue Loue to God and to our neighbour is a duty we owe to God and to our neighbour But the Morall Law is the rule of this loue Therefore fayth working by loue lookes vpon the Morall law as a rule of those duties of loue we owe to God and our neighbour That loue is a debt the Apostle prooueth Ro. 13.8 Owe no man any thing but to loue one another so that is a debt that we owe one to another And if loue be a debt to man then much more to God Againe that the Morall Law is a rule of this loue the same Apostle prooueth in the same chapter v. 9. For this Thou shalt not commit adultery Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not steale Thou shalt not beare false witnesse Thou shalt not couet and if there be any other Commandement it is briefely comprehended in this saying namely Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe Loue worketh no ill to his neighbour therefore loue is the fulfilling of the Law So that the conclusion remaines firme that fayth working by loue lookes vpon the Morall Law as a rule of those duties of loue we owe to God and our neighbour The fifth proofe is from the Apostles words Rom. 12.1 c. I beseech you therfore brethren by the mercies of God Proposition that yee present your bodies a liuing sacrifice holy acceptable to God which is your reasonable seruice And bee not conformed to this world Assumption but bee transformed by the renewing of your minde that yee may proue what is that good and acceptable Conclusion and perfect will of God c. Now from this generall exhortation hee descendeth to particular duties as so many branches springing from our reasonable seruice of God From thence to the very end of the Epistle Whence I argue thus All Christian duties of loue to God and to man are branches of our reasonable seruice of God But the Morall Law containes all christian duties of our loue to God and to our neighbours Therefore the keeping of the Morall Law is our reasonable seruice of God The Proposition is euident by the whole context of the Apostle in the foresayd part of his Epistle The Assumption is vndenyable proued before The sixt proofe is from 1. Thes 4 1. c. Further more then we beseech you brethren and exhort you by the Lord Iesus that as yee haue receiued of vs how yee ought to walke and to please God so yee
3.6 9. Where he concludes that the iustified man not onely cannot sin but also abstaineth from all appearance of euill These are his very words And hence is that cursed heresie of the Pelagians and Pontificians reuiued by the Antinomians that there is such a prefection in this life as a man may liue altogether without all sin for all his sins of vniust are made iust saith he The nomination whereof is a sufficient confutation For in many things we sin all Iam. 3.2 And if we say wee haue no sin wee deceiue our selues and the trueth is not in vs. 1 Ioh. 1.8 4d I note another falsehood where he sayth By fayth onely with out workes freely I am perfectly holy and righteous from all spot of sin in the sight of God and why because only true faith seeth this and only true fayth inioyes this How are we iustified by faith freely because only true fayth seeth this What if true fayth while during the time of some temptation the exercise of it is suspended do not see nor inioy the fruite of iustification must we therefore passe sentence vpon our selues that we are not iustified nay certainly we are therefore iustified from all sin because God not imputing sin seeth no sin in vs and not because we see and inioy our reconciliation and peace with God For though God be continually pacified towards his faithfull children in Christ yet doe not they allwayes by the act of fayth see and inioy Gods fauour towards them This was Dauids case and is and may be the case of euery child of God Yet whensoeuer wee doe see and enioy our iustification by hauing peace with God through Christ we doe by the eye and apprehension of fayth see and enioy it But our seeing and enioying is not the cause that wee are iustified but the consequent effect and fruit of it being apprehended by fayth 3ly For his 3d Position therein stand his Triarian forces here his files are so doubled and the rankes are so closse that it seemes to be impregnable impenetrable But howsoeuer they stand thicke without yet they are thin and hollow within so that being but once by a wedge diuided they are able no longer to abide the field Therefore obseruing it well I finde sundry aduantages to bee taken First from his commending of fayth in the efficacy of it that it infallibly inflames the heart with true loue making the true beleeuer to breake off his former corrupt conuersation c. Secondly that hee vseth one word twice to wit Declaratiue obedience Declaratiue and a free and cherefull walking in all Gods will and Commandements declaratiuely to manward Which may seeme to some to be eyther idle or a riddle but we shall declare the mystery of it by and by In the meane time all this hitherto in his 3d position hath no other appearance but of sound and orthodox doctrine agreeable to the Scriptures and so to the doctrine of our Church if there bee no more in it then what the outer rinde makes show of For what Protestant Church or what one sound Protestant of our Church doth not teach or beleeue that that most noble and diuine Lady grace of true sauing and liuing fayth doth infallibly to vse his owne word inflame the heart with loue which makes the true beleeuer to breake off from and mortifie his former corrupt and profane conuersation and brings forth a declaratiue obedience and redinesse to euery good worke and a free and cheerfull walking in all Gods will and Commandements declaratiuâ— to manward which is true sanctification Herein we all agree Whereis the difference then Yea but the author comes afterwards in the same position and although he protest these his positions to be the Protestant fayth and the established doctrine of our Church he proclaimes a defyance against the blind zealous dead fayth as meerely opposite to this his true liuely iustifying fayth And this dead fayth whose is it by whom is it taught by whom intertained Euen by the vniuersall bulke and body of our Church which he deuides into two sides the left side consisting of profane sensuall hoggs and the right side of zealous Anabaptisticall Doggs as he stiles them Now if the case stand so that all those protestants generally whom he calls doggs and hoggs doe hold the selfe-same doctrine in truth as the author setts downe in words and yet theirs is the blind zealous dead faith and his the truely liuely iustifying faith it concernes vs a little more narrowly to examine his words to see whither some mysticall sense bee not couched in them or whither hee hath dealt not so candidly nor so ingeniously as by his roauing and rauing language may iustly bee suspected but hath kept vp some reseruations as precious pearles which if hee should vent among so many hoggs and doggs as he liues amongst hee might iustly feare lest the one sort should and that worthily trample them vnder their feete and the other turne vpon him and all to teare him But now it being brought to the vpshot whither hee or we haue the true liuing iustifying fayth hee must permit vs perforce we bringing our warrant from God to makâ— a priuy search and to rifle his Cabbinet to see whither hee haue this Pearle of the Kingdome yea or no. Nor are wee ingaged to doe this in regard onely of our faith towards God as wee are Christans but also of our fidelity and loyalty to our King the Lords Annoynted as wee are subiects for asmuch as hee challengeth all men that hee that will bee a loyall subiect to his Protestant King ought to embrace this doctrine of fayth which he onely the A per se Doctor doth teach Wherein then is the maine difference betweene vs that makes his the onely true liuely iustifying fayth and ours the blinde zealous dead fayth Surely in this that his fayth is so liuely actiue vigorous and potent perfect and compleat that of it selfe it produceth all the fruites of sanctification without hauing any thing to doe with the word of God especially the morall law as a rule of our actions or as a glasse of our imperfections when as wee on the other side acknowledge that our fayth at the best estate during this life is not so perfect and euery way compleat but as a lampe it needeth the continuall supply of the holy oyle of Gods spirit of grace to cause it to flame forth the more in the workes of sanctification which grace of the spirit is ministred and supplyed vnto vs by the Ministry of the word of God as the Oyle-pipe through which it runneth and for as much as in the state of grace and fayth we know but in part and prophesie in part and consequently our fayth is imperfect being mingled with much ignorance therfore we haue need of the Morall law wherof both the old and new Testament are a large commentary both as a rule whereby to frame our thoughts words and workes and also as a