although of no Religion then are the Anabaptists an impure Sect but the former is true therfore the latter Another slander as bad as this is cast upon the Anabaptists which is that they are a bioudy Sect and to make this good Dr. Featly tells us First that some under Dipper dipt pag. 174 175 176. colour of Religion sacrificed their Parents some their Children in the Valley of Hinnon the Indians their Kings and Priests to which they were stirred up by the Divell and sometimes to wars then tels us of persecution against the Church but because this reaches not the Anabaptist he tels us what the Anabaptist did in Suevia and Franconia of Thomas Muncer John Mathias and John of Leyden and because this is little to the Anabaptist in England he sayes it is not good to suffer the Egges of the Cockatrice to remain among us for when they be hatched there will break out of them most venemons Serpents Now good Reader judge impartially who are the bloudy sect whether the Anabaptist or Dr Featly and those of his Sect as Mr. Paget who applyes himself to the Lord Mayor to take a course with the Anabaptists and Mr. Pryn who applyes himself to the Parliament to cut off the Sectaries or Dr. Featly himself who would have them dealt with as one would doe with a Cockatrice Egge and if the Dr. and his Sect be the bloudy Sect then whereas he sayes the Anabaptist are a lying Sect pag. 168. this will fall upon him also and his fellowes whose Books are almost as full of untruths as an Egge is full of meat * Though for my part I am no Anabaptist so called but seeing that they as well as other honest men are accused to Magistracie falsly this made me give the Reader this briefe hint thereof But pardon this digression it is onely to shew how that Scripture is fulfilled Matth. 5. 11. I will now proceed to shew that the people of the New Covenant are not to look to be the more prosperous in the things of this life because they walk close with God as it was with the people of the first Covenant Matth. 10. 16 17 18. Christ tels those he sends out what hard things they must suffer for his Name sake He doth not tell them that their Enemies that come out against them one way shall fly before them seaven wayes but they must go forth as Sheep among Wolves and be brought before Councels and before Kings and Magistrates for his Names sakeâ— so also vers 21 12 36 37 38. And therefore he gives them many incouragements against their troubles as vers 19 20 24 25 28 29 30 31 32 39. And what Christ fore-told his servants in these and many more Scriptures they found to be fulfilled see an abstract of their sufferings 2 Cor. 1. 8 9 10. and Chap. 11. 23 to the 28. and chap. 4. 8 9 10 11. see how it befell the Churches 1 Thes 2. 14 Act. 8. 1. Heb. 10. 32 33 34. Revel 29 10. chap. 11. 2. chap 12. 4 6 13 14 16 17. Thus you see how it went with them in regard of persecution I will give you some Scriptures that speak of their poverty the Churches of Macedonia had great tryall of affliction and were in deep poverty 2 Cor. 8. 2. So the Church of Smyrna Rev. 29. Christ told those that would be his Disciples that they must deny themselves and take up their crosse daily and follow him Matth. 16. 24. Mark 8. 34. Christ himself had not whereon to lay his head Matth. 8. 20. and the Disciple is not above his Lord Matth. 10. the Prophets prophesie in sackcloath Rev. 11. God hath chosen the poor in this world rich in Faith Jam. 2. 5. 1 Cor. 1. 26 27 28. Thus you see by the currant Luk. 4 18 â— 22. of Scripture what is the condition of the Churches and people of the New Covenant Now if God had promised them the same priviledges in outward things as he did the people of the first Covenant he would have made good his promises But he Heb. 8 6. 10 11 12. hath promised better things in this Covenant to the people that belong to it and hath also made it good to them as he did make good the promises of the first Covenant to the people of it This may cause us to suspect that Church in which we see worldly glory to be none of Christs especially seeing the Scripture hath set out the Whorish Antichristian Church in her bravery Rev. 17. 4. having the Kings of the Earth to be her companions in her fornication or Whorish Worships as also the Multitudes of the Nations vers 2. 15. chap. 18. 3. 9. See her costlinesse farther vers 7. 12. to the 19. But by what means are people deceived to think this glorious Whore to be the Church of Christ Only by this that God did put a great deale of outward Glory upon the Church of the first Covenant and it had in it the Kings of Isâ—ael to Rule in matters of God and from this they ground that the Churches of the Nations are the Churches of Christ and from hence it is that their Ministers must be Gentlemen and have the Tythe of all mens charge and labour which they bestow on their Land as well as the increase and from hence it is that there must be dedicate places for Worship built large and high with great stones like the Temple But we have seen the contrary in the Church of Christ under the New Testament all along therefore this worldly glory did onely belong to the first Covenant which now to hold forth denyes Christ to be come in the flesh and is Antichristian In the next place it may be of singular comfort to the people of this Covenant that the promises thereof are better promises then the promises of the first Covenant for they are Spirituall and perpetuall good things that are promised It may be a strong ground against falling away If God have writ his Law in our hearts who shall raze it out If God hath pardoned our sins who shall lay them to our charge If God will Rom 8. 3â— not remember them who shall call them to mind The use of the fifth Difference If the Covenant into which we are taken be that better Covenant and Christ not Moses is the Mediator of it then to have any Mediators besides Christ denyes Christ to be come in the flesh and is Antichristian Again it shewes us the happy estate of the Saints that they have such a Mediator It is their duty not to sinne but when Ioh. 2. 1 2 they doe sinne there is a Mediator between God and Man who continually makes up the breach I confesse if it were not so they might fall out of the favour of God but seeing he is gone into Heaven it selfe now to appear in the presence of God for us Heb. 4 29 I believe so long as he
is not the number but the sinceritie in answering a Rule of the New-covenant that is well pleasing to God Three horses that can and will draw will do more when the Cart stands then they can with twenty more added to them that draw backward The like may be said of other Nationall worship Again inasmuch as God did binde all the people of the first covenant to come to one place to worship and to bring thither their guift which place he made holy by dedication and consecration and now a ground being taken from thence to set apart speciall places of worship consecrated and dedicated and all men bound unto it under penalties as in the first covenant that therefore it is that many of the people of the New-covenant are afraid to come to worship there â— Ioh. 10. lest they should approve at least of that which as they do conceive doth deny Christ to be come in the flesh and upon this ground it is and no other as I verily believe that many people of God do think that the power of Christ alone is to be administred among the Churches in things appertaining to God and that in matters of Civill Government the Magistrate is to rule all men alike both Churches and others for the Scepter was not to depart from Judah nor a Law-giver from between his feet till Shilâ— come Gen. 49. 10. Objection But if you say sometime they had none to rule by that Scepter As appears Judg. 17. 16. and 18. 1. and 21. 25. Answer I answer though they had none to rule yet there did remain the Scepter and the right of ruling and that in matters of worship God informing them by his Prophets what to do they being to rule for him in that Nation which he had chosen which was Church and State individuall and this to continue till Shilo came therefore when this people would have a King like other Nations God having differenced them from all other Nations God tels the Prophet they had not cast off him but God 1 Sam. 8. 7. And though God did grant them a King yet would he not make them altogether like other Nations for he would chuse their King for them 1 Sam. 10. 24. And he appointed the manner of their Kingdome vers 25. Thus did God rule over the people of His Covenant in a more especiall way then over other Nations therefore it is conceived that he doth so now over the people of the New-covenant But now Shilo is come he is Ioh 1. 49 Rev. 1. 5. and 15. 3. Mat. 2. 2 21. 5. conceived to have the Scepter and to be the Law-giver to the people of the New-covenant in all those things that appertain to his own Kingdome and for those things that appertain to this life he hath set the Ordinance of Magistracy to be obeyed by all his own people as well as others and he that resisteth Rom. 13. 1 2 5. resisteth the Ordinance of God and therefore they must obey or submit to every humane ordinance or ordinance of man for 1 Pet. 2. 13 14 the Lords sake and for conscience sake Objection If any object that if this be so then every one will do that which is right in his own eyes Answer I answer seeing God by his own Ordinance hath appointed Magistrates to order the affairs of the Nations and Jesus Christ to order the affairs of his Kingdome this objection is fully resolved Neither need any fear that any of those that have learned to give the Lord his due will deny Caesar his seeing the Lord hath made both a duty and both former and latter experience doth confirm it and if any men in the Kingdome be disloyall to the Magistrates it is those that would so fain have those that are faithfull and true hearted to the State cut off imprisoned or banished in a time when there is so great need of them But the Lord forgive them The use of the Last Difference If the Lord have taken away the first that he might establish the second Heb. 10. 9. Then it should teach all people to take heed that they do not go about to establish again that which God hath taken away nor take away that which God hath established as all do which endeavour to bring into the worship of God the rites of the first Covenant and it is indeed to give the spirit of God the lye for it is in effect to say the first Covenant is best when the spirit of God sayes the second is the best being established upon better promises I am perswaded that each godly heart doth long for the utter ruine of Antichrist which will be completed so soon as this is generally seen that the upholding the first Covenant is the upholding of Antichrist what was that with which the Churches were deceived and bewitched presently upon their first planting Was it not the bringing in some thing of the first Covenant As appears Gal. 3. 1 2 3. and almost the whole Epistle declares it O foolish Galatians saith the Apostle who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth crucified among you The Apostle seems to admire that inasmuch as a crucified Christ had been so cleerly held forth among them which did put an end to the Rites of the first Covenant that they should be so bewitched as to bring them in again Are you so foolish saith he having begun in the spirit are you now made perfect by the flesh Vers 3. By flesh he means the rites and priviledges of the first Covenant and by spirit the priviledges of the second as appears by what followes all along to the 12. verse of the fifth Chapter compared with Phil. 3. 3 4. If the Galatians were bewitched and if it were foolishnesse in them to return to the first Covenant is it not so now in those that do the same thing as they did Would it make the Apostle a transgressour to build again the things which he had destroyed Gal. 2. 18. And must not they needs be transgressours which build again the things which God himself hath made void Heb. 10. 9. We see there was no small deceit in this that the Apostle is fain to use so many Arguments to prevent it He tels them it was to Gal. 4. 9 be in bondage to weak and beggerly elements as if he should say What folly is it for those that are set in a glorious liberty to desire to be in bondage to things that are beggarly Therefore he warns them to stand fast in this liberty against that bondage Gal. 5. 1. You see he holds out the distance and difference between the Liberty of the New-covenant and the bondage of the Old in the two Mothers and their two Seeds as before is shewed Gal. 4. 22. 24 25. 26. Again he tels them If they were circumcised Christ should profit them nothing Gal. 5. 2. That Christ was become of none effect to them that they were debters to keep the whole Law that they were faln from grace Gal. 5. 3 4. It seems that Circumcision was that particular of the first Covenant whereby they were most easily deceived at that time being so lately in use But now this will not take with people the spirit of Antichrist hath put men upon the observing of other particulars of the first Covenant which are as dangerous as I conceive as that of Circumcision Oh therefore let us take heed how we act in any of the parts of the first Covenant in the worship of God for the perswasion so to act is not of him that calleth us Gal. 5. 8. Religion is not a thing to be jested with If we would therefore honour God and be honoured of God in the enjoyment of Gospel freedome and persue Antichrist to his utter ruine Let us cleave close to the rules which Christ and his Apostles have left us to walk by which when all religious people are brought unto Antichrist is down FINIS
them which I doubt not but it is a presage of much good but I say no more of this lest it should seeme to be a degression Again by this it appeares that to hold a Nation as England Scotland Germany c. to be the Church of God in Covenant denies Christ to become in the flesh and so is Antichristian For if a Nation be in Covenant it must needs be in the first Covenant for the New Covenant takes a choise people out of the Nations in whose hearts God writes his Law Heb. 8. 10. 2 Cor. 3. 3. and they shall all know him from the least to the greatest vers 11. But so it cannot be said of any Nation he will be mercifull to their unrighteousnesse and their sin and their iniquities he will remember no more But to what Nation can this be apply'd Surely to none but to a select people and therefore the Churches of Christ under this Covenant are said to be in Christ Gal. 1. 22. 1 Thes 2. 14. In which places take notice that even in Judea where was onely one Church which was the collective body of the Nation none excepted under the first Covenant now under the New Covenant there is severall Churches which are in Christ The use of the third Difference If the Conditions of the first Covenant were Doe this and live then it shewes us the reason why God did deale so sharply with them in outward things when they sinned against him because it was according to the conditions of his Covenant with them Again it shews the privilege of the people of the New Covenant they live to do but not do to live they do not act to God to be kept in the favour of God but they are kept in the favour of God that so they may acknowledge God and be to the praise of his Grace for all is of grace to them First their Election is of grace Rom. 11 5 6. Secondly that Christ dyed for them is grace Heb. 2. 9. Again they are freely justified by his grace Tit. 3. 7. Again that they are called it is of grace Gal 1. 6. 15. Again that they beleive it is of grace Act. 18. 27. Again that they have Hope it is through grace 2 Thes 2. 16. Again that they are saved it is by grace Ephes 2. 9 8. and all is that they should be to the praise of the glory of his Grace Ephes 1. 6. you see here is nothing but Grace Now if there were a Condition of Workes then Grace were no more Grace Rom. 11. 6. If any object and say then we need not work I answer We are the more engaged to work If any ask to what end It is answered already viz. to glorifie God who hath called us to partake of such Grace so that to hold forth Workes as the Condition of the Covenant doth as I conceive deny Christ to become in the flesh for the first Covenant with the Condition thereof was ended in Christ when he came in the flesh The use of the fourth Difference If the promises of the New Covenant are onely Spirituall then it may serve to silence them that speak against those that walk not with them in the publike way Because say they they are poor men most of them and God doth blast them in their Estates For my part I conceive that such speeches as these flow from a Spirit of Envie or a Spirit of Antichrist or both If they speak that which they do not think it is like it is from Envie But if they think indeed that because God did promise in the first Covenant to make his people prosper in outward things and they see not this made good to them now and therefore they conclude them to be in a way of Errour this is from the Spirit of Antichrist for this was the priviledge of the first Covenant and God did make good his promise to them he gave them indeed a Land flowing with milk and honey and made them a rich People and a terrour to their Enemies so long as they keep close to him But the things promised in the New Covenant is only of Spirituall priviledges as is before shewed from Ierem. 31. 32 33 34. Heb. 8. 9 10 11. which God hath ever made good to them onely for the measure he doth proportion them accordingly to his Fatherly dispensations and for outward things it is enough for them that he that takes care for Lillies and Sparrowes is their Father but for abundance they are not to look for it by vertue of a promise but rather the contrary and that by the currant of Scripture see first Christs own words Matth. 5. 10 11. Blessed are they which are persecuted for Righteousnesse sake for theirs is the Kingdome of Heaven Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evill against you for my sake falsly And truly friends if ever men were set on work to say all manner of evill against the servants of Christ falsly then surely now I admire that men dare to write and See Dr. Featlies Dipper dipt Mr. Pryns fresh discovery of prodigious Blasing Starres their Epist to the Parl. preach as they do for first they brand them with the reproachfull names of Sectaries and then lay to their charge such things as is most false and then run to the Magistrates in their Dedicatory Epistles to have them put to death for denying the Authority of the Civill Magistrate and for striking at the very Roots of it the most unjust thing in the world but they bring large stories of the Anabaptist in Germany and thence conclude that those they call so here are such Whether ever there were any such in Germany or no I know not But it is evident those in England that are so called are as faithfull to the Magistrate as any in the Kingdome for though they do not fight for their Religion yet are there Thousands of those Sectaries and Anabaptists as they call them in the Field with their lives in their hands to maintain a lawfull Magistracy against Tyrannie Adde to this the Confession of Faith published in the name of seven Churches in London Sometimes they say they are an unclean people and then to See the Dipper dipt pag. 1â—â— prove it they bring a great many stories of Out-landish men and of a great many of their beastly Predecessours the Popes who tollerated Jewes and instance in but one man in all in England one Farnham that pretended he was one of the Prophets in Revel 11. this Farnham if he be a man of any Religion it is that of the Church of England for since he was in prison he was very hot for Common-Prayer therefore Dr. Featly should have framed his argument thus if the Popes tolerate shewes or if any old stories can be related of some beyond Sea that have been called Anabaptists that have had many wives or any one giddy-brain'd fellow in England
appears a Risen Christ for us and continueth his Mediatorship those that are in covenant with God shall so continue otherwayes we shall make the Mediatorship of Christ lesse successefull then that of Moses who did prevaile with God to passe by the peoples sinne Exod. 32. 11. Psalm 106. 23. Oh let us take heed that we do not so dishonour Christ in his Mediatorship for to prefer Moses before Christ is Antichristian The use of the sixth Difference If the bloud of Christ and not the bloud of Beasts is the bloud of the New Testament then here is the great priviledge of Saints the bloud of the first Testament did onely purifie the flesh Heb. 9. 13. But the bloud of Christ is shed for us being the bloud of the New Testament Matth. 26. 28. And this bloud purges the conscience from dead workes to serve the living God Heb. 9. 14. by this bloud we have Remission of sinnes and a way made into the holiest through the veil which is his flesh and that with boldnesse by that new and living way and have a high Priest over the house of God Heb. 10. 18 19 20 21. Nay it is not onely our priviledge that we may enter boldly but it is our duty we ought to draw near in full assurance of Faith vers 22. So that which is our priviledge is our duty and our duty is our priviledge In this we may take notice of the unspeakable freenesse of the Grace of God and magnifie it as also the wonderfull happinesse of the Saints that are made to partake of such Grace When the bloud of the first Covenant was to be offered none could go into the holyest but the High Priest but now the veile that did keep the people from the holyest is done away or rather the substance of that shadow is consecrated to be our new and living way of entrance by the bloud of Jesus into the holyest and this blessed way unto the Father is open to all the people of the Covenant that they go as freely before the Mercy Seat as the high Priest who is already entred Hab. 9. 24. But the way was not made manifest while the first Tabernacle was standing Heb. 9. 8. This shewes us that for men to teach that the people of God ought to mourn for sinne not declaring in what sence is Antichristian because there is no need to offer this bloud year by year nor a remembrance of sinne every year as under the Old Covenant Heb. 10. 1. 3. but by this one offering Christ for ever hath perfected them that are sanctified Heb 10. 12 14. So that now for the people of God to mourn for sinne as under sinnee is sinfull for it undervalues the bloud of the Covenant as if it needed to be offered yearly as the bloud of the first Covenant was Again it is sinfull because it opposes duty for it is the duty of Saints to draw near in full assurance of Faith but to apprehend our selves to lye under guilt of sinne keeps us off of this duty so that those that are truly humbled for sinne I mean those that are in the Covenant are not humbled from the sence of guilt and fear of wrath but because they by sinne do dishonour God who is their loving Father who also hath pardoned their sinne The use of the seventh Difference If the Law of the first Covenant was written in Tables of Stone and the Law of the New Govenant in Fleshly Tables of the heart then it informes us that we are not to reckon a Nation to be in covenant with God and so to be the Church of God for that sets up the first Covenant againe and so is Antichristian denying Christ to be come in the flesh for God did take a Nation in to covenant by the first covenant but by the second he takes onely those neet to himself by covenant in whose hearts he writes his Law and therefore there were Churches in Judea where was but one Nationall Church under the first Covenant as I have formedy shewed and those Churches were in Christ. 1 Thes â— 14. Gal. 1. 22. The Church of Corinth were Saints by calling 1 Cor. 1. 2. The Church to whom Peter writ were lively stones 1 Pet. 2. 5. Such as did believe Vers 7. A holy Nation a peculiar people such as were called out of darknesse into his marvelous light Vers 9. Such holy Nations and none else the new Covenant doth allow of to be the Churches of Christ all other Nations viz. all collective bodies of the Nations assuming to themselves the title and practice of Churches having no rule but from the first Covenant are Antichristian Object It may be some will object and say that in the invisible Church there is none but such as have Gods Law written in their hearts but in the visible Churches under the new Covenant there have been as bad as was among the Jewes under the first covenant Answ I answer that into the visible Churches of Saints some may creep in unawares as Jude speaks Jud. 4. But if they once be discovered to be wicked the Church will be leavened with them if they do not cast them out 1 Cor. 5. 1. 6 7. 11. Revel 2. 20. And so my ground holds good for Saints in the Nations to be the people of Gods covenant and for the Nations that call themselves Gods Churches they are as I conceive The waters that cary the Whore Rev. 17. 15. For the Whore being a spirituall thing must necessarily sit upon people that are accounted religious and not the Nations of Turks and Pagans as some think The use of the Eighth Difference If the New-covenant be so plain and full of Light then let the people of it labour to walk as children of the light and of the day putting on the Breast-plate of faith and love and for an Helmet the hope of salvation 1 Thes 5. 8. Oh let us endeavour so to walk as those that watch for our halting may have nothing against us unlesse it be in the matter of our God Let us labour to shew forth the praises of him that hath called us out of darknesse into his marvellous light 1 Pet. 2. 9. And the note that the Scripture gives us to know if we are in the light is If we love the Brethren 1 Joh. 1. 7. chapt 8 9 10 11. So that I conceive to desire to have any of them hanged imprisoned or banished is from the dark spirit of Antichrist and not from the spirit of Love and Light which is from Jesus Christ For when the Disciples would call for fire from Heaven as Elias did Christ tels them they did not know what spirit they were of Luk. 9. 55. It is like they thought it had been the spirit of God that moved them to be so zealous for their Master when it seems it was nothing so For the spirit of the Lord doth produce other fruits Gal. 5. 22 23. as Love joy Peace