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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77726	An answer, or confutation of divers errors broached, and maintained by the seven churches of Anabaptists contained in those articles of their confession of faith propounded to the Parliament, and other grosse opinions held by them against the cleare light of the gospell. By Thomas Bakewell. Imprimatur John Downham.	Bakewell, Thomas, b. 1618 or 19.	1646 (1646)	Wing B526; Thomason E336_10; ESTC R200810	49,330	53

stand to their courtesie whether any will bee saved or not what miserable arguing is this Seventhly They say Christ dyed for all and yet all not saved because His Father made him Iudge of all John 5.27 28 29. I answer as before by this Argument he dyed for Devills and Angels that never sinned for he is the judge of all but if Christ shall slay those that will not have him to rule over them and cast unprofitable servants into utter darknesse Luke 19.22 27. and render vengeance on these that obey not the Gospel 1 Thes 1.7 8 9. Is this sufficient to prove that Christ hath bought them with his heart bloud when hee shall thus condemne nhem let all wise men judge But then they say if Christ should condemne these that he dyed not for in that he would be unjust I Answer as before If this were so then Christ were unjust to condemne the Devills or else they must prove that Christ dyed for Devills but men and Angels were all condemned for their sin against the Covenant of works and hee was not bound to send men a Saviour to redeem them and to establish those Angels that did not sin This may suffice to prove that Christ did not die for all and every man in the world CHAP. IV. They hold it unlawlull to use that Prayer of Christ Matthew 6.9 at a Prayer both by the godly and ungodly THey say the godly must not use this Prayer of Christ because the fift petition is forgive us our trespasses when as they are forgiven already and therefore ought not to pray for pardon of sin being pardoned already I Answer David a man after Gods own heart when Nathan the Prophet told him that the Lord had put away his sin yet he prayed the Lord to deliver him from bloud guiltinesse 2 Sam 12.13 Psal 51.14 and in his old age he prayed the Lord not to remember the sins of his youth and to pardon his iniquity for it is great Psal 25.7 11. And although the Lord will cleanse the house of Israel from all their uncleannesse yet for this he will be enquired of by them Ezek. 36.25 26 29 97. And they must take up words and say take away all our iniquity Hos 14.2 and the Apostles by Christ were taught daily to say forgive us our sins because we sin daily and our assurance is but for the time present and who knows how soone he may lose it and say with David and Jeremiah I am cut off Psal 31.22 Lam. 3.54 and with Iob Though thou holdest me for thine enemy and settest me as a mark for thine arrow Iob 7.20.13 24. But they say if any man lack assurance of Gods favour let him pray for it rather then for pardon of sin being done already I answer assurance of Gods favour is employed in that prayer for pardon of sin for it is sin onely that separates betweene us and our God Esay 59 2. and we should more desire the pardon of sin being an offence to God then our own comfort that comes by that pardon again the way to get assurance and to keepe it is by praying for the forgivenesse of sins for suppose we have at the present our comfortable assurance that all our sins past are forgiven yet we sin continually and every new sin is as a cloud betweene God and us and darkens our assurance of it now by this prayer we disperse and dispell these clouds which would soon deprive us of all our comfortable assurance of Gods favour therefore David prays to be clensed from all his secret sins although unknown Psal 19.12 for all sinnes will cause the Lord to hide his face from us more or lesse Esay 54.2 but they say Christ taught his Disciples to pray for pardon of sin before hee suffered because hee had then appeased the wrath of his Father yet afterward hee required no such thing but if Christ had not satisfied the wrath of God before he came in the flesh and suffered in it then I would know what became of all the Patriarks and Prophets that died before but I have often said that God made a Covenant with Christ from all Eternity to give him all the Elect as they fall in the severall ages of the World upon condition that he should give his life a ransome for them and so the Father set him a day and trusted the Son for the payment of it and gave him all the elect according to their Covenant that fell in those ages before the day of payment for the purchase and then in the fulnesse of time he paid for the purchase and now the Son trusts the Father to give him all the Elect that fall in those ages since the purchase was paid so then the death of Christ was vertuall to save those before his comming as well as those after for God was in Christ reconciling the World or multitude of the Elect in every age of the World from the first to the last to give them to Christ and so by vertue of the Covenant he was slaine from the foundation of the World Revel 13.8 Therefore it is said by Isaiah unto us a child is born Esay 6.9 And Abraham saw his day and was glad Joh. 8.58 And Christ was as pleasing to his Father before he came in the flesh as after for sayth he I was set up from everlasting then I was by him as one brought up with him and I was daily his delight Prov. 22.23 30. Therefore if Christ say in Jobs time I have found a ransome then he will deliver his soule from going into the pit and his life shall see the light Iob 33.24 28. so then in every age when the Father gave any to Christ his death did vertually satisfie for them they being in Christ by faith with whom the Covenant was made but they say before Christ suffered all power to forgive sins was in the Father and afterward given to him Mat. 28.18 And then and not before he got the keyes of hell and death Revel 1.18 I Answer Christ had power to forgive sin before he suffered Mat. 9.5 6. for he was King of his Church ever since that promise was made to Adam Gen. 3.15 and had the keyes of hell and death ever since although he never made it known to the world till then Rom. 16.25 and if that covenant had not been made before the covenant of works was broken by Adam all creatures had perished eternally but they say although Christ taught remission of sins after his death yet then he did not teach to pray for pardon of sinne I Answer that prayer which he had taught before was to remain to the worlds end for sayth he When you pray say forgive us our sins and to denie this were to renounce all those truths taught by him before his death and to confine our selves onely to what hee taught afterwards Again then the Doctrine of resurrection was most in question to be resolved on

that it was unlawfull to use this prayer of Christ at all as a prayer and now they seem to argue that all other are unlawfull but this prayer of Christ because it is so perfect and sufficient that there is neither want nor superfluity in it and yet before they said there was so much superfluity in it that neither man nor Churches case could reach it and therefore they said it was not lawfull to say it for a prayer and another time they said it was too short to reach all mens conditions and occasions and therefore unlawfull to use it as a prayer Thus wee see their arguing is meere caviling and not to be regarded of those that love the truth and those words of Christ may be blessed as a prayer notwithstanding all their cavils made against it CHAP. V. This Chapter contains a Disputation with the Anabaptists about the Magistrates power in commanding those of a contrary judgment to conforme with us in our publike worship or to punish them in case of refusall THey say if a Magistrate command those of a contrary judgment to conforme with them this would make them sin against their conscience as Hypocrites I answered that to come to the publike Assemblies is from the Magistrate but to be Hypocrites is from themselves as when a man spurs his horse if he go it is from the man but if he halt it is from himselfe then the cause of hypocrisie is in your selves and not in our godly Magistrates for commanding you to come to our publike Assemblies Again they command but the outward man as his words and actions and his bodily presence there but they have no law can reach their conscience to command it nor to inflict any punishment upon it in case of refusall it is God that requires truth in the inward parts Psal 51.6 and to obey from the heart Rom. 6.17 For he sees not as man sees he looks on the heart 1 Sam. 16.7 if they be hypocrites it is for want of syncere obedience to God from the heart but if they bring those excuses to the Assembly they have done all that the Magistrate commands them then they do not make some Hypocrites but suppose they commanding these of a contrary judgment should accidentally make them hypocrites yet so far as they obey they shall lose nothing by it if they obey outwardly they may by that receiv blessings as Ahab did 1 King 21.29 The judgment was removed from his days and the Pharisees had a reward Mat. 6 5. But those that obey from the heart shall receive spirituall and eternall blessings For every one shall receive according to his works Psal 62.12 Job 34.11 though not meritorious for it yet according to it whether it be done in hypocrisie or in truth then is it not better to conforme in outward obedience to obtain outward blessings then to be both miserable here and hereafter and shall we blame them that seek to pull us out of any danger and to procure for us although but outward blessings Again it is better to sin in using the meanes tending to salvation then to sin in that way that takes Lold on hell Prov. 7. For if you cast off Magistrates authority you will in time kill the Saints of God and thinke in your conscience that you doe God good service John 16.2 then bring your conscienc to the word and not the word to your conscience lest you exalt your conscience above the word Again when all are brought to the means of salvation it may please God to make those means effectuall comming to the posts of wisdomes doores they shall be blessed and to the poole they shall be cured Now I shall prove that Magistrates have power to command those of a contrary judgment to conforme with us in publike worship or to punish in 〈◊〉 refuse to obey such lawes as shall be made for the preserving of peace both in Church and State this they have good warrant from Scripture for King Ass comanded Judah to seek the Lord God of their Pathers to doe the Law and Co●mandement and Jehoshaphat sent Princes and with them Levits to teach in Judah reformed government in matiers of the Lord 2 Chron. 14.4.17.7 8 9. 19.11 And Manasses commanded Judah to serve the Lord and they kept the Passeover according to the comandement of King Josias Chap. 31.4.35.16 Here then it is plain that Magistrates have power to command obedience to the publike worship of God in relation to the Church now we shall see their power to punish those that are disobedient the Lord said to Moses Take the heads of the people and hang them up before the Sun that bowed down to the gods of Moab Numb 25.2 3.4 And Ioash ordained that if any man did plead for Ba● he should be put to death Iudg. 6.31 And Asa punished his own mother for having an Idoll in a Grove 1 Kings 1● 13. And when Iehu destroyed Baal out of Israel with all his priests and worshippers the Lord said Thou hest done well in executing that which was right in 〈◊〉 own eyes 2 Kings 10.28 30. And Iosiash put down the Idol 〈…〉 yea bee slue all the priests of the high places and burnt their bones upon their 〈◊〉 2 Kings 23.5 20. Thus they may see that Magistrates had this power to command obedience to the publike worship of God and to punish the disobedient and if they have lost this power let them prove when and how they come to lose it Secondly the Iews had the same Law of God contained in the ten Commandements as we have and they had the same Gospel as we for saith Paul the Gospell was preached to Abraham Gal. 3.8 and Peter saith For this cause war the Gospell peached to them that are dead 1 Pet. 4.6 onely it was to them in 〈◊〉 types and shadows and to us more clcerly manifested yet they were 〈◊〉 by the same Christ as we for there is but one way to heaven Ier. 32.39 Then why 〈◊〉 not our Magistrates have the same authority in relation to the Church as they had but this man denied that the Iews had the Gospel or that faith was of absolute necessity for salvation flat against the Scripture Ioh. 3.16 19 36. Heb. 11.6 but they having found out some new way contrary to the old and good way in which our fathers walked and were not confounded Psal 22. They must 〈◊〉 have new Magistrates with lesse authority in relation to the Church to command obedience to the publike worship of God or to punish the opposers of it Thirdly if Magistrates under the olde Testament had this power then much more now under the New because now they have greater obligation to command obedience and to punish the opposers of it then they had because The Covenant of grace is now more manifest then it was to the Jews and if our Magistrates had not that power which the Magistrates in the old Testament had our

church would not be in so safe a condition now as it was under the Old Testament Fourthly Kings and Queens must be as nursing fathers and mothers to the Church Esay 49.22 but shall Kings and Queens have no authority about the Church when they lend their power to assist it and shall fathers and mothers have no command in relation to the Church and shall nurses have no power to feed their children Jehoshophat sent Ministers to teach in Judah and sayth the Lord Cyrus is my sheepherd then shall not he defend the Church as a sheepherd doth his flock David fed them according to the integrity of his heart and guided them by the skilfulnesse of his hands Psal 78.72 but while the Lord looks for a man to make up the hedge Ezek. 22.30 and saith he shall be called the repairer of the breach Esay 58.12 In the meane time these men throw open the gap to the ravening lyon which shews how insufferable they are in any Christian Church yea they be but like vipers both to Church and State Fifthly Princes in Scripture are called Saviours to Sion and such are foretold to be in our dayes Obad. 21. But how can they be Saviours to our Church when they must neither command obedience nor punish those that oppose it but God commands to punish those that intise others to Idolatry Deut. 13.6 if they doe not they are guilty of other mens sins 1 Tim. 5.22 and they carry the Sword in vain Rom. 13.4 and God will have somthing against them for suffering Jezabel to seduce the servants of God and for suffering the doctrine of Baalam and the doctrine of the Nicolaitans which God hates Revel 2.14 15 20. The very Heathens will punish those that oppose their Religion and shall not Christian Magistrates doe as much for the true Religion as they doe for a false Religion Sixthly We are commanded to pray for Kings and all those in authority that we may leade a quiet and a peaceable life in all godlinesse 1 Tim. 2.3 But if they have no power in relation to the Church to command obedience and to punish the opposers of it then what a vain prayer would this be but hee that rules over men must bee just and not onely so but ruling in the feare of God 2 Sam. 23.3 I know sayth the Lord that Abraham my friend will command his houshold to doe judgment and justice Gen. 18. And we must obey for conscience sake Rom. 13.7 but not bringing the conscience in obedience to mans precepts but we must obey men in conscience of obedience unto God that commands it Tit. 3.1 Then let them take heed how they despise government But then because the Magistrates power is a burthen to this man and he would fain ease himselfe of it therefore he propounded some Queries 1 Hee would know whether the whole ground of the Jews worship for matter and forme was not in plain precepts and commandements and taught them by the Prophets as they had immediately received it of the Lord to this I grant affirmatively that it was so but then hee would know whether any Ruler Governour or King of Judah either did or lawfully might set up alter or change either matter or forme of that worship and to compel the people to obey it or to inflict a penalty upon any in case of disobedience I answer negatively that no King of Judah did or ought to set up alter or change either matter or forme of Gods publike worship yet the Kings of Judah both did and ought to command obedience to that matter and to that forme of publike worship that was set up and received from the Prophets as they received it from the Lord and also they both did and ought to punish those that were disobedient to that forme that was set up by the Lord as all those Scriptures before quoted witnesse and so our Magistrates may and ought to compell obedience to the outward forme of the worship of God in relation to the Church although their power be not in the Church or over the Church but onely assistant to the Church then they may command obedience to it and punish those that despise or abuse it yet I grant they never had nor shall have power to alter the forme or matter or to add any new matter to it nor take any matter from it this belongs to Christ alone the head and King of the Church but I say again that Magistrates have power to command outward obedience to that forme that Christ hath set up neither may the matter of any ordinance be taken away or changed or new inventions of our own added to them and so for the matter of the Sacraments wee must neither take away the bread nor the wine nor add any thing else and so likewise for the persons the subject matter of the Church they must be the seed of Abraham neither may a Turke be admitted unlesse hee will leave his Turkish Religion he is not fit matter for it yet all this hinders not but Christian Magistrates may command Christians being already in the Church to obedience and to punish those that are disobedient to the Church 2 He would know whether the Jews government now under the Gospel pertain to Gentiles any more then the matter and forme of the worship and if their government why not all both the Church and State and if all whether the neglect of any be not under the curse especially so much as is under the letter of the Law I answer the Jews Government both in Church and State as it was the Judiciall Law it ought to be obeyed of none but Jews onely and as much as their Law was but ceremoniall the matter was calves and lambs and the Altar and Temple and the forme was sacrifices and divers washings c. But now Christ the King of the Church is come hee ●ath taken away much of the matter and forme of their publike worship and now all Kings and Rulers being his deputies ●●●st give their power to the Church to defend that matter and forme that Christ the King of it hath set up and appointed to be thematter and forme of it but while hee pleads for the Jews matter and forme hee smells rank of Judaisme yet it is like the Jews when they are called may have their own positive Laws for their own Common-wealth as our positive Law is the Law of England But wee are no more bound to the Jews positive laws then they are bound to our positive Laws although those are written in the Word and ours are not but besides the ceremoniall law that ended by Christ and the Judiciall law that was made particularly for Jews they had also the eternall morall law and what their Magistrates did in obedience to that our Kings and Magistrates are bound to the same as well as they and it was in obedience to that law that they commanded uniformity in publike worship and punished the disobedient