not all five there were none It was answered that Apostles c. were extraordinary Officers but Pastours and Teachers were ordinary Officers to be continued in the Church for the making of Saints by the blessing of God upon their ministery nay for the edefying and perfecting of Saints all Saints for the edefying of the whole body till wee all come not onely into the unity of the faith but to the perfection of the fulnesse of Christ and therefore no Saint is so perfect or excellent a scholar or disciple but he may be taught by the Ministers of Christ for though there be a great deale of variety in regard of those severall degrees of perfection wch are to be found in severall Saints yet the highest perfection of the most accomplished Saint here below is said to be according to the measure of the gift of Christ Ephes. 4. 7. who gave Pastours and Teachers vers. 11 to bring the Saints to the highest perfection attainable in this life verse the 12. Finally it was made most cleare and evident to Master Erbury and all the company that Christ did not only make promises to the Apostles themselvs but to such as were to succeed them in their ordinary Ministery that is to such as were to teach and baptize even unto the end of the world Mat. 28. 19 20. And when enquiry was made who were the successors of the Apostles the answer was that the Elders were the successors of the Apostles because the Apostle when he was to take his leave Act. 20. sent to Ephesus for the Elders of the Church verse 17. and recommended the oversight of the Church to them acknowledging that the Elders were Bishops or overseers of the Holy Ghosts making here is if we may so call it a kind of resignation a most manifest recommendation of the people to whom he had preached to the care of the Elders when Saint Paul was to see their faces no more Acts 20. 25. There was something else objected about the order of the Corinthian-Churches from the 1 Cor. 14. And to that objection there were very many satisfying answers given some of them shall be related First it is evident that the Apostle doth rebuke the disorders in those Churches which did manifestly tend to confusion though caused or occasioned by such as did pretend to Revelation verse 26. How is it then brethren when yee come together every one of you hath a Psalme hath a doctrine hath a tongue hath a revelation hath an interpretation let all things be done unto edifying The Apostle doth declare that he who pretended a revelation was to be tried and judged by the Prophets verse 29. for the spirits of the Prophets are to be subject to the Prophets verse 32. Moreover it is manifest that the Apostle doth not presse the observation of this order as a meer prudential matter but presses it as one of the commandments of the Lord which doth oblige even Prophets and spirituall men verse 37. If any man think himselfe be a Prophet or spirituall let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandements of the Lord Finally there were these four points distinctly proved First that divers amongst the Corinthians were endued with the gift of Prophesie which was as extraordinary as the gift of Tongues or Miracles and no argument taken from an extraordinary example and an extraordinary gift doth prove that ungifted men are authorised to Preach or Prophesie in an ordinary course Secondly divers among the Corinthians were enriched by Christ in every thing in al utterance and in al knowledge 1 Cor. 1. 5. but sure every Saint is not inriched in utterance and all knowledge Thirdly it is most manifest that every Saint did not ordinarily preach or prophesie amongst the Corinthians 1 Cor. 12. 29. Are all Apostles are all Prophets are all teachers are all workers of miracles and verse 30. Have all the gifts of healing c. all the Saints did not teach but only they that had the gift of teaching even as all did not work miracles all did not interpret no more then they did all speake with tongues Fourthly it is most evident that they only did teach whom God set or appointed to teach in the Church and God did set some not all to teach in the Church 1 Cor. 12. 28. Every member is not an eye for where then were the hearing verse 17. Now God hath set the members every one of them in the body even as it hath pleased him verse 18. and every member must be content with its place and observe that order which God hath set The Saints may find themselves work enough if they prepare for hearing and heare as they ought and practise what they heare and therefore they should not take the work of Preaching upon them which is sufficient to take up the whole man but leave it to them whom God hath appointed to give themselves wholly to prayer and preaching It was also declared unto them that Reverend Mr Cotton of New-England was now brought to see their opinion which was once his own to be an error and subscribes to our judgement with a great deale of ingenuity and sweetnesse in his Booke of the Keyes the 20th page The opponents were not able to reply any thing to these answers but desired to know when we would meet again we told them that we could not meet untill that day three weeks because the monethly Fast was to be observed upon the next week and the fifth of November the next week after whereupon it was desired by some of Master Erbury his adherents that our next question might be to this effect Whether there was any Ministry committed to the hands of select persons in the Church of Christ When we came to the place of meeting and the question formerly agreed upon at the last meeting was red which was to be the subject of the present conference it was decried by the Soldiers who denied that to be the question yet we are most assured that it was resolved upon to be then disputed It was desired that we might read the Theses in which the question was fully stated because they did give much light to the clearing of that question which they so much desired at length after much importunity it was yeelded to that we should read them which was done as followeth 1. Almighty God hath and will have a Church on earth unto the end of the world 2 The Father hath committed unto his Son Jesus Christ a the second Person in the blessed Trinity both b God and c man d all power and judgement over this Church and hath appointed him to be a e king a f priest and a g prophet thereunto h so long as the Church shall continue here on earth 3 The Lord Jesus doth not only teach his Church inwardly but hath also appointed external ordinances viz. i preaching the word and
but when that would not be permitted and M. Earbury desired our brother to consider that that phrase God by nature was no Scripture phrase Master Cheynell replyed Sir now it appears that you are not so well read in Scripture as you pretend to be you may read the expression Gal. 4. 8. and though you will not give me leave to dispute yet suffer me to expound the place and shew the ground of my Exposition The Apostle shews in this place 1. That religious service must be performed to none but to him that is God by nature from hence it will follow that if Christ be not God by nature we ought not to performe religious service to Jesus Christ 2. The Apostle shews that they are ignorant of God who perform service to them who are not Gods by nature 3. M. Cheynell shewed that Christ was God by nature subsisting in the form of God and was God equall to his Father and proved it from Phil. 2. 6. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} subsisting in the form of God thought it no robbery to be equall with God He who is in the form of God and without prejudice to the Father equall to him must needs be God by nature the selfe same God though not person with the Father and therefore an Independent God God in himself God of himself the eternall God It is robbery to make more Gods then one It is robbery to make the Saints equall with God but it is no robbery to make God the Son equall with God the Father because Christ is God by nature but no Saint is God by nature the fulnesse of the Godhead all the fulnesse of the Godhead dwels and dwels bodily that is really for body is opposed to shadow in the person of the Lord Jesus And therefore it is evident that the same fulnesse of the Godhead which is in Christ is not truly and really in any Saint The Congregation received this exposition with a generall shout and acclamation but M. Cheynell desired them to forbear and told them that if he could not intreat them to be silent he would silence himselfe and proceed no further least such testimonies of approbatiō might give offence or cause disturbance 2. Desired the company to take notice that M. Earbury called the Spirit the power of God almost as oft as he had occasion to mention the Spirit which expression did too plainely declare that M. Earbury held correspondence with the Socinians in their hereticall opinions M. Earbury professed that he never read any of their writings and yet when M. Cheynell distinguished between the spirit and the graces of the Spirit a little after M. Earbury forgot himself and said that was a Polandisme conceiving that the spirit was by that distinction imprisoned in Heaven and he began to tell a story of some cast out by a Synod for such expressions and when M. Cheynell did distinguish afterward between Christ considered as a glorifiedman and as the Lord of glory M. Earbury said glorified man was one of the Polonian expressions let the Reader judge whether M. Earbury never read any of the Polonian Writers 3. Our brother desired M. Earbury to deal plainely and clearly with him whether he did acknowledge and believe three Persons and one God our brothers question was grounded upon M. Earbury his mention of three in Heaven and yet his frequent confounding of the Son with the Spirit for sure if the Son be the Spirit as he doth commonly preach there cannot be three in Heaven for the Son and the spirit are but one as he conceives nay there will be but one in Heaven for the Son is nothing but the wisdome of the Father or the power of the Father and so there will be no more divine persons in Heaven but the Father only Besides M. Earbury saying that the Father is the true God and God is love and the Son is wisdome and the spirit is power M. Earbury seemed to put off his Auditory with a Trinity of Attributes instead of a Trinity of Persons and consequently to make many Threes in Heaven for iustice mercy eternity will make another three in this sense But M. Earbury said that he came not thitherto be catechised but it was easie to reply that he came thither to explaine himself and satisfie the Congregation which could not possibly be done unlesse he would give positive answers to pertinent questions M. Earbury told us that the fulnesse of the Godhead should be revealed more clearely hereafter in the flesh of the saints at the sound of the seventh Trumpet but it was more clearely revealed in the Prophets then by the Apostles becasue the Apostles were most taken up with writing about Faith and particular things yet John the Divine wrote clearly of it 1 John 3. 2. and therefore he pronounced all them to be Antichristian who did not believe that there is the same fulnesse of the Godhead in Christ and all the saints which he conceived to be very cleare from the 1 John 4. 2. 3. that is saith he whosoever denies that Christ is in us is Antichrist for by flesh is not meant the humane nature saith M. Earbury but the coming of Christ is the manifestation of the Godhead in the flesh of Saints for Christ himselfe is the Spirit with God Our brother was here forced to lay open M. Earbury and declare that M. Earbury conceived that Christ was man before the world was and therefore though he came into the world to be made of a woman yet he came not to be made man but to be made flesh Hereupon Mr. Earbury charged our brother with revealing of secrets and said that he had delivered himselfe to that purpose in a private Conference Our brother replied that he had not spoken a word about that Argument if M. Earbury had not led him into it by his perplexed discourse and pronounced such a censure upon all men that are not of his mind as to say they are Antichristian Master Earbury insisted much upon Ephes. 3. 19. That ye may be filled with all the fulnesse of God which our brother said was to be expounded by John 1. 16. of his fulnesse we have all received grace for grace Divers are said in the Scripture to be full of the Holy Ghost when they are sufficiently enabled to perform the dutyes which belong to their present estate and are growing up towards that fulnesse which all the Saints shall enioy when God is all in all But M. Earbury seemed most confident when he came to urge his arguments taken out of the Book of the Revelations The first was drawen from Reuel 2. 26. The Saints haue the same power over the nations to crush and breake them that Christ himselfe hath The answer was that the Saints did not overcome by their owne strength but by the strength of Christ Christ doth overcome and we triumph we have a share in that victory which Christ gaines by his
same measure though not in the same manifestation as it dwelt in Christ whilest hee was here below in the flesh For the proofe of this damnable doctrine he alledged as we are informed these places of Scripture 1 Sam. 16. 13. compared with Heb. 2. 11 12. and Psalme 22. 22. Coloss. 1. 27. Coloss. 2. 9 10. John 17. 21 22 23 24. Ephes. 3. from v. 14. to the 19. 1 Cor. 12. 12. 2 Pet. 1. 4. Zach. 12. 8. Mark the Scripture doth not only say we shall bex one with God as Christ is but it sayth more we shall be as God But sayth he it will be objected That God hath anointed Christ above his fellows Heb. 1. 9. I answer sayth he this place is meant of being anointed with the Godhead but be it known to you Christ hath no more of the Godhead then we have and therefore is not anointed in greater measure then we are but onely in a greater manifestation and if we beleeve this we shall doe greater works then ever Christ did that Text then Heb. 1. 9. is meant only of the manifestation of the Godhead For as the soule is as much in the little finger as in the head so is there as much of the Godhead in the least member of Christ as there is in Christ himselfe I do sayth Master Earbury remember another Text that is urged by some to overthrow the doctrine which I have delivered which you may read in the third Chapter of John v. 34. 35. but the objection being specially grounded upon the 34 verse may be answered out of the 35 verse for sayth Master Earbury whatever God hath given to the Son he hath given to the Saints and if the Saints saw this they would never ask any thing any more of God because all things are given to the Saints and God loves the Saints as he loves the Son John 17. 23. True it is that all Kingdoms Countries and people arex given to Christ Psalme 2. 7 8. but it is as true that they are given to the Saints Revel. 2. 26 27. whatsoever the Son hath received of the Father the Saints have received likewise they have received the same power the same glory but they do not see it Nay whatsoever is spoken of the Son is spoken of the Saints for the Saints are the Son and this is manifest sayth Mr. Earbury and then produced two places of Scripture to prove it Revel. 3. 9. Revel. 21. 7. Wee are now heirs of all things as the Son is and we shal know it and men shal know it and come and worship at our feet therefore let this be the ground of our Faith and Hope for Christ is not shut up in Heaven but Christ is in us the hope of glory Master Earbury doth as you see positively deliver these blasphemous errours and yet when he was admonished by one of our brethren hee sayd hee did not deliver any thing dogmatically for hee did only enquire into the Truth of things as one that was to seek To which it was replyed that First hee did urge Scripture to prove his opinion Secondly that hee sayd his Exposition was manifest Thirdly that he pressed the people to receive his Exposition to build their hope upon his interpretation and to believe the Scriptures in his sense Fourthly to encourage them to receive his interpretation hee assured them that if they would believe his doctrine they should do greater things then ever Christ did and men should come and worship at their feet Fiftly hee was advised to deliver practicall points to the people and not to teach any thing for truth concerning which hee was not fully perswaded in his own minde Sixtly our brother desired him to enquire of those who were able to resolve him in those things of which hee doubted and not to enquire of a company of unsetled people for by that means he might bring them also to doubt of most of the principles of the Christian faith Moreover upon the eleventh of December Master Earbury took upon him to prophecy of greater shakings yet in England and Scotland as well as Ireland In Scotland sayth Mr. Earbury they think to preserve themselves but you shall see and they will feel greater shakings yet even mighty Earth-quakes but if the Lord teach you this doctrine which I have now delivered it will keep up your spirits Remember that it is not only God that gives you strength but God is your strength and you shall walk upon God himself as upon high places believe it wee are filled with the same Godhead with the same glory that Christ is and wee are one with the Father as hee is These Notes were communicated to one of our company by a Captain whereupon one of our brethren preached just the contrary doctrine and proved that it was a fundamentall Article of the Christian Religion because Christ hath built his Church upon this fundamentall confession or acknowledgement as upon an immoveable Rock Matth. 16. 16 17 18. Simon Peter said Thou art Christ the son of the living God and what said Christ upon this Rock will I build my Church This is the great Article so often disputed and cleered in primitive times by the Apostles for the conversion of Jews Gentiles That Jesus Christ who took our nature of the blessed Virgin is the true Messiah the son of the living God God equall with his Father nay the same God though not the same person with his Father God by nature and yet Man by nature perfect God and perfect Man both natures the divine and humane being inseparably united in the person of the son of God the second person of the glorious Trinity This truth was made evident by the whole series of the book of the Acts of the Apostles and therefore it 's not sufficient for us to acknowledge that Christ is in some sense God and Man but we must believe this truth as it is revealed and declared in the Scriptures because the Scriptures are the doctrinall foundation and Christ the personall foundation Wee are built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone Ephes. 2. 20. yee must walk sayth the Apostle as yee have received and be built up in Christ and established in the faith as you have been taught Coloss. 2. 6 7. Divers of Master Earbury his Auditory were startled with this Sermon two of them came to Mr. Cheynell and told him that he had delivered Doctrine contrary to what they had been taught by a very pretious man Mr. Erbury Mr. Cheynell told them they were to examine which of those contrary Doctrines was agreeable to the scriptures For he that preacheth contrary to M. Erbury his opinion is not to be condemned if Mr. Earbury his opinion be contrary to the word of God whereupon they desired Mr. Cheynell to give M. Erbury a meeting that the point in controversie might be fully discussed in the presence of them
liberty of conscience nor liberty of Trade Many Saints have been hanged as Barrow and it may be some in these dayes may be put to death and it will be a wonder to after ages why they were so The four plagues of Babylon are death that is a dead spirit famine that is want they are ever complaining of this want and that want they are affraid of this sin and that sin they want this grace and that grace this is a signe that we have the spirit of Antichrist in us we do not see our fulnesse and praise God for it we have all the fulnesse of the Godhead in us and doe we complaine Yet M. Erbury thought fit upon another day to enlarge himselfe upon that Text hee preached on before in the presence of divers Citizens 1. Sam. 16. 13. Christ saith Master Erbury is nothing else but the anointed of the Lord anointed with the Godhead and so are the Saints for Christ and the saints make one annointed Habak. 3. 13. all the Godhead is in us as it is in him though this be not manifest yet we have for the present the same glory that the Son hath John 17. 22. Dear friends Christ was anointed with the Spirit also but what is the Spirit The Spirit is the power of God and the appearance of Christ All power is in God now when that power of God shall act and come forth then it is the Spirit therefore the Spirit is the coming forth of the power of God Secondly the Spirit is the appearance of Christ for Christ is called the wisdome and the power of God so then the coming forth of the power of God is the Spirit and that Spirit is Christ for Christ and the Spirit are both one Friends we have an ignorant blind devotion we pray to Son Father and Spirit and know not what the spirit is but the scripture tels us that the spirit is the power of God and the appearance of Christ Luke 1. 35. chap. 24. 49. the power of the most High that is the spirit Acts 2. 4. 2. Cor. 13. 4. compared with 1 Pet. 3. 18. the spirit then is the coming forth of the power of God and therefore we must not look upon the spirit as a person in the Godhead poor people are miserably puzled about this and therefore I will shew it out of the scripture There is but one God and that is the Father in whom all power is 2. When this power comes forth it is the spirit 3. All the power of God comes through Christ and therefore Christ is called the power of God nay the spirit 1 Cor. 15. 45. In their divinity yonder they will say the Father is not the Son the Son is not the Spirit but I say that Christ is the spirit that is Christ in his appearance is the Spirit John 14. 16 17 18. The spirit shall come that is I will come and comfort you the power of God shall appeare in me so then the other comforter that he would send was not another third person but the power of God appearing in Christ therefore let us not be cheated in the beginning of our Religion read 2. Cor. 3. 17 18. The Lord Christ is that spirit that is he in whom the power of God is the 18. vers. is best translated in the Margin of your Bibles of the Lord the Spirit Christ then is the Spirit Beloved that we may be in a maze no longer let us know God aright as he is 1. There is one God 2. As there is one God so we read that there is the Father the Son and the Spirit Now these three are not three persons in the Godhead but they are severall appearances of God unto men As God is in himselfe and of himselfe so he is the Father 3. As God comes forth in the man Christ Jesus as the fulnesse of the Godhead dwels in him that is the Son 4. God coming forth in power is the Spirit We do not by this deny the Godhead of the Son but shew what we hold of the personalities they are but the inventions of men The Spirit is nothing but the power of God in the man Christ and therefore Joh. 17. 3. there is no mention of a third person And in the Book of the Revelation there is no praise given to the Spirit but all to the Father who sits upon the Throne and to the Lamb to the man Christ Jesus in whom God dwels bodily as he doth in the Saints Now then this is that I drive at that as soone as we know Christ in us and that we are anointed in him then the spirit of the Lord shall come upon us that is the power of the power from on high there will be the appearance of Christ in us this is plain to me I trust it is so to you We shall have the appearance of Christ as David had in our sufferings sayings songs 1. In our sufferings for our sufferings are as Davids were the sufferings of God our sufferings are as Christs were most from God Matth. 26. 38. Mark 14. 33. why did Christ take some Disciples to pray with him why because he was affraid to pray alone and he prayed the same words thrice because he was amazed and could not go forward but prayed the same words over and over and it hath bin so with me when I had the spirit of bondage You talk much of a man crucified at Hierusalem some hundred years ago it is no such great matter to know that Christ suffered at Hierusalem but to know that we suffer as the Son that our iufferings are the sufferings of God there is the mystery I dare not say any more for the time is not yet come to speak the truth only thus David filled up what was before and we fill up what is behind of the sufferings of Christ Col. 1. 24. Rev. 12. 11. all our sufferings are the bloud of the Lamb 2. In our sayings as David Psal. 22. 22. Hebr. 2. 11 12. John 8. 28. Psal. 71. 17. David never went to School and hee knew hidden things 3. In songs Christ did sing in David we must sing in Christ we set up our selves when we do not speake and do things as the power of God and in the appearance of Christ we shall be as mopish as Saul if the Godhead do not appeare in us c. It was as we conceived high time to call Mr. Erbury to an account after so many fair warnings given him and so many foul errors preached by him both to Scholars and Citizens but because Master Erbury his followers were as confident as hee was that no man was able to disprove or refute him one of our company undertook that Task and offered to do it in the publick Schooles the fittest place for Scholars to dispute in but Master Erbury desired that the meeting might be at the University Church upon Monday the 11 of January at two of the clock in
owne arm John 16. 33 True saith M. Earbury but the Son hath no power of himself he hath all from the Father and so have the Saints and the Saints have the same power that Christ hath Our brother denied this bold assertion because the Saints are not Omnipotent nor hath the Father given power to the Saints to quicken whome they will nor have the Saints life in themselves as the Son hath life in himselfe and the Father in himselfe John 5. 21 26. His next argument was taken from Revel. 3. 21. The Saints have the same honour worship throne glory that the Son hath nay the same with the Father and therefore they have the same Godhead Our brother answered that hard and obscure places of Scripture should be expounded by plaine places But it is clear that all men ought to honour the Son even as they honour the Father John 5. 23. and it is as clear that the Saints are not to be honoured as the Father is whom M. Earbury acknowledgeth to be God of himself highest of all and greatest of all to give that honour to the Saints which is due to the Father is Robbery and Idolatry and to maintaine that it is due to the Saints is loud blasphemy There was another answer given more direct to that very Text Revel. 3. 21. our brother observed a distinction of Thrones expresly mentioned in the very Text The Saints shall sit with Christ in his Throne but Christ sits with his Father in his Fathers Throne Christ therefore must be considered as a glorified man and so the Saints shall sit upon the same Throne that Christ sits on as a glorified man but if Christ be considered as the Lord of Glory as the same God with his Father so he sits upon the same Throne with his Father Now though Christ promise that the Saints shall sit with him in his Throne yet he doth not say that they shall sit downe in his Fathers Throne as he himself doth who is in the Father and one God with the Father Nothing is more clear in Scripture then that no man save he that is God-man is to be advanced to the right hand of the Maiesty on high above all that is named in the world to come Ephes. 1. 20 21. His third argument out of the Book of the Revelation was grounded upon chapter 21. 7. They who inherit all things have the same fulnesse of the Godhead in them which Christ had who was heir of all things Heb. 1. 2. Our brother answered that Christ is the naturall Heir of God that we are the adopted Heirs of God Christ is Heir of all things by nature because he is God by nature but the Saints are Heirs by free grace whatever blessings they inioy from their election to their glorification proceeds from free and rich grace as they are elected so are they called iustified sanctified and glorified by free grace And the first Chapter to the Hebrews doth put a distinction between Christ and the Saints as is evident by the worke of Creation v. 2. his satisfaction v. 3. his eternall generation v. 5. we must not say to a Saint as God doth to Christ Thy Throne ô God endureth for ever vers. 8. M. Erbury promised us three Arguments more and threatned to draw them up into form His first Argument was taken from Isay 61. 1. to 7. They who are annointed as Christ are to preach the Gospel to the World and whom the World shall own as the only Ministers of Christ and shall honour as the Son they have the fulnesse of the Godhead in them but the Saints are annointed with the Godhead c. therefore There being but one clause of the major pertinent to the point in hand M. Erbury was desired to prove that the saints were annointed with the Godhead Mr. Erbury endeavoured to prove it by this Argument They who know all things are annointed with the Godhead but the Saints know all things therefore the Saints are annointed with the Godhead Our brother shewed that this was a fallacy à dicto secundum quid ad dictum simpliciter The answer was that the Saints do know all things suo modo that is all things necessary to salvation but they doe not know all things simply and universally because they are not omniscient They who are omniscient are anointed with the Godhead but c. The Saints are not omniscient therefore they are not annointed with the Godhead the contrary you see follows from that medium M. Cheynell therefore made it evident that unlesse by knowing all things was meant that they were omniscient the major was false if he took those terms in one sense in the major and another in the minor it was a false Syllogisme consisting of four terms as may appear to the eye They who are omniscient are annointed with the Godhead But the Saints know all things necessary to salvation therefore the saints are annointed with the Godhead M. Erbury said that Omniscient was no scripture-terme our brother desired him to prove that the Saints knew as much as God knoweth or take some other medium for though it was impossible to prove the proposition denied yet he might finde out some more probable medium Mr. Erbury tryed divers other wayes but could not conclude and therefore our brother being almost quite spent concluded the exercise as he began with prayer We shall not stand to make generall observations upon all Mr. Erbury's dictates but the designe is evident the Magistracy and Ministry of this Kingdome are both aimed at because godly Ministers preach up the power of Magistrates and prudent Magistrates countenance pious Ministers who were ordained by a Colledge of Ministers separated from Rome and Antichrist by a professed subjection to Jesus Christ and set apart to preach the Gospel of Christ by which all discerning Christians know Antichrist hath been much weakned and will in time be quite overthrown Nay it is cleare that all wel-grounded policy for the affairs of this life is grounded upon Religion for God and so godlinesse under God by his ordinance heaps all blessings upon the wisest and wel-built State it doth uphold and maintaine all Common-weals in an happy order and makes a land to become the land of Immanuel now the Christian religion cannot be upheld without a Christian Ministry for if a Ministry had not been necessary Christ would not have instituted it being necessary Christ will continue it for Christ will not be wanting to his Churh in things that are necessary for its edification and encrease the Ministry then being instituted and therefore necessary must be maintained for no Christian or company of Christians must presume to abolish an Institution of Jesus Christ The end of the Ministry is to work upon the conscience for the restraint of sin and to beget such graces as do incline both Governors to rule and inferiors to obey according to the word finally to nourish justice and charity temperance and
who had heard both Ministers preach M. Cheynell offered to meet at Mr. Mayors house and put off his other businesse that he might fulfill his promise but contrary to expectation Mr. Erbury desired to be excused whereupon Mr. Cheynell wrote to M. Erbury to meet him anywhere else if he desired a more private meeting or to meet him at the Scools if he desired a more publick disputation Mr. Erbury refused to write an answer or declare his opinion under his hand yet signified his desire to confer with Mr. Cheynell upon this answer Mr. Cheynell were to his Quarters and after conference with him did both beseech and admonish him before an Officer of the Army to study those points better and to consult some that were able to give him satisfaction in them for if he consulted none but unsetled men he did not take the right way to be setled Mr. Erbury replied that God did reveal the mystery of Christ to babes and conceal it not only from worldly wise men but from those that were spiritually wise as if any man could be spiritually wise without the knowledge of Christ surely this was as vain as if he had said Christ will save babes and damn those that are spiritually wise for no man can be wise to salvation who is ignorant of the saving mystery of Christ and certainly that is the mystery our Saviour speaks of Matth. 11. 25. 26. Master Erbury after this admonition preached to divers of the City in an high and daring way He took that portion of Scripture 1 Kings 4. 25. for his text and preached to this effect as we are credidly informed They are much deceived who say we deny the Godhead of Christ for Christ is nothing else but God he meaneth God the Father manifested in our flesh Christ is anointed with the Spirit that is the power of God Isay 61. 1. Luke 4. 18. He hath anointed me me what Christ as a distinct person from the Saints no Christ and all the saints For it is but simply understood to look upon Christ as distinct from the Saints because Christ and the saints make one man He is the head and we the Members He and we make one perfect man The Saints have the same anointing that Christ had and therefore as Christ was sent to preach so are they and indeed the only preaching and teaching from God is in the Saints It is not the wisdome of this Nation that can invent to send Preachers abroad but when God hath broken the Nation and their Formes they set up a new Forme but there will never be any true teaching till Christ doth appear in the Saints they only have the only oyle Isay 61. 3. 4. and therefore they only shall build the old waste places What is become of those Preachers that had their Orders from the Bishops and so from the Pope There is not one to be found in the North and in Wales they are gon to far Parsonages from whence Malignants have been thrown out You may see what a blessed Reformation we have now at this day the saints shall build these old wast places not men in holy Orders they will not accept of 20 by the year but the saints shall build them the saints not those who call themselves Ministers but those whom the people shall call Ministers Isay 61. 6. Priests and Ministers because they shall have a double portion of the spirit verse 7. double to that which the Priests had under the Law or Ministers heretofore under the Gospel and it shall be acknowledged that God is in their flesh verse 9. mark a double portion in their land that is in their flesh It is by providence that we speak now for the world seeks to hinder us but the Law shall go forth of Sion Micha 4. 2. Sion that is the place where God dwels where is that but in the saints The Law then shall go forth from the Saints what Law not the Commandements but the Law of the spirit shall go forth out of the saints even the Law of the spirit of life in Christ The word of the Lord shall go forth that is Christ himselfe Revel. 19. 13. that is there shall be an appearance of Christ in the Saints Kings shall bow down and lick the dust Psal. 72. 9 10 11. under whose feet why the feet of the Son and of the Saints as we shall shew hereafter and then there shall be peace Now there is a war amongst the Saints Independants against Presbyterians and they against the Rebaptized but when God shall appear in our flesh there will be no vexing of one another My deare friends be sure that where there is a destroying spirit in the Saints there is no appearance of Christ for this is nothing but the appearance of Antichrist and of the Divell who was a murderer from the beginning I am affraid to call them Saints who have the spirit to make a man an offender for a word who have an intent to catch men and imprison them nay bring them to death to take advantage of a mans weaknesse this is not the spirit of Christ this is the spirit of Antichrist for the Saints shall not hurt in all the holy mountaine not a Jew though he curse Christ Jesus nor a Turk that makes a scoff of the Son of God It is a strange hypocriticall nation this we have prayed these eighty years for the conversion of the Jews and yet we will not suffer a Jew to live amongst us I feare the bloud of the Jews cast out of this nation and abominably butchered is not yet washed away this is a meer mockery there must not a Papist nor a Malignant be suffered to live amongst us We pretend to Christ and we have not the spirit of Christ within us for a destroying spirit is the spirit of Antichrist Dear friends be not angry if the spirit of Antichrist appear in you for it was in Christs owne Apostles in three things First a spirit of Prelacy or pride the poor Fisher-men dispute who should be greatest Secondly a spirit of conformity because one did cast out Divels and did not follow them they forbad him Thirdly a spirit of cruelty suppose men will not owne Christ will ye destroy them are you of the spirit of Iames and John of a destroying spirit Christ came not to destroy any mans liberty or life therefore a destroying spirit is the spirit of Antichrist Consider what is said of the Beasts in the Revelation the Dragon was under Popery another Beast under Episcopacy and the next Beast is that of these times his appearance is lowly yet but he speaks like a dragon bonds banishment bloud Note first his pride he speaks high things Secondly the spirit of conformity you must receive a mark in your head and be of their opinion and a mark in your hand practise as they do Thirdly a spirit of cruelty to vex those that will not conform they must have no
Christ in the Father To this exposition there were these exceptions taken by our brother 1. Christ had the fulnesse of the Godhead before his ascension and therefore Christ did not ascend that he might receive the fulnesse of the Godhead 2. If the Godhead were imparted to any Saint that Saint would be as Christ is truly God 3. The Saints are not in the Father as Christ is in the Father for the divine Persons are {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} quia {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} they are in one another because they have one and the same infinite essence they are all three one and the same God 4. The Father is not the Godhead because the Father if we speak properly is the first Person the Godhead is the nature of all three Persons His next Argument was taken from John 14. 12. The Saints have a greater power then ever Christ had for every one that believes in Christ may doe greater works then ever Christ did Our brother answered that the speech was limited they should doe greater works then these that is greater then the miracles which Christs speech referred to and therefore Master Earbury did ill to interpret the Text as if the words were to be simply and universally taken when it is evident that they are to be restrained quoad materiam subiectam for Christ did satisfie the justice of God for the sins of all the elect which no Saint could ever have done M. Earbury was asked whether he would acknowledge that Christ satisfied Gods justice for the sins of all the elect but he would not answer yea or no but said that M. Cheynell endeavoured to intrap him M. Earbury said that the Apostles gaue the Holy Ghost which was a greater work then ever Christ did M. Cheynell desired him to prove that the Apostles gave the Holy Ghost as Christ did by their owne immediate power or prove that Christ did not give the Holy Ghost M. Earbury replyed that Christ did not give the Holy Ghost before his ascension and so retreated to his first hold as if Christ had ascended that he might receive such a fulnesse of the Godhead as did enable him to give the Holy Ghost Our brother desired them who were accquainted with the Socinian controversies to observe that M. Earbury had not his revelation from Heauen but Poland and desired M. Earbury to consider that Christ satisfied for the sins of the elect before his Ascension M. Earbury his next proof was taken from John 14. 20. 21. Joh. 17. 5. 21. 22. from whence he collected that the same fulness of the Godhead was given to the Saints wch was givē to Christ for the Saints have the same glory because they are one with Christ perfectly one with him as the Father is one with him therefore the fulnesse of the Godhead dwels in them The same glory which Christ asks for in the 5 verse he gives to the Saints verse 22. of the 17 of John there is the same union between Christ and the Saints which is between Christ and this Father verse 21. 23. the same love verse 23. I say the same love saith M. Earbury speake in as high a measure as you will I will prove the same measure nay there is a higher measure of love expressed to the Saints then to Christ though in a mystery there is the same love and the same union that is an union of love Many answers were given to this Argument which need not be repeated To that concerning union with Christ it was answered to this effect That the union betweene Christ and the Saints is either a mysticall union by faith or a morall union by love or a glorious union by a beatificall fruition And because M. Earbury pressed the word as one with the Father as Christ is one our brother answered that there was a received distinction among Divines sicut veritatis sicut aequalitatis sicut similitudinis As doth sometimes note onely the truth of a thing and so the union between Christ and the Saints is a true union a reall though a mysticall and spirituall union 2. As notes no equality in that place of John though it may note a similitude so the proportion and distance be observed betweene creatures and their Creator Finally M. Cheynell told him that the interpretation smelt too strong of Poland when he intimated that there was only an union of love between the Father and Christ for there is also an union of nature but there is not an union of nature between God and the Saints the saints are joyned to Christ by faith and are therefore one spirit with him 1 Cor. 6. 17. but they are not one God with him Then M. Earbury insisted very long upon Coloss. 2. because that Chapter doth explain the mystery of God even the Father and of Christ verse 2. though the Spirit that is the power of God as we said before even Christ who is the wisdome of God and the power of God doth manifest himself Joh. 14. 21. The Father is the eternall God God in himself and of himselfe greater then all and highest of all the Father is the Godhead and he fils the man Christ with all the fulnesse of the Godhead Coloss. 2. 9. For Christ hath all given to him as the Saints have and as there is the fullnesse of the Godhead in Christ so is there also in the Saints For they are {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} verse 10. which is rendred compleat now the Saints are not compleat till they are filled with all the fulnesse of God Ephes. 3. 19. filled with love for God is love and that love wherewith we are filled is God filled with Christ the wisdome of God and with the spirit the power of God with those three that are in Heaven this is the mystery and it is incomprehensible for the love of God to Christ and the Saints is Incomprehensible We fear that you would be tired out if all that was objected against this exposition should be related but it must be observed first that when M. Earbury speaks of God he saith God even the Father and when he mentions the Father he saith the Father is God himselfe the eternall God c. whereby he doth intimate that Christ is not God of himself the eternall God equall to his Father Our brother therefore took exceptions against these expressions because they seemed not to drop from M. Earbury but to be affected since they were so often repeated M. Cheynell offered to prove that Christ is God by nature God of himselfe equall to his Father M. Earbury replied dear Sir you are not to dispute but to answer what I object whereas indeed M. Earbury was to have been respondent and did make a Speech instead of a Supposition for the explication of his Thesis and therefore M. Cheynell should have had free liberty to have disputed and M. Earbury was engaged to answer his arguments