Iohn testifieth where he calleth he The Mother of Harlots and the abhominations of the earth and foresheweth how drunke she would be with the blood of the Saints and with the Martyrs of Iesus And as he laid to the charge of the Scribes and Pharisees of his time the blood of the righteous that had been slaine from Abel to Zecharias so he chargeth these with the blood of all that euer for the truth should be slaine vpon the earth and with his owne blood also because they and those that crucified him are all of one house and generation euen from Cain to this day being the right and true successors of one another in euill So that their maine argument of succession in the roomes chaires of the righteous seruants of God auaileth them nothing to the purpose they aime at seeing this not only may be but is their condition notwithstanding For as they were not of Abrahams seed which came of Abraham after the flesh nor they all Israel that came of Israel and as that was not circumcision which was outward in the flesh nor that baptisme which washeth away but the filth of the flesh so neither is that the true heauenly and spirituall succession which is outward by an externall ordination and succession in the roomes and seates of the righteous seruants of God but the true and heauenly succession which haue all those heauenly treasures belonging to it is that which Christ hath built vpon the rocke are they that haue the faith of Peter of Iohn and the rest of the Apostles euen those liuely stones which Saint Peter speaketh of who are by faith built vpon Christ the chiefe corner stone like as Peter was and so are made a spirituall house by this meanes and do offer vp spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ and are that chosen generation that royal priesthood holy nation and peculiar people which he describeth who haue receiued spirituall gifts from aboue as Saint Paul testifieth saying Wherefore he saith when he ascended vp on high he led captiuitie captiue and gaue gifts to men According as Saint Iames saith Euery good and perfect gift is from abouâ— and cometh downe from the Father of lights with whom there is no variablenesse nor shadow of turning That as they only are the seed and children of Abraham that haue the faith and works of Abraham and as the circumcision of the heart is the true circumcision and as to haue the heart sanctified by faith through the Spirit is to be baptized with the baptisme which saueth to put on Christ by baptisme and to be a true Christian so likewise to be a true Pastor or Elder is to enterâ—â—in by the doore first euen through Christ by faith for he is the doore the way whereby euery true Pastor must enter and to be called and ordained of God by those heauenly gifts of Christ whereby they are made able Ministers of the new Testament and then in the second place to be approued and iustified of his Church and children of wisedome For the calling of a true Minister of God and that which maketh him so to be is as heauenly and spirituall as that which maketh a true Christian else euery true Christian had a greater priuiledge then euery true Minister of Christ which doubtlesse is not so but rather euery true Minister hath a greater yea such are the gifts of the Spirit which Christ since his ascension hath giuen to his Church for the administration of the Gospel of peace that whereas he gaue this testimonie of Iohn that in regard of the gifts of the Spirit which were giuen him for the administration of repentance a greater Prophet then Iohn was neuer before him borne of women yet neuerthelesse he saith that he which is least in the kingdome of heauen is greater then he meaning the least true Minister of the Gospell the word of reconciliation And if yet they alledge for their separation as their maner is to doe That in the Church of England there be many very superstitiously minded many vngodly proud couetous and vnclean persons both in the publique office of the ministery as also of the people who do partake as well in the Sacrament of the Supper as in the administration of the word let them remember what hath been manifested before as touching the estate of the Churches in the Apostles times how that there were then in the Churches false Apostles false teachers deceiuers some that preached Christ through enuie some that had eyes full of adulterie and that could not cease from sinne some that made merchandize of the people some who went to law one with annother and that amongst the infidels couetous wicked proud lasciuious persons which had not repented of their wickednes some that made their belly their God whose glory was their shame who minded earthly things and some that at the Sacrament of the Supper were drunken and despised the poore these and diuers other euills were in the Churches and yet no separation to be made from any of them onely the Apostles sharply reproued those deceiuers as euill doers and warned the people with teares to take heed of them and of their euills and to shun them Againe there were some that with conscience of the very Idols of the heathen did eate things in sacrifice to the Idoll as Saint Paul affirmeth saying For some with conscience vnto the Idoll vnto this houre eate it as a thing offered vnto an Idoll Declaring vnto them that the things which the Gentiles sacrificed they sacrificed to Deuills and not to God and said I will not that you should haue fellowship with Diuells yee cannot drinke of the cup of the Lord and of the cup of the deuills yee cannot be partaker of the Lords table and the table of deuills Do yee prouoke the Lord c. And by this it appeareth they came also to the Lords table though as Saint Paul told them they could not truly and spiritually partake thereof so long as they did partake of the other Yea it is euident that these corinthians were much adicted to their old heathenish superstitions For Saint Paul in his next Epistle doth againe call vpon them saying Be not vnequally yoked with Infidels for what fellowship hath righteousnes with vnrighteousnes what communion hath light with darknes and what concord hath Christ with Beliall and what part hath he that beleeueth with an Infidell and what agreement hath the Temple of God with Idolls for yee are the Temple of the liuing God as God hath said I will dwell in them and walke in them and will be their God and they shall be my people wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate from them and touch not the vncleane thing and I will receiue you and will be a Father vnto you and yee shall be my Sonnes and Daughters saith the Lord Almighty
of Iudas and of his fellow disciples who could not relish the words of eternall life which Christ spake saying Except ye eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his blood ye haue no life in you and the case of those Antichrists and of those vnfaithfull euill hearted draw-backs as it hath been the case of many thousands more and is still at this day yet the case of Peter of Iohn and the rest of the Apostles was far otherwise as is now also the case of all regenerate true hearted Christians they beleeue to the sauing of the soule they eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his blood spiritually by faith and haue eternall life abiding in them they dwell in Christ and Christ in them they are borne of God and therefore draw not backe sinne not to perdition for the seed whereby they are begotten remaineth in them neither can they so sinne because they are borne of God nay they are sealed by the holy Spirit of promise vnto the day of redemption they ouercome the world endure and keepe his words and works vnto the end they are the liuely stones of Gods temple built vpon the chiefe corner stone who are made a spiritual house to offer vp spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ his Church against which the gates of hell shall not preuaile they are the good ground spoken of the good trees which cannot bring forth euill fruit but good only the euill which they doe at any time is not their fruit because it proceedeth not from their hearts but is done vnwillingly through weaknesse for in their hearts they serue the law of God The Scriptures account that to be a mans fruite which cometh from his heart whether it be good or euill because thereby the nature of the fountaine which is the heart is knowne as the nature of trees are by their fruite So that the nature of a good man I meane that which is borne of the Spirit not his fleshly nature is now to bring foorth good fruite only as Christ testifieth saying A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth foorth that which is good We can do nothing against the truth saith the Apostle A good tree cannot bring forth euill fruite And whereas the Scriptures speake so often after this maner If ye hold fast vuto the end If ye continue Him that ouercometh and keepeth my words and works to the end then are ye his house then will he approue of ye then shall ye be saued And on the contrary He that looketh behind him He that endureth not If any draw backe or fall away c. he is not meete for the kingdome of God My soule shall haue no pleasure in him There remaines no more sacrifice for sin The drift of the Spirit of God is to informe vs of the different estates and conditions of Christians of the danger of the one estate and of the well being and safetie of the other that so we seeing the difference and being forewarned thereof might not depend vpon that which is so dangerous but striue vnto that wherein there is safetie And where it saith of some Let them be blotted out of the booke of the liuing I will put his name out of the booke of life The meaning is not that God will put any mans name out of the booke of life that is written therein but his meaning is that such desperate and wicked persons as blaspheme his truth and Spirit shall be set down as it were with a blot cursed vtterly excluded and pronounced against for such as there is no hope or place for repentance as was Iudas and others of his companions of whom it was foresaid Let them be blotted out of the booke of the liuing let them not be written with the righteous c. for they persecue him whom thou hast smitten they talke to the griefe of those whom thou hast chosen So that whereas men may seeme to haue a place among the Saints in the Church of God and to be in as good an estate as they by reason of some gifts of the Spirit which they may receiue and some alteration the word of God may worke in them yet being neuer sanctified in heart by the faith of the Sonne of God in time they discouer themselues to be in heart euill and aduersaries to the truth and such as God doth by his word exclude and pronouuce cursed children twice dead and pluckt vp by the rootes such as neuer had nor shall haue their names written with his people in his records of life which before their discouerie might seeme both to themselues and to others to haue and therefore it is said And from him that hath not shall be taken away euen that which he seemeth to haue which seemeth also to be an improper speech for how can that which a man hath not be said to be taken from him He had something may some say and it is true he had heard and receiued the word with ioy but not in deepenesse of root not in a good heart his heart was neuer sanctified by faith like vnto his that brought forth fruit he was enlightned and had tasted of the good word of God and of the powers of the world to come but he seemed and made shew to haue more he presumed no doubt that his name was written in the booke of life which was more then that he had receiued could warrant him This his pretended shew is now also taken from him and his name is openly by the iust sentence of Gods word put out of all hope of being or euer to be written in the book of life and he is now like the earth which bringeth forth nothing but briars and thornes neere vnto cursing it is impossible he should now be renewed For nothing is secret saith the text that shall not be made manifest nor any thing hid that shall not be knowne and come to light Therefore saith he take heed how ye heare For whosoeuer hath to him shall be giuen and he shall haue abundance and whosoeuer hath not from him shall be taken away euen that which he seemeth to haue But what is the booke of life for peraduenture it is a secret to some doubtlesse It is both Gods secret and reuealed decree or will concerning such as shal be saued by that which is reuealed the secret is made knowne His secret decree we haue in the first beginning of our writing shewed which briefly is this That God before the world was foreseeing the fall of mankind did chuse in Christ a certaine number of them to life and saluation which were all foreseen and knowne of him and recorded by his decree in the roule of Christ before they were his reuealed will or decree which we haue before also at large exprest is briefly this namely the speciall promises and testimonies of
beleeue and acknowledge him and submit themselues to be informed by his word though they had not yet either true repentance or iustifying faith For they knew that such a beliefe and profession as made men meet for outward baptisme might be where iustifying faith was not and that both that beliefe profession and baptisme did but make a Christian outwardly as the outward profession and circumcision of the Iewes did but make a Iew outwardly and no better did they iudge or conclude of any but when they saw better cause Now concerning the baptizing of children which they say is no baptisme at all but do call it the marke of the Beast we affirme that the children of all such beleeuers as may themselues be baptized may also be baptized and that it is not nor can be the marke of the Beast spoken of but is true outward baptisme First to auoid many of their vaine and idle obiections and that we may come the more cleerer to the point let vs remember that it is sufficiently proued already that all haue sinned in Adam and that death is passed on all for that all haue sinned in him being polluted from their very conceptions and that therefore there is a necessitie of a new birth from aboue of water and of the Spirit as wel to the yongest man of dayes or houres as to the eldest man of yeares So that whosoeuer is borne of the flesh he must be borne again from aboue of the Spirit either sooner or later if he be saued and that although repentance and faith be the parts of this new birth and that repentance hath these parts whereby it is exprest in men of yeares sorrow for sinne confession of sinne and desire of pardon as we haue before defined and that iustifying faith which is the other part of this new birth be an assurance or full perswasion wrought in the repentant heart by the Spirit of the forgiuenesse of his sinnes and reconciliation with God in Iesus Christ as we haue also defined it I say in men of yeares who also do confesse with the mouth as it is written With the heart man beleeueth vnto righteousnesse and with the mouth confession is made vnto saluation yet neuerthelesse the true nature of both these parts of the new birth may be in another maner defined and still remaine the same in substance as the first part is called in Scripture A heart of flesh an humble and contrite heart a broken heart and Saint Paul calleth it the fleshly tables of the heart in which regard it is called the baptisme of water and the birth of water which we define thus namely that it is a speciall effect or working of the holy Ghost whereby the heart which is naturally hard and stubburne euen from the birth is made soft and tender as water or as flesh is in comparison of a stone that so it may receiue the impression of the grace and loue of God The second part which is called the baptisme of the holy Ghost and the birth of the Spirit we define to be a speciall gift of the Spirit also but more excellent which writeth and sealeth in the soft and tender heart of flesh grace and peace from God in Christ and filleth it with heauenly comfort and ioy like vnto that which is said of Iohn being in his mothers womb when the voice of the salutation of Mary sounded in the eares of Elizabeth The babe leaped in her womb for ioy which doubtlesse was caused by the Spirit of Christ in the soule of the child Now in this sort children are capable of both the parts and so of the whole new birth which in them is no other in nature but the very same which is in men of yeares though it be not outwardly so exprest as we may perceiue by the words of Paul to the faithfull of the Church of Corinth Forasmuch saith he as ye are manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ ministred by vs written not with inke but with the Spirit of the liuing God not in tables of stone but in the fleshly tables of the heart For as the law of death was written in tables of stone and all the hard and stonie hearts of the whole posteritie of Adam not onely might but also did and doe receiue euen in their very conceptions a deepe impression thereof so on the contrary the law of the Spirit of life which is in Christ Iesus euer was is and is to be written in hearts of flesh soft and tender hearts and in no other And therefore it was that God did promise to take away from his elect the hard and stonie heart and to giue them a heart of flesh an humble and broken heart because his pleasure and promise is to dwell with such to reuiue and comfort them and no other And to speake plainly howsoeuer perhaps some doe otherwise conceiue it is not our act of beleeuing that doth iustifie vs but it is the free gift of grace sealed in our hearts by the Spirit of Christ whereby God iustifieth vs which grace and Spirit is the cause of our act of beleeuing or faith by which we are so often said in Scripture to be iustified where the effect is named for the cause by reason it is thereby made apparent vnto vs as also in another sense we are said to be iustified by works because works do demonstrate and make manifest our faith to others as it is said of the primitiue Church of Rome that their faith had shined throughout the world meaning by works which are the effects of faith So that Saint Paul calleth the faithfull the Epistle of Christ not so much for their act of beleeuing as in respect of the grace of God which was written in their hearts by the Spirit of Christ by which they did now beleeue and crie Abba Father as it is written He hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts which crieth Abba Father And for this cause the grace of the Gospell is called The law of the Spirit of life which is in Christ Iesus These things being so what should now let that children may not be baptized Are they capable as we see of regeneration and are they not capable of the signe thereof May their hearts be sanctified by the Spirit of Christ and may not the filth of their flesh be washed off with water for the baptisme of water is bnt the doing away of the filth of the flesh as Saint Peter speaketh euen as outward circumcision was but the cutting off the fore-skin of the flesh representing the cutting off the sinnes of the flesh the circumcision of the heart as also baptisme doth For the circumcision which was the cutting off part of the fore-skin of the flesh and that baptisme or washing away the filth of the flesh we doe not say that the one was a type of the other but were both types of one truth namely the baptisme or purification of
people to himselfe euen before the foundation of the world not for qualities sake which then were not but for his owne good pleasure sake and to the end that they should be in time qualified with spirituall and heauenly gifts holy affections blamelesse life and holy conuersation euen as he did predestinate them also before the world vnto the adoption of children by Iesus Christ which was to be actually fulfilled in time that so all might be to the praise of the glorie of his grace And for further proofe that election is before qualities of faith and obedience and not of qualities but of persons to be qualified see what Christ himselfe saith foretelling of the great abhomination of desolation dayes of the tribulation of Antichrist which should come into the world whereby the truth should be cast to the ground and the Saints of the most High consumed But for the elects sake those dayes shall be shortned Meaning by the elect not qualities nor persons qualified but persons to be qualified not then being nor to be till many hundred yeares after euen till these our times as experience hath proued For those dayes of desolation were not then begun neither did that Man of sinne rise vp till neare foure hundred yeares after and those elect were to be in the dayes of his consumption when his dayes of desolation should begin to grow short as the text sheweth which time is now at last come into the world And although his time of desolation hath been long and that his dayes of tyrannie are not yet fully ended yet neuerthelesse both it and they are now well wasted and shortned according to the word of the Lord and his Gospel shineth in stead thereof not only in other kingdomes and parts abroad but chiefly in this our Land blessed be his name therefore which had it not been had Antichrist with his dayes of desolation continued still in the full strength and height they were had not he that sitteth on the white horse whose name is called the Word of God taken his owne cause in hand and with the spirit of his mouth consumed and cut short as he daily doth those abhominable dayes of the Man of sin questionlesse no flesh should now in these last times haue bin saued but all had bin ouerwhelmed with his deceit as it is writtē And except those dayes should be shortned there should no flesh be saued but for the elects sake those dayes shall be shortned nay they are shortned the light of the Gospel shineth the elect are thereby daily called sanctified and saued Hence it is euident that election is before calling and iustification euen as predestination is seeing God doth count and call them his elect so long before they are in being and that election is to those blessed ends whereof the Gospell is the onely meanes And for further confirmation of this point Saint Paul declareth that all the seed which God did couenant with Abraham to call in Isaac saying In Isaac shall thy seed by called yea Isaac himselfe and Iacob likewise were chosen of God in Christ and knowne of him before either Christ or one thousand part of that seede were borne being onely promised of God to Abraham as a seed and generation spirituall not of Isaac and his naturall ofspring onely but of the Gentiles also and were to be deriued in a spirituall maner of that one seed the Messias promised in which Abraham beleeued though he were not to come into the world for many hundred yeares after in respect whereof God said vnto him I haue made thee a father of many nations This seed of Abraham Saint Paul calleth the children of promise because they are all borne by promise as was Isaac being of that one seed which is Christ and part of that small remnant which he had reserued in him before the foundation of the world but for whose sake we had not continued till now but had been made like Sodome long before this day And that this seed and children of Abraham were chosen of God in Christ before they were borne Saint Paul further proueth it by the words spoken to Rebecca concerning Iacob saying And not onely this but when Rebecca also was conceiued by one euen by our father Isaac for the children being not yet borne nor hauing done good or euil that the purpose of God according to election might stand not of works but by reason of him that calleth it was said vnto her The elder shall serue the yonger as it is witten Iacob haue I loued and Esaw haue I hated By this word of promise concerning Iacob Saint Paul proueth more fully I say that which in substance he had declared before by the word of promise as touching Isaac and as concerning the seed which God did promise Abraham to call in Isaac namely that the purpose of God according to election his free loue in chusing vs first in Christ is the true ground and principall cause of all spirituall blessings in heauenly things which in time we come to enjoy in him For doubtlesse there was no cause in Iacob more then in Esaw why God should haue this respect vnto him more then to Esaw the seed of euill was sowne in him also and their natures were both corrupt euen from their conception yea from Adam in whose loines both they and their parents were when he transgressed And as the tree or plant which for want of strength being yong tender cannot yeeld forth fruit whereby it nature may be shewen yet being in nature euill the substance and root of euill is therein and so as without a replantation and coniunction with some tree or plant of better nature it can bring forth no other but euill fruit so Iacob as well as Esaw his nature being also corrupt and euill had not God intercepted him and as he had chosen him before in Christ so by a new birth or replantation changed his nature his heart I meane he would haue brought forth no other but euill fruit also as well as his brother Esaw euen to his last houre and so haue perished together Thus much shall serue for the truth of Gods election Their third point is That all men haue free will in themselues as well to repent of their sinnes to beleeue the Gospell and obtaine saluation as they haue to remaine in hardnesse of heart and vnbeliefe and in the estate of damnation Answ TO teach that all or that any men haue as free will in themselues to repent to beleeue the Gospell and obtaine saluation as they haue to remaine in the contraries is very erroneous and Antichristian But the truth is this That as we haue all sinned in and from our father Adam and are excluded from the glorie of God and from the ioy of his presence so haue we all lost and are depriued of all possibilitie
enquiry from whence he came or who ordained him he could not doe such a worke except God sent him though he came from Rome If thou saist Euangelists may preach the Gospell to the people and ordaine Elders as Timothy and Titus did It is true but where be they who shall ordaine such and send them to doe this Apostles we haue none If thou saist disciples may preach as the seuentie did c. I aske still who made those disciples Didst thou euer know a field beare good wheate that was neuer sowne If thou hast found good disciples doubtles there was one or other that did first informe them So that thou mayst see thou art still in the same case thou wert in and that of necessitie it will follow that if there can be no true Church till there be a new outward ordination then there will neuer be a true Church Wherefore we conclude against thee and against all that are of thy iudgement that as you erre greatly in all your former points so in this and as many of the former do agree with the ancient errors of the Antichristian Church of Rome so doth this for they deny Gods predestination and election of some particular persons in Christ to grace and life from the foundation of the world and so doe you They teach free will and falling away from the best grace and that the certaintie of mans saluation doth depend vpon his acts of faith obedience and continuing therein and so doe you They teach that outward ordination and succession doth make constitute and proue a true Church and so say you in part if not in the whole That whereas you charge others to be of Antichrist and his Church it is euident you are more neerely allied to her by these deceitfull doctrines of hers then they can be with the things ye charge them with Nay they may notwithstanding be free from her when you shall by this meanes be found children of her If outward ordination and succession in that kind doe make constitute or be an Argument sufficient to to proue a true Church a Church wherein Christ dwelleth against which the gates of hell shall not preuaile to which Christ hath giuen the keyes of the kingdome of heauen and power to bind and to loose to remit and to retaine sins which is the pillar and ground of truth which hath the spirit of truth which Christ promised to be with vnto the end of the world and that wheresoeuer two or three of them should be gathered together in my name he would be in the middest for all these treasures and many more do belong to the true Church which is the body and spouse of Christ then the Chuch of Rome hath as good ground for the proofe and confirmation of her selfe to be the same true Church as any Church else whatsoeuer nay better ground then any other can shew And therefore her children which stands for her and doe pleade her cause take this to be and doe vse it as the strongest and most inuinciblest argument they haue to proue their Church to be the onely true Church this day extant and that all Churches and Christians ought therefore to come vnder her gouernment to be taught and nurtured by her to submit to her counsels ordinances canons decrees doctrines of faith rules for manners ceremonies censures and whatsoeuer she shall impose because what such a Church which hath those forenamed priuiledges shall agree vpon teach or command is truth and may not be questioned or opposed and therefore it is said For it seemed good vnto the holy Ghost and to vs. But we vtterly deny any such ordination or succession to make constiture or to be an argument sufficient to proue such a true Church and affirme that a Church may be false and Antichristian notwithstanding the same For although there be such an ordination and succession a Church against which the gates of hell shall not preuaile as the Lord himselfe declareth saying And vpon this rocke will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it to which all those former priuiledges do belong and are to continue with vnto the end of the world yet we denie that kinde of ordination and succession to be it or to haue any of those priuiledges belonging thereunto but that it may be notwithstanding an vtter aduersary to the true succession and to all those her treasures which wee proue thus That kind of ordination and succession which haue opposed the word and truth of God that haue persecuted and murdered his seruants from time to time for the preaching and maintaining of the same truth and word of God is not nor can be that ordination and succession or church against which the gates of hell shall not preuaile nor to which any of those treasures do belong but may be an aduersary both to it them But the outward ordination and succession in the roomes publique offices and seates of the true Elders and Priests of God which is the best ordination and succession the Church of Rome that now is hath or can pleade for her selfe and which the separations doe contend for haue opposed the word and truth of God haue persecuted and killed the seruants of God which preached and maintained the same his word and truth and for the same cause Therefore the outward ordination and succession in the roomes publique offices and seates of the true Elders and Priests of God is not nor can be that ordination and succession or church against which the gates of hell shall not preuaile or to which any of her priuiledges do belong but may be an vtter aduersary both to her and them And that such an ordination and succession as the Church of Rome and our Separatists pleadeth and contendeth for haue done and may doe all these euils against the truth and true seruants of God is euident by those Priests Elders and Scribes of the Church of the Iewes who had their outward ordination and succession from the former Elders and Priests yea from Moses and Aaron and sate in their seates and supplied their places and yet neuerthelesse were the great opopposers of Gods word and truth and the persecuters and murderers of the Prophets and righteous men of God which preached the same his word and truth from time to time as Christ himselfe often affirmeth to their faces and foretelleth them in a parable that they would be the betrayers and murderers of him also which shortly after came to passe And the Church of Rome for her part hath shewed herselfe in enmitie to the truth and bloody proceedings against the maintainers thereof for aboue a thousand yeares not onely to equall but to out-strip Ierusalem and to be euen the perfection and full accomplishment as it were of all abhominations cruelties against the truth of God and his Church according as Christ by the ministery of his Angell vnto his seruant