him into life but there was no prescript or set form of outward worship enjoyned to the sons of men till the dayes of Moses nor then to any others but the Israelites and that when they were mad upon outward things witness their making of the golden Calf True it is That the holy Prophets and Saints of the primitive Church shortly after the Apostles dayes seeing that the people then were grown outwardly minded also did for unity and edification sake bring in a form of Divine Service called the Liturgy which was both pious and very profitable and how far it may oblige us to observe it we will not here dispute But the forms of worship that now are in the reformed Churches are but prudential and not Jure divino Secondly whereas you make thanksgiving and prayer to be a part of Gods set solemn primary and prescript worship We grant that thansgiving shall be a part of Gods everlasting worship in Heaven but prayer with the reading of the holy Scriptures sound preaching and conscionable hearing of the word the holy administration and receiving of the Sacraments the singing of Psalms extraordinary fasts oaths vows c. all which you make parts of Divine worship are onely holy duties and means appointed by the Lord for the begetting and edifying of his Church but no parts of any set or prescript worship as you imagine yet are they piously and often to be used Thirdly you are mistaken not onely in the matter but in the time which is by you set a part thereunto that being left to the care piety prudence and convenience of the Churches Heb. 10.25 Acts 20.7.8 1 Cor. 5 4. 1 Cor. 11.18 20. Nor doth the fourth Commandment as it is positive bind any but the Israelites nor was the seventh day or the last day of the week to be kept as a Sabboth from the creation till the resurrection of Christ For that which is spoken Gen. 2.3 That God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it may be two wayes understood First by way of Anticipation a thing usual in the Scriptures Exod. 18.33 34 35. Gen. 1.27 Or Secondly it may be spoken of Christ in whom the Father hath rested from all his works and whom he hath blessed and sanctified for ever Neither was that day from the resurrection of Christ changed into the first day of the week by Christ or his Apostles as you affirm His arising upon that day or his appearing to his Disciples upon or shortly after that day without a Commandment to observe it do not any way enforce the observation of it The two places to which you refer us carry also little force with them for that in the Acts Chap. 20.7 We say that the occasion of that meeting was extraordinary to wit Paul being ready to depart the next day and not likely to see them any more sent for them and their meeting was not till the first day of the week was ended for it was in the night that they met And the other place 1 Cor. 16.1 2. not speaking of a publick contribution to be made upon the first day of the week but of a private laying a part of some money for such publike uses rather proves that day to be a working day when the Saints were to begin their next weeks work then an holy day Nor finally is it clear that this day is called the Lords Day and muchless that it was instituted for a perpetual holy day or Christian Sabbath for that place Revel 1.10 seems not to speak of any outward time for when the Prophets and Apostles purpose to intimate the time when they received the word of the Lord they never omit the yeer or moneth as John doth so that if he here would hiâ—t the time it may rather seem he speaks of the annual day of Christs resurrection whose mouth was then well known then of the weekly day But there is an inward and spiritual day of the Lord and so a true and spiritual Lords Day which the Saints hoped for and this as it seems was now appeared unto John Heb. 10.25 But exhorting one another and so much the rather as you see the day approaching 1 Cor. 1.7 8. So that you come behinde in no gift waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall confirm you unto the end that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 1.19 Vntill the day dawn and the day Star arise in your hearts of which coming of his as Christ had given his promise to all his disciples Joh. 14.18 I will not leave you Orphans I will come again unto you So he in special intimates that John should live to see the same and share therein John 21.22 Jesus speaking of John saith thus to Peur If I will that he shall tarry till I come what is that to thee which coming of Christs can be no other then that his spiritual coming promised John 14.21 25. And indeed those latter words Rev. 1.10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Lords day seem to expound the former words I was in the spirit and to declare what measure and degree of the spirit he had then attained when he received that revelation Howsoever most certain it is that the observation of our Lords Day was first taken up by the voluntary and prudential act of the Primitive Churches and afterwards that day with Wednesday and Friday were commanded to be dayes of holy Assemblies by Constantine the great and other holy Emperors as Ecclesiastical Hystories testifie with one consent and the greatest part of modern writers confess So that your propositions in the seventh Section which we have denyed are very rash and bold assertions some whereof are also very injurious for how can those countreys which have either a perpetual day or a perpetual night for many moneths together every yeer punctually observe such an outward Sabboth as you impose We grant that the fourth Commandement is moral as well as the rest but the morality of it lyeth not in appointing one day in seven for a publike outward worship nor was it appointed for that end by Moses though after he returns from Babylon in part so used but rather for a figurative rest but in resting from our own finful thoughts words and works through the help of Christ in keeping Gods Judgements and Commandements through his assistance and in seeking our eternal sanctification life and rest in him as Clemens Alexandrinus Hieronym and almost all the ancients with the best of our modern writers unanimously agree Christ saith that he Gave the Sabboth to be a sign that he is the Lord that Sanctifieth us Exod. 31.13 Ezek. 20.12 and Saint Paul saith That not only the other holy dayes but even the Sabboth were a shadow in the old Testament and the body of them is in Christ Col. 2.16 yea that the Sabboth which is spoken of Esai 58.13 is Christ whom we must not trample under foot by
preaching of Noah 2 Pet. 2.5 or extraordinarily by Angels Dreams Visions Inspirations and the like revealed his will to the Prophets and Apostles of old you are very much mistaken For as Gods arm is not now shortened so neither is his care good will and love towards the sons of men changed He hath of late as elsewhere so in Wirtembergh spoken to a servant of his by an Angel and forewarned them of the return and reinvasion of the Turks to chastise all those parts of Europe for their wickedness And for raising up of Prophets upon special occasion consider these ensuing Scriptures among many others Numb 12.6 If there be a Prophet among you I the Lord will make my self known unto him in a vision and will speak unto him in a dream Where the Lord speaketh of that which is his usual course and practise and that which he will continue to do Isai 59.21 As for me this is my Covenant with them saith the Lord my spirit which is upon thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed saith the Lord from henceforth and for ever Amos 3.7 Surely the Lord God will do nothing but he first revealeth his secrets to his servants the Prophets Joel 2.28 29. And it shall come to pass afterwards that I will pour out of my spirit upon all flesh and your sons and your Daughters shall Prophefie and your old men shall dream dreams and your young men shall see visions c. Matth. 28.34 Wherefore behold I send unto you Prophets and wise men and Scribes and some of them yee shall kill c. Rev. 6 9 10 11. Among other things to come John saw when Christ had opened the fift seal under the Altar the soules of them lying which were slain for the word of God and for the Testimony which they held c. and heard that more of them should be slain Now this their Testimony is not onely called the Testimony of Jesus Christ Rev. 12.17 but also the Spirit of prophesie it self Rev. 9 10. Even when Babylon is not onely come to her height but her downfal also there are Apostles and Prophets found in the Church who are called to rejoyce at her overthrow Rev. 18.20 Rejoyce over her thou Heaven and ye holy Apostles and Prophets for God hath avenged you on her see also vers 24. For in her was found the blood of holy Prophets and of Saints and of all that are slain upon the Earth To all which add that of Wisdom 7.27 For shee that is Wisdom being but one can do all things and remaining in her self she maketh all things new and in all ages entring into holy souls she makes them friends of God and Prophets Out of all which and many Scriptures more it is evident that the Lord wil have Prophets in all ages and especially when he is about to bring extraordinary Judgments upon the World in generall and the Churches in speciall and that the last times shall abound most of all with the prophetical Spirit so that these extraordinary ways of Gods revealing himself neither are ceased nor shall determine in the Militant Church Secondly in the third Section you Words are these The Books commonly called Apocrypha not being of Divine inspiration are no part of the Canon of the Scriptures and therefore are of no authority in the Church of God nor to be any otherwise approved or made use of then other humane Writings Where we cannot but wonder at three things First that you should equal those Books to other humane Writings without any discrimination for you know that some humane Writings are prophane some meerly fabulous some obscene some impious some blasphemous and some Atheistical Secondly that you should give the Books in the generall commonly called Apocryphal no preheminence above other humane Writings since you know that they cannot only plead their Antiquity but Gods special preservation that the Church and Saints have bin their Treasurers and Library keepers that they have been bound up and translated in various Languages with the other Oracles of God which by all are acknowledged Canonicall that they have been allowed and appointed to be read not only in private but publickly Nor are you ignorant what an high esteem both Saint Augustine and other Fathers had of them above all humane Writings though they did not hold them coequal every way with those commonly called Canonicall And lastly we marvail that you should use no distinction at all concerning these Books but pass the same censure upon them all alike Since that the Book of Tobit or Tobias is extant in the Hebrew as wel as Greek and Latin the Book of Ecclesiasticus was translated out of the Hebrew text by Jesus the son of Sirach as himself confesseth This Book with the Book of Wisdom breaths forth such a spirit of Wisdom and Holiness that it may be said Non vox hominem sonat that it transcends all humane capacity To say nothing that the words which the Apostle hath Hebrews chap. 1. vers 3. Who being the brightness of his glory and the express Image of his person c. seem to be taken out of the 7 chap. of Wisdom vers 26. these words Hebr. 11.5 That he had pleased God are taken out of Wisd 4.10 compare 1 Cor. 6.2 with Wisd 3.8 More especially the fourth Book of Esdras is acknowledged by Clemens Alexandrinus Faber and many more learned men to be written by inspirement of the Holy Ghost It is owned as Canonicall by diverse holy Prophets of later times Our Saviour cites these words which are written Mat. 23.37 38 How often would I have gathered thy children together even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye would not Behold your house is left unto you desolate out of the second Book of Esdras chap. 1. vers 30. Many things shewed to St John in the Revelation are found in that Book It is doubtless a most lively prediction of these last times and the great famine and generall desolation spoken of in the last Chapter which is now in his accomplishment will ere long convince all the world that this Book is or should be Canonicall When you shal shortly see three Emperours at once in Europe one set up by the Pope another by the Princes and People and then the great Turk usurping that place and dignity think upon Esdras his vision of the Eagle with three heads Chap. 11.12 Thirdly Whereas you say in the sixth Section That nothing at any time is to be added to the holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament whether by new relations of the Spirit or Traditions of men We desire to know what warrant you have thus to determine If you say that Rev. 22 18. it is written that if any man shall add unto these things God shall add unto him the plagues
that are written in this Book We answer that so much in effect was forbidden long before as Prov. 30.6 Add thou not unto his words least be reprove thee and thou be found a lier Yet many Books of the Holy Prophets and Apostles have been added since the written word of those times yea the same inhibition was given by Moses Deut. 4.2 and 12 32. Ye shall not add to the word which I command you neither shall you diminish ought from it Therefore this addition thus prohibited must necessarily be understood of any new Doctrine in substance differing from the Old even that of Moses But that there should be a vindication of the same when misunderstood or a more full and free publication of the same by the Prophets of the Old-Testament or inspired men of the New is not interdicted but rather promised It is true the whole Counsel of God concerning the glorifying of God and mans salvation is revealed in the New-Testament and so it was even in the Pentateuch of Moses Deut. 29.29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our Children for ever that we may do the words of the Law Now look what reasons can be rendered why new books of Holy Scripture should be written after Moses by the Prophets of the Old Testament and after both by the Prophets and Apostles of the New Testament and the self same will plead for other Scriptures to be yet written after both If it be said that the Devil in time brought in a false understanding of Moses and so corrupted both the Civil and Ecclesiastical Estate and therefore it was necessary that Prophets should be raised up to cleer the Doctrine of Moses to reprove Princes Priests and Prophets to restore the Truth and worship of God and to foretell things to come whether good or evil c. And that in process of time when Satan had corrupted Moses and the Prophets with false glosses perverted the civil Government defiled 〈◊〉 Ministers and worship of God That for the Reformation of these and all other abuses as also to record what was fulfilled in their daies and to prophesie of future things the Apostles and inspired men of the New Testament were appointed to write the respective Books thereof we shall crave leave to demand these things of you again First Whether Satan that old and malicious perverter of all truths and goodness be not alive and as vigilant and active as heretofore Secondly Whether it was not foretold even in the New Testament that there should be a departure from the Faith as before 2 Thes 2.3 1 Tim. 4.1 Luk. 18 8. That there should be false Teachers in the last daies who privily shall bring in damnable heresies even denying the Lord that bought them 2 Pet. 2.1 2. c. which Jude in his Epistle testifies also That the whole Book of God should become a sealed Book Rev. 5.1 c. That a smoake ascending out of the bottomless pit should darken the Sun and the Air Rev. 9.2 That the two witnesses which prophesie in sackcloath a thousand two hundred and threescore daies or years which can be no other then the two Testaments as most spiritual men conclude were to be slain deprived of light and life for a time Rev. 11 8 to 12. That iniquity should so abound that all love and true goodness should decay Matthew 24.12 2 Timothy 3.1 2 3 4 5. c. That there should be false Christs and false Prophets which should preach those Christs Matth. 24.24 That Antichrist the son of perdition should fit in the Temple of God as if he were God or Christ 2 Thess 2.3 4 5 6 7. c. And finally that for the most part the visible Church with her severall Sects should become a great Harlot calling her self the Spouse of Christ and committing Whoredomes daily against Him his holy example and righteous Life and Kingdom which should be orabide in us being full of names of Blasphemy the most wicked of every Sect or Profession calling themselves â—â—e Temple and Tabernacle of God and the Saints of Christ Rev. 17.1 2. Thirdly whether Christ himself shall not come again in the Spirit to reveal Antichrist to consume him with the Spirit of his mouth and to destroy him with the brightness of his coming 2 Thess 2.8 Luke 18.8 To binde Satan and seal him up in the bottomless pit that he deceive not the Nations as before Revel 20.1 2. and to shorten the dayes of seducement contention and mutuall destruction in the Churches for the Elect sake lest no flesh should bee saved Mat. 24.22 23. Fourthly whether the Gospel is not to be preached anew to the whole world after all this ignorance error and corruption brought in Mat. 24.12 13 14. And because iniquity shall abound the love of many shall grow cold but he that endureth unto the end the same shall be saved And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall bee preached in all the World for a witness to all Nations and then shall the end come to wit the end of Babylon or of the false and wicked Jerusalem of the Gentiles spoken of in that Chapter under the type of the former proud factious contentious bloody Christ-murthering City of which Christ took occasion to speak Vers 1 2. Nor was this universall publication of the Gospel fulfilled in the Apostles days but was foreshewed to St John as a thing yet to com Re. 14 6 7. And I saw another Angel flying in the midst of heaven having the everlasting Gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth and to every Nation and kindred and tongue and people saying with a loud voice Fear God and give glory to him for the hour of his judgement is come That is upon the last wicked Jerusalem before mentioned Whereupon the fall of Babylon follows vers 8. And the curse of him that worshipeth the Beast or his image vers 9. both which Babylon and the Beast become clearly laid open by the said preaching of the Gospel Fifthly Whether there shall not another Elias arise after John Baptist to prepare the way for Christs spiritual coming to purge and renue the earth and to judge and govern the world in righteousness according to manifold promises and prophesies Isai 2.1 2 3 4. Micah 4.1 2 3. Jsa 11.2 3 4 5 6 and chap. 54.5 Dan. 7.14 27. Zach. 14.9 Psal 96.9 10 11 12 13. and Psal 98.1 9. The reason of this Querie is taken from the express words of our Saviour Matth. 17.11 Jesus answered and said unto them Elias truely shall first come and restore all things where he granteth that there is another Elias yet to come besides John Baptist already come spoken of in the verse following Sixthly Whether there shall not in time be a cleerer and more free dispensation of all truths after the Apostles dayes then in those or any former times Luk 12.3 Therefore whatsoever ye
place in which the Lord speakes of a child shortly to be born unto the Prophet and to be called Immanuel as some most learned expositors affirm Isa 7.14 15 16. Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a signe Behold a Virgin or a young woman for the word signifies both shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel Butter and hony shall he eate that he may know to refuse the evil and chuse the good for before the child shall know to refuse the evil and chuse the good the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her Kings Here you may please to observe these things with us First That though this place be commonly understood of our Saviour yet it is a great mistake for his proper name was Jesus and not Immanuel Secondly This child was to be born shortly after this prophecy and is given to the Jewes as a sign and token of a sudden deliverance from Rezin and Remaliah before the child should be of age and knowledge to refuse the evil and chuse the good And thirdly The prophet in the next Chap. triumphing against the enemies of the Church alludes to this very name as if the child were then in being Isa 8.10 saying Take counsel together and it shall come to nough speak the word and it shall not stand for God is with us Where it is in the original Immanuel The second thing to be observed is that this child even from iâ—s insancy according to the common state of mankind should have the knowledge and ability to refuse the evil and chuse the good a faculty spoken of in two verses together as before But to come to your third Section where our main contest begins Besides a mistake in the very first entrance Man that is fallen into sin being by you taken for all mankinde no smal mistake as we have proved before You are first defective in that you distinguish not of the different states of sin And secondly to maintain that which is true in it self viz. that the faln man cannot without preventing grace by his own strength convert himself or haply prepare himself thereunto you lay such grounds as are either false or at leastwise improper of which anon But first you speak of a state of sin into which man is faln as though there were but one such whereas there is a manifold state in sin one against God the Father another against the Son and a third against the holy Ghost Mat. 12.32 There is a state of sin before regeneration and another under grace Rom. 7.9 14. there is a state of sin before mans first conversion and another after their final falling away 2 Pet. 2.21 22. as there is a threefold degree of righteousness and grace wherein some are Babes some youngmen and some old men so there is a threefold state or age in sin So the Lord saith to Abraham Gen. 15.16 That the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full and complaines Jer. 9.3 That the sinners proceeded from evil to worse finally there is a sin unto death and a sin which is not unto death 1 John 5.16 Now the false grounds aforesaid which you lay for the establishing of a truth are these That the faln man hath lost all ability of wil to any spiritual good accompanying salvation That a natural man is altogether averse from from any such good The ground that you here improperly apply is That the man is dead in sin For the first of these t is a rash and ungrounded asseveration for you will not deny That to become a Christian to have our wicked thoughts forgiven us to hear the word preached to eat and drink at Christs table to keep the commandements of the second Table as they are commonly called and finally to dye the death of the righteous are all of them spiritual good things and such as accompany salvation But we finde all these things wished for and desired by those which you count unregerate for King Agrippa hearing Saint Pauls defence had more then a velleity some good measure of inclination to become a Christian Act. 26.28 Simon Meâ—us entreated the Apostles to pray for him that his wicked thoughts might be pardoned and that none of the evils they had spoken of might happen unto him to hinder his salvation Act. 8.24 Our Saviour tels us Luk. 13.26 That many will plead before him at the latter day that they had heard him teaching in their streets and had eaten and drunke at his table The young man who enquired of our Saviour what good thing he should do to inherit eternal life had from his youth kept the precepts of the second table aforesaid Mat. 19.20 Yea our Saviour looked upon him and loved him on that behalf Mar. 10.21 Finaily Balaam desired to dye the death of the righteous and that his latter end might be like his Num. 23.10 For the second ground that the natural man is altogether averse from any thing that is good it is alike erroneous with the former whether we take a natural man for the earthly man as he is still created of God in innocency or for the faln man in his unregenerate estate as you mean For in the first notion the natural man can both will and act according to his first integrity till he disables and corrupts himself by falling as Esau or Edom a type of this man did seek to please and observe his father And you may remember that the Apostle would have us in malice and naughtiness to be like children 1 Cor. 14.20 But many natural men taken in your own sense are not utterly averse from all good things even Herod himself heard John the Baptist gladly and not only willed but did many things according to his Doctrine and precepts Mark 6.20 And Moses having set before all Israel life and blessing with death and cursing Deut 30.19 he there expresly commands them to chuse life That both they and their seed might liâ—â— Isa chap. 1.19 20 elicites and excites this freewilling faculty saying If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good of the land but if ye refuse and rebel ye shall be devonred by the sword for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Yea the very name of freewill offerings so oft mentioned in the Scriptures argues some competent remainder of that faculty unless ye would subjectum tollere but consider we pray you these two things which we have partly touched before First That all faln men are not alike extensively corrupted that is they are not all alike enclined to all fins but some to voluptuousness and prodigality more then to covetousness or the like And though David a King prayeth thus against covetousness Encline my heart to thy Testimo nies and not to covetousness Psal 119.36 Yet Luther saith That he was never tempted to that sin Whence it will necessarily follow that such a man is not equally averse to all good but to
the seeking of them Rom. 10.14 15 c. A second let is a depraved judgement Act. 26.9 for I verily thought with my self thâ—t I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus A third impediment is the want of due remembrance and serious consideration of what we know in generall Lam. 1.9 He filthiness is in her skirts she remembred not her latter end A fourth bar is the power of Temptation of which the Apostle complaines 2 Cor. 12.7.8 A filth and a powerful obstacle is habit and custome in sin of which that is verified Qui non est hoâ—iè erà s minùs aptus erat Lastly Gods final desertion one of the heavyest of Judgements is an unremovable obstacle to the willing of good because seconded with Satans power Hence we may take a view how far the faln man can will good convert himself or prepare himself thereunto namely so far forth as men have some light of nature left or new illumination and convincing grace the which of all other is most necessary for the work of a true conversion Jer. 23.24 O Lord I know that the way of man is not in himself it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps Secondly This may be done with the more facility so far as they are chastned by the hand of the Lord and make a good use of it which made the Prophet Jeremy to pray as he doth Jer. 10.24 Correct me O Lord yet in judgement and not in thine angor lest thou bring me to nothing Howbeit in all this the Lord seems to lay no violent hand upon the will but works upon it by understanding judgement and reason with the use of sense and because he is the Author of the new understanding and judgement which leads and drawes the will he is said to work the will also Phil. 2.13 for Causae causae est etiam causa causaei But the main way whereby the man after illuminating or preventing grace can prepare himself to turn his heart or will is by frequent meditation and deep consideration of what he knows by grace or nature In your two last Sections First according to an ordinary distribution you distinguish the condition of converted sinners into a State of Grace and a State of glory but albeit there be different degrees in their new Metamorphosis or change yet their least estate in regeneration is a State of Glory as on the contrary the highest degree of that change and exaltation is a state of Grace For the proof of the first of these consider what the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 3.18 But we all with open face beholding as in a glass the Glory of the Lord are transformed into the same Image from Glory to Glory as by the spirit of the Lord. 2 Pet. 1.3 Through the knowledge of him who hath called us unto Glory and Vertue And for the evidencing of the latter weigh well what Saint Peter writeth 1 Pet. 1.14 wherefore gird up the loins of your minde be sober and hope to the end for the Grace that is to be brought unto you at the Revelation of Jesus Christ See also 1 Pet. 3.7 as heirs together of the Grace of life But more particulary for your fourth Section As in the beginning of it you attribute too much to the first work or degree of our regeneration so you detract too much from the last and highest period of the same in the end of that Section For first you say but not truely That when God converts a sinner and translates him into the State of Grace he presently freeth him from his natural bondage under sin and by his grace alone enables him to will and to do that which is spiritually good Here brethren you go too far for the Apostle in the behalf of the young Babes or converts complains thus Rom. 7.8 9. For to will is present with me but how to perform that which is good Lâ—nde not for the good that I would I do not and the evil that I would not that do I. How then are they freed when the Apostle saith ver 23 He findes another Law in his members not only warring against the Law of his minde but bringing him captiue to the Law of sin in his members whereupon he cryes out verse 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of deaâ—h Is a bondage then against your wils no captivity yea it is the most grievous bondage of all others in our sense and feeling though not so perilous to the soul as a willing subjection unto sin Indeed it is true of the young in Christ which the Apostle writs to them of that age 1 John 2.14 I have written unto you young men because ye are strong and the word of God abideth in you and you have overcome the wicked one But the Babe in Christ cannot attain thereunto while he is a chide Now in the close of that Section you flag and fall as much too short saying That this convert at his highest pitch for so you mean by reason of his remaining corruption doth not perfectly nor only will that which is good but willeth that which is evil also The which though it be true of the Infants aforesaid and perhaps may sometimes be verified of the middle ort yet it is not true of the old or aged men in Christ such as the Apostles themselves were as we have proved before In your last Section you do as you are wont wholly transferring the state of Glory in which the will of man is made immutably good out of this world but herein you are some what mistaken if we may give credit to these Scriptures Rev. 3.12 21. C. 1.2.3 4 5 6. CHAP. X. Of effectuall calling ALL those whom God hath predestinated unto life and those onely he is pleased in his appointed and accepted time effectually to call a Rom 8.30 Rom 11.7 Eph 1.10 11. by his Word and Spirit b 2 Thes 2.13 14. 2 Cor 3.6 out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ c Rom. 8.2 Eph 2.1 2 3 4. 2 Tim. 1.9 10. inlightning their minds spiritually and savingly to understand the things of God d Act 16.18 1 Cor 2.10 12. Eph 1.17 18. taking away their heart of stone and giving unto them an heart of flesh e Ezek 36.26 Eze 11.19 Phil 2.13 Deut. 36.6 Ezek 36.27 renewing their wils and by his Almighty power determing them to that which is good f and effectually drawing them to Jesus Christ g Eph 1.19 John 6.44 45. yet so as that they come most freely being made willing by his grace h Cant. 1.4 Psal 110.3 John 6.37 Rom. â— 16 17 18. II. This effectual call is of Gods free and special grace alone not from any thing at all foreseen in man i 1 Tim 1.9 Tit. 3.4 5. Eph 2.4 5 8 9. Rom â— 11. who is
a good conscience have made shipwrack of their faith as we said before 1 Tim. 1.18 19. How Christ may be said to be the Author and Finisher of our faith we shewed before CHAP. XV. Of Repentance unto Life REPENTANCE unto life is an Evangelical grace a Ezek 12.10 Acts 11.18 the doctrine whereof is to be preached by every minister of the Gospel as well as that of Faith in Christ b Luke 24.47 Mar 1.15 Acts 20.21 II. By it a sinner out of the sight and sence not onely of the danger but also of the filthyness and odiousnesse of his sins as contrary to the holy nature and righteous law of God and upon the apprehension of his mercy in Christ to such as are penitent so grieves for and hates his sins as to turn from them all unto God c Ezek 18.30.31 Eze 36.31 Isa 30.22 Psal 51.4 Jer 31.18 19. Joel 2.12 13. Amos 5.15 Psal 119.118 2 Cor 7 11 purposing and indeavouring to walke with him in all the wayes of his commandments d Psal 119.6 50 106. Luke 1.6 2 King 23.25 III. Although Repentance be not to be rested in as any satisfaction for sin or any cause of the pardon thereof e Ezek 36.31 32 Ezek 16.61 62.63 which is the act of Gods free grace in Christ f Hos 11.24 Rom 3.21 Eph 1.7 yet it is of such necessity to all sinners that none may expect pardon without it g Luk 13 5. Acts 17.30 31. IV. As there is no sin so small but it deserves damnation h Ro 6.23 Rom 5.12 Mat 12.36 so there is no sin so great that it can bring damnation upon those who truely repent i Isa 55 7. Rom 8.1 Iâ— 1.16 18. V. Men ought not to content themselves with a general repentance but it is every mans duty to repent of his particular sins particularly k â—sal 19.13 Luke 19 8. 1 Tim 1.13 15. VI. As every man is bound to make private confession of his sins to God praying for the pardon thereof l Psal 51.4 5 7.9 14 Psa 32.5 6 upon which and the forsaking of them he shall finde mercy m Pro 28.13 1 John 1.9 So he that scandalizeth his Brother or the Church of Christ ought to be willing by a private or a publick confession and sorrow for his sin to declare his repentance to those that are offended n Jaâ— 5.16 Luk 17.3.4 Josh 7.19 who are thereupon to be reconciled unto him and in love to receive him o 2 Cor 2.8 â— Psal 51 throughout CHAP. XV. Of repentance unto life examined IN this Chapter though you deliver many things not to be repented of yet you first strangely and needlessly multiply â—eads and common places For wherein doth your repentance differ from your conversion or effectual calling Chap. 10. and from sanctification joyned with it Chap. 13. or from adopting grace as it is conditional or from effectual calling jointly with justification in Saint Pauls sense In effect all this is one entire work of grace though calling and sanctification or justication are the parts of it But as you are herein redundant so you are many wayes deficient For first you do not distinguish repentance there being a repentance wrought by the Law and accompanied with the spirit of bondage or fear of wrath Rom. 8.15 and another wrought by the Gospel which again is twofold The one a temporary humiliation and reformation the concomitant and effect of a temporary faith and the other a persevering and through repentance never to be repented of Secondly you set not forth the degrees of repentance in the least measure or degree whereas first there is repentance or conversion wrought by God the Father which follows upon our respective faith in him of which these and many other Scriptures speak Mar. 11.5 Repent ye and believe the Gospel Act. 20 21. Testifying both to Jews and also to the Gentiles repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ Heb. 6 1. Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ let us go on unto perfection not laying again the foundation of Repentance from dead works and of faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ which work is all one with our conversion and lieth mainly in our turning to God Ezek. 14.6 Thus saith the Lord repent and turn you from your Idols Ezek. 18.30 Repent and turn you selves Joel 2.14 Who knoweth if be will return and repent Acts 3.19 Repent you there ore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out c. This first degree of repentance is that sanctification which we obtain and receive from God the Father in the change of our minde will and affections Jude To them that are sanctified by God the Father Besides which there is a further progress in repentance of inward and outward reformation wrought by Jesus Christ when after the conversion aforesaid we are brought to believe on him for the purging away of their sins and corruptions by his blood and spirit which in its latitude containes the totall and final work of mortification of which those texts speak expresly Luk. 24 4â— 47. He said unto them thus it is written and thus it behooveâ— Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all Nations beginning at Jerusalem Mat. 9.13 I am not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Acts 5.31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance unto Israel and forgiveness of sins This is that work of Christ of which the Apostles and Saints speak Act 11.18 Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life Thus of your defects in general In your first Section you call this repentance unto life whereof you speak an Evangelical grace as if you thought it to be a single vertue as hope patience meekness or the like But repentance in the latitude is an universal change of the inward man as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 implies to the putting away of all iniquity in heart and life towards which there are necessarily so many vertues required as there are vices to be put away for each sinne is removed by his contrary Secondly Though in your second Section you concurr with us in making repentance such an universal change of the whole man as that he not only grieves for hates and turnes from all his sins unto God but also both purposeth and indeavors to walk with him in all the wayes of his commandements yet here you faile or mistake in three things First In describing such a repentance only as the least Saint attaines by the work of the Father and leaving out that repentance unto life which lies in mortification See Rom. 8.13 where it is said If yee live after the flesh ye shall dye but if through
not like to be decided in hast for it was not onely agitated betwixt Protestants and Papists but with intestine debate by the dessenting Doctors of each Church and that with seeming evidence of Scriptures on both sides So that great need there was of a Moderator to be sent from Heaven for the composing of this and manifold other most intricate controversies besides by reason of the returning darkness which after the Apostacy from the faith had overspread the Churches each side also haling the Scriptures velut obtorto collo to plead their cause Howbeit if our eyes had not been holden we might easily have observed that the Scriptures do distinguish both the Saints and their priviledges and that as some of those prerogatives are common to all and such is a possibility of not falling away from God totally and finally if they continue stedfast in their faith and obedience or after some slips rise up by repentance Psal 15.5 2 Pet. 1.10 So some others are peculiar to the Saints of the third form who have followed Christ both unto his death and resurrection and such is the prerogative of final perseverance or of impossibility to be deceived or seduced Mot. 24.24 And though God is constant in his love and assistance of grace yet even his called ones may by their inconstancy and wilful revolt from him alienate his heart from them irrecoverably as David well knew and warned his Solomon accordingly 1 Chro. 28.9 So true is that which the Prophet Azariah spake to Asa and his people 2 Chro. 15 2. Hear ye me Asa and all Judah and Benjamin the Lord is with you while you be with him if you seek him he will be found of you but if you forsake him he will forsake you There is indeed a Covenant made with David and his seed of constant continual and everlasting mercy 2 Sam. 7.14 15. Psa 89.28 37. Therefore is this called The sure mercies of David Isa 55.3 but who are these children of David not his seed after the flesh who have been long forsaken Psa 89.35 36 37. but that spiritual seed of Abraham and David also who are constant in their good will toward God and righteousness as we said before 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luk. 2.14 And peace upon earth to good willing men But now to take a survey of your particular Sections In the very entrance of the first you shew that blindness is broken in upon the Churches First In that you set Gods accepting of us in his beloved before effectual calling as precedent whether in time or eternity to which last you incline whereas we are made accepted in his beloved Son after we are called and brought to obey him yea in some manner sanctified by him and not before And secondly In that you affirm of all the called ones and Saints in general that they shall certainly persevere to the end contrary to many express Scriptures some whereof were before produced First that of the unclean spirit which with set on worse then himself returned to his old house again Mat. 12.43 44 45. And that Rom. 11 22. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God on them that fell severity but towards thee goodness if thou continue in his goodness otherwise thou also shalt be cut off That 1 Tim. 1.19 Holding faith and a good conscience which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwrack That of 1 Tim. 5.12 Having damnation because they have forsaken their first faith and verse 15. For some are already turned aside after Satan See 2 Tim. 1.15 Heb 6.2 3 4 5 6. Nor can these places following be fully answered to the worlds end Ezek. 18.24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness and committeth iniquity and doth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doth shall he live c. Heb. 10.26 27 18. for if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin but a certain fearful looking for of judgement and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries He that despised Moses Law dyed without mercy under two or three witnesses Of how much sorer punishment shall he then be thought worthy that hath troden under foot the Son of God and counted the blood of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despight to the Spirit of Grace See verse 39. 2 Pet. 2.20 21 22. Jude verse 12. Revel 3.2 3. In your second Section almost every assertion is erroneous and false as followes First you say but most untruly That the Saints perseverance depends not at all upon their free will For did not Christ himself after some of his former Disciples were departed from him ask the twelve Apostles Will ye also go away Joh. 6.27 Intimating that he holds no man against his but they by the abuse of their free will might uncompelledly leave him yet at their own peril as Judas one of them afterwards did what was the true reason that Peter in his fall was pittyed and by our Saviour not only prayed for but holpen up again but because he was constant in his good will as our Saviour testifies of him and some others with him Mat. 26.45 The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak Secondly That the perseverance of the Saints depends upon the immutability of the decree of Gods election whereas we have proved before that Gods general election of man is conditional and as for his special election it depends upon foreseen perseverance and not perseverance upon it and so doth Gods last and finall election as we shewed before also Thirdly That this perseverance depends upon the unchangeable love of God which as we have shewed may by our unworthiness unthankfulness and Apostacy be changed into wrath yea hatred Deut. 32.19 And when the Lord saw it he abhorred them because of the provoking of his Sons and of his daughters Fourthly you say It depends upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Christ but he makes intercession for none to obtain the Grace of perseverance but such as continue stedfast in their good will which they had to the Father and him as we see he prayed not for the Apostate Judas Jo. 17.8 9 10. Although he with a general intercession prayed for the unregenerate even for his enemies Luk. 23.34 and taught us by his Apostles to pray for all men 1 Tim. 2.1 2 3 4. Fifthly you say truly It depends upon the abiding of the Spirit in us But doth not that abode of the Spirit depend upon our constancy in faith and good will and upon our giving ear to it when after our fals and slips it reproves admonisheth and teacheth us anew Hence we are charged not to grieve the Holy Spirit Eph. 4.30 Least he should depart Heb. 10.38 Now the Just shall live by faith but if any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him Sixthly you say
ought especially to maintain Piety Justice and Peace according to the wholesome Lawes of each Common-wealth c Psalm 2 10 11 12. 1 Tim 2 2 Psal 82 3. 2 Sa 23 2â— 1 Pet 2 1â— so for that end they may lawfully now under the New Testament wage war upon just and necessary occasion d Luke 3 14 Rom 13 4 Mat 8 9 12 Acts 10.1 2 Rev 17 14 16 III. The Civil Magistrate may not assume to himself the administration of the Word Sacraments or the power of the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven e 2 Chron 26.18 19. Mat 10.17 and Math 16.19 1 Cor 12.28.29 Eph 4.12 1 Cor 14.12 Ro 10.15 Heb 5.1 yet he hath Authority and it is his duty to take order that Vnity and Peace be preserved in the Church that the truth of God be kept pure and entire that all Blasphemies and Heresies be suppressed all corruptions and abuses in Worship and discipline prevented or reformed and all the Ordinances of God duly setled administred and observed f Isa 49.23 Psa 122.9 Ezra 7.23 25 22 27 28. Lev 24.16 Deut 13.5 6 12. 2 Kin 18.4 1 Chro 13 1. to 9. 2 Kin 23.1 to 26. 2 Chron 34.33 2 Chro 15.12.13 For the better effecting whereof he hath power to call Synods to be present at them and to provide whatsoever is transacted in them be according to the minde of God g 2 Chr. 19.8 9 10 11. 2 Chr 29. 30 cha Mat 2.4.5 IV. It is the duty of people to pray for Magistrates h 1 Tim 2 â— 2. to honour their persons i 1 Pet 2 17. to pay them tribute and other dues k Rom 13.6.7 to obey their lawful Commands and to be subject to their Authority for Conscience sake l Ro 13.5 Titus 3.1 Infidelity or difference in Religion doth not make void the Magistrates just and legal Authority nor free the people from their due obedience to him m 1 Pet 2.13 14 16. from which Ecclesiastical persons are not exempted n Ro 13.1 1 Kin 2.35 Act 25.9 10 11. 2 Pet 2.1 10 11. Jud 1.8 9 10 much less hath the Pope any power or jurisdiction over them in their Dominions or over any of their people and least of all to deprive them of their Dominions or lives if he shall judge them to be Hereticks or upon any other pretence whatsoever o 2 The. 2 4â— Re 13 15 16 17 CHAP. XXIII Of the Civil Magistrate examined ANtiquum obtinetis fratres for in handling an office of order your selves are confused in this Chapter of Magistracy you not onely fail as you do elsewhere in not distinguishing but for want of the same you affirm some things unadvisedly especially in the two last Section yet do we not blame you for not giving us the common distribution of Magistracy into his three kinds or forms as Monarchy Aristocracy and Democracy nor for omitting another distribution of it into simple or compound government which last may consist of some two or all three and this is conceived to be none of the worst forms of Government nor will we tax you for seeming to approve of Monarchy in that you speak of the Magistrate so aften in the third person singular as if one supream for Monarches and Tyrants are not alwayes termini convertibiles but the distinctions which we most require and want are three especially The first of alawful and usurped Magistracy The second of a supream and a subordinate And the third of a meer civil and a Christian or spiritual kinde of Governours to which we might add that of absolute and conditional another of elective and hereditary with many other which we omit likewise Your first Section holds true of lawful Magistrates That they are ordained of God for his glory and the publick good and that he and he alone hath armed them with the sword but not alwayes of usurpers that they should be Gods appointed ministers unless it be in wrath as his scourges Your second Section is true First in this That Christians may accept and execute the Office of Magistracy And secondly Of such Christian Magistrates it is and must be understood that they ought to maintain Piety as well as Justice and Peace according to the wholesome Lawes of their respective Common-wealth but especially according to the Law and mind of God And finally It is true of them aswel aâ— of the meer Civil Magistrate that they may make war upon just and great occasion though Hierom and some of the Fathers be of another opinion yet is not this true of the inferiour Magistrate making an offensive war against the supream as most writers conclude In your third Section you monopolize and are very partial if not plainly injurious to the Christian Magistrate especially if he be a spiritual or inspired person in denying him authority to administer the Word and Sacraments and the power of the Keyes What say you to Moses to Joshua to Melchezedech to Samuel and David Is not Solomon called a Preacher Are not the two witnesses of the Magistracy and Ministry both Prophets Revel 11.3 4 5. Give us leave to ask you these questions First whether the Saints are not now to be Kings and Priests See Rev. 1.6 1 Pet. 2.5 Secondly whether the Priests office is so limitted and restrained now to persons as it was in the time of Uzziah 2 Chro 26.18 and of Uzzah 1 Chron. 15.2 Thirdly who brought in this distinction of Laity and Clergy in the New Testament Lastly whence have you your authority so to administer the Word and the Sacraments and to use the power of the Keys as you do in peculiar you may have jus Civile or Ecclesiasticum for it but not jus Divinum an humane or Ecclesiastical title but not a Divine right and may not he that derives it unto you have a share therein if he have gifts and qualifications for it Now what you affirm incontinently in that Section That it is his duty to take order that peace and unity be preserved in the Church That all blasphemies and heresies be suppressed That all corruptions and abuses in worship and discipline be prevented or reformed That all the ordinances of God be duly settled administred and observed and that for this end he hath power to call Synods to be present at them and to provide that whatsoever is transacted in them be according to the minde of God All this say we is true of the Christian Magistrate only and not of the only Civil Governor but we pray you to take notice of two things by the way which have passed from you in that Section The first is this you there say That it is the Magistrates duty to see that the truth of God be kept pure which indeed can never be corrupted And secondly you say It is his office to see that all the ordinances of God be duely settled administred and observed which is true
13. Matth 28.19 20. Isa 59.21 IV. This Catholick Church hath been sometimes more sometimes less visible h Rom. 3.4 Revel 12 6 14. And particular Churches which are members thereof are more or less pure according as the Doctrine of the Gospel is taught and imbraced Ordinances administred and publick Worship performed more or less purely in them i Rev 2.3 Chapters 1 Cor 5 6 7. V. The purest Churches under Heaven are subject both to mixture and errour k 1 Cor 13.12 Rev 2.3 Chapters Matth. 13.24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31. and some have so degenerated as to become no Churches of Christ but Synagogues of Satan l Rev 18.2 Rom 11.18 19.20 21 22. Nevertheless there shall be alwayes a Church on earth to worship God according to his will m Matth 16.18 Psa 72.17 Psal 102.28 VI. There is no other Head of the Church but the Lord Jesus Christ n Col 1.18 Ephes 1.22 nor can the Pope of Rome in any sense be head thereof but is that Antichrist the man of Sin and son of Perdition that exalteth himself against Christ and all that is called God o Matthew 23.8 9 10. 2 Thes 2 3 4 8 9. Rev 13 6. CHAP. XXV Of the Church examined YOur Doctrine of the Church here exceeds not the state of the Churches whereof you speak Section the fifth saying That the purest of them under heaven are subject to mixture and error Yet in your first Section you begin well with a tolerable description of the universal Church in heaven and earth where notwithstanding you are mistaken in making this congregation wholly invisible which is but so in part and to some men And secondly in making it to consist of the whole number of the elect whereas we have proved before that all men are ordained to life though but conditionally But if you understand by elect those only who are called out of the furnace and chosen from thence then is your congregation defective for infants who dyed in infancy and are no smal part of this blessed number will hereby be excluded we say nothing to your calling of the Church the Spouse of Christ because she is one of his brides yea among all other people the Spouse of Christ yet there is another thing which is his first and principal Spouse to wit the Jerusalem or Kingdom of God which descendeth from heaven of which we spake before See Rev. 21.2 And I John saw the holy City New Jerusalem comming doâ—â— from God out of Heaven prepared as a Bride adorned for her husband In your Second Section you faile much more First in going about to speak of the Catholike Church upon earth and fastning upon her a fals name and property or adjunct in that you call her the visible Church wherein besides that you close with Papists in that appellation you both shew your gross mistakes for is the husband invisible and the wife visible Is the head invisible and the body visible See John 15.21 Now all these things will they do unto you for my names sake because they have not known him that sent me where was that possibility of the Church even in the new Testament for the space of 1260. dayes or yeers all which time the woman that brought forth the man child Christ which parturient or the Church did hide her self in the wilderness Rev. 12.5 6 c. if you say first That they are visible in the body we answer what markes have they in the outward man to distinguish them from others especially from formalists and hypocrites If you reply again That they are visible and discernable to those that have spiritual eyes We answer that even the invisible God is so in some measure to those men but this is to make them intelligible and spiritually discernable but not visible The work that makes them a Church is invisible 1 Cor. 2.15 But be that is spiritual judgeth or discerneth all things yet is he judged or discerned of none Secondly In this Section you describe a formal not a true Church when you make it to consist of men professing Religion which thing formalists and hypocrites may do Thirdly whereas by way of limitation you add professing the true Religion you still leave us in suspence For as the true Church fled into the wilderness Rev. 12. so you leave us in a wood to finde her out for do not every kind and sort of Religious people account their Religion to be the true Religion not only the Papists Lutherans and Calvinists do so in the West but the Greek Churches the Jews yea the Turkes hold their professed Religion to be right We say nothing here of the manifold and different Sects among Christians each of which maintain their Religion to be the only true Religion where then shall we pitch to finde your true Church But the true Church especially that of adult men as the very name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports is a Congregation or collection of those who are truly called or in some measure sanctified 1 Cor. 1.2 To the Church which is at Corinth to them that are sanctified in Jesus Christ called to be Saints c. from which we do not exclude the Infants of them or others dying before they sin actually since our Saviour saith expresly that Of such is the Kingdom of God Mat. 10.14 out of which numbers and societies there is ordinarily no possibility of salvation In your third Section you build upon a false and rotten foundation which you had laid in the former Section For it is not to that visible and formal Church which you describe but to the congregation of true Saints that God hath given the ministery and his oraâ—les and ordinances in the right use of them And to those he hath given those offices and gifts which you will not now admit as some to be Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists c. Eph. 4.9 10 11. yea and the spirit of Prophecy as we have proved before as the placeâ— which you refer us unto of Esay 59.21 with Mattheâ— 28.19 20. Ephesians 4.9 10 11 12. do evict But it is true which you say in the beginning of your fourth Section That the Catholike Church hath sometimes been more visible and sometimes less if you understand it of discernableness otherwise it hath been alwayes invifible to carnal men And particular Churches as you afterwards there assert are more or less pure according as the doctrine of the Church is taught and imbraced and Gods ordinances administred but what you add in the close concerning the pure performing of publick worship is a dream since Christ hath appointed none in the new Testament But herein we will joyn with you if you will alter your words and say So far as the true worship of God consisting in holiness and righteousness of truth is observed for that makes a true Church or society of worshipers Luk. 1.74 75. John 9.31 Act. 10.34 35. Eph. 4.22
23 24. In your fifth Section the better to colour over your own faults as it may seem you asperse the best Churches saying The purest Churches under heaven are subject to mixture and error what say you then to the two Churches the one of Smyrna Rev. 2.8 9 10 11. the other of Philadelphia Rev. 3.7 8 c. with neither of which Christ finds the least fault but highly commends them both True it is if we look into the Churches there is mixture of the inferior members and they are subject to such errors but there are preadventure some such members to be found in some of those two Churches if not elswhere as are no more subject to error then the Prophets and Apostles were certain it is there is such a doctrine discipline from the immediate mouth of God to be found in one of those Churches that no reformers have need to seek any further where also the true Church is fully discovered and all causes of discord and controversie are in that behalf taken away But whereas you add in the same Section and that most truly that some Churches have so degenerated as to become no Churches but Synagogues of Satan you do here necessarily grant what you elswhere deny that some of the Saints and called ones may fall finally from grace for none other are the members of the true Church general or particular among men grown but such We will here charge you with that which you at unawares and unadvisedly affirm in the close of that Section That there shall be alwayes a Church on earth to worship God according to his will for that implies that the earth and the Church there inhabiting shall continue for ever which we conceive is no article of your belief In your sixth and last Section you truly affirm That there is no other head of the Church but the Lord Jesus Christ but you in your next words have rather deserved the Popes Bull then his Benediction if he may be Judge For first If a Church be that which yee describe it A Congregation of those which profess the true Religion Why might not the Bishop of Rome a least wise in the Primitive times before that Church fell away be in some sence a subordinate head of that Church under Christ or an earthly or Ecclesiastical head as Paul was over the Churches of the Gentiles That the Pope should be an Antichrist which of many Popes and of the state of Papacy is and may be truly affirmed among many other we grant but that he or the succession of Popes or the whole Hierarchy as they are called should be that man of sin and son of perdition which sitteth in the Temple of God exalting himself above and against all that is called God 2 Thess 23.4 8. is doubtless a great though a common mistake for as to the successors of Popes they are many but the Antichrist is one individuum if they all should perish which no charitable man will affirm they should be called not one son of perdition but sons of destruction But to pitch upon the person of the Pope as one individual and single Antichrist out of such a numerous company of Popes which will you single out one past present or to come Certain it is first that the Antichrist of which Saint Paul speaks is a man of sin composed altogether of iniquity and not of flesh and blood as each Pope is Secondly That he is a mystery of iniquity into which none but very spiritual men can see of which none of you or any of your authors or their adherents have yet a true sight Thirdly that the Antichrist exalts himself above all that is called God or is worshipped and so doth not the Pope directly do who acknowledgeth God Christ the Holy Ghost yea Angels and Saints to be above him Fourthly Antichrist sits in the middle of the Temple of God so doth not the Pope in your sense of the Temple for he pretends to be head of the Roman Church especially Fifthly he doth not say that he is God as Antichrist doth Sixthly All Popes came not with signs and lying wonders nor with all the deceiveableness of unrighteousness as Antichrist comes Lastly Antichrists coming is inward and not outward 2 Thess 2.9 10. and deceives all which receive not the love of truth but the Pope could never decive all such But what may this Antichrist be then Answer first the Temple of God is mans heart or soul where he sits Secondly As Christ is the true unction there so Antichrist is a contrary unction of false and erroneous wisdom righteousness and zeal which sets it self as if it were the holy Ghost and his works opposeth the truth and Kingdom of God and not only allows but hides fosters and cherisheth iniquity in men where he raigneth In a word if the Lord give you spiritual eyes to read the two texts 1. that of 2 Thess 2.3 4 5 c. and then that of Revel 13.11 12 c. to both which you refer us you may by Gods grace make a discovery of Antichrist as one neerer you then the Pope of Rome and one more endangering your souls and learn truly to know and hate him which mercy the Lord grant unto us all Concerning the first text you may observe these things First it is evident that this Antichrist takes his beginning and rise from mens Apostacy or departure from the true faith love and godliness which was fet up by Christ and his Apostles and that in all that fell away 2 Thess 2.3 So that he must needs be the succeeding falshood error hypocrisie and ungodliness Secondly that he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a man composed of nothing but sin Thirdly That he must therefore needs be a child yea the son of perdition Fourthly That he opposeth himself to all that is called God that is to God and all goodness verse 4. Fifthly That he exalts himself above all that is called God or worshipped even the Father Son and holy Ghost All which is true of the false wisdom and holiness which Satan begets in men to delude them there with and to oppose the truth kingdom and work of Christ thereby Sixthly That he sits in the temple of God which is our heart or inward man Seventhly That there he shews or gives forth himself for a God as this deceitful work of errour and delusion saith it is the presence and work of the Holy Ghost Eighthly That he cannot well be known but by spiritual revelation vers 6. Ninthly That there is one tha what he can hides him keeps him close maskes covers him and lets or hinders his revealing or disclosure and that is Satan verse 6.7 Tenthly That as he came in by mens departure from Christ his spirit and kingdom so by Christs spiritual presence and comming again in his brightness power and glory he shall be both revealed and destroyed by the spirit of his mouth 11. That he is called the
mystery of iniquity verse 7. that is such a work of iniquity and error as passeth man for wisdom truth and righteousness from above as many mens faith religion and zâ—al doth this day which yet is meer delusion and from the father of lies 12. That he is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the wicked one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which can be no other then he that is quite opposite to the righteous one even Christ and as Chirst is the first born of God so is this the first born and chief master piece of the divel transforming himself into an Angel of light 13. That his coming is not only with lying signes and wonders but with all deceivableness of unrighteness obtruding that for truth which is falshood commending that for vertue or holiness or righteousness which is iniquity and abomination before God verse 3.10 14. Out of the same verse it is clear that this Antichrist is an inward person agent or evil worker because it is said that he comes with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish 15. This Antichrist is fent by way of wrath and vengeance upon those that received not the love of the truth Lastly he is called in the next verse the strong delusions of Satan in making them to receive and believe lies For the other text Rev. 13.11.12 13 14 c. you may please to observe First That this beast the wisdom and holinesse of the flesh ariseth out of the earth or naturall man Secondly That he hath some semblance of the Lambe and two hornes with him with which he will seem to push against some sins of both Tables Thirdly That yet he speaks like the Dragon both against all that differ from him in opinion way and worship and especially against the true Saints of Christ Fourthly That he exerciseth all the power of the first beast which is voluptuousne ss or sensuality or the open iniquity for a false holiness retaines or entertaines a new the former corruptions which were in men without mortifying or resisting them to purpose and so the last beast which is the false wisdome and holiness aforesaid makes men to serve and worship the first beast which was the open or manifest iniquity in covetousness ambition sensuality c. Fifthly Though the former beast was wounded by repentance and reformation for a time and had one of his heads which is covetousness broken yet this makes him to live again in men and causeth an Image or the like resemblance to the first beast to be set up in man yea he gives life quickning and power unto it Thus also that first wicked beast bein in some measure wounded by Christ and his Apostles in the Primitive Church through the Apostacy of men and the errors and false holiness which crept in was healed and revived to the full yea his image hath been more and more worshipped to this day Sixthly That this hypocritical beast bringeth fire from heaven that is he kindles a fiery zeal in men for the maintaining of their own tenets and the opposing of others and their devotions and sacrifices are often filled with fervency as it were fire from Heaven Lastly He causeth al that hearken to him both bond and free rich and poor to receive a mark in their right hand or forehead which is unrighteousness it self or unfaithfulness in their dealings with God and men this is the grand mark of the old beast though one peculiar mark whereby this last beast is known is enviousness against others James 3.14 15. Thus brethren we have given you some hints of the true Antichrist it is for certain none of Satans least policy to divert our thoughts and eys from beholding this Antichrist within us and to incense us against our own flesh and blood the Pope or some other whom we are commanded to love as our selves Oh how invisible hath Satan and his first born within us passed while he hath directed and pointed us to a false and imagined Antichrist yea so far hath he bewitched many that they can find no Devil to declaim against but the Pope nor any kingdom of hell errors or wicked things to write or preach against but the doctrine ceremonies and practises of the Church of Rome be they right or wrong wherein notwithstanding many things are very faulty but not all that some men boggle at or ball against CHAP. XXVI Of the Communion of Saints ALl Saints that are united to Jesus Christ their head by his spirit and by faith have fellowship with him in his Graces sufferings death refurrection and glory a 1 Joh 1.2 Eph 3.1 16 17 18. Joh 1.16 Eph 2.5 6. Phil. 3.10 Ro 6.5 6. 2 Tim 2.12 and being united to one another in love they have communion in each others gifts and graces b Eph 4.15 16. 1 Cor. 12. y. 1 Cor 3.21 22 23 Col 2.19 and are obliged to the per formance of such publike and private duties as do conduce to their mutual good both in the inward and outward man c Thess 5.11 14. Ro 1.11 1â— 14. 1 Joh 3.16 17 18. Gal 6.10 II. Saints by profession are bound to maintain an holy fellowship and communion in the worship of God and in performing such other spiritual services as tend to their mutual edification d Heb 10.24 25. Act. 2.42 46. Isa 2.3 1 Cor 11.20 as also in relieving each other in outward things according to their several abilities and necessities which communion as God offereth opportunity is to be extended to all those who in every place call upon the name of the Lord Iesus e Act 2.44 45. 1 Joh 3.17 2 Cor 8.9 c. Act 11.29 30. III. This communion which the Saints have with Christ doth not make them in any wise partakers of the substance of his Godhead or to be equal with-Christ in any respect either of which to affirm is impious and blasphemous f Col 1.18 19. 1 Cor 8.6 Isa 42.8 1 Tim 6.15 16. Psa 45.7 with 8.9 nor doth their communion one with another as Saints take away or infringe the title or property which each man hath in his goods and possessions g Exo 20.15 Eph 4 28. Act 5.4 CHAP. XXVI Of the communion of Saints examined IN your two first Sections here you speak positively and in your last negatively of the communion of Saints where we hold faire correspondence wâ—th you in many things but not communion with you in all For first you distinguish not of the several ages formes or degrees of the Saints but joyning them altogether you rather bring in a confusion then a true communion of Saints And secondly you tumble duties and priviledges possibilities and possessions together For first as we said before there are 3 degrees of Saints First Saints in God the Father such as are only called and sanctified by him which was the common state of the Saints in the old Testament Deut. 33.3 1 Sam 2.9 See Psal 31.33
and Psal 34.9 O fear the Lord all ye his Saints for there is no want to them that fear him Secondly there are Saints in God the Son who are called to know him and believe on him for salvation from their spiritual enemies deliverance from the curse Jude 1. To them that are sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ and called which is the common Classis of the Saints in the new Testament Rom. 1.6 7. 1 Cor. 1.2 And thirdly there are Saints in the holy Ghost as the Apostles were made in the day of Pentecost when they were filled with the holy spirit of promise Act. 2.1 2 3 c. Secondly All those have neither the same degree of fellowship with God nor with each other but have their respective communion either with the father alone as the first or with the Father and the Son as the second or with the Holy Ghost also and so with the whole Trinity as the third John 14.25 Jesus answered and said unto him If a man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love and we will come unto him and make our abode with him See 1 John 1.3 4 5. And as the Saints have different degrees of communion with God according to their several ages and growth so they all have not alike fellowship with each other in communicating spiritual guifts for the Saints in Christ Jesus can condiscend to those in God the Father and those in God the Holy Ghost can stoop to both the other to do them service but the first cannot communicate much in spiritual things to the second nor either the first or second to the third though all may in outward things be serviceable to each other upon earth These things premised for order and distinction sake We finde then in your first Section these three errors First That you make none to be Saints but those that are actually united unto Jesus Christ their head hereby excluding out of that number and communion all those who as yet are onely bgotten by God the Father as were Cornelius Act. 10.1 2 3. and many other Secondly You untruly affirm that all those which are united to Christ by his spirit and saith have actual communion in his sufferings death resurrection and glory for none of them have fellowship in his resurrection and glory till they be dead with him and that the holy Ghost be poured down from Heaven upon them as he was upon the Apostles Act. 2. See Ro. 6 5. For if we have been planted in the likeness of his death we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection 2 Tim. 2.11.12 neither have all that beleeved in Christ for the present proceeded so far as to suffer with him and much more to pertake with him in his death he is a good proficient in Christianitie that knows what Christ hâ—th suffered in him and for him and is come to suffer with him not onely outward afflictions but inward sorrows in resisting temptations without yeelding to them in their solicitations wherein lies the main part of our fellowship of Christs sufferings And as for our becomming wholly dead with Christ you your selves hold it a thing not fully attainable in this life wherin you greatly wrong the grace and power of Christ in his saving work and office and are not onely injurious to others who give ear unto you but fall short of that happy conquest and salvation ensuing which is held forth unto you in the Gospel almost everywhere as hath been shewed before See Luke 1.74.75 Rom. 6.5 and 14. Ephes 5.25 26 c. Titus 2.11 12 13. Rev. 16.7 11 17.26 and Revel 7.14.15 c. And thirdly you here make no distinction betwixt interest and actual communion where you say That the Saints have communion in each others graces which is true of the first not of the last where the place which you cited out of Epbes 2.5.6 speaks of the Apostles high attainments rather then of the present state of the Ephesians and other common beleevers In your second Section you seem tacitely first to imply that there are two sorts of Saints the one by profession onely such as the members of your Church Catholick were in your former Chapter and some that are really such but we are sure that the Lord admits of no Saints for his Church or people but such as are truely sanctified and continuing such he rejects them not Secondly You truly say that Saints are bound to maintain an holy communion in the worship of God but this must be understood with diverse limitations to fence it from error For first it must not be Saints living remotely from each other Secondly It holds not concerning an outward worship unless the Church set up one that is pious and profitable or lawful at the least for Christ himself hath instituted no such worship as we said before Thirdly Yet must all the Saints wheresoever they live joyn in one true spiritual worship of the living God in his living righteousness Lastly We grant notwithstanding that such as conveniontly can come together ought as frequently as their occasions and safety will bear to meet together for the edification and comfort of each other and especially if the Christian Magistrates and spiritual Governours command such meetings But the residue of this Section about the relief of the Saints is sound and good In your third and negative Section you truly and upon good grounds disavow two things First That the Saints are coequal with Christ for no creature in his highest perfection can be equal to Christ the one being finite the other infinite in his divine essence And Secondly that the Communion of Saints upon Earth doth not abolish no nor infringe the title or propriety which each man hath in his goods and possessions which is clearly imported in those Scriptures of Exod. 20.15 Ephes 4.28 and Acts 5.4 which you point us unto as also in many other places of the Old and New Testament But whether that estate which the Saints attain at length when with the Apostle they are raised up together with Christ and made sit together with him in the Heavenly places or things Ephes 2.5 6. be a bare quality or accident or whether it be a spiritual life power and substance we will not dispute sure we are the Apostle calls it the divine nature 2 Pet. 1.4 and our Saviour or Wisdom calls it substance in one notion or other Prov. 18.21 And I will cause them to inherit substance whatsoever that estate is the Platonists called him that had attained it not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a deified man and not onely some of the modern but even of the ancient writers of the Church use the word codeifying in a good sense of such as are made pertakers of the Divine nature according to the capacity of creatures CHAP. XXVII Of the Sacraments SAcraments are holy Signes and Seales of the
of life c. Secondly You say This Sacrament was ordained by Christ which was onely sanctified and continued by him but instituted and ordained by the Father as we have shewed before See Mat. 21.25 And thirdly You urge that this Sacrament is to be administred by a Minister lawfully called thereunto as you have it in the end of your second Section and by no other which we admitted before if that Minister be called of God thereunto to administer this Sacrament to his Disciples otherwise we doubt whether his commission be authentique in the true Church and the congregations of the Saints But what you write further in that second Section That the Element to be used in this Sacrament is water is true nor is there any other Element to be used nor is any other composition or sophistication needful Notwithstanding you are here two wayes defective First In not shewing what the Element signifies nor secondly how we are to be baptized in relation to the Trinity either inwardly or outwardly aright But to make a supply for your defects The water of Baptism signifies the pure Doctrine or Word of God as hath been partly intimated before John 15.3 Now are ye clean through the word that I have spoken unto you John 17.17 Sanctifie them through thy truth thy word is truth Ephes 5.25.26 Husbands love your Wives as Christ loved his Church and gave himself for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word Thus we must be born again not of the Spirit alone but of Water and the Spirit Joh. 3.5 Secondly Those that are duly baptized must be baptized 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not in the name onely but to the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Matthew 28.19 20. That is to carry the name or the like being first of the Father then of the Son and lastly of the Holy Ghost The first In a love to all good and hatred to all evil The second In carrying the saving power of Christ as a conquest over and preservative against the power of sin and Satan And the third In fruition of all truth light life gifts and comforts of the Holy Ghost wherein the Heavenly Jerusalem descending from above consists Thus the Apostles were sent by Christ First with their doctrine and then with water to baptize men that they might be fitted to receive carry the threefold name which yet in the end is but one name and like being of the living God according to the capacity of creatures In the third Section you have some pretty sprinkling of Truth where you maintain and that truly That dipping or ducking in the Water is not necessary in this Sacrament but that effusion or sprinkling with water will suffice But in your fourth Section where you say That the infants of one or both beleeving parents are to be baptized your assertion is too far dipped in error For Infants are no where commanded to be baptized in the new Testament though the children of Israel were commanded at the eighth day to be circumcised nor doth Baptism succeed circumcision in that behalf or almost in any other respect unless it be first as an initiatory Sacrament for new converts And secondly so far as it is a Baptism in the name of the Father or of the Father and the Son at the uttmost for Baptism in the Holy Ghost points at a far higher estate then either Circumcision or the Passover or yet the supper of the Lord hold forth yet we do not deny but Infants may lawfully be baptized even the Infants of unbeleeving parents if some friends of theirs desire it and the superiour powers so appoint because the Baptism of Infants is no where forbidden and though in regard of innate uncleanness they have no great need of outward or inward washing from sin as we have proved before yet this Sacrament being administred in infancy and afterward known to the party baptized may be as useful to him in the way of instruction and comfort when after his fall he would return to the Lord as circumcision was to the Isralites which was administred in their Infancy Your fifth Section presents the neglect or contempt of this ordinance as a great sin which is true of new converts who should not onely admit of it being offered but even seek and desire it where it may be had as the Eunuch did Acts 8.36.37 But this is not alike true of infants who cannot desire it nor have need of it for the present nor yet of their parents in relation to them unless it be in these Countries and places where the Governors appoint all infants to be baptized for here to neglect or contemn it is a sin of contumacy against these Governours and though some scruple at it because they cannot finde Poedobaptisme to be Gods Ordinance yet they ought to submit to it as an Humane or Ecclesiastical Ordinance especially since obedience to Governors is expresly commanded and the baptizing of Infants no where prohibited The residue of that your fifth Section is very sound and good for you truely and rightly affirm That grace and salvation are not so inseparably annexed unto baptism as that no person can be regenerated or saved without it or that all that are baptized are undoubtedly regenerated Your sixth Section concerning the efficacy of Baptism not being tyed to the very moment of administration is true oft his and all other Sacraments whether we understand the grace held forth onely as you seem to do not without a great mistake or the duty we should learn from it and them which is no small part of the drift and efficacy of the Sacraments as hath been declared Lastly Whereas you say in your seventh and last Section That Baptism is but once to be administred unto any persons it may be either true or false as it is understood for these Disciples at Ephesus which had not so much as heard that there was an holy Ghost were baptised into Johus Baptism Acts 19.3 when they had heard Paul preach unto them were baptized again verse 4 5. so doubtless were many more of John's Disciples for though John made mention of one that should come after him And baptize his Disciples with the holy Ghost and with fire Mat. 3.11 Yet he baptized them in the name of the Father or but unto the name of Son at the furthest and not unto the Holy Ghost from which estate his office and baptisme stood at too great a distance in that his fore-running office yet it is true that those who are compleatly baptized in or unto the name of the Father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost need not to be baptized again Howbeit two things would further be enquired into First Whether the Apostle did not make some pause in the baptizing naming each person distinctly in whose name they baptized and so paused a while betwixt the first and the second and then
to â— the end with Inde verse 23. IV. For the better attaining of those ends the Officers of the Church are to proceed by admonition suspension from the Sacrament of the Lords supper for a season and by excommunication from the Church according to the nature of the crime and demerit of the person d 1 Thess 5.12 2 Th 3.6 14 15. 1 cor 5.4 5 23. Matth. 18.17 Thus 3.10 CHAP. XXX Of Church Censures examined HERE Brethren if we first agree what the true Church is that have power to censure and then who are those Governours or Superiours in whose hand especially that power lies we shall not we hope be thought over censorious in other things It is true then which you speak in the first Section That the Lord Jesus is King and head of his Church and of no other though the Lord of all creatures and such an head he is both of the universal Church whether upon Earth alone or in Heaven also and of each particular Church yea of every member of those Churches which are in Christ or are brought to beleeve on him obey and serve him in holiness and righteousness of truth but those Saints or Churches which are onely begotten in God the Father and not as yet taught led to the Son have the Father only for their Head and king for the present It is true also That Christ appointed a Government distinct from that of the Civil Magistrate in and for his true Church which consists not of formalists and outward professors for the greatest part but of true Saints which obey and follow Christ daily in his active and passive obedience but he hath ordained no such thing in his Gospel for national and visible Churches whose religion stands in outward professions and formalities mainly or onely Therefore the outward Government of such Churches whether Episcopal or Presbyterian or mixt of both are but prudential and humane although it is evident out of both the Epistles to Timothy that to Titus and many other Scriptures that there ought to be not onely a Presbytery or joynt society of Elders in compleat congregations of such Saints but if they be great a superintendent Bishop over them if we will follow the constitution and patern of Christ and his Apostles in the pure Primitive Churches so that both these in their right State were Jure Divino Thirdly It is not to be denied that this Government is left or to be placed in the hands of some special members or society of the Churches rightly called and constituted but we rather call those Governours or Overseers with the Apostles then Officers as you do for that word among Governours signifies Agents Instruments and Ministers under others or inferiours rather then Superiours Howbeit Christ hath thousands of Saints in several nations which living dispersedly here and there either conveniently cannot or actually do not reduce themselves into one or more Congregations and so want the benefit of that Government and other means of comfort and edification likewise And this is the common state of the Saints in Europe and elsewhere who nevertheless are members of the invisible and true Church of Christ we know notwithstanding that there are some Congregations that by consent meet together and erect a Government among themselves the greatest part of which are but formalists and as their Doctrines and Administrations are none of the purest so their Government is but arbitrary or prudentiall also But here Brethren you are very defective in three things among others First In not shewing what Officers or Governours each true Congregation in Christ should have Secondly By whom they should be chosen And thirdly By whom the respective censures of the Church should be administred For the first we find That a compotent congregation in one City or place had their Elders as Teachers Councellors and Rulers appointed over them Act 14.23 And when they had ordained them Elders in every Church c. we read also Acts 6.16 That when the number of the Disciples was increased at Jerusalem and some of the widows had been neglected in the daily ministration of almes and distributions there were Deacons men of honest report and full of the holy Ghost and of wisdom chosen to be both treasurers and dispensers of the almes and so were assistants to the Apostles and Elders of the Church in providing for the poor especially yet did they upon occasion declare the true Faith and Doctrine of Christ also And afterward in the absence of the Apostles there were superintendent Bishops set over the great Churches as James at Jerusalem Acts 21.18 And the day following Paul went in or unto James and all the Elders were present and Tymothy at Ephesus as appears out of the tenor of both the Epistles writ unto him by St. Paul and the subscription to the second And finally Titus over the Churches in Crete a very spacious Iland Titus 1.5 As to the second thing the Elders and Officers of the Church are not to be chosen by the congregation but by the Superiours both in growth and place and such as were first called and chosen by the Lord. Thus Paul and Barnabas ordained Elders in all the Churches which they had converted as before Acts 14.23 and the superintendent Bishops had the same power Titus 1.15 For this cause left I thee in Greet that thou shouldst set in order the things that are wanting and ordain Elders in every City See 1 Timothy 3. throughout 1 Timothy 5.22 And though the Apostles gave leave to the congregation to chuse out wise and faithful men of which things they could judge to be trusted with the keeping and dispensing of the treasures of the Church under themselves especially as almoners yet they gave them that authority by laying their hands upon them Acts 6.2 3 4 5 6. Nor doth it follow from hence that the Congregation of Saints should choose their Teachers and Elders and much less that the Vulgar in every Parish should make their Election of ministers for then there would be many a weak if not a wild and mad choice in too many places or Parishes As to the third the Elders are to be admonished or rebuked by the Bishop 1 Timothy 5.1 19 20. the Elders are to be suspended by those who ordained them to wit the Bishop and Presbytery 1 Timothy 4.14 2 Timothy 1.6 The common people are to be admonished according to their several ages and degrees either by the Bishop 1 Timothy 5.1 2 3 or by the other rulers and Elders Or finally By the Congregation 1 Timothy 5.14 15. but excommunication or delivering up to Satan should be executed by the whole body though considered and resolved upon by the Bishop and Elders first 1 Cor. 5.3.4.5 and the like we say of absolution or receiving into the Church again 2 Cor. 21.12 These things premised we may admit that which you speak of the committing of the keyes of the Kingdom of Heaven in your
second Section to wit to Elders and Governours called of God but not of man alone but that remitting and retaining of sins is both ministerial under the Lord Jesus and principally placed in the Church representative or the Superiours and Elders acted by Gods spirit and both fitted and called to that high office Mathew 16.19 Mathew 18.17 18. John 20.20 21.22 In your third Section you lay down good grounds why there should bee Ecclesâ—astical or spiritual censures in use and therein you seem to lay no small or weak foundation of reducing the true Saints now dispersed into congregations under spiritual able and faithful Overseers and those under some superintendent chosen of God of which some may be found if well sought out Your fourth and last Section by Officers right Overseers and Governours such as we have described being understood we willingly imbrace with this caution That you will with St. Jude verse 23. rather pull men out of the fire then persecute them with a faggot for difference of Judgement CHAP. XXXI Of Synods and Councels FOR the better Government and edification of the Church there ought to be such assemblies as are commonly called Synods or Councels a Acts 15.2 4 6. II. As Magistrates may lawfully call a Synod of Ministers and other fit persons to consult and advise with about matters of Religion b Isa 49.23 1 Tim 2.1 1. 2 Cro 19.8 9 10. 2 Chro 29.30 chapt Mat 2.4.5 Pro 11.14 so if Magistrates be open enemies to the Church the ministers of Christ of themselves by vertue of their Office or they with other fit persons upon delegation from their Churches may meet together in such assemblies c Acts 15.2 4 22 23 25. III. It belongeth to Synods and Counâ—els ministerially to determine controversies of Faith and cases of conscience to set down rules and directions for the better ordering of the publick worship of God and government of his Church to receive complaints in cases of male administration and authoritativly to determine the same which decrees and determinations if consonant to the word of God are to be received with reverence and submission not onely for their agreement with the word but also for the power whereby they are made as being an Ordinance of God appointed thereunto in his word d Acts 15.15 19 24 27 28 29 30 31. Acts 6 4. Matth 18 17 18 19 20 IV. All Synods or Councels since the Apostles dayes whether general or particular may erre and many have erred Therefore they are not to be made the rule of Faith or practise but to be used as an help in both e Ep 2.20 Acts 17.1 1 Cor 2.5 2 Cor 1.24 V. Synods or Councels are to handle or conclude nothing but that which is Ecclesiastical and are not to intermedle with Civil affaires which concern the Common-wealth unless by way of humble petition in cases extraordinary or by way of advise for satisfaction of Conscience if they be thereunto required by the Civil Magistrate f Luke 12.13 14. Joh 18.36 CHAP. XXXI Of Synods and Councels Examined IN complyance with your first Section we grant that there may be great cause of spiâ—itual consultations and that either about temporal things as Moses went twice to the Lord about the daughters of Zelophebad Numbers 27.1 2 3 c. and Numbers 36.1 2 3 c. or in things of Religion as Moses required what should be done first to him that blasphemed the name of the Lord Leviticus 24.12 and secondly to him that gathered sticks on the Sabboth day Numb 15.32 33 c. But it is the Lord that is to be consulted with in those great difficulties and that either immediately as Moses did in the places aforesaid and Daniel with the other three Children Dan. 2. or else by some person who hath the judgement of Vrim and is acted by the spirit of God Numb 27.21 Ezra 2.63 1 Maccab. 4.4 especially if any such person be to be found of which there have been some in all or most ages if the Authour of the book of wisdom speaks true chap. 7.27 And in all ages wisdom entering into holy souls maketh them friends of God and Prophets which is consonant to what the Father promiseth Isa 29.21 and to our Saviours engagement Mat. 28.20 Behold I am with you to the end of the world but in case no such person may be found there may be Synods and Councels called for consultation sake and if the matter be still too difficult it must be reserved for Gods future resolution Ezra 2.63 As to your second Section we grant that Magistrates may call a Synod of Ministers or other fit persons especially of those that are spiritual and wise and it were good that persons of all different mindes in Religion might be freely heard and their arguments well weighed and full answer given in writing to all that are in the wrong that our controversies might grow to an end and so truth with love and peace take place but in this case if any inspired Prophet may be had at home or consulted abroad it is safer to receive resolution from the mouth of the Lord by him which we might easily do in this age either by word or writing then to rely upon the judgement of an hundred ordinary Divines often producing the letter of the word but wresting or mistaking the sense We grant likewise that such ordinary ministers and persons may be sent from their own to other Churches yet can they act onely within their own Sphere as rational learned or devout persons not as inspired men But that ordinary ministers may by their office when the Magistrate is an enemy call each other or assemble into a publick Synod we doubt yet doubtless they may meet privately and advise yea pray together To your third Section we grant that Synods may handle controversies of fact and cases of conscience direction for an outward worship and the better governing of a visible Church as also hear complaints in cases of male administration and determine them or some of them authoritate sibi commissa especially according to the measure of Faith and Regeneration whereunto they have attained which decrees and determinations if consonant to the word are to be received for the words sake more then for their authority they not being a divine but an humane ordinance only for the meeting of the Apostles and Elders at Jerusalem to which the Churches at Antioch and thereabouts appealed was an assembly of men acted by the Holy Ghost as themselves set forth Acts 13.28 and differs far both in warrant and authority from our Synods and Assemblies neither doth the first make the last to be Gods ordinance And in your fourth Section you confess no less where you acknowledge that all Synods and Councels since that might erre and that many have erred and so have you in many things but as your Confession here is ingenious so we hope you will not take