Hope and Expectations upon God through Christ The Knowledge of all which they owe alone to the Scriptures given forth by the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost The supposition therefore that our Author has proceedeed upon all this while is a meer Falshood yet had it been True what he charges them with he had very weakly overthrown their Errour and none can doe greater disservice to the Truth than by a weak and feeble defence of it or a weak Opposition to the contrary it 's enough to tempt some men to take up what he opposes and to presume there are no better Arguments one way or other because so confident a Designer could give no better For all the Misadventures in his Tedious Scheme he will make us believe hee 's not bound to answer for them for if the Proportions be but regular let the Doctrine be what it will he does but personate the Mode of others But yet we have discover'd here many of his own dear Notions sent abroad in Masquerade which will appear more bare-faced in the following sheets Imitating herein the famous Limner who would stand behind his Exposed Piece to Eaves-drop the Censure of the Critical Spectator Just thus does our Author skulk behind his New Model of Divinity and if it meets with an Imprimatur he will play a more Overt Game but if otherwise he can quickly pluck in his Horns CHAP. III. Sect. 4. How Men Pervert the Scriptures to make it Comply with their own Fancies IT 's storied of Messa la Corvinus once a Famous Orator that he got such a Crack in his Pericranium that he quite forgot his own Name the most unhappy man certainly in all the World to have been Employed in the Management of a Lye the Mystery whereof consists mainly in Tying both the Ends so handsomely together that it may not Ravel out into Thrums Our Author has Managed a severe Charge against some that they Deduce all their Religion from an acquaintance with Christs Person without consulting the Scriptures And yet now The truth is says he if you consult their Writings you will find them stuffed with Scriptures These things did not Cotten very Lovingly and he was as much put to his Trumps to make both ends meet as the Gentleman who told it with great Confidence That he shot a Deer with one Arrow through the right Ear and the left Foot behind But he has an old Friend that never fails his Servants at a Pinch and he lifted him over the Style with this They do but accommodate Scriptures to their own Fancies Their Crime then in the last Result is this That they are not so happy Interpreters of Scripture as himself They have the same Text but they want his Head-piece to Comment on 't They have the same Materials to work upon but they want his Tools Or as one of his Friends expres'd it they have his Fiddle but cannot get his Fiddle-stick But to reproach them upon this Account is to reproach by far the greatest part of Mankind All were not Born under his smiling Stars nor had the same benign Aspects of the Planets in their Nativity It 's not every mans happiness to have the Bees swarm about his Cradle or to be entranced upon the Top of Parnassus However after all the Scuffle we have gain'd this Point that we may joyn Issue with him upon the Question and modestly Debate it Whether he or they do best understand the Scriptures Two great Faults and they are great ones indeed he finds in their Writings First That they Expound Scripture by the sound of Words And secondly That they reason about the Sence of Scripture from their own preconceived Notions 1. They Expound Scripture by the sound of words Our Author had discovered to us p. 80. the Danger of using a way of Reasoning that would serve any Mans turn that had but any Quickness and Vigour of Fancy What a dangerous way then must this be that will serve any Mans turn though he be not blessed with his Quickness and Vigour of Fancy For though his Antagonists Pulse toll as heavily as Tom of Lincoln though he never drew his Breath but in Boetia nor ever had his Temples crown'd with the Ignis Lambens yet he can with as much ease and more truth Retort all his Rhetorick When mens Fancies are so possessed with Schemes and Idaea's of Religion what ever they look upon appears of the same shape and colour where with their Minds are already Tinctur'd like a Man sick of the Iaundies or that looks through painted Glass who seeth every thing of the same colour that his Eye or the Glass gives it Some such Medium the poor Priest used to Prove that the Virgin Mary was Prophesied of from the beginning of the World because he had made a shift to read Gen. 1. 10. Congregationem aquarum vocavit Maria And with the same learned skill did the Rector of Convince his obstinate Parishioners that it was their Duty to Pave his Chancel for him from Paveant illi ego non Pavebo And let me tell our Author for all his Vapouring and that he looks so goodly on 't he has not a more serviceable Engine than this one in all his Arsenal For having once double-dyed his Fancy with a strong Conceit that the word Christ signifies a Church an Office a Doctrine you cannot Quote that Text where the Word occurs but his Fancy Chimes all in just as Imagination thinks so Scripture clinks and every thing he sees turns round to that Crotchet when all the while the Wind-Mill is in his own Head If you should but venture to say that for an Orator our Author is truly excellent but for a Logician he is but Ordinary I l'e undertake from the sound of that one word he shall conceit himself at first Dash to be a Bishop So easie it is for a French Cook to make Suffolk-street Soupe of a Stool-foot and most Ravishing Minc't Pies of an Old Boot-top or a Leather Doublet As it is a Ridiculous procedure to make the sound of words the Measure of our Interpretation so is it no less perverse a Method to Expound Scripture by the Ranverse and go just cross to the sound of words The Plain and Literal sence commands our Reception unless the Context and Coherence Evident contradiction to some other plain Scripture or some gross Absurdity and insuperable Difficulty compell us to Recede from it But now according to our Authors Rule which he has most Religiously observed throughout his Book the further any Interpretation departs from the sound of words the better it is that is to say for his own purpose As suppose you should meet with this word Heaven let not the Chiming and Tinckling of your Fancy betray you into a Notion of some Glorious place where the spirits of Iust men made perfect are Blessed in the enjoyment of God for that would be but to Gratifie your Tinctured Imagination with the sound of a word
shall be Pardoned and Saved if we Believe and Obey without any Ability purchased to Believe and Obey 2. Christ did not purchase any one single spiritual Benefit for us as the Cause of it immediate and proper 3. He purchased Nothing but that he may lose the whole Benefit of his Purchase 4. Obedience will as soon save us without the Blood of Christ as with it Lesser Obedience with that Blood is not more acceptable to God than Greater without it But this he will call an Influence upon our Acceptation with God I confess he is a Free-man for ought I know and may call or miscall Things as he has done Persons at his pleasure but surely no man whose understanding is his own would ever call this an Influence upon our Acceptation with God A contingent uncertain Influence it may have upon our Obedience but none at all upon the Acceptation of our Obedience An act of Love to God is as welcome and acceptable to God at this rate without Christ as with Him But this is the Misery of it when Men must say something and yet cannot tell well what to say but either on the one hand they must flie in the Face of the Scripture which they hardly dare do or else on the other hand renounce their beloved Errors which they are resolved never to do then must the Scriptures be wrested to their crooked Sentiments instead of Rectifying their crooked Notions by the straight Rule of the written Word 2 Having now Informed us what Influence the Death of Christ has upon our acceptance with God it remains that he Instruct us with equal Ingenuity what Influence the Righteousness of his Life has upon God for the same end But here he will be to seek for having assigned in words so much to the Death of Christ there is nothing left for his Life No matter upon which it may work but seeing all the former was in pretence there is Employment enough for it left still Though the pardon of sin and our justification be attributed says he to the blood of Christ yet I could never persuade my self that this wholly excludes the perfect obedience and righteousness of his life He cannot persuade himself very strange what had he attempted to satisfie his judgement about the exclusion of Christs righteousness and yet could he not be persuaded yes persuaded he was to exclude it but not wholly to exclude it there were some rubs and little scruples in the way that he could not get over but had he improved his own principles and built upon his own foundation I could have shewn him a way how he might wholly have excluded it for p. 243. he gives it us as a Note worth our observing that in the whole New Testament there is no such expeession as the Righteousness of Christ And p. 78. he lays it down as an infallible maxime That we cannot draw any one conclusion from the person of Christ which his Gospel hath not expresly taught seeing then we cannot safely draw any such conclusion from Christs Person and the Scripture has not expresly taught it what should hinder him from a plerophory in this point wholly to exclude that from his Creed which is not expresly taught in the Scripture and therefore may not be drawn from the consideration of his Person by consequence And if his scruples had been but as strong against the righteousness of Christ or he had been in the scrupling mood as against the justification of Abraham by the righteousness of Christ this matter had been put out of doubt with him wholly long before this In the mean time The righteousness of Christ is mightily beholden to his good Nature that when by his principles he might yet out of civility he would not and therefore could not wholly exclude it Some Place some Room it shall have some Remote and Improper causality as the Death of Christ had in our Acceptation with God But what may be the Reason why he could not altogether as well as almost exclude it O he tells us that the Apostle tells him Ephes. 1. 6. That we are accepted in the Beloved And is this the great difficulty Alas one of his Wedges would make this little Knot flie at the first stroke May there not possibly be given another meaning of it Must it needs be Interpreted of Acceptation through the active Obedience of Christ This would have done the work Or thus Our acceptation is ascribed to the Obedience of Christs Life because that has a great Influence upon us to make us Obedient which is that Righteousness for which we are accepted of God The Example of Christ has given us a Pattern of Obedience which when we Imitate we are accepted of God but what now if he had played one of his Omnipotent Machines against the Text he might have Batter'd down the Conclusion with ease By the Beloved is meant Christ by Christ is meant the Gospel by the Gospel is meant Obedience and then the sence is no more but this We are accepted in the Beloved that is We are accepted for our selves And I must needs say this had been a far more Rational Course than that he has taken with the Death of Christ Ay but says he whatever rendred Christ beloved of God did contribute something to our Obedience Something That 's a huge Kindness indeed There 's a vast distance between something and nothing and yet it may be such a something as is next to nothing Well we are glad of a little till we can get more For because he was beloved of God we are accepted for his sake That 's high and surprizing But still What kind of Cause was Christs Obedience of our acceptance One of the Poorest Lowest causes in the World is one that they Nick-name a Causa sine quâ non which yet is properly no cause at all And yet our Author when time was could tell us pag. 43. That had Christ never appeared in the World yet we have reason to believe God is thus Wise Good and Merciful to forgive us our sins when we return to our Duty Such a Cause was the Death of Christ of our acceptance Pag. 46. Gods requiring such a Sacrifice as the Death of Christ for the Expiation of our sins was not because he could not do otherwise If now we might have been accepted without his Incarnation I presume we might have been so without his Obedience and then it is not so much as that little nothing of a Causa sine quâ non But this is pure Trifling For the Question was What Influence Christs Righteousness has upon our acceptance with God He answers That because Christ was beloved we are beloved for his sake That is Christs Obedience has an Influence upon our acceptance but what that Influence is remains a Secret Suppose the Question had been Why are we accepted for Christs sake The answer might have been His Obedience has an Influence upon our acceptation Those
first created to himself and â—…hen pleads against us which is to Lacquey it after â—…olkelius For so he lib. de verâ Relig. cap. 10. p. â—…38 Christum autem saepenumerò non Christi Perâ—…onam aut Naturam sed per Metonymicam dicenâ—…di figuram à liud quippiam vel ad Christum respiâ—…iens vel ab illo profectum designare ex illis locis â—…erspicuum est ubi Christum accepisse Christum diâ—… Christum induere debere aut eundem 〈◊〉 in Christo esse in Christo denique 〈◊〉 dicimur That Christ oftentimes signifies 〈◊〉 the Person or Nature of Christ but something 〈◊〉 either relating to him or proceeding from him 〈◊〉 a Metonymie is plain from those places wheâ—… we are said to have received Christ to have leaâ—… Christ that we ought to put on Christ and 〈◊〉 have put him on to be in Christ and lastly to 〈◊〉 in Christ And at this rate in a while the Persâ—…nality of Christ shall lye at the mercy of these meâ—… there being no place of Scripture left that shall â—…cessarily prove him to be a Person but with oâ—… of these evasions they can enervate and with a 〈◊〉 dash of a wanton pen strike him clear out of 〈◊〉 Writ But let us a little examine his Consequencâ—… Christ sometimes signifies the Church therefore 〈◊〉 be in Christ to be united to Christ must be so â—…derstood From May be in the premises to must 〈◊〉 in the conclusion is a high leap let our Author 〈◊〉 a care he do not break his Neck for my part I 〈◊〉 not be too sollicitous to answer such Inferences But I had almost forgotten that under the 〈◊〉 Head he interpreted In Christ to signifie in 〈◊〉 Doctrine and now to serve the present Turn it 〈◊〉 signifie to be in the Church To which I onely saâ—… If they be one thing this Head is needless and 〈◊〉 they be two they make a contradiction In the mean time our Author is the most unhaâ—…py man I have met withall that having perhaps 〈◊〉 place or two of Scripture where possibly the 〈◊〉 Christ may signifie the Church mystically consideredâ—… as it takes in the Head and Members the Fouâ—…dation and Building the root and branches the 〈◊〉 and Subjects the Husband and Spouse yet shoulâ—… so unhappily fix upon those Texts which would â—…empt a rigid Antagonist to put him to the proof â—…f what in a sober sence will not be denyed Let us â—…hen attend to his Quotations Rom. 12. 5. We beâ—…ng many are one Body in Christ. All true Christiâ—…ns how many soever they be constitute but one Body but how come they to be One what is that Center wherein they meet that common Bond or Ligament which ties them together who is the Corner-stone that couples together the parts of this Building The Apostle tells us t is Christ He is the Head in whom the members are united the corner-stone in whom the sides of the building are joyned â—…he Center in whom as in a point all the Faith of Individual Believers does meet now cannot they be thus One but the Name Christ must needs signifie Church Well let us hear one of his Id ests i. e. saith he We are all but one Christian Society which is the Body of Christ. Very good according to our Authors Fancy it must run thus We are all one Christian Society which is the Body of the Church But whatever truth there is in the Notion it never grew upon this root all the Apostle asserts is this that Particular Christians are compared to the particular members of the natural body the whole Church collectively taken is compared to the natural body and that he might shew how the particular Members of this Mystical Body are united and become One he tells us it is in Christ. Again Col. 1. 2. To the Saints and faithfull Brethren in Christ. Ergo what Why they are Christian Brethren True but how come they to be so That is indeed the Question to which our Author speaks Ne gry quidem His last proof is from 2 Cor. 5. 17. He that is in Christ is a New Creature It seems somewâ—… strange to me that the word Christ should signiâ—… otherwise in this Verse than it had done v. 14. 1â—… and must do again v. 18. Before the Text v. 1â—… The love of Christ constrains us And that 〈◊〉 dyed for all Was it a Person who out of pure Loâ—… dyed for his Church who offered himself a Sacâ—…fice to God for it and is it all o th' sudden groâ—… a Church The Church I had thought was the Oject and not the Subject of that Love mentioneâ—… After the Text v. 18. we read that God hath recoâ—…ciled us to himself by Iesus Christ And how doâ—… our Author wedge in Church instead of Christ in thâ—… 17th verse Must the blessed Apostle be made 〈◊〉 speak Non-sence argue impertinently conclude aâ—…surdly to gratifie one of his forced and wresteâ—… Notions Well for once that we may not purchasâ—… his displeasure let him paraphrase the eighteentâ—… verse thus God hath reconcil'd the Church to hiâ—…self by the Church What remains in this particular is onely that descant which he gives upon hiâ—… Text i. e. Every sincere Christian is a New Creature Agreed To be in Christ and to be a sincere Christian do explain one another But the descanâ—… upon his descant is the Life of all Whoever professeth the Faith of Christ and lives in society with the Christian Church hath obliged himself to live 〈◊〉 new Life Better and better still What is it to be in Christ Ans. To be a sincere Christian. Qu. Anâ—… what is it to be a sincere Christian Ans. To profess the Faith of Christ and live in society with the christian Church Most admirable The clearest fullest and exactest Definition without all peradventure that ever was in the world of a sincere Christian and out-vies all that Mr. Shepheard's Sincere Convert or Sound Believer can afford us The onely fault that I find with it is that the lewdest and vilest Hypocrite that ever was in the world may be one of our Authors Sincere Christians You have heard what a Sincere Christian is to your unspeakable comfort no doubt Will you but hear what the New creature is and you are made for ever Qu. What is it to be a New creature Ans. To oblige himself to live a New life Nay if an Obligation nay a voluntary Obligation to live a New life will render a Man a New Creature I am sure God has obliged all men so to live and most men have superadded a voluntary Obligation of their own so to live and then what a sad rout of New Creatures is the world pester'd withall The Reader has seen by this time that his first Notion of Christ is false his second onely necessarily True his third very questionable and the fourth unproved and if it had been proved would not have done his work and now it 's high time to
God excluded the World from all possible Means of Salvation is an Idâ—…e Dream when indeed they excluded themselves When God gave the Promise to the Common Parent of Mankind there was a Possibility in the Thing that that Means of Salvation might have been derived to all those Rivulets into which his Posterity should be subdivided and if it was not I conceive the fault was theirs not Gods and all that I know will be proved hence is That it 's marvellous dangerous to venture the Concerns of another World upon the Credit of Oral Tradition for if it proved treacherous when the Lives of men were drawn out to such a length what may We expect from it whose dayes are but as a shadow But if indeed the World lost that Promise its Encouragement and Warrant in drawing nigh to God I doe not cannot see that God was bound to repeat and renew it every Thirty or Forty years to every particular Kingdom Nation Countrey and the Individuals therein for fear of being wanting to his Creatures happiness and I have some hopes that our Authour will shew himself friendly in this business for he tells us p. 33. That Now the only true Medium of knowing God is the Knowledge of Christ who came into the World to declare God to us Has God then excluded the rest of the World from all possible means of Salvation or Did the Gospel of Christ come into every Nation in every Age and to every individual Man and Woman of that Age or else must we say that God is wanting to his Creatures in not affording to them but excluding them from all possible Means of Salvation But further God hath maintain'd a Church in all Ages of the World where the Means of Salvation have been enjoy'd and there was a possibility of being interessed in the Priviledges and Advantages of that Church for so sayes our Author p. 29. The rest of the world when they pleased might fetch the best Rules of Life from Israel And in all probability if it was possible to fetch any thing from them it was as easie to come to and joyn with them and then again it was as easie every jot to fetch other means of Salvation as the best Rules of Life But I am afraid we do not discourse ad idem all this while perhaps he may reckon upon those to be sufficient Means of Salvation which we think insufficient to Man under his present Circumstances Let him therefore set up for himself and prove if he be Able That the knowledge of so much of the will of God as may be known from the works of Creation and Providence is a sufficient means for the saving of Mankind in any Age he will pick out considered as represented by the Church of England in her Ninth Article and he shall either have a just Confutation or a speedy Recantation One Text of Scripture he judges will doe his work Rom. 3. 29. Is he the God of the Iews onely is he not also of the Gentiles Yes of the Gentiles also It will be convenient to remember here what he is proving least his Argument should be sick of an old Disease which some call Ignoratio Elenchi And that was That God did not design by choosing Abrahams Posterity to exclude the rest of the world from all possible means of Salvation much less from his Care and Providence And we will readily own that all that the Apostle had been excluding from Iustification and Salvation was onely an importunate Thing which has ever giveâ—… the world trouble in this matter call'd Boasting So that shut out but that and take in what you will or can God is resolved to justifie none Iew or Gentile but in such a way as shall solidly ascribe all the Glory to Himself So that our Author may sleep on both ears in this matter The Gentiles were never excluded all possibility of Salvation if they excluded not themselves by Neglecting that Justification by Faith which he had proclaimed for so saith the Apostle v. 30. It is one God which shall justifie the Circumcision by Faith and the Uncircumcision through Faith There is one God alwayes the same and one Faith ever uniform and what need had our Author then to fancy That Enoch and Noah were justifi'd one way Abraham another and Believers since the coming of Christ a third way For the same Apostle Hebr. 4. 2. proves that the Gospel was preached to the Iews from of Old as well as unto others since his Appearing in the flesh the same Gospel For unto us was the Gospel preached as well as unto them and he proves also that the same Gospel was also preached to Abraham that was preached to the Iews Galat. 3. 8. The Scripture foreseeing that God would justifie the Heathen through Faith preached before the Gospel unto Abraham To Abraham in the state of Uncircumcision and therefore under the Notion of a Gentile and not a Circumcised Iew. But I would not hinder our Author from making the very best improvement he can of the Text. Which Argument saith he if it have any force in it must prove Gods respect to the Gentiles before the preaching of the Gospel as well as since because it is founded on that Natural Relation God owns to all Mankind as their mercifull Creator and Governour If it have any force in it why do you Question that He speaks of St. Paul's way of Arguing sometimes as if a man might draw Cutts whether it should have any strength in it or no or as if it were an even lay one way or t'other No but that If is not dubitantis but arguentis If it have as undoubtedly it hath what then Why it must prove Must There 's the singular Happiness of the Man who is one of Pauls familiar Acquaintances and privy to all the Cryptick wayes of his Argumentation but what must it prove why that before the preaching of the Gospel God had respect to the Gentiles as well as since Have a little Patience 1. I would fain know when that time was before the preaching of the Gospel for we have heard that the Gospel was preached to Abraham to the Iews in the Wilderness and I think that was Gospel too that was preached to Adam That the seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpents head Indeed there was a time when the Gospel was more clearly publickly and eminently preached call'd therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the times of the Gospel but I do not know of any of which it could be said simply and absolutely the Gospel was not preached 2. I would very gladly learn also what that respect was God had for the Gentiles A respect there might be upon Common Accounts he was their mercifull Creator and Governour but that respect is short of what our Author designs And he might have a respect for the future there being good Evidences of Gods intentions to bring in the Gentiles more universally to the knowledge of the
whole Churches otherwise than by the Individuals is unconceivable They are single Persons that are Justified Sanctified Adopted Pardoned and Saved and not a Complex Notion which is only an Operation of the Mind conceiving of singular things as they relate one to another There is yet one Text of Scripture which our Author has reserved as the Triarij to the main Battle and though his Jelites be Cut off and his Body shaken yet so long as his Reserves are entire and unbroken he cannot be totally Routed The place is Iohn 15. 1 2 3 4 5. I am the true Vine and my Father is the Husbandman Abide in me and I in you As the Branch cannot bear Fruit except it abide in the Vine no more can ye except ye abide in me Now because he lays such a Stress upon and places all his Hopes and Confidence in this place I shall particularly Examine 1. His Interpretation 2. His Reasons for that Interpretation 3. The Use he makes of this Interpretation 1. For his Interpretation it has more Faces than Ianus and more Colours than the Rainbow I am the true Vine Where I signifies Christ together with his Church There 's one Face But pag. 146. He repents that ever he took the Person of Christ into the Paraphrase for fear some ill disposed persons should make an ill use on t and therefore he Glosses it thus I am the true Vine that is the Church So I is grown a Church But yet that neither will not answer all his Occasions nor stop all Gaps and therefore it must put on another shape pag. 147. When Christ speaks in the first Person I he cannot mean this of his own Person but of his Church Doctrine and Religion And yet for all this it will not do the Feat but it must pass through one Metamorphosis more and it signifies a sincere and hearty Belief of the Gospel So here we have got the Act and the Object Married together in this one word I A man would conclude he had found at last Aristotles Materia Prima it 's Omnium formarum capax Nothing in Act but every thing in Power a piece of soft Wax that 's plyable to any Impression a mere blanck Paper you may Write down your own Conditions But what is meant by the Vine Why that 's the Church too pag. 146. That is the Church which is founded on the belief of my Gospel is the only true Church Or I am the Vine that is the Church is the Church but let us proceed He that abideth in me In me that is the Christian Church I in him that is the Christian Doctrine For without me you can do uothing That is without a sincere belief of my Gospel And now he presumes he has laid his Matters so Closely Evenly and Regularly together that he may defie the Cunning of the most expert Caviller to disturb them And yet to deal openly with him he has not lead me Captive by his fair Colours and regular Proportions For 1. I find his way of Interpretation meerly Arbitrary such as has no other Foundation but the Soveraign will of the Commentator he deals with Scripture as if it were his perfect Vassal and he the absolute Monarch of the Word of God and that his Paraphrase knew no other Language than his Car tel est nostre plaisir For such is our Will and Pleasure Let the Reader take but a taste He that abideth in me and I in him Where Me must signifie the Christian Church and I the Christian Doctrine For we must know for our Learning that Me in the Ablative case must always signifie a Church but I in the Nominative case that 's the Christian Doctrine And if any peevish Fellow shall Object that it 's a huge Wonder that such a slight Variation of the Case should alter the Signification Every puisny Shool-Boy will inform him that the varying the Case does wonderfully alter the Case Now had it been Referred to a Hundred Systematical Heavy-headed Divines they would have concluded One and All that if I signifie a Doctrine Me will signifie the same And if Me signifie a Church I will signifie neither better nor worse but a Church too but when a Zaphnath Paaneah a Revealer of Secrets shall take the Matter in hand he will shew you the difference 2. Another Exception I have against this Interpretation is That Christ has often spoke in the first Person He has compared himself to many other things and yet never intended any thing by I but his own Self Iohn 10. 11. I am the good Shepherd And besides that we have had our Authours Suffrage to it the thing it self makes it evident that Christ speakes there neither of Church nor Doctrine The Fold must signifie the Church The Pasture will answer the Doctrine and Christians they are the Sheep but Christ himself is the Shepherd And yet one signification more for this poor I will do the business let it signifie the Pastors and Bishops and that will heal all And I do not doubt when he has need of them he can fiâ—…d a Dozen more significations of that one word that one Letter I. Again Iohn 10. 7. Christ says I am the Door Now the Church is evidently the House or Temple and so I will not do very well for Church in that place And the Doctrine is the Orders and Rules for Government of the House and therefore we had not best make I signifie Doctrine neither in this place Oh! but then and it was well thought on Baptism is a Sacrament of Admission into the Church and then it will run as Glib upon the Tongue as may be I am the Door that is Baptism is the Door But what shall we say to Iohn 6. 48. I am the Bread of Life Oh! that is wondrous easie and the Interpretation natural and without straining that is My Doctrine is the Bread of Life which answers the Manna But then Christ tells us ver 51. That the Bread which he will give is his Flesh which he will give for the Life of the World What shall become of us now Why our Author must take advice with his Pillow about this Difficulty and let it signifie any thing in the World Black or Blew provided it do not signifie the Person of Christ and the Interpretation is authentick and by to Morrow-morning shall shine with it's own Light 3. This Interpretation avows false Doctrine He had told us That by He that abideth in me is meant he that abideth in the Christian Church And our Saviour assures us ver 5. That without Me ye can do nothing Now in just proportion to his Interpretation the sence must run thus Without you be in the Christian Church it 's impossible ye should do any thâ—…ng that is good And how notoriously false this is of a particular Church is evident how many particular Churches have been dissolved The Shepheard smitten and the Sheep scattered and yet the Indiviâ—…uals have
Difficulties of being in Christs Person and yet at the same time Christs Person being in us of the depending of our Fruitfulness upon that Union with whatever other Incongruities a strong Fancy may impute to it And then 3. If the Person of Christ be intended in the Question then his last and tedious Argument from Iohn 15. 1. which he has managed with so much Industry upon which he has bestowed so much Cost and in which he places so much Confidence concludes something very near to Nothing For the Abstract of his Medium is this that Christians are in the Church which will never conclude that therefore our Union to a particular Church is the Means of our Union to Christ much less that our Union to Christ consists in it From the Scriptures we are posted over to the Ancient Fathers who if we may believe him Interpret all those Metaphors which decypher the Union between Christ and Christians to signifie the Love and Unity of Christians among themselves He that will reproach his own Mother will not much Reverence the Fathers They do indeed argue from the Unity between Christ and Christians to an absolute Necessity of Unity between Christians themselves they are members of one body under one common Head and therefore it presses sore upon them that there be no intestine Broyls among themselves they are Sheep of the same Fold under one Shepheard and it were unnatural for Sheep to devour one another which is the Province of Wolves they are subjects in the same spiritual Kingdom under Christ the Sovereign Monarch of the Church and therefore all heats and animosities all seuds and broyls are alien from that place and Relation they fill up towards Christ and each other So the Fathers so the Scriptures argue Mal. 2. 10. Have we not all one Father hath not one God created us why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother The Process of the Argument is very clear if we be Children of one Father we ought to love our Brethren but to conclude from thence that A Childs Relation to his Father consists in the Love and Unity of the Children among themselves is somewhat more than ridiculous Thus from the Union between Christ and Christians there is an unanswerable Argument drawn for the Unity of Christians amongst themselves but that the Union of Christians with Christ does formally consist in their mutual Agreement and Concord each with other is a piece of Logick for which we are indebted to our Author but thus Chrysostom expounds Eph. 2. 19 20 21. where the Apostle speaks of that spiritual building which is erected on the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Iesus Christ himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being the chief Corner-stone to signifie the Unity of the Church in all Ages that both the Iewish and the Christian Church are united in Christ as the several parts of the building are kept together by the Corner-stone Now though Chrysostom be little beholden to our Author for traducing his honest meaning yet we are all beholden to Chrysostom For then 1. There have not been so many sorts of Churches in the World as he would perswade us but both Iews and Christians constitute one universal catholick Church though differing in the Oeconomy and some variety of Administration both the Jewish and Christian Church are the several parts of one and the same Building And then 2. The Iews we may presume knew something at least of Christ what he was to be to them what he was to doe for them if they and we Jews and Gentiles in all Ages are United in him To the same purpose St. Ambrose Yes I believe it as little to our Authors purpose as St. Chrysostom Duos Populos in se suscepit Christus Salvator fecit unum in Domino sicut Lapis Angularis duas parietes continet in Unitate Domûs firmatas which our Author Englishes thus Christ united two People in himself and made them one in the Lord as the Corner-stone unites two Walls in a building and makes it but one house Now if we cannot agree about the Construing a piece of familiar Latine we shall strangely differ in the Interpretation of its design and tendency And here Ambrose is less beholden to our Author than Chrysostom for that he may not cross our Authors sence he is made to speak Non-sence Christ united two people and made them one That is he made them one and made them one or he united them and united them for what uniting should be but making one I cannot divine But Ambrose his Latine runs thus Duos populos in se suscepit fecit unum in Domino He took two people upon himself and so made them one in the Lord He bore their Iniquities carryed their sins in his body upon the Cross and thereby reconciled them to God and then their reconciliation to one Another would be easie but our Author who is never wanting to his Concerns was not at leisure to take notice of that However says he this is the plain design of the place to prove that Christ hath taken away the enmity which was between Iew and Gentile and hath reconciled them both to God Well I can be content it should be the Plain design but not the Main design not the whole design of the place Some men think themselves wondrous witty in the Contrivance that they have found out some Reconciling work for Christs Death But then it must not be to reconcile God and Sinners but to remove an old grudge between Iew and Gentile which is an Invention of the latter dayes utterly unknown to the Ancient Fathers and the whole Catholick Church that they might not seem to say there 's no Reconciliation by the Blood of Christ I would turn over our Author for satisfaction in this point to the Reason not the Authority of Dr. E. Stillingfl against Crellius p. 558. A Difference being supposed between God and Man on the account of sin no reconciliation can be imagined but what is mutual For did Man only fall out with God and had not God just reason to be displeased with Men for their Apostacy from him If not what made him so severely punish the Old World for their Impieties by a Deluge what made him leave such Monuments of his Anger against the Sins of the World in succeeding Ages c Well then supposing God to be averse from men by reason of their sins shall this displeasure alwayes continue or not If it alwayes continues men must certainly suffer the desert of their sin If it doth not alwayes continue then God may be said to be reconciled in the same sence that an offended party is capable of being reconciled to him who hath provoked him Now there are two wayes whereby a party justly offended may be said to be reconciled to him that hath offended him First when he is not onely willing to admit of Terms of Agreement but doth declare his Acceptance
in Question but hear his proof 1 Cor. 12. 13. By one Spirit we are all baptized into one Body In which says he the Apostle seems to allude to Baptism which conferres the same Holy Spirit on us All and thereby makes us all Members of that one Body which is his Church I think he is resolved never to produce a pertinent Scripture to prove the plainest Truth For 1. here 's but an Allusion at most and has he scolded all this while against Allusions Allegories and must he lay the main stress of his Argument upon an Allusion 2. It but seems to Allude neither and that weakens the Credit of it exceedingly An Allusion a seeming Allusion A shadow the dream of a shadow Any thing or Nothing will serve his turn for plain demonstration when a Mans Name is up for a demonstrative Man he may lye in bed till noon 3. This Baptisme says he conferres the same Holy Spirit upon us all But the Apostle sayes no such matter but the contrary by the Spirit we are baptized and not by Baptism receive the Spirit Thus the Spirit Unites us to Christ then comes Baptism which looks backward as a Seal of what we have received and forward to our visible state in the Church and hence it appears that our Union to Christ is the Reason of our Union to the Church and not our Union to the Church the Means to unite us to Christ. 4. Baptism admitts not into a particular Church but the visible Church at large and then it will be harder still for our Author to prove from thence that the Union of particular Christians to Christ is by Means of their union with a particular Church under the Bishops and Pastors But if Allusions will not pass currant Then sayes he more expressely in Eph. 4. 4 5. There is one Body and one Spirit as you are called in one hope of your Calling one Lord one Faith one Baptism That is the Christian Baptism is but one and is A Sacrament of Union making us all the Members of that one Body of Christ this is called being Baptized into Christ i. e. Admitted into the Christian Church by a visible Profession of our Faith in Christ Now for a small matter I could grant him all this and yet despair of seeing his Conclusion Baptism is but one be it so It 's a Sacrament of Union take it for granted It makes us all Members of that one Body of Christ which is his visible Church let it be supposed But still I wait for proof of this That by Baptism we are all really united to Christ. But here are some things very pretty 1. Baptism is but one and is a Sacrament of Union Very good and so is the Spirit but one and therefore he is the Means of Union 2. By Baptism we are made Members of the one Body of Christ that is of the Visible Church but is there no means to make us Members of the Invisible Church 3. This is called being Baptized into Christ. But is there no other way of uniting us to Christ but by Baptism 4. We are admitted into the Christian Church by a publick Profession of our Faith in Christ Very true we are solemnly admitted into a Visible Station in the Visible Church thereby alwayes supposing Repentance whereby we forsake sin and Faith whereby we steadfastly believe the Promises of God made to us in that Sacrament which has already united us to Christ. 2. The Lords Supper is a Sacrament of Union and signifies that neer Conjunction between Christ and Christians Signifies it It presupposes an Union both with Christ and a particular Church All are supposed in one sence or other to be in the Church to be in Christ that are admitted to it Read over the Exhortation in the Liturgy at your best leisure My duty is to exhort you to consider the Dignity of this Mystery And so to search and examine your Consciences that you should come holy and clean to a most Holy Feast for otherwise receiving of the Holy Communion doth nothing else but encrease your Damnation Again in the other Exhortation For as the benefit is great if with a true penitent heart and lively Faith we receive that holy Sacrament for Then we spiritually eat the flesh of Christ and drink his blood Then we dwell in Christ and he in us so the danger is great c. and therefore if any of you be a Blasphemer of God N. B. an hinderer or a slanderer of his Word N. B. an Adulterer or be in Malice N. B. or Envy or any other grievous crime bewail your sins and come not to this holy Table least the Devil enter into you as he did into Iudas But what can be more evident our Author supposes we are united to the Church united to Christ by Baptism and therefore surely this other Sacrament confirms our Union and does not first Create it I have long waited for an Argument to enforce his Conclusion and now we shall have it The Intention of our Lord and Saviour in what he did and suffer'd for us was not to reform and save some single Persons but to erect a Church and to combine all his Disciples into a publick Society A fairer Truth never dropt from his Pen which some will like the better because it is so handsom and proper a Confutation of the whole Section For if this be Christs design to combine all his Disciples into a publick Society then sure they were his Disciples related to him as their Lord and Master before such combination Now to be a true Disciple of Christ is no such slighty and trivial matter that we may be such a one and yet not united really to Christ It implyes Self-denyal taking up the Cross and following Christ and that will go a great way to an Union with Christ and yet of such as these it 's granted the Christian Society must be composed But he copes up all this with a little Reason And therefore our Saviour does not own any Relation to particular men as such but as they are Members of his Body As such Now for an Explication of the Quà He owns no Relation to particular men as such that is as particular men No I am very well satisfied of that for then he should own a Relation to all particular men for à quatenus ad omne valet consequentia But does he own a Relation to particular Believers as Believers will he own a Relation to a Disciple as a Disciple I am sure he has promis'd to own those that own them as Disciples and I am as sure that if a particular Church be a combination of Disciples he will own his Disciples wherever he finds them so that I was just a concluding the clear contrary if our Author had not given me timely Notice That because Christ does combine all his Disciples into publick Societies that therefore he does own and is so related to united with and will have