Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	spirit_n	word_n	write_a	2,319	5	11.0747	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87552	Allotrioepiskopos, the busie bishop. Or The visitor visited. By way of answer to a very feeble pamphlet lately published by Mr J.G. called Sion Colledge visited, in which answer, his cavils against the ministers of London for witnessing against his errours touching the holy Scriptures, and the power of man to good supernaturall, are answered, and the impertinency of his quotations out of the fathers, Martin Bucer, and Mr Ball are manifested. / By William Jenkyn minister of the Word of God at Christ-Church London.	Jenkyn, William, 1613-1685.	1648 (1648)	Wing J632; Thomason E434_4; ESTC R202641	59,976	70

distinctnesse your writings throughout have more of words then matter and yet more of mud then either But At your command I shall consult the pages wherein you would be thought to say The Scriptures are the Word of God In the former as also pag. 17. where you seem to be most full in declaring your sense You say to this purpose That you grant the matter and substance of the Scripture The gracious counsels to be the Word of God as That Christ is God and man that he died that he rose again c. You are come to a high pitch of ingenuity I assure you These things you having said you thinke you may lawfully charge the Ministers with craft and wickednesse for setting down barely that conclusion of yours pag. 18. Questionles no writing whatsoever whether Translations or Originals are the foundation of Christian Religion 1. But what will please you The Subscribers are in some strait how to content you when they only set down the conclusion and result of your words you say they deal wickedly because they expresse no more and when they cite a whole page you say they doe it that they may represent you to the Reader for a man of monstrous and prodigious errours one of which cannot be expressed or contained in fewer words then would fill a whole page Yet on the other side If they pitch only upon the errour you say they cite your words barely and suppresse craftily your sense 2. Though the Subscribers did set down this your Conclusion without reciting your long-winded passages which you premise yet deserve they not this your reviling Div. author of Scrip p. 18. as if they had wrong'd you For the conclusion being the result of the premisses if your conclusion be crazie and hereticall your premises must needs be so too and therefore the setting of them down would not have helped you at all and if the conclusion be not hereticall why doe you not defend it against the accusation of the Subscribers which you neither doe nor dare to doe but only send the Subscribers to the thirteenth page leaving the poor eighteenth to mercie 3. Suppose you had in the thirteenth page written the truth therefore ought you not to be blamed for writing errours in the eighteenth page Nay ought you not the rather to be blamed Suppose that found truths were laid on the top of your book might you not be blamed for laying rotten errours at the bottome Satan knows that the one must make the other vendible and the Subscribers did but labour herein to spoil his mercat 4. I suppose the subscribers did not set down your sense concerning the divine Authority of the Scriptures in the thirteenth page because it had no relation either clear or doubtfull to the passage in this eighteenth page For in the thirteenth page you say you assert the Scriptures to be the word of God and here in the eighteenth page you come with your Questionlesse no writing whatsoever whether translations or originalls are the foundation of Christian Religion But you seem to complain that you who have granted the Scriptures i.e. the gracious counsels matter substance of them to be the word of God should be blamed though you say Questionlesse no writing whatsoever is the foundation of Christian religio● but mistake not for though you have granted what no Papist nay what no christian in a sense did ever yet deny yet upon what ground have you granted even this you give the reader nothing to shew for this grant but only your good nature and ingenuity you tell me pag. 13. that you beleeve the precious counsells matter and substance of the Scripture to be of divine authority but though you beleeve so yet what ground give you me to beleeve so with you none I am sure p. 10. Div. Autho. where you deny both the English Scriptures and the Hebrew and Greek Originals themselves to be the word of God Div. Autho. p. 10. Nor give you me any ground to beleeve with you that the counsells of the scriptures are the word of God in p. 12. when you say That they who have the greatest insight into the originall languages yea and who beleeve the Scriptures unto salvation Div. Autho. p. 12. cannot upon any sufficient ground beleeve any originall copie under heaven whether Hebrew or greek to be the word of God with a world of such stuff Nor give you any ground to beleeve the matter counsells c. of the Scripture to be the word of God p. 18. where you say Questionlesse no writing whatsoever whether translations or originalls are the foundation of Christian religion much lesse in that of Hag. p. 38. where in regard of the mortality of words you make the meaning of the originalls impossible to be certainly understood nay by all these passages of yours you hinder me from beleving as much as in you lieth that the matter substance counsells c. of the Scriptures are the word of God for how can any beleeve the matter substance c. of the Scripture to be the word of God when as he must be uncertain whether the written word or Scriptures wherein that matter is contained are the word of God or no I suppose when you say that the matter of the Scriptures represented in translations and originals is the word of God p. 17. you suppose that it should be beleeved for such but upon what ground ought I to beleeve it I hope you will not say because a province of London-Ministers saith it is to be beleeved nor barely because the spirit tels me is to be believed for the word of God 2 Pet. 1 19. for the spirit sends me to the written word and bids me by that to trie the spirits and tells me I must beleeve nothing to be from God or for my own eternall good but what I finde written I therefore desire to go to the written word as reveal●d by God for the building my confidence upon the counsells and matter of the Scriptures as pardon through Christ c. But then J. Goodwin tels me this written word is not Gods word nor are any writings in the world Originals or Translations to be lookt upon as such If so they must be the word of vain man and so I have no more to shew for the precious truths that Christ died for sinners and lost man c. then mans word I pray consider what are become of your disciples to use your own phrase their soul provisions their hope of eternall blessednesse when as thus you deny the written word How doth my soul pitty your poor deluded followers who have such a soul starving or soul-poysoning shepheard set over them the Lord knows I hardly write these things with dry eyes Whereas therefore you send the subscribers and readers to your pages alledged I shall do the like and desire them to take notice that you make no distinction between the res credenda and the ratio

credendi the matter to be beleeved and the ground of beleeving that thing the objectum materiale formale fidei the matters to be beleeved are those precious truths of God which you name p. 13. and such like the ground of beleeving them is the revelation of God in his written word Nor can any one beleeve those truths with a divine faith as the truths of God Hoc verbum quod multis vicib is multisque mod●●olim Deus proserre volu●t visum est ei lem literis libris ad Ecclosie suae usum consignare un● codem sem per manente verbo etsi non uno modo tradito Riv. Cat. Oath Par. 9. ● unlesse he first beleevs that they are revealed and made known by God This Revelation of God hath alwaies been the foundation of faith and as the Apostle Heb. 1.1 saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God hath afforded this at divers times after divers manners to his Church sometimes by a lively voice at other times by writing the authority of the revelation being the same the manner of revealing divers * But now since the truths of God were expressed in writing what is the grouad of your faith but this it is written and if you deny the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the words and say that they are not from divine inspiration you must of necessity also deny the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the matter and hold that the matter which you say is only the word of God is unworthy of a Christians belief I pray what course took Christ and his Apostles to prove their doctrinall assertions Mat 44.6.7.10 Mat. 1.2 Mar. 9.12 Mar. 11.17 Luk. 18.31.22.37 24 44 46. Joh. 10.34 Act. 13.33 15.85 Rom. 3.4 10.81 9.13 11.26 12 19. 14 11. 13.9 ●● 1 Cor. 1.19 1 Cor. 1.31 1 Cor. 2.9 9.9 1 Cor 15.54 2 Cor 9.9 Gal. 3.13 4.22 Heb 10.7 1 Pet. 11.6 Mar. 15.28 Act. 8.32.35 Rom. 9.17 10.11 11.2 Gal. 4. ●0 1 Tim. 5.18 1 Pet. 2.6 Mat. 21.42 26 56 Luk. 24.27.45 Act. 17.2 11. 18.28 Rom. 1.2 16.26 1 Cor. 15 3. and the matters they taught but by the Scriptures and when they would render them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fit for belief they evermore tell how it is written Consult with the places in the margin and you will finde that the matter substance precious counsells c. contained in the Scriptures are proved to be credenda things to be beleeved because they are written deny then the written word as you do in terminis to be the word of God and what formall object hath faith poor faith without a written word Yeeld your self to that evident Scripture Joh. 20.31 These things are written that yee might beleeve that Jesus is the Christ the son of God and that beleeving ye might have lift through his name God makes these matters Christ is the son of God and life is to he had through his name to be the objects and matter of my belief but God makes the ratio or ground of my beleeving of these matters to be their revelation by writing See also Act. 14.24 Paul saith he beleeved all that was written in the Law and the prophets So Rom. 15.4 Things were written aforetime that through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures we might have hope So if you beleeve not Moses writings how shall you beleeve my words Joh. 5.47 6. Therefore doth not your sending me only to the counsels matter substance of Translations and Originals as the Word of God and your deniall that the written Word is such clearly shew That you send me not to that Word of God which the Scripture every where speaks of but to some other the Scripture using to call the written Word of God the Scripture and very often though in a Translation The command of Christ Joh. 5.39 is to search the Scriptures and were not they the written Word How readest thou Luk. 10.26 Vnderstandest thou what thou readest Act. 8.30 and what Scriptures were those the Apostle calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 given by inspiration of God meaneth the Apostle neither Originals nor translation or both rather It were easy to shew how in this point of your deniall the Scriptures for the foundation as faith and Scriptures oppose you so likewise sundry holy and learned writers that have had occasion to touch upon the subject Let these following asserting the Scriptures for the word of God and so the foundation of faith and Christian Religion suffice for the vindication of the written word from the contempt you cast upon it a Quo plenius impressius tam ipsum quam dispositiones voluntates adiremus instrumentum adjecit literaturae si quis velit de Deo inquirere inquisitum invenire invento credere credito deservire Tertul. Apol. cap. 18. That we might go to God his counsells and will more fully and vigorously he added the instrument of writing if any would enquire of God finde him beleeve in him and serve him Tertullian b Non per alios salutis nostrae dispositionem cognovimus quam per eos per quos Evangelium pervenit ad nos quod quidem tunc praeconiaverunt postea per Dei voluntatem in Scripturis nobis tradiderunt fundamentum columnam fidei nostrae futu●um Irenaeus Advers Here 's lib. 3. cap. 1 vide lib. 3. c. 2. We know not Gods disposall or ordering of our salvation but by those by whom the Gospel came to us which they formerly preached afterward by the counsell of God delivered to us in the Scriptures to be the foundation and pillar of our faith Irenaeus c Singuli Sermones syllabae apices puncta in divinis Scripturis plena sunt sensibus Hier in cap. 1. ad Eph. The severall speeches syllables tittles points in the divine Scriptures are full of sense Hier. d Persuasisti mihi Domine Deus non eos qui crederent libros tuos quos tantâ omnibus serè gentibus authoritate fundasti esse culpandos sed eos qui non crederent nec audiendos esse si qui forte mihi dicerent unde scis illos libros unius veracissimi Dei spiritu esse humano generi ministratos id ipsum enim maximè credendum erat Aug Conf lib. 6. O my Lord God thou hast perswaded me not that they who beleeved thy books which thou hast founded with so much authority in almost all nations were to be blamed but those who beleeved them not and that those were not to be heard who might haply say to me whence dost thou know that those books were administred to man-kinde by the Spirit of the only most true God for this thing was chiefly to be beleeved Augustine e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chry. hom 1. in Mat. If it be blame-worthy to stand in need of the writing of the Scripture and not to imbrace the grace of the spirit how great a fault is it after the enjoyment of

Theologicall Sion Col. visited p. 4. Heresies are imperiously sentenced as if the chair of Papal Infallibility were translated from Rome to Sion Colledge Name one of those errours in the Catalogue which the Scripture and that writing we cannot as yet deny to be the foundation of religion condemns not Ans if so 't is not Ex imperio but Ex officio to discover them and for your scoff of the Chair of Papal infallibility know that the Ministers are as far from being for the chair of infallibility as for the Chair in Swan-Alley In the next impression mollifie your title Sion Col. visited p. 5. say not against errours and heresies but use this Christian and soft explication as we account and call them errours and heresies Tender-hearted Sir Ans Spare your counsell or if you will give it expect no fee had ever Ministers or Christians such advise given them before Peter was called Satan for bidding Christ to pity himself but what would Christ have called him had Peter desired Christ to have pitied Satan The hereticall devil must not be used gently 'T is a cruell kindenesse to truth to do so Diabolus non est leniter palpandus saith Luther when you had to do with M Edwards of blessed memory then 't was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pereat Pap● pereantimp● magestrat● per●aut im●io●u●n dogma●u●n patreni pereat totu● mu●d● salve●ur Deo su●gloria su●● verbu● su● E●tlesia su●● cul 〈…〉 with you rebuke them cuttingly but when we have to do with heresies it must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gently must it yes use mollifying expressions I pray deal gently with heresies for I.G. his sake but heresies have more need of Corasives then lenitives of iron then of oyle was Augustine called Malleus Haereticorum for using mollifying expressions had you given us the advice of Luther we would have thankt you Let the pope perish ungodly Magistrates The Patrons of ungodly opinions of errours let all the world perish only let not the glory of God perish his Church his Worship But why speak we of Luthers spirit your advice is more unsutable to the spirit of the Scripture Rebuke them sharply saith the Apostle that they may be sound in the faith Earnestly contend for the faith Damnable heresies Reprobate concerning the faith filthy dreamers Cursed children Vngodly men bruit beasts Clouds without water Tit. 1.13 Jude 3.4.12 2 Pet. 2.1 2 Tim. 3 8. Jude 8. 2 Pet. 2.14 2 Pet. 2.12 c And yet forsooth we must be all for softnesse and mollisying The Lord pardon our sinfull softnesse formerly The time past may suffice to have connived at you Shall you be bolder to sin then we to speak God forbid But wherein must the Ministers expresse their softnesse he tels us for he gives us direction as well as exhortation though he is more wicked in prescribing the manner of doing then the thing to be done Say not a testimony against Errours and Heresies but say as we account and call Errours and Heresies His plain meaning is Be doubtful whether those damnable Errours and Heresies be such or no Be Scepticks Seekers Expectants Dubitants never beleeve any thing When men deny the Scriptures to be the foundation of faith say This is an heresie as we think when men deny the Divinity of the Son and holy Ghost say These are heresies as we conceive when heaven and hell are denied say this is an heresie as we account and so of the rest Non est hoc Christiani pectori● n●n delectari ass rtionibus Tolle assertiones Christianismum tu●sti Sanctu● Spiritas non est scepticus nec opiniones in cord ●us nostris sed assertiones ●psâ vitâ omni experient●d certiores produc●t Luth. Though the Lord hath not with-held you from giving yet for his Christs sake he keep us from taking this advice We who teach others to beleeve shall we beleeve nothing our selves if we may not be so certain as to write against errours how should we be so certain as to die in opppsition to errours Should one lay down his life for he knows not what Did those blessed Martyrs in Queen Maries daies say That Transubstantion was an errour as they thought Besides are there any things in the world so certain as the matters of faith The Apostle speaks Col. 2.2 of a fulnesse of assurance of understanding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Famous is that speech of Luther which in the margin I give you in his own words Non est hoc Christiani pectoris non delectari assertionibus c. It savours not of Christianity when men are not delighted with positive assertions Take away assertions and thou hast taken away Christianity The holy Ghost is no Sceptick nor doth in produce opinions in our hearts but certain assertions more sure then life it self and all experience c. Certainly if I may know any thing to be a truth I may and must upon that ground know the contrary to be an errour as if I know that this is a truth That Christ is God I certainly know that this is an errour to say He is not God and therefore by your putting us to beleeve nothing for an errour you will constrain us to beleeve nothing for a truth And if this be so to what end serves preaching Do Ministers preach and people hear fables or truths Further if nothing be to be certainly known for an errour with what zeal can any way by you be opposed when as you are and must be uncertain whether you strike a friend or a foe a truth or an errour And if so How can you declaim against the way of Presbytery for ought you know it may be a truth How or why against the restraint of herecicks deniall of liberty of conscience And where are you then Sir But are you so undoubted and certain and positive as you seem to your self to be when you oppose the truth and must we be purely doubtfull when we are opposing of errours Did not you blasphemously deny the Scripture to be the foundation of faith with that astonishing expression going before it Questionlesse no writing whatsoever is the foundation of Christian Religion Though in this last Pamphlet your own conference I hope would not suffer you to put it in Must you say questionlesse for errours and must we come with an as we think against errours You extend your title against a toleration of errours also Sion Col. visited p. 5. Now a toleration is a meer non ens a thing not in being and therefore you testify against that of which God made the World If a toleration be not no thank to you Ans I am confident 't is your darling endeavour to effect it You say that because a toleration is nothing to speak against it is to speak against that which Gud made the world of Prophanely enough But sure you meant not to compare a toleration to the nothing of which

so great an help not to gain by it but to despise the writings as if they had been laid before us in vain and thereby to draw upon our selves greater punishment Chrys f Homin's qui intra Ecclesiae pomaeria sunt de scripturae authoritate non quaerant est enim p●incipium Quomodopossunt esse discipuli Christi si doctrinam Christi velint in dubium vocare quomodo verae Ecclesiae membra si de fundamento Ecclesiae dubitare velint Quomodo id sibi probari petent quod ad probanda alia semper assumunt Gerb. loc Com. Tom 1. de S. ser p 7 Sect. 10. Men that are within the pale of the Church make no question of the authority of the Scripture for it is a principle How can they be the Discioles of Christ if they will call the doctrine of Christ into question how can they be members of the Church if they will doubt of the foundation of the Church How can they desire to have that proved which they make use of to prove all other things by Gerhard g In fidei controversi●s dijudicandis nec ab Hebraeis nec a Graecis pendere volunt Papistae multiplicatis quaestiunculis quaesivit Iesuita omnem sacrae scripturae fidem a judicio huma●o suspendere de 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 scripturae qu●● habemus dubitationem omnium mentibus ●●j●●unt ut his athe●mi radimentis hom●●es a vert Dei cognitione abstract●s facilius Antichrist dominationi subjiciant Andr Rivet Q 4. de scrip Tom. 1. In determining of controversies of faith the Papists note this M. Goodwin will not stand either to the Hebrew or greek originals and Baily the Jesuite by multiplying questions hath sought to make the belief of the holy Scripture to depend upon mans judgement and they cast doubts into all mens mindes about the authority of the holy Scriptures which we have that by these rudiments of Atheism they might subiect those men to the power of Antichrist whom they have drawn from the knowledge of the true God Andr. Rivet I shall conclude with desiring you in the fear of God to consider whether that complaint which the learned Rivetus makes of Albertus Pighius sute not too evidently with your self whom as Rivet saith uttered such blasphemous expressions as these explicent scripturarij * Explicent scripturarij isti unde nobis certum est haec esse Moysi scripta que sub ej●● nomine legimus si viderem●● qui● ce●tos r●d deret M●ysi tam multis seculis mortui esse scriptama●● haec fimilia querebat a n●bis proph●us iste quae quorsu 〈◊〉 nemo potest ignorare nifi qu● sponte vult decip● Rivetus ubisupra and he saith that the Papists are herein worse then the tradi tores who for fear delivered their Bibles to the Heathen to be burnt Sion Col. visit p. 12. isti c. let these that stand so much for the written word tell us how we can be certain that these are the writings of Moses which we read to go under his name and how can they assure us that these things were written with Moses his own hand who died so many years agoe He concludes with calling this Albertus Pighius a prophane fellow and saith that he that seeth not whether these things tend is willing to deceive himself I verely fear and without any breach of charity that these scripturarij especially of the presbyterian judgement shall not finde that favour from Joha Goodwin that a Sectarian Antiscripturist hath found in his Hagiomastix in which calendar he was highly Sainted Was it in the integrity of your hearts and to discharge your duty conscienciously that you must needs make it an errour or heresie to say that it were needlesse for Satan to blinde the eyes of naturall men if they had not eyes to see and to receive the glorious light of the Gospel when it is declared unto them But there you stop you do not proceed to the next words which have a most horrid aspect Men are not blinde for want of eyes but for want of light and when light or truth is discovered to them they have faculties suitable fit and apt to receive it But what kinde of blindenesse call you that to be in the dark and to have good eyes 't is a blindenesse that can neither in a spirituall or a naturall respect be cal'd a blindenesse the blindenesse of a naturall man is such as argueth a perishing of the power of spirituall seeing or discerning according to the Apostle he cannot know the things of the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2 14 Conversion is the restoring of sight not of light only the opening of the eyes not the bringing of light to them who have eyes already Act. 26.18 raising up and putting life into a dead man and not the unbinding or the unfittering of a living Ephes 2. The words which you deny to be an errour viz. 'T is a needlesse thing for Satan to blinde if they have not eyes to see are very false for notwithstanding Satans making us blinde we are blinde of our selves according to Scripture which saith that naturall men cannot know the things of the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2.14 and yet that the God of this world hath blinded them 2 Cor. 4.4 when the Scripture saith that a naturall man is carried captive by Satan 2 Tim. 2.26 doth it therefore follow he is not a slave to sin because to Satan Satan may keep men in blindenesse and slavery and make men more to please themselves in both but its certain that we are both slaves to sin and blinde in sin also Where or in what clause or phrase of this ensuing period Sion Coll. visted p. 12 13. lies the errour or heresie If God should not make men capable of beleeving I mean indue men with such principles abilities or gifts of reason judgement memory or understanding by the diligent improvement whereof they might come to be convinced of a readinesse and willingnesse in God to receive them into favour upon their repentance upon which Conviction true repentance and turning to God ALLWAIES follows they which are condemned would have their mouths opened against God and furnished with an excuse The Parenthesis I suppose is innocent The consequence If God should not make men capable c. is built upon this principle that a plea for want of power for performance is an excuse in the case of non-performance You have in the setting down of your innocent parenthesi shewn your self very nocent and deceitfull for as if your conscience had taken your former assertion ill at your hands you left cut that word ALLWAIES in your late Pamphlet which word the subscribers charged you with in their testimony and would clearly have carried the sense thus grace and conversion infallibly follow upon mans improvement of his naturall abilities First For your consequence that if God should not make men capeable of beleeving upon that

spi●●●i ●●●cto s●t communis quo●●● per●reaturas ad cognoscendam personarum 〈…〉 non poss●m a p●r●●●gere G●●● de Trin. None saith Gerard can be led to the knowledge of God by the creatures but only so farre forth as God is their cause Now God is their cause by a divine power common to the three persons therefore by the creatures we can onely attain to knowledge of those things which are common to the three Persons wherefore certainly by the creatures we can never attain to the knowledge of the distinction of persons Name one heathen who did most diligently search into nature that did by the inspection of the creature know there was a trinity of persons And can the heathens by the works of creation have the discoveries of a mediator and have Christ made known to them and beleeve in him I am sure you never learned this of the Apostle Dicimus fide● in Christum non semper requiri ad justificationem sed fid●● s●●pliciter ut restatur Apo stolus Heb. 〈◊〉 in quo et●●n additur 〈◊〉 ●idem 〈…〉 dam req●●● credere qu●● Deus sit quod sit rem●nera ●t illoru● qui ipsum quaerunt de fide verò in Christum nulla vel ●inima fit 〈◊〉 R●fot lib. de sat Christ● cap. to p. 17● who saith that faith comes by hearing Rom. 10. Or are you of Smalcius his judgement who faith that faith in Christ is not alwaies required to justification but faith simply and he proves it out of this very Scripture that you have here alledg'd Heb. 11.6 for the faith of heathens Sir blame me not if I be jealous of you as of one that favours socinianisme Sure I am you must either hold that heathens must attain faith in Christ by the enjoying of sun moon and starres or that the faith of the 11. of Heb. 6. which you say the heathens doe attain by the sun moon and startes is not a faith in Christ and then welfare Smalcius In your next I pray manifest your judgement herein Or of whom learned you this opinion that they who have only the sun moon and starres Impossibile est pervenire ad sidem pervenire ad aeternam vitam nisi audieris evargelium idque adminis●ratum per hominem nam de praedicatione Evangelij Paulus hic l●quitur quam dominus per Apostolos suos ado inistravit Bucer in Rom. 10. Act. Synod Artic. 2. Col. Hag. art 2. Ad Arg. 5. pag. 179. Sion Col. visi● p. 17. Ans c. to preach the Gespel unto them have sufficient means of beleeving Certainly Mr Bucer never was your Master who on Rom. 10. saith It 's impossible to attain to saith to aeternall life unlesse thou hearest the Gospel and that admi●istred by man for Paul here speaks of the preaching of the Gospel which God administred by his Apostles But whose scholler are you now Friend you are to blame to put me out of my old way for I would fain have found a schoolmaster among the Arminians for you but the truth is you have now outgon your Masters They indeed say that God calls all with a common calling by which men may be made fit to hear the Gospel in which salvation is offered c. but they never dream'd of a Gospel by Sun Moon and Starres nay when pressed at the conference at Hague to shew the universality of the preaching of the Gospel though they have many shifts and cavils yet this of your Preachers never came into their minde Let all my sayings be drawn together and the rigidest extraction made there will be found the same spirit of errour if yet it were errour in Mr John Ball Intituled A Treatise of the Covenant of Grace pag. 44. of 〈◊〉 ●●●course I cannot wonder that you who would fain father your errours upon Scripture are in this kinde industrious also to abuse holy and learned Mr Ball lay not your egges of errour in Mr Balls nest thinking that by the warmth of his reputation to have them hatched The words of Mr Ball are these No man is hindered from beleeving through the difficulty or unreasonablenes of the command or through his own simple infirmity as being willing to beleeve but not able which inability deserves pity but he doth not beleeve because he will not What is here that gives you the least countenance in your errours Mr Ball saith and that truly that unwillingnesse to beleeve hinders a man from beleeving but he doth not say that any man of himself can be willing for pag. 226. having asserted that man is unable to beleeve and in the same page that it is of grace to be inabled to beleeve he presently adds that mands not further from beleeving then desire to beleeve Mr B. grants that it's mans fault that he dissents from grace calling him but where saith he it is in mans power to consent to grace calling him and if he will not say so he cannot be of your faith who maintain that man hath ability to beleeve and may so improve his naturall abilities that conversion alwaies will follow and if man had not power to beleeve God were unjust to command it Mr Ball blames mans unwillingnesse to beleeve and you like an acute logician thence conclude mans sufficiency 'T were easie to shew as great a dissonancy between you and Mr Ball in this point as there is an harmony between you and the Remonstrants Take it in these four or five passages 1. You say Div. Auth. p. 168. That if man should be deprived of all ability to beleeve and yet God should be still moving and perswading men to beleeve this would be harder then injustice it self As for a King to cause a mans leggs to be cut off and yet command him to run a race And you say that mans inability to do any thing that God commands is a very fair and reasonable excuse for not doing it Div. Auth. p. 201. But Mr Ball saith pag. 245 246. of the Cou. of Gr. That an impossible thing to us may be and is the object of Gods command and of his desire Nay in the same place the Lord commands and desires the conversion of many obstinate impenitent persons who have the means of grace whom for their present contempt he doth blinde and harden If impossible be not the object of Gods will in this fence viz. impossible in respect of ma● he that by custome in evil hath contracted an habit that he cannot but sin should not offend and he that is carried with the most violence of minde to evil should be least evil pag. 247. he saith that God may justly withhold the graces of his spirit from those that are invited in the Ministery and pag. 248. The Lord doth earnestly again and again call upon impenitent and obstinate sinners to repent and beleeve when as yet in his just judgement he hardens their hearts that they cannot repent And whereas you call mans inability a fair excuse for not