such-like that he would intercede to his Father saying Father forgive them for they know not what they say 4. Querie Whether it be not interest and self-love in any to maligne others for what they hold out to the world for doctrines according to godlinesse before the said maligning persons do confute by plain Scriptures the said doctrines held out to be contrary to godlinesse and likewise give the said maligned persons freedom and time to make reply and answer for themselves for you may see what Festus said Act. 25.27 5. Querie Whether they do well and do as they would be dealt with who charge men for preaching poysonfull doctrine before they themselves have heard such kind of doctrine from them whom they charge with it or have received some information from others either viva voce or under their hands that the persons charged have preached such kind of doctrine 6. Querie Whether the holy Scriptures commonly called the word of God be not the rule and the only extornal rule to confute all error and confirm all truth by because it is said Isai 8.20 to the Law and to the testimony 7. Querie Whether an errour in Divinity be not a Scripture-axiome commonly mistaken and not understood As an Anabaptist for so some are called by others of divided judgments mistook that Scripture-axiome Matth. 20.25 26. where it is said The Princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them and they who are great exercise authority over them but it shall not be so among you From which exceptive particle but in the last clause the said person denied magistracy to be exercised over Christians for which cause he was some years since as it s said imprisoned in Lincoln-Castle and indicted upon the next opportunity before the Judge of Assise for that County Upon which Indictment he produced his Bible and desired the Judge that the place might be read where it is said but it shall not be so among you But who was most in fault for his said opinion the poor misunderstanding man who out of conscience did adhere to the translated Scripture or they who did translate the said two verses amisse and so led him from the mind of Christ to the said misunderstanding for the words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now the preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth ofttimes contrarium adversus being added to the verbs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must make the said verbes to signifie to abuse and pervert their rule and authority which was no doubt our Saviours meaning when he said to his disciples but it shall not be so among you namely not to abuse any authority committed unto them which is a good caveat to all Christian magistrates to use their authority rightly and Christian-like according to which if the foresaid words had been translated as they ought to have been the foresaid conscientious man had no question submitted to Christian magistrates and so have been kept out of prison for who will not submit to magistrates out of obediential love while they exercise their ruling power and authority according to rules of justice prescribed by God without respect of persons because then there would be no complaining in our streets But saith Christ wo be to them by whom offences come Matth. 18.7 7. Querie Whether it be not the most compendious way of right judging every pretended divine controversie to put the said controversie into a Scripture-axiom or axioms and consider whether both parts which are commonly called the subject and predicate of the said axiom be expresly or equivalently contained in the Scripture as for instance It is said by the Romanists that Papa Romanus est caput Ecclesiae that the Pope of Rome is head of the Church and that Maria est mediatrix gratiae that Mary Christs Mother is the intercessor to her Son for grace and help for us in time of need Now it s confessed that caput Ecclesiae which is the prodicate or last part of the foresaid axiom is in the Scripture but we cannot find the subject or first part of the aforesaid axiom Papa Romanus in the Scripture which surely must be therein contained if ever we think to prove by Scripture that the Pope of Rome is head of the Church So must we find mediatrix gratiae in Scripture the predicate or latter part of the second axiom before we do with confidence affirm that Maria est mediatrix gratiae that Mary is the intercessor to her Son for grace to be given to us in our time of need therefore why should we believe the said assertions for divine truths when we cannot find those axioms to be expresly or equivalently laid down in Scripture 8. Querie Whether the sense we put upon an axiom expresly laid down in Scripture ought not to be proved to be expresly or equivalently in some one Scripture or other of Gods word that so we may justifie our said sense of the axiom to be the very mind of Christ according to the Scriptures As for instance Saint John saith of himself Rev. 1.10 I was in the Spirit on the Lords day In which words are these two divine axioms First That there is a Lords day Secondly that Saint John saith I was in the Spirit on the Lords day Now he that will presume to fix his proper sense upon the first axiom affirming what is meant by the Lords day or upon the second axiom what is meant to be in the Spirit on the Lords day must not he first prove that his said sense is plainly declared in some Scripture or other to be a Scripture-sense and so the mind of God otherwise he may justly be questioned why he putteth such a sense upon the said axiom which the holy Scriptures do not expresly hold out in some place or other of the said Scriptures And in case some other place of Scripture do fully declare his sense of the axiom to be divine according to his assertion yet he must prove by the context if not by the text of Scripture that his sense imposed is the sense and meaning of the axiom he hath laid down in the said place otherwise it had been much better for his advantage to have chosen the axiom in Scripture which expresly holdeth out his said sense then to put a sense upon an axiom which he cannot prove by the text or context to be the genuine sense of the said axiom The sense which too many Divines put upon Saint John's words is that Saint John meaneth by the Lords day the first day of the week which they call our Christian Sabbath in contradistinction to the Jews Sabbath to be set apart as the Lords day which we must solemnize and keep sacred as a day to the Lord commanded by him to be solemnized by all good Christians in holy duties as preaching the word hearing the same administring the Sacraments publickly with prayer and thanksgiving and also spend the remainder
ashamed being past shame to maintain our sinful-positions but as we are bound by many obligations of credit profit and pleasure as I may whisper to you in private to defend for truth our renents and withstand the gain-sayers of them or we are undone as a man should undo an oyster Yet as I tell you in my next paragraph I am neither worthy of note since I left my wife at Burston neere Norwich above twelve years since and became a vgabond upon the face of our English earth nor yet noted the unworthiest since I came among you at Wilton my beloved friends no nor noted the unworthiest among the thousands of Levi because I preach and appear in Print for the same-sinful doctrine which they own and maintain But though I be the meanest of Gods servants for so doing yet my witnesse is in Heaven that I have endeavoured to do the worst service to Gods Church I can even to perswade men to a security in sin and never to strive to mortifie all sinne in them because I tell them in Print though I cannot prove it by Scripture that sin will remain in the choice Saints as long as they live And therefore this part of my simple and sinful stuff as I tell you in my next paragraph I presume to present to those who fear the Lord as they did 2 Kings 17.41 which feared God and served their idols not begging patronage from such great ones as I know like not our sinful doctrines though the world do not like them for it of a necessity of continuing in sin as long as we live But I hope I shall receive your patronage my endeared friends for the same And wherein I erre in not doing my utmost to maintain that our sinnes must remain with us while we live here I desire your pardon not defence if I do not as I say though when I have done my utmost I can but perswade weak capacities to beleeve that the best Saints are where it is without controversie we are still in sinne The occasion as I tell you in my next paragraph of this published Vindication which will prove I doubt dismall to us in the end was a dispute or a contest rather as I call it on our pars betwixt Doctor Drayton and Parker on the one party and my selfe and many of my dear friends on the other party in Wilton Church where they had preached for a possibility of a total mortification of sin in this life and in the said contest they did openly deny for truth as justly they may the positions which we maintain and have placed in Capitall letters with boldnesse at the beginning of our senselesse Vindication Now although as I tell you in my next paragraph our points in controversie concerning the remaining of sinne in the best of Saints as long as they live have been so fully and plainly asserted in dark times when men could not though they looked wistly see wood for trees yea swallowed down by the credulous people who have been over-perswaded to believe our foresaid positions for Gospel by reason we pretend the Worthies ever since the Apostles with their Apostolical doctrine fell asleep of the dark times have held out our positions for which I call them men of blessed memory to us for countenancing as I endeavour to make the people believe what I and the reverend Clergy of our mind maintain though the Prophets aforesaid are ready to call them irreverend for so doing But yet we say to these opposites unto our tenents that they are men puft up with pride in our sense though not in their own for correcting Magnificat and going about to untrusse our points which have been so fully declared to be sound and orthodox that if these fatal Prophets did not contradict them admission of addition to maintain our sinful doctrine worthy to be confuted might seem superfluous and unnecessary for me unlessel could speak more sense them I do But although the proverb as I tell you in my next paragraph will be fulfilled in me undertaking this task Nihil dictum quod non dictum priùs I can speak nothing for our sinful cause having only learned it from others and my own long practise which hath not been said already yet in regard there are many people well-willers to us and our sinne-maintaining cause which do depend on me a sufficient bold follow to lead them wrong who of late have been disturbed and unsetled from our positions by reason of the resolutions of our gain-sayers to oppose our ensuing falshoods which we call truths and also many of the said people are not able to buy great volumes because they are not to be had of such nonsenfical and sinful stuffe as we vent in our Vindication And likewise by reason as I tell you in my next paragraph of the weakness of the capacity of our friends who cannot easily apprehend unless they open their eyes the perspicuity and plainness of their truths of a possibility of a total mortification of sinne in this life from our contrary falshead nor yet can distinguish unless they be willing to hearken to our opponents betwixt their truth and our falshood by reason we have vailed our falshood under the feigned testimonies as truths vizard of Scriptures and Fathers which I believe they will at last charge me to have abused both Scriptures and Fathers most notoriously Yet for the satisfaction of our well-willers and confirmation of them in falshood instead of truth I have as I tell you in my next paragraph presented to the publick because I would have them the more taking with shallow capacities who are ready out of their carnal and blind affections to me for maintaining sin as aforesaid to believe what I say right or wrong I have presented a few collections pumpt out of our addle brain which not being seriouslly digested nor weighed will I doubt not disenable the meanest capacities being willing to be one still with us in our conclusions to discover the truth according to godliness Tit. 1.1 from the deceitfulness of sin which we maintain will remain with us as long as we live That which others as I tell you in my next paragraph have done in maintaining our tenents namely that sin will remain in us as aforesaid c. I must bless the God of this world for by reason the God of the true Israel commandeth them who are desirous to shew themselves his Saints to hate the garment spotted of the flesh v. 23. of Judes Epistle And if that which I have now done shall be any way serviceable to weak capacities which is all we can expect to keep them where they are in a sinful life and to stir them up to do against our Autagonists as they did Acts 17.5 and 19.20 29 c. it hath obtained its ends ex fiue rei though I do not blad abroad in plain terms my finem intentionis who am willing to be spent in all impudency for the
and commands and all exhortations spoken and pressed in the name of the Lord and those in speciall which tend to the purging out of all sin and the fulfilling of the Law in Christ yet are not only precepts but possible to the Saints as the said Augustine elswhere confesseth The School also saith and that truly Ultra posse viri non vult Deus ulla requiri God promiseth grace to fulfil all that he requireth Secondly he saith that many of those places of Scripture do shew us not what we are now in via in the way but what we shall be hereafter in patria at the end of our pilgrimage when we shall be freed from the imperfection of our flesh and clothed with the garment of perfect righteousnesse Yea they doe in a speciall manner shew us both what we are and what we should be now in via or here now yet it cannot fully be set forth what we shall be hereafter for as Paul speaks 1 Cor. 2.9 But as it is written eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive the things which God hath prepared for them that love him Thirdly he saith that in many places the Scripture but he cannot produce one such terms them perfect and immaculate which have defiled their garments and polluted their consciences mark saith he not with no sins which is impossible but with no grosse sins or damnable enormities which as is said before is commendable But first we think the Vindicator alloweth no sin to be veniall but all mortal and damnable though not equally such Secondly we say that while any man pollutes his conscience he is neither called or accounted either perfect or immaculate by the Lord who is of purer eyes then to behold iniquity Haba 1.13 And thirdly what though all men have so defiled their garments for a time yet it is not impossible at length through grace to keep our souls and consciences so unspotted for so had Paul done 2 Cor. 1.12 and knowing that the like grace was attainable for others he prayed for it in their behalfe Phil. 1.10 11. that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Jesus Christ being filled with the fruits of righteousnesse 1 Thes 5.23 And the very God of peace sanctifie you wholly that your whole spirit soul and body be preserved blameless until the coming of our Lord Iesus Christ See also Heb. 13.19 20. before cited Fourthly he saith the Scripture pronounceth men perfect blameless and blessed not because they have no sins but because their sins are not imputed unto them Psal 32.1 2. But we have shewed before that this not imputing is a purging them away by sanctification as well as a remission Further he saith and therefore though the Saints are called righteous and perfect not only in regard of the imputative righteousnesse which is wrought in them by the Spirit of Christ but we must understand in what sense the Saints are inherently called righteous for we must not think them to be so perfectly righteous as to be void of sin or to be justified in the sight of God because that together with the sanctification of the Saints there is still in them a remainder of original coruption by the touch and stain of which their best works are corrupted and defiled and therefore we say that though the Saints and holy men of God may and have lived sine scandalo without offence and page 29. sine querela without reproof and complaint on mans part by or in the observance of all outward principles yet it is impossible the best of them should live and die sine peccato without sin So he Unto all which we briefly answer that his distinction of imputative and inherent righteousnesse is vain for they are all one as we have shewed before Secondly the Saints are or ought to be so perfectly righteous by inherent righteousness as to be thereby justified in the sight of God whether the word be taken for a purging from sin as it is Acts 13.39 or for a positive righteousnesse as Titus 3.4 5 6. for there is no other way of justification in Christ unto eternal life spoken of in the Scriptures Thirdly we have proved before that there is not nor ought to be such a remainder of original corruption always found in the best Saints as to stain and corrupt their best works Lastly we have likewise asserted by clear Scriptures that the Saints through Christ not only may but should live here at the length not alone sine scandalo and querela but sine peccato without sin as well as without scandal or just reproof for to that end Christ gave himselfe Ephes 5.24 25 26. But he tels us in that 29 pag. that Rom. 4.1 2. is a remarkable place So it is indeed but not for his purpose to prove that Abraham lived and dyed an imperfect man and with some remainders of corruption in him which words ought to be thus translated as they lye in the Greek Text What shall we say then that Abraham our father hath found according to the flesh or in his unregenerate estate for if Abraham were justified by works to wit before not after grace received he hath whereof to glory but not before God as he proveth in the following verse but of this more in another place Then here he shews by a distinction that the Saints whom he holds to be always imperfect in this life may be in a four-fold sense called perfect First in regard of their intention and aime at and desire of perfection for resting in a good condition saith he is contrary to grace grow in grace But may not the Saints rest when they are at the end of their journey and race which is the final mortification of sin through faith according to Heb. 4.3 For we which have beleeved doe enter into rest Let him here who is tantus temporum observator such an observer of tenses before mark the tenses here for the work of beleeving is past and the entring into rest is present The Saints in heaven are doubtlesse in a good condition is it against grace for them to rest in it Secondly he saith that the Saints are perfect inchoatively and because they goe on more and more but inchoation and consummation are two remote terms or stations and progression may stand at a great distance from perfection and the end of the race at leastwise in the beginning and the middle of it Thirdly he saith they may be term'd so comparatively or in respect of other mens unrighteousnesse And fourthly acceptatively because God accepteth them though not absolutely just by the reason of manifold sins and defects yet in Christ and for Christ his sake through whom all our imperfections are pardoned as just and righteous men But by his leave God accepts no man no not in Christ otherwise then as he is according to his present inward state and growth hence
new arguments from my friends against the truth of the point I shall endeavour to answer them by way of replication for their full satisfaction We are beholden to him for his promised endeavours and shall honour him when he hath set all the world on fire in the love of sin with this epitaph Quae si non tenuit magnis tamen excidit ausis As for their old arguments saith he they stink before God and good men Romes good creatures excepted But our hope is that when the true Sabbath comes our doctrine shall no more stink then the Mannaa which was kept from the sixth to the Sabbathday Exod. 16.24 But his and their doctrine who take his part therein shall be like the river in Egypt turned into blood for it is but the fading notion of flesh and blood whose fish shall die and the river it self shall send forth a stink where the light of Gods truth and wisedom is and doth appear Exod. 7.18 Yet he proceeds and saith that our arguments have been so fully answered and confuted but we know not by whom that were not men past shame as himselfe is in denying his own Mother sister and wife when they write unto him set on work of hell to wit to stir up men to purge away all sin by seeking and setting up thereagainst the kingdom of Christ and ingaged for wages to Rome but doth the Pope then hire men to cry down sin and preach up Christs kingdome they would forbear to disturb the peace of Gods Church But who are Gods Church are they not such as are sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be Saints 1 Cor. 1.2 3. and what is the peace of his Church is it not to have the enmity slain the partition-wall of sin between us and God between each other broken down by Christ Ephe. 2.13 14 15. Doe we then disturb or interrupt this peace by our doctrine yea we further it all that we can it is he and those which hold forth his doctrine who with the false Prophets make the breach between God and man wider instead of hedging up the gap Eze. 13.4 5. if we disturb the peace of any Church it must be that which cals her selfe Christs Church but in this and the like doctrine differs not far from the Synagogue of Satan as will be more evident hereafter But pag. 48. he tels us for a farewell to this point or position That he and his party doubt not but maugre the malice of men and devils whom he hath often in his mouth truth shall hereby be made more manifest and shall prevail and that the folly of those that resist the truth shall be made manifest to all men The Lord grant that we may obey the Apostles commands from such turn away and the Lord in mercy strengthen our faith in the belief of that promise 2 Tim. 3.9 They shall proceed no further Unto all which in Pauls sense we say Amen knowing him to come as nigh to those deceivers of whom Paul speaks as Joannes doth to Jannes And then he passeth on to his second position which he hopes to clear as the former and so he may quickly do even as smoke cleareth the eye-sight The second position is That no man can by grace in this life perform such perfect obedience to the Law of God as not to offend against the same or to be thereby justified otherwise then in and by Christ of grace given Which mixt position he resolves into three branches or single positions as we told you at the beginning First that no man can perform such perfect obedience to the Law of God as not to offend against the same which was our entire second position agreed upon at the first Secondly that no man can be justified by the works of the Law or by his obedience thereunto And thirdly that we are only justified by the righteousnesse of Christ And for the better understanding of the point saith he which points by his own distribution are three we must know that grace he means the word Grace is an equivocal word and that it is taken two ways in the Scripture he might have said ten ways at the least first pro gratia gratis data the free gift of God infused into our hearts by the Holy Ghost But so are not only the common gifts which the Schoolmen call gratia gratis data but the grace of sanctification which they call gratia gratum faciens which of those then doth he mean here doubtlesse that grace of regeneration contrary to the sense and distinction of the Schools Then secondly saith he grace is taken pro gratia gratum faciente for the free favour of God whereby he makes us acceptable to himselfe and in this last sense saith he we say that we are justified by grace that is by the free favour of God whereby he imputeth not our sins but he accounts us just by imputing Christs justice to us By which you may take a view what a learned Schoolman he is for his age who saith that he is sixty five years old or somewhat ancienter than his own Mother if we mistake not the year of her age Now as grace is taken by him in the first sense for we say not that the Law can be perfectly fulfilled but by the grace of sanctification I say saith he that no man by grace in this life can perform such perfect obedience to the Law of God as not to offend against the same Pag. 48. and 49. he saith that God never gave what not to Christ himselfe nor ever will give such grace to any what not in the world to come to fulfill the righteousnesse of the Law in their own persons and so thereby to be found justified or righteous by the same You see how far the Vindicator interests himselfe in the Counsell of God as to know that he will never so justifie any man and this knowledge he must have by private revelation for it is contrary to Gods revealed will and practise Tit. 1.3 4 5 6 7. 1 Cor. 6.11 1 Pet. 1.1 2 3. for saith he it stands not with the glory of Christ that any such grace should be given from above behold a bold peece of blasphemy and the reason saith he may be this if by our infirmities the strength of Christ be made perfect as doubtlesse it is in the renewing of mens souls and the fulfilling of the Law thereby it must needs follow that by our strength the virtue of Christs cross is abated 2 Cor. 12.9 Thus he But we say he which hath learned his Christ-cross may easily perceive that he understands not his A. B. C. in Divinity for the strength whereby the Saints do or may fulfil the Law of God is not their own humane strength but the power and virtue of Christ which derogates nothing from his cross or sufferings But he backs his former saying with another Scripture which he understands as little to wit 2 Cor. 5.21
3.5 the Laver of regeneration c. for no unclean thing can enter Rev. 21.27 and Christ said John 15.3 Now you are clean through the word I have spoken to you and James 1.18 it is said Of his own will begat he us by the word of truth But we presume to adde yet a little further to shew how needful it is to prove from the text or context that the sense we fix upon a Scripture-axiom is the proper sense which the Holy Ghost intendeth in the said place Because one Mr. Stevens of Fenny Drayton in Leicestershire hath set forth a book which he intitles A three fold defence of original sinne in reference to the old common notion thereof in which book he saith p. 94. that the Examiners of the late Synods Confession of faith deal sophistically with him and his party in leaving out their chief argument which lieth hid we confess to us in 3 John 6. But if it do appear that we have sophisticated with them we acknowledge that they may justly according to their large power of admitting or hindring interdicere nobis aquâ igne sed qui non est sponte nocens we desire him to pardon for we do profess to him that we did not dream of such a best in the said place among all their weak arguments for their tradition of original sinne as aforesaid The sense Mr. Stevens sixeth upon those words John 6.3 That which is born of the flesh is flesh is that original sinne and the impurity of the natural birth is meant by the same words and therefore there is a necessity of a new birth spoken of v. 5. from original sinne Which we grant if it be in all men but that is petitio principii it s the thing to be proved though yet there is a necessity of a new birth according to v. 5. and for the reason added v. 6. but we challenge Mr. Stevens who boasteth of this place to contain being as little to the purpose as the rest their chief argument to prove for as yet he hath not done it that Christ meant by flesh from which that which is flesh is born is original sinne and impurity by nature which we openly deny as it were at the market-crosse 1. Because flesh in Scripture is taken in more senses then Mr. Steven's his distinction of flesh in the said place p. 94. doth comprehend Secondly because flesh is more largely taken in Scripture then he can yet fathom within his apprehension and opposite also to the sanctifying work of the Spirit therefore we say Mr. Stevens distinction and his explication of it doth not prove what he with rash confidence affirmeth Now that flesh is taken in Scripture in other respects then Mr. Stevens mentioneth as aforesaid these following Scriptures do evidence 2 Cor. 5.16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh yea though we have known Christ after the flesh yet now henceforth we know him so no more Let Mr. Stevens apply the said place to his sense of flesh John 3.6 and make good and Christian-like sense of the said words if he can for there is spoken of a knowing Christ no more after the flesh although they had known him so before now to know them after the flesh must intend not to own them after the flesh any more because Paul could not but know them after the humane flesh by reason all are in that condition to be outwardly conversed with Secondly He did never know that is own Christ at any time after the flesh as it is meant by Mr. Stevens in the second member of his distinction for Christ was not born in original sinne nor yet lived at any time in the corruption of nature Hence flesh in this place doth not come under any member of Mr. Stevens destinction Again flesh in this place is the same in sense as appeareth by Pauls expression in reference to men and the reason of the Apostles disowning any man henceforth after the flesh is grounded upon his disowning Christ after the flesh any more for so the arguing lieth clear by the emphatical expression or revocation yea though we have known Christ after the flesh yet now henceforth we know him so no more therefore the flesh is to be taken in that place in the same sense as it relateth to men and Christ and Paul would henceforth know neither men nor Christ after the flesh hence its plain that the flesh there was a state in contradistinction to the Spirit or his other sanctifying work of the Spirit in which Paul would not henceforth know them in Again in John 6.63 flesh is taken in another sense then Mr. Stevens doth apprehend But to come nearer to the sense of flesh as it may suit with John 3.6 flesh is taken Gal. 3.3 not for corruption of nature in any kind because none can think the Galatians ever did expect to be perfected by sinneful nature after they had begun in the Spirit much lesse did Paul drive at it so as to upbraid them for attempting to be perfected by the flesh in that sense but for the fleshly ordinances they were turning back unto after they had begun in the Spirit as doth plainly appear in chap. 4.21 22 c. chap. 5.1 2 3. So Heb. 7.16 the Ceremonial services in which the Sribes and Pharisees rested in and were captived to are called the carnal comman dement So Heb. 9.11 12. Hence the observances of them were but carnal because the ordinances were but fleshly Hence that which is born of the flesh is still flesh according to Christs words John 3.6 Now with Mr. Stevens his favour in this sense of flesh and not in his of original sinne and impurity of the birth did Christ teach Nicodemus first the necessity of a new birth Secondly the necessity of it by the water and Spirit which are the two copulate causes of it named by Christ and that upon the reason Christ giveth from the nature of the cause to the like nature of the effect in two instances v. 6. that which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit for it was in that flesh that is in fleshly ordinances that he and others were captived in therefore not in Mr. Steven's sense of flesh did Christ intend that instruction to Nicodemus because Christ had no occasion given him from Nicodemus to fall upon the doctrine of original sinne this appears from Nicodemus discourse with him owning him upon his working such works to be a teacher come from God our Saviour knowing Nicodemus was a master in Israel v. 10. and likewise well knowing wherein all the present masters of Israel stuck and what they gloried in being puffed up though captived with fleshly ordinances Col. 2.17 18 c. he taught Nicodemus a new lesson of the necessity of his and their new birth from better principles then fleshly rules and services which onely served Heb. 9.13 but to the
not to be in these after days expected though it be said Wisdom 7.27 Wisdome entreth into holy souls and maketh them friends of God and Prophets and Rev. 18.20 Rejoyce over her thou Heaven and the holy Apostles and Prophets and such also we look for when the new heavens and the new earth cometh wherein dwelleth righteousnesse 2 Pet. 3.13 And when the everlasting Gospel cometh to be better known and preached anew to them that dwell on the earth c. also then will Pastors be given by Christ according to his own heart Jer. 3.15 with such gifts as those had Ephes 4.11 who shall officiate in teaching his Church according to his own order and discipline in the mean time we cannot tel how to perswade our selves that our Presbyterrian publique Ministers or Bishops nor any other divided opinions among us who call themselves Ministers of Jesus Christ are more then Ministers for Jesus Christ in a prudential way which yet we do not despise but honour them if sober and peaceable in their ministration for we believe the said ministration to be very serviceable to righteous and just ends even to have its service until the time of a better reformation then we have yet seen for we see former if not worse deformities acted under other names and imployments of Ministers utinam id verum non esset But we say no more at present save only wish all whom it may concern to mind the words of St. James 2.12 13. So speak and so do as they that are to be judged by the Law of liberty or freedom for there shall be judgement saith the Apostle v. 13. without mercy to him that sheweth no mercy which Christ doth not relate to friends only but to reputed enemies Math. 5.44 c. and mercy rejoyceth over judgment Jam. 2.13 that is from the Father of mercies whose mercy is over all his works Psal 45.9 and if they do so speak and do c. then we doubt not according to that 2 Cor. 10.6 but the messenger of the Lord of Hosts will suddenly return again to his Temple Mal. 3.1 and build up once again the Tabernacle of David which is fallen down c. Act. 15.16 17. but in the mean time their service whose souls are not lifted up Hab. 2.4 in a prudential way of ministrarion will be acceptable to the Lord in their measure according to that Mal. 3.16 c. Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name and they shall be mine saith the Lord of Hosts in the day when I shall make up my jewels or special treasure and I will spare them as a man spareth his own sonne that serveth him then shall ye discern between the righteous and the wicked between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not Mal. 3.16 17 18. FINIS The Contents of the Integral or of this whole Book is distributed into a Tricotomie and offered to the Readers view that he may primo intuitu perceive what he shall if he please find despersed and argued à capite ad calcem throughout the same THE first part of it is a genuine and fit Paraphrase on the Vindicators Hypocritical Saint like Preface And first a Paraphrase upon the salutation in the Preface To all the Lovers in his sense of Gods truth c. Secondly a Paraphrase on the Preface it felf consisting of many Paragraphs in coloured words of Scripture-phrase to deceive the hearts of the simple The Revindication it self comprehends two parts First the Anasceuastick confutative part i. e. to confute by answering the Vindicators pretended Scriptures and Fathers which he doth rashly and ignorantly produce to justifie his pernicious positions placed in the front of his Vindication wherein we trace him from pag. 2. to p. 146. The second part of the aforesaid Tricotomie is Catasceuastick the confirmative part of our contrary assertions by several Topick heads of Scripture testimonies Secondly by humane testimonies first of the Fathers commonly so called Secondly our English reformed Church in our first reformation from page 146. to p. 200. The last part of the foresaid Tricotomie consists of two sorts of Queries occasioned from our overforward contenders and Censurers and offered to them or whomsoever they may concern to pensitate with serious thoughts The first sort of them are to such as fix two magisterially their own sense before they have deliberately considered it upon some particular Scriptures as if their sense were before they are sure of it the very mind of the Lord in the said places some Scripture instances we have set down mistaken we appeal to all impartial Readers by several persons as that of John 3.5 6. by one Mr. Stevens who doth weakly call the said place their strong reason to maintain his old tradition of original sin in his shallow Book called A threefold defence of original sin Other instances of Scriptures in a mistaken sense are those Isaiah 64.6 Phil. 3.8 9. mistaken by two grave Committee men who have been our back friends in the County of Wilts Thus we have delivered the summe of the Tricotomy of our Book intituled A Revindication It s true we have inserted some personal reflections which do not concern every Reader and therefore it may be said they might have been left out as if they savoured of a like Spirit we answer we must commit that to him who knoweth all things we have much more to say a-against some and to vindicate the deceased whose death we wish them to consider of that were so violent against him who was more knowing I am sure and more meek I am affraid then themselves and we thought it not amisse to name some passages and persons having been so publickly wronged by the same that the world may see what unruly spirits there are in these dayes of reformation against the Doctrine of a possibility of a total mortification of sinne in this life because it hath been for the said Doctrine we have been traduced in the Vindicators senselesse Vindication and also through many counties it hath been sounded and ecchoed out that we are Jesuits and Factors for Rome so strangely and unexpectedly is Rome it seems by the foresaid callumny reduced as to hire us to publish and convince a possibility of a total mortification of sinne in this life and to cry up a possibility of a perfect obedience to the law of God in this life If this be to be vile we are content to be more vile 2 Sam. 6.22 If I have spoken evil bear witness of the evil John 18.23 Here are some Errata referring to the book aforesaid which we desire the Reader to take notice of for the better understanding what we mean in the respective places we confess they might by the mutual and diligent care of all parties of us concerned have been prevented therefore we do not excuse our selves that it could not be helped saying in many things we offend all for our endeavour here hath been to prove a possibility to live in this life through the grace and help of Christ without offence and therefore these Errata we acknowledge did happen by our neglect and oversight who were mutually concerned to have looked better about us Sed nihil factum infectum fiers potest it s too late now to mend them otherwise then by their subscription therefore we desire the Reader when he perceiveth in any page of the book a Crupsis either of inversion redundancy or defect of words to make grammatical construction then to reflect upon these nominated Errata to rectifie the sense of the said place and as for the objectum occupans and adjunctum occupat about the same we leave them to the Readers censure as he pleaseth PAraph p. 2. l 34. r. service l. 36. d. fore l. 37. r. 13.11 p. 7. l. 2. r. to reproch them for l. 29. r. Wilton p. 9. l. 39. after preface r. and positions p. 12. l. 2. for said r. side p. 13. l. 29. r. Act. 19. p. 15. l. 1. r. to do wickedly Book p. 2. l. 6. r. catasceuastically p. 25. l. 18. r. Mat. 22. p. 26. l. 28. r. 1 John 2.22 p. 37. l. 6. r. 1 Cor. 3.1 2 3. p. 39. l. 10. r. Sidkenu p. 35. l. 12. d. not p. 82. l. ult adde be p 100. l. 37. adde is p. 106. l. 21. f. servant r. Son p. 112. l. 23. del not p. 117. l. 30. r. as it is p. 127. l. 19. r. because of him p. 136. l. 1 2. d. it p. 139. l. 15. r. Joh. 5.40 p. 144. l. 17. f. note r. vote l. 30. r. commander l. 31. f. whence r. whom p. 188. l. 25. adde be p. 200. l. 4. f. held r. bold p. 210. l. 20. r. the res testata l. 23. f. prudentia r. constantia p. 217. l. 17. f. rules r. rites p. 228. l. 7. del a. p. 229. l. 22. r. Phil. 3.6 7 8. p. 230. l. 29. d. through the faith of Jesus p. 233. l. 10. after nature r. 2 Pet. 1.4 p. 241. l. 2. r. related p. 16. l. ult r. id bruti p. 243. l. 28. r. before all the people l. 29. d. the people p. 245. l. 10. f. who r. what p. 254. l. 10. r. yea not to be believed they can be c. p. 256. l. 8. after earth r. Rev 14.6