The Lord hath laid on him the Iniquity of us all Satan knows well enough of what great consequence this Circumstance of Time is both to the Manifestation of the Glory of God's Grace and to the establishment of the Comforts of God's People and therefore he hath raised a foul Dust to misguide poor Wretches that they may not lay hold upon this Circumstance and the Comfort that will flow from it The Text saith not The Lord doth lay Iniquity on him or the Lord will lay Iniquity on him much less that the time is overslipt now and the Lord will not lay Iniquity upon him Satan is very busie with tender ignorant Hearts either to perswade them that the Work is now a doing or the Work hereafter shall be done but yet is not done or the time is overslipped it might have been done if Men had not neglected the Opportunity but now it is too late it is never to be done The last of these hath troubled the Hearts of many People whence comes these expressions I have neglected the day of my Visitation saith one I have neglected the Opportunity the Presence of the Spirit of God my fear is that was the day of God's Grace to me but I have let it slip and now there is no more Hope left for me but Beloved let the evident Word of the Lord himself be your guide and know that every thing that is spoken contrary to the Mind of the Lord revealed in his Word is but the natural Fruit of the Father of Lies who is a Lyer from the beginning The Lord hath laid Iniquity upon Christ Hath he done it already and is it now to be done Nay hath he done it already and doth he revoke it and will not suffer it to be done The point then briefly is this THIS Gracious Act of the Lord 's laying Iniquity upon Christ is not now or hereafter to be done much lâ—ss a thing he never wills but it is a thing the Lord hath already done EVERY School-boy will be able to tell you that this Expression hath laid imports the time past the word being in the Preter-Perfect Tense it is not in the Present Tense nor in the Future Tense the Lord will lay but in the Preter-perfect Tense the Lord hath done it it is an Act past NOW Reader be thy own Judge or desire no Clandestine or surreptatious and forced Subscriptions from thee whether Doctrins Graces and Duties are not owned by the Doctor provided they be kept within their prescribed limits out of and from which our Author would for a base self-justiciary end divert them and therefore summons us to listen to what the Infallible Scripture of Truth says Crispianism Vnmask'd p. 11 12 13 14. though for vile and infallible ends as by him produced from Prov. 28. 14. 1 Cor. 16. 13. Heb. 3. 12. Phil. 2. 12. Heb. 4 1. Râ—m 11. 20. 1 Cor. 10. 12. 1 Pet. 1. 17. Psal 34. 9. 76. 11. 147. 11. Luk. 12. 5. See v. 1 4. Heb. 12. 28 29. But ask him do any of these Texts tell us that a Fear and Dread of God or any other Duty or Qualification in our Souls contribute in the least to a laying of Sin upon Christ which ought first to have been proved had he dealt either in a way of reverential awe towards God or due Respect and Regard towards Man But we shall find enough of this as we go on As to the Third Charge III. THAT He hath imbib'd the Principles and Doctrin of this Author Crispianism Vnmask'd p. 15. viz. the Doctor 's says our Author cannot pray And for this quotes him p. 370. thus When People pray for any Grace omitting what Intervenes viz. that God hath passed over to Men all their Praâ—er is that God would manifest c. not regarding either what goes before or after therefore I shall transcribe the substance of the same Dr. Crisp's Works Vol. II. p. 370. WELL then if you pray in Faith that your Sins are forgiven upon this Ground i. e. our Sins being already laid on Christ because God hath made this Grant and you find it upon Record then it seems your Sins were forgiven you before your Prayer was made You will say God hath granted this before and now you pray to God that he would make good that Grant to you which he hath granted before Beloved what is thiâ— more than to make that evident to your Understandings and to give you the knowledge of that which he hath before granted that you may have the Comfort of it I refer the Reader to the place it self for our Author's Refutation both in the matter and design of his Treacherous Charges NOW from whence he runs to his old Arminian inference that If any Man believes this it is impossible he should give himself to Prayer Crispianism Vâ—mask'd p. 15. and be frequent and ardent in his Addresses to Heaven For what should he pray for when there is no obtaining any good at all by it And thereupon tells us that to pray for the Forgiveness of Sins is needless and to enforce his malicious Charge very wretchedly quotes several Texts of Scripture as Psal 65.2 34.17 50.15 69.33 145.18 19. Pag. 16 17. Prov. 15. 29 Exod. 32. 11 14. Josh 10. 12 13 14. 1 Sam. 7. 9. 1 Kin 17. 1. 18 28. 42. 45. 2 Chron. 20. 5 22. Isa 37. 15 37. Jonas 2. 1. 10. 2 Cor. 12. 8. The Doctor still speaking which our Author never regards in any of his Charges that our Sins are already laid on Christ therein referring unto a Gracious Act of the Father as well as compleat undertaking of the Son and that it is by Prayer we come to receive the full manifestative and applicatory Testimony of the same unto our Souls and now to put Prâ—yer Graces of the Spirit or any other Duty in the room and place thereof is not only useless and unbeneficial but also derogatory unto the Glory of God Therefore he lays down hiâ— objections and answers in the following words in the Page whence our Author cites him Some object and say Christ puts us upon Prayer and in Prayer that God would forgive us our Trespasses How can our Iniquities â—e laid upon Christ already when we are to pray that God would forgive them to us It is a vain thing for us to pray to God to forgive them when they were long ago foâ—given Dr. Crisp's Workâ— Vol. II. p. 369. I answer They were reckoned to Christ long before we pray for the forgiveness of our sins and yet we do well in the Praâ—ing for the forgiveness of them We have a common answer known to all There is a twofold forgiveness of sins a forgiveness of sins in Heaven and forgiveness of sins in the Consciences of Men. Forgiveness of sins in Heaven is that which is acted by God alone Forgiveness of sins in the Consciences of Men is the manifestation of God's former act So
then to pray for the forgiveness of our sins is no more but to pray that God would manifest to us that God hath forgiven our sins and that it may be clear that God hath forgiven our sins before we do pray for the forgiveness of them And that Prayer is grounded upon God's act before hand made Consider this one thing I would ask this of you you that pray for forgiveness of your sins do you pray in Faith or do you not If you pray not in Faith mark what the Apostle James saith He that prayeth let him pray in Faith nothing doubting He that wavereth let him not think he shall obtain any thing at the hands of the Lord Beloved your Prayers stink and are abominable in the Nostrils of God if you do not pray in Faith Well you pray in Faith you will say if you pray in Faith if you pray for the forgiveness of sin in Faith what is the ground of your Faith If you do believe you have a ground for your Faith You will say the Grant and Word of God is Page 370. the ground of your Faith Well if the Grant of God be the ground of your believing then the Grant hath a being before your Faith and so consequently before your prayer is made And do we not know that we ought to pray for the Fall of Babylon and that from this ground That she is fallen already in the irreversible determination of God Rev. 14. 8. And though she be not yet actually fallen must we not therefore pray for her fall Unless we can bring God's Decrees and irrevocable Purposes actually to depend upon our own Duties and Prayers This is our Author 's constant practice That he would assign more to our Duties and Graces nay so displaâ—e them that they are neitâ—er Duties indeed nor Graces for the obtaining of this or the other benefit and mercy than unto God himself as the express and fixedly donor of them even before we ask them upon which it is indeed that both our requesting dâ—sposition receptive and improving ability wholly depends Hence it is under which he betakes himself as unto a forlorn refuge p. 16. That if so how can we pray for the hallowing of God's Name or that his Kingdom should come whereas if both of the same had not been absolutely determined of God the matter of Prayer as enjoyned of Christ upon his Disciples would have been wholly in vain so the same as to the forgiveness of sins or trespasses he quotes p. 369. out of the Dr's Treatise which I cannot find though the substance of the place has been cited already And further proceeds in his quotation from p. 561. That the Dr. is an enemy to Prayer whose citation and the Dr's end therein I shall lay before thee Thus much he quotes out of him and annexes it barely unto an act of duty not regarding wherefore or for what ends the same was spoken which take as follows Beloved Christ became our Surety God accepted of him for our Debt he clâ—â—'d Christ in Goal as I may so say for the debt God Dr. Crisp's Works Vol. 3. p. 560. took every Farthing that he could demand of us he is now reconciled unto us he hath acknowledged satisfaction it is upon Record And now shall he come upon them again with fresh wrath for whom Christ hath done all this Shall he charge the debt upon them again He hath forgotten the Death of Christ it seems if this be true Therefore know thus much that it is against the Death of Christ it is the making of it of none effect it makes the coming of Christ to be in vain to say that the wrath of God will break out upon Believers mark the word if they commit such and such sins And for this that I have said Now our Proctoring Author comes in if any man can produce one Scripture against it if any man can shew in all the Book of God that it is any otherwise than I have delivered for my part I shall be of another mind and willingly recant my opinion But leaves out what follows But I see the Scripture runs wholly in this strain and is so full in noâ—hing as in this that God hath generally discharged the sins of Believers Oh then take heed of falling into that error of the Papists that say that God hath taken away the p. 561. sin but not the wrath of God due to sin that he hath forgiven our sins but not the punishment of sin But I beseech you consider that as our sins were then upon Christ he was so bruised for our iniquity that by his stripes we are healed and the chastisement of our peace was so upon him that he being chastised for our sins there is nothing else but peace belongs to us And the chastisement of our sins was so upon him that he beheld the travel of his Soul and was satisfied NOW Reader thou mayst see who this Author is and what also his design is and his false representation of the Doctor meerly because he abhors Duties and Graces in a Popish and meritorious sense This is the plain Grammar as latently radical of all his virulency against him As to the Fourth Charge IV. HE tells us that The Doctrin contained in these Sermons strikes at all Godly Sorrow Contrition Humiliation Confession and Lamenting of sin and Repenting of it and renders them useless and insignificant in the Life of a Christian Now what Warrant he hath had for this his bold assertion Crispi unmask'd p. 18. a plain unminced and uncurtailed quotation of the Dr. will fully satisfie and also discover unto thee and therein not only our Author 's false and disingenious proceedings with the Dr. but the ends for which he doth so as also the Principles by which he is acted in the same I must confess unto thee Reader before we go any further That unless this Author according to the complex account that this his Treatise gives of him be a ROGERVS L'ESTRANGE REDIVIVVS or as genuine a Spawn dropt from him in one sense or another as possibly can be imagined I am wholly at a loss to find him out And for this observe p. 19. where he cites the Dr. p. 317 319 320. where he never regards in any one of them the distinct yea verbally expressed ends of the Dr. therein Suppose there be a sin committed it may be more scandalous than ordinary which sin peradventure to sense wounds the Spirit the Question now is What it is that must or doth aid the Spirit of such an one of the sting Dr. Crisp 's Works Vol. II. Serm. 6. Page 317 318. and of the guilt of this or such like transgressioâ—s committed What doth discharge the soul of such a sin Now our Author â—â—mes in Usually it is taught amongst us by those which would be accounted the greatest Protestants and the greatest haters 〈…〉 that the proportion of Repentance and Tears and Sorrow
rather doth he not assign to it its proper place according unto Act. 13. 48. Gal. 1. 15 16. This Orthodoxy though nauseous to our Authors Arminian Palate and which puts him upon so many miserable shifts may be proved and cleared from several exemplary Instances in Scripture as well as positively Doctrinal points in the same for it is not the most Gracious Internal Actings of the Soul tho' wrought and maintained of God himself that works a Change in our personal Covenant-State consider it well Reader and weigh it in the ballances of the Sanctuary and that without respect of Persons or Parties for as God's Act in Justification is purely Forensick and therein respects our Persons and depends not in the least upon his Physical Operation which is entirely regenerative whose subject therein properly is our Natures so also neither doth our part in him in the act of Conversion it self depend upon our actual closing with him any further than our passive recipiency of him makes way for the same both in its productive cause and continued irresistible and yet Gracious complying Designs This is clear from Joh. 1. 12. wherein a passive Reception of Christ is that which precedes an active one See also 1 Joh. 4. 10 19 Isa 65. 1. Joh. 15. 16. comp v. 5. ch 1. 48 49. 50. Phil. 1. 6. Ezek. 16. 60 61 62 63. Thus it was with Aâ—am the Proto-Applicatory Subject of this Grace after his fall How did the Lord deal with him in order to his Recovery Did he wait for an actual Exhibition of his Faith to justifie him for the same Nay did he not rather pursue him when Rebelliously under the obstinate Fruits and reigning Effects of his and ours in him Federal Act of Apostacy But with what even a promise But what was this promise the Seed of the Woman And what was this Seed in the root or primary Acceptation of it I suppose Christ which is evident in Eve's mistake Gen. 4. 1. besides many other undeniable Scriptural positive Proofs therefore reckoned upon as the first Born first Fruits yea first Gift and to have the Preheminence in all things before even Faith or any other work of the Spirit which is fully expressive of not only the nature as to the matter but executive form it self of the Covenant of Grace which Covenant consists of Promises or as Dr. Goodwin says That the Covenant of Grace is Election-purposes and decrees wrapt up in promises But what are these promises Mr. Strong in his Treatise of the Covenants tells us That they consist not only of two kinds viz. personal and real but that the former takes place in the administration of the same from the latter If so then our Doctor is right that Christ is not only the first Gift but that until we receive him in a passive Sense how can he be unto us the Finisher much less the Author of our Faith And 't is true that God convinces our first Parents of their sin and therein begins with Adam which is somewhat remarkable though Eve was first in the Transgression yet chose rather to deal with the former as that in and by him as a Representative Head he dealt with all his posterity But what is the Fruit of all his convincing though just Proceedings against him Nothing but a continued act of Rebellion and that notwithstanding all the mild Proceedings of the Lord with him even in the cool of the Evening not so much as a bare acknowledgment of a matter of Fact in a Transgressive Sense but rather an aggravating of the same by their or our first Parents ultimate tho' tacit casting the cause thereof upon God rather than themselves Which way doth the Lord take to restore them or to bring them to himself It is evident by the application of a promise and that under a personal Consideration before any of that which betokens a real one Gen. 3. 15. comp v. 21. The Person included in the promise they first receive and thereupon their Cloathing or Justifying Garment typified in the Coats of Skins which were made or wrought out and also truly applied by the Lord himself Rom. 3. 23 24 25 26 Thus it was with Paul himself who had a passive part in Christ I speak it not of that which is barely decretive or redemptive even before his actual closing with him Act. 9. 3 4 5. comp v. 6. And is not this Dr. Crisp's Doctrin in his distinguishing between a passive and active recipiency of Christ namely That God out of his Bowels of Pity and Mercy will reach out his Christ to those that have no Hands to receive him no Faith to believe in him but are rather as froward Patients shutting their Teeth against their Remedy And is not this evident without the least reserve in the case of Paul as well as that of Adam as that the part the Elect have in him in a convertive Sense proceeds primarily from a passive Application of them unto their Souls as precedaneous unto their actual knowing and voluntary closing with him Act. 22. 3 4 5 6 7 8. Nay take it in the most gentle of God's Proceedings with his Adult Elect in the Act of Conversion or his bringing them over by Faith unto himself they are primarily passive herein Consult for an instance but the case of Lydia and the Lord 's dealing with her Soul Act. 16. wherein it was evident that her Faith was the Fruit of Union or that she had a passive part in the Lord besides that of a decretive and so a Fountain one and that of a redeemed purchased and so a truly virtual one before she actually closed with him in the recipiency of Faith properly so for it is well known though Faith be the instrumental cause yet that it is the Spirit that is personally and so peculiarly the efficient cause of our Justification and that not by an infusion of qualities but positive substantial Application of that Righteousness as being his voluntary gracious undertaken Office whereof and wherein he makes it not only to appear that Christ is the Meritorious but material cause of the same and that not by the Mediums of Graces as Mediator only but the solid actual Obedience of him who on that very account became their Representative Head Joh. 16. 13 14. comp Rom. 5. 19. And though none of these stand asunder in the compleat uniting as well as operative and consequently Testimonial Act of our Justification but to say or suppose that the two former are not subsequent unto and do not wholly depend upon the latter and that as to the very essence of our justified State as well as Order is at one blow to build and establish the Covenant of Grace upon that of Works and thereby to assign such a CAVSA SINE QVA NON unto our believing as our Author very closely infers p. 4. l. 30 31 32 c. that Faith is not so much a Manifestation as an entitling Grace and what that
of Faith is Sin but as to the Believer all things are clean Here comes our Author So through our Faith in Christ the whole Filth and Dung of our Works is extracted by Christ and he presenting the same purged by himself alone they became accepted with God Rev. 3. 4. But simply the works themselves as done tho' never so well are abhorred of God and Christ never takes them to purge till we our selves wholly renounce them by counting them Loss and Dung and that acceptance procured by Christ imports only a liking God takes to them no Efficacy at all they have with him Again But you will say again Christ makes our Righteousness to be Dr. Crisp 's Works Vol. II. Serm. 6. Pag. 322 323. accepâ—ed hâ— makes it pleasing and acceptable by purging away all the Filth that is in it and then it may prâ—vail with God to lay our Iniquities upon Christ I answer Herâ— our Author comes in with his Charge It is true Christ doth purge away all the filthiness both of Righâ—eousness and Unrighteousness in Believers but he doth not purge away the filthiness of their Righteousness that this Righteousness may prevail with God to lay Iniquity upon Christ but then that Righteousness may be accepted in the Beloved as Services Himself was without spot of the least Sin yet he takes not away the Iniquity by laying it upon the himself and if our Righteousness be made compleat by his taking away the Filth of it and putting his own perfection on it it is not to that end that Iniquities may be laid upon Christ by it but that it may be accepted in way of service I should go yet one step higher and let you know that as it is the Lord alone that lay iniquity upon Christ so not only all our performances are unable to lay iniquity upon Christ but even our Faith and Believing it self doth not lay iniquity upon Christ Ye may easily perceive Beloved what I drive at in all this Discourse namely to strip the Creature stark naked to leave it shiftless and unable any way to help it self that all the help that the Creature doth receive may appear to be of the Free-Grace of God meerly without the Creature 's concurrence in it I say therefore it is not the Faith of Believers that doth lay their iniquities upon Christ Suppose thou hast committed many sins and thy sins are apparent and plain thou wouldst be rid of these transgressions and hear of them no more what is the way Works are not of power to do it you will say But Faith is able to discharge the soul and quit it from all transgressions and lay them upon Christ But I must tell you albeit God hath given many glorious fruits and effects to Faith and made it instrumental of much excellent and abundant consolation to his People yet hath he not honoured Faith with this that it should lay iniquity on Christ or move God to do it Now thou mayst see Reader wherein the fallacy of our Doeg or malicious Author does ly for that which he lays as the foundation of this his Ninth Charge against the Dr. he quotes from p. 322. where the Dr. speaking of the best of Man's Righteousness that it will not serve God's turn as the matter of our Justification before him he presently diverts the same from the Dr's liâ—eral express sense and meaning therein That God is not therefore pleased with any of the Graces or Duties of his People A most ungrounded impudent falsehood But this is the manner of the Man throughout the whole of his Treatise and now that the Dr. declares which way they become of use unto us and acceptable with God namely by Christ's purging and extracting out of them the filth that does attend them and so presenting them to the Father and that when this is done yet none of this is that for which God is prevailed with to lay sin upon Christ He tells us that Truth had at last got such a forcible prevalency upon the Dr. That he recants what he before had said and withal that the latter is a vain surmise in the Dr. against some that would be accounted the greatest Protestants viz. That Christ doth not purge away the filthiness of their Righteousness that this Righteousness may prevail with God to lay iniquity upon Christ But their not only pitiful causa sine qua non as previous unto God's imputation of Righteousness in order unto Justification fully demonstrates that there were just grounds for this gracious Dr's surmises even in his day as well as now but also that Faith Repentance and Sincerity is the very matter of the same though the merit thereof lies in Christ It is no wonder therefore that our Author is so much concerned that the Dr's Book is got into so many hands wherein and whereby both his together with the vile Treacherie as well as Doctrins and Practices of others are so evidently brought to light And I am fully satisfied that the more they engage in this work the more they will not only labour in the fire but vomit out their own shame if there were any amongst them Now we come to his Tenth and Last Charge wherein he telleth us That X. And Lastly another wild Position which these Sermons maintain is this That All is done from Eternity and so nothing is to be done now He often tells his Auditors Your Business is done to your hand already Therefore there is no need of begging for Faith or any other Grace or for Forgiveness of Sin or Crispi unmask'd p. 50 51. any other spiritual Priviledge These are all granted already and not to be done now He frequently inculcates this and in one whole Sermon together insists upon it viz. That God's pardoning sinners and justifying the ungodly are not now or hereafter to be done they are not present or future but were dispatched long ago even from Eternity Whence he infers that we must not look for Remission of Sins or Justification in this Life we are not to be concerned in any such thing now we need not be solicitous about it for it is past and over All is done from Eternity Now thou mayst observe herein the Method our Author takes in his dealings with the Dr. and that in every one of his Ten Charges against him not one of them excepted As 1. When he lays down any one of them all against the Dr. he fixes upon some discerpted dragg'd Sentence or Position of his and thereon lays his load of Invectives by most false and violent inferences endeavouring to suit it by forcing it to speak what it never was designed for to the nature of that Charge he is more immediately upon But then 2. Finding by the Dr's Explanation of the said Position or Sentence That his viz. our Author's Treachery would more openly appear he reserves the said explanation or explication of the same unto the latter end of every one of his Chages
that thereby he might the more undiscernedly represent him as an Impostor Recanter and one inconsistent with himself Having put before a quite contrary construction upon it meerly to blind the eyes of his Reader to what the Dr. produces it for Thus having clapt his own sense to what he has partially pickt out of the Dr's work he runs and setches what the Dr. urges to clear and prove the same both by Scripture and Argument to render him the vilest cheat and most vainglorious Person imaginable This I will be bound to make good even to our Author's Face if he dares openly appear in this Cause As for instance he quotes the Dr. ut suprà Vol. II. Serm. 8. viz. That God's pardoning sinners and justifying the ungodly are not now or hereafter to be done c. And thereupon our Author fixed his virulent sense ut priùs that we must not look for Remission of Sins or Justification in this Life c. but retains the Dr's own explanation of them for another Charge against him even that of Fallacy and Recantation thus dividing betwixt the Dr's Positions and Explications he would make way for the fixing of Heresie upon him on the one hand and of Double-dealing and Deceitfulness on the other Therefore I shall quote what our Author himself scatâ—eringly cites out of the Dr. for the fore-mentioned ends and then let the Reader determine as Auth. That God's pardoning Sinners and justifying the ungoâ—ly are not now or hereafter to be done they are not present or future but were dispatched long ago Quoted in Crispiams Vnmask'd p. 51 52. even from Eternity God had all this at once in his eye and having this Platform before him as if all were then in being he sets down his own Act of his Royal Assent that for every such Person as he had chosen and for every such Transgression that should be committed at such and such a time by such and such Persons he would accept of such a Christ whom he would fit to bear their Transgressions As the Elect were in the Eye of the Lord before they had a real Existence and Being so all their iniquities were laid on Christ from Eternity But it must needs be granted that the particular Application of this Grace to Persons that the Lord hath laid mine iniquities and thine iniquities upon Christ individually must needs be in time Now what grounds had our Author to deal so wretchedly false with the Doctor as he doth as to â—ay That there is no need of begging for Faith or any other Grace or Forgiveness of Sin or any other spiritual Priviledge c. this being prefixed to one part of his curtailed braâ—ch against the Dâ—ctor and to usher in another part of the same which is the Doctor 's Explanation of the former part he tells us That it fell from the Doctor 's own Lips and Pen by chance and that here you see he expresses it as a future thing that God would accept of Christ And then for the third part of his quâ—tation he tells us That He i. e. the Doctor at length submits to this which is the real Truth but which he had boggled at so long and that indeed this is his way very often he takes a great deal of pains to rear up a Notion and then of a sudden pulls it down again Thus our Author like a cunning Sophister to divert his Reader from attending upon him in his vileness and manner of his Proceedings as conscious to himself of what he had done like a Thief on the pursuit of an Hue and Cry leaves his theft with another would charge them upon the Doctor This is not only the Jesuits Method to divide and rule but also the practical dexterity of the Atheist to undermine the Scripture endeavouring to make of it a meer self-contradiction What Peace such Courses are like to be productive of one day I think it were well our Author did in time consider Thus he deals with the Doctor in the remainder of his Charge p. 56. 57 58 c. wherein by endeavouring to unmask others who fully plainly soundly and honestly as in their proper colours appear in their Writings he drops down the Vizard of his own Face verifying the old Maxim That there never yet was cheat but sooner or latter proved an open exposed Fool. Unto the Reader 's farther Satisfaction as to our Author's Treachery herein I shall refer him to an impartial disquisition and comparing of both Books together which by then he has done he will soon be able to determine on whose side the Scales turn for there is not one of those Authors he brings against the Doctor whose Treatises I am acquainted with but fully speak of him both as to Election Justification Graces and Duties which I could with ease make to appear were it my present work so to do only this let me add That amongst the many scores of black characters that he gives the Doctor I know not one of them as far as I have been informed either by Teacherâ— or Authors Men both of sound Matter and excellent Spirits to be in a State of Reproâ—ation as deriding the new Birth and the like c. a special Mark of the Son of the Bond-Woman Gen 21. 9. compare Gal. 4. 29 30. And yet that the Doctor in our Author's Judgment together with his Prefaces should be a good Man and in Heaven is to me a perfect Riddle unless the measures they take here be from their owned allowed deceitâ—ul practises here and yet can retain confident hopes of Glory hereafter Lye not but let thy Heart be true to God Thy Mâ—uth to it thy Actions to them both Cowards tell Lies and those that fear the Rod The stormy working Soul spits Lies and Froth Dare to be true nâ—thing can need a Lye A fault which needs it most grows two thereby Herbert 's Poems pag. 3. Roma vale vidi satis est vidisse revertar Cum Caeno meretrix 〈◊〉 cinoedus ero GREAT Carbanado'd Crisp What 's now thy Crown And was thy Glory here is â—â—ampled down Here is no Synagouge alass foâ— thee Since Christ alone gave Eyes and made thee see Had'st thou but own'd some sub-caelestial Cause Heaven mix'd with Earth by some Creation-Laws A Ground-Work out of Nature for Free-Grace As of her kind Her Mysteries to place And in a Logical Phlehotomy Let out thy Notions by Phylosophy Thou hadst been crown'd for thy Divinity But 't is too late since thou hast scap't the Fire And yet dost live unsing'd in thy Attire Free from Chaldean Scent and rather more Enlarg'd than cramp'd from what thou wast before Pass on Jehovah's Test let England know Who are her Worthies Shibboleth and who Pronounce Sibboleth Want of this lisp With some impairs thy Credit Gracious Crisp Whilst others hunger thirst and pant for more Of that whereof thou hast an Ocean store T. Edwards AN APPENDIX THERE is lately come into my Hands a small Pamphlet
to return after him only to the spoil That whatever attempts may be made after an Agreement between Dissenting Parties by a Subscrition of Articles true in the real form and verbal the matter thereof yet if the scopal design genuin energy and unsophystieated truths contained thereof be not attended unto and that as arising from a divine clear irresistible and yet Heart-bowing and bending Conviction upon the Conscience will be so far from terminating in their satisfaction as that indeed thereby all such Hypocritical measure being abhorred of God sooner or later a wider gap of Difference will be opened and also deeper and more lasting Exasperations issue from the same Nay such is the watchful and careful Eye of God over and towards even his cajoled and deceived ones that if they will still suffer themselves to be decoyed and gulled by the fair and yet empty pretences of a certain sort of professors he will by one Providence or another as he did by Lot even Fire them out from amongst such Associates which he has truly begun and that with the Fire of his own Sanctuary kindled already for tho' the Embers thereof may seem to be covered for the present by the nasty Ashes of a pretended empty Agreement cast upon them yet in due time he will break through the same by such a flame as shall openly proclaim his Zeal and his being cloathed therewith as a Cloak for his own Gâ—ory establish and confirm his upright ones and bring a dreadful Terror upon the Hypocrites in Zion I come not to bring Peace but the Sword Now the Question to the point in hand will naturally follow namely What it is from or in this Paper of Agreement that should provoke any Man's Pen to drop so much Dislatisfaction against the same and especially considering that so many and so much differing Ministers in their Persuasions have been thereby brought into a seeming open and external coalescency one with another Unto which I shall give thee my thoughts and attend thy better Information as 1. The first Ground of my Dissatisfaction herein is that the Difference in hand as to the Matter is not at all decided or attempted to be decided by this Paper of Agreement but a difference beâ—ween Persons wherein it appears that the interest of Man is absolutely and that by way of just consequence preferred to the Interest of Christ whose glory in his abstracted and unmixed Truths must it seems be thereby postponed to the carnal welfare and glaring Peace or Prosperity of Man as On Decemâ— 19. 1692. This Expedient was brought to a Meeting of the Vnited Ministers who unanimously expressed their Approbation in the following Words viz. That these Brethren who at the Desire of the Vnited Ministers considered Paper of Agreement Page 16. some Objections against Mr. Williams his Book having brought in the above mentioned Expedient for the Accommodation of the Matters in Controversie The Vnited Ministers have weighed it and approve of the same Besides it was further declared by them That whereas the Vnited Ministers Collectively considered and as such have not been desired to Approve of Mr. Williams his Book In like manner they do not by any thing in this Agreement imply an Approbation of Mr Chauncy his Writings in this Controversie But yet they do rejoice that both Mr. Williams and Mr. Chauncy have accepted this offered Expedient And would not such Measures as these be reckoned as highly ridiculous as well as treacherous and false for my Servant instead of adjusting my Concerns whereon and whereunto I send him as entrusted with the sâ—me to take up with a bare sociable Act of Fellowship and Friendship even amongst those with and against whom my present Debate and Controversie lies Now is not all this perfect Sophistry Whence should a necessity proceed of an Agreement Is it from the Matter in Controversie as stated in Polemical Writings and Argumentations between them and that about Truths of the first Magnitude Or is it for the decision of a personal scuffle that this Expedient was formed For we find no Agreement in Doctrin save what is barely subscriptive to the Articles of others mentioned in the least but that of Pâ—â—â—â—ns whilst all this while their Treatises are at War with and Battling one another an 〈◊〉 from the allowed Precautions of both Authors as expressed in this Paper of Agreemeâ—â— â—â—gether with their distinct Testimonies in the same each resolving to keep his 〈…〉 But 2 〈…〉 sâ—cond Ground of my Dissatisfaction herein is That so sound Articles and Fundamâ—â—â—â—â— Doctrins therein of Faith should be made a Pretextual Covering of such Agreemâ—â—◠〈◊〉 sin against such Truth or Light and to make a Pander of the latter to serve the 〈…〉 the former Wherefore lest any one might suppose me over-censorious in this I 〈…〉 3 〈…〉 Ground of my Dissatisfaction herein is That the Matter it self mainly in 〈…〉 which is not at all touched upon in the Paper of Agreement but perfectly avoided 〈…〉 therein still adhering to their own Judgment in what they had written is 〈…〉 Fundamental not either Gradual or Circumstantial which appears from these words It is hereby respectively declared that neither they who subscribed that Approbation prefixed to Mr Williams his Book did therein more than signifie as their own words express That they judged he had in all that was material fully and rightly stated the Truths and Errors this wants proof in a high Paper of Agreem p. 2. degree therein mentioned as such without delivering their sense about the Preface Explications or Proofs thereunto belonging which Declaration is not to be esteemed as a Disapproval of the said Preface Explications or Proofs Nor they who with Mr. Chancy subscribed the above-said Paper did therein offer any particular Exceptions which is a bold falshood against the said state of Truths and Errors which yet is not to be understood as an Approval of that state of Truth and Errors Now Reader consider here are Articles subscribed unto by Persons of several and very distinct Judgments which plainly appears from their stedfast adherence unto what they had written notwithstanding this form of an Agreement for that which they have subscribed unto must either be of an indifferent nature and consequently a Medium of Reconciliation between them or else must be obsolutely decisive of the Controversie on the one hand or the other and so long as things are thus agitated in the Dark my best Advice unto thee is to compare the Subscribed Articles with the Treatises writ by each Party and by the help of the Spirit of the Lord thou wilt quickly come to know not only where Truth does ly but also the various interwoven Cheats by which some Persons would carry on their wretched and unconscionable designs this day The Lord give thee understanding in all things FINIS The Reader is desired to Correct these following Errata's or any other with his Pen. INtroduct Page 2. Line 18. read won't for would p. 3. l. 26. r. cast down for cast us p. 2. l. 2. r. it s for it l. 19. r. as for ae p. 7. l. 15. r. into the state for in the state ibid. l. 39. r. this Doctor for thy Doctor p. 13. l. 38. r. Sacrifice for Sanctifie p. 14. l. 23. r. Surreptitious for Surreptatious ibid. l. 37. r. He that hath for He hath p. 22. l. 27. r. make it for for it p. 25. l. 6. r. hence l. 45. r. of God for for God p. 27. l. 36. r. but to drive