a Phil. 3 8. he esteemed all things besides as b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 scoria faex Dioscorid l. 5. c. 85. unde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plut. in Themist drâ—sse or c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stercus Glossar 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hesych 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Etymol At Suidae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mensae deciduâ— Charisio qisqiliae Prisciano frumenti purgamen a aceres paleae Synesio capitis furfures sordes dung for the word may bear either in regard of Christ the eminent knowledge of him and his interest in him yet did he not so abandon his former reading in Poets as wholly to refuse or reject all use of them but is observed to have d Ex Arato Act. 17.28 ex Epimenide Tit. 1. 12. alleadged some passages out of them and that in likelihood also in his elder age For mine own part Poetry I never professed nor was ever heard or seen on any Scene whether your self have or no I know not nor is it ought to me nor do I list to enquire Howbeit in their writings I acknowledge that I have been somtime somewhat versed and some of those things that I then red in them are not yet utterly lost with me nor am I ashamed as occasion is offered to make use of them no more then that blessed Apostel was tho they be the least part of that which you might have met with in my margin either here or elswhere z Euripideum Socrat. hist l. 3. c. 16. utriusqe esse potuit Vide Clem. strom l. 6. Gell. l. 23 c. 17. But Sir what is all this to any point in qestion between you and me at present what is the filling of my margin with things and Autors of lesse valew then Christ crucified which yet for want of better and more pertinent matter helps to fill and make up the main body of your Epistle and comes in again to eech out the e Conclus p. 17. close of your book unto the businesse in debate either the clearing of your selfe from your arrogant censures and groundlesse aspersions of Gods faithfull servants and your blasphemous jeeres fastened through their sides on Gods Prophets which winde and turn you which way you will you will never be able to elude and which had you any dram of ingenuity left in you you well might and would in the eyes of men at least be ashamed of tho in Gods sight f See Gods eye on his Isr Pref. p. 2. the principles layd by you and those of your strain do openly professe and proclaim that you neither are not ought to be ashamed of ought and which being altogether unable to wipe off you therefore slily slip by and return no Answer at all to Or what is my being Comicall and Poëticall in mine old age which you have once again a fling at making it g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prora puppis ut Graecorum proverbium est Cicer. ad Tiron epist 24. prow and poop as they use to say h Caput cavda head and tail of your discourse tho I know no reason why any Divine may not exercise his Poëtry if he have a vain that way which my self never had and that in his old age too as i Gregor Naz. Pavlin Nolan Theodor Beza alii innumeri many worthy and religious persons have done but what is this I say unto the cleering or strengthing of ought excepted against in your book or to the removing or weakning of any objection made against it It was long since observed to be an k 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristot rhetor l. 3. c. 14. ill sign and such as might well give just suspition of a bad cause when men fly out from the matter in present debate and either l In adversae partis advocatos invehuntur ubi defecerint alia conviciis implent vacua cavsarum si contingit veris siâ— minus fictis fall foul upon the person of him with whom they are to debate it or make m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aeschin ad Ctesiph excursions into by-matters snatching and catching at every thing that comes in their way as desirous to be dealing rather with any thing then that wherein they find themselves wringed Which whither herein you do or no I am well content that others judge As for what you subjoyn concerning your former raptures which you professe now to be shamed of and of your present strains of a more glorious Spirit for the former what they have been I wot not nor am I curious to make inqiry If they were such as you may justly be ashamed of you have good cause to repent of them as n Psal 25.7 David did in his later dayes of his younger slips and excesses if you think David at least a fit precedent for you to follow which the insolency of those of your way doth disdaine And for the latter to wit your straines of a more glorious spirit not unlike your vaunting els-where of o Treatise p. 28. a more glorious light it will peradventure with some no injudicious Readers be deemed not to want some smach of vain-glory especially laid together with the glittering Title of your former Treatise and that height of scorn and contempt which therein you expresse of p Treat p. 40. the divinity and the Divines a tearm that ye here seem to jeer at tho formerly used by you both of these dayes and former times Your conclusion is That you hope you shall be no more in passion with me then with my brother of the Assembly M. LEY Truly Sir this latter hope seems wholy frustrate as well as the former for you have already here expressed passion enough if not pride and Magisteriality also mixt with it Or what was it but passion that carried you into this digression and what is it but pride and Magisteriality to censure for that which you convince not to be evill and to reprove without proofe And surely Sir if your Answer to me be of the same stamp with that of yours to Mr Ley I shall look for little in it but a few froathy sqibs slightings of matters objected and vain boastings of your self For of such is your Answer to him in a manner wholy made up fruits of passion rather then of judgement and reason But you write you say to edifie not to conqer nor to teach others but that we may be all taught of God Sir you write riddels whom intend you by your writing to edifie if not others or how to edifie them if not by teaching it is true indeed that unlesse men be q Esai 54.13 Ioh. 6.45 taught of God all humane r 1 Cor. 3.6 7. teaching will do litle good but neither can man edify any without him and the case therefore being alike in either where the difference in this regard should ly between edifying and teaching my shallow brain is not
be content to take these and teach them such as they be and as the writers of holy writ have ascertained them to be And yet give mee leave to be so bold as to tel you so much of my mind by the way that I shall ever conceive just cause to qestion that faith that shunneth this touchstone that refuseth to be tried by such signs and marks as the Apostles have propounded for that purpose c Repl. Ibid. But is that say you the best spirituall assurance that is from our spirit in part or from God alone from our reasoning or his speaking can a spouse argue better the love of her friend from his tokens and bracelets or from his owne word and letter and seal 1. Sir we contend not for prerogative as was before said that is a qestion of your owne no assertion of ours 2. The assurance gathered from the gratious work of gods spirit on our souls and the effects of the same is not an assurance taken from our own spirit but from Gods spirit d 1 Joh. 4.13 Hereby we know that we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us of his spirit 3. Our assurance rightly and truly raised by our reasoning from Gods gratious work in us is a true and a divine testimony as a e Habent testimonium in verbo Dei suntqe non minus divina mandata qae ex certa Scripturae sententia bona consequentia deducuntur qam qae totidem literis syllabis in Scripturis exprimuntur Chemnit exam trid part 1. p. 19. conclusion necessarily deduced from Scripture is a divine truth as well as that that is expresly found in Scripture yea the Apostle tels us that f Rom. 8.16 the Spirit of God bears witnesse together with our spirit Nor doth the one therefore simply weaken the work of the other 4. A bracelet or a frontlet barely sent or given may argue some good will but makes no engagement there must be some letter or g Pignus est donum verbo vestitum Reg. Jur. word of promise added that must effect that And that these spirituall endowments want not Wee have Gods word h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Maca. hom 39. his letter his hand writing his seal both testifying to us and giving us assurance that these things are his earnests as your self before confest 5. Yea but i Repl. Ibid. the Spirit is k 1 Joh. 5.8 one of the three that beareth witnesse on earth and in whom after ye beleeved you were sealed with the Spirit of promise That l Rom. 8.16 The Spirit bears witnesse and that together with our spirit is acknowledged and that the faithfull are said to be m Ephes 1.14 4.30 sealed by the Spirit the Apostle is expresse for it but the qestion is what manner of sealing it is that is there meant And it is such I suppose as rather crosses then furthers what you would have Which to make manifest I shall in the first place crave leave that I may without offence or prejudice a little rectifie the Translation and render the text as the Originall yeelds it the words run thus n Ephes 1.13 In whom o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ita 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 credens Marc. 16.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 credentes Luc. 8.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 credere Marc. 9.23 2 Thess 2.11 Sic 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 audiens Mat. 2.3 4.12 8.10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 audientes Mat. 15.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 audire Mat. 13.42 13.15 17. beleeving or having beleeved or when you beleeved you were sealed Now the sealing here mentioned I take to consist in the inward endowments of sanctifying grace whereby the Spirit set Gods mark and seal on them at the time of their conversion and receiving of Christ My reasons are briefly 1. The sealing here mentioned is generall common to all beleevers p 2 Cor. 1.21 22. us with you and you with us saith the Apostle of those at Corinth and the self-same hee presumeth here of all the faithfull at Ephesus 2. It is said of them that they are thereby sealed as elsewhere not that thereby redemption is sealed unto them but that q Ephes 1.13 4.30 they are thereby sealed unto it which implies some impression of a seal or signature stamped on them And herein some difference seems to be between the outward seals to wit the r Rom. 4.11 Sacraments and the inward seal of the Spirit that they seal the covenant to the soul this seals the soul to the future benefits contained in the covenant which in due time they shall be possessed of the Sacraments seal to all that receive them indifferently for the truth of the covenant else were not wicked ones Å¿ Jer. 34.18 covenant-breakers with God effectually for their good and benefit unto those alone that believe and repent The Spirit seals in the manner above mentioned not the truth of the covenant alone but the benefit of it unto the party thereby sealed as having interest in and unto all the good things therein contained and being by what hee hath already received marked out for and sealed up unto whatsoever thereof is yet behind 3. That which is here called the seal of the Spirit is else-where called the t Rom. 3.23 first-fruits of the Spirit as a parcell of that which in the ful crop is hereafter expected and of the same nature with it 4. That other place plainly parallell to this wherein by divers severall tropes under severall distinct notions this one and the self same thing is decyphered to me seems to carry it along this way u 2 Cor. 1.21 22. He it is saith the Apostle that assureth or rather w 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ensureth us in Christ or x 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into or unto Christ and hath anointed us who hath also sealed us and given or put the earnest of his spirit on our hearts Whence I thus reason Look how God ensureth us so he anointeth us and how he anoints us so he seals us and how he seals us so he gives us his earnest or puts his earnest into us But it is the gratious indowments of his sanctifying spirit wherewith he anoints us as all Interpreters hold that ever I read And it is the same therefore whereby God sealeth and ensures us as by his y Ephes 1.14 earnest to himself And this being as I take it with other good z â—llyric Calâ— Pisc Baâ—n alii Autors the genuine sense of that scripture the contrary whereunto I suppose you will not be able easily to evince it little helps you in ought that you would conclude from it but it much strengtheneth that which you so mightily oppose 6. * Repl. Ibid. Can any inference or consequence drawn from faith or love or repentance or obedience in us so assure us as the breathing of Christ
the merry pin and why should not believers live in like manner especially knowing that he now rules the roast in heaven Yea Sir how you have in your Treatise preached and pressed repentance may appear by the severall passages formerly delt with and further yet to be discussed 2. If you be so frequent in preaching of these things why do you check others for doing as you say your selves do Yea why do your hearers shun our Teachers and are offended with them because they presse these points which their nice palats are nothing pleased with ſ Reply ibid. But then say you because John said repent and Christ said repent and Peter said repent are we to examine the mystery no further know we not that the whole Scripture in its fulnesse and integrity reveils the whole truth and must we not look out and compare Scripture with Scripture spirituall things with spirituall and so finding out truth from the degrees to the glory and fulnesse of it preach it in the same glory and fulnesse of it as we finde it Sir if they preach repentance and presse it as necessary unto salvation I hope we may be so bold as to preach the same after them in like manner and in girding at us for so doing you gird not at us alone but them Nor are we ignorant that the t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Basil de fide whole Doctrine of Faith is to be received that is contained in holy Writ and that u Manifestorum lumine illustrantur obscura Aug. Ep st 48. Obscuriores locutiones de manifestoridus illustrand Idem doct Chr. l. 2. c. 9. Collation of Scripture with Scripture may afford much light unto places more obscure But Sir neither are these passages of any obscurity being of the clearest almost of any either in the Old Testament or New Nor can any parcell of Scripture contradict or take away the truth of another nor are any therefore to be taxed for the delivery of any truth that in Scripture they find recorded or for urging pressing any duty that they find there urged and pressed and so frequently by such as you here instance in your self This is all therefore nothing but a pile of meere impertinences as would plainly appear would you but be entreated to rub up and resume your old Logick and trusse up your loose stuffe into some Syllogisticall frame that it might appear what you here oppose Of the like condition is all that to litle purpose that ensueth where you tell us that a Reply ibid. We hear Christ preaching b Ioh. 7.39 before the Spirit was given Repent and we find when the Spirit was given Christ is said c Act. 5.31 to give repentance to Israel and forgivenesse of sins and shall we not now preach Jesus Christ and repentance in Jesus the fountaine of repentance the author of repentance and repentance thus and repentance in the glory of it self more 1. Christ then preached repentance and repentance as of necessity unto salvation and where find we that ever he revoked this precept or the doctrine concerning the necessity of it 2. But this was before the Spirit was given what Spirit Sir is it you mean was not that Spirit which was given to those that beleived and repented upon d Math. 21.32 Johns preaching and e Ioh. 4.41 42.59 Christs before his passion and before that f Compare Ioh. 7 39. with Act. 1.5 2 3 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Schol. Graec. 19. more ample effusion of it and the extraordinary gifts of it spoken of by the Evangelist in the place you seem to point at the very same with that Spirit that was given afterward for the working of faith and repentace in those who in times ensuing g Ioh. 17.20 Act. 2.38.41 4.1 8.12 upon the Apostles preaching repented and beleived Or had they power to repent and so did without that gift of the Spirit which the other afterward had not So that these things in the one should be to give you your own words as springs of their own and waters flowing from their own fountain in the other as graces flowing from Christ and his spirit 3. But after the Spirit was given Christ is said to give repentance and forgivenesse of sins And by whom Sir I beseech you were these things given before The Apostle tells us that h Hebr. 13.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Schol. Graec. Jesus Christ is yesterday to day and the same for ever And whatsoever saving grace is now given from Christ by the Spirit was alwayes and in all times given unto all that ever were saved by Christ nor is there herein any difference between those times and these If you think otherwise you may do well to speak your mind plainly for you talk very perplexedly to make men believe that we preach not repentance as a grace of God by his Spirit wrought in our hearts in and for Christ which is most untrue for we say and teach that it is not only so now but was ever so in all ages whereas you by your ambiguous expressions seem to intimate the contrary 4. But Sir what is here to repeal the former precept of repentance or to give any just much lesse necessary cause to alter our preaching and pressing of repentance and the necessity of it in the same manner I might well say as the Prophets but much more as Christ himself before the Spirit was in that manner and measure given as after it was when as the source and Originall of it was ever the same and the necessity of it as well now as then yea in all ages no lesse alike 5. All therefore that hereafter followeth concerning i Reply Ibid. the preaching faith in the glory of it and faith in the revelation of it and faith from Christ and faith in Christ because the Apostle saith k Act. 16.31 Believe in the Lord Iesus and thou shall be saved and l Hebr. 12.2 Iesus Christ is the Author and finisher of our faith c. All these I say are but flanting flourishes brought in on the by partly m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plut. de vit Epic. to put by what you should speak to and partly to make heedlesse people believe that there is some new doctrine of faith by our new-light-men lately discovered other and more excellent then ever was taught either by the Prophets of God in former times or by Christ himself in his preaching here upon earth or by any the ordinary Ministers and Teachers of the Gospel either in those times or in former ages 6. For not to stand upon the version of the word used by the Apostle which signifieth rather o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 2.10 a Captain or Leader then an p 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 5.9 Author or worker who of us denies faith to be r Eph. 2 8. 6.23 Phil. 1.29 the gift
1 Ioh. 3.3 purifying himself and k Ibid. v. 6. not sinning and that followed after not of l Ibid. v. 9. committing sin and m Ibid. v. 10. doing righteousnesse was all to be understood of imputation and justification or of imputed and passive righteousnesse as he was pleased still to style it But thus he to which I might add what an other of them writes that n H. Denne Confer p. 30. in some p. 18. Faith is as the learned know but what learned I know not a part of repentance and Repentance and faith differ as whole and part and o Ibid. p. 32. or 20. Faith is our new life Nor Sir do your self much swarve from this manner of teaching when you tell your readers as was before shewed that p Treat p. 84. 85. Christ hath beleived and repented for them and they must believe that their faith and repentance is perfect in Christ 3. As for what you say from the Apostle q 1 Cor. 1.30 that Christ is made not onely righteousnesse but sanctification also to us and do not we say and teach the same good Sir keep you close to this and be pleased to presse it upon your people for if it be so then undoubtedly r Rom. 6 2 16. 1 Cor. 6.10 11. no unsanctified person hath any share yet in Christ nor are any justified by him who are not with all sanctified and the one consequently may be a good evidence of the other all which yet your positions impugn and oppose as in due place shall appeare But proceed we to the residue of your reply In the next place therefore Å¿ Ans p. 9.10 skipping over belike you found the ground to hot under your feet all the instances given of our Saviours assertions which should you set your Amen to you must needs passe sentence against your self on our side for deliverinâ— the like and t Ibid. p. 10. that blaspehmous inference which from your own grounds you stand justly charged with and will never be able to wipe off as also u Ibid. p. 11. the Answer to your Objection of Christs mentioning faith onely in some places which you endeavour not to take away and being duly considered might in one line have blown away all the dust that you have raised in the last forgoing passages wherewith to dim your readers eye-sight These things over-skipt you proceed to answer that plea of ours as unjustly taxed by you and termed Legalists x Ibid. p. 11.14 for preaching faith and repentance and newnesse of life in the very same manner and methode that John Christ and his Apostles did who by collation of places are evidently shewed from the first to the last to have observed the self-same method The Answer you return hereunto not denying at all that they all therein conspired is this that a Reply p. 7. § 1. you taxe us only for that we preach it not as they aid according to the full revelation of it in the New Testament but we preach it onely as we find it in their Summaries and in the breif narration of their doctrin which we ought not to do But Sir this is your old b Cuckows song q 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which ever anon to litle purpose you repeat and helpes to fill up your pages and take off your Reader when you are at a losse and find your self destitute of any satisfactory Answer to matters objected For 1. Is there ought in their Summaries that is not sound doctrine and good Gospel 2. Are not these things pressed by them as duties to be necessarily done and performed by all those that are saved by Christ 3. Can you justly charge us with concealing any part of the Gospel found in any book of holy writ 4. Was this the meaning of John or Christ or Peter or Paul when they called upon people to repent Repent that is Believe that Christ hath repented for you and you have perfectly repented in him or when they exhorted men to believe was this their meaning Believe that Christ hath believd for you and you believe perfectly by vertue of that his belief For this with you Sir is the full revelation of the New Testament which yet you must pardon us if we believe it not on your word because we find it not in Scripture Mean while Sir you are to Magisteriall in telling us that we should not do so as we see such as these are before us do and we must reqest you c Patere nos cum istis errare ut Hieron ad Aug. Siqidem Tales honestus error est seqi duces ut Fab instâ—t l. 1. not to blame us if we deem their practise better warrant to bear us out herein then your bare word to beat us out of it But d Reply p. 7. 8. you will herein condemn me you say out of mine own mouth For I say of the Apostels that we have but Summaries of them as in Act. 2.40 and 16.31 and we knowing this preach onely by their first methods and Summaries not looking to the revelation of the mystery which the Apostle saith e Rom. 16.25 26. it now made manifest Sir He that hath but half an eye may easily discry what monsters you are secretly brooding tho you dare not yet offer them to open view But let us discusse your words a litle 1. Where do I say of the Apostle that we have but Summaries of them no such matter Sir I say onely f Answ p. 13. we have not their whole sermons but some breif summaries and principall heads of them wherein yet we find more preached enjoyned and pressed then you would have taught to wit repentance as well as faith That which is sufficient to stop your mouth and to cut of your g Treat p. 123. short cut of making faith the onely Gospel work and way because the other in some places is not mentioned But I say not that we have brief Summaries only of the Apostles doctrine For we have whole Epistles and in them very large and plentifull discourses and disputes Yea in those Summaries of their Sermons and their other writings together with those pieces of holy Writ penned by other holy men immediately directed and infallibly guided by the Spirit we have all things necessary to be known believed or practised for the attainment of salvation by Christ fully delivered 2. If we do ill in preaching after their first methods good Sir be pleased to shew us where or when they altred their methods or where having at first preached and pressed upon people faith retance and newnesse of life they afterward revoked and repealed any part thereof as tho formerly needfull yet no more necessary then or where they imposed ought on any that came not within compasse of these which if you be not able to do you have litle reason to controll us for preaching after that method which they retained and
himself sealing assuring perswading convincing satisfying a Psal I will hear what God will say for he wil speak peace to his servants A Saint would rather hear that voice then all his own inferences and arguments which tho they bring somsthing to perswade yet they perswade not so answerably till the voice speak b 2 Pet. 1. from that excellent glory Sir 1. Comparisons we use to say are odious We make no comparison between any assurances that God gives and affords unto his Nor do we cry up one as you do to cry down another like those of the prelaticall faction that cried up prayer to cry down preaching And tho all you plead here therefore were granted you it neither hits us much lesse hurts us or our cause nor yet cleers you from the hainous guilt contracted by you and cleaving still fast to you in traducing and vilifying Gods own sacred assurances the generall and ordinary pledges and pawns of his speciall favour and love in Christ 2. I might demand of you Are not these graces you mention the very breathing of Christ himself into the soul were the ministeriall abilities conferred on his Apostles c Joh 20.22 such and are not the sanctifying graces of the spirit such also or doth not Christ by these seal assure perswade convince and satisfie and I might here challeng you or any other of your way to denie this if they dare 3. Where did the Psalmist professe his desire and endeavour to by inqiry to hear d Psal 85.80 what God would speak but e In verbo suo Moller In promissionibus Calvin in his word or what speaking of peace are we to understand there but a reall speaking not a verball or vocall speech either inward or outward but a f Pacem loqi largiri Moller reall exhibition such as Gods g Deus cum benedicit facit qod dicit Aquin. benediction is wont to be of peace that is of h Pacem prosperum successum Calv. Ita passim Isa 48.18 Psal 119.165 prosperitie and prosperous successe to the people so that this place is little to your purpose 4. It is not denied but that i Luk. 7.48 50. Christs immediate voice to the poore penitent woman could not but be matter of exceeding great comfort to her and such as might well afford inexpressible refreshment to her drouping spirit inconceivable tranqâ—llitie to her troubled mind inconcussed settlement and assurance to her soul but neither can such now be expected nor is the securitie drawn from the grounds of Gods word as k Matth. 5.18 infallible and unfailable as the pillars and ground-works of heaven and earth yea l Mark 13.31 more unfailable then the foundations of either lesse powerfull and efficacious in it self and might be so also unto us were it not for the weaknesse of our faith and want of our firm apprehension of them Nor is it denied but that Gods spirit in a more immediate way may at sometime insinuate it self into the soul by sweet and sensible raptures and soul ravishing comforts in times especially of tribulation and extremitie of distresse thereby to encourage Gods servants to depend upon him and with the more alacrity of spirit to go thorow with such bitter brunts as God hath pleased to call them to and that God may in such manner and oft doth in such sort communicate himself to his servants according to his good pleasure and the divers manners of his dispensations to his and that such irradiations and insinuations are for the present matter of singular comfort and contentment to the soul But these are m Heu Domine Deus rara hora brevis mora Bern. in Cant. neither generall nor perpetuall many a soul no doubt hath gotten into heaven that was never much acqainted with them Nor doth any such extraordinary or more unusuall courses any whit infringe much lesse take away and annull the force and efficacie of assurances drawn from the word wherein Gods voice is as well as in these and which are commended to us in the word and that for such as every one ought to try himself and to be tryed by Wee speak of such wayes as every true beleever is or may be capable of and such as if the Spirit of God speaking in his word doe not delude and deceive us may give us abundant of n Rom. 15.4 comfort and assurance o 1 Joh. 1.3 with joy 5. For the place you cite out of Peter to confirm your comparison let but any Reader consult p 2 Pet. 1.18 the place wherein the testimony of the word written and enrolled in the records of the Prophets is pronounced q 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 1.19 more firm and certain then the immediate voice heard in the Mount and hee may soon discern how you mis-apply and abuse Scriptures a practice too common with you to serve your own turn as your self please 6. For such grounds of assurance as wee plead for wee have expresse Scripture as you cannot denie of such an immediate voice or enthusiasm as you seem to plead for no Scripture produced by you is yet proved to speak Scriptures onely are to that purpose by you mis-applyed That which I say of it at present shall be this onely that that voice that shall inwardly speak peace to a soul where those marks of faith repentance self-denyall and obedience are not found may undoubtedly be avowed to be no voice of Christ nor testimony of his spirit for the Spirit of God cannot crosse it self but either some vain and groundlesse suggestion of a mans own corrupt heart or a meer delusion of the Prince of darknesse transforming himself into the Prince of light the Lord Jesus Mean while Sir consider I beseech you seriously and weigh well what you doe you beat men off from those grounds and assurances which Gods word holds out to them and in room thereof you propound either some devices of your own as that Christ hath repented and believed for them which they cannot admit because they find no footing for them in Gods word or some extraordinary and immediate voices or what else you please to term them which tho being true beleevers and wel-grounded in the faith yet it may be they never had nor dare to expect Now whether this be not a puzzling way indeed let others decide From hence making a long jump or an almond leap and skipping over all that you find objected against that your most unreasonable motion of not taking any tryall of faith at all and the branding of it as above you light at length on a by-passage in the Animadversion on your tenth Assertion forbearing to trouble your selfe further as your wisest course was with the exceptions taken to the main matter which yet is the chief principle and groundwork of almost your whole book The passage together with the occasion of it is this Mr. S. blames us q
m Psal 18.20 24. being in favour with God and been so far forth thereby emboldened tho in submisse and humble manner to n Job 23.10.12 plead the sinceritie and integritie of their heart and life unto God and both o Isa 38.3 Psal 86.2 119.94 to ask and p Nehem. 13.14 22 31. to expect favovr and mercy and goodnesse from him in that regard 3. Your main drift herein and that not concealed but professedly held forth is in plain terms impious For it is as hath already in part also been shewed directly to contradict the Apostle John and to make him a liar for hee telleth us that hereby wee may know and have assurance that we are in the state of grace and life q 1 Joh. 1.7 if we walk in light r Chap. 3. 14. if we love the brethren ſ Ibid. Ver. 19 21 22. if we do those things that are wel-pleasing unto God And on the other side you tell us that we cannot hereby know or have any assurance of it and what is this but in expresse terms to contradict what he saith and to give the holy Ghost speaking by him the lie Or what other end can you pretend that you propounded to your self in this your prolix and curious sifting and shriving of Mr. G. but to make this assertion good And yet alas Sir what is he a feeble wretch t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 5.2 beset one every side with manifold infirmities a sorry creature made up of a multitude of imperfections one of the meanest in his Lords house of the most unserviceable in his Masters familie Why should you pick him out as a patern or an instance whereby to disprove the Apostle For what if Mr. G. a man of so many failings were not able to make out any good account of his assurances from such grounds as John there gives or were found so faultie that he could not passe the triall and attain approbation by such marks as he there propounds and that Mr. S. here had laid such load of iniquitie and hypocrisie upon him as must of necessitie force him off from his hold Yet what is that to the truth of the Apostles doctrine or the proving of it to be vain and fruitlesse and useless and frivolous and such as no other tho sincere and upright might gather ground of assurance from To what purpose then is it Sir that you u 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 1.19 Catamidiare Spart in Pio. An Catomidiare ut Salm. bring him thus here on the stage either it is onely to traduce him and that is meer malignitie or else it is to crosse the doctrine it self delivered by the Apostle and that is grosse impietie Make your choise Sir your self for whether of the two you reserved this to the last and let it then go for an assay of the rest if you so please 10. That all we do or can do is unprofitable either unto the discharge of the least and lightest of our sins or to the meriting of ought more or lesse at Gods hands you need not tell us we are not to learn it from you nor need we to light our candle at any of your new waxen tapers for the discoverie of this truth we had it long since from x Matth. 23.8 our common Master that y Luk. 17.10 when wee have done all that ever wee can do we are unprofitable servants But withall we have also from him that even such a Isa 42.3 Mat. 12.20 smoking b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ut Isa 43.4 Ellychnium Jun. weeks as you jeer at c Treat p. 171. that have more smoke then light he will not qench and that the very buds and blossomes of sanctifying grace are d Rom. 8.23 the first fruits of the spirit and that the being of them in us and the diligent and constant exercise of them with us are a good e 1 Joh. 4.13 3.14 19. evidence of the state of grace and life and that true f 2 Cor. 7.10 repentance and Godly sorow for sin are good assurances of the pardon of sin and g 2 Cor. 1.21 22. 5.5 sure earnests of eternall salvation and that by these therefore tho wee h Job 22.2 35.7 Psal 16.2 cannot be profitable unto God yet wee may be profitable as i Tit. 3.8 unto others so herein also to our selves 11. But l Conclus p. 17. for your part you say you cannot be so uncharitable but to wish us a better assurance then what I and my brethren can find in our own works and righteousnesse For it is not what wee approve but what God approves is accepted k Luk. 16.9 Gal 6.7 8. 1 Tim. 6.18 19. 1. Sir I and my brethren are much beholden to you for your charitie Which yet as appears by the fruits of it is not very fervent towards us and which in the very next clause wherewith you consign all you bewray some want of it when you charge us with maintaining the truth formerly taught by us which your self cannot but confesse to be found in Gods word and in the Sermons and Sammaries of Christ and his Apostels and opposing you and these your new-found and new forged lights m Concl. Ibid. out of a lothnesse to loose our reputation by going out of an old track of divinitie Tho that indeed would be the readiest way rather to get reputation with the multitude in these humorous times wherein mens appetites ar not more nice then their n Jo◠34 3. ears and nothing relisheth with them but o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 either new diet or old diet newly dressed But whether this be not against the rules of charitie thus to sit upon the consciences of others I shall appeal not so much to your own conscience whose doctrine professedly teacheth not to make conscience of ought in regard of Gods sight and displeasure as to the conscience and judgement of any other that understand and acknowledge what charity and conscience import 2. Nor unsutable to this your qick and sharp tho short censure is the longer tail or train it drawes after it the rather it is not unlikely drawn out thus in length because it goes great with secret insinuations such as are not unusuall with you which any intelligent Reader therefore will yet easily discern of the glorious excellencies of your illumination by vertue of your new-lights attained Wherein you tell us that p Concl. Ibid. when our spirits shall once begin to be unclothed of forms of darknesse which wee must conceive your self to be devested of howsoever wee silly souls remain enwrapt up still in them and self-righteousnesse and do q 2 Cor. 3 18. with open face behold the glory of the Lord as your self do wee as yet do not wee will cry out r Isa 6.5 Wo is me I am undone for I have seen the Lord which