Thess 2.11 12. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a lie That they all might be damned who believe not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness God punisheth them by their own very sins and makes it a judgment unto them as he did by the Jews and they are under much what the same judgment with the Jews for the first did chuse Delusions and Lies and then God gave them up unto them just as God gave the Jews to a hard heart and a blind mind and they are all laid in the grave of unbelief and prejudice against Christ the true Messiah and therefore they are Sacrificing and Sacrificing still now under the Gospel Why so God has given up these sacrificing Christians and so these Apostates or Backsliders in heart come to be filled with their own ways And you must certainly give your selves up to strong Delusions or else you would never abuse and disbelieve the Holy Scriptures as you do which is the revealed Will of 〈…〉 and walk by so that the people have no more use of the Gospel than the Jews that do not believe that Christ is yet come in the flesh so that you are as ignorant with a respect to any saving experiemental knowledg of Christ's being come in the flesh as the very Jews are for while you profess to know him in word you deny him in works namely in sacrifices and other carnal Ordinances and were not your Consciences seared with a hot Iron you would never disbelieve your own senses and reason and understandings as you do for you must not believe your own eyes that tell you that the Bread or Wafer after Consecration as it 's called is still Bread and the Wine is Wine still without any alteration Nor you must not believe your own hands that give the same account of it unto you nor you must not believe your own mouth that telleth you that it is Bread and not Flesh But the Priest by what authority I know not will not suffer the Lay-peoples mouths to make a judgment upon the Wine whether it be Wine or Blood tho Christ hath given a particular and an express command for it as in them words of our Saviour's Drink ye all of it Mat. 26.27 Mark 14.23 And they all drank of it But this is your misery you must believe as the Church believes or as the Priest commands ye to believe you must not believe Christ nor his Apostles nor his Gospel nor your own sences reason and understanding none of these are to be believed but all is fast lockt up in unbelief and the Priest carrieth the Key of your Knowledg at his Girdle and thus you do see clearly and spontaneously proved that you are the persons which the Apostle Paul prophesied of that do make a Sacrifice of the Sacrament of the Lords-Supper when as there is no material Sacrifices of this kind to be offered up in this manner for Christ at his coming and dying and rising again put an end to all that kind of worship Col. 2.14 15 16 18 20 21 22 23. Heb. 9.9 10 11 12. But yet notwithstanding give me leave to tell ye that we have our Gospel-Sacrifices but they are all Spiritual viz. The sacrifice of a broken heart and of an humble contrite spirit and the sacrifice of prayer and of thanksgiving and every part of holy worshipping of God in spirit and in truth these are the Sacrifices that are accepted and well-pleasing unto God when we offer up our selves in them when all is offered up unto God upon the Golden Altar the Lord Jesus Christ and mixed with his Merits and both the person and the offering covered with his Robe of Righteousness the only Garment of Salvation Rev. 8.3 4. And another Angel came and stood at the Altar having a Golden Censer and there was given to him much Incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints upon the Golden Altar 〈…〉 cense which came with the prayers of the Saints ascended up before God out of the Angels hand This is the Angel of the Covenant the Lord Jesus Christ who presents our persons and petitions unto God the Father for us if they be indicted in us by God the Holy Ghost Rom. 8.26 27. Likewise the spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the spirit because he maketh intercession for the Saints according to the will of God. And the person must be clothed with Christ's Robe of Righteousness Isa 61.10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord my soul shall be joyful in my God for he hath clothed me with the garments of Salvation he hath covered me with the Robe of Righteousness as a Bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments and as a Bride adorneth her self with her Jewels This is the Wedding-garment that every soul hath on that is married to Christ and hence you may observe floweth all the Saints joy and comfort from their being justified by the righteousness of Christ But if this be so as you see clearly proved that it is then what a miserable condition must all these poor souls be in that hope for and expect Eternal life and Salvation upon no better ground nor foundation than their own meritorious works of righteousness and boast of their works of Supererogation which will all prove Physitians of no value and will prove miserable Comforters in the End they are but sparks of their own kindling Isa 50.11 Behold all ye that kindle a fire that compass your selves about with sparks walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks that ye have kindled this shall ye have of mine hand ye shall lie down in sorrow Thus you do see what a vast difference there is between your Sacrifices and the Protestants Gospel-Sacrifices the one is an abomination and abhorred by the Lord The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord but the prayer of the upright is his delight And the true Gospel-sacrifices are accepted with the Lord in and through Christ if offered up upon the Golden Altar of his Righteousness and Merits then they are God's delight Now in the next place I shall offer unto you a few modest and solid Reasons together with some Arguments to confute this gross error and strong delusion that you poor souls are involved in In the first place if this Doctrine of yours be true why then so far it renders Faith useless and destroys it for if our Saviour Christ be personally and substantially come again and is thus present with his people why then the use of that part o◠Faith is at an end As for instance before our Saviour Christ came in the flesh it was the duty of a 〈◊〉 God's 〈…〉 come in the flesh because God had
inconsistent with the Justice of God Isa 53.5 6 10. But he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed All we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him he hath put him to grief when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin But this of our Saviour Christ's giving his flesh to eat and his blood to drink must be understood Symbolically and Sacramentally by Faith it is the sign of Christ's 〈…〉 had not Christ taken humane flesh upon him and died for sinners the whole species of the humane race had perished and been lost as all the fallen Angels were and not one soul had ever been saved and so his flesh and blood became meat and drink unto us to live upon him by faith alone who do share in all these benefits and blessings which came by Christ's taking flesh and blood upon him and is not such a wonderful great mercy as this is worthy of a holy thankful remembrance which is the principal end and design of Christ in his Instituting of this Ordinance and ought to be ours in partaking of it for if our Saviour Christ had given us his material flesh to eat and his real blood to drink it would have availed us nothing And thus are the words of our Saviour to be understood in that 6. Joh. in retort to the carnal conception of the unbelieving Jews as well as to his unbelieving Disciples which dreamed even as you do of the Roman Catholick faith that Christ spake of giving them his real substantial body to eat and his real blood to drink said the Jews How can this man give us his flesh to eat and said the Disciples This is an hard saying who can bear it But mind narrowly our Saviour's own words viz. It is the spirit that quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing the words that I speak unto you they are spirit and they are life It is the Spirit that begetteth faith in every true Believer and that quickeneth the new Creature or Babe of Grace after it is begotten and born of God in its first quicknings or formation and in its after-quicknings for it is of the seed Royal of Heaven Psal 89.29 and it is conveyed unto us through Jesus Christ by his holy Spirit and so we come to be made alive to God and are Children of the most High for God is the Father of Spirits and the only Spiritual Father of all that believe in Jesus Christ his only Son from all Eternity by Generation for all the rest of Gods Sons of humane race are his Sons by Adoption and Regeneration and all this is effected and brought about through the agency and aid of the Holy and ever Blessed and Eternal Spirit and therefore that which is thus begotten and born of God must be Spiritual for as Adam begot a Son in his own likeness who was himself of the Earth and Earthly so God begets all his Children in his own likeness who are all Spiritual and Heavenly Children they have all of them the Image of their Father stamped upon them which is Grace and Holiness the more holy the more like unto God they are who is Essentially holy and theefore the food which this spiritual man liveth upon must be Spiritual Heavenly food he lives upon God in Christ and feeds upon God in Christ by faith for all our springs are in him Now for any persons to imagin that a spiritual being can live and subsist upon carnal material food is but a vain imagination 〈…〉 less flesh and his blood without the least tincture of sin yet notwithstanding all that it is food beneath the new Creature to live upon for by Christ's taking flesh upon him he made himself lower than the Angels as he was man Heb. 2.7 Thou madest him a little lower than the Angels thou crownedst him with Glory and Honour and didst set him over the works of thy hands But as Christ was God so he is higher than the Heavens yea the Heavens are unclean in his sight and all the food which the new creature doth live upon is all treasured up in Christ he is the great Lord Treasurer of Heaven and Earth hâ—â— is the Dispencer of all Grace for it hath pleased the Father that in him all fullness shall dwell And in him are hid all the treasures of Wisdom and Grace there it is placed by God the Father there it is laid up for all his children for them to come and fetch by faith and prayer all whatsoever they stand in need of and we all receive from Christ's fulness and grace for grace Psal 84.11 For the Lord God is a Sun and a Shield the Lord wiâ—â— give Grace and Glory no good thing will he withhold from them that live uprightly There it is Treasurer up in Christ who is the only Infallible head of thâ— true Ancient Catholick Apostolical Church to distribute and give forth unto all his members as â—â— seeth to be needful and necessary for them both Spiritual and Temporal Blessings and Mercies Alas how can a Spiritual being subsist upon carnal substantial food it is utterly incoherent and inconsistent as our Saviour Christ said in another case 〈◊〉 cure Thomas a Didimus's unbelief viz. A spirit has 〈◊〉 flesh and bones as ye see me have Now if your Transubstantiated Christ could convince us after thâ— manner as our Saviour convinced Thomas a Didimâ—â— your Doctrine might obtain some credit amoâ—â— those sort of people that are not debarred of the 〈◊〉 of their sense and reason as yours are But Believe have not a carnal body to be fed in this sense 〈◊〉 that is fed with the meat that perisheth but thâ— fed with that meat which endureth to everlast life A Cow may as well and better live uponâ— bare Sea-Rocks and feed upon Oysters or Cockles a Fish live out of the water upon the dry land 〈◊〉 feed upon hay or straw as for the new Creature Spiritual man to live upon material substantial 〈◊〉 and blood And our Saviour Christ himself has us consequentially in effect that his flesh would fit us nothing if he should give it unto us to eaâ—â— Again in the next place this eating of Châ—â—â— flesh and drinking his blood is no more to bâ—â—â— derstood literally and properly than the Doctrine Regeneration was which our Saviour Christ 〈◊〉 red unto old Nicodemus and if you observe it gently you will find that our Saviour Christ 〈◊〉 pounded it much after the same manner as 〈◊〉 done this of eating his flesh 〈…〉 blood and gives the like check to the understanding of the one carnally and literally as he does to the other And pray take notice that our Saviour Christ is the only infallible Judg and Interpreter of the holy Scriptures
and â—eign some not all should depart from the Faith that is they should Apostatize from the very Doctrine of the true Christian Faith they would disown the true Doctrine of Faith they would depart from the very fundamental Doctrine of Justification and Sanctification and Salvation by the Righteousness Merits and Spirit of Christ alone and look to be saved by their own righteousness and Meritorious works in conjunction with Christ's Righteousness and Merits when it is said in Act. 4.12 Neither is there Salvation in any other for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved and in Rom. 10.3 4. For they being ignorant of Gods Righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves unto the Righteousness of God for Christ is the End of the Law for Righteousness to every one that believeth for by the deeds of the Law shall no flesh be justified And they departed from the Faith of one Mediator between God and Man the Man Christ Jesus 1 Tim. 2.5 And they have made to themselves many Mediators And they have departed from the Faith of one intercessor in Heaven and have made to themselves many Intercessors when as it is said in Rom. 8.33 34. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it is â—â—d that justifieth who is he that condemneth it is 〈…〉 that is risen again who is 〈…〉 â—â—cession for us he is our Advocate with the Father 1 Joh. 2.1 2 3. And lastly they depart from all other fundamental Doctrines of true Gospel-worship and Discipline and in all these departings they depart from God himself who is the chief Good and ought to be the last End and by this they fall into all mischief and Heresie being drawn away and seduced by these seducing spirits who are false Teachers to give up the sole conduct and government of their souls unto them that have their own Consciences seared with an hot Iron who feed them with Doctrines of Devils or Demons they teach or speak lies in hypocrisie And here the Apostle layeth down their forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from Meats to be part of these Lies For saith he Speaking lies in hypocrisie having their conscience seared with a hot Iron forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the Truth Mark they pervert the very End and Design of God in the Creation of these things God has created them to be made use of in his own way and ordinance the one in Chastity and the other in Temperance Not but that a Minister or any others are left to their liberty whether they will marry or not but they ought not to be imposed on by others but in this case they are a law to themselves neither doth this destroy a holy fasting or abstinency when it is done heartily and sincerely according to God's own appointment and prescription in his Holy Word but it wholly destroys all Impositions that are irregular and also it destroys all Pharisaical Hypocritical Meritorious Fasting and Penance But you will say How can this forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from Meats be part of those Lies and Doctrines of Devils which they speak in Hypocrisie First in forbidding to marry they injoyn the penalty of Damnation and pretend that if any persons in Spiritual Orders do marry they do not only forfeit the said Office but do also incur the guilt of damnation and they will yet sooner absolve them of the guilt of Fornication or Adultery as they pretend than of that offence Now this is Diametrically contrary to the Holy Scriptures which is the whole Faith and Truth which they are departed from and therefore it must needs be a lie for the word of Truth saith plainly That it is better to marry than to burn 1 Cor. 7.9 Secondly They do command all to abstain from Meats and make the ignorant people believe that they shall be damned if they eat flesh on certain times and seasons which they have prohibited without a dispensation from the Church which is the 〈…〉 Now the word of Truth saith Whatsoever is sold in the Shambles that eat asking no questions for Conscience sake And further it is said If any of them that believe not bid you to a Feast and ye be disposed to go whatsoever is set before you eat asking no questions for conscience sake Here you see the Man of Sin commandeth one thing and the holy God by his servant Paul commandeth another therefore this must be a lie because God is a God of Truth and cannot lie and the same Apostle saith Let God be true and every man a lier Rom. 3.4 But the Man of Sin is a lier and is departed from the Faith and the Truth is not in him Thus you see how they do impose upon the easie credulous ignorant people and make them believe that if they do disobey the Canons or Commands of their Church they do incur the penalty of damnation because say they our Church is infallible and cannot err And therefore you must believe as the Church believes or as she commands ye to believe which is to assume that Power and Prerogative which peculiarly and properly belongeth unto God viz. to make them a willing people in the day of his power Psal 110.3 Why even so Antichrist by force or fraud makes them an ignorant willing people in the day of his Dragooning power by the permission of God. But here lieth the great difference whereas God when he doth come by his Spirit by the Omnipotent power of Grace to work upon the souls of sinners to make them a willing people he also maketh them a wise and understanding people Psal 119.130 The entrance of thy words giveth light it giveth understanding to the simple God worketh first upon the Understanding and then upon the Will and by that he enlightens the Mind in the knowledg of Christ and then the Will is sanctified and changed and so of an unwilling people they are made willing But Antichrist when he exerts and puts forth his power to proselyte a soul he works first upon the Understanding and then upon the Will also but it is to put out the common light of the Understanding in Spiritual things and wholly depraveth the Will and resigns it up to the will of Antichrist and then leadeth the Mind wholly into the dark that they may not discern their deceit nor see the true way to come to the knowledg of Christ and therefore they take away and rob them of the Key of Knowledg namely the Holy Scriptures which is the Rule of Life and Faith that every man ought to walk by and believe because it is the revealed Will of God. But say they our Church is infallible and cannot err that is she is so good and so holy that there needs no amendment nor reformation in her
God so he could not die for his Godhead could not suffer nor die But as he was Man and surety for all sinners that ever did or that ever should believe in him so he died and as he was ordained and appointed by God the Father so to do in the Confederal Covenant between the Father and the Son Zech. 16.13 Now I pray Sir How can you Romanists eat and drink Christ personally and substantially in his Body Soul and Divinity but that Christ at the same time must of necessity suffer and die And then how many Millions of times must Christ have suffered and died by your hands according to this Doctrine of yours since you first brought it into the World For the Apostle saith plainly That if Christ be offered up often that then he must suffer often which clearly infers that as often as he is offered up so often he suffers and he also saith that Christ died but once Rom. 6.10 For in that he died he died but once but in that he liveth he liveth unto God. And I pray Sir do you Roman-Catholicks look into your own Creed and there you will 〈…〉 of the Articles of your Faith that Christ suffered once under Pontius Pilate and was Buried and Descended into Hell and Rose again from the Dead the third Day and is Ascended up into Heaven and is sat down at the Right hand of God from whence he shall come to Judge the Quick and the Dead Which is very true I do own it to be so And the Holy Scriptures say clearly and positively That Christ is ascended up into Heaven and is sat down at the Right hand of God and there he is to sit until God has made his enemies his footstool And Antichrist the Man of Sin is the greatest enemy that our Saviour Christ hath upon Earth whom Christ will consume with the spirit or rod of his mouth and destroy by the brightness of his coming Tho Antichrist have usurped Christ's Throne for a long time in the Temple of God and Reigned and Ruled over the Souls and Consciences of men which is Christ's peculiar Prerogative yet the time is at hand that he shall be made his footstool this was spoken Prophetically by David of what was to be in the last times at the period of Antichrist's Reign Psal 110.1 And our Saviour himself gives it further Sanction in Matt. 22.44 The Lord said unto my Lord sit thou on my right hand till I have made thine enemies thy footstool Mark 12.36 Luke 20.42 43. Hence we may observe That from Christ's state of Humiliation and Ascention into Glory until he comes again in Triumph in his state of Exaltation all that time that Christ sits at the right hand of God the Father by God's permissive will his enemies were to be uppermost in the World first the Heathen Emperors and after them then Antichrist the Man of Sin he got into the Temple of God and his Reign there was to be One thousand two hundred and sixty days which is so many years Ezek. 4.6 until Christ comes again and makes him his footstool But whether he will come personally as some are of opinion he will or otherwise I will not determine but I will leave the Reader to the Scriptures Acts 1.9 10 11. And when he had spoken these things while they beheld he was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sight And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up behold two men stood by them in white apparel which also said Ye men of Galilee why stand ye gazing up into heaven This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven Rev. 20.4 Rev. 1.7 Job 19.25 26 27. Now Does Christ so come in your Mass But now if Christ be in person sitting at the right hand of God the Father in Glory as you see clearly proved by the Holy Word of God he is and that he is not to come from thence untill his enemies be made his footstool and that when he does come from thence he is to come in like manner as he ascended 〈…〉 shall 〈◊〉 him so come and that his Body is a finite Body Why if this be so then Christ cannot be personally and corporeally present in the Sacrament of the Eucharist in so many thousand places at once as the Mass is or may be said and yet at the same time to be personally and corporeally at the right hand of God the Father in Glory making intercession with him for poor Sinners Tho Christ as God is in all places both in Heaven and Earth and excluded from no place But yet as he is the only Mediator between God and Man so he is fixed in Heaven at the right hand of God until his enemies measure of iniquity be full and then they shall all be made his footstool He is entred into Heaven as the forerunner for his people he entred into Heaven it self now to appear in the presence of God for us as an Advocate He is the first fruits of the resurrection of the dead So that this Doctrine of Christ's Personal and Corporeal Presence in the Sacrament does even contradict and destroy your own Faith or Creed as well as it does overthrow the whole current of the Holy and Sacred Scriptures As for the former I will appeal even unto you your own selves who are Romanists that do say and pretend to own and believe your own Creed whether it be not so or no And as for the latter I will appeal unto all sorts of Christians whatsoever that do own and believe the Holy Scriptures to be the revealed word and will of God whether it be not so or no And also I will appeal to their own Sence and Reason Again secondly Let us hear further what the Apostle saith for more light into this dark matter in 1 Cor. 10.1 2 3 4. Brethren I would not that ye should be ignorant how that all our fathers were under the cloud and all passed thorow the sea And were all baptized unto Moses who was a type of Christ And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea And did all eat the same spiritual meat And did all drink the same spiritual drink For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ These were all true Believers in Christ which were among the Children of Israel in Moses's days and all of them did live by Faith upon Christ and they all fed upon the same spiritual food then as we do now under the Gospel this is that hidden Manna Rev. 2.17 This is that meat which God gives his Children to eat which the World knows nothing of By Faith Moses forsook Egypt not fearing the wrath of the King for he endured as seeing him who is Invisible That was by an eye of Faith Moses saw Christ in his day that could not
But now hath obtained a more excellent ministry by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant which was established upon better promises For if that first covenant had been faultless then should no place have been sought for the second Heb. 7.19 I do believe the Apostle Paul in Heb. 8.4 spake Ironically of those Priests that were so ignorant then Ay and that do now offer up material Sacrifices both of Jews and Gentiles in Gospel times for it does signify that Christ is not come in the flesh but that he is yet to come and die which is a down-right denying that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh in Works For says the Apostle if he were on earth he should not be a priest seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law If he that is Christ the only high Priest were on Earth he should not be a Priest because these Priests that offer Sacrifice under the Gospel are all Invaders and Usurpers of Christ's Priestly 〈…〉 under the Mosaical Law were all but Types and Shadows of Christ of his Coming and Dying for Christ is the High Priest and Priest of the most High God Heb. 7.15 16 17 23 24 25 26 27. For this Melchisedec King of Salem Priest of the most High God who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the Kings and blessed him And it is yet far more evident for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another Priest who is made not after the Law of carnal commandment but after the power of an endless life for he testifieth Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec and they truly were many Priests because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death but this man because he continueth ever hath an unchangeable Priesthood wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make Intercession for them for such an high Priest became us who is holy harmless undefiled separate from sinners and made higher than the heavens who needeth not daily as those high Priests to offer up sacrifice first for his own sins and then for the peoples for this he did Once when he offered up himself Here you see is the durable Priesthood Rev. 8.3 4. there Christ is the Golden Altar on which all our Gospel-sacrifices of Prayers and Thanksgiving must be offered up to God or else neither the person nor the offering will ever be accepted by the Lord. And look into 1 Cor. 5.7 and there you have the Sacrifice Thus you see clearly made out unto you that Christ is the only Priest Altar and Sacrifice of which all these Priests and Altars and Sacrifices and the Passover under the Law were Types and Figures and therefore the Apostle did as it were expose and ridicule or even laugh to see the ignorance of those Priests that do offer Sacrifices under the Gospel-Dispensation for a remembrance of Christ's yet coming to die for sin for that is the signification of all those material Sacrifices when as Christ was then come and had suffered and was gone to Glory this is more tolerable in the Jews who do not believe that Christ the Messiah is come than it is for any that profess themselves Christians and believe that Christ is already come for the Jews do not believe that the Messiah is come and therefore they keep up their Sacrifices and Offerings thâ— they have lost the very sense and meaning of them and the End and Design of God in his first ordaining and appointing of them but for any that pretend to be Christians and yet to offer up these kinâ— of material Sacrifices and yet do own that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh why I do say that thâ— they do confess in words that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh yet in these Sacrifices they do plainâ—â— deny it for it is a turning back again to the Jewiâ—â— Law for these Sacrifices say plainly that Jesus Christ is not yet come in the flesh because his 〈◊〉 in the flesh put an end to that Ordinance as well as to the Passover and all other carnal Ordinances and Ceremonial Rites when he had finished the work which God the Father gave him to do Again another Scripture for Illumination is that in Heb. 9.8 9 12. The Holy Ghost there signifying that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest while the first Tabernacle was yet standing for that first Tabernacle was the Ceremonial Law of Types and Shadows and material Sacrifices for Christ is the way into the holiest of all who was not then come nor manifested in the flesh when these Sacrifices were in force 1 Joh. 1.1 2. That which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life for the life was manifested and we have seen it and bear witness and shew unto you that eternal life which was with the Father and manifested unto us What was this manifestation why it was Christ when he came in the flesh as you may see 1 Tim. 3.16 And without controversie great is the mystery of Godliness God was manifest in the flesh justified in the spirit seen of Angels preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the world received up into Glory Christ was justified by God the Father and acquitted from all the sins of his people when he had suffered and died and rose again But Christ was not so manifested then under the Law when this Covenant was standing which was not faultless and all these Sacrifices in force and being which was a figure for the time then present in which were offered both Gifts and Sacrifices that could not make him that did the service perfect as pertaining to Conscience Heb. 7.19 for â—he Law made nothing perfect but the bringing in of a better hope did c. Here you see all these Sacrifices and Services under the Law were all imperfect they could not â—each the Conscience to purge and sanctifie that neither could they purifie nor cleanse the heart â—hey were all but Figures and Types of that which â—as to come which was of the Lord Jesus Christ â—he great and only Sacrifice who was to come and â—e offered up who is said to be our Passover and is â—â—crificed for us And it is moreover said Neither by â—he blood of Goats and the ashes of an Heifer sprinkling â—â—e unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh No â—othing but the Blood of Christ the Lamb of God â—â—n cleanse a soul from the guilt and pollution of 〈◊〉 Joh. 1.29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming â—â—to him and saith Behold the Lamb of God which â—â—keth away the sin of the world Again Fourthly and lastly one Scripture more â—â—t the utter overthrowing of all pretended material â—â—crifices short of Christ and
God by his Grace hath made Good. 1. First it could not be a Moral Honest Good Man that made and invented the Scriptures who counts himself so for he will tell you That he shall go to Heaven and be saved because he deals uprightly and justly with all men and payeth every one their own and does wrong to no man and I do as I would be done by which is all very good in its place and let me tell you that it is so good that there is no going to Heaven without it but yet let me tell thee also Tho thou dost give Man his due yet if thou dost not give God his due it will all avail thee nothing in Point of Justification and Salvation But what is it to give God his due Why the sole Conduct and Government of thy Soul all thou art and all thou hast must be resigned up to God from whence thou didst receive it thou must forsake all whenever God in his Providence calls thee to it and deny thy self and follow Christ the Lamb of God whithersoever he goeth Will you see a full Scripture for proof of this Why you shall Matth. 19.18 19 20 21. Jesus said Thou shalt do no murder thou shalt not commit Adultery thou shalt not steal thou shalt not bear false witness honour thy father and thy mother and thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self The young man saith unto him All these things have I kept from my youth up What lack I yet Jesus said unto him If thou wilt be perfect go and sell that thou hast and give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven and come and follow me Moral Honesty will not do unless we follow Christ by Faith and in Love. Therefore it could not be a Moral Honest Man that made or invented the Scriptures because they are quite against him and surely if the Moral Good Man had made them he would have made his way wide enough for himself to go to Heaven and be saved by his Morality 2. Secondly There is another sort of Persons that count themselves so good that they think there is none like them but that they are the only good men in the world Isa 65. Rev. 3.9 And these are a whipping sort of Good Men the Pharisaical self-righteous Men that are so zealous in their way to make up a Righteousness of their own to be justified and saved by that they will whip themselves 〈…〉 and hang and burn their neighbours for God's sake and this sort of men in all Ages have justified themselves and condemned all others Pray hear what our Saviour Christ saith of these Luke 18.10 11 12 13 14. Two men went up into the Temple to pray the one a Pharisee and the other a Publican The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself God I thank thee that I am not as other men are Our Saviour Christ has told us that Publicans and Harlots shall go to Heaven before a self-righteous Man shall And in Prov. 30.12 13. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes and yet are not washed from their filthiness There is a generation O how lofty are their eyes and their eye-lids are lifted up Thus you see that it could not be a Self-righteous Man which counts himself a good Man that made and invented the Scripture that makes up a righteousness of his own part of works of Mercy and part of works of Cruelty who are for Meritorious works and works of Supererogation that think to climb up to Heaven by that Rope of Sand for if such a Man had made the Scriptures he would never have written such bitter things against himself and left himself in the hopelessest condition of all sorts of men in the whole World of ever being saved without a change of that principle 3. But Thirdly and Lastly Might it not be a good Man that had the Grace of God in his heart and the fear of God before his eyes that might invent and compose the Scriptures To this I answer in the negative No it is impossible that it could be Tho it is true there is nothing in the Holy Scriptures that is against him for his goodness as there is nothing in them that doth indulge a wicked Man in his wickedness And therefore you will say that a good Man was the likeliest of all men to have made and invented the Scriptures But yet notwithstanding give me leave to tell ye that a good Man could not nor dare not invent the holy Scriptures for it is utterly inconsistent with his goodness for can he be a good Man and yet at the same time be a deceitful Man For he would be the inventer of an evil thing if it were invented by Man for it would be a Lie because instead of being the Word of God it would be the word of Man But you see this cannot possibly be for it would be to do evil that good might come of it which the Scriptures does down-rightly forbid But you will say If neither bad men nor good men made and invented the Scriptures Then pray who were they made and invented by To this I answer the Word of God telleth us all plainly in these following Scriptures who it was that made the Holy Scriptures 2 Pet. 1.20 21. Knowing this first that no prophesie is of any private interpretation 〈…〉 man that is Man did not invent them but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost 2 Tim. 3.16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness Rev. 1.1 The Revelations of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass and he sent and signified it by his Angel unto his servant John. And in Heb. 1.1 2. God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets Hath in these last days spoken to us by his son whom he hath appointed heir of all things by whom he also made the worlds John 1.14 And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth Christ is the essential Word of God and all godly men have the Spirit of Christ dwelling and abiding in them and that is the reason that good men in all Ages have put such a value upon the Holy Scriptures and would suffer any thing rather than part with the Holy Scriptures David prized them above his appointed food and the Martyrs prized them above their Lives which made them go joyfully to Prisons to the Gibbet to the Flames and this made them rejoyce at the place of Execution and clap their hands in the Flames which struck terror to their Adversaries And what made them do this Why next unto the holy Ghost it was because they knew