hate and reiect such as he hath formerly loued and iustified Answ TO teach that the stedfastnes of mans iustification saluation doth depend vpon his owne will in continuing in the act of beleeuing and works of righteousnes and that such as haue faith in Christ regenerate persons hauing their names written in the book of life may fall away from all become vnregenerate and haue their names rased out of the booke of life and perish and yâ— God doth alter his purpose promise of mercie and loue and come to hate and reiect such as he hath formerly loued and iustified to teach all this I say is to denie the very foundation and to make God vnfaithfull and is one of the maine errors of the Antichristian Church of Rome But the doctrine of the Church of God is this That such as to whom God hath giuen true repentance and faith in Christ whereby they are iustified from their sinnes and haue their hearts sanctified such as haue their parts in the first resurrection whose names were written in the booke of life from the foundation of the world shall neuer fall away from this estate nor from any part thereof because they stand not neither are kept by the strength of their owne will act of faith or works of righteousnes but by the power strength of God in and through the vertue and life of Christ their head For as God the Father did of himselfe first chuse them in Christ his Sonne and predestinate them vnto the adoption of children and to be conformed to the image of his Sonne euen from the foundation of the world and as he also in time calleth them to repentance iustifieth them purifieth their hearts by faith through grace in Christ and by the Spirit of his Son which he sendeth forth into their hearts doth adopt them to be his children and conforme them to the image and likenesse of his Sonne both in respect of his death and also in regard of his resurrection dying to sinne and rising to holinesse and newnesse of life from minding earthly things to set their affections on things that are aboue where Christ sitteth at his right hand so I say it is God which in and through his Son doth keepe and defend them as it is written Who are kept by the power of God through faith vnto saluation Yea he is the rock of their saluation and strong tower of defence he is their watch-man which doth neither slumber nor sleep their shepherd that feedeth them as the Psalmist speaketh he is the husband-man that did not only ingraft and plant them in his Sonne the true vine and cause them to beare fruite in him but euery branch that beareth fruit in him he purgeth that it may beare more fruit he gaue them his Sonne and his Son them and the Sonne reiecteth none that come vnto him but taketh them into his protection like the good shepherd and they heare his voice and he knoweth them and they follow him and he wil giue them eternal life they shall not perish for none are able to pluck them out of his hands and the Father that gaue them him is greater then all and no man is able to plucke them out of his Fathers hands Nay if Satan should desire to sift them and that their faith through the violence of temptation should seeme to faile as touching their act of beleeuing and that their fruit by meanes thereof should not appeare for so it may sometimes befall them as it did the Apostle Peter yet notwithstanding the Lord their rocke the foundation and chiefe corner stone whereon these liuely stones are built sustaineth and vpholdeth them the vertue and strength of him the true vine in which they are ingraffed the Son in whom they haue beleeued he hauing also prayed the Father that their faith faile not shall raise them vp refresh them and make them to flourish again as well in regard of their faith as fruites and being thus conuerted and raised vp shal be able thenceforth to strengthen their brethren And in these respects considerations Christ faith to Peter Vpon this rocke will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it For as at the first they were not iustified from their sinnes by their owne act of beleeuing though their act of beleeuing were necessary vnto their iustification nor yet by their works of righteousnes which followed though they were also necessary for the proofe and manifestation of their faith but by the free grace of God in Iesus Christ ministred vnto them by his word and Spirit which their act of faith onely in their hearts doth entertaine so neither doe they stand or are vpholden by their act of beleeuing though it be necessary also for their continuall comfort that they should be euermore exercised as in the word and promise of God so in the act of beleeuing going on still from strength to strength drawing nearer and nearer vnto God in the full assurance of faith vntill at last they come to see his face and enioy his presence in the promised Ierusalem where is all fulnesse of ioy and at whose right hand there are pleasures for euermore as assuredly one day they shall not yet by their works of righteousnesse though it be likewise necessary that they should be alwayes walking in and working the works of righteousnes but the stedfastnesse and certaintie of their estates in Christ their life saluation and glorie euerlasting dependeth on the stedfastnesse certaintie and vnchangeablenesse of Gods purpose promise loue and on the loue and life of Christ their head which was once dead but is now aliue and liueth still for euermore And so sure and certaine as God purposeth and it cometh to passe as he promiseth and faileth not loueth once and loueth to the end so sure as Christ which loueth them liueth shall they abide in him liue by him and not die for euer as it is written He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him As the liuing Father hath sent me and I liue by the Father so he that eateth me euen he shall liue by me For he is the bread of life and euery one that beleeueth in him doth in a spirituall maner eate of him and so liueth by him and shal haue euerlasting life For as Saint Paul reasoneth If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne much more being reconciled shall we be saued by his life So that he that is once iustified by the blood of Christ and reconciled to God through faith in him his estate is certain and permanent and though the mountaines shall depart and the hils be moued yet shall not the kindnesse and loue of God in Christ depart nor the couenant of peace towards them in
saying And the poore haue the Gospell preached vnto them or receiue the Gospell as some translations haue it for the word doth import such a preaching as doth imply a receiuing of it in the heart of him to whom it is so preached as also doth the words of Esay before mentioned And although all haue it preached vnto them in the former generall maner yet none haue it preached vnto them in this speciall peculiar sort but these poore repentant persons onely who alone are capable of the receit thereof by faith vnto Iustification this is that effect of the holy Ghost in the heart of man which the Scriptures call The baptisme of Iohn the baptisme of water the baptisme of repentance the birth of water the baptisme which Iohn preached the preparation of the Gospell of peace repentance which is the beginning of the Gospell of Iesus Christ the first principall of the doctrine of Christ the beginning and first part of regeneration as the Scripture declareth it the labour and trauell in the birth but not the full perfection of the new birth onely the soule of the sinner trauelleth readie to be deliuered this is the second effect of the holy Ghost but the first peculiar Then doth God in the third place reach forth his hand and taketh hold of this poore labouring soule and by another speciall effect and power of the holy Ghost doth deliuer him and bring him forth washeth him cleanseth him from his bloud wherein he lay polluted his sinnes which cried out so iustly against him and lay so heauy vpon him easeth him of all and writeth in his heart of flesh his contrite repentant heart his couenant of mercie and loue which it so much desired assuring it that he is now reconciled with him and that his sins are cleane forgiuen and forgotten neuer to be reckoned or remembred more and that he hath loued him and doth loue him in Iesus Christ and will neuer put him out of fauour so long as Christ remains in fauour This is the special administration of the word and that gift of the Spirit whereby Christ is formed in the heart of the poore repentant sinner through faith by which he is iustified from all his sinnes and his heart sanctified and is the second part and finishing of the new birth and these are alwayes together in the act of iustification the word the Spirit and faith so that a sinner cannot be said to be actually iustified till the couenant of remission of sinnes which God hath made to the repentant sinner be applied by the Spirit to his broken heart and that he beleeueth in his heart that his sinnes be forgiuen and that God loueth him in Iesus Christ and this administation of the word gift of the Spirit and faith are expressed in Scripture and distinguished from all other administrations of the word gifts of the Spirit and kinds of faith whatsoeuer by seuerall distinct names As first this administration of the word is called in Scripture The glad tidings of peace and good things good tidings the binding vp of the broken heart libertie to the captiues The opening of the prison to them that are bound Comfort to the mourners The reuiuing of the spirits of the humble and contrite The couenant of the remission of sinnes The couenant of life and peace The kingdome of God Ease Rest to the soule The word of his grace The word preaching peace by Iesus Christ The word of reconciliation c. And it is so called in regard of the great and speciall benefit it bringeth doth administer vnto the soule of the repētant sinner by the applicatiō of the Spirit And for that it is directed of God and appointed to be preached to such and to no 〈◊〉 For though the Gospell be preached to all in a generall consideration as before is shewed yet as it is here intended it belongeth to none nor is to be preached to any but the repentant only And repentance though it be a part of the Gospel as it is sometimes in a generall maner proposed yea the beginning and first principle thereof and a peculiar gift of the Spirit as before also is noted yet as it is intended in these seuerall Scriptures repentance is no part but onely the preparation thereunto or the making ready the heart of a sinner for the same in which consideration Iohn the Baptist and our Sauiour both preached saying Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand where they make repentance to be one thing and the kingdome of God the glad tidings of the Gospel another require repentance in the first place as a thing necessary to be effected in them before they could receiue by faith the glad tidings of the Gospell the kingdome of God which was at hand to follow after and to be preached vnto them thereupon Which order was also obserued by the Prophets before as Dauid To day saith he if you will heare his voice harden not your hearts c. lest ye enter not into his rest In which words he declareth plainly to the people that if they would beleeue the promise of entrance into rest and so by faith enter thereinto they should vnharden their hearts that is to say repent otherwise there was no possibilitie of beleeuing of entrance And secondly as the speciall administration of the word which is so peculiar to the repentant is distinguished from all other common administrations so is the Spirit or rather the effect of the Spirit by which this glad tidings of peace is applied vnto and written in the heart of the repentant set forth and distinguished also in Scripture from other gifts of the Spirit by peculiar and distinct names as The baptisme of the holy Ghost The birth of the Spirit The renewing of the holy Ghost The Spirit of Christ The Spirit of the Sonne which crieth Abba Father the Spirit of adoption the Spirit of life the Spirit of truth the Comforter the anointing of the holy Ghost and such like And it is so called in regard of the speciall effects it worketh in the hearts of the repentant beyond those that are common to others as faith righteousnesse peace ioy in the holy Ghost and other vnspeakable comforts and treasures of life And thirdly as the word and Spirit so the faith which the Spirit causeth in the heart of the repentant by the application of the same word of God and the testification of his loue vnto it is also exprest and distinguished from all other kinds of faith by speciall distinct names as The faith of Gods elect The faith of Christ The faith of Iesus Christ The effectuall faith The faith of the Sonne of God The faith of the Saints Their most holy faith Their precious faith The faith which iustifieth The faith which sanctifieth the heart The faith of Abraham
beleeue and acknowledge him and submit themselues to be informed by his word though they had not yet either true repentance or iustifying faith For they knew that such a beliefe and profession as made men meet for outward baptisme might be where iustifying faith was not and that both that beliefe profession and baptisme did but make a Christian outwardly as the outward profession and circumcision of the Iewes did but make a Iew outwardly and no better did they iudge or conclude of any but when they saw better cause Now concerning the baptizing of children which they say is no baptisme at all but do call it the marke of the Beast we affirme that the children of all such beleeuers as may themselues be baptized may also be baptized and that it is not nor can be the marke of the Beast spoken of but is true outward baptisme First to auoid many of their vaine and idle obiections and that we may come the more cleerer to the point let vs remember that it is sufficiently proued already that all haue sinned in Adam and that death is passed on all for that all haue sinned in him being polluted from their very conceptions and that therefore there is a necessitie of a new birth from aboue of water and of the Spirit as wel to the yongest man of dayes or houres as to the eldest man of yeares So that whosoeuer is borne of the flesh he must be borne again from aboue of the Spirit either sooner or later if he be saued and that although repentance and faith be the parts of this new birth and that repentance hath these parts whereby it is exprest in men of yeares sorrow for sinne confession of sinne and desire of pardon as we haue before defined and that iustifying faith which is the other part of this new birth be an assurance or full perswasion wrought in the repentant heart by the Spirit of the forgiuenesse of his sinnes and reconciliation with God in Iesus Christ as we haue also defined it I say in men of yeares who also do confesse with the mouth as it is written With the heart man beleeueth vnto righteousnesse and with the mouth confession is made vnto saluation yet neuerthelesse the true nature of both these parts of the new birth may be in another maner defined and still remaine the same in substance as the first part is called in Scripture A heart of flesh an humble and contrite heart a broken heart and Saint Paul calleth it the fleshly tables of the heart in which regard it is called the baptisme of water and the birth of water which we define thus namely that it is a speciall effect or working of the holy Ghost whereby the heart which is naturally hard and stubburne euen from the birth is made soft and tender as water or as flesh is in comparison of a stone that so it may receiue the impression of the grace and loue of God The second part which is called the baptisme of the holy Ghost and the birth of the Spirit we define to be a speciall gift of the Spirit also but more excellent which writeth and sealeth in the soft and tender heart of flesh grace and peace from God in Christ and filleth it with heauenly comfort and ioy like vnto that which is said of Iohn being in his mothers womb when the voice of the salutation of Mary sounded in the eares of Elizabeth The babe leaped in her womb for ioy which doubtlesse was caused by the Spirit of Christ in the soule of the child Now in this sort children are capable of both the parts and so of the whole new birth which in them is no other in nature but the very same which is in men of yeares though it be not outwardly so exprest as we may perceiue by the words of Paul to the faithfull of the Church of Corinth Forasmuch saith he as ye are manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ ministred by vs written not with inke but with the Spirit of the liuing God not in tables of stone but in the fleshly tables of the heart For as the law of death was written in tables of stone and all the hard and stonie hearts of the whole posteritie of Adam not onely might but also did and doe receiue euen in their very conceptions a deepe impression thereof so on the contrary the law of the Spirit of life which is in Christ Iesus euer was is and is to be written in hearts of flesh soft and tender hearts and in no other And therefore it was that God did promise to take away from his elect the hard and stonie heart and to giue them a heart of flesh an humble and broken heart because his pleasure and promise is to dwell with such to reuiue and comfort them and no other And to speake plainly howsoeuer perhaps some doe otherwise conceiue it is not our act of beleeuing that doth iustifie vs but it is the free gift of grace sealed in our hearts by the Spirit of Christ whereby God iustifieth vs which grace and Spirit is the cause of our act of beleeuing or faith by which we are so often said in Scripture to be iustified where the effect is named for the cause by reason it is thereby made apparent vnto vs as also in another sense we are said to be iustified by works because works do demonstrate and make manifest our faith to others as it is said of the primitiue Church of Rome that their faith had shined throughout the world meaning by works which are the effects of faith So that Saint Paul calleth the faithfull the Epistle of Christ not so much for their act of beleeuing as in respect of the grace of God which was written in their hearts by the Spirit of Christ by which they did now beleeue and crie Abba Father as it is written He hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts which crieth Abba Father And for this cause the grace of the Gospell is called The law of the Spirit of life which is in Christ Iesus These things being so what should now let that children may not be baptized Are they capable as we see of regeneration and are they not capable of the signe thereof May their hearts be sanctified by the Spirit of Christ and may not the filth of their flesh be washed off with water for the baptisme of water is bnt the doing away of the filth of the flesh as Saint Peter speaketh euen as outward circumcision was but the cutting off the fore-skin of the flesh representing the cutting off the sinnes of the flesh the circumcision of the heart as also baptisme doth For the circumcision which was the cutting off part of the fore-skin of the flesh and that baptisme or washing away the filth of the flesh we doe not say that the one was a type of the other but were both types of one truth namely the baptisme or purification of
notwithstanding all these truths there maintained I dare not attribute so great a work as this vnto any mortall man whatsoeuer any otherwise then his ministery to be the ordinary meanes thereof but desire to giue the praise both now and for euer onely to God vnto whom it is due he being the principall and chiefe worker therein by the powerfull minstration of his holy Spirit that so he may be all in all vnto all And thus in all humilitie of soule I humbly take my leaue proceeding vnto that which followeth beseeching God euen the God of all peace grace mercie and loue to confirme direct and informe all our hearts by his holy Spirit whereby we may not only come to vnderstand the truth thereof but also to practise the same in our liues and conuersations to the praise of the glorie of his grace vntill we come to be safe ariued at the promised Ierusalem which is the hauen or port of eternall rest therein shall all teares be wiped from our eyes and so enioy the presence of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ the Prince of our saluation to whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all praise honour and glorie giuen of his Saints for euermore Amen Yours in all Christian dutie Edmond Iessop A DISCOVERIE OF THE ERRORS OF THE ANABAPTISTS Their first point That God did predestinate all men to be saued vpon condition that they repent and beleeue the Gospell We answer GOD did not predestinate all men to be saued nor any man vpon any condition either of repentance faith or whatsoeuer else was to be expected or could be foreseene in them But his predestination was in this sort First God before he created any thing saw and foreknew what would be the nature euent of all things how though he made as excellent creatures as could be created yet there would be weaknesse and folly found in them because to be absolutely perfect and vnchangeable is proper only to God the Creator So that it was impossible God should make his creature equall with himselfe to will all things that be good perfectly and vnchangeably and to do all things that such a will can desire for then he must be God able to create which is impossible because there can be but one God which is the first beginner and Lord of all creatures This one God foreseeing I say what would become of the best creatures he could make how though he should require nothing at their hands but that which they might easily obserue and it was meet and very requisite they should acknowledge a dutie to him their first beginner and Lord in whose goodnesse and power their life and safetie did depend yet they would neglect the same and fall from him he therefore of his meere goodnes hauing great respect vnto his creature which he had resolued to make and being exceeding willing not for any thing he could foresee in them but for his owne good pleasure glorie sake to saue and glorifie of the same consulting with himselfe and with his eternall Wisedome which way and how he might bring his desire to passe did determine by election in and through the same his eternall Wisedome his euerlasting and onely Sonne which was before the depths euer with him as his counseller and hearts delight to sustaine of the one sort I meane the Angels and to redeeme of the other sort I meane mankind such a compleat sufficient companie of both as himselfe pleased to be at his right hand to behold his glorie to minister before him to partake of his pleasures for euermore And because there was no way else but by redemption to saue mankind by reason the first man being once fallen all the rest then in his loines who were to come of him by generation fell together with him and that there was not any one in heauen or in earth that was able to vndoe the workes of the diuell and to deliuer those his elect from his seruitude and bondage but onely the same his eternall Wisedom the Word whereby he made the world therefore as he had chosen them in him so did he decree to send him into the world and in a wonderfull maner to take mans nature and flesh on him that therein he might accomplish his purpose and bring his counsell and desire to passe in subduing his and their enemie and purchasing redemption for them by his death and resurrection And as he did determine before the world was to send him so did he predestinate them whom he had chosen in him and foreknew to be conformed to his image that he might be the first borne among many brethren the rest he resolued to leaue and to reward them with the fruite of their owne wayes Thus God foresaw all things thus did he by his wisedome find out a way to sustaine and restore of his creatures this was his decree and in this sort did he predestinate God did not neither is he euer said in Scripture to predestinate any to do euill nor to preordaine any to condemnation but vpon the foresight of their folly and wickednesse as the cause and ground thereof and so the saluation of man is freely and onely in God in Christ and the condemnation of man is meerly and truly of himselfe without any secret reseruation whatsoeuer as it is written O Israel destruction is of thy selfe but thy saluation is of God Their second point That God did not elect before all time to grace and life any particular persons but in time he doth elect qualities as faith and obedience and then finding these qualities in men he doth elect their persons for the qualities sake Answ TO affirme that God did not elect in Christ before all time some particular persons to grace holinesse life eternal is to denie Gods free vndeserued loue and to say that God doth elect qualities is senslesse and to teach that God doth elect persons for qualities sake is very erroneous and Antichristian We say therefore that Gods election is after this maner First before men or qualities of any sort were God of his meere loue did elect and chuse in Christ out of the whole posteritie and race of mankind which he foresaw and were before him as if they had actually been a seed a remnant to be his people to be his heritage to be holy and without blame before him in loue as Saint Paul doth testifie saying Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath blessed vs with all spirituall blessings in heauenly things in Christ according as he hath chosen vs in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in loue hauing predestinated vs vnto the adoption of children by Iesus Christ to himselfe according to the good pleasure of his owne will to the praise of the glorie of his grace Whence it is euident that God did chuse a
the heart by faith So then if they both aimed at one thing or end as shall appeare they did then it will euidently appeare also that by vertue of what precept the one was practised by vertue of the same precept the other is to be performed and practised It is also said that whosoeuer did omit the practise which that precept required was to be cut off from among the people that is to say that such a person ought not to be acknowledged as one in the outward estate of the Church then vnder the law so proportionably it will follow that what person soeuer yong or old that is not baptized he is also to be cut off that is not to be accounted or numbred in the outward estate of Christians now vnder the Gospell May such beleeuers as are not sanctified in heart be baptized as before is proued and may not the children of beleeuers be baptized Why are the children of beleeuers said to be holy the children of vnbeleeuers throwout the whole Scriptures are neuer said to be holy doubtlesse it is because they are in heart holy or else because they being the children of the faithfull haue some promise as touching the inheritance of life belonging to them as the children of the faithfull had formerly and so haue right to enter into the Congregation where the wayes of life are taught as they then by circumcision so these now by baptisme that they may be informed in the wayes of the Lord else would there be no difference betweene the children of the faithfull and the children of infidels So that to this end is the vnbeleeuing husband said to be sanctified to the beleeuing wife and beleeuing wife to the vnbeleeuing husband because otherwise if the vnbeleeuer in this regard were not sanctified to the beleeuer then were their children vncleane that is to say as the children of infidels that haue no promise belonging to them but rather a curse and therefore are vncleane and may not enter It is therefore meete seeing God hath put difference betweene the children of the faithfull and the children of infidels that they should be distinguished from them by some outward signe concerning the same And what can they haue lesse then baptisme which can giue to no man any more then the outward name of a Christian as circumcision did the outward name of a Iew. It doth neither confer nor confirme grace to the heart of any no more then circumcision did It proueth that a man is a Christian outwardly and it teacheth that he should be so inwardly and so did circumcision It proue a man to be a Iew outwardly and it taught that he should be a Iew inwardly yea a Christian inwardly to speake fully as the truth is for euery true inward Iew was a true inward Christian And to be circumcised in heart was to be baptized or purified in heart by faith through the Spirit as also to be baptized in heart by faith through the Spirit is to be circumcised in heart for so doth Saint Paul in plaine words affirme writing to those Christians whose hearts were sanctified by faith saying And ye are compleate in him which is the head of all principalities and powers In whom also yee are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the sinnes of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ buried with him in baptisme wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God who hath raised him vp from the dead In which words I say he setteth downe expresly that the baptisme which saueth the baptisme whereby we put on Christ the baptisme whereby our hearts are purged and sanctified and the sinnes of our flesh done away whereby we are buried with Christ and doe rise with him euen that which is through the faith and operation of the Spirit is one and the same with the circumcision of the heart which he therefore calleth the circumcision made without hands the circumcision of Christ whereby also it appeareth clearely and beyond all contradiction that the circumcision or the cutting off the foreskin of the flesh was a signe and true representation of the doing away of their sinnes of the clensing of the heart by faith as now the doing away of the filth of the flesh with the baptisme of water is for which vse and end it was also giuen to Abraham at the first as this Apostle also declareth in an other place saying And he receiued the signe of circumcision a seale of the righteousnes of the faith which he had being vncircumcised that he might be the Father of all them that beleeued though they be not circumcised that righteousnes might be imputed to them also Where he I say fully declareth that the circumcision of the flesh was giuen not to that end and purpose as the carnall corrupt Iews imagined to teach righteousnes to be by the Law which was to make the promise voide which is to be attained onely by faith and not by workes but is taught and directed to the righteousnes which is by faith through the promise in the circumcision of the heart which Abraham had and which all their seed of whom God made him the Father were to haue and that the circumcision of the flesh was a signe of and did teach the circumcision of the heart if any yet question it the same Apostles words a little before proueth it where he saith For he is not a Iew which is one outwardly neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh but he is a Iew which is one within and the circumcision is of the heart in the Spirit not in letter whose praise is not of men but of God Where we see that there was a Iew outwardly and a Iew inwardly a circumcision outward in the flesh and a circumcision inward of the heart in the spirit The outward had but the name and did onely signifie and teach what should be inwardly in the heart and that in the heart was the thing it selfe All these things being now thus cleere we reason thus That if children might once receiue the signe of circumcision of the heart after the old forme of the Law then may they now after the new forme of the Gospell But they might once after the old forme of the Law Therefore also now after the new forme of the Gospell That they might once after the old forme is past all question And that they may now after the new forme we proue thus That which was once for good ends in the time of the Law appointed and is not by the Gospell disanulled it is lawfull still But it was appointed for good ends that children should receiue the signe of the circumcision of the heart and it is not by the Gospell any way disanulled Therefore it is lawfull now still But these men obiect and say that there is no plaine commandement nor example in the new testament