3. 9 10. If then thy state be not yet so desperate but that thou canst plead ignorance before God of any such due conuiction beware now of selfe-loue and desire of singularity leane not ouer much to thine owne iudgement shew thy true humilitie by esteeming others better then thy selfe Withstand not Gods grace oppose him not any longer be not like the deafe Adder which stoppeth her eares and will not bee charmed Despise not thy mother the holy Church in which thou hast receiued all the good thou hast if any at all Consider how she gaue thee entertainement at first by Baptisme hath since that called thee by the voice of her Teachers powerfull ministers of the Word and Sacraments doth daily stretch out her hand to afford the bread of life and water of life offers thee the holy Scriptures with their true interpretation and doth now wait for thy returne to her vnitie with many a grieuous groane and salt teare being readie euerie moment to receiue thee in the lap of her mercie and to dandle thee on the knees of her loue Bee not then the Author of thine owne woe plunge thee not wilfully into needlesse miserie Blame not thy Mistresse for giuing thee some correction for thy pride Heare the Angel speaking to thee in Hagars person Whence camest thou And whither wilt thou goe Returne to thy Mistresse and humble thy selfe vnder her hands Gen. 16. 8 9. How long I say wilt thou loue simplicitie take thy pleasure in scorning hate sound knowledge And vnlesse thou canst proue that thy calling is extraordinarie and that by the ceasing of all ordinarie sending and calling and canst cleare it either to be of God himselfe or of some extraordinarie person or by extraordinarie motion of Gods holy Spirit as Moses Aaron and Phineas and canst confirme it by that thou teacheth no other doctrine then what hath beene taught by former holy men by that thy life is beyond all other mens in the glorie of an humble meeke bold patient quiet and discreet conuersation by the furniture of admirable guifts beyond all of that time without any exception and by the manifest attendance of Gods immediate power in thy protection and aide as Ieremie Iohn Baptist Paul and all extraordinarie men If not I doe testifie vnto thee that thou shalt rue thy obstinacie and bewaile thy stubbornnesse here to Gods glorie in thy blessed change or else be ruined by thy folly and howle for euermore without any remedie Then shalt thou say in the anguish of thy soule and bitternesse of thy Spirit How haue I hated instruction and my heart despised reproofe and haue not obeyed the voyce of my teachers nor inclined mine eare to them that instructed mee Suspect thy selfe then in time while it is yet called to day feare thine estate in respect of thy being alone Thou knowest the Prouerbe Woe to him that is alone when he falleth for he hath not another to helpe him vp First thou separatest and then thou sallest and who shall thenceforth lend thee his hand Consider that the holy Scriptures are not left to euerie priuate mans interpretation 2. Pet. 1. But when the same holy Spirit interprets them by whose holy motion they were first spoken and penned men indued with the same holy Spirit shall not oppose that interpretation Dost thou thinke that thou onely and such as thou art haue the Spirit of God I hope thou art not so absurd and if others haue the same Spirit of God why doe they not assent at all vnto you And let mee mind thee of that Euangelicall proclamation of the Church her peace through the true knowledge of God so that the Wolfe the Lambe the Leopard the Kid the Calfe the yong Lion and the fatling shall dwell and lye downe together and a little child shall lead them Isa 11. And the Church Officers shall be Peace and her exactors Righteousnesse Isa 60. yea and Peace shall be extended to her like a Riuer Isa 66. The perfect worke of Righteousnesse shall be Peace Isa 32. and Righteousnesse and Peace are inseparable companions And let me wish Mercy and Peace to all the Israel of God and aduise you all to liue in peace and if it be possible as much as in you lyeth liue peaceably with all men Rom. 12. that the God of loue and peace may bee with vs and abide with vs for euermore And let me say to all that liue yet in the bosome of Gods Church We are Brethren why should there be any strife amongst vs What is the reason we are so deuided in affection why doe we bite and deuoure one another why are there any inclinations to Sects and Schismes Diuisions and Tumults and so great Wrath Is not Ignorance the cause of all Whence is Contention but from Pride and where resteth Pride but in the bosome of Fooles As then we desire to approue our selues wise and well instructed in the wayes of peace Let vs submit one to another in the feare of God according to that decent order and comelinesse in which wee are set Let vs in giuing honour preferre one another let vs first make sure at home cast the beames out of our owne eyes proue our selues to be in the Faith This being done we shall soone take notice where it is effected and so come to the true knowledge and due acknowledgement of the Church whose worke we are No member would then exalt it selfe against the bodie but rather shew it selfe to bee of God who is not the author of confusion but peace And for my part I haue resolued for time to come to leaue Kingdomes to the guidance of Kings themselues and Churches to the gouernment of Chiefe Church-men And I know that in indifferent things there is such a thing as Mos populi Dei to be regarded The Church her custome was of some credit in Pauls time 1. Cor. 11. 16. And I acknowledge that in doubtful things controuerted in the Church totum est parte maius Vniuersality may beare it when onely bare Consequences are vrged that may bee paralleld with like Consequences by the greater part And I say that Turpis pars omnis toti non congrua That part is deformed which agrees not with the whole and in all things not to bee decided by euident Scriptures I doe also say with those Fathers of the first Nicene Councell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mos antiquus obtineat Let old Customes carrie it And if any say I doe hereby vilifie my selfe I answer I will be yet more vile if humble submission to my holy Mothers Authoritie be to be esteemed basenesse And I doe heartily desire all that beare good will to Sion to pray feruently for mee that as I am now happily returned to the vnitie of Gods Church so I may continue stedfastly in the valiant and constant defence of the peace thereof that so my last fruits may be more then the first and my last workes better then the first that if euer I suffer againe as I am most readie it may bee for the Church and not in the least shew against it and for no trifles but for the Truth and power of Godlinesse And that as I haue beene stout for Moses and Christ together so I may bee as resolute for Christ alone That I may neuer separate what God hath ioyned nor ioyne what he hath seuered And the same doe I wish to all my Countrimen that all quarrels may bee ended for such outward things as are not of the essence of true Religion and that all our strife may bee to out-strip one another in the power of sound Loue that being alreadie fellowes of one Family sonnes of one Father children of one Mother liuely stones of one buildings branches of one Vine Sheep of one Fold members of one body yea one bodie and one spirit so wee may discouer the truth of this by remaining of one minde and the same iudgement and the rather because we liue in the last times wherein the day hasteneth and is euen at hand wherein we shall be all tryed whether wee be Gold or Drosse Wheate or Chaffe precious Stones or Stubble Now neuer did God rise earlier to send his Seruants vnto vs then hee doth at this day Let vs all striue to make a right vse of this precious time while it is yet called to day Let all clense themselues from all manner of troublesome and contentious thoughts that we may declare our selues to bee at true peace with God with all his people and to keepe a true Sabbath within vs. That the God of peace may dwell in our Tabernacles and the Graces of his Spirit not bee quenched in vs which God grant vnto vs all euen for Iesus CHRISTS sake To whom with the blessed Spirit bee ascribed all Glory Honour Dominion Power Maiestie and heartie Thansgiuing now and for euermore Amen Non est graue cadere luctantem sed iacere deiectum Non est perniciosum in praelio vulnerari sed post vulnus acceptum desperatione curandi medelam vulneri denegare Saepe etiam athletas videmus post frequentes lapsus deiectiones plurimas coronatos militem scimus post multas fugas virum fortem fuisse vicisse victores Gloriae cedant cuncta diuinae FINIS
And whosoeeuer is not free from the Lawes rigour must needes be subiect to sinnes tyranny Free then we are from the Law as it is wraths Minister as it can doe vs no good as it is weake through the flesh Rom. 8. 4. Neither doth it at all auaile vs to iustification though for obedience it still serueth to curbe our old man and to quicken the new man though the flesh bee now become so contrarie to it as it is not nor can euer bee subiect thereto Rom. 8. 7. And Christ in vs doth the will of God for vs in truth and without vs hath satisfied Gods wrath for vs and also performed that formall obedience which God requireth so that within and without all our perfection is nothing else but the perfection of Christ himselfe If then wee are free from the morall Law in respect of Iustification how much more from that Law of Commandements contayned in Ordinances Ephes 2. 15. called also the hand-writing of Ordinances Col. 2. 14. which was against vs and contrarie to vs being a middle wall of partition to keepe vs that are Gentiles in the flesh from any fellowship with Israels Common-wealth and from all participation in their glorious priuiledges Ephes 2. 14. The bond-woman that Law and her Sonne the flesh is now cast out and quite expelled by true Beleeuers and the free-woman the Promise with her Sonne the Spirit is onely to bee respected for that the inheritance is now by promise The Law as Hagar was added after the promise was made And as Abraham after the Promise that he should haue a Sonne tooke Hagar Gen. 16. and of her begat Ismael who was not the Seed who must inherit so also long after the free Promise of Saluation made to Mankinde through Christ alone and that onely by Faith in him Abrahams Seed tooke the Law and by the works thereof sought to inherit but found the Law not it by which any inheritance could bee obtayned From all this learne we not to burden our selues beyond our power nor to hold fellowship with one that is mightier and richer then our selues for that the Earthen Pot and the Kettle agree not together nor our outward man the flesh with the spirituall Law and for vs in the point of Iustification to seeke to bring our old man the Lawes obedience is to bring drosse to fire to put a weake Infant or a liuelesse Carrion to the Combate with a mightie Giant yea to bring the Lawes workes to the corrupt mans practice is to set a new piece in an old Garment to put new Wine into old Bottels neither can such an earthen Pot as is our olde man and the Kettle the Law bee smitten one against another without the Pots danger for as the euent of these would bee the greater rent of the garment so fondly patched the bursting of the Bottels so ignorantly filled and the dashing of the earthen Pot in pieces so all that euer indeuour to yeeld that Law-obedience as to seeke to be righteous therby with this dead body though a delight they may haue in the inward man and a desire and indeuour so to doe with the outward man yet the good they would they shall neuer perfectly effect and the euill they would not that shall they performe Rom. 7. This was that made Paul cry out for our example to bee deliuered or set free from so dead a bodie And concludes also that from it hee is freed by CHRISTS owne death God hath deliuered him from his dead bodie by Iesus Christ and so from the Law from sin and consequently from Hell and this is that Liberty of which we are possessors of this onely this it may be said If the Sonne hath made you free you shall bee free indeed If then the flesh be crucified the Law is satisfied If the flesh haue obeyed the Law is fulfilled And this is done euen in our owne whole nature and that as it is said by Iesus Christ wee liue now no more the life of the flesh For that all such as so liue are all their life time subiect to bondage and in feare of death and damnation And yet that this Libertie may the better appeare we may consider in the next place the persons set free And they are all such as are borne not of bloud nor of the will of the flesh nor yet of the will of man but of GOD Iohn 1. 12. For that which is borne of the flesh is flesh Iohn 3. 6. And flesh and bloud can neuer enter the Kingdome of GOD neither may corruption inherit incorruption 1. Cor. 15. 50. And wee haue learned that all flesh is as grasse and all the glorie of man as the flower of grasse the grasse must wither and the flower fall away but the Word of the Lord indureth for euer Isa 40. 1. Pet. 1. 24 25. And wee are borne againe not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the Word of GOD which liueth and abideth for euer So that the free men and such as are set at Libertie are not such as are borne of men but those that are borne of God they onely know this Libertie and are truely acquainted with the priuiledges thereof they are such as doe now finde in them the power of the Spirit of Life they doe mind heauenly and spirituall things are quickened in their dead bodies Col. 2. 13. in part to yeeld true and sound obedience to the spirituall Law They haue the Spirit of the Sonne inabling them with boldnesse to call God Father and the same Spirit witnesseth to their spirits that they are the children of GOD Rom. 8. 15 16. They can deny themselues groaning in themselues to be set free in body as they are in spirit from the bondage of corruption and yet can wait patiently for that full Redemption they haue the spirit of Prayer and Prayse and are conformable in a great measure to Christ himselfe These are called to Liberty and entred into the glorious Liberty of the sonnes of GOD Rom. 8. 21. Neither are such free men Lawlesse or at all fruitlesse for as sinne that is serue sinne they can neuer as they haue formerly done Rom. 6. 1. Iohn 3. 9. So are they exercised in the spirits fruites and in them they abound Loue Ioy Peace Long-suffering Gentlenesse Goodnes Faith Meeknesse Temperance they can now declare Gal. 5. 22 23. These enuy not vaunt not themselues are not puffed vp behaue not themselues vnseemly seeke not their owne are not easily prouoked thinke no euill reioyce not ininiquitie but reioyce in the Truth beare all things beleeue all things hope all things and indure all things And if this be lawlessenesse such lawlesse persons are wee become yet are we sure that such are not without Law to God but in the Law to Christ It is the royall and perfect Law of Libertie which these haue attayned and in it they walke That is their mirror and continuall glasse in which they behold
fulfilled by the flesh but by Faith onely So that by Christ wee doe fulfill both the Forme and the Truth the Letter and Spirit the olde and new Couenant By Faith wee are formally righteous according to the Lawes exact rule by Loue truly righteous according to the Morall Truth of the same Law So that by this the Morall Law is confessed to be still holy iust and good if lawfully vsed 1. Tim. 1. 8 9. It serues still to conuince all men of sinne and to bring them to Christ for perfect obedience and full satisfaction yea so farre are wee from granting the Laws abolishing in part or in whole that we still affirme God will bee euer iust and transgressors shall neuer escape his terrible and powerfull hand Neither shall this Law lose its force in all sorts of men yea in the godly themselues to weaken the old-man and to humble them daily vntill it may bee triumphantly said O death where is thy sting O Hell where is thy victorie The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the Law But thankes bee vnto God who hath giuen vs the Victory through our Lord Iesus Christ 1. Cor. 15 55 56 57. And this is that by which all Enmitie is slaine and Peace made yea all that beleeue whether Iewes or Greekes Male or Female bond or free haue free accesse by one Spirit to worship the Father through the Sonnes mediation and this Liberty is part of that Glorie which the very Angels themselues desire to behold 1. Pet. 1. 22. CHAP. III. Answeres to some Obiections which seeme to be against this Libertie HAuing now expounded and testified there are some Questions to bee examined that doe concerne this Liberty that all lets being remooued the imbracing thereof may be the more boldly perswaded to all that shall acknowledge so glorious a condition and the contrarie appeare as it is an intollerable bondage too heauie for any to vndergoe Obiect And first some say If it bee so that the Law Morall is still of force why then haue wee left off the Seuenth Day Sabbath which that Law expresly inioynes our Lord obserued the Apostles were taught to keepe and did obserue after Christs death and Resurrection Resol The answere is That a Sabbath wee doe keepe and a Seuenth Day wee doe still obserue vnto the Lord yet not that Sabbath not that Seuenth Day so wee haue learned to obserue no dayes nor moneths nor times nor yeeres as that Law inioyned Gal. 4. 10. But wee haue learned to esteeme all dayes alike in respect of that Law that olde Letters seruice Rom. 14. 5. wee are not now so to serue God Rom. 7. 6. A new spirituall seruice wee are to yeeld And that a Sabbath Day we doe still acknowledge it is by vertue of the Commandement it selfe as farre as it is Morall which saith Remember that thou keepe holy the Sabbath Day or remember the Sabbath Day to sanctifie it as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee Exod. 20. 8. Deut. 5. 12. But all the strife is what day it must be kept seeing the seuenth from the creation was blessed to that end and made holy for that purpose And what God hath blessed is blessed for euer what he hath made holy no man may pollute He is not as man that hee should repeat he hath spoken and it cannot be reuersed This is granted to be vndoubtedly true but withall the end must be considered why that day was instituted vpon the ground of creation to be also obserued in that manner And for this let vs heare the doctrine of the Lord of the Sabbath where hee saith That the Sabbath was made for man not man for the Sabbath Mat. 2. Matt. 12. If then man were not made for the Sabbath but the Sabbath for man God may also dispose and change it for mans good for whom it was made as well in the day it selfe as the manner of keeping it Neither may it be said that the day remaineth any longer blessed and holy then man for whom it was made and whom it serueth can receiue holinesse and happinesse thereby Seeing man is not subiect to it but it is subiect to man by vertue of Christs Lordship which as the Sonne of man he hath of the Sabbath Mark 2. 27 28. And as it partly appeareth by some bodily labours which Christ himselfe commanded some to doe in case of necessitie as to take vp their beds and goe to their houses which some held vtterly vnlawfull at that time and by that the Priests might without scandall kill and dresse and offer the sacrifices on that day Mat 12. And Children were also circumcised on that very day Iohn 5. 8. 9. Iohn 7. 22 23. Now then as with the destruction of Israels common-wealth the holy temple which serued their vse was destroyed and the holinesse vanished and Canaans blessednesse is also gone as it stood distinguished from other lands And all mans holinesse and happinesse naturall is now vanished the Iewes prerogatiue aboue all other nations abolished So also the holinesse and blessednesse of that seuenth day is vanished and quite done away with the death and destruction of man himselfe Indeed had man to this day retained and continued in his first estate that day had retained its first blessednesse and continued its holinesse still but as little comfort as man hath left in himselfe at this day of any holinesse or blisse by vertue of creation so little benefit shall man find in that daies obseruation on that ground and in that manner as it was inioyned And in steed of blessednesse and holinesse which he may for a while fondly expect by obseruing that day he will soone find the great arerages of curses which he runs daily into by that laws transgression So that if God at this day did require that dayes obseruation in that manner no flesh could stand with any comfort before his maiestie As for their Argument à principio from the beginning Man himselfe hath beene also from the beginning yea mans creation is more ancient then that daies institution yet as that proues not mans blessednesse now by that his creation is so ancient vnlesse he seek it another way so is that no sound reason to proue that day to bee now obserued by man seeing wee haue many probabilities that it was neuer obserued resurrection Mat. 13. 34. Ioh. 16. 25. And it might parabolically denote that they should pray that they might not be vtterly extirpate and rooted out as they must be if surprized in the Winter when they cannot flie farre or on the Sabbath day when they were secure and not willing to escape or take filght at all For that if they be set vpon when they were either vnwilling or vnable to escape they must then perish and be vtterly destroyed for euermore The sum then of that Prayer is that God would lay no more vpon them then they were able to beare but giue them an issue with the triall