Authority in Divine Mysteries The Benefit Advantage and Service of the Church and the promoting the Truths of Christ were designed in this Holy Mans Undertaking at first and it is now in the Publishing of it which great and desirable Fruit may it but be reached and attained Let the GOD of all Peace and Truth have the Glory of it and the Lord JESUS CHRIST the Way the Truth and the Life be for ever Magnifyed Amen BOOKS Sold by Will. Marshal at the Bible in Newgate-street THE Labours of John Bunyan Author of the Pilgrims Progress late Minister of the Gospel and Pastor of the Congregation at Bedford Collected and Printed in Folio by procurement of his Church and Friends and by his own Approbation before his Death that these his Christian Ministerial Labours might be Preserved in the World This Folio contains ten of his Excellent Manuscripts prepared for the Press before his Death and ten of his Choice Books already Printed but long ago grown scarce and not now to be had Their Titles are as followeth viz. MANUSCRIPTS 1. An Exposition of the Ten first Chapters of Genesis 2. Justification by imputed Righteousness 3. Paul 's Departure and Crown 4. Israel 's Hope Incouraged 5. Desires of the Righteous granted 6. The Saints Priviledge and Profit 7. Christ a Compleat Saviour 8. Saints Knowledge of Christ's Love 9. The House of the Forest of Lebanon 10. A Description of Antichrist BOOKS formerly Printed 11. Saved by Grace 12. Christian Behaviour 13. A Discourse of Prayer 14. The Stait Gate 15. Gospel Truths opened 16. Light for them in Darkness 17. Instructions for the Ignorant 18. A Map of Salvation c. 19. The New Jerusalem 20. The Resurrection Price bound 14 s. Mellificium Chirurgicae Or The Marrow of Chyrurgery An Anatomical Treatise Institutions of Physick with Hypocrates's Aphorisms largely Commented upon The Marrow of Physick shewing the Causes Signs and Cures of most Diseases incident to Human Bodies Choice Experienced Receipts for the Cure of several Distempers The Fourth Edition enlarged with many Additions and purged from many Faults that escaped in the former Impressions Illustrated in its several Parts with Twelve Brass Cuts By James Cooke of Warwick Practitioner in Physick and Chyrurgery Price bound 6 s. Otto Tachenius his Hippocrates Chymicus discovering the Ancient Foundation of the late Viperine Salt with his Clavis thereunto annexed Translated by J. W. Price bound 3 3 s. Select Observations on English Bodies of Eminent Persons in desperate Diseases First Written in Latin by Mr. John Hall Physitian After Englished by James Cooke Author of the Marrow of Chyrurgery To which is now added an hundred like Counsels and Advices for several Honourable Persons with all the several Medicines and Methods by which the several Cures by the Blessing of God were effected and they be of great use to several Practitioners in Physick and others by the same Author In the Close is added directions for drinking of the Bath-Water and Ars Cosmetica or Beautifying Art By H. Stubs Physitian at Warwick Price bound 2 s. 6. d. BOOKS lately Printed in Vindication of Dr. Crisp's Works A Conciliatory Judgment concerning Dr. Crisp's SERMONS and Mr. Baxters dissatisfaction in them by Mr. Beverley Price 2 d. A Conciliatory Discourse upon Dr. Crisp's Sermons on the Observation of Mr. William's dissatisfaction in them in which the unsearchable Riches of Christ in the Covenant of Grace Passing Knowledge is that which is aspired to be made known by Mr. Beverly price 6 d The True State of Gospel-Truth established upon the Free Election of God in Christ the agreement and yet difference between Law and Gospel So that the Gospel cannot be stiled Law the inconditionateness of the Gospel Salvation the precedure of the Day of Judgment in the way of a Consiliatory Discourse upon Mr. Williams his Concessions By Mr. Beverly price 6 d. Christ made Sin from 2 Cor. 5.21 Evinct from Scripture upon occasion of an Exception taken at Pinners-Hall at Reprinting of Dr. Crisp's Sermons By Samuel Crisp Esq a Son of the said Dr Crisp price bound 2 s. Christ alone Exalted in Dr. Crisp's Sermons in Answer to Mr. Daniel Williams By S. Crisp Esq price 6 d. A Plain and Impartial Inquiry into Gospel-Truth Especially in reference to the Doctrine of Justification In answer to Mr Williams By Thomas Edwards Esq price 1 s. A Short Review of some Reflections made by a Nameless Author upon Dr. Crisp's Sermons With some Remarks upon the Union and the Late Agreement in Doctrine among the Dissenting Ministers in London By Thomas Edwards Esq price 6 d. Dr. Crisp's Works Entituled Christ alone Exalted Containing 42 Sermons on several Select Texts of Scripture which were formerly Printed in three small Volumes To which is now added ten Sermons eight whereof were never before Printed Faithfully Translated from his own Notes Price bound 8 s. Where you may likewise be supplyed with what Dr. Chauncy has writ in Vindication of Dr. Crisp's Works Reader Correct these ERRATA 's with thy Pen or any other that may occur PAg. 4. l. 24. before a Moral read was p. 5. l. 28. for sins charged r. sin charged p. 8. l. 24. r. Mic. 5.5 p. 13. l. 22. r. Pemble l. 25. for believers r. a believer l. 30. for as Consonant r. as far as Consonant l. 31. for and rejected r. or rejected p. 15. l. 28. r. Eph. 2. p. 17. l. 14. r. Is it because it is said l. 30. for follow r. folly p. 24. l. 3. for desires r. defines l. 23. after so r. they p. 25. l. 8. for that r. the. l. 13. r. abstractly p. 28. l. 40. for one r. thing p. 29. l. 16. r. for refuge p. 31. l. 1. r. and the like hardly l. 19. r. seeing it was grounded l. 35. for and r. to p. 34. l. 35. r. Pemble p. 38. l. 21. r. Eph. 2.1,2 p. 43. l. 35. r. proofs p. 48. l. 21. for but r. on p. 50. l. 6. r. Assembly p. 51. l. 41. for it toucheth r. touch p. 56. l. 12. before in the presence dele and. l. 22 r. for whose sake God p. 59. l. 38. for yea r. yet p. 61. l. ult r. primary p. 63. l. 33. r. not of Faith A DEFENCE OF THE First Sermon THE first Crime that is laid to Doctor Crisps Charge is that he calls the matter about which he is speaking to wit The benefits of Christ I. Hidden Manna II. Marrow and Fatness III. Admirable Musick to the Heart And IV. To have An Inebriating Vertue These Expressions Mr. Geree calls strains of Rhetorick and Enticeing Words of Mans Wisdom c. with many other bitter words whereas indeed they are the very Expressions of the Holy Ghost For the First Christ saith he will give to his people of the hidden Manna Rev. 2.17 which cannot be meant of any thing but of the enjoyment of Himself and his Benefits So Secondly David in the 63 Psalm after he had said That the Loving
Vindiciae Evangelii OR A VINDICATION OF THE GOSPEL WITH THE Establishment of the Law BEING A Reply to Mr. Steven Geree's Treatise ENTITULED The Doctrine of the Antinomians Confuted WHEREIN He pretends to Charge divers Dangerous Doctrines on Dr. Crisp's SERMONS as Anti-Evangelical and Antinomical The Righteousness of God without the Law is manifested being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets Rom. 3.21 Do we make void the Law through Faith God forbid yea we establish the Law v. 31. Who shall lay any thing to the Charge of God's Elect It is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth It is Christ that dyed c. Rom. 8.33,34 The Stone which is set at nought by the Builders is become the Head of the Corner Act. 4.11 Psal 118.22 By ROBERT LANCASTER Late Minister of the Gospel sometime at Quarly and Amport in Hampshire LONDON Printed for a Friend of the Authors and Sold by Will. Marshall at the Bible in Newgate-street 1694. To the Reader READER IT may be expected by thee to have some short account of the late Reverend and Learned Author of this Treatise concerning whom they that knew him well can say That his Worth was little known in the World his whole LIFE being spent in a Retiredness from it for the most part It is the same Robert Lancaster who Wrote the Preface prefixt to Dr. Crisp's first Sermons where may be seen what design he prosecuted in his after-Writings in the Defence of the Doctrines delivered by the said Dr. Crisp and where may be had a taste of his sweet and gracious Spirit wherein he was a Teaching Example to all that were acquainted with his ordinary Conversation He walked in a chearful serious practice of Holiness and though his pilgrimage here was attended with a succession of great outward Afflictions yet he seemed to bear them without Murmurring and to live by Faith much above them Not long before he finished his Course here it was that he together with others were Removed from the Publick Exercise of his Ministry which was attended with many difficult Circumstances as to his outward concerns But yet the Bitter Opposition that had been and continued to be made against some great truths of the Gospel by persons of no small Figure caused him to set himself to the Vindication of them and to shew the great Mistakes of Mr. Rutherford Mr. Gataker Mr. Burgess and Mr. Geree and their Misrepresenting great Truths and in their Injurious charging of persons which he performed in a spirit of Meekness wherein he excell'd and manifested it in publick as well as private Disputes upon the same account when called thereto and with no less dexterity being thereto furnished not only by a distinct Understanding of Divine Mysteries but a great Accurateness in the knowledge of the Originals and of all the Oriental Versions being it may be one of the exactest Gramarians in all those Languages as well as in the other of his time He Published little in his Life being a man of a most peaceable and humble Disposition of great backwardness to shew himself whether this his Inclination or some other Reason hindred him from Publication of his Writings it is not easie to determine now neither is it of concern to us but whatever was the Reason delayed it was and God called him home to himself to rest from his Labours some of which the Intelligent Reader may see do here follow him for so God would have it to be his Friends entrusted with his Manuscripts of which more may follow this as a First Part being fully perswaded that they had a loud Call of Providence to bring out this Light that had so long been kept under a bushel and hold it forth now as in a seasonable time to the Church of Christ And lest any should be hindred from the benefit of it by a prejudicate opinion That the said Author was an Antinomian and Libertine an unbyast mind may be satisfied from his Preface to Dr. Crisp that he was neither if he retain a right Understanding of what those Sects hold and will but duly weigh what this Holy Man saith there in the just Vindication of himself and others from that Charge Part of which only for brevity sake and for the information of such as have not read the said Preface or have it not by them we may rehearse here As for us we make not void the Law but establish it We Affirm That it remaineth in its full force and power not only of commanding but also of Exacting and Terrifying of Cursing and Punishing every Son of Adam that is under it without abatement of the least jot or tittle and whether this be Antinomianism or no let the Church of Christ consider and Judge by the Word of Christ And as for the Imputation of Libertinism if they mean that which Calvin Chargeth the Libertines with in his Book against them We utterly disclaim it c. Here it is most manifest That he is not for the vacating of the Law neither as to Precept or Sanction but holds exactly with the Assembly in this Point whereto Others that are so ready to make this Charge have sufficiently declared their Contrariety But yet it is not to be avoided but notwithstanding this or what else can be spoken some Men regarding not so much as common Ingenuity may charge the Doctrines here defended for Antinomianism as the Antagonists to them in his time did and many at this day do and no wonder if we are not without such now who brand the Preaching of the Gospel to distressed Consciences The pardoning of Sinners as Sinners And divers other Vital Doctrines of the Gospel for such Heresie yea ridicule and scoff at the inviting of wretched miserable Sinners unto Jesus Christ Must we therefore loath and abhor these Glorious Fundamental Truths because some men pretending their Figure in the Churches do thus reproach them No God forbid though this may be a stumbling-block laid before the eyes of the Blind yet Wisdom shall be justified of her Children and none shall always beguile them with enticing Words or affrighten them by cloathing Truth in a Bear-skin For such as have once truly tasted the Lord is gracious will not be soon moved from him who hath called them to Glory and Vertue according as his Divine Power hath given unto them all things that pertain to Life and Godliness through the Knowledge of him But as they have received Christ so they will walk rooted and built up in him established in the Faith as they have been taught abounding therein with Thanksgiving As for the ensuing short Treatise and what may follow if God please they will undoubtedly recommend themselves to the candid acceptance of the Intelligent and Unprejudiced Reader by their own Weight and Evidence taken from the Word of God and therefore need not a Prefatory Recommendation neither is it any way meet to impose upon the Reader or anticipate his Judgment by any Human
and of our selves even in the best of our works that is wretched men I say if we add that which follows in the Apostle viz. that we thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord namely that there is an alsufficiency in him for us though of our selves even in our best works we be worse than nothing yet you ought not to call it following the pharisee or boasting or if you do yet we shall alwayes desire thus to make our boast of the Lord and to glory in his strength Sect. 12. The Dr. had said that Christ subdues sin in the faithful as well as satisfies for sin But yet saith he we are not to seek or receive our peace from this subduing of Sin but from Christ alone These two Mr. G. thinks cross one another but yet he doth not shew wherein and therefore I shall not go to seek a knot in a bulrush Only I shall examine his reasons against the latter of these the first is this Let me tell them saith he that if Christs power be seen as well in Sanctification as in Justification what wrong can this be to Christ to seek and settle peace in our consciences as well by Sanctification as Justification To the matter of this and what we hold in this Point I have answered before To the inference I say there is no strength in it that because they are both effected by the same power therefore the same effects are to be attributed unto both Mr. G. himself I doubt not will grant my inference unsound if I should reason thus Sanctification is effected by the same power of Christ with Justification therefore Sanctification presents just before God as well as Justification If he allows not this argument then he may see the face of his own in this glass As for our peace it is necessary that we have a firm rock to seek it from that is able to speak peace at all times even in the deepest plunges which our Sanctification is not able to do being feeble and dark and weak at all times especially when it self is questioned And therefore David said I will make mention of thy righteousness only And our Saviour saith in me ye shall have peace And therefore we dare expect no peace from any one below him Besides he demands where we read in all God's Word that he was ever angry with his People for seeking comfort in sincere sanctification and holiness I Answer That when the Apostle would shew the true positive Grounds where Consolation is to be sought he fixeth them onely upon two things First the free promise of God without any respect had unto or condition of works Heb. 6.13,14,15,16,17,18 Surely saith he in blessing I will bless thee and in multiplying I will multiply thee And the Apostle saith Gal. 3. That that same blessing of Abraham comes on the faithful through faith freely not through works And the other thing that the Apostle mentions is the Oath of God to perform his promise which Oath as the Psalmist saith admits of no repentance or recalling back that which is sworn unto The Lord swears saith he and will not repent And these two the Apostle acknowledgeth to be sufficient ground of consolation and that is the end of God's proposing them to wit That by two immutable things in which it is impossible that God should lye we might have strong consolation who have fled to the refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us Now because Christ with all that he hath done suffered and purchased for us is the substance of this Promise therefore it is called Consolation in Christ Phil. 2.1 who is the consolation of Israel Therefore till there be an insufficiency of consolation in Christ and in what he is unto us we need not seek for consolation elsewhere in any other thing whatsoever And in particular if we seek for it in or by our own doings we shall surely be disappointed The consolations of a Christian are in the ground of them and therefore ought to be in the exercise of them everlasting consolation But the truly experienced Christian finds dayly that when he sets himself before the glorious Tribunal of the Lord all his goodness becomes as the Morning Dew and vanisheth in a moment And if it be not able to stand by me there what comfort can it be unto me that thus leaves me in my greatest straits and terrors What 's all my comfort but to be found there without spot and blameless That onely that can stand me instead there is able to comfort All other are miserable Comforters and Physitians of no value Consider I pray thee good Reader that of Calvin worthy to be written in Gold and I beseech the Lord thou mayst be so affected as I was in the consideration of it Consider thy Judge before whom thou standest as he is in himself not according to thine own imagination but such an one as he is painted out to us in Scripture with whose brightness the stars are darkned with whose strength the mountains are melted by whose anger the earth is shaken by whose wisdom the prudent are caught in their own cunning and by whose purity all things are found to be defiled whose righteousness the very Angels are not able to endure who will not account the guilty inncocent whose vengeance when it is once kindled peirceth unto the neither most Hell Let him I say sit in his Throne to examine the Actions of Men that according to his sentence of them they may receive comfort and then who can stand secure before his Throne Who can dwell with devouring Fire Who can abide with everlasting Burning He that walketh in Righteousness and speaketh the Truth c. let such a man come forth whosoever he be Nay verily that Answer makes that we dare not appear For on the contrary that terrible voice soundeth out If thou Lord shalt observe iniquities Oh Lord who shall abide Instit lib. 3. c. 12. Sect. 1. It may be some will Object That Calvin speaks this of Justification which I confess he doth yet notwithstanding he speaks fully to the Point in hand For whereas there are but two Tribunals at which the Conscience of a man needs securing and accordingly gathers Peace and Comfort viz. The Tribunal of Man and the Tribunal of GOD At Man's Tribunal the Conscience is at peace and comforted when it hath a Righteousness as is acceptable among Men and here we grant Works of Sincerity and Love their place But at the Tribunal of GOD we say with Calvin That before this terrible and consuming Fire this stubble vanisheth into nothing it is able to yield no peace to give no comfort Here there is no comfort but by being in the hole of that sure Rock Jesus Christ the Righteous whilst that dreadful and unapproachable Presence passeth by This is the onely refuge of safety wherein exercised Consciences perceive that they may safely breath But if Men yet will needs be
tampering with comfort from their own Works and not be content with what may be had by that sole sure Rock of Eternal Comfort I shall leave them to meditate upon the terrible sentence of the Lord which shall surely be performed in its season 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 my hand ye shall lye down in sorrow But saith Mr. G. see how good Hezekiah pleads with the Lord Isa 38.3 Remember me O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight Hereupon he was not rejected but received a most gracious Answer ver 5. Go say to Hezekiah thus saith the Lord I have heard thy Prayer I have seen thy Tears Behold I will add unto thy days fifteen years Hereunto I shall not Answer with Luther that in this Prayer Hezekiah manifesteth some spice of that temper he was in when he shewed unto the Ambassadors of the King of Babel all his glorious Treasure although the Event and Answer will not shew the contrary The lying of the Midwives of the Israelites in Aegypt had a prosperous Event and a gracious Answer from the Lord who built them houses yet the Act must not therefore be concluded to be approved of the Lord And indeed this Expression is very singular and hardly to be found in the whole Scripture in the mouth of any of the Servants of God Yet I conceive that it ought rather to be taken notice of as agreeable to the Tenure of that Typical and Subservient Covenant under which he was with the rest of the Fathers of the Old Testament until the Death of Christ In which Covenant they had outward Blessings among which length of days was one Deut. 6.2 according to their upright walking with God in the performance of that Covenant The Covenant is at large expressed in the 27 28 29 Chapters of Deuteronomy wherein all outward Blessings even to the prolonging of their days in that good Land of Canaan flowing unto them with all store and abundance of milk and honey and wherein also all outward Curses were threatned against the Transgressors to the rooting of them out quite out of that good Land and also out of the Land of the Living that they should not prolong their days Hezekiah having therefore walked uprightly before the Lord in that Covenant and restored the Right Worship of the Lord he prayed that the Lord would do unto him according to his Promise in that Covenant which manner of Plea seeing grounded upon that peculiar Administration and Covenant proper to that People it ought not to be urged in the Times of the New Testament where that shadowish Administration even of the Moral Law is done away 2 Cor. 3.11 and abolished ver 13. I have a little explained my self in this before yet that if possible things may not be mistaken I shall add a few words more First Although I say that this Covenant did properly relate unto temporal Blessings and Curses onely yet far be it from me to think that the Faithful then had nothing else but temporal Blessings I confess that by the Ancient Promise from the beginning Gen. 3. renewed Gen. 17. They had all spiritual Blessings in Christ for so I before cited it out of the Apostle that they were Heirs and Lords of all so that accordingly they were by Christ freely and fully blessed and justified and saved Yet Secondly I say that according to this subservient Covenant and Administration as the same Apostle saith they differed nothing at all from Servants They were upon doing their Work and have their Wages they were upon neglect of their Task to be punished or thrust out of doors They had great Rewards of Glorious Prosperity upon performance They had sore Afflictions and Calamities upon the neglect thereof Now Thirdly The Question may be How this subservient Covenant could consist with the promise of all blessing in Christ I Answer very well as the Apostle saith observing the right time namely that the child at the same time whilst he is a child may be Lord of all yet in all administrations towards him he may differ nothing at all from a Servant If indeed you take the Heir when he is come to Age and then make him differ nothing from a Servant then it is apparent you destroy his Heirship and alienate the Inheritance from him But whilst he is a Child saith the Apostle he differeth nothing at all from a Servant though at the same time he be Lord of all Even so was the difference between our Fathers before Christ and Us as the Apostle himself applyeth the Comparison But how can this be conceived may some say Could they be Blessed and Accursed at the same time Could they be perfectly Justified and yet Sin charged upon them at the same time This is the main difficulty at which so many stumble I shall therefore desire the Christian Reader to take notice of what is said and I doubt not but the Lord will afford Light for a solution hereof according to the Analogy of Faith contained in the Holy Scriptures I Answer First That the Blessings and the Curses of the Old Testament were of such a nature as they had reference to this subservient Covenant that the greatest Blessings might have a real Curse under it and the greatest Curse might have a real Blessing under it And so their outward Justification might have a real charge of Sin upon them and their outward charging of Sin might veil a Spiritual real and invisible discharge and justification from sin This will be more easily conceived if we remember Two things 1. That this subservient Covenant was carnal It consisted saith the Apostle in carnal Ordinances Heb. 9.10 serving to the purifying of the Flesh ver 13. It consisted in the rudiments of the World as the Apostle saith elsewhere 2. This subservient Covenant was Typical Things hapned unto them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Types 1 Cor. 10. They were shaddows of good things to come but the substance was Christ Heb. 10.1 And shaddows of Heavenly things Heb. 8.5 So then that which in the judgement of the flesh is a Blessing as all the prosperity of the Wicked is may indeed and in truth be a Curse I will Curse their Blessings Mal. 2.2 And also that which is a Curse in the judgment of the flesh being grievous unto it may indeed and in the judgment of Faith be a Blessing and so are all the Afflictions of the Faithful And Secondly A Typical charging of sin will not prove a real charge of sin upon the same subject as upon the scape-goat it did only signifie the real charge of the sin of the Israel of God was to be upon him who was typified by that Scape-goat So