That is no member of his Body or true Church A. For this Body of Christ is capable onely of profitable Members by having some manifest gift of the Spirit to profit the Body withal for the manifestation of the Spirit for that purpose was given to every Member of that Body 1 Cor. 12. 7. c. Whence will follow No manifestation by some gift of the Spirit no Spirit of Christ and no Spirit of Christ no Member of Christs Body Page 87. B. The Spirit by extraordinary works formerly and by holy actuating the Church to the end is Christs great witness to the world N. Christs great witness to the world by his Spirit is by outward works not by inward workings in the hearts of his Saints A. For how can any unbeliever be convinced and brought to the Faith by the secret workings in another mans heart or spirit without some powerful manifestation thereof outwardly Page 96. B. All this you know is Scripture N. Although all this is Scripture yet little of all this is of Scripture and that which is is little to the purpose to prove that which is endeavoured by the Author Page 98. B. For the same spirit will not say and unsay N. How ill will this prove the generality of preaching now to be of the Spirit since the same is so full of Contradictions Page 99. B. The spirit of Illumination is the same and given onely by Scripture and for any spirit that shall contradict Scripture it can never be holy nor true nor faithful as contradicting Truth N. VVhen various and contradictious Expositions are made of Scripture how may we certainly know which is for and which is against the Truth and when or by whom were Miracles ever wrought to confirm Scripture or Doctrines taught now by our Ministers or whether all Scriptures Ministers and Doctrines now extant be or have been so confirmed since all do or may challenge it the one as well as the other Page 105. B. There is the Spirit of God within that doth second these Doctrines and take the received Species of them and impress them upon the Soul and doth this effectually and potently according to the mighty unresistible power of the Agent N. How then is unbelief any sin deserving damnation or belief any vertue if it be wrought by an inward unresistible power Page 106. B. You see the truth of Christian Religion by the Spirit of holiness besides that of Miracles formerly All Sects and sorts of Christians pretend to have this Spirit of holiness and may challenge the former Miracles to give evidence for the one as well as the other The Second PART Page 32. B. And to make the giving of the Holy Ghost to be that seal which should credit this report with their hearers N. VVhere is this seal to credit your Doctrine and Ministry if you had it it were more to purpose then a thousand such Books as this Page 34. B. No man can know that the Magna Charta the Petition of Right or any other Statute of this Land are indeed Genuine and Authentick N. Nor is any man bound upon Pain of Damnation so to know or believe it as he is the Gospel that hears it declared and attested by Signs and Gifts of the Holy Ghost wherefor the Comparison is frivolous Page 34. B. The most unlearned man is so far bound to believe the Statute of Felony to be authentick and in Force that he shall be justly hanged if he break it N. But no man can justly be hanged for not believing it onely nor can any man be justly blamed for not believing you more then another contradicting you Page 36. B. Miracles if common would lose their Convincing Force and be as none N. Miracles though common in the first Age lost not their Convincing Force Then Miracles though common in after Ages may not lose their Convincing Force But the first is true Besides in page 242 of the Third Part of this Book you tell us That it 's certain from current History and Church-Records that the Gift of casting out of Devils and making them confess themselves mastered by Christ did remain in the Church for long time after the Apostles even for three of four hundred yeers at least Page 45. B. God doth still effectually convince millions of men of the certainty of Christian Religion and that without renewed Miracles N. All several sorts of Christians have this Conviction respectively yet condemn one another for Hereticks Page 50. B. It was the Office of the Apostles and the Duty of all other that saw Christ's Miracles to bear witness of them N. It was the Office and Duty of such to stay until they were indued with power to do the like Miracles See Luk. 24. 49. Act. 1. 4 5 8. before their witness was to be received Page 50. B. Those that saw not those Miracles were bound to believe their witness N. Prove this if you can Page 55. B. Lillies Grammar may be mis-Printed or the Writings of Cicero Virgil or Ovid which were written before the Gospel and yet we are past all doubt that their Writings are not forged N. That which God bindes men to believe upon Pain of Damnation comes with more certainty then these or any other Writings or Words either especially they coming to them in an unknown Tongue A. As the Scriptures did from the Pen-men thereof unto nineteen parts of twenty men in the world Page 55. B. Must you not believe him that tells you the Truth and proves it to be so N. If one by his Scholarship proves it true and another in like manner prove it false which of the two is a man bound to believe or must he believe both Page 56 B. Object Christ saith If I had not done the works which no man else could do ye had no sin Answ But doth not say If ye had not seen them ye had no sin N. This Text is cited falsely and deceitfully for it affirmeth in effect that which is denied in the Answer A. For you wilfully have omited among them and that they did both see and hate both Christ and the Father which being cited and duly considered will quite overthrow that Doctrine which you seek here to up-hold by omiting it which is neither fair nor honest Page 58. B. All Historians are fallible and liable to Error N. How then can it be any sufficient ground of true and saving Faith A. Or how then can any History or words from men fallible and liable to Error without infallible Evidence be any sufficient Ground for Divine Faith since you tell us elsewhere That Divine Faith hath ever a Divine Testimony but no Testimony that is fallible and liable to Error can possibly be a Divine Testimony Page 59. B. Such are the Scriptures and it was necessary that the Language should be suited to the matter so to the capacity of the generality of the Readers N. How is this true when it is Barbarism to the generality
Prerogative over any other man or men whatsoever For as the Divine Evidences were formerly so are they yet for the very same ends and purposes still useful and necessary to accompany the Ministry and so will they alway accompany the true Ministry for the conversion of men to the Faith of the Gospel But for R. B. thus to extend my words besides or beyond my meaning or to confine them short thereof is not to be allowed by me nor can it reasonably be approved by any man for whereas my meaning is limited onely to the conversion of unbelievers he extends them to any whether converted or unconverted as if I had been so irrational as to say or think That no man after his Conversion to the Faith of the Gospel was bound to believe or practise any other or further Duty of Christianity without some new Miracle yea new Miracles done in his sight to prove it for so much in effect his Charge amounts unto And who would ever think R. B. to be so void of understanding or ingenuity rather as to lay such and so irrational an aspersion upon any man that never did or thought him harm Now let any man in love convince me of my Errour in this my Position and I shall take it kindly and be as ready to retract and tread it under foot as he would have me but of all men in the world R. B. is least able to do it or to accuse me for it having asserted as much or more himself for in his Saints Rest Part 2. pag. 201. of the sixth Edition he asserts That Divine Faith hath ever a Divine Testimony and in pag. 205. That we must know it to be a Divine Testimony before we can believe fide Divina by a Divine Faith and I hope by a Divine Faith he intends no other then a true and saving Faith which must necessarily have a divine and infallible ground to be built on seeing of other Faiths he plainly tells us in pag. 201. That to believe implicitely that the Testimony is Divine or the Scripture is the Word of God this is not to believe God but to resolve our Faith into some humane Testimony even to lay our Foundation upon the Sands where all will fall at the next Assault And in pag. 236. he expresseth himself thus viz. I demand with my self by what argument did Moses and Christ evince to the world the verity of their Doctrine and I finde it was chiefly by this of Miracles and surely Christ knew the best argument to prove the Divine Authority of his Doctrine and that which was the best then is the best still And in pag. 33. of his book of Infidelity part 1. he tells us That Tongues are not for them that believe but for them that believe not that is saith he to shew them the power of Christ and so convince them And in part 4. pag. 46. of the same Book he tells us If it had no divine attestation or evidence that it is of God then you might (a) And I hope no man is bound by God to believe that which he may without sin or danger reject reject it without sin or danger Now let any rational and impartial man judge if R. B. himself hath not asserted sufficient and more then enough to justifie my Position and all that which I hold in the point yea and that which is tantamount the same although in many places of his writings he contradicts it which is no rare thing to see in men of his undertakings though they both speak and write much less then he hath done And amongst the multitudes of his failings in that and the like kinde in his voluminous writings thou mayst finde him friendly remembred of some few in a small Treatise entituled Fides Divina which when thou hast read then tell me If a Bear may not be known by a small Member even by his foot alone And whereas R. B. at the end of that his Charge intayles this viz. Adding withall That indeed Antichrist may do Miracles What cause of exception can be taken at Answ this my so saying when the Scripture it self affirms That the second Beast which came up out of the earth who is an Antichrist at least wrought Miracles Rev. 13. 11 14. Rev. 19. 20. This R. B. in his Saints Rest pag. 206. flatly contradicts by telling us there That no created power can work a Miracle Let him be pleased hence to be asked these sober Questions 1. Do you indeed and in truth as you pretend believe the Scripture to be the VVord of God 2. And that it was confirmed by Miracles as you assert it to be about the midst of your Preface to your Book of Infidelity and in divers other places of the same Book 3. How then dare you so presumptuously put the lye upon God by your flat contradicting his Word as here you have done This Charge lies upon him unavoydably unless he can prove that Beast to be an uncreated power which he can never do But we may see here as in many other places how he plays Bo-peep with us in rendring such persons abominable who do not with all readiness and without any chewing swallow all that which he pleaseth out of his own fancy to say of the Scriptures indefinitely being the VVord of God and that they (b) Which indeed is the harder for any man to belive because that some stuck not to raze and blot out of them senâ—ences above 1200 years since as Socrates reports lib. 7. ca. 31. And what hath been the boldness of others in that or the like kinde to do to them before and since is not known nor can be imaginâ—d were confirmed by Miracles when indeed and in truth he believes neither the one nor the other himself for if he did how durst he be so bold as flatly to contradict them as here he hath done And upon my saying that Antichrist may do Miracles R. B. infers thus viz. So it seems for all the talk Miracles themselves would not serve if they saw them Answ By this your inference you imply as if the signes and Miracles wrought by God himself for the Confirmation of the Gospel were no way dscernable by men from such as were or may be wrought by the Devil and his Instruments Is not this a casting a high disparagement upon the wisdom power and justice of Almighty God in his requiring faith and obedience to the Gospel upon pain of Damnation and yet produce no other nor better evidence for the Confirmation of the truth thereof then Satan or his Ministers can do for the Confirmation of falshood Doth not this amount to high Blasphemy against God himself For did not the Signes and Miracles wrought by Moses in Egypt so far transcend all those that were or could be wrought by the Egyptian Sorcerers or by the Devil himself as they were apparently discernable by all that saw them from those wrought by the
that that is past halt not so between both if either be sufficient to uphold your Doctrine then cleave to that but you seem to doubt either alone why else make you such use of both A. For do not you say page 32. as before is noted That you have the â—ull use and benefit of the Holy-Ghost which was formerly given which if true is sufficient without your having it now your selves in particular for it alone was sufficient to them that then had it and if you have the full use and benefit of that now it alone is sufficient for you also and now to have it your selves too is supersluous and over and above what is sufficient but they formerly manifested their having of it so must you before any wise man will believe your having it because the manifestation of the Spirit was given to every one that had the Spirit to profit withal 1 Cor. 12. 7. Page 38. B. Christ hath now delivered up even all the Learning in the world that is worth the speaking of unto his Church and continued even these common gifts of the Spirit therein N. The Church of Rome will challenge this as much as you if not more A. But the Church of Rome is more wise and reasonable then to account humane Learning any gift of the Spirit or to make it any mark of a true Christian since Heathens and Unbelievers may have humane Learning and had it in great measure among their Philosophers c. but the gifts of the Spirit were given onely to believers and that after they believed Eph. 1. 13. Act. 19. 2. Act. 2. 38. Page 46. B. The Scripture being true and the Christian Religion certainly true every part of it must needs be true N. Where is that Bible or Scripture A. And is not the Church of Rome the Quakers the Antinomians and divers other whom you oppose all Christian and their Religion Christian Religion and if true in every part VVhy do you then oppose them in many if not in most parts of their Religion but haply by Christian Religion you mean onely your own Religion Let me then ask you Is your Religion true in every part If it be why then do so many as learned Christians and as true Ministers of the reformed Churches as your self oppose you and you them in so many parts of your Religion being all Christian Religion and true in every part and all of you also true Ministers of Jesus Christ as you assert How fell you out and How comes it to pass that you be at so great Odds even about the most essential Doctrines of the Gospel yea and about the very Person and Nature of Christ himself Nay How comes it to pass that you so heave and cast out one another out of Habitation Liveli-hood and Maintenance and so much seek to get places of profit from one another as you do all of you being the true Ministers and Officers of the Kingdom of Christ Surely the Apostles may fear to admit you as such into the true Kingdom of Christ lest you should there likewise heave them out of their places appointed for them to eat and drink at Christs Table and also justle them besides their Thrones whereon they are to sit to judge the twelve Tribes of Israel in the Kingdom of Christ Luk. 22. 29 30. Felix quem faciunt aliena pericula cautum Page 57. B. As the bodies of men do live and speak and reason by the soul so doth the Church live and move by the spirit of Jesus N. In which of the many sorts and Sects of Christians is this Church to be found since Rome and all other challenge to be the true A. And also to have this Spirit of Jesus yea and to live and move thereby yea and by that Spirit of Jesus which each will pretend to have they will judge each other sort dissenting from them to be led by the Spirit of Error Page 80 81. B. Jesus did send forth his Spirit into his prophets before his coming and more fully into believers since his coming to be his infallible witness to the world to convince the unbelieving and confirm believers and that this Spirit was poured out on the Church especially on the Apostles causing them to prophesie and speak with strange Languages and cast out Devils and heal Diseases and that the same Spirit is given to all true believers in all ages to guide c. N. Is it the same and not the same powerful works of manifestation to accompany it A. Yea and which did and will alwayes accompany it for by Spirit of God and Power of God is one and the same thing meant in many places of Scripture As Stay until ye be endued with power from on High i. e. with the spirit Luk. 24. 49. Ye shall receive power when the Holy-Ghost is come upon you or the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you Act. 1. 8. My speech and my preaching came not with perswasive words of mans wisdom but with evidence and demonstration of the Spirit and power that your faith might not stand in the wisdome of men but in the power or Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2. 4 5. And it cannot be imagined that this self same Spirit which was then so powerful is now grown old weak and feeble nor that it hath lost or is separated from that its might and power Page 81. B. That it is and must needs be the holy Spirit of God which doth such Miracles as were then wrought and attesteth and revealeth so holy a Doctrine N. But where are any such to attest the Truth of your Doctrine or are we bound to take it on trust Page 83. B. It is most expedient that Christ our head should be bodily present in Heaven but send his Spirit to his lowest and remotest Members N. In 1 Cor. 12. these spiritual Members of Christs body are set out by manifest gifts onely Page 84. B. It actuated the first Church after Christ with a force extraordinary by Miracles Prophesie Healing Languages c. N. Here you make a difference without warrant see Mar. 16. 16. Joh. 14. 12. and by limiting it to the first you contradict your self elsewhere in proving these continued long after the first Church Page 85. B. John 14. 16. I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever N. The same Spirit and Power to be with the true Church for ever A. A little before to wit in page 80 81. you say That the same Spirit by which the mighty works were wrought formerly is given to all true believers in all ages Whence will necessarily follow That all true Churches and all true Ministers of the Gospel must be endued with the same power as formerly And thus and not otherwise the text in John 14. 16. is truly expounded Page 87. B. He that hath not the Spirit of Christ is said to be none of his N.
Sorcerers insomuch that the Sorcerers themselves were convinced and openly confest them to be no otherwise wrought then by the Finger of God And do not you your self in your Saints Rest part 2. pag. 232. tell us That Irenaeus affirmeth That in his time the working of Miracles the raising of the dead the casting out of Devils healing of the sick by meer laying on of hands and prophesying were in force and that some that were so raised from death remained alive among them long after And that Cyprian and Tertullian mention the (c) Note here that these powerful gifts of the Spirit were both ordinary and yet convincing ordinary casting out of Devils and challenge the Heathen to come and see it And in your Saints Rest part 3. pag. 242 243. you do likewise tell us That it is certain from currant Testimony of Church-Records that the gift of casting out of Devils and making them (d) even to the Devils themselves and continued 3 or 400 years at least in the Church after the Apostles all which is granted and proved by R. B. himself confess themselves mastered by Christ did remain in the Church three or four hundred years at least after the Apostles And for this you produce divers Authors and after say That no where could Satan keep his Possession where the power of Christ did assault him And it is likewise evident by the Scripture That the gifts of the Spirit and the Ministry thereof by laying on of hands were to continue in the Church for all that were either then or afterwards called or converted to the Faith to partake thereof even as well all afar off as those that were neer Act. 1. 5. Act. 2. 38 39. 2 Cor. 3. 6. Gal. 3. 5. Comp. Act. 18. 12 14 to 18. Act. 19. 1 to 7. And it is evident also That the Apostolical Office to whom the Ministry of the Spirit was committed together with the Prophetical and Evangelical as well as the Pastoral and Doctrinal being all such meerly by gift were all joyntly by gifts to continue in the true Church for the perfecting of the Saints c. till we all come to the Unity of the Faith c. in Christ from whom the whole body fitly joynted together and compacted by the effectual working of that one Spirit by his several gifts in the measure of every part maketh encrease in the body unto the edifying of it self in love being all baptized into that one Body by some manifest gift of the Spirit to profit the body withal Eph. 4. 8 11 12 13 16. 1 Cor. 12. 7 13. For God saith the Apostle hath set in the Church first Apostles secondarily Prophets thirdly Teachers after that Miracles then gifts of healings helps in Government diversities of tongues 1 Cor. 12. 28. And as the gift of tongues was to continue for a signe to unbelievers so also was the gift of prophesie to continue in the Church for the profit and comfort of believers 1 Cor. 14. 22 31. All which laid together manifestly prove the continuance both of the Apostolical and Prophetical Offices in the true Church not onely for the first age and for four hundred years after but also that they were and are alwayes to continue therein and are and will be therein wheresoever it is and whensoever it shall be upon the face of the Earth notwithstanding all that is or can be produced or proved by R. B. to the contrary in his proposing a lame and imperfect body of Christ dismembred and without his chiefest members yea and quite memberless These spiritual diversities of manifest Gifts being the formality of the diversity of the spiritual members of Christ their spiritual Head but R. B. tells the world That these Gifts are now both useless and unnecessary if a man might with safety take his word against both reason scripture and experience and albeit he may therein nevertheless easily prevaile with many weak and inconsiderate men yea and please many thousand others whose interests are concerned who though they be at Daggers-drawing with him and amongst themselves concerning the most material points of the Gospel yet herein his service will be acceptable in that he affords them help though very little at so dead a lift even when they were breathing out their last of divine right both to Office and Benefice and which was not long since quite dead as may appear by their petitioning the long Parliament for its reviving but the Parliament declared and that most truly That all just power must be derived from the people hence they proceed to act mighty matters and all in the name and authority of the people of England and still at the adjournment of the Court after a solemn cry of O yes they founded out with a loud voice God save the good people of England whence will follow as a necessary Consequence that if any divine right remains now in England it is in the people of England But a little further to the point in hand and to use Christs argument against the Pharisees slandering his casting out of Devils to be done by the Prince of Devils If Satan saith Christ cast out Satan how shall his Kingdom stand The like may I say If God doth not apparently distinguish the works done by his Spirit and Power for the Confirmation of the Gospel from those wrought by Satan or any other created power how shall his Wisdom Truth and Justice stand in his requiring Faith and Obedience unto the Gospel and that upon pain of damnation meerly upon the account of the mighty works wrought for its Confirmation and yet not to distinguish them by some such apparent signes from all other done by Satan or his instruments as they might evidently and undoubtedly be known by all men For saith Christ if I had not done and that among them the works which none other man did they had not had sin John 15. 24. The second Charge is in pag. 7. If Miracles saith R. B. were ordinary few would be moved by them as any proof of a divine testimony To this saith he Clem. Writer answers me miracles were convincing in the first age when they were common How common saith R. B. not as natural operations Answ VVho ever said they were as common as natural operations not Clem. Writer But here R. B. sets up a Dudman of his own invention to affright Daws from questioning his far-fetcht false and unwarrantable Doctrines and then when he pleaseth makes an Adversary of it fights it stoutly conquers it beats it to Clouts with his Fists and who now can deny him his just triumph for so glorious a victory But to the Charge it self against Clem. Writer for answering you Miracles were convincing in the first age when they were common is this any offence in Clem. Writer for so saying when R. B. himself hath proved it over and over That Miracles were both ordinary and convincing even to the Devils themselves not onely in the
afterwards preacht before him and divers other earnedmen upon very short warning and far shorter prepaâ—â—tion of my knowledge But what may we think â—e plain honest man before mentioned were he now alive might and would say â—pon his seeing how much honour humane â—earning had now got even among reformed Christians as to be esteemed essentially necessary to Christianity and to be so much advanced as even by eminent Pastors of the reformed Churches to be accounted a gift of the Spirit and to be continued in their Churches in the room and place of those powerful and true gifts of the Spirit which were at first established by God in his Church whereinto Christians were all baptized by that one Spirit and thereby made partakers of some manifest gift thereof whereby to become serviceable and profitable to the Church or Body of Christ even as all the Members of a natural body are serviceable and helpful one to another Answ I conceive he might and would tell us That it is no marvel that the true-born gifts of the Spirit are now ceased and withdrawn from all their Churches upon their entertaining such a Bastard as humane Learning into their Communion and Fellowship as a necessary Fellow-helper and gift of the Spirit And that God who had commanded them not to be unequally yoaked could noâ— possibly endure to have his own holy and blessed Spirit so unequally yoaked For whaâ— Communion hath Light with Darkness Anâ— what concord hath Christ with Belial 2 Cor. 6 14 15. Yea he might tell us That no virtuous anâ— Christian Woman in his days would endurâ— Co-habitation with a nasty Strumpet thâ—â— did partake of her Husbands Affections anâ— Conjugal rights with her self but woulâ— make use of her Christian liberty and depart He might also tell us That humane Learning and the true gifts of the Spirit are not necessary to be both in one Church for they having the gift of Tongues what need have they to acquire them by humane Learning And if they have them by Acquisition what need have they of them also by meer gift of the Spirit Besides if these were both in one Church there would be some Emulation between them and a contest for Superiority He might also tell us That humane Learning is no gift of the Spirit given forth by Christ Act. 2. 1. Because Peter and John who had these gifts of the Spirit poured on them were both of them ignorant and unlearned men in respect of humane learning Act. 4. 13. yet were both of them able to communicate the gifts of Tongues to others by meer laying on of hands Act. 18. 14 17. compared with Act. 19. 6. 2. Because the gifts of the Spirit as that of Tongues were given by Christ to attest the Truth of the Gospel and to convince unbeâ—ievers giving them a sure ground of Faith But so are not Tongues nor any other Science acquired by humane Learning or Induâ—â—ry For 1. In case we would fain know whether R. â— his dogmatizing the baptizing of Infants to be a divine Ordinance of Jesus Christ be true or not this cannot certainly be determined by humane Learning nor is it any divine evidence to prove it because Mr. Tombes and many more by humane Learning maintain and attest the contrary But if either of them had the gifts of the Spirit to attest the truth of his respective Doctrine then it might soon be determined whether taught the truth because the true gifts of the Spirit never did nor can witness any false but always true Doctrine but all Heresies and false Doctrines yea the most absurd Doctrines among the Papists or that are or can be invented are maintained and attested by humane learning And 2. In case we would know whether the many Arguments produced by R. B. to prove the Ministry of the reformed Churches to be the true Ministry of Jesus Christ be true and sound or not And whether the multitude of Scriptures prest by him to that service be truly and in their genuine sence cited or not this cannot be determined by humane Learning Because the Papists be furnished altogether as well and have as great a measure of humane Learning whereby they are as able to pervert Scripture and produce as many Arguments to prove their Ministry to be the onely true Ministry of Christ as any of the Ministers of the reformed Churches can do to prove theirs the true Ministery of Christ but by the true gifts of the Spirit all these doubts and questions would soon be determined and that infallibly And since the true gifts of the Spirit are now wanting let us yet see what may be said for the determining of these questions and doubts and that from grounds granted by R. B. himself wherein I shall be very brief leaving the further Amplification thereof to others more able The Grounds on which I shall raise my proof are onely two The first is in page the fourth of his first sheet where he citeth Luk. 10 16. He that heareth you heareth me c. This saying of Christ he useth in the behalf of the Ministers of the reformed Churches holding them to be the true Ministers of Jesus Christ whereby he grants That this speech of Christ is truly applicable to all true Ministers of Jesus Christ This is the one Ground The other is in the sixteenth page of his second sheet where he proposeth If a Minister be in quiet possession of a place and fit for it the people are bound to obey him as a Minister without knowing that he was justly ordained or called For the proof whereof he produceth three Arguments the last whereof he draws from an absurdity which would follow thus viz. Else saith he the people are put upon impossibilities Whereby he grants That God puts not people upon any impossibilities This is the other Ground From both which true and undeniable Grounds the plain man before mentioned might conclude That the Ministers of the reformed Churches are not the true Miniâ—â—ers of Jesus Christ for this Reason Because they of the Synod of Dort were all Ministers of the reformed Churches both the Remonstrants and Contra-Remonstrants Now it is impossible for any to believe both these parties nor doth God require any to believe them nor can he in justice require it of any it being impossible but he requires the obedience of Faith to all his true Ministers therefore the Ministers of the reformed Churches are not the true Ministers of Christ And (i) To instance in particular all the contradictory Doctrines and Tenâ—nts which have been and are between the Ministers of the reformâ—d Churchâ—s would be a task too hard for any man to undertake they being so inâ—inâ—te I have here instanced in … which may serve as well as many to state and determine the case of the rest then again For us to believe onely one of the parties they being all Minister of the reformed Churches and so true Ministers of Christ as R. B. asserts
Christ evince to the world the truth of his Doctrine we shall find it was by this of Miracles and undoubtedly Christ knew the best Argument to prove the divine Authority of his Doctrine And that which was the best then is the best still See Saints Rest page 236. A. Yea and do not all the Ministers of the Gospel as they call themselves I may say of all the various Gospels now on foot in the world contest against one another onely by words and Sophisms c. without using any of the fore-mentioned weapons used by Christ as well and as much as any of the learned Philosophers and Artificial men here specified by you Page 247. B. Christ obtained victory over Satan and his best armed Souldiers both Jews Idolaters Conjurers Sorcerers Hereticks with their Witchcrafts and jugling Delusions the great learned Philosophers of all Sects with Orators and Poets and the rest of their learned men N. Are not all these sorts of Enemies to the Truth yet remaining A. Yea and hath not Christendom since given entertainment even to such as are the most notorious Deluders of them all and admitted them into highest place Rule and Authority in the Church witness our Author who informs us That the Supremest Officers even Popes themselves have been Hereticks Whoremongers Sodomites Symonists Murtherers See the lives of Silvester 2. Alexander 3 and 6. John 11 22 and 23. Gregory 7. Vrban 7. and abundance more John 13. was proved in Council to have ravished Maids and VVives at the Apostolick doors murthered many drunk to the Devil asked help at Dice of Jupiter and Venus c. in his second sheet page 13. And can it be imagined but that such heads had suitable bodies and members If any Reformation since be urged Answer not in Rome nor in the Reformed Protestant Churches witness Mr Whites Centuries being all Protestant Ministers and that of the reformed Churches and witness yet their continual supplying their Churches with teaching Ministers generally out of their Magazine of Artists and Sophisters even to this day Yea and doth not our Author being one of the most eminent Ministers of one of the most eminent reformed Churches so highly magnifie and advance humane Learning that he accounts it a gift of the Spirit delivered by Christ himself to the Church and therein to continue as before is noted out of his book of Infidelity part 1. page 38 Nor is any of all this more then what we finde foretold vizt That Antichrist should sit in the Temple of God and be there worshipped as God I shall not say that humane Learning is a special Limb of that Beast but I will say that Antichrist shall never attain to that his Advancement but by the special assistance and means of humane Learning nor shall I say that this worshipping of humane Learning as a Gift of the Spirit is a part of the fulfilling of that Prediction but this I must and dare say That the Scripture informs us How that the Apostle Paul by the spirit of Prophesie declared to the Church That after his departure grievous Wolves should enter in among them not sparing the Flock and that of their own selves should men arise speaking perverse things drawing Disciples after them and that in the latter times there should be a departing from the Faith and a giving heed to seducing spirits and Doctrines of Devils speaking lies in hypocrisie having their Consciences seared with a hot Iron And that Christians should turn away their Ears from the Truth and having itching Ears should be turned unto Fables and should heap to themselves Teachers for the purpose Act. 30. 29 30. 1 Tim. 4. 1 2. 2 Tim. 4. 3 4. which also is confirm'd by Peter telling Christians that there should be false Teachers among them who should bring in damnable Heresies denying the Lord that bought them 2 Pet. 2. 1. Now tell me is not here work cut out sufficiently meet for the most notorious exquisite of this learned artificial Rabble aforementioned yea even for the very worst of them as Witches Sorcerers and Conjurers c. for who 's more meet to teach Doctrines of Devils damnable Heresies c. then Such unless it be the Devil himself The Fourth PART Page 40. B. His teaching is joyntly by his Word Ministers and Spirit N. VVhere or who are they Page 40. B. Mat. 28. 19 20 21. where he bids them first disciple the Nations which contains the convincing of them of age of the Fundamentals and procuring their consent and then baptize them that they may be solemnly engag'd N. That is whom they convincingly did disciple those onely they ought to baptize A good and honest confession for the Anabaptists Page 40. B. Now there are two gross Errors which Professors do oft run into to their perdition the one is when they do not first lay the Fundamentals as Certainties but hold them loosly N. Can any make Fundamentals of Uncertainties Page 41. B. If they read the Scriptures c. and when they are at a loss they do not go to their Teachers N. How ill is it that the Bible had not been kept in an unknown Tongue and not made so common Page 42. B But they go as confident censurers and as Boys that will go to School to dispute with their Master N. And who many times are these Masters even very Boys coming from the University Page 42. B. They receive not the truth in the love of it that they may be saved God oft gives them up to believe a Lye and reject that truth which would have saved them if they had received it N. This is only of such as reject such a Ministry which is absent from among us Page 45. B. I have shewed you already how fully he hath sealed his Testament N. At his last Supper he said This is the blood of the New Testament which was before any of that which we call the new Testament was written Page 46. B. If it had no divine attestation or evidence that it is of God then you might reject it without sin or danger N. Here it 's confest whatsoever Doctrine is brought by any for divine without divine attestation may be rejected without sin Pa. 56. B. But when God hath put his seal to it and proved it to be his own if after this you will be questioning it c. N. This need better proof if the Scripture be here meant A. Or your or any other mans Doctrine drawn from Scripture Page 46. B. Think not the proved sealed Word of God is ever the more to be suspected because the matter in it doth seem strange and unlikely to your reason N. No rational man is guilty of this by his so thinking A. But he must upon some sufficient ground know it to be the sealed and proved word of God else he cannot in reason but doubt it to be such About the middle of his Preface B. The Holy Ghost by special inspiration was the
Jerusalem and he shall judge among the Nations and shall rebuke many people and they shall beat their swords into plow-shares and their spears into pruning hooks Nation shall not lift up sword against Nation neither shall they learn war any more Esa 2. 2 3. Mic. 4. 2 3. add to this Zech. 8. 23. And this great and general Apostacy is likewise plainly foretold in many other places of Scripture As that all the world shall wonder after the beast and worshipped the Dragon which gave power to the Beast and they worshipped the Beast and all that dwell on the earth shall worship him Revel 13. To which add that of St. Paul 2 Thes 2. 3. where he willeth the Thessalonians To let no man deceive them for that day shall not come except there came a falling away first and telleth Timothy 2 Tim. 4. 3 4. That the time will come when they will not indure sound Doctrine but after their own lusts shall heap to themselves teachers having itching ears and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and be turned to Fables Where it is to be noted That he doth not say some of them or some of you as he did when he warned the Elders of Ephesus of the beginning of this Apostacy Act. 20. but they indefinitely will not indure sound Doctrine and they indefinitely shall turn away their ears from the truth and be turned to fables And the same Apostle foretels the restitution of the truth with life and power again for writing of the rejection and restoration of the Jews Rom. 11. 15. he thus expresseth himself If the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world what shall their receiving be but life from the dead namely to the world which shall then be in darkness and in effect dead being destitute of the powerful and lively ordinances of the Gospel of Christ from which darkness and death the world shall then be delivered inlightned and revived Hence we may see that it was not for nought that our quondam Bishops continued among us the use of that common necessary prayer which begins thus Lighten our darkness we beseech thee O Lord c. And it were wel if the same were still continued that our present Rulers both civil ecclesiastical would themselves also joyn with us in the use thereof even as all our great need requireth I thought here to have raised an objection against the premises but I find one already made to my hands and that by this our Author himself in a sheet of his lately put out against the Quakers where with much confidence he thus objects viz. Object The Quakers are but of late years standing they rose from among the Papists Seekers Ranters and Anabaptists but a while agoe and if Christ had no Catholick Church before then and ever since his Ascension he ceased to be Christ in Office the head and Saviour of the Church for no Church no Saviour no body no head no School no teacher no Kingdome no King no wife no husband Answ There being a Triumphant Church in Heaven as they teach this may supply Christ with a Kingdome a Body a wife and Church to whom he may be King head husbâ—nd and Saviour when there may be no true Church amongst us mortals upon the face of the earth For the making good whereof they teach us That the Souls of the righteous ascend immediately into Heaven to God there to partake of present bliss and glory and that the Soul of the penitent thief went immediately into Paradise whither no doubt the Souls of many penitent theeves have gone since as sure as that theeves Soul went thither but now the greatest theeves crucifie hang rob and plunder men and are neither crucified nor hanged yet doe thinke upon that account to lodge their Souls there also when they die though they neither repent nor make restitution so much as Judas did wherein they will I fear at last finde themselves miserably cozened These Doctrines being both true and doubted by none but Hereticks then Christ hath a double supply of a Kingdome wife body and Church the one in the highest Heaven and the other in Paradise but and if these Doctrines should both fail of making good the proposition of a Triumphant Church in Heaven as it is feared by many they will in that they doe propose two different receptacles for the Souls of the righteous I shall mind them of one more better then both these namely The bodies of many of the Saints which slept arose and came out of their graves after Christ's resurrection went into the Holy City and appeared unto many These I conceive would much better make a Triumphant Church in Heaven then either or both of the other whereby Christ may be supplyed with a Kingdome body wife and Church and all the supposed absurdities in the objection prevented though Christ neither now hath nor never is like to have until the calling of the Jews any true Church upon the face of the earth And as to his parallels of School and Teacher King and Kingdome I say a head-School-master being lawfully established such in any place may afterward be so interrupted by reason either of war or some contagious sickness there raging as he may not have one Scholar left for him to teach doth this School-master therefore lose his right or so much as his title of being head-School-master especially he readily attending to perform that his office when ever his Scholars shall return again to be taught by him I think not And as to Christ's Kingdome I say if Christ at his Ascension was a King as is granted by the objection and then had no Kingdome he may also as well then be a head a husband and a Saviour without either body wife or Church upon earth but Christ was then a King yet had no Kingdome on earth because his Kingdome was then and is yet to come as may be thus proved Christ taught his Disciples to pray That his Kingdome might come a consequence whereof would be that Gods will would then be done in earth as it is in Heaven This prayer was by the Apostles left to following Christians and hath been ever since and yet is used in the world and the will of God not being yet done in earth as it is in Heaven shews plainly that Christ's Kingdome was not then nor is yet come The general conformity to the will of God both of Jewes and Gentiles and their subjection to Christ in the time of his Kingdome and reign is in many places of Scripture foretold as Psa 110. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power consonant to this Moses prophesied which is by Peter repeated Act. 3. 22. thus For Moses truly said unto the Fathers A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren like unto me him shall you hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you And that the