out of measure above strength in so much that we despaired even of life But we had the sentence of death in our selves that we should not trust in our selves but in God which raiseth the Dead But you say Iob was then in darknesse uttering words without knowledge for which he was reproved first by Elihu Secondly by the Lord and thirdly he confest it 1. Oh horrible that you should have the impudence to say or infer that Elihu reproved Iob for that most excellent Confession when it is plain as the Sun that he reprehended him for saying I am clean and there is no unrighteousnesse in me c. Iob 33. 9. doth not Elihu restrain his words to the same expression Behold in this thou art not just verse 12. 2. You affirm that God reproved him for it By which it seems you know not what you say or care not what you affirm for that which God reproved him for was for standing too much upon his own innocency And though Iob was not thus afflicted for his sin but for a Triall as appears Chap. 1. and Chap 2. yet was there matter enough in him that deserved it if God should have entred into judgement with him 3. You say that Iob confest it Doth he confesse that he had erred in that confession of his concerning the resurrection or that he had maintained a false cause no God himself determines the contrary Chap. 42. 7. My servant Iob hath spoken the thing that is right and you have not and therefore they were appointed to go to Iob that he might pray for them The cause that Iobs friends maintained was that God did handle men in this world according to their deserts and therefore Iob was a wicked and cursed creature because thus afflicted and tormented Iob maintained the contrary that God did not alwayes handle men according to their deserts in this world for many times the wicked have prosperitie and Gods children adversitie Iob 21. 8. Now though the foundation of Iobs cause were good yet in the prosecuting of it he committed many errours through the infirmities of the flesh for which God reproved him but on the contrary the foundation of his adversaries cause was evil 'T is therefore a false and an impudent assertion to say as you do that Iob never spoke the thing that was right of the Lord until he said now do mine eyes see thee c. Job 42. 5 6. The reason that moves you to deny or at least to underminde and overthrow the Resurrection of the bodie is because there is a Resurrection of the soul and you may aswel denie there is no death of the body because there is a death of the soul in sin as Satan slays both so Christ doth raise up both in his members If the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead be in you he that raised up Jesus shall also quicken your mortal bodies c. Rom. 8. 11. but this hath been sufficiently proved already I shall only adde our Saviours argument to the Sadduces Mat. 22. 23 24. unto Verse 32. God is not the God of the dead but of the living for all live unto him that is they are alive in his account because he hath decreed to raise them again I shall turn your proof out of the 11. Iohn Vers the 21 22 23 24 25. upon your self Christ comes to Bethany where Lazarus lived who was now dead Martha goes forth to meet him saying Lord if thou hadst been here my brother had not died Christ answered thy brother shall rise again and this is spoken of the Resurrection of the body for his soul was then in the hands of God Martha replies I know that he shall rise again in the Resurrection at the last day So 't is plain that the Resurrection was no strange and new doctrine then though it be now so to you Martha knew it and believed it as did Iob also Iob 19. Christ taught it saying I am the Resurrection and the life Iohn 10. 25. that is the cause of the Resurrection of the body and the life of the soul not a bare signe to signifie as you falsely and foolishly affirmed but an effectual cause 1 Cor. 15. 20 21 22. also he teaches it Iohn 2. 19 20 21. where he saith unto the Jews destroy this temple and in three dayes I will raise it up again which he spake of the temple of his body mark Christ can any thing be more plain which he performed accordingly Mat. 28. Mark 16. Luke 24. now Christ was a publick person what he did he did not for himself but for us also so that if we believe that Jesus is dead and is risen even so them that sleep in Jesus will God bring with him CHAP. VIII In this Chapter the doctrine of the Trinity is principally treated of I will therefore first set down the truth that we may the better discern the falshood The Doctrine of the Trinity God is a most simple infinite eternal immutable and omnipotent spirit One in essence three in Persons Father Son and the Holy Ghost A spirit Iohn 4. 24. simple Col. 1. 15. 1. Tim. 1. 17. the image of the invisible God whom no man hath seen nor can see Eternal Exo. 3. 14 15. Immutable Mal. 3. 6. Omnipotent Gen. 17. 1. Rev. 19. 6. I name but some of his Attributes because I am to speak principally of the Trinity God is one in essence three in Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost One in essence Deut. 6. 4. 1 Cor. 8. 6. Three in Person Father Son and the spirit 1 Iohn 5. 7. an example we finde of this in the Baptisme of Christ The Father speaks from Heaven the Son stands in the Water and the Holy Ghost descends in the likeness of a Dove As in the Sun there is the body of the Sun the beams issuing from the body and the light and yet there is not 3. Suns but one Sun so is there the Father the Word and the Spirit three distinct Persons in the Deity and yet not three but one God These three you call three Manifestations Which are three Persons three Hypostases three Subsistances in one essence as in a Rivulet there is the fountain or Well-head in the Earth the spring boyling out of it and the stream which is made of them both and dilateth or sheadeth it self far from thence which three are distinct subsistances and yet but one Water You tell us of Christs being within us c. We know it But not corporally for so he is in Heaven but spiritually or by his spirit 1 Cor. 6. 19. know you not that your body is the Temple of the holy Ghost which is in you c. this spirit unites us to Christ by working faith in us whereby we are united to him according to that in Ephes. 3. 17. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith and Christ is said to dwell in us by
An Answer To a printed BOOK falsely Intituled A BLOW AT THE SERPENT It being truly A BLOW of the SERPENT lately published by one Richard Coppin Wherein among many others these following Heresies and Abominable Errours of his are briefly and plainly confuted out of the Word of God 1 That the Deitie of Christ was united to the sinful Nature of MAN and consequently that his conception was impure 2 That there is no Resurrection of the body 3 That the pains of Hell are not eternal 4 That there is no General Day of Judgement but such a Temporal judgement only as befals MEN in this world 5 That God will not destroy any MAN but only Sin in MAN 6 That all shall be saved the Divel not excepted 7 That the Humane Nature of Christ is not ascended into Heaven By EDWARD GARLAND M. A. and Minister of Gods Word at HARTCLIP in KENT Vt homo circa Mortem Phantasias videt sic et Mundus in exitu suo multos patietur Errores Chrysost. in Mat. Hom. 48. 2. Pet. 2. 1. 2. 3. But there were false Prophets also among the People even as there shall be false Teachers among you who privily shall bring in most damnable Heresies even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction And many shall follow their pernicious ways by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of And through covetousness shall they with fained words make Merchandize of you whose judgement now of a long time lingreth not and their Damnation slumbreth not LONDON Printed for Philemon Stephens in St. Pauls Church Yeard 1657. To the worshipful his much honoured friend and kinsman Robert Watson of Friendsbury in Kent Esq Worthy Sir I Have read over Coppins Book which you were pleased to leave with me And I finde it to be a magazine of Heresies a Pandora's box full of dangerous poyson which Satan hath sent him with into the world to infect the people of God Indeed it is painted over with a golden title for he calls it truth triumphing against falsehood when there is scarce any thing of truth in it But this is a common practise which such Hereticks of whom Hillarie Ingerunt nobis primum nomina veritatis ut virus falfitatis introeat they first set forth unto us the names of truth that the poyson of falsehood may enter now with them Hill de Trin. lib. 6. and St. Aug who was well acquainted with these cunning practises saith that the promise of truth which they are continually making is nothing but a vaile to cover their errours or a goodly fore-gate for errours to enter in stealing into the minde of the unskilful Aug cont. ep. fundantur cap. 11. wherefore St. Paul gives the Church of God an Item to beware of them Rom. 16. verse 17 18. now I beseech you brethren mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them for they that are such serve not the Lord Jesus Christ but their own belly and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple I did think him not worthy the answering as indeed he is not but because I hear he hath done much mischief to the Church of Christ and drawn many proselytes after him I thought it not amiss to borrow so much time from my imployment in the publick ministerie as to return an answer hoping that it might reclaim some of those that are gone astray or else at least settle those who have not departed away or confirm those as have defended the truth against this uncircumcised Philistin of which number Sir I understand you have been one who with Mr. Maior of Rochester some worthy ministers gentlemen Captains and Commanders have laboured to stop the flood of errours which this Serpent hath cast out of his mouth Sir I desire you all not to be weary of well doing your praise will remain in the Church of Christ besides in due time ye shall reap if ye faint not But Sir I conceive the best way to deal with this clamorous Heretick is not by extemporal speaking but by writing let the arguments answers and replies be set down and setled on both sides and then the Church of Christ will easily judge that his doctrine is not from above but from below not from the father of lights but from the father of lies and forger of delusions Sir I shall adde no more at present then that I desire the God of truth to establish you in the truth and to encrease your happiness not only here on earth but in the highest Heavens which is the prayer of your obliged friend and servant EDWARD GARLAND On J. L. and his Verses prefixt to Richard Coppins Heretical Book entituled a Blow at the Serpent truly a Blow at the brazen Serpent Scribimus indocti doctique LIke as a Black-brow'd Whifler to the Play A masked Poetaster leads the way J. L. or Iohn of Leydens ghostly front His Vizard is it frights me to look on 't And that dull Ray shot from the Fiery lake Coppins new light we for his Link may take Being thus prepared up he rashly climes Parnassus foot and belcheth forth his Rimes But with such fortunate success be 't known The Ballet-makers vote him all their own And joy their Tribes increase when loe the Prise He 's but some old one in a new disguise Mean while the Nine and all Apollos Court Have sentenced the bold Intruder for 't And that because he never slumbred on Parnassus or the Banks of Helicon Nor hath been dip't in the Font-Caballine Though in some perhaps right Asinine And all admire that he should have the face To commence Poet with so little Grace When neither Art nor nature seem to be Concurrent in him unto Poetry What Stuffe hath he dropt from his Gooses quill To praise a Subject suitable as ill Had learn'd Erasmus been as void of wit And Art when he the * Praise of Folly writ He would have wanted one to praise him too As both this Poet and his Author do For what appears of Wit or rather shame Is only the concealing of his Name Whereby we doubt what Soul this Mevius yields Although we know not the Arcadian fields But as the Mountain breeds and teem's to light The sillie Mouse that nibbles out of sight Some Pelion hath this Pigmy Poet born To Cant for Baal and Gods Church to scorn To lurk in dark concealment and revile His Ministers in a mad Chem'rim's Stile What doth his Caution fancy'd from the course Of Stars but shew he 's Lunatick or worse And could he make an Almanack his Strein Would much out-rail old Chem ' rim Lilly's vein The Priests should surely have more wounds then any Nay then the Bloody naked man by many But since 't is plain he and his Author look Up to the Host of Heaven witness their Book We can't but judge
St. Paul who was led by the Spirit of Christ Ephe. 1. 20 21 22. God hath highly exalted his Son and placed him at his right hand in Heavenly places where he shews the exaltation of his Humane nature to the highest degree of blessedness that it can be capable of He hath put all things in subjection under his feet and that propter Mortem Crucis because he became obedient to death even the death of the Cross Phil. 2. 8 9. Your Allegorical fancy is as far different from the truth as a Goat is from a Sheep or an Asse from a rational man Secondly Non-sense in the contents of your third Chapter as all that read it cannot judge it otherwise Thirdly Confusion in turning the Holy Scriptures into Allegories where they are to be understood literally and so overthrow the meaning of the Holy Ghost Disput. 2. You begin with truth as Pilate and yet you go about to crucifie it you assume unto your self the name of a light as the Pharisees did and yet our Saviour calls them blind guides that went into the ditch themselves and drew others after them You tell Mr. French you are not of his Spirit and I believe so too for he defends the truth and you maintain falsehood Neither are you of the spirit of Christ for he hates the doctrine of the Nicholaitans Rev. 2. 15. you hate no mans opinion as you declare page 15. a difference then for there is the spirit of Christ and your spirit they are not the same Here I meet again with two Heresies disputed of and confuted before and therefore I shall not need to adde much The first is that the deity of Christ was not only united to the nature of man but to the sin of his nature which is as impossible as for two contraries to agree together in the same subject puritie and uncleanness Righteousness and unrighteousness Light and darkness He was a perfect man in all things sin excepted Heb. 4. 15. We have not an high Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we were yet without sin And Heb. 7. 26 27. for such an high Priest became us to have who is holy harmless undefiled separate from sinners and made higher then the Heavens Who needed not daily as those high Priests to offer up sacrifice first for his own sin and then for the peoples And what can be more plaine that he was without sin clearly as the other high Priests were not without they having need he having none Again he took upon him the nature of man but not the sin of his nature Sin and concupiscence are not of the nature of man but an hereditary disease that sticks unto his nature as doth the Leprosie For indeed if it had stuck to his nature he could neither have been a Priest nor a sacrifice Not an high Priest for such an high Priest it becommed us to have who was holy as in that Text of Heb. 7. 26. Not a sacrifice for that must be without spot that must take away sin And so was Christ John 14. 30. The Prince of this world had nothing in him 1. Pet. 1. 19. A lamb without blemish and without spot 1. Pet. 2. 22. Who did not sin And whereas you object he bore our sins in his body on the Tree you could not have brought any place that makes more against you Mark the words He bore our sins not his own We were the principals He was but our suertie He suffered not for himself but according to that of Daniel 9. 26. The Messias shall be slain for his people You urge moreover that place He hath made him to be sin that knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him which makes nothing for your purpose rightly understood For he made him sin by imputation God imputed his righteousness to us and our sin to him I have shewed you before how he was conceived by the Holy Ghost not begotten by man Here we are come again to that old exploded Heresie of Origen which hath been answered already and that enough to the satisfaction of any good Christian yet because I meet with it again I shall adde somewhat more God doth threaten eternal punishments as he promises eternal blessings as in that Text of Mat. 25. 46. before spoken of Which Text runs thus in the Original {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Here the word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} which signifies eternal you see is the Epithite for the future condition both of the righteous and unrighteous and though the English translation render it by two several words as eternal and everlasting yet their force and meaning is the same and signifie the same And here me thinks this one passage might discover to the weakest and most ignorant follower of your erâ—ours what a perverter of Scripture you are But for all this you have the face to tell Mr. French that this Text proves it not and tell him that you had answer'd it before but let us see how you have answer'd it before Your answer was that the word everlasting did signifie a dispensation or administration of God to man which as I told you before is an absurd expression your meaning is as you have somewhat exprest your self in the beginning of the eighteenth Page that it signifies such a perpetuitie as is not absolute but hath a Period Captain Smith very seasonably charg'd you to prove it hath such a signification You instance in the Covenant God made with Abraham which was called an Everlasting Covenant Your words are The Covenant which God made with Abraham was called an everlasting Covenant and this Covenant upon these conditions did last but for a time for we read that God did afterwards make a new Covenant with us that should never be ended To this Mr. French replied I deny that the Scripture you brought out of the 17. of Genesis is taken in your sense For that was an everlasting Covenant And indeed so it was therefore the pains of Hell are eternall that is have no Period To this you say Sir you say nothing but what your brother Roswel had said before which I then answer'd and you understand not for the first everlasting Covenant as to the conditions thereof which were the works of the Law had an end as to us when God made a new covenant with us upon better conditions without end Oh Monstrum horrendum cui lumen ademptum Oh blind deceived deceiver to say that the covenant God made with Abraham was a covenant of works when it was a covenant of grace as the Scriptures every where prove but especially Rom. 4. and in that Chapter especially the 16 Verse Therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace to the end the Promise might be sure to all the seed of Abraham who against hope believed in hope and
was conceived in original sin and so raze the very foundation of true Religion for if the root be impure all the Branches must be impure Christ then would have needed a Saviour himself and could not have saved others 2. His Resurrection his Ascension his session at the right hand of God I say examine your own conscience whether you can be clear or not who have done all this by your senselesse Alegories for my part I leave it to God to judge who searches the heart and knowes whether you have done his out of malice or ignorance Now it is fit your weak and absurd description of the sin against the Holy Ghost be examined You say to sin against the holy Ghost is to rebell to war to resist the spirit and to prove it you bring Chap. 5. to the Gal. v. 17. The words are these The flesh lusteth against the spirit c. and so by consequence you make the flesh lusting against the spirit to be the sin against the holy Ghost A sin which Gods best children are guilty of Read Rom. 7. 21 22 23. This deserves to be hiss'd at rather then answered and let me advise you to read more and write lesse For howsoever your purblinde seduced Followers may beleeve you yet all men of sound judgement will plainly see that it is not the spirit of God that hath inspired you but the spirit of blindnesse and ignorance that hath missed you I woulde here conclude this Chapter but that you confesse the sin against the holy Ghost shal never be forgiven in this world nor in the world to come which is the truth grounded upon the words of Christ Matth. 12. 32. and therefore by your own confession such as commit thissi nne shall never be redeemed out of hell CHAP. 10. In this Chapter you endeavour to prove that man shall not be destroyed but onely the sin that is in man Your words are Therefore man shall not be destroyed but the work of the Devil in him Your first argument to prove this is because God made man therefore man shall not be destroyed and you may as well say Because God made all sensitive and vegetable creatures as Beasts and Plants therefore they shall not be destroyed Are not the Creatures made subject to vanity by reason of the sin of man if they be much more shall man that made them subject be subject himself What do you think of the old world were not they created by God yet you know they were destroyed You will say this was but a temporal destruction it is to be hoped that when the waters rose upon the earth many repented and so though their bodies perished yet their souls were saved but yet the most part perished both temporally and eternally as Peter testifies 1 Pet. 3. 19. Your 2. Argument is Christ came into the World to save Man the work of God but all mankinde is the work of God therefore Mankind who is the image of God shall not be destroyed is not here a goodly conclusion that hath more in it then the premises to answer it though man that is renewed restored to the image of God shall not be destroyed yet man that is not restored to the image of God shall be destroyed though he be his Creature for without holiness no man shall see God Depart from me I know you not ye workers of iniquity Thirdly your third argument is Christ came into the World to destroy the works of the Divel therefore man shall not be destroyed how doth this follow Your argument ought to be thus framed Christ came to destroy the works of the Divel in men therefore those men in whom the works of the Divel are destroyed shall not be destroyed but there are some that have not the works of the Divel destroyed in them Jo. 8. 44. therefore they shall be destroyed Your fourth argument is if man must die for his own sins and go to Hell with them in vain then did Christ die for mans sins pray where lies the fault in Christ or in the man that will not applie Christs death unto his soul for his Salvation Rom. 9. 30 31 32. 1 Cor. 1. 18. A Physitian composeth a medicine which is able to cure his patient and to save him fromdeath but the patient will not apply it for his remedie according to that in Jer. 51. 9. Balm was provided for her but she would not be cured and likewise the Pharisees rejected the Counsel of God against their own Salvation Luke 7. 30. Christ would have gathered Jerusalems Children together as a Hen doth gather her Brood under her wings and they would not Luke 13. 34. Something is here spoken of that place of Scripture 1 Iohn 3. 8. He that commits sin is of the Divel c. that is he that commits sin as the Divel doth or as did the Pharisees John 8. 44. ye are of your father the Divel and the lusts of your father ye will do he was a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him but to infer from this Text that he which commits sin although of infirmitie as Paul did Rom. 7. 14 15 16. is a most impudent perverting of Scripture Do not the best of Gods children sin In many things we sin all saith the Apostle James If there be any that saith he hath no sin he makes God a lyer and his word is not in him 1 Iohn 1. 10. Peter confesseth as much of himself when he saith Depart from me for I am a sinful man Luke 5. 8. But you urge Christ came to destroy the works of the Divel 't is true but not in your sense but in the sense which the Scriptures do allow that is Christ came to destroy the works of the Divel which he did by his death and Resurrection He did not only justifie us Rom. 6. 22. but also sanctifie us Rom. 6. 3 4 5 6. c. Christ loved his Church and gave himself for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it c. Ephe. 5. 25 26. yet so long as she is in this world the Jebusite will dwell in her coast with whom she must have a continual conflict which made Paul himself to say I am carnal sold under sin Rom. 7. 14. carnal but not totally as the unregenerate are but partly carnal and partly spiritual the flesh lusting against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and therefore he cries out O wretch that I am who shall deliver me from this body of sin mark what he saith me and therefore he speaks in the Person of a Regenerate man And this may serve to satisfie Captain Smiths question whether Paul spake in the person of a Regenerate or unregenerate man in that he saith who shall deliver me You say in the conclusion of the tenth Chapter it is manifest that all men were and are the people of God though untill this
because there were an inward judgement therefore there should not be an outward a secret judgement therefore not an open Doth not Saint Paul teach the contrary Rom. 2. 5. Thou after thy hardnesse and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath and Revelation of the righteous judgement of God c. Again because wicked men have here inward darknesse therefore you conclude they shall not be cast into outward darknesse Christ himself teacheth otherwise Math. 8. 12. The children of the kingdom shall be cast into outward darknesse there shall be weeping and Gnashing of teeth and so likewise in Mat. 22. 23. and 25 30 or if by judgement you mean regeneration as it seems you do that is not a judgement but a great mercy that God should take men out of the power of darknesse and translate them into the kingdome of his dear Son And this judgement as you call it is not general but an especial grace belonging unto the Church of Christ as appears Ephe. 1 3 4 Cap. 2. 1 2 3 4. Cap. 5. 25 26. 1 Pet. 2. 9 10. Col. 1. 12 13. yea from this we may take a medium to prove the general day of judgement because the tares must be separated from the wheat the sheep from the goats which man cannot do who knows not the heart but God that searcheth the heart and trieth the reines and he shall do it openly at the general day of Judgement as our Saviour Math. 25. 31 32 34 c. but because you denie this article of our faith I shall confirm it out of the Scriptures and first I shall begin with Enoch cited by Iude Verses 14 15. Whole Sermons of our Saviour Mat. 24. 31. to the end of that Chapter and Mat. 25. Acts 17. 31. 1 Thes. 4. 16. Heb. 9. 27. Rev. 1. 7. Rev. 20. 11 12 13 14 15. with many more which I shall desire the unsatisfied Reader if any such there can be to read them in the Bible and save the labour of Repetition and in the reading them he shall not only finde the truth and ground of this general judgement but the very circumstances of as it 1. The Person that shall judge Iesus Christ 2. The time the latter end of the world 3. The place the clouds 4. The manner of his comming to judgement with majestie and great glory and all his holy Angels 5. The persons that shall be judged the quick and the dead 6. The judges action He shall separate 7. His sentence Come ye blessed go ye cursed 8. The execution These shall go into everlasting life those into everlasting torment And now what can be more evident so that you your self that have wickedly contradicted it cannot but confess it unless you are given up to believe your own delusions and on the contrary to denie a truth as apparent as the light of the Sun at Noon-day in the Scriptures and that without any figure You object Heb. 9. 27. it is appointed for all men once to die but after this the judgement and say this death is a dying into sin and trespasses First for the place of Scripture what can be more plain and forcible against you It is decreed where Gen. 2. 17. In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die and so it was for from that time he and all his posteritie were subject unto death and as death is decreed so is also judgement God hath appointed a time in which he will judge the world Acts 17. 31. and this is not before death as you would have it but after death The words are after death comes the judgement but you say this is meant of a spiritual death a silly shift did God appoint that any man should die the death of sin no he appointed him to die a death for sin and transgressions Secondly its manifest the Apostle spake here of a corporal death he answers an objection to wit if Christ be the Messias how comes it to pass that he died His answer is it was appointed for all men to die and therefore for him now I hope you will not be so graceless as to say that Christ ever died the death of sin and therefore it must be understood a death of the body which he voluntarily suffered that he might destroy him that had power of death which was the Divel Heb. 2. 14. Your second objection is taken out of Iohn 5. 22. The father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgement to the Son That is the father judgeth the world in and by the Son and he doth it not with partialitie as do corrupt judges but with righteous judgement for we are sure that the judgement of God is according to truth Rom. 2. 2. and verse the sixth who will render to every man according to his deeds to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory c. Eternal life but to them that are contentious and do not obey the truth indignation and wrath c. and when at the day of the Revelation of the righteous judgement of God Third objection 1 Pet. 4. 17. For the time is come that judgement shall begin at the house of God to whom I answer if it shall begin with us what shall become of those that abide not in the Gospel The same Apostle doth resolve it 2 Pet. 2. 9. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the righteous out of temptations and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished Fourth objection out of Mal. 3. 3. He shall sit as a Refiâ—er and Purifier of silver and he shall purifie the Sons of Levi c. which words are spoken of Christs first comming in the flesh as appears by that spoken before in the first Verse behold I will send my messenger before which is applied unto Iohn the Baptist Mat. 11. 10. Behold I send my messenger before thy face which shall prepaâ—e thy way before thee But what shall become of those that will not be purified that will not abide the day of his comming surely you shall finde another day for them in Mal. 4. 1. Behold the day commeth that shall burn as an Oven and all the proud yea and all that do wickedly shall be stubble c. Fifth objection out of 2 Pet. 3. 8. one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day for answer to which that I may conclude I will only adde the foregoing words of Peter on which these have dependence and in which the objector is concerned Knowing this saith the Apostle Verse the third there shall come in the last dayes Scoffers walking after their own lusts and saying where is the promise of his comming For since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the creation for this they are willingly ignorant of c. Verse 9. but the Lord is not slack I need not adde more to prove the
3. to maintain the same errour but to what purpose let the world judge The Prophet there shews that when Christ should come he should refine his silver that is his Church the sons of Levi the purest of his Silver for even they stood in need of purifying now can the reprobate be called the purest of his silver your argument deserves to be hist at rather then answered Read the 5. verse following and there you shal finde that Christ takes another course with them where it is said I will come neer to you to judgement I will be a swift witnesse against the sorcerers against adulterers against the falseswearers c. So you may see it is against the persons not against their sins agreeable is that in 2 Pet. 2. 1 2 3. c. Your last Proofe is Reve. 15. 8. And the Temple was filled with smoke c. I will first shew the true meaning of the place and then observe the unfitnesse of your Allegory The Spirit of God in the 14. Chapter foretells the day of judgement verse 19 20. but before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord he signifies several horrible judgements that should fall upon the kingdom of Anti-Christ Chap. 16. Now that they might know these judgements came not by chance he shews from whence they came and that was from the Temple of God from above ver. 5. which Temple was filled with smoke which signifies the glory of God as in 1 Kin. 8. 10 11. 1. He doth it to admonish us that we pry not too narrowly into Gods judgements for they are incomprehensible but to wait untill the day when all secrets shall be made manifest 1 Cor. 4. 5. Let us See now what your Allegory can deduce from this Because God before the day of judgement will send seven fearful Plagues from above upon the earth that is upon the followers of Anti-Christ the men which have the mark of the beast and worsâ—ip his image Rev. 16. 1 2. on the wicked and such as shed the blood of the Saints ver. 6. therefore will he not destroy any man not the impenitent unbeleeving Reprobate excepted for this that you indevour to assert in this Chapter and now consider what a conclusion you have made and how your Allegory is vanished CHAP. 20. Page 78. In this Chapter you tax the Magistrates and ministers for illegal proceedings against you I know it is the Custome of such companions as you to be the first accusers that thereby they may seem to be innocent I am a stranger to their proceedings against you but onely by the relation of them yet not so much to some of the persons but that I know them to be men of that integrity that they would not wrong you as the event will questionlesse make manifest And whereas you say you are charged for being a Blasphemer it is evident you are so and therefore cannot justly complain of any injustice done you in that particular for any Good Christian that reads your book will assuredly condemn you of Blasphemy because you make God the Author of your lies wresting and perverting the Scriptures to serve your wicked purposes For your confidence in boasting that you are clear and innocent in your own spirit it moves me not nor any man els that hath heard and read of the practices of the devil For we know there is a spiritual witchcraft and Satan doth delude the phancies of Hereticks as well as of Witches Gal. 3. 1. making them beleeve they are what they are not hence it came to passe that many false Christs false Prophets and false Apostles when they were nothing else but devils in Samuels mantle I remember two notable examples I have read of to this purpose the one of old the other of late that of old is in Eusebius lib. 5. Cap. 14. of Montanus the Heretick who being strongly deluded by the Spirit of errour uttered strange Doctrines contrary to the truth and yet boasted that he had the spirit and the gift of Prophesie as also did his two trulls calling themselves Prophetesses when they were deluded by the foul spirit as appeared by their desperate ends for Judas like they became their own Executioners The second example shall be that of wicked Hacket Copping and Arthington in the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1591. This wicked impostor gave out he was extraordinarily annointed with the Holy Ghost and sent forth Coppinger and Arthington his seduced Varlets under the name of two Prophets mercy and judgement to preach him up in the City of London to tell the people that Christ was come with his fan in his hand to judge the earth and that he lodged at Walkers house neer Broken-wharf and if they would not beleeve it let them come and see it and kill him if they can these accursed Hereticks lived and died in their damnable error Hacket was hanged drawn and quartered and his two false prophts died the one in the Counter the other in Bride-well a just judgement of God on such Blasphemers are not here strong delusions who would not wonder at this if he did not know the wiles of Satan in deluding the mindes of such as God hath given up into his hands for your contempt of the truths St. Paul 2 Thes. 2. 10. 11. I do not therefore wonder at your confidence but I pitty your blindnesse your are deadly sick and not feel your disease struck with the sting of the Serpent yet do not feel your pain but die singing I shall therefore desire God if it be his will to give yo a sight and feeling of your own miserable condition and deliver you out of the snare of the Devil who hath taken you captive and holds you fast making you an unhappy instrument to deceive your self and to seduce others I shall desire all good Christians to avoid your society that so you may be ashamed and they not infected with your damnable errours for your words do fret like a cancer 2 Tim. 2. 17. I shall then conclude with the words of St. Paul Rom. 16. 17 18. and Tit. 9. 3 10 11. Par enim est ut nos qui sumus Christiani omnes c. For it behoveth us that are Christians to eschew all such as open their mouthes against Christ and such as are alienated in minde from him as enemies of God and rotten sheep corrupting the sense of mans minde c. as Alexander Epist. Alex Socrat. lib. 1. cap. 9. FINIS Nec fonte labra prolui caballino nec in bicipiti somniasse Parnasso memini ut fic repentè Poeta redirem Auli Persii prologo * Moriae Encomium Qui Bavium non odit amat tua Carmina Maevi Hor. Parturiunt Montes nascitur ridiculus Mus. Deut. 4. 19. * Eze. 22. 28. * 2 Cor. 11. 15. 〈◊〉 23. Cap. 2. Page 7. 8. Page 8. Chap. 3. Page 11. Page 11. Page 15. Page 16. 17. 2 Cor. 3. 21â— Page 8. Page 9. Page 18. 2 Thes. 2. 10 11 12. Page 8. Page 23. Page 22. Page 23. 1 Tim. 3. 16. Page 24. Page 21. Page 32. Page 33. Page 34. Page 35. Page 36. Page 37. Page 3â— Page 37. 38. Page 38. Page 33. Page 39. â— Thes. 4. 14. Page 41 Page 42. John 1. 18. Page 41 42. Page 43. Page 44. Page 45. Page 45 Page 45 46. Jam. â— 2. * Rev. 12. 17. * Verse 9. Page 50. line 10. Page 50. Page 51. Page 51. â— Page 51. â— Page 52. Page 53. Col. 1. 12 13. Page 55. Ibid. Page 58. Page 59. Page 61. Page 61. vid. Mat. 6. 6. 7. 19. Page 61. Page 61. Page 62. Page ibid. Page 63. Page 63. Page 63. Rev. 17. 18. Page 68. Wisd. 11. 24. Heb. 4. 2 3. Object 1. Teren. Obj. 2. Object 3. Object 4 Object 5. Object 6. Object 7. Object 8. John 17. 9. Object 9. Object 10. Page 68. Page 68. Gal. 6. 1. Mat. 25. 21. Page 71. Page 71. Page 71. Page 73. Page 72. Page 73. Page 72. Page 72. Page 73. Page 76. Page 76. Read Pro. 16. 4. Hab. 1. 12. Rom. 9. 12. Iud. 1. 4. Heb. 1. 12. Exod. 38. 32. Rev. 7. 8. 80 20. 15. Page 76. â—al. 1. 2. Page 77. Page 79.