the the working of apparent and undeniable Miracles we are to receive it as that which God himself hath commended to us as a Truth and himself born witness of it Indeed to determin what is the utmost that is in the Power of Natural Causes or Agents to produce without Supernatural Assistance and what is the least of those that are to be esteemed Supernatural Effects and which ought to be ascribed to a cause of Transcendent Power this is a matter of great difficulty But yet when such things are done as were never heard of from the Foundation of the World to be done by them that have made the greatest experiments of the strength and operation of Natural Causes yea which have directly crossed the course of Nature without using any Natural Causes to oppose one another I suppose that every rational man will account him absurd that will deny these to be Miracles and done by the immediate hand of God except he can shew any Natural cause that should be imagined to work these effects This we find our Saviour to stand much upon when he was on Earth for the confirmation of his being the true Messiah Joh. 5.36 I have a greater Witness then that of John though the Jews did most of them reverence him greatly for his strict life the works which my Father hath given me to finish the same works that I do bear witness of me that the Father hath sent me And afterward Joh. 10.25 when the Jews asked Jesus to tell them plainly whether he were the Messiah he sends them to his Works The works that I do in my Fathers Name Ver. 37 38. they bear witness of me And further saith If I do not the works of my Father believe me not but if I do though ye believe not me yet believe the works that ye may know and believe that the Father is in me and I in him And elsewhere Joh. 14.11 Believe me that the Father is in me and I in him or else believe me for the very works sake Joh. 15.24 And again If I had not done amongst them the works which no other man can do they had not had sin that is their sin had not been so great and inexcusable but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father Yea he tells those that were understanding persons among them that inasmuch as they had refisted and opposed that Doctrine which he had thus confirmed and had imputed these works to the evil Spirit Matt. 12.28 therefore they had sinned that sin against the holy Ghost which should never be forgiven Thus you see that Jesus himself laid great stress upon this Argument Mark 3.29 to prove himself to be the true Messiah because he had done such works to confirm this Truth as no other man could do yea such as none but God himself could do And that Jesus did work these Miracles to confirm the truth of his being the Messiah may be sufficiently evident both by what hath been spoken already and also by what he spake to the Disciples of John Baptist Matt. 11.4 When their Master sent them to him to be satisfied whether or no he were the true Messiah he answers them Go tell John the things that ye have seen and heard The blind receive their sight the lame walk the lepers are cleansed the dead are raised up And therefore do you judge who it is that hath power to do such works as these It would be a large task to reckon up all the Miracles of Christ which are upon record I shall onely set before you some of those which do most apparently shew themselves to be works peculiar to the Divine Power to effect (a) Joh. 2. He turned water into wine at Cana of Galilee (b) Mat. 14. He fed 5000 men with five loaves (c) Mat. 15. and 4000 with seven loaves (d) Joh. 9.1 He restored divers blind men to sight amongst which one that was born blind (e) Mar. 7.32 He restored to speech and hearing one that was deaf and dumb He calmed the Seas twice He raised three dead folks whereof (f) Joh. 11. Lazarus had been dead four days so that there could be no doubt but that he was really dead and past being recovered by natural Causes These works and many others which Jesus wrought being such as no man can reasonably deny to be the works of Gods immediate power and being wrought to confirm the truth of his being the true Messiah may be sufficient to establish our Faith in the belief of it If the unbelieving Jews and Atheistical persons amongst us do doubt of the truth of these matters of fact and consequently of the truth that they are brought to confirm alledging that we bring onely the Writings of the New Testament for the proof thereof which is of suspected credit with them I answer that we have as much cause Reason it self being judg to believe the History of the New Testament as any other Histories which are written in the world If we believe the Roman History written by Livie and Suetonius Tacitus and the English Chronicles written by divers of our own Nation and should account him very unreasonable that should deny the truth of the things therein reported without alledging any sufficient ground for his suspecting the integrity of these Writers then why should we not believe the matters of fact recorded by the Writers of the New Testament seeing we cannot alledge any sufficient ground of doubting either the sufficiency of these Writers or yet their integrity But have rather ground to conclude that no bad creature would write those things which tend so directly to the beating down of Satans Kingdom and terrifying of lewd and wicked men nor would any good creature so far take the name of God in vain or wrong the souls of well-meaning people as to report such matters in the name of God which they knew to be untruths and that therefore it is most reasonable to conclude these things to be written by good men and who did know themselves to write the truth Besides the Miracles that Christ is reported to have wrought were not done in a corner nor a great while before they were written He fed 5000 people at one time and 4000 at another miraculously yea most of Christ Miracles were wrought openly so that many of the Jews were present at the doing of them and they were written in the same age wherein they were done so that the unbelieving Jews who were such enemies to Jesus would certainly have contradicted them if they had written an untruth Yea other Writers besides the Evangelists do mention these Miracles See what testimony Josephus himself though a Jew Joseph Antiq. l. 18. c. 4. gives of Christ At that time was Jesus a wise man if it be lawful to call him a man for he was the performer of divers admirable works and the instructor of
blessed for ever Rom. 5.9 to be Davids Son Mat. 22.42 and Davids Lord also There were also some other things foretold concerning the Messiah As that he should call the Gentiles enter into the second Temple ruine the Idols of the Heathen silence their Oracles c. But of these I have spoken in the last Chapter Also there are some lesser matters as that he should be called a Nazarite that he should be brought up and preach in Galilee and the like But these things which I have mentioned are some of the chief things that are contained in the Prophesies concerning the Messiah To sum up therefore the Argument If all things that were foretold concerning the person of the Messiah or concerning what he should do and suffer upon earth did concur in that Jesus in whom we believe then may we conclude him to be the true Messiah But all things did concur in his person as to his Conception Birth c. and all things were done and suffered by him which the Prophers foretold concerning the Messiah Therefore we may undoubtedly believe that the same Jesils in whom we believe is the true Messiah who was promised to come into the world CHAP. IX The fourth Proposition confirmed viz. That the Apostles and Evangelists of the New Testament do hold forth unto us such a Christ as was really and in a proper sense God and Man hypostatically united in one Person And who did in a real and proper sense satisfie Gods justice for our sins and purchase eternal Salvation for us by his Merits WE have proceeded so far as to shew evident proof of these truths that the Son of God was promised to the fathers of the Old Testament to take our Nature upon him and to become our Saviour and that the time for the fulfilling of these Promises yea the set time is long since come and withal that the same Jesus in whom we believe is that very Messiah who was promised to the fathers And me-thinks to men of moderately clear Reason and competent Modesty this might be sufficient both to satisfie all doubts and also to stop their mouths from cavilling at or contradicting our Christian Faith But because first there are a generation of people so wise in their own eyes that they conceit themselves to see something more in the name of Christ then the Churches of God in all ages have seen And secondly do talk of a perfection of righteousness by walking up to the dictates of I know not what light within And thirdly do seek for the confirmation of all points of Faith out of the New Testament as if the Old Testament were too old to be good I shall therefore for the convincing of these men if possible or at least for the stopping of their mouths and withal for the strengthning of our Faith against the cavils of seducers without and the suggestions of Satan within endeavour from the writings of the Apostles and Evangelists to prove First that Christ was really such as we believe him to be and such as the Prophets foretold him to be The Son of God made Man or The Word made Flesh Secondly that he did fully and in a true and proper sense make satisfaction to Gods justice for our sins and that there is no way to be saved but by his Merits First That Christ was such as we believe him to be and such as the Prophets did foretel that he should be viz. God and Man or the Word made flesh Deut. 17.6 By the mouth of two or three witnesses saith God in the Law shall every word be established And it is our comfort that God hath given us not onely two or three witnesses Heb. â—2 1 but even a whole cloud of witnesses to establish this Word of Faith Christ chose twelve Apostles to be witnesses of what he did and spake upon earth and besides them there are many other witnesses of this Truth First the Angels whose Ministry God was pleased to use in the revealing of this great Mystery to the World Before he was conceived in the Womb the Angel speaking to Zacharias calls him The Lord as to his Divine Nature Luke 1.17 and speaks of his coming after John Baptist as to his humane Nature And speaking to the B. Virgin v. 30.31 he tells her that she should conceive in her Womb and bear a Son This notes his humane Nature And he shall be called The Son of the Highest and the Lord God shall â—ive him the Throne of his father David This notes the truth of his Divinity And â—hen he was conceived in the Womb Mat. 1.20 21. an Anâ—el tells Joseph that That which was conceived in the Blessed Virgin was of the holy Ghost and that she should call his Name Jesus because he should save his people from their sins Behold both his Humanity in his Conception and his Divinity in his Office to save his people And again when he was born the Angel saith to the Shepherds Luk. 2.10 11. To you is born a Saviour which is Christ the Lord he is born this notes his Humanity he is Christ the Lord that notes his Divinity Again after his Resurrection an Angel saith unto the Women that Christ who was crucified was risen up again Mat. 28.5 6. That shews that he was truely man Come see the place where the Lord lay Act. 1.11 That shews him to be truely God Yea after he was ascended into Heaven they say of him This same Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven shall come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven his Ascention which was a change of Place notes his Humanity his coming to Judge the world his Divine Power and Authority So that all along the Angels witness him to be truely God and truely Man 2. We have the testimony of many Pious Persons in the New Testament which though to a Jew or Heathen it be of little value yet to all that profess obedience to the holy Scriptures it is of great moment Let us see the confession of Zachary Luk. 1.68 He calls him the Lord God of Israel who had visited his people so as to Redeem them a clear testimony of both his Natures vers 43. And Elizabeth calleth the Blessed Virgin vers 47. The mother of her Lord. And the Blessed Virgin her self calls him that was conceived in her Womb The Lord her Sauiour a clear proof of his two Natures 3. John Baptist gives testimony to this whose testimony may well be reckoned distinctly from other Saints because he was sent especially about this Message to bear witness of Christ Joh. 1.29 He calls him The Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world Here he gives Testimony both to his Divinity in that he was able to make satisfaction to Gods justice and to take away sin and to his Humanity in that he was a Lamb that had a body to sacrifice
David Reigned but that he should exercise a spiritual jurisdiction over The Israel of God as I have spoken before To this purpose also is that which Daniel speaks of The God of heavens setting up a Kingdom that should never be destroyed Dan. 2.44 which is spoken of the Kingdom of Christ And that Zechariah speaks of thus Behold thy King cometh unto thee Zechar. 9.9 which is applyed to our Saviour Mat. 21.7 By all this it is sufficiently evident to every sober and impartial eye that the Lord did promise to the Fathers of the Old Testament his own Son to become man and to be a Mediator between God and man and that accordingly the Spirit of God in the Law and the Prophets hath attributed to the Messiah who was promised such Names and Titles as speak him to be such a Person and withal that they foretel him to be designed by the Father to such Offices as were necessary to be performed in order to our Redemption and Salvation CHAP. VII The second Proposition confirmed by nine Arguments viz. That the time which was appointed by God for the accomplishing of these Promises and Prophesies and for the sending of the Son of God into the world in our Nature is long since expired so that we are certainly to believe that our Saviour is already come in the flesh THat God the Father was pleased in his wonderful goodness and tenderness toward Mankind to make very gracious promises concerning the sending of his own Son into the World to be our Redeemer and Saviour I think hath been made so evident that he who would go about to cavil at it must either bid open defiance to the belief of the Law and the Prophets or if he profess with his mouth that he believeth them yet he will shew indeed by his wresting of them that he bears very little reverence to them Now as we have seen how the inestimable love of God was manifest in that man had no sooner fallen from obedience to his Creatour and given him occasion to pronounce that sentence of the Law which his Justice did shew to be the due desert of sin but he did presently even in the midst of judgement remember mercy and promised unto man a Saviour that should deliver him from that curse of the Law which was but now denounced So now let us see the admirable faithfulness of God who hath fulfilled with his hand what he promised with his mouth and When the fulness of time was come Gal. 4.4 did send forth his Son made of a Woman made under the Law The Apostle tells us that the Doctrine which they preached of Christ being then already come and crucified for our sins was to the Jews a stumbling-block 1 Cor. 1.23 44. and to the Greeks foolishness and we may add that what he told us before we have still reason to tell you weeping 2 Cor. 3.24 that to this day the vail is upon the hearts of the Jews even a double vail of ignorance and obstinacy so that though the wrath of God hath come upon this Nation to the utmost 1 Thes 2 16. and doth continue to this day by reason of their crucifying the Lord of Life yet will they not be sensible of it but still are ready to cry as their fathers formerly Mat. 27.25 His blood be on us and on our children And which is more sad many even amongst the Professours of Christianity are waxed so wanton in matters of Religion that they would be glad to finde out some new sawces to gratifie the vanity of their own appetites would fain finde some new matters in this great Mystery of godâ—iness God manifest in the flesh as if the old Doctrine of the Church of God in all ages were so old that it were time to lay it aside To obviate therefore the growing vanity of those that are so loose in the Profession of Christianity and to help to establish us all in the belief of that Faith into which we have been Baptized I shall endeavour by several Arguments to confirm this Truth that we are verily to believe the time to be come and long since past when the Son of God was to come in the flesh and to make himself an offering to Divine Justice for our sins First 1 Argument I argue from the calling of the Gentiles to the Knowledge and Service of the true God When God was pleased to make choice of Jacob and his Posterity for his peculiar people he gave them several Ordinances and Rites Eph. 2.14 which the Apostle calls a middle-wall of partition between them and the Gentiles God having appointed the observation of these to be the cognizance of his own people so that the Gentiles not observing these this made as it were a partition-wall to separate the Jews from the Gentiles And if we look into all the Writings of the Prophets whensoever we finde any thing spoken of the Conversion of the Gentiles we finde it tyed to the coming of the Messiah in the flesh So when the Prophet speaks of Christ Isa 49.6 and the forming of him from the womb he saith It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Judah I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles Isa 60.3 that thou mayst be my Salvation to the ends of the earth And afterwards speaking of the coming of Christ he saith The glory of the Lord shall arise upon the earth and the Gentiles shall come to thy light and the King to the brightness of thy rising I might instance in many other Prophesies concerning the Conversion of the Gentiles all which do foretel its coming to pass about the time of the coming of the Messiah in the flesh Eph. 2.14 15. who was to break down the middle-wall of partition that was between us and so of twain to make one people Now that the Gentiles have been many of them long since turned to the knowledge and obedience of the true God is evident Joh. 4. Christ himself preached the Gospel to the man of Samaria and afterward to the whole City and many of them believed in him And afterwards we finde that divers of the Apostles went and preached the Gospel to the Gentiles yea St. Paul is expresly stiled The Apostle of the Gentiles Eph. 3.2 3. And he saith Is he the God of the Jews only Is he not of the Gentiles also Rom. 3.29 30. Yes of the Gentiles also Seeing it is one God that will justifie the circumcision by Faith and the uncircumcision through Faith We read in the New Testament of the Churches of God at Rome at Corinth at Galatia at Ephesus and many other places which before were Heathenish places Yea to go no further then this our Island which was sometime of the number of the Gentile Nations yea of the remote parts of the Gentiles and yet as we know that at
and to the end of his coming into the world viz. to take away the sins thereof 4. The greatest and most Authentick Testimony that can be defired or imagined is that of the Father from Heaven concerning him This is my well beloved Son Mat. 3.17 Chap. 17.5 in whom I am well pleased That he was truly man was evident to those that were about him that he was God was evident by the Testimony of God himself who is the God of Truth 5. The passages of his life upon Earth doth shew him to be both truly God and truly Man His hungring and thirsting his weariness and faintness his sighing and weeping and such other fruits of humane infirmity were sufficient Arguments to prove him to be truly man And all the miraculous works of his Power which he wrought upon earth of which I have spoken before as they shew him to be the Messiah Isa 35.5 6. that was foretold by the Prophets of whom it was foretold that he should work such miracles so also that he was truly God Joh. 5.36 as himself argues 6. The Testimony of the Evangelists and Apostles doth confirm this Of St. Peter Mat. 16.16 Acts 2.36 Chap. 3.17 18. and Chap. 4.11 12. and Chap. 10.43 1 Pet. 1.19 20. Of St. Paul Acts 9.22 and Chap. 13.23 34. Rom. 15.8 2 Cor. 1.10 2 Tim. 2.8 Of St John 1 John 2.22 and Chap. 5.2 15. Of St. Stephen the Proto-martyr Acts 7.52 Of St. Philip Acts 8.32 And many more Instances of this sort might be alledged but these are some of the chief 7. The general consent of the Catholick Church of Christ in all Ages ever since the time of Jesus and his Apostles who have held this Truth and made it a main Article of all their Creeds The concurrence of all Pious and Orthodox Fathers and Councils beside the chearful and undaunted sufferings of many thousands of Martyrs for the Profession of this Faith This I say together with the former Testimonies do argue this foundation of our Faith to be laid as so sure a Rock that The gates of Hell Mat. 16.18 shall never be able to prevail against it and that we may comfortably venture our selves upon this Truth that the same Jesus in whom we believe is both Lord and Christ God and Man Hypostatically united Secondly Let us proceed to the other Head viz. to prove that Christ did fully and in a true and proper sense make satisfaction to Gods justice for our sins And that Salvation is to be expected from him and no other way 1. It is very evident that the Apostles in the New Testament do affirm us to be reconciled to God and justified in his fight by the merits and sufferings of Christ Rom. 5.10 When we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son Which as it shews plainly that there was an enmity between God and man through the Fall and this enmity mutual God offended by mens transgression and man alienated from God by the depravation of his Nature So it shews whereby the Reconciliation was wrought between God and man even by the death of Christ the Son of God who did both by the merits of his death satisfie Gods justice and also by the efficacy of his Death and Resurrection take from us the stony heart and give us an heart of flesh And it is very observable Vers 19. how afterward the Apostle makes a direct Antithesis between the first and the second Adam the misery that befel us by the transgression of the first and the benefits we receive by the obedience and sufferings of the latter As by one mans disebedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous Which words as they do suppose the Communication of the guilt of Adams sin to all his posterity whereby they are said to be made sinners and liable to Gods justice So they do plainly express the benefits of Christ's death to be communicated to the justification of as many as do believe in him And what can be a plainer proof of the point in hand Secondly The New Testament speaks of the blood of Christ being shed to make an attonement for us Phil. 2.8 Being found in fashion of a man having taken our Nature upon him and set himself in our stead in this nature and in our stead He humbled himself and became obedient to death even the death of the Cross And that we may know that he died for us shed his blood to make attonement to Divine Justice for our sins 1 Joh. 1.7 St. John tells us That the blood of Jesus Christ his Son 1 Pet. 2.24 cleanseth us from all our sins And St. Peter tells us That by his stripes we are healed Not healed only in a moral sense as good examples tend to heal and take away corrupt manners as if Christ had come into the world onely to give us an example of Holiness in his life and of Humility and Patience at his death and that were all the benefit which we were to expect by him But we are so healed by his stripes that our sins are thereby pardoned being punished on his back He suffered the just for the unjust to the end that he might justifie the ungodly that believe in him So himself tells us Luk. 22.20 that his blood was shed for many for the remission of sins He died that he might purchase at Gods hands the pardon of our sins by undergoing that punishment which we had deserved To this agrees that Character which the Baptist gives of Christ Joh. 1.29 Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world This sheweth plainly that he was slain and offered up as a Propitiatory sacrifice to expiate the guilt of our sins 3. The New Testament sets him forth as the Substance of all the Legal purifications and ceremonial Oblations and Expiations which were used by the Law of Moses And this argues that he made an Attonement for us Certainly the great God of Heaven and Earth did not take their Cattel from the Jews because he had need of them or because he delighted in shedding the blood of innocent Beasts that were no wayes accessary to the sins of their Masters But we have reason to believe there were further matters intended by these Ceremonies of the Law God did appoint these Ceremonial washings and expiations after legal defilements that the people might be put in mind of the defiling nature of sin and might be warned to take heed of it as that which defiles the soul and accordingly might endeavour after they had fallen into it to wash their souls with tears of Repentance and Contrition He charged their Estates and caused them to sacrifice their Cattel that they might learn that Sin is very displeasing to God and did expose them to that and a worse death then the innocent beast did sustain And yet further to put
Christ he is Antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son Secondly as we should all take heed that we keep close to this one Foundation so also we should have a care what we build upon this foundation The Apostle tells us 1 Cor. 3.12 13. that there are some who build upon it Gold Silver and precious Stones sound and Orthodox principles of Faith and these shall receive a reward when their works come to be tried and approved But others build Wood Hay Stubble gross and unsound conclusions and these though they shall be saved in the day of Christ so long as they hold fast the Foundation yet when their works come to be tried in the fire they shall suffer loss but themselves shall be saved yet so as by fire It is good when men hold fast the Foundation though they err in less matters the Lord will take occasion in his good time to convince them and bring them to Heaven at last but it is better not onely to lay a good Foundation but also to build a good superstructure upon it There are two sorts of had superstructures which many build even upon the Foundation of Christ crucified 1. There are some who encourage themselves in loosness and licentiousness in their practice from the consideration of the Grace of God in Christ It is very certain that the Mercy of God and the Merits of Christ are not onely very great but infinitely beyond all that we can speak or think of them But yet the mercy and the truth of God are joyned together Psal 25.10 And as he hath said that Whoso confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall finde mercy Prov. 28.13 and he will be sure to make this good Mat. 11.28 there was never any that came to him weary and heavy laden but he did give him rest So on the other hand he hath threatned to wound the head of his enemies Psal 68.21 and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses and therefore those that make this bad use of the free and gracious promises of the Gospel and those instances that the Scriptures shew us of the wonderful mercy of God to sinners do both wrong and deceive their own souls and also they injure the great Mercy of God in Christ while they seem to advance it His name was called Jesus because he should save his people from their sins Mar. 1.21 not in them And himself bore our sins in his own Body upon the Cross to the end that we being dead unto sin might live unto righteousness 1 Pet. 2. â—â— and then we may comfortably hope that by his stripes we are healed This then is one sort of them that build Hay and stubble upon this pretious Foundation and though God may in Mercy save such persons yet it will be as by fire such must expect to be brought unto great humiliation and brokenness of heart before they finde assurance of Gods Mercy 2. There are others who though they hold fast the Foundation of the Christian Faith yet build upon it many erronious conclusions in matters further off from the Foundation Indeed it is the Duty of every Christian to bear with many infirmities and mistakes in his brother whom he findes to be sound in the main as considering himself also to be a man But no man ought to indulge himself in an errour both because errour persisted in with eagerness and obstinacy is to be accounted rather a sin of presumption than infirmity and withall because of the dangerous tendency of errours of which I spake before Chap. 3. Such a person who is sound in fundamentals doubtless God will not charge upon him to his condemnation mistakes in smaller matters but yet his works shall suffer loss and himself shall be saved as by fire he must expect to pass through convictions and contrition of heart before he come to Heaven And therefore as every good Christian should make it his first care to hold fast the Foundation of our Faith so he should not neglect due care of his superstructures that he build nothing upon this pretious Foundation that may be unsuitable or dishonourable to the foundation upon which it is built CHAP. XI A Seasonable and necessary Admonition to those that stand fast in the Faith delivered in five Branches BEfore I withdraw my hand from this Undertaking I think it very necessary to leave a word of Admonition with them that yet stand fast in the Faith amidst all those blustring winds of strange doctrines which have tried mans stability Indeed as David said in his haste Psal 116.11 That all men were lyars so if a man did with haste and passion take a view of the times wherein we live he would be apt to take up the complaint of the Prophet Mic. 7.2 The good man is perished out of the earth and there is none upright among men that there are scarce any left who are not less or more shaken at the root But yet as God answered Elijah in his complaint 1 King 19.18 I have left me seven thousand in Israel all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth which hath not kissed him So we have some grounds to hope that the Lord hath left many thousands in England who are both upright in heart and in a good measure found in Judgment notwithstanding all the Temptations which they have met with To such therefore I will direct my speech And 1. Let me beseech and exhort all such as profess the true Ancient and Orthodox Faith by that love they bear to the Truth and to the God of Truth by that reverence they owe to the Church in which they were born and to that Faith into which they have been Baptized that they endeavour to adorn the Docirine of God our Saviour in all things Tit. 2.10 and to cut off all just occasion from the mouths of slanderous persons who are ready to object against those that profess the wayes of Truth the evil and unanswerable lives of many that are retainers to this Profession I know that this is an insufficient ground for Separation and will be far from justifying them before Gods Tribunal for those rents which they have made in the seamless Coat of Christ. He that will separate from every Society where there is any thing of sin amongst any of them that retain to it had need to make haste out of this world for he will find no society here to answer his expectation And would not he have well deserved to be drowned that would have leaped out of Noahs Ark which was a Type of the Visible Church because of the evil society of a wicked Cham Would not he have run upon a dangerous Rock that would have forsaken the society of Christ and his Apostles because there was a Judas among them He that can either shew me a Command to separate from every Church where there is