failing is when he cometh to answer that Question How shall I know that this is the voice of the Spirit A needful Question Because Satan may and doth transform himself into an Angel of light and deceive the soul This is saith he the usual way of men if the Word did bear witness to this particular voice of the Spirit in me then I could be satisfied But if the Word do not bear witness to this voice of the Spirit I dare not trust it The usual way Nay is it not the only way In the Old Testament thus it was all Revelations were to be examined by the written word Deut. 13. 1. Isa. 8. 20. And is it not so also in the New-Testament See that Text of our Savior Ioh. 16. 13. He that is the Spirit shall lead you into all Truth How so For saith Christ He shall not speak of himself but what he shall hear that shall he speak And what is that which the Spirit heareth Is it not that which is already contained in the scriptures So then no Revelation of any Doctrine no nor the Application of it which is not consonant to the Scripture is to be thought to proceed from the spirit but whatsoever is pretended to be revealed by the Spirit doth so far forth call for Faith as is agreeable to the Scriptures Well not to quarrel needlesly nor to be too strict in terms he doth alow it for a truth The Spirit of the Lord never speaks to the heart of a Believer but he always speaks according to the Word of grace revealed But then he addeth two limitations which spoil all 1. That by the Word we must not understand the Law but the Gospel And this I conceive is put to choke them who seek for signs and marks of Inherent Qualifications 2. That you must not make the credit of this voice of the Spirit to depend upon the Word i. e. to receive credit from it And why not Because saith he if you say that the Word is of greater credit then the Spirit wanteth something in it self of credit as if a man were trusted for a sureties sake But this saith he must not be alowed God never intended that any thing should be of such credit as to give credit to the Spirit The issue of all returns to this That the Testimony of the Spirit is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} self-sufficient as the principles of Arts and Sciences which are indemonstrable and must be received as altogether unquestionable and the meaning thereof is this If any urge how shall I be satisfied that this voice thus speaking is the voice of Gods Spirit his Answer is It is so because it is so Or thus I know it because the Spirit saith it So unwilling are these men that the Revelations and Illuminations on which they build their comforts should be searched into too far Object Nay you will say his meaning is I know it because the Spirit speaketh according to the Word Sol. If so Then he must recant what he said That it doth not depend upon the Word And well he may For howsoever the Truth of what the Spirit speaketh doth not depend upon the Word yet the credit of it doth The Scripture is already known and received as the Word of God And what cometh after it must borrow credit from it St. Peter speaking of the voice which they heard in the Mount saith yet We have a more sure Word of Prophecy 2 Pet. 1. 19. How more sure But because it was already received as the undoubted Word of God And so to them and in their Apprehension it was a more sure Word But to draw nearer to the point Doth this voice of the Spirit saying to an ungodly man Thy sins are forgiven doth it speak according to the Scripture True indeed the Scripture saith God justifieth the ungodly God hath reconciled the World unto himself But is it therefore alowed for any one to say I am an ungodly man I am one of the World therefore I am justified I am reconciled Is there then any Universal Reconciliation and Justification taught in the Text of Scripture I mean any such Reconciliation that is absolute and irrespective That Reconciliation is so far wrought by Christ indefinitely for the World of mankinde that whosoever will come in and lay hold upon Christ by Faith shall not perish this is revealed None other do I know or acknowledge Is it not rather taught us in the Scripture That before there can be any conclusion of comfort to the soul by the particular Application of the Gospel Promises any I mean more then this conditional If I will come in also I may as well as others there must come in the work of the sanctifying spirit purifying the soul and conscience and working in it those inherent Qualifications to which the Promise is made and upon which dependeth the conclusion of that practical syllogism which bringeth comfort The Text of Scripture saith They that Repent and Believe They that are lead by the Spirit of God are the Sons of God Then that renewed and sanctified conscience saith I do Repent and Believe I am lead by the Spirit therefore And so this conclusion thus deduced if the immediate Testimony of the Spirit manifested by an Heavenly impression and irradiation upon the soul if it come in with his attestation to confirm it we may not doubt of the truth thereof because now indeed it speaketh according to the Word and doth confirm that particular conclusion which was comprehended in the general Text of Scripture For where the Text of Scripture hath not a Quicunque for the Proposition there the Testimony of the Spirit that concludes for hic ille doth not speak according to the Word Object You will say to me there is a Quicunque in that of Isa. 55. 1. and Rev. 22. 17. Whosoever will and our Saviour Joh. 6. 37. Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Sol. I grant it No doubt but the Gospel doth hold out Christ to all none exempted Jew nor Gentile But how As a Physitian to cure them not as an Husband to receive them into union with him Or if you will as a Husband to take them into the Bed of love But not till he hath purged them and fitted them for his Bed is it not for this that the Scripture doth call upon sinners to wash and cleanse their hands and hearts Isa. 1. 15. Jam. 4. 8. To separate from the Wicked 2 Cor. 6. 17. with infinite other Texts of Scripture all of them calling upon us to labor for the work of the Spirit upon the soul that so we may finde the fruits of union and communion with Christ and by that work of the Spirit felt in the heart we way be assured that the word of the Spirit speaking comfort to the soul and assuring the conscience of pardon is the word of truth and worthy of belief For as when
God set down the Text of Scripture and revealed the same to the Church of God he confirmed it by his works from Heaven by Miracles which did convince the world that it must needs be the Word of God which was accompanied with such mighty and miraculous operations so when God will by the Spirit speak to the soul the Application of a Text for comfort he doth make way for the credit of it by the work of the Spirit the work of grace upon the soul If not believe it not the spirit of truth is a spirit of holiness There is no truth in that word which speaks comfort to that heart in which is not wrought the work of Holiness Consequently Thy sins are forgiven in the heart of a Drunkard Swearer Whoremonger is not the voice of the Spirit The work and the word of the Spirit go together Nay so evident is this that the Doctor having sought to establish this Revelation of the Spirit as a principle that may not be disputed and that cannot be demonstrated doth yet in the close come in with this Yet something more for the Spirit doth give men to credit what he speaketh His meaning I conceive to be That by this work of the Spirit by which mans heart is framed to receive the Testimony of the Spirit and to believe it by it doth it appear that it is the Spirit of God which witnesseth their Adoption so then it is the voice of the Spirit that saith Thy sins are forgiven and it is evidenced to be the voice of the Spirit because he frameth the heart to believe it It cannot be denied but that it is the Spirit that giveth Faith to believe it nor is it doubted but that if this perswasion do come from the Spirit it doth afford comfort but still the question is Whether this be the work of the Spirit or not of the other viz. The work of sanctification there is no doubt which if it do not accompany that work of perswasion I much doubt whether it be not an over bold presumption 2. Touching Faith This is delivered by the same Author 1. That the Scripture doth authorize Faith to give full evidence concerning Interest in Christ 2. That this evidence of Faith is not Revealing but a Receiving evidence viz. As it taketh possession of what the Spirit Revealeth and doth rest upon it This Faith saith he brings with it unquestionable evidence full assurance and what needs a man look farther The spirit within thee saith Thy sin is forgiven Faith receiveth it and sits down satisfied here is thine evidence saith he and thou hast thy portion For why the Text of Saint John saith He that believeth hath the witness in himself q. d. He hath as much as can be desired when he hath believing in himself And he that believeth not hath made God a lyar q. d. If when God hath spoken man will not sit down with Gods bare Word but seek for signs and marks drawn from his own works this man hath made God a lyar The sum of all returns to this That this act of Faith receiving the Testimony of the spirit that is when the soul doth rest in it without any farther doubting that this I say is the evidence of our Adoption and Justification so then ask him how do you know that sin is pardoned His Answer is because I believe it and rest satisfied in this perswasion And is not this I pray you a very satisfying evidence It is so because I believe it is so In this way what prophane person is there in the world who may not conclude for himself if he will but force upon himself this perswasion Object Nay but it is not meant but of a perswasion which the Spirit hath wrought in the Heart If God saith he hath given thee to believe it this is thy evidence Sol. Yea but how shall I know whether God hath given me this perswasion or that Satan hath suggested it into my Heart Doth the Spirit of God take a man out of the Dunghil of filthiness and instantly without any work of washing and cleansing speak to him that word of comfort pronounce him pardoned and work in him the full preswasion of it or if he do speedily and as it were suddenly work him to this ful perswasion Doth he not at the same instant work a change upon his will and affections by which that light that is set up in the understanding may be discerned to proceed from the Spirit of God Surely thus we have learned Christ and thus we teach The Spirit of God doth work upon the whole soul and all the faculties at once and equally Understanding and Will Conscience and Affections Nor is there mroe light of saving knowledge in the one then there is heat of holines in the other That Faith which doth not purifie the heart and cleanse the conscience is not a saving Faith such a perswasion of pardon is but a presumption that of S. Iames remaineth an everlasting Truth Faith without works is dead Object That Faith saith he is not dead where the whole essence of Faith is Sol. True but wherein consisteth that essence of Faith This is nothing but the eccho of the Heart saith he to this voice of the Spirit Grant Faith to be the eccho of the Heart to the voice of the Spirit though this indeed be but one act of Faith yet by the voice of the Spirit we understand not that suggestion of Remittuntur but the whole Text of Scripture comprehending Precepts Promises Threatnings in all which there is indeed an eccho of the Heart by Faith Psal. 27. 8. But in this the Antinomian is farther off then the Papist The essence of Iustifying Faith doth neither consist in this eccho to the Text of Scripture nor in that eccho to that word of Revelation but in an act that cometh in between them ex gr. The Text of Scripture saith He that believeth shall be saved Is man justified by believing this for a truth or rather by doing that duty which the word Believeth doth intimate viz. The act of confidence and affiance in Christ Again the Spirit saith Thy sins are forgiven Is man justified because the believeth this word Surely no He must have it before the word that saith so be a word of Truth So then the first eccho goeth before the other doth follow after The right act of justifying Faith whence it is so named is that intermediate act of confidence and affiance Understand me to speak of these acts of Faith as first second third in the order of Nature not in the distance of time In the order of Nature justification doth not go before Faith but follow upon it Nor is man justisted because he doth perswade himself that so it is To wade no farther in this Argument By this I suppose it is evident That the new way of evidencing by the word of the Spirit and the subscription of Faith cannot lay the Ground of
and so wrong the Wisdom of our Saviour as if he could not make choice of such words phrases as might plainly and understandingly express his meaning And if these words Forgive us do signifie Make us to know that thou hast long since forgiven us then why shall not the next words As we forgive receive the same interpretation Nay why not so also in the other Petitions Lead us not into Tentation Give us our daily Bread i. e. in the Antinomian sense Make us to know that thou hast not lead us that thou hast given us our daily Bread Will not this be found a sensless gloss nay an utter perverting of our Saviours intention And why then should it hold only in the fifth Petition and in none of the other 2. Adde this That one end of our daily address to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is to obtain the Remission of our sins by the application of Christs blood The words of our Saviour touching the Wine are these This Cup is the New Testament in my Blood which is shed for you and for many for the Remission of sins That in it as we have often need by reason of our daily Transgressions so we may often look upon that Brasen serpent for the cure of our often bitings Thus what we ask of God in prayer the same in the Sacrament doth God bestow upon us viz. The daily pardon of our daily sins Were it not in this respect needful to provide for our wants was the pardon of all actual sins at once sealed in this Sacrament as is the pardon of our Original guilt sealed in Baptism what necessity to receive this Sacrament any oftner then we do the other sc. once for all 3. And above all it is a ground of Religion that nothing is to be received and believed but what is Revealed to us for a truth by the Word of God Now there is no ground in the Word of God for any particular person to believe that his sins are remitted already before he do repent and believe in Christ The Word of God sets down what counsel hath been given to men that they might obtain Remission Act. 2. 38. and 3. 19. But no where doth the Scripture say to this or that man Thy sins be forgiven And for any man to perswade himself of Remission before it be yea before he hath a word for it is presumption and not saith The Antinomian Doctors say That the Spirit of God doth reveal it in the heart of a man and the Voice of the Spirit is the Testimony of truth In very deed we may not refuse the Testimony of the Spirit nor question the truth of it But in as much as we know that Satan doth somtimes transform himself into an Angel of Light and that there be many false Spirits in which respect the Apostles bids us to try the Spirits nor doth Satan seduce only by the Doctrines of men but also by false suggestions whispering to the sinner comfort upon false grounds How shall we discern the Testimony of the Spirit from the suggestion of Satan They Answer Hereby it is discerned Because it speaketh things consonant to the Scripture Let this be manifested and the question is at an end But where doth the Scripture countenance that Voice of the Spirit speaking to the sinner and saying Thou art justified in the sight of God and thy sin pardoned and that long ago in the day of Christs Passion How I say is this proved to be according to the Scriptures They say The Scripture holdeth forth the Free Grace of God in Christ viz. That Christ is given a Saviour for sinners for Enemies for the Rebellious That God doth justifie the Wicked and the ungodly even when and while they are such That he calleth for no works of mans Righteousness nor any previous dispositions to qualifie men that may come to Christ So that neither Impiety nor Enmity can cast in any bar to hinder him that will lay hold upon Christ This we do not much question but withall we adde That the Scripture doth also call upon sinners to Repent and turn to the Lord that so they may be pardoned and their sins bloted out and in as much as we know that one Text of Scripture is no less truth then another nor may we so cleave to the one as to neglect the other for they are not contradictory if rightly understood we conclude that Christ is held forth a Saviour to sinners but so that they repent and forsake their sins not else no sin not the greatness of any sin no nor the multitude of great Transgressions can bar the humble Penitent Saint Iohn saith If we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive us 1 Iob. 1. 7. Note that If q. d. If not then there is no ground to hope for it Again we say That God doth justifie the ungodly as Christ doth save sinners in sensu diviso i. e. Not while they are ungodly not while they are sinners but when they have forsaken their wicked ways have turned to the Lord by true and sound repentance That text of Rom. 4. 5. speaking of him that worketh not but believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly must not be understood simply of such a one that doth nothing at all but respectively of such a one as doth not rest upon his works nor rely upon his Righteousness but renouncing his own works doth cast himself upon the Free Grace of God nor doth it use that word ungodly in the common sense sâ— for one that hath no goodness in him at all but in a limited sense viz for one that wanteth such a perfection of goodness as on which he may build the hopes of his justification And the reason of this explication is because the proposition is drawn from the instance of Abraham a man certainly not altogether void of works and Righteousness though not so complete and perfect in them as that he durst rest upon them but renouncing his works he did cast himself upon the Free grace of God and so was justified by his Faith Consequently that voice of Revelation in man which teacheth him to comfort himself in the assurance of his justification without any respect to the work of Repentance wrought in him this is not the voice of Gods spirit but the delusion of Satan There is no word of God on which to ground such an assurance and therefore it may not be received nor believed for truth it being a ground of our Religion That nothing is to be received but what is revealed by the word of God I might adde this also Nothing is to be received as a truth which is cross and contrary to the Text of Scripture Now that sins should be actually pre-remitted before-hand and the person actually justified before that by Faith he be United to Christ how doth it not cross that Text of Saint Paul Rom. 3. 25. where speaking of the Remission of sin
AN EXAMINATION Of the chief Points of ANTINOMIANISM Collected out of some LECTVRES lately Preached in the Church of Antholines Parish LONDON And now drawn together into a Body and published for the Benefit of all that love the holy Truth of God By Thomas Bedford B. D. Vnto which is annexed An Examination of a Pamphlet lately published Intituled The Compassionate Samaritan Handling the Power of the Magistrate in the compulsion of Conscience By the same Author 2 TIM. 1. 9. The Law is for the lawless 2 PET. 2. 1. There shall be false Teachers who privily shall bring in damnable Heresies And many shall follow their lascivious ways by reason of whom the way of Truth shall be evil spoken of LONDON Printed by John Field for Philemon Stephens and are to be sold at his Shop at the sign of the gilded Lyon in Pauls Church-yard 1647. To the Worshipful and much Honored Mr. John Turner of Hamme in the County of SURREY Esq A Sincere Lover of the Truth and an earnest Contender for the Faith which was once delivered to the SAINTS T. B. In testimony of Love and Thankfulness Dedicates the life of this his weak and unworthy Labor Together with the Apprecation of much Health and Happiness ERRATA PAge 13. line 21. for And read Answ p. 16. l. 6. for eternal r. external p. 31. l. 5. for Yea though it be r. And if it be p. 31. l. 19. for as thereof r. as there of p. 40. l. 10. for or is the meaning r. or rather is not the meaning p. 41. l. 32. for casually r. causally p. 42. l. 23. for is that it r. it is that p. 60. l. 13. for so may our r. So may not our p. 60. l. 15. for having set r. having set down Oâ—â—ober â—â— 1646. I Have to my full satisfaction perused this excellent Dissertation and Discussion of the chief Antinomian Tenents and finde it to be so solid and judicious pious profitable and seasonable in our distracted Times and finally so adorned and sweetned with modesty gaullass sobriely and Christian charity that I alow it and approve it well worthy the Printing and Publishing not doubting but that it will be very effectual to stablish all in the Truth who have already embraced it and to convince if not perswade all those who in simplicity and through meer error of their judgement are contrary minded JOHN DOWNAMâ— THE TABLE THe Introduction Page 1. Chap. 1. Touching the Law of Moses Whether altogether abolished so that it is of no use to the Believer now in the time of the Gospel Also whether it do not binde Believers to the Duties of Holiness as well now as it did in the time of the Old Testament 9. Chap. 2. Touching the Motives of the Law Whether these also be abolished So that to propose the expectation of reward as an invitation to good Works and to deter men from sin by the fear of punishment be altogether inconsistent with the Doctrine of Grace 18. Chap. 3. A brief Answer to the Arguments of N. D. by him brought to prove Iustification before Faith i. e. before the act of Believing 25. Chap. 4. That justification is not transacted all at once nor any pre-remission of sin before it be committed 33. Chap. 5. The way of seeking resolution touching our Adoption and Iustification by signs and marks viz. The fruits of Sanctification whether it be altogether unsatisfactory 41. Chap. 6. Touching sin in the Conscience of the Believer The Doctrine of the Antinomians in this Point examined and found insufficient to satisfie the Conscience The right way of satisfying the Conscience and of taking away the scruple of sin set down 58. The Arguments of the Compassionate Samaritan touching the Power of the Magistrate in the compulsion of Conscience Examined 73. The Introduction Isaiah 53. 11. By his knowledge shall my Righteous Servant justifie many for he shall bear their iniquities A Farther Explication of what was said v. 10. The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand in the hand of Christ shall the pleasure of the Lord Understand this touching the Bruising of the Serpents head mentioned Gen. 3. 15. consequently that Salvation of mankinde This pleasure of the Lord doth prosper in the hand of Christ which is seen in this That by his knowledge he shall justifie many This is that fruit of the Travel of his Soul in seeing whereof He i. e. Christ not God the Father as some very fondly and foolishly do apply the Text Christ I say shall be satisfied i. e. shall account himself well satisfied for all his labor and pains bestowed The Passion of Christ and the Benefit thereof these two are the subject matter of this Chapter The Benefit thereof is partly to others and partly to himself To himself that is set down ver. 12. To others in some verses foregoing The Description whereof taketh its rise from the middle of the 9. Verse Because he had done no violence c. That word Because is a trouble to Interpreters how to depend the latter clause of that Verse upon the former Vatablus saw and cuts the knot rather then unties it I conceive we shall not wrong the Text I am sure not the Truth if we joyn the former part of the verse to the 8. and begin a new period in the word Because thus v. 9. Because he had done no violence neither was any deceit in his mouth yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him He hath put him to grief 10. When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin Or When his soul shall make an offering for sin he shall see his Seed c. q. d. Inasmuch as notwithstanding he was altogether innocent yet he did patiently submit himself to bear whatsoever the Lord would lay upon him for the Expiation of mans sin that therefore upon his Death he should receive full satisfaction both in respect of himself and those persons whose cause he had undertaken Thus I but let the learned judge In the words of ver. 11. we have a Proposition and its Confirmation In the Proposition besides the Agent who is by God here term'd a Servant a Righteous Servant we have three things not to be so lightly passed over 1. Act in the word Shall justifie 2. Object Many 3. The Medium By his knowledge Of which somewhat more largely and yet only in reference to what just hints the words may give to the Examination of some positions of the Antinomians a Sect and a sort of men lately start up whom Satan doth make use of to be his Proctors of Prophaneness and the Abbettors of Atheism and licentious Libertinism But to the Text By his knowledge The Medium stands first in the Text and if you will let us first begin with it By his knowledg And what is that To make way for Answer I lay down this That the pronoun His must be passive like that in Psal. 90. 11. Thy fear i. e. The fear of
all How then shall any one know whether his part and portion be in that Many or not Ans. Surely say we by the work of Grace in the heart by the Spirit of Sanctification which doth always go along with the Spirit of Adoption and the work of Justification This hath passed for a Truth without any opposition till of late The Antinomians cannot away with inherent Qualifications No certainty can be gathered from the say these men Against whom see the Ancient Truth maintained and the New way convinced of insufficiency Chap. 5. For he shall bear their iniquities This is the Confirmation of the Proposition He shall justifie because He shall bea By bearing iniquities we understand Suffering the punishment due to their sin as a Sacrifice to make an Atonement to satisfie the Justice of God and so to take away the sin of man Hence then we see that Justification is transacted by Christ and he is said to justifie many Not by the way of Instruction as say the Socinians viz. Propounding the Doctrine of the Gospel and the Covenant of Grace in which is contained the way and maner of Justification In this sense the Apostles to say nothing of Moses and the Prophets might be said to justifie many inasmuch as they had an eminent service in publishing the Gospel to the world but doubtless Christ had no partners in the Justification of these many So then not by the Instruction is it but by the way of Acquittance and Absolution This is plain but that is farther to be enquired How cometh sin to trouble and vex the conscience if it be taken away Hath Christ born yea born away for so we understand the word bear he doth not only ferre but auferre so bear them as to bear them away Hath Christ born them away and are they brought back again Here again we must Conflict with these Antinomians Old Truths do not please them they have a New way for this also the unsufficiency whereof together with the right way of satisfying the Conscience and taking away the scruple of sin see fully explicated Chap. 6. According to this Method have I finished my Meditations upon this Text of Scripture chosen of purpose to examine the Truth or Falshood of some Points of Antinomianism An Enterprise to which I confess I had bound my self by Vow and Promise made to God in the day of some distress which had befaln me To the performance of which Vow I was engaged by obtaining at the hand of God the gracious grant of my desire which with all thankfulness I do acknowledge and by mine experience can witness That an holy and religious Vow is a ready mean to obtain of God the gracious grant of our just desires Holy and Religious I account that which is framed according to the Rules of Religion One special Rule of Religion is That each Christian in his place and calling do set himself with the best of his abilities to that work which the present times may shew to be most necessary for the advancement of Gods glory I in my place of the Ministery what could I do rather or more tending to this end then to set my self to oppose the present Errors which darken the Truth of God and defile the Purity of our holy Profession This Error of Antinomianism I chese to deal in because I conceived it one of the most dangerous Doctrines that are broached in these days Satan doth never more harm then when he is transformed into an Angel of Light Nor is any Error more dangerous then that by which Christian Liberty is used as an occasion to the Flesh by which the care and conscience of the Law the Rule of Holiness is weakned and worn away by which the Soul and Conscience is steeled and stiffned against the sense and remorse of sin and sinfulness In this I have done what I could If not with strength enough to convince or cleerness enough to perswade yet with a sincere heart and a desire to do good God is my witness And I bless God both for his Assistance enabling me to do what I have done and also for those blessed opportunities which his Providence hath afforded me to do mine endeavor in the course of my Ministery to set forth the Truth of God and to seek the glory of his Name AN EXAMINATION Of the chief Points of ANTINOMIANISM CHAP. I. Touching the Law of Moses Whether altogether abolished so that it is of no use to the Believer now in the time of the Gospel Also whether it do not binde Believers to the Duties of Holiness as well now as it did in the time of the Old Testament THere is a Generation of men risen up again in this last Age of the Church who would gladly banish the Preaching of the Law and all legal Duties out of the Church of Christ The Law say they is abolished the Conscience of the Christian is not bound to the Law they are false Teachers who call men to the practise of the Law and the Duties therein contained This Doctrine of theirs is a word that will eat as doth a Canker till it hath fretted out all care of Holiness and good Works if not prevented Let it not then be thought impertinent this being the time of their infection if by examining their Grounds and discovering the weakness and unsoundness of them I seek what lyeth in me to prevent the further spreading of this evil The Antixomian this name is given him for that he opposeth the Preaching and pressing of the Law he I say buildeth upon these and the like Texts Rom. 6. 14. 7. 4. 10. 4. Gal. 3. 10. 5. 1. whence they argue to this effect If Believers be not under the Law nay if dead to the Law by the body of Christ and so delivered from the Law whereupon Christ is termed the end of the Law Then to call them back again to the Law and the dominion thereof is to draw them from Christ and from that Liberty which Christ hath purchased for them whereas the Apostle doth charge the Galatians to stand fast in the Liberty wherewith Christ hath made them free and not to suffer themselves to be again entangled in the yoke of Bondage Thus they as I finde by that Book of Ro Town Intituled The Assertion of Grace or A ' Defence of the Doctrine of free Justification For clearing of this our Divines distinguish The Law of Moses delivered to the Church of Israel was partly Moral partly Ceremonial Moral so called because it was the Rule of good maners toward God and toward man And it is to be considered either in respect of the Substance or the Circumstance In respect of the Substance it is the comprehension of those Duties of Holiness which God had either imprinted in the heart or revealed to the ear of Adam and his Posterity in that Age of the Church which lived before the writing of the Law And so it is the
though it be in a person not appointed to love though this his purpose change not yet will he suspend all the effects of hatred yea and with much tenderness of affection put forth the effects of love to this party till he doth wilfully let fall his care of goodness and take up a Resolution of evil yea and that incorrigibly 3. The love of God to the Creature in respect of the effects thereof is not unfitly distinguished into the love of Benevolency and the love of Complacency the former consisting in well wishing or pittying the Creature is absolute and free The other drawing with it delight in or friendship with the Creature is respective and hath an eye to the good behavior of the Creature see both these expressed in that Parable of the wretched Infant Ezek. 16. 6. an emblem and fit resemblance as thereof the Church of Israel so generally of the Elect of God For first God doth cast an eye of pitty upon them in their wretched condition and saith unto them Live His word is operative and did them good as is intimated verse 7. then afterward when his grace hath wrought in them and fashioned them into a comely beauty he doth again pass by them and behold them and lo it is the time of love whereupon he doth enter into a League and Covenant of friendship so that now the soul of every one of them may say as the Spouse in the Canticles I am my welbeloveds and my welbeloved is mine Gods delight is in them and theirs in God These things well understood will easily shew the Inconsequence of the Argument for the Elect may be loved in the purpose of God and yet not actually justified nor God enter into a Covenant of love till by the work of his grace they be fitted for the time of love Again whiles they are workers of iniquity and unconverted to God their sins may be hated and the effects of love suspended notwithstanding the eternal purpose of God No variableness in God because it is his purpose not to entertain them into the effects and fruits of his love and delight till they be converted and fitted for it by the actings of the spirit of grate moving and working in them To close up the point let us to prevent erroneous misconceits which spring from the Confounding of things that dâ—ffer let us I say take notice of this distinction A man may be said to be justified either Intentionally or Virtually or Actually either in God or in Christ or in Himself 1. Intentionally in God i. e. in Gods purpose and decree this is from all eternity But this decree and intention doth not put any thing into a state of actual being but in the fulness of time nor doth it exclude nay it doth include and presuppose Faith in the person justified for though election be of the persons yet Iustification Glorification are of the persons so and so qualified 2. Virtually in Christ may a man be said to be justified And this is from the Day of Christs passion and in the vertue of his satisfaction yet this intendeth no more but this that satisfaction is made and Remission purchased by the blood of Christ Neither doth this exclude the consideration of Faith nay it doth call for it that so there may be an actual Application of the price and purchase We know that in a purchase beside the payment of the price there must be Livery and Seisin given before a man be in actual possession of what is purchased so here there must be application of the Righteousnes of Christ as well as the Effusion of his Blood and this is received by Faith 3. Actually in himself is man said to be justified when he hath the possession of it But this Actual Iustification hath It's degrees of progression The beginning thereof is laid in our first Union and Incorporation into Christ The Consummation of it is not till the Judge at the latter day hath solemnly pronounced the sentence of final absolution so set us in full possession of entire remission Between both these there is a progressive work of Iustification by the constant actings of the Spirit applying the Blood of Christ by the hand of Faith to the quiet and comfort of the soul The first you may term Initial justification the latter perfective and this between I would call progressive it is the fruit of the first and the preludial assurance of the latter This is wrought and sealed in the second Sacrament as the former is in the first Sacrament and both these branches of Sacramental justification are to us the pre-assurance of that Complemental and perfective justification The sentence whereof putteth an end to all fears changing our faith and hope into fruition and ful possession even the first of these acts is not transacted without the seed and spirit of Faith much less the successive agitations and progress of the work Thus every way Faith is considered as equal with yea as foregoing the work of Iustification CHAP. IV. That justification is not transacted all at once nor any pre-remission of sin before it be committed BY his knowledge shall my Righteous Servant justifie many saith God by the Prophet Isaiah cap. 53. 11. Shall justifie is a verb of the future tense the work then at that time was not done the Question is when was it to be done In the day of his passion say some then did he bear the sins of many and take away the sin of the world so that from that time and forward to the end of the world there is no more imputation of sin to any of the elect It hath been commonly said even by some of our best Divines that justification is transacted in our first Union and Incorporation into Christ at which time it is conceived that the pardon of all sin is sealed consequently that it is to us an act already passed Nor can we say He shall but he hath justified But I fear that the mis-understanding of this point not untrue in it self if not mistaken and mis-apprehended hath laid the ground upon which the Antinomian buildeth that unhappy structure which turneth the Grace of God into wantonness Who knoweth not that justification in it's proper acceptation of the word according to the Scripture phrase is the act of a Iudge pronouncing a judicial sentence and according to this I suppose we shall not erre from the truth if we say that the main work of Justification is even to us as yet future and that the time when Christ shal justifie those many in the Text of Isaiah is when he shall condemn the Residue viz. at his sâ—â—ond coming when he shall separate the sheep from the Goats then shall he justifie them and at once absolve them from all accusations and charges laid in against them then shall they receive a final quietus and discharge then shall God wipe all tears from their eyes then shal there be no
so he may comply with that duty of Obedience which he oweth to Authority Not so the other He neither grieveth nor prayeth but pleaseth himself and pleadeth against Authority yea and censureth their proceedings as if all the world were bound to learn of him and subscribe to what he hath concluded And is it fit that such a man should by the pretence and plea of Conscience thus palliate his affected ways and yet escape the just lash of Authority The second Argument NO sort of men can presume of an unerring spirit for evident it is that all of them Fathers Councels Parliaments have been grossly mistaken nor are the presnet times exempt from error Why then should one sort compel the other in as much as hereby hazard is run that he who is in the error may be the constrainer of him who is in the truth Ans. Grant the truth of what is laid for the ground viz. That none are free from error according to that of Rom. 3. Nor can any one presume of an unerring spirit And yet I deny the inference viz. That therefore one sort may not compell the other For why Though no man may presume of such a spirit yet they that are of God may comfortably expect the conduct of the spirit Psal. 25. 14. Joh. 16. 13. Again though none may expect to be guided by inspiration yet by the manuduction of that Rule which the Spirit of God hath fitted and perfected for the Church of God by this I say may the man of God expect to be throughly furnished 2 Tim. 3. ult. Now then might the Prophets and Apostles who were guided by an infallible spirit might they be alowed to compel them that were contrary minded which is evident both by the president of Saint Paul 1 Tim. 1. ult. and also by the mans Argument For if they that want it may not because they want it then they that have this infallible spirit may compel because they have it might they be alowed And may not the Pastors of the Church who have a Rule which is no less infallible Is not the Text of Scripture as infallible a Rule of Direction to the Church of God in present as the Inspiration and Revelation was to the Prophets and Apostles If not why is that exchanged for this Is the spirit less careful of the Church now then in times past Lesse careful I mean to lead it into all truth I may grant indeed that the Inspiration and Revelation did carry with it a more active impression of light upon the understanding of the Prophets and Apostles to evidence the truth of what they received But the Question is not so much whether that way had not greater evidence but whether this way hath not as great assurance Things concluded by reason and received by Faith have in them no less assurance then things perceived by sense though not so great evidence So then In those things whereof the Pastors of the Church are infallibly assured by the text of Scripture that they are not deceived they may even by vertue of the Authors Argument use compulsion to restrain the violence of them that oppose the truth of God Object But of all ways compulsion is the most unlikely to beget unity of minde and uniformity of practise Sol. Compulsion is not used to this end but onely ex consequenti as the suppression of different judgements and practises may conduce to unity and uniformity It is a vain thing to think that by fines and imprisonments the Magistrate doth seek to perswade men to piety and honesty No his primary and proper end is to suppress the contrary As the weeding of the Garden doth not make the seeds to grow yet in removing impediments and making room it doth accidently prosper their growth So is it here Object But Club-law causeth prejudice against what is so propugned Sol. It may be so in some and for a time Yet God who is wiser then man by his own practise hath given us to see that when the way is hedged in with thorns and when the Back doth smart under the Rod the ear is opened to discipline and instruction So that though the Rod do not directly convince or perswade yet it hath its efficacy in the way and work of preparation The third Argument TO compel me to do contrary to my Conscience is to compel me to sin Because whatsoever is not of Faith is sin Of Faith i. e. Whereof I am not certainly perswaded that it is lawful But the Magistrate ought not to tompel any one to sin therefore Not to do contrary to his Conscience nor to worship God in a way of the justness whereof he is not perswaded nay is perswaded that it is unlawful Ans. True indeed The Magistrate ought not to compel any one to sin understanding the Proposition of Malum in se of that which is simply evil in it self Not so if we speak of Malum ex accidenti of that which is accidentally evil Evil to me because of a misguided Conscience ex gr. Nebuchadnezzar did ill by threatnings to compel the People to worship the Golden Image So that second Beast mentioned Rev. 13. did ill in causing them to be killed who would not worship the Image of the first Beast Verse 15. Not so the Magistrate in compelling a Papist or a Separatist to come to Church Because though this may be evil to him in respect of his unperswadedness yet is it not evil in it self Again It is not fit that the Magistrate do forbid what is good in it self or lay a restraint upon what God hath commanded It was Darius fault to restrain prayer Dan. 6. 7. And the Scribes and Rulers sinned in forbidding the Apostles to preach in the Name of Jesus Act. 4. 19. But lawful enough it is for the Magistrate to forbid the doing of something which is only good by consequence So likewise to lay restraint upon what is only lawful because not prohibited ex gr. if a man will say This is a truth and therefore I will speak it and publish it Or if he say This is just and fit to be done and therefore I will do it The Magistrate may put in a bar of restraint and punish him that shall transgress For neither is every truth to be published at all times and in all places nor is every man alowed to do every thing that is lawful and good And as for things that are not prohibited by God but left at large who knoweth not but that the use of them is to be regulated and ordered by the advice and direction of Authority The Commandments whereof though they binde not the Conscience of and by themselves yet whoso doth make no Conscience of them sinneth against God whose precept it is to be subject to the power not only for wrath but even for Conscience and for the Lords sake Rom. 13. 5. 1 Pet. 2. 13. Now as touching the power of the Magistrate in matters of Religion
we must look into the Old Testament and thence fetch direction since no particular precepts as touching his duty are given in the New In the fourth Commandment he is enjoyned to look to the stranger within his Gates no less then to them of his family The stranger might not be permitted to pollute the Sabbath nor to prophane any of Gods Ordinances Was it not upon this warrant that Nehemiah cast forth the Houshold-stuff of Tobiah out of the Chambers and threatned those of Tyrus who made Markets upon the Sabbath Asa compelled the People to seek the Lord God And Josiah caused them to enter into the Oath and Covenant From which Texts it is evident that the power of the Magistrate in matters of Religion is both Coactive and Coercive Coactive in respect of them within Coercive in respect of them without the Church Strangers are not indeed compelled to sanctifie the Sabbath but restrained from prophaning it Those that are in Covenant with God are not only restrained but also compelled to joyn with the Assembly in the worship of God If nor they are punnished Nor is the punishment of these an act of persecution but a prudent preservation of the power and purity of Religion and Gods worship Now except we should think that God hath less regard to the preservation of the Purity of his worship and service now in the time of the New Testament then he had in the Old we cannot with reason deny but what was lawfully done by the Kings of Israel is not unlawful for the Civil Magistrate in the time of the New Testament Wherefore the Magistrate hath a power from God to see to the observation of the Moral Law and a sword to punish offenders against it Not only against the second Table but also against the first He is Custos vindex utriusque tabulae Object Not so This was allowed in the Old Testament yet is it not therefore to be practised in the New There i. e. in the Old Testament there was a precept so to do Here in the New Testament there is rather a prohibition not to do so Let the Tares grow till the Harvest Mat. 13. Sol. Truth it is that this Text of our Saviour hath much prevailed with many of the Ancient and Modern Divines to draw them to the use of much perad venture overmuch clemency towards Hereticks but if we do remember that God who is immutable in his essence is also unchangable in his will nor doth he so express his minde in any one text of Scripture that it should draw with it the contradiction of another if rightly understood And if we hold that rule of Interpretation for good which Divines deliver viz. That where there is a seeming repugnancy in the Texts there it is fit that plain precepts should guide our practise rather then dark and obscure parables We shall easily conclude that the meaning of our Saviour is not to forbid the use either of the spiritual or civil sword Both which are the Ordinances of God instituted of God for the Coertion and Restraint of them that do evil And yet if this word must stand Let them alone till the Harvest there will be no use of either the Civil sword for the punishment of Malefactors nor of the Spiritual Censures for the ejection and excission of scandalous offenders For why These Tares in the Parable are expounded to be the children of the wicked i. e. of that wicked one the Devil And why this Text should be so expounded as to favor Hereticks rather then Hypocrites I mean such whose practise is not answerable nay contrary to their Profession I desire to learn from these men who it seemeth presume to know more of Gods minde then he hath revealed in the word The precept of Saint Paul 1 Cor. 5. 13. is plain and his practise according 1 Tim. 1. 20. Nor could Saint Jerome otherwise reconcile these two but by this Interpretation of that parable That inasmuch as there is not much difference and dissimilitude betwixt the wheat and the tares while both are in the herb the intention of our Saviour is to premonish us not to be overhasty in pronouncing sentence where there is any ambiguity and difficulty but rather reserve it and refer all to the judgement of God And he giveth this reason of so doing Because it may come to pass that he who to day is depraved in his judgement may repent and amend to morrow yea and return to the truth in which we may rather commend his gentleness then subscribe to his judgement in the sence of the parable the scope whereof doubtless is not to teach lenity and mildeness in proceeding against Hereticks the word is not Let them alone yet a little or be not so hasty But until the harvest and that is at the end of world Till then let them grow saith the parable and yet Saint Paul saith An Heretick after the first and second admonition reject but the intention of the parable doubtless is to shew that there is no expectation of universal purity in the Church of God during this life There will be tares always till in the end of the world there be made a total separation This is the intent and farther then so it is not doctrinal I confess they speak reason who granting the tares to be â—eant of Hereticks and this eradication to be done by the stroke of death do yet deny that the parable doth prohibite this eradication any farther then when there is also danger of plucking up the wheat grounding this upon those words Least peradventure ye pluck the Wheat Intimating that as the Magistrate may justly punish Malefactors by death where there is no danger of Sedition so may the Pastor where there is no fear nor danger of a Schism proceed against Heretical persons This I confess is rational yet I see no reason to depart from the former But this farther observe that he who forbad the plucking them up did not forbid to hinder the sowing of them Good therefore is the councel of Saint Jerome Quamâ—brem non dormiat qui Eelesia prapositus est ne per illius negligentiam in iâ—itus â—â—me supersentiâ—â—t zizania i. e. Hereticorum dogmata Let not the Church-Governor sleep least the envious man take that opportunity to sow tares And that of Chemnitius is not to be contemned Quando zizania volunt triticum crescendo superare c When there is danger and fear least the Tares do overgrow and so come to choke the Wheat since God hath set up two distinct Governments viz. Ecclesiastical and Political and hath forbidden the Church-Governor to meddle with the sword no doubt but in this case the Pastor may with a good Conscience desire the help of the Civil Magistrate and desire him to take care least the field of Wheat sustain any harm by the Tares Memorable is that Recantation of Saint Austin Sometimes he had been of that Opinion Nâ—minem ad Christi