of that Sacrifice This Holy Offering up of himself by the Eternal Spirit is a Great Part of his Messiahship for therein he hath both confirmed his Blessed Message of Remission of Sins and Life Everlasting to as many as truly believe in his Name and given himself a Propitiation for all that have sinned and so came short of the Glory of God in so much that God is said by the Apostle Paul to be Just and the Justifier of him which believeth in Jesus whom God hath set forth to be a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood to declare his Righteousness for the Remissions of Sins that are past through the forbearance of God Unto which I shall Join his Mediatorship or Advocacy link'd together both by the Apostle Paul and the beloved Disciple John the first in these words For there is One God and one Mediator between God and Man the Man Christ Jesus who gave himself a Ransom for all to be testified in due Time The Apostle John expresseth it thus My little Children these things write I unto you that you Sin not and if any Man sinneth we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous he is the Propitiation for our Sins and not for ours only but also for the Sins of the whole World So that to be Brief the Christian Creed so far as it is Declaratory lies eminently in a Confession of these Particulars Of the Divine Authority of the New as well as of the Old Testament Writings and therein of these Great General and Necessary Truths expresly to wit Of Christ his Miracles Doctrine Death Resurrection Advocacy or Mediation the Gift of his Grace Faith and Repentance unto Remission of Sins the Necessity of Keeping his Commandments and lastly of Eternal Recompence Less once than all this would have done and it does not shew the Age more Christian but more Curious indeed more Infidel that there is this Stir made about External Creeds of Communion for Distrust of Brethren and Incredulity among Christians is no small Sign of their Decay of Faith towards God From the Beginning 't was not so But it may be here Objected How shall we know that such a Declaration of Faith is sincere I Answer By recurring to that Evidence which God shall give us They that can try Spirits under the most-Sheeplike Clothing have the most-Immediate and Certain Proof but let it suffise that Christ hath told us By their Fruits ye shall know them If any Man says Christ will come after me let him take up his Cross and follow me and in another place he tells us thus My Sheep hear my Voice and I knew them and they follow me that is They are led by my Spirit they live my Life they obey my Doctrine And the Apostle Peter assures us that True Faith purifies the Heart and no Impurity can flow from a pure Heart You may know this Faith by that Way by which Abraham's Faith was known to be True to wit Obedience He believed God that is He Obeyed God he submitted to the Will of God and relied upon his Goodness He that gave me my Son by a Miracle can work another to save him To God all things are Possible It is call'd by the Apostle Paul The Spirit of Faith something more near and inward than any External Articles and Declaration of Faith that from whence all True Confessions and good Works come which made the Apostle Paul thus to say We give thanks to God always for you all making mention of you in our Prayers remembring without Ceasing your Work of Faith 'T was this true Faith that brings forth Works of Righteousness by which Abel Offered to God Enoch was Translated Noah was saved it is said of him that he became Heir of the Righteousness which is by Faith By this Faith Abraham left his own Country and obey'd the Voice of God By Faith Moses was preserved from his Childhood and when he came to years refus'd to be called the Son of Pharaoh's Daughter by Faith he forsook Egypt and passed the Red Sea By Faith the Walls of Jericho fell down and Rahah was saved By Faith Gideon Barak Sampson Jephtha David Samuel and the Prophets subdued Kingdoms wrought Righteousness obtained Promises stopped the Mouthes of Lyons quenched the Violence of Fire escaped the Edge of the Sword with much more too large to be utter'd This is that Faith which the Apostle James magnifies against all false Faiths Faith says he if it has not Works is dead A Man may say Thou hast Faith and I have Works shew me thy Faith without thy Works I will shew thee my Faith by my Works And as if he had fore-seen the Men of Creeds and Articles he speaks on this wise Thou believest that there is One God thou dost well the Devils also believe and Tremble But wilt thou know O Vain Man that Faith without Works is dead Was not Abraham our Father justified by Works when he had offered Isaac his Son upon the Altar seest thou how Faith wrought with his Works and by Works was Faith made perfect And he was called the Friend of God And the Exhortation of the Apostle Peter is a plain Discrimination of true Faith And besides this giving all Diligence add to your Faith Virtue and to Virtue Knowledge and to Knowledge Temperance and to Temperance Patience and to Patience Godliness and to Godliness Brotherly Kindness and to Brotherly Kindness Charity For if these things be in you and abound they make you that ye shall neither he barren nor unfruitful in the Knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ But he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see far off and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old Sins I will seal up these Scripture Testimonies of Faith with that Account which is given us by the Apostle John For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the World and this is the Victory that overcometh the World even our Faith Who is he that overcometh the World but he that believed that Jesus is the Son of God So that the Belief in the Son of God must have this Evidence to prove it true that by it Men are born of God and overcome the World so that their Faith is false whom the World Overcomes I am not of this World saith Christ Jesus neither can that Faith be that is called the Faith of the Son of God There are Three Passages left us upon Record by this Beloved Disciple of Jesus of Great Weight and Importance to us when he had discoursed of the Propitiation and Advocacy of Christ he does immediately add And hereby do we know that we know him if we keep his Commandments He that saith I know him and keepeth not his Commandments is a Lyar and the Truth is not in him But whoso keepeth his Word in him verily is the Love of God perfected hereby know we that we
Man the second Adam with his Holy Life and Works so shall the Fruits of his Spirit shine through us which are Love Joy Peace Long-suffering Patience Gentleness Faith Meekness Temperance for they that are Christ's have Crucified the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts They hear his Voice that leads them out of the Concupiscencies of this Vile World and they follow him and he gives unto them Eternal Life and a Stranger they will not follow The World the Flesh and the Devil make up this Stranger and those that are carried away by this Stranger are in an Unreconciled State to God and so dying must inevitably perish VVell then will be true Christians Have we Faith then let us take the Advice of that good man Peter Let us add to our Faith Virtue and to Virtue Knowledge and to Knowledge Temperance and to Temperance Patience and to Patience Godliness and to Godliness Brotherly-Kindness and to Brotherly-Kindness Charity For says he if these things be in you and abound they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the Knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ But he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see far off and hath forgotten that he was purged from his Old Sins Wherefore the rather Brethren give Diligence to make your Calling and Election sure for if ye do these things ye shall never fall For so an Entrance shall be ministred unto you abundantly into the Everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ The Fourth Great Ecclesiastical Evil is Preferring HUMANE AUTHORITY above Reason and Truth This the next Evil which is the Last now to be considered to wit Propagation of Faith by Force Religion by Arms are the Two Legs upon which the false Church hath in all Ages under this degeneracy we find the Jewish Church at Christ's coming and he complains of it Ye teach for Doctrines the Traditions of men ye seek to kill me a man that has told you the Truth But I challenge the whole Account of Time and Records of the World which are come to the hands of this Age to tell me When where and by whom these Principles have been receiv'd improv'd and us'd with any sort of Proportion or Comparison with the Practice of that Church which has long prided her self with the Name of Catholick and Christian And yet I could wish nothing of these Two Ill Principles had found any place amongst us that call our selves Protestants for to them are properly owing most of that Ignorance Superstition Idolatry Animosity Persecution and Blood-shed that have been among Christians since the Christian Profession hath grown to any Power in the World I shall consider them severally respecting us and in their due Order with as much Brevity as well I can That Humane Authority hath been preferred above Reason and Truth that is That the Apprehensions Interpretations Conclusions and Injunctions of Men have been reputed the great Necessaries or Essentials to Salvation and Christian Commâ—ion insomuch as a Sober and Reasonable Dissent hath been too often over-rul'd not by VVeight of Argument or Evidence of Truth but by the Power and Numbers of Men in Ecclesiastical Office and Dignity is that I may say Modestly in some Degree true among us The First Church Evil reprehended in this Discourse may begin the Proof and give the first Witness upon this part of the Charge viz. That OPINIONS have been maâ—â— ARTICLES of Faith that is the CONSTRUCTIONS and CONCLUSIONS of MEN from Sacred VVrit and not the TEXT it self have been injoyn'd impos'd as ESSENTIAL to Eternal Salvation and External Christian Communion Insomuch as no Reason Scripture or purest Antiquity have suffer'd to prevail against such Determinations and too often not enough to excuse those that have pleaded for a Conscientious Dissent from them the Authors of them either resting upon the Authority of their own Judgments or conforming themselves to the Example of Ages less pure and clear I Conscientiously refuse to name Parties because I am tender of giving the least Offence but upon a Just Observance of those Revolutions of Protestancy that have been amongst us we may see with what Stiffness not to say Obstinacy several Models of Religion and Draughts of Creeds have been contended for I would beseech every Party in Christ's Name to look into it self for I don 't because such are best able if they will be Impartial and put no Cheat upon themselves to make the Application However I will name those Points about which the Authority of Man as it seems to me has been so Positive of God as to his Prescience and Predetermination Of Christ as to his Natures and Personality and the Extent of his Death and Intercession Of Free Will and Grace Of Faith and Works Of Perseverance and Falling away Of the Nature of the Church And Lastly of the Dignity and Power of the Clergy And if men please but to lay their Hands upon their Hearts and cast their Eyes upon the Scriptures if they will but use the Light that God has afforded them and bring such Debates and Results to the Test of that Light and the Sound Form of Words the Holy Ghost hath preserv'd amongst us I need not take the Employment upon me of pointing to Humane Authority among the several Parties of Protestants as to these points nothing will be clearer For it is about the Meaning of this and the Intention of that place of Scripture the Contest hath been and is and how to maintain and propagate those Conceits So that the falling out is in the Wood of our own Opinions and there the Contention is kindled that consumes all about our Ears O that we would be but impartial and see our over-plus to the Scriptures and retrench that redancy or keep it modestly for 't is an horrid thing that we Protestants should assume a Power of ranging our apprehensions with the Text and injoining our Imaginations for Indispensible Articles of Faith and Christian Communion But the next proof of the prevalency of Humane Authority amongst us Protestants is The great Power and Sway of the Clergy and the Peoples Reliance upon them for the Knowledge of Religion and the Way of Life and Salvation This is such plain Fact that almost every Parish proves it Is not Prophecy once the Church's now engrost by them and wholly in their hands Who dare publickly preach or pray that is not of that Class or Order Have not they only the Keys in keeping May any body else pretend to the Power of Absolution or Excommunication muchless to constitute Ministers Are not all Church Rites and Priviledges in their Custody don 't they make it their proper Inheritance Nay so much larger is their Empire then Caesars that only they begin with Births and end with Burials Men must pay them for Coming in and Going out of the World To pay for dying is hard Thus their Profits run to the Grave and that which is
the Doctrine that is according to Godliness he is Proud knowing nothing but doting about Questions c. such as used Philosophy and vain Deceit as he writes to the Colossians Beware says he lest any man spoil you through Philosophy and vain Deceit that is draw them away from the Simplicity of the Gospel and the wholsome Words of Christ after the Traditions of men after the Rudiments of the World and not after Christ He used no humane Wisdom yet he spake Wisdom but it was in a Mystery not to the humble Disciples of Jesus nothing was plainer but it was a Mystery to the Wise Men of this World And truly they that are not unacquainted with the more degenerate Ages of the Greek Philosophers how Philosophy once taken for the Love of Virtue and self-Denial which they esteem'd truest Wisdom and was begun by men of Ordinary Rank became little else than an Art of Rangling upon a multitude of Idle Questions and so they entertain'd the Apostle Paul at Athens may very well guess which way Apostacy entred among Christians especially when we consider that in the third and fourth Centuries the Heathen-Philosophers had the Education of the Christian Youth and that no man had any Reputation among the Christian Doctors who were not well Initiated in the Philosophy Rhetorick and Poetry of the Gentiles Which made way for Impurity of Language and laid a Foundation for great Feuds in the Church Christ and his Doctrine must be prov'd by Aristotle and his Philosophy Yes Aristotle muff explain Scripture and by Degrees Methodize the loose Parts of it and reduce them to Formal Propositions Axiomes and by the Help of such Philosophers the poor Fisher-men were taught to speak Metaphysically and grew Polite in the Sense of Athens that to say true had been neither guilty of Using noâ— Understanding it But as the First Rules of Philosophy were few and plain and consisted in Virtuous Living so the Christian Religion was deliver'd with much Brevity yet much Plainness suited even to the Capacity of the Young the Ignorant and the Poor to inform their understandings subdue their affections and convert their Souls to God as well as Persons of more Age Knowledge and Ability And truly when we consider the Smalness of the Writings of the Evangelists the Shortness of Christ's Sermons the Fewness of the Epistles writ by the Apostles and the Many and Great Volumns of Commentators and Criticks we may justly say The Text is almost Lost in the Comment and Truth hid rather than revealed in these heaps of fallible Apprehensions Where by the way let me say that the Voluminousness of the Books is no small token of the Unclearness of the Writers the more Evident and better digested and Matter is the more easie and short it will be in expressing But after the Christians had declin'd the Simplicity of their own Religion and grew Curious and Wanton Loving God above all Their Neighbours as themselves and Keeping the plain Commandments of Christ that relate to good Life became but Ordinary and Homely things their Easiness rendred them Contemptible They gave but little pleasure to Speculative Minds they had nothing in them above Ordinary Capacities and it seemed hard that men of Inquisitive and Rais'd Spirits should sit down with the Lesson of RUSTICKS and PEASANTS Philosophers did not do so they would be like other Nations 'T was not enough now to know There was a God and that he was but One Just and Good the Observer of their Actions and the Rewarder of their Deeds and that therefore they should serve him But they must be distinctly inform'd of his Nature and all his Attributes his Purposes and his Decrees and the Suitableness of them all to the Line and Plumet of their Understandings So that God was to be what their Conclusions would allow him to be that yet knew not themselves their own Beings and their Extents Nor did it satisfie that there was a Christ that this Christ was the Son of God that God so loved Mankind as beholding him in a way of Destruction he sent his Son to proclaim pardon upon true Repentance and offer'd a General Reconciliation to as many as received and embrac'd his Testimony and that to that End he laid down his Life a Ransom Rise and Ascended and gave his good Spirit to lead his Followers in the Way of Truth and Holiness But they must search into the Secret of this Relation how and after what manner he is the Son of God his Nature Power and Person must be discus'd they will be satisfied in this before they can find in their Hearts to believe in him Next Whether he be the Cause or the Effect of God's Love What was that Prize he paid that Ransom he gave and how he died for us if Properly and strictly or Tropically and elegantly to satisfie the Justice of God and whether God could or could not have Saved man an other way If this Mercy were offer'd to all or but some and whether Acceptance and Repentance be with the Consent of the Creature or by an Irresistible Grace what Body he Rise Ascended with and what Bodies we shall have in the Resurrection in Nature Stature and Proportion Lastly What this Spirit is that comes from Christ if it comes from God also whether it be God or an Inferior Minister how it Exists If a Person in what Relation Degree or Dignity it stands to the Father and Son with abundance more of this Unreasonable Strain flowing from the Ungovern'd and Restless minds of men No man would be used by his Servant as they serve God he must wait our Leasure before we will believe receive and obey him his Message is Obscure we don't understand it he must gratifie our Couriosity we desire to be better satisfied with it before we believe or deliver it It comes not presently up to Mens's Understandings 't is too obscurely exprest we will explain it and deliver it with more Caution Clearness and Success then it is deliver'd to us Thus God's Revelation hath been scan'd and his Precepts examin'd before Licens'd Men would be wiser then God more wary then the holy Ghost Our Lord it should seem understood not what a kind of Creature Man was he wanted his Wisdom belike to admonish him of the Danger or haply he thought not upon that Corruption which should befall Mankind in these Latter Ages of the World which might require the Abilities of Men to supply the Wants and Defects left by the Holy Ghost in the Wording of the Scripture I wrong not this Practice I render it not more Odious than it is 't is an Inexcusable piece of Presumption that which debases the External Testimony of God and draws men off from that which is Eternal too It introduces the Traditions of men in the Room of God's Records and maketh their Judgment and Results the Rule of Christian Faith and Canons of Christ's Church This is one of those
is but FIGMENT they have peremptorily concluded and confidently imposed upon others a Necessity of Entertaining Conclusions of that Nature and to strengthen themselves have broken out into Divisions and Factions opposing Man to Man Synod to Synod till the Peace of the Church vanished without all Possibility of Recall Hence arose those Ancient and many Separations amongst Christians Arianism Eutychianism Nestorianism Photinianism Sabellianism and many more both Antient and in our Time And as he hath told us one great Occasion of the Disease so he offers what follows for the Cure And were Liturgies sayes he and Publick Forms of Service so framed as that they admitted not of particular and private Fancies but contained only such things as in which all Christians do agree Schisms on Opinion were utterly vanished Whereas to load our Publick Forms with the Private Fancies upon which we differ is the most-soveraign Way to perpetuate Schism unto the World's End Remove from them whatsoever is scandalous to any Party and leave nothing but what all agree on and the Event shall be that the Publick Service and Honor of God shall no wayes suffer For to charge Churches and Liturgies with Things Unnecessary was the First Beginning of all Superstition If the spiritual Guides and Fathers of the Church would be a little sparing of Incumbring Churches with Superfluities and not over-rigid either in reviving Obsolete Customs or imposing New there were far less Danger of Schism or Superstition Mean while wheresoever false or suspected Opinions are made a piece of the Church Liturgy he that separates is not a Schismatick for it is alike Unlawful to make Profession of known or suspected Falshoods as to put in Practice Unlawful or Suspect Actions He further tells us in his Sermon of Dealing with Erring Christians That it is the Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace and not the Identity or Oneness of Conceit which the Holy Ghost requires at the Hands of Christians A better Way my Conceit cannot reach unto then that we should be willing to think that these things which with some Shew of Probability we deduce from Scripture are at the best but Our Opinions For this peremptory Manner of setting down our Conclusions under this High Commanding Form of Necessary Truths is generally one of the greatest Causes which keeps the Churches this Day so fâ—r assunder whenas a Gratious Receiving of each other by Mutual Forbearance in this kind might peradventure in time bring them nearer together Thus much of this Great Man concerning Schism the Cause and Cure of it and for the Notion of Hereticks he will help us altogether as well For though they are generally taken for such as err in Judgment about Doctrines and Articles of Faith yet if this Man may have any Credit and perhaps none of his Profession has deserv'd more he tells us that Heresie is an Act of the Will not of Reason and is ind eeda Lye not a Mistake else sayes he how could that known Speech of Austin go for true Errare possum Haereticus esse nolo I may err but I am unwilling to be an Heretick And indeed this is no other than what Holy Scripture teacheth A Man that is an Heretick after the first and second Admonition reject knowing that he that is such is subverted and sinneth being CONDEMNED OF HIMSELF Which is as much as to say that no body is an Heretick but he that gives the Lye to his own Conscience and is Self-condemned Which is not the Case of Men meerly Mistaken or who only err in Judgment And therefore the Term of Heretick is as Untruly as Uncharitably flung upon those that Conscientiously dissent either in point of Discipline OF Doctrine from any Society of Christians and it is not hard to observe that those who have best merited it have most liberally bestow'd it But to show you that neither true Schismatick who is One that unnecessarily and unwarrantably separates from that part of the Visible Church of which he was once a Member nor true Heretick who is a Wilful Subverter of True or an Introducer of false Doctrines a Self-condemned Person can ever shelter himself under this Common Confession of Christianity sincerely made Let us consider that who-ever so declares Jesus to be the Messiah and Anointed Saviour of God to Men must be supposed to believe all that of him with respect to which he is so called Now that for which he is so denominated is that which God sent him to do the Reason and End of his coming he could best tell who hath told us thus I am come that ye may have Life and that ye may have it more abundantly The World was as dead in Trespasses and Sins the guilt and defilement of Transgression had kill'd the Soul as to Spiritual Life and Motion and from under this powerful Death he came to redeem the Soul unto Life in short to restore Man from this Fearful Degeneracy his Disobedience to God had reduced him to The Way he took to accomplish this Blessed Work was First To preach Repentance and the Approach of the Kingdom of God which is his Rule and his Authority in the Hearts of men which brings us to the Second thing to be believed namely What he Taught 1. First his Doctrine led Men to Repentance Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand No Man could receive the Kingdom of God whilst he lived under the Kingdom and Power of Satan so that to Repent is not only to bring their Deeds to the Light which Christ exhorteth Men to but to forsake that which upon Examination appeared to be Evil. Wherefore I conclude that such as have not been acquainted with this Holy Repentance do not sincerely believe neither can Rightly confess Jesus to be the Christ the Son of God the Saviour of the World Therefore saith the Apostle Let him that nameth the Name of the Lord depart from Iniquity plainly implying that those do rather Prophane than Confess the Name of the Lord who do not Depart from their Iniquities And saith the Apostle in another place No man can call Jesus LORD but by the Holy Ghost Which opens to us the Nature of the True Confession to wit That the True Confession of Jesus to be both Lord and Christ is from such a Belief in the Heart as is the work of the Holy Ghost and those that do not Confess him or call upon him by Virtue of the Overshadowings of this Divine Spirit and Power are not truly Christians true Worshippers Believers and Disciples Furthermore they that receive Christ receive his Kingdom his Power and Authority in their Souls the strong Man that kept the house becomes bounâ— and his Goods spoil'd by this stronger man the LORD 's CHRIST who is come from Heaven to dwell in us and be the Hope of our Glory for so he was preached to the Gentiles This Kingdom the Apostle tells us stands in Righteousness Peace and Joy