life and saluation which are most fully and often recorded â—nd testified in the Scriptures of God to and concerning such persons in such maner qualified as we haue before according to the Scriptures described So that euery man so qualified may see and know through the Spirit of God in and by the same records his name to wit his person soule and body decreed and recorded of God in Christ euen from the foundation of the world to be for life and saluation This is the booke of life of the Lamb slaine for in him it was and is done and of this decree there is no alteration And whereas it seemeth to some that God doth alter his purpose and change his word because he sometimes promiseth blessings and life to men which by reason they on their parts do not that which he requireth he performeth not and likewise threatneth iudgement which by reason men repent he executeth not The truth is it doth but so seem to ignorant men who doe not rightly conceiue of the power of God nor vnderstand the drift and scope of his word For God is not like vnto men to purpose one thing to day and resolue vpon another to morrow but whatsoeuer he hath decreed in his heart shall surely come to passe though he sometimes vse to speake after the maner of men because he knoweth they are but men whom he speaketh vnto He publisheth his Gospell to all men in generall and doth promise saluation to all men that repent and beleeue and he requireth repentance and faith of all yet notwithstanding but few do repent and beleeue and so come to saluation doth God therefore alter his purpose and change his word He also gaue a law to all men before and required obedience thereunto promising life likewise to all that obeyed it but no man euer kept it and liued thereby did God therefore alter his purpose and change his word nay God did neuer purpose in his heart nor promise that any man should here in the flesh keepe his law and liue by it though the Familists say he did neither was it giuen to that end though they affirme it was For if it had bene so God would neuer haue giuen the other nay he knew such was mans miserable condition by his fall and the fiery sharpnes of that law against him that it was so farre impossible for him to keepe the same and liue thereby as that it vtterly slue him and kept him off Therefore God hauing decreed in his heart to saue some was pleased to giue the other if he had not done so but should haue proceeded against all for the breach of the first should he haue done any man wrong nay who dare say so And is he now vniust in publishing his Gospell to all because he saueth not all or darest thou say he altereth his purpose and changeth his word nay let God be true and vnchangeable and all men liers and moueable Men are as backward and vnwilling and haue as little power or strength in themselues to obey the Gospell as they had to keepe the law nay such is yet naturally the pride and loftinesse of mans heart as lamentable experience hath long proued that he rather desireth to remaine vnder the rule and command of the law and so seeke life by the works thereof then to subiect his soule to the rule and commandements of the Gospell viz. to repent of his sinnes from the bottome of his heart and seeke life by faith in the free grace of God in Iesus Christ and follow Christ in the regeneration But so it is I say that before the world was God did purpose and decree in himselfe to saue by the Gospell of his Sonne Iesus Christ a seed a remnant of the foreseene fallen posteritie of mankind which seed he reserued from the beginning coÌ„prehended them in the promise which he first made to Adam saying The seed of the woman shal breake the Serpents head Christ being the principall and they in him and of him and seuereth them with him from the seed of the Serpent in these words And I will put enmitie betweene thee and the woman and betweene thy seed and her seed And afterwards againe to Abraham in these words In thy seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed Meaning by thy seed Christ and by the nations those children which God made Abraham the father of as he said I haue made thee a father of many nations euen they that were to haue the faith of Abraham the seed that were to beleeue in that one seed Christ And again in these words In Isaac shall thy seed be called By all which it is euident that as Christ was promised and seuered from the seed of the serpent so all the seed betweene whom and the seed of the serpent there was to be enmitie were also promised as Gods free people meerly giuen of him to life and seuered by him also from them and as Isaac was borne by promise so are they At this time will I come saith God and Sara shall haue a sonne So Saint Paul saith Now we brethren as Isaac was are the children of promise And that these children of the promise onely are the children of God and counted for the seed the same Apostle also in another place witnesseth in these words They which are the children of the flesh are not the children of God but the children of the promise are counted for the seed And they are called the children of God because also they are borne of God and adopted through the Spirit of his Son and therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God as he said to Abraham I will he thy God and the God of thy seed For be hath prepared for them a citie Now this seed as God foreknew them all and had chosen them in Christ froÌ„ the beginning and predestinated them to be conformed to his image and likenesse who are therefore said to be written in the Lambs book of life from the foundation of the world And as he seuered them by promise from the seed of the Serpent so from time to time hee calleth them and whom he calleth hee iustifieth and whom he iustifieth them also he glorifieth He hath not done these things to all The seed of the Serpent neuer had any of these priuiledges God neuer chose them in Christ nor predestinated them to be conformed to his image neither were they euer written in the Lambs booke of life from the foundation of the world neither did God euer promise to call iustifie and glorifie them or any of them therefore God neuer altered his purpose nor changed his word or promise as some ignorantly imagine but there hath been euer enmitie betweene the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman euen from the dayes of Cain and Abel to this present and shall be to the end according to the word
to others the sauour of death vnto death not of it selfe but through the wickednes of mens hearts so likewise there is a two-fold administration thereof the one generall common to all the other speciall peculiar to a few that which is generall and common is a publique declaration that such a thing there is whereby all men in general haue this benefit namely yâ— whereas after Adam had sinned before the promise was made that the seed of the woman should bruise the Serpents head there was no time nor place for repentance to any nor remission of sins vpon any ground to be expected now since that time by vertue of the promise all sinne iâ— made pardonable there is time and place for repentance to all and remission of sinnes thereupon granted so that whosoeuer shall come and with sorrow of heart confesse his sinnes vnto God and humbly desire mercie and forgiuenesse at his hands shall receiue it and thus far the Gospell is preached to all euen to euery creature vnder heauen as Saint Paul speaketh so that there is not nor hath been a nation or people in any time or part of the world that can truly say we haue not heard it for as it is written their sound went forth throughout all the earth and their words vnto the ends of the world and so all are left without excuse because God hath not left himselfe without witnesse But the maner and measure of Gods declaration of his Gospell hath been diuers he declared it vnto the nations of the Gentiles in former times yea and at this present doth in diuers parts of the world onely by the workes which he hath created and benefits that he daily giueth them as the heauens and firmament day and night Sunne and raine and in that he giueth them fruitfull seasons filling their hearts with food and gladnesse with many other blessings all which do in their maner and kind preach and declare vnto them that God is good and gracious to mankind and hath some speciall respect vnto him and doe also call vpon them daily to seeke him that made all and giueth all those good things vnto them and proueth vnto them that if they had sought they might haue found in him yet greater things which some of them doubles haue attained vnto the rest by this means are left without excuse He shewed it to the nation of the Hebrewes not onely by his works and benefits which they especially had in great abundance but in another more excellent maner and in a far greater measure as namely by the testimonies of the Fathers and by the ministerie of Moses and the Prophets who receiued it from God and spake as they were moued by the holy Ghost he stretched forth his hand all the day long vnto that people preaching his Gospell the word of faith vnto them so as that they of all other had least reason to say in their hearts Who shall ascend into heauen for vs to fetch it vs or who shall go downe into the deepe to bring it vs that we may heare it and doe it but the word was nigh enough vnto them euen in their mouthes and in their hearts and if the Gentiles were left without excuse much more they And now he hath spoken and declared it vnto vs in these last times by his Sonne Iesus Christ that Seed which was promised to Adam to Abraham was spoken of by Moses foretold by the Prophets in whom by whom and through whom all blessings all hope all grace and life is granted is purchased is to be attained by him I say and by his holy Apostles in the power and gifts of the holy Ghost he hath declared vnto vs all things cleerly many whereof being such as in all other former ages were not knowne so that the earth floweth with the knowledge of the Gospell in these dayes aboue all those other times past and many haue been enlightned through the preaching of it by the Spirit and haue beleeued and giuen their assents vnto the truth of it many haue tasted of the heauenly gift and haue been made partakers of the holy Ghost haue tasted of the good word of God and of the powers of the world to come many are able to preach and discourse thereof in great and excellent measure and if the Hebrewes could at no time truly say we haue not heard it nor yet those Gentiles that had not the Law to wit those Scriptures and ordinances of the Law which the Hebrewes had what can we then say who haue not only had all the meanes and light which those Gentiles Hebrews had but also the plaine reuelation of the Gospell according as it was foretold to be in these last times confirmed by the death resurrection of Iesus Christ and left recorded vnto vs by his holy Apostles in full measure how can it be I say therefore but that the things which we haue heard and beleeued will be vnto vs the sauour of death vnto death in a fuller and larger measure then vnto any of them seeing we haue receiued a greater larger measure of knowledge if we obey not the Gospell if we attaine not vnto the speciall grace and benefits thereof for as the Lord himselfe testifieth He that knoweth his masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes But some will say we haue not onely knowledge of his will but obedience also we are not like vnto those strange fornicators and idolaters of the Gentiles nor as the cruell vnbeleeuing Hebrewes which killed the Prophets and murdered the Lord of glorie neither are we of the common sinners of the world though we haue been so heretofore nay the power of the holy Ghost by the preaching of the word of God hath altered vs the foule spirit is now cast out by a stronger then he we are now cleane escaped from the filthinesse of the world our liues and actions are reformed we apply our selues now to the hearing of the word we conferre thereof and reade it oft we pray also oft we receiue the Sacraments oft we instruct our children and our seruants in the principles of Christian religion we keep the Sabbath we distribute of our goods to the poore we neglect no dutie which we conceiue we ought to performe so that we are washed and sanctified by the blood of the testament I confesse thou hast here a kind of obedience and doest in part thy masters will and art so far forth sanctified by the blood of the testament for by it all graces and gifts of the Spirit are purchased and thou couldest neuer haue attained to these things but by vertue of it yet I say notwithstanding all this the chiefe thing may be wanting in thee for if this be to do thy masters will according to our Sauiours meaning then doubtlesse the Scribes and Pharises did his will as wel as thee they made
life is by one euen Christ and none shall liue but by him And that not any one man whatsoeuer old or yong male or female shall euer enter into life except he be changed from that he is by nature by a heauenly power of grace through the Spirit Christ himselfe fully ratifieth and confirmeth saying Verily I say vnto thee except a man be borne againe he cannot see the kingdom of God And againe the second time Verily verily I say vnto thee except a man be borne of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdome of God Meaning by a man euery child of man without exception of what age or sex soeuer if he be one conceiued and borne of flesh he must be borne againe of water and of the Spirit or else he cannot be saued Meaning by water a heauenly power whereby the heart which is naturally euen from the birth hard and stubburne being seasoned with Adams sinne euen from the conception is dissolued and made meeke and tender as water and by the spirit a heauenly gift of the holy Ghost which comforteth his tender heart and brings vnto it from God in and through Christ peace and ioy vnspeakable and that children are capable of this in and from the womb let the babe which sprang in his mothers wombe for ioy giue testimonie And if any shall say Christ doth not call a child new borne a man let him reade these words of Christ A woman when she trauaileth hath sorrow because her houre is nigh but as soone as she is deliuered of the child she remembreth no more the paine for ioy that a man is borne into the world If children dying before they commit actuall sinne are saued because they haue no originall pollution of sinne as these silly men say then Christ died not for children neither was he promised vnto them nor yet are they saued by him but by their owne innocencie and so this promise The Seed of the woman shall bruise the serpents head belonged only to Adam and Euah and not to any of their children because they were to be borne all innocents without sinne These with many other absurdities will follow from this their doctrine But it is an error as their other points are and therefore error must needs be the consequence of it If one should aske these men at what age a child may commit an actuall sinne whereby it doth lose it innocencie and perfection of nature and then at what age it is capable of the new birth and also why the lust or thought of euill in the heart as well as an act of euill may not take their innocencie and vertue of nature from them It is much to be maruelled what answers they would make But to leaue them to better conderations hoping they will now see their folly and learne to be wiser for time to come Their sixt point That none ought to be baptized but such men and women of yeares onely as haue attained to true repentance and iustifying faith being both in the account of the Church and in the sight of God regenerate persons and that the baptisme of children vsed is no baptisme at all but is the marke of the Beast spoken of in Reuelat. 13. Answ THe doctrine of the Church of God is that not only such men and women of yeares as haue true repentance and iustifying faith but that all which do beleeue Iesus to be the Christ and acknowledge him submitting themselues to be informed and guided by his word and Gospell may be baptized though as yet they neither haue true repentance nor iustifying faith and that the children of all such may be baptized That such as haue true repentance iustifying faith may be baptized it is granted of all men without any further consideration to be past all question but it is euident there may be such who yet notwithstanding may not lawfully be baptized Cornelius Lydia and the Eunuch were true worshippers of God as the Spirit testifieth of them and therefore had both true repentance iustifying faith before they knew Christ to be come in the flesh yet these might not be baptized till they did know and acknowledge Christ to be come in the flesh and that Iesus Christ was he but Christ being manifested vnto them the Scriptures concerning him being vnfolded and God opening their hearts to attend vnto the same and they beleeuing the truth thereof were baptized being now of all other the meetest persons therefore For we are to know that when Christ came into the world he found the people in seuerall conditions some though but few very true Israelites who had both repentance and iustifying faith before Christ as touching his personall appearing in the flesh was known vnto them as Simeon Nathaniel those before named and others For the same way to saluation that is now was euer euen from the dayes of Abell and shall be to the end as repentance from dead workes and faith towards God c. And some poore repentant sinners and these were few also which had not yet Iustifying faith but onely trauelling vnder the burthen of their sins did much desire to be releiued Such were those poore which are spoken of the bruised and heauy laden Sicke lost dead c. And others were they that had neither repentance nor faith as the multitudes of the Iewes and of the whole world and to these seuerall sorts of people the Gospell was preached in seuerall maners To the first sort that Christ was now come euen the messenger of the couenant whom they desired in their hearts to see and heare as one that did spiritually dwell in their hearts already these beleeuing were baptized To the second was preached that Christ is come and also that the glad tidings of peace and reconciliation with God in him did belong to them in particular and therefore Christ calleth these particularly saying Come vnto me all ye c. Againe The Sonne of man is come to seeke and saue that which is lost c. The poore haue the Gospell preached vnto them and these beleeuing and acknowledging Christ were baptized And to the other third sort Christ was not to be preached in any such special peculiar manner as to the former but more generally as namely that Christ is come in the flesh c and that repentance and remission of sinnes is granted in his name so that whosoeuer doth repent and beleeue the Gospell shal be saued Now they that did beleeue and accknowledge the truth of these things as Iudas the many disciples mentioned in the fourth and sixt of Iohn the thornie and stony ground Simon Magus with many others were and might lawfully be baptized though they had not yet true repentance nor iustifying faith Nay it is manifest that neither Christ nor his Apostles did reiect any from the outward baptisme for the want thereof so as they did beleeue and outwardly submit themselues to the
of the Lord though they be inlightned and taste as much of the good word of God as either Cain or the Iewes did God vseth threatnings oft times to bring that seed which he promised to call to repentance he giueth them repentance he promiseth grace to the repentant in a speciall particular maner he giueth them faith also to receiue it he promiseth likewise saluation absolutely to these beleeuers he admonisheth them because they of themselues are apt to fall yea and would fall and perish if they stood by their owne strength if God did not sustaine them and had not ordered and disposed of all things for their safetie and wel being he commandeth them to watch and to pray and he giueth them his Spirit which helpeth their infirmities without the which they know not what to aske and it maketh request vnto God for them with sighs and grones which cannot be exprest not because they may yet perish but because they should not perish and for that they are weake and apt to fall and grieue the Spirit He also chasteneth them not for their hurt nor in his wrath but that they should not be condemned with the world And because God hath appointed them to be holy and so to saluation therefore he hath appointed all these things For as he before the world was purposed to saue them so likewise did he determine of the way and meanes whereby to saue them and the meanes is as certaine as his decree And Gods promises concerning life eternal to speake properly are not vpon any conditions though he doth seeme so to propose them to the world but they are absolutely free without any condition of our parts It is true God will saue none but such as repent and beleeue his Gospell bring forth fruite endure to the end c. yet these are not conditions for God giueth all these things to his elect as freely as he gaue Christ vn-them he conformeth them hereby to the image of Christ else grace and saluation were of due debt by desert which to teach is erroneous and Antichristian And although God did elect men in Christ from the foundation of the world yet did not the Elect fall from their Election in the fall of Adam neither did Adam himselfe lose his Election by his fall as they would infer thereupon for Gods Election was not of man considered in his innocencie but of men 〈◊〉 foreseene fallen and therefore they are said to be chosen in Christ who was to be a reconciler and mediator for sinners and not for innocent persons So that the obiection of them which say if the Elect cannot fall out of Gods fauour then did not all fall in Adam If the elect cannot fall from their election then haue not all sinned is very carnall and wicked much like vnto that of the Saduces which said Whose wife shall she be in the Resurrection who like fooles knew not that in the resurrection they neither marry nor giue in marraige So they being ignorant of the wisedome and foreknowledge of God giue out If the elect cannot fall from their election then haue not all sinned And are as bould and thinke themselues aswell armed hereby against the certainty and continuance of Gods election as the Saduces thought themselues against the resurrection when they came in scorne thereof to pose Christ But I omit their friuolous obiections as not hauing any collour of reason because also we shall haue occasion to cleere those things hereafter Thus as we haue said God first publisheth his Gospell and all doe enioy some benefit thereby many are inlightned by it and are made partakers of some common gifts of the Spirit but few are made partakers of those which are speciall and peculiar And this is the order which God doth vse for the calling sanctifying and sauing of his elect First after they are inlightned to know his truth he calleth them in a speciall maner to repentance then in the second place by a more excellent gift of the Spirit he iustifieth the repentant soule from his sinnes and sanctifieth his heart and then thirdly they being now ingrafted into Christ their head doe bring forth fruit in him as before we haue described And these are the plantation of God the trees of righteousnes which the Scriptures speak of God is the husbandman and this is the maner of his husbandry And thus hath he seuered and distinguished his plants from all carnal vnregenerate Christians vnder what name or title soeuer they passe or in what outward estate or Church soeuer they liue And blessed is that man that hath part with them in those speciall gifts and treasures of life for on such the second death shall haue no power Thus haue we proued that whosoeuer is borne from aboue of water and the Spirit Iustified by faith in Christ whose names are written in the booke of life frō the foundation of the world shall neuer fall away nor haue their names razed out of the booke of life againe And that God doth neuer alter his purpose or promise but that all his decrees and promises shall surely come to passe Their fift point That there is no Originall sinne but that all children of all maner of people in the world as well heathens Infidels Idolaters worshippers of Diuels all kind of blasphemers fornicators vncleane persons whatsoeuer as of the faithfull are free from all pollution of sinne both in the conception and birth and dying before they commit actuall sinnes are saued Answ THe truth is though to our shame and sorrow it may be spoken that sin hath taken hold of all the whole posterity of mankind and all are corrupted by a perpetuall seed of generation orignially from Adam so that euery child of man that is borne of flesh as well of the faithfull as of the vnfaithfull is by nature the child of pollution and wrath and dying vnregenerate perrisheth from the glory of God and from the ioy of his presence for euermore This we neede not now to stand to argue for besides the manifold testimonies of Gods word which testifie against vs long and lamentable experence hath sufficiently proued it and doth dayly proue it vnto vs so that we haue more need to mourne for our selues in regard of the euill that is sowne in our natures thereby and to weepe for our children also which are bred and borne of vs as Christ charged the daughters of Ierusalem to doe for themselues and for their children then to stand to dispute the points or once to question whether it be so or no. Neuertheles to stop the mouthes of such as doe deny it we say that when Adam sinned all sinned together with him because all mankind were then in him and therefore when God cast Adam out of Paridice he cast all his posteritie out of Paracice with him and when God cursed the earth he cursed it not to his person alone but all that were to come of him as well