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A90866 Theos anthrōpophoros. Or, God incarnate. Shewing, that Jesus Christ is the onely, and the most high God· In four books. Wherein also are contained a few animadversions upon a late namelesse and blasphemous commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrewes, published under the capital letters, G.M. anno Dom. 1647. In these four books the great mystery of man's redemption and salvation, and the wayes and means thereof used by God are evidently held out to the capacity of humane reason, even ordinary understandings. The sin against the Holy Ghost is plainly described; with the cases and reasons of the unpardonablenesse, or pardonablenesse thereof. Anabaptisme, is by Scripture, and the judgment of the fathers shewed to be an heinous sin, and exceedingly injurious to the Passion, and blood of Christ. / By Edm. Porter, B.D. sometimes fellow of St. John's Colledge in Cambridge, and prebend of Norwich. Porter, Edmund, 1595-1670.; Downame, John, d. 1652. 1655 (1655) Wing P2985; Thomason E1596_1; ESTC R203199 270,338 411

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gosple-Gosple-Covenant is called the Covenant of Grace I answer that this one Covenant is both for if the Law of God be not actually and perfectly done and performed by man viz either by us our selves or by Christ or surety for us we can have no benefit by the Covenant so in respect of Christ it is a Covenant of works but to us it is a Covenant of Grace But it may be said that the Evangelicall Covenant is called a better Covenant Heb. 8. 6. I answer the same Covenant is called better because it is bettered and better explained and setforth with better evidence of graciousnesse in the Gospel then before when in the time of the Law it was clouded and clogged with shadows types figures and troublesome Ceremonies but now it shineth clearly and is also quitted of that heavy yoak then it outwardly appeared but as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. a pact or mutuall Covenant but in the Gospel it appears to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. a Testament and albeit the Law is also called a Testament yet it is but as the Will or Testament of a man which is indeed written and sealed and testified but not in force because the Testater was not actually dead But in the Gospel this Old Testament being the same in substance is newly become to be in full force and vertue because Iesus Christ the Testator died Heb. 9. 17. so it became in force for Christ who was but promised in the time of the Law and died there but in types was really exhibited and really died in the Gospel and although the Evangelicall Testament is set forth with a condition annexed viz of believing yet this condition is also in this New Testament bequeathed for Eph. 2. 8 Faith is the gift of God and yet Faith is that Law of which it is said Jer. 31. 33. I will put my Law in their inward pares and write it in their hearts and the same is repeated Heb. 8. 10. So the new Testament requireth the condition of believing and the Testator in his Will hath given to man what he requireth of man The brief of all is that the same God who in Paradise ingaged himself that the seed of the woman should bruise the Serpents head hath himself taken upon him the seed of the woman and in that seed became our Jesus If after all this the Christian shall yet desire further evidence to inform him more and assure and confirm him in Christs ingagement and suretyship for us men as if his Word Promise and Covenant weee not sufficient to give rest and contentment to our wavering and timerous hearts see how our most compassionate and merciful Redeemer hath yet further condescended not onely to enter a covenant in our behalf but also to seal the said Covenant and thereby openly declare himself to be a debtor with us both for the principall that is the fulfilling of the Law and also for the penalty 1 Upon our default and transgression and this he did by the first seal of his Circumcision whereby he bound himself as a debtor to perform the whole Law and this in behalf of all the circumcised seed of Abraham and this Mystery is clearly set forth by the great Apostle Gal. 5. 3. For I testifie again to every man that is circumcised that he is a debtour to doe the whole Law Secondly as by the seal of Circumcision Christ underwent the burthen of all the legall precepts So by the other Seal of his Baptisme he undertook the performance of all the strict Evangelicall Precepts in the behalf of all the Baptized Christians for so himself declared though something covertly for when Iohn Baptist refused to baptize him Christ bade him Matthew 3. 15. adding this reason For thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousnesse Upon which words Saint Hierome observes that he did not say Hier. in loc Justitiam Legis id est the righteousnesse of the Law onely but all that so we may understand that Christ undertook to fulfill both Legall and Evangelicall righteousnesse even in those strict Precepts of Love your enemies blesse them that curse you pray for them that persecute you Deny your selves c. These were the reasons for which our Saviour submitted to the Sacramentall seals of Circumcision and Baptisme thereby to be a surety bound and ingaged for us And so the ancient Expositours understood it Circumcisus Anselm in Gal. 5. 3. est debitor faciendae universae Legis sicut qui Baptismum percipit debitor faciendi praecepti Evangelici id est As the Circumcised is a debtour to doe the whole Law so the baptized is a debtour to perform the Precepts of the Gospell and this also was the judgement of Saint Basil Sicut Circumcisus Basil de Bapt. l. 2. n. 18. est debitor Legis servandae sic Baptizatus totius Evangelii c. And although the Pelagians denied the necessity of Baptisme for taking away Originall sinne yet Coelestius could confesse that Children were redeemed by the Baptisme of Christ and this was onely because by his Baptisme he undertook for us to perform the Evangelicall Covenant Finally all that Christ did undertake to doe for us men that hath he punctually performed partly by his Obedience active in fulfilling all righteousnesse and partly by passive Obedience when he suffered the penalty of our transgressions pouring out his soul and his most precious Blood upon the Crosse there paying the utmost farthing of our debt when our selves were not able to pay one for a thousand This Doctrine understood rightly will reconcile those two sayings of Saint Hierome Maledictus qui dicit Deum impossibilia praecipisse 2 Maledictus qui dixerit legem esse possibilem id est Cursed is he that saith God commanded things impossible and cursed is he that saith the Law of God is possible The meaning is That Law which is impossible to be performed by us or any mere man was performed for us by the Son of Man For our sins were laid upon him and his righteousnesse is imputed to us which Mel. Dav. in vita Luth. p. 164. Luther expresseth in these pithie words Domine Iesu tu●e Iustitia mea Ego sum peccatum tuum i. man gave his sins to Christ and Christ gave his righteousnesse to Man CHAP. X. That Man could not be redeemed nor saved but by the Incarnation of the Sonne of God how the curse was executed on Man and how the Law is fulfilled by Man BUt could not our Lord Jesus having thusas a Surety and Mediatour undertaken for us and for our salvation I say could he not have effected our immunitie from punishment and our blessednesse by intreating as an Advocate for us and by that great power and favour which he hath with the Father obtain both remission and pardon of our sins and salvation freely without those bloody and grievous passions which he suffered on the Crosse and this onely by speaking intreating and pleading
Saint Austine therein and the Authors submission thereof to the Reader That because God was to be Incarnate only in the Person of the Sonne and not in the Person of the Father therefore the ancient Fathers said that God was seen in the Person of the Sonne onely and not in the Person of the Father Chapter VII The Incarnation of the Sonne of God is shewed against Page 22 the Commenter That a meer Man may be said to be Incarnate and so may Christ be truly said and much rather because the soul of Man may exist without a body and the Godhead of Christ really did exist from Eternitie without a Body untill his assumption of a temporary shape and his Incarnation in an ever durable Body That the Scripture calleth him that denieth Christs Incarnation a deceiver and an Antichrist Chapter VIII That the Son of God was to be Incarnate necessarily Page 27 by vertue of the Covenant although God could have saved Man by his Power without the Incarnation Of that curious question viz. What God did before the Creation That God was never solitarie though alwaies but One. Of the Everlasting or Eternall Covenant between the Persons of the Father and the Sonne before the world Chapter IX Of the Covenant between God and Man divers Page 33 times renewed The first words of the Covenant about the Tree of Knowledge before the fall The second words of bruising the Serpents head since the fall The same Covenant with Abraham and afterwards with Moses in more words The outward signes of the Covenant viz. Sacrifices circumcision Tabernacle and Leviticall rites That the Legall and Evangelicall Covenant are but one The words of the Evangelicall Covenant Why it is called a new Covenant the Covenant of Grace and of works a better Covenant and a Testament of Christs suretie ship The reason why Christ was circumcised and Baptized Chapter X. That as our state condition now standeth Page 38 man cannot be redeemed and saved but through the Incarnation Obedience and death of the Sonne of God That our salvation is not wrought by the request and verball intreatie of Christ nor by the power onely of God without satisfaction of his Justice The distinction between Christs satisfaction and his merit How Gods just Sentence was fully executed on man and his Law perfectly performed by man Chapter XI That Christ was a Person fitly qualified to stand Page 41 in stead of all Mankind The mutuall unity of Christ and Mankind in that Christ t●oke his flesh from Man and Man received the Spirit from Christ That from this mutuall unity it is that Christs Obedience both Active Passive with great justice and equitie may be imputed to Mankind Chapter XII What interest the unregenerate man hath in Page 54 Christ That the Divine Spirit of Christ is communicated to the unregenerate and therewith some common graces That the Doctrine of the Church declareth the benefit of Christs death to be offered to all men good and bad That God is essentially present in every creature though not commugnicating his sanctifying Grace to every one The Stoicks error concerning the souls of Men. Apollinarius his Heresie concerning the soul of Christ Chapter XIII The Heresie of Valentinus and others concerning Page 59 the Body of Christ compared with the Heresie of Apollinarius concerning Christs Soul That the Arguments proving the derivation of the flesh of Christ from mans body do as well prove the traduction of his soul That the soul of man by nature is Carnall The doctrine of the Church of England doth not clearly determine the originall of Christs soul That if the traduction of souls be granted it will argue a greater nearness and conjunction of God and Man Chapter XIV The question of the propagation of the soul of Page 63 Christ and of other mens souls discoursed the difficultie thereof shewed out of Saint Austine and his inclination and reasons to believe traduction rather then a dayly new creation of souls The judgement of the Western Church herein alledged by Saint Hierome That the opinion of Traduction is not inconsistent with Christian Faith But if it be granted it argues a nearer relation between Christ and us then otherwise the Author leaves it undetermined with submission to the judicious Reader Chapter XV. The Ubiquitie of the Spirit of Christ Of the Page 67 diversitie of the Graces thereof In what degree and measure the Spirit with its common Graces is communicated to men unregenera●e How the one Spirit of God is in Scripture represented as if there were more then one how it is said to be withdrawn or not yet given when it is alwayes present That the union of God and man is hence concluded Chapter XVI That the presence of the Spirit doth not alwayes Page 71 sanctifie is proved from the unction of Heathen Kings How such are called Gods annointed though they were not ceremonially annointed with oyl of Christs Vnction and the appellation of Christians Vespatians touching and curing the infirm thereby The King of Englands cures and unction Of the gift of healing mentioned 1 Cor. 12. 9. Whether it be utterly ceased Chapter XVII The union of Christ and his Church further Page 76 shewed Why Christ is called Adam David and Jacob Why all mankind was extracted out of one man Why Saint Austine denied that there were any Antipodes The difference between Christs union with all mankind and his more speciall union with his Church An Exposition of Heb. 7. 9. Touching the difference of Levi and Christ who were both in the loins of Abraham which place is purposely obscured by the Commenter The Table THE FOURTH BOOK Containing a discussion of this Question Whether the blasphemie of denying Christs Godhead which is the sin against the holy Spirit be absolutely unpardonable with full Expositions of certain Scriptures in the Hebrewes and other places which concern that sin Chapter I. THe question stated The judgement of Page 1 some late Divines therein and their grounds That to affirm it absolutely unpardonable seemeth derogatory to the infinite mercy of God in Christ and the grace of repentance The efficacie of true repentance Chapter II. That this sinne possibly may be pardoned upon Page 5 the sinners repentance That Gods threatnings are not to be understood as absolute but as conditionall That therefore his threatnings are not alwayes executed and yet his Truth not violated That threatnings are intended for provocations to repentance an observation upon Theodosius The judgement of the Fathers concerning those threatnings Chapter III. That the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit or Page 8 God-head of Christ is then onely unpardonable when it is accompanied with finall impenitencie a short Exposition of Matth. 12 31. Chapter IV. Whether the grace of repentance be absolutely denied Page 11 to those who have once sinned this sin The judgement of some Divines herein A full Exposition begun of Heb. 6. 4. concerning final impenitencie That the word inlightned is there meant of
Christ was fore ordained before the foundation of the World 1 Pet. 1. 19. 20. But I ask how could the blood of Christ with righteousnes and equitie be so ordained If Christ had not freely and voluntarile thus ingaged himself who could compel him therunto or did not he who is the wisdome of the Father fore see the bloody Passions which such an undertaker must undergoe or what claime could the Sons of men have to chaleng any interest in his actions or Passions but only by this covenant and ingagement and how could it be said Eph. 1. 4. God hath Chosen us in him before the foundation of the World And how can in be said 2 Tim. 1. 9. God hath saved us and called us according to his purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Iesus before the world began Unles man be considered and looked upon in Christ through this Covenant because therby the Son of God did ingage and oblige himself to the Father in man's behalf to performe the whole will of God which should be required of man for therfore is the Son called the Angel or messenger of the covenant Mal. 3. 1. Because he was the Mediator sent interested and imploied both in the undertaking and in the performance of that secret Covenant of whom it is also written Psal 40. 7. In the volume of thy booke it is written of me that I should performe thy will or that I delight to doe thy will Thus because Christ had undertaken for us and therfore was by his promise to performe the will of God for us hence it is that all our salvation is in and by and through him and all the promises of God to man are in him and for this reason it is said Tit. 1. 2. That God promised Eternal life before the world began But to whom could it be promised before any Creature was made except only to the Son of God and why to him but because he only had ingaged himself in this Eternall Covenant and becau●e our transgressions were fore seen that they would deserve death and that our suertie in the payment of our debt must needs suffer death therfore this our suertie is called Rev. 13. 8. The Lambe slaine from the foundation of the world see Iohn 17. 5. CHAP. IX The Covenant between God and Man the Legall and Evangelicall Covenant are but one the reasons why Christ was Circumcised and Baptized BY what hath bin said it appeareth that the Son of God was indeed secretly ingaged to the Father for mankind before the world was made and so secretly that it is said Col. 1. 26. That it had bin h●d from ages and genera●ions But how shall it appear that this Sonne of God ingaged himself to Man Where shall we find his word and promise to be an undertaker and surety for us so that we may faithfully and boldly lay hold on and chalenge his promise I answer that after the Creation God the Son entered into the same Covenant wirh Man that he had ingaged himself in to the Father before the Creation and by this renuing the same Covenant he bound Mankind to himself as himself had bin bound before to the Father and that divers and sundry times For first the words of the Covenant between God and the Son and Mankind before the fall were these Gen. 2. 17. Of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evill thou shalt not eat of it for in the day thou eatest thou shall surely die In this Covenant on Gods part life is promised implicitely and on mans part obedience is reftipulated or covenanted for to this condition Man had submitted and given consent as appeareth Gen. 3. 3. So that this was a perfect Covenant on both sides the Tree of Knowledge standing as a visible figne for mans obedience and the Tree of Life as a Sacramentall sign of Gods promise But after the fall of Man the same God did again more evidently and particularly ingage himself when he said of the seed of the woman Gen. 3. 15. It shall bruise the Serpents head In this promise the Incarnation of God in the seed of the woman was meant and that therein he should take upon him the curse and death formetly denounced by offering himself a sacrifice for sin the outward signs of this Covenant were the sacrifices wherewith the Patriarks did signifie and nourish their faith in that promise 3. After this the same Covenant was again renued to Abraham more particularly Gen. 12. 3. In thee shall all Families of the earth be blessed c. and then came in the Sacrament of Circumcision 4 After this again the same Covenant was more largely given to and published by Moses in the Law Morall containing Mans duty and in the Law Ceremoniall declaring Gods promise of Redemption by the Figures Types signs and shadowes of Tabernacle Priest and sacrifices 5 After this again the same Covenant was more clearly delivered in the Gospel by the same Lord God and most graciously explained and the vail taken off from it for then it was shewed who was that seed of the woman and that seed of Abraham and that sacrifice Lamb of God which should take away the sins of the world and how man should be enabled to perform the Covenant and Law of his God namely in that Christ his surety should perform all in mans behalf with this condition onely required of man to believe in this Jesus his God and Saviour for so the Evangelicall Covenant declareth John 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever believed in him should not perish but have everlasting life And again Mark 16. 16. He that believeth and is baptized shall be sav'd but he that believeth not shall be damned This is the one and onely and everlasting Covenant of Grace there are not two Covenants but onely this one both before and since the world began Now if any man ask why there is mention of a new Covenant I answer it is called a new Covenant because the old Covenant is renued just as we say there is a new Moon when it is but the old Moon newly enlightned which is but Nova lunatio i. a new illumination Tert. cont Marc. l. 5. Id. cont Marc. l. 4. So the same Father said of Christ O Christum in novis veterem i. Christ in the New Testament is the same with Messiah in the Old Testament We may as well say that the Sun-rising is a new Sunne which being but one and rising dayly and diversly Catul. car 5. Virg. An. 1. is called Soles as if there were many Suns Soles occidere redire possunt Quid tantùm Oceano properent se tingere Soles Hiberni For the same Covenant which before was clouded with obscurity and with Types in the time of the Law shineth brightly in the time of the Gospel But why then do Divines call this law-Law-Covenant the Covenant of works whereas the
for us in Heaven and there shewing and offering himself for us As this P. 84. c. 5. v. 7. page 160. c. 9. v. 7. Commenter would have us believe and if he could what need was there that God the Sonne should undergoe such bitter and cruell torments and death also To this I answer that as things then stood God could not otherwise save us but by the Incarnation yea and the death of his Son because as is before shewed God hath limited and bound and confined himself by his own word his Law his Decree and Covenant for by his sentence and determinate judgement he had denounced death and a curse to our first Parents and in them to all their Posteritie Gen. 2. 17. In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die and Ezech. 18. 4. The soul that sinneth it shall die and Rom. 6. 23. The wages of sin is death and Deut. 27. 26. cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this Law to do them and Matt. 5. 19. Whosoever shall break one of the least of these Commandments shall be called the least in the kingdom of God and James 2. 10. Whosoever shall keep the whole Law and yet offend in one point he is guiltie of all We see that here is a curse and death denounced to all transgressors of the Law and this curse and death must needs fall upon Mankind because God is true and just and righteous But suppose the transgressours of the Law could escape the curse and death denounced yet how should they obtain life eternall seeing that is not obtained but by the perfect and exact performance of the Law of God which no mere man of all the sonnes of Adam hath or can perform For the Condition or Covenant for life is Levit. 18. 5. Keep my Statutes which if a man do he shall live in them so Ezech. 20. 11. Rom. 10. 5. Gal. 3. 12. and this is confirmed by Christ Matth 19 17. If thou will enter into life keep the Commandments These considerations being premised let us now move the question cannot God assoil men and give them eternall life at the request onely of Jesus Christ although Jesus had never suffered the pain and death of the Crosse I answer That God cannot absolve man from sinne without satisfaction to his Justice his Truth and Righteousness I may say God cannot do this as well as the Scripture saith Tit. 1. 2. God cannot lie And 1 Sam. 15. 19. The strength of Israel will not lie for as Saint Austin hath truly said Diabolus non fuit superandus potentia Dei Aug. de Trin. l. 13. c. 13. sed justitia i. as things then stood The devil was not to be conquered by the power onely but by the Justice of God And therefore before man can be redeemed and absolved the curse and death denounced must fall upon man for transgressing the Law 〈…〉 of his God and before man can enter into 〈…〉 Commandements of God must be perfectly 〈◊〉 by man Now if we can shew that the just sentence of God in the curse and death hath bin fully executed on man and that the Justice of God hath had its full course and if we can shew that the whole Law of God hath bin most exactly performed by man and all this by no other man but onely by the great Son of M●● Iesus Christ being God Incarnate and for this reason incarnate that he might as an undertaker and suretie for mankind both take upon him the curse and suffer death by obedience passive and also perform ever● title of the Law by active obedience and this for us and in our stead and that our transgressions were imputed to him and his righteousness in performing the Law is imputed to us and that by vertue of the Covenant most justly and that mans redemption and salvation could not otherwise stand with the truth and righteous judgement of God For as Athanasius saith Verbum Atha Ser. 3. cont Arian 6. nunquam destinatum fuisset fieri homo nisi hominum necessitas requisisset i. the Son of God had never been ordained to be made Man if mans necessity had not so required All this being undeniable I trust the Christian Reader doth apprehend the reason why our true and onely God must needs have been incarnate for the working out of mans redemption Justification and salvation CHAP. XI That Christ was a person able and fitt to performe the law and to suffer for manking and that he did stand in the place and stead of all men VVEe have seen what Christ hath vndertaken for us But it must next be inquired whether Christ were a person able and fitly qualified to performe what he undertook viz. to take away the sins of the world and indeed Iesus Christ the Son of God perfect God perfect man was a person able and every wayfitly qualified for performance of the truth of God both in suffering the punishment and in performing the whole law of God in the behalf of man for as man is a Mi●rocosme or an abridgment of the great world as Austin saith Omnis creatura in homine est i in man Aug. l. 83. quaest n. 87. Every creature is comprised So Christ is the Epitome of mankind and to be esteemed an Vniversal man in as much as ●●rist the head and all his mystical members ar● one mystical body as hath bin shewed before Christus universus est caput cum membris i the whole Idem ibidem quaest 69. Christ is himself the head and his Church the members for if the first Adam be esteemed as all mankind why should not the second Adam be so much rather accounted S. Austin saith of the first man Omnis homo Aug. Retract l. 1. c. 15. Abm. de Obitu Satyri n. 29. Pros resp ad Cap. Gall. c. 9. ●errenus est Adam i All men earthlie are one Adam ●nd of Christ S. Ambrose saith as much in Christo Summa universitatis est portio singulorum i Christ is the ●otal sum of all men and a portion of everie man and Prosper gives this true and excellent reason of it Nullus est hominum Cujus natura non erat suscepta in Christo i There is no man in the world whose nature Christ took not upon him and therfore the Scripture calleth Christ the last Adam as well as the first man is called the first Adam 1 Cor. 15. 45. And yet more expreslie it saith Gal. 3. 28. Yee are all One in Christ Iesus And so againe 1 Cor. 12. 12. And indeed wee are rather nearer of kindred and by a better tie to the Second then wee are to the first Adam not because Christ and wee are the Sons of men which cannot be said of Adam who was Terrae-Filius the Son of the earth and not the Son of man but Omnes nati ad primum renati ad secundum Pros sent 299. pertinent Wee derive ourworse carnal
13. 13. and 1 Corinthians 14. 47. The second man is the Lord from Heaven Thus did some of the old Hereticks believe as the l Basil n. 37. Valentinians and m Naz. n. 34. Apollinarius n Aug. to 6. n. 9 the Manichees and o Epiph haer Apelles said that Christ made himselfe a body of the Elements and did not take it from Marie And this they professed in a pretended honour 44. of Christ p Aug. to 6. n. 10. Iusipienti honorificentia as Saint Augustine calleth it id est foolishly thinking thereby to honour Christ and this was also one of the Tenents of the late Anabaptists as we finde in the sixteenth Centurie Now to affirme these things is to gainsay the Doctrine and promise of Redemption by the seed of the woman and the promised seed of Abraham and the sonne of David for Christ is not from their loyns if his body came from Heaven and although a simple well meaning soul should live and die in this errour who hath alwayes adhered to the main principall Doctrine viz. God in Christ and God incaruate believing Vide supra lib. 3. cap. 10. 11. that Christ performed the Law actively for him and also suffered death on the Crosse for him in a body howbeit not in such a body as descended from Adam shall we affirm that such a misbeliever must necessarily perish I answer that I dare not so pronounce because this sinfull and erroneous conceit of the incarnation is at most but one of these sinnes which our Saviour called A word spoken against the Sonne of Man Matthew 12. 32. For it is onely against this humane nature and no blasphemy against his Holy and Divine Spirit or Godhead and of such sinnes he saith It shall be forgiven him viz. If such a sinner with an humble heart make an acknowledgement and general confession of his secret and unknown sinnes wherein this will be included so as is before said with a resolution to decline any thing that he knowes to be sinfull so much as by assistance of Gods Grace he can still holding himself close to the main foundation which the forenamed old Hereticks did not but vented many blasphemies against the Divine Nature and also polluted themselves with many fowle Morall vices I say when Jesus Christ hath said It shall be forgiven how dare any Man presume to say It shall never be forgiven For although the Erroneous conceits of Christs Body comming down from Heaven doe disturb the Order of Gods dispensation and the congruitie of the work of Redemption and correspondence thereof with the words of the Covenant yet it doth not take away and root up the foundation This doth not un-God our Redeemer nor deny utterly the gracious work of Mans Redemption So as this most blasphemous Commentarie hath none which I now together with my weak endeavours in opening the dangerous Doctrines thereof leave and submit to the censure of the learned and to the namelesse Anthor thereof I say of both our Writings as Saint Cyprian did Cyp. lib. 4. Epist 9. to Paptanus In die judicii ante Tribunal Christi utrumque recitabitur To God the Father God the Son God the Holy Ghost three Persons one onely God be ascribed all honour and glory for ever and ever Amen Qualitèr haeretici pro falsae opinione in die judicii puniendi sunt nullus potest scire nisi Judex patiens est Deus quia affectis piae opinionis errant Salvian degub l. 5. p. 163. FINIS THE TABLE Of the Contents of each several CHAPTER THE FIRST BOOK Containing General Animadversions upon the Commentarie and Commenter and the assertion of the Souls Immortalitie Chapter I. CErinthus Artemon Theodotus and Page 1. Natalis Authors and spreaders of the blasphemie of the denying Christ's Godhead The Divine warning of Natalis That after these Paulus Samosatenus and Arius were maintainers of the same Heresie The spreading of it in severall parts of the known world even in our Britain That it was here discovered in Queen Maries dayes And punished by fire in the reign of Queen Elizabeth and of King James That the same is now revived by this Commenter the qualitie of G. M. who negotiated in the Printing and publishing this Commentary Chapter II. That the Commenter though he carefully concealed Page 4 his own name yet caused this his Book to be presented to divers persons of quality That this Commenter is the first that ever published this Heresie in our English Print Three reasons conceived why he concealeth his own name Chapter III. Of the licensing of this Comment the Licensers Page 7 censure of it and an Apologie for him in that he called this Commentarie a Comment and in his letter to an honourable Person declared it to be erroneous The copy of the Letter a parallel passage of Libanius concerning Julian and the Manichees concerning their Founder Manes the ancient practice of burning such hereticall books Chapter IV. The Commenters compliance in unsainting the Page 10 Apostles The reason why the Title of Saint was of old withdrawn from Churches by the decree of a Council That the abuse of images occasioned it and yet that the Title of Saint was not denied to the persons of Holy men Of his condemning Tombes Something concerning Hypocrisie in long hair and short Of the reason of the Nazarites long hair and the hypocrisie of their imitators Chapter V. The Commenters compliance with the old Arians Page 15 The judgement of the Ancients concerning the Authour of the Epistle to the Hebrewes A Vindication of Eusebius concerning the words Homo ousion and Homoi ousion and also of the Nicene Fathers falsly charged by the Commenter as if they favoured his own Heresie How the Father and the Sonne are said to be Opposite and yet both are but one God The Commenters Errour in the Logicall Doctrine of Relatives Chapter VI. That this Commenters principall designe was by Page 16 his pretended Commentarie to darken and extenuate or confute the clear Evidences of this Divine Epistle onely because therein are many great Testimonies of Christ's Godhead That herein he imitateth the practices of the old Hereticks Marcion Valentinus and the Manichees The Commenters misexpounding Hebrewes 1. 6. in allowing Divine Adoration to Christ and yet will not acknowledge him to be more then a creature and in applying the appellation Jehova to one whom he denieth to be the Supream God contrarie to Psalme 83. 18. what prostration signifieth Chapter VII That this Commenter mis-expoundeth Hebrewes Page 21 2. 2 3. That the Gospel is therefore preferred before the Law in that the Gospel was delivered by God himself immediately for it was delivered by Christ himself who is the Supream and onely God whereas the Law was delivered indeed by the same God but mediately by the Ministery of Angels or Creatures A true Exposition of Acts 7. 53. and of Gal. 3. 19. and Exodus 20. 21. Moses and Paul reconciled That