Religion 〈…〉 with 〈◊〉 Law therefore as we love Religion and would see it prosper let uâ— be tender of the root Our Saviour tells us not one jor or tittle shall pass from this Law and that he that breaketh one of the least of them shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 5.18 19. And James will not allow the breach of it in one point but requires the fulfilling of it Jam. 2.8 9 10 11. Quest Doth the Law stand in the same force and power now as when it was at first given because the Scriptures speak of it as old and done away dead to us and we to it with such-like expressions which make some think it doth not continue to be a Rule of life Answ First The Law continues the same in it self for ever and is an everlasting Rule of Godliness and Righteousness to all Generations as hath been proved nevertheless the Law hath no power to help our distresses which we lie in now since the Fall but our help cometh by our Lord Jesus alone As for example It cannot justifie us not sanctifie us look Rom. 3d 4th 7th chapters with many more Texts like them It cannot now give us life although once it was ordained for that purpose but it is now become the Ministration of Condemnation a killing letter out of whose power there were no escaping were not its cursing Office taken out of its hands by Jesus Christ look Rom. 7. 2 Cor. 3. with other-like places but I cannot now stand to discourse this at large it would require a Book of it self nevertheless I was willing to give thee a little hint or notice of these things to preserve thee from stumbling at this holy Law as many blind and ignorant souls do who will not have it at all that because it will not serve them therefore they will not have it cendemn them nor shew them their sin but this Office it will have in the world to the end of it Rom. 3.20 Quest If the whole and every tittle of the Law be for ever binding then the fourth Command must be binding also and that almost all men are against some think it abolished and that we are bound to keep no Sabhath at all others think it partly moral and partly ceremonial others think the Church had power to change it others think the Apostles and Church in their dayes changed it others think that a seventh part of time at the will and pleasure of man is sufficient instead of it Answ I answer in the words of the Prophet The Lord knoweth the thoughts of men that they are vanity Psal 94.11 for there is no ground for any of these thoughts but the fourth Command is like its fellows given at the beginning of the world and endures as long as the world endures Quest Will you speak a few words to prove its Perpetuity in particular Answ That I shall but seeing there are so many Treatises extant of so many Authors some dead and some living that have so fully proved it and answered all objections I shall say the less Brayborn Ocford Spitlehouse Stenit with many others I omit to name now yet notwithstanding I shall say something heat First It was given in a day of Innocency even the very first whole day of Adams being in the world which is enough to deliver it from all suspition of being ceremonial or changeable but a sanctified season to worship God in and to commemorate the Work of Creation for ever Quest The second of Genesis speaks of God's resting upon it and sanctifying it but is it plain that he gave it to Adam and so to the world Answ For answer to this when God sanctified the Sabbath it must be for Adam or for himself now it is so sorded to say or to think that he sanctified a Rest for himself that one would think that no man that is in his right mind would once imagine it As for outward Rest he cannot want Isa 40.28 and for inward Sanctification he can have as little want of that for who that owneth a God will not confess him to be perfect now if he had no need to sanctifie it for himself he did it for Adam or for no use at all but to judge him so vain in his actions is too great blasphemy for any to affirm that hath his reason and doth but use it Quest Have you any thing more to strengthen this proof Answ Yea when the Lord gave it with the other nine in the 20. of Exodus he placed it in the midst of his Law and wrote it with his own hand and put it into the Ark with its fellows and fenced it about with more Reasons to preserve it from violation than he did all the other six Commands following it and all those Reasons are of a moral nature not one of them otherwise so that here is no occasion given of mens so stumbling at it as they do but that the Duty is spiritual and mens hearts carnal and they love to be ruled by the flesh Quest But is there not ground to judge the Sabbath ceremonial from that 2d of the Colossians Answ Not at all if men did with care read and consider the Scriptures for evident it is that besides the New Moons and holy Dayes of which there were many there were four ceremonial Sabbaths in the seventh Month as appears Levit. 23.24 32 39. which if considered men would be wiser than to imploy that Text in that unworthy Service to take away the seventh-day-Seventh-Day-Sabbath especially seeing the Sabbaths there mentioned are of the nature of the New Moons holy Days shadows of things to come but the seventh-day-Seventh-Day-Sabbath appointed to commemorate the great Work past But further when God declared his ten Commandments in 〈…〉 of â—ny Sabbath but the Seventh-Day burgiveth his People in this Command as free leave to work the six dayes as if he never intended any other Sabbath should be kept at all and yet by Moses shortly after giveth command for them also All which sheweth plainly the difference between these two sorts of Sabbaths the one to contitute a Law for ever the other a shadow till the time of Reformation only Quest Seeing it is so opposed in the world speak one word or two more for its confirmation Answ Our Lord Jesus hath in the Now Testament sufficiently confirmed it First in general By telling that the Law in which the Sabbath is included shall remain in every jot and tittle of it till Heaven and Earth pass away and till all things be fulfilled now we know many great things spoken of in the Law and Prophets are not yet fulfilled neither is Heaven and Earth in any sence passed away and therefore the Sabbath must remain by that Rule without the diminishing of one tittle of it Mat. 5.17 18 19 20. these Texts are of a like import with that already named Luke 16.17 18. Jawes 2.8 10 11. Rev. 11.19 and 12.17
the world till the ten Commandments were given upon Mount Sinai Answ Yea from the very beginning of the world but yet not before the ten Commandments were given for there could be none without them Quest But how doth it appear that the ten Commandments were given to Adam and all his Posterity Answ The Law could not stop every mouth and bring the whole world under guilt if Adam the Father of the whole world were not under it Rom. 3.19 Quest Do you read of any other command to him then to forbear the fruit of the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil Answ Yea we do or may do if through carelesness and inconsideration we over look them not For can it be reasonably thought that God sanctified the Sabbath for no use which absurdity cannot be avâ—ided if it were not for Adam to keep or that Cain sinned in killing his Brother if there had been no Law against Murther or indeed that either Godliness or Righteousness was like to flourish in the world if any of the ten Commandments had been wanting But further it is clear that the ten Commands are called the First Covepant o◠〈…〉 the Old Covenant Heb. 8. And in the 9th chap. 15. ver there you have the Cause of Christ's Death rendered to be for the sins committed against that first Covenant So that it is evident beyond contradiction that if Abel Enoch and the godly Patriarchs of the first Ages of the world had the benifit of the Redeemers blood for otherwise they could not be righteous by Faith then the New Covenant must needs be in force in Adams dayes And I am sure no man in his right mind will say that the New Covenant is older than the old Covenant is Again can it be any other than that holy Law which is so well known in the Old Testament that Paul doth mean when he maketh the work of Redemption to lie in delivering us from the curse of the Law Gal. 3.13 4.4.5 Therefore they do not want ignorance that have so confidently affirmed that the Sabbath which is one of the ten Words was never given to the Gentiles neither by the Law of Moses nor by the Law of Nature nor yet by the Law of Christ Seeing it is so evident in reason to believe that what was given to the first Fathers of the world was given to the World And the curse of that Law that did necessitate the Death of Christ for the World must needs be the Worlds duty otherwise it could not curse them but they shew themselves what skilful builders they be Quest Seeing you charge these men so home speak one word more for the further clearing of this point Answ First Then it is evident to all men that as many as were bound to be circumcised were bound to keep the whole Law The reason is full in Pauls words beyond any reasonable mans doubt Gal. 5.3 for if he was bound to keep the whole Law who was circumcised albeit there might be some circumcised who at that day when Paul wrote this it was not their duty but their ignorance so to be How much more must they needs be bound to keep the Law who were bound to be circumcised whether they were circumcised or no except the neglect of one duty discharged a man of all other due from him to his God which I presume no man will say So that here remains nothing to do but only this namely to prove That all men before the coming of Christ in the flesh were bound to be circumcised and if it had not been the Worlds duty as well as Israels wherefore should be Lord threaten to punish them for the neglect of it as he doth Jerem. 9.25 26. Sure God will not punish them for that which is no sin and it can be no sin to neglect that which is no duty Again Paul in drawing up his Charge against the Colossians estate 2.13 before their conversion chargeth them with the uncircumcision of their flesh which sure he would not have done if he had not known their neglect of it before Christ was made known to them had been their sin Again no man can be ignorant of this that strangers that were not of Israel might partake with them in all the Priviledges of Religion acceptably that ever read Exod. 12.48 49. with other-like places and can any man be so brutish as to think it was not all the Gentiles duty as well as some of them or to think that any of them could have been accepted if it had been voluntary religion or will-worship so plainly condemneds Col. 2.18 23. Besides it is manifest that the very Congregation to whom God proclaimed this Law in Sinai consisted of a mixed multitude of other People as well as of Jews Exod. 12.38 Numb 11.4 Now that these ten Commandments are the foundation of all Religion is no way hard to conceive for because this Law was transgressed and therefore could not save man therefore there was a necessity of our Lords Death to redeem man as may by comparing these with other-like Texts together be seen Rom. 8.3 4. 10.5 Gal. 3.10 12 13. Heb. 8.7 8 9. and 9.15 And because Christ hath redeemed us therefore the Gospel is necessary to open to the Sons of men the benefits of his Death For the raising of Faith in the soul and the working of us to repentance and for the carrying on of the work of Sanctification the Ordinances of the Lord's Supper Baptism and the rest of his Appointments are necessary as Preaching Praying and all other duties of Plety and Godliness the whole body of Religion hath so natural a dependance one part of Truth upon another and the whole of it upon that Law as is clear and easie to every considering man to understand Quest But is not this Doctrine legal and an exalting the Law above the Gospel in saying it is the foundation of Religion Answ No by no means no such thing will follow no more than it will follow that the first Adam is greater than the second Adam or the darkness more excellent than the light although that was first created Quest Explain this point as brief as you can Answ Understand it thus I call this Law the Foundation of Religion because if it be made void all Religion of necessity must be made void with it As for Example if it continue not to be a rule of holy and just living then he that neglecteth to observe it sinneth not and he that offendeth not this Law cannot be cuised by it and he that is not cursed by it cannot stand in need of redemption by our Lord Jesus to redeem him from the curse thereof and he that needs no Redemption needs no Redeemer and he that needs not a Redeemer needs not the blessings that come by him nor yet a Gospeâ— nor Ordinances to convey them to him So that if you mind it well you will see that all the parts and prancies of
A PRESERVATIVE AGAINST Atheism and Error Wherein some Fundamental Points in Religion VIZ. 1. The Essence or Being of GOD. 2. The Divine Authority of the holy Scriptures 3. The Majesty Worth Use and Perpetuity of the Moral Law or Law of ten Commandments 4. Our Lord Jesus Christ being the true Messiah Are by way of Question and Answer handled and with much brevity and clearness proved To put a stop to that Currant of Atheism Ignorance and Error that runneth in this evil day To which is added A brief ANSVVER to William Russel in a Book of his entituled No Seventh-day-Sabhath in Christs New Testament As also A brief Word to the Dispute in Stone Chappel at Pauls London By W. SALLER LONDON Printed in the Year 1664. To the Reader Courteous Reader AS Ignorance Atheism and Prophaness hath alwayes abounded in the World so never more than at this day and not only so but even amongst the zealous and well meaning People of this Nation there have been all subtile endeavours used as far as the temper of the People could bear it to wheel them round about to the Gates of Rome again And these endeavours have not been without great success even in the Churches of Christ corrupting their Principles and wounding the very heart of Religion amongst some of them And besides this mortal growing disease there is a notorious carelesness in the most of preserving the Grounds of Religion in purity either by preaching or catechising insomuch as there is ground to fear our distempers will grow past remedy unless God by some gracious means or other put a stop to that Currant of Errour which through the Atheism of some and Ignorance of others is let out and runneth with a mighty stream the sence whereof hath engaged me to write these following lines which I entreat thee to read and consider And if thou beest not fully satisfied in every point if I may know the reason thereof in word or writing or in any such way as becomes a person fearing God and conscientiously willing to finde out the Truth in Love I shall do the best I can to satisfie thee But if I should be fallen upon by some railing Scorner or one whose Confidence out-runs his Understanding and all sober mens also it is like I may take little notice of him So commending my Lines to thy consideration and my prayers to the Lord for thy profiting as also desiring a share in thine if thou beest one that usest to call upon his Name I rest Thy Friend and Servant in the Work of CHRIST W. S. A Preservative against ATHEISM and ERROUR Question VVHat do you judge is the needful work of the day Answer The day calls for many needful works and amongst the rest this for one The laying down such foundations and principles of Religion and Godliness as may through God's blessing recover Religion into its antient Purity and preserve it therein Quest What do you think of the many Catechisms that have been imployed in this service Answ Many have done worthily in opening he Commandments of God and in shewing the use of Christ's Ordinances and several parts of Truth have been usefully opened but yet through their not knowing or not considering how the world is over-spread partly with Atheism and partly with Ignorance have missed of that which is the main and said little or nothing to that which is of most concernment Quest What are those weighty Truths or some of them that should be further spoken to Answ This for one namely The undoubted and unquestionable Being of a God Quest Do you judge that needful Answ Yea for it is not so long since Atheism appeared with an open face in the Ranters and how it appears in the lives of multitudes is too manifest For how do men at this day swear for or against any thing that stands with their present advantage and laugh at that in private as superstitious and ridiculous which they in publick subscribe to as if it were good and sutable to the mind of God with many like Abominations which men could never constantly run on in the course of doing if they did from the heart believe that there is a God For what is more inconsistent with the Being of a God than to own and countenance such works of Iniquity Quest How will you prove convincingly there is a God Answ First It is proved by the Creation of the World for it is altogether impossible for the visible Creation to give it self a being I mean there is no thing which the eye of man can behold which could possibly give it self a being muchless could it give a being to any thing lese As for example Where can any Man find a creature in heaven or in earth indued with Reason and Understanding and so accomplished with Skill to bring to pass such excellent works as he himself can do and yet could he not make himself But it is evident to reason that the first of mankind must have their Being from God muchless could Man have stretched out his hand to the Heavens and have set them at such a wonderful distance from the Earth and have stretched them round about it and so bespangled it with Stars and have given a Being to the Sun Moon and have commanded them to keep their course to all Generations neither could he have made the Earth and the Seas and have stocked them with such variety of Creatures and bound them in a round lump together and commanded this bulkie massie piece to stand firm in the midst of the Heavens these and such-like Works are too wonderful for any but only for Himself who is in Mercy Power Wisdom Fore-knowledge and all eternal Excellency Matchless and Infinite Quest But may it not be objected by an Atheist that all things are by Nature Answ It may and is so objected commonly but the answer is ready at hand thus If it should be supposed that all things are by Nature yet then of necessity this cannot be denied that Nature must be accomplished with such an Almighty Power unsearchable Wisdom and wonderful Love to the whole Earth and especially to Mankind together with all those most glorious Perfections which we commonly ascribe to God for most evident it is that He that wrought out the Being and Well-being of all things is most richly furnished with the very highest Perfections of all Excellency and Goodness and this is no less than to confess the Being of a God Quest Have you any other proof that there is a God Answ The works of Providence do further evidence the Being of a God as first The constant Preservation of the whole Creation that all the hosts of Men and Beasts Fowls and all living Creatures should be in a constant course of Providence fed every day for thousands of years together it evidently shews the Fatherly-care Faithfulness Wisdom and Bounty of a God Again if God doth alter his wonted course at any time and make
sin against that Covenant and thy self confessest in the 23 page That there is but two a first and a second and that is the only Truth almost asserted by thee for such a piece of ignorance and folly I think never saw the light ever under the curse of it it is a poor priviledge the Jew had above the Gentile Mr. Jves will not consent to this I believe for it takes away the main Piller of all his building but your skill in the study of Divinity is well seen when this distinction is too nice for you You are like to make good sence of the Epistles to the Romans and Galatians and the Scriptures in general therefore for shame retract thy work and buy a Catechism and place thy self under the Ministry of some guide that is able to instrust thee in the main Points of Religion at least that thou be not a shame to thy self and to all that are in communion with thee Compare these words with what is exprest in the 20 page namely That under this Law no believing Gentile can be because it was given to none but Jews and Proselyted Gentiles Well if this be all true then the rest of the world were under no Covenant at all Oh rare Divinity But secondly Take notice of your skill in distinguishing between Proselyted Gentiles and believing Gentiles as if the Proselytes must needs be unbelievers if they believed not what made them joyn themselves to the Lord and his People You Sabbath-Breakers are excellent Logicians but very silly in the use of Reason Oh lay by that vain deceit that makes you swell with folly and pride and in humility search the holy Scriptures and be not so absurd as to believe that nothing is New Covenant but what is writ since the Death of Christ and given to the Gentiles and that all given forth before and that hath been committed to the Jews must needs be Old Covenant these and such-like Doctrines you would perswade us against the Sabbath withal the Lord send you all more wit I have striven by writing and reasoning all I could to put a stop to those swarms of Errors you have run into to avoid Sabbath-keeping and I intended my Book to see if you would consider it and intended to exercise Patience with you yet being exceedingly unwilling the world should know your folly but your selves proclaim your own shame and if I should still be silent the world would think that we were all alike therefore I can do no less than bear a Testimony against your folly although I have something else to do than to follow you in your Wild-goose chase Observe one note more out of the 24 page where he confesseth That all Adams unbelieving Children are bound to observe the first Covenant and shall be charged if they break it And here you may note by the way how directly contrary he is to himself in the 12 page and 20 page But secondly he saith That now since he believed he is none of Adams stock To this I answer That if he had good store of Land some body would soon be with the King to beg him But secondly I say Abel was a true believer yet if he 〈…〉 honest man ◠and yet I believe William Russel is as truly descended from Adam as he was And in the 20 page he denieth that the second Table of the Law was written in the heart of Adam for this reason because he had no Neighbour Now I say no man need to wonder that the Sabbath is denied to be naturally moral if not any of the six last Commands be and sure I believe they were never written fairer in any mans heart than in Adams in innocency Christ alone excepted but it seems he doth not think the Lord wise enough to make a Law at once for ever to bind all Ages and Conditions of men but that upon every change of condition he must give him a new Law or the old in a new form at least And in the 37 page He denieth Christ's Mediatorship to be of force till since his Death And in the 35 and 36 pages he affirmeth that When the ten Words were given at Sinai as a Rule of Life they were also given to do for Life and the breakers cursed without Mercy The very naming of these things is enough to reprove the folly of them Sure the Judgement of God is upon this mans right eye What is become of Abraham Moses and all the Patriachs and Prophets doth he think Or is there any other way to Salvation than through New-Covenant-Mercy But now you see the mans heart so willing he is to be rid of the Sabbath that rather than he will keep that he will pack the Gospel and it out of doors together yea his own received Principle the Redemption of all mankind by Jesus Christ And this is his reason in the 38 page wherefore he doth not keep Sabbath namely Because Christ as Mediator of the New Testament hath not commanded it and he saith nothing but what he hath so commanded is his duty Now observe the true consequence of these opinions if nothing be W. R. his duty but what Christ as Mediator hath commanded What necessity could W. stand in of his Death at all for if Christ had not come to bring him a Law to sin against he had none it seems to sin against before and so could stand in no need of blood to cleanse him Again if nothing be his duty but what Christ hath so commanded then you must know that no part of the Old Testament nor much of the New is any part of Williams Bible and what need he have put himself to so much trouble to frame so many quibling arguments to help himself against Mat. 5. he might have only said it was given forth before the Death of Christ and it had been as good as all those arguments and a thousand more but W. had forgot that answer or else he trusted more to his Logick than to that answer for those that have good skill in that art can prove that a Fox hath eight legs to him that never 〈…〉 he may not know which is best to deny the major or the minor yet can you never perswade him that a Fox hath more than four legs And for that Text Mat. 5. and James 2 hath more strength to prove the perpetuity of the Sabbath than all the Logicians in Bucks can take off and that Mr. Ives well knew when to rid himself of those Texts he told his Antagonists Those Books did not belong to us Gentiles but were written to the Jews and belonged only to them And I cannot but observe one passage more in the 54 page of his Book where he affirmeth that Our Saviours Doctrine and Practice taught to do servile work on the Sabbath repugnant to the Letter of the Law of God This passage would make one think that the man either knows not or cares not what he saith for if