be a fault The later is my writing in the behalf of the book of Common-Prayer Sir Where saw you that writing or who told you of it What writing is it or how far forth in that writing have I written in behalfe of it Sir when you produce it I shall know what to say to it It is some Treatise or other sure that slipt from mee in my sleep for of any such Work of mine abroad is more then I am aware But it seems you were driven to some streits when for want of other matter you were fain to be faining somewhat to object to mee as a failing So that here Sir you have engaged your self to a twofold task first to prove that I have written in defence of the book of Common-prayer and secondly that I have failed if I had so done in so doing neither of which I suppose you will easily be aâ—le to make good 7. But Sir suppose I had failed in both these or twice as many things more as these as in many more then so I know I have neither were that sufficient to weaken my assurance even gathered from those grounds that by the Apostles are given us and which you purposely here oppose nor to argue the insincerity and unsoundnesse of my faith For the same Apostle who telleth us that a Jam. 3.2 Impingimus ait non impingitis nec in uno sed in multis nec multos sed omnes impingere dixit Aug. Ep. 29. Non dixit offenditis sed offendimus inqiâ— in maltis praemisit omnes suâ—junxit Beda in many things wee sin or slip all doth withall inform us that a true Christian notwithstanding these many slips may have the sincerity of his faith and profession justified even by his works in the eyes both of God and man And that I take to be the genuine sense of James in that place and the right way of reconciling Paul and James in that argument the one with the other The case or cause in qestion that they deal with is divers In Paul the case is concerning sin in generall whether a man be a sinner or no and if that be the qestion b Rom. 3.23 24 25. hee cannot be justified but by faith only resting on the bloud of Christ and pleading that in way of full satisfaction to God for his sin In James the case is concerning a particular sin to wit hypocrisie or counterfeit faith and counterfeit profession whether a man be c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 9 27. 2 Cor. 13.5 cui opponitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 1.5 2 Tim. 1.5 a counterfeit Christian or no and where that is the qestion hee that is unjustly so charged may d Jam. 2.24 by his works be justified in the eyes both of God and man To which purpose makes that of a learned Autor e Fides justificat hominem opera justificant fidem Zanc. Faith justifieth the man works justifie his faith Thus to omit f Rom. 4.1 3. Heb. 11.17 Jam. 2.23 Gen. 22.12 Abrahams example which both of them instance in David tho conscious of g Psal 19.12 40.12 51.5 149.2 many sins to himselfe yet h Psa 7.3 4 8. 26.1 18.22 23. for his sincerity dare appeal unto God and offer himself to be tried for it by his works and his ways And the like might be said of i Job 9.2 3.15 21. 19.25 with chaâ— 13.16 23.10 12. 27.5 6. 31. Job and of other of the faithfull were it seasonable here to expatiate into discourses of this kind It would little therefore avail you tho I should plead guilty in all wherewith you here charge mee to beat me off thereby from mine assurance unlesse you could prove these failings to be k Deut. 32.5 such blots or bloches as are inconsistent with sincerity 8. From these failings wherewith you thought you had mee on the hip you passe on to such corruptions as might adhere to mee in my works and writings in my preachings and fastings and other like employments And truly Sir I shall freely confesse unto you since you will needs be my ghostly father as they use to speak that I find and feel to my hearts grief many more corruptions accompanying mee in all my performances then any one beside my self is able to espy But Sir if it should be demanded of you for what cause or end you were pleased to make up this long Catalogue and to pitch upon most of those particulars I doubt your heart would tell you that it was not to shrive mee alone but to be girding at and traducing of those against whom with rancor you swell almost till you burst and upon all occasions therefore are still venting your gall For to give a little touch at least upon each of them 1. As concerning my luxuriancy in qotations which you had once before a fling at and which l The end of one controversie p. 7. you twit Mr. Ley with your qestion is so frivolous whether it be all out of pure zeal that it is unworthy any answer It is a most ridiculous m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Marc. Imp. l. 9. cap. 31. semblance of affected sagenesse and severity to expect or reqire zeal if you understand what zeal means and pure zeal in every qotation of an Autor or passage of a discourse tho in Divinity and a meer frothie frump therefore to object as a fault the absence of ought there where it is neither needfull nor sutable 2. For my bitternesse against the Antinomians wherewith my love to the brethren you imply to be tainted Good Sir give me leave to mind you or thie Reader at least a little of your great and palpable partialitie It is not so long since the Ministers by the call and command of autority met and siting at Westminster were styled by Mr. S. n Epist Dedic prefixed to Animadvers on M. Fullers Sermon An Assembly of most sacred and reverend Divines for the reformation of the Church convened by the Parliamenâ— But now since he is fallen of to the Antinomian partie and is become an Architect of a new Sect that wants as yet a peculiar distinguishing name for the most of those that are of that note and notice as to have gained any speciall denomination he disclaims and o In a discours prefixed before his Smoke excepts against and he perceives that the frame of government commended by them to the Parliament is adverse to his idol of immunitie and impunitie for all sorts of sectaries now that most sacred and reverend Assembly are with Mr. S. like p Frontispiece of An end of one Controversie See After-reckon p. 4. that confused Assemblie at Ephesus q Act. 19.32 raised by Demetrius and his fellow crafts men for the support of their trade whereof some said one thing and some another and the more part knew not for what they
ibid. to deceive my self as wel as my neighbor Sir I neither desire to be deceived that f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato apud Epictet l. 1. c. 28. l. 2. c. 22. Marc. comment l. 7. §. 63. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epict. l. 4. c. 1. Qis est qi velit decipi da religiosum non vult fallere da impium sacrilâ—gum fallere vult falli non vult nolunt fallere boni falli autem nec boni volunt nec mali Aug. de verb. Ap 30. Idem enchir c. 17. falli nolunt etiam qi fallere amant no man they say would g Oculum simplicem duo faciunt cognitio veri dilectio boni sive prudentia benevolentia ut animi oculus pius sit qi fallere nolit cautus sit qi falli neqeat Bern. de praec disp nor to deceive any What should I gain by so doing My desire and indeavour rather is to undeceave those that have been deceived deluded and led aside into errour by you and and such as your selfe nor have you yet made it to appeare how I have here deceived either my self or any other or delt any way unjustly with you They rather may justly be suspected to mind and intend deceit who reject and labour to have that removed whereby deceit may be discovered But Sir have you who are reputed and reported by those of your party for a great Scholar now qite cast of all Scholarship or together with your Poeticall raptures as you term them which for my part I was never acqainted with have you laid aside also your rules of Logick If you have it is to litle purpose to debate or discusse ought with you that will not be tyed to rules of reason for that priviledge once obtained you may without chek or controull affirm what you list and prate what you please Or would you prescribe your adversary not to proceed Logically with you you may as well bid him enter the lists with you but lay his weapons first aside or invite him to flourish h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 9.27 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Locâ—an de sect and beat the ayre round about you but upon condition that he strike you not Or do you imagine as many now adays maintaine that in matter of divinity there is no use of Logick for that is it you seen to intimate in your Epistle Dedicatory where you complain of a Miscelanie of Logick and Divinity as if these two were things inconsistent the one with the other and to make use of Logick in matter of Divinity were to i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Synes Epist 57. sow together things unsutable Concerning which absurd fancy I might turn you over to a Divine of great note that hath written a k N c. Vedeli Rationale Theolâ—gicum lib 3. compâ—ehensuÌ„ large and learned Treatise both to shew and prove the manifold and singular use of it Divinity But that it may be you would then tell me as l An end of one controversy Sumw p. 8. you doe Mr Ley that it is no good payment to turn you over to an other for what I stand bound to pay my self tho therein the m After-reckon After-reckon it seemes hath given you so full satisfaction that you are well content to let your action fall Howbeit Sir a litle to satisfie if not your self yet some others that may peradventure be in danger of taking in this ridiculous conceit from you 1. I would demand of you or of any of them that so hold how any point of Divinity that is not in expresse terms laid down in Gods Word can but by the help of Logick be thence deduced and yet how many points are there of undoubted truth that have no other necessary ground such deduction excepted 2. Did not our Saviour himself make use of Logick when from Moses by way of Syllogism n Mâ— th 22.31 32. Luk. 20.37 38. against the Saduces he confirmed the doctrine of the Resurrection when o Math. 1â— 4 6. from the Story of the Creation and Gods institution of Marriage he discovered the unwarrantablenesse of groundlesse Divorces when from the words of the Psalmist p Matth. 22.43 45. he asserted his own Deity and from a passage of the Prophet Hoshea q Math 12.7 the Lawfulnesse of that which his Disciples did on the Sabbath Yea do not the Apostles freqently by Logicall Arguments prove points of Divinity and confirm matters of faith as Paul r Rom. 3 2â— 28. justification not by works but by faith Å¿ Rom. 6.2 12. the necessity of sanctification and newnesse of life in persons by faith justified t 1 Câ—r 6.15 19. the foulnesse of fornication u 1 Cor. 8.7 1â— 10.16 21. the haynousnesse of feasting with Idolaters in Idoll-Temples x 1 Cor. 15.12 23. the resurrection from the dead and the like or how think we disputed he at Athens with y Act. 1â— 18 the Stoicks the men z Stoici â—ogicam sive Rationalem PhilosophiuÌ„ cum primis excolebant qam Epicurei licet repudiarent tamen cum ambigua discernendi salsa coarguâ—ndi necessitas incumberet alio nomine Canonicae scil introducere cogebantur Laert in Zenon Chrysip Senec. Epist 89. of most repute for Logicall skill in those times doth not his Sermon it self shew it I might well Sir say to you as Augustine to Cresconius * Si Paulus dialâ—cticus erat ideò conferre cum Stoicis qi Dialectici maximi erant non timebat cave ne Dialecticam cuiqam pro crimine objeceris qa usos Apostolos confiteris Aug. ad Crescon l. 1. c. 12.13 Sed Christum ipsum Ibid. c. 17. If Paul at Athens disputed with those chief Logitians the Stoiks beware how you object the use of Logick as a fault to any which that the Apostles yea and Christ himself used can not bee denyed But I shall spare to spend more worde in pursuit of this point untill Mr. S. further herein explain himself and let us know what he will own in it and how farre forth he will give those that deal with him leave to make use of their Logick Sure if reason be the eye of the soul and Logick a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the art or way or methode b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato Alcib 1. of using reason aright they that would debar men of the use of Logick would have them either put out or seal up their eyes that being blind or blinded they may lead them as c 2 King 6.19 the Prophet did the Syrian Troopers smitten with blindnesse upon his prayer or transfer and cary them as the Falkner doth the Hank hood-winkt whether themselves please But Sir I shall intreat you to give me leave or shall be so bold as to take leave whither you list to give it or no to be a litle further
Reply ibid. Consider say you what straits you bring the Gospel into first yâ—u make life appearing to be had in the covenant of grace as at first in the covenant of works do this live so believe repent obey and live thus runs your doctrine nor can you with all your distinctions make faith in this consideration lesse then a work and so put salvation upon a condition of works again Is this free-grace I passe by your first here without a second we shall meet with the like again hereafter as also that to say believe and be saved repent and be saved is to put salvation upon a condition of works again t Qâ—d ille aâ—ud Coâ—â—icum Aâ—lul 1. Pactum non pactum est pâ—ctum non pactum ubi vobis lubâ—t A condition is a condition when it pleaseth you and may seem to make for you it is no condition when you list to mislike it because it will not serve your turn But 1. Sir you should do well or ill rather if you dare be so bold to tell our Saviour he hath brought the Gospel into straits by saying a Mark 16.16 whosoever doth not believe shall be damned and b Ioh. â— 24 unlesse you believe in me ye shall dy in your sinnes and c Luk. 13.3.5 unlesse you repent you shall perish and d Ioh. 6.53 unlesse ye eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you and e Math. 18.3 unlesse ye be converted you shall not enter into the Kingdome of heaven and f Math. 7.21 none shall enter into the Kingdome but he that doth the will of my Father in heaven according whereunto also the Apostle g Heb. 5.9 He is Author of salvation to all that obey him Now suppose Sir we were not able to answer all your cavils yet were we bound to stick close to these truths so expresly delivered and taught us by Christ and not suffer our selves to be beaten off from them by any exceptions that any froward heart or wanton wit should to puzzel us make against them Be pleased therefore Sir to set us a while aside and if you lust to be contending with Christ advise or request whither you please him to consider a litle better of the businesse what streights he hath brought the Gospel into by these and other the like assertions for we have no cause to doubt but that he will own his own words tho you may well have just cause to doubt what thank you shall have from him for qarelling with and cavilling in this manner against them 2. You say that thus runns our doctrine but we demand of you whither Christs doctrine run so or no whereunto you dare not return any direct answer for you cannot deny it onely you tell us of a further mystery that is of late reveiled unto your self and I know not who which is all nothing to the purpose nor doth any thing that out of Scripture you have alleadged at all crosse or contradict that which you here call our doctrine but is indeed Christs as unlesse you have so brazed your brow that you have rubd all shame off it you cannot but acknowledge but whither you do or no others seeing it thus laid in precise termes before you will thereby easily know what to deem of you unlesse you so do 3. But h Reply ibid. we cannot say you with all our distinctions make faith in this consideration lesse then a work and so put salvation upon a condition of works again 1. The Apostle could distinguish and doth distinguish between faith and works and we know therfore that in this businesse they may be distinguished and are distinct and tho we were not able to shew how they are to be distinguished yet would not that prove that distinguished they could not be But Sir you are not able with all your Sophistry for Logick you renounce and fond flourishes to take off that aspersion which you have cast upon the Apostle as if he therefore preached life to be had in the covenant of grace 〈◊〉 otherwise then as before in the covenant of works because he presseth faith as n cessary to the attaining of salvation by Christ whereas he thereby in expresse terms distinguisheth the two covenants the one from the other not by rejecting or excluding faith but by taking it in as opposed to works in that manner as in the former they were exacted for these are his words i Rom. 10.5 6 9. Moses discribeth the righteousnesse which is of the Law that the man which doeth these things shall live by them But the righteousnesse which is of faith speaketh on this wise If thou confesse with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe with thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved and the words are so cleere to evince his acknowledgment of that that you would fain fasten as an aspersion upon us that if the aspersion be just it must of necessity light as well on him as on us and k Cernis nempe cum qâ—buâ— tua maledicta sustineamus cernis cum qibus nobis sit causa communis qam nulla consideratione sobria pulsare calumniis expugnare conaris cernis qam tibi pernici sum sit tam horribile crimen objicere talibus qam nobis gloriosum sit qodlibet crimen audire cum talibus Aug ad Iul. l. 1. c. 2. we are not unwilling with him to beare it 2. Nor yet is this spoken as if according to your vain and peremptory sentence past upon us we were unable to distinguish between the act of faith reqired in the latter covenant and works exacted in the former For we might stop your mouth with your own words in your next paragraph where you tell us that faith is the glorious Gospel work and so point us to a distinction that we might make some use of in this argument but that we find you so flagging and fluttering too and fro that we scarce know where to have you or how to lay hold on you The difference between these hath by our writers been long since observed whereof from their writings you might easily have been enformed had you deigned to consult them to wit that in the Covenant of workes works are considered as in themselves performed by the parties to be justified and to live without reference unto ought done or to be done for them by any other whereas in the Covenan of grace Faith is required and considered not as a work barely done by us but as an instrument or mean whereby Christ is apprehended received in whom is found by whom that is done whereby Gods justice is satisfied and life eternall meritoriously procured for us that which carieth the power and efficacy of all home to Christ Now Sir what a vast difference there is between these two may appear if you will be but pleased to consider how farre these
of the Antinomian party propound to wit that there is nothing reqired to be done by any for the obtaining of a shâ—re in the redemption and salvation procured and purchased by Christ or for the application of Christs merits unto any and they may therefore be saved by Christ without faith or repentance or new obedience tho they continue in infidelity impenitency and the worst sins that are To this purpose take these assertions from some of those Wriâ—ers whose works I presume are no strangers with you t Christs Counsell to the Angel of Laodicea p. 27. The end saith one of them for which Christ came was to dy for the ungodly to purchase redemption for their sins and to reconcile them unto God and all this he did freely upon no condition fully and perfectly leaving nothing undone or to be done by way of application for in the performing thereof he fully and perfectly applyed it for he took upon him our nature and by vertue of this our humane nature in the person of Christ we are made truly the Sons of God heirs and coheirs with him And again u Ibid. p. 35. Salvation is not tyed to belief nor is faith a condition without which a man can not be saved All men women and children that is the whole Church of God are all saved only and totally by the merits of Christ whose merits are applyed unto us sufficiently and effectually too by hiâ— own assumption of our nature by which we are incorporate into him * Ibid. p. 40. And they are false teachers that make redemption conditionall and make it depend upon duties x Ibid. p 41. Nothing at all being required in any respect of him for whom Christ dyed they are deceivers that teach otherwise neither faith nor repentance nor self-deniall nor hearing nor use of ordinances nor observation of Sabbath nor doing as we would be done to and the rest y Ibid. 42. they are fals teachers that make these duties and teach that we must exercise our selves in these things or we shall have no part in Christ. And another of them z Power of Love p. 30. This work of our redemption and reconciliation with God was perfected when Christ dyed and nothing shall be able to separate you from his love then purchased neither infidelity nor impenitency nor unthankfulnesse nor sin nor any thing whatsoever can make void this purchase no tho with the Iews you should deny the Lord that bought you And for want of this knowledge many of us have walked very uncomfortably spending our time in fasting and weeping and mourning in praying reading and hearing and in performance of other duties and all to get Christ while we consider not what the Scripture setteth forth unto us to wit salvation purchased and perfected for ever to sinners to the ungodly to all the world a work perfected depending on no condition no performance at all Now I would gladly understand from Mr S. whither the course that these propound be not a shorter cut and an easier passage then Gods Ministers out of Gods Word or Gods Prophets and Christs Apostels yea God and Christ himselfe in the Word have formerly chalked out unto us and how these things agree with those words of our Saviour a Mark 16 16 Whosover doth not believe shall be damned And b Luk. 13.3 5. unlesse you repent you shall perish And c Math. 11.20 24. It shall be worse in the day of jugdement with Chorazin Bethsaida and Capernaum then with Tyre and Sidon Sodom and Gomorrah because thy repented not at his preaching And d Math. 10.33 He that denys me before men I will deny him before my Father in heaven and those passages of the Apostle e Phil. 3.12 Work out your salvation with fear and trembling And f Rom. 8.13 If ye live after the flesh ye shall dy And g 1 Cor. 9.27 I keep under my body and bring it into subjection lest having preached to others my self prove a h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rejectaneus ut 2 Cor. 13.5 6. cast-away And i Heb. 12.14 Follow holinesse without which no man shall ever see God and that of Peter who telleth us that those that k 2 Pet. 2.1 bring in damnable heresies denying the Lord that bought them bring swift damnation upon themselves Let any man lay these two ways together and then tell whither of the two is the shorter cut and the easier passage For they are not sure both the same Now Sir if you shall disclaime and refuse to own these and the like as pretending that you are not to make good what every one prints or preaches Yet 1. hereby may appear what new cuts are abroad which there was just cause and good ground therfore to give warning of And 2. that your self are not far from compliance with them herein it is too palpable too apparent For 1. that main part of your Treatise contrived dialog-wise wherein in a jeering and scoffing way you traduce as they also do the faithful Ministers of Christ and their manner of propounding and pressing such things as these men make wholy needlesse and unnecessary unto the attaining of life eternall runneth all along just in the same tone with them as may appear by those parcels in mine k Sâ—e Aâ—s p. 9. 10. 14. 17. Answer thereunto thence represented 2. In that your Treatise you tell us in expresse terms that l Treat p. 126. in the Gospel God agrees to save man And that all the conditions are on Christs part no conditions on our parts And that m Ibid. p. 191. Salvation is not made any puzzling way in the Gospel a puzzling way then belike before time it was it is plainly easily and simply reveiled Iesus Christ was crucified for sinners this is salvation we need go no further all that is to be done is to believe that there is such a work and that Christ died for thee amongst all other sinners he dyed for n Ibid. p. 193. This is short work And it is short work indeed and this is the only Gospel work and way You see Sir what a short cut your selfe here make for here is Repentance and new Obedience and Mortification and the study pursuit and practise of Holinesse and the like all cut off at one blow as being neither Gospel work nor way And it may justly be questioned whether this be o Matth. 7.13 the streight gate and narrow way that Christ pointed his to Yea but Faith may some say is at least reqired by you for the application of Christ and the attaining of interest in him How it is reqired by you your self inform us p Treat p. 189. Christ you say is ours without Faith but we can not know him to be ours but by believing and you reject this under the Title of the Reformed opinion and more generall q Ibid. p. 198. That none are justified
1 Ioh. 3.3 purifying himself and k Ibid. v. 6. not sinning and that followed after not of l Ibid. v. 9. committing sin and m Ibid. v. 10. doing righteousnesse was all to be understood of imputation and justification or of imputed and passive righteousnesse as he was pleased still to style it But thus he to which I might add what an other of them writes that n H. Denne Confer p. 30. in some p. 18. Faith is as the learned know but what learned I know not a part of repentance and Repentance and faith differ as whole and part and o Ibid. p. 32. or 20. Faith is our new life Nor Sir do your self much swarve from this manner of teaching when you tell your readers as was before shewed that p Treat p. 84. 85. Christ hath beleived and repented for them and they must believe that their faith and repentance is perfect in Christ 3. As for what you say from the Apostle q 1 Cor. 1.30 that Christ is made not onely righteousnesse but sanctification also to us and do not we say and teach the same good Sir keep you close to this and be pleased to presse it upon your people for if it be so then undoubtedly r Rom. 6 2 16. 1 Cor. 6.10 11. no unsanctified person hath any share yet in Christ nor are any justified by him who are not with all sanctified and the one consequently may be a good evidence of the other all which yet your positions impugn and oppose as in due place shall appeare But proceed we to the residue of your reply In the next place therefore Å¿ Ans p. 9.10 skipping over belike you found the ground to hot under your feet all the instances given of our Saviours assertions which should you set your Amen to you must needs passe sentence against your self on our side for deliverinâ— the like and t Ibid. p. 10. that blaspehmous inference which from your own grounds you stand justly charged with and will never be able to wipe off as also u Ibid. p. 11. the Answer to your Objection of Christs mentioning faith onely in some places which you endeavour not to take away and being duly considered might in one line have blown away all the dust that you have raised in the last forgoing passages wherewith to dim your readers eye-sight These things over-skipt you proceed to answer that plea of ours as unjustly taxed by you and termed Legalists x Ibid. p. 11.14 for preaching faith and repentance and newnesse of life in the very same manner and methode that John Christ and his Apostles did who by collation of places are evidently shewed from the first to the last to have observed the self-same method The Answer you return hereunto not denying at all that they all therein conspired is this that a Reply p. 7. § 1. you taxe us only for that we preach it not as they aid according to the full revelation of it in the New Testament but we preach it onely as we find it in their Summaries and in the breif narration of their doctrin which we ought not to do But Sir this is your old b Cuckows song q 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which ever anon to litle purpose you repeat and helpes to fill up your pages and take off your Reader when you are at a losse and find your self destitute of any satisfactory Answer to matters objected For 1. Is there ought in their Summaries that is not sound doctrine and good Gospel 2. Are not these things pressed by them as duties to be necessarily done and performed by all those that are saved by Christ 3. Can you justly charge us with concealing any part of the Gospel found in any book of holy writ 4. Was this the meaning of John or Christ or Peter or Paul when they called upon people to repent Repent that is Believe that Christ hath repented for you and you have perfectly repented in him or when they exhorted men to believe was this their meaning Believe that Christ hath believd for you and you believe perfectly by vertue of that his belief For this with you Sir is the full revelation of the New Testament which yet you must pardon us if we believe it not on your word because we find it not in Scripture Mean while Sir you are to Magisteriall in telling us that we should not do so as we see such as these are before us do and we must reqest you c Patere nos cum istis errare ut Hieron ad Aug. Siqidem Tales honestus error est seqi duces ut Fab instâ—t l. 1. not to blame us if we deem their practise better warrant to bear us out herein then your bare word to beat us out of it But d Reply p. 7. 8. you will herein condemn me you say out of mine own mouth For I say of the Apostels that we have but Summaries of them as in Act. 2.40 and 16.31 and we knowing this preach onely by their first methods and Summaries not looking to the revelation of the mystery which the Apostle saith e Rom. 16.25 26. it now made manifest Sir He that hath but half an eye may easily discry what monsters you are secretly brooding tho you dare not yet offer them to open view But let us discusse your words a litle 1. Where do I say of the Apostle that we have but Summaries of them no such matter Sir I say onely f Answ p. 13. we have not their whole sermons but some breif summaries and principall heads of them wherein yet we find more preached enjoyned and pressed then you would have taught to wit repentance as well as faith That which is sufficient to stop your mouth and to cut of your g Treat p. 123. short cut of making faith the onely Gospel work and way because the other in some places is not mentioned But I say not that we have brief Summaries only of the Apostles doctrine For we have whole Epistles and in them very large and plentifull discourses and disputes Yea in those Summaries of their Sermons and their other writings together with those pieces of holy Writ penned by other holy men immediately directed and infallibly guided by the Spirit we have all things necessary to be known believed or practised for the attainment of salvation by Christ fully delivered 2. If we do ill in preaching after their first methods good Sir be pleased to shew us where or when they altred their methods or where having at first preached and pressed upon people faith retance and newnesse of life they afterward revoked and repealed any part thereof as tho formerly needfull yet no more necessary then or where they imposed ought on any that came not within compasse of these which if you be not able to do you have litle reason to controll us for preaching after that method which they retained and
two propositions are asunder Pay your debt of a thousand pounds and be free and Rely on such a friends satisfaction made for it and be as free as if you had made full payment and satisfaction your self He is either very dim-sighted or wilfully wincks that sees not what distance there is between these two agreements and how they suit with the two Covenants that we to are distinguish which Mr S. would here make to be a matter of so great difficulty that we must needs be non-plussed in it As for repentance and new obedience there is as much difference between them and faith in regard of its peculiar office in this latter Covenant so much more between them and works in the former 1. Between them and faith in the point of justification or the discharge of a sinner from the guilt of his sinnes for that howsoever they are both reqired as conditions to be necessarily performed by all those that expect life or pardon of sin and salvation by Christ yet neither of them comes in as having any hand in the businesse of our justification or discharge of us from the guilt of our sin because that neither do they cast ought in toward the discharge of our debt nor have they any peculiar act in the application of or speciall relation unto that whereby our debt is discharged Whereas our faith tho it afford not the least mite of it self toward the making up of that price wherewith our debt is to be discharged yet it is that whereby we h Ioh. 1.12 receive Jesus Christ and in him and with him the price by him paid for us and whereby we trust to him and rely upon him for the discharge of our debt by the merit of his sufferings in regard whereof it is called as i Act. 20.21 26.18 faith on Christ so more specially k Rom. 3.25 on his blood 2. Between repentance and new obedience in the latter Covenant and works in the former for works in the former are required as fully and exactly answering Gods justice and the utmost rigour of the Law whereas in the latter they are reqired tho as necessary duties and such as without which none can expect salvation by Christ yet not as any way answering Gods jstice but as finding gracious acceptance with God notwithstanding their manifold defects through his mercy in Iesus Christ Thus Sir you see that such sely novices as we are esteemed by you yet are able to distinguish those things which you presume impossible to be distinguished by such shallow wits at least as you conceive or conceit ours to be Now what hath been said being duly weighed will meet with all that is by you here further objected For 4. to your first demand l 〈◊〉 ibid. is this free grace I shall crave leave to return you a counter-demand Suppose a King be content at the suit either of the parties themselves or some friend of theirs to grant his gratious pardon to a company of notorious rebels that had risen against him set up some base desperate rogue in his roome done him all the despight and mischeif they were able to do and being apprehended arraigned and condemned to such death as by their wicked demerits they had most justly deserved upon condition that they aknowledge their offence and their sorrow for it with purpose and promise of living loyally for time to come whether you would deem this to be free grace or no Or because I may well doubt that you would little regard what you say to put off ought for the present I shall not stick to referre it to any indifferent Reader whatsoever to determine whether he were not a most ungratious wretch that having his pardon on such termes granted and signed him should in regard of those conditions deny it to be of free grace and whether they do not blaspheme Gods free-grace that deny it to be free grace if it be propounded on terms of belief repentance and amendement of life Sir whatsoever you say of us take heed how you tell Christ that he doth not freely save you if hee will not save you unlesse you believe And for your next Qere m Reply ibid. concerning faith granted to be a gift of God whether this bee more free grace respectively to what we do then the Covenant of works had since that all the works wrought in us then were freely of God and of free gift to as Arminius you say well observes and we wrought only from a free-gift given To passe by many differences that might be observed between the one Covenant and the other not to stand to discusse what Arminius saith who I suppose would deliver his minde there cleerly then you here relate him It is not denyed but that whatsoever Adam wrought or was reqired to be wrought by him did proceed and was to proceed from such power and ability as God together with his reasonable soul at first freely conferred on him but yet this proves not that there was no other difference between the one Covenant and the other or that life promised is no more of free-grace in the one then in the other since that such exact working as might fully answer the justice of God was to life reqired in the one whereas that which comes farre short of it is in and for Christ unto life accepted in the other And not frivolous only but scandalous also is that which you further subjoyn n Reply ibid. Either place salvation upon a free botome or else you make the New Covenant but an old covenant in new terms instead of Do this and live Believe this and live repent and live obey and live and all this is for want of reveiling the mystery more fully This I say is frivolous because as hath been shewed salvations free botome is no way impeached by such conditions as these reqired scandalous because therein the Apostles doctrine is not covertly but directly challenged as overthrowing and razing the very foundation of free-grace For what is o Act. 16.32 Believe in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved but Believe and live or what is p Act. 3.19 Repent that your sinnes may be done away but Repent and live or what is q Heb. 5.9 He is the Author of salvation to all that obey him but obey and live And I demand then what this amounts unto and whither it be any better then blasphemy to say that the Apostles by such their doctrine did not place salvation upon a free-botome but brought in the old Covenant again in new termes Sir dare you say in your new reveiled mystery Believe not and yet live Repent not and yet live Obey not and yet live or believe repent and obey and yet be damned understanding such belief repentance and obedience as the Apostels speak of If you dare speak it out that we may understand from you what your mysteries are and together with us give the
holy Ghost the lye But in your wonted manner you proceed and r Reply p. 8. § 3. to that say you that where we find faith only preached and so salvation made short work it is because we have but the Summaâ—ies I agree with you that we have but the doctrine of the Apostles as Johns of whom it is said he spake many other things in his exhortation to the people It is true we have much of what they said and we want much You misrelate mee Sir as once before in this very passage 1. I say not that in the Apostles preaching salvation is made such short work but that Å¿ Answ p. 9.11 you so make it in cutting of all those reqisites else-where mentioned and which are necessary and inseparable attendants of true faith that which also I expresse but you deign not to take notice of 2. I say not that we have the doctrine of the Apostles as Johns c. I say onely that we t Answ p. 15. have but the Summaries or principall heads of some of their Sermons Nor do I therefore herein agree with you who if u Vnciâ concessâ libram totam tollitis Optat. l. 2. one give you but an inch I see will soon take an ell much lesse dare I to say as you do which amounts to litle lesse then blasphemy against the Scriptures sufficiency concerning their doctrine for that yours words manifestly imply that much of it we have and much we want Of which manner of speaking let others judge and from what spirit it doth proceed v Reply p. 9. § â— Yet we have so much say you as may shew us that according to the work of salvation in us Faith is the work which gives most glory to God Abraham believed and gave glory to God they that believe give glory and Faith of all the works of the spirit is the glorious Gospel work Christ calls it the work indeed this is the work that ye believe So as the onely reason why we hear so much of faith in the Gospel is not only and meerly as you insinuate because we have but their Sermons in Summaries nor because of another reason of yours drawn from the qualifications of those they preached to that had other gifts and not Faith but because faith is of all spirituall encreasings in us the most gloriously working towards Christ faith goes out and faith depends and faith brings down Christ and faith opens the riches and faith believes home all strength comfort glory peace promises But Sir what doeth all this glorious flourish here or to what purpose is it here inserted doeth it either prove that life and salvation is not propounded in the Gospel upon a condition of believing in Christ or that repenting and amending are not to life eternall as necessarily reqired as it If not for that is the subject we are about this is all but a needlesse x De qâ vere uâ—u pa â—p test iâ—lud Scaligeri exeâ—c 107. § 20. Declâ—matiâ—nes in disputando amâ—itiosorum opera â—tiosorum ciâ—i sunt declamatory digression whereby you endeavour cunningly to divert your reader frâ—m the matter that is in hand Yet let us see what it is you say 1. That faith is a grace of great excellency and most usefull is by no man denied or that thereby we give glory as did a Rom. 4.20 Abraham to God but that is not the reason why b Rom. 3.28 5.1 by faith we are said to be justified for to omit that c Iosh 7.19 by confessing out sins we give glory to God we bring glory to him both by our d Math. 5.16 constant obedience in life and e Ioh. 21.19 Phil. 1.20 Christian patience in death this were to found life on the worth of the work the excellency of the gift and so other graces might as well lay claim to the same priviledg with it as shall afterward appear but because it is that whereby we f Ioh. 1.12 receive Christ and g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost in Gal. 220. make him our Christ according to that that you at length come to in the close of this paragraph tho els where again you fall from it wherein we consent with you that which is the peculiar office of faith as was before said So that here Sir you runn your selfe on that rock whereon even now you told us that we miscaried in placing the foundation of our justification and salvation on the eminency and excellency of something in us â— Albeit faith be a glorious grace yet I dare not say that it is the most glorious of any of the graces of the Spirit for should I so say I should contradict the Apostle which tho you make no bones of yet dare not we do who expresly tels us that h 1 Cor. 13.13 love or charity is greater then either faith or hope and altho faith be the most usefull and beneficiall grace to us yet is it such a grace as carieth us out of our selves implying us to be i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom 5.6 impotent insolvent very banckrupts unable to contribute any one farthing toward the payment of our debts And albeit thereby we give glory to God yet by it are we bereaved and utterly k Rom. 3.27 4.1 2. 1 Cor. 1.29.31 stripped of all glorying in our selves Nor is the terme of glory therefore to speak exactly the peculiar of this grace which shall also cease and become uselesse together with l Rom. 8.24 hope her most proper fruit when glory shall come when as yet m 1 Co. 13.8 13. love tho the last of the three in the Apostles recitall yet pronounced the greatest of the three because the longest laster shall continue and abide with us and in us for ever 3. Christ it is true saith of Faith n Ioh 6 2â— This is the work of God that is the work that God reqires of us that we believe on him whom he sent But the same Christ tells us that o Ioâ— 15.12 this is his commandement that we love one an other and p Iâ—h 13.34 the new commandement and that which he makes q â—oh 13.35 his cognisance and the very r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost in Ioan. orat 72. iâ— H b. 31. At Basil apud Greg. Na◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Character of a Christian love therefore is the work of God as well as Faith and Å¿ 1 Ioh 3.23 John joyneth them both together 4. I give other reasons why faith alone is sometime mentioned which you passe by but that which you say I give is untrue to wit that those they preached to had others gifts and not saith For t Answ p 13. neither of Paul nor of Cornelius do I say that they wanted faith either of them before that Ananias resorted to the one and Peter repaired to the other nor
do I omit that which you close with concerning u Answ p. 11. the peculiar office of faith Concerning which this may further be added that that howsoever the sweete and comfortable effects of faith here mentioned may evince the beneficialnesse of that grace unto our selves yet they argue not any excellency or eminency above other graces simply considered which in regard of their proper nature and peculiar employments make us more beneficiall and usefull to others Faith is as the houswife Love as the Almoner Faith brings all in Love layeth all out faith brings God and Christ home to us love carieth us out and x Act. 20.24 21 13. Phil. 1.20 â—1 2.17 2 Cor. 12.15 expends us in all pious offices unto the glory of God and good of man Now this adde I the rather to take off your ensuing complaint of that from which your self here are not wholly free to wit that a Reply ibid. Faith hath so much put upon it as becomes a stumbling stone and a rock of offence to many Just fication Imputation of Righteousnesse is put upon faith Salvation upon Faith as Christs bloud is put upon the wine b 1 Cor. 10 16. the Cup that we blesse is it not the Communion of the blood of Christ and Christs body upon the bread c Ibâ—d the bread that we break is it not the communion of the body of Christ and yet neither the wine nor the bread is his bloud or his body no more then faith is either justification or righteousnesse but such a work as goes out most into him and caryes the soule into him who is righteousnesse and Justification to us The word were no mystery if it were not thus ordered and things so mingled that t e Spirit onely could discern and distinguish the Papists stumble at works because they see not faith for works and others stumble at faith because they s e not Christ for faith What all this ayms at is hard to say It concerns nothing I am sure that Mrs S. and I had in debate But let us rove a litle to beare him company and go along out with him into his impertinent excursions and his intricate discourses 1. Truly Sir I dissent as much if not much more then your self from any that put too much upon faith as some of the Ancients have done making it d Chrys st in Rom. 4. a matter of more worth and excellency then the keeping of all Gods commandements from whom I have also therein e Animadv in â—ud â—ucii Scrip. de Iustif part 1. Sect 9 n. 7. elsewhere testified my dissent But Sir it is your selfe rather then any of us that trip at this stone when you would have faith so much pressed in the doctrine of salvation in regard of the gloriousnesse and eminency of the grace it self which to assert is not sound 2. As for the putting of justification and imputation to righteousnesse and salvation upon faith as Christs bloud is put upon the Cup and Christs body upon the bread I mislike not much the resemblance tho it bee nothing exact nor conceive well what it drives at But Sir who of us ever affirmed faith to bee either justification or imputation to righteousnesse or salvation wee affirm with the Apostle that f Rom. 5.1 wee are justified by Faith and g Eph 2.8 wee are saved by Faith and that h Râ—m 4.9 Faith is imputed to righteousnesse And in all this wee say no more then the Apostle himselfe in expresse tearmes doth Yea even those of us who maintain Faith to bee taken in a proper Sense and not by a Metonymicall Trope as well in any one of those phrases as in another do not say any more then may well bee justified nor do they differ at all in doctrine so farre as I am able to conceive and I love not to make differences where I apprehend none that say the one or the other but contend onely about the Analysis of the Text and the Grammaticall acception of one term in it to make this clear by some instances of the like kinde when it is said This Childe is fed not by the breast but by hand if one shall hold that the hand is in such speech taken in a proper sense without trope or scheme for the hand of the dry Nurse wherewith the child is fed it being the instrument whereby meat is conveyed into the mouth of it and another shall maintain that the hand is there taken not properly but by a trope or a metonymie for the meat wherewith the child is indeed fed because the hand of it selfe hath no power to feed the child but is said to feed it as it hath relation to the meat would any understanding man from hence conclude that they were of divers minds concerning the thing it selfe and not rather that they dissented in a qestion of Schoole-learning concerning the Analysing of an Axiom and the Grammaticall interpretation of a word in it Or when it is said The mouth feeds the body if one should contend that the mouth were taken for the meat that goeth into the mouth another for the mouth it selfe whereat the meat goes in what difference were there in matter of judgement here between the one and the other concerning the thing it selfe Or to make use of an instance given by k â—ubbert collat cum Bert. § 57. an eager stickler in this Argument who l Ibid. § 58. reckons up for his party a larger bead-roll of Writers then I suppose he is able to produce Suppose a Painter holding out a Pencill shall say m Si dicis Pencillum dealbare parietem This Pencill drew that Picture if one shall affirm that the word Pencill in such a sentence must not be taken properly for the Pencill it self but for the Picture-drawer himselfe that made use of that pencill in the drawing of that picture or for his hand that guided it in that work or for the colours wherewith the picture was drawn another that the word pencill is to be taken properly as well as the word picture the one for that very instrument which the artist held in his hand the other for the work he pointed to when he so said I suppose it would not be deemed that there were any difference at all between them concerning the thing intended notwithstanding the controversie between them about the phrase or form of speech In like manner concerning the word Faith in the fore mentioned forms * Phrases sum aeqipollentes Paraeus ad Rom. 4.3 Obs 3. which in effect come all to one when some shall say that the word is taken properly for that grace or that act of grace whereby wee apprehend Christ and his sufferings n Vide Calvin Lubbert insra the meritorious cause or subject matter term it whether you please of our justification or that whatsoever it be in Christ for which wee are justified
then opposed with Christ which yet some treading in their steps have endeavoured to doe in these dayes But such fanaticall fancies wee abhorre and your ensuing censures therefore reach not us Wee are neither of those that cannot see faith for works nor of those that cannot see Christ for faith a strange prodigie how men should not see Christ for faith when they see Christ by faith nor are these things in the Gospel so mingled as you would make men believe but that wee can discern and distinguish them without the help of that new spirit that undertakes now adayes to reveal such matters of doctrine as the Apostles are pretended to have preached but not to have left upon record But Sir wee may truly say that you and yours are they that either cannot or will not see the wood for trees the conditions on which salvation by Christ is propounded tho in the Gospel they do every-where occurre and offer themselves will ye nill ye to your eyes In your next you relate me as objecting against you that l Repl. pag. 9 10. Sect. 1. Christ and his Apostels never preached free-grace without condition and qualification on our parts Rom. 8.1 Matth. 5.8 c. Where Sir mee thinks you grow wearie of your work for you draw up whole pages into little more then a line But Sir you dissemble mine Argument because you felt where it pinched you and knew not which way to rid your hands of it The argument runs thus m Ans p. 15. If the Gospell propound and promise pardon of sin and salvation without any condition at all required on our part and all such conditions and qualifications of beliefe repentance and new obedience destroy the freenesse of Grace then neither Christ nor John Baptist nor the Apostles preached either Gospel or free-grace for they thus preached and propounded pardon of sin and salvation upon such terms from the first to the last as I there at large shew by their expresse professions and speeches and according to your grounds therefore they never preached free-grace Now out of this whole argument you only pick one peice letting passe all the rest with the proofs thereof that it may not appeare to what purpose it was propounded nor attemping once to take of the crime laid upon you the stain whereof sticks as close to you and your tenents as your flesh to your bones and your skin to your flesh Onely you annex two places with an c. the n Matth. 5.8 one whereof I produce not for the proof of ought I affirm but o Answ p. 14. to shew what your brother Eaton saith of it who makes it a parcell of Christs Legall preaching the p Rom. 8.1 other indeed I alledge but q Answ p. 15. insisting principally on the words of the twelfth and thirteenth verses of that Chapter which you saw so inconsistent with your presumptuous novelties that you listed not to take notice of them Yet let us hear what you say unto that which you have pitched upon r Repl. p. 10. Sect. 1. They preached faith and repentance and obedience 1. in degrees of revelation the Gospel came not all out at once in his glory 2. not in parts as wee have their doctrine as you confesse they preached them but all along in the New Testament there is more of their glory and fullnesse reveiled concerning them So as the degrees of reveiling the parts and summaries of their sermons the fuller discovery in the whole New Testament are those things you consider not we onely consider and so dare not preach the Gospel so in halfs in parts and qarters as you do and yet will not beleive you do which is so much worse you say you see and therefore your sinne remaineth But Sir what is all this to take off the edge of mine Argument which cuts to the qick with you convincing you by necessary conseqence of blaspheming the doctrine of Christ and his Apostels as teaching such doctrine as not onely doth not hold out Gospel or free-grace but doth utterly overthrow and take away the very truth and essence of either For the conditions and qalifications here mentioned which you denie not to have been taught by them are such you say as tho the Gospel so propounded and preached may have some notion of free grace in it yet it hath no truth thereof at all the guilt whereof therefore you stand justly still charged with notwithstanding ought that beside the point in qestion you prate here to no purpose 2. The two branches of your Answer for it seems you were in some perplexity or disturbance at least when you were puting pen to paper do apparently enterfere cut and crosse the one the other For if the Gospel came not all at once to them but was reveiled to them by dâ—grees which you affirm in the first branch then how could they choose but preach it in parts which yet you denie in the latter branch Thus Sir your forces like Å¿ Suoqe Marte cadant subiti per mutua vulnera fratres Nafo Met. lib. 3. the men in the fable that sprung up of the snakes teeth of Cadmus his sowing fall foul one on another and destroy either other without the help of any adverse partie for how could they preach it otherwise then it was reveiled and if by peices reveiled to them then sure in peices preached by them 3. Grant that some things were afterward reveiled to them wherewith at first they were not made acquainted Yet 1. there was at the first so much reveiled to them and preached by them as was sufficient to convert and save souls for to what end else was their preaching Either therefore you must of necessity grant that men may be converted and saved without notice of free grace and Gospel of free grace or Gospel I say for no Gospel without grace nor grace that is not free or that the Apostels if by their ministery they did at first convert any then the doctrine of free-grace was reveiled to them and preached by them at first which how could they do if at the same time they preached that that was directly contrary to free-grace and did take away the truth of it unlesse any man will be so void of reason and common sence as to say that the Apostles preached contradictories in the very self same sermons 2. There was nothing in matter of doctrine afterward reveiled unto them or taught by them that crossed or repealed ought that had formerly been made known unto them and by them made known to others Divine revelations concerning matter of faith cannot possibly contradict one another tho such as yours are may both cotradict some contained in Gods word and some other also of your own what they taught at first was the truth of God as well as what they taught at last nor did they ever revers ought of what was taught at first by them but continued teaching the same
for what I say from this injunction of our Saviour then you have or can have for your professed profusenesse from that speech of his directed to his friends in the Canticles 2. You ask l Repl. ibid. What were all of us in our unregenerate condition sinners or righteous persons unholy or holy men of faith or unbelief or not rather dead in trespasses and sins till qickned with Christ And Sir what tends this Qestion to Who denies or makes doubt but that m Eph. 2.1 5. we were all such untill God qickned us with Christ and yet how were any of us fitted to taste or able to drink of that pretious spirituall liqour before we were so qickned But in stead hereof you might have been pleased to consider what you found objected n Ans p. 17. a little after against your second Assertion which you there waiv it seems unable to answer Nos actum non agimus Your next work is to justifie some of the Assertions in your Treatise excepted against as warping too much toward the way of those that o Jude 4. turn Gods grace into wantonnesse some whereof you take notice of and seek to salve others you leave to shift as they may for themselves The first is that p Treat p. 102. The promises belong to sinners as sinners not as repenting or humbled sinners The second that q Treat p. 186. None ever received Christ but in a sinfull condition In justification hereof you give us a large reply tho not answering at all the objections r Answ p. 17. made against either nor shewing how what you say is appliable to either in these words Å¿ Reply p. 11. To whom doe all promises belong first but to Christ and from whom to us but from Christ and what are the elect and chosen in him before they are called and beleeve but sinners as sinners doe you look that men should be first whole for the Physitian or righteous for pardon of sin or justified for Christ or rather sinners unrighteous ungodly while we were yet sinners Christ died for us Hee died for the ungodly Christ is the Physitian the righteousnesse the sanctification and makes them beloved that were not beloved and to obtaine mercy that had not obtained mercy and saints that were sinners and spirituall who were carnall So as we looke at Christ and the promises coming to men in their sins But those men were beloved of God in Christ who suffered for sins before so as they begin not now to be loved but to be made to love God begins not to be reconciled to them but they begin to be reconciled to him t Rom. 5. the love of God being shed abroad in their hearts by the Spirit which is now given unto them So as wee looking at persons as chosen in Christ and at their sins as born by Christ in his body on the tree we see nothing in persons to hinder them from the Gospel and offers of grace there be they never so sinfull to us or themselves they are not so to him who hath chosen them nor to him in whom they are chosen And this is the mystery why Christ is offered to sinners or rogues or whatsoever you call them u Rom. 11.28 They are as touching the election beloved for the Fathers sake I speak of such to whom Christ gives power to receive him and believe on him and become the sons of God and Christ finds them out in their sins and visits them who sit in the region and shadow of death and them that are darknesse he makes light in the Lord. Sir All this long discourse of yours concerning Gods election of men in Chrst the estate they were in when Christ died for them Gods reconciling them to him loving them before they loved him c. Doe not all prove that the promises of the Gospel to wit of pardon of sin and salvation doe belong to finners as sinners and not as repentant and humbled sinners x Mat. 11.28 such alone as Christ invites and promises to refresh nor doe you frame hence any formall argument whereunto a direct answer might be duely shaped and returned but heap us up a pile of words affording no premises from which what you should prove can be necessarily concluded For to passe by that your uncouth phrase of all the promises belonging first to Christ not unlike that which you have elsewhere that a Treat p. 125. God makes no covenant with man but with Christ tho wee deny not but that b 2 Cor. 1.19 Gods promises are all yea and Amen in Christ Election and Predectination either of Christs or of any other in or unto Christ must be distinguished from the actuall exhibition of Christ either by his incarnation or by the application of him unto any As c 1 Pet. 1.20 Christ was predâ—stinate to be made man and to suffer from eternitie but was not actually exhibited d Gal. 4 4. untill that set time that God had before appointed so God e Eph. 1.4 elects men from eternity hee f Rom. 8.29 30. calls and converts them in time hee g Eph. 1.5 predestinates them to be adopted it is the Apostles own language but hee doth not actually adopt untill hee give them power to h John 1.12 receive Christ in whom they are adopted hee determineth to justifie them from all eternity but hee doth not actually justifie them untill he work faith in them i Rom. 5.1 whereby they are justified and whereby they k Gal. 2.16 beleeve that they may be justified as the Apostle speaks of himself thereby implying that hee was not justified untill hee beleeved Hee decrees to pardon and remit sins from eternity for l Acts 15.18 from the beginning were all Gods works known to himselfe and resolved upon with himself but doth not actually remit or release sin untill hee give grace to repent which in the Gospel phrase and method m Luk. 24.47 Acts 3.19 8.22 goes constantly before pardon and so doth in nature tho not in time Hee purposeth from all eternitie to sanctifie all his who are therefore said to be n Eph. 1.4 elect thereunto and yet were they not nor could be actually sanctified before they were nor were for a long time after they were many of them it may be the most Nor will it avail to object as some doe that sanctification is a transient act and causeth a reall change in the person of the party sanctified which justification doth not for justification doth the like tho not in the person yet in the state and condition of the party justified and may in that regard be termed a transient act also Howsoever for School-terms it be sure it is that justification and adoption are herein both alike and since that the Apostle in saying that we were o Eph. 1.5 predestinate to be adopted doth thereby imply that the
Treat p. 27 29. for propounding the promises of the Gospel to men with conditions of repentance sorrow for sin c. as so clogging them with conditions and qâ—lfications that because they are things they cannot doe in stead of drawing a soul to Christ wee put it further off from him Now to return the reproof upon him r Ans p. 24. I tell him that hee may as well be said to doe the same when hee propounds them so clogged with conditions of receiving taking and believing on unlesse hee dare say that it is an easier matter to believe then to repent Whereunto Mr. S. returns us this answer 1. Å¿ Repl. p. 14. Sect. 8. I preach not receiving as a condition as you do repenting But Sir your precise words are these u Treat p. 30. The way of coming by a right or purchasing an interest in this righteousnesse or salvation wrought by Christ it is held forth without price or work onely for taking and receiving and believing in Where to omit that you say more then wee dare doe in ascribing a purchasing power unto faith whether these words imply not as much if not more then a bare condition amounts unto let any man that hath not utterly lost his wits judge Wee attribute nothing neer so much to repentance as concerning faith these words import 2. x Repl. ibid. I preach Christ the Power and Life and Spirit that both stands and knocks and yet opens the door to himself Sir wee preach as much in this kind as you here mention and as much as you doe if you preach no more then Christ himself doth in his word Nor doth this or any other part of sound doctrine concerning Gods work in the act of conversion either take away or contradict those other parcels of Scripture wherein upon such conditions part in Christ is propounded Nor is any man to be blamed for the pressing of the one any more then to be taxed for preaching of the other You might as well pick a quarrell to Peter for his y Acts 2. 3. two first Sermons and with Paul for his whole discourse of justification by faith in the third fourth and fifth chapters of his Epistle to the Romans as to any of us in this regard 3. z Repl. Ibid. I preach not receiving as a gift or condition given or begun for Christ but Christ working all in the soul and the soul working up to Christ by a power from himself Sir you prate and vaunt very much of your preaching But Sir compare what you say you preach and what wee present you with from your self in print and see how well they sort together For as for Christs working all in the soul you have been answered more then once 4. a Repl. Ibid. If you would preach repentance and obedience as noâ— either preceding or previous dispositions wee should agree better in the pulpit then wee do in the presse If wee preach otherwise then the word of God warrants us reprove us out of it Otherwise Sir blame us not tho we agree not with you either in pulpit or in presse In the next place taking a new leap you passe over all that was b Ans p. 25. excepted against your parallelling of the promises of salvation by Christ with the covenant made with Noah and to the result of your Assertions and summe of your Divinitie thence extracted to wit that c Ans Ibid. The promises of the Gospel belong to all sinners without exception and that all are therefore bound to beleeve the said promises being not conditionall but absolute even as absolute as the promise to Noah of never drowning the world again Nor is any man to qestion his faith or what ground he hath for such his beliefe From whence it necessarily follows that men may be saved whether they believe or no repent or no as from that concerning the promise to Noah and other your Assertions there related is inevitably inferred To the last branch I say of this to wit That men may be saved whether they repent or no beleeve or not silencing the whole residue you thus reply 1. d Repl. p. 14. Sect. 9. Should I say to you The summe of your Divinity is this That faith and repentance and obedience are helps with Christ and conditions with Christ to mans salvation and that salvation is not free but conditionall the covenant of grace is as it were a covenant of works Should I do well in this to upbraid you and those of your way Sir If you should upbraid us with ought that wee teach not or doth not necessarily flow from ought that wee teach you should wrong us as in part here you doe Concerning which and your doctrine herein enough already hath been said for the cleering both of us and it But Sir there is nothing here charged on you but what either in expresse terms you deliver or of necessity follows from what you affirm 2. e Reply p. 15 Say not then that I think men may be saved that never repent nor beleeve Sir what you think I know not and it may be you scarce know your self what you think or would have you seem to be of so many mindes But what you have written and taught both you and wee know and if you think otherwise as you here say why take you so much pains to possesse your Reader with such principles as f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Greg. Naz. ad Eunom S. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plut. ad Golot being admitted do necessarily infer as much as is here avowed Yea why do you not cleer your self hereof by shewing that such things doe not follow from the grounds by you laid and by removall of the Arguments whereby the same is evidently evinced Mean while you must give us leave to say what wee see and to relate what wee read And to meet with that your unjust and groundlesse charge wherein you do so passionately expostulate with us as if some apparent wrong had been offered you and the rest of your crew g Repl. Ibid. Why do you set up and counterfeit opinions and then engrave our names upon them Sir 1. Shew what the opinions are that are by mee fathered on any of you that have not been proved to have been taught by them whom I have therewith charged But you are like h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lucian de Gymn slippery eels the most of you i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Athanas de Arian in Synod Nicen. defens one while you stoutly avow your erroneous conceits where you misdoubt no opposition or discussion of them Another while you cry out that you are of an other mind and wrong is done you in them not sticking to report that you have made the same manifest by repair to those and giving satisfaction to them who were never once in that kind spoken with And otherwhile pretending to be altered in judgement
c Ibid. 63. Except ye eat the flesh of the Sonne of man c the words saith he that I speak are Spirit Sure the man is in a strange humour he would have those that deal with him to make themselves no better then meer bruits for they must devest themselves not of Logick only but of Grammer too both of common speech and common sense they must not interpret the Spirit by conseqence as much as to say in plainer terms they must deduce nothing by conseqence from Scripture especially when it shall crosse any Tenent of his nor must they say that such a speech imports a condition tho they find it usherd in with a conditionall particle and therefore tho nisi or except be such an one in our Saviours assertion yet it must by no means there import a condition For as for what he subjoyns that some of the Disciples should stumble at those words of our Saviour because they took them as I do under a condition and that our Saviour therefore told them that the words he spake were Spirit And what then that they were not to be taken rherefore under a condition as if in Spirituall things conditions could not be as well as in carnall these things are so palpably absurd that it is a wonder how they could possibly find entrance I say not into any Schollers skull but into any illiterate fellows head piece unlesse his brain-pan were not lightly crafied only but clean crakt For who is so voyd of common sense as not easily to apprehend that the ground of their startling at that passage was not the taking of the words as conditionally conceived which our Saviour no where waives but the d Carnaliter intellexerunt qod spir tualiter intâ—lligendum erat Aug. in Ioan. 27 de doctr Chist l 3. taking of that carnally which was to be understood spiritually was that wherein they were mistaken and which our Saviour meets with in that after-speech But some things they say are so apparant of themselves that tho it may well be deemed a fond labour to spend many words about proof of them yet e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epict. l. 1. c. 5. it is not so easie by argument to confirm them against an obstinate opponent not because they are not of unqestionable truth but because they are of themselves so clear being in the nature of principles that it is hard finding out a medium to prove them by that is not lesse clear then themselves as that two and two make four and that contradictories ever divide truth and falshood And just such are those assertions that Mr S. here opposeth that Collections may by conseqence be framed from Scripture that Conditions may be in spirituall things as well as in carnall that Conditionall particles imply a condition that a Condition is where the whole nature of a condition is found But that this man herein striveth against the clear light of truth shining into his soul or within him rather by that candle of naturall reason that God hath set up in his soul only to run counter to the Legalists whom his soul so much abhorreth may hereby appear in that when this fit of opposition is a litle over and this heat of passion somewhat alayed with him and the man is come again now to himself he freely of himself confesseth that f Treat p. 163. the Gospel is formed up of exhortations conditionall promises c. unto which els-where objected he returned not a word and what other promises but these and such as these the Gospel should be made up of I suppose Mr S. himself is not able to shew nor do I believe that he meant any other Howbeit it may be that out of some nice subtilty tho he grant conditionall he will deny condition as in an other subject he seems to have some such subtile reserve where tho he use the word divinity yet he scoft the title of a Divine as I am enformed that some other also now do but they perchance meerly for some want of Scholership but Mr S. a professed Scholer I am sure cannot be ignorant that a Divine and Divinity condition and conditionall are vocabula yea and argumenta conjugata But however Sir lay aside if it be so offensive to you the term of condition for to maintain strif about words is but a vain expence of time Do you but acknowledge that upon believing in Christ repenting of sin and leading a new life life and salvation may undoubtedly be attained and that without these it cannot be had and we shall herein be soon agreed or if you dare deny it and so give our Saviour Christ himself and his Apostles the lye whom I have shewed in expresse terms by testimonies unavoidable so to affirm But here you object 1. That g Reply p. 8. § 2. thâ—se that are Christs do not repent and believe and obey that they may be Christs for God hath chosen us in him and predestinated us unto the adoption of Children in Jesus Christ But Sir 1. All this proves not that these things are not conditions of the Gospel or that any can have part in Christ without them i Graâ—is hoc qoque prâ—stitum est gratis qod ad tâ— attâ—â—et nâ—m quâ—ad â—llâ— nâ—n gratis salvus factâ—s es pro nihilo sed non de nihilo tamen Bern. Ser. in Psal 90. 2. The Apostle telleth us in expresse terms that h Gal. 2.16 he believed in Christ that he might be justified by Christ thereby implying that he was not actually justified or had part in the justification procured and purchased by the death of Christ untill he believed And albeit the ransome whereby we are freely in regard of our selves justified be wholly in Christ Iesus yet is he said to be k Rom 3.24.25 set forth for an atonement unto us through faith in his blood nor were those l Rom. 11.23 24. branches of the wâ—ld Olive which were taken to succeed in the roome of those who were broken off actually in Christ but m Epes 2.12 out of Christ untill upon their believing they were engraffed into Christ 3. As n Epes 1.5 God hath predestinated us unto the adoption of sonnes in Christ that is to be adopted through Christ as he is said to have blessed us with all spirituall blessings in him so hath he elected them whom hee was pleased so to single out in his counsel and purpose from eternity o Ibid. v. 3. p Iam. 2.5 to be rich in faith saith one Apostle q Ephes 1.4 to be holy and unblameable before him in love saith an other Apostle and the same again r 2 Thes 2.13 he hath from the begining chosen you unto salvation by the sanctification of the Spirit and the beliâ—f of the truth or by sanctification of the Spirit and true Faith nor can any man therefore have life and salvation without these 2. Å¿