That God is Infinite Jerem. 23 24. 2. Kings 8.27 and 2. Paralipom 2.6 and 6 18. Psal 138 Heb. 139 7. Esa 66.1 do not I fill heaven and earth saith the Lord. Acts. 7.47 48. The most high dwelleth not in Temples made with hands as the Prophet saith Heaven is my throne and the earth is my foot stoole what house will you build me saith the Lord or where is the place of my rest Job 11.7 8 9. Shalt thou by chance find out the ways of God and shalt thou at length find out the Almighty he is higher then heaven and what wilt thou do he is deeper then Hell and how wilt thou know him his measure is longer then the earth and larger then the Sea 4 That the nature and judgements of God are incomprehensible Rom. 11.33 Exod. 33.20 1 Tim. 1.17 O profound riches of the wisdome and knowledge of God! how incomprehensible are his judgments and his waies past finding out for who is he that hath known a thought of the Lord or who hath been his Counselour 1. Tim. 6.15 16. The blessed and onely powerful King of Kings and Lord of Lords c. Hath only immortality and inhabits an inaccessible light the which no man hath or can see 5. That God is Soveraginly good Exod. 34.6 7. Lord God ruler Merciful Pitiful Patient and of great compassion and true who keeps mercys for thousands who takes a way iniquity and sin Psal 135. Heb. 136. 1. The Lord is good and his mercy indureth Eternally Matth. 19.17 There is one good viz. God or as our bibles are translated there is none good but one viz. God 6. That God is most just Jerem. 12.1 In truth Lord if I dispute with thee thou art just Psal 10. Heb. 11. 8. The Lord is just and hath loved justice his face hath seen equity Psal 118. Heb. 119. 137. Lord thou art just and thy judgment is right 7. That God is Infinitely wise Psalm 146. Heb. 147. 5. Our Lord is great and his Vertue great and there is no numbring of his wisdome Rom. 11.33 O profound riches of the Wisdome and knowledge of God Rom. 16.27 To God onely wise be honor and glory for ever through Jesus Christ 8. That God is all powerful Gen. 17.1 Gen. 1â— 14 35.11 and 48.3 God appeared to Abraham and said to him I am the Lord all powerful Matth. 19.26 To God all things are possible Luk. 1.37 Nothing shall be impossible to God Ephe. 3.20 To him who by his power which Acts in us can do in all abundance above all that which we can ask or think to him I say be glory in the Church in Jesus Christ in all ages world without end Amen 9. That God hath created all things Gen. 1.1 Acts 14.14 God created in the beginning the heaven and the earth Acts. 4.24 Lord who hath made the heavens and the earth the Sea and all things which are there Acts. 17.24 God hath made the World and all things which are in it Rom. 11.36 Of him and by him and for him are all things to him then be glory eternally Amen Gen. 18.25 Job 38.41 Psal 103. Heb 104. 21. 135. Heb. 136. 25. 144. Heb 145. 15 16. 146. Heb 147. 8 9. Prov. 16.1.4.33 20.24 21.1 Isa 45.6 Jer. 10 11 12 13 23. Amos 3.6 Matt. 6.26.28 29 30. Ephe. 3.9 God hath created all 10. That God governes all things according to his good pleasure Matt 10.29 Are not two Sparrows sold for a farthing nevertheless one of them shall not fall to the ground without your father And even the hairs of your head are all numbred Acts. 17.25 26 28. God gives to all life breath and all things and hath made all humane kind of one to inhabit the whole space of the earth determining ordained seasons and the bounds of their habitation c. in him we live have motion and are Rom. 11.36 From him and by him and for him are all things Esa 45.6 7 I am the Lord and there is none other forming light and creating darkness making peace and creating evil I am the Lord doing all these things CHAP. III. Of the Creation nature and corruption of man 1. That God created man at the beginning after his own Image GEn. 1.26 27. Furthermore God said let us make man according to our Image and similitude and let him have dominion over the fishes of the Sea and over the Birds of the heavens Gen. 2.7 8 15 17. and over the beasts and over all the earth and over every creeping thing creeping upon the earth God then created man according to his own Image and likeness he created him according to the Image of God 2. That man is fallen from his happiness by his disobedience You have the History of it in the third Chapter of Gen. and 7 Eccles 30. God hath made man right and he hath intangled himself with infinite questions 3. That by the disobedience of the first man all his posterity have been subjected to sin and death Rom. 5.12 By one man sin entered into the world and by sin death And so death is come upon all men in that all have sinned 1 Cor. 15.22 All die in Adam 4. That all men are from their nature defiled by sin and subject to death Rom. 3.23 All have sinned and have need of the glory of God Eph. 2.23 We have all conversed sometimes in the concupiscences of our flesh executing the desires of the flesh and of our thoughts and were from nature children of wrath as others and in verse the fifth we were dead in sin 5. That this corruption is in men from their birth Psal 50. Heb. 51. Behold truly I have been conceived in iniquity and my mother hath conceived me in sin John 3.6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh Job 14.4 Who can make man clean who is conceived of filthyness is it not thou only CHAP. IV. Of the Mediator of his person and natures 1. That God by his mercy hath sent his Son Jesus Christ into the world to save humane kinde JOhn 3.16 God hath so loved the world that he hath given his onely Son to the end that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life Rom. 8.3 That which was impossible to the Law in as much as it was weak through the flesh God having sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh c. 1 Cor. 1.30 Jesus Christ hath been made to us by God wisdome justice sanctification and redemption 2. That the Son sent for us John 3 13. comp with John 662. 1 Cor. 10.9 subsisted before he took humane flesh in the womb of the Virgin John 1.1 2. In the beginning was the Verb or the word as our Bibles have it translated and the Verb was with God and the Verb was God he was in the beginning with God and vers the
even none of these new disputants the best Authors of their own party grant this It is saith the Bishop of Canaries a thing worthy of great and diligent consideration that we ought to hold for a part of the Catholick doctrine not only that which hath been expresly revealed to the Apostles but also that which is concluded by arguments and by evident consequences from two propositions one of which iâ— revealed the other certain by the light of nature a Melch Canus loâ— theolog l. 6 c. 8. Vega saith likewise that nothing hinders these propositions from being ranked amongst those of Faith b Vega 9 de justifie c 39. And Vasques makes the same judgement of it c Vasques in 1 Thâ—m q. 1. disput 12. art 8. c. 2. F. Ambrose Catharin at that time Bishop of Minory and since Arch-Bishop of Conza a most learned and a most celebrated person and one of those who appeared most at the the Council of Trent held this very opinion against Soto in a little book which he hath writ against him to prove that the faithful may be assured of being in the grace of God and produced Scotus for his Author I think also saith he speaking to Soto that what you say is false viz. that when one of the propositions is from Faith and the other from science or experience the conclusion which is drawn from thence is from science and experience and not from Faith according to that rule that the conclusion follows the weakest part Against this strange proposition which one may call truly inopiniable Scotus teacheth as you who are versed in the Scholastiques may have seen that when one takes two propositions one naturally evident and the other from faith the the conclusion which follows from it is of Faith see here the example which he brings as says he if one should say whosoever begets is really different from him whom he hath begotten which is as he holds a natural maxime and if one should add afterwards now the father hath begotten in divinity which is a proposition of faith the conclusion which follows from it viz. therefore the Father begetting in divinity is really distinguished from the Son begotten this conclusion say I is not natural but of Faith whereas if your hypothesis were true it ought to be natural since that according to you the natural propositions is the weakest now the reason of that is that in our judgment the proposition which is of Faith is the most uncertain of them and t is in this that you abuse your selves and abuse others d Ambros bath polit in expurgat ad Soto p. 250 257. 258 edit Lugd. An. 1551. See how Catharin turneth against Soto and the methodists this very maxim of logick which they produce to ground their error upon for the proposition of Faith being in our opinion there the least certain and by consequences the most weak since the conclusion follows the weakest part its evident that according to this rule it ought to be from Faith if any of the propositions from which one hath drawn it be of Faith But besides this subtil and ingenious consideration of Catharin I think for mine own part that this rule of logick that the conclusion follows the weakest part is ill alledged to the purpose by the methodists in this dispute for the Masters of Logick mean only by that that if one of the propositions be particular and the other universal or if one be negative and the other affirmative or if one be of a truth only probable and the other of a necessary the conclusion will not be universal but particular nor affirmitive but negative not necessary but probable we grant it very willingly in this sence and if it ever happens to us in disputing against our adversaries to conclude a proposition universal or affirmative from a particular or from a negative or pretend that from a truth only probable the conclusion should be necessary then we will submit our selves to the lash of their Logick But to stretch this maxim further and let it signifie that if of the two propositions which we use the one hath been revealed from God and the other taught by nature the conclusion ought to be put amongst humane maximes and not amongst the Divine Doctrines 't is a phancy so far from reason that I am assured that none of the Logicians have ever dreamed of it The End of the First part THE Positive and Affirmative ARTICLES OF OUR BELIEF Are proved by Scripture Second Part. CHAP. I. An exposition of the principal and most necessary Articles of our Faith THese thing are sufficient in my judgement to keep our sense and reason from the troublesome and unjust chains with which the new Methodists pretend tyrannically to bind them Let us come now to our design and briefly shew our Faith that we may prove every one of the Articles of which it consists by Scripture whether they be read there or evidently inferred from thence First then We believe that which heaven and earth teacheth us that there is one God eternal infinite incomprehensible soveraignly good wise powerful and just Who hath created the Universe and governs it by his Providence nothing happening in Nature or amongst Men without his Order or Permission We believe that this great God made Man in the beginning of the World according to his own image and likeness and put him into the Garden of Eden there to lead an immortal life and that Man fell from this happy condition by his own fault having disobeyed his Lord and that by this crime he and all his Off-spring remains out of the grace of God Slaves of Sin and Death We believe that God moved by compassion towards his own work hath sent his Son Jesus Christ into the World in the fulness of time who hath done and suffered all things necessary to draw men from perdition and to give them eternal Life that this Son is the same God with the Father of the same power and essence and subsisted from all eternity with him that he made himself man in time and took to himself our nature in the womb of the virgin Mary uniting it personally with his Divinity and after having preached his Grace to the people of the Jews he was at their accusation crucified by Pontius Pilate and being dead upon the Cross and then buried he rose the third day from the dead and after having conversed forty dayes with his Disciples he ascended into Heaven where the Father hath given him all authority and power We believe that he reigns there now in a Soveraign glory governing all the World according to his good pleasure and that one day he shall come to Judge it for the last time We believe that by his death he hath satisfied the justice of the Father in as much as he hath suffered the pains for the Sins of humane kind and that he hath acquired an eternal Salvation and that the
a flict you and to you who are afflicted deliverance with us when that the Lord Jesus shall shew himself from Heaven with the Angels of his power and with the flame of fire doing vengeance upon them that know not God 2 Tim. 4.1 Jesus Christ shall judge the living and dead at his coming and raign 5. That the Son of God is dead for oursins and bath Redeemed us in suffering death for us 1 Peter 3.18 Rom. 4.25 Gal. 1.4 Christ hath suffered once for our sins the just for the unjust that he might lead us to God Isaiah 53.5 He hath been wounded for our iniquities he hath been bruised for our sins The discipline of our peace is upon him and we are healed by his stripes Rom. 3.25 God hath propounded Jesus Christ a propitiator propitiatory by Faith in his blood to demonstrate his justice for the remission of sins past through the forbearance of God Gal. 3.13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law Eph. 1.7 Col. 1.14 Heb. 9.12 Revel 5.9 when he was made a curse for us for it is written cursed is he who hangs upon a tree 1 Tim. 11.5 There is God and one Mediatour Moyenneur between God and men viz. Jesus Christ man who hath given himself as a ransome for us all 1 Peter 1.18 19. Mat. 20.28 You have been Redeemed from your vain conversation which was given to you by your Fathers not by things corruptible as by Gold or Silver Act. 20.28 but by the precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and spot Rom. 5 8. Luk. 22.19 John 10.11 15. 10 51 52. 2 Cor. 5 15. Gal. 2.20 Heb. 2.9 1 Pet. 2.21 4.1 1 Joh. 1.16 God certified his love to us in this that although we were yet abandoned to sin according to time Christ is dead for us Rom. 8.32 God hath not spared his own Son but hath given him for us all Eph. 5.2 Christ hath loved us and delivered himself for us an oblation and sacrifice to God an Odour of a good smell Tit. 2.14 Jesus Christ hath given himself for us to the end he might Redeem us from all iniquity and cleanse us to be to him an agreeable people given to good works 1 Peter 2.24 Christ hath born our sins in his Body upon the Tree Heb. 1.3 Joh. 1.29 1 Joh. 1.7 to the end that being dead to sin we might live to justice by whose bruisings we have been healed Hebrews 9.28 Christ hath been offered one time to abolish the sins of many 2 Corinthians 5.21 God hath made him who knew no sin to be sin for us to the end we should be made the justice of God in him Isaiah 53.4 5. Truely he hath born our greifs and himself hath carried our Sorrowes and we have esteemed him as leprous and stricken of God and abased and verse 6. The Lord hath put upon him the iniquity of us all and verse 11.12 This same is my just servant in justifying many by his knowledge and even he shall bear their iniquities therefore I will part to him many and he shall divide the spoil with the strong because he hath given his soul to death and hath been reputed amongst the wicked and even he hath born the sins of many prayed for transgressors 6. That the Religion of the Lord consisteth in Faith and Charity 1 John 3.23 Behold the command of God that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another as he hath commanded â—s CHAP. VI. Of the Justification of man by the Grace of God and of the Nature of Faith 1 That God appeased by the Sacrifice of the death of his Son received into Grace all those who believed in him pardoning their sins and treating them as if they had never sinned â—Ohn 3.18 He who believeth in 〈◊〉 Jesus Christ shall not be condemnâ—d but he who doth not beleive is alâ—eady condemned John verse 24. Verily verily I say â—nto you that he who hears my word â—nd believes in him who hath sent me â—ath life eternal and shall not come â—nto condemnation but is passed from â—eath to life John 6.40 This is the will of â—im that sent me that who ever â—eth the Son and believes in him â—ath life eternal and therefore I will raise him up at the Last Day Romans 3.21 22 23 24. Noâ— the justice of God is manifested withâ— out the Law having witness of 〈◊〉 Law and Prophets viz. the justice 〈◊〉 God by the Faith of Jesus Christ foâ— all and upon all them which believâ— in him for there is no difference sinâ— all have sinned and have need of thâ— Glory of God being justified gratâ— by his Grace by the Redemptioâ— which is in Jesus Christ whom Gâ—â— hath Propounded a Propitiator bâ— Faith in his blood Romans 4.5 To him who workâ— eth not but believeth in him whâ— justifieth the wicked his Faith 〈◊〉 counted to him for Righteousnesâ— according to the good will of thâ— Grace of God And verse 23 24 Now that this was imputed to Abrâ—ham for righteousness was not oâ—ly written for him but also for us tâ— whom also this shall be imputed viz to us who believe in him who hatâ— raised from the dead our Lord Jesâ—â— Christ Romans 10.9 10. Rom. 5.1 If thou confesseth the Lord Jesus Christ witâ— thy mouth and believest in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation Ephesians 2.8 By Grace are you faved through Faith and this is not of your selves for it is the gift of God not by works least any man should boast For we are his workmanship being created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath prepared that we should walk in them 2 Corinthians 5.19 God was in Christ reconciling the World to himself not imputing their forfeits to them 1 John 1.19 If we confess our sins he is Faithful and Just to pardon our fins and cleanse us from all iniquity 1 John 2.12 If any one hath sinned we have an Advocate with the Father viz. Jesus Christ the Just For t is he who is the Propitiatory for our sins and not onely for ours but for those of the whole World 2. That those who believe in God and know him truely give themselves to Sanctification and good works James 2.26 As the Body without the Soul is dead so Faith without works is dead 1 John 2.3 By this we know that we have known him Gal. 5.24 viz. If we keep his commandements he who saith he knoweth God and keepeth not his commandements is a lyer and the truth is not in him 1. This is proved clearly thus who is begotten of God gives himself to holiness and good works and doeth no more the mystery of iniquity 1 John 3.10 By this is manifest the children of God and the children of the
4. The Lord of David and other Beleivers living under the old Testament is the eternal whom they worshipped at it appears by all the books of the Old Scripture I am the Lord thy God thou shalt have no other before me Exod. 20.2 3. Thou art our Father and Abraham hath not known us and Israel hath not known us Lord thou art our Father and our Redeeemer Isai 63.16 Now Christ is the Lord of David as Jesus Christ himself remarks alledging these Words from Psal 109 Heb. 110. 1. The Lord hath said to my Lord sit thou at my Right Hand He is then truely the eternal 5. He whom the Isralites tempted in the Wilderness is the eternal Now Jesus Christ is he whom the Israelites tempted in the desert 1 Cor 10.9 Let us not tempt Christ as some of them have tempted him and have been destroyed by the Serpents He is then this same eternal worshipped by Israel 6. He of whom David spake in the 101 Psalm Heb. 102. vers 26 27 28. Is the eternal the God of Israel as it appears through all that Psalm and perticularly by the 25. verse where he calls him his strong God in the Hebrew text which quality he had care of not giving to any other then to the Lord eternal Now Jesus is he to whom David spake in that place as the Apostle in the first Chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews vers 10. witnesseth in applying to him the words of the Psalmist already recited here above Chap. 4. Sect. 3. It followes then that Jesus is truely this same eternal 7. In a Word the Lord protesteth in Isaia that he would not give his glory to any other Isai 42.8 and 48.11 Now the Father eternal hath given this glory to Jesus Christ as he himself saith in St. John The Father c. hath given all judgment to the Son to the end that all might honor the Son as they honor the Father John 5.22 23. It follows then that Jesus is none other then the Lord eternal 5. That the Son of God sent for us is not the same person with the Father Now although this eternal worshipped by the Israelites and the Son sent for us be one and the same God as we have already shown and that theyave by consequence one and the same substance essence or nature nevertheless these two persons are distinct one from the other and are represented to us so in the Scripture one being called the Father and the other the Son For since he who begets is not the same person with him that is begotten nor he who sendeth the same person with him that is sent the Father and the Son are of necessity two persons since the Father hath begotten and sent the Son Psalm 2.7 where the Father speaks to Jesus Christ as the Apostle teacheth us in Acts 13.33 Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee Gal. 4.1 4. God hath sent his Son John 3 16. It remains then that we say that the Father and the Son are two persons although they are one and the same divinity which is the belief of every true Christian 6. That the Son of God is made man in the fulness of time taking our flesh in the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary John 1.14 The World hath been made Flesh and dwelt amongst us and we have seen its glory Rom. 8.3 Phil. 2.6 Heb. 2.17 Rom. 13 4. glory I say as of the onely issue of the Father full of Grace and Truth Gal. 4.4 When the fulness of time is come God hath sent his Son made of woman made under the Law that he might Redeem those who were under the Law 1 Tim. 3.16 Without contradiction the secret of Piety is great viz. God is manifested in the Flesh sanctified in the Spirit Luk. 1.30 31 32 33 34 35. Mat. 1.18 The Angel said unto her fear not Mary For thou hast found favour before God And behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb and shalt bring forth a Son and shalt call his name Jesus he shall be great and shall call himself the Son of the Soveraign and the Lord shall give him the Throne of David his Father c. The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the Vertue of the Soveraign shall over shadow thee or in-shadow thee therefore that also which shall be born of thee Holy shall be called the Son of God CHAP. V. Of the Sufferings Actions Glories Merits and Doctrine of Christ the Mediator 1. That the Son of God manifested in the Flesh hath been crucified in Judea by the Sentence of Pontius Pilate ACt. 2.23 Acts 4.10 and 10 39. Jesus of Nazereth being delivered by the determinate counsel and Providence of God you have taken crucified and killed him by the Hands of wicked men You have the History of it at large in the 27. of S. Mat. in the 15. of S. Mark the 23. of S. Luke and the 19. of S. John which is known enough to every one 2. That the Son of God did rise the third day from the dead 1 Cor. 15.3 4. Before all things I have given you that which I had also received viz. that Christ is dead for our sins according to the Scriptures that he hath been buried and is risen the third Day according to the Scriptures You have the History of his Resurrection at large Acts 2.24 31. and 10.40 and 13.30 17.31 Rom. 4.25 6.4 8.33 14.9 2 Tim. 2. Mat. 28.6 Mar. 16.6 Luk. 24.5 John 26.9 3. That the Son of God is ascended into Heaven and that he reigns there in a Soveraign power The History of it is described in St. Mar. 16.19 Luk. 24.51 and more at large Act. 1.9 Eph. 1.20 21 22. 1 Cor. 15.25 27. Eph. 4.10 Phil. 2.9.10.11 Heb. 2.9 God hath raised Christ from the dead and hath made him sit at his Right Hand in Heavenly places above all Principalities and Powers Vertue and Dominion and every Name which is Named Not only in this World but in that which is to come And hath put all things under his Feet 1 Pet. 3.22 Jesus Christ is at the Right Hand of God swallowing up death to make us Heirs of life eternal being gone to Heaven to whom the Angels Powers and Dominions are subject 4. That the Son of God shall come at the Last Day to Judge the World Mat. 16.27 Mat. 24.30 Luk. 17.24.30 21.27 Acts 1.11 17.31 Rom. 2 16. 1 Cor. 4.5 2 Cor. 5.10 1 Thes 4.16 1 Pet. 4.4 5. Rev. 20.11 12 13. The Son of God shall come in the glory of his Father with his Angels and then he shall render to every one according to his works Acts 10.42 Jesus hath commanded us to preach to the people and to Testifie that 't is him who is ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead 2 Thes 1.6 7 8. This is a just thing with God that he renders affliction to those who