of Iudas and of his fellow disciples who could not relish the words of eternall life which Christ spake saying Except ye eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his blood ye haue no life in you and the case of those Antichrists and of those vnfaithfull euill hearted draw-backs as it hath been the case of many thousands more and is still at this day yet the case of Peter of Iohn and the rest of the Apostles was far otherwise as is now also the case of all regenerate true hearted Christians they beleeue to the sauing of the soule they eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his blood spiritually by faith and haue eternall life abiding in them they dwell in Christ and Christ in them they are borne of God and therefore draw not backe sinne not to perdition for the seed whereby they are begotten remaineth in them neither can they so sinne because they are borne of God nay they are sealed by the holy Spirit of promise vnto the day of redemption they ouercome the world endure and keepe his words and works vnto the end they are the liuely stones of Gods temple built vpon the chiefe corner stone who are made a spiritual house to offer vp spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ his Church against which the gates of hell shall not preuaile they are the good ground spoken of the good trees which cannot bring forth euill fruit but good only the euill which they doe at any time is not their fruit because it proceedeth not from their hearts but is done vnwillingly through weaknesse for in their hearts they serue the law of God The Scriptures account that to be a mans fruite which cometh from his heart whether it be good or euill because thereby the nature of the fountaine which is the heart is knowne as the nature of trees are by their fruite So that the nature of a good man I meane that which is borne of the Spirit not his fleshly nature is now to bring foorth good fruite only as Christ testifieth saying A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth foorth that which is good We can do nothing against the truth saith the Apostle A good tree cannot bring forth euill fruite And whereas the Scriptures speake so often after this maner If ye hold fast vuto the end If ye continue Him that ouercometh and keepeth my words and works to the end then are ye his house then will he approue of ye then shall ye be saued And on the contrary He that looketh behind him He that endureth not If any draw backe or fall away c. he is not meete for the kingdome of God My soule shall haue no pleasure in him There remaines no more sacrifice for sin The drift of the Spirit of God is to informe vs of the different estates and conditions of Christians of the danger of the one estate and of the well being and safetie of the other that so we seeing the difference and being forewarned thereof might not depend vpon that which is so dangerous but striue vnto that wherein there is safetie And where it saith of some Let them be blotted out of the booke of the liuing I will put his name out of the booke of life The meaning is not that God will put any mans name out of the booke of life that is written therein but his meaning is that such desperate and wicked persons as blaspheme his truth and Spirit shall be set down as it were with a blot cursed vtterly excluded and pronounced against for such as there is no hope or place for repentance as was Iudas and others of his companions of whom it was foresaid Let them be blotted out of the booke of the liuing let them not be written with the righteous c. for they persecue him whom thou hast smitten they talke to the griefe of those whom thou hast chosen So that whereas men may seeme to haue a place among the Saints in the Church of God and to be in as good an estate as they by reason of some gifts of the Spirit which they may receiue and some alteration the word of God may worke in them yet being neuer sanctified in heart by the faith of the Sonne of God in time they discouer themselues to be in heart euill and aduersaries to the truth and such as God doth by his word exclude and pronouuce cursed children twice dead and pluckt vp by the rootes such as neuer had nor shall haue their names written with his people in his records of life which before their discouerie might seeme both to themselues and to others to haue and therefore it is said And from him that hath not shall be taken away euen that which he seemeth to haue which seemeth also to be an improper speech for how can that which a man hath not be said to be taken from him He had something may some say and it is true he had heard and receiued the word with ioy but not in deepenesse of root not in a good heart his heart was neuer sanctified by faith like vnto his that brought forth fruit he was enlightned and had tasted of the good word of God and of the powers of the world to come but he seemed and made shew to haue more he presumed no doubt that his name was written in the booke of life which was more then that he had receiued could warrant him This his pretended shew is now also taken from him and his name is openly by the iust sentence of Gods word put out of all hope of being or euer to be written in the book of life and he is now like the earth which bringeth forth nothing but briars and thornes neere vnto cursing it is impossible he should now be renewed For nothing is secret saith the text that shall not be made manifest nor any thing hid that shall not be knowne and come to light Therefore saith he take heed how ye heare For whosoeuer hath to him shall be giuen and he shall haue abundance and whosoeuer hath not from him shall be taken away euen that which he seemeth to haue But what is the booke of life for peraduenture it is a secret to some doubtlesse It is both Gods secret and reuealed decree or will concerning such as shal be saued by that which is reuealed the secret is made knowne His secret decree we haue in the first beginning of our writing shewed which briefly is this That God before the world was foreseeing the fall of mankind did chuse in Christ a certaine number of them to life and saluation which were all foreseen and knowne of him and recorded by his decree in the roule of Christ before they were his reuealed will or decree which we haue before also at large exprest is briefly this namely the speciall promises and testimonies of
hate and reiect such as he hath formerly loued and iustified Answ TO teach that the stedfastnes of mans iustification saluation doth depend vpon his owne will in continuing in the act of beleeuing and works of righteousnes and that such as haue faith in Christ regenerate persons hauing their names written in the book of life may fall away from all become vnregenerate and haue their names rased out of the booke of life and perish and yâ— God doth alter his purpose promise of mercie and loue and come to hate and reiect such as he hath formerly loued and iustified to teach all this I say is to denie the very foundation and to make God vnfaithfull and is one of the maine errors of the Antichristian Church of Rome But the doctrine of the Church of God is this That such as to whom God hath giuen true repentance and faith in Christ whereby they are iustified from their sinnes and haue their hearts sanctified such as haue their parts in the first resurrection whose names were written in the booke of life from the foundation of the world shall neuer fall away from this estate nor from any part thereof because they stand not neither are kept by the strength of their owne will act of faith or works of righteousnes but by the power strength of God in and through the vertue and life of Christ their head For as God the Father did of himselfe first chuse them in Christ his Sonne and predestinate them vnto the adoption of children and to be conformed to the image of his Sonne euen from the foundation of the world and as he also in time calleth them to repentance iustifieth them purifieth their hearts by faith through grace in Christ and by the Spirit of his Son which he sendeth forth into their hearts doth adopt them to be his children and conforme them to the image and likenesse of his Sonne both in respect of his death and also in regard of his resurrection dying to sinne and rising to holinesse and newnesse of life from minding earthly things to set their affections on things that are aboue where Christ sitteth at his right hand so I say it is God which in and through his Son doth keepe and defend them as it is written Who are kept by the power of God through faith vnto saluation Yea he is the rock of their saluation and strong tower of defence he is their watch-man which doth neither slumber nor sleep their shepherd that feedeth them as the Psalmist speaketh he is the husband-man that did not only ingraft and plant them in his Sonne the true vine and cause them to beare fruite in him but euery branch that beareth fruit in him he purgeth that it may beare more fruit he gaue them his Sonne and his Son them and the Sonne reiecteth none that come vnto him but taketh them into his protection like the good shepherd and they heare his voice and he knoweth them and they follow him and he wil giue them eternal life they shall not perish for none are able to pluck them out of his hands and the Father that gaue them him is greater then all and no man is able to plucke them out of his Fathers hands Nay if Satan should desire to sift them and that their faith through the violence of temptation should seeme to faile as touching their act of beleeuing and that their fruit by meanes thereof should not appeare for so it may sometimes befall them as it did the Apostle Peter yet notwithstanding the Lord their rocke the foundation and chiefe corner stone whereon these liuely stones are built sustaineth and vpholdeth them the vertue and strength of him the true vine in which they are ingraffed the Son in whom they haue beleeued he hauing also prayed the Father that their faith faile not shall raise them vp refresh them and make them to flourish again as well in regard of their faith as fruites and being thus conuerted and raised vp shal be able thenceforth to strengthen their brethren And in these respects considerations Christ faith to Peter Vpon this rocke will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it For as at the first they were not iustified from their sinnes by their owne act of beleeuing though their act of beleeuing were necessary vnto their iustification nor yet by their works of righteousnes which followed though they were also necessary for the proofe and manifestation of their faith but by the free grace of God in Iesus Christ ministred vnto them by his word and Spirit which their act of faith onely in their hearts doth entertaine so neither doe they stand or are vpholden by their act of beleeuing though it be necessary also for their continuall comfort that they should be euermore exercised as in the word and promise of God so in the act of beleeuing going on still from strength to strength drawing nearer and nearer vnto God in the full assurance of faith vntill at last they come to see his face and enioy his presence in the promised Ierusalem where is all fulnesse of ioy and at whose right hand there are pleasures for euermore as assuredly one day they shall not yet by their works of righteousnesse though it be likewise necessary that they should be alwayes walking in and working the works of righteousnes but the stedfastnesse and certaintie of their estates in Christ their life saluation and glorie euerlasting dependeth on the stedfastnesse certaintie and vnchangeablenesse of Gods purpose promise loue and on the loue and life of Christ their head which was once dead but is now aliue and liueth still for euermore And so sure and certaine as God purposeth and it cometh to passe as he promiseth and faileth not loueth once and loueth to the end so sure as Christ which loueth them liueth shall they abide in him liue by him and not die for euer as it is written He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him As the liuing Father hath sent me and I liue by the Father so he that eateth me euen he shall liue by me For he is the bread of life and euery one that beleeueth in him doth in a spirituall maner eate of him and so liueth by him and shal haue euerlasting life For as Saint Paul reasoneth If when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne much more being reconciled shall we be saued by his life So that he that is once iustified by the blood of Christ and reconciled to God through faith in him his estate is certain and permanent and though the mountaines shall depart and the hils be moued yet shall not the kindnesse and loue of God in Christ depart nor the couenant of peace towards them in
doctrine of the Gospell Yet neuertheles Christ did not neither did his holy Apostles therevpon Iustifie them For then neither he nor they would so soone after haue made such exceptions and write so suspitiously as they did of many of them saying Striue to enter in at the straight gate for many I say vnto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able Beware of false Prophets which come to you in sheepes cloathing but inwardly they are rauening wolues Euery tree that bringeth not foorth good fruit is hewen downe and cast into the fire Not euery one that saith vnto me Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdome of heauen but he that doth the will of my Father which is in heauen Many will say vnto me in that day Lord Lord haue we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name cast out diuells and in thy name done many great workes And then will I professe vnto them I neuer knew you depart from me yee that worke iniquity Except ye eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his bloud ye haue no life in you But there are some of you that beleeue not All these things Christ spake vnto his Disciples who though they did beleeue were baptized yet they had not al of them eaten of his flesh and drunke of his bloud all did not beleeue in him vnto iustification of life all brought not forth good fruit And therefore he saith No man can come vnto me except it be giuen him of my Father And euery branch that beareth not fruit in me he taketh away And euery branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruite So that men may beleeue after a generall maner and be baptized and be in some sort branches in the vine in regard of the outward profession thereof receiue great gifts doe wonderfull workes in the name of Christ and yet not be come to Christ not haue the faith of Christ which iustifieth not beare fruit in him And it will come to passe that in the day of iudgement he will say vnto them Depart from me yee that worke iniquity I neuer know yee And the Apostles also writing to the Churches of their times where all were beleeuers and baptized and that lawfully say that such among them as had not the Spirit of Christ were none of his and doe charge some of them to be carnall and contentious striuing about their outward baptisme some will be of Paul some of Cephas some of Apollo and some of Christ As if this baptisme and the worthinesse of the person by whom they were baptized did make them happy and some of them better then other Some againe there were that did set light by the Apostles of Christ esteemed better of some other false Apostles Some were vncleane lasciuious persons I feare saith Paul to some that when I come I shall not find you such as I would and that I shall be found vnto you such as you would not Examine your selues saith he whether ye be in the faith Proue your selues know ye not your owne selues that Iesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates By which it is euident that men may beleeue and be baptized and yet not be in the faith of Christ not know Christ to be in them which to know is the faith that Christians must haue if they be not reprobates Againe some they charged with the want of the knowledge of God And some that denied the resurrection of the dead And some that made their belly their God and minded earthly things some to be false Apostles false teachers such as taught heresies some false brethren some couetous persons some hipocrites some that raised needlesse questions about the Law some that taught circumcision necessary to saluation and that Christians must be circumcised or they could not be saued some were whisperers Backbiters some were louers of pleasures more then louers of God treacherous high minded yea and what not And yet all beleeuers and Lawfully baptized and were in the Churches euen in the Apostles times but not so approued of them as some others were They did not account of all whom they baptized to haue true repentance and Iustifying faith neither before they baptized them nor after for they knew that it neuer was nor could be so some would proue false in heart and in some the grace of God did not yet appeare vnto iustification therefore they sensured none till they saw iust cause neither did they iustifie any till they saw proofe of their faith but then they did to both their comforts and consolations Nay when they saw great cause of feare and suspition of many yet they vsed strong arguments and perswasions to bring them to repentance as we see how they both spake and write They did not easily reiect any no not an Hereticke without twise or thrise admonition And when Simon Magus discouered himselfe to be in the gall of bitternes and that Peter saw his heart was not right in the sight of God yet Peter cast him not off but said vnto him Repent thy selfe therefore of thy wickednes and pray God If perhaps the thoughts of thine heart may be forgiuen thee Now if this was the estate of the Church in the dayes of Christ and his Apostles how may we thinke it can be better now nay but whē we striue to make it better we make it worse As concerning the inward estate the gifts of the Spirit and power that then were in the Apostles and faithfull seruants of Christ both in the respect of the Administration of the word grace of life and peace and workes of righteonsnes I am sure we all come short of and shall we thinke to outstrip them in the outward Nay doubtles I would we could therein but compare with them so we did also pertake of some of their inward graces otherwise the outward can doe vs small pleasure It is an euident signe that where there is much contending about the outward forme externall washings and such like the inward purification of the heart is little thought of So then as concerning the outward estate of the Church we conclude that as from the beginning there was Cain a beleeuer and sacrificer as was Abel though Abel had iustifying faith and not Cain and as Ishmael was circumcised as well as Isaac though Ishmael might not inherite the heauenly promises as well as Isaac and as in the Church of the Iewes from time to time all that acknowledge that true God and his word and did submit themselues to the outward ordinances of the law were circumcised and were Iewes outwardly though but few were Iewes inwardly and circumcised in heart so was it in the dayes of Christ and his Apostles so is it now and so shall it be to the end Christ himselfe went neuer about to alter this but both he and his Apostles baptized those that did
Iohn testifieth where he calleth he The Mother of Harlots and the abhominations of the earth and foresheweth how drunke she would be with the blood of the Saints and with the Martyrs of Iesus And as he laid to the charge of the Scribes and Pharisees of his time the blood of the righteous that had been slaine from Abel to Zecharias so he chargeth these with the blood of all that euer for the truth should be slaine vpon the earth and with his owne blood also because they and those that crucified him are all of one house and generation euen from Cain to this day being the right and true successors of one another in euill So that their maine argument of succession in the roomes chaires of the righteous seruants of God auaileth them nothing to the purpose they aime at seeing this not only may be but is their condition notwithstanding For as they were not of Abrahams seed which came of Abraham after the flesh nor they all Israel that came of Israel and as that was not circumcision which was outward in the flesh nor that baptisme which washeth away but the filth of the flesh so neither is that the true heauenly and spirituall succession which is outward by an externall ordination and succession in the roomes and seates of the righteous seruants of God but the true and heauenly succession which haue all those heauenly treasures belonging to it is that which Christ hath built vpon the rocke are they that haue the faith of Peter of Iohn and the rest of the Apostles euen those liuely stones which Saint Peter speaketh of who are by faith built vpon Christ the chiefe corner stone like as Peter was and so are made a spirituall house by this meanes and do offer vp spirituall sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ and are that chosen generation that royal priesthood holy nation and peculiar people which he describeth who haue receiued spirituall gifts from aboue as Saint Paul testifieth saying Wherefore he saith when he ascended vp on high he led captiuitie captiue and gaue gifts to men According as Saint Iames saith Euery good and perfect gift is from abouâ— and cometh downe from the Father of lights with whom there is no variablenesse nor shadow of turning That as they only are the seed and children of Abraham that haue the faith and works of Abraham and as the circumcision of the heart is the true circumcision and as to haue the heart sanctified by faith through the Spirit is to be baptized with the baptisme which saueth to put on Christ by baptisme and to be a true Christian so likewise to be a true Pastor or Elder is to enterâ—â—in by the doore first euen through Christ by faith for he is the doore the way whereby euery true Pastor must enter and to be called and ordained of God by those heauenly gifts of Christ whereby they are made able Ministers of the new Testament and then in the second place to be approued and iustified of his Church and children of wisedome For the calling of a true Minister of God and that which maketh him so to be is as heauenly and spirituall as that which maketh a true Christian else euery true Christian had a greater priuiledge then euery true Minister of Christ which doubtlesse is not so but rather euery true Minister hath a greater yea such are the gifts of the Spirit which Christ since his ascension hath giuen to his Church for the administration of the Gospel of peace that whereas he gaue this testimonie of Iohn that in regard of the gifts of the Spirit which were giuen him for the administration of repentance a greater Prophet then Iohn was neuer before him borne of women yet neuerthelesse he saith that he which is least in the kingdome of heauen is greater then he meaning the least true Minister of the Gospell the word of reconciliation And if yet they alledge for their separation as their maner is to doe That in the Church of England there be many very superstitiously minded many vngodly proud couetous and vnclean persons both in the publique office of the ministery as also of the people who do partake as well in the Sacrament of the Supper as in the administration of the word let them remember what hath been manifested before as touching the estate of the Churches in the Apostles times how that there were then in the Churches false Apostles false teachers deceiuers some that preached Christ through enuie some that had eyes full of adulterie and that could not cease from sinne some that made merchandize of the people some who went to law one with annother and that amongst the infidels couetous wicked proud lasciuious persons which had not repented of their wickednes some that made their belly their God whose glory was their shame who minded earthly things and some that at the Sacrament of the Supper were drunken and despised the poore these and diuers other euills were in the Churches and yet no separation to be made from any of them onely the Apostles sharply reproued those deceiuers as euill doers and warned the people with teares to take heed of them and of their euills and to shun them Againe there were some that with conscience of the very Idols of the heathen did eate things in sacrifice to the Idoll as Saint Paul affirmeth saying For some with conscience vnto the Idoll vnto this houre eate it as a thing offered vnto an Idoll Declaring vnto them that the things which the Gentiles sacrificed they sacrificed to Deuills and not to God and said I will not that you should haue fellowship with Diuells yee cannot drinke of the cup of the Lord and of the cup of the deuills yee cannot be partaker of the Lords table and the table of deuills Do yee prouoke the Lord c. And by this it appeareth they came also to the Lords table though as Saint Paul told them they could not truly and spiritually partake thereof so long as they did partake of the other Yea it is euident that these corinthians were much adicted to their old heathenish superstitions For Saint Paul in his next Epistle doth againe call vpon them saying Be not vnequally yoked with Infidels for what fellowship hath righteousnes with vnrighteousnes what communion hath light with darknes and what concord hath Christ with Beliall and what part hath he that beleeueth with an Infidell and what agreement hath the Temple of God with Idolls for yee are the Temple of the liuing God as God hath said I will dwell in them and walke in them and will be their God and they shall be my people wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate from them and touch not the vncleane thing and I will receiue you and will be a Father vnto you and yee shall be my Sonnes and Daughters saith the Lord Almighty