an affected simplicity and simulat smoothness do palpably laboure to involve and pervert it I shal first represent in your words and in its own colours the error which you would impose and then discusse these reasons and insinuations whereby you endeavour rather cunningly to cover and convey it then plainly to maintain it The scope then and aime of your discourse is that the proposall of life in the Gospel through the death of Christ is to as many as receive it and live according to it that that which giveth us an interest in the death of Christ is â—aith with a liâ—e conâ—orme to the ralâ—s of the Gospel and that because of the fruits of faith love purity of heart and victorie over the world therefore Iustification is ascribed unto it in Scripture The meaning of which expressions in plain language is that it is by good works joined with faith nay by good works principally and faith referred to them as the root thereof and not by faith only as the instrument whereby the perfect Righteousness of Jesus Christ is laid hold upon and becometh ours in Gods sight that we are justified Now that this your opinion is false and is to be rejected appeareth by these many and plain Scriptures By the deeds of the Law there shal no flesh be justifyed in his sight Rom. 3. 20. The man is blessed to whom God imputeth righteousnesse without works Rom. 4. 6. By grace we are saved not of works lest any man should boast Eph. 2. 8. 9. Not by works of righteousnesse which we have done but according to his Mercy he saved us Tit. 3. 5. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them 2. Cor. 5. 19. God hath saved us with an holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Iesus before the world began 2 Tim. 1. 9. He hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him 2. Cor. 5. 21. Iesus Christ is made of God unto us Wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption 1. Corin. 1. 30. He is the LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESSE Ier. 23. 6. We are justified freely by Gods Grace through the redemption that is in Christ Iesus Whom God hath set forth to be a propisiation through faith in his blood Rom. 3. 24 25. By the righteousnesse of Christ the free gift came upon all men to the justification of life and by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous Rom. 5 18. 19. We are justifyed by the faith of Iesus Christ and not by the works of the law Gal. 2. 16. He that worketh not but believeth on him that justifyeth the ungodly his faith is counted unto him for righteousnesse Rom. 4. 5. And lastly A man is justifyed by faith it without the works of the law Ro. 5. 28. This 〈◊〉 hope is plain Scripture language without any subtilâ—y How can you then joine our works of the Law with the righteousnesse of faith even the righteousness of Jesus Christ which faith doth apprehend appropriat for our Justification in Gods sight contrary to these most manifest testimonies Certainly if men would but seriously examine and consider what Gods word doth so plainly and rationally hold forth anent this purpose how quickly would that pure and perfect light dispel darknesse clear doubtings and give us both a right understanding and sound and easie expression therein God did creat and appoint man to bear and be conformable to his image for the manifestation of his own glory and thereby to partake and enjoy his favour for our felicity for that end he gave his holy and righteous Law on the one hand being both the way to and bearing the promise of life unto the obedient and on the other pronouncing wrath and death against such as should be disobedient The sanction and pain of this divine Law being by 〈◊〉 incurred and all mankind standing thereby condemned and bound over to wrath in Gods sight the Grace of God that bringeth Salvation appeareth holding forth Jesus Christ manifested in our flesh and therein fulfilling all righteousnesse suffering in both Bodie and Soul dying shedding his bloud and making his Soul an offering for a propitiation and ransome for satisfiing Divine justice and reconciling us unto God rising again for our Justification and being made perfect through suffering became the Author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him that is believe and receive this Gospel-covenant whereof he himself was also the Minister holding him forth for Wisdom Righte ousnes Sanctification and absolute Redemption-to all that come unto and imbrace him And therefore as at first Christ came into the world by doing the will of God and making his Soul an offering for sin to bring in everlasting Righteousnes even the Righteousnesse of God through faith in his Name so because he was obedient unto death even the death of the Cross God hath therefore highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name and vesting him with all power in Heaven and in Earth hath made him the Head of all things unto his Church and committed unto him all Judgement that he may one day render both vengeance unto the Disobedient and Unbelievers and receive unto himself and the Fathers Glory his own who through faith in his Name are justifyed in Gods sight and by his grace purifyed and preserved unto his heavenly Kingdom This being then the plain Gospel-revelation to lost and condemned sinners what els doth it require then that in the knowledge and sense of this our sinful wretched and miserable estate flowing from Jesus Christ our Wisdom we by faith lay hold on him and his Righteousnesse for our ransome from wrath and alone acceptation in God's sight and also for obtaining of Sanctification consisting in the purging away of all filthiness of the flesh and Spirit which the penitent Convert as he feareth its guilt and wrath doth in like manner detest and abhorre and the perfecting holiness in the fear of God And lastly for compleat Redemption from and victorie over Sathan the World the body of this death it self in the triumph of the Resurrection and the plenarie possession of Eternal life By all which it is evident that whatever be these other graces and blessings which we partake in and through our Lord Jesus yet it is through and by faith alone as an instrument and in respect of its peculiar aptitude for that end apprehending or laying hold on Christ Jesus the only Propitiation and his Righteousnes the alone Satisfaction that we are justifyed in Gods sight And really Sir when in this sincere and clear light I have proposed this matter I wonder what vanity or ignorance could seduce you to the doctrine which you here deliver To grant as you do Justification to be a judicial act whereby no doubt we are to understand that
208. l. 32. For r. To. p. 215. l. 17. r. fealty ibid. l. 34. r. and any p. 217. l. 3. r. That p. 220. l. 2. r. our p. 228. â—l 9. r. 1590. ibid. l. 10. r. doubted p. 242. l. 8. r. on p. 252. l. 9. r. one p. 253. l. 7. r fervent p. 269. l. 29. r. pattern p. 284. l. 17. r. ridiculous p. 341. l. 16. r. mostly p. 387. l. 6. r. mitigated p. 391. l. 31. r. ashamed p. 572. l. 14. r. this p. 496. l. 8. r. maintained p. 502. l. 17. r. convinced ibid. l. 18. r. qualifies Reader what others thou may find through a letter wanting or redundant or one for another or through a comma colon or the like misplaced or wanting thou mayest correct as thou readest The first DIALOGUE Answered SIR If I premise that your modest and free conference doth obviously appear to me to be rather a phantastick rancountre of a mocking Conformist and a Mock-Non-conformist it is not from any design to preoccupy by so severe a character but only to releeve both you and my self of the fruitless observation and tedious prosecution of the many impertinencies incident to such a practice and therefore as you are not to expect my particular noticing of the high pretensions weak replyes faint cedings ridiculous evasions plain concessions and flattering insinuations whereunto you prompt your Puppet-non-conformist either for your own advantage or diversion so in the tracing of these things that seeme to be more serious and important in your Dialogues I promise you all the candor and calmness whereof I am capable Yea though your double dealing in this cause which not content to impugne as a Conformist you go about also as a Non-conformist to betray might well warrant a more sharpe and large animadversion both upon your end and method yet being only desirous of truths vindication and in the occurrence of so many temptations justly jealous of my own infirmitie I do here francklie cease from and lay aside all wrath and bitterness that I sin not and shall as sincerely distinctly as I can review and answere your reasonings as they ly Before you fall to your direct accusations you suggest 1. That the Non-conformists do boast of their way as the Glory 2. That their Ministers tell them only of Christs death which is not to preach him 3. That they study more to convince them of the need of Christs Righteousness then of having anâ— of their own 4. That Non-conformists think they may quite the Communion of the Church if in their opinion noâ— in the truth in every point 5. That in former times they repressed some sins specially of the flesh but scarcely in a Gospel way and as for other sins were very gentle to them Nay were themselves guiltie of them Sir were I not very loath to irritate you in the entrie I would tell you that to commence your conference with such groundless odious and incoherent hints which you dare not positively affirme is more agreeable to a design of prejudice then to the charitie you so amply professe But to particulars to the first that the Non-conformists do boast of their way as the Glory 1. We bless our God our Glory who hath made all the manifestations and means of his Grace Glorious these are the overflowings of the excellent Glory by the streames whereof all our gloryings and praises ought to be carried back to concentred in and swallowed up of the Ocean-fountain whence they proceed 2. The Scripture is plain that Jesus Christ the Prince of Glorie in the revelation of his Glorious Gospel hath made the ministration thereof so farre to exceed in Glory that even he himself accounteth the Messengers thereof his Glory Whether these things be not sufficient to justifie both the Non-conformists boasting and regrete needeth not my assertion Sure I am if a pure Ministrie not modelled by the policy and pride of man but singly squared to our Lords institution if able Ministers of the New Testament declaring all the Counsel of God and imparting the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel And lastly if the growing and Multiplying of the word of God and his peoples desire after and rejoicing in it have any lustre of this Glory the present sad catastrophe whereby all these have been so wickedly and wofully changed to their contraries may more justly move every concerned serious soul to a lamentation for the departed glory then these occasions that first produced that complaint If you judge these to be swelling words of vanitie remember that as I do speak the true Non-conformist so it is your part by this your conference more solidly to redargue him The second thing you suggest is that the Non-conforming Ministers tell us only of Christs death which is not to preach Christ. Sir this allegeance short as it is presents it self with a disgust that I can scarce express Not that I think the Non-conformists are thereby in the least noted Nay on the contrarie I am confident that in whatsoever sense you are able to render the accusation pertinent the Non-conformists are most free to deny it and that with the universall evidence of all their unprejudicate hearers and the unanimous testimony of all their confessions and writings extant And whether this be more to their advantage or your dishonour I hope you will consider But that which in my heart I detest is to hear the glorious subject of the precious death of Christ so both slighted and narrowed within its Scriptural acceptation by such a Cold restrictive If the Apostle Paul desired to know nothing but Christ and him crucified and Gloryed only in his Cross If the death of Christ doth necessarily suppose and did certainly confirme his preceeding Testament nay if in the Gospel it be often mentioned as the substance and root of all had you no fitter words for your intended accusation of N. C. then that they tell us only of Christs death I know your meaning viz. That to tell people onely of an interest in Christ while they are strangers to his Laws and Gospel is to deceive them is as sound as it is untruly charged upon the Non-conformists Neither would I have taxed an innocent lapse in the phrase observed but it s too visible tendencie to the discredite of the doctrine of Justification by the bloud of Christ and to the new rationall Method of more exalting our righteousness to an equality with his merit then pressing it in Conformity to his life and love is the cause of my aversion The Non-conformists therefore do indeed tell us of the death of our Lord Jesus not with your ill appropriat and restringent only but do preach to us alwayes and principally this doctrine of his Cross as that whereby both the great mean of our reconciliation â— and the strongest motive best pattern and most certain assurance of our dying unto sin and living unto God wherein our Sanctification consists are held forth 3.
his most Voluntarie free and desired as well as commanded suffering is a Truth so high and precious and justly accounted inimitable in substance that I strange you should debase it by making it a part of your Argument when you know that Christ came into the world that he might freely give himself a ransome and that therefore he neither would be diverted nor use the flight which he had formerly both commanded and practised do you rationally argue that because he thus suffered so ought we to do or because he refused his Disciples endeavours of rescue that therefore Christians in persecution should neither give nor admit of assistance I grant that if God so order it in suffering we ought to imitate his patience 1 Pet. 2. 21. But what maketh this for you You insinuate as if his not commanding Angels to his defence had been a meere effect of his patience but as this opinion is not countenanced by the description thereof given by the Apostle in the place cited so I pray you hear our Lord himself Thinkest thou that I cannot which I am certain soundeth plainly May not pray to my Father he shall presently give me c. but hoâ— then shall the Scripture be fulfilled that thus it must be here then is the reason of our Lords forbearance presume not to fancie another But you say he forbad his Disciples to draw the sword in his defence whith a severe threatning for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword Take you this to be a threatning against the Disciples which for their comfort is so plainly spoken against the traiterous band that came against him upon whom also it was most dreadfully accomplished Thus Grotius upon the place though in the point of defence he be very inconsequent if you cannot understand it thus from the context I desire you onely to read it in a parallel application Rev. 13. 10. He that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword here is the Faith and Patience of the Saints are you not then ashamed to make it their threatning and fear Next you adde that what our Lord said to Peter my Kingdome is not of this world c. is so Plain language that you wonder it doth not convince all If I were to oppose confidence to confidence I should make no other reply then that this is indeed so plain language that I wonder what Conviction you mean but because this is the ground of your proud and vain boasting which you are not affrayed to seal with the veracity of God let us hear the words at length Iohn 18. where our Lord being questioned by Pilat art thou the King of the jews ver 33. returnes the direct Answere ver 16. thus My Kingdom is not of this world if my Kingdom were of this world then would my servants fight that I should not be delivered to the jews but now is my Kingdom not from hence In which words as he witnesseth his Kingdom so to remove the jews accusation and Pilats jealousie he declareth the quality of it viz. That it is not of this world that is a worldly Kingdom to be exercised as other Kingdoms of the world are in out ward power and splendour and therefore can neither interfeere with nor diminish Caesars Empire and grandour and this he confirmeth by a most plain and convincing argument If my Kingdom were of this world then would my servants fight that I should not be delivered to the jews that is if I designed a worldly Kingdom I would have gathered followers or rather according to the assistance mentioned by him at his first taking called Angels my servants to fight for my rescueâ— but since I imploy no reliefe but willingly give my self unto the death now is it plain that my Kingdome is not from hence Thus I have set down both the plain language and I hope the plain meaning of the place but whence it is that you derive your advantage I protest I cannot divine If the Lord prove his Kingdom not to be a worldly one because he imployed no aid for his rescue from the Jews doth it therefore follow that all persecute Christians should reject all assistance and deliver themselves up to suffering after the same example Are you not yet satisfied that the manner only and not the act of our Lords suffering is proposed to our imitation Beleeve me Sir I have been often serious to finde out wherefore this text is so much talked of by the men of your persuâ—sion but unless is be that men who would be content that Christs Kingdome were not in the World do love to hear a phrase so neer it that it is not of the World or that the great Devotionaries of ease without adverting to the reason and making an Emphasis in that which is a clear speciality would force from the words contraire to their plain tenour and scope this general Rule that his Servants fight not no not as they would read it for his rescue I could never attain to a better conjecture It comes in my thought while a writing that it is possible that in reading the words forward you may understand them backward As if our Lord in saying If my Kingdom were of this World then would my Servants fight had reasoned thus because my Kingdom is not of this World therefore my servants do not fight But seeing his Argument is evident as the Meridian Sun My servants do not fight for my rescue therefore I pretend to no worldly Kingdom the force of the inference is no more clear then it is certain that the spirituality of his Kingdome neither is in this place nor can be at all used to astrict his followers to his unimitable example in this his free and voluntaire suffering But because I am resolved to constrain you to an acknowledgement that the Non-conf Answeres to your Scriptures are neither irrational nor ridiculous as you alledge I shall enlarge a little more upon this subject Some men of your way say that seeing Christ doth here declare his Kingdom not to be of this World for the clearing of Pilat and all Powers of the Jealousies which such a thing might raise of necessity the inconsistencie and prohibition of fighting the great fear of the Princes of the Earth must be imported It 's answered our Lords answere is no doubt framed and suited to the Jews accusation which beyond question both in Pilats and in their understaning was his affecting an outward Kingdom in prejudice of Caesar and as of this he doth unanswerably purge himself and thereby fully satisfy all the just feares that could be objected so to imagine that his purpose was to remove all the false apprehensions and restlesse inquietudes which only the wickednesse and violence of Tyrannes do suggestâ— and thereby to gratify Tyranny is both groundlesse and impious But to convince you plainly that the spirituality of Christs Kingdom doth not restrain Fighting for Religionâ— I ask
that happens to be promoted and that the order or institution it self destitute of divine warrant and promise and clearly occasioned by evil contention and introduced into the house of God by humane invention could not at first have any thing in it recommendable and hath since produced most corrupt â—ruits Neither the existence of Many excellent and great men in this degree nor the laudable yea extraordinary advantages that the Church hath received from them in the concret can now justify and maintain the Order it self in the abstract If this arguing were good able and well qualifyed men vested with such a power or placed in such a condition have proven and may prove notable instruments of Good therefore it is reasonable and expedient that such a constant order should be erected we might not only have Bishops but most of the Monastick Orders of the Roman Church We finde Peter with the singular benefite of the Church exercing a power of Life and Death and that given him from above and not assumed could therefore an order of Church-men pretending to the like Authority be rationally thence maintained in the Church No wayes Accidental advantages do not commend unwarranted institutions much less can they justle out our Lords express constitution But it is he the perfect orderer of his own house who hath positively defined and blessed its Officers and their power and not left the matter Arbitrarie to the probable contrivances of apparent benefite farre less to the dissembling pretenses of mens Lusts and corrupt Interest 8. It is to be noted that although the great measure of Grace given to the Primitive Church and the hard and frequent persecutions wherewith it was exercised did for a time hinder that strange depravation and incredible â—ruption of wickedness whereunto the setting up of the Ancient Prostasia the rudiment of your Prelacie did from its first beginnings secretly and covertly bend Yet this is most evident that so soon as the Church of God obtained the countenance and was favoured by the more fond in many things such as excessive Doâ—ations and Grants of privileges then prudently pious benevolence of Secular Princes this Prelatick order which in its depression had been indeed honoured with many shining lights and Glorious Martyres attaining then to its ascendent did not only debauch the Lords Ministers for the most part unto idleness avarice and luxurie but continually climb up according to its proper Genius of Ambition until the Devils design in its rise and progress was fully discovered and consummate in the revelation of the Son of perdition 9. This being the rise progress and product of Prelacie in the first Churches as may be clearly gathered from the writtings of these times how it was introduced in other Churches thereafter gathered and brought in may be found in their Histories Only this is certain that as in almost no Church it can be shewed to have been coëvous with Christianity and in all the western Churches where it obtained place was ever a sprig of Romes Hierarchie propagate by her ambition and deceit and the like practices So the Church of Scotland in special was in the beginning and for some centuries thereafter instructed and guided by Monks without Bishops until palladius from Rome did set up Prelacie among us as many Authors witness Nay we may finde it on Record that even in the 816. year a Synod in England did prohibite the Scots any function in their Church because they gave no honour to Metropolitans and other Bishops By these observations having in some sort delineate the mysterious and crooked windings of this excrescing Power in its first motions and setting forth and very clearly and naturally traced its progressions and thence deduced that most prodigious production of the Antichristian Papacie as any considerate man may thereby easily perceive not only how it might but how de facto it hath crept into the whole Church without an Apostolicall introduction notwithstanding of all your contrarie insinuations so I am confident that what ever other advantages these primitive times had above our latter dayes yet our discovery made after so full a revelation compared to the obscure appearances of this wickedness in the first ages of the Church cannot be thereby rationally disproved and your scurrile disparaging of the latter times of reformation as the fagg end oâ— sexteen hundred years doth with little less success plead for the Pope and Antichrist then for your Anâ—ichristian Prelacie As for the rest of your discourse wherein you tell your N. C. that though the ancient Bishops were better men then either Bishops or Presbyters alive Yet in Presbyteries Specially in the matter of Ordination they were sine quibus non and what ever be the present abuse of the Episcopall power Yet it is a rational and most necessary thing that the more approven and gifted be peculiarly incharged with the inspection of the Clergie an order of men neâ—ding much to be regulate and seing all humane things and Presbytery also are liable to be abused the common maxime remains to be applied remove the abuse of Bishops but retain their use In answere hereto I need not inlarge he who knows Church History best will easily grant that as for the first Centurie and an half we have no vestige upon record of your Prelatick power So when 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 had place their concurrence in Presbyteries was only for order as being the Modâ—rators a consideration of the same exigence and effect whether they be fixed or unfixed and not from any peculiar power proper to them as a superior order A thing so certainly disowned by the primitive Church that even after the Bishops thought themselves well stated in their Prelacie and were beginning to contend among themselves for the Papacie Hierom doth plainly deny them any such prerogative above Presbyters and was not therefore contradicted by any How much more then doth this condemn that sole power both of Ordination and Jurisdiction whereunto your Bishops do pretend As for your alledged reason and necessity of promoting the better gifted over the unruly Clâ—rgie whatever application it may have to that naughty Company of your insufficient and profane Curats or Conformity to the Court yea the worlds prejudice against our Lord Jesus his Ministers and all his followers Yet these two things are most evident 1. That as that lowely and ministerial Government appointed by Christ in his own house admitting no superiority or inequality of power among Ministers is not subjected to and alterable at the arbitriment of humane reason so the advantage of Gifts whereupon you would found it doth so little favour your conclusion that the direct contrarie is recommended by our Lord as its best evidence and fruit he that will be chief among you let him be your Servant and that not only as to the grace of humility but in plain opposition to that superior Authority exercised in Secular Rule whereof the imitation in this place is expresty
ensnared and thereafter more cruelly persecute and oppressed not repeating what hath been said by others in their vindication I shall briefly run over what you here subjoin You say then That Separation being a tearing of the Body of Christ to forsake the unity of the Church when there is scarce a colour of pretence for it must be a great sin 'T is answered I will not stand to descant upon the nature and several degrees of Separation and how that non-conforming to and compliance with a prevalent backsliding partie in effect the worst of Separatists which is our present case is very different from the case of Separation from a Church formerly acknowledged and joined with nor love I to inquire how farre a mans entrie into the Ministrie by open perjury and violence and his profane and flagitious deportment therein notourly known may in the perturbed state of the Church supply the want of a declarative sentence making void his mission Nor lastly will I make use of your own plain laws viz. the Act anent the restitution of Bishops and the late Act of Supremacie whereby all Church-power mark it is made dependent upon and subordinat unto the Kings Supremacie to prove your Ministers to be but Court Curats But in this I am plain and confident that if the Prophets who by their lyes and lightness cause the people to erre and speak peace to such as despise the Lord and strengthen their hands who walk in the imagination of their own heart be not to be hearkened unto if we ought to bewarre and flee from false Prophets whose fruits of ungodliness as well as heresie as is clear from the context do discover them to be but ravening wolves destroying Souls under the sheeps cloathing of an exterior call and hypocritical composure if such who cause divisions and offences contraire to the received truth and who serve not our Lord Jesus but their own belly are to be avoided and lastly if these Destroyers and Offenders be the only persons guilty of all the Separation and other inconveniences which ensue then are your Curates as dignoscible by all or one or other of these characters as the night is by darkness justly yea necessarily to be disowned fled from and avoided and only chargeable with that schisme whereof you endeavour to make us guilty But you add That in a schismatical time-serving humour we come sometimes to Church to â—vite the punishment of Law but seldom that we may retain our interest with our partie that we hear some of you but not others that some go to Churches in the Countrey but not in the City and finally some join with you in the ordinary Worship of Prayer and praise yet will not join in the Eucharist which is but solemn praise Sir if you had been candid in this reflection in place of imputing this variety to humour and faction it would indeed have moved you to pity the strait of so many good people redacted to such a multiâ—arious perplexity which yet in its outward appearance is but light in comparison of these inward inquietudes wherewith the contraire workings of the fear of God love of truth abhorrencie of wickedness tenderness toward Authority respect to union and peace and fear of punishment do continually sollicite them If I might presume so farre upon your credite I could tell you that in my certain knowledge some have been against their Consciences forced by violence and spoill to hear your Curates who therefore have mourned many Moneths thereafter and certain of them even unto death That others whom the generality of your Curates did either offend or according to the Lords prediction Ier. 23. v. 33. after long triall not profite at all have searched by a choise to remedy the evill for that there are better and worse not only as to private but also as to Publick transgressions you groundlessly deny and lastly that some have prevailed with themselves to hear and join with you in prayer and praise who have yet still scrupled in their Consciences to communicate with you in that Sacrament which beside the adjunct of solemn praise is designedly institute to signify and confirme our communion in as well as our union with Christ from whom we have reason to apprehend that many of you according to Scripture-rules and the grounds which your conversations hold out are at great distance If then these things be so let it satisfy you in this point that as the Generality of the whole land would account it a great reliefe to be delivered of all your Tribe and many of the godly are convinced that your Ministery being neither of nor for our Lord Jesus is not to be owned so all these umbrages of compliance which you observe are only the effects of curiosity fear or some other humane frailty wherewith by you we can neither in Charity nor ingenuity be urged But you are so desireous to win us to this conformity of owning your Curates that you are willing to suppose them to be but Intruders occupying the places of our faithfull shepherds violently torn away and yet you argue that although the high priest-hood was in our Lords dayes violently invaded by the Romans and by them exposed to sale and those Symoniacks did also usurp thâ— right of others yet we find Cajaphas as high Priest Prophesâ—ing and our Saviour answering to his authoritative adjuration and though the Pharisees were wretched teachers and very guilty persons yet our Saviour saith hear them for they sit in Moses chair which you saâ— is unanswerable and was the doctrine of our own Teachers 'T is answered not to insist upon the particular and full answere already made by others for dissolving the apparent force of this objection it is to be considered 1. That as this argument doth proceed upon parallel instances and similitudes for the most part lame and unequal so the Jews their particular customes and observances in the examples adduced are to us so hid and unknown and the Jewish constitution in General of a Church and Nation joined in one special people unto God by virtue of a Divine Law for matters both Civil and Religious committed even in its Civil part to the custody and interpretation of their Religious Officers is so manifestly different from that of the Christian Church gathered in one out of all and every Nation only for things Religious without any alteration in their Civil State under Jesus Christ their Head and King and the Ministers by him sent forth that little light as to our present purpose can be thence concluded 2. That not only in the point of the Churches Ministerie but also in its worship and other ordinances to reason from the dispensations of Soveraigne Providence in the decline of Churches the lawfull compliance of good men with these Churches in owning them in things found and bearing with corruptions which they could not remedy and lastly from the Lords assistance and presence that never the less hath therein
above all things plead the necessity and alone sufficiency of the Righteousness of Jesus Christ for our Justification But to restore your words to their own channell you say that since all must be condemned if God enter into judgement therefore God gave his Son unto the death for us that thereby we might obtain Salvation And though by this passage it be clearly enough imported that it is before God and by the sentence of his Law that all men stand condemned and that therefore he hath given his Son whose Death and Bloud is the Propitiation and in whom he is well pleased to be a ransome for liberation and acceptation to all that believe on him whereby Justification by faith in Jesus Christ without the deeds of the Law is in substance granted yet for ushering in your good works to share with faith in Justification by a strange connexion you subjoin And all judgement is committed by the Father to the Son and Iesus Christ hath proposed life through his death to as many as receive his Gospell and live according to it But I must take notice 1. That by laying down the commission of judgement given to the Son as a ground to his proposing of the Gospel offer you manifestly repugne to our Lords own words and testimony expressly distinguishing the character of his first coming which was in the form of a servant to minister not to be ministered unto and by performing the Fathers commandment to save the World and not to judge it from that of his second coming which shall be with power and great glory to the Salvation of all that look for him and to judge and to execute judgement upon all that are ungodly 2. By making our Lords commission to judge antecedent to his ministration of the Gospel you invert Truth and plain Scripture-evidence whereby it is clear that our Lord was first sent into the World to preach the Gospel and lay down his life for sinners that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life And then because of his compleat and perfect obedience is exalted to be the Head of all things unto the Church and hath Authority also to execute judgement committed to him because he is the Son of Man But. 3. By this your doctrine you in effect subvert the grace of the Gospel in as much as in the place of the Gospel-covenant offering pardon and peace to poor lost sinners through Christ Jesus and with and in him all grace and glory you introduce our Lord as having by his death indeed merited the privilege of a new offer of life unto sinners but making and renewing the same in no better termes then these of the Law-covenant for as the Law sayeth that the man that doth these things shall live by them so you tell us that the termes of the Gospel-tender are to receive the same and live according to it Now if the Law doth offer life to such as receive and live according to it and our Lords proposal stand in the like termes admit the proposers not to be the same yet the proposals are certainly coincident and therefore although the eternal transaction betwixt the Father and the Son may be of Grace yet it is undeniable that in your opinion the tenders of the Law and Gospel as to us-ward do rune in the same tenor and the condescendence of both prerequiring our works is equally to be reckoned of debt These being the consequences of that Gospel-method by you here contrived and its designe no less evident to make works with saith the condition and procuring cause of our Iustification at least in the sight of Christ as the Judge appointed I add 1. That your attributing of Iustification to Christ as judge ordained over all in the last judgement is contrary to the Scripture that telleth us that it is one God that justifieth it is Christ that died marke the distinction made and no doubt reason it self informing us that it is the Law and Law-giver and not the Judge which define dutie determine paines and condemne the transgressors poenae enim persecution non Iudicis voluntati mandatur sed legis authoritati reservatur It doth also confirm that it appertaines unto God only as the Law-giver to remit the punishment incurred and accept and justify sinners upon an aequipollent satisfaction 2. The Authority to execute judgement being given to our Lord as the Mediator and because he is the Son of Man in which respect he is not the principal Author and efficient but only the meritorious cause of our Iustification not the very act but only the solemn declaration thereof can be ascrived to him in this capacity unless you can conceive that our Lord is not only both the Ransome and the accepter thereof but that by becoming the Propitiation he also becometh the partie to be appeased which are palpably inconsistent 3. The plain Scripture-truth in this point is that our Lord having compleatly obeyed the will of God and being made perfect through suffering is therefore highly exalted above every name and hath all power and judgement committed to him whereby as he doth here in time enrich with all Grace guid support and preserve all that beleeve in him and also over-rule restrain and punish all his and their Adversaries so shal he in the last day appear first to receive and welcome all his redeemed ones formerly justified by his Righteousnesse and sanctified by his Grace unto his Fathers joy And then with them to judge the reprobate and take vengeance on all that know not God and obey not the Gospel by which it is evident that Justification proceeding from God for Christs sake and necessarily preceeding both our Sanctification here and Glorification in the last day cannot be referred unto that judgement which is only declarative and executive according to these words Come ye blessed of my Father nor explicate according to its scheme And therefore although our Lord do therein for our encouragement in well doing and the commendation of the riches of his bountie make mention of our good works and shall certainly in that day also crown his own free grace in us with a reward yet thence to inferre that our Justification before God and in order to his holy justice having for its alone cause the Righteousnes of Jesus Christ and imported in the compellation ye blessed of my Father is founded on our weak love and scant charity which even the Righteous in that day seeme ashamed to owne is both a groundless error and high presumption But I proceed to your next words viz. That Christ Iesus hath proposed life through his death to as many as receive his Gospel and live according to it That this is a manifest perversion of the free Grace of God whereby our Lord Jesus doth freely hold out himself unto us not only for to be our Righteousnesse for Justification but also our Sanctification through his Spirit unto the glory of God and therefore
capacity of favour with God by the bloud of Christ so it is faith with a life conforme to the Gospel that gives us an actual interest in his Death and thereby unto the peace of God but seing the result of this in plain language is no other then that our Lord having by his own bloud ransomed fallen and forfeited mankind hath in liew of the first Covenant made with man and by him transgressed proposed to us a second adding to the condition of a holy life required by the fâ—â—st that of beleeving That this is altogether dissonant both to the declared love of God and the grace revealed by Jesus Christ in his Gospel any Christian may discern Your next words are And a fourth And the root of this new life is a faith which worketh by love purifieth the heart and overcometh the world and there fore Iustification is ascribed unto it in Scripture But pray Sir how is it that faith becometh such a fruitful root Is it not by laying hold on Christs Righteousnesse by which pardon being obtained and we reconciled unto God we have right unto and so do attain in due time the benefite of all the promises of Grace which in Christ Jesus are yea and Amen or that the same faith which layeth hold on him as our Righteousnesse in Gods sight doth also unite us to him for Sanctification and ingraffing us as it were in him through the communication of his grace purifieth the heart and overcometh the World Or lastly is it not that by faith we are brought to the bloud of Sprinkling which is both the bloud of atonement that sprinkleth from an evill Conscience and also the Laver which cleanseth from all sin and wherewith we are sanctifyed This being then the Scripture account and it being most apparent that Christ through faith becometh first our Righteousnesse for remission of sin and Justification in Gods sight and then our Sanctification unto Good works your own acknowledgement that faith is the root of this new life of holiness may evince that a holy life subsequent to faith and our acceptation therethrough cannot be therewith joined as a condition for our Justification But that which followeth in your discourse and therefore i. e. because of the above enumerat fruiâ—s which it produceth Iustification is ascribed unto faith in the Scripture is the grossest error of all because 1. It directly repugnes to Scripture clearly intimating that it is unto faith as the instrument only whereby the Righteousnesse of Jesus Christ is unto us applyed that Justification is in Scripture ascrived If we be justifyed by the faith of Jesus Christ and if by the Righteousnesse of Jesus Christ the free gift cometh upon all to the Justification of life if he be the propitiation through faith in his bloud and our righteousnesse which is of God by faith are you not affrayed to say that Justification requiring a satisfactorie righteousnesse is ascrived to faith because of its poor and imperfect fruits in us and thereby to â—light and vilipend the perfect Righteousnesse of Christ the immediat object whereon it layeth hold and our only acceptation in Gods sight 2. Because this your error derogates from Divine justice We have already heard you call Justification a legal or judicial act and consequently an act wherein free grace doth not more favour the lost sinner then justice doth regard a valuable ransome and surety If Iustification then be ascribed in Scripture to faith this must certainly be understood either as faith is in it self or is relative to a compleat and adequat satisfaction Now to think that faith in it self or as it is an act or habite which is the Gift of God or its fruits which beside that they are also the gift of God and our dutie as from us are mixed with much weakness and imperfection or lastly that any thing else then the Righteousnesse of Jesus Christ apprehended by faith can be commensurable to holy Iustice is more then redargued by the simple proposal 3. This your ascribing Iustification unto faith in regard of a holy life which it produceth doth no less detract from the praise of the glory of the grace of God wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved Is it the praise and commendation of this wonderful love and grace that he spared not but gave his only begotten Son to be a ransome for sinners and that it is in the Beloved that we are accepted and justifyed and should not you be ashamed to say that it is unto faith as the root of a holy life and not as it doth respect and take hold on him who was made to be sin for us and knew no sin that we might be made the Righteousnesse of God in him that Iustification is in Scripture ascrived 4. This your error as it is contrary to the Scripture and derogatorie to the Righteousnesse of Christ the Holinesse of Divine justice and the Glory of free Grace so it is the manifest product of and cannot but be a most dangerous temptation to that inward and spiritual pride in the heart of man of all sin the most subtilly insinuating deeply rooted and pernicious A price or something meriting or moving at least of our own is that which the natural man liketh well nay knoweth not how to renounce was it not a subtile and strange effect of this pride and corrupt selfe Shall I give my first-born for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul When as the thing required by the Lord was to do justly love mercy and walk humbly with God And whence did the Iews their stumbling at the Gospel proceed Was it not that they went about to establish their own righteousnesse and therefore they did not submit themselves unto the Righteousnesse of God Say not that this accusation against you is unwarranted I know you tell us That your explanation ascribes all to Christ through whom it is that our sinnes are pardoned our services accepted and grace and glory conveyed to us But it is evident that these are but vain words in as much as though you here tell us that our services are accepted through Christ yet almost immediatly before we heard you say that it is faith and a life conforme to the Gospel by way of antecedent condition which gives us an interest in his bloud Now that our services cannot be prerequired by way of condition to his acceptance of us and also only accepted as performed by us in himâ— is of it self manifest 2. Though you should more clearly and consistently ascribe all unto Jesus Christ yet by turning his grace into a condition the subtilty and folly of your pride doth but the more bewray it self For as simply to obtrude our own good works which in the acknowledgement of the most exact and confident legalist are both commanded and given us of God is a proud presumption so the more you attribute either the strength or the acceptance of performances
plainly accused of having joined to the confederats against the inquisition for remisness in the maintenance of the Romish Religion were very early cut off even in the first fermenting as it were of these tumults before the ensuing war was formed but however certain it is that although they professed and practised mainly for the liberty of their Countrey against tyranny yet they greatly favoured the persecute protestants and also much inclined to their way as is clear from their very accusation and also from the manner of their death specially Horn's who for all Grotius his saying that they were execute post sacra romano ritu peracta yet at first refused to confess to the Bishop of Ypre saving that he had confessed himselfe unto God What then doth this allegeance destitute of reason and little favoured by truth avail you Your next argument is that the States by a Placaet declared it scandalous to say they fought for Religion Sir I wish you had given us the words at least the date of that Placaet For sure I am that in what termes soever the Estates in policie might think fit to declare and publish the cause of these wars and to assigne for the same rather the invasion of liberties and priviledges which was the effect of the Spanish persecution then Religion which was the more remote cause yet whoever reflects upon their first beginnings will finde that it was after this manner The Flamings receiving the light of the Gospel being therefore sore vexed by long and cruel persecutions the same upon the succession of Philip to his Father Charles are by the Spainards much intended and a resolution being taken to root out the Protestants new Bishops are created the Spanish Inquisition is threatned and many terrible edicts emitted by which courses not only in themselves wicked but also contrary to the priviledges and destructive of the liberties of that people many tumults and confusions were in all parts occasioned untill at length the Nobles do confederate for resistance and mutual assistance and relief in consequence whereof they petition the Regent and applications are made to the King when in the meane time on a suddain these of the Religion seeing no success that way keep their meetings and assemblies openly assuming armes for their own defence aggainst suddain violence and by the meaner sort of the people images and idols are as with a whirl-winde quales olim saepe motus Iudeorum erant which is Grotius his remark thrown down almost in all places These things make the Regent more easie towards the Protestants and force her to remit bygons and indulge their Preachers but the Lords retearing to their respective charges for rendering the concessions effectual and being terrified by the reports of the King 's implacable displeasure betake themselves to divided Councels whereupon the Regent resiles from the agreement renewes the persecution levies new forces imposeth new oaths and the Spainards supposing the whole people one way or other to have been involved in the late tumults conceive them as guiltie of rebellion to have forfaulted their former liberties and to be become obnoxious to an absolute domination This being the condition of matters when the Duke d'Alva was named to the government the Prince of Orange Brederode both Protestants retire Brederod his forces of the same Religion resist and are beaten and many shift for themselves then the Duke arriving fills all places in a moment with tyranny and persecution putting to death many Lords and Gentlemen and many thousands beside because of the former confederacie and upon the account of their Religion And the Prince of Orange being cited and not compearing his Estate and Lands ar seised on and thereafter takking armes by the perswasion of the banished and declaring to the world both the injuries done unto him and that he was of the Religion he is once and again beaten so that there remained no opposition to the Duk 's rage violence save what was made by a few escaped from the former defeats given to the Protestants who made war in the Princes name partly by piracie at sea and partly from woods and forests against Priests only and Officers of justice In this deplorable estate under most insolent tyrannie and violent persecution these poor Countries remain untill the Earl vander Marke with his Protestants or sea Gueux as they were then called surpriseth the Town of Breill after which Flussing and several other townes in Zealand and Holland refuse spanish garisons and being Protestants revolt to the Prince of Orange who having implored the aid of all Protestant Princes after a successess enterprise for the succour of his Brother Ludovick at Mons and a proclamation emitted declaring the cause of his ingagement to be for relief of these Countreys form Alva's tyranny and from the crueltie and oppression of his proclamations edicts taxes and imposts cometh unto Holland from which time the war for Religion and liberty proceedeth thorow many and various accidents and both are in all places equally restored This is the plain and true and account of the rise of these wars at which period even Grotius who of all the writters of that History doth most decline and wave the cause of Religion as an ingredient in the quarrel noteth Religionis causa primi talibus caeptis sociaverant Smalcaldico faedere Germani post quos Galli proceres plurimis etiam Scriptis disseruerant non peccare in fas obsequii minores potestates qui invito quà mvis principe divina ac publica jura vitam que innocentium si necesse â—oret armis defenderent c. And a little after romanae ceremoniae ejectae templis c. Whether or not then persecution for Religion appears to have been the cause of these wars let all impartial men judge But you tell us that the true ground of the quarrel as we may read in all the Histories was that their Prince was not an absolute Soveraign but limited in his power and that by expresse compact they might use force if he transgressed his limits as he notoriously did Sir for the true and proper ground of the war I have alreadie clearly narrated it from the best Historians that which you point at here is rather a justification of their resistance from the right and capacity whereunto their Prince was astricted But 1. You cannot deny that persecution for Religion whereby they were injured both in their special priviledges and common and natural rights and liberties was the provoking cause of these wars and consequently that Religion no more then other interests doth not forbid to subjects necessary defence and resistance against their Superiors 2. For all the vaine talke that you and your fellowes make against us for allowing to the people a discretive judgement anent their Princes actings yet you not only suppose and approve it in these of the Netherlands in order to their Prince but stick not to vent your aime in saying