such as are not enlightned with true faith is â—â—lthy and polluted and to bee reputed for whoredome 9. Concerning Henry Nicolas 1. He is raised by the highest God from the dead 2. He can no more â—rre then Moses or Christ c. 3. He is the true Prophet of God sent to blow the last Trumper of Doctrine which shall be published upon earth 4. That he onely knoweth the true sense of Scripture 5. That his Books are of equall authority with the holy Scripture Through the service of H. N. his holy and gracious Word and our obedience thereunto we are led of the Father to the love of Jesus Christ. 6. That the Scriptures are fulfilled in H. N. and his Family 7. H. N. knoweth the secrets of our hearts 8. That all men must submit themselves to the godly wisdome of H. N. c. 10. Concerning their illuminated Elders and family 1. All illuminated Elders are Godded with God or deified and God in them hominified or become man 2. The young Disciples are Adams and the illuminated Elders Christs 3. The eldest Father of the Family is Christ himselfe 4. That the estate of all such as are not of this Sect is a false being the Antichrist the wicked spirit the kingdome of hell and the devill himselfe 5. The Family of Love is perfect in this life and therefore that they must not pray for forgivenesse of sins 6. That their illuminated Elders doe not sinne 7. They may ioyne with any Congregation and Church and live under the obedience of any Magistrate though never so ungodly 8. Whatsoever is taught by any other then by their illuminated Elders is false Such as despise their Family shall bee consumed with everlasting fire Moreover they hold 1. That he who is one of their Congregation is either as perfect as Christ or else a very divell 2. That it is lawfull to doe whatsoever the higher Powers command to be done though it be done against the commandement of God 3. That it is ridiculous to say God the Father God the Son God the holy Ghost as though by saying these words they should affirme to be three Gods 4. That every man ought first to be in an errour before he can come to the knowledge of the truth 5. That heaven and hell are present in this world among us and that there is none other 6. That they are bound to give almes to none other persons but to those of their Sect and if they otherwise doe they give their Almes to the divell 7. That they ought not to burie their dead because it is said let the dead bury the dead 8. That none ought to receive their Sacraments before he receiveth their whole Ordinances as 1. He must be admitted with a kisse then his feet must be washed then hands laid on him and so received 9. That the Angels Raphael and Gabriel and others were borne of a woman 10. That they ought not to say Davids Psalmes as Prayers being righteous and without sinne 11. That there ought to be no Sabbath day but that all should be alike 12. That Christ is come forth of the flesh as he came forth of the Virgin Mary 13. That there was a world before Adams time as is now 14. That the Law of God is possible to be kept of every man that will endeavour himselfe thereto 15. That it is â—â—pedient that they should make manifest their whole heart with all their counsels minds wils and thoughts together with all their doings dealings and exercises naked and bare before the children of the Family of Love and not to cover or hide any thing be it was it is before him and what their inclination and nature draweth them unto In a word their doctrine is perverse blasphemous and erroâ—eous it openeth a doore to all wickednese turning Religion up-side-downe building heaven here upon earth making God man and man God heaven hell and hell heaven not accounting of the Law of God and making but a jest of the Gospell of Jesus Christ leaving no manner of sin uncommitted yet affirming they sin not at all for venome and poyson which will bring present death to the soule he hath dispersed over every member and Article of the Beliefe so universall is the poyson of his opinion as you may see in their confession set down by Mr. Knewstub 3. The Confession of Familists I Doe believe in God the Father Almighty maker of heaven and earth They say the same is a true living God a mighty Spirit a perfect cleare light a true being and that the same being is God the Fathers name and his love it selfe And they perswade their good willing ones that by the beliefe of this Article which they call the Baptisme in the Fathers name that here and now they do attain to the perfect obedience of the Law of God and of the beliefe of Jesus Christ and love of the holy Ghost which they make to be all one with the perfect righteousnesse of the Law 2. And in Iesus Christ his onely Son our Lord. Some of these words they alter for instead of his onely Son they say the onely Son of God c. Whereby Jesus the only Son I mean Righteousnesse for there is their generall Tenet and conclusion that Righteousnesse is Christ and Sin is Antichrist The seed of the woman is righteousnesse and holinesse and the seed of the Serpenâ— is sin turning the person of Christ into equality 3. Which was conceived of the holy Ghost borne of the Virgin Mary As we confesse the thing done so we speake of the present time as of the thing doing saying which is conceived of the holy Ghost meaning every one that comes to take in their Belief as they term it is then conceived of the holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary calling the conception of their fancy the first or Virgins estate of Infancy so making the Article intend all and every one of them in generall and hot one in particular as we beleeve 4. Sufferedunder Pontius Pilate was crucified dead and buried and descended into hell In the former Article they confesse the conception and birth of the blessed seed of Abraham according to the Promises and here they beleeve their sufferings according to the Scriptures And Jesus Christ is borne and conceived in themselves under Pontius Pilate and so is incorporated into the death of his Crosse and this they call the Baptisme under the obedience of the Beliefe in the name of the Son and they fâ—y they bury through his Belief the old Man which state they call the youth or young Man the renewing of the Spirit in an upright life wherein this Article both of suffering crucifying death and buriall and discention into hell are fulfilled in them the rest you may see in Mr. Knewstub 4. Their lewd Conversations OF this holy Family we read that most shameful corruption of life hath alwaies followed corruption of Doctrine as Rom. 1. 24. God
the seed of David according to the flesh whence in the New Testament he is called the Son of man As also Isay the son of a Virgin which could not be if he had not taken flesh upon him from the Virgin Mary neither should our flesh have any hope of eternall life if he were not made flesh neither should his passion or resurrection profit us at all In this point the Anabaptists are worse than the Papists yea then the Turkes themselves who confesse that Christ was borne of a Virgin The Melchiorists a kinde of Anabaptists doe not onely hold the opinion above named but also are so diabolicall and blasphemous as to curse the flesh of the blessed Virgin by maintaining this error The Anabaptists manifest themselves to be of the number of them whom the Apostle St. Iohn speaketh 2. Eph. vese 7. For many deceivers are come into the world who confesse not that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh That Christ was not true God This blasphemous Error is contrary to the holy Scripture as Ioh. 1. The word was God Ioh. 10. I and the Father am one Ioh. 4. He that seeth the Father seeth me I am in the Father and the Father in me Col. 2. 9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead corporally Againe 1 Iohn 5. We are in him that is true even in his son Iesus Christ that is the true God And againe if he were not God no created power had been sufficient for the worke of our redemption and satisfaction of Gods wrath This blasphemous opinion reigneth among the Anabaptists in Moravia I doe not find this to be maintained by our English Anabaptists but to be the opinion of Servetus who was burnt at Geneva and his followers Not to be saved by faith in Christ. What can be more contrary to the holy Scriptures than this detestable Error read Iohn 3. 16. So God loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that who so beleeveth in him shall not perish but have life everlasting Rom. 3. 24. We are justified freely by grace through the Redemption that is in Iesus Christ Rom. 3. 28. We conclude that a man is justified by faith without the workes of the Law By the work of Charity and Affliction the passion of Christ is a sufficient ransome for all our sin 1 Iohn 1. The bloud of Christ purgeth us from all out unrighteousnesse Isa. 43. 25. I am he that blotteth out all thy transgressions for my own sake and will not remember thy sinnes Heb. 9. He hath obtained for us eternall redemption nothing here perfect 1. Cor. 13. Neither in his sight can any man living be justified Psal. 143. 2. Neither any troubled conscience can be pacified Rom. 5. 1. Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Iesus Christ. And for afflictions they are either just punishments for our sins or fatherly corrections to stir us up to a holy life They reject the Doctrine of originall sin because say they Christ hath taken away all evil whether it be the inclination or concupiscence according to that Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world Also that children whereas they do neither good nor evill are under grace and without sin but so the Infants of all nations and Infidels may be saved being without sin but the contrary appeareth by the effect of sin The reward of sin is death Rom. 6. And David confesseth expresly Psal. 51. Behold I was borne in iniquity and in sin my mother conceived me And St. Paul calleth our inbred concupiscence sin dwelling in us And Eph. 2. We were by nature the children of wrath They deny the Sacrament of Baptisme to Infants The ground of this Errour is Ignorance they not knowing what Baptisme is pretending Faith and Repentance to be the estence of Baptisme which Infants are not capable of and therefore not to be baptized To this I answer As faith and repentance was not the essence of Circumcision but the outward circumcising of the flesh and the inward circumcising of the heart So the essence of Baptisme is not faith and repentance but the outward washing of the water the word annexed and the inward washing of the Spirit Our Lord affirmeth Joh. the 3. Except a man be born again by water and the holy Ghost c. St. Augustine affirmeth Although sound faith be not present yet the Sacrament of Biptisme may be sound The Greek Patriarch writing to the German Divines affirmeth in Baptisme the matter to be water the forme the words viz. This servant of God is baptized in the name of the Father Son and holy Ghost the instrumentall cause to be the Minister The Anabaptists attribute too much in this Sacrament to their repentance faith mortification and merit and little or nothing to Gods mercy which is most contrary to the nature of this holy Sacrament which sealeth up unto us out receiving into Gods favour and grace for his owne mercies sake without any merit of ours To palliate this their abhominable error they pervert divers places of holy Scripture as Matth. 28. Mar. 10. Out of the order of words Goe and teach all Nations baptizing them Because that teaching is set befor baptizing they would have children taught before they are baptized To this I answer 1. Whereas teaching is set before baptizing Matth. 28. Baptizing is set before teaching Mar. 1. 4. John did baptize in the wildernesse and teach the baptisme of repentance And againe where it is said repent and beleeve whether is faith or repentance first required But where finde you say they a literall command in all the new Testament for the Baptisme of Infants To this I answer The new Testament doth not literally command Remember to keep holy the Lords day nor to say grace before and after meales or to pray with our Families evening or morning or for women to receive the Communion and many other such like things which are moral duties may be sufficiently proved by consequence out of the holy Scriptures As for example in this very Text which they alleadge against the baptisme of children the baptisme of children is there commanded Goe and teach all Nations baptizing c. The meaning is goe and teach all them that are capable of teaching and baptize them that are capable of baptizing to make this more plaine Is a man should bid his servant goe sheare all my sheep and mark them if that servant should sheare all his sheep and mark them only that he had shorn and not mark his Lambs because he could not shear them doth that servant fulfill his Masters command No more had the Apostles done if they had not marked his lambs as well as his sheep although they were not capable of teaching yet they were capable of marking or baptizing In lawes and precepts that be generall the numeration of singulars are not necessary because lawes doe
and challenging all such as stand against their Errors and Heresies Goliah like defying Israel yet saith my Authour their opinions are such as pervert the Gospell of Jesus Christ bereave the Church of the grace and favours of God to young and old c. First for his grounds and reasons for the Baptisme of Children he alleadged seven 1. Because it is the Commandement of God to give the signe and seale of his Covenant of grace to his people and their seed in their infancy throughout their generations Which Ordinance of the Lords hath never been repealed but abideth stablished upon a certain and perpetuall ground which is his Promise and Covenant of grace made with the faithfull and their seed for ever 2. Because Christ hath confirmed the same when he sent forth his Apostles and appoynted them to make all the Natitions Disciples and to baptize them into the Name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost For to make Gentiles Disciples is by the Gospel to bring them unto the Covenant of God made with Abraham the Father of many nations for salvatition through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Which being a Covenant everlasting and including the faithfull and their seed Baptisme which did now succed and seale it in stead of Circumcision was therefore by this appoyntment of Christ to be administred unto all that should be brought and comprehended under that Covenant of Grace and consequently both to such as were of yeares coming to the faith of Christ and to their children being yet Infants Otherwise the Gentiles should not with the Jewes bee made co-heriters and of the same body and joynt-partakers of the Promise of God in Christ as the Scripture teacheth 3. Because is was the Apostles practice at the publishing of the Gospell through the world to baptize both the house-holders themselves that believed and their housholds also Like as Abraham himselfe first believed and then was circumcisâ—d all his family with him and as the strangers of the Gentiles which received the faith of the Jewes was circumcised likewise with all the males that were his 4. Because Children of beleevers are holy and are Abrahams seed and heires by promise of the Kingdom of heaven And who can then with-hold the Baptisme of water from them to whom God vouchsafeth the baptisme of his Spirit and the blessing of Abraham to an inheriâ—ance everlasting 5. Because Baptisme is the Lords signe of his washing away of our sins receiving of us into the Church and incorporating of us into Christ for salvation by his death and resurrection Whereof the children of Believers are partakers as wel as they which be of yeares and therefore can no more be deprived of Baptisme then of remission of sins entrance into the Church ingraffing into Christ and salvation by his meanes 6. Because there is one Baâ—tisme as there is one Body and one Mediator and confirmer of our covenant of Grace to the faithfull and their seed in all ages so as therefore one and the same Baptisme pertaineth to the children of the faithfull together with the Parents themselves as they ere also one and the same body with them having one and the same Mediator and raâ—ifier of Gods Covenant of grace unto them even Jesus Christ the head and Saviour of his Church which is his body the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all things 7. Because else the grace of God to his people is now since Christs comming in the flesh lessened and straitned more then before which to affirme is highly to derogate from the grace of God the fulnesse of Christ and his Gospel the comfort of Christians and contrary to that which is written Col. 2 2. That Baptisme received in the Apostaticall Churches of Christians as in Rome and the like is not to be renounced and a new to be repeated again 1. Because there is no precept nor example for and therefore not from heaven 2. Because there is one Baptisme as one Circumcision as in the apostasie of Israel Circumcision was not repeated again they returning In like manner Baptisme being once received in the Apostaticall Churches of Christians is not to be repeated 3. Because the Covenant of Gods grace in Christ is an everlasting Covenant 4. Because Christ dyed for sin once and being raised from the dead dyeth no more and we are buried with him by Baptisme into his death to be grafâ—ed with him in the similitude of his resurrection wherefore all that are once Baptized into his name ought still to retaine it and not repeat it any more 5. Because the Church of Rome was espoused to Christ in the Covenant of Grace by the Gospell of salvation having Baptisme and the rest of Christs Ordinances in the Apostles dayes and have ever since retained it with other grounds of Christian Religion notwithstanding all her adulteries and apostasies whereinto she is falne 6. Because God hath his people in the Romish Babylon and when he calleth them out from thence doth not enjoyne them to leave whatsoever is there had but requireth of them to have no communion with their sins Now Baptisme is not of her adulteries but of Christs Oâ—dinance 7. Because else men might by the same reason also not retain the Articles of faith the learning of Scripture or the translations thereof and also be perswaded to dâ—ssolve such marriages which have been had by their Ministerie with other as strange consequences which to admit were unlawfull Now howsoever the Brownists comply with the Anabaptists in many things as you shall â—ee afterwards yet in these poynts Mr. Iohnson and some other of them disagree from them counting these their opinions abominable In describing of the Brownists I purpose to set downe 1. Their Originall and why called Brownists 2. Called also Separatists and why 3. Their agreement with the Donatists 4. Their agreement with the Anabaptists 5. Great Inâ—ovators 6. Some of their errors set downe by Mr. White 7. They are bitter Railers 8. Magnifie their owne Sect. 9. Criminate the Dutch and French Churches 10. They pretend Scripture 11. Blame our Congregation for prophanenesse 12. The prophanenesse impietyl dissentions and lewdnesse of their own Sect. 13. Their equivocating and palliating their owne wickednesse 14. Blame the Conversations of our Ministers 15. Except against our Ministers Ordination 16. Noveltie of their Ordinations 17. Their singing of Psalmes 18. Their Prophesying 19. Their blaming set Prayers 20. Their blaspheming the Lords Prayer 21. The tyranny of the Separation 22. Divers sorts of Brownists 23. How great a sin Schisme is 24. How they have been suppressed and punished in times past 25. Mr. Scots description of a Brownist 26. Of the Semi-separatists 1. Their Originall THese Sectaries are called Brownists from onâ— Master
was made easie if so no marvaâ—lâ— so many like of it And this is the very reason besides the novelty of it that this kinde of Doctrine takes so well here in London and other parts of the Kingdome and that you see so many dance after this pipe running after such and such crowding the Churches and filling the doores and windowes even such carnall and vile persons many of them as care not to heare any other godly Ministers but onely their Leaders Oh it pleaseth Nature well to havâ— Heaven and their lusts too How many of these opinions were I will not stand to number but how desparately eroneous they were I shall shew you in naming some of them First that the whole Letter of the Scripture holdeth forth â— Covenant of works contrary to 3 Iohn 16. 1 Tim. 1. 15. 11. Matth. 28. 8. Heb. 10 11 12. Secondly that in the â—aving Conversion of a sinner the faculties of the soule and working thereof are deâ—â—â—oyed and made to cease and the holy Ghost agitates in stead of them contrary to Luke 24 45. Iohn 21 12. 1 Thes. 5. 23. Heb. 9. 14. Iohn 14. 26. Thirdly That God the Father Sonne and holy Ghâ—st may give themselves to the soul◠〈◊〉 that the souâ—e may have true â—mon with Christ true reâ—â—â—ssion of 〈◊〉 true marriage and fellowshipâ— true sanâ—â—iâ—â—cation 〈◊〉 the bloud of Christ and yet â—e an Hypocrite contrary to Eph. 4. 24. Fourthly That there is no 〈◊〉 righteousnesse in the Saints nor any in them but onely in Christ contrary to 2 Timothy 1. 5. â— Pet. 1. 4. 2 Tim. 1. 6. 1 Ioh. 16. Fiftly that the 〈◊〉 doth work in Hypocrites by gifts and graees but in Godâ— children immediately contrary to Heb. 5. 15. 11. Heb. 17. Sixty That a man must take no notice of sin or repentance for it contrary to Psal. 51. Seventâ—ly That it is a â—oule damning error to make Sanctification an evidence oâ— Justification contrary to Romanâ— 8. 1. Iohn 3. 10. Eghtly That the divell and nature may be the cause of good works An unsavory 〈…〉 to 〈◊〉 command Luke 4. 22. You may see a confutation of 82. of these Errors in Master Wells his Book Unsavory Speeches Confuted These that follow were adjudged by the Assembly aforesaid as unsafe Speeches 1. TO say we are justified by Faith is an unsafe speech wee must say we are justified by Christ. Answer 1. False for the coâ—â—ant language of the Scripture is not unsafe but we are justified by faith is the constant language of the Scripture Rom. 1. 5. being justified by faith the righteousnesse of faith Rom. 10 31 32. Righteousnesse by Faith Phil. 3 9 10. 2. The distinct phrase of the Scripture used in distinguishing Legall and Evangelicaâ—l righteousnesse is no unsafe Speech but such is this Rom. 9. 31 32. Israel found not righteousnes because they sought it of the Law not of or by faith So Rom. 10. 5 6. The righteousnesse of faith saith thus c. The Apostle makes these two so directly opposite as membra dividentia or contrary species that there is no danger one should be taken for another but that it 's so safe as that he that affirmes the one denyes the other yea in the most exact expression that ever Paul made to exclude whatsoever might be unsafe towards a mans justification you have this phrase yea twice in the same verse Phil. 3. 5. not having mine owne righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which 〈◊〉 through the faith of Christ And againe The righteousnesse which is of God by faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ergo it is no unsafe speech yea it must be said on the contrary from those grounds that to say a man is justified before faith or without faith is unsafe as contrarie to the language of the Scriptures And for the second part that we must say we are justified by Christ it is true so far as that it cannot be denyed nor is unsound or unsafe at all to speake but if it mean a must of necessity alwayes or only so to speak it as it is here set in opposition to the phrase of being justified by faith then it is utterly false for as much as the Scripture leads us along in the way of other expressions ordinarily the Apostle gives us the truth of Doctrine soundnesse of phrase together Rom. 10. 3. Christ is the end â—o the Law for righteousnesse to every one that beleeveth 2. To evidence justification by sanctification or graces favours of Rome Answ Not so 1. Rome acknowledgeth no justification in our common sense Scil by righteousnesse imputed 2. Rome denies evidencing of our justification and peace with God and teacheth Doctrine of doubting and professeth that a man cannot know what God will doe with him for life or death unlesse by speciall Revelation which is not ordinary but if they mean old Rome or Pauls Rome to which he wrote it 's true that it ravours of the Doctrine that they received as appeareth Rom. 8. 28. All things coâ— worke for good the evill of every evill being taken away which is a poynt of justification and this is propounded under the evidence of the love of God to them that love him because Rom. 8. 2. 9. 13 14. the evidencing of our beeing in Christ freedome from condemnation and adoption is prosecuted by arguments from sanctification as by having the Spirit being led by the Spirit walking after the Spirit mortifying the deeds of the flesh by the Spirit and if hereto were added the Doctrine of St. Iohn so abundant this way in his first Epistle whereof I have already made mention I doubt not but it was the faith of the Church of Rome that then was so that the speech is unsavory and casting a foule aspersion on a good thing expressed in the Scripture but as for the poynt it self that is included we referre it to its place to be discussed when it is â—ightly staâ—ed 3. If I be holy I am never the better accâ—pted of God if I be unholyâ— I am never the worse this I am sure of he that hath elected me must save me Answ. These words ravour very ill and relish of a carelesse and ungracious spirit for howsoever we grant that our acceptation 〈◊〉 justification is alwayes in and through Christ the same in Gods account yet this expression imports that though a mans conversation be never so holy and gracious yet be can expect never the more manifestation of Gods kindnesse and love to him contrary to Psal. 50. ult To him that orders his conversation aright I will shew the salvation of God and Iohn 14. 21. It implyes secondly that though a mans conversation be never so vile and sensuall yet he need not fear or expect any further expression of Gods displeasure and anger to breake forth against him or with-drawings of his favour from himâ— contrary to Psal. 51. 8 11 12. where God breaks Davids bones for his â—in and
should lose his first regeneration and be again new-borne spiritually They that reach this do thereby deny the uncorruptiblenesse of that divine seed whereof we are borne anew contrary to the testimony of the Apostle St. Peter 1 Pet. 1. 23. Being born anew not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible 9. They teach that Christ never prayed for the faithfulls infallible perseverance in faith in which they contradict Christ his saying to Peter Luke 22 32. I have prayed for thee that thy faith faile not And also witnessing John 17. 20. That himselfe prayed not onely for his Apostles but also for all that should believe by their word when he said verse 11. Holy Father keep thine owne namely those whom thou hast given me and ver 15. I pray that thou shouldst not take them out of the world but that thou shouldst keep them from the evill For your better satisfaction read the Synod held at Dort in the yeares of our Lord 1618 1619. where the Orthodoxe opinions of the Reformed Churches are set down and the errors before named condemned King James of blessed memory was a special means for the suppressing of these Sectaries as appeareth by his writings against them Predestination to life is the everlasting purpose of God whereby before the foundations of the world were laiâ— he hath constantly decreed by his counsels secret to us to deliver from curse and damnation those whom he hath chosen in Christ ouâ— of man-kinde and to bring them to Christ to everlasting salvation as Vessels made to honour therâ—fore they which bee endued with so excellent a benefit of God be called according to Gods purpose by his Spirit working in due season they through grace obey the calling they be justified freely they be made Sons of God by adoption they bee made like the Image of his onely Son Jesus Christ they walke religioâ—sly in good works and at length by Gods mercy they attain to everlasting Felicity As the godly consideration of Predestination and our election in Christ is full of sweet pleasant and unspeakable comfort to godly persons and such as feâ—le in themselves the working of the Spirit of Christ mortifying the works of the flesh and their earthly members and drawing up their minde to high and heavenly things aswell because it doth greatly establish and confirm their faith of eternal salvation to be enjoyed through Christ as because it doth fervently kindle their love towards God so for curious and carnall persons lacking the Spirit of Christ to have continually before their eyes the sentence of Gods Predestination is a most dangerous down-fall whereby the devill doth thrust them either into desperation or into wretchlesnesse of most uncleane living no lesse perilous then desparation Furthermore we must receâ—ve Gods promises in such wise as they be generally set forth in holy Scripture and in our doings that will of God is to be followed which we have expressely declared unto us in the word of God To conclude sith wee cannot our selves think one good thought let us not in the work of salvation attribute any thing to our selves but to God let us give all the glory Of the Socinians In treating of these Sectaries I will propose 1. Their Originall 2. Some of their chiefe Errors with the refutation of them 1. SOcinisme 〈◊〉 Socinanisme hath its name from Lelius Socinus and his Nephew Faustus Socinus both Italians of Siena in the State of Florence 2. Lâ—lius Socinus in the time of Mr. Câ—lviâ— broached his opinions by private Letters written to Caâ—vin Faustus his Son by publike writings and by books foâ—lowed the steps of his Father in corrupting and traducing the sincere and Orthodoxe faith 3. For Socinianisme is a compound of many perâ—icious and antiquitated heresies in which are revived the errors especially of these five Sects viz. Ebioâ—â—tes Arrians Photâ—â—ians Servetians Antitrinitarians with which are joyned the Samofatonians and Sabâ—â—ans of whom also they participate Their erroneous and dangerous opinions may be read especially in the workes of Socinus Ostorodius Catechesis Racoviensis Crellius Volkelius and others The principall of them may be reduced to the heads following being sixe in number 1. Concerning God 1. That there is no naturall knowledge of God by which we may be instructed to any kinde of acknowledgement or beliefe of a Deiâ—y or any thing concerning the being of God Refuted Rom â— 20. Rom. 2. 14. 2. Christ his Incarnation 2. That the Incarnation of Christ is repugâ—ant to reason and cannot be sufficiently proved out of Scripture Refuted Iohn 1. 14. Deity That Christ is not truely God and that the believe of his divine nature is not agreeable to Scripture Refuted 1 Iohn 5. 7 8. Phil. 2. 6. Iohn 5. 18. Satisfaction That Christ did not by his death satisfie for our sins Refuted Iohn 11. 5. 2 Cor. 5. 15. Tit. 2. 14. Mat. 20 18 1 Tim. 2. 6. 3. The Holy Ghost That the holy Ghost is not God Refuted 1 Ioh. 5. 7. 4. The Trinity That it is repugnant to the word of God to beleeve three Persons and one God Refuted 1. Iohn 5. 7. Mat. 28. 19. 5. Man That Man in the state of Innocency was not created in originall righteousnesse Refuted Eccles. 7. 29. 6. The Scripture or word of God That the old Testament is not necessary for a Christian man though it may be profitably read Refuted Iohn 5. 46. Acts 17. 11. Antitrinitarians or new Arrians CAlled Arrians of the old Heretick Arrius who was a Deacon of the Church of Alexandria Achillas the Bishop being dead and Arriâ—â— having not the Bishoprick given him which he desired Alexander being chosen he infected the world with this heresie he was condemned in the Councell of Nice by 318. Bishops under the Emperor Constantine the great and banished he died as Iudas the Traytor did his Bowells falling out of his belly The Antitrinitarians have renewed Arrius his old heresie and they are called Antitrinitarians because they blaspheme violate the holy Trinity These Antitrinitarians sprung up in Polonia and neighbour Countries in the yeare of our Lord 1593. Against this Sect Doctor Pelargus Wigandus and others have written learned Treatises The horrible blasphemies and divillish opinions of these Hereâ—â—cks I am loath to name but that my desire is that Christians should take notice of them to beware of them 1. They deny the Trinity of Persons which blasphemie Saint Iohn refuteth 1 Iohn 5. 7. There are three that beare record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one Read Gen. 1. 26. And God said let us make man in our owne Image and God created man in his owne â—mage Mat. 3. ver 17. 2. They deny the Son to be God which blasphemy is refuted Esa. 9. 6. For unto us a child is borne unto us a Sonne is given his name shall be called Wonderfull Councellour the mighty God c. Iohn 1. ver 1. 2. In the beginning was the Word
HERESIOGRAPHY OR A description of the Hereticks and Sectaries of these latter times By E. Pagitt The second Edition with some Additions as in the Folio following MATH 15. 17. Beware of false Prophets which come to you in Sheeps 〈◊〉 but inwardly are ravening Wolveâ— 1 TIM 4. 1. Now the Spirit speaketh expresly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing Spirits and doctrines of Divils Speaking lyes in hypocrisie having their conciences seared with a hot Irâ—n Imprimatur J A. CRANFORD LONDON Printed by VV. Wilson for Iohn Marshall and Robert Trot and are to be sold at their shops in Corn-hill over against the Exchange and under the Church of Edmond the King in Lombard street 1645. The names of the Sects viz. Anabaptists page 1. Brownists 48. Semi-separatists 75. Independents 76. Familists 81. Adamites 91. Antinomians 94. Arminians 10. 8 Socinians 122. Antitrinitarians 124. Millenaries 126. Hethringtonians 127. Anti-sabbatarias 128. Traskites 130. Jesuites 132. Muncerians 32. Apostolikes 33. Separatists 33. Catharists Enthusiasts Liberi Hutites Augustinians 34 Bewkeldians Melchiorites Georgians Menonists Pueris Similes Servetians 35 Libertines Denkians Semper orantes Deo-relicti Monasterienses Plunged Anabapt 36. Barrowists 69. Wilkinsonians Johnsonians 70 Ainsworthians Robinsonians Lemarists 71. Castalian familists 89 Grindletonians Familists of the mourtains 90. Of the valleyes Scattered flocke Caps Order c. The Addition The sum â—f a Treatise of Mâ— Johnsons a-against Anabaptists 44 Of the Pelagins 138 Soule-sleepers 139 Denyers of the Scriptures 141 Expecters or Seekers Divorsers 142 Of the Papists 143 The Papists compared with other Hereticks 147 A Postscript 154 An Extract of the Acts of the National Synod of the reformed Churches of France 195 To the Right Honourable Thomas Atkin Lord Major of the Citie of London and to the Right Worshipfull Sir Nicholas Raynton Isaac Penington Lievtenant of the Tower Sir lo Woollaston Iohn Glyn Recorder Sir Iohn Cordell Sir Thomas Soame Sir Iohn Gayr Sir Iacob Garrat Thomas Adams Io warner Iohn Tousâ— Abraham Reynardson Sir George Garraâ— Sir George Clerke Iohn Langham Thâ—mas Andrewes Iohn Foulke Iames Bunce William Gibbs and Richard Chambers Sheriffes Samuel Warner Wâ—lliam Barkely Thomas Foote Iohn Kendricke Thomas Culhâ—m Simon Edmonds Aldermen of the said Citie RIght Honourable and Right Worshipfull whereas I have lately published a Christianography or a description of many great Churches of Christians in the world some of which are for extent larger then the Church of Rome in Europe for time more ancient for succession as continual for faith more sound who believe with us the church of God to be Catholike as it is in the Apostles Creed and not as it is set downe in the new Trent Creed confined to Rome who renounce the Popes Supremacie some of them excommunicating him for a Schismatick and Heretick Who receive the holy Communion in both kindes they all drinke of Christs cup and abhor the Romish decree made contrary to Christs Institution Who make no Images to be worshipped Who doe not acknowledge the figment of Purgatory nor use any Prayers to be delivered from the fained paines thereof Who have their Prayers in their owne tongue and mutter them not in latine as the Romists doe Who forbid not Marriage the prohibiting of which is called by St. Paul the Doctrine of Divells Their Priests may and doe marry Who hold not popish Transubstantiation Who prohibite not Lay-men the reading of the holy Scriptures commanded by Christ himselfe Who doe not joyne with Christs Intercession the suffrages of Saints nor with his Justification the merit of workes nor with the Satisfaction Papall Indulgences These points with some others which the ambition and avarice of the Romists hath lately hatched they renounce with us This worke I purposing to perfect and consummate to the glory of God the great profit of the Church establishing of mens consciences they seeing the unity and agreement of the holy Churches in the world with us Behold suddenly a numerous company of other Hereticks stole in upon us like the locusts Rev. 9. As the unpure Familists who blasphemously pretend to be Godified like God whereas indeed they are divellified like their Father the Divell The illuminated Anabaptists who blasphemously affirme the baptisme of children to be the marke of the Beast and to come from Anti-christ The Donatisticall Brownists who in times past hid themselves in holes now lift up their heads and vent openly their errors infecting our people The Antinomians who teach as I find such a faire and easie way to heaven viz. That a man need not be troubled by the law before faith and that faith is not a going out of himselfe to take hold of Christ but onely a discerning that Christ is his and that after this such a man must see nothing in himselfe have nothing doe nothing need no sorrow nor repentance nor bee pressed to duties need never pray unlesse moved by the Spirit If hee fall into sin never the more disliked of God nor his condition the worse and that hee must abide in the height of comfort though hee fall into grosse sin The novelty of this doctrine takes so well or rather ill that multitudes of simple men and women dance after their Pipes they run after these men as if they were mad crowding the Churches filling their doors and windowes The Independents trouble also our poore Church who pretend that they have a perfect modell of Churchâ— government which Almighty God hath revealed to them which many like better then the government of the Reformed Churches being perswaded that in Independency they may have liberty to doe what they list having no government hoging to be as free as their Teachers who will have none at all The Arminians also an after-brood of the Pellagiant broach their erroneous opinions The Sabbatarians affirm the old Jewish Sabbath to be kept and not the Lords day The Anti-sabbatarians would have no perticular Sabbath at all but every day to bee a sabbath to a Christian man The Traskites who would have us observe many Jewish ceremonies VVe have also Millenaries who affirm that before the day of judgment Christ shal come down from heaven and reign with the Saints upon earth 1000. years in which time they shall destroy all the wicked binding their Kings in chaines and Nobles in linkes of iron VVee have Hetheringtonians who hold a hodg-podg of many heresies troubling our peoples brains VVe have also Socinians who teach that Christ dyed not to satisfie for our sins and also his Incasnation to be repugnant to reason not to be sufficiently proved by Scripâ—ture with many other abhominable errors Wee have Arians who deny the Deity of Christ. We have an Atheistical Sect who affirme that mens soules sleep with their bodies untill the day of Judgement Wee have Atheists too many as among others one was committed by a Justice of Peace who mock'd and jear'd at Christs Incarnation His Father was burnt at Thoelouze in
France he scapeth unpunished among us too many others we have They preach print and practise their hereticall opinions openly for books vide the bloody Tenet witnesse a tractate of divorce in which the bonds are let loose to inordinate lust a pamphlet also in which the soul is laid asleepe from the houre of death unto the houre of judgement with many others Yea since the suspention of our Church-government every one that listeth turneth Preacher as Shoo-makers Coblers Button-makers Hostlers and such like take upon them to expound the holy Scriptures intrude into our Pulpits and vent strange doctrine tending to faction sedition and blasphemie What mischiefe these Sectaries have already done we that have cure of soules in London find and see with great griefe of heart viz. Our Congregations forsaking their Pastors our people becomming of the Tribe of Gad running after seducers as if they were mad Infants not to be brought to the Sacrament of Baptisme men refusing to receive the holy Communion and the Lords Prayer accounted abhominable c. A Volume will hardly contain the hurt that these Sectaries have in a very short time done to this poore Church and doth not the Common-wealth suffer with the Church Whence are all these distractions Who are the Incendiaries that have kindled blown this fire among us but these Considering with my selfe the former happinesse of this Kingdome and the sudden change that is betide it it being fallen from the height of prosperitie to the lowest ebbe of misery and this not by the incursion of a Forreigne Nation but by its owne children who imbrue their hands in the bloud one of another with no lesse inhumanity then Cannibals or Men-eaters without any reluctation at all the Sonne against the Father and the Father against the Son being involved in a most cruell Warre without any hopes of Peace And moreover which is worst of all when I consider that some of our Clergy-men who should like Moses stand in the gap to appease Gods anger doe increase the same not onely by blowing the fire but by their Errors and Schismes which they broach and foment among us by which they doe as much as in them lyeth to put mens soules in as great danger as their bodies And considering againe how wee are involved in a most cruell Warre without any hopes of peace may not I cry out with the Prophet O that my head were full of water and my eyes a fountaine of teares that I might weepe for the slaine of my people But all this being Gods permitting let us with patience possesse our souls let us trust in him depend upon him and in his good time hee will deliver his Church and turne all to the best and in the meane season every man doe his best to quench this fire For my own part these sad considerations made me leave my Christianography and write an Heâ—â—siography to describe the Hereticks and Schismaticks of this time in which I set downe their beginning among us their hereticall opinions and errors confuting them and also relate how other Princes and Commonâ— wealths have suppressed them and how severely some of them have beene punished among us I know my reverend Brethren have not beene wanting to oppose these Hereticks in writing and preaching in season and out of season using all meanes to suppresse these Heresies having to that end chosen speciall men to preach several Lectures in severall places But without your helpe and the assistance of our Religious Patriots assembled in Parliament they doe and will increase upon us doe what we can This Treatise I present to your Lordship and to this Honourable Senate What can bee more sutable or fitter for you Servants of the most high God then that which tendeth to the glory of God Edification of his Church and vindication of the truth against the illusion of Sectaries and Heretikes What is more correspondent with the duty of Christian Magistrates then to assist Gods cause with your politicall Authority A question may be asked whether it be lawfull for the Magistrates to use the sword against Heretickes To this I answer such whose Heresies are blasphemous in doctrine or dangerous to the State deserve death the reason is because they corrupt the faith If such as poyson waters and fountaines at which men and beasts drinke deserve Capitall punishment how much more they that as much as in them lyeth goe about to poyson mens soules Yea St. Augustine saith in his fifth Tractat upon Iohn Quantum in ipsis est Christum in homine occidunt The forenamed St. Augustine indeed wavered concerning this point for a time as he confesseth in one of his Epistles but when he saw the City wherein he dwelt was reclaimed from Donatisme by the Magistrates sword he retracted his opinion And expecting the like successe in this honourable City I doe implore your helps that for Iesus Christs sake and I pray you give me leave to put you in mind of the Covenant we made in the presence of Almighty God the searcher of all hearts with a true intent to performe the same as wee should answer at that great day when the secrets of all hearts shall bee disclosed viz. That we should in like manner without respect of persons endeavour the extirpation of Popery Prelacy Superstition Heresie Schisme Prophaâ—enesse and whatsoever shall bee found to be contrary to sound Doctrine and the power of godlinesse lest wee partake in other mens sins and thereby be in danger to receive of their plagues and that the Lord may be one and his Name one in the three Kingdomes And this I beseech you in the name of God to take in hand laying aside all humane reasons Let not Gods cause goe to racke nor by worldly policies and humane reason be protracted or retarded The Turke will not suffer Mahomet to be blasphemed as we are Christians let us stand for Christ. How dangerous the fostering of Heretikes hath been histories declare viz. Almighty God sent down fire from Heaven and consumed Antioch being a Nursery of Heretikes And also how the earth opened swallowed Nicomedia the meeting place of the blasphemous Arrians also in the Commentaries of Sleidan how the Anabaptists meeting first in Conventicles surprized Munster and how hardly Amsterdam escaped them Lambertus Hortensius writeth The plague is of all diseases most infectious I have lived among you almost a Iubile and seene your great care and provision to keep the City from infection in the shutting up the sicke and in carrying them to your Pest-houses in setting Warders to keep the whole from the sicke in making of fires and perfuming the streets in resorting to your Churches in powring out your prayers to Almighty God with fasting and almes to be propitious to you The plague of heresie is greater and you are now in more danger then when you buried five thousand a week You have power to keep these Hereticks and Sectaries from Conventickling and
sholing together to infect one another Fire is dangerous many great Cities in Europe have been almost ruinated by it I have seen your dilligence and dexterety in quenching it in the beginning your breaking open your Pipes for water making floods in your streets your Engins to cast the water upon the houses your industry and paines is admirable Heresie is as dangerous as fire use your best endeavours to quench it before it consume us Thus not doubting Right Honourable Right Worshipfull of your best endeavours to suppresse these Heretikes and Sectaries by whom not only many poore soules are infected but also the holy name of God is blasphemed I cease most humbly entreating Almighty God to blesse this Citie and to give unto you the fruition of all temporall felicities in this life and the never-failing fulnesse of blessednesse in the life to come To the Reader THou which hast atender Conscience and desirest nothing so much as to know the right way to Heaven having many doubts which cause thee to leave thy own Pastor and runne not only to other publike Congregations but also to the private meetings of the Separatists and others for resolution For thy sake and safety I have published this Treatise in which thou maist discerne Truth from Error having their Errors set before thee with the confutation of them out of the holy Scripture OUâ— Lord and Saviour in his holy Sermon in the Mount telling his Disciples of the narrow way that leadeth unto life hee specially forewarneth them of false Prophets Beware of falsâ— Prophets which come to you in sheeps cloathing but inwardly they are ravening Wolves As if he should say my deare Disciples you hearing of the way to heaven wil be inquiring after it and especially of Prophets But let me forewarn you of false Prophets for in stead of directing you they will put you out of the way False prophets wil come they are not sent St. Paul asketh how they can preach except they be sent and this standeth with good reason every true Minister standeth in Gods room being the Lords Embassadour to deliver his will who dare to this unsent No man taketh this honour unto himselfe but hee that is called of God saith my Author to the Hebrews But whence come they now from the Schooles of the Prophets no many of them from mechannicke Trades as one from a stable from currying his horses another from his stal from cobling his shooes these sit down in Moses chaire to mend all as Embassadours of Jesus Christ as Heralds of the most high God these take upon them to reveale the secrets of Almighty God to open and shut heaven to save mens soules But to heare these fellowes to discourse of the holy Trinity of Gods eternall decree and other deep points of Divinity you may heare the mad men in Bedlam prate as wisely as they and are not their hearers that run after them as mad as they Are they not bewitched as St. Paul telleth the Gallatians To you that are my Disciples daily experience sheweth us whom the Anabaptists Brownists and other Sectaries go about to seduce viz. not drunkards Adultereâ—s Swearers and prophane persons whom the Devill hath ensnared already but such as are desirous of heaven They lead captive saith St. Paul silly women who are alwaies learning They come unto you in sheeps cloathing That is like Zealous and holy Christians For example the Devill turneth himselfe into an Angell of Light Baals Priests used long prayers the blasphemous Arrians as St. Bazill writeth were easily beleeved because of their counterfeit holinesse The Romish seducers pretend great Sanctimony the begging Fryers befool'd the Christian world with their pretended holinesse with which they 〈◊〉 their lewd lives Generally they come to you with outward sanctimony with a seeming contempt of the world with long prayers fasting teares â—lmes deeds seeming-zeale seeming-humiâ—â—â—y seeming harmlesnesse c. They come to you in sheepes cloathing insinuating themselves into you under colour of giving you good counsell as the Divell their chiefe counselling our first Parents to breake Gods Commandement promised to make them like God and tempring Christ in the â—â—â—dernesse promised to give him all the Kingdomes of the world and the glory of them And that you may the better avoyd their inchantments I will shew you the method they use in deceiving As first they indeavour to separate the sheepe from their Shepheards bringing them into contempt with their people â—ffâ—â—ming them to be unprofitable unpowerfull taxing their conversations as prophane and doctrine as erroneous Thus smiting your Shepheards with their tongues they draw you to their Conventicles 2. To palliate their Errors they parvert the holy Scriptures as that Monster Arrius pretended to have 42 places of Scripture against the Deity of Christ and this he learnt of his father the Devill who perverted part of the 91. Psalme to tempt our Lord to cast himselfe downe from the pinacle of the Temple And for this cause these Heretikes are enemies to the ten Commandements being some of the Law to the Creed being a briefe of the Gospell and to the Lords Prayer being a perfect forme of Prayer containing all that can be asked or prayed against by which only a simple man may discerne any Heretick contradicting any Commandement of the Decalogue Article of the Faith Petition of the Lords Prayer And for this cause the Church of Rome teacheth the Laity them in Latine and also they leave out part of the decalogue in their Catechismes and for other Heâ—etikes some doe null the whole Law some the Creed and others the Lords Prayer affirming it to be abhominable Againe whatsoever outward shew they make of holinesse they are indeed ravening Wolves therefore our Lord biddeth us beware of them The word beware precedeth danger As sheep are in danger among Wolves so are your soules in danger among false Prophets The jâ—urney of the Israelites to the earthly Canaan was a type of our journey to the heavenly And did not one false prophet Balaam doe them more mischiefe in their journey then Og the King of Bashan Sehon King of the Amorites all their enemies besides yea would the Devil himselfe in his own likenesse have been more noxious to the Church of God then some Hereticks have beene As one Heretick Arrius denying the Deity of Christ in a manner infected the whole world The like did one other Heretick Eutyches erring concerning his humanity affirming the immensity of Christs divine nature to have swallowed up his humane Now if Christ had not been man how could he have dyed for us sinners and if not God how could he have wrought the salvation of mankind Alas what danger are we in now being invironed with such a multitude of Hereâ—ickes Our Lord telleth us againe by their fruits yee shall know them they pretend that they are led by the Spirit The workes of the Spirit Sâ— Paul sâ—tâ—eth forth to bee love joy peace
souls from the communion of the Church And also whereas our pious parents brought us to Christ and dedicated us to God the Father Sonne and holy Ghost let us take heed that we do not renounce that holy Covenant as Witches doe when they compact with the Devill remember our Lords words How can yee escape the damnation of hell They baptize them that have already been baptized They do that which the Scripture never commandeth Epâ— 4. St. Paul calleth it One Baptisme neither was â—ebaptization ever received in the true Church of God yea the Church taught that they that were baptized by such Heretickes as erred not in the Doctrine concerning the Trinity were not to be re-baptized Also the Imperiall Law punished them with Capitall punishment who submitted themselves to a second Baptisme They dreame of Monarchy in which the godly shall reigne alone and destroy the ungodly which is false for Christs Kingdome in this world is spirituall in which troubled consciences shall be victors and receive solid consolation against sin the devill and all manner of temptations Our Lord himselfe saith My Kingdome is not of this World John 18. Likewise saith St. Paul The weapons of our war are not carnall but mighty in operation 2 Cor. 10. Our Lord telleth us that the separation betweene the godly and ungodly shall not be untill the last day Luke 18 Againe That the Sonne of man comming shall hardly find faith upon earth Luke 17. In that night there shall be two in a bed the one received the other refused And Mat. 15. That the Angles shall separate the godly from the ungodly and the tares to remaine with the what untill the Harvest This Monarchy St. Peter confuteth in his second Epistle 2. 9. Saying the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust against the day of judgement to be punished Therefore they are not to reigne alone here the ungodly being killed And although the Prophets seeme sometimes to speake of a corporall Kingdome yet they expound themselves shewing that they speak of his spirituall Kingdome To reigne with Christ 1000. years before the ending of the world was the old Error of the Chiliasts condemned above 1000 years agone by the Church of God They allow men free will So that we may doe those things which God commanded and omit those things which God hath forbidden otherwise say they God gave his Law in vaine neither would he punish delinquents if he had not given them the power of free will It is answered it is impossible that in our corrupt nature we should keep the Law because it doth require a whole and absolute obedience in all things inward and outward of all the heart all our soule and all our might And the sense of the flesh as St. Paul testifieth is enmity to God Also the naturall man doth not understand the things that are of the Spirit 1 Cor. 2. Also Iohn 3. Man cannot take to himselfe any thing except it be given him from above So Eph. 2. The unregenerate man is said to be dead They separate themselves from all other Churches accounting themselves onely pure and holy and for this cause some of them will not say this Petition of the Lords Prayer Forgive us our trespasses saying they are pure and without sinne To this I answer with St. Iohn 1 Epist. 1. 8. If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us if we confesse our sins he is faithfull to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all our unrighteousnesse If we say we have not sinned we make him a lyar and his word is not in us To conclude the Anabaptists that say they have no sin are of the Devill the father of lyes going about to make God a lyar who is truth it selfe The Office of the Ministery to be of no great efficacie with them They doe not onely contemne the Office of the Ministery but also the holy Scripture As Muncer would speake scoffingly of it Bible Bible Bable Bable they depend too much upon peculiar Revelations The sincere preaching the word of God in the publick Congregations by the Ministers of the Word lawfully called profiteth much Mal. 2. The lips of the Priest shall preserve wisedome they shall require the Law from his mouth Ezech. 44. The Priest shall teach my people the differences betweene the holy and the prophane and cause them to discerne betweene the uncleane and cleane Rom. 1. 16. The preaching of the Word is the power of God to salvation to every one that beleeveth For this cause Christ taught in the Synagogues Every one among them taketh upon him to preach as a Minister Iohn Becold a Taylor of Leyden The Apostle teacheth us Heb. 5. That no man take this calling upon him except hee bee called of God Rom. 10. How shall they preach except they be sent And this standeth with good reason for every true Minister standeth in Gods roome being the Lords Embassadour to deliver his will Who dareth take upon him to be the Lords Embassadour except he be sent I have not sent them saith the Lord and yet they run and prophesie lies in my name Piety and Justice are the two Bases or Pillars that beare up humane Society and whereas the Devill goeth about in these his Impes to overthrow the dignity of the Ministery and of the Magistrate what doth he else but endeavour to bring the whole world to Ruine and Confusion The Confutation of their Errors not tolerable in a Comman-wealth THat it is unlawfull for a Christian man to be a Magistrate or to be subject to a Magistrate And why They object that subjection came in with sin but Christ hath taken away sin and therefore no subjection To this I answer subjection is two fold servile or civill servile is the vassalage of a slave which was not before the fall civill for the common good was before the former a curse the latter a blessing Eve was subject to Adam before either of them sinned 2. They object that every beleever is now in the Kingdome of Heaven Christ alone must reigne Ans. There is a spiritual Kingdome standing in grace peace and joy in which there is no distinction of persons There is also a civill Government which cannot subsist without distinctions and order there must be Masters and servants subjects and Governours and necessity requireth it it is the bond of the Common-wealth There is a Regiment in the Hoast of Heaven there is a Regiment in the Body the members move by the direction of the Head there is a Regiment in every Family the servants acknowledge the Master and the children their Parents Among the irrationall crâ—atures the Bees have their King the Cranes their Leader and the 〈…〉 principall Beast St. Paul calleth Magistâ—aâ—y a divine Crâ—â—â—ance all Gods Oâ—dinances aâ—â— good lawful 〈◊〉 8â— Psalm◠〈…〉
taken out of the 39. Articles HAving handled much poyson I thinke it fit to give the Reader to preserve him from infection some Methridate out of the Paunarium or Medicinable box of our Mother the Church viz. Out of the Articles of Doctrine agreed upon for avoiding of diversity of opinions and establishing of consent touching true Religion To which Articles every Minister refusing to subscribe should ipso fasto be deprived and all his promotions to be void as if he were naturally dead Read the Statute 1. That Christ took flesh from the virgin Mary The Sonne which is the Word of the Father begotten from the everlasting Father the very eternall God of one substance with the Father took mans nature in the womb of the blessed virgin of her substance So thâ—t two whâ—le and perfect Natures that is to say the God-head and the Man-hood were joyned together in one Person never to be divided whereof is one Christ very God and very Man who truly suffered was crucified dead and buried to reconcile us to his Father and to be a sacrifice not onely for originall guilt but also for the actuall sinnes of men 2. That Christ was God There is but one living and true God everlasting without body parts or passion of infinite power wisedome and goodnesse the maker and preserver of all things both visible and invisible and in the Unity of this God-head are three Persâ—ns 〈◊〉 one substance power and eternity the Father Son and holy Ghost 3. Of our justification by Faith We are accounted â—ighteous before God onely for the merit of our Lord and Saviour JESUS CHRIST by faith and not for our own works or deservings wherefore that we are justified by saith only is a most wholsome Doctrine and very full of comfort 4. For good Workes Which are the fruits of Faith and follow after justification albâ—it they cannot put away our sinnes and endure the severity of Gods judgements yet they are pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ and so spring out necessarily of a true lively faith insomuch as by them a lively faith may be evidently knowne as a tree is discerned by the fruit 5. Of Originall sinne Originall sinne standeth not in the following of Adam but it it the fault and corruption of the nature of every man that naturally is ingendred of the off-spring of Adam whereby man is very far gone from Originall righteousnesse and is of owne nature enclined to evill so that the flesh lusteth alwayes against the Spirit and therefore in every person borne into this world it deserveth Gods wrath and damnation and this infection in nature doth remaine yea in them that are regenerated whereby the lust of the flesh cald in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which some doe expound the wisedome some sensuality some the affection some the desire of the flesh is not subject to the Law of God And although there is no condemnation to them that beleeve and are baptized yet the Apostle doth confesse that concupiscence and lust hath of it selfe the nature of sin 6. Of the Baptisme of Infants Baptisme is not onely a signe of profession and marke of difference wherehy Christian men are discerned from other that be not Christned but it is also a signe of regeneration or new birth whereby as by an instrument they that receive Baptisme rightly are grafted into the Church the promises of the forgivenesse of sinne and of our adoption to be the sons of God by the holy Ghost are visibly signed and sealed Faith is confirmed and grace encreased by vertue of prayer unto God The Baptisme of young children is in any wise to be retained in the Church as most agreeable with the institution of Christ. 7. Of Free-will The condition of man after the fall of Adam is such that he cannot turne and prepare himselfe by his owne naturall strength and good workes to faith and calling upon God Wherefore we have no power to doe good workes pleasing and acceptable to God without the grace of God by Christ preventing us that we may have a good will and working with us when we have that good will 2. Of being without sinne Christ is alone without sin If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us 9. Of the Civill Magistrate We give unto the Kings most Excellent Majesty that Prerogative which we see to be given to all godly Princes in holy Scriptures by God himselfe that is that they should rule all estates and degrees committed to their charge by God whether they be Ecclesiasticall or Temporall and restraine with the Sword the stubborne and evill doers The Lawes of the Realme may punish Christian men with death for heynous and grievous offences It is lawfull for Christian men at the commandement of the Magistrate to weare weapons and serve in the wars 10. Christian mens goods are not common The riches and goods of Christian men are not common as touching the right title and possession of the same as the Anabaptists doe falsely boast 11. A Christian mans Oath As we confesse that vaine and rash swearing is forbidden Christian men by our Lord Jesus Christ and Iames his Apostle so we judge that Christian Religion doth not prohibite but that a man may sweare when the Magistrate requireth in a cause of Faith and Charity so it be done according to the Prophets teaching in judgement justice and truth 5. Of the severall sorts of Anabaptists IT betell the Anabaptists as other Heriticks to wit having once forsaken the truth there is no end of their Errors As the Spirit encreased so many things were altered and new things received by the brethren as Oracles from heaven First they break asunder into foure Sects and David George tooke upon him to reconcile them who being possessed with the Devill prefer'd himselfe most blasphemously before Christ himselfe dayly they were divided more and more There are foureteen severall sorts of Anabaptists according to their severall sorts of Errors or Authors set downe by Alst edius in his Indice Theologia Polemina Page 565. viz. Muncerians Apostolikes Separatists Catharists Silentes Enthusiasts Liberi Adamites Hutites Augustinians Beucheldians Melchiorites Georgians Menonists Whose severall Errors I purpose to touch Muncerians so called of Muncer before named who raising a sedition of Boores in Germany was defeated taken and beheaded about the yeare of our Lord God 1525. He preached that all goods must be common and all men free and of equall dignity That God had commanded him to destroy all the ungodly and to repurge the Church Apostolikes a kinde of Anabaptists because they would be like the Apostles they wandred up and downe the Countreyes without staves shooes money or bags preaching up and downe their celestiall vocation to the Ministerie of the Word they washed one anothers feet and leaving houses wives and trades they were so burthensome to
the brethren that at last they were excommunicated as idle drones They dissolved the bands of marriage when they lifted putting their wives away as oft as they pleased Separatists a kinde of Anabaptâ—sts so called because they pretended to be separated from the world They condemned fine cloathes To them that laughed they would cry Woe bee to you that laugh for hereafter yee shall mourne They did look sadly and fetcht deep sighes they avoyded marriage meetings fealts musick and condemned bearing of Armes and Covenants Catharists who deny children Baptisme affirming that they have no Originall sin and pretending themselves to bee pure and without sin These will not say this Petition in the Lords Prayer forgive us our Trespasses Silentes who despise all humane constitutions and dispatch their businesse with great silence they answer all questions of Religion with much silence Enthusiasts who pretend that they have the gift of Prophesie by dreames to which they give much credit They would lye in Trances like men having the falling sicknesse and then would declare stâ—ange things which God had revealed to them viz. That Anabaptisme was holy that Pedobaptisme came from the divell and that Zwinglius was in hell c. Liberi a sort of Anabaptists who understand the liberty we have in Christ carnally and being freed from Christ they thinke themselves freed from paying any rent tribute or tithes and take unto themselves liberty to commit all uncleanesse whatsoever Adamites a kinde of Anabaptists who think cloathes to be cursed and given to man for a punishment of sin whereas they thinke themselves to be innocent and without sin Hutites who boast themselves to be the only children of God and heiâ—es of heaven so called of Iohn Huta this Iohn Huta dyed in prison These Anabaptists deny the deity of Christ. Augustinians who affirm the entrance into Paridice to have been shut up untill Augustine the Bohemian opened it for himselfe and those that were of his Sect. Beuckeldians a kind of Anabaptists so called of Ioh. Beuchelzoâ—â—â—us these affirme Polygamie to be permitted in the Gospell and that it is a holy thing to have many wives Melchiorists are Anabaptists so called of Melchior Hofman who was their Prophet at Strausborough whom they do expect to come at the day of Judgement with Elias They also affirme the blessed Virgin Mary not to be the Mother of our Lord but to be as a Conduit through which Christ passed so that hee tooke nothing from her neither was borne of her This Hofman was so wicked as to say Malidista sit caro Mariae Georgians certaine Anabaptists followers of David George who was father of the Familists boasted that he was a great Prophet the Son of God greater than Christ and hee should rise three yeares after his death and restore the Kingdome of Israel Menonists called of Menon a Frisian by whose name the Anabaptists were generally called as if all their other denominations had been lost and buried These foureteen are named by Astedius Mr. Bullinger in his first book against Anabaptists nameth others as some of them under pretence of childish innocency played many odde pranks one having kept his excrements in store many dayes powred them out in the street and turned himselfe naked into them saying unlesse we be made like little Children we cannot enter into the kingdome of heaven Others for the same reason would ride upon sticks and Hobby-horses like children in great companies and women would run naked with them and then in pure innocency they lay together and so in the end it proved childrens play indeed Servetians a blasphemous kinde of Anabaptists so called of Servetus a Spaniard whose Heresies are set down by Prateolus Bullinger and others he called the baptisme of children an horrible abhomination he would not have them baptized before they were thirty yeares old This Servetus denyed the Deity of Christ and was burnt for his blasphemous opinions October 27. in the yeare of our Lord 1553. at Geneva Libertines who make God the author of sinne and deny the resurrection of the body against these Mr. Calvin hath written a Treatise Bullinger telleth us of divers sotts of Anabaptists called Liberi vid. sup Denkians a sort of Anabaptists of which Denkius was chief who taught that the Devill and wicked men should be saved This Denkius was converted by Oecolampadius Minister of Basil. Semper Orantes who would alwayes pray and neglect all other duties Deo relicti Anabaptists that relying onely upon God refuse all meanes that God hath appoynted Monasterienses or magnificent Anabaptists so called because of their bravery under their King Iohn who added many things unto the hodgepodge of their errors as the having many wives which he pretended to receive from the heavenly Father and it was no burthen for a man to have never so many in Munster they being provided for out of the common stock They put away barren women and women past children as good for nothing and committed them to Curators to keep whereas they had many wives yet it was accounted a great offence for one wife to looke distorto vertu but awry upon her sister wife yea accounted a capitall crime Yea at this day they have a new crotchet come into their heads that all that have not beene plunged nor dipt under waters are not truely baptized and these also they re-baptize And this error ariseth from ignorance of the Greek word Baptize which signifieth no more then washing or ablution as Hezychius Stephanus Scapula Budaeus great Masters of the Greek-tongue make good by many instances and allegations out of many authors In holy Scripture it is used generally to wash Luke 11. 38. The Pharisees wondred that he had not first washed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So Heb. 9. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mark 7. 3. Except they wash oft they care not And both are allowed by our Church and sprinkling hath been rather used among us by reason of the coldnesse of our climate and the tendernesse of our Infants They will tell us that Christ was baptized in the River and the Eunuch in the River True it is for then they had no Churche nor Fonts which now are to be used but in what river was Cornelins and his family or the Jaylor and his family plunged in Againe if the spirituall grace be sufficiently expressed by a little water sprinkled as by ducking in a river then dipping is not necessary as a little bread in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is of as much efficacy as a whole loafe The Apostle telleth us Heb. 9. 13. ofsprinkling them that were uncleane St. Cyprian telleth us true baptisme to be as well by sprinkling as by dipping It is impossible saith Mr. Bullinger to set downe all the differences and contrary opinions of the Anabaptists with all their pernicious Sects and
Yea the Brownists gâ—e faâ— beyâ—nd the Anabapâ—â—sts affâ—â—ming set Prayers to be abhominable in the eyes of Almighty God To this â—â—â—answer whatsoever God hath ordained is neither abhominable nor loathsome to him but God hath ordained set Prayers therefore they are not abominable noâ— loathsome That God hath ordained set prayers see Num. 6. 23 24. Yee shall blesse the childâ—en of Israel saying unto them the Lord blesse thee and keep thee the Lord make his face to shine upon tâ—ee and be gracious to thee the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace Againe Deut. 26. 5. And thou shalt speake and say before the Lord thy God a Syâ—ian ready to perish was my Father The 90. Psalme is a Prayer even the prayer of Moses and and used in the Jewish Church as we use the Lords Prayer All the Psalmes of David except some that are doctrinall are prayers and have beene and shall be read in the Church of God maâ—gre all the Heriticks and Schismaticks In the World In the Gospell are many set prayers daily read in the Church What are all these abhominable All the ancient Churches in the world planted by the Apostles have set Prayers as the Greek Church to whom St. Paul preached the Indians to whom St. Thomas brought the â—ight of the Gospel the Ethiopians to whom St. Mark brought the knowledge of Christ the Muscovites who affirme that they received the truth from Sâ— Andrew These with all ancient Churches have set prayers their Liturgies are to be seen Yea all the Reformed Churches the Duâ—ch the French the Danâ—sh the Swedish the Scotâ—ish c have set Prayers onely these Sectaries will speak to God ex tempore In my Christianography you may see dâ—vers Liturgies as a Liturgy attributed to St. Iamesâ—he â—he first Bishop of â—erusalem set forth by Victorius Scâ—atâ—â—us the Maronite The Apdâ—â—le Iames was commonly called Iacobus Liturgus that is Iames the Service-maker which beginneth O Lord doe not despise me defiled with the multitude of my sins c. Again the service the Muscovites use taken out of the Commentaries of Sigismund Liberus The Ethiopian Liturgie or Service written by Francis Alvares The Copâ—s Liturgy set forth by Kircherus The Armenian Service set downe by Odoardus Barâ—osa The Armenian Service set downe by Peter Bellonius lib. 3. cap. 12. The Liturgy of Severus sometime Patriarch of Alexandria written in Syriak and translated into Latine by Guido Subritius But to shew you a patterne of some of their new Prayers one of them cryeth out in his prayer O Lord thou knoweâ—â— good Lord that we never had the truth preached among us untill now c. Whereas the Doctrine of the Church of England is Gods truth as the learned Assembly of Divines doe restifie howsoever in our Discipline there may need Reformation Another cryeth out in his prayer Good Lord good Lord deliver this Congregation from this man who is unlearned unpowerfull unprofitable c. This spirituall Prayer was made for my selfe in my owne Church in my owne Pulpit in my owne hearing To conclude this with the counsell of the holy Ghost Bee not rash with thy mouth nor let thine heart be hasty to utter a thing before Gâ—d for God is in the heavens and thou art 〈◊〉 the earth Therefore let thy words be few for as a dreame commeth by the multitude of businesse so the voyce of a foole is known by many words 20. They quarrell at the Lords Prayer BUT what need I complaine of their blaspheming of set Prayers whereas our Lord taught his Disciples a set Forme of Prayer the perfectest and exactest of all that can bee made it being compiled by the Sonne of God who is the wisedome of the Father For perfection it containeth all that can be asked or prayed against For acceptation it containeth the words of Christ the Son of God in whom the Father is well pleased These Sectaries quarrell at this prayer and will nor say it as Barrow Greenwood affirme it to be abominable and as loâ—thsome unto God as swines-flesh to a Jew Apollinaâ—ius the Heritick equalled his songs with holy Scripture but I never heard of any Heretick thatâ—prefer'd his owne works before holy Scripture Doe not these Heriticks preferre their owne Prayers before our Lords If our Lords Prâ—yer be better then theirs why doe they not say it according to our Lords Commandement Luke 11 Or if they will pray after the same manner as is commanded Matth. 6. Why doe they use so many vaine repetitions there by him forbidden I have read that St. Peter used no other prayer at the Communion but this Prayer which his Master taught him and the Greeks in Calabria used the same But now it is not used by some at the ministration of the Sacrament I am sure this prayer is perfect and all other devised by them not so perfect Let us not neglect that perfect forme which our Lord hath left us or pray at least-wise after that manner not using vaine repititions by him forbidden as before 21. Of the Tyranny and ill-usage of some of them to their VVives and Servants MAny there be that are taken in the Bâ—iars of this propane Schisme that wish they had never met with the separation of that Schismaticall body and would flye so that they might escape without excommunication with which they terâ—ifie them so that they dare not so much as whisper or as much as â—uffe against it You may read in the Boook called The prophane Schisme of the Brownists how cruelly also they used their servants for not doing their taskes as some they hang up by the hands and whip them stark naked being women grown yea they spare not theâ—r wives but correct them Read the story of Seudley and Mansfield It may be they learnâ— this of their Patriarch Father Browne who would cuâ—stly correct his old wife as before 22. There are divers sorts of Separatists THere are divers sorts of these Sectaries for every day begets a new fancy or opinion it â—aâ—ing with them usually as with all other Hereticks who having once forsaken the Truth wander from one error to another as Mr. Smith one of their Grandees from a Protestant he turned Brownist and from a Brownist he turned Anabaptist yea a Sebaptist and re-baptized himselfe The first sort of Separatists affirme the abominations of the Church of England to be so great that they will â—ot come within their Church doores to heare any of their Ministers but â—y themselves wholly to their owne Conventicles The root of this Sect was one Mr. Robert Browne before named from whom are risen many Sects for every day begets a new fancy and conceit These say that England was once the Lords wiâ—e but that he hath given her a Bill of divorce and put her away These deny all communion with her but private communion they hold lawfull with her members As for the ancient company of Brownists that were
this Sect. 7. The abjuration of certaine Familisâ—s at Pauls Crosse. THe first author was one David George of Delfe who fled out of Hollâ—ndâ—â— Basill giving it our that he was banished out of the low Countreyes he changed his name called himselfe Iohn of Bridges he affirmed that he was that right David that was sent from God and should restore againe the Kingdome of Israel He wrote divers Books as one called the Wonder-booke he broached his damnable Heresiee as â— All the Doctrines taught by Moses the Propheâ—s and Christ himselfe were not sufficient to salvation but only to keep the people in good order till the comming of David George but his doctrine was able to save all those that put their trust in him 2. That he was the right Messias the beloved Son of the Father not born of the flesh but of the Holy Ghost and that when Christ was dead according to the flesh the Spirit of Christ was left by the Fathers appoyntment untill the comming of this David George and given him 3. That he would set up the true house of David and the children of Levi must raise the Tabernacle of God through the Spirit of Christ not by the crosse and suffering but through meeknesse and love 4. That whosoever speaketh against this Doctrine shall never be forgiven in this world nor in the world to come he dyed the 16. of August 1556. at which his Disciples were much dismayed for he promised them that he should not dye or if he did that he should rise againe and fulfill all his former Promises whereupon some forsook his heresies The Magistrates being informed of his doctrine and manners caused his house the houses of such as were suspected to hold such errours to be searched his books to be burnt forseiting his goods and lands â—o the use of the Town causing his followers to recant After him rose one Henry Nicholas borne in Amsterdam a Towne in Holland of many called Henry of Amsterdam who took upon him to maintaine the same Doctrine yet not in the name of David but in his owne name as a Prophet sent to rebuke the world of sin and iniquity naming himselfâ— restâ—â—râ—toâ— mundâ— the restorer of the world Mr. Iessop describeth H. N. after this manner page 89. They call him the new man or the holy nature or holinesse which they make to be Christ and sin to be Antichrist because it is oppâ—â—iâ—e to Christ. They say that when Adam sinned then Christ was killed and Antichrist came to live They teach the same perfection of holinesse which Adam had before he fell is to be obtained here in this life and affirme that all their Family of Love are as perfect and innocent as hee and that the Resurrection of the dead spoken of by St. Paul 1 Cor. 15. and this Prophesie then shall be fulfilled the saying which is written O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory is fulfilled in them and they deny all other resurrection of the body to be after this life They will have this blasphemer H. N. to be the Son of God Christ which was to come in the end of the world to judge the world and say that the day of judgement is already come and that H. N. judgeth the world now by his Doctrine so that whosoever doth not obey his Gospell in time shall be rooted out of the world and that this Family of Love shall inherit and inhabite the earth for ever world without end onely they say they shall dye in the body as now men doe and their soules goe to heaven but their Posterities shall continue for ever This deceiver describeth eight through-breakings of the light as he tearmeth them to have been in eight severall times from Adam to the time that now is which as he saith have each exceeded other The seventh he alloweth Iesus Christ to be the publisher of and his light to be the greatest of all that ever were before him and he maketh his owne to be the eight and last and greatest and the perfection of all in and by which Christ is perfected meaning holinesse he maketh every one of his Family of Love to be Christ yea and God and himselfe God and Christ in a more excellent manner saying that he is godded with God and co-deified with him and that God is hominified with him These horrible blas hemies with divers others doth this H. N. his Family teach to be the everlasting Gospell which the Angel is said to preach in the Rev. 11. 15. They professe greater love to the Church of Româ— and to all her Idolatries and superstitions then they doe to any Church else whatsoever except themselves They wickedly abuse these words of Christ I must walk to day to morrow and the third day I shal be perfected and say that by to day is meant the time of Jesus Christ his Apostles and by to morrow all the time of the Religion of the Church of Rome and by the third day this their day of H. N. and his Family wherein they will have Christ to be perfected And they doe compare all the whole religion of the Church of Rome to the Law of Moses affirming that as God did teach his prople by these shadowes and types till Jesus Christ came so hee hath taught the world ever since by the Images sacrifices and heathen Rites of the Church of Rome till this wretch H. N. came and now he must be the onely chiefe Teacher Gods obedient man yea his Son as they blasphemously call him hee by his Gospell must make all things perfect One Christopher Viret a Joyner dwelling in Southwarke who had been in Queen Maries dayes an Arian being infected with Hen Nocolas his doctrine poysoâ—ed first the English with this heresie he translated out of Dutch into English divers of the books of Henr. Nicholas as Evangelium regni out of which and others these errors are collected 2. Their blasphemous Errors 1. COncerning God That there is none other Deitie belonging unto God but such as men are partakers of in this life 2. Concerning Christ 1. That Christ is not God 2. Christ is not one man but an estaâ—e and conâ—â—tion in men common to so many as have received H. N. his doctrine c. 3. Of Adam That Adam was all that God was and God all that Adam was c. 4. Concerning Baptisme That no man should be baptized untill he was 30 yeares old 5. Concerning the Word That there was never truth preached since the Apostles time before H. N. 6. Concerning the Resurrection 1. The resurrection of the body is a â—ising from sin and wickednesse 2. That the dead shall rise and live in H. N. and in the iluminated Elders everlastingly and reigne upon earth 7. Concerning the day of Judgement 1. That the day of Judgement is in this life 2. That the joyes of heaven are here upon earth 8. Concerning marriage The marriage of
somewhat shorter Thus God punisht those monstrous wretches with a monstrous fruit sprung from their wombe as had before sprung from their braines But as the Jewes in the sad porâ—entâ— appearing before the last destruction of Ierusalem construed all things to the best though never so apparent so did they and whatsoever might seem prodigious in any of these births the burthen they laid upon the Church which they thought their enemies Then God stirred up his people to call an assembly of Ministers who confuted these opinions publikely and made the authors and upholders of them unable to answer although they could not make them yeeld But lastly God put it into the hearts of the civill Magistrates to convent the chief Leaders of them and after many fruitlesse admonitions given they proceeded to sentence some they disfranchised others they excommunicated and some they baâ—isht A seditious Minister one Mr. Wheeleâ—wright was one and Mistris Hutchinson another who going to plant her selfe in an Island callâ—d Readâ—â—sland under the Dutch where they could not agree but were miserably divided into sundry Sects â—emoâ—ed from thence to an Island called Hell-gate where the Indians set upon her and â—â—ew her and her daughter and daughters husband children and family some report that the Indians burnt them And thus much of the Antiâ—omians read Mr. Wâ—lls his book where you shall read their opinions at large with a learned Confutation Of ARMINIANS THE Armiâ—â—â—â—s are so called of Iames Arminâ—â—â—s who was 〈…〉 Divinity at Leiden in the Low-countreys in the 〈◊〉 of our Lord God 1605. They are also called Remonstraâ—â—s Their Errors follow 1. Concerning Gods Predestination THat the will of God to â—â—ve such as shall believe and persevere in faith and obedience of â—aith is the whole and entire dâ—cree of the election to salvation and that nothing else concerning that decree is revealed in the word of God These Teachers deceive the simâ—â—er sort and plainly gain-say the holy Scripture which witnesseth that God not onâ—ly wil save such as shall believe but also from eternity hatâ— chosen some certaine men upon whom rather then upon others he would bestow faith in Christ and persevâ—â—aâ—ce as it is written Ioh. 17. 6 I have declared thy name to the 〈◊〉 which thou gavest 〈◊〉 Like manner Acts 13. 48. As many as were ordained to eternall life believed And Eph. 1. 4. He hath chosen us before the foundatâ—on of the World 2. They teach â—thit the election of God to salvation is manifold one generall and indetinite and this again 〈◊〉 incomplete revocable nor perempâ—orie or conditionall or â—lse complete â—â—â—â—ocable peremptory or absâ—lute likewise that there is one election â—nto faith another to salvation so thâ—t election unto justâ—ying aith may bee without peremptory election to salvation This is a fâ—gment of mans braine devised without any ground in the Scripture corrupting the doctrine of election breaking that golden chaine of salvation Rom. 8. 30. Whom he hath predestinated them also hath he called and whom 〈◊〉 hath called them aâ— so he hath â—ustified and whom he hath justified also he hath glorified 3. They teach that the good pleasure and purpose of God whereof the Scripture maketh mention in the doctrine of election doth not consist herein that God did elect some certaine men rather then others but in this viz. That God from among all possible conditions amongst which are the workes of the Law also or out of the ranke of all things did chuse as condition to salvation the act of faith in it selfe ignoble and imperfect obedience was graciously pleased to repute it for perfect obedience and account it worthy of the reward of everlasting life By this pernicious error the good pleasure of God and merit of Christ is weakned besides that by such unprofitable questions men are called from the truth to free justification and from the single plaine of the Scriptures and that of the Apostle is outâ—â—ced as untrue 2 Tim. 1. 9. God hath called us with a holy calling not according to our works but according to his purpose and grace which was given to us through Christ â—esuâ— before the world began 4. They teach that in election unto faith this condition is formerly required viz. That a man may use the â—ight of reason aright that he be honest lowly and humble and â—â—â—posed unto eternall life as though in some sort election dâ—pended on these things for these Teachers have a strong 〈…〉 and broadly enough tell the Apostle that he is 〈◊〉 when he sayes Ephes. 2. 3. We had all our conversations in tiâ—â—s past in the lust of the flesh fulfilling the will of the flesh 〈◊〉 of the minde and were by nature the children of wrath as well as others But God which is rich in mercy through his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickened us together with Christ by grace ye are saved and 〈◊〉 raised us up together and made us sit together in heaveâ—â—y plâ—ces in Iesus Christ that he might shew in the ages to come the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindnesse towâ—rds us in Iesus Christ for by grace ye are saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God not of works lest any should â—â—ast 5. They teach that incompleat and not peremptory election of singular person is made by reason of fore-seen faith repentance sanctity godlinesse and that this is the gracious and Evangelicall worthinesse by which he that is chosen becomes worthier then he that is not chosen and therefore that faith the â—bedience of faith sanctity godlinesse and perseveran ce are not the fruits or effects of the unchangeable electiâ—n unto glory but conditions and causes sine quibus non that is to say without which a thing is not brought to passe before required and fore-seen as already performed by those who are compleatly to be chosen a thing repâ—gnant to the whole Scripture which every wherebeats into our eares hearts these and such like sayings Rom 9. 11. Election is not of works but of him that calleth Acts 13 48. As many as were ordained to everlasting life beleeved Joh. 15. 16. Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you Rom. 11. 6. If of grace not of works 1 John 4. 10. Herein is loveâ— not that we loved God but that he first loved us and sent his Son c. 6. That not all election to salvation is unchangeable but that some which are elected withstanding Gods decree may perish and for ever doe perish By which grosâ—e error they hoth make God mutable overthrow the comfort of the godly concerning the certainty of their salvation and contradict the holy Scriptures teaching Mat. 24. 24. That the Elect cannot he seduced John 6. 39. That Christ doth not lose those are given to him by his father Rom. 8. 30. That God whom he hath predestinated called justified them he doth also glorifie 7. They
teach that in this life there is no fruit no sence no certainty of immutable election unto glory but upon condition contingent and mutable for besides that it is absurd to make an uncertaine certainty These things contrary to the experience of the godly who with the Apostle triumph upon the sence of their election and extoll this benefit of God who rejoyce with the Disciples according to the admonition of Christ Luke 10. 20. That their namâ—â— are written in heaven And lastly who oppose the sense of their election against the fiery darts of divillish temptations demanding Rom. 8. 33. Why shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect 8. They teach that God out of his meere just will hath not decreed to leave any man in the fall of Adam and common state of sin and damnation or to passe over any in the communication of gracâ— necessary to faith and conversion for that stands firme Rom. 9. 18. He hath compassion upon whom he will and whom he will he hardnâ—th And that Mat. 13. 11. To you is given to know the mysteries of the kingdome of heaven but to them it is not given In like manner Mat. 11. 25 26. I glorifie thee Father Lord of heaven and earth that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding men and hast revealed them unto Babes even so O Father because thy good pleasure was such 9. They teach that the cause why God sends the Gospell rather to this nation than to another is not the meere and onely good pleasure of God but because this nation is better and more worthy of it then that to which he hath not communicated the Gospell â—or Moses gain-sayes this speaking thus unto the people Israel Deut. 10. 14 15. Behold heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord thy Gods and the earth with all that therein is Notwithstanding the Lord set his delight in thy Fathers to love them and did chuse their seed after them even you above all people as appeareth this day And Christ Mat. 11. 21â— Wâ—e be to thee Corazin woe be to thee Bethsaida for if the great works which had been done in you had been done 〈◊〉 Tiâ—â—s and Sydon they had repented long agoe in sacke 〈◊〉 and ashes 2. Their Errors concerning Christs death and the redemption of men by it 1. THey teach that God the Father ordained his Son unto the death of the Crosse without any certaine and determinate counsell of saving any particular man expressely so that its necessary profit and dignity might have remained whole sound and perfect in every respect compleat and entire in the impetration of Christs death although they obtained redemption had never actually been applyed to any particular person for that assertion is reproachfull to the wisdome of God the Father and the meâ—â—t of Jesus Christ and contrary to the Scripture where our Saviour Christ saith Ioh. 10. 15. I lay down my life for my sheep verse 27. And I know them The prophet speaketh thus of our Saviour Isa. 53. 10. When he shal make his sons a sacrifice for sin he shal see his seed and prolong his dayes and the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hands Lastly it overthroweth any Article of our faith wherein we doe believe that there is a Church 2. They reach that this was not the will of God that hee might establish a new Covenant of Grace by his bloud but that he might onely procure unto his Father the bare right of making againe with men any Covenant whatsoever whether of grace or of works for this thwarteth the Scripture which teacheth that Christ is made the surety mediator of a better that is a new Covenant Heb. 7. 22. and Heb. 9. 17. The Testament is confirmed when men are dead 3. They teach that Christ by his satisfaction did not certainly merit for any mans salvation it selfe and faith by which this satisfaction of Christ may be effectually applyed unto salvation buâ— onely that he purchased his Fathers power or resolution to enter into a new match with man-kinde and to prescribe them what new Covenant soever he pleased The performance of which condition should depend upon mans free-will and that therefore it might fall â—ut that either no man or every man might fulfill them for these esteem too 〈◊〉 basely of Christâ— death in no wise acknowledging the chiefest 〈…〉 excellent fruit and benefit procured thereby and will call up 〈…〉 Pelagian herisie from hell 4. They teach that the new Covenant of grace with God the Father by the mediation of Christs death made with men doth not consist herein viz. That we are justified before God and saved by faith insomuch as it apprehendeth the merit of Christ but herein viz. That God the exaction of perfect legal obedience being abrogated reputes faith it selfe and the imperfect obedience of faith for the perfect obedience of the Law graciously thinks it worthy of the reward of eternall life Thâ—â— concludeth the Scripture Rom. 5. 24 25. All are justified freely by grace through the redemption that is in Christ Iesus whom God hath set forth to be a reconciliation through saith in his bloud And with wicked Socinus they bring in 〈◊〉 and strange justification of man before God 〈…〉 consent of the whole Church 5. They teach that all men are received into the staâ—e of reconciliation and grace of the Covenant so that no 〈◊〉 shal be condemned for Originall sin nor in respect of it be 〈◊〉 unto death or damnation but are all acquitted and fâ—eâ—d from the guilt of that sin This opinion is contrary to the Scripture which affiâ—es that by nature we are the Children of wrath This the Arminiams learnt from the Anabaptists 6. They imply the distinction of impetration and application to the end that they may infuse this opinion unto unskâ—â—full and unwary wits namely that God as much as concerne◠〈◊〉 would conferre upon all men eqâ—â—lly those benefits which are promised by Christs death And whereas some rather then â—thers are made partakers of forgivenesse of sins 〈◊〉 life eternâ—llâ— and this diversity depends upon their owne free-will applying it selfe unto grace indifferently offered but not upon the â—â—â—gular gift of mercy effectually working in them 〈◊〉 then others that they may apply this grace unto themsâ—lves 〈◊〉 they while they bear the world in hand that they prâ—pound this destruction with a sound meaning they goe about to make the people drink of the poysonous cup of Pelagianisme 7. They teach that Christ neither could nor ought to dye neither did dye for those whom God dearely loved and chose unto eternall life seeing such stood in no need of Christs death In this they contradict the Apostle who saith Gal. 2. 20. Christ loved me and gave himselfe for me In like manner Rom. 8. 33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Christs chosen It is God that justifieth who shall condemne it is Christ which it dead to
de convâ—r omnium gent. 1. lib. 7. p 506 Th a â—esu ividem Navig â—oseph indi cap 134. The it cos lb 4. 2. Boler relat lib. 2. page 3. The barbarous cruelty of these Sectaries Error 6. Answer Error 7. Error 8. Answer Error 9. Error 10. Answer Rom. â—0 1 Coâ— 1. Error 1. Resp. Object Resp. Error 2. Iudg. 17. 18. 19. chapters Error 3. Error 1. Answer Error 2. Answer Quâ—dam impuri nebulones persuaserunt juxta â—auli vaticinium 2. â— m. 3. stultis mulierculis ut relictis propriis maritis ipsus sequeretur Bulling adver Anâ—bâ—pt lâ—b 1. fol. 8. Error 3. Anno 13. Reg. Eliz. Article 2. 〈…〉 Article 11. Article 12. Article 9. Article 27. Article 10. Article 15. Article 37. Article 38. Article 39. Histor. David Georg 1. fol. 17. 1. Muncerians Sleid. Com. lib. 5. 2. Apostolikes 3. Separatists 4. Catherists 5. Silentes 6. Enthusiasts 7. Liberi 8. Adamites 9. Hutites 10. Augustinians 11. Beuckeldians 12. Melchiorists 13. Georgians 14. Menonists Hist. Anabap. pag. 53. 15. Pueris similes 16. Sevetians 17. Libertines 18. Denkians 19. Orantes 20. Deo relicti 21. Monasterienses 22. Plunged Anabaptists The Abyssins baptize not in Fonts as we do but in the Church-porch but with a potful of water â— Alvares of the â—â—hiopâ—ans c. 5 Cyp. Epist. 76. ad Magâ— Manner of Rebaptizing Manner of receiving the Communion Of their marriages Gast 363 de Catabap erroribus Spirituall marriages Bulling adver Anabapt lib. 2. fol 42. Pâ—ge 36 de Catabap error Bulling adver Anabap pa 4 Communitie of women Buâ—ling adver Anabaptist l 2. fol. 37. Qudam impâ—ri nebulones pers adebant I vibus mol erculls on osse ipâ—as salvari â—isi pud citiâ—m suam pâ—ostitueâ— rent abuâ—ebantuâ— autem non absque blasphemia verbo Domini c. * Ordnation Learning Places of meeâ—ing Gast 250. Gâ—stius de Anabapt exord lib. 1. Decreâ—lt senatus Tiguâ—nus mergeâ—eeum qui merserit baptismo eum qui â—rius emerse at Gast p 178. lib 〈◊〉 no die mulâ—i ob at aâ—â—baptismums â—bmer si sunt Howe 's Chrâ—p 576 Howe 's Chr. p. 4. 6. How 579. How 679. Cambden in the life of Qu Eliz. p. 35. 〈◊〉 his Epistle 1. Baptisme to be admâ—nâ—st to the Infants of the faithfulâ— 1. Reason Gods command Gen 17 7. 12 13. 14. Exod. 12. 48 49. Acts 2. 38 39. 3. 25. 16. 31. 15. 8 9 10 Gal. 3. 8. 29. Isa 54. 10. Luke 20. 37 38. Heb. â—1 13 16. 13. Luâ—e â— 54 55. 72 c. Rom. 4. 11 16. 17. 8. 20. Rev. 14. 16. 2. Confirmed by Christ. Mat. 28 18. 19 Mark 16. 15 16 Gal 3. 8 29 Gen. 12. 3. 17. 4 5 7. Rom. 4. 9 1â— 11. 13 16. 15. 8 16. 2 Cor. 1. 20. Esa. 42. 6 7. 49. 6. Acts 13 46 47 Ioh 10. 16. 1 Cor. 19. 13. 12 13. Eph. 2. 1â— 22 3. 9. 3. The Apostles practise Acts 16. 15. 33 〈◊〉 16 Gen. 15 â— 17â— 26 27 â—1 4. Ex. 12. 48 49. House implyeth children therein Gen. 30. 30 45 18 19 46. 5 6 7. Num. 3â—â—5 c. Psal. 115. â—â— 13 14. 1 Tim. 5. 8. 4. The Children oâ— Beleevers ore holy 1â— or 7â— 4 Rom. 11. 16 Aâ—â—s 3. 25 Gal 3. 29 Esa 46. 3 4. Psalme 21. 10. 30. 71 6. 115. 12 13 14 15. Luk 1. 41. 4 Acts 10. 47. 5. Signe of washâ—ng away of sin Roâ— 6. 3â— 5. 14 15 Zâ—ch 13 1. 1 Cor 1. 13 16 2 13 Acts 4 12 16. 0 31 32 33 34. 6. One Baptisme Eph. 4. 4 5 6. 1 Cor. 12. 13. 0. 1 2. Exod. 12. 37. 1 Pet. 3. 20 21 Gen 7. 1 Galâ— 1. 8. â—7 28 29. 1 Tâ—m 25. â—oh â—6 16 Aâ—ts â— 38 39 â—sal 1â—0 3. 5. 7. Goâ—s grace not lessened since Christs comming 1 Cor. â— 17 8 12. Rom 4. 11. 25. 11. 11 36. 15. 4. Gen. 10. 1. 4. Luke 7. 1. 1 Pet. 3. 18. 22. 19. 9. Esa 49. 6 Acts 15. 1. 31 16. 15. 33. 26. 6 7. 22. 2â— Gal. 1. 6. 9. Mar. 〈◊〉 25. 28. 18 19 20. Eph. 4. 5. Gen. 17. 12 11 12 13. Gen 17. 7. Gal. 3. 8. 29. Rom. 6. 8 9 10 11. Acts 13. 34 Rom. â— 7. 6. 3. 4 Rev. 17 Rev 18 4 Hos. 2. 2 4. 15. Deut. â— 32 Luke 16 29. 2. Called also Separatists Proph schisme p. 60. 3. Their agreement with the Donatists 4. Their agreement with the Anabptists * The Brownists 〈◊〉 reâ—ibap 5. 〈◊〉 â—nnovators 6. Some of their â—rrors 7. Bitter â—ailâ—rs Prophane schisme cap. 12. Mr. Baâ—â— Separ schisme 8. Magnifit their owne Sect Iohn Robinsons a swer to R. Bâ— page 213. Iohn Smiths pâ—â—allei p 17. Proâ—haâ—e schisme â— 47. Ibidem p. 76. 9. They criminate the Dutch and French Churches Franâ—â—â— Iohnsons Arâ—iâ—les against the Dutch and French Churches Vid. Dr. Halls Apology against the Browniste page 797 10. Pretend Scâ—ipâ—ure 11. Blame our congregations foâ— pâ—ophanenesse 12. The prophanenesse of tâ—eir Sect. Mr. White Vid. Pâ—â—phane Schisme of the Brownists p 27. Ibid page â—7 Acâ—um 25. â—eb 1606. The testimony of the â—utch Church coâ—ceâ—ning the Browniâ—â—s Of the Magistrates of Amsterdam Vid. proph schiâ—m page 21. 13 Their equivocaâ—ing and palliating their wickedâ—esse Vid. proph schis page 20. Prophane schis page p. â— Ib dem Ibid. p. 30. He did like Solomon who would know all secrets Proph. schsm p. 39 14. Blame the conveâ— satâ— oâ— of our Ministers 15. Ordination of our Mâ—nisters 〈…〉 16 Brownists Ordâ—natâ—on 17. Their singing of Psalmes Prophaâ—e schlâ—sme p. 10. 18. Of their Prâ—pheâ—â—ing 19. 〈…〉 Eccles. 〈◊〉 〈…〉 Bpownists Barrowists Wilkinsoniaâ—s Iohnsonians Ainsworthians Robinsoniâ—â—â— Their cursing one another Proâ—hare schisme p. 63. Prophaâ—e schisme page 64. 23. Schisme a great sinne a Howe 's Chroâ— p. â—65 How Châ—on p. 766. 25. Scoâ—s description of a Brownist 26 Of the Semiseparatâ—sts Answer to the Apologeticall Naâ—ration p. 204 25. The 〈…〉 I marvaile why they will say Pauls Prayer The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ the love of God the father and not say the Lords Prayer The History of David George is written by his son in 〈◊〉 Nich-Bles◠〈◊〉 and published by Iacob Beeb Priâ—ted â—t Daventry 1633. His doctrine is set down in 31 Articles Dâ—sâ—â—â—â—â—y of the errors of the 〈◊〉 pâ—ge 89. Christopher Viret Knewst p. 24. Knewst p. 27. Knewst fol. 15 Enâ—ch Clapham Do Deâ—isons White Wâ—lfe page â—8 1. Castalian Order 2. Grindletenian 3. Of the Mountains 4. Of the Valleyes 5. Of the scattered flock 6. Caps Order How Chron. Lamb. Hortens p. 53. â—onfiâ— decad 3. lib 2. page 390. Gasâ—ioâ— page 〈◊〉 Honey 〈…〉 Page 102. Page 103. Page 106. Page 108. Page 44 45. 54. 〈…〉 〈…〉 Vid Do. Deâ—isoâ—s White-Wâ—â—te Loâ—d day Bishop of Lond. Bontanus Catal Haeretâ— Gen. 1. 24. Gen. 126. Gen. 2 7. 1. Concerning Free-will 2. Original sin 3. Certainty of salvation 4. Of â—ustification 5. Merit 6. Satisfaction 7. Traditioâ—s 8. Of Vowes 9. Images 10. Reall presence 11. The Masse 12. Fasting 13. The state of Perfection 14. Worshipping of Saints 15. Intercession of Saints 16. Implicite faith 17. Purgatory 18. Supremacy 19. Efficacy of the Sacraments 20. Saving faith 21. Of Repentance 22. The sinnes of the Romish Church 1. Baptisme 2. Lords supper 3. Number of Sacraments 4. Reverence to the blessed Virgin 5. Lords prayer 6. Lords Day 7. Confession of sinnes 8. Equivocation 9. Lying 10. Piae fraudes 11. Hopocrisie 12. Vncleaâ—nâ—s 13. Churches 14. Blaspheme the Trinity * Lower de paupertate Ecclesie There was a sphecialâ— prâ—yer appoyâ—tâ—d for men pâ—ying their 〈◊〉 with a 〈◊〉 of the tâ—ue pâ—iment of them 〈◊〉 Gods 〈…〉 Dâ—ut â—6 13. Hâ—miâ—â— 5. Advers 〈◊〉 2 Tim. 3. 6. Vdals Nâ—li me tange e. p â— Acts 5. 3. The divel tâ—at was in Ananias seemeth to be a conscionable dâ—vell in respect of the Sacrâ—legious divels of our tâ—me Most of the Ministers of London may pray for â—ompetencies being not abâ— to subsiâ—â— without the charity of their parishioners their Beâ—ifices being many of them worth but 20. 30. 40. 50. per annum paying great Taxes out of them as first Fruits Tenths c. Although they are freed from the Bishof Romes superstitioâ—s enormities they are not freed from the payments that the Bishops of Rome laid upov them 2 Tim. â— 6.