Prerogative over any other man or men whatsoever For as the Divine Evidences were formerly so are they yet for the very same ends and purposes still useful and necessary to accompany the Ministry and so will they alway accompany the true Ministry for the conversion of men to the Faith of the Gospel But for R. B. thus to extend my words besides or beyond my meaning or to confine them short thereof is not to be allowed by me nor can it reasonably be approved by any man for whereas my meaning is limited onely to the conversion of unbelievers he extends them to any whether converted or unconverted as if I had been so irrational as to say or think That no man after his Conversion to the Faith of the Gospel was bound to believe or practise any other or further Duty of Christianity without some new Miracle yea new Miracles done in his sight to prove it for so much in effect his Charge amounts unto And who would ever think R. B. to be so void of understanding or ingenuity rather as to lay such and so irrational an aspersion upon any man that never did or thought him harm Now let any man in love convince me of my Errour in this my Position and I shall take it kindly and be as ready to retract and tread it under foot as he would have me but of all men in the world R. B. is least able to do it or to accuse me for it having asserted as much or more himself for in his Saints Rest Part 2. pag. 201. of the sixth Edition he asserts That Divine Faith hath ever a Divine Testimony and in pag. 205. That we must know it to be a Divine Testimony before we can believe fide Divina by a Divine Faith and I hope by a Divine Faith he intends no other then a true and saving Faith which must necessarily have a divine and infallible ground to be built on seeing of other Faiths he plainly tells us in pag. 201. That to believe implicitely that the Testimony is Divine or the Scripture is the Word of God this is not to believe God but to resolve our Faith into some humane Testimony even to lay our Foundation upon the Sands where all will fall at the next Assault And in pag. 236. he expresseth himself thus viz. I demand with my self by what argument did Moses and Christ evince to the world the verity of their Doctrine and I finde it was chiefly by this of Miracles and surely Christ knew the best argument to prove the Divine Authority of his Doctrine and that which was the best then is the best still And in pag. 33. of his book of Infidelity part 1. he tells us That Tongues are not for them that believe but for them that believe not that is saith he to shew them the power of Christ and so convince them And in part 4. pag. 46. of the same Book he tells us If it had no divine attestation or evidence that it is of God then you might (a) And I hope no man is bound by God to believe that which he may without sin or danger reject reject it without sin or danger Now let any rational and impartial man judge if R. B. himself hath not asserted sufficient and more then enough to justifie my Position and all that which I hold in the point yea and that which is tantamount the same although in many places of his writings he contradicts it which is no rare thing to see in men of his undertakings though they both speak and write much less then he hath done And amongst the multitudes of his failings in that and the like kinde in his voluminous writings thou mayst finde him friendly remembred of some few in a small Treatise entituled Fides Divina which when thou hast read then tell me If a Bear may not be known by a small Member even by his foot alone And whereas R. B. at the end of that his Charge intayles this viz. Adding withall That indeed Antichrist may do Miracles What cause of exception can be taken at Answ this my so saying when the Scripture it self affirms That the second Beast which came up out of the earth who is an Antichrist at least wrought Miracles Rev. 13. 11 14. Rev. 19. 20. This R. B. in his Saints Rest pag. 206. flatly contradicts by telling us there That no created power can work a Miracle Let him be pleased hence to be asked these sober Questions 1. Do you indeed and in truth as you pretend believe the Scripture to be the VVord of God 2. And that it was confirmed by Miracles as you assert it to be about the midst of your Preface to your Book of Infidelity and in divers other places of the same Book 3. How then dare you so presumptuously put the lye upon God by your flat contradicting his Word as here you have done This Charge lies upon him unavoydably unless he can prove that Beast to be an uncreated power which he can never do But we may see here as in many other places how he plays Bo-peep with us in rendring such persons abominable who do not with all readiness and without any chewing swallow all that which he pleaseth out of his own fancy to say of the Scriptures indefinitely being the VVord of God and that they (b) Which indeed is the harder for any man to belive because that some stuck not to raze and blot out of them senâ—ences above 1200 years since as Socrates reports lib. 7. ca. 31. And what hath been the boldness of others in that or the like kinde to do to them before and since is not known nor can be imaginâ—d were confirmed by Miracles when indeed and in truth he believes neither the one nor the other himself for if he did how durst he be so bold as flatly to contradict them as here he hath done And upon my saying that Antichrist may do Miracles R. B. infers thus viz. So it seems for all the talk Miracles themselves would not serve if they saw them Answ By this your inference you imply as if the signes and Miracles wrought by God himself for the Confirmation of the Gospel were no way dscernable by men from such as were or may be wrought by the Devil and his Instruments Is not this a casting a high disparagement upon the wisdom power and justice of Almighty God in his requiring faith and obedience to the Gospel upon pain of Damnation and yet produce no other nor better evidence for the Confirmation of the truth thereof then Satan or his Ministers can do for the Confirmation of falshood Doth not this amount to high Blasphemy against God himself For did not the Signes and Miracles wrought by Moses in Egypt so far transcend all those that were or could be wrought by the Egyptian Sorcerers or by the Devil himself as they were apparently discernable by all that saw them from those wrought by the
we shall then be necessitated to despise the other party and by consequence to despise Christ and God himself but God puts no people upon any such necessities and therefore also the Ministers of the reformed Churches are not the true Ministers of Christ Whence will as a necessary consequence follow That all the Arguments which are or can be brought by R. B. to prove them such are fallacious and deceitful and all the Scriptures brought by him to ground and make good the said Arguments are perverted and abused because no good or sound Argument nor any Scripture in its true and genuine sence can be brought or produced to prove a lye and falshood as this is And if they who said they were Jews when they were not blasphemed Rev. 2. 9. What do they less who say They are the Ambassadors and Ministers of Jesus Christ when they are not Now if any skilful in humane Arts will please to put these Grounds and Reasons into Syllogistical Forms he may but I must let him know That this is not desired by the forementioned plain man for we may gather his Opinion of humane Learning and of the Art of Logick by his words uttered at Nice who had therefore rather with a plain and sincere minde with Faith and good works trust to such plain and downright Grounds and Reasons of his own then to any Artificial Logical or Fallacious Arguments brought now into the Churches by humane Learning whereby such a cunning Sophister as R. B. is able to make plain men such as he was believe The Crow is white the Swan black and the Moon to be made of green Cheese A POST-SCRIPT READER THe supposed ground of this Charge if he had any at all from my mouth was from a small Conference he had with me some five years since after which about three years since he sent me a Book of his Infidelity desiring me impartially to read it over which when I did I found therein very many things unsound at least to my apprehension some few whereof I noted in the Margent with my Pen with some hints of my exceptions thereunto which Book when I had thus gone through I returned unto him again with an Epistle in a blank Page thereof The Copy of which here followeth To Mr. RICHARD BAXTER At KIDDERMINSTER This deliver SIR I Have read over this your elaborate Piece most Learnedly and Zealously compiled wherein are many observable Things some excellent Good and some liable to Exception being asserted with much more Confidence then Proof at least as I conceive I have noted some few Places bear with the Rudeness and Imperfections thereof being sudden Conceptions hastily exprest not in the least intending it for your scanning but marking them meerly for my own further Consideration upon a Re-view But in my second Thuoghts considering your Ingenuity and Worth in divers respects to exceed the ordinary Pitch of Men of your Function I altered my Intention and resolved to subject the same notwithstanding all its Defects to your View well knowing that you by your far greater Abilities can easily descant what further and more exactly to that or the like effect might be urged by an abler Pen which I wish you would please impartially and without offence to consider as I have done your Book sent me I hope in much Candor and Love for which being much obliged I kindly thank you Farewel Decem. 1. 1655. Clement Writer The Reasons of my thus returning the book were chiefly these First I saw the contents thereof were such as made me something suspect that it was sent me as an Assault to provoke me to some open Contest with him which I desired to prevent as being not onely indisposed thereunto but also utterly unable to incounter with such an Assailant though it were to defend Truth against him Secondly considering if I should have made no return nor given him any account at all of my reading it he might have imagined that Truth had been on his side and have ascribed the modesty of my silence to the prevalency of that which he mis-calls Truth Wherefore to prevent both these I sent him in this loving and private manner my notes for him to consider of taking him then to be both honest and ingenious but I am not the first that hath been mistaken in that kind and therefore thought that by my communicating to him my apprehensions in this Friendly and private manner I should have had the like Love and Friendship returned me or at least never any way to have been quarrelled with about our different perswasions otherwise then by some friendly and private conference about the same which I expected and desired But I heard nothing from him at all about my Notes nor ought else until about August 1657. He being then in Worcester sent to speak with me I readily went my selfe alone thinking then he intended some such Conference but I was much deceived therein for coming to the House where he was he sent for me up to him in a Chamber whereinto I had no sooner entred but in came one slinking after me in a Ministers habit and without speaking any word sate him down at a distance from us in the same Room which observing I resolved in my self to be very reserved whatsoever his business was with me The Scoene being thus set in a stern authoritative manner he began to question me about a small Treatise then lately come forth intituled Fides Divina wherein as it seems some few of his Doctrines are touch'd demanding of me who was the Author of that Book I told him If I knew I would not tell him without the Authors leave seeing the Author himself had conceal'd it He then told me That he knew that I was the Author because it concurred with my Animadversions or Notes which formerly I had sent him To which I answered If he knew the Author before why did he but then ask to know who it was Telling him withal that he might be much mistaken in his Conclusion from such a Ground because there were very Many in England of the same Judgement with my Notes and far abler then my self to compile such a Book After which he would have had me declare my Faith and he would declare his and then see how far we agreed and in that we differ'd he would reason or Dispute it with me but this I declined telling him That I was no meet Match for him so great a Scholar unless I had some as great as himself to unty his fallacies wherewith hee might else soon entangle me Yet then the better to allure me to speak out fully according to the monstrous shape and ugly look of his aims He said to me What dare you not declare your Faith You need not fear any thing now in this time of Liberty But this Bait neither would be swallowed by me for I then ask'd him If it would be his wisdome without all fear upon such terms to
That is no member of his Body or true Church A. For this Body of Christ is capable onely of profitable Members by having some manifest gift of the Spirit to profit the Body withal for the manifestation of the Spirit for that purpose was given to every Member of that Body 1 Cor. 12. 7. c. Whence will follow No manifestation by some gift of the Spirit no Spirit of Christ and no Spirit of Christ no Member of Christs Body Page 87. B. The Spirit by extraordinary works formerly and by holy actuating the Church to the end is Christs great witness to the world N. Christs great witness to the world by his Spirit is by outward works not by inward workings in the hearts of his Saints A. For how can any unbeliever be convinced and brought to the Faith by the secret workings in another mans heart or spirit without some powerful manifestation thereof outwardly Page 96. B. All this you know is Scripture N. Although all this is Scripture yet little of all this is of Scripture and that which is is little to the purpose to prove that which is endeavoured by the Author Page 98. B. For the same spirit will not say and unsay N. How ill will this prove the generality of preaching now to be of the Spirit since the same is so full of Contradictions Page 99. B. The spirit of Illumination is the same and given onely by Scripture and for any spirit that shall contradict Scripture it can never be holy nor true nor faithful as contradicting Truth N. VVhen various and contradictious Expositions are made of Scripture how may we certainly know which is for and which is against the Truth and when or by whom were Miracles ever wrought to confirm Scripture or Doctrines taught now by our Ministers or whether all Scriptures Ministers and Doctrines now extant be or have been so confirmed since all do or may challenge it the one as well as the other Page 105. B. There is the Spirit of God within that doth second these Doctrines and take the received Species of them and impress them upon the Soul and doth this effectually and potently according to the mighty unresistible power of the Agent N. How then is unbelief any sin deserving damnation or belief any vertue if it be wrought by an inward unresistible power Page 106. B. You see the truth of Christian Religion by the Spirit of holiness besides that of Miracles formerly All Sects and sorts of Christians pretend to have this Spirit of holiness and may challenge the former Miracles to give evidence for the one as well as the other The Second PART Page 32. B. And to make the giving of the Holy Ghost to be that seal which should credit this report with their hearers N. VVhere is this seal to credit your Doctrine and Ministry if you had it it were more to purpose then a thousand such Books as this Page 34. B. No man can know that the Magna Charta the Petition of Right or any other Statute of this Land are indeed Genuine and Authentick N. Nor is any man bound upon Pain of Damnation so to know or believe it as he is the Gospel that hears it declared and attested by Signs and Gifts of the Holy Ghost wherefor the Comparison is frivolous Page 34. B. The most unlearned man is so far bound to believe the Statute of Felony to be authentick and in Force that he shall be justly hanged if he break it N. But no man can justly be hanged for not believing it onely nor can any man be justly blamed for not believing you more then another contradicting you Page 36. B. Miracles if common would lose their Convincing Force and be as none N. Miracles though common in the first Age lost not their Convincing Force Then Miracles though common in after Ages may not lose their Convincing Force But the first is true Besides in page 242 of the Third Part of this Book you tell us That it 's certain from current History and Church-Records that the Gift of casting out of Devils and making them confess themselves mastered by Christ did remain in the Church for long time after the Apostles even for three of four hundred yeers at least Page 45. B. God doth still effectually convince millions of men of the certainty of Christian Religion and that without renewed Miracles N. All several sorts of Christians have this Conviction respectively yet condemn one another for Hereticks Page 50. B. It was the Office of the Apostles and the Duty of all other that saw Christ's Miracles to bear witness of them N. It was the Office and Duty of such to stay until they were indued with power to do the like Miracles See Luk. 24. 49. Act. 1. 4 5 8. before their witness was to be received Page 50. B. Those that saw not those Miracles were bound to believe their witness N. Prove this if you can Page 55. B. Lillies Grammar may be mis-Printed or the Writings of Cicero Virgil or Ovid which were written before the Gospel and yet we are past all doubt that their Writings are not forged N. That which God bindes men to believe upon Pain of Damnation comes with more certainty then these or any other Writings or Words either especially they coming to them in an unknown Tongue A. As the Scriptures did from the Pen-men thereof unto nineteen parts of twenty men in the world Page 55. B. Must you not believe him that tells you the Truth and proves it to be so N. If one by his Scholarship proves it true and another in like manner prove it false which of the two is a man bound to believe or must he believe both Page 56 B. Object Christ saith If I had not done the works which no man else could do ye had no sin Answ But doth not say If ye had not seen them ye had no sin N. This Text is cited falsely and deceitfully for it affirmeth in effect that which is denied in the Answer A. For you wilfully have omited among them and that they did both see and hate both Christ and the Father which being cited and duly considered will quite overthrow that Doctrine which you seek here to up-hold by omiting it which is neither fair nor honest Page 58. B. All Historians are fallible and liable to Error N. How then can it be any sufficient ground of true and saving Faith A. Or how then can any History or words from men fallible and liable to Error without infallible Evidence be any sufficient Ground for Divine Faith since you tell us elsewhere That Divine Faith hath ever a Divine Testimony but no Testimony that is fallible and liable to Error can possibly be a Divine Testimony Page 59. B. Such are the Scriptures and it was necessary that the Language should be suited to the matter so to the capacity of the generality of the Readers N. How is this true when it is Barbarism to the generality
An Apologetical Narration Or a just and necessary VINDICATION OF CLEMENT WRITER AGAINST A Four-fold Charge laid on him BY RICHARD BAXTER And published by him in Print Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this To visit the Fatherless and Widows in their Afflictions and to keep himself unspotted from the World Jam. 1. 27. In vain do they worship me teaching for Doctrines the commandments of men Mat. 15. 9. Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you FOR I was an hungry and ye gave me Meat I was thirsty and ye gave me Drink I was a Stranger and ye took me in Naked and ye clothed me c. Mat. 25. 34 35 36. Woe be to you Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites for ye shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men for ye neither go in your selves neither suffer ye them that are entring to go in Mat. 23 13 14. The Second Edition with an Appendix by the same Author LONDON Printed for Daniel White and are to be sold at his Shop at the seven Stars on the North-side of St. Pauls To the Reader READER I Have here set before thee the whole business between Mr. Baxter and my self intreating thee to bear with such faults as happily thou mayst apprehend either in me or the Book and the rather let me move thee hereunto First Because I may requite thee with the like kindness when ever thou shalt be provoked in like manner to make thy Defence being openly set upon by such a potent Assailant as now I have been Secondly because it is more then probable that thou and I as well as all other men may be mistaken in apprehending of Errors when indeed and in truth the Error may be and many times is meerly in our own apprehension being much vitiated by Custom and Education Wherefore I advise thee once and again seriously and impartially to consider the whole matter over and over and then also not hastily to enter into the seat of Judgment because things of such high deep and weighty concernment need always due and exact weighing and that with sutable Balances wherein humane learning must neither have the pre-eminence nor bear any sway at all And especially in thy judging be very sollicitous and exceeding careful so to doe it as neither to wrong the Truth nor thy own conscience For if thou doest I assure thee whosoever thou art all the Honour and Advantage Profit and Preferment which thou shalt either retain or get thereby will proveâ—tly unreparable damage at last Pray with me therefore that the eyes of our understandings may be opened and anointed with Eye-salve that we may clearly see perfectly apprehend and certainly judge between both Persons and things that differ And in the mean time to exercise mutual Charity and forbearance one towards another at least until our Ignorances be much less and our Authority much more to judge one another in these matters Worcester this 25. of March 1658. Farewel Reader I am against my will provoked by Richard Baxter to make here my just Defence against some charge laid upon me by the name of Clem. Writer in a Pamphlet of his INTITULED A second Sheet for the Ministry wherein though he something mistakes my name yet I suppose I am the Person he ayms at THe first Charge is in p. 6. thus That Clem. Writer told him That no man is bound to believe that Christ did rise again or the rest of Christianity that seeth not Miracles himself to prove it Answ 1. I deny these words in manner form and sence to be ever spoken by me And 2. If any such words or of like import were spoken by me it was to this effect and meaning namely That no unconverted or unbelieving man is bound by God upon pain of damnation to believe and obey the Gospel without Divine evidence to attest unto him the truth thereof whereon undoubtedly to ground that his faith c. This long hath been yet is and must be my judgement until I am otherwise informed and I conceive there are sufficient grounds both from Scripture and Reason to confirm me therein But I leave it to Gods will not determining what Divine evidence he please to use for that purpose whether Signs Wonders diversities of Tongues Miracles casting out of Devils curing of the Lame healing of the Sick raising of the Dead for I finde that by these and other the like demonstrations of the powerful works and gifts of the Spirit he usually confirmed the Word every-where preach'd by his true Ministers for the conversion of men to the Faith of the Gospel insomuch as by the meer shadow of Peter and by the very handkerchiefs of Paul were special Miracles and many Cures wrought as may be seen in Mark 16. 20. Heb. 2. 4. Act. 2. Act. 5. 14 15 16. Act. 8. 6 7. 1 Cor 2. 4. Compared with Act. 19. 11 12 18 19 20. and many other places And as for Tongues these were for a sign not for them that believe but for them that believe not 1 Cor. 14. 22. And we likewise finde that the end of Christs sending of these powerful gifts of the Spirit to abide with his true Ministry and Church for ever Joh. 14. 16. was chiefly to convince the unbelieving world Joh. 16. 8. Thereby not onely to afford them successively in all Ages an infallible ground of Faith but also to bring them under guilt of much sin if they obeyed not the Gospel which otherwise would have been no sin at all in them Joh. 15. 24. And hence it was that the Apostles themselves were commanded to stay until they were endued with power from on high to enable them to do those mighty Works for the attestation of the truth of their Mission and Message for the conversion of men to the Faith of the Gospel Luk. 24. 49. Act. 1. 4 8. And it 's likewise worthy our Observation That neither the twelve nor yet the seventy were sent out at first until they had power given them over Devils and diseases c. whereby to enable them by Divine Evidence to attest the truth of that their Mission although they were then sent but to preach in the Land of Judea only Mat. 10. 5 6. Luk. 10. 1. c. And these being persons meerly of the same Language Kindred and Country might therefore have challenged to have been credited by the Jews upon their own bare testimony only without producing any Divine Evidence at all if any had been so to be credited Yet neither were they nor ought they nor Christ himself to be so credited in these matters as is most evident Joh. 10. 37. Joh. 5. 31 34 36. compared with Joh. 15. 24. And since that none of these were nor ought to be so credited how then dare any mortal man or men of what degree order sort or company soever now upon the face of the Earth assume or challenge to themselves any such Authority or Divine
1. 3 4 5 6 7. Mat. 5. 12. They having here a race set before them to run with patience and hold out to the end of their lives before they can get the prize And a warfare wherein they must fight hold out to the end and conquer before they can obtain the Crown in the day and Kingdom of Christ 1 Cor. 9. 24 25 26 27. Heb. 12. 1. Jam. 1. 12. 2 Tim. 4. 7 8. Yea and hold out unto death and overcome before they can receive the Crown of life and sit with Christ in his Throne and Kingdom Rev. 2. 10 26. Rev. 3. 21. Come ye blessed of the Father and inherite the Kingdom prepared for you Mat. 25. 34. This will not be said and performed by Christ to the righteous until after his coming in glory verse 31. All which places with many more that might be cited if need were do evidently shew That the Church in this world is not the Kingdom of Christ intended and meant in Luk. 1. 33. Isa 9. 6 7. nor in Psal 145. 13. as R. B. very inconsiderately expounds it to be for the Children of God must through much tribulation enter into that Kingdom Act. 14. 22. Through it note that and be past all for they shall have none at all after they once enter into that Kingdom I hope by this time I have quit my self of being an Infidel intimated by R. B. pag. the seventh which I conceive cannot justly be charged upon any man though he should but believe an Almighty God Maker of heaven and earth and that he is a Rewarder of them that seek him being no Respecter of persons but in every Nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted of him But as for his term Heathen I know not well his meaning but it may be feared That the righteousness of many who are by us called Heathens will finde acceptance with God when neither the faith nor righteousness of most called Christians will finde any A Gentile I confess my self to be so also must he unless he be a very Jew Thou seest Reader that R. B. his whole drift in this his second Sheet is to prove himself and the Ministers of the Reformed Churches to be the true Ministers of Jesus Christ which he endeavours to do by laying this ground viz. Christ saith he must alway have a true Church upon Earth even to the end of the world Whence he infers a necessity of a true Ministry there also because saith he pag. 8. The Church never did nor can subsist without its Officers who are an essential part of it as it is a politick body and the most eminent part as it is a Community Then he endeavours to prove the Ministers of the reformed Churches to be those Ministers or Officers by an argument pag. 11. thus framed Either those Pastors of the reformed Churches are the true Ministers of Christ or else there are none such visible in the world but there are such visibly and certainly in the world else there is no Church So then thou maist see That the whole stress of his Arguments to prove the Ministers of the reformed Churches to be the true Ministers of Christ hangs meerly upon this single pin namely That Christ must have a true Christian Church upon the earth alway even to the end of the world and his chiefest proof for that is First Mat. 28. 20. from Christs promise to be with his eleven Apostles alway even to the end of the world This promise R. B. saith is absolute that Christ will be with the eleven Apostles and their successors alway c. and therefore a true Church must be alway upon earth even to the end of the world Secondly from Luke 1. 33. and other Texts of like import where it 's said That Christ must raigne over the house of Jacob for ever and of that his Kingdom there shall be no end This house of Jacob and Kingdom of Christ R. B. expounds to be the Christian Church upon Earth in this world and thence concludes no end of the being of a true Church or Ministry upon earth Both which Expositions of his I have denyed and thou hast seen my Proofs and Refutations And mayst yet further see how these two Scriptures do interfere and cross one another and that in the main and chief point for which they are produced by R. B. to accord in viz to prove the time of the continuance of the Christian Church upon earth For if it be granted that both these Texts do mean the Christian Church in this world as they do not yet the one refers the continuance thereof but to the end of the world and the other refers it to no end at all but to be everlasting and for ever even as the Kingdom of Christ must be from the time of its first establishment Rev. 11. 15. Dan. 7. 14 18 27. Micha 4. 7. compared with Luk. 1. 33. Isai 9. 6 7. Psalm 145. 13. These last three being the Scriptures cited by R. B. to prove and uphold the kingly priesthood and raigne of the Ministers of the reformed Churches in Christs stead in his Kingdom over the house of Jacob everlastingly And this must be the fulfilling of the prophesies of Christs inheriting of the Throne of his Father David and of his restoring the Kingdom to Israel and to be the Kingdom wherein he will drink wine new with his Disciples and also the Kingdom wherein the Mother of Zebedees children desired of Christ that her two Sons might sit the one on his right hand and the other on his left Mat. 20. 20. Unto whom Christ answered That to sit on his right hand and on his left was not his to give but to them for whom it is prepared of his Father Whereby it is evident that such places are prepared of God for some to fit both on the right and left hand of Christ in the Kingdom Whence will clearly follow That Christ will be personally present in his Kingdom and therein sit with some on his right hand and some on his left But Christ is no where personally present so to sit in the reformed Churches nor in any of them nor in any other Church upon Earth no not in the Church of Rome nor yet in R. B. his Catholick or Universal Church Therefore the Refomed Churches nor any of them nor any other Church upon Earth no not the Church of Rome nor yet R. B. his Catholick or Universal Church is the Kingdom of Christ Moreover and besides all which Let it be considered how that the Promise in Mat. 28. 20. was not to the Church nor to any inferior Officer thereof for neither any such Officer to officiate in a Church nor any such Church wherein to officiate was then constituted but the promise was made meerly to the Eleven Apostles themselves who afterwards were both to plant Churches and appoint inferior Officers therein and therefore whatsoever the promise was it was specially
afterwards preacht before him and divers other earnedmen upon very short warning and far shorter prepaâ—â—tion of my knowledge But what may we think â—e plain honest man before mentioned were he now alive might and would say â—pon his seeing how much honour humane â—earning had now got even among reformed Christians as to be esteemed essentially necessary to Christianity and to be so much advanced as even by eminent Pastors of the reformed Churches to be accounted a gift of the Spirit and to be continued in their Churches in the room and place of those powerful and true gifts of the Spirit which were at first established by God in his Church whereinto Christians were all baptized by that one Spirit and thereby made partakers of some manifest gift thereof whereby to become serviceable and profitable to the Church or Body of Christ even as all the Members of a natural body are serviceable and helpful one to another Answ I conceive he might and would tell us That it is no marvel that the true-born gifts of the Spirit are now ceased and withdrawn from all their Churches upon their entertaining such a Bastard as humane Learning into their Communion and Fellowship as a necessary Fellow-helper and gift of the Spirit And that God who had commanded them not to be unequally yoaked could noâ— possibly endure to have his own holy and blessed Spirit so unequally yoaked For whaâ— Communion hath Light with Darkness Anâ— what concord hath Christ with Belial 2 Cor. 6 14 15. Yea he might tell us That no virtuous anâ— Christian Woman in his days would endurâ— Co-habitation with a nasty Strumpet thâ—â— did partake of her Husbands Affections anâ— Conjugal rights with her self but woulâ— make use of her Christian liberty and depart He might also tell us That humane Learning and the true gifts of the Spirit are not necessary to be both in one Church for they having the gift of Tongues what need have they to acquire them by humane Learning And if they have them by Acquisition what need have they of them also by meer gift of the Spirit Besides if these were both in one Church there would be some Emulation between them and a contest for Superiority He might also tell us That humane Learning is no gift of the Spirit given forth by Christ Act. 2. 1. Because Peter and John who had these gifts of the Spirit poured on them were both of them ignorant and unlearned men in respect of humane learning Act. 4. 13. yet were both of them able to communicate the gifts of Tongues to others by meer laying on of hands Act. 18. 14 17. compared with Act. 19. 6. 2. Because the gifts of the Spirit as that of Tongues were given by Christ to attest the Truth of the Gospel and to convince unbeâ—ievers giving them a sure ground of Faith But so are not Tongues nor any other Science acquired by humane Learning or Induâ—â—ry For 1. In case we would fain know whether R. â— his dogmatizing the baptizing of Infants to be a divine Ordinance of Jesus Christ be true or not this cannot certainly be determined by humane Learning nor is it any divine evidence to prove it because Mr. Tombes and many more by humane Learning maintain and attest the contrary But if either of them had the gifts of the Spirit to attest the truth of his respective Doctrine then it might soon be determined whether taught the truth because the true gifts of the Spirit never did nor can witness any false but always true Doctrine but all Heresies and false Doctrines yea the most absurd Doctrines among the Papists or that are or can be invented are maintained and attested by humane learning And 2. In case we would know whether the many Arguments produced by R. B. to prove the Ministry of the reformed Churches to be the true Ministry of Jesus Christ be true and sound or not And whether the multitude of Scriptures prest by him to that service be truly and in their genuine sence cited or not this cannot be determined by humane Learning Because the Papists be furnished altogether as well and have as great a measure of humane Learning whereby they are as able to pervert Scripture and produce as many Arguments to prove their Ministry to be the onely true Ministry of Christ as any of the Ministers of the reformed Churches can do to prove theirs the true Ministery of Christ but by the true gifts of the Spirit all these doubts and questions would soon be determined and that infallibly And since the true gifts of the Spirit are now wanting let us yet see what may be said for the determining of these questions and doubts and that from grounds granted by R. B. himself wherein I shall be very brief leaving the further Amplification thereof to others more able The Grounds on which I shall raise my proof are onely two The first is in page the fourth of his first sheet where he citeth Luk. 10 16. He that heareth you heareth me c. This saying of Christ he useth in the behalf of the Ministers of the reformed Churches holding them to be the true Ministers of Jesus Christ whereby he grants That this speech of Christ is truly applicable to all true Ministers of Jesus Christ This is the one Ground The other is in the sixteenth page of his second sheet where he proposeth If a Minister be in quiet possession of a place and fit for it the people are bound to obey him as a Minister without knowing that he was justly ordained or called For the proof whereof he produceth three Arguments the last whereof he draws from an absurdity which would follow thus viz. Else saith he the people are put upon impossibilities Whereby he grants That God puts not people upon any impossibilities This is the other Ground From both which true and undeniable Grounds the plain man before mentioned might conclude That the Ministers of the reformed Churches are not the true Miniâ—â—ers of Jesus Christ for this Reason Because they of the Synod of Dort were all Ministers of the reformed Churches both the Remonstrants and Contra-Remonstrants Now it is impossible for any to believe both these parties nor doth God require any to believe them nor can he in justice require it of any it being impossible but he requires the obedience of Faith to all his true Ministers therefore the Ministers of the reformed Churches are not the true Ministers of Christ And (i) To instance in particular all the contradictory Doctrines and Tenâ—nts which have been and are between the Ministers of the reformâ—d Churchâ—s would be a task too hard for any man to undertake they being so inâ—inâ—te I have here instanced in … which may serve as well as many to state and determine the case of the rest then again For us to believe onely one of the parties they being all Minister of the reformed Churches and so true Ministers of Christ as R. B. asserts