is not unprobable touching the generall beginnings of the Gentiles sacrifices so considering them in their particulars their own words will judge them guilty of grosse errour in instancing them as they doe The question is of Gods offering of the means of salvation to all even to the very Heathens before Christs coming in the flesh Their proofe for the affirmatiue is the sacrifices which the Gentiles had which yet they grant to haue been remembrances and acknowledgments of a false Christ. And are remembrances of a false Christ means of salvation Is there any other name under heaven by which men are saved then by the name of the true Christ Iesus the Son of God crucified by the Iews and raised again by God from the dead If the remembrances of a false Christ be means of salvation then is salvation had by a false Christ. The Apostle maketh the sacrifices of the Gentiles means of fellowship with devils these men make them means of fellowship with God The Apostle teacheth that they cannot stand with the remembrances of Christs body and bloud the cup of the Lord and the Lords Table these men make them the same in effect and remembrances of Christ. The Apostle means of provoking the Lord to anger and so of condemnation they means of pacifying God and of saving men Else where these men in their hote zeal will haue all even the most zealous Ministers in the Church of England preach and pray and doe all other things by none other spirit but the spirit of the man of sin and that all the effects of their so preaching and praying is but the false enlightning and heat of a false spirit And yet here in their hote charity towards the heathen they will haue their sacrifices in which they offer to devils and not to God yea those in which they sacrificed their sonns and daughters unto them and that as histories mention by the devils speciall direction in his Oracles these they will haue means of salvation by which God cals his guests to the marriage of his Sonne and as a good Phisit on offers to heal the fick of sin Thus tâ—ansforming God into the devill the true Christ into a false the Gospell into heynous Idolatry and the means of salvation into the high way and most effectual cause of utter pâ—â—dâ—tion To concludâ— this point If in Religion that which is false be none which elsewhere they make the ground of their rebaptizing how had or haue the Heathens any means of salvation which haue only the means of knowing and acknowledging a false Christ For the time since Christs coming in the flesh their first pâ—oof is Luk. 3. 6 All flesh shall see the salvation of our God But I demand of what sight of Christ Iohn here speaketh Not of bodily without doubt neither availed it them if he did Of spirituall then But so to see is to enjoy as Ioh. 3. 35 Psal. 69. 49 99. 15 1 Ioh. 3. 6. Neither doth the bare offering suffice to giue sight of Christ and of salvation by him except there be withall an opening of their eyes to whom he is offered so as they discern and acknowledge him and his salvation in the means so offering him to wit the Gospell But to let passe them that never heard of Christ how many are there that understand not the Gospell preached to them yea to whom it is meer foolishnes And how doe these see the salvation of God in Christ The meaning then of the words is that the Gentiles indefinitely as well as the Iews and in greater number then they should beleev in Christ to salvation By all Nations is meant as we haue formerly shewed not every particular Nation without exception much lesse every particular person but commonly the Gentiles with the Iews The Sun and Moon teaching God was as well before as since Christ but never taught Christ the Mediator but onely God the Creator and governour of the world Neither is the Gospell which is not known but by supernaturall revelation of the spirit so common as the Law which is naturall and written by creation in the heart of every man Neither should it be a fault if God offered not Christ to all as they most absurdly insinuate He ows not the offering of him to any more then the giving of him for any All is of mercy and therfore no fault but justice onely where no such offer is Where they affirm afterwards and truely that some to whom Christ is offered put him away quite as Iews and Turks I demand how then they keep and practise any remembrances of him or make any acknowledging of him which even now they affirmed every man in the world to doe Or if the fathers put him quite away how can the children haue or make any remembrance or acknowledgment of him having no new offer of him Can that which is quite put away be still continued That Christ might haue been manifested to every particular person whatsoever to wit if God had so pleased is true but both besides the question which is not what God might haue done or doth but what hee hath done or doth and also against themselvs for to say God might haue done a thing is to insinuate that he hath not done it In adding that if the means of salvation haue not been offered to every particular soule of reason and understanding the Scriptures are not true they are like themselvs but the Scriptures are true and their glosse upon them false God is true and all men lyars even such as tell a lye for God as they doe whom God will reproov therefore The two last kinds of their proofs are strange and either brought by them in cunning to deceiv the undiscerning Reader with the truth in it selfe but nothing to the maâ—n purpose yea plain against it or in weaknesse and want of judgment in themselvs to discern what makes for them and what against them Let us consider the particulars They professe and promise proof that Christ hath been offered in mercy to every particular man to whom the Law either written in mens hearts or in tables of stone hath come for reconciliation But in steed hereof as Balaam blessed when he meant to curse they both affirm and prov the plain contrary and that God hath not vouchsafed this mercy to many but in just judgment hath kept it from them Sundry true grounds they here lay down and prove to which we willingly assent as first that God by creating the heaven and earth and by their teachings sends men to seek out the worke-master This we grant and that the Heathens should by this light not of Christ to salvation of which our question is but of Gods power and Godhead haue grâ—ped after God and the further revelation of hâ—s will as he that lying in a dungeon sees some little glimpse of light and groaps aftâ—r it by the wall
to life beleeved that is of unbeleevers which they were before became beleevers in Christ according to that Rom. 8. 30 whom he predestinated them also he called that is he gaue them to beleev and repent Their preordination or predestination to life therefore went before their effectuall calling and beleeving as the cause before the effect Their assertion in the application of their Similitude of a mercifull rich man offering mony to so many as come that they who proudly refuse the rich mans gift were ordained to haue it as well as any that received it is most erroneous being applyed to the matter in hand and strikes directly against the Text which saith that so many as were ordained to life did beleev that is did come and receiv eternall life by beleeving in Christ. If all or so many as were ordained received it then they that received it not were not ordained Neither doth v. 46 as they affirm for a conclusion that their end may answer their beginning testifie any such thing but onely that they who thought themselvs unworthy of eternall life had the word of God preached unto them but that they were therfore ordained to eternall life is not the testimony of the Text but their unskilfull glosse The Holy Ghost expresly opposeth unto them to whom Paul speaks v. 46 them that were ordained to life v. 48. CHAP. III. Of falling away ADVERSARIES THE third Head questioned is according to their order whether a man may full from life eternalls but is more plainly and fully thus laid down Whether a man truely and effectually called justified and sanctified may wholly fall away from the grace of Christ They hold the affirmatiue and that a man may thus fall away though they set down their opinion both in unproper and doubtfull terms where they say that the promise of Gods election is continuedupon continuance in the condition of faith and obedience to Christs Gospell DEFENCE FIrst the Scriptures speak not of the promise of Gods election as they here doe again and again Election or gods purpose of electing is before the world the promise not till men actually be Gods purpose must needs be before his promise for he but promiseth in time what he purposed from eternity If they had spoken of Gods purpose of or according to election it had been something but what the promise of election means I understand not nor I suppose themselvs All election is to somewhat and this of which they speak to salvation the Kingdom of God and eternall life In their meaning then God promiseth to chuse to eternall life and continueth to promise to chuse to eternall life upon condition of continuance of the condition of election faith and obedience Now a promise made upon a condition to goe before is not to be performed till the condition be performed and so by their doctrine God doth not elect any till they haue continued to the end in faith and obedience that is till they be dead And so actuall and particular election is not of men living but dead To which absurd assertion these mens Masters the Arminians are driven It is true that God neither purposeth nor promiseth to saue any but such as persevere in faith and repentance unto the end So is it also true that this perseverance in grace depends upon election which is both to the end and means Christ Iesus and perseverance in faith in him and obedience unto him ADVERSARIES THeir Arguments are of two sorts the former drawn from such Scriptures as teach as they say that the godly may fall away the latter from such as exhort and admonish godly men to keep them-from falling away The latter of these two they prosequute â—n the first place upon this ground that if there were not danger and great need of warning the Lord who saith not in vain unto his people Seek yee me Esay 45. 19 would not so oft move them to take heed beware and the like DEFENCE AS they are deceived by the translation which they follow Esay 45 the Lord not speaking of his not saying in vain to his people Seek yee me but of their not seeking him in vain seeing all his words tend to righteousnesse So the ground which they lay is true in its selfe namely that were there no danger any way then it were in vain to warn to take heed which to affirm of God derogates from his wisedom We are therfore in the first place by way of distinction to consider a faithfull man either in respect of himselfe as sustaining himselfe or in respect of the grace of Christ sustaining him Considering him in himselfe we willingly grant that a faithfull man may as easily fall away as did the Angels in heaven and Adam in paradice being left to themselvs grace not being as is reason an inseparable property but that which is separable from mans nature But now considering the same faithfull person as a living member of Christs body receiving nourishment from him the head and given to Christ by the Father that he might saue him as having the spirit of Christ dwelling in him and as kept by the power of God through faith to salvation in that regard we deny that it can come to passe possibly that such a one should wholly fall away from the grace received And this divers consideration of one and the same person is founded in the Scriptures and light of reason The Apostle teacheth that both he and all others are insufficient of themselvs to think any thing as of themselvs but sufficient as of God that the faithfull may be weak in themselvs and haue God perfecting his strength in mans weakenesse that not a mans selfe but the grace of God in him may labour aboundantly that is he by â—t and not by his own strength Thus to open the distinction yet fullâ—er might Christs flesh haue seen corruption considered in it selfe as being made of the same mould with ours but so could it not possibly in regard of Gods purpose promise and work of providence to the contrary So considering his bones in themselvs and their naturall strength it was as possible they should haue been broken by the souldiers as the bones of the two theevs crucified with him but yet this was impossible in respect of Gods precedent word and prediction Not a bone of him shall be broken and of his present work of most powerfull providence according to his word If now with this consideration that a beleever may of himselfe fall away we conjoyn this other that the exhortations and admonitions in the Scriptures are means sanctified of God to keep and preserv all his from such apostasie how should it seem strange unto any that God should infallibly obtain his own end the perseverance of his Saints by his own means which these exhortations are Is it a good argument that God may fail of his end because he useth effectuall means wherby to
obtain it as exhortations and warnings are to perseverance Is it a good argument that the conduit may want water because a man skilfull in water-works layeth the conduit pipes with all diligence and Art between the Spring-head and the Conduit Or that the childe whom his father holding him fast by the hand in a slippery way and bidding him look that he fall not can fall out of his fathers hand Nay though left to himselfe he may yea cannot but fall yet considering his Fathers strength supposing him one that cannot fall himselfe wherof the childe is made partakers for his supportance he cannot fall Such a holding and helping hand of God are these exhortations made effectuall by his Spirit in the hearts of his children true beleevers Vnto whom as the Lord suith Seek yee my face so they answer Thy face Lord doe we seek The Lord saith in his word Take heed Stand fast Beware that ye fall not away and the like Vnto which their godly hearts answer Lord wee doe take heed doe beware c. For by these the servant of God is warned They are as seed sown in good ground which brings forth fruiâ— with patience to the harvest So as in truth the clean contrary doctrine to these mens collection is true that therfore the truely faithfull cannot fall away because they they I say being faithfull obedient and of honest hearts are by such exhortations and admonitions armed against such evill of apostacy To conclude this point The Lord Iesus giues his Apostles in charge to teach all Nations whatsoever he had commanded them adding thereunto the promise of his presence with them if they so did to the end of the world against whom also a Woe was denounced if they did not preach the same Gospell I would now know whether it could so come to passe that these Apostles should not and that willingly preach this Gospell and the truths thereof This to affirm were to blaspheme the holy Spirit of God by which they were immediately and infallibly guided in their Ministery Promises therfore and threatnings are not in vain for the provoking of men unto those duties which by reason of the Spirits powerfull work in them it is not possible but they should perform ADVERSARIES THE Scriptures brought by them for their Assertion follow The first is Hebr. 11. 15. whence they gather that as Esau lost his earthly inheritance to which hee had right so may the Saints loose their heavenly inheritance which they haue right to DEFENCE THE Apostle doth not so conclude but exhorts them onely to take head thereof and of that matter we spake even now at large Esau was a prophane person before he sold his birth-right and never other No doubt but a prophane person or hypocrite nourishing in himselfe the root of bitternes though living in the Church may loose whatsoever right he had and of such the Apostle here speaks If it be further objected that Esau had right indeed to the birth-right by them unskilfully called the inheritance I answer that he had never right to it spiritually nor in Gods appoyntment but onely in outward course and in regard of men and such a right to the heavenly inheritance may be and is by too many lost as the Apostle here insinuates Lastly who sees not the difference between the inward grace of faith and holines in the heart of a true beleever and the carnall right to that which is common to good and bad In Math. 5. 15. Christ sayth not as they accuse him that salt may loose his savour but if the salt loose his savour as he sayth If it be possible let this cup passe from me which yet all things considered could not be Of which form of speech we haue lately treated and shall more hereafter I suppose it was never seen that salt wanted saltnesse and if it doe how is it salt Besides Christ calles not his Apostles salt and light in regard of the grace of faith in their hearts but of their preaching the Gospell therewith to season and inlighten the world 2. Pet. 2. 20. they pervert as the former places making that absolute which is but conditionall and with an If. They say they which are washed may return with the sow to wallow in the myre and their latter end be worse then the beginning The Apostle sayth If after they be washed c. These forms of speech whether in scripture or other where If this then that do not necessarily prove that either this or that is so indeed but onely that if this be so then that also Both this and that in themselves may be impossible and yet the consequence good as if I should say at mid-night If it be day the Sun is rising or at mid-day If it be night the Sun is set so in the Scriptures Luk. 19. 40. 1. Cor. 15. 13 14. 15. 16. c. Gal. 1. 5. 10. and in infinite other places It is sufficient for the truth of a conditionall proposition that the latter part follow infallibly upon the former if it be but requires not that it should be These men and others herein labour of the same mistaking with the Disciples Ioh. 21. 22. 23. who upon Christs words to Peter touching Iohn If I will that he tarry till I come what is that to thee concluded that Iohn should not dye but should survive till the second comming of Christ which fancy also continued a long time in the mindes of many But the Evangelist in the same place teacheth them that will learn not to interprete conditionall speeches as absolute Iesus sayd not unto him he shall not dye but if I will that he tarry till I come or dye not If it be further replyed that the Apostle aimes at certaine particular persons which denyed the Lord that bought them whose pernicious wayes others followed unto whom it did happen according to the true proverb The dog is turned to his vomit again which same persons Iude also chargeth to haue turned the grace of God into wantonnesse I willingly grant the thing so to haue been but deny the conditionall form of speech to proue it absolutely And for the thing I answer that the Apostles there speak of mens being purged and washed and the like according to the outward profession onely which they formerly made and which the Church took knowledge of and not according to the inward truth of the heart which they knew not but God alone I add to put the matter wholly out of question that these Apostles thus speaking doe in the same places both gather themselves by the event and teach us that these persons of whom they speak were never truely and effectually sanctified but onely in their own and other mens opinion as where Peter v. 7. 8. 9. opposing righteous Lot to the wicked Sodomites addeth that as God delivered him so fo he knoweth that is can and will deliver the godly out of
such Heathenish men of yeares as became Proselytes then of their Infants to be circumcised with them The ground of this errour in so many is that they understand not the true nature of the Gospell and Ordinances thereof The Gospell aymes not at the exacting upon man as made after Gods own image obedience due as a naturall debt from the creature to the Creator as the Law doth but considers him as a most miserable creature drowned in sin and altogether unable to help himselfe neither yet servs it and its Ordinances primarily to declare and manifest what man in right owes and performs to God but what God in mercy purposeth doth and will perform to man being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a joyfull message or glad tydings of salvation by Christ. So to apply this for the baptizing of Infants albeit they on their part can for the present make no manifestation or declaration of obedience or thankfulnesse or any other goodnesse yet sufficeth it for Evangelicall dispensation that God according to the Covenant of grace I will be thy God and the God of thy seed can and will make manifestation and declaration of his gracious minde of washing them with the bloud and spirit of his Son from the guilt and contagion of sin they also being bound in their times to reciprocall duties Let us not think scorn as proud free-willers doe of Gods taking both of us and our infants to be his people going before our or their taking of him to be our God But let us rather magnifie his mercie in this regard both towards us and them ADVERSARIES NExt they undertake to proue that Infants are not regenerate and so not to be baptized Their reason is because they haue not faith and repentance This Regeneration they define to be a turning from sin to God which they would proue from Rom. 6. 11. DEFENCE THE Apostle Rom. 6 speaks not of regeneration it self which is Gods work but of our living to God as an effect therof For as our naturall life is an effect of our first generation or begetting by our parents so is our spirituall life an effect of our regeneration by God and his Word and Spirit Turning from sin is mans work by Gods grace Regeneration is Gods work not mans So for Repentance they roav about it on all sides but scarse touch the true nature of it Repentance to wit Evangelicall required for Baptism in men of years is neither a sight and knowing of sin by the Law for that the wicked also doe nor a confessing of sin for that is outward and follows repentance in the heart nor a sorrow for sin for that goes before it nor a promise to forsake sin for that follows after it as an outward effect no nor yet properly an endevour to forsake it though that come nearest Repentance is properly a growing wise afterwards and changing of the minde from sin to God in the purpose of the heaâ—tâ— having an effectuall endevour to forsake sin accompanying it as the effect thereof Now their argumentation in this place that because Infants haue not faith and repentance to wit actuall and that in manifestation also which are the conditions required in men of years for their Baptism and the inseparable fruits of regeneration therefore they are not regenerate and so not capable of Baptism is as if some idiot would affirm that infants are not born nor to be reputed reasonable creatures nor endued with the faculties of understanding and reason because they make no manifestation thereof no more then bruits doe Their proofs against the Regeneration of Infants thus disproved I manifest the contrary as followeth Christ the Lord teacheth that except a man be born or as the word more properly imports begot again hee cannot enter into Gods Kingdom Either therfore regeneration is to be granted Infants or Gods Kingdom to be denyed them If any say this is meant of men of years onely the Text convinceth him which opposeth the first birth or generation which is of Infants to the second regeneration The first as v. 6 being of the flesh making them so born uncapable of Gods Kingdom without the second by the spirit Secondly they confesse else-where that all by Adams fall haue that weak flesh Rom. 8. 3 by which they cannot keep the Law c. Now I demand whether Infants to be glorified carry this weak flesh hindring thus effectually true holinesse into heaven with them or no If not as is certain then it must be purged out of their soules and hearts as the seat and subject therof But nothing can purge out that which is contrary to holinesse saue the holy Spirit of God the Spirit of regeneration which lusts against the flesh and is contrary unto it either therfore they must be regenerated or not glorified Thirdly the Scriptures teach that by the spirit of Christ which is the spirit of life for righteousnesse dwelling in us our bodies shall be quickned and raised up unto glory Children therefore by their grant being to be raised again and glorified by Christ must haue Christs spirit which is the spirit of sanctification and regeneration dwelling in them Lastly joyn with these things that all are by nature I say by nature with the Apostle not by act alone as say the Adversaries children of wrath having right to wrath as children to their fathers inheritance and therewith that baptism is the lavacher or washing of regeneration it will follow that children if to be freed from the wrath to come and glorified are to be regenerated and baptized also Christ saues and so glorifies his body onely which is the Church which he sanctisies with the washing of water and the word and there is one body and one baptism ADVERSARIES THeir Answers to the Scriptures brought for the baptizing of the Infants of beleevers follow To Act. 2. 38. 39. Repent and be baptized every one of you c. for the promise is unto you and to your children and to all that are a farre off even as many as the Lord shall call they answer that this is meant of such fathers of the Iews and their children and fathers of the Gentiles and their children as beleev viz. both fathers and children and that by children are oft meant men of yeares in the Scriptures specially Abrahams children DEFENCE THat such are sometimes meant wee grant but deny that meaning in this place And first by them a far off are not meant the Gentiles far off in state as Eph. 2 but the Iews far off in time as the originall carries it Besides neither was Peter himselfe as yet sufficiently perswaded of the calling of the Gentiles Act 10 neither if he had was it as yet seasonable to mention that matter to the Iews Secondly in saying the promise is made to you and your children hee speaks of some solemn promise made to them all and the same to haue its fruit and effect