meete in any of them the works of Lurher Calvin Beza or any of our own authors if you do not meet som Comedies or Romances if you reade our Modern Writers you shall find their bookes to be stuft with arguments stolen from Stapleton Peron Bellarmin and other Popish Drs. wheras they ought to take their Doctrin from Luther Calvin and our other first Reformers Apostles raised by Gods heavenly Spirit Oracles by whose mouths and pens he delivered the pure and Orthodox Doctrin of the Ghospel heavenly Fontains from which wee ought to drink the Doctrin of the Reformation therefore J have made a particular study for the comfort of my Reader not to profane this Treatise with any quotation of any Popish Writer none but our own Drs. Secondly my Reader will be pleased with this Treatise because J do not oblige him to believe the contents of it if he mislikes any Doctrin couched in this booke let him not believe it if he likes it let him believe it what J pretend is to maintain his libertie for to believe or not believe what he please and that none can say black in his eye for believing whatever he judges to be the sense of Scripture let all others think of it what they will for our Rule of faith as J will prove being Scripture as each Person vnderstands it who can be so bold as to check you for teaching and believing what you vnderstand scripture to say som Doctrins there are in this booke delivered by Luther Calvin Zuinglius Beza and others which our Church of England and som others do call blasphemies and scandalous Tenets and their irreverence and arrogance is run so farr as to condemn those blessed men for teaching such Tenets and say that they swerved from the truth and had their fraileties in so much that many of vs are ashamed to own those great men to have been our Reformers and leaders this is an impiety altogither insupportable it cannot be suffered with patience that such Apostolical men who were vndeniably our first Masters of the Reformation should be so vilified and abused therefore J do prove that ther 's no Doctrin delivered by them but is to be esteemed and called the Doctrin of the Reformation and can be according the Principles of the Reformed Church believed and taught by any Reformed Child for what is our Rule of faith in the Reformation but Scripture as each Person of sound judgment vndestands it consequently what is the Doctrin of the Reformation but what any Person of sound judgment vnderstands to be of Scripture whatever Doctrin therefore Luther Calvin or others judged to be of Scripture how can you deny it to be the Doctrin of the Reformation or blame them for teaching and believing it if you do not like it the most you can in justice do is not to believe it but you cannot justly say it s not the Doctrin of the Reformation because it 's Scripture as vnderstood by Persons of good judgment nor can you in justice blame them or any other for believing it if they like it for must not wee believe what wee judge in our conscience to be the Doctrin of Scripture Lastly my Reader will be pleased with the sincerity and plain dealing of this Treatise as much as wee are all offended by the dissimulation and double dealing of our Modern Writers whose aim and scope in the bookes they give out Seems to be nothing else but to say soâ—what whereby they may be thought tâ— be no Papists and nothing is less founâ— in their Writings than the pure and orthodox Doctrin of the Reformationâ— and what is to be bemoan'd that youâ— hardly see in the houses or hands of thâ— flock the works of Luther Calvin oâ— our other first Reformers they are hiâ— from vs to keep vs in ignorance of thâ— true Reformed Doctrin and wee see buâ— Bramhal Tillinson Taylor Stillingfleet Thorndik and such others whose Doctrin is neither Popery nor of the Reformation but a new compound of both they do so mangle the questions controverted with their scholastical subtilities and distinctions as if they werâ— ashamed to own openly our Tenets and did endeauor to get the opinion oâ— moderat sober men with the Papists by drawing as neer as their Interest caâ— permit them to their Doctrin Ask them if we be obliged to believe the Doctrin and sense of scripture delivered by a general Council our first Reformers resolved roundly that we are not nay Luther saies expresly we are bound to gainsay and work against the Decrees of any Council but our Modern Doctors answer with a pretty Distincction Ther 's a civil obligation quoth one but no obligation in conscience Ther 's an obligation in conscience saies an other provided you do not believe they are infallible you may believe they are infallible objectively or terminatively saies an other but not subjectively they are infallible in fundamental points saies an other but not in inferior Truths An other will come yet and say they are absoluty infallible in all Articles and thus by little and little the Papists gain ground against vs and the lustre of our Reformation is clouded by the cowardliness or insincerity or hiprocisy of our Modern teachers 1. Kings 18. How long halt ye between two opinions if the Lord be God follow him but if Baal then follow him Luther Calvin Beza and our other first Reformers were raised by God to teach vs the purity of the Ghospel let vs not be ashamed to follow their Doctrin to speake preach and believe as they did Therefore J do propose their Doctrin in this Treatise in its native coulours that if you like it you may believe it and if any be so bold as to Say you believe fals or scaâ—dalous Doctrin you must answer iâ— the Doctrin of the Reformation bâ—cause its Scripture as vnderstood bâ— Persons of judgment and the greate Oracles wee had and if you do noâ— like it you may deny it but bewaâ— never to blame or check any other foâ— believing it this is the Holy libertie oâ— the Ghospel and of our Primitive Râ—formation FIRST DIALOGUE ISMAEL I have read your Preface and Principles me thinks you drive to establish a new Religion for that vnlimited libertie which you assert for to belieue or not belieue whatever we please with a safe Conscience is not allowed by any of our Reformed CongregatioÌ„s and it were to be wisht you should rather stick to som one of the Congregations now establisht than to erect a new one for we have but too many already Isaac The Lord forbid I should think or speake otherwise then as becometh a true child of the Reformation If you will oblige me to belieue Scripture as interpreted by the Lutheran Church the like I say of any other Congregation and deny the Tenets of all others what difference betwixt me and a Papist in the electiâ— of my Religion for the Papist's Râ—ligion must be no other but Scriptâ— as
word Isaac How can you say I beate you from all Religion when I directly perswade you to follow the Rule of faith of our Reformation Scripture as each Person of sound judgment vnderstands it let this be your Religion if you will be a true Reformed Whateuer you judge in your conscience to be true let the Church of England or France or any other say and believe what they will you are to believe but what you judge by scripture to be true and this is the Religion of the Reformation Ismael J would gladly know if it be lawfull to chop or change the text Isaac It 's the Doctrin of the Reformation that you cannot because God has forbid to add to or take away from his word and therefore wee condemn the Papists for their Traditions obtruded vpon the flock as the Word of God It 's also the Doctrin of the Reformation and the practise of our best Reformers when the text does not speake cleerly enough that for to refute Popery and establish our own Doctrin wee may add or diminish a word or two which is not to change the Word of God but to make it speake more expresly as when Luther had a mind to preach Iustification by faith alone finding the Text said but Man is justified by faith he added the word Alone and made the Text very cleer against Popery which formerly was somwhat obscure Zuinglius being to teach the Figurative presence of Christ in the Sacrament found the Text this is my Body to be too pat against his Doctrin and insteed of Is put in this signifieth The Church of England being to preach the kings Spiritual Supremacy could not convince the obstinat Papist by the Original text which saide 1. Pet. 2 submit yourselvts vnto every human creature for the Lord's sake whether it it be the king as excelling or to c. But in king Edwards time they altered one word and made the text thus submit yourselves to every Ordinance of man whether it be to the king as being the cheef head and the following impressions of the Bible the yeare 1557. and 79. saie To the king as supreame And so the true Ductrin is cleerly convinced out of Scripture as also the Lawfullness of Priests marriageâ— for the text before the Reformation said 1. Cor. 9 have not wee power to leade about a Woman sister and now our Bibles say have not wee power to leade about a Wife being our sister hence its evident according the Doctrine and practise of our Reformation that when you have a mind to establish a Doctrin which you judge to be true you may change the text and make it speake to your sense and meaning provided you judge your sense to be true Ismael What do you think of Iustifying faith does faith alone justify vs Isaac It 's the Doctrin of the Reformation that without charity it cannot because S. Paul saies 1. Cor. 13. if I have faith so as to move mountains and have no charity I am nothing It 's also the Doctrin of the Reformation that its impious and wicked to say faith alone without charity does not justify this is Scripture as interpreted by Luther a man of sound judgment Who say quoth Luther that faith alone tho perfect it be cannot justify without charitie say impiously and wickedly because faith alone without any good works doth justify Believe which Doctrin you please both are of the Reformation Ismael Luther was insolent in checking the Doctrin of S. Paul Isaac Probably he did not reflect that it was the Doctrin of the Apostle and if you will have it to be a check of S. Paul Luther will answer for himself Be it saies he that the Church Augustiâ— or other Drs also Peter and Paul nay and an Angel from heaven should teach otherwise than as I teach yet my Doctrin is such that it setteth forth Gods glory I know I teach no human but Divin Doctrin It 's the Doctrin of the Reformation that faith alone without any good works and notwithstanding all sins you are guiltie of doth justify you this is Scripture as interpreted by Luther who saies nothing can damn you but incredulity as nothing but faith can save you of Whitaker Wotten fulk and Beza whose words I related in our precedent Dialogue which J believe you remember and J need not repeat Jts also the Doctrin of the Reformation that good workes are meritorious of grace and glorie Hocker and Harmonia confess say its the Doctrin of scripture and what any Person of sound judgment judges to be the Doctrin of scripture he may believe it for this is our Rule of faith it s like wise the Doctrin generally of all our Church that good Works are not at all meritorious Tindal called by Fox a Man of God and a constant Martyr judges this to be so true that in his treatise de Mammona iniquitatis he saies Christ himself did not by all his good Works merit the glory and tho the scripture saies expresly he did Calvin affirms that its a foolish curiosity to examin and a rash proposition to say Christ did merit Jt's the Doctrin of the Reformation that tho good works be not meritorious nor have not the least influence in our justification or salvation yet they are absolutly needfull for both in as much as that true faith cannot be without good Works because they are the marks and signs of a living faith by which alone wee are saved this is the judgment of the Church of England expressed in the 11. and 12. Article of the 39. and of Melancton in locis Commun de Bonis operibus and you may believe it You may also believe and its the Doctrin of the Reformation that good Works are so farr from being needfull that they are prejudicious and hurtfull to our salvation and the best way to be saved is to do no good Work at all this is scripture as interpreted by Jlliricus Flaccius Amsdorfius quoted in Act. Colloq Aldeburg pag. 205. and 299. and Luther was so deeply perswaded of this truth that tho Christ said If â—hou wilt enter into the kingdom of heaven keep the Commandments Luther saies it s an obstacle to our Salvation to keep them Where it is said quoth he that faith in Christ doth indeed justify vs but that it is necessary also to keep the Commandements there Christ is denied and faith abolisht because that which is proper to faith alone is attributed to the Commandements And again saies he if faith be-acompanied with good Works it s â—o true faith that it may justifie it must be alone without any good Works This is Scripture as interpreted by such Eminent and sound men and consequently the Doctrin of the Reformation and who doubts but that any Doctrin of the Reformation may be believed Hence forward when you hear the preacher exhort you to good Works you may believe him if you please and have a
mind to spend your monies because he preaches the Doctrin of the Reformation or you may laugh at him and believe not a word he saies because he preachs against the Doctrin of the Reformation Ismael These are dangerous and scandalous Tenets destructive of piety and Christianity and let Luther and those Authors you quoted say what they please the Reformation nor no honest man will ever believe such abominable Doctrin Isaac J do not say that the Children of the Reformation are obliged to believe them they may believe as you do that all are wicked Tenets but if Luther and the others cited judge in their conscience these Tenets to be the Doctrin of scripture and if Peter John or James like their interpretation I say they may according the Principles of our Reformation believe them and be as truly Reformed Children as you for our Rule of faith is Scripture as each Person of sound judgment vnderstands it and in believing those Tenets because they judge them to be the Doctrin of scripture they stick fast to and follow our Rule of faith why is Figurative Presence and the kings supremacie the Doctrin of the Reformation tho denied by Papists Lutherans and Presbyterians but because the Protestants judge its the Doctrin of scripture if therefore those great Authors I quoted and any other with them judge those Tenets to be the Doctrin of Scripture they can be justly called the Doctrin of the Reformation must Protestants be forced against their judgments to deny Real Presence and supremacy because Lutherans say its wicked Doctrin and why must Luther Jlliticus Flaccius and others be forced to deny those Tenets tho Protestants or Papists judge them to be damnable I let each one believe what he thinks to be the Doctrin of Scripture and he will still be a true Reformed Child Ismael Does not our Reformation teach that it 's possible to all men assisted with Gods Grace to keep the Commandments Isaac This is the Doctrin of the Church of England and consequently of the Reformation It 's also the Doctrin of the Reformation delivered out of Scripture as interpreted by Luther Calvin Willet and several others that its impossible to any man assisted with what Grace soever to keep the Commandments None has euer yet saies our great Calvin and God has decreed none shall ever keep the Commandments Again The law and Commandments were giuen vs to no other end but that we should be damn'd by them in as much as that it is impossible for vs to do what they command The same Doctrin is taught by Luther in several places of his Works by Willet and by our Brethren the Gomarists of Holland and many of our french Synods Believe which you please both Doctrins are of the Reformation Jt's also the Doctrin of Luther and Calvin that God does not cast men into hell because their sins deserve it nor save men because they merit it but meerly because he will have it so He crowns those who have not deserved it saies Luther and he punishes those who have not deserved it t is Gods wrath and seuerity to damn the one 't is his Grace and mercy to saue the other Calvin also Men are damn'd for no other cause but because God will have it so he is the cause and author of their damnation their damnation is decreed by God when they are in their Mother's womb because he will have it so this is also the belief of our Gomarists in Holland of many french Churchs and of several learned Calvinists tho the Church of England denies this Doctrin none will dare say it s not the Doctrin of the Reformation because its Scripture as interpreted by such Eminent men of our Church Ismael J will neuer believe such execrable Doctrins nor will J euer be of any Congregation which believes them Isaac J do not advise you to believe them but to giue others leaue to believe them if they think them to be the Doctrin of Scripture as Luther Calvin Willet Gomarists and others do you must not if you be a true Reformed Child hinder any man from believing nor be displeased with him for believing what he judges in his conscience to be the Doctrin of Scripture for this is our Rule of faith Will not you be of the Congregation and Religion of those who follow Scripture as their Rule of faith and Believe what they judge in their conscience to be the Doctrin of Scripture Ismael Yes J will and am of such a Congregation for this is the Rule of faith of the Reformation Isaac Why then you must be of the same Congregation with the Gomarists Luther Calvin and the others who believe those which you call execrable Doctrins because they follow Scripture as they vnderstand and believe those Doctrins because they judge them to be of Scripture you both follow the same Rule one goes one way and the other an other and both are of the Reformation The Church of England vnderstands by Scripture that God is not the Author nor cause of sin that he does not force vs to sin who doubts but that this is there fore the Doctrin of the Reformation But Calvin Brentius Beza and several others vndestand by Scripture that God is the cause and author which forces our Will to sin that man and the deuil are but Gods instruments to commit it that murthers incests blasphemies c are the works of God that he makes vs commit them and who doubts but this also is the Doctrin of the Reformation being Scripture as interpreted by such eminent and sound judgments God saies Calvin directs moues inclins and forces the Will of man to sin in so much that the power and efficacy of working is wholy in him man nay and satan when he impells vs Being only Gods instruments which he vses for to make vs sin Zuinglius Willet Beza teach the same VI. DIALOGUE ISMAEL J am weary of hearing such horrid blasphemies my heart trembles to heare you say that such abominable Tenets may be believed according our Rule of faith and Principles of our Reformation I beseech you let me hear no more of such stuff J conceive very well that mens judgments and consciences are not to be constrain'd to believe or deny this or that Tenet because the Pope or his infaillable forsooth Church wil have it so Isaac and must they be constrain'd to deny or believe because the fallible Church of England or France will have it so Ismael No J do not say they must have patience and heare me speake a whyle J say that Scripture must be our Rule of faith and not any Pope or Church or Congregation and that wee are no to be forced by any to believe but what wee vnderstand to be true by Scripture and that if wee judge by Scripture any Doctrin to be fals and contrary to Gods Word wee must not be forced to believe it but wee must not abuse this
Apostles men raised extraordinaryly by God and replenisht with his Spirit to teach vs the Ghospell and if wee be to seek for the pure and Orthodox Doctrin of the Reformation ought not wee to be said rather by Luther Calvin Melancton Zuinglius Beza and our other first Reformers than by a few Ministers and Bishops of England who tho they be wise and pious men yet they are not of that stamp as the others And if our present Congregations presume to correct them and say they ouerlasht in their Doctrin will not the Papists say if they have been such scandalous Masters and fals teachers why did you receive their Reformation and as they erred so grosly in such prime articles of Christianity why do not you feare and suspect they have also erred in the rest secondly the Papists will say if as they reformed vs you reform them then you must expect and permit that others may reform you and forsake your Doctrin as you forsake theirs Ismael I wish you could make out that the Reformation was in its full perfection in its beginning had you read som Writers of ours perhaps you would judge otherwise Musculus a learned Lutheran writes thus Thus it is with vs at present that if any be desirous to see a great rabble of knaues turbulent Spirits deceitfull persons Coseners and debauch men let him go to a Ciâ—ty where the Ghospel is purely preached and he shall find them by multitudes for its more manifest than the day light that never were there more vnbridled and vnruly people among the turks and other infidels than the Professors of the Reformed Ghospel Luther himself saies as much The world grows dayly worse and men are now more covetous revengefull and lycentious than they were in Popery Mr. Stubs sayes no less After my travells round about all England I found the people in most parts proud malicious ambitious and careless of good works Mr Richard Geferie in his Sermon at St. Pauls Cross printed in 1604. I may freely speake what I have plainly seen that in Flanders â—ever was there more drunkness in Italy more wantonnesâ— in lury more hypocrisy in Turkie more impiety in Tartary more iniquity than is practis'd generally in England and particularly in London Certainly our Reformation at present deserues a better caracter never did the Alehouses and Taverns complain more heauily of want of trading which is a proof of our Sobriety the Churches which we see a building in London is a good testimony of piety and we are so farr from any smack of hypocrisy that you shall not see in all London the least appearance of Virtue so hiddenly its kept from mortal Eyes but what you may meet in our honests Quakers Isaac I confess our Congregations as now they are are very good both in Doctrin and manners but I say also that the Doctrin and manners of our Reformation at its first beginning was as pure as holy and as true as now it is or ever it will be Nay supposing and granted their manners and Doctrin were so corrupt as those Drs. mention I say that amidst all those vices their life was as holy innocent blamless and pure as yours is now and that you may be convinc't of this truth know that Calvin expressy teachs Wee belieue the sins of the faithfull he means of the Reformation are but venial sins not but that they deserve death but because there is no damnation for the Children of Grace in as much as their sins are not imputed to them And again he saies Wee can assure ourselves wee can no more be damn'd for any sins than Iesus-Christ himself Luther is of the same opinion As nothing but faith doth justifiy vs so nothing but incredulity is a sin Again No sin is so great that it can condemn a man such as are damn'd are damn'd only for their incredulitie Whitaker No sin can hurt a man who has faith The same is taught by Wotten Fulk Tindal and Beza It s therefore the Doctrin of Scripture as interpreted by these Persons of great and sound judgment that incests murthers intemperance or whateuer else you call a sin incredulitie excepted either is no sin at all or but venial sins which do no harm nor cannot damn the children of the Reformation if therefore our Brethren lived in the beginning of the Reformation as those authors relate they liued according Scripture as interpreted to them by men of sound judgment and this being our Rule of faith and manners they did not ill but very well in following it Ismael They were men of the Reformation its true who taught these errors and dissolution of life and good manners in so much they swerued from the spirit holyness and purity of the Reformation and must not be believed nor commended looke vpon the Reformation as now it is and you will not find any such scandalous Doctrin or corruption of manners Isaac They were not only men of the Reformation but the greatest Oracles of it which you will not match with any of our present congregations and it s not pardonable in any Reformed Child to say such Oracles extrordinarily raised by God to teach the purity of the Ghospel should have taught either Errors in Doctrin or dissolution of manners they taught what in their conscience they vnderstood by Scripture to be true if you will not be so irreverent as to say that they were knaves Who spoke and taught against their conscience and knoâ—ledge Therefore they taught the Doctrin of the Reformation purely and truly the consequence is euidentâ— for what is the Doctrin of the Reformation but what wise learned men of sound judgment think and vnderstand by Scripture to be true why is figuratiue Presence the Doctrin of the Reformation tho denied by Lutherans who are Reformed also but because wise learned men judge by Scripture as they vnderstand it it s the true Doctrin or can you give me any other Rule of faith by which wee may know what Doctrin is of the Reformation and what not but Scripture as each Person of sound judgment vnderstands it or what Rule can you give for to know what is good or euil to be don but Scripture as vnderstood bâ— such Persons if therefore Luther Calvin and the other Drs. J quoted judge by Scripture that Doctrin and manner of life to be true and good why may not wee say its the Doctrin of the Reformation if you or the Church of England or Scotland judge that Doctrin to be false and that manner of life to be a dissolution and corruption of manners why you are men of sound judgment you vnderstand Scripture so that will be the Doctrin also of the Reformation you may believe it but you must not deny that Luther and Calvins Doctrin also is of the Reformation because they were men of as sound a judgmen as you You transgress haynously against modestie in saying those sacred Organs of God