3. to maintain the same errour but to what purpose let the world judge The Prophet there shews that when Christ should come he should refine his silver that is his Church the sons of Levi the purest of his Silver for even they stood in need of purifying now can the reprobate be called the purest of his silver your argument deserves to be hist at rather then answered Read the 5. verse following and there you shal finde that Christ takes another course with them where it is said I will come neer to you to judgement I will be a swift witnesse against the sorcerers against adulterers against the falseswearers c. So you may see it is against the persons not against their sins agreeable is that in 2 Pet. 2. 1 2 3. c. Your last Proofe is Reve. 15. 8. And the Temple was filled with smoke c. I will first shew the true meaning of the place and then observe the unfitnesse of your Allegory The Spirit of God in the 14. Chapter foretells the day of judgement verse 19 20. but before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord he signifies several horrible judgements that should fall upon the kingdom of Anti-Christ Chap. 16. Now that they might know these judgements came not by chance he shews from whence they came and that was from the Temple of God from above ver. 5. which Temple was filled with smoke which signifies the glory of God as in 1 Kin. 8. 10 11. 1. He doth it to admonish us that we pry not too narrowly into Gods judgements for they are incomprehensible but to wait untill the day when all secrets shall be made manifest 1 Cor. 4. 5. Let us See now what your Allegory can deduce from this Because God before the day of judgement will send seven fearful Plagues from above upon the earth that is upon the followers of Anti-Christ the men which have the mark of the beast and worsâ—ip his image Rev. 16. 1 2. on the wicked and such as shed the blood of the Saints ver. 6. therefore will he not destroy any man not the impenitent unbeleeving Reprobate excepted for this that you indevour to assert in this Chapter and now consider what a conclusion you have made and how your Allegory is vanished CHAP. 20. Page 78. In this Chapter you tax the Magistrates and ministers for illegal proceedings against you I know it is the Custome of such companions as you to be the first accusers that thereby they may seem to be innocent I am a stranger to their proceedings against you but onely by the relation of them yet not so much to some of the persons but that I know them to be men of that integrity that they would not wrong you as the event will questionlesse make manifest And whereas you say you are charged for being a Blasphemer it is evident you are so and therefore cannot justly complain of any injustice done you in that particular for any Good Christian that reads your book will assuredly condemn you of Blasphemy because you make God the Author of your lies wresting and perverting the Scriptures to serve your wicked purposes For your confidence in boasting that you are clear and innocent in your own spirit it moves me not nor any man els that hath heard and read of the practices of the devil For we know there is a spiritual witchcraft and Satan doth delude the phancies of Hereticks as well as of Witches Gal. 3. 1. making them beleeve they are what they are not hence it came to passe that many false Christs false Prophets and false Apostles when they were nothing else but devils in Samuels mantle I remember two notable examples I have read of to this purpose the one of old the other of late that of old is in Eusebius lib. 5. Cap. 14. of Montanus the Heretick who being strongly deluded by the Spirit of errour uttered strange Doctrines contrary to the truth and yet boasted that he had the spirit and the gift of Prophesie as also did his two trulls calling themselves Prophetesses when they were deluded by the foul spirit as appeared by their desperate ends for Judas like they became their own Executioners The second example shall be that of wicked Hacket Copping and Arthington in the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1591. This wicked impostor gave out he was extraordinarily annointed with the Holy Ghost and sent forth Coppinger and Arthington his seduced Varlets under the name of two Prophets mercy and judgement to preach him up in the City of London to tell the people that Christ was come with his fan in his hand to judge the earth and that he lodged at Walkers house neer Broken-wharf and if they would not beleeve it let them come and see it and kill him if they can these accursed Hereticks lived and died in their damnable error Hacket was hanged drawn and quartered and his two false prophts died the one in the Counter the other in Bride-well a just judgement of God on such Blasphemers are not here strong delusions who would not wonder at this if he did not know the wiles of Satan in deluding the mindes of such as God hath given up into his hands for your contempt of the truths St. Paul 2 Thes. 2. 10. 11. I do not therefore wonder at your confidence but I pitty your blindnesse your are deadly sick and not feel your disease struck with the sting of the Serpent yet do not feel your pain but die singing I shall therefore desire God if it be his will to give yo a sight and feeling of your own miserable condition and deliver you out of the snare of the Devil who hath taken you captive and holds you fast making you an unhappy instrument to deceive your self and to seduce others I shall desire all good Christians to avoid your society that so you may be ashamed and they not infected with your damnable errours for your words do fret like a cancer 2 Tim. 2. 17. I shall then conclude with the words of St. Paul Rom. 16. 17 18. and Tit. 9. 3 10 11. Par enim est ut nos qui sumus Christiani omnes c. For it behoveth us that are Christians to eschew all such as open their mouthes against Christ and such as are alienated in minde from him as enemies of God and rotten sheep corrupting the sense of mans minde c. as Alexander Epist. Alex Socrat. lib. 1. cap. 9. FINIS Nec fonte labra prolui caballino nec in bicipiti somniasse Parnasso memini ut fic repentè Poeta redirem Auli Persii prologo * Moriae Encomium Qui Bavium non odit amat tua Carmina Maevi Hor. Parturiunt Montes nascitur ridiculus Mus. Deut. 4. 19. * Eze. 22. 28. * 2 Cor. 11. 15. 〈◊〉 23. Cap. 2. Page 7. 8. Page 8. Chap. 3. Page 11. Page 11. Page 15. Page 16. 17. 2 Cor. 3. 21â— Page 8. Page 9. Page 18. 2 Thes. 2. 10 11 12. Page 8. Page 23. Page 22. Page 23. 1 Tim. 3. 16. Page 24. Page 21. Page 32. Page 33. Page 34. Page 35. Page 36. Page 37. Page 3â— Page 37. 38. Page 38. Page 33. Page 39. â— Thes. 4. 14. Page 41 Page 42. John 1. 18. Page 41 42. Page 43. Page 44. Page 45. Page 45 Page 45 46. Jam. â— 2. * Rev. 12. 17. * Verse 9. Page 50. line 10. Page 50. Page 51. Page 51. â— Page 51. â— Page 52. Page 53. Col. 1. 12 13. Page 55. Ibid. Page 58. Page 59. Page 61. Page 61. vid. Mat. 6. 6. 7. 19. Page 61. Page 61. Page 62. Page ibid. Page 63. Page 63. Page 63. Rev. 17. 18. Page 68. Wisd. 11. 24. Heb. 4. 2 3. Object 1. Teren. Obj. 2. Object 3. Object 4 Object 5. Object 6. Object 7. Object 8. John 17. 9. Object 9. Object 10. Page 68. Page 68. Gal. 6. 1. Mat. 25. 21. Page 71. Page 71. Page 71. Page 73. Page 72. Page 73. Page 72. Page 72. Page 73. Page 76. Page 76. Read Pro. 16. 4. Hab. 1. 12. Rom. 9. 12. Iud. 1. 4. Heb. 1. 12. Exod. 38. 32. Rev. 7. 8. 80 20. 15. Page 76. â—al. 1. 2. Page 77. Page 79.
work of Regeneration is wrought in them they do not appear to be of God but of the Divel To the first part of this assertion I shall only oppose that of Rom. 9. 6 7 8. for they are not all Israel which are of Israel neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children but in Isaac shall thy seed be called that is they which are the children of the flesh these are not the children of God c. To the latter part wherein you do most falsely affirm that all shall be regenerated I shall only ask when Cain Judas or Julian were regenerated or when those that are in prison 1 Pet. 3. 19 20. which contemned the preaching of Noah were regenerated I did think to end concerning this Chapter but that looking back to the middle of this Chapter I finde such a kinde of judgement that was never heard of before You say I do not denie the comming of Christ to render vengeance to whom it belongs for vengeance is mine faith the Lord and I will repay therefore some hath it now and he is come and doth come and will come to take vengeance on all that know him not and is of the Divel in me you and every man else By which if you mean the conversion of a sinner as it seems you do by your instance of the example of St. Paul Acts 9. that cannot be rightly called a judgement but is indeed a great mercy that the Lord should convert such a sinner that was going to Antioch to persecute the church If you mean the judgement of an evil conscience which accuses men for sin I do confess it is a very great judgement a very Hell upon earth and though it be begun here in this life it doth not follow that it shall not continue hereafter for our Saviour tells us Their Worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched Mark 9. 46. which shall be fulfilled after the great and general day of judgment then they shall be cast into Heâ—l fire If you mean a temporal judgement such as was inflicted on Egypt Sodome or on the old world it makes not for you but against you for from those judgements St. Peter proves the great and general day of judgement as you may read 2 Pet. 2. Verse 4 5 6 7 8. But pray what shall we make of this expression and is of the Divel if we leave out the Parenthesis that Paragraph is abominable non-sense if it be taken in we must desire your own exposition for we can expound it no otherwise then literally as it lies that the Divel is in you and hath set you to work as all that read your Book may safely judge CHAP. XI in this Chapter you maintain that all both Jews and Gentiles shall be saved Contrary to the very words of Christ Luke 13. 23 24. Then said one unto him Lord are there few that shall be saved and he said unto them strive to enter in at the strait Gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able c. to the 31. Verse wide is the Gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there be that go in thereat and strait is the Gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life and few there be that finde it Mat. 7. 13 14. The number of fools is infinite but those that are truly wise are but a few a little flock Luke 12. 32. Christendome is the least part of the World and those that truly profess Christ are the least part of Christendome and of those many are called few chosen You may remember you are told in Scripture of the seed of the Serpent and the seed of the Woman and of the continual enmitie between them from whence proceeds that war that is between the Dragon and his Angels and Michael and his Angels Rev. 12. 7. but for this you have invented a weak and contemptible shift saying or at least insinuating that by the seed of the Serpent is meant sin When it is as apparent as the sight at Noon-day that by the seed of the Serpent is meant Satan and the wicked for in what sense the seed of the Woman is understood in the same sence is understood the seed of the Serpent but the seed of the Woman is understood literally first and principally for Christ the head of the Church and then for all that are his * members and therefore the seed of the Serpent is understood literally First for the * Dragon and also for his Angels and Instruments as Persecutors Hereticks and all profane and ungodly persons that live in sin without Repentance who are therefore called the seed of the Divel Iohn 8. 44. You are of your father the Divel and the works of your father you will do Further to confirm this your errour as you would have your followers believe you alledge several places of Scripture to prove that the benefit of Christs death belongs to all as in your former Chapter the places are Rom. 11 32. 1 Tim. 2. 4. Io. 3. 17. But all this as I said before is under a condition of faith that men do believe and applie it unto themselves by the hand of a true and a lively faith to this purpose is that of Rom. 1. 16. Gal. 3. 22. Iohn 3. 16. Acts 10. 43 and surely there is a generalitie of them that believe as there is of the whole world and if they believe not they have not the benefit of Christs death He that believeth not shall be damned Mark 16. 16. and Iohn 3. 16. as those that were stung with the brazen Serpent and afterwards looked upon it were healed so those that looked not upon it died of their wounds Among those places of Scripture which you name to prove this errour you alledge Rom. 8. 33. but the words are falsified and the sense perverted by you You write the words thus And it is God that justifies sinners the words are Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect it is God that justifies Here you leave out Gods elect whom the words only concern and put in sinners a word that is not in the place and whereas the Apostle speaks of Gods elect you extend it to sinners to all and so pervert the meaning of the spirit of God By what hath been already said it appeareth plainly that all shall not be saved but from generals we will come to particulars and first not all the Jews neither shall all the Gentiles Not all the Jews Though the number of Israel be as the sand of the Sea yet a Remnant shall be saved Rom. 9. 27. which words are taken out of Isa. 10. 20 21. they were spoken of the destruction of Israel by Senacherib when Ierusalem only escaped of all the land or else of the destruction of the people by Nebuchadnezzar when most of the people were destroyed and a remnant carried away
An Answer To a printed BOOK falsely Intituled A BLOW AT THE SERPENT It being truly A BLOW of the SERPENT lately published by one Richard Coppin Wherein among many others these following Heresies and Abominable Errours of his are briefly and plainly confuted out of the Word of God 1 That the Deitie of Christ was united to the sinful Nature of MAN and consequently that his conception was impure 2 That there is no Resurrection of the body 3 That the pains of Hell are not eternal 4 That there is no General Day of Judgement but such a Temporal judgement only as befals MEN in this world 5 That God will not destroy any MAN but only Sin in MAN 6 That all shall be saved the Divel not excepted 7 That the Humane Nature of Christ is not ascended into Heaven By EDWARD GARLAND M. A. and Minister of Gods Word at HARTCLIP in KENT Vt homo circa Mortem Phantasias videt sic et Mundus in exitu suo multos patietur Errores Chrysost. in Mat. Hom. 48. 2. Pet. 2. 1. 2. 3. But there were false Prophets also among the People even as there shall be false Teachers among you who privily shall bring in most damnable Heresies even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction And many shall follow their pernicious ways by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of And through covetousness shall they with fained words make Merchandize of you whose judgement now of a long time lingreth not and their Damnation slumbreth not LONDON Printed for Philemon Stephens in St. Pauls Church Yeard 1657. To the worshipful his much honoured friend and kinsman Robert Watson of Friendsbury in Kent Esq Worthy Sir I Have read over Coppins Book which you were pleased to leave with me And I finde it to be a magazine of Heresies a Pandora's box full of dangerous poyson which Satan hath sent him with into the world to infect the people of God Indeed it is painted over with a golden title for he calls it truth triumphing against falsehood when there is scarce any thing of truth in it But this is a common practise which such Hereticks of whom Hillarie Ingerunt nobis primum nomina veritatis ut virus falfitatis introeat they first set forth unto us the names of truth that the poyson of falsehood may enter now with them Hill de Trin. lib. 6. and St. Aug who was well acquainted with these cunning practises saith that the promise of truth which they are continually making is nothing but a vaile to cover their errours or a goodly fore-gate for errours to enter in stealing into the minde of the unskilful Aug cont. ep. fundantur cap. 11. wherefore St. Paul gives the Church of God an Item to beware of them Rom. 16. verse 17 18. now I beseech you brethren mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them for they that are such serve not the Lord Jesus Christ but their own belly and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple I did think him not worthy the answering as indeed he is not but because I hear he hath done much mischief to the Church of Christ and drawn many proselytes after him I thought it not amiss to borrow so much time from my imployment in the publick ministerie as to return an answer hoping that it might reclaim some of those that are gone astray or else at least settle those who have not departed away or confirm those as have defended the truth against this uncircumcised Philistin of which number Sir I understand you have been one who with Mr. Maior of Rochester some worthy ministers gentlemen Captains and Commanders have laboured to stop the flood of errours which this Serpent hath cast out of his mouth Sir I desire you all not to be weary of well doing your praise will remain in the Church of Christ besides in due time ye shall reap if ye faint not But Sir I conceive the best way to deal with this clamorous Heretick is not by extemporal speaking but by writing let the arguments answers and replies be set down and setled on both sides and then the Church of Christ will easily judge that his doctrine is not from above but from below not from the father of lights but from the father of lies and forger of delusions Sir I shall adde no more at present then that I desire the God of truth to establish you in the truth and to encrease your happiness not only here on earth but in the highest Heavens which is the prayer of your obliged friend and servant EDWARD GARLAND On J. L. and his Verses prefixt to Richard Coppins Heretical Book entituled a Blow at the Serpent truly a Blow at the brazen Serpent Scribimus indocti doctique LIke as a Black-brow'd Whifler to the Play A masked Poetaster leads the way J. L. or Iohn of Leydens ghostly front His Vizard is it frights me to look on 't And that dull Ray shot from the Fiery lake Coppins new light we for his Link may take Being thus prepared up he rashly climes Parnassus foot and belcheth forth his Rimes But with such fortunate success be 't known The Ballet-makers vote him all their own And joy their Tribes increase when loe the Prise He 's but some old one in a new disguise Mean while the Nine and all Apollos Court Have sentenced the bold Intruder for 't And that because he never slumbred on Parnassus or the Banks of Helicon Nor hath been dip't in the Font-Caballine Though in some perhaps right Asinine And all admire that he should have the face To commence Poet with so little Grace When neither Art nor nature seem to be Concurrent in him unto Poetry What Stuffe hath he dropt from his Gooses quill To praise a Subject suitable as ill Had learn'd Erasmus been as void of wit And Art when he the * Praise of Folly writ He would have wanted one to praise him too As both this Poet and his Author do For what appears of Wit or rather shame Is only the concealing of his Name Whereby we doubt what Soul this Mevius yields Although we know not the Arcadian fields But as the Mountain breeds and teem's to light The sillie Mouse that nibbles out of sight Some Pelion hath this Pigmy Poet born To Cant for Baal and Gods Church to scorn To lurk in dark concealment and revile His Ministers in a mad Chem'rim's Stile What doth his Caution fancy'd from the course Of Stars but shew he 's Lunatick or worse And could he make an Almanack his Strein Would much out-rail old Chem ' rim Lilly's vein The Priests should surely have more wounds then any Nay then the Bloody naked man by many But since 't is plain he and his Author look Up to the Host of Heaven witness their Book We can't but judge
torment me not before the time You say that God hath been with you to make sweet and pleasant your sufferings and Imprisonment to you It is a fearful judgement when God gives up men so far to believe their own lies that their own Poyson becomes pleasant and delectable unto them and that he doth this we find 2. Thes. 2. 10 11 12. Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie That they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness You boast of the sufferings as for the truth when they are for your abominable Blasphemie and bearing witness to lies for denying Christ Assention Session and the general day of judgement in that sense which the Scriptures deliver them unto us we know there are Pseudomartyrs as well as true Martyrs and as God comforts and supports the one so the Divel deludes and deceives the other for it is manifest to all sober Christians that read your Book you suffer not as a Martyr but as a Malefactor for rotten and detestable Heresies You complain some have revil'd you as a Blasphemer you should have said rebuk'd you What they have done I know not but I am sure it is their duty to warn their sheep to beware of the Wolf our Saviour himself hath done it Beware of false Prophets that come unto you in Sheeps cloathing but inwardly they are ravening Wolves Mat. 7. 15. and if they neglect to do it and the Sheep perish they shall answer for their blood Eze. 3. 20. But if they do it and the Sheep be slain the Shepherds shall deliver their own Souls Ez. 33. 9. And certainly a more dangerous Wolf or Heretick was not in the Church from the dayes of the Apostles until this time What do I speak of one if Pythagoras's transmigration of souls could captivate my belief I should not judge unreasonably should I judge that the souls almost of all the former Hereticks were transported into you for not any one of them maintained so many damnable opinions God give you a sight of your sin and grace to repent that if it be possible the sin of your heart may be forgiven you As for your Book it is a Labyrinth of errours and you your self a blind guid that run headlong into the pit of perdition and draw others after you For the Aspersions which you and your deceived followers cast upon us the Ministers we regard them not It is an honour to be evil spoken of by such companions especially for the truth and for righteousness-sake But we shall leave our cause to God and pray with the Psalmist Psal. 35. 1. plead thou our cause O Lord with them that fight against us and Psal. 27. 12. Deliver us not over unto the will of our enemies for false witnesses are risen up against us and such as speak wrong Before I enter upon this disputation it will be requisite to say somewhat of Blasphemie because it is much spoken of in the ensuing discourse To Blaspheme God is to detract from his sacred majestie to offer injurie to his holy name and dishonourable and reproachful speeches the sin of Pharaoh Exod. 5. 2. the sin of Rabshaketh 2. Kin. 18. the sin of the Israelitish womans son Lev. 24. 10. The punishment of this sin was death when it was manifest and notorious Lev. 24. 16. Dan. 3. 29. This sin is committed three wayes First when that is ascribed unto God which is repugnant to his nature as if any say he is corrupt or subject unto evil affections Secondly when that is taken from him which is proper unto him as when any shall say God is not merciful good just c. Thirdly when that is attributed to the creature which is proper to the Creator as when any shall say the Angels made the world or that a meer man can forgive sins Or if any shall assume to himself the name of the Messias as did the false Prophets c. moreover I may adde that Heresie is Blasphemie and that Hereticks are Blasphemers First because they manifestly oppose the truth and so God who is prima veritas upon which account St. Paul condemns Hymineus and Alexander 1. Tim. 1. 20. Secondly because they make God the Author of their lies by wresting his word to confirm their errours which is the property of Satan the patron of lies Thirdly because they set Gods stamp upon their counterfeit mettal telling the people it is Gods gold when it is no other then Satans dross of most of which this Heretick is guiltie as will appear by the ensuing discourse these things premised I proceed Christ who knew no sin you say took part of mans flesh and blood which was sinful Again you say Christ took upon him the sinful nature of all that sinned By Christ it seems you mean the Deity And by sinful nature you mean his Humanitie for what else can be your sense Which Proposition is both false and Blasphemous for the Holy Ghost in the conception sanctifi'd the Masse whereof Christ was made and separated it from sin Luke 1. 35. The Angel said the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the most High shall over-shadow thee therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God The holy thing which shall be born of thee implies he was holy before he was born And this was done upon special cause First that it might be joyned to the Person of the Son which could not have been if it had been defiled with sin Secondly Christ was a Saviour as he was both God and man If he had been sinful himself he could not have saved others but should have stood in need of a Saviour himself therefore the humane nature of Christ was not polluted with Original sin but was sanctified And this sanctification hath two parts First the stoppage to the propagation of Original Corruption and the guilt of Adams Sin which was on this manner God in the beginning set down this order concerning man that what evil or defect he brought upon himself he should derive the same to every one of his Posteritie begotten of him and accordingly when any father begets his Child he is in the place of Adam and conveys into it beside the nature of man the very guilt and corruption of nature now for preventing this evil in Christ God provided in great wisdome that he should be conceived by the Holy Ghost without any generation by man and by this means he took the substance of the Virgin Mary and not the guilt and corruption of the substance Secondly as your proposition is false so it is blasphemous for you charge Christ with Original sin for as the soul and body make but one man So the divine and humane nature make but one Christ not the divine nature alone as you erroneously suppose
death when men are so overwhelmed with miseries that they seem to be dead and buried whilest they are alive The Prophet fore-tells that they should be brought into such a condition for their sins and yet God should deliver them out of it when they repented which came to pass for they were delivered into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar and after delivered by the Edict of Cyrus But who can better expound the Prophet then the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. 54. who expounds it of the Resurrection So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this Mortalitie shall have put on immortalitie then shall the saying be brought to pass that is written death is swallowed up in victory And that very fitly for when we die death gets the victory over us when we rise again life gets then victory of death You bring a place out of the 27. of Isaiah v. 1. which if you will apply unto the Devil and his Angels is enough to break their hearts could they conceive any hope of your redemption In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish Leviathan that crooked Serpent and he shall slay the Dragon in the Sea In that day when God shall do this shall be sung this song the Church is a Vineyard of red Wine I the Lord do keep it I will water it every moment lest any hurt it I will keep it night and day Fury is not in me that is though he correct it in his anger yet his fury shall not rest upon it though bryers and thorns should be set against him he would go through them and burn them up together By briers and thorns he means the Enemies of his Church whom he will destroy for ever in the day of Judgment But some interpret this place of the destruction of the Babylonians by the Persians and their deliverance by Cyrus which afterwards came to passe and then the Church had cause to sing that song Your last Argument overthrows your own cause Isa. 30. 33. Tophet is prepared of old for the King it is prepared it consists of fire and much wood the breath of the Lord like a stream of brimstone doth kindle it Tophet was a Temple in the valley of Hinnon wherein stood the abominable Idol of Saturn to whom the Israelites offered up their children and that they might not hear their mournful cries they sounded bells to drown their voices from whence it came to be called Tophet of Toph which signifies a bell By this vallie of slaughter the Prophets do many times set forth Hell and the torments thereof Again the Assyrians or the Babylonians were always cruel enemies to the Church of God they often invaded their Country burnt up their Cities slew their people and carried them away captive wherefore Satan and his Angels with his instruments are many times compared to the King of Babel his Souldiers and his people Now in this place the Prophet goes about to set forth the day of judgement when not onely the Babylonians but all the enemies of the Church shall be destroyed Satan and his Angels Tyrants Persecuters Hereticks c. and he begins it in this manner The Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard and shall shew the lighting down of his Arm with the indignation of his anger and with the flame of devouring fire with scattering and tempest and hailstones For through the voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian be beaten down which smote with the rod with the rod of his mouth when he shall pronounce the last sentence against them But what shall become of them they shall be cast into Hell and all the people that forget God which hell is here called Tophet when was this made of old But it cannot hold them all Yes 't is deep and large There wants fewel no there is fire and much wood Though it be kindled yet it may go out no it is like a burning River of Brimstone the breath of the Lord continually kindling it and wherefore is all this to burn the Assyrian and his Babylonians This exposition is plain enough yet to do it more fully Transitus Virgae fundatus quem requiescere faciet Dominus super eum He shall make the rod of his anger to rest upon him That is upon Satan and his Angels and the wicked that shall be tormented in those flames they which worshipped the Beast and his image and receive his mark in their forehead or hand the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation and shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the Lamb and the smoke of their Torments ascendeth up for ever and ever and they have no rest day nor night Apo. 14. 11. what can be more strong against you to prove the eternity of the punishment of the damned You conclude these are all the fruits of hell to take away their sins and great fruits they are if true to Purge the Devils and the damned it far exceeds the fire of Purgatory for that onely purgeth some as the Papists vainly teach of their venial sins and the temporal punishment of their mortal but this purgeth all Cain Esau Judas Julian the Devil and damned but let me tell you you were not best to trust to it but make your peace with God if it may be before you come there for if you come to be shut up in that Dungeon or as in the 20. Revel. 10. when you shall be cast into the Lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false Prophet are and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever eternity in your own sense there will be no hope of deliverence When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord 2. Thes. 1. 7 8 9. What can be more plain to all except to such as have their understanding darkned by the ignorance that is in them and their minds alienated from the life of God because of the blindnesse of their hearts and because they will not receive the love of the truth that they may be saved but provoke God to send them strong delusion that they should beleeve a lye and be damned But you wickedly and vainly boast that you fight against the enemies of the truth when it appears plainly that you fight against the friends of the truth nay against the truth it self and that you are not a brother of Christ as you in the pride of your heart call your self but a brother of Anti-Christ whom Christ will destroy with the breath of his mouth I am come to examine the 5. Chap. which is of Christs ascension and his coming to Judgement
Captive into Assyria which is prophetically spoken of the time of grace wherein most of the Jews perished through incredulitie and hardness of heart The consideration whereof caused the Apostle to wish he were cut off from Christ for the Salvation of so great a number that perished Rom. 9. 3. And as there shall not be a universal salvation of the Jews so also not of the Gentiles for there is a fulness of the Gentiles as well as a fulness of the Jews but Plenitudo haec non ad numerum cunctorum pertinet sed ad numerum a Deo praefinitum Haymo Which is plainly shewed in Rev. 7. 4. where it is said that of the Tribes were sealed 144. thousand not that there were no more or fewer but he sets down a definite number for an indefinite 144 thousand as a great number but what are these compared to all the rest in Moses time there were 600. thousand fighting men and in the dayes of David 15. hundred thousand and more it is therefore apparent that but a remnant Rom. 9. 27. Though the children of Israel be as the sand of the Sea a Remnant shall be saved Secondly a fulness of the Gentiles there is also After that I beheld and loe a great number of all nations kindred and people c. Rev. 7. 9. he doth not say there that all nations and kindred and people were sealed but a great multitude of them which multitude compared to them that are left is but as an handful to an harvest and as the gleaning of the Grapes when the Vintage is ended as our Saviour himself testifies Mat. 7. 14 15. if a Prince should press throughout his Dominions three or four out of every parish and then draw them together they would be a great army or multitude but then compare them to those which are left and they will be but a few which should warn us to take heed to our selves the fewer there shall be saved the more careful should we be to make our calling and election sure by well-doing and walking in the wayes of Gods Commandements and also to be thankful to God that hath called us and left others as we see many thousands that have not the means of Salvation both in the east and west Indies and to express our thankfulness by our fruitfulness left God remove away his Candlestick You alledge divers places of Scripture to no purpose unlesse to deceive the ignorant who are commonly taken with it though the places quoted are meerly contradictory to the matter in hand as Rom. 11. 16. For we do not deny but that the generality of the Jews that remain at the latter end of the World shall be called and converted Christ himself hath taught it But what is this for the salvation of those many thousands that have died long before from the time of Christ in their infidelity and hardnesse of heart contemning the Gospel and blaspheming his name doth not the Apostle tell us plainly they shall be cut off and what becomes of branches cut off are they not cast into the fire Iohn 15. 6. If a man abide not in me he is cast forth as a Branch and is withered and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned Now I desire to know how these shall be converted who it is that shall preach to them or whether the damned are capable of true Repentance Likewise you quote Psa. 2. 8. Ask of me and I shall give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession What doth this make for redemption out of hell God doth not say not say that he shall give him the Devils and the damned for his inheritance and the uttermost parts of Hell for his possession You undertake to commend your Doctrine by the efficacy and fruits of it but first prove the truth of it and we will consider the fruits of it till that be proved I hope no man will be so weak as to approve of it but I doubt not that what hath here been said will save the labour and shew it is apparently false But to give the more seeming Lustre and credit to it you tax us for preaching wrath Hell and damnation to prove souls that are weak in the faith Which is not the first lie that-such black-mouth'd Locusts have cast upon our labours We speak in the spirit of meeknesse to binde up the broken-hearted and poure into their aking wounds the balm of Gilead for the spirit of mourning the blood of Christ to comfort-their hearts and to heal their wounds but we preach wrath Hell and damnation not to the weak in faith but against obstinate sinners dissembling Hypocrites and apostatised Hereticks and for this we have both example and precept from our Saviour himself Mat. 10. 12 13 14 15. Verily I say unto you it shall be more easie for Sodom and Gomorah in the day of judgement then for that City Mark 16. 16. He that beleeveth and is Baptized shall be saved but he that beleeveth not shall be damned Now also what he commands that he himself practises Wo unto thee Chorazin wo unto thee Bethsaida c. Matth. 11. 21. Wo unto the world because of offences Mat. 18. 7. How many woes hath he denounced against the scribes and Pharisees Mat. 23. 13 14 15 16 23 25 27 29. We must not sow pillows under mens elbowes that they may sleep at ease in sin if we do we shall answer for it Eze. 13. 10 20. We have good Counsel in Jude v. 22 23. And of some have compassion making a difference and others save with fear pulling them out of the fire To some then a Minister must be a Barnabas a son of consolation to divulge Gods mercies as to the broken hearted Acts. 4. 36. To others a Boanerges the son of thunder to denounce Gods judgements as to obstinate sinners Mark 3. 17. You say that no man can be assured of his own salvation except he see the same Salvation in the same Saviour for all men as well as for himself And again that this Doctrine remains damnable to all that beleeve it not May we not say then that St. Paul was in a very sad condition if this were true for he undoubtedly beleeved it not who taught the quite contrary Rom. 2. 6 7. Rom. 9. 11 12 18. 2 Thes. 1. 6 7 8 9. Yet was he assured of his own salvation as appears out of Rom. 8. 38. and so may any man else that hath the testimony of Gods spirit though he never heard of your Doctrine CHAP. XII In this Chapter you oppose Christs coming to Iudgement in that sense in which it is set down in the Creed confirmed by the Scripture and received by all the Christian Churches in the World and this under the colour of a spiritual judgement which God inflicts upon unbeleevers and obstinate sinners in this life as though
because there were an inward judgement therefore there should not be an outward a secret judgement therefore not an open Doth not Saint Paul teach the contrary Rom. 2. 5. Thou after thy hardnesse and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath and Revelation of the righteous judgement of God c. Again because wicked men have here inward darknesse therefore you conclude they shall not be cast into outward darknesse Christ himself teacheth otherwise Math. 8. 12. The children of the kingdom shall be cast into outward darknesse there shall be weeping and Gnashing of teeth and so likewise in Mat. 22. 23. and 25 30 or if by judgement you mean regeneration as it seems you do that is not a judgement but a great mercy that God should take men out of the power of darknesse and translate them into the kingdome of his dear Son And this judgement as you call it is not general but an especial grace belonging unto the Church of Christ as appears Ephe. 1 3 4 Cap. 2. 1 2 3 4. Cap. 5. 25 26. 1 Pet. 2. 9 10. Col. 1. 12 13. yea from this we may take a medium to prove the general day of judgement because the tares must be separated from the wheat the sheep from the goats which man cannot do who knows not the heart but God that searcheth the heart and trieth the reines and he shall do it openly at the general day of Judgement as our Saviour Math. 25. 31 32 34 c. but because you denie this article of our faith I shall confirm it out of the Scriptures and first I shall begin with Enoch cited by Iude Verses 14 15. Whole Sermons of our Saviour Mat. 24. 31. to the end of that Chapter and Mat. 25. Acts 17. 31. 1 Thes. 4. 16. Heb. 9. 27. Rev. 1. 7. Rev. 20. 11 12 13 14 15. with many more which I shall desire the unsatisfied Reader if any such there can be to read them in the Bible and save the labour of Repetition and in the reading them he shall not only finde the truth and ground of this general judgement but the very circumstances of as it 1. The Person that shall judge Iesus Christ 2. The time the latter end of the world 3. The place the clouds 4. The manner of his comming to judgement with majestie and great glory and all his holy Angels 5. The persons that shall be judged the quick and the dead 6. The judges action He shall separate 7. His sentence Come ye blessed go ye cursed 8. The execution These shall go into everlasting life those into everlasting torment And now what can be more evident so that you your self that have wickedly contradicted it cannot but confess it unless you are given up to believe your own delusions and on the contrary to denie a truth as apparent as the light of the Sun at Noon-day in the Scriptures and that without any figure You object Heb. 9. 27. it is appointed for all men once to die but after this the judgement and say this death is a dying into sin and trespasses First for the place of Scripture what can be more plain and forcible against you It is decreed where Gen. 2. 17. In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die and so it was for from that time he and all his posteritie were subject unto death and as death is decreed so is also judgement God hath appointed a time in which he will judge the world Acts 17. 31. and this is not before death as you would have it but after death The words are after death comes the judgement but you say this is meant of a spiritual death a silly shift did God appoint that any man should die the death of sin no he appointed him to die a death for sin and transgressions Secondly its manifest the Apostle spake here of a corporal death he answers an objection to wit if Christ be the Messias how comes it to pass that he died His answer is it was appointed for all men to die and therefore for him now I hope you will not be so graceless as to say that Christ ever died the death of sin and therefore it must be understood a death of the body which he voluntarily suffered that he might destroy him that had power of death which was the Divel Heb. 2. 14. Your second objection is taken out of Iohn 5. 22. The father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgement to the Son That is the father judgeth the world in and by the Son and he doth it not with partialitie as do corrupt judges but with righteous judgement for we are sure that the judgement of God is according to truth Rom. 2. 2. and verse the sixth who will render to every man according to his deeds to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory c. Eternal life but to them that are contentious and do not obey the truth indignation and wrath c. and when at the day of the Revelation of the righteous judgement of God Third objection 1 Pet. 4. 17. For the time is come that judgement shall begin at the house of God to whom I answer if it shall begin with us what shall become of those that abide not in the Gospel The same Apostle doth resolve it 2 Pet. 2. 9. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the righteous out of temptations and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished Fourth objection out of Mal. 3. 3. He shall sit as a Refiâ—er and Purifier of silver and he shall purifie the Sons of Levi c. which words are spoken of Christs first comming in the flesh as appears by that spoken before in the first Verse behold I will send my messenger before which is applied unto Iohn the Baptist Mat. 11. 10. Behold I send my messenger before thy face which shall prepaâ—e thy way before thee But what shall become of those that will not be purified that will not abide the day of his comming surely you shall finde another day for them in Mal. 4. 1. Behold the day commeth that shall burn as an Oven and all the proud yea and all that do wickedly shall be stubble c. Fifth objection out of 2 Pet. 3. 8. one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day for answer to which that I may conclude I will only adde the foregoing words of Peter on which these have dependence and in which the objector is concerned Knowing this saith the Apostle Verse the third there shall come in the last dayes Scoffers walking after their own lusts and saying where is the promise of his comming For since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the creation for this they are willingly ignorant of c. Verse 9. but the Lord is not slack I need not adde more to prove the
reason of which the word of truth might be evil spoken of but that they may be mindeful of that excellent admonition of the Apostle 2 Ioh. 7. 8 9 10 11. For many deceivers are entred into the world who confess not that Iesus is come in the flesh This is a deceiver an Anti-Christ Look to your selves that we loose not those things which we have wrought but that we receive a full reward Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the Doctrine of Christ hath not God He that abideth in the Doctrine of Christ hath both the father and the Son If there come any unto you and bring not this Doctrine receive him not into your house neither bid him God-speed for he that biddeth him God-speed is partaker of his evil deeds CHAP. 14. You argue those that do preach the Doctrine of Damnation telling the people that they are eternally damned are no Gosâ—el-Ministers do preach from an evil spirit but Christ did not preach this Doctrine of eternal damnation to any for he did preach salvation to all men and the acceptable year of the Lord and to prove this you quote Luk. 4. 18. Iohn 3. 17. To tell you your Major or Minor is false or to treat you after the manner of Disputants is a thing passeth your understanding therefore I shall answere you thus Those that preach according to the Commission Christ gave unto his Disciples to preach at his departure are Gospel preachers but those that preach damnation to the impenitent and unbelievers as well as Salvation to the penitent and believers preach according to that Commission therefore they are Gospel preachers Mark 16. Go into all the World and preach the Gospel that is he that believes and is baptized shall be saved and he that believeth not shall be damned is not here damnation to the unbelievers as there is Salvation for believers Are they not commissionated to preach this throughout the World and did they not faithfully perform it Read Rom. 2. 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. where the Apostle pronounceth Glory Honour Immortalitie and Eternal life to every man that worketh good but denounceth tribulation and anguish wrath and judgement at the day of wrath and revelation of the just judgement of God to the impenitent that obey not the truth but obey unrighteousness Likewise in the 2. Thes. 1. 6 7 8 9. Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompence Tribulation to them that trouble you and to you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mightie Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Iesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord c. read also 2 Pet. 2. 2 3 4 5. and the whole Epistle of Iude. I hope you will not say now these men were not Gospel-preachers or that they had not the spirit of God for it was after the day of Pentecost when the cloven tongues descended and sat upon them Acts 2. 1 2 3. But let me ask you one question when Christ gave unto his Disciples the keys of the kingdome of Heaven wherein did the power of the keys consist Was it not in binding as well as in loosing You will finde it was in Iohn 20. 23. You falsely and impudently say that Christ never preached damnation to any but Salvation to all Certainly you have read Christs Sermon upon the Mount and it is most certain you understand it not for it is plain Mat. 5. 21 22 23 24. and in the 29. It is better that one of thy members perish then that thy whole body should be cast into Hell Mark 6. 11. It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in that day of judgement then for that Citie Likewise read Mat. 23 from the 13. verse to the end of the Chapter and you shall finde how many woes are pronounced by Christ there and the greater damnation to Hypocrites for their holy pretences verse 14. and the 30. It seems plainly you know not what you say and care not what you affirm that you are led by the spirit of falshood and errour and not by the spirit of truth who dare thus boldly contradict the truth But that text of Mat. 23. 14 and 33. quoted by Mr. Sanbroke I perceive confounded you that you know not what to say or at least said you knew not what something nothing to the purpose which was That Christ was then a fulfilling the Law which you your self overthrow at the latter end of this disputation Page 64. out of Heb. 13. 8. Iesus Christ the same yesterday to day and for ever Now if he were the same yesterday as certainly he was for he was the lamb slain in Gods decree ab origine Mundi therefore he had fulfilled yesterday Gods account but if it were so yet it doth not lessen your fault who have falsely affirmed that Christ preached not damnation to any but salvation to all Not to pass over your playing Legerdemain with the Scriptures your saying that Christ told the Pharisees that the kingdome of God was to be revealed in them and which should suddenly come unto them and that they hearing this demanded of Christ when the kingdome of Heaven should come also that Christ answered them The kingdome of Heaven comes not with observation Now let any one read that Chapter of Woe and damnation to the Pharisees Mat. 23. and he shall finde there is no such question or answer in that Chapter nor in that Evangelist neither is there any thing like it and therefore you falsifie the Scriptures to make a colourable answer to that which is unanswerable and what you quote out of the 17. of Luke 20. 21. is spoken upon another occasion and the answer concerned not the Pharisees but was directed to the Disciples verse 22. and he said unto his Disciples c. I think there is no man so deluded except your self as to think that Christ should tell the Pharisees that the kingdome of Heaven was within them of whom he had given this Testimony in the words before that their inside was full of extortion and excess that they were like unto painted Sepulchers full of dead mens bones and of all uncleanness But you say the Kingdome of Heaven was within the Scribes and Pharisees though yet they knew it not But Christ that knew all things knew them intus in cute he knew their conditions and concluded they were a generation of Vipers and should not escape the damnation of Hell You tell us our Schools will never teach us this lesson of knowing Christ within us First you are ignorant what Doctrine the Schools teach and I therefore can give no account of it a fools bolt is soon shot praised be God our Schools teach no such doctrine as you teach nor any of the
But to help the matter you make it a thing of indifferency And say I deny it none whose tender conscience doth desire it using that of St. Paul spoken of things indifferent 1 Cor. 9. 22. When it is a thing so far from being indifferent and so necessary that the wilful neglect and contempt thereof is a damnable sin Iohn 15. 22. Gen. 17. 14. yet I doubt not upon deep repentance God will forgive it Read Bern. Epist. 77. The next thing to be taken notice of is that you return to your former Vomit which you cast up in the 14th Chapter and which you again lick up in the second Article towards the end of your Book You say God will destroy mans sins and iniquities but not man And to make people believe this you run through a great many passages of Scripture as if they made for you when in truth they and the whole current of the Word of God are against it I will recite a few amongst many Psal. 5. 6. Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing and the Lord abhors both the bloody and deceitful man not the lies and deceits of men only but them that speak lies and work deceit such as your self without repentance which God of his mercy give you Psal. 11. 6 7. Vpon the ungodly he shall rain snares fire and Brimstone storms and tempests this shall be the portion of the wicked upon the ungodly the Psalmist sayes speaking of their persons not of sins Psal 9. 17. The wicked shall be turned into Hell and all the Nations that forget God wicked people and Nations not wickedness and national sins only And this is verified in the destruction of the old world 1 Pet. 3. 20. In Corah and his company Num. 16. 33. In Iudas the son of Perdition Iohn 17. 12. who is said to go to his place Acts 1. 25. whither all ungodly men shall go without repentance in the day of judgement and perdition of ungodly men 2 Pet. 3. 7. he doth not say in the day of perdition of their sins but of themselves Read Iude Verse 15. 2 Thes. 1. 7 8 9. many more places I could adde to the same purpose but that you have done it to my hand as that in Psal. 21. 8 9. Thine hand shall finde out all thine enemies thy right hand shall finde out those that hate thee thou shalt make them as a fiery Oven in the time of thine anger the Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath and the fire shall devoure them Where it is manifest the Prophet speaks of Persons not of sins of substances not of accidents that do adhere to subjects as for your idle shift that he means the Bryars and thorns in them it is false God doth not consume the Bryars and Thorns as you call them in Impenitent sinners but punishes them and their Bryars and Thorns together and none shall quench them Isa. 1. 32. the soul that sinneth shall die Eze. 18. 20. The Lord will plead the cause of the poor and spoil the souls of those that spoiled them Pro. 22. 23. as for that place you alledge out of 1 Cor. 3. 15. it is expounded and fully answered before in my answer to your third Chapter Page 18. Again you object that of Iacob and Esau Iacob have I loved and Esau have I hated a place so fully against you that were you not hardned it were sufficient to convert you They were the sons of Isaac by Rehecca Gen. 25. 26 27 28. where you may read the History at large of whom St. Paul says Rom. 9. 11 12. They being not yet born neither having done good or evil it was said unto her the elder shall serve the younger as it is writtten Jacob have I loved but Esau have I hated therefore he means not Esau's sins But here you fall to your old shift of Allegorizing the Scriptures but very unhandsomely that place of Obad. 17 18 21. quoted in your Margent Page 77. spoils your Allegory the words are these Vpen Mount Sion shall be deliverance and there shall be holiness and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions and the house of Iacob shall be a fire and the house of Joseph a flame and the house of Esau for Stubble and they shall kindle in them and devour them and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau for the Lord hath spoken it Here God threatens to destroy the house of Esau and to establish his Church the house of Jacob they should dwell in their possessions he would destroy Esau by the house of Iacob Iacob should be to them like a fire and they should be like stubble which was verify'd in Mac. 2. 10. You object Isa. 27. 4 9. Fury is not in me who would set the Briars and Thorns against me in battel I would go through them I would burn them together The sense of which words is this fury is not in me to destroy the Vineyard read the three Verses before but fury is in me to destroy the Adversaries of it though they set themselves in battel against me like Bryars and Thorns yet could I go through them and burn them together The purpose of the Prophet here is to foretel the destruction of Leviathan that crooked Serpent take it either for the Type or Antitype for the Assyrian or Satan and in that day shall the Church sing a song of Triumph Verse 2 3. Secondly verse 9. by this shall the iniquitie of Jacob be purged by what by their repentance whereof he sets down the fruits which should shew themselves in the reformation from Idolatrie when he should overthrow the Altars and Groves of their images Now what is all this to prove as you would have it the purging away of in iniquity form Esau from the wicked and reprobate 1. Here is a destruction of Satan and the wicked threatned 2 A song of Triumph for the execusion of Gods judgments 3. A promise to spare the house of Jacob because they repent And therefore your Allorizing is absurd and erroneous most repugnant to the meaning of the Prophet in this Chapter whose intention is to shew that God will destroy the wicked who are but as briers and thorns when they set themselves in battle against him he will break through them and consume them as fire doth wood Here that place in Isa. 6. 6 7. is also brought to garnish your errour and in this manner God caused a Seraphim with a coal from the Alter to touch the mouth of the Prophet to take his iniquity away whom he was about to send on his message and fit for his calling therefore God will purge lips and take away the iniquity of the reprobate and false Prophets A goodly conclusion is it not it seems plainly your lips have not been touched with such a coal that you utter such abominable falsities and so abuse the Scriptures You reach in Mal. 3.