draw with him towards a Conclusion Our Author is beginning to make an end but he must first discharge his stomach of a little froth and gall and spit up some venome that lies in his chest in the face of his Adversaries without which he could not possibly conclude his Chapter He tells you summarily what great feats he has done and what greater Atchievements he will adventure on What he has done amounts to this he has discovered great Mistakes in other mens Divinity but cannot espy any in his own he can spy a Mote in his Neighbours eye but considers not his own Beam He has also discover'd the rise of these Mistakes to be from the various usage of the Name Christ in the Writingâ—… of the Apostles The more excusable it seems they are if they had occasion from thence to erre which they might the more easily doe because as he observes well the Writings of Paul are obscure He has also discover'd to us the temper and humour of those Mistaken men They are zealous to advance Christs Person to the prejudice and reproach of his Religion which yet our Author himself when a Qualm of sweet Nature comes over his Heart thinks to be Impossible p. 17. The greater Opinion we have of his Wisdom and Reverence for his Person the more sacred Regard we have for his Lawes He has also discovered a horrid Plot to introduce a fancifull Application of Christ to our selves instead of the substantial Duties of the love of God and Men and an universal Holiness of Life But this is but a plot of his own making unless he had some supernatural Assistances from Beneath He has also for ever discharged the world upon his Blessing from closing with Christ getting into Christ and above all from overloving Christ and admiring his Excellencies and Perfections his Fulness Beauty Loveliness and Riches Wherein if he prevail to his mind he has for ever Obliged the Prince of Darkness to him and done more service to his black Kingdom than he with his Legions hath been able to effect these Sixteen hundred years What he intends further to doe he has reduced to four heads to which I referre the Reader and upon the whole Matter doe onely make this one Observation That through this whole Chapter he has cheated and tormented us with a sorry old Threadbare fallacy A benè compositis ad malè divisa The Persons whom he reviles dare not put asunder those things which God hath joyned together They love the Person of Christ and not therefore break but keep his Commandements They think that Faith in our Lord Iesus Christ and Repentance from dead works are very consistent may and must sweetly meet together and Kiss each other They would be glad to see those who revile them to love and admire Christs Person and shall be content to be reproved so far as they neglect and undervalue his Precepts but they are not to be frighted out of their Love to Him who loved them and gave himself for them They do freely confess that they admire at the Love of the Father in sending his onely begotten Son into the World upon such a design as to save Sinners and they do equally admire the Love of the Lord Jesus Christ that he was so willing to come into the world to be tempted persecuted reproached and at last to dye and give his Life a Ransome for many And though they have heard many Reproaches and Blasphemies uttered against their Saviour yet they have not met with one solid concluding Argument why they should not love him And therefore if they must be vile upon these Accounts they resolve in the strength of Christ to be vile more vile still and shall bind all the Ignominy that is cast upon them for Christs sake unto their Temples as a Crown and Diadem For indeed they do persist in that perswasion with some Obstinacy that it was the Person of Christ who dyed for them it was He upon whom the Chastisement of their Peace did lye it was He whose Soul was made an Offering for sin and upon whom God laid the Iniquities of us All. And therefore our Author must bear with them if they love him as much as they can because they have reason to fear they shall not love him as much as He has deserved They remember a Dreadfull word If any man love not the Lord Iesus Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha and would not for all the world fall under the weight of it Their love to his person makes them studious to please him fearfull to offend him zealous to glorifie him and if the will of God be so humbly content to suffer for him They have not met with any Author that has till of late endeavoured a Confutation of Christs personal Excellencies perfections fulness beauty loveliness and riches and they that have made the Attempt have exposed themselves to the universal censure of all that wear the Name of Christian and therefore they do ingenuously acknowledge that they doe admire and honour them and do humbly hope Christ at his coming will not rebuke them for it And when they are invidiously traduced as setting the Person of Christ at oddes with his Gospel they are satisfied that they have not done it in Principle and lament that they have in any the least degree done it in Practice And as they know that the Charge as apply'd to them is a pure impure slander so they conceive it 's vey difficult if not impossible in it self nor can they apprehend how any can really and truely maintain a due esteem of Christ in their hearts but they must have a proportionable value and regard for all his Commandments and Injunctions That these things are become Riddles to any professing the Name of Christ they tremble at as a sad symptome that the Gospel is hid to them and from them They do also in the general approve of any Labours managed with a due regard to the Majesty of God and the Lord Jesus Christ in order to the discovery of any Expressions in their Writings or Discourses which might in the least be misinterpreted to degrade and thrust down Holiness from its Throne but withall they are unwilling to be railed out of a good Opinion of Christs Person seeing that however they may have sinned in breaking his Laws it will not mend the matter to lessen the honour they justly have for Himself and had rather be severely chidden for their sin than scoffed out of their Duty But of these Matters thus far CHAP. II. Of what use the Consideration of Christs Person is in the Christian Religion IN the Entrance of this Chapter I observe our Author is feelingly concern'd to amove from himself the sinister suspition of a Design to render Christ useless And he makes a solemn Protestation not onely of his own Innocency but is ready to become Surety and Compurgator for all his Accomplices A design sayes he which I confess I
pretended to Love the Lord Jesus Christ provided we have but our Authours license to love him but now the Question will be this whether our Union to Christ consists in a mutual and reciprocal love And if our Authour had been judge a little while since he would have resolved it in the Negative That our Union to Christ consists in our Union to a particular Church and that it is a political union such a one as is between Prince and Subject and consists in a belief of his revelations obedience to his Laws and subjection to his Authority I shall only note a few things and dismisse it 1. That there is a love of Benevolence and good Will a designing purposing love in Christ towards us before we bear his Image and Superscription this love he bears towards those that are unlike him Rom. 5 8. God Commendeth his love to us that when we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us verse 10. When we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son 2. There must of necessity be the intervention of an Union a likenesse a Conformity of Natures before there can be supposed a love of mutual complacency and reciprocal delight in each other for this love this delight must have something to work upon As there must be a Conjugal Relation before the Husband can take delight in his Wife as his Wife and the Wife in her Husband as her Husband 3. That this love of good will in Christ is the Original Reason of our transformation into the Image of Christ whereby we become meet objects for that other love of Complacency 4. It s true that we love him as partaking of his Nature but then it s also as true that those Acts of love to and delight in Christ proceed from that New Nature which we derive from him 5. The Love wherewith Christ Loves us as the price of his blood is a differing love from that wherewith he loves us as his workmanship created in Christ Jesus to good works 6. I rejoyce however that we are owned to be Christs workmanship Created to good works which it were not so we had more reason to love our selves to admire and deifie our own natural Abilities which effected that glorious workmanship And I see of late our Authour takes to the Church Catechism which had he attended to in time had saved him half the Labour of his Book My good Child know that thou art not able to do these things of thy self to love God to believe in him to fear him with all thy heart with all thy mind withal thy strength to worship him to give him thankes to put thy whole Trust in him c. nor to walk in the Commandements of God and serve him without his special Grace which thou must learn at all times to call for by diligent prayer 7. The more we exercise our selves in the Love of Christ the more like him we grow and the stronger bonds are layd upon our Souls to maintain the Union inviolable but still there must precede an Union which is the true Foundation of the Exercise of this Love of Delight and mutual Complacency Ay but says he Love is the great Cement of Union which unites Interests and thereby more firmly unites hearts Let him call it the Cement or the Soder or the Glew it 's all one to me I conceive that Interest is the Cement of Love and not Love the Cement of Interest Men love because it 's their Interest so to doe but whether that Love that flutters up and down the world a thing so unstable and desultory that we cannot tell where to have it be a fit Pattern for the heigths and lengths and depths and breadth of the Love of Christ ora just Measure of it I very much question Many things we meet with that are full of delight but one may take a Surfeit of Sweet-meats and therefore I shall onely trouble the Reader with his Concluding Argument taken from the Sacraments Which are says he the Instruments and Symbols of our Union with Christ. And if by Christ he understands the Church it 's not worth the while to make a Controversie on 't we will grant That Union with the Church consists in Union with it and the surest Means to be United to the Church is to be United to it and this way seldom fails But if he had a mind to conclude something else he had done like a Neighbour to have informed us for I must needs confess I am in the dark But yet we shall not lose all our labour For these Sacraments represent both our external and real Union with him And it 's worth all our pains and patience to hear one of his Lectures upon this Subject First for our External Union Baptism is a publick Profession of the Christian Religion that we believe the Gospel own his Authority and submit to his Government Secondly These Sacraments signifie our Reall Union to Christ Thus Baptism signifies our Profession of becoming New men our profession of Conformity to Christ in his Death and Resurrection Now look how much Conformity to Christs Death and Resurrection is better than owning his Authority and submitting to his Government just so much is our Real Union better than our external which if one so exactly versed in the essential differences of things as our Author had not told us other wise ordinary Capacities had judged to be both one That little advantage there is the External Union carries it For as to our External Union Baptism he tells us is a Profession of it but as to our Real Union Baptism onely signifies a profession of it and then it will be somewhat better to make a Profession of submission to Christs Government than to make a signification of a Profession of Conformity to his Death I shall therefore rather acquiesce in the Judgement of the Catechism about the Signification of Baptism than in our Authors which makes this Question What is the inward and spiritual Grace Ans. A death unto sin and a New Birth unto Righteousness for being by Nature born in sin and the children of wrath we are hereby made the children of Grace 4 His last and most famous Observation is That Fellowship and Communion with God signifies what he calls a Political Union And would we knew what that was why it is this To be in fellowship with God and Christ signifies to be of that Society which puts us into a peculiar Relation to God that God is our Father and we his Children that Christ is our Head and Husband and Lord and Master and we his Disciples and followers his Spouse and Body It 's below the generosity of the Eagle to catch Flies an Employment more suitable to the impertinent humour of Domitian and therefore it may be expected that our Author should scorn to play so mean a Game as to impose upon our weakness with the Ambiguity of a poor word To be in Fellowship
he will improve it Where says he the Fellowship of Christ can signifie no more than fellowship with the Church because the Apostle addes in the next Verse I beseech you brethren that you all speak the same thing that there be no Divisions among you I confess he has a heavy hand at Reasoning and it goes hard with us that must continually feel the weight of it But yet 1. The Apostles Argument will conclude as strongly from the Communications of Grace from Christ unto Peace among our selves as from Union q. d. You have all been made partakers of the Communications of Grace and Peace from Christ you have many mercies in hand and more in hope much in possession but infinitely more in Reversion and will you run into Factions among your selves But 2. The very plain Truth is The Apostle argues neither the one way nor the other Verse 9. has no such Influence upon Verse 10. but the Rise of his Discourse is from Verse 3. Grace be unto you and Peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Where you have First The Union and Relation God our Father Our Lord and Saviour Secondly The Communion that flows from that Relation 〈◊〉 and Peace i. e. All new Covenant-Mercies And because whatever Grace or Peace comes from the Father as the Fountain and Spring from the Son in a way of Purchase and Procurement comes also from the Holy Ghost by way of Immediate Efficiency therefore it 's called also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 13. 14. The Grace of our Lord Jesus the Love of God and the Communion or Communication of the Holy Ghost be with you all You all that is The Church of God at Corinth with all the Saints in Achaia Chap. 1. ver 1. who are supposed to be already United to Christ both in our Authors false Notion and in the true Now this Communication he calls The Grace of God given them or Communicated to them by Jesus Christ Verse 4. And shews the Measure of it Verse 5. Ye are enriched in every thing by Him And Verse 8. He shews that God would confirm them in as well as enrich them with his Grace to the end And for a Proof of this he minds them of the Faithfulness and Steddiness of God in his Covenant Verse 9. God is Faithful by whom ye are called unto the Communication of our Lord Jesus Christ. The end of your Effectual calling to an Union with Christ is a Communication of this Grace and Peace from Christ. And then Thirdly Our Authors Memory is very Treacherous For first he observes That Communion with God signifies a Political Union and that Political Union was such a one as is between a Prince and his Subjects pag. 156. And that certainly has the Persons of both for the Terms of the Relation And pag. 185. He observes That our Fellowship with the Father and the Son is founded on our Fellowship with the Christian Church and therefore fellowship with the Father and the Son and fellowship with the Christian Church are two things really distinct for it would be harsh to say a thing is founded on it self And yet after all this Fellowship with Christ can signifie no more than Fellowship with the Church And thus the short and long of the Business is this Union with Christ is Union with the Church And Communion with Christ is Communion with the Church And Union with the Church is Communion with the Church Quod erat Demonstrandum But we are terribly Threatned with an Argument from 2 Cor. 6. 14. Be ye not unequally Yoaked together with Unbelievers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Where the Apostle refers to a Levitical Ordinance Deut. 22. 10. Thou shalt not Plow with an Ox and an Ass. In proportion to which the Apostle forbids Believers to joyn in the same special League and Covenant with Unbelievers Now the Reason why he disswades them from such an unequal union is because the end of all union is a Communion or Communication each to and with other in that Union But to be sure where there are such Contrarieties of Interests and Inclinations in the Persons joyned together there can be no assistance to the same common VVork The Cedar in Lebanon and the Thistle in Lebanon are not qualified for a Match for they will never serve and accommodate each other in the Duties of the Relation When the Wise God chose a VVife for Adam he provided one that was Homogeneous with him Bone of his Bone and Flesh of his Flesh that she might be a Meet-help for him But now says the Apostle If you joyn your selves with Unbelievers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 VVhat participation of good things can you expect from them whose Religion is as contrary to yours as Righteousness is to Unrighteousness And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 VVhat Communication can there be between Light and Darkness Pagans can Communicate nothing to you but their uncleanness and I would not have you communicate with the unfruitful Works of Darkness Ephes. 5. 11. Again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 VVhat Concord hath Christ with Belial VVhat Symphony or Harmony can there be in your Conversations You will be always Jarring There will be no Melody or Musick in your Converses VVhen you would be praising to their Idols so that never was there greater Confusion of Tongues at Babel than there will be in your Society And then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what Portion can a Believer have with an Unbeliever He will not ought not partake of the Lords Table with you and you will not ought not partake of the Table of Devils with him For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what Consent or Suffrage will the one give to the other The living God will not vote for dead and dumb Idols The Arke will never endure Dagon How absurd therefore must it be to enter into a Relation with them with whom you can enjoy no Fellowship in that Relation One Reserve he has still left from the Lords Supper whereby our Fellowship with God and Christ are expressed 1 Cor. 10. 16. The Cup of Blessing which we bless is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ Now says he it 's called a Communion because it signifies 1. A Communion of Christians with each other 2. A Fellowship with God That is it 's called a Communion because it 's no Communion but onely the sign of a Communion There is indeed an outward and visible sign and there is also an inward and invisible Grace really exhibited and communicated from Christ by the Ordinance to the worthy Receiver And thus much he might have learn'd from the Church Catechism Qu. What is the inward part or thing signified Ans. The Body and Blood of Christ which are verily and indeed taken and received of the Faithfull in the Lords Supper Qu. What are the Benefits whereof we are partakers Thereby Ans. The strengthning and refreshing of our Souls by the Body and Blood of Christ As our Bodies
also the Love Honour and Admiration of them for whom he endured it And if some few Holy men be a little Transported with the Love of Christ methinks it 's easily pardonable very few die of that Disease no danger this Age should be Hot in the fourth Degree of Love to a Redeemer that our Author should be necessitated to Write a Book for fear it should Poyson us For my part I meet with no such Paroxisms of Divine Love that his Iulip should be so much cry'd up but I would fain please my self with this that whilst he seems Frigidam suffundere his Real Design is to make us all more in Love with Christ by a Spiritual Antiperistasis 2. This gives great Reverence and Authority to his Gospel that it was Preacht by so Great a Person as the Son of God And therefore whilst he is in the good Humour let him Retract those Severe and Toothed Satyrs wherewith he has Torn and Lasht those poor Honest Men for loving his Person but Neglecting his Laws when he tells us here The greater Reverence we have for his Person the more sacred Regard we have for his Laws Perhaps he was then under an Accession of Gout Stone or Cholick or some of the peevish Distempers which made him so Testy and Teachy with his best Friends but now he 's a little come home to himself he 's in as Sweet Treatable and Debonaire a Humour as one could wish if it would but last I confess some may think that All this is nothing but a Complement which he passes upon Christ's Person or a little Holy-water he sprinkles in his Face and that there Lurks a Snake under these fair Flowers For he plainly makes Laws and Gospel Edaequate and Commensurate Terms This gives Reverence to the Gospel for Laws always partake of the Fate and condition of the Law-giver The Gospel as Contradistinguisht to the Covenant of Works denotes the glad Tidings of Salvation by a Mediatour or the joyful News that there was Forgiveness with God that He might be feared As contradistinguisht to the Old Testament-state it is the glad Tidings of the Son of God sent into the World that taking upon him our Nature he might therein become a Curse for us and by his perfect Obedience to the Law might Purchase and Procure Eternal Life And are Christs Laws and His Gospel become Convertible Is there no Revelation No Promise Nothing done for us which cannot come under the Nature of a Law The Laws of Christ then are Holy and Just and Good that the Greatness of his Person Consiliates Reverence and due Regard to them we acknowledge that Law and Gospel are words of equal Extent we deny and do think our Author will be harder put to it to prove Christ to signifie Law than to signifie Gospel Much less are we satisfied in his Comparison Numa pretended he received his Laws from the Goddess Aegeria to procure a greater Veneration to them Thus God c. Say you so Did God procure Veneration for his Laws with such a cunning Trick a Pia fraus as Politick Numa did Or is Christ grown an Instrument of Government as he tells us hereafter Gods Justice is Well I hope he Meant honestly or else it will be somewhat hard to be tied to Mean just as he Means 3. The Greatness of his Person gives great Authority to his Example for he came to be our Prophet and our Guide to Teach us by his Precepts and his Life Believe it this is something like The World is well amended since pag. 5. For then Preaching the Gospel was the Exercise of his Regal Power And now here he has brought it into Decorum again and at present is under a Pang of Modern Orthodoxy But his Example gives us an Evident Demonstration wherein the Perfection of Humane Nature consists for he lived up to the Perfection of Humane Nature and the only way to be Perfect is to Live as he Lived Why then I doubt we must never be in any sence Perfect all the days of our Lives for in the very next Page he proves That Christs becoming Poor though he was Rich a Servant though he was Lord of Life are such Expressions of Love as we can never fully Imitate and so Adieu to all Perfection to the Worlds end It was indeed Prudently done to Imitate the Wisdome of Nature to Plant his Antidote so near his Poyson that if he scatter'd Infection in one Page to fortifie our feeble Spirits against the Impressions of it in another A little Observation will Dismiss this Period And 1. One would think that to live as Christ lived was not so much the way to Perfection as Perfection it self Your dull Syntagmatical Divines use to distinguish between the Means and the End or the way to the Wood and the Wood it self but great Spirits are above Pedantick Laws and therefore to please all Parties for once let the way to be Perfect be to be Perfect 2. I observe that the Scripture owns some to be Perfect who never lived all out nay nothing near so well as Christ lived 1 Chron. 15. 17. The heart of Asa was perfect all his days and yet we read that In his Disease he sought not to the Lord but to the Physitian he took not away the High places he was wroth with the Prophet Hanani and put him in Prison and yet perhaps our Author can Evade That notwithstanding this he might come up to his Pattern for Christ himself once or twice put on the Person of a Iewish Zealot There was then a time when a man might have been perfect and yet not Live up to the absolute Perfection of Christ but I perceive it s lost and is to be numbered amongst the Resperditae of Pancirol To conclude How far Christ is to be Imitated is a Question of greater Difficulty than at first sight may be Imagined Some Works he performed as God others as Mediatour and others as a Man Those which he performed as God the Miraculous Operations of the Deity none need be disswaded from Imitation of for no stronger a Reason than because 't is Impossible To Raise the Dead cast out Devils Cure Diseases with a Word or Touch are Matter of our Admiration not Imitation I know indeed some of our Modern Schoolmen will tell us That though we cannot Imitate Christ herein to the height yet we may imitate him as far as we can Thus though Raising the Dead be a little too Many for you yet you may come to the Grave of your dead Friend command him to come forth but if he be Sullen and will not stir hand nor foot let him take his Course and lie there still like his Grace in cold Clay clad You have done your Duty and may satisfie your Conscience that you have Imitated Christ as far as you can by as Useful a Figure as any is in Rhethorick called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Works which Christ performed as Mediatour though
to be content to be saved by Christ without being either humble or holy or fair or beautifull any otherwise than as he is pleased to make us so by his Satisfaction for our Sins and the Imputation of his Righteousness to us Nay that 's a Rapper let him but look up to what he quoted from Mr. Shepheard Christ hath tâ—…ken upon him to purge his Spouse and make her fit for himself and that she can never be without being holy humble beautifull by inherent Grace Shall I but entreat the Readers patience a very little to lay his finger upon these words The result of all that they mean by coming to Christ is to be content to be saved by him without being holy humble or beautifull c. and I will promise him for his Patience and Pains he shall within a Page or two hear our Author most effectually confute his own Slander and raise a Mighty Blister upon his own forgetfull Clapper And now our Author comes to consider what Duties are consequent upon such an Union and closure with Christ. As first A mighty love of the Soul for her Saviour Head and Husband and Another is Obedience to our spiritual Husband And now Reader where didst thou lay thy finger Are these the Men that are content to be saved by Christ without being holy humble c Are these they that were charged p. 56. with trusting to the Expiation of Christ for Salvation without doing any thing themselves Or are they the same men that were reproached p. 62. as saying They had Nothing to â—…oe but to get an Interest in the Satisfaction and Righteousness of Christ and yet now are so hot for loving of Christ that their great Crime is that they over-love him and are sick of love for him and are all for Obedience to Christ too resigning up themselves to his Will to be govern'd by his Laws and in all things to glorifie him in New Obedience Yes but then it 's very hard to find a proper place for Obedience in this New Religion Well but if we can find a proper place for it in the Old Religion it 's no great matter what place it has in the New And indeed I would not have it Controverted what place in Religion they will allow to Obedience who are of no Religion who are open Scoffers at Christ the Holy Spirit the Scriptures and all Religion Ay but it 's very hard to deduce it from an Acquaintance with Christ's Person Very Hard what a word was that why it 's simply impossible to deduce any Religion at all from an Acquaintance with his Person for all the acquaintance we have with him is by an acquaintance with his Gospel from whence we understand him to be God and Man from thence we learn him to be King Priest and Prophet thence we learn what he has done and suffer'd for us and what he is now doing for us at the Right hand of the Father But why should it be so very hard to find a proper place for Obedience in these mens Religion Why Reason will tell you that if there be any room at all for it it must be either before our closing with Christ or after it Now indeed he argues close and home and pursues his business as snug as you can desire 1. Then this Obedience is not necessary at all to our coming to Christ and closing with him Not necessary that 's very strange Coming to Christ is with them a Main part of Obedience and to Obey without Obedience is not so easie as he imagines He that answers that Call of Christ Come unto me therein obeyes him and believing in Christ has been reputed a considerabe part of Gospel-Duty 1 Ioh. 3. 23. This is his Commandement that we should believe on the Name of his Son Iesus Christ That there are several Duties which flow from Faith the Scripture Church of England and all men living doe acknwowledge but that this Believing is also a Duty they must equally acknowledge So that here 's one proper place or at least a Corner of a place where he may wedge in Obedience if he pleases 2. Sayes he When the Marriage is consummated there 's less need of it than before Nay there his Non-sence is too open He supposes them to own consequential Duties such as follow the Marriage-covenant and yet now he would perswade us that there 's less need of them than before the Marriage-Covenant If he can invent a way how consequential Duties should goe before the Marriage Covenant by my consent he shall have the sole honour of the Discovery In my poor Judgment and I am perswaded most men are of my Judgement consequential Duties doe follow or to humour him following Duties ought to be consequential There was once a Learned and Friendly Debate betwixt a Mayor and his Brethren what the Question was I am not very certain but one wiser than the rest had reduced the Matter to this Head That if they could but make it out that Edward the third reigned before Edward the first they should carry the Cause And if our Author can find any place proper or improper for consequential Duties before that thing to which they are consequential he shall be Registred amongst the great Benefactors to our understandings But yet in spight of Fate he will not allow any place for Consequential Duties after Marriage for then we have less need of them than before A fine Argument if well Improved to satisfie men in the Lawfulness of committing Adultery But why not 1. Then we are adorned with the Beauty of Christ Ergo we need no Inherent beauty Then we are Iustified Ergo we need not be Sanctified 2. Then we are Holy with Christs Holiness Ergo we need not be Holy 3. Then we are delivered from the Guilt of sin by his Expiation Ergo we need not be delivered from the filth of sin 4. Christ must look to see the Debt discharged to God which he hath taken upon him Ergo we owe no Debt of Gratitude to the Father for his Son to the Son for his Love 5. We are then righteous with his Righteousness which gives us an actual right to Glory Ergo we need no Inherent righteousness to make us meet for Glory and to partake of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light All I shall say is this If men may Argue at this Rate they are the most formidable Disputants we may cast our Caps at them and it 's as safe to handle the Torpedo as to touch them with a long Pole But such Merriment he is pleased to Divert his we aried Reader withal and sometimes for Variety it may be Grateful but really too much Nonsence in a Discourse is very odious For the Place or rather no Place of Obedience thus far An enquiry in the Reasons of it seems also necessary And for that he says It 's concluded on all hands that this Obedience is but a Consequential Duty that which ought to
but the working of heated Fancy and Religious Distraction that to speak of Christs beauty loveliness fulness and preciousness are but Romantick Descriptions of him That is All is Fancy that comports not with his own extravagant Whimsâ—…y The Knowledge of Christ informs our Judgements affects our Hearts reforms our Lives and it will argue little love to our Redeemer if we entertain meaner thoughts of him by loud Clamour and impotent Reflections upon him 2. It moves their Passions and if we be a little passionately affected with the love of our Redeemer it 's a pardonable Errour When our Author would curry favour with his Reader and perswade him that for all his scandalous Expressions he was no Enemy to Christ he could say as much as that came to p. 184 185. This is a Sacrament wherein we celebrate the Love of our dying Lord and express our most passionate Love to him Here is Love passionate and most passionate Love and yet others Passions must not be moved for fear they set the Town on fire 3. They find great breakings of heart I would we experienc'd them more upon Condition we were ten times more reviled for them but I cannot well conceive how the Heart should be broken from sin that is not broken for sin and though this is grown so despicable a Matter in his eyes yet we have this Relief that a broken and contrite heart God will not despise 4. But they melt and dissolve into Tears when they remember what their Lord suffer'd for them They are content he should be called their Lord if others renounce him they are willing to own him It 's better to be reproached in this World that they have a Saviour than condemned in the next World because they have none and let it be their and all our Cares that Men may not hate us for professing Christ and God too because we do but profess him But is it so heynous a Crime to weep at the remembrance of what Christ suffer'd for us We pray that God would fulfill upon us that Promise Zech. 12. 10. That he would pour out his Spirit upon us that we may look upon him whom we have pierced and mourn over him and for him as one mourns for an onely Son and we say with Holy Herbert If thou hast no Sighs nor Tears Would thou hadst no Sins nor Fears Who hath These Those ill forbears But 5. They see him hang upon the Cross and have all his Agonies and dying groans in their ears Well if Faith represents to us a crucifyed Christ the Galatians were not called foolish upon that Account When we read that Christ was amazed and sore troubled that his Soul was exceeding sorrowfull even to death that it express'd from his Body clods of Blood all the Question is whether we ought to Read these things between sleeping and waking or get the most lively and powerfull Impressions of them upon our Souls The Primitive Church used to pray 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 libera nos Domine And the Present Church of England By thine Agony and bloody Sweat by thy Cross and Passion good Lord deliver us 6. They Curse their Sins that nayled him there The truth is they do not bless their Sins for crucifying Christ though he was a Person above our Authors scorn that used that Hyperbole Foelix Peccatum quod peperit Christum But sin has proved so dishonourable to our God so wounding to Christ so grievous to the Spirit so bitter to the Conscience that we would say the worst by it we can on this side Cursing And this we have good Authority for pag. 185. The Memory of what Christ has done and suffered excites in us a just Hatred of our sins So that were we but Masters of his Regular Proportions could we but find the just Measure of the Hatred of sin and Nick it exactly betwixt too much and too little hatred of sin we might escape the severity of his Censure Hitherto we have been taught That the just Measure of loving Christ is to love him without Measure and the just Measure of the Hatred of sin is to hate it without Measure but our Author good Man is very solicitous least we should over-love Christ or over-hate our iniquities 7. They tremble at the Thoughts of the Naturalness of Gods vindictive Iustice to him And if they doe consider God as one of purer eyes than to behold Iniquity if they do view his Holiness and in the sense of their own vileness cry out Woe is me for I am undone because I am a Man of unclean lips As good as they or he have trembled at 〈◊〉 sight of this Glorious Holy and Righteous Judge 8. But they feel all the Horrors and Agonies of damned Spirits I knew we should have a Rapper before we had done Is this the Fruit of Acquaintance with Christ I question not but a Cain a Iudas a Spira may have felt in this Life something of the horrours of the Damned The Apostle denounces some such dreadfull vengeance against Renegadoes from the Christian Faith Heb. 10. That there remains no more Sacrifice for sin but a certain fearfull looking for of Iudgement and fiery Indignation to devour the Adversaries v. 26 27. But these despairing horrours proceed not from an experimental Knowledge of Christ as our Author either ignorantly dreams or maliciously calumniates but from an Ignorance of him the true design of his Death in Reconciling God and Man This is one of their Extreams for at other times they are ravish'd with his Love charm'd and captivated with his Beauty refresht and ravisht with his Comforts c. It is easie to observe that our Author alwayes writes pro re natâ just as the present occasion invites him for he will tell you p. 396. That the Soul many times feels such great and Ravishing delights in all the Acts of Religion as infinitely excell all the pleasures of Sense they relish great Pleasure and Satisfaction in the sense of Gods Goodness P. 397. They must needs feel sometimes such divine Touches and Impressions as are the Effects if I may so speak of a mutual Love and Sympathy And had these men but the Happiness to have express'd themselves in his very words and Syllables they might have said either the worst or best of Religion they had pleased without Rebuke But all this he tells us may be no more than the working of a warm and Enthusiastick Fancy but then if it should prove the work of the Holy and Blessed Spirit which he ascribes to Fancy and Conceit how near it may come to the sin of those who ascribed that to Beelzebub which was effected by the Finger of God I must leave to his serious Consideration Enthusiasm is much reproached and little understood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Enthusiasme is when the Mind is wholly enlightned by God In which sence I pray God make us all Enthusiasts And let the End of all that Ioy and Satisfaction that we have
carries a sound to a mere English Ear very like to Union but if we examine either the Synonymous word Communion or the Greek words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which are rendred Fellowship and Communion and how those words are used in Scripture we may abundantly satisfie our selves that they signifie something very distinct from Union or Relation Fellowship and Communion are words of the same import and the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is indifferently render'd by either of them 1 Ioh. 1. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And truely our Fellowship c. And v. 6. If we say that we have fellowship with him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 3. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Communion of the Holy Ghost and the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is once translated Fellowship 2 Cor. 6. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For what Fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness Now what the general Nature of Fellowship Communion or Participation and Communication is the Apostle will clear up to us Phil. 4. 15. Now ye Philippians know That no Church communicated with me as concerning Giving and Receiving but ye onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which he explains if there be need of that v. 16. Ye sent once and again unto my necessity Communion therefore or Communication is the Mutual bestowing of those good things which are in each others power grounded upon some Union and Relation between the Parties And this is more fully expressed by that Scripture phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To have hold exercise or maintain Communion or Communication of all those good things which may be expected from each other in a Relation 1 Ioh. 1. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I must profess my self therefore wholly dissatisfied with our Authors New Notion of Communion That it signifies the same thing with Union That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are Terms adequately Measuring each other There must be first a Relation before there can be a communicating of those good things which presuppose the Relation Thus the Love of a Father to his Child his Care over him his Bounty to him is founded in his Relation to him as his Son and the Child 's filial Love Duty Fear are all bâ—…tomed upon the Relation which he holds to his Father Thus we conceive first a Real Union between the Head and the Members before we can conceive the Head should communicate spirits to all the parts to quicken them to Motion And this the Apostle expresses Col. 2. 19. That they who do not Hold the Head that are not united to Christ can never receive from him those supplies or Communications of Spiritual Nourishment that they may encrease with the encrease of God And thus must there be an Union between the Husband and the Wife before there can be a Communication of what is in each others power That is they must give what they are before they can give what they have And this Order and Method is well observed in the Liturgy though our Author is pleased to make himself very merry with it where the Man first takes the Woman to be his wedded Wife and then assigns or makes over what he has to her Use with all my worldly Goods I thee endow For he that gives Himself will never stick at a'l the Rest. And thus the first thing that God gives to his in Covenant is Himself Heb. 8. 10. I will be their God and then follows the Communication of all his Covenant Mercies v. 12. I will be mercifull to their Iniquities and remember their sins no more And in the same Order the Soul proceeds in its Restipulation with God 2 Cor. 8. 5. First gave their â—…wn selves to the Lord. Now as the Union or Relation is for kind so also are the Communications that flow from or follow upon the Relation and Union If the Union be a more general Union the Relation a more common Relation the Communications in due proportion will be more general and Common we are Related to all men none are so remote but they are our Neighbours but yet we have a more special and peculiar Relation to all Christians And hence is it that the Apostle apportions out to us the Nature of those good things that we ought to commuicate to both Gal. 6. 10. Doe good to all but especially to them that are of the houshold of Faith The great God as Creator is Related to all and therefore does good to all Psal. 36. 6. Thou preservest Man and Beast Yet as he stands more nearly related as a Father to some than others so he commnicates more choyse and peculiar Favours to them Hence is that Prayer of David Psal. 106. 4. Remember me O Lord with the favour thou bearest to thine own People O visit me with thy Salvation that I may see the Good of thy Elect ones And because the Electing Love of the Father and the Redeeming Love of the Son are exactly parallel therefore has Christ a general 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as well as a special 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 4. 10. He is the Saviour of all men specially of them that Believe It was never doubted but the Relation of a Master to his Servant ought to produce suitable Communications to that Relation And yet those of a Fatheâ—… to his Child are of another and sweeter Nature those of the Husband to the Wife yet more endearing and those of the Head to the Members still more intimous and intrinsecal Now that Communion is a Communication of Good things flowing from Union the Apostle will not suffer us to doubt Gal. 6. 6. Let him that is taught in the Word communicate unto him that teacheth in All Good things Where the Relation between the Teacher and the Disciple is the Foundation of that Communication of all good things but if indeed our Author will abide by his Notion That Union and Communion are both one Then if his Parishioners do but hear him preach they may spare the Impertinency of Tythes it is but Actum Agere and Commuâ—…ion is satisfied in the Notion of Union so that they have here a general Release of all Minute and Praedial Tythes under his own hand from the beginning of the World to this Day The Sophistry of our Authors Argument from 1 Joh. 1. 3. we have already considered and discovered He leads us now to 1 Cor. 1. 9. God is faithfull by whom ye are called into the Fellowship of his Son Jesus All the advantage he can expect from these words is upon a presumption of his Readers Simplicity that he will not spye small faults to be called into fellowship with Christ cajouls the Ear into a Conceit of Union But that which spoyls all is our Translation reads unto the Fellowship or Communication or Participation of his Son and the Mischief on 't is the Greek reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But let us see however how
new Obedience Deut. 30. 6. The Lord thy God will Circumcise thy Heart to love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart and with all thy Soul 3. Sect. That which presupposes other Covenant-mercies antecedent to it cannot be the condition of the first Covenant-Blessing and therefore not the condition of a Covenant-state but our own righteousness presupposes other Covenant-blessings antecedent to it Ezek. 36. 26. I will take away the Heart of stone out of your Flesh and give you an Heart of Flesh the Natural Heart must be Circumcised the hard heart removed a soft heart bestowed before we can perform new Obedience out of which our own righteousness results When therefore our Author says That Christs righteousness and our own are both necessary to Salvation He says true and which is necessary to all Truth that which overthrows his main design For if Christs righteousness be necessary to our Salvation not onely to the promise of it then no Salvation can be had without that righteousness but if it be onely necessary to a promise of that Salvation then it is not necessary to Salvation for Salvation according to his Principles has been obtained without a promise of Salvation otherwise the Patriarchs before Christ could not be eternally saved whom he supposes to have had no such promise and so it may still for Obedience performed will save though it want that great promise for it's encouragement And whereas he says That Christs Righteousness is the Foundation but not the Condition of the Covenant what policy there may be in using the Metaphor of a Foundation I cannot tell but this I know A Foundation is a necessary Condition to the superstructure raised upon it I have now attended him through all the Labyrinths of this tedious Discourse whence the Reader will learn at least how impossible it is for Error to be Consonant to it self As the two Milstones grind one another as well as the grain and as the extreme Vices oppose each other as well as the intermediate vertue that lies between them So have all Errors this fate and 't is the best quality they are guilty of that they Duel one another with the same heat that they oppose the Truth The Remainder of his Book is so full of falshoods in matter of fact reproaches of the Truth and immerited bitterness against the Living and the Dead that I could not perswade my self to give the Reader any further trouble with them at present but a small invitation will draw out the second Part In the mean time I do solemnly protest that as I have no Personal Quarrel with this Gentleman so I have not willingly wronged his Discourse in the smallest instance The worst I wish him is that he may seasonably repent of his injurious dealing with the Scriptures and his unworthy treatment of those Persons who have deserved well of Religion and the Common-wealth of Learning and not ill of himself I cannot deny but that his provoking way of writing his unjust censures of the Innocent and above all his Drolling faculty exercised upon sacred things have sometimes tempted me to a return not so agreeable to my Natural inclinations I hope the Reader will consider not onely how but what I have written nor onely what but upon what provocations it has been written Let Cause be compared with Cause the moments of Reasons with Reasons let the little Vagaries and impertinces be brusht off and then let the indifferent and impartial Reader moderate between us And if he shall meet with any Truth of the Gospel cleared or vindicated let him give God the more praise who by such improbable means as Clay and Spittle can open his Eyes to the acknowledgment of the Truth and secure him against the Impostures and Apostacy of these latter times and what ever of Vanity and Folly he meets with in these Papers let him be assured that's my own and that it may not prejudice the concerns of Christ let him freely trample it under his Feet FINIS A Catalogue of some Books printed and sold by Nath. Ponder at the Peacock in Chancery Lane near Fleetstreet First EXercitations on the Epistle to the Hebrews also concerning the Messiah Wherein the Promises concerning Him to be a Spiritual Redeemer of Mankind are explained and vindicated c. With an Exposition of and Discourses on the two first Chapters of the said Epistle to the Hebrews By Iohn Owen D. D. in Folio 2. Exercitations on the Epistle to the Hebrews concerning the Priesthood of Christ wherein the original Causes Nature Prefigurations and Discharge of that holy Office are explained and vindicated The Nature of the Covenant of the Redeemer with the Call of the Lord Christ unto his Office are declared And the Opinions of the Socinians about it are fully examined and their Oppositions unto it refuted With a Continuation of the Exposition on the third fourth and fifth Chapters of the said Epistle to the Hebrews being the second Volumn By Iohn Owen D. D. in Folio 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or A Discourse concerning the Holy Spirit Wherein an Account is given of his Name Nature Personality Dispensation Operations and Effects His whole Work in the Old and New Creation is explained the Doctrine concerning it vindicated from Oppositions and Reproaches The Nature also and Necessity of Gospel-Holiness the difference between Grace and Morality or a Spiritual Life unto God in Evangelical Obedience and a course of Moral Vertues are stated and declared By Iohn Owen D. D. in Folio 4. A Practical Exposition on the 130 Psalm wherein the Nature of the Forgiveness of Sin is declared the Truth and Reality of it asserted and the Case of a Soul distressed with the Guilt of Sin and relieved by a Discovery of Forgiveness with God is at large discoursed By Io. Owen D. D. in Quarto 5. Londons Lamentations or a sober serious Discourse concerning the late Fiery Dispensation By Mr. Thomas Brooks late Preacher of the Word at St. Margarets NewFisâ—…street London in Quarto 6. Liberty of Conscience upon its true and proper grounds asserted and vindicated c. To which is added the Second Part viz. Liberty of Conscience the Magistrates Interest By a Protestant a Lover of Truth and the Peace and Prosperity of the Nation in Quarto The second Edition Large Octavo's 7. A Discourse of the Nature Power Deceit and Prevalency of the Remainders of Indwelling-Sin in Believers Together with the ways of its working and means of prevention By Iohn Owen D. D. in Octavo 8. Truth and Innocency vindicated in a Survey of a Discourse concerning Ecclesiastical Polity and the Authority of the Civil Magistrate over the Consciences of Subjects in matters of Religion By Iohn Owen D. D. in Octavo 9. Exercitations concerning the Name Original Nature Use and Continuance of a Sacred Day of Rest wherein the Original of the Sabbath from the foundation of the World the Morality of the fourth Commandment with the change of the Sabbath-Day are enquired into Together with an Assertion of the Divine Institution of the Lord's Day By Iohn Owen D. D. in Octavo The second Impression 10. Evangelical Love Church-Peace and Unity By. Io. Owen D. D. 11. The Unreasonableness of Atheism made manifest in a Discourse to a Person of Honour By Sir Charles Wolselay Baronet Third Impression 12. The Reasonableness of Scripture-Belief A Discourse giving some Account of those Rational Grounds upon which the Bible is received as the Word of God Written by Sir Charles Wolseley Baronet 13. The Rehearsal transpres'd or Animadversions upon a late Book intituled A Preface shewing what Grounds there are of fears and jealousies of Popery The first Part. By Andrew Marvel Esq. 14. The Rehearsal transpros'd the second Part. Occasioned by two Letters the first printed by a nameless Author intituled A Reproof c. the second A Letter left at a friends house dated Nov. 3. 1673. subscribed I. G. and concluding with these words If thou darest to print or publish any Lye or Libel against Dr. Parker by the Eternal God I will cut thy throat Answered by Andrew Marvel 15. Theopolis or the City of God New Ierusalem in opposition to the City of the Nations Great Babylon By Henry D'anvers in Octavo 16. A Guide for the Practical Gauger with a Compendium of Decimal Arithmetick Shewing briefly the whole Art of Gauging of Brewers Tuns Coppers Backs c. also the Mash or Oyl-Cask and Sybrant Hantz his Table of Area's of Segments of a Circle the Mensuration of all manner of Superficies By William Hunt Student in the Mathematicks in Octavo 17. Anti-Sozzo sive Sherlocismus Enervatus In Vindication of some Great Truths Opposed and Opposition to some Great Errors Maintained by Mr. William Sherlock 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hoc est Domus Mosaicae Clavis sive Legis Sepimentum Authore Iosepho Cooper Anglo in Octavo A Vindication of some Passages in a Discourse concerning Communion with God from the Exceptions of William Sherlock Rector of St. George Buttolph-Lane By Iohn Owen D. D. in Octavo A brief Declaration and Vindication of the Doctrine of the Trinity By Iohn Owen D. D. in 12.