the Doctrines they Professed is somewhat remote from that Christian Humility which he ought not only to exercise in himself but to give an Example of unto Others But if this be the Fruit of despising the Knowledge of the Person of Chrst of the Necessity of his Satisfaction of the Imputation of his Righteousness of Union unto his Person as our Head of a sense of the Displeasure of God due to Sin of the Spirit of Bondage and Adoption of the Corruption of Nature and our Disability to do any thing that is spiritually Good without the effectual Ayds of Grace If these I say and the like Issues of appearing Pride and Elation of Mind be the Fruit and Consequent of rejecting these Principles of the Doctrine of the Gospel it manifests that there is and will be a proportion between the Errours of Mens Minds and the depravation of their Affections It were a most easy task to go over all the particulars mentioned by him and to manifest how foully he hath prevaricated in their Representation how he hath cast contempt on some Duties of Religion indispensibly necessary unto Salvation and brought in the very words of the Scripture that in the true proper sence and intendment of them according to the Judgment of all Christians Ancient Modern as that of Looking to Christ as the Israelites looked to the Brasen Serpent in the Wilderness to bear a share and part in his Scorn and Contempt as also to defend and vindicate not his odious disingenious Expressions but what he invidiously designeth to Expose beyond his Ability to gainsay or with any pretence of sober Learning to reply unto But I give it up into the hands of those who are more concerned in the Chastisment of such Imaginations Only I cannot but tell this Author what I have Learned by long Observation Namely that those who in opposing others make it their Design to and place their Confidence in false Representations and invidions Expressions of their Judgments and Opinions waving a true Stating of the things in Difference and weighing of the Arguments wherewith they are confirmed whatever pretence they may make of Confidence and Contempt of them with whom they have to do Yet this way of writing proceeds from a secret sense of their disability to maintain their own Opinions or to reply to the Reasonings of their Adversaries in a fair and lawful Disputation or from such depraved Affections as are sufficient to deter any sober Person from the least Communication in those Principles which are so pleaded for And the same I must say of that kind of Writing which in some late Authors fills up almost every Page in their Books which beyond a Design to load the persons of Men with Reproaches and Calumnies consist only in the Collecting of passages here and there up and down out of the writings of others which as cut off from the Body of their Discourses and Design of the Places which they belong unto may with a little Artifice either of Addition or Detraction with some false Glosses whereof we shall have an immediate Instance be represented weak or untrue or improper or some way or other obnoxious to Censure When Diligence Modesty Love of Truth Sobriety true use of Learning shall again visit the World in a more plentiful manner though Differences should continue amongst us yet men will be enabled to manage them honestly without contracting so much Guilt on themselves or giving such fearful Offence Scandal unto others But I return That wherein I am particularly concerned is the Close wherewith he winds up this Candid Ingenious Discourse pag. 74. He quotes my Words That the Soul consents to take Christ on his own Terms to save him in his own way and saith Lord I would have had thee and Salvation in my way that it might have been partly of mine Endeavours and as it were by the works of the Law that is by obeying the Laws of the Gospel but I am now willing to receive Thee and to be saved in thy way meerly by Grace that is without doing any thing without obeying Thee The most contented Spouse certainly that ever was in the World to submâ—t to such hard conditions as to be saved for nothing But what a pretty Complement doth the Soul make to Christ after all this when she adds And though I would have walked according to my own mind yet now I wholly give up my self to be ruled by the Spirit If the Reader will be at the pains to look on the Discourse whence these passages are taken I shall desire no more of his favour but that he profess himself to be a Christian and then let him freely pronounce whether he find any thing in it obnoxious to Censure Or I desire that any Man who hath not forfeited all Reason and Ingenuity unto Faction and Party if he differ from me truly to state wherein and oppose what I have said with an Answer unto the Testimonies wherewith it is confirmed referred unto in the Margent of my Discourse But the way of this Authors proceeding if there be no plea to be made for it from his Ignorance and unacquaintedness not only with the Person of Christ but with most of the other things he undertakes to write about is altogether unexcusable The way whereby I have expressed the consent of the Soul in the receiving of Jesus Christ to be Justifyed Sanctifyed Saved by him I still avow as suited unto the mind of the Holy Ghost and the Experience of them that really believe And whereas I added that before Believing the Soul did seek for Salvation by the works of the Law as it is natural unto all and as the Holy-Ghost affirms of some whose words alone I used and expresly quoted that Place from whence I took them namely Rom. 9.31 32. This Man adds as an Exposition of that Expression that is by obeying of the Laws of the Gospel But he knew that these were the words of the Apostle or he did not If he did not nor would take notice of them so to be although directed to the place from whence they are taken it is evident how meet he is to debate matters of this Nature and Concernment and how far he is yet from being in danger to Pore out his Eyes in reading the Scripture as he pretends If he did know them to be his words why doth he put such a sense upon them as in his own Apprehension is derogatory to Gospel-obedience What-ever he thught of before and it is likely he will now say that it is my sense and not the Apostles which he intends But how will he prove that I intended any other sence than that of the Apostle How should this appear Let him if he can produce any Word in my whole Discourse intimating any other sence Nay it is evident that I had no other intention but only to refer unto that Place of the Apostle and the proper sence of it which is
the Son of God Incarnate the Mediator between God and Man For because the Name Christ is sometimes used Metonymically to conclude thence that Jesus Christ is not Jesus Christ or that it is not the Person of Christ that is firstly and properly intended by that name in the Gospel is a lewd and impious Imagination And we may as well make Christ to be only a Light within Us as to be the Doctrine of the Gospel without Us. This Knowledg of Jesus Christ I aver to be the only Fountain of all Saving Knowledg which is farther reflected on by this Author And he adds no doubt out of respect unto Me that he will not envy the Glory of this discovery unto its Author and therefore honestly confesseth that he met with it in my Book But what doth he intend whither will Prejudice and Corrupt Designs carry and transport the Minds of Men Is it possible that he should be ignorant that it is the Duty of all Christians to know Jesus Christ to be acquainted with the person of Christ and that this is the Fountain of all Saving Knowledg until he met with it in my Book about Communion with God which I dare say he looked not into but only to find what he might except against It is the Holy Ghost himself that is the Author of this Discovery and it is the great Fundamental Principle of the Gospel Wherefore surely this cannot be the Man's intention and therefore we must look a little further to see what it is that he aimeth at After then the Repetition of some Words of mine he adds as his sence upon them pag. 39. So that it seems the Gospel of Christ makes a very imperfect and obscure Discovery of the Nature Attributes and the Will of God and the Methods of our Recovery We may throughly understand whatever is revealed in the Gospel and yet not have a clear and Saving Knowledg of these things until we get a more intimate Acquaintance with the Person of Christ. And again pag. 40. I shall shew you what additions these Men make to the Gospel of Christ by an Acquaintance with his Person and I confess I am very much beholding to this Author for acknowledging whence they fetch all their Orthodox and Gospel-Mysteries for I had almost pored my Eyes out with seeking for them in the Gospel but could never find them but I learn now that indeed they are not to be found there unless we be first acquainted with the Person of Christ. So far as I can gather up the sence of these loose Expressions it is that I assert a knowledg of the Person of Jesus Christ which is not revealed in the Gospel which is not taught Us in the Writings of Moses the Prophets or Apostles but must be had some other way He tells me afterwards pag. 41. That I put in a Word fallaciously which expresseth the contrary as though I intended another Knowledg of Christ than what is declared in the Gospel Now he either thought that this was not my Design or Intention but would make use of a pretence of it for his Advantage unto an end aimed at which what it was I know well enough or he thought indeed that I did assert and maintain such a knowledg of the Person of Christ as was not received by Scripture-Revelation If it was the first we have an Instance of that new Morality which these new Doctrines are accompanied withal if the latter he discovers how meet a person he is to treat of things of this Nature Wherefore to prevent such scandalous Miscarriages or futilous Imaginations for the future I here tell him that if he can find in that Book or any other of my Writings any Expression or Word or Syllable intimating any Knowledg of Christ or any Acquaintance with the Person of Christ but what is revealed and declared in the Gospel in the Writings of Moses the Prophets and Apostles and as it is so revealed and declared and learned from thence I will publiquely burn that Book with my own hands to give him and all the World Satisfaction Nay I say more if an Angel from Heaven pretend to give any other knowledg of the Person of Christ but what is revealed in the Gospel let him be accursed And here I leave this Author to consider with himsef what was the true occasion why he should first thus represent himself unto the World in Print by the avowing of so unworthy and Notorious a Calumny Whereas therefore by an Acquaintance with the Person of Christ it is undeniably evident that I intended nothing but that Knowledg of Christ which it is the Duty of every Christian to labour after no other but what is revealed declared and delivered in the Scripture as almost every Page of my Book doth manifest where I treat of these things I do here again with the good Leave of this Author assert that this knowledge of Christ is very necessary unto Christians and the Fountain of all Saving Knowledg whatever And as he may if he please review the Honesty and Truth of that Passage pag. 38. So that our Acquaintance with Christ's Person in this Mans Divinity signifies such a Knowledg of what Christ is hath done and suffered for Us from whence we may learn those greater deeper and more Saving Mysteries of the Gospel which Christ hath not expresly revealed to Us So I will not so far suspect the Christianity of them with whom we have to do as to think it necessary to confirm by Texts of Scripture either of these assertions which whoever denies is an open Apostate from the Gospel Having laid this Foundation in an equal Mixture of that Truth and Sobriety wherewith Sundry late Writings of this Nature and to the same Purpose have been stuffed he proceeds to declare what desperate Consequences ensue upon the Necessity of that Knowledg of Jesus Christ which I have asserted addressing himself thereunto pag. 40. Many Instances of such dealings will make me apt to think that some Men whatever they pretend to the contrary have but little Knowledg of Jesus Christ indeed But whatever this Man thinks of him an Accouut must one Day be given before and unto him of such false Calumnies as his Lines are stuffed withal Those who will believe him that he hath almost pored out his Eyes in reading the Gospel with a Design to find out Mysteries that are not in it are left by me to their Liberty Only I cannot but say that his way of Expressing the study of the Scripture is such as becometh a Man of his Wisdom Gravity and Principles He will I hope one day be better acquainted with what belongs unto the due Investigation of sacred Truth in the Scripture than to suppose it represented by such Childish expressions What he hath Learned from me I know not but that I have any where taught that there are Mysteries of Religion that are not to be found in the Gospel unless we are first acquainted with
this Section upon a contrary supposition falsly imputed unto me And as for his drawing Schemes of Religion I must tell him and let him disprove it if he be able I own no Religion no Article of Faith but what are taught expresly in the Scripture mostly confirmed by the ancient General Councils of the Primitive Church and the Writings of the most Learned Fathers against all sorts of Heretâ—cks especially the Gnosticks Photinians and Pelagians consonant to the Articles of the Church of England and the Doctrine of all the Reformed Châ—rches of Europe And if in the Exposition of any place of Scripture I dissent from any that for the Substance of it own the Religion I do I do it not wiâ—hout Cogent Reasons from the Scripture it self and where in any opinions which Learned Men have and it may be always had different Apprehensions about which hath not been thought to prejudice the Unity of Faith amongst them I hope I do endeavour to manage that dissent with that Modesty and Sobriety which becometh me And as for the Schemes Plots or Designs of Religion or Christianity given us by this Author and owned by him it being taken pretendedly from the Person of Christ when it is hoped that he may have a better to give us from the Gospel seeing he hath told us we must Learn our Religion from his Doctrine and not from his Person besides that it is liable unto Innumerable Exceptions in particular which may easily be given in against it by such as have nothing else to do wâ—ereas it makes no mention of the effectual Grace of Christ and the Gospel for the Conversion and Sanctification of Sinners and the necessity thereof unto all Acts of Holy Obedience it is merely Pelagian and stands Anathematised by sundry Councils of the Antient Church I shall not therefore concern my self farther in any Passages of this Section most of them wherein it reflects on others standing in competition for Truth and Ingenuity with the Foundation and Design of the whole Only I shall say that the Passage of 88 89. This made the Divine Goodness so restlesly zealous and concerned for the Recovery of Mankind various ways be attempted in former Ages but with little success as I observed before but at last God sent his own Son our Lord Jesus Christ into the World without a very Cautious Explanation and Charitable Construction is false scandalous and blasphemous For allow this Author who contends so severely for Propriety of Expressions against Allusions and Metaphors to say that the Divine Goodness was restlesly Zealous and Concerned for indeed such is our Weakness that whether we will or no we must sometimes learn and teach Divine things in such words as are suited to convey an Apprehension of them unto our Minds though in their Application unto the Divine Nature they are incapable of being understood in the Propriety of their Signification though this be as untowardly expressed as any thing I have of late met withal yet what colour can be put upon what excuse can be made for this Doctrine That God in former Ages by various ways attempted the Recovery of mankind but with little success I know not Various attempts in God for any End without Success do not lead the Mind into right Notions of his Infinite Wisdom and Omnipotency And that God by any way at any time attempted the Recovery of Mankind distinctly and separately from the sending of his Son is lewdly false In the greatest part of his fourth Section entituled how Men pervert the Scripture to make it comply with their fancy I am not much concerned save that the Foundation of the whole and that which animates his Discourse from first to last is laid in an Impudent Calumny namely that I declare that our Religion is wholly owing to an acquaintance with the Person of Christ could never have been clearly savingly Learned from his Gospel had we not first grown acquainted with his Person This shameless Falshood is that alone whence he takes occasion and confidence to reproach my self and others to condemn the Doctrine of all the Reformed Churches and openly to traduce and vilify the Scripture it self I shall only briefly touch on some of the impotent dictates of this great Corrector of Divinity and Religion His Discourse of accommodating Scripture-Expressions to Mens own Dreamns pag. 99 100.101 being such as any Man may use concerning any other men on the like occasion if they have a mind unto it and intend to have no more regard to their Consciences than some others seem to have may be passed by pag. 102. He falls upon the ways of expounding Scripture among those whom he sets himself against and positively affirms that there are two ways of it in great Vogue among them First by the sound and Clink of the words and Phrases which as he says is all some Men understand by keeping a Form of Sound words 2 When this will not do they reason about the sence of them from their own preconceived Notions and Opinions and prove that this must be the meaning of Scripture because otherwise it is not reconcileable to their Dreams which is called expounding Scripture by the Analogy of Faith Thus far he and yet we shall have the same Man not long hence pleading for the Necessity of Holiness But I wish for my part he would take notice that I despise that Holiness and the Principles of it which will allow Men to Coin Invent and publish such notorious untruths against any sort of Men whatever And whereas by what immediately follows I seem to be principally intended in this Charge as I know the Untruth of it so I have published some Expositions on some Parts of the Scripture to the Judgment of the Christian World to which I appeal from the Censures of this Man and his Companions as also for those which if I Live and God will I shall yet publish and do declare that for Reasons very satisfactory to my Mind I will not come to him nor them to learn how to expound the Scripture But he will Justify his Charge by particular Instances telling us pag. 102. Thus when Men are possessed with a Fancy of an acquaintance with Christ's Person then to know Christ can signify nothing else but to know his Person and all his Personal Excellencies and Beauties Fullness and Pretiousness c. And when Christ is said to be made Wisdom to us this is a plain proof that we must Learn all our spiritual Wisdom from an acquaintance with his Person though some duller Men can understand no more by it than the Wisdom of those Revelations Christ hath made of God's Will to the World I would beg of this Man that if he hath any regard unto the Honour of Christian Religion or Care of his own Soul he would be tender in this matter and not reflect with his usual disdain upon the Knowledge of the Person of Christ. I must tell him again what
of Grace and Truth said to be in Christ consists either in the Doctrine of the Gospel or in the Largeness of his Church In the latter that Faith in Christ is nothing but Believing the Gospel and the Authority of Christ who revealed it and by yielding Obedience whereunto we are justified before God on the account of an internal inherent Righteousness in our selves Now these are no small Undertakings the first of them being expressely contrary to the sence of the Catholick Church in all Ages For the Pelagians and the Socinians are by common Agreement excluded from an Interest therein And the latter of them contrary to the plain Confessions of all the Reformed Churches with the constant Doctrine of this Church of England and therefore we may justly expect that they should be managed with much strength of Argument and evident Demonstration But the Unhappiness of it is I will not say his but ours that these are not things which our Author as yet hath accustomed himself unto and I cannot but say that to my knowledge I never read a more weak loose and impertinent Discourse upon so weighty Subjects in my whole Life before He must have little to doe who can afford to spend his Time in a particular Examination of it unless it be in the Exposition of those places which are almost Verbatim transcribed out of Schlictingius Besides for the first Truth which he opposeth I have confirmed it in a Discourse which I suppose may be made publick before this come to View beyond what I expect any sober Reply unto from him Some Texts of Scripture that mention a Fulness in Christ he chooseth out to manifest to speak a Word by the way that indeed they do not intend any such Fulness in Christ himself And the first is Joh. 1.16 The Exposition whereof which he gives is that of Schlictingius who yet extends the import of the words beyond what he will allow The Enforcement which he gives unto his Exposition by comparing the 14 and 17 Verses with the 16. is both weak and contradictory of it self For the words of the 14 Verse are The Word was made Flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld his Glory the Glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth It is evident beyond contradiction that the Expression full of Grace and Truth is Exegetical of his Glory as the only begotten of the Father which was the Glory of his Person and not the Doctrine of the Gospel And for the opposition that is made between the Law given by Moses and the Grace and Truth which came by Jesus Christ I shall yet rather adhere to the sense of the Ancient Church and the most Eminent Doctors of it which if he knows not it to be concerning the Effectual Communication of real renewing sanctifying Grace by Jesus Christ there are â—now who can inform him rather than that woeful gloss upon them his Doctrine is called Grace because accompanyed with such Excellent Promises and may well be called Truth because so agreeable to the Natural Notions of Good and Evil which is the Confession of the Pelagian unbelief but these things are not my present concernment For the latter part of his Discourse in his opposition unto the Imputation of the Righteousness of Christ as he doth not go about once to state or declare the sense wherein it is pleaded for nor produceth any one of the Arguments wherewith it is confirmed and omitteth the mention of most of the particular Testimonies which declare and establish it so as unto those few which he takes notice of he expresly founds his Answers unto them in that woful Subterfuge that if they are capable of another Interpretation or having another sense given unto them then nothing can be concluded from them to that purpose by which the Socinians seek to shelter themselves from all the Testimonies that are given to his Deity and Satisfaction But I have no concernment as I said either in his Opinions or his way of Reasoning and do know that those who have so need not desire a better Cause nor an easier Adversary to deal withall In his third Section pag. 279. he enters upon his exceptions unto the Union of Believers unto Jesus Christ and with great modesty at the entrance of his Discourse tells us First how these men with whom he hath to doe have fittted the Person of Christ unto all the wants and necessities of the sinner which yet if he denies God himself to have done he is openly injurious unto his Wisdom and Grace The very first Promise that was given concerning him was that he should save sinners from all their wants evils and miseries that might did or could befall them by the entrance of sin But thus it falls out when men will be talking of what they doe not understand Again he adds how he hath Explained the Scripture Metaphors whereby the Union between Christ and Christians is represented but that these men in stead of explaining of those Metaphors turn all Religion into an Allegory But what if one should now tell him that his Explanation of these Metaphors is the most absurd and irrational and argues the most fulsome ignorance of the Mystery of the Gospel that can be imagined and that on the other side those whom he traduceth doe explain them unto the understanding and experience of all that believe and that in a way suited and directed unto by the Holy Ghost himself to farther their Faith Obedience and Consolation as far as I perceive he would be at no small loss how to relieve himself under this censure The first thing he begins withal and wherein in the first place I fall under his Displeasure is about the Conjugal Relation between Christ and Believers which he treats of pag. 280. As for Example saith he Christ is called an Husband the Church his Spouse and now all the invitations of the Gospel are Christ's wooing and making love to his Spouse and what other men call believing the Gospel of Christ whereby we devote our selves to his Service these men call that consent and contract which makes up the Marriage betwixt Christ and Believers Christ takes us for his Spouse and we take Christ for our Husband and that with all the Solemnities of Marriage except the Ring which is left out as an Antichristian Ceremony Christ saying thus This is that we will consent unto that I will be for thee and thou shalt be for me and not for another Christ gives himself to the Soul with all his Excellencies Righteousness Preciousness Graces and Eminencies to be its Saviour Head and Husband to dwell with it in this Holy Relation and the Soul likes Christ for his Excellencies Graces Suitableness farr above all other Beloveds whatsoever and accepts of Christ by the Will for its Husband Lord and Saviour And thus the Marriage is compleated and this is the Day of Christs Espousals and of the Gladness of his Heart