not onely for their not beleeving in Christ but also for their unmercifulnesse idolatries adulteries and other crimes Math. 25.41.42 Rom. 2.5 9. Secondly the sinne of unbeliefe cleaveth unto all Adams children as other sinnes and shall be imputed as well as the sin of lust or any other iniquitie Thirdly to beleeue is not in the will or power of man but is the gracious gift of God to such as he hath ordained unto life Eph. 2 8 Act 13.48 Againe they alledge that Adam by that transgression deprived himselfe of Gods favour in that estate wherein he was in paradise and notwithstanding the promise of Christ hath by his siâ— procured this judgment Cursed is the earth for thy sake c Gen. 3. Thus Adam brought himsâ—lfe and all his posterity the earth and every creature in it to vanitie and bondage of corruption Rom. 8.20 c. And in this estate are all Adams sonnes begotten and borne so that by Adams sin vanitie corruption and death went over all c. So infants haue originall corruption as other creatures haue Yet those that dye and haue corruption by Adams sinne shall not be cast into hell fire Answ. A felon murderer traytor that is apprehended by the magistrate imprisoned kept in fetters and afflâ—ction his lands and goods confiscate c. pleadeth he ought not to be put to death because he hath suffered for his crimes losse of liberty goods c. But will this plea saue him Even such is the plea of thâ—se evill men For all men being in Adam fallâ—n from God and traytors to his maiestie children of wrath seruants of sin and Satan because God hath cursed the earth for their sake cast them out of earthly paradise made the creatures subiâ—ct to vanity and themselues subject to sorrowes and miseries therfore they dâ—serue not to die in hell if these vaine men may be judges But we know the judgement of God is according to truth against all evill doers He telleth us the wages of sinne is death but the gift of God is eternall life through Christ Rom. 6.23 where eternall life being opposed to death sheweth that eternall death is the wages due for sin And what sin is is there that desâ—rveth not hell 2. Whereas they say Adam by his sin deprived himselfe of paradice it is true But if they mean earthly paradice onely they erre from the truth for by his sinne he was deprivâ—d also of the heavenly paradice to which there is no restoring but by Christ Luk. 23.43 Reu. 2.7 and as himself so all his posteritie that sinned in him Rom. 5. Thirdly so where they say all his posteritie were subjected to vanitie and corruption it is true but not all the truth unlesse they understand such corruption as Peter speaketh 2. Pet. 2.12 which is eternall destruction and then they yeeld the cause But they meane not so but corruption such as is in beasts birds c. wherein they goe quite astray For beasts and other brutish and sâ—ncelesse creatures are not sinners as all Adams children are Rom. 5 12.19 sin is not but in reasonable creatures onely as Angels and men Neither is any creature subiect to eternall torment but sinners onely Other creatures when they perish there is an end of them and of their miserie with them but they that perish in their sins haue no end of their miserie but it is eternall Math. 25.46 Mark 9.45.46 Wherfore they doe not well to expound Rom. 5. by Rom. 8 because the Apostle speaketh not of the same but of divers things and estates in those two chapters Fourthly take that which they say and it overthroweth them For how should Adams sin bring all his posteritie unto death but by their guilt in Adams sinne If it made not them sinners the scripture which they formerly alledged Ezek. 18. teacheth that the children should not dye for their fathers sinnes Now seing many infants dye daily it proveth them all to be sinners because death is the wages of sin Rom. 6 23. Gen. 2.17 At length they come to answer Rom. 5. with this perverse doctrine This is the meaning of the holy Ghost that by Adams sinne all his posteritie haue weak natures Rom. 8.3 by which when the commandement comes Rom. 7.10 thâ—y cannot obey and liue but sinne and so dye till when they are aliue without the law so sayth the Apostle vers 9. and thus is verified that all both Iewes and Gentiles are under sin c. Read on the scripture and you may evidently see that neither this nor any part of Gods word is spoken to or of infants Answ. This is not the Apostles meaning for he sayth not they haue weake natures but that all haue sinned and through the offence of one many are dead many were made sinners Rom. 5 12.15.19 which is more then weaknesse of nature and pronenesse to sin Secondly in Rom. 8.3 it is sayd that it the Law is weake through the flâ—sh and so cannot saue any man vvhich vvords these men vvrest as if it meant Adams children vveak Which thing though it be true yet is it not that which is spoken of in Rom. 8.3 Thirdly vvhen the Apostle sayth in Rom. 7.9 that he was aliue without the law this contradicteth according to their sense the other scripture in Rom. 5 12. that all haue sinned and are dead The Apostle in Rom. 5. speaketh of things as they are in Rom. 7.9 he speaketh of things as they seemed to be but vvere not indeed Paul vvas aliue in his owne conceit thinking himselfe able to keep the Law as naturall men doe suppose they can But vvhen the commandement came to wit unto his knowledge and conscience then sin revived and he died How could this be seeing the commandement is holy just and good v. 12 He telleth us in 13 v. that sinne wrought death in him by that which was good So then he vvas sinfull though he knew it not before the commandement came sinfull by nature but not discerning this his wofull state the Law vvas given to shew it him for by the law commeth the knowledge of sinne Rom. 3.20 Againe saying in Rom. 7 11 that sinne took occasion by the commandement deceived him and slew him he plainly acknowledgeth sin to haue been in him before the commandement came this hee confirmeth in v. 14. saying the law is spirituall but I am carnall sold under sinne Whereupon he applieth the evills vvhich he did to siâ—ne dwelling in him v. 17.20 and this inhabiting or indwelling sinne is that originall sinne vvhereof we treat vvhich Paul for a vvhile could not discerne to be in him as all naturall men discern it not but count it an idle terme and think there is no such thing till by the Law he came to discerne it and to lament it Fourthly it is here to be observed how the Anabaptists â—grant all men haue weake natures and cannot obey and liue but sin and dye How commeth this to passe By Adams
boast of the excellencie of it is to no purpose for all men being corrupted with evill qualities Rom. 2. 3â— how is it that any are changed into good but by the povver and grace of God vvhich is effectuall in all his elect The residue abide in their sinnes because God changeth not nor reneweth their harts and such he never elected unto life but ordained them of old unto condemnation Iude v â—4 Lastly they answer vvith absurd Sophistry saying that these vvords 1 Ioh 2 19 they went out from us is meant of lying spirits the Antichrists in those persons vvho once had the spirit of truth in them And the Apostle sayth they were never of us for v 21 no lye is of the truth For example say they the spirit of Hymeneus together vvith his person was in spirituall fellowship vvith Paul so long as he reteined faith a good conscience but having put avvay the spirit of truth and received a lying spirit he vvent out from them in that his spirit for or because it was never of them c. Will any say that the Pope himselfe is Antichrist in respect of his person or rather in regard of his spirit or spirituall power he hath Therfore all that this place proveth is that lying spirits or Antichrists in mens persons went out from the truth and were never of the truth and therfore serveth nothing to proue that the elect can never fall away Answ. Was ever plaine scripture more violently wrested by any heretick The Apostle sayth of the many Antichrists they went out from us but they were not of us 1 Ioh. 2 18 19. This these men will not haue to be meant of their persons but of their spirits in their persons And what understand they by their spirits their lyes their errors their spirituall power such as the Pope hath that is as before they distinguished their wicked qualities not their persons for God they say loveth all persons they being his generation Act. 17.27 First it is an errour to say God hateth not the persons of wicked men but the evill qualities in them onely for though hee hateth no creature in respect of their creation which was good yet the creature being degenerate and fallen from God he hateth their wickednesse and them also for it as the Scripture plainely witnesseth Psal. 5.4.5.6 11 5. 2 It is erroneous to say that by Spirits the Apostle meaneth not persons but qualities 1 Ioh. 4.1 for himselfe sheweth his meaning when he saith because many false Prophets are gone out into the world So by Spirits to be tried he meaneth Prophets which came with spirituall gifts and it is frequent in Scripture to call subjects or persons by the name of adjuncts or qualities in them as I am against thee ê pride Ier. 50 31 that is ô thou most proudâ— and pride shall stumble and fall v. 32 that is the proud person the poverty of the land 2 King 24 14 15 the poorest people Deceit or Sloth rosteth not that which he took in hunting Prov. 14 27 that is the deceitfull man and many the like 3 It is from the deepnessâ— of Familisme to say that Antichrists are not persons but evil qualities in men so Christ may be holden no person but a godly quality in us The Apostle speaketh of the person for he saith not the lye but the lyer he that denyeth that Iesus is the Christ he is Antichrist 1 Ioh. 2.22 4 It is an absurd exposition of 1 Ioh 2 19 to put qualities for persons He there spâ—aketh of Antichrists They went out froâ— us these men will haue it evill or Antichristian qualities went out from us Buâ— what sense then will they make of the last branch of the verse That they might be made manifest that they were not all of us Will they say some Antichristian qualities were of the Apostles though not all The meaning is evident that in the Church are persons some good some bad some elect some reprobateâ— but whiles they abide and walk together in the Church it is not manifest who are of the Church who are not but when the wicked and reprobates depart from thâ— truth and Church then it is manifest that such Apostates though for a time in the Church yet were never of it So it is a sure proofe that Gods elect are both in and of the Church of Christ and shall never fall away utterly from it Of Freewill THis point these adversaries handâ—e confusedly and maliciously Confusedly because they shew not what they meane by freewill or freedome of will whether free from compulsion or free from bondage of sinne Mâ—liciously for that they feigne the Calvinists to hold that the wicked are not onely lift by Gods suffring but compelled to sinne by power c. compelled by the power force and compulsion of Gods predestination to commit all those wicked crimes for which they are punished by the Magistrate or tormented in hell c. and then much more doth it in goodnesse as violentâ—y work all so that the godly can neither chuse nor refuse goodnesse Answ. If these adversaries haue common honestie let them shew out of the writings of the Calvinists as they call them these assertions which they impute unto them Till they doe this let them haue their name and fame among lyers and workers of iniquity As for us we abhorre these doctrines of compulsion to sin by force and power of Gods predestination c. As for will in man we know it to be a naturall facultie still remaining though corrupted by sin as all othâ—r like faculties in us We acknowledge it still to be free from compulsion or constreynt for so will should be no vvill But we confesse with greiâ—e that in respect of bondage to sinne under which all mâ—n were sold Rom. 7 14. it may rather be called Bond will then Free will for it is not free to refuse sin untill it be renued by Christ and so far as it is regenerate by him it is againe as other powers and faculties in the Saints freed by grace and willeth things that are good Againe they produce to their owne condemnation out of Bastingius and the Disput. in Geneva these words Man by evill was spoyled not of his will but of the soundnesse of his will therefore that which in nature was good in quality became evill and Bernard teacheth there is in us all power to will but to will well we had need to profite better to will evill we are able already by reason of our fall The which if they would stand unto saith this adversarie I would require no more Answ. This we will stand unto and thereby doe evince Odegos to be a blinde guide and vaine disputer that with lyes and calumnies would disgrace his opposites We grant evill Free-will or Free will to evill is remaining in all naturall men we beleeue that freewill to good is from grace and regeneration and that all the Saints
Psal. 51. Secondly it is another abuse of scripture that they say weake flesh is called sinfull flâ—sh in which Christ came Rom. 8.1 where first they make David no more a sinner at his birth then Christ himselfe contrarie to the whole tenour of this Psalme and contrary to Rom. 5. as is before shewed Then they falsifie the text in Rom. 8.1.3 for the weaknesse there spoken of is in the Law it was weake through the flesh and so not able to saue sinners Thirdly by Flesh there Paul meaneth not the substance of flesh for that vveakneth not the Law nor hindereth mans salvation it is the good creature of God as is the soule or spirit but hee meaneth by flesh our corrupt sinfull state in soule and body for he sayth in verse 8. they that are in the flesh cannot please God If flesh meane our bodily substance then no man living in the body can please God not the Prophets not the Apostles no nor Christ himselfe for he lived in our flesh in our humame nature and the Apostle should speake untruly in the ninth verse yee are not in the flâ—sh Wherefore flesh in Rom. 8. signifieth our unregenerate state as in Genes 6.3 Iohn 3.6 Rom. 7.18 8.5.9 Fourthly it is another falsification when they say sinfull flesh in which Christ came the scripture sayth not in sinfull flesh but in the likenesse of sinfull flesh Rom. 8.3 Fiftly weaknesse or infirmitie as it meaneth not sin but affliction such Christ had such the Apostle tooke pleasure 2 Cor. 12 10 but infirmity as it meaneth sin Christ had not he is opposed herein to the Priests of the Law vvhich had infirmity or vveakenesse Heb. 7 27 28 and 4 15 But David in Psal. 51 confesseth such infirmity if they vvill haue it so called as vvas sinne and iniquity vvhich proveth he was a transgressor from the womb and not vvithout sin as vvas Christ. 6 Christ is said to be made sin for us 2 Cor. 5 21 these words for us the adversaries baulk and omit David vvas not made sinne for us or for any but vvas himselfe conceived in sinne Christ being himselfe no sinner yet vvas hee made sin that is a sinâ—offering for us to purge us and make us the righteousnesse of God in him for the Sin-offering vvas usually called sin in the Law Lev. 4 3 8 14 20 24 c. the Apostle expoundeth it For sin meaning a sacrifice for sin Heb. 10 6 from Psal. 40 thus Christ vvas a sinne that is a sacrifice for sinne but David vvas not so Therefore these places speake not of sinne in one and the same sense but in the contrarie David complaineth of his ovvn sinne and guiltinesse Paul speaketh of Christ his purging David and us all from sinne and guiltinesse by being made a sinne offering for us Their former answer being so apparantly against the truth that David acknowledging sinne they vvill haue it no sinne but weaknesse they devise to darken the light with an other cloud as if David spake not of his own estate but his mothers and then say they it is the curse or punishment for sinne laid upon her Gen. 3 16 where the very words agree with these of Davids c. and it is frequent in Scripture to call punishment for sinne by the name of sinne c. and it is neither Davids sinne nor his mothers that hee heere confesseth to speake properly but his mothers punishment Answ. As a bird in the net so the more they striue the more they are intangled First the whole scope of the Psalme is that David might finde mercie with the Lord for his owne sinnes as any that readeth it may see And that in supplicating to God for grace before and after he should here insert a complaint of his mothers punishment is without any colour of truth But this is the meaning and suteable to his other words that lamenting his actuall transgressions he bewaileth the evill fountaine whence they flowed to weet his natiue corruption which brought forth these ugly trespasses Secondly to let passe how they call Gods fatherly chastisement a curse or punishment they here againe belye the Scripture in saying that the very words in Gen. 3.16 agree with these of Davids For neither the word sin nor iniquitie both which David useth in Psa. 51 are to be found in Gen. 3 16 that Odâ—gos brow may seem to be of brasse vvho shâ—mâ—th not so often and openly to falsifie the text Thirdly it is true that sin and iniquity doe often improperly meane punishment but the proper meaning for fault and guiltinesse is most frequent and whâ—n it signifieth punishment the context manifesteth which it doth not here at all but David before and after bewayleth his sinnes properly Nâ—ither is heere the phrase of bearing sinne and iniquity which is mâ—st usuall when punâ—shment is meant but of being brought forth in iniquity and conceived in sinne and they shâ—w not aâ—y oâ—e place of Scripture vvhere such a phrase signifieth punishment Fourthly as neither sin nor iniquity are used in Gen. 3 16 so the word conception there agreeth not but differeth from the conceiving that David speaketh of in Psal 51 and the difference of the words plainly discovereth these mens ignorance and errour For in Gen. 3 16 Seron is conception with sorrow during the time that the mother goeth with child but in Psal. 51. jacham signifieth conceiving with pleasure for the vvord properly signifieth to be warme or inflamed vvith desire as in the act of generation not of men onely but of cattell also as in Gen. 30 38 39 41. Now nature both of man and beast teacheth all that such conceiving is with delight not with paine and therefore David using such a vvord vvhen he telleth how his mother conceived him cannot in any reasonable mans understanding mean his mothers corporall paines or punisâ—ment as these corrupters of the Scripture doe feigne They proceed and say that David did not sinne in being conceived and borne the soule is the subject of sinne for from the soule or heart commeth wickednesse Mat. 15 19. The soule comes from God the matter of the body from the parents the soule is very good comming from God the body hath not sinned till it be infected with the soule by transgression of a law and seeing thâ—y â—ffirme that the very matter or substance whereof David was made was sinne and that this is it he confessoth in Psal. 51 obserue what will follow â—f this their dream The matter wherof all thâ— sonnes of Adam are made is sinne but Chrâ—st one of the sonnes of Adam after the flâ—sh was made of that matter therefore the matter or suâ—stance of Christs body was sinne If it be wicked to say Christ was a sinner because he was conceived of his mothers suâ—stance as it is so it is no lesse wicked to say David was a sinner because he was conceived of his mothers substance seeing the substance of both the mothers