and commands and all exhortations spoken and pressed in the name of the Lord and those in speciall which tend to the purging out of all sin and the fulfilling of the Law in Christ yet are not only precepts but possible to the Saints as the said Augustine elswhere confesseth The School also saith and that truly Ultra posse viri non vult Deus ulla requiri God promiseth grace to fulfil all that he requireth Secondly he saith that many of those places of Scripture do shew us not what we are now in via in the way but what we shall be hereafter in patria at the end of our pilgrimage when we shall be freed from the imperfection of our flesh and clothed with the garment of perfect righteousnesse Yea they doe in a speciall manner shew us both what we are and what we should be now in via or here now yet it cannot fully be set forth what we shall be hereafter for as Paul speaks 1 Cor. 2.9 But as it is written eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive the things which God hath prepared for them that love him Thirdly he saith that in many places the Scripture but he cannot produce one such terms them perfect and immaculate which have defiled their garments and polluted their consciences mark saith he not with no sins which is impossible but with no grosse sins or damnable enormities which as is said before is commendable But first we think the Vindicator alloweth no sin to be veniall but all mortal and damnable though not equally such Secondly we say that while any man pollutes his conscience he is neither called or accounted either perfect or immaculate by the Lord who is of purer eyes then to behold iniquity Haba 1.13 And thirdly what though all men have so defiled their garments for a time yet it is not impossible at length through grace to keep our souls and consciences so unspotted for so had Paul done 2 Cor. 1.12 and knowing that the like grace was attainable for others he prayed for it in their behalfe Phil. 1.10 11. that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Jesus Christ being filled with the fruits of righteousnesse 1 Thes 5.23 And the very God of peace sanctifie you wholly that your whole spirit soul and body be preserved blameless until the coming of our Lord Iesus Christ See also Heb. 13.19 20. before cited Fourthly he saith the Scripture pronounceth men perfect blameless and blessed not because they have no sins but because their sins are not imputed unto them Psal 32.1 2. But we have shewed before that this not imputing is a purging them away by sanctification as well as a remission Further he saith and therefore though the Saints are called righteous and perfect not only in regard of the imputative righteousnesse which is wrought in them by the Spirit of Christ but we must understand in what sense the Saints are inherently called righteous for we must not think them to be so perfectly righteous as to be void of sin or to be justified in the sight of God because that together with the sanctification of the Saints there is still in them a remainder of original coruption by the touch and stain of which their best works are corrupted and defiled and therefore we say that though the Saints and holy men of God may and have lived sine scandalo without offence and page 29. sine querela without reproof and complaint on mans part by or in the observance of all outward principles yet it is impossible the best of them should live and die sine peccato without sin So he Unto all which we briefly answer that his distinction of imputative and inherent righteousnesse is vain for they are all one as we have shewed before Secondly the Saints are or ought to be so perfectly righteous by inherent righteousness as to be thereby justified in the sight of God whether the word be taken for a purging from sin as it is Acts 13.39 or for a positive righteousnesse as Titus 3.4 5 6. for there is no other way of justification in Christ unto eternal life spoken of in the Scriptures Thirdly we have proved before that there is not nor ought to be such a remainder of original corruption always found in the best Saints as to stain and corrupt their best works Lastly we have likewise asserted by clear Scriptures that the Saints through Christ not only may but should live here at the length not alone sine scandalo and querela but sine peccato without sin as well as without scandal or just reproof for to that end Christ gave himselfe Ephes 5.24 25 26. But he tels us in that 29 pag. that Rom. 4.1 2. is a remarkable place So it is indeed but not for his purpose to prove that Abraham lived and dyed an imperfect man and with some remainders of corruption in him which words ought to be thus translated as they lye in the Greek Text What shall we say then that Abraham our father hath found according to the flesh or in his unregenerate estate for if Abraham were justified by works to wit before not after grace received he hath whereof to glory but not before God as he proveth in the following verse but of this more in another place Then here he shews by a distinction that the Saints whom he holds to be always imperfect in this life may be in a four-fold sense called perfect First in regard of their intention and aime at and desire of perfection for resting in a good condition saith he is contrary to grace grow in grace But may not the Saints rest when they are at the end of their journey and race which is the final mortification of sin through faith according to Heb. 4.3 For we which have beleeved doe enter into rest Let him here who is tantus temporum observator such an observer of tenses before mark the tenses here for the work of beleeving is past and the entring into rest is present The Saints in heaven are doubtlesse in a good condition is it against grace for them to rest in it Secondly he saith that the Saints are perfect inchoatively and because they goe on more and more but inchoation and consummation are two remote terms or stations and progression may stand at a great distance from perfection and the end of the race at leastwise in the beginning and the middle of it Thirdly he saith they may be term'd so comparatively or in respect of other mens unrighteousnesse And fourthly acceptatively because God accepteth them though not absolutely just by the reason of manifold sins and defects yet in Christ and for Christ his sake through whom all our imperfections are pardoned as just and righteous men But by his leave God accepts no man no not in Christ otherwise then as he is according to his present inward state and growth hence
measure of knowledge is to had if sought for that men shall not need to say know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest Jer. 31.32 33. and that the knowledge of the Lord shall abound like as the waters cover the sea Esay 11.9 His second reason is that if grace were consummate in this life there should be no difference between the state of grace and of glory Yea grace may here be consummate in his degree and that in a very high one and yet fall short of that transcendent measure which shall be attained in the life to come What saith Paul Phil. 1.21 for me to live is Christ and to die is gain His third reason is petitio principii all the Saints on earth have sin remaining in them and they that deny it are liars and have no truth in them Yet we do deny that all Saints must while they are upon earth have sin remaining in them and have a greater Divine then Mr. John Tendring to warrant us even the holy Apostle John upon whose testimony which he understands not he ignorantly and confidently relieth See 1 Joh. 4.17 5.4 5. Rev. 7.14 15 17. 14.3 4 5. before often cited Yet we are not such liars as he is notoriously known to be and we hope have more truth in us then he and his book set forth But he adds that all the Fathers against the Novatians and Donatists understand this place Which if it were true as it is not the Novatians may convince them to be Novices not Fathers and the Donatists evict them to be Dotists or Dotards for the Scriptures shew clearly that we must or ought to be such before and for the obtaining of the kingdome of glory 1 Cor. 1.8 Who shall also confirm you unto the end that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ Phil. 10.11 That ye may be pure and without offence in the day of Jesus Christ being filled with the fruits of righteousness 1 Thes 5.23 And I pray God that your spirit soul and body may be preserved blameless untill the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 3.14 Wherefore beloved seeing ye look for such things be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless But he saith it is the Church triumphant and not the Church militant that must be found without spot or wrinkle Yet the Church of Smyrna Rev. 2. and much more the Church of Philadelphia Rev. 3. do appear to be such here because Christ himself who searcheth the hearts and reines Rev. 2.23 and who finds fault with five of the aforesaid Churches of Asia and upon occasion rebukes them sharply finds not the least fault with these but commends them highly and that may also be in some sense a triumphant Church who hath upon earth gotten victory over all her enemies and in that behalf triumpheth with Paul Rom. 8.33 39. In the seventh place he brings 2 Tim. 4.7 to be answered by himself where Paul saith I have fought a good fight and finished my course which he fortifieth against himself as if it were not of sufficient strength by it self for him to oppose which Text the Vindicator will not observe nor the other place 1 Cor. 9.27 where Paul saith but I keep under my body and bring it into subjection lest when I have preached unto others I my self should be a cast-away To both which he answers page 46 as he was wont to do without truth or judgment First that Paul fought a good fight being now ready to be offered up but that conflict was yet to come saith he not so as to obtain exact perfection of grace and to be without all inherent sin of which he complaineth Rom. 7. Yes he was even at that time of his complaint freed from the Law of sin and death as we have often shewed out of Rom. 8.2 and that long before he was to be so offered up He tels us also but we know not to what purpose that Peter was led where he would not But surely it was not into sin John 21.18 Thirdly he saith Paul kept the faith and he who said unto him my grace is sufficient for thee and my power is perfected in weakness enabled him to overcome though he had corruptions remaining in him and the buffetings of Satan But doth the man understand what he saith It is the office of faith to purifie the heart from sin Acts 15.9.1 John 3.2 3. which faith Paul did not onely keep and retain but fought the good fight of faith till the battel was ended and so finished his race and course in that kind in dying to sin yet he justly expected that promised reward of which he speakes Rom. 6.8 2 Tim. 2.11 12. As to the second Text 1 Cor. 9.27 he saith that Paul kept down his body by fasting and prayer to bring it into subjection But was this the body of flesh and blood or the inordinate desires of the sinful flesh He tels us also that Augustine did use fasting prayers and tears to the same end But he did it not in the faith of Christs assistance and the hope of final victory of which it seems he despaired here and James shews that if we would obtain Jam. 1.6 we must him ask in faith nothing wavering for he that wavereth is like the waves of the sea c. In the eighth place he brings a second Scripture of which Doctor Drayton had made use in his sermon and these two are all that he can call his it is taken out of Ephes 4. from verse 10 to 15. And he gave some to be Apostles some prophets some Evangelists some pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the work of the ministry and for the edifying the body of Christ till we all come in the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfest man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Unto this he answereth after the old mode ignorantly and intricately First that the ministry of the word is given not onely to convert men from sin but to perfect men in holiness Then it must either effect that for which God hath designed it or else the Lord was mistaken in chusing and using too weak instruments But he adds yet so as the same Paul speaks Acts 20.32 Which is able to build you up that is to edifie and build the Saints more and more Where first he understands not that word of Gods grace which Paul speaks of there for it is the essential word which is almighty not onely able to build us up to perfection but afterwards to give us an inheritance among them that are sanctified Secondly he contradicts himself because this is able to build us up to the uttermost in the way of sanctification that we may be fittted for that inheritance Thirdly that fitting must also go before in this life therefore the two things
following are false and his are his old picklocks for first he saith though the Saints do grow up under the word and Sacraments yet it is not to the attainment of an exact obedience in this life to be without sin in this life and to have grace consummate but they grow and edifie one another in love But we speak not here what the Saints do actually but what they may and ought to do nor of their mutual edification of each other but of the words design and abilitie to build them up to the top or the finishing of the edifice for a skilful and a faithful builder gives not over till the structure is finished Secondly he saith that the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ is attained onely in glory Which in his sense is false for here we may have a perfection of degrees as well as of parts to wit the perfection of sanctification or grace which we call the perfection of the way as we have often proved before whatsoever he saith to the contrary In the ninth place he brings in two or three Scriptures together out of Doctor Draytons sermon upon one and the same head as he might have found more of the same kind there They are these that the Apostle prayes for the perfecting of the Saints Heb. 13.20 2 Cor. 13.9 1 Pet. 5.10 and surely they prayed for things feasible and attainable nor can the prayer of Christ for the same be in vain John 17.25 I in them and they in me that they might be made perfect in one Unto which page 47 he gives in the old lying and sinful distinction for an answer namely That the Apostles prayed for the perfecting of the Saints and so did our blessed Saviour and they obtained what they prayed for that is to say to have them sincere in this life and to have grace consummate in the state of glory But we have proved that the sincerity which Paul prayed for in the behalfe of the Saints was a state devoid of sin and to be had before and in order unto the kingdome of glory Phil. 1.10 11. That ye may approve the things that are excellent and that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ and that ye may be filled with the fruits of righteousness 1 Thes 5.23 Now the very God of peace sanctifie you wholly and I pray God that your whole spirit soul and body be reserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ But he brings in two replies of ours by way of Anticipation likewise the first of which is this is sin pardoned and mortified and doth it yet remain Which he answers with his old crambe centies posita It is so pardoned as not to be imputed it s so mortified that the power and dominion of it is taken away yet it remaineth to be more and more mortified and wholly cast out at the death of the body and death shall be destroyed at the general resurrection and so it is the last enemie that shall be destroyed But though he and others have often and confidently affirmed that sin shall be cast out at the death of the body they could never bring one Text of Scripture for this article of their belief nor should they be able to do it though they live to the age of Methushelah whose name and life is a dart of death against sin and their position Then he brings in our second reply which as he saith is this When must sin be purged out if not in this life must we carry the remainders of sin into the kingdome of heaven whereinto no unclean thing shall enter Rev. 21.27 To which he gives us his old thred-bare and beggarly we had almost said and lowsie answer that men shall not carry the remainder of sin into Gods kingdome with them but they shall lay it down at the death of the body Then there is hope that none shall go to hell for corruption or thereby be debarred from heaven there is hope also that the Vindicator may then lay down his lying and his other lewd prrctises against God and man at that day The thief saith he onely converted shall be that day in paradise Therefore he may safely continue in his sin till the hour of death But what if that thief had repented long before even from his first apprehension or perhaps from the committing of the fact for this is possible and the Scripture hath nothing to the contrary Yea what if he belived on Christ afore having heard of or seen his miracles though he had not the opportunity to confess him till now nor to pray unto him face to face nor doth he understand what paradise this was into which Christ and he entred for the first paradise is a submission unto Gods will even under the punishing hand of God and the last is the third heaven unto which Paul was caught by way of vision 2 Cor. 12.2 3 4. And as for Rev. 21.27 he saith it is confessed by our own fraternity to be the state of the Saints in patria It s true all the reformed Churches and that of England whose first reformation might have been a pattern to all the rest doe almost generally conceive that the new Jerusalem or heavenly City of God spoken of Rev. 21 22. chap. is the state of the Saints in patria and so do the Papists also for the greatest part which of those then must be our fraternity But there are some of both Religions that hold the new Jerusalem to be an estate attainable in this life because John saw it descending down from heaven unto men as a tabernacle of God wherein they were to worship him and he heard a loud voice following and saying behold the tabernacle of God is with men and he shall dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himselfe shall be with them and be their God Rev. 21.1 2 3. But herein all doe agree that men must cease to be of Mr. Tondrings fraternity before they can enter into this state for there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lye Rev. 21.27 Then he concludeth with the like confidence as he begun And thus have I briefly proved unto you the truth of the point which yet hath not one point of truth in it That sin will have a being in the best of men while their souls have a being in these houses of clay And this I hope saith he may be sufficient to satisfie the people Yea and perhaps some of the Priests also who are very easily perswaded to sleep still in sin and loth to be put upon an hard encounter against the Canaanites for such are apt to believe the unbelieving spies and much more the Scout-master-generall who like his Master doth go to and fro compassing the earth and walking up and down in it And if saith he I shall meet with any
the remaining and prevalence of their sins and spiritual enemies to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those that are bound to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God against his and our spiritual enemies to comfort all that mourn to appoint unto them that mourn in Sion to give unto them beauty for ashes the oyl of joy for mourning the garments of praise for the spirit of heavinesse that they may be called trees of righteousnesse the plantings of the Lord that he may be glorified See Luk. 4.18 19 20 21. Luk 1.74 That we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies might serve him without fear Tit. 3.14 Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity in a purifying way and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works 1 Joh. 3.8 He that committeth sin is of the Devil for the Devil sinneth from the beginning for this purpose was the Son of God manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil to wit by his spirit and power Rom. 16.20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly Ephes 5.24 25 27. Husbands love your wives even as Christ also loved the Church and gave himself for it that he might sanctifie and clense it with the washing of water by the word that he might present it to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish The fifth Topick shall be the prayer that Christ his servants and his Apostles have made and thereby taught us to pray for this grace of a through purging from sin and victory over it and all temptations in this life who so prayed in faith that the things which they so prayed for might be obtained 1 Chron. 4.10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying Oh that thou wouldest blesse me indeed and wouldest enlarge my coast and that thy hand might be with me and that thou wouldst keep me or redeem me from evil that it might not grieve me and God saith the Text ' granted him that which he requested as he will do unto us Psal 55.10 Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right Spirit within me Hos 14.1 2. O Israel return unto the Lord thy God for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity take with you words and turn unto the Lord saying take away all iniquity and give good or receive us graciously so will we render the calves of our lips Mat. 6.13 And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil See Luk. 11.14 Joh. 17.15 I pray not saith Christ that thou shouldst take them out of the world but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil 2 Cor. 13.7 Now I pray to God that ye do none evil Phil. 1.10 That ye may approve things that are excellent that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ 1 Thess 5.23 Now the God of peace sanctifie you wholly And I pray God that your whole Spirit soul and body may be kept or preserved blamelesse unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ The sixth Topick shall be the faith of the Apostles and of the elect in the Primitive Church which now and for many hundred years hath been almost quite lost in two grand benefits and works which they believed and hoped for This faith expected Christs spiritual coming and return with his Father and the Holy Ghost to set up his kingdom not only of grace but of power and glory in them here and for ever and in order thereunto they were to purge themselves by faith through his grace and help from all iniquity in the mean time as these following places do clearly witnesse and prove without all contradiction if duly looked into Joh. 14.18 I will not leave you comfortlesse I will come unto you yet a little while and the world seeth me no more but ye shall see me because I live ye shall live also At that day ye shall know that I am in the Father and ye in me and I in you He that hath my commandements and keepeth them he it is that loveth me and he shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and manifest my self unto him Judas saith unto him not Jscariot how is it that thou wilt manifest thy self unto us and not unto the world Jesus answered and said if any man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come and make our abode with him and chap. 16.22 And ye now therefore have sorrow but I will see you again and your heart shall rejoyce and your joy shall no man take away from you See Rom. 6.5 as before 1 Cor. 1.7 8. So that yecome behind in no gift waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall also confirm you unto the end that ye may be blamelesse in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ Phil. 1.6 Being confident of this very thing that he which hath begun a good work in you will finish or perform it till the day of Jesus Christ vers 10. that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Jesus Christ 1 Thess 5.23 be preserved unto the coming of our Lord Christ as before 1 Tim. 6.14 That thou keep this commandement without spot unrebukable untill the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ Heb. 9.20 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation chap. 10.25 Not forsaking the assembling of our selves together as the manner of some is but exhorting one another so much the rather as you see the day approching vers 37. For yet a little while and he that shall come will come and he will not tarry Jam. 5.7 Be patient therefore brethren vers 8. be patient and stablish your heart for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh 1 Pet. 1.13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ All which places and many more to the like effect have absurdly been understood of Christs external last and dreadful coming to judgement which in so many ages since is not come to passe nor peradventure may arrive in many ages more whereas the former Texts speak of a day and an appearing or coming of Christ which the Saints were to expect and prepare themselves for in their dayes it being the kingdom of heaven which first John the Baptist and then Christ and his Apostles published to be at hand Mat. 3.21 and 4.17 which accordingly came to the Saints which waited for it in a right way Revela 12.10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven the Church of God wherein he dwels saying Now is
A REVINDICATION Set forth by William Parker In the behalfe of Dr. Drayton deceased and himself Of the Possibility of a Total mortification of Sin in this life And Of the Saints perfect obedience to the Law of God To be the Orthodox Protestant Doctrine and no Innovations as they are falsly charged to be of Dr. DRAYTON and W. PARKER In an ILLOGICALL VINDICATION Wherein the necessity of sins remaining in the best Saints as long as they live and the impossibility of perfect obedience to the Law of God is ignorantly and perversly avouched to to be the Orthodox Protestant Doctrine by one who subscribeth his name JOHN TENDRING The Anagram whereof is ' GINNE TO HINDER What! ' Ginne to hinder doctrines so divine Which teach in heavenly purity the Trine Would have the man to live without the sin The blessed state he was created in Under pretence of innovations late Taught by truths Lovers whom your soul doth hate Witness your tongue in flamed with hels fire Calling us Jesuits acting for Romes hire What! must Jehovah nil he will he dwel With sin while Saints retain their earthly cell What! did not Abraham drive the sowles away Gen. 15.11 Which came upon the Sacrifice to prey Was he compell'd to let them there abide No thence he forc'd them ere the evening-tide And must best Saints keep sin that soul disease Without their will till death bring their release Fie John Tendering this Vindication You settle sin Gods abomination I' th soul foretold of desolation Matth. 24.15 Which we remove but you cry out and say We teach to hell The clean contrary way London Printed by W.G. and are to be sold with the Examen to the late Synods Confession of Faith by Nathaniel Brook at the sign of the Angel in Cornhill and John Orme in Pellican-Court in Little Britain M.DC.LVIII The Vindicator before he entreth upon the prosecution of his sinful business in plain terms doth present a Preface to his beloved friends in Scripture-phrase like to a Pharisaical Saint with a specious salutation in the front of it A true Paraphrase of both which as they must intend in reference to his Position we shall offer the impartial and intelligent Reader in manner and form following TO all Lovers of Gods truth which I call Gods truth namely to live in sin and disobedience as long as we precious Saints live in houses of clay grace I wish to you yea so much grace as to be content to live in sin and disobedience to Gods law without hearkening to our enemies contrary doctrines and also peace I wish you even as much peace as you can expect by living all your life long in sinne for there is no peace to the wicked saith my God Isa 57.21 through Jesus Christ Who is no minister nor allower of sin but a faithful redeemer of his eminent Saints from all iniquity Tit. 2.14 The Vindicators first paragraph of his Preface beginneth thus Beloved friends for so I may call you who stick as close to my sinful cause as my skin doth to my sinful flesh These are the times foretold wherein there shall be a falling away from our sinful positions and defection from the faith of our sinful doctrine hereafter to be named as a forerunner of the great and terrible day to the man of sinne 2 Thes 2.8 and of the losse of our credit with all sober and wise people for our maintaining that sin will remain in the best of Saints as long as they live in houses of the clay that Adam our first parent was made out of There are many false prophets that is to us and our sinful cause whose study and labour is to undeceive poor souls though I say to deceive them if it were possible the very elect and choice ones who yet fight and contend for sin to remain in the best Saints as long as they live that so they may not be esteemed for better Saints then our selves are who live as it is well known to our neighbours we do I call them men confident in an arm of flesh Goliah-like to terrifie our weak ones who know not the depths of Satan Rev. 2.24 from hearkning to them because to say so it maketh a great noise in the eares of our friends by reason that Jeremiah saith cap. 17.5 Cursed be he that maketh flesh his arm though the truth is we our selves are the men confident in an arm of flesh because that sin is called flesh Gal. 5.19 20 21. and therefore to be confident for sins remaining in the best of Saints untill death is to be confident in the arm of flesh Goliah-like which signifieth as one saith fleeting away as indeed we are like to be for they defie the whole Israel of God that is all the prevailers of the God of this world who blindeth the mindes of unbelievers 2 Cor. 4.4 to make them the more hardy in a sinful cause as who more bold then blind bayard And Goliah-like we are like to be when little David the lovely servant of God with some pebble-stones 1 Sam. 17.4 out of the stony law Deut. 4.13 doth hit the champion in the fore noddle and throw him down to the earth from whence he came Rev. 3.11 But as long as I can stand to it I shall not as I tell you in my next paragraph be daunted by the foresaid Prophets who oppose our falshood however I am esteemed among them so that you my friends hug me and love me for ingaging in this sinful quarrel to maintain that sin will remain in the best Saints as long as they live I tell them in the said paragraph that applause I mean from them shall not swell us for we are not like to have much from them and their dispraise shall not deject us so that you my beloved friends continue to applaud us but if you do not we shall be dead in the nest I tell them their greatnesse shall not affright us because they are but yet few for we are as yet the greatest in number of what rank soever and my hopes are we shall continue so if I can but cunningly abuse them with swelling word of vanity as you see I do my utmost in this my Preface to keep them unto us which I doubt I shall not long do but untill they lay bare the nakednesse of my Vindication Yet as I tell you in my next paragraph I am resolved when the glory of the God of this world lyeth at the stake as it did when the Goddesse Diana Act. 19.26 27. was preached against and her crafts-men were like to lose all their gain because her magn ficence was neer pulling down And therefore beloved friends being such a people as we are we must not when such Prophets do so openly endeavour to undeceive our choice ones that they may live no longer in a perswasion that they must sinne while they live here we must not I say stand by with a guilty silence as if we were
an inward portraiture of righteousnesse a glimpse of the heavenly man yet earthy naturall and mutable which we all beare at the first and so are said to have born the image of the earthly 1 Cor. 15.49 This is opposed verse the 14 of this 5 chapter of the Rom. to Moses another inward state or work of the Law discovering the deadlinesse of sin unto us with lightnings thunderings and terrors Heb. 12.18 19. The third Adam is the old man of sin The fourth is the last Adam the Lord from Heaven who is not as the first was with his weak image of Righteousnesse a living soul but a quickning Spirit 1 Cor. 15.45 It 's the first then of those soure the Adam of our earthly or naturall man who yet with the help of the second is the image of him that is yet to come to the beleevers to wit the Lord from heaven in whom we first sin and die by our personal fall according to 1 Cor. 15.22 As in Adam all die which doe die so in Christ shall all be made alive who are quickned for we proved before that no man did or could dye by the first Adams sin both by the Law and Gods oath thereagainst As for the first 1 Cor. 15.47 48 49. we have shewn that it makes for us and not against us As for Ephes 2.3 Paul there confesseth that since his fall he and the fallen Jews as well as others were not children of God by love patience and meeknesse as in their first creation but children by the nature of the wrath for so the words run in the Greek and consequently the children of the prince of the power of the air as well as others according to Rom. 3.22 23. Unto the words of Job 14.4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean We say that since the mans personal fall and corruption he can neither by his own strength cleanse himselfe nor bring forth any righteousnesse or holinesse that is in it selfe clean or pure Unto Psal 51.5 Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me or warm me we answer that David speaks here of his own first personal fall and disobedience or his first conception and forming not in his natural mothers belly but in the womb of sin accordingly as it is said of Eve who was at the first created after the similitude of God that when she fell 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tim. 2.14 But the woman being deceived was begotten in the transgression Thus the Jews speak to the blind man Joh. 9.3 4. Thou wastaltogether born insin and dost thou teach us And David himselfe complaineth of some noted wicked ones the wicked are strangers from the womb they goe astray as soon as they be born they speak lies Psal 58.3 4 5. If he had spoken of their natural birth he could not truly have said that they had either gone astray or spoken lies as soon as they were born This mother that conceived David in sin was his consent to the first Temptation Jam. 1.15 Lust when it hath conceived c. Unto Esay 48.8 I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously and wast called a transgressor from the womb I say that men could not from the natural womb deal treacherously and therefore it is a spiritual womb of which the Lord speaketh here And Hosea 9.11 As for Ephrains their glory shall flee away like a bird from the birth and from the womb and from the conception to wit in the sin or in the false righteousness Finally unto Gen. 8.21 For the imaginations of mans heart are evil from his youth I say that is true for before that time men usually lose their innocency and corrupt themselves But what is that to innate corruption And whereas he brings in Augustine saying in uno vniversi It is granted while we were in Adams loines we were all one and so we are still in the natural Adam at the first birth earthly but innocent and in the old Adam of sin all one when we are fallen and depraved that is are corrupt and sinful but are not all such in the same measure and degree But his following positions are these page 4. That we were all in the first Adam legally No but seminally onely That there was a stipulation and Covenant between God and Adam for all mankind That we were all parties with him to any such Covenant That we were liable to the curse that belongeth to the breach of that Covenant All which are the meer figments of mans brain That we had interest in the mercy promised in that pretended Covenant Of all which there is no footstep to be found in the word That being in him naturally we were unavoidably subject to all the bondage and burthen which he or the humane nature then contracted Not so unless it were some temporal calamity with which God might justly plague his posterity for his fall and sins Yet he goes on in page 4. to prove that we are guilty of the first Adam's sin but by false principles or with true principles misapplied as followeth That every thing which is born carrieth with it the nature of that which did bear it as touching the substance and accidents proper to the special kind This is a truth and therefore the soul which is born and breathed from God must needs be pure and the natural earthly man must needs be good in his kind as all other natural living creatures are that which is born of the Spirit in a way of regeneration is Spirit but what is born of the Flesh is still Flesh as this mans Wisdome and Doctrine is of which birth Christ speaks John 3.6 as before That we being all born of corrupt and guilty parents do in our birth by nature draw their corruption and guilt Which is false for guilt and corruption are not natural but spiritual and adventitious things as is aforesaid That by the death of Christ who is the second Adam howbeit not as he was man but as he is a quickning Spirit and the Lord from heaven 1 Cor. 15.45 47. we receive a double grace of Justification and Regeneration Wherein are two false grounds layed down First that justification and regeneration are two distinct things which St. Paul makes but one and the self same thing Titus 3.4 5 6 7. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the holy Ghost which he shed abundantly on us through Jesus Christ our Saviour that being justified by his grace we should be made heires according to the hope of eternal life And 1 Cor. 6.11 And such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God The second false ground is that we
the rich man being in hell I say it is true of all men that they have Moses and the Prophets inwardly whom they ought to hear Luk. 16.29 30 31. To which adde that which is written Rev. 6.9 10. And when he had opened the fifth seal I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held and they cryed with a loud voice saying how long O Lord holy and true dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwel on the earth And white robes were given to every one of them and it was said unto them that they should rest for a season untill their fellow-servants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were should be fulfilled Concerning which we may observe that they were no outward Prophets and Apostles for such cry not for vengeance but pray for their persecutors as Stephen did and therefore they must needs be inward and spiritual messengers of God who cry for vengeance against the earthly sins and lusts of men by whose means they had been killed Qui capere possit capiat Give me leave here to observe two things more upon Rom. 5.14 First that those persons are said here not to sin in Adams fall but rather if they had sinned that it was after the similitude of Adams transgression where the Apostle had fair occasion to speak of our guilt and fall through that sin if he had known any such thing Secondly that Christ is yet to come even to the beleevers namely Christ as he is the second Adam and the Lord from Heaven so Heb. 10.36 37. Jam. 4.21 22. 1 Pet. 1.13 1 Joh. 3.1 2 3. First he saith but untruly pag. 6. that the sin of Adam and the lust which he contracted did reign over all men from the first Adam to that Moses the Lawgiver so he means Secondly that not onely all men but every part of man is shut up under the guilt of that first Adam's sin what infants Christ and all Thirdly that the Apostle proves this at large Rom. 3.9 19 23. But what are those words to this purpose which he produceth there to wit what then are we better then they no in no wise for we have proved before that both Jewes and Gentiles are all under sin But I say first that the Apostle here doth not go about to prove that the infants of either are so Secondly that this is not corruption descended from our first parents fall but contracted by our own fall and disobedience But he goeth on with the Apostles words ver 19. Now we know that what things soever the Law saith it saith it to them that are under the Law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God vers 23. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and Rom. 11.32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief that he might have mercy upon all But doth the Law speak any such thing to or of infants No we have shewed the contrary out of Genesis 9.6 Eccles 7.29 Jer. 2.21 Mar. 10.14 1 Cor. 14.20 Jam. 3.9 before quoted to which adde Matth. 13.24 25. and the parable of the Talents Matth. 25. and that of the lost groat or peece of silver and that of the prodigal Son who had a portion to spend which he afterwards wasted as the said woman also had a peice of silver before she lost it Luk. 15. All which prove that by creation still we have a talent a measure and a portion of innocency and righteousness born with us After the universality of persons he goeth about to prove that sin defileth all the parts of man which is true when men open a free passage and entrance unto the Devil which all men do not But the Scriptures which he cites as Gen. 6.5 and 8.21 Rom. 3.13 14 15 16 17. do not fully prove it as he saith they do but none of those defects and defilements which he enumerates there and in the seventh page were drawn down from the first Adam to us That the whole frame of a mans heart is evil continually and pag. 7. he saith that our sin cleaves as close to our nature as blackness to the skin of an Ethiopian which cannot possibly be washed off Then Gods promises made Ezek. 36.26 and elsewhere that he will pour clean water upon us and cleanse us from all our filthiness and abominations are to no purpose and Christs design Ephes 5.25 26 27. is frustrated That it is an evil ever present with us Indeed the Apostle saith Rom. 7.21 of himself and others that were then or had been babes in Christ that when I would do good evil is present with me that is too usually but not alwayes for at length he knew nothing by himself 1 Cor. 4.4 and the Devil is at length cast out quite by those that wanre aright Rev. 12.10 yea he is ofttime made to flee away in the mean time Jam. 4.7 resist the Devil and he will flee from you But he goeth on and saith pag. 8. That it will be ever present with us to derive a deadness a damp a dulness and an indisposedness upon all our services How then is Gods oath made good who sware unto Abraham that he would grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies might serve him without fear cheerfully in holiness and righteousness all the dâ— yes of our lives Luk. 7.73 74 75. or that fulfilled Prov. 4.12 When thou goest thy steps shall not be straitned and when thou runnest thou shalt not stumble See the contrary Psal 119.14 16.24 47. That this sin casts such iniquity upon our holiest things or duties that we stand in need of a priest to bear and expiate the same for us because it is said Exod. 28.38 that Aaron should bear the iniquity of the holy things which Israel should offer to the Lord. Which Scripture is perverted by him and others who understand it not for the gifts of their hallowed things which Israel offered unto the Lord were to be perfect and complete in themselves Lev. 22.21 22 23. if these were any way defective the priest was not to receive them nor offer them But that Aaron might offer those in an holy manner also after Gods prescript he was to wear upon his Mitre a Golden plate with this Inscription for a remembrancer Holiness to the Lord or else if he failed not they but he was to bear the iniquity of their holy or hallowed things How doth this Text then serve his turn to that end for which he cites it That this Sin derives venome upon every action that cometh from us Why doth the Apostle Paul then charge Timothy thus 1 Tim. 6.13 14. I give thee charge in the sight of God who quickneth all things and before Christ Jesus that thou keep this commandement without spot unrebukable till the coming of our
3. Luk. 4.18 19 20 yet contrary to this and other promises he saith that we draw the chains of our sins after us which make us move the more slowly But it is the portion of the wicked to be in chains 2 Pet. 2.4 Psal 107.10 11. and to be bound hand and foot Matth. 23.13 There are some that draw iniquity with cords of vanity Esay 5.18 that is with vain excuses and distinctions or ungrounded promises wo to such saith the Prophet Is 5.18 wo c. But these chains saith he are not able to draw us into the bondage that we were in before Yes they have done too many 2 Pet. 2.19 20. That death which is the wages of sin is so changed that it is not the death of the man but the death of the sin in the man What doth this babler say the death that is the wages of sin is the second death in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone Rev. 14.9 10. and chap. 20.10 15. Sin is the first death and this is the second how then can this be any thing else but the death of a sinner There is another death indeed that is the death of sin and not of the man which is a suffering out of all temptations and a dying with Christ unto all evil Psal 116.15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints of which see Rom. 6.7 8. Rev. 14.13 2 Tim. 2.11 12. Of this death and not of the corporal death did Chrysostome and Ambrose whom he cites speak or else they were as much mistaken as the Vindicator is in this matter saying there that the death which is brought out by sin he should have said by Christ doth at the last even destroy and consume it in the children of God and that sin will remain though not reign Yes if its will may take place it will reign also and that for ever But he goes on and comments thus upon Rom. 8.13 If ye mortifie the deeds of the body hereby saith he the Apostle shews that after regeneration by grace and before glorification grace is not consummate nor is corruption wholly abolished But with what spectacles did he read this Text when he found these things couchant in it for out of the whole verse he might have learned these saving truths for his better information and reformation also First that God doth suspend his final purpose and promises of our salvation upon Ifs or conditions on our parts to be performed For if ye live after the flesh saith Saint Paul ye shall dye but if ye mortifie the deeds of the body by the spirit ye shall live Secondly that the remaining corruptions in the Saints such as these Romans were have death and condemnation attending upon them Thirdly that therefore they are not to be wounded only but mortified that is absolutely killed And lastly that this is not to be done by the death of the body but by the power of the Spirit which we are to seek by grace and with which we are to cooperate in this life till the work be done His conclusion then from hence pag. 19. and 20. by the new account is false That as long as we live in the body there is some life of sin remaining which we had need to mortify and put off But not as he doth to put it off til our natural death But he addes Saint Augustine saying that our life here is bellum not triumphus a warfare not a trophee of victory Yet may our warfare have an end here and so to have our triumph and victory follow Esay 40.1 2. Comfort ye comfort ye my people saith our God speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem and cry unto her that her warfare is ended that her iniquity is pardoned Ephes 6.13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand in the evil day and having done all to stand 2 Tim. 4.6 7. I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness But he contradicts himself in his next speech pag. 20. by the new account saying that in this battel we must fight without intermission untill we have gotten the victory for who can say that he hath in such sort cut off his superfluities that he hath no need of reforming Yes Paul could say it 2 Cor. 5.17 and the holy Apostle John 1 Ep. 4.17 and 5.5 with many thousands more to whom Christ bears witness Rev. 7.14 15 20. and 14.4 5. That when sins and superfluities are unregarded they kindle again That it is true that the same spiritual temptations may return after the former are quenched but at length the Devil is by Christ to be cast out with all his works Rev. 12.10 11. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven now is come salvation and strength and the kingdome of our God and the power of his Christ for the accuser of our brethren is cast down who accused them before God day and night Yet he saith further That whosoever he be unless he dissemble he shall find within himself something that had need to be subdued But such a Pigmee in grace as he is if he be under grace must not measure the growth and mortification of Gods faithful and sanctified Saints by his pitch But he brings in some sentences which he fathers upon Ambrose as this velis nolis infra sine tuos habitabit but he saith habitavit Jebusaeus subâ—ugari potest exterminare he should have said exterminari non potest that will thou nill thou the Jesubite will dwel wit hin thy coasts and borders he may be subdued but not rooted out This is true of temptations especially for a time after our first conversion but this conslict if we bestir our selves aright shall have an end here as we have proved of late some Jesubites are our sins and corruptions which must be rooted out again some Jebusites are our native faculties as they are corrupted disordered and poysoned with rebellion These also may be subdued and brought into obedience but neither can be cast out nor ought to be howbeit we have sure promises that all our sins and corruptions shall be subdued if we will sue out the benefit of the same Mich. 7.19 He will turn again he will have compassion upon us he will subdue all our iniquities and thou will cast their sins into the depths of the sea Insomuch as that there shall not be one Canaanite left in our soul which is the house and the temple of the Lord So Zech. 14.21 And in that day there shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts Yet he goes on saying saying That the great deceitfulness of mans heart of which the Lord complaineth Jer. 17.9 saying the heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it it is attributed to all men
salvation but by another even Jesus Christ the righteous blessed for evermore But as the former part of his observation is false that we should not actually work out our own righteousnesse by Jesus Christ so it is evident that he understands not what he speaks in the latter words of his speech about being made righteous by another even Jesus Christ for there is no other righteousnesse for men to seek after but that which is required in the moral Law Deut. 6.25 And it shall be our reghteousnesse if we observe to doe all these commandements before the Lord our God as he hath commanded us which yet is of two sorts or degrees the one is the righteousnesse of grace and justification whereby sin is to be purged out and the other is the righteousnesse of glorification of the former the Apostle speaks thus Rom. 5.17 Much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousnesse shall reign by one Jesus Christ and of the latter of these David thus Psalm 119. vers 142. Thy righteousnesse is an everlasting righteousnesse and thy Law is the truth and vers 144. The righteousnesse of thy testimonies is everlasting This is that David hoped for in the end Psalm 17.15 I will behold thy face in righteousnesse I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likenesse So Psalm 24.45 He shall receive the blessing from the Lord even righteousnesse from the God of his salvation and 69.27 Add iniquity to his iniquity and let him not enter into thy righteousnesse and Paul Gal. 5.5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousnesse by faith 2 Tim. 4 8. Henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousnesse And as both those are attained by faith so they are called the righteousnesse of faith Rom. 1.17 For therein to wit in the Gospel is the righteousnesse of God revealed from faith to faith vers 18. for the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse of men So circumcision the signe of sanctification is called the seal of the righteousnesse of faith Rom. 4.11 and the Apostle explaining himselfe Phil. 3.9 10. what that righteousnesse of God is which he would attain by the faith of Christ saith that I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable to his death if by any means I might attain to the resurrection of the dead And both these are to be attained by Christ in which regard he is called the end of the Law for Righteousnesse sake to every one that beleeveth Rom. 10.4 And as he is given by the Father that the righteousnesse of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walke not after the flesh but after the spirit Rom. 8.4 so he is called the Lord our righteousnesse Jer. 23.6 as is the holy Ghost the heavenly Jerusalem also in its descention unto us called likewise Jehovah sidkena the Lord our righteousnesse Jerem. 34.16 which is that life the Saints hoped for Gal. 5.5 as was said before If any man find any other righteousnesse of God unto salvation mentioned cleerly in the Scriptures let him takn it for his labour for that one mans obedience whereby many shall be made righteous Rom. 5.19 is the obedience of Christ within us to be attained by faith for the fulfilling of the Law and the former of those two righteousnesses and not his obedrence without us Let every one take heed how he casts his own soul or make the souls of others depend upon any other righteousnesse of God which hath no footing for it in the holy Scriptures but though there is no outward obedience of Christ for us that is made our righteousnesse by the Lord yet by his passive obedience Saints that forsake sin and subdue it by his grace are redemed from the curse of the Law Gal. 3.13 By which he also perfects or completes for salvation those which are sanctified by faith in him Acts 26.18 Heb. 10.14 These things thus being opened and premised we shall appeal unto all that are godly-wise whether those that are desirous to be saved are not to work out their own righteousnesse and salvation by faith and obedience in Jesus Christ See Psalm 24.3 4 5 6. Isai 51.1 Harken unto me ye that follow after righteousnesse ye that seek the Lord chap. 56.1 Thus saith the Lord keep ye judgement and doe justice or righteousnesse for my salvation is neere and my righteousnesse ready to be revealed Phil. 2.12 13. Wherefore my beloved as ye have always obeyed not as in my presence only but much more in my absence so work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure See 1 Tim. 6.11 12. But thou O man of God flee those things and follow after righteousness godliness faith love patience meekness fight the good sight of faith lay hold of eternal life David saith Psal 119.166 O Lord I have hoped for thy salvation and kept or done thy commandements and so must all do in Christ that will be saved Rev. 22.14 Blessed are they that keep his commandements that they may have right to the tree of life and enter through the gate into the city But he goeth on and saith out of Job Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean Not one Nor can this man bring any clean doctrine or pure wisdome unless by tradition from others out of his impure vessel Prov. 20.9 Who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin To which we answered before that this interrogation implieth paucity but not a nullity of such men witness that Text Is 55.3 Who hath beleeved our report But he saith page 23 by the new account That if my friends could produce but one such man and prove it then I would yield the bucklers But if we cannot produce any such man in our corrupt blind and unbelieving age shall our unbelief make the faith and promises of God of none effect for though it is true à posse ad esse non valet consequentia so it is as true that à non esse ad non posse fieri non est concludendum especially where we have Gods help ingaged by his promises if we will seek it But because we will now lay claim to the bucklers and that upon his clear and immediate promise we will shew him John with many his fellow-Apostles 1 Joh. 4.17 as was shewed before Herein is our love made perfect that we may have boldness in the day of Judgment because as he is so are we in this present world we can also shew him many thousands as we have done before of such perfect ones even in this life Rev. 7.9 17. and 14.4 5 6. But here he produceth by the help of some good neighbours the testimonies of the Fathers for he never read them himself unto which
defects in their best performances yes the Lord testifieth of Joshuah and Caleb that they had fully followed him Numb 14.24 Josh 14.6 and we have proved the contrary out of many places and therefore in his second reason he wrongeth Nehemiah and the Text it self when he saith that Nehemiah chap. 13.22 prayed that his good services might be remembred with Gods reward and also with his pardon or forgiveness for that implies a contradiction for the original fignifieth to spare as well as to forgive and so have our Translators rendred it in that place and that very genuinely Remember me O Lord concerning this and spare me according to the greatness or multitude of thy mercies That is preserve me from mine enemies to do thee further service But to retain corruption to the last breath the said Champion layeth aspersion upon the very grace of God saying there that good works do not come from such a pure principle of grace as doth exactly fill the soul But the Lord saith Psal 81.10 Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it And Christ also Mat. 5.8 Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be satisfied And again he saith expresly that in the principle of grace there are some defects and therefore the works flowing from thence are imperfect Page 31 he saith in the same lying dialect that God reserves the consummation of grace to wit that whereby sin should be purged out and the Law fulfilled by us unto the state of glory True it is in the general which he speaks there that grace is glory begun and glory is grace consummate but not that grace which is called the laver of regeneration and the renewing of the holy Ghost for that must go before life and glory Titus 3.4 5 6 7. And though the spirits of just men made perfect are in heaven to wit in the heaven of Gods holiness of which the Prophet speaks Deut. 26.15 Is 6.17 yet there is a first a second and a third heaven here besides the outward heaven 2 Cor. 12.23 And that heaven is three-fold as well as the outward heaven one of calling and conversion another of justification or regeneration and a third of glorification and the Saints may be made perfect in the second heaven as to the final purging out of sins and the renewing of Gods image though in the third heaven we expect the perfection and transcendency of glory Paul was caught up into the third heaven but lived constantly in the second Phil. 3.20 Yea he tels all the believing Saints that were come to have that fellowship in some measure and degree with the general assembly and Church of the first-born written in that heaven and with the souls of the just men made perfect to wit some in grace and some in glory with the former they were upon the way in tendency unto the latter His third argument is that all our graces here are imperfect in this life But doth not Saint James tell us that there are perfect gifts that come down from the father of lights chap. 1.17 and Paul tels us that God will perfect his own work in us 1 Cor. 1.8 Phil. 1.6 And whereas he saith that these three divine graces faith hope and charity are so all our life long It is evident that not onely his charity but his faith and hope are truely such for the Apostle saith Jam. 2.22 that by workes Abrahams faith was made or declared to be perfect and if true see John 1 Epist 4.17 Herein is our love made perfect that we may have boldness in the day of judgment and for hope see Heb. 6.11 And we desire that every one of you do shew forth the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end The like we might shew of patience Rev. 3.10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience I will also keep thee preserve thee in this life But let us hear how he proves these three graces to remain alwaies imperfect in us For faith he saith and that truly must be grounded upon knowledge And we wish his had been so we mean aright understanding But the Apostle tels us saith he that we know but in part 1 Cor. 13.12 so that our Saviour may well say to the best of us as he did to his Disciples O ye of little faith Matth. 8.26 and the best of us may say with him Mark 9.24 Lord I believe help my unbelief But we have proved before that Abraham's faith whose steps we should follow Rom. 4.12 was perfect and that the Apostle had kept or fulfilled the faith 2 Tim. 4.7 yea that the faith was an estate which they had passed through and left behind Heb. 4.3 For we saith he who have believed do enter into rest Nor is the knowledge of true believers concerning things to be sought for by faith imperfect or in part onely although the things that God had prepared for those that love him and which are to be enjoyed in the third heaven or paradise are here but known in part for that which Christ spake to his disciples is made good to all true believers that seek it John 14.4 Whither I go ye know and the way ye know How can faith be the ground of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen and not yet attained if it have not a knowledge of them See Heb. 11.1 2. Secondly he saith that which is perfect admits no increase No more did the faith of Abraham and of the Apostles and of many Saints more Acts 11.24 Thirdly he saith that our faith shall be perfected in heaven But both it and patience must be finished ere we can arrive at the third heaven Heb. 6.12 10.36 12.1 2 3. Fourthly he saith that fides est tam apparentium quà m non apparentium But Paul saith Rom. 8.24 25. For we are saved by hope but hope that is seen is not hope for what a man seeth why doth he yet hope for it Lastly he saith we must believe in heaven the continuance of our happiness and therefore there is a perfect faith in heaven because it is grounded upon knowledge But as this man understands not what faith is so that faith is rather experimental knowledge and assurance then faith properly so called The faith of Gods elect purifieth our hearts here Acts 15.9 and through it we must be throughly sanctified ere we can obtain final remission of sins or that promised inheritance Acts 26.18 Unto whom I now send thee to open their eyes that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God to the intent they may receive remission ofi sins and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith that is in me saith Christ Where you may take notice also of the power of the will in turning to God after illuminating and preventing grace yea after men have been soundly chastised for sin by a work of the
promised to the keepers of the Law then the promise had been vain So it had without grace in Christ Secondly if righteousnesse were by the Law then Christ had dyed in vain because it were superfluous for him to dye for us if we could attain it by the works of the Law and therefore it is apparent that by the works of the Law no flesh living can be justified Thirdly for hypocriticall Gospellers such as seem Saints in ostentation that they may play the divell without suspicion as John Tendring did till he went away who say they have faith but shew forth no works which are not vailed with hypocrisie and which are not done or intended to wrong ends for such saith he let Isaiah tell you how acceptable their works be to God and whether they be like to justifie them Isai 1.16 17. For the Lord complaineth that he is weary of them and that his soul hateth them and bids them bring no more such sacrifices to him But we demand of him whether those men were Gospellers or pretended Professors whether the works which the Lord there forbids were Ceremonial or Morals For he forbids not the works of the Moral Law Fourthly he saith that for true Christians that are born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh but of God if any works could justifie it must needs be their works which are wrought in and through them by the spirit of God and yet we say quoth he that the best works of the best regenerate men cannot justifie them before God And thus we prove it how doth he that First because all the graces that we receive in this life are given to us but in part page 55. sure they are wholly and freely given as we shewed in the proof of the other positions and so they are imperfect grace But see how he contradicts himself and lyes against the Holy Ghost in his next words which are these not that the Spirit of Gods works imperfectly but that he means not to inrich us with any grace here while we are conversant with sinful men in this vale of misery but only so far forth as he seeth it fit to bring us unto the kingdome of perfection where that which is in part shall be done away 1 Cor. 13.10 But what if Paul looked for that here saying when that which is perfect is come then that which is in part or but a piece-work shall be abolished and swallowed up verse 11. yea what if Paul all that time enjoyed that which is so perfect for he saith verse the 11. When I was a child I spake as a child I understood as a child I thought as a child but when I became a man I put away childish things And if so then the Vindicators conclusion will stand against us like the walls of Jericho which fell flat to the ground which follows in these words And therefore our inherent justice being but as our knowledg is imperfect and therefore it is impossible that it should perfectly justifie us before God But we have overthrown that supposition of his before Secondly he saith that though our good works are perfect in respect of the Spirit of God which effecteth them yet they are tainted when they pass through us who are so subject to sin as waters running through a dirty channel and therefore cannot justifie us before God in whose presence every polluted thing stands condemned whence the Prophet saith Is 64.6 All our righteousness is as a menstruous cloth But neither are all Saints subject to sin all their life long nor can that which proceeds from Gods Spirit be tainted by us nor is that the righteousness of Saints but of sinners and unregenerate men which is so menstruous as is said before Howbeit he brings in Gregorie's saying Moral lib. 21. cap. 15. and lib. 3. cap. 7. All mans righteousness should be unrighteousness if God should strictly judge it and then Augustine's saying Wo to the most laudable and best life of men Unto which we first oppose these sayings of the Apostle 1 John 2.29 If ye know that he is righteous ye know that every one that doth righteousness is born of him chap. 3.7 Little children let no man deceive you he that doth righteousness is righteous even as he is righteous chap. 4.17 Herein is our love made perfect that we may have boldness in the day of judgment and then those of the Psalmist Psal 11.2 3 4 5 6. and 119.1 2. and 128.1 2. unto which we could adde many more Howbeit he goeth on in the same lying strain saying if God laying aside his mercy should discusse our lives or righteousness in the strictness of his justice it would be so for God is a God of purer eyes who charged his angels with folly Indeed Eliphaz one of Jobs back-friends and of John Tendring's gain-saying spirit saith so but falsly Job 4.17 18. for the Lord never charged any but the fallen Angels with folly so But he tels us further if you will believe him that the best of men when he lives on earth is both a Saint and sinner a Saint by reason of grace wrought in him and a sinner by his own natural corruption which in some measure tainteth every grace of God and therefore the best of these who being compared with their fellows might seem just indeed yet looking to the strictness of Gods justice they disclaimed all their own righteousness What that of grace and regeneration also But who are those Saints St. Eliphaz a lying and contentious zelot with whom God is highly displeased Job 42.7 But he brings in Job himself saying chap. 9.2 3. But how should man be just with God if he will contend with him he cannot answer him to one of a thousand and David Psal 130. and 143. 2. of which we said before that all this is true of man in his corrupt estate and for a time afterwards but not of the Saints best estate and growth upon earth For whereas he saith page 56. that Paul affirmeth 1 Cor. 4.4 that he knew nothing by himself it is true But whereas the Apostle addeth that he was not thereby justified he renders a false reason of that saying of the Apostle and contradicts himself also saying though he served God most faithfully in the inner man yet he saw another law in his members warring against the law of his mind and hence he cried out O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death What did he feel surely a law of sin and felt such a body of death continually and yet knew nothing by himself Good Hyperbolick bring your ends nearer together as the servant said to his lying mother Thirdly saith he that although it were granted that some works of the Saints were perfectly good yet any one sin blotteth out the remembrance of our former righteousness Ezek. 18.24 But that Text speaks of a final Apostasie from righteousness not of one actual
it was not now for God saith he no nor ever will be to bend the rule of righteousnesse to the crookednesse of our affections that so he might make it answerable to our abilities yes through his promised and premised covenant of grace in Christ but rather to set down a straight rule not in favour of our sinful nature which he hateth but to expresse our whole duty though it be impossible for us after we have lost our ability to perform it What is it so now impossible after that a new supply of grace and assistance is vouchsafed if we seek it For saith he he that hath lent a thousand pounds may without injury demand it of them and when he knoweth that thou hast carelesly spent it and as a Bankrupt art not able to pay a penny which no merciful man will rigorously do unlesse it be to evidence his prodigality and folly so God having given us power to obey his precepts may at any time justly call for the performance of the same though he know that we by our sins have disabled our selves so much as to think a good thought But his thoughts herein are very evil for we have proved before that God cannot in justice and much lesse in mercy require of us that obedience for which we in our persons never received or could receive sufficient power to perform the same Ultra posse viri non vult Deus ulla requiri Pag. 59. he propounds another objection of his adversaries to wit that the regenerate have sufficientia principia operationis that is sufficient means and causes of well doing his soul being enlightned sanctified and assisted by Gods spirit and therefore he may perform what God requires And then he goes about to answer it with mincing the truth and extenuating Gods grace saying a regenerate man is enabled to doe good but not perfectly his undestanding being still obscured his will distempered and his power of doing good hindred by many lustful temptations and therefore these principles of operation being imperfect our actions which proceed from thence must needs be imperfect likewise which he proves with his old mistaken Scriptures Who can tell saith David how often he offendeth cleanse thou me from all my secret sins ye see saith he Saints have their secret sins and he himself wants not his open and manifest enormities I may quoth he have many sins and fail in many things which no man knows of we doubt it not nor yet my selfe which yet are known to God we cannot judge mens hearts Why then doth he judge ours for hypocrisie and carying on new pretended lights in a dark lanthorn for we know not our own it is Gods prerogative to search and try mens reins Jerem. 17.9 1 Joh. 3.20 and it is our duty with Nehemiah to pray chap. 13.12 accept mine obedience but pardon mine iniquity But the man of God doth not pray so there as we have shewed before though he had his former sins also A chosen vessel was compelled to say he knew nothing by himselfe yet was he not thereby justified of which before Thus ye see that his book is stuffed full of tautologies And this saith he may suffice for the clearing of the first branch of the second position Indeed it is pretty well cleared from probability of truth or piety But for further confirmation he dares appeal to any mans conscience that is no more careful then he is to keep it without offence to God and men how upon the consideration of Gods strict judgement and his own manifold infirmities he dare justifie himselfe in any one act not against God but before God But Abimeleck could do it as himself confessed before and Paul could do it for his habitual acts as we shewed before 2 Cor. 1.12 For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not in fleshly wisedome and much lesse fleshly lusts but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world And I doubt not saith he pag. 60. but the proudest heart would soon tremble and the boldest face save his own would blush and be ashamed to have his best works yea his prayer scanned by the strictnesse of Gods Law and justice But Job could say chap. 6.17 My face is foul with weeping and on my eye-lids is the shadow of death not for any injustice in mine hands also my prayer is pure Hath not the Lord promised Zephan 3.9 Then will I turn to the people a pure language that they may call upon the Lord to fear him with one shoulder or consent and Malach. 1.11 For from the rising of the Sun unto the going down of the same my name shal be great among the Gentiles and in every place incense shall be offered up unto me with a pure offering But he goes on yet more confidently saying And of the adversaries to this truth I require quâ demum authoritate this one thing that they will either produce a man and prove it that hath ever what doth he mean from his youth up without any corruption performed in his own person such perfect obedience to the Law of God as not to offend against the same Unto which we have answered that if ever we knew any such we should not be very forward to shew them to such unbelieving and envious spirits as he is of and we have produced many such already as Caleb Numb 4.24 Josh 14.6 John and his fellow-Apostles 1 Joh. 17.7 with many thousands more Or else saith he let them acknowledge their error with shame and forbear opposing the truth as Jannes and Jambres did Moses and disturbing the peace of Gods Church He might have said the Devils chappel if all the Ministers of Gods Church were like himself But as he is no living member of a true Church which is a congregation of Saints so neither doth our doctrine disturb but further the peace of the true Church of God Act. 9.32 Then had the Churches rest throughout all Judea and Galatia and were edified and walking in the fear of God and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost were multiplied To such Jorams or high-flown spirits as he is Iehu may answer what peace so long as the whoredomes of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many 2 Kings 9.21 for there is no peace to the wicked saith my God Isai 5.21 But he fears first by our malicious wickednesse in decrying sin and opposing Satans kingdom to set up Christs our sin may become unpardonable yet he saith that he shall pray for us as he doth for himself while he continueth in wickednesse not that God would be pleased to convince us of our errours and humble us in the sense of our sins and be merciful to our poor souls because we oppose his sinful positions But we pray that the Lord would vouchsafe him mercy in reality and truth so far as to turn him from his enterprise and then we are
they wise men or fools that believe every vain word and doctrine of men which hath no ground in the Scripture Prov. 14.15 The simple believeth every word but the prudent take heed to their going for so saith Augustine saith he and Peter Lumbard lib. 3. Senten distnct 23. That there is a great difference between him that doth believe Christ and him that doth believe in Christ for the Devils believe Jesus to be Christ but they believe not in Christ And may not some believe amils in Christ as he doth Because saith he it is one thing to believe God another thing to believe there is a God and another thing to believe in God yea and another thing to believe lies To believe God as he saith is to believe that he speaks the truth in the Scriptures and to believe God is to believe a God is But to believe in God is to believe with love and loving him to go unto him and to cleave unto him to be made one with him to dwel in him and have him dwel in us Whence it will follow that the Vindicator never yet believed rightly in God And this is that faith by which a sinful man is instrumentally justified in Gods way and not his and is both found and accounted righteous in Gods sight And hath not the faith of the Devil the father of lies the contrary effect hereunto For the second saith he we must understand that this applicaof faith or of Christ through faith must be particularly applied what must the application be applied by every man unto himself if he desires to be led hood-winked by the nose and that in a most special manner even he Because a general faith no nor a phanatick faith such as his is is not thought justifying faith for Paul testifieth that Agrippa did believe the Prophets Acts 26.17 18. and yet Agrippa confesseth he was no Christian And herein he was the honester man then in words to confess him and inworks to deny him as some Vindicators do And a natural man saith he by the force of Reason may be reduced to believe and acknowledge a God and that this God is powerful just and true and therefore brought to a general perswasion of the truth of things to be believed and yet all this faith no nor his own to boot is not sufficient to justifie us because true justifying faith is no natural quality nor phanatical notion but a supernatural gift of God as the Apostle teacheth Ephes 2.8 Phil. 1.29 howbeit it were no hard thing to prove that some of the heathen understood Gods work of justification better then the Vindicator witness that of Catullus the poet Omnia fanda nefanda malo permista furore Justificam nobis mentem avertêre Deorum Things good and bad mixt with a fury blind Have turn'd away Gods just just making-mind or justifying mind And therefore the general faith of the Scriptures saith the Vindicator is not sufficient to make us Christians but as we read the Saints of God do apply the promises of salvation unto themselves or rather themselves unto the promises to seek them in a right way as David saith to wit among experimental deliverances God is my rock and my redeemer and Job 19.25 I know that my redeemer liveth and Mary after that Christ was formed in her my soul rejoyceth in God my Saviour Luk. 1.47 and Thomas saith my Lord and my God Joh. 21. and Paul Gal. 2.20 who loved me and gave himself for me But what promises be or are contained in these Texts so must saith he every Christian that looks for salvation apply we say lay hold of in particular the grace and favour of God unto himself and his faith instrumentally justifies or may be a help unto him the sinner what without seeking of justifying and cleansing grace Lastly the final cause of our justification passively considered or the effect of it rather is peace of conscience in this life and the atonement a new expression but let it pass of eternal happiness in the life to come the first whereof saith he is attained by two special things first by an assured perswasion that all our sins are forgiven But may not some have a false perswasion in this kind so being justified by faith that is in a sanctifying and a purgative way from all our sins which we have committed we have peace towards God through Jesus Christ for ootherwise namely in his Son our justification is but a dream Secondly saith he by an unwearied study to strive against the stream which in his sense of impossibility is truly and properly spoken of our own natural corruption and why not against all temptations also and to keep a constant course which he denyed heretofore to be possible in the ways of godlinesse for Christ saith he gave himself for us to die for us and not by his Spirit to redeeme us from all iniquity and did bear our sins on his body upon the tree But for what end that we being dead unto sin should live unto righteousnesse 1 Pet. 2.24 or as Zachary saith Luk. 1.74 75. And so St. Augustine saith that Christ died for the wicked not that they should remain wicked but that they being justified through faith should be converted from their wickednesse and bring forth the fruits of holinesse because as St. Augustine saith also grace justifieth that we should live justly But here the Vindicator is so blind that he brings Augustine against himselfe for he takes the word justification as we do for purging away of sin and making of man just holy and good by way of sanctification which is an usual acception of the word among the Fathers The second end of our justification saith he is the eternal blessednesse which shall be attained hereafter when Christ shall say unto all his justified Saints made just and merciful by his sanctifying spirit Come ye blessed of my Father c. Mat. 25.34 And so much saith he for all the causes of our justification actively and passively considered Wherein he hath given us non causas mutilas pro veris false causes for true especially instead of the formall and material causes not much unsuitable to his deceitful justification but the efficient and final causes are for the most part applicable to the true work of justication And this saith he I hope may suffice but it must be among such as are blind or are willing to be deluded for the proof of the truth of this last branch of the second position that we are only justified by the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ Which point being rightly understood hath been and shall be better confirmed by us I shall end saith he with that of our Saviour Joh. 12.48 The word which I have spoken shall judge you in the last day Yea and judgeth and convinceth the Vindicator already to be a blind guide a stranger to the faith of Gods elect and no other Apostle then a veterator or impostor
ye shall tread down the wicked for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this for you saith the Lord. Matth. 1.21 And thou shall call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins and 3.11 12. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance but he that cometh after me is mightier then I whose shoes I am not worthy to bear he shall baptize you with the holy Ghost and with fire Whose fan is in his hand and he will throughly purge his floor and gather his wheat into his garner but he will burn up the chaffe with unquenchable fire Luk. 1.70 71 74. As he spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets which have been since the world began That we should be saved from all our enemies and from the hand of all that hate us Rom. 6.14 For sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the law but under grace and 11.26 There shall come out of Sion the deliverer and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. 1 John 1.9 If we confess our sins he is faithful to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and chap. 2.1 2. My little children these things I write unto you that ye sin not but if any man sin we have a comforter with the father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins by way of propitiation and purgation of them and not for ours onely but for the sins of the whole world A third Tropick is this That our subduing overcoming and rooting out of sin is made the condition of manifold spiritual and heavenly promises which would be frustraneous and void if the condition were not feasible by grace And such conditional but performable promises are these Psal 24.3 4 5. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord and who shall stand in his holy place he that hath clean hands and a pure heart who hath not lift his soul unto vanity nor sworn deceitfully he shall receive the blessing from the Lord even righteousness from the God of his salvation Prov. 28.13 He that confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall obtain mercy Isaiah 1.16 17 18. Wash ye make ye clean take away the evill of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil learn to do well c. Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow though they be red as crimson they shall be as wool Jer. 4.14 Wash thine heart O Jerusalem that thou mayest be saved And Matth. 5.8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Matth. 16.24 25. If any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me for whosoever will save his life of sin shall lose it and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it Chap. 24.13 But whosoever shall endure to the end of his race and mortification the same shall be saved Rom. 6.5 For if we be planted in him into the likeness of his death we shall be also into the likeness of his resurrection vers 8. For if we be dead with him unto the sin we believe that we shall also live with him Rom. 8.13 If ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye shall mortifie the deeds of the body by the Spirit ye shall live 2 Cor. 6.17 18. Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you and I will be a Father unto you and ye shal be my sons and my daughters saith the Lord Almighty 2 Cor. 7.1 Wherefore dearly beloved having these promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and Spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God Hebr. 3.6 But Christ as a Son over his own house whose house are we if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoycing of the hope firm unto the end to wit the end of sin as before vers 14. for we are made pertakers of Christ in the Spirit after the likeness of his resurrection Rom. 6.5 If we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end Rev. 2.7 To him that overcometh all sins temptations and spiritual enemies will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God vers 11. He that overcometh sin which is the first spiritual death Rom. 7.24 he shall not be hurt of the second death which lay lurking and hid therein vers 17. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna and I will give him a white stone and in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth saving he which receiveth it vers 26 27 28. And he that overcometh and keepeth my words unto the end aforesaid to him will I give power over the nations to wit all the powers and faculties of the outward man or the natural being and he shall rule them with a rod of iron as the vessel of a potter they shall be broken in shivers if through any new temptation they shall offer to rebel Rev. 9.27 even as I received of my Father and I will give him the morning-starre and Rev. 3.5 He that overcometh shall be clothed in white raiment and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life but I will confess his name before my Father and before his Angels vers 12. him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the house of my God and he shall go no more out And I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God which is new Jerusalem that cometh down out of heaven from my God and I will write upon him my new name vers 21 22. to him that overcometh will I give to set with me upon my throne even as I overcame and am set down with my Father upon his throne Let him that hath an ear hear what the Spirit saith unto the Church which condition we had six times before in the former and this present chapter The fourth Topick shall be the end for which Christ was given by the Father and for which he gave himself for us which on his part cannot be disappointed cannot be frustrate if we be not wanting to our selves Isa 42.6 7. I the Lord have called thee in righteousness and will hold thine hand and will keep thee and will give thee for a covenant to the people for a light of the Gentiles to open the blind eyes to bring the prisoners out of prison and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house So again Isaiah 49.8 9. Isai 61.1 2 3. as before The spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted who are troubled about
signified therein A. A death unto sin and a new birth unto righteousness Hence it is that our Church prayed thus at the baptism of infants And humbly we beseech thee to grant that to the person baptised he being dead unto sin and living unto righteousness and being buried with Christ in his death may crucifie the old man and utterly abolish the whole body of sin And now we hope that the Vindicator had not renounc'd his baptism by sinful positions and his own wicked course of life Secondly in our late Liturgie we are taught thus to pray in the Collect on Easter-Tuesday and to like effect in many other places Almighty God which hast given thine onely Son to die for our sins and to rise again for our justification grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness that we may alwayes serve thee in pureness of living and truth through Jesus Christ Unto which we might adde that out of the Letanie From all evill and mischief and sin from the crafts and assaults of the Devil from thy wrath and from everlasting damnation Good Lord deliver us From all blindness of heart from guile vain-glory and hypocrisie from envy hatred and strife from all uncharitableness Good Lord deliver us From fornication and all other deadly sin and from all deceits of the world the flesh and the Devil Good Lord deliver us And thus much for the confirmation of the first position Come we now to the establishment of the second That the law of God may by the grace and help of Christ be so perfectly kept and fulfilled in this life as not to offend against the same yea as to be justified and that only by Christ of grace given whch we will divide into two branches and first prove the possibility of such a fulfilling by the like Topicks and authorities as we did the former and then briefly ratifie that which will follow by consequence namely that by such a fulfilling of the Law by the grace of Christ we may be justified before God and men according to the truth of the Gospel As for the first of these we take it for granted that the Law of God requireth no more of us then what is contained in those two commandements Mat. 22.36 37 38 39. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind this is the first and the great commandement and the second is like unto it Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy selfe Because our Saviour saith vers 40. On these two commandements hang all the Law and the Prophets Our first Topick to prove all this attainable by grace is taken from Gods predestination and election See Joh. 15 16. I have chosen and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain Rom. 8.29 30. For whom he did foreknow them he did predestinate to be made conformable to the image of his Son that he might be the first born among many brethren moreover whom he did predestinate those he also called and whom he called those he also justified and whom he justified those he also glorified Ephes 1.4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love and chap. 2.10 For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God had before ordained that we shall walk in them 1 Pet. 1.2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God in holinesse unto obedience and in order thereunto unto the sprinkling of the blood of Iesus Christ that is his sanctifying Spirit as shall be proved hereafter The second Topick is from Gods expresse commands which cannot be impossible for they should be frustraneous tyrannical or unjust as aforesaid Gen. 17.1 I am the almighty God walk thou before me and be perfect Deut. 4.21 Ye shall not add to the words which I command you neither shall ye diminish ought from it that ye may keep the commandements of the Lord your God which I commanded you chap. 5.32 Ye shall observe to do therefore as the Lord your God hath commanded you ye shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left chap. 6.5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might and those words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart and thou shalt teach them dilligently unto thy children Levit. 19.18 Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self fear the Lord. Deut. 6.24 25. And the Lord commanded us to do all those statutes to fear the Lord our God for our good always that he may preserve us alive as it is at this day And it shall be our righteousnesse if we observe to do all these commandements before the Lord our God as he hath commanded us chap. 10.12 And now Israel what doth the Lord thy God require of thee but to fear the Lord thy God to walk in all his ways and to love him and to serve the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul chap. 18.13 Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God Josh 22.5 But take diligent heed to do the commandement and the Law which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you to love the Lord your God and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandements and to cleave unto him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul Jerem. 7.25 But this thing commanded I them saying obey my voice and I will be your God and ye shall be my people and walk in all the ways that I have commanded you that it may be well unto you Mala. 4.4 Remember ye the Law of my servant Moses which I commanded in Horeb for all Israel with the statutes and judgements The third Topick is Gods promises to enable us to fulfill these by grace in Christ Deut. 26.18 19. And the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people as he hath promised thee and that thou ' shouldst keep all his commandements and to make thee high above all nations which he hath made in praise and in honour that thou mayst be an holy people unto the Lord thy God as he hath spoken Deut. 30.6 7 8. And therefore thy God will circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul that thou mayest live and the Lord thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies and on them that hate thee and which persecuted thee and thou shalt return and obey the voice of the Lord thy God and do all these commandements which I commanded thee this day Isai 46.29 30 31. He giveth power to the faint and to them that have no strength he increaseth might even the youths shall faint and be weary and
the young men shall utterly fail but those that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount with wings as Eagles they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not faint chap. 42.21 The Lord is well pleased for his righteousnesse sake he will magnifie the Law and make it honourable Which it would not be if it were impossible chap. 48.17 18. Thus faith the Lord thy redeemer the holy one of Israel I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit which leadeth thee by the way which thou shalt go O that thou hadst harkened to my commandements then had thy peace been as a river and thy righteousnesse as the waves of the sea chap. 51.4 5. Harken unto me my people and give eare O Nation for a Law shall proceed from me and I will make my judgement to rest for a light to the Gentiles my righteousnesse is neer my salvation is gone forth vers 7 8. Harken unto me ye that know righteousnesse the people in whose heart is my Law fear ye not the reproch of men neither be ye afraid of their revisings for the moth shall eat them up like a garment and the worm shall eat them up like wool but my righteousnesse shall be sure and my salvation from generation to generation Jerem. 31.32 33 34. Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Iudah saith the Lord not according to the covenant which I made with their Fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the Land of Egypt which my covenant they broke although I was an Husband unto them or therefore I must overule them saith the Lord but this shall be the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel After those days saith the Lord I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them saith the Lord for I will forgive their iniquities and remember their sins no more Where take notice of these things that the first covenant is a covenant of works and the effect a compulsive obedience out of fear of vengeance Secondly that the second covenant is made to those that now love God and righteousnesse and obey it out of good will after the days of compulsion are ended which must have their foregoing work to break mans strong lusts and inclinations to sin after which comes the revelation of free mercy and salvation out of grace unexpectedly witnessed from Heaven to the lost yet humbled penitent and praying or deprecating soul which melts his heart with godly sorrow and inflames his heart with love to God and righteousnesse and with an hatred of all known sin Thirdly that this second covenant is of sanctification and then of some degree of glory As to the former the Lord promiseth to put his Law into our inward parts and to work the same in our hearts which is done no other way but by regeneration and by the promised Spirit of Christ which is called the blood of the new covenant and the blood of the everlasting covenant for the purging or the dimission away of our sins whereof both the expiative and consecrating blood of the old Testament was a figure Exod. 24.8 and 14.14 10. and chap. 8.23 24. and whereof the wine in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper in the New Testament is a sign and representation as the bread broken is a representation both of his word to be broken received and eaten Jer. 15.16 and of his suffering patience and weakness which is a body of his to be broken unto us by degrees and received by faith and obedience where through we may remember Christs death and follow him therein crucifying sin till he come unto us in the Spirit and power of his resurrection Thus the Apostle saith ' Heb. 9.14 How much more shall the blood of Christ this Spirit and spiritual blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself as man without spot to God purge the consciences or souls from dead works to serve the living God And Heb. 10.29 He that falls from grace counts the blood of this covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing or a thing of smal price and so doth despite to the Spirit of grace and hence it is that the Apostle prayeth Heb. 13.20 that God who brought again from the dead the Lord Jesus that great shepherd of the sheep would through the blood of the everlasting covenant make the believing Hebrews perfect in every good work to do the will of the Lord as Peter also tells the Saints 1 Pet. 1.18 that they were through the same redeemed or delivered from their vain conversation in a Jewish righteousness received by tradition from their Fathers This blood is promised unto them that walk in the light with God and his Saints 1 John 1.7 But if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all our sin With this blood the Saints washed their robes or imperfect righteousness and made them white Rev. 7.14 with this Christ washed the Apostles and made them Kings and priests unto God Rev. 1.5 6. for which they give him praise and glory and with this is the Devil overcome and cast out Rev. 12.11 A third thing observable in this covenant is that there is a clear full and glorious wisdome promised to each Saint in due time so that they shall not need to say to each other know the Lord for they shall know him from the least of them to the greatest for that perfect knowledge and love is then come which makes the imperfect knowledge and prophecying to cease 1 Cor. 13.8 9. Lastly the time of that perfect wisdome power and love is also limited namely vers 34. in those words for I will forgive their iniquities and remember their sins no more it is then when God hath purged and taken away all their sins by the same blood where forgiving of sins as in many other places is to be understood of the purging them away by Gods grace which we call dimission and that is the principal taking away of sin upon which the pardon or taking away of the guilt follows of course and is cast in over and above out of Gods abundant mercy for the death and sufferings of Christ But to proceed Ezek. 36.25 26 27. we have another of these promises of enabling grace Then will I pour clean water upon you and from all your sins and from all your idols will I cleanse you a new heart also will I give you and a new
Arrias Montanus hath it and that from a special Author also Seventhly we would not have it slightly passed over which is written Numb 13.14 concerning the ten unbelieving spies who would neither encourage themselves nor others to go and fight against the Canaanites that so they might have inherited the promised land but disheartened themselves and others with the apprehension of impossibilities till they were excluded therefrom in the end ' for whatsoever was written in time past was written for our instruction Rom. 15.14 1 Cor. 10.6 Heb. 4.1 and so was the story of Bar-Jesus Elymas the Sorcerer Act. 13.6 who called himself Bar-Jesus that is the Son of Jesus and pretended to become a prophet but he opposed the true faith in Christ as the Vindicator and some others do seeking to turn away the Deputy Sergius Paulus from it and so perverted the right way of the Lord being an enemy to the true righteousness in which regard he is not onely called a false prophet and a sorcerer as his name importeth but smitten with blindness from which sin and all other as well as from the horrid effects thereof the Lord in his mercy preserve us all and let those in speciall find mercy at his hands who opposing the truth have done it ignorantly in unbeliefe 1 Tim. 1.13 Eighthly that a great part of the Clergy in this nation and no smal part of them in authority begin to decline from the Orthodox faith of our English reformed Church and to urge the rigid and turbulent opinions of Mr. John Knox the father of the Gomarists in Scotland whose doctrine and discipline in an hundred years space hath not brought forth so much reformation of life in that nation as our late erected Government hath done there though for the most part by awe and constaint Lastly that as this doctrine deviates from the Apostles faith Rom. 6.8 for if we be dead with him we believe that we shall live with him so it swerves from the right end of both the Sacraments for by baptism we are buried into the death of Christ that like as Christ was raised up by the glory of the Father even so we should walk in newness of life for if we have been planted together into the similitude of his death so then shall we be into the likeness of his resurrection Rom. 6.5 6. and in the Lords supper we are to shew forth the Lords death in dying with him unto all iniquity until his coming again unto us in the power of his resurrection 1 Cor. 11.26 Which two estates are by the Vindicators doctrine opposed as things of impossible attainment in this life and so the summe of the Gospel the right belief and true Christian race hereby denied decried and openly opposed in this Vindication by which the Vindicator hath verified as if his name were ominous in reference to his design another anagram of his Name O hindring net God hath his net and so hath the Devil Both nets are daily us'd about the evil Gods net draws fish out of the sea of sin The Mare clausum Satan casts them in Where Satans drudger-man is still impli'd To watch and draw Gods fish on his shore side This work to do John Tendring he is set To plead for sin hence call'd O hindring net True Doctrine is Gods net his fisher men Are ministers of righteousness and then False doctrine must be Satans net to draw Men from their due observance of Gods law By which they love to God and man forget And such thy book doth prove O hindring net Having finished also the catasceuastical part of our Revindication in the next pirce we shall presume to offer some Queries because we desire to lay open our hearts and minds for the trueths cause to such as are held to censure and rashly to judge of those whom they beleive are contrary-minded unto themselves 1. Querie Whether do you or any of you pretend to an infallible Spirit whereby you do not nor can erre in what you affirm or deny to be divine truth according to the Records commonly called the Scriptures The reason is because the late Synod confessed cap. 31. of their Confession that Councels and Synods have erred as themselves have done else why do they not answer the Examen against it in the materal points out of pity to the examiners who pitied them to undeceive them and the well-meaning people Secondly because if it be true as aforesaid then why do the Committees for trying in one place and ejection in every County though some are more moderate then others put the Article at the foot of other Articles That he is ignorantand insufficient for the work of the Ministry when sometimes the person the said article is put upon is a grave Doctor of Divinity and may be their catechisers Father for age in years and learning Thirdly because many are put out and others kept out of a livelyhood in the way themselves live and grow with other additionals rich by because they cannot ex consciencià subscribe and own their masters opinions Et jurare in verba magistri and yet these masters by their own confession may erre as their masters did whose servants were the miser men John 7.45 46 47 48 49. 2. Querie What do you aim at in your preaching with such bitterness especially in Wilts against us whether to maintain a combination and faction of self interest or that the people you preach unto may live a peacable and most holy life and their souls saved in the day of the Lord. The reason of this Querie is because the Apostle saith James 1.14 If you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts glory not also you lye against the truth and vers 16. where envying and strife is there is confusion and every evil work vers 17. and that the fruit of righteousnesse sown in peace of them that make peace Therefore Heb. 11.14 the Apostle saith follow peace with all men without which none shalt see God 3. Querie Whether such doctrines as hold out a possibility of a total mortification of sinne through the grace and help of Christ and a perfect obedience to the Law of God are not the Doctrines which do perswade people to live that most holy life but lead men as some have said from Heaven to Hell if Hell be where no sin nor unclean thing can come and Heaven be where much sinne will remain it is confessed according to the Vindicators attestation and position The reason of this Querie is offered by reason we have heard from an intelligent and present hearer thereof that a Minister in Salisbury but it is said he was late a New-England man did pray to God in his ignorant real before many people that he might never believe such a doctrine as a possibilty of a total mortification of sin in this life And we pray God of his mercy not to say Amen to his prayer but pray unto the Lord Jesus for him or
Divines as it s reported told the said Synod that they were not sent to debate that rigid and horrid question of absolute reprobation but that well-pleasing question of absolute love and election of God to some who be from all eternity elected though from the demonstration of this any of ordinary capacity might easily conclude what they must needs think concerning reprobates and their reprobation We say again if Synods are called and convened as aforesaid we cannot expect Gods blessing upon their endeavours how specious soever their meeting seemeth to be For all such as God will blesse to such a work must be unbiassed and holy men of God besides their acquired learning for only such will say if allured or threatned by higher powers as the Apostles did to the rulers Act. 4.19 whether we should obey God or you judge ye 12. Querie Whether it be a sinne to pray for grace and help from Christ to live here without sinne and in perfect obedience to all and every one of Gods commandements which consist in our operative love to God and man Matth. 22.37 to 41. The reason because the doctrine of perfection is deemed an innovation and heresie and to pray therefore for such a thing must be evill 13. Qu. Whether if we ought to pray as aforesaid it be a sinne in any of the Saints to believe and expect that God will give grace and help by Christ unto such praying Saints to live without sinne and transgression to his laws in this life as aforesaid 14. Qu. Whether it can be demonstrated clearly out of Scriptures for it s often affirmed to be so that what Adam received of God for himself he received as a common root and by vertue of a covenant of God with Adam relating thereunto for all mankind and what he lost in himself by his personal sinne he lost likewise for all his posterity and they must for ever lose the same without they repent of Adam's sinne and saved by an absolute decree of election Our reasons of this Querie are these First because it will then follow that if Adam had stood in his integrity as he might have done untill he had had a child of thirty years of age which might have lived a most holy life as Enoch did on earth yet upon Adam's fall or transgression afterward his said child or children must have lost all and been inwardly defiled with Adam's sinne and under the condemnation for it though untill that very time they had lived most innocently in personal obedience to all Gods lawes for many say without book because God did as they say so covenant with Adam that what he lost by transgression he and his posterity should lose ipso facto the same and his posterity be as truly defiled with his sinne as himself Secondly because if it be so as aforesaid then in case Adam had stood and persevered in obedience to his lives end as he might have done for it is said James 1.13 14. God tempts no man to sin but that every man is drawn aside of his own concupiscence then though his posterity yea hitherto had broken Gods righteous laws yet the just God must not have been angry with them nor punished them as sinners because Adam himself did not sinne in whom the Lord as they say made such a covenant as aforesaid and therefore what he received and did not forfeit by his own transgression they must likewise receive and must not lose by vertue of the said covenant with Adam notwithstanding their personal frequent rebellious and disobedience Orighteous God cause us to see and consider what dangerous sequels may be inferred directly opposite to thy justice and mercy from such a fictitious covenant as is pretended by many Divines that God made with Adam for himself and all his posterity 15. Querie What dishonour and wrong is offered to Gods justice and mercy or to any attribute of God by unbelieving and disowning the old tradition of original sinne from the first personal Adam Let the more zealous then considerate defenders of it produce the clear Scriptures to prove that our denial of it doth wrong Gods justice and mercy that so he may be justified in his saying and pure when he judgeth according to the said tradition 16. Querie What cause have parents to quarrel or grieve that they hear their children be born innocent and fit members for the kingdome of heaven Matth. 19.14 15. Matth. 18.3 let them produce Scripture plainly to prove that its more for Gods honour to ordain them to come into the world as firebrands of hell the reason is because St. James telleth us ' mercy rejoyceth over judgment and the Psalmist saith Psal 14.59 that ' Gods tender mercies are over all his workes which in the foresaid case of being under wrath for Adam's sinne cannot be rightly attested and declared and Is 57.16 ' the Lord maketh the souls and also the Lord restored Adam into his favour from his guilt c. before he had any children therefore if Adam's posterity were under the condemnation for his sinne the mercies of God are much obscured towards the posterity of Adam 17. Querie What honour and excellency is taken from Christs merits and saving grace by declaring that our justification or making righteous is from Christ within us Col. 1.27 not without us and from his saving grace communicated to us in our obedience to his laws The reason of this Qu. is because there is so much pleading that our justification is by Christs imputative righteousness residing in himself and not communicated to us but putatively onely and so our pollution may remain still if we be justified in Christ by the said external imputation of his righteousness onely for there is no inward cleansing by that means communicated unto us And peradventure the observing of the common transgressions committed by most men yea professors of religion like those Tit. 1.16 very frequently first brought in the imbelief because men ' resist not striving unto blood against sinne Heb. 12.4 that all our sinnes cannot be purged away in this life we say the observing and believing as aforesaid brought in without doubt the perswasion of a justification by Christs righteousness imputed onely to us and not by inherent righteousness within us that we might have quiet consciences notwithstanding our iniquities 〈◊〉 us in our faces by dreaming we are justified by 〈◊〉 imputative righteousness without us and not wrought in us through our obedience by the help of his grace and holy Spirit 18. Qu. Whether these who cry out against others for heresies and blasphemous opinions ought not to be sure before that they are so lest it be retorted on them as Paul did against his contenders Act. 24.14 by the way that ' you call heresie so worship we the Lord our God and especially to be careful they are sree themselves from all heresie for Turpe est doctori cùm culpa redarguit ipsum 19. Qu. Whether the Lord
not to be in these after days expected though it be said Wisdom 7.27 Wisdome entreth into holy souls and maketh them friends of God and Prophets and Rev. 18.20 Rejoyce over her thou Heaven and the holy Apostles and Prophets and such also we look for when the new heavens and the new earth cometh wherein dwelleth righteousnesse 2 Pet. 3.13 And when the everlasting Gospel cometh to be better known and preached anew to them that dwell on the earth c. also then will Pastors be given by Christ according to his own heart Jer. 3.15 with such gifts as those had Ephes 4.11 who shall officiate in teaching his Church according to his own order and discipline in the mean time we cannot tel how to perswade our selves that our Presbyterrian publique Ministers or Bishops nor any other divided opinions among us who call themselves Ministers of Jesus Christ are more then Ministers for Jesus Christ in a prudential way which yet we do not despise but honour them if sober and peaceable in their ministration for we believe the said ministration to be very serviceable to righteous and just ends even to have its service until the time of a better reformation then we have yet seen for we see former if not worse deformities acted under other names and imployments of Ministers utinam id verum non esset But we say no more at present save only wish all whom it may concern to mind the words of St. James 2.12 13. So speak and so do as they that are to be judged by the Law of liberty or freedom for there shall be judgement saith the Apostle v. 13. without mercy to him that sheweth no mercy which Christ doth not relate to friends only but to reputed enemies Math. 5.44 c. and mercy rejoyceth over judgment Jam. 2.13 that is from the Father of mercies whose mercy is over all his works Psal 45.9 and if they do so speak and do c. then we doubt not according to that 2 Cor. 10.6 but the messenger of the Lord of Hosts will suddenly return again to his Temple Mal. 3.1 and build up once again the Tabernacle of David which is fallen down c. Act. 15.16 17. but in the mean time their service whose souls are not lifted up Hab. 2.4 in a prudential way of ministrarion will be acceptable to the Lord in their measure according to that Mal. 3.16 c. Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name and they shall be mine saith the Lord of Hosts in the day when I shall make up my jewels or special treasure and I will spare them as a man spareth his own sonne that serveth him then shall ye discern between the righteous and the wicked between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not Mal. 3.16 17 18. FINIS The Contents of the Integral or of this whole Book is distributed into a Tricotomie and offered to the Readers view that he may primo intuitu perceive what he shall if he please find despersed and argued à capite ad calcem throughout the same THE first part of it is a genuine and fit Paraphrase on the Vindicators Hypocritical Saint like Preface And first a Paraphrase upon the salutation in the Preface To all the Lovers in his sense of Gods truth c. Secondly a Paraphrase on the Preface it felf consisting of many Paragraphs in coloured words of Scripture-phrase to deceive the hearts of the simple The Revindication it self comprehends two parts First the Anasceuastick confutative part i. e. to confute by answering the Vindicators pretended Scriptures and Fathers which he doth rashly and ignorantly produce to justifie his pernicious positions placed in the front of his Vindication wherein we trace him from pag. 2. to p. 146. The second part of the aforesaid Tricotomie is Catasceuastick the confirmative part of our contrary assertions by several Topick heads of Scripture testimonies Secondly by humane testimonies first of the Fathers commonly so called Secondly our English reformed Church in our first reformation from page 146. to p. 200. The last part of the foresaid Tricotomie consists of two sorts of Queries occasioned from our overforward contenders and Censurers and offered to them or whomsoever they may concern to pensitate with serious thoughts The first sort of them are to such as fix two magisterially their own sense before they have deliberately considered it upon some particular Scriptures as if their sense were before they are sure of it the very mind of the Lord in the said places some Scripture instances we have set down mistaken we appeal to all impartial Readers by several persons as that of John 3.5 6. by one Mr. Stevens who doth weakly call the said place their strong reason to maintain his old tradition of original sin in his shallow Book called A threefold defence of original sin Other instances of Scriptures in a mistaken sense are those Isaiah 64.6 Phil. 3.8 9. mistaken by two grave Committee men who have been our back friends in the County of Wilts Thus we have delivered the summe of the Tricotomy of our Book intituled A Revindication It s true we have inserted some personal reflections which do not concern every Reader and therefore it may be said they might have been left out as if they savoured of a like Spirit we answer we must commit that to him who knoweth all things we have much more to say a-against some and to vindicate the deceased whose death we wish them to consider of that were so violent against him who was more knowing I am sure and more meek I am affraid then themselves and we thought it not amisse to name some passages and persons having been so publickly wronged by the same that the world may see what unruly spirits there are in these dayes of reformation against the Doctrine of a possibility of a total mortification of sinne in this life because it hath been for the said Doctrine we have been traduced in the Vindicators senselesse Vindication and also through many counties it hath been sounded and ecchoed out that we are Jesuits and Factors for Rome so strangely and unexpectedly is Rome it seems by the foresaid callumny reduced as to hire us to publish and convince a possibility of a total mortification of sinne in this life and to cry up a possibility of a perfect obedience to the law of God in this life If this be to be vile we are content to be more vile 2 Sam. 6.22 If I have spoken evil bear witness of the evil John 18.23 Here are some Errata referring to the book aforesaid which we desire the Reader to take notice of for the better understanding what we mean in the respective places we confess they might by the mutual and diligent care of all parties of us concerned have been prevented therefore we do not excuse our selves that it could not be helped saying in many things we offend all for our endeavour here hath been to prove a possibility to live in this life through the grace and help of Christ without offence and therefore these Errata we acknowledge did happen by our neglect and oversight who were mutually concerned to have looked better about us Sed nihil factum infectum fiers potest it s too late now to mend them otherwise then by their subscription therefore we desire the Reader when he perceiveth in any page of the book a Crupsis either of inversion redundancy or defect of words to make grammatical construction then to reflect upon these nominated Errata to rectifie the sense of the said place and as for the objectum occupans and adjunctum occupat about the same we leave them to the Readers censure as he pleaseth PAraph p. 2. l 34. r. service l. 36. d. fore l. 37. r. 13.11 p. 7. l. 2. r. to reproch them for l. 29. r. Wilton p. 9. l. 39. after preface r. and positions p. 12. l. 2. for said r. side p. 13. l. 29. r. Act. 19. p. 15. l. 1. r. to do wickedly Book p. 2. l. 6. r. catasceuastically p. 25. l. 18. r. Mat. 22. p. 26. l. 28. r. 1 John 2.22 p. 37. l. 6. r. 1 Cor. 3.1 2 3. p. 39. l. 10. r. Sidkenu p. 35. l. 12. d. not p. 82. l. ult adde be p 100. l. 37. adde is p. 106. l. 21. f. servant r. Son p. 112. l. 23. del not p. 117. l. 30. r. as it is p. 127. l. 19. r. because of him p. 136. l. 1 2. d. it p. 139. l. 15. r. Joh. 5.40 p. 144. l. 17. f. note r. vote l. 30. r. commander l. 31. f. whence r. whom p. 188. l. 25. adde be p. 200. l. 4. f. held r. bold p. 210. l. 20. r. the res testata l. 23. f. prudentia r. constantia p. 217. l. 17. f. rules r. rites p. 228. l. 7. del a. p. 229. l. 22. r. Phil. 3.6 7 8. p. 230. l. 29. d. through the faith of Jesus p. 233. l. 10. after nature r. 2 Pet. 1.4 p. 241. l. 2. r. related p. 16. l. ult r. id bruti p. 243. l. 28. r. before all the people l. 29. d. the people p. 245. l. 10. f. who r. what p. 254. l. 10. r. yea not to be believed they can be c. p. 256. l. 8. after earth r. Rev 14.6