Scripture-Redemption freed from Men's Restrictions Being An ANSWER TO A Book lately published by Mr. William Troughton who stiles himself a Minister of the Gospel at Onlep in Leicester-shire INTITULED Scripture-Redemption restrained and limited As also the substance of several Conferences and Disputes had in England Wales and Scotland With Mr. Heath Mr. Bartley Mr. Powel Mr. Sam. Rutherford and Mr. James Wood Two Rectors of the University of S. Andrews and many others About the death of our most dear Redeemer and the Controversies which are the constant concomitants of it Together with a brief Reply to Mr. Troughton's rayling accusations in his Introduction By J. Brown sometimes of Oriel Coll. in Oxford afterwards a Priest of the Church of England and Vicar of Tenbury in Worcester-shire but now through mercy a Preacher of the faith which once he destroyed YE are my witnesses and my servant whom I have chosen that ye MAY know and believe me Isai 43. 10. London Printed by J. C. for Will Larnar at the signe of the Blackmoor neer Fleet-bridge 1653. To all those precious souls who receive the Gospel and follow the Lord Jesus in the way of righteousness to whose view this small Treatise shall by providence be presented Increase of all spiritual riches from the Father of mercies are unfeignedly desired IT is no new thing blessed souls for the God and men of this world to call the sweet saving and most soul refreshing doctrines of the Gospel Heretical opinions and the way of God even that way of Worship which Christ and his Apostles walked in Heresie that so by raising foul though false reports against the Truths of the true and eternal God they and their false Merchandise corrupt Doctrines I mean may seem fair in the eyes of their followers Let it not then seem strange to you neither be discouraged if it be so in our generation but as our God hath imparted to you a great measure of the knowledge of his love in the Lord Jesus let it be your care I beseech you by the mercies of God to walk worthy of the Lords love in all well pleasing and abounding in every good work that you may shine as lights in this world and in the world to come as the sun in the kingdom of our Father for ever and ever You have known and believed the love of God to your souls you know and are assured by the Scriptures that Christ died for you when other poor creatures going about to prove it by their qualifications a most inconstant and crooked rule are oft-times at least very uncertain whether Christ died for them and so through the instability of their sad minds either hurried away by dangerous presumption or hurled into deep despair and other soul-distracting distempers Their condition I much commiserate having my self been somewhat buffeted by Satan under it for at best they are frequently tossed to and fro by doubts and fears whether ever God gave his Son to lay down his life for them and so are kept from the enjoyment of that abiding consolation which you partake of by believing what is plainly written in the Word of Truth and rejecting the dark consequences and deductions of men Oh pity those that are ignorant of that truth which you are acquainted with endeavour to impart it to them but despise them not in that you know Christ died for them Be not weary of well doing The Lord is at hand and if you persist in holiness he will requite your short pains with everlasting pleasures and your work in the day of grace with an eternal and exceeding weight of glory And now brethren I commend you to God and to the word of his grace which is able to build you up to make you wise unto salvation to make you perfect and throughly furnished to every good work desiring the Lord of glory to preserve you blamless in body soul and spirit till he appears the second time without sin unto salvation that you may be presented faulâ—lest before the throne of his glory with exceeding joy and be made partakers and possessors of that rich and glorious Crown and those precious promises which now by saith and patience we inherit in which most blessed state I trust on the Lords day to meet you and in the mean space whilst the Lord holdeth my soul in life here shall remain Your faithful servant and brother though unworthy in the way and work of Christ J. Brown To all the people in the world who shall peruse this plain Discourse especially such as setting their faces towards Sion have their souls sadned through the uncertainty that is in them about Christs dying for them the Author sincerely wisheth those cordial consolations which which flow from the knowledge and acknowledgment of the Truth in this point according to the Scriptures KNowing by sad experience what a miserable condition they are in who are ignorant of the love of God and how chearfully they are drawn out to serve him who know and are assured that he gave his Son to be a Propitiation for them I have here presented to each impartial Reader a familiar Discourse concerning the death of our Redeemer wherein I shall by the help of Jehovah prove 1. That Jesus Christ did die for all and every man 2. How far this extends to all or what he hath done for all men dying for them and this I shall do by the express Word of the Lord as it is ministred to us by his own Spirit without sophistical Syllogisms dark Deductions Consequences and Inferences the onely proofs of those who assert the contrary 3. I shall also by the assistance of the Lord produce the reasons which I have found in the Scripture confirming this truth 4. I shall as I have met with them answer the Objections brought against it 5. I shall make some Application of the whole wherein I shall take opportunity to shew the soundness and profitableness of this Doctrine the sad consequences and absurdities of the contrary and endeavour to discover some reasons why so few receive it and why there is so great opposition made against it I confess they lie deep but the Lord in time will help us to a more full manifestation The occasion of my undertaking of this work was partly from a nameless Paper received from some Parish Ministers living about Bishops Castle in Shrop-shire to which because I knew not to whom to write I was not careful to return any Reply But especially from the reading of ten printed Arguments set out by one M. Troughton though suckt from others together with several Conferences had providentially with many learned men as they are accounted in England and Scotland about the death of Christ and the controversies which are the constant concomitants of it My resolution is to be plain without Rhetorical flourishes and the wisdom which man teacheth The glory of God is that which I chiefly aim at my conscience bearing me witness and
will gainesay this that Adam had his life continued through a crucified Christ or Lamb slain c. Secondly See the end why God created or made all Nations by through or of one blood or blood of one not that they should be disobedient or to damn any as some say but that they should seek him which doth further illustrate what I lately wrote concerning Gods chusing of mankinde when they were all lost in one to serve him so in this case when mankinde might have been banished for ever to the dust he found a ransome to keep him from going down to the pit and by that ransome granted life to Adam and all his posterity 1 John 4. 9. But as there is a special election of such as obey to eternal Salvation so is there a special creation in Christ of such as seek him of which I come next to speak This you may read in many places of Scripture where mention is made of the new creature the new man c. especially 2 Cor. 5. 17. If any man be in Christ he is a new creature c. Now the depth of this point lies in this to finde how a man comes to be a new creature Some hold that a man is meerly passive in this work as he was in the universal creation and some say that there are others who teach that man makes himself a new creature if there be any such I am sure that they are both in extreams and far from the truth of God That which I have found true in the Scripture and by experience is this That God having appointed or chosen and created or made man to seek or serve him when his creatures become able to understand the difference between good and evil and to be cheer'd in the doing of one and checkt in the committing of the other comes to instruct and teach them even when they are dead in sins and trespasses stretcheth forth his hands to them inviteth them beseecheth them and sheweth them his love convinceth them of sin by the light of the Lord manifest in the heart or by his word and they who learn of the Father lay to heart his love consider their misery see the filthiness of sin follow the light hearken to his voice and so receive his Son To these who were his off-spring before in the first or general creation doth he grant power to become the children of God even to such as believe on his name John 1. 12. and so become the workmanship of God created unto Christ Jesus in good works they are begotten and borne againe by the Gospel that immortal seed of the word which liveth and abideth for ever They that hear his voice and hearken to it do live and then Christ gives them life Hear and your soul shall live Isa 55. 2. Such as receive the truth in the love of it the seed into an honest and good heart become thereby quickened and in time to be born again of water and the Spirit and so are ingraffed into Christ or added to the Church old things errors in judgement and life pass away all things become new they being conformed to Christ the new Man in all obedience And thus the new Creature is formed and the new Creation framed and fitly compact to be an habitation of God through the Spirit I confess that these things to a carnal heart and a poor deluded soul will seem strange yet do but consider whether this work of special creation in which only some share hath not alwayes been thus carried on first the Lord called and spake presented light to the soul by which he discovered his love and mans enmity his purity and the creatures iniquity his goodness and sins sinfulness yet still some turned away the ear pull'd away the shoulder despised his reproof set at naught his counsel vexed his holy Spirit believed not his report but delighted in sin and so remained dead in sins and trespasses but such as hearkned and heard rejoyced in the light consider'd the word and entertain'd it though before carnal and so not discerning spiritual things became thereby spiritual as the Apostle Paul cleerly demonstrates Gal. 3. And whereas some have a fond conceit that a man must be spiritual before he can receive the word it 's a gross mistake for there was never yet a spiritual man but before he received the teachings of the Lord was carnal and by receiving the instructions of the Almighty became spiritual But their mistake is grounded upon a worse foundation even their low thoughts of the Scriptures and they reason to this effect The word say such may be preached a thousand times but except God come by the power of his Spirit to over-power our hearts we cannot receive his words not considering that the word is Spirit and life John 6. 63. and the power of God to salvation to them that believe Rom. 1. 16. Secondly Upon a conceit they have that a man is like a stock or a stone in and under the work of the new creation not considering that although God in the first creation did the worke wholly and absolutely himself yet in the second or new creation he comes to a creature that he hath furnished with abilities to do what he requires and then gives it his commands according to that ability requires them to hear know and receive his truth and they that obey him in these things live they are quickened and so the new creation is begun Object If any aske why all do not receive the truth I answer They resist the Spirit of God Act. 7. 51. But lest I should leave this obscure I desire the reader to weigh these things First That the new creation hath not it's compleatness at once Secondly That the Lord doth ever so begin the work and every part of it that what is by us to be done he leaves very plain and easie before us First It is not at once compleated for first the Lord commands to hear Isa 55. 3. Secondly to seek vers 6. Thirdly to know Act. 2. 36. Job 5. ult Fourthly to believe 1 Joh. 3. 23. Fifthly to repent Act. 17. 30. Sixthly to be baptized Act. 2. 38. and so they are planted into Christ Gal. 3. 27. Rom. 6. 3 4. Added to the Church Act. 2. 41. which is Christs body Eph. 1. 22. 23. To the Apostles fellowship Act. 2. 42. Thus souls are joyned to the Lord. And this word or doctrine which was from the beginning remaining in them they remain in the Son and in the Father 1 Joh. 2. 24. and abiding in the doctrine of Christ they have both the Father and the Son Joh. 2 Ep. v. 6. He doth not first command men to enter into Church-fellowship as the Papists Prelates Presbyterians and some others doe for the first thing that these practice is to put all those that are born in their Church as they call it into Church-membership as soon as they are born and sprinkled with
next to speak in few words of Redemption in a stricter acceptation and to shew how some are in a special manner freed ransomed delivered or redeem'd by Jesus Christ and to that purpose shall first lay downe some Scriptures and to come to the clear understanding of this point Cast your eye then upon Eph. 1. 7. In whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of our sins and upon 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversations received by tradition from your Fathers but with the pretious blood of Christ c. The great question here to be resolved is this How the Saints come to be redeemed from their vain conversation and to have remission of their sins For answer unto this I beseech you that read to remember what I have in part declared already that there was an offence though committed but by one in which all the world was reputed guilty before God so far as that if Adam for that offence had at the instant of his committing it gone to the grave the whole race of mankinde had perished in him to take away which the Lamb without spot offer'd up himself to God so that that sin imputed to all and so called the sin of the world and iniqnity of us all was by the pouring out of the blood of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world taken away and remitted so that none shall now dye eternally for it and herein appeared the free love of God who by the blood of his Son washed away sin no creature seeking of it But every individual man and woman when they come to years and know good and evil do themselves commit many sins and walk in a vain conversation by tradition c. and how they come to be redeem'd or delivered from this by the blood of Christ I shall by Scripture and experience briefly make manifest First God sends Christ or the light to them with manifestations of his grace and goodness to lead or perswade them to turn from their sins to God declares to them the sufferings of his Son for their sins and they who seriously consider these manifestations of mercy believe and lay to heart the kindness of God though before Prisoners to sin and Satan are loosed delivered or redeemed from their sins and vain conversions as the Apostle plainly proves Acts 10. 43. To him give all the Prophets witness that through his name whosoever believeth on him shall receive remission of sins So that through the application of the blood of the Lamb to their souls by believing they come to be delivered and have redemption from these sins of theirs and this redemption or pardon of sin is in time and conditional upon faith and repentance I shall indeavour further to illustrate this by a familiar similitude thus Suppose the servant of some mighty Emperor or General should commit an hainous offence to both the high displeasure and dishonour of his master and now conceiving in his heart that his Lord was full purposed to punish him with exquisite and exemplary torments should secretly depart to his masters greatest enemy and with him with a heart full of envy wrath and devilish despite contrive the destruction of him whom he had lately disobeyed in the mean time this mighty man having no such thoughts as his wicked servant imagin'd hearing that another potent person for some horrid crime had condemned his run-agate servant to dye gives his only Son to suffer death to preserve his live who yet still not knowing his Lords love with a perverse and inraged heart carries on the designe of his masters ruine but in the midst of his malice and fear having certaine intelligence of the transcendent kindness of one whom he had so highly incensed and of his own willingness to receive him even as a Son if he would return to him presently his soul begins to melt hatred le ts go the hold it had upon his heart and admiring such unexpected and undeserved love his bands of wickedness full off the rage rancour and wicked resolutions which possess'd him are all cast out the snare is broken and he is delivered not only from that death which his Masters Son quitted him of by dying for him But also by applying and considering his Lords love of those bloody sins and designes against his Master and begins to think of returning to him who had done such great things for him Thus stands the case betwixt God and man when Adam had sinned he ran away from his Maker and what spirit he was of towards him you may perceive by his Answers to him Gen. 3. who yet had thoughts of love and peace towards him and gave his onely Son to ransome him from the pit of which ransome or redemption all his posterity being in his loynes are partakers but they have all as I may say one by one departed from their God and rebelled against him that redeemed them and continue long ignorant of the loving kindness of the Lord at length the Lord by his teachings as himself pleaseth makes known his goodness and riches of grace and as many as believe or lay to heart what he hath done for their souls how he gave the Son of his love to dye yea to destroy the power of death for them that they might live by him and through him rise from the grave and that they have this redemption or deliverance through the blood of Jesus shed for them and have clear evidence of this by the Spirit in the Scripture of truth they begin to loath and leave their sins the love of God known casts out their base fear his mercy manifested destroyes their malice pride lust covetousness c. cuts in sunder all the cords of vanity in which they were held carries them quite out of their prison wherein their souls were pent up though sin tugs hard yet at last it is fain to remit its hold and though before they hug'd sin as a friend they now let it go as an enemy and so in the end through the applying of that blood which was shed for them they are redeemed out of the hand of the enemy and by the application of the blood of Christ they receive remission of THEIR sins as they before had by the effusion of it the remission and redemption from Adams sin which as I before hinted was absolute unsought for free and universal This is conditional and especial And if any shall demand Why all have not this redemption I answer Because they believe not they lay not the blood of Christ to heart if they did it were impossible that they should be so carried away with lust pride ignorance lying swearing cheating drunkenness gaming covetousness formality lukewarness ildeness and all manner of disobedience for if men did consider the grace of God if they knew the gift of God and his kindness which
towards man appeared and thoughts of peace he harbours even towards them that are in rebellion against him yea how he was Reconciled to them who yet are enemies they even they would harbour sweet thoughts of God no longer look upon him as an enemy But throwing away the weapons of wickedness their sins would consider him as the chief of friends and so be reconcil'd to him as the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 5. 20. and of which the prophet Isaiah speaks Chapter 27. 5. This reconciliation also is special and proper to believers Thus have I as briefly as I could and more briefly then the matter indeed will well allow spoken of redemption and reconciliation how general and how special I come in the next place by Jehovahs help to treat of Justification which is also universal and special The one is by the effusion or pouring out of the blood of Christ the other by the application of it of the one mention is made Rom. 5. 9. Being now justified by his blood c. and thus God is said to Justifie the ungodly Rom. 4. 5. but that this may be the better understood we must consider that there is a twofold sin or offence That which some call original which the Scriptures call one offence or offence of one even Adam and theâ—e innumerable transgressions which every man and woman commit From the former only I finde that all are justified by the pouring out of the blood of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world from the latter none is or shall be but through the applying of that blood by believing The former of these is absolutely free sutable to this is Rom. 3. 24. without any condtion and is universal as you may see Rom. 5. 18. The latter is also free on Gods part but upon condition of believing on ours as you may find Act. 13. 39. For the further clearing of this thing I desire the reader with me to reveiw that lately-recited text Rom. 5. 18. and I shall lay it down according to the Original Therefore as by one offence or sin condemnation came upon all men even so by one justification to life came upon all men But having handled this point partly before upon another occasion I shall only reminde the reader that these texâ—s hold forth this cleerly to us that as sin came upon or was imputed to all men by Adam so righteousness came upon or was imputed to all men by Christ and as for that sin all men were condemned to dye so from that death all shall through Christ be made alive and this is agreeable to the Scriptures 1 Cor. 15. 22. and all divine justice and reason for had not Christ justified mankind from that offence Adam and all his posterity had been banished from God for ever as you may plainly perceive by that which is written 2 Sam. 14. 14. I would gladly know whether any man hath life here or can rise from the grave but by Christ by whom are all things or whether we could by any means enjoy these if we were not justified from that which deprived us of it and so quitted from that prison the grave which without a Christ dying and rising again would have kept Adam and in him all his posterity under its power but the day shall come when all that sleep in the dust shall rise and shall give an account before the Lord not of Adams sin but of the things done in their own bodies so that it seems that when every creature shall stand before the Judge of the world they shall not be look'd upon as unrighteous persons because Adam did offend If any affirme they shall let them prove it by the Scriptures and I shall willingly assent to them In the mean space I propound this to my self and others that either men shall at the day of judgement be damned for Adams sin or they shall not if they shall then God hath somwhere revealed it in his word for he will do nothing but he revealeth his secrets to his servants the Prophets if they shall not then they shall be considered righteous and justified from it which is cleerly sutable to Rom. 5. 19. As by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the Obedience of one shall many be made righteous And this is that which I understand by the justification of all men even Gods acquitting of them from Adams sin and the suffering which came by it at the day of judgement then which nothing is more cleer to me and thousands more in all the holy Scriptures and agreeable to all the revealed will of God in this case declaring that every soul shall bear his own burden and dye for his own offence But now a word or two of special justification and so I shall conclude this point That which I call special Justification or the Justification of some particular persons is when God is pleased to look upon his poor creatures which through believing in Jesus Christ turn from sin to serve him as righteous in his Son which I desire further to explaine thus God having in the purpose of his own will freely justified mankind from that sin of Adam and granted them to live in this world they all commit many grievous offences against that loving God that gave them life breath and all things by lying swearing drunkenness theft murder adultery fornication pride ambition coveteousness idleness cozening envy by evil thoughts and evil words from which the law of Moses is too weak to justifie them for let poor creatures annoyed imcumbred and compass'd about with these sins read the Law of Moses or offer up sacrifices according to that Law yet that will not drive sin out of the soul but tâ—â— blood of Christ applyed by faith the blood of Christ sprinkled upon the conscience will purge out sin When a poor soul doth know and believe that Jesus Christ shed his blood for him or her they begin to hate iniquity and abhor every sin and at length through faith i. e. the constant application of the blood of Christ to their hearts they who formerly were servants of sin and free from righteousness become quit justified freed from sin and servants of righteousness for with the heart man believes unto righteousness Rom. 10. 10. so that by believing they become justified righteous and cleered from those sins from which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses as that before I hinted from the mouth of the Apostle Paul Acts 13. 39. So that which I find in the Scripture concerning this is that though God hath freely through the pouring out of the Lambes blood taken away the sin of the world I understand Adams sin yet none ever did or can get free or justified from the sins which they themselves have committed in their own bodies but through believing or laying to heart the goodness kindness grace mercy or love of God which towards man appeared in Christ Jesus before the
to wife may sometimes be at peace and quiet in his minde and have some hopes of attaining his desires but when he knows that he is beloved by her whom he loves his joy is more solid and his minde more setled Answer 4. I and many more who have knowne both states can testifie that our joy peace love to God faith and knowledge c. were very weak low and mercenary when we the Doctrine of Christs dying for all although some of us profited above many our equals set a good face upon the businesse and were able to say much against the truth and for my owne part I disputed so long against Christs dying for all that at last I could not tell whether he dyed for me and would have given a thousand worlds if it had been possible to have knowne it by the Scriptures wel knowing that no other evidence can poâ—sibly satisfie a doubting heart except we shall decline them and incline to Enthustasmes and spirits that are to be accursed For if any brings glad tydings to us any otherwise then the Scriptures declare them he is so to be accounted Gal. 1. 8. 9. What he sayes about Christs meriting faith for men is a wild Popish-assertion no where found in the Scriptures having no savour of the forme of sound word is very inconsiderable and contrary to what he sayes in page 45. of his Book that the commands of God of which that we should beleeve is one of the chiefest 1 Joh. 3. 23 shew not what God or Christ hath done for us but what is our duty to do But for M. Trough and all men of his judgement to contradict themselves is is no new thing as I know by sad experience in my former ignorance But I shall through Gods helpe answer his question which is this Let me aske our Adveasaries this question What men aâ—e bound to believe for the peace of their Consciences when they take it for granted already that Christ dyed for them being comprehended in the world of man-kind I Answer 1. That he is raised and ascended up without which we had been in our sins 1 Thes 4. 14. Jo. 20. 17. Act. Answer 2. They ought to believe that he is the Sonne of God the Christ i. e. the onely Anointed King Priest and Prophet who alone is to mediate gives Lawes and teach the feare of the Lord who and none else is to be heard in matters appertaining to Gods worship and the gathering and govering the Church or Congregation of the Lord Jo. 6. 66. Act. 2. 36. 1 Tim. 2. 5. Isai 9. 6. with 33. 22. Heb. 7. 17 Jo. 6. 14. Answer 3. We must beliive all the Commandements Psal 119. 66. Yea All things that are written in the Law and the Prophets Act. 24. 14. Now by beleeving his precepts I doe not meane that we should onely believe that they are his and that they are true and righteous c. Although this be truth and must be first believed and relates to that which some call faith of assurance in that we beleeve and are sure that they are the commands of Christ But we must adhere to them apply them to our hearts and apply our bodyes and soules to the practise of them And hence it is that all Gospel obedience is sometimes concluded under the name faith as Rom. 16. 26. and all disobedience of times is comprehended under unbeliefe as Heb. 3. 19. compared faithfully with Rom. 10. 16. And without this obedience of faith or faithfull obedience to the Gospel or will of God or light revealed to us there is no peace of conscience to any man or woman in the world Disobedient persons may close their eyes stoppe their ears and harden their necks and yet blesse themselves in their hearts saying they say shall have peace they may for a space be a sleep in sin insensible of wrath yea perswaded that they are children of the most high and in favour with the Almighty that they are Disciples Saints Christians and the chosen of God but ere long again their consciences being awakened considering how far they differ and stand at a distance from the commands of Jesus their hearts condemne them or at least are full of doubts feares and flashings of terrour they question their present and future state and are amazed at the wrath which the light or Law of nature presents to their soules the turth they oppose the errors they maintaine and practise their bosome darling closet sinnes stare them in the face but above all their continuall incertainty about Christs dying for them and their election c. do so perplex their spirits that there is no peace to them whereas they who know and so believe that Christ dyed for for them are by that love of his constrained to love him compelled to come iâ—to his wayes and obey his commands and thereby they have the answer of a good conscience before the Lord 1 Pet. 3. 21. 4thly They are to believe all the promises of the Lord both in this life and that which is to come Luk. 11. 13. Such as these Act. 2. 38. Repent and be baptised c. and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost Act. 10. 43. Whosoever beleeveth on him shall receive remission of sinnes Mark 16. 16. he that beleeveth and is baptized shal be saved 10. 22. He that endureth to the end shall be saved 1 Jo. 1. 9. that if the Saints confesse their sinnes he will forgive them and the blood of Christ shall clense them c. That the Lord Jesus shall come the second time Heb. 9. 28. that he shall raise up the just and unjust Act 24. 14. yet toe dead in Christ shall rise first this is the first resurrection 1 Thes 4. 16. Rev. 20. 5. that Christ shall raigne and prosper and execute judgement and justice in the earth Jer. 23. 5. yea he shall reigne till he hath put all his enemies under his feet 1 Cor. 15. 25. that he will give the Kingdome to the Saints of the most high the little flocke that heare his voice and follow him Luk 12 32. that they who do his commandements shall have right to the tree of life and enter in by the gates into the holy City Rev. 22. 14. where they shall see his face behold his glory be like him and with him for ever where they shall know as they are knowne see him as he is and rest with him under the crown of everlasting peace joy and righteousnesse to all eternity In a word They are to believe that he who dyed for them hath so justified and delivered them from the one offence of Adam and the miseries that came by it that they shall not for ever lye under them and that they shall never be accoâ—â—able or punished for that sinne after they are raised from the Grave 2dly That if they repent and turn from their sinnes be they never so many great open secret old festred sinnes God
will pardon them through Christ according to the promise Isai 1. 16. 17. and that Isai 55. 7. Let the righteous forsake his way and the wicked man his thoughts and turne to the Lord for he will have mercy on him and our God for he will abundantly pardon The Lord is not wanting to convert us or to doe whatsoever he hath promised for the turning of us to himselfe They that come to the Lord must beleeve that he is and that he is a bountifully rewarder of them that diligently secke him Heb. 11. 6. They must constantly apply the sufferings of Christ to their hearts and their hearts and mindes bodyes and soules to his statutes alwaies believe their Resurrection from the dust and those glorious joyes and songs of Triumph and peace which are in the mansions of blisse this will purifie the Saints 1 Jo. 3. 3. 2 Cor. 7. 1. Thus believing they become eighteous through Christ and are justified from what they could not be justified by the Law of Moses Act. 13. 39. And being justified by beleeving they have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 5. 1. Exercising themselves in these things as the Apostle Paul did himselfe Act. 24. 14. 15. 16. they come to have a conscience void of offence toward God and men They are to believe that God hath freely redeemed justified sanctified and saved them through the blood of his dear onely spotlesse Son from that destruction which Adam brought on all man-kind by his sinne that fury is not in God in reference to that offence and the believing of this great and infinite love with the heart will so cleanse and sanctifie poore soules that they will thereby come to deny all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world for with the heart men believeth unto righteousnesse Yea this love known and believed will constraine sinners to confesse the Lord that bought them and so with the mouth confession is made unto salvation Rom. 10. 10. which salvation also they are to believe and wait for knowing certainly that our Redeemer Jesus Christ will come and will not tarry Thus have I answered Mr. Troughtons Question and shewed what men who know that Christ dyed for them are to believe for the peace of their consciences Much more might be added but I proceed to speak a word or two to the conclusion of Mr. Troughtons Book that I may also draw towards the conclusion of this worke We declare unto you in our Mimistry saith he That Christ dyed for all for all the world for every man and woman that shall believe on him and accept of him upon the termes of the Gospel and is not here encouragement to poore sinners be their sinnes never so great Thou art not excluded by name and why shouldst thou exclude thy self through unbeliefe This Mr. Troughton calls the conclusion he might rather call it the confusion of his small Tract as he termes it For as I shewed you before he pul'd downe the maine building of his opinion in his 61. page By confessing that there is a generall offer of Grace and page 62. where he confesseth there it an umversalitâ—ie of the offer of Christ which offer none that regard the honour of God will doubt to be reall and here he razes the very foundation of his contradictious Doctrine in that he acknowledgeth that they who misse of mercy exclude themselves through unbeliefe and like men refusing helpe when they are almost drowned bring destruction to themselves through their neglect or refusall not striving to lay hold of mercy that they might be saved but questioning whether Christ were offered them with an intent to save them From whence these Coclusions do very freely flow 1. That there was mercy for them to lay hold on by faith who perish through unbeliefe 2. That they who enjoy not this mercy exclude themselves from it 3. That it is beyond doubt and question that Gods offer of Christ to men is with a purpose of his part to save them 4. That they who would be saved by Christ must strive to lay hold on him all which are pure heavenly and eternall truth and comes from Mr. Troughton as blessings from Balaam his heart dissenting from his hand and tongue For another while you shall find Mr. Troughton peremptorily concluding that God never intended his Sonne or mercy by him to all as Page 52. of his Booke where he speakes these very words in effect that it was not the purpose of God to give his Sonne to dye for all and that his death should be a sufficient price for all was never intended by God Now how should God send down his Sonne to save that which was lost and yet not give him to dye for them or that he should offer his Sonne to more then he gave him to dye for is senslesse to imagine except we should make God a mocker of his poore undone Creatures as Mr. Tronghton and others sometimes do In another place you shall heare him say That God appointed or decreed men to be disobedient How then can their destruction be of themselves yea how can their sin be of themselves if God appointed them to be disobedient Another while that Christ meriteth faith for the Saints and that he worketh or acteth faith in the Creatures how then can that be true which he sayes here that men must strive to lay hold on Christ and they that do not perish through unbeliefe Can there be any possibility that they should believe for whom Christ meirteth not faith seeing all that do believe had faith merited for them and it was not they that believed but Christ in them or that they believed at least by an unresistable power Sure then they laid not hold of the rope as Mr. Troughton sayes drawing men out to doe not asking questions much lesse did they strive so to doe but the rope laid hold on them and pluckt them up whether they would or no. And thus you see that Mr. Troughtons Doctrine is but like ropes of Sand it holds not together none can lay any sure hold of it it wil not hold his own weight for what he fastens in one place he breaks in another and what truth he speaks in one leaf oâ— his Book he leaves yea denyes in another what he buildes in a moneth he throwes downe in a minute For how is it possible that any soule can beleeve in God or Christ through his Teaching for he sayes that God did not give his Sonne to dye for all yet he offers grace to all that Redemption is not universall but the tenders of Christ are universal That God did let or send downe Christ to save lost man and they are not to question it but yet he appointed the greatest part of men to be disobedient That men exclude themselves by unbeliefe yet there was never a Christ for them to believe except they would believe on one that
according to their demands for to expound them by their corrupt glosses and theâ— also great would be the company of the publishers of the Gospell for the love of God would so fill their hearts as with new wine that they could not but declare what God hath done for their souls and this would make false teachers fill'd with the wisdome of this world fret when the mysteries of the love of God should be revealed to and by Babes in the Gospell 3. Self is much an enemy to it for most men yea all those many thousands which now own this truth of Christs dying for all do well know that not only Satan and false Teachers did secretly and openly incite them against it but their own heart corrupt through custome in fin did rise against it and that for this reason If they should acknowledge that Christ died for all and that God through him hath appointed and enabled them to do his will then they should have no liberty or leisure to linger and loiter in fin but they must appear in love to Jesus Christ to be doing his work which he calls them to there must be no sleeping nor slumbring nor folding their hands to sleep but up and be doing and as in the bodily so in this spirituall labour the creature deluded by Satan cannot endure to do his duty which the Gospell calls for and this self I mean self-love self-will self-interests and ends c. till it be subdued by the appearing and receiving the light from the Lord cannot endure to hear that there is any possibility of falling from the favour of God for this would be a mighty check to their pleasure profit and delight they have in sin fain would self even the fleshly mind root out all such thoughts that it may feed it self with lusts and take its ful swindge in sin without controule And whatever specious pretences men may cover their conceits with and cry out against this Doctrine as uncomfortable c. yet the Serpents head lies hid beneath them who prompts them to decry it that so he may keep them from that godly feare and trembling with which they ought to work our their owne salvation I know we must serve God without fear of displeasing men by obeying him and without fear of his deceiving of us of any thing he haâ—â— promised yet continually fearing to offend him who loved us and fearing lest we should come short of what is promised through our own unbelief The Apostle Paul was as eminent a Saint as most yet he kept his body in subjection lest by any means when he had preached to others he himself should be a east-away In a word if this Doctrine should be faithfully published it would wonderfully draw out mens soules after Christ drive out the power of sin carry forth mens Spirits to propagate the Gospell hurle down the Kingdome of Satan and Antichrist by the mighty increase of knowledge faith and love advance holinesse sobriety and righteousnesse stir up men to diligence godly fear and watchfullnesse at least leave men without any encouragement to live in sin one moment take away all those Cob-web cloaks with which men palliate their impieties remove all excuses and even force men to confesse their destruction is of themselves and therefore is it oppos'd by Satan selfe and false teachers who would all suffer losse by the fire of Gods Word if their deceits and doctrines come to be discovered by the glorious light of these truths which men call heresie and erroneous opinions I am not unacquainted with the tossings and torments of mind which they are subject to that hold the doctrines contrary to these in the foregoing treatise insisted on their dejections of spirit and dubiousnesse of heart one while even drownes them in black despair another while their foundationlesse faith and groundlesse confidence through the exceeding subtilty of Satan makes them to dare to adventure upon a sin upon this score that if they are elected they cannot hereby fall finally and if they are not it will not be any impairing of their irrecoverable hopelesse condition I know Satan will provoke men to fret exceedingly against these things with the highest risings and liftings up of spirit But it being my owne experience in former times and of hundreds who have communicated theirs with mine since the daies of their conversion I cannot neither will I conceal the counsells and cunning of so great an enemy but speak truth to his yea to my own shame neither am I ignorant of the strong consolation in obedience the strength against temptations the heedfull diligence care and watchfullnesse against sin which they are possest with who knowingly and cordially hold and lay to heart that Christ died for all for thereby they are so sure that he died for them that it 's a hard matter for the devill and world to drive his love out of their hearts and draw them into disobedience but they that hold the contrary call the truth of many and so at length of all the Scriptures into question as the Shropshire Ministers confesse pagâ— 1. of their namelesse paper And I am confident that as the Lord hath so he will blesse this Doctrine with those that professe it and practise that holinesse righteousnesse and sobriety which that grace of God which â—ringeth salvation to all men teacheth and by his owne Spirit not the word and arme of flesh will signally appeare to the overturning of that great mountain of false doctrine that hath kept poore creatures from beholding the face of the Son of righteousnesse in the truth of the Gospell and that they who say Christ did not die for all so giving the lye to the Spirit of God and that God did absolutely appoint the greatest part of men to be disobedient not giving them ability to do what he requires and yet will damne them for not doing it that God commands men to do that which he will work in them by an irresistable power and to make as though God contradicts himselfe that the Lord that bought false Teachers was not Christ c. shall be convinced or covered with the cloak of confusion For my part if any maligne me for the puâ—â—ishing of this plaine downe-right discourse I desire the Lord to forgive them and turne their hearts and yet graciously wait to manifest to them that precâ—ous â—râ—th which they oppose that by it they may be comfoâ—ted and established in their minds encouraged to take up the Crosse of Jesus and follow him in all Gospell-obedience I desire no lesse for the greatest of my Adversaries then that they may come out of Babilon the false Church and worship one God in spirit and truth amongst such as keep the commands of Jesus as he hath given them out to us by his Spirit in the word of truth that so we may walk in the light of the Lord whilest we are here and being accounted worthy to escape all those things which shall come upon this Generation may hereafter sit downe with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the everlasting Kingdome of God our Saviour Amen FINIS * Master Trough p. 1. Isa 28. 21. Isa 29. 14. Job 38. 2 13 7. * Cap. Ever Sam. Oates Benj. Morley Mr. Prior Wil. Kendal Re. Fâ—ilding c. Mr. Troug in his Introduct pag. 1. M. James Wood. M. James Wood. M. James Wood. M. James Wood. M. Powel M. Wood others M. Powel Ma. Butler of Col Berye's Regim Mr. Rutherford Mr. Prideaux Mr. Rutherford M. Prideaux Mr. Rutherford Mr. Resbury M. Wood. Mr. Tro. Mr. Wood. Mr. J. T. Mr. Wood Mr. J. T. Mr. Wood M. Grant M. Tro. M. Wood. M. Wood. M. Tro. M. Tro. M. Wood. M. Tro. M. Wood. M. Tro. and M. Jam. Wood. M. Tro. and M. Ia. Wood. M. Tro. and M. Ia. Wood. M. Syd Simpson A. M. M. Tro. M. Tro. M. Wood. M. Batty c. The Shropshire Ministers M. John Symson Simil. Mr. Deiamain Mr. Powel Simil. M. Trough Argument M. Trough Simil. M. Trough Conclusion M. Resbâ—ry M. Owen M. Rutherford M. Staltham Doct. 1. Doct. 2. Doct. 3.
we quarrel with them for praying before and after Sermon To this I have given satisfaction in my answer to his tenth charge In his thirteenth are many gross slanders together for whereas Mr. Trough chargeth us with an absolute denyal of original sin we teach that Adams offence in the garden was the first sin and that we being all in his loines who sinned became subject to corruption yea judgement came thereby on all men to condemnation And as for Gods absolute decree which he most falsly sayes we scoffe at we hold that God hath from the beginning chosen to salvation such as obey the truth through the Spirit and of old ordained to condemnation ungodly men turning the grace of God into wantonness even all such as by the goodness of God are not led to repentance What he means by free-will I know not But we hold that God hath given to his creatures out of the riches of his free mercy ability and liberty one time or other to performe whatsoever he requires them to believe and do And whereas he sayes we preach for falling away to use Mr. Trough own tearms it is most untrue for we preach for holding fast by Jesus Christ and warn admonish and beseech the Saints to take heed lest any of them fall from the grace of God or by an evil heart of unbelief depart from him Heb. 12. 15. To the fourteenth where he taxeth us for bringing the Saints into bondage by disswading them from frequenting the Parish-assemblies and exercises I answer Most of those whom he in derision calls our followers have heard him and other Parish-preachers till they were weary of their soul-distracting and self-contradicting doctrines Neither is it we but the Lord who commands both us and them to come out from Babel to be separate and to avoid and turn away from them that cause divisions contrary to the doctrine delivered by Christ and his Apostles not to receive to house nor bid such God speed yea and though he were an Apostle or an Angel from heaven to hold such accursed as bring any other Gospel or doctrine then what hath been preached by the Lord Jesus And such I am sure are our tithe-taking mercenary Parish-Ministers who teach men to sprinkle babes and to believe that Christ dyed not for all c. Gospel and Doctrine which never came out of the mouth of our blessed Redeemer yet we will hear you if you will but give a reason of what you say to dissatisfied spirits otherwise we should bring our selves into bondage if you will neither answer us nor let us go Blessed be our God we can hear Christ and his Apostles preach search the Scriptures prove their doctrine and receive satisfaction and they are not offended at us The fifteenth Article of Mr. Troughtons charge against us is a meer cavil and groundless surmise upon his own mistake for he using some vilifying and contemptful language to one that had been a souldier and commander in the States service after long silence and bearing his imperious checks the party told him he had shewed his face in the defence of his Country where Mr. Trough durst not appear But if ever I finde Mr. Trough charging an enemy for his Nations just liberty I shall assure him of all submissive satisfaction But upon this he chargeth us of giving out threatning language And by this you may see the weight of Mr. Troughtons complaints His sixteenth accusation is a gross falsity For he saith that we are ready to make insurrection upon them when they fight against our opinions with Scripture-weapons and that some of us have beaten some of their hearers which till Mr. Trough prove and bring the offender to condign punishment I shall only say this that The religion of that man who bridleth not his tongue is but vain Jam. 1. 26. The contrary to Mr. Trough 17 accusation is true for whereas he sayes our design is to pull down the powerful Ministry of Christ our desires and endeavours are and shall be by the Lords assistance to set it up even such Ministers as are obedient to every command of Christ keep the ordinances as they were delivered by him and are enabled by the Spirit of God through the Scriptures to preach the Gospel without stealing the word from their neighbors and scraping and scribling their Sermons out of Popish Postillers ancient Fathers as they call them and commentators but as for all national parochial tithe-taking hireling baby-sprinkling-Ministers we know they are plants which our heavenly Father hath not planted and will be rooted up The Lord is mercy by his word root them up out of the dunghil of their errors that they may be rooted and built up in Jesus Christ In the last place Mr. Trough accuseth us for holding the truth in love though he alter our expressions For t is true we do deny that any can infallibly prove that Christ dyed for him or her in particular but by the testimony of the Spirit of God in the Scriptures if they can let them bring forth their witnesses I am sure that 's an infallible evidence being the witness of God and all other spirits qualifications and witnesses are fallible false without foundation and are built upon the bottomless pit And we do affirme that they who can and do by the Scriptures prove that Christ dyed for them are built upon a sure foundation even the Doctrine of the prophets and Apostles They may by such a Testimony if profane come to be convinced and converted if of a sadned spirit to be comforted some come thus to be delivered out of the bondage of sin others out of the bands of sorrow It puts a check to the presumptuous sinner and lifts up the head of the despairing soul and though Cain Pharaoh Judas and millions of men deny the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction yet that no whit abateth the comfort of the Saints who know and believe the love that the Father hath to them I'ts but a fleeting inconstant comfort for a man to believ that which he hath no assurance of to believe that Christ dyed for him before he know it beyond the reach of doubting for of necessity it must be that he believes he knows not what When we say that men cannot certainly and comfortably conclude that Christ dyed for them but by the word of the living God which says Christ dyed for all and for want of this proof are in any kinde of bondage and trepidation of spirit we do it not to upbraid them but in love and tenderness of soul to free and refresh them and therefore Mr. Trough did very ill as I judge to bring in this as a crime against us but hatred for goodwill is the portion of such as follow Christ And withall you may see the spirits of men how they seek a knot in a rush any thing to make the persons of men odious Surely they that shew their teeth
water in the face though they be but a day old Neither doth he command men and women first of all to be baptized nay he doth not expect men to repent till they are warned by his light or word discovering sin to them nor to believe before they know what nor to know any more then he declares but first hear then know after that believe repent and be baptized and by this they come out from Babel are separated and distinguished from the world and made manifest to be professors of truth and members of the body of Christ for men are not fitted for Church-membership according to the primitive pattern and Scripture-account till they are baptizâ—â— consider Acts 2. 41 42. neither are they fit to be buried with Christ in baptisme till they repent i. e. turn to God from errors in judgement and practice yea are dead to them neither will men ever do this rightly till they believe that which is written in the law and in the prophets apply it to their own souls and cast themselves upon God for life and salvation through Christ alone Neither can they ever thus believe till they know by an infallable testimony what God hath done for them by Christ and till men come to search the Scriptures and hear the Spirit there speaking to their souls and give up themselves to that eternal truth and perfect teaching of the Spirit which only is for our learning they will never know that certainly Qu. What shall they do that have not the Scriptures I answer as Christ did to Peter in another case yet much like this Joh. 21. 22. What is that to thee follow thou Christ in the light that is given thee he knows what he laid down and what to require and how to reward every man according to his works Thus as by the steps of Jacobs ladder men ascend to the Lord attaine to the measure of the stature of Christ come to have fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus and to walk with God who as I hinted but even now doth begin the work and every part of the work of the new creation leaving man to do nothing but what he hath enabled him to do and so without all excuse in case of neglect yet many do neglect their duty which God hath left them to do which together with the committing of that which God hath declared to be evil is counted sin and shall be the onely cause of mens condemnation in the last day Read Mat. 25. 45. 2 Thes 1. 8 9. Doth God command men to hear which is the first duty required of us in order to the new creation he gives ears Psal 94. 9. Neither doth he call upon little Infants to hear Deut. 11. 2. to 8. Doth he command men to see consider and understand he gives eyes heart and understanding Obj. But is it not said Deut. 29. 4. that God had not give them eyes to see a heart to perceive and ears to hear unto this day It is so said and it is true as it is written onely men consider not where the sound and force of that saying is for most place it in these words the Lord hath not given and I finde by the Scriptures that it is to be placed in these words Vnto this day for once they did see the Lords wonders and sang his praises as you may prove Deut. 11. 5 6 7 8. compared with Exod. 15. Psal 106. 12. But they forgat his works and God withdrew his light they rebelled and vexed his holy Spirit so he turned to be their enemy Isa 63. 10. they once knew and understood that it was the Lord that delivered them but for their rebellion he forsook them and continued not that light with them Ye have seen the wonders that God did before their eyes c. Deut. 29. 2 3. Yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive c. VNTO THIS DAY v. 4. And indeed God hath nowhere promised that he will continue Light and understanding to a people that still disobey him The Lord is with us while we are with him if we forsake him he will forsake us 2 Chron. 15. 2. There have been many in our age who neglecting to follow the light which they saw have been left in darkness and though God did once give them a heart to perceive and eyes to see c. yet he hath not given these to them VNTO THIS DAY By this you may perceive that God is not wanting on his part to carry on the new or special creation but men are wanting to do their duty when the Lord calls them from sin they refuse to come and delight still in their carnal state till the Lord forsakes them and will no longer wait on them nor suffer his Spirit to strive with them You may also see that the Reason why there are no more new creatures is this they hearken not to the teachings of him that gave them their being in the general creation but reject the counsel of God against themselves as the Scribes and Pharisees did Mat. 21. 31. Luk. 7. 30. And by this Lastly you may see that creation is General and special General of all men by Jesus Christ special of such as receive the word and obey it in Jesus Christ In the former is nothing required of the creature in the latter so much is justly expected as the Lord enables him to do Obj. But is it not said 1 Cor. 2. 14. The natural man receiveth or comprehendeth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he knew them because they are spiritually discern'd Answ For the better understanding of the minde of God in this place we must first consider what is meant here by the things of the Spirit of God which the Apostle shews us in the 9 and 10 verses to be those things which God hath prepared for them that love him even the spiritual treasures of grace and glory which shall be brought to the Saints at the revelation of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 7. 13. Secondly What is meant by the natural man which also the same Apostle explains in the 15 chapter of this same Epistle vers 44 45 46. There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body as it is written The first Adam was made a living soul the last Adam was made a quickning spirit Howbeit that it is not first that be spiritual but that which is natural c. Adam or man as man by general creation is this natural man beware then lest you affirme that Adam was created a spiritual man Thirdly What God hath prepared and that is a Kingdome Matth. 25. 34. A place or mansion John 14. 3. A city Heb. 11. 16. an inheritance undefiled 1 Pet. 1. 4 c. Fourthly Who they are that love him such as keep his commandments Joh. 14. 21. i. e. such as observe all Christs commands and his commands onely
will yea Oath of God I have already shew'd Secondly all rational and unbyassed men that fear God know that the world in Scripture-phrase is opposite to the Lords chosen ones as John 15. 19. John 17. 9. Thirdly It is inconsistent with the Tenents of Mr. Tro. and others with him for they say the Lord chose a certain number of men to everlasting life without reference to any faith and obedience from which Election they could never fall and if so what need of reconciliation therefore it must needs be of some that were not in favour for it 's very improper to say that God was in Christ reconciling the beloved of his soul to himself which never did nor ever could lose his favour But this will be more plain when we consider into what state mankind was bought and brought by the blood of Christ and that is not to eternal life for he did not buy all men or any man that by the pouring out of his blood only without faith repentance they or any one of them being come to yeers of discretion should be saved for if redemption and reconciliation had been such and so fully absolute as to this what need the Apostle have besought the Corinthians so earnestly that they would be reconcil'd to God 2 Cor. 5. 20. And if some men shall be saved in glory onely and alone because Christ dyed for them then those many melting invitations tender intreatings with all the exhortations admonitions reprehensions instructions and other teachings of the Lord might have been spared But therefore I hold that men even all men were delivered redeemed or bought out of the hands of their enemies that they might live through Christ here in this world Secondly that they might live to him that dyed for them and rose again 2 Cor. 5. 15. i. e. through him believe Joh. 1. 7. and serve God in holiness and righteousness before c. Thirdly That they who for nought had sold themselves to death and the devil might rise again from the dead In a word as God through Christ chose or appointed all men to serve him and by Christ created or made all Nations of men to seek him as the Scriptures say so by the blood of his Son he bought again or redeem'd lost mankinde And if it be true that all men without a Christ were once dead and now living by him are bound in duty to live to him it 's as true that he dyed for or bought all And that these things are true you may clearly see if you read and seriously consider 2 Cor. 5. 14 15. where the Apostle being proving that all were dead a thing it seems somewhat strange to the Corinthians doth it thus If one dyed for all they were all dead And that he dyed for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but to him that dyed for them and rose againe It seems that they onely are bound to live to Christ for whom he dyed and rose againe That all are bound to live to him none dare deny that all men shall be rais'd by Jesus at the last day is true as I have before shew'd And that Christ bought or redeemed all men See John 10. 15. and 2 Pet. 2. 1. Now none will deny that he bought the sheep that is such as confess him hear his voyce and follow him and Peter saies There shall be false teachers c. denying the Lord that bought them so that he bought them also who deny him and are destroyed Object But the Lord that bought them is not the Lord Jesus say some Answ They that shall say so and teach men to say so are in this some of those false teachers who deny the onely Lord even our Lord Jesus Christ If they shall say 't is the Father Answ Christ and his Father are one shew another Lord. Object But saith the Objector The price wherewith they were bought was some other price then the blood of Christ Answ 1. When he shall shew me what that other price is with which false teachers are bought I shall believe him and not before for it 's not exprest in Scripture 2. He may as well say that the Saints at Corinth were not redeem'd or bought by the blood of Christ because it s not mentioned 1 Cor. 6. 20. and 7. 23. Object But the word in the Original signifies to buy without a price or acquire men into the Profession of Gods service I Answer first This is utterly false and though it be not alwaies meant to buy or acquire with blood yet whatsoever men purchase buy or acquire they lay out study labour industry health friends strength mony or some other means or price by which they get or compass their desires Object But is it not sayd Come buy c. without money and without price Isa 55. 1. Answ First we cannot buy spiritual things with mony or silver as some Translations render it But Secondly He that comes to the Lord to obtain any mercy if he come without the blood of Christ upon his soul be sure he will acquire or get none And whereas it hath been said that Christ doth acquire men into the profession of his service I demand whether he doth acquire them to serve him or profess his service really or seemingly If really then it 's the same that I say Christ did really buy men that they might really serve him and because some serve Satan and others serve God in hypocrisie they shall together have their portion with their Father and Master the Devil in the lake of fire If seemingly then Christ by their doctrine acquires or gets men to be Hypocrites for seeming service or the profession of service which is not real is all one and both abhor'd Hypocrisie The Lord in mercy yet grant men space to repent of these their hard sayings Object It s true say some that Christ dyed for all and bought all in a sense but dyed not for all alike I Answer The question is not in what sense Christ dyed for all or bought all but whether the thing be true and if he dyed for all in any sense as you call it it is true that he ransomeed all But say others All were bought by Christ to live by him and shall rise by him But not as a Mediator These poor cavils and senseless shifts are not worth answering I shall onely say this to them That when the Objectors can prove what they say by the Scriptures viz. that Christ dyed two waies I shall heed their sayings in the mean space such expressions are so far from the form of sound words that I fear they flow rather from a critical then conscientious spirit that seeketh truth in the love of it I have shew'd you what the Scriptures say and how according to them Christ dyed for all so that all live by him and ought to live to him I desire not to be wise above what is written I come
fellow-creatures with all which their minds and consciences yea their lives and conversations become defiled and as many of these as â—â—ke notice of the goodness of God entertain the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world embrace the counsel of God apply the blood of the Lamb believe on the Lord Jesus and take heed to their waies according to his word these are led to repentance or a change come to see the sinfulness of sin turn from it have their consciences purged from dead works and their waies cleansed so that at length they come to be holy in heart and all manner of conversation and so are partakers of that special sanctification which I am here treating of viz. by the Word and Spirit For the declaring of this more fully I shall lay down this Querie What is the reason that men dye in their sins and are not purged from their filthiness If I should as many do say that it was Gods appointment he so ordain'd it or that God did not shew them his light of truth or that he did not do this really or that he did not give them ability to receive it as it was manifested and so follow it or else for that he gave not his Son to dye for them neither was it his will that they should repent and be sanctified but that they should dye in disobedience and so be damn'd Sure If I should say thus all good men would abhor me for such speeches and well they might yet these are the tenents and sayings of those men against whose opinions I have appeared and surely I judge that as a man said to Joab in another case I may positively conclude in this that themselvs would set themselves against me if I should go about and preach that God did appoint men to disobedience and to sin and not willing that all should come to repentance but that some men even as they are men should despise the riches of his grace and perish These hard speeches I have heard some men to utter Others are more moderate that God did onely leave men to themselves Whereto I say first that God never left any man in that state whereunto Adam brought them for he brought them to the earth and was not able to shew them any means of grace or so much as a resurrection from the grave but God left not any man there but afforded them such manifestations of his love as will leave all inexcuseable before God Secondly I Answer That God did never nor ever will forsake any poor creature till they reject him 2 Chron. 15. 2. But more of this elsewhere onely I add this that when men have and still do refuse God he leaves them and will have nothing to do with them This may suffice for evidence to this truth that it is not because God would have it so that men are still polluted in their conversations and unsanctified in their lives But as you shall hear in the next place it is because they believe not Joh. 8. 24. I said therefore unto you that you shall dye in your sins for if yee believe not that I am he ye shall dye in your sins Secondly Because they will not be purged Ezek. 24. 13. Because I have purged thee and thou wast not purged thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more till I have made my fury to rest upon thee Thirdly Because they receive not the word into their hearts neither take heed to their waies according to it Psal 119. 9 and 11. And if any shall alleadge that when God comes to sanctifie a soul he will do it by an unresistible power I answer There 's neither promise or example of such a thing and they who so affirme make themselves wise above what is written 'T is true there are many works which the Lord doth absolutely of himself without calling for the creatures duty in any respects as in the Creation Redemption and Salvation of mankinde from that misery that Adam brought them so as in and under that free universal and unlimitted consideration which I have spoken of so when God will destroy his enemies none shall deliver out of his hands he will work and none can let it Isa 43. 13. and there are many works which he will bring to pass conditionally as the redemption justification sanctification c. of creatures from their own sins and these he will effect upon receiving and believing the truth as I have also shew'd you in the treating of these things under that special consideration which I have presented to you and as you have heard from Act. 10. 34. Acts 13. 39. and many other places in which you may see that the Lords work and the duty or endeavour of his creatures by him furnished with ability to do what he requires must and ever did go together God purifies the heart by faith see Act. 15. 9. God it is that purifies the creatures duty is to believe The Lord doth and will ever work according to the counsel of his owne will which also he hath revealed in his word and he hath sanctifi'd us from the first offence by his Sons blood which otherwise would have caused our eternal banishment from the Lord yet will not sanctifie us from our vain courses but through belief of the truth which cleanseth the souls that receive it in the love of it for when a poor creature who long hath serv'd sin and Satan comes to know the love of God in Christ and believe it his heart is so purified and his conversation cleansed that he cannot indure sin but hates every false way denies ungodliness and worldly lusts and lives soberly righteously and godly in this present world And thus having treated of Sanctification also under a twofold consideration I shall by the gratious assistance of God next speak something of Vocation which is the call of God or God's calling of his poor creatures to believe in the light which he gives them and leave off their sins it is his inviting or perswading men to do well the stretching out of his hands as it were to beseech men to come to him i. e. to conform to his light or revealed will And this is Universal for as he chose or appointed created deliver'd justified and sanctified mankinde to seek and serve him so he calleth all men everywhere to know him obey him and glorifie him according to that power or ability that he hath given them or the light or commands which he holds forth to them He calleth the Stubborn and rebellious Isa 65. 2. the refusers Prov. 1. 24. them that perish and put from them the word of God and eternal life Act. 13. 41 46. such as spend mony for that which is not bread and their labour for that which satisfieth not who thirst after unprofitable things Isa 55. 1. Hoâ— every one that thirsteth come and the Spirit and the Bride say Come and let him that
heareth say come and he that is a thirst come and whosoever will let him come and take of the water of life freely Rev. 22. 27. And if any shall say that the people who are here called upon are such as thirst after Christ and his righteousness I Answer that it is a gross mistake though by most lookt upon as clear truth for had they thirsted after Christ who is the true bread and his righteousness which filleth and satisfieth the souls of such as seek him they had never been so reproved Isa 55. 2. Why will ye spend your money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not But do not we see dayly some thirst after blood and revenge some after honour some the praise of men others through luxuriant pleasure melt even as to water the very sinews of their strength and some for gain gold and profit adventure estate fame health and life yea body and soul that they may compass their end yet riches profit not in the day of wrath Prov. 11. 4. Who then is excluded from the call of God and to whom hath not his light shined To come to some instances when Adam and all mankinde being yet in him was fallen from God it pleased Jehovah to call him to preach the Gospel that is declare his goodness to him all his posterity being yet in his loines for I thinke every fober man will acknowledge that we were as much in Adam when he was restored as when he fell and were as much partakers of his mercies from God as we were of his sin consider the words of David Psal 90. 3. Thou turnest man to destruction again thou sayest Come againe ye children of men And from that very day wherein the Lord was graciously pleas'd to seek out and call back all mankind lost and fled from him in one to this hour he hath called and cryed out aloud in manifestations of love one way or other to every man and woman See his gracious call to Cain Gen. 4. 7. If thou dost well shalt thou not be accepted By Henoch Noah and others his glory and righteousness was revealed and preached to the old world In the Ark there was neither man nor woman but was experimentally acquainted with the love and will of God and that Cain Cham or any others declined the way and truth of God was not because the Lord called them not or left himself without witness towards them but because they came not neither received that testimony of his love which he gave to them And if any shall say that many Nations had not or have not any discovery of the minde of God the Apostle evinceth the contrary and proveth that the obedience of the Heathens or Gentiles did declare the law of God written in their hearts Rom. 2. 15. And the word of truth tells us of Abraham amongst the Caldeans Melchizedek amongst the Jebusites Lot amongst the Sodomites Joseph and Moses amongst the Egyptians Jethro amongst the Ethiopians Job Elihu and others amongst the children the East There was Rahab Ruth Vriah Ittai amongst the Cananites Moabites Hittites and Philistims besides the constant appearances of the grace goodness or love of God which called and should have led them to repentance How evident it is that the Queen of Sheba Nebuchadnezzar Darius Artaxerxes the Ninevites yea all Nations had the word and will of the Lord made known to them by the servants and Prophets of the Lord they that read the Scriptures of the old Testament will quickly perceive When there seemed to be through their rejecting the light an almost universal deluge of darkeness or ignorance over the inhabited parts of the earth the Lord lifted up his Church of the Jews to such an eminent height upon the Pillars of truth and gave them the glory and the Oracles in such an illustrious manner that all Nations had notice of it and some out of every Nation under heaven Proselyted themselves unto it as you may gather out of Act. 2. 5. to 10. Afterward our blessed Saviour sent his Apostles and they by his Order the disciples to Preach the Gospel in all the world that so the goodness of God to and in every Creature might be more fully made known and have not men heard surely the sound is gone out into all the earth and the mercy of the Lord which is over all his works who is good to all hath been declared before the faces of all men and women And God hath so called to every one either by the law in the heart the light of the Lord by Moses the prophets and Christ all demonstrating his rich love that though all have not been led to a change yet they all shall be left without excuse in the great day In a word what Nation was there to whom he sent not his Messengers what man or woman is there to whom he hath not shew'd and offered favour in whom he hath not shin'd with â—â—ght and with whom he hath not strived with his Spirit even in such a fulness or sufficiency as to performance of those works to which they were appointed as faith repentance c. as for example when the wild Indians defile their neighbours wives or daughters or steal any thing c. there 's a light set up by the Lord in their hearts which perswades them of the evil of their wayes as you see by their endeavors to conceal their sins and what I beseech you hinders them from believing that light or dictate of the Spirit and from turning to that which the means is sufficient to effect only they reject the light follow their lust and are rul'd by the divel Obj. But will some say doth God invite all men and offer grace to all men really and in good earnest I answer He doth though there be that affirme the contrary and say that God doth not really and in good earnest or without hypocrisie offer grace to all But this is one of those hard speeches which men have ungodly spoken against God and for which he will one day call them to account as the Apostle Jude intimates to us vers 15. Object But he holds not forth his grace alike to all nor hath he given power alike to all to come to him that is to conform to his will revealed Ans This though it be a frequent yet it 's a frivolous Objection I only say this to it First that all men have not the same measure of discretion understanding or capacity nor the will of God revealed in the same manner and cleerness Yet Secondly Every one hath some portion or talent at least some favour is shewed to the wicked they that slew the Kings servants were invited to the wedding and that really Mat. 22 6 c. neither indeed doth Jehovah expect the same proportion of acting from every one in the world he doth not require every man to act as a General but to what ever he
of universal salvation viz. that none shall be punished or perish in the lake of fire my soul abhors as also Mr Troughtons Doctrine that any shall be punished or perish there meerly because it is the pleasure of the Lord so to have it or because they were by Jehovah appointed to be disobedient and to be damned or because there was never a Saviour that dyed for them or because Adam eat of the forbidden tree my soul also abominates and it is the griefe of thousands to heare that God is dishonoured by such Declarations Though once I confeffe it was my judgement but the Lord hath had mercy upon my soul and now I see that every mans destruction is of himselfe and that the vengeance of eternall fire comes on men through their omitting some good that they might have done or their committing some evill that they might have avoided for rejecting some light that they might have received or turning from what they had received for trampllng under foot the blood of the Covenant wherewith they were sanctified and denying the Lord that bought them c. Object But saies Mr. Troughton if it we should preach that Christ dyed for all this would bolster up men in a prophane course or at best in a generall dead faith Answ The contrary to which is true for one constant use that we make of this Doctrine is to diswade deter and dehort sinners from prophanenesse and all manner of sinne and to perswade them therefore to hate that which is evill to die to sinne to live to righteousnesse to love and live to the Lord Jesus because he dyed for them and rose againe and we declare unto all men that if they do not leave sinne repent and live to Christ but deny his word despise his Spirit and slight his blood they shall be sure to be damned for ever because they live not to him that dyed for them and rose againe and that although Christ bought them or layed down a sufficient price for them yea though they professe that truth yet if in their works they deny him and follow not those further manifestations of light which he appeares to them in but refuse his words and so receive him not they shall be destroyed at the last day Secondly This Doctrine cannot be the Nurse of a dead faith if truly preached and received for this teaches men to know first by the Scriptures that Christ dyed for them and what a man knows infallibly he may believe comfortably undoubtedly and without wavering yea all faith that is not groundupon knowledge is but a meere fancy and very uncertaine when men believe they know not what But one the contrary Mr. Troughtons Doctrine is the nursery of prophanesse and deadness of faith or at least of sadness of soul yea dispaire of mercy How many poore wretches hearing that God did appoint a certain number of persons onely to believe and so to be saved and the rest to disobedience and so to be damned have desperately concluded if I am appointed to believe and be saved I shall be saved live how I will and others when they commit sinne sooth up themselves with this conceit it is Gods will that they should commit such sinnes God did decree and appoint them to be disobedient and it could not be avoided with many such devillish conclusions tending to all lewdness loosnesse and prophaneness that can be imagined And hence it is there is so much bitternesse wrath hatred revenge and strife amongst men for did they but know and seriously lay to heart that Christ shed his blood for those poore Creatures that injure them and which they so maligne their heart would melt towards them they would not hate their persons nor seeke to ruine their Estates onely abhor their vices and seek to draw them out of the sinck of their sins It must of necessity also be the root of a dead faith for what life can that faith have which is grounded upon our own qualifications For thus Mr. Troughton teaches men to Argue Christ dyed for beleevers sheep saints but I am a beleever a sheep a saint therefore Christ dyed for me but the Scripture proves neither of his propositions but teaches us better Logick thus Christ dyed for sinners for the ungodly for all for the whole world and those that deny him therefore for me and this shews gracious humility the other vaine ostentations this gives sweet and certaine assurance of Gods love to any poore soul the other when his qualifications are absent as often they are leaves the Creature in a doubtfull dispaire whether God loved it at all this engageth the soul to love God who loved him first and gave his Sonne to dye for him the other saddens the heart with feare shakes the foundation causing a distressed soul to question whether ever Christ dyed for him or her If a faithfull Gospel preacher should perswade a prophane wretch to repent and turn to God and the sinner should aske What should move him to change his life The messenger of the Lord must answer That the goodnesse of the Lord should lead them to repentance if the other should reply Wherein God shewed his goodness towards him The Embassador of the Lord must rejoyne in that he gave his Sonne to dye for him a miserable wretched sinner and that there is a doore of salvation open for him upon his repentance through the blood of Jesus or he sayes nothing for if he should onely tell him of the goodness of God as to this life or tell him of some wild uncertain hopes of mercy without assuring him that Christ was Curcified for him it would leave but a slender impression upon his spirits and to perswade exhort require and beseech a company of exorbitant sinners to amend their lives and love the Lord Jesus is but a lost labour if we declare not unto them the certainty of his kindness and love to them first according to the Scriptures for a soul will never truly love Christ except he be assured that the Lord Christ first loved him or at best if by a preaching of the Gospel at randome as many do any poor soules are fallen in love with Christ yet their spirits are full of feare and perplexing anxieties till they know and are assured of his love to them and wherein that consists the Apostle Paul shews us Rom. 5. 8. 1 Joh. 4. 9. 10 19. Herein is love not that we loved God but he loved us first and sent his Sonne to be a propitiation for us You would blame that man exceedingly who should use his utmost endeavour by all means to perswade his Neighbour being but a mean man to set his affections upon some great Lady admired for vertue beauty birth and riches being not able to assure his friend first that she loves him and desires to bestow her selfe upon him but if he heare it from her mouth or have it made under her hand that she loves such
never dyed for them That God decreed both the sinne and suffering of the Creature yet their destruction is of themselves With a hundred more of such contradictions which may be found in his and other mens Books which maintaine his Opinion which leaves many poore soules in the darke many in despaire more in prophanness and builds up the rest as I have shewed upon an uncertaine sandy foundation This he calls his or their Ministery and well he may for it 's not the Ministery of Christ or ministration of the Spirit for where doth the Spirit of God say Christ died for all and every man that accepts of him this Doctrine sets a soul to accept of Christ before they know what he hath done for them The ministration of the Spirit speaks thus that he diâ—d for all for every man for the whole world sinners heretikes which deny him and they that receive accept or believe on him shall not perish c. and this is the doctrine which we teach which the Lord hath blest blessed be his name to the conversion and consolation of mine and many thousand souls within these seven years Thus you see the conclusion of M. Troughtons little Tract put forth to lesse purpose which though some may judge legitimate yet such as have seen what men have formerly writ on this subject will discerne that it 's but borrowed out of other mens works of this kind yet he begs a blessing on his Babe but if ever his wisdome returne to him and his eyes are opened to see the deformity of the self contradiction and soul-distraction that is in it he will fly from it as Moses from his changed Rod and rather curse the day that this mishapen Monster came to light to restrain and limit Scripture Redemption I wonder what use M. Tro. can put his Doctrine to it affords no encouragement to the rebellious to come in for if they should be of that number which Christ died not for which is far the greater if M. Tro. doctrine were true it will not benefit them at ill as to their eternall state it can yeeld no solid or certain comfort to a drooping heart for if Christ did not die for all still he doubts whether he died for him And if God appointed men to be disobedient how dares M. Tro. reprove them for being so no sound exhortation to repent and believe arises from his tenets for he sayes God hath not enabled his creatures to do either but it must be done in them by an irresistable power he can never convince a soul of the riches of the grace and love of God to him for nothing will do that but the unerring evidence of the Spiâ—it in the Word of God and where that sayes Christ died for all he denies it and sayes the Scripture means no such thing it sends forth no dehortations from vice for he sayes that they who are partakers of the Grace the state to use his expression can never fall finally from it nor they that Christ died not for shall never come to it and what need M. Tro. disswade any man from an evill way be this doctrine And how can he inform any poor soul of the great kindnesse of God and Christ to him or her when he cannot clearly prove by expresse texts of Scripture that Christ died for them Hâ— may say thus seeing Christ did not die for all which is his doctrine then this serves to reprove them that say he did and that is â—saiah Christ Paul Peter and John and seeing God hath appointed most men to be disobedient this may encourage and comfort them in their disobedience in that they do what God appointed them to do and seeing God commands all to believe and accept of Christ yet hath not given power or ability to any so to do as he says it shewes what a hard Master God is who requires of his creatures that which they can never yea that which at least he never intended the greatest part should perform And seeing those that he calls Saints can never fall away from that state this may incourage men to go on in sin and cry peace and safety till suddain destruction hurles them into endlesse misery And though M. Tro. will not in words make such uses of his Doctrine yet Satan hath and doth prevail upon thousands the more 's the pity to make such uses of it they so naturally arising form those positions which he maintains I know that such uses are wicked much more is the doctrine that yeelds them if such fruit be to be abhor'd as sure it is much more the tree that bears it a good tree cannot yeeld such corrupt fruit the great God lay his Axe to the root of it and pluck up every plant that his hand hath not planted not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of the Lord. But if Mr. Tro. hath better uses which clearly come from his doctrine I wonder he did not produce them for my part I shall as briefly as I can shew you that read these things what uses the Lord hath taught me by his Spirit in the Word to make of the Doctrine that I hold forth and which M. Tro. calls hereticall erroneous and corrupt opinions A corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit search therefore courteous Reader and see whether the uses I am by the strength of the Lord about to lay down be good and then whether they be not the naturall and genuine issue of those doctrines which men call hereticall 1. If Christ died for all which is Pauls Doctrine and mine for the world for the whole world for every man as the Scriptures say c. it may serve to convince M. Tro. and every man and woman that he died for him and her that hears this glad tidings and that there is good news or Gospell for them and also to convince them of sin who believe not on him which could not be if he died not for them 2. It serves to reprove them that continue in sin and act contrary to him that gave his only Son to die for them 3. It informs us of the great and infinite love of the Father that gave his only Son he his dearest hearts bloud first virtually in the promise then actually in person rather then lost man should want a Redeemer and withall to inform men of the horrid and odious nature of sin which nothing can fully take away without the bloud of the Son of God 4. This may serve to perswade yea constrain sinners who do all live through Jesus Christ to love him that loved them first and gave his Son to be a propitiation for them and to keep his Commandements that is to live to him that died for them and rose again 5. This may encourage the greatest sinner that groaneth under sin to forsake sin and come to Christ who seeing he lov'd him so well as to die for him will in no wise cast
but to exhort such to hear to seek or inquire after God hear read and search the Scriptures that so they may come to know believe and repent is suteable to the direction of the Spirit through the whole book of God who hath enabled men and women come to years of discretion so as to discern betweene good and evil thus to do To call them to baptism and so make them members of a visible Church who never heard of God is ridiculous and M. Tro. himself in his Epistle to the Reader confesseth it under his own hand That visible title to and interest in the Covenant of Grace consisting in a sâ—rious profession of the Christian faith accompanied with a suteable conversation is that which constitutes a member of the visible Church of Christ whence two things are considerable 1. That infants are not whilest infants visible Members of the Church of Christ in that they make no profession of the Christian Faith neither is their conversation suteable to the holy precepts of the most high for they speak and act as children neither doth God require that it should be so for he speaks not to children 2. This discovers the folly of Baby-sprinklers who require more of poor creatures then they are able to perform which shews that their Ministery in this as in other things is not of God who never exacts that of any which he of his own free mercy and goodnesse hath not given them ability to bring to passe yea they are contrary to God and palpably contradict themselves After this short digression a sixth use that may be made of this doctrine is this that seeing God hath appointed set apart or chosen all men to serve him and enabled them so to do this should teach Ministers to take heed that they add not to neither diminish from the precepts which God hath given to mankind by laying more or lesse upon persons then they are able to perform which is a usuall thing for they say of infants that they must be baptized and be Church-Members though they have done neither good nor evil nay know not their right hand from their less and tell men that are 20. 40. 50. years of age that they cannot believe nor repent nay that they must not be baptized c. Lastly this may serve for a triall and examination to every man whether he hath done all that good which God enabled him to do and avoided that evill which he by the light manife-fested from God might have shunned that so he may through a certain knowledge of his actings in these things be comforted in his obedience through Christ the strength and arm of the Lord or repent of his non-performance of that which through that light or power he might have performed And now let the judicious Reader judge whether these things being very profitable do not freely flow from that doctrine which men call heresie Thirdly seeing some departed from the faith Hymeneus and Alexander put away faith and a good conscience all they in Asia turned away from Paul others deny the Lord that bought them and some tread under foot the Son of God and count the bloud of the Covenant wherewith they were sanctified an unholy thing and doing despight to the Spirit of Grace and seeing the Holy Ghost sayes it is impossible to renew them again by repentance who fall away after they are inlightened and are partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come therefore we admonish the Saints in the language of the Lord nay the Lord warns them by us to beware and take heed lest they fall and leâ—t there be in any of the brethren an evill heart of unbelief to depart from the living God and to beware lest any man deceive them and lest any of them fall from the grace of God as some did Gal. 5. 4. to beware of false Prophets and take heed lest they fall away from their own stedâ—astnesse c. which precious words of the eternall God were of no use if the Saints were not in danger even in their best estate here below We exhort them to watch and pray and stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made them free and to beg of God that he would hold up their goâ—ngs in his paths that their footsteps may not slide and to keep them from falling and turning back from him and knit their hearts to him pray one for another to him that is able to build them up that he would preserve them blamelesse in body soul and Spirit to the coming of Jesus Christ all which and thousand such like Petitions were frivolous if there were no danger and all those â—recepts and promises he that endureth be thâ—u faithfull he that overcometh 'T is true we do not exhort any to beware but such as walk in that way as those Saints of old did to whom those words we use were written and spoken that were improper and one means it hath been to deceive the poor â—ouls in this Island and make them think they were all Saints according to the Scripture account when they were exhorted not to fall away from their present sâ—ate whereas it had been happy for many thousand if they had fallen from it so they had fallen down and worshipped God according to his Word We do not exhort the Parish-Ministers of Great Britain much leste those poor blâ—nd creatures who follow them idolize them and are led by an implicite faith to hold fast their profession for it 's very bad and Antichristian or to continue in the way where they are for it is not good nor to take heed that they depart not from the way of God for they are not in it or from the living God for they are not with him But we beseâ—ch them to repent and turn to God that so they may be baptized and added to the Church and enjoy the precious priviledges that pertain to such as worship Gâ—d in spirit and truth i. e. according to his word which is spirit and truth well knowing that men may as well â—e destroyed for resisting the power of God and putting from them the Word of God and eternall life as for deserting the way of righteousnesse add turning from the holy Commandement delivered unto them and therefore they have no just cause to be angry against us as they are for the searcher of hearts is witnesse that we deâ—ire earnestly their conversion and salvation and therefore for my part I shall in love tell them this that if they shall still oppose Christ and call his way heresie take part with the Pope and Prelates in their Nationall Churches Baby-sprinkling forced maintenance c. none of which are according to the testimony of Jesus within few years they will be driven to darknesse but as many of them as imbrace the Gospell and walk in the way of righteousnesse which men call heresie whether they have