body and the induring of the dolours pangs and sorrowes of the second death in respect of his soule the first of which doth consist in his perfect fulfilling of the law for us The truth of which doth evidently appeare For after the fall of our first parents all man-kind stood bound in a double debt we had violated and broken the law and therefore were all tyed and bound first to make satisfaction for that Secondly as we are creatures we were still bound to keepe and fulfill the whole Law even to the rigour of it and to doe whatsoever that commanded of the which double debt when we were not able to pay the least portion being now become bankrupts of that primordiall and originall righteousnesse and wholly corrupted we must necessarily have recourse and flie to our surety and mediator who hath discharged both those debts for us The first he payd for us being dead in our sinnes and trespasses when he was made a curse for us and so redeemed us from the curse and malediction of the law though not from the obedience of it Gal. 3. ver 13. Rom. 3. ver 24 25. and in 2 Cor. 5. ver 21. The last he performed by his perfect obedience to the whole law so that in Jesus Christ we fulfill the law The second thing to be here considered for the better understanding of this businesse of so great concernment is seeing that the obedience of Jesus Christ is the matter of our justification and that is without us and none of ours how that comes to be made ours which being once declared the truth then will be perspicuous That the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ therefore may be made ours it must first be given to us of God Secondly we must receive and imbrace this righteousnesse Now God gives us this righteousnesse when he gives Christ unto us for with Christ this righteousnesse is bestowed upon us and it is then made ours when God out of his infinite mercy accounts it and judgeth it ours and it is made ours onely by imputation as it is evident and manifest by these reasons First as Christ was made sinne for us so we are made the righteousnesse of God in him 2 Cor. 5. ver 21. and in 1 Cor. 1. v. 30. Now Christ was made sinne for us onely by imputation therefore the inherent righteousnesse of Jesus Christ is made ours onely by imputation Secondly as the disobedience of Adam was made ours so the obedience of Christ the second Adam is made ours as it is largely discoursed by the Apostle Rom. 5. ver 17.18 but the offence and disobedience of Adam was made ours by imputation therefore after the same manner Christs obedience is made ours Secondly that Christs obedience may be made ours we must receive it and apply it to our selves and put it on which is onely done by faith the hand of the soule for the receiving of those things which are given us of God Whereby the way Mr. Montague I desire you to take notice that a sinner is not justified for the dignity of faith but as it is an instrument by which the obedience of Christ is applied to the soule And now I come to the third thing viz. What works and deeds are excluded from justification And for answer I affirme all the works of the ceremoniall and morall law and all the workes of nature and grace which is thus proved Rom. 3. ver 20. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the law is the knowledge of sinne Here all deeds of the law both ceremoniall and morall are excluded from justification and that by an excellent and unanswerable argument of the Apostle That which discovers the knowledge of sinne and accuses us for it that cannot justifie us before God And for farther proofe of it in the 28 verse the place I first cited is plain Therfore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the works or deeds of the law And Gal. 2. ver 15 16. We who are Jewes by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles knowing that a man is not justified by the workes of the law but by the faith of Jesus Christ even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the workes of the law for by the workes of the law shall no flesh be justified Here by the workes of the law we cannot understand the workes that men doe in the state of nature and corruption and before regeneration seeing the Apostle writes unto the Church of the Galatians that had received the Gospell of Jesus Christ and were believers the Apostle also includes him himselfe amongst them saying We also c. and in the 21. verse I doe not saith he frustrate the grace of God for if righteousnesse came by the Law then Christ is dead in vaine So that if men can be justified by the Law it followeth that they have no need of salvation by Jesus Christ but they have need of Jesus Christ therefore all the workes of the Law are excluded from justification even in the regenerate But for more full proof chap. 3. ver 10. For as many as are under the workes of the Law are under the curse for it is written Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the law to doe them Deut. 27.26 Here by the Law is understood the whole Law of God for it comprehends all that is written in the booke of the Law as in expresse words the Apostle shewes but principally the morall Law as is evident by that passage cited by the Apostle out of the Law so that it is cleere and apparent that all those that pretend or presume to be justified by the workes of the Law are under this fearefull malediction and curse and in the 11. verse by an invincible reason he confirmeth the former truth in these words But that no man is justified by the Law in the sight of God is evident for the just shall live by faith Hab. 2. Rom. 1. The argument of the Apostle is this That by which we have life justifies us before God but by faith we have life ergo by faith alone we are justified before God And in the 12. verse And the Law saith the Apostle is not of faith but the man that doth them shall live in them Here it doth appeare there are two waies of attaining eternall life or two waies of justification the one by the exact accomplishing keeping and fulfilling of the whole Law which no mortall man hath yet ever done Christ excepted the other by faith imbracing the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ Who was delivered for our offences and raised up for our justification Rom. 4. ver 25. and in the 13. verse Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us c. and in chap. 5. ver 4.
to the salvation of the sonnes of men But I will not now Mr. Montague discover all the errors and abominations of this Idoll onely I shall desire you to take notice of the great impiety and absurdities of this your doctrine The Church of Rome affirmeth Mr. Montague that the sacrifice of this idoll Masse is the very same sacrifice that Christ himselfe offered upon the crosse Against which I thus argue That Sacrifice which differeth from the Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ both in the efficient materiall formall and finall cause that is not the same sacrifice that Christ offered upon the crosse but the sacrifice of the Masse differeth from the sacrifice of the Lord Iesus Christ both in the efficient materiall formall and finall cause Ergo it is not the same sacrifice but a detestable Idoll For the Major Mr. Montague no man will deny it for that that doth re ratione dissentire from any thing that is not the same as all men know The Minor I will prove with its severall parts And thus I dispute The sacrifice of the crosse was offered up by that high-Priest who is the eternall Sonne of the eternall Father who is holy harmlesse undifiled separate from sinners and made higher than the Heavens Heb. 7. vers 28. Who through the eternall Spirit offered himselfe without spot to God Heb. 9 vers 14. But the Sacrifice of the masse is not offered up by this Priest nor through the eternall Spirit but by a most polluted Priest and through the Spirit of Antichrist Ergo the sacrifice of the Masse is not the same sacrifice of Iesus Christ it differing from it in the efficient cause but a most detestable Idoll The Major of this Syllogisme you cannot deny Mr. Montague neither will any man gainsay or deny the Minor and you know then the conclusion necessarily followeth that the Sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Masse are not one and the same Sacrifice and therefore to give that honour to the Masse that is onely due to Christ himselfe is the most abominable Idolatry that the World ever heard of for it giveth the same honour to a creature of mans making that is due to the Creator blessed for ever And that shall suffice to have spoke of the first difference and now I come to speake of the second discrepancy in respect of the matteriall cause The matter of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ was the humane nature very man that that was borne of the Virgin Mary that was of the seede of Abraham of the Tribe of Judah that suffered under Pontius Pilate that was crucified dead and buried and is now at the right Hand of God and made higher than the Heavens But the matter of the sacrifice of the Masse is not the humane nature very man and that that was borne of the Virgin Mary that was of the seede of Abraham of the Tribe of Judah that suffered under Pontius Pilate that was crucified dead and buried and is now at the right hand of God and made higher than the Heavens Ergo the sacrifice of the Masse is not the same sacrifice of Iesus Christ that was offered upon the Crosse but a most prodigious Idoll that ought of all men to be abominated For the Major Mr. Montague you cannot deny it and for the Minor no man unlesse he be bereaved of his senses will deny it and unlesse he be unable to distinguish a peece of Bread from the humane nature for Christ retaines his humane nature still wheresoever hee is and he bade Thomas for the confirmation of his weake faith to put his fingers into his side and to prove the reality of his Resurrection and that hee was not a Spirit hee said unto his Disciples Luke 24. vers 39. Behold my hands and my Feete for it is I my selfe handle mee and see for a Spirit hath not flesh and bones as yee see mee have So that Mr. Montague except a man have lost all his senses hee will easily perceive the Sacrifice of the Masse and the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ are two different things for the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ had Flesh Bloud and Bones the Sacrifice of the Masse is neither flesh nor fish nor good read Herring it is neither Man nor Beast I pray Mr. Montague answer mee ingenuously do you really and indeed believe that that Breaden Wafer the Priest holdeth up in his hands or that lieth upon the Altar that Dagon of Ginger-bread is the very Christ the Saviour of the World who is now at the right Hand of God doe you believe a peece of Bread to be God-man doe you I say believe that which is betweene the Priests hands ever to have beene in the wombe of the Virgin to be of the seede of Abraham of the Tribe of Iudah and to have suffered under Pontius Pilate I am confident your conscience telleth you the contrary when you know that it is a meere peece of dow How then dare you Master Montague give that honour to a peece of bread that is due to the Lord of life Was there ever in the world a more unheard of Idolatry And yet this Master Montague is the dayly service of the Church of Rome which is worse than the worshiping of Molecke Rimmon or the God of Ekron and exceedeth all either heathenish or Iewish superstition But now I come to shew the difference betweene them in respect of the formall cause The Sacrifice of Iesus Christ was the giving up of his Spirit into the hands of God his Father the laying down of his life the separation of the humane soule from his body and the effusion of his bloud and the wounding and piercing of his glorious Body but in the sacrifice of the Masse there is none of all this you your selves calling it an unbloudy sacrifice and by virtue of your concomitancy as you tearme it you joyne flesh and bloud soule and body together and make that whole which on the Crosse was in all respects separated Ergo the Sacrifice of the Masse is not the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ but a monster to be abominated of all men as that that robs Christ the Lord of his due honour and all the adorers and worshippers of it of eternall happinesse who worship a peece of Bread for very God and in that perpetrate the greatest Idolatry that ever was committed And so exclude themselves out of Heaven for no Idolater shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Revel 21. vers 8. But the Fearfull and Vnbelievers and Idolaters shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and which is the second death And therefore M. Montague it highly concerneth you to looke about you and to consider well what you do when you goe to Masse But now I come to the last cause of difference The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ was of that virtue and efficacy and offered up to this very end that it might be a ransome for all believers 1 Tim. chap. 2. vers 6. And Heb. 10.14 For by once offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified But the sacrifice of the Masse is neither of any power or efficacy nor never yet perfected any and by the confession of the Papists themselves must many times be reiterated to bring one poore soule out of their fained Purgatory therefore in regard also of the end it is not the same but differeth from the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and ought to be cast out of the World as a beastly Idoll and an abomination and as a thing of no efficacy and power to save any man from misery but all-sufficient to damn soules and send them to perdition and to bring downe the judgements of God upon the Nations and Kingdomes where it is set up as all Idolatry doth for the Lord will judge those Nations with all manner of plagues that provoke him by their Idolatries and after cast them into the lake that burneth with Fire and Brimstone which is the second death Which that Mr. Montague you and all men may shun it deeply concerneth you to consult what a fearfull condition you yet are in and all those that are of the Faith and Religion of the Church of Rome which is the Mother of all abomination and duly also to weigh the haynousnesse of your offence who causlesly so separated your selfe from your Mother the Church of England whom I have as I conceive sufficiently in my foregoing discourse proved to be a true Church and built upon the foundation of Peter the ground and Pillar of Truth Mr. Montague That which I have now to say unto you is this God hath given you excellent parts and bestowed many mercies and favours on you and his long suffering and patience towards you has beene great in all respects who have hitherto imployed your gifts to wrong your own soule and mislead others let it be enough that you have gone so farre and have hither so abused Gods loving kindnesse towards you knowing that the goodnesse of God leadeth you to Repentance and therefore take heâ—d lest persevering in these erroneous and damnable Idolatries and sacrilegious impious opinions you treature not up unto your selfe wrath against the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgement of God which that you may not do it shall ever be the Prayer of him that wisheth no lesse happinesse to your soule and body than to himselfe and who shall alwayes remaine Sir Yours in the Lord JOHN BASTVVICK FINIS
should be a rule of our faith and manners and that it is the very Word of God and his lively Oracles as having the testimony of Christ himselfe Luke 24 Luke 16. John 5. and many other places and Saint Paul Rom. 3. and Saint Peter in his second Epistle chap. 3. v. 15 16. confirmes the authenticality of St. Pauls Epistles and of all the holy Scriptures and affirmes that they were written for the comfort and benefit of all the faithfull and commands them to make them the rule and guide of their faith and manners which if they doe he promiseth them that they shall not be led away by the errour of the wicked and from their owne stedfaâ—â—nesse but that they shall grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus which is his prayer that they might do and it is and shall be my earnest prayer for you also Mr. Montague that the Lord would open your eyes and that you may see your errours and renounce them and at last believe that the holy Scriptures are Gods very Word and were writ by his speciall command and are to be the rule of our fath and manners and by the which we shall be judged at the last day And this shall suffice to have spoke concerning this point Now I come to prove that the holy Scriptures are not obscure and darke but cleare and perspicuous in all things that concerne salvation David in the 19. Psal ver 7 8. The Law of the Lord saith he is perfect converting the soule The testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple The Statutes of the Lord are right rejoycing the heart the Commandement of the Lord is pure enlightning the eyes Here are two things Master Montague confirmed by David who wrote by the Spirit of God which cannot erre the first is that the Law of the Lord is perfect and converting the soule and making wise the simple the second that it is cleare illuminating the eyes What Blasphemy then is it in the Church of Rome to accuse the whole Scripture not onely of imperfection but of darknesse and obscurity Yea what else is it but to give the Holy Ghost the lie who saith that the holy Scripture is not onely perfect but illuminating and enlightning the eyes And in Psalm 119. v. 103. Thy Word saith he is a Lampe unto my feet and a light to my waies And in the 130 verse The entrance of thy Word saith he giveth light it giveth understanding to the simple So that there are none Master Montague that will not turne their backe upon this Lampe but may see the light of it And in Proverb 1. ver 2 3 4 5. among the praises of the holy Word he saith That it giveth subtilty to the simple and to the young man knowledge and discretion And in the 6. chap. ver 23. he saith That the Commandement is a Lampe and the Law is light And in chap. 8. ver 8 9. All the words of my mouth saith he are in righteousnesse c. they are all plaine to him that understandeth and right to them that find knowledge Infinite places to this purpose might be cited but I will content my selfe onely with two more out of the New Testament 2 Cor. 4. v. 3 4. If our Gospell saith the Apostle be hid it is hid to them that are lost to whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not lest the light of the glorious Gospell of Christ who is the image of God should shine into them Take notice Mr. Montague that as the Sunne though it shineth forth never so gloriously and in all its greatest brightnesse yet the blind see never the more in like manner though the holy Scripture be never so cleare and perspicuous in all things necessary to salvation yet the unbelievers and incredulous whose eyes the God of this world hath blinded they can neither see nor comprehend the light of them St. Peter in his second Epistle chap. 1. v. 19. We have also saith he a more sure word of Prophesie whereunto you doe well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a darke place untill the day dawne and the Day-starre arise in your hearts If the holy Apostle Peter compares the writings of the Old Testament to a light and the Scripture of the New Testament unto the Day-starre what wickednesse then is it Mr. Montague in the Church of Rome to accuse all the holy Scriptures of obscurity and darknesse and to make them the cause of all errours and heresies and of all confusions I will now Mr. Montague briefly prove that the people ought to read the holy Scriptures and that it is their duty to study them diligently and that it is a great and insufferable injury and wrong done to them by the Church of Rome to take the Scriptures out of their hands and to prohibite the reading of them for in that they like the Scribes Pharisees and Lawyers take away from them the Key of knowledge and the meanes of their salvation Luke 11. v. 52. contrary to the command of God and Christs precept who was the onely Prophet of his Church whom we are bound to heare and obey in all things Matth. 3. Matth. 17. This Master Montague I will first doe and then come to the point The Lord after that he had proclaimed his Law unto the people and writ it with his owne hand commanded all the people carefully to observe to doe according to that he had taught them and that they might the better remember it he enjoynes them to keepe it in their hearts and to write it upon the Posts of their houses and on their gates the words are these Deut. 6. ver 6 7 8 9 All these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children and shalt talke of them when thou sittest in thy house and when thou walkest by the way and when thou liest down and when thou risest up And thou shalt bind them for a signe upon thy hand and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thine house and on the gates And in the 11. chapter of the same booke he reiterates the same command vers 18 19 20. Therefore saith the Lord shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soule and bind them for a signe upon your hand that they may be as frontlets between your eyes And ye shall teach them your children speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way when thou liest downe and when thou risest up and thou shalt write them upon the doore posts of thine house and upon thy gates Here is precept upon precept as if the Lord could never have spoke enough unto the people to stir them up to the diligent learning and studying of his holy Lawes and all for
you may yet further be convinced Mr. Montague that the Scriptures of the old Testament contained all things in them sufficient for the salvation of the people of God under the Law before the comming of Christ I thus argue That which was able to keepe men out of the place of the damned and to bring them into the bosome of Abraham and eternally to save them that containes all things in it necessary to salvation But Moses and the Prophets the Scriptures of the old Testament were able to keepe men out of the place of the damned and to bring them into the bosome of Abraham and eternally to save them Ergo the Scriptures of the old Testament contained all things in them necessary for the salvation of all those that were under the Law and the Jewes then had no need of any humane Traditions and much lesse have we having the Gospell joyned unto the Law But for proofe of my Minor heare what Christ saies in the person of Abraham if men desire to escape hell and to be eternally saved let them heare Moses and the Prophets saith Christ let them believe and obey and doe what Moses and the Prophets command them and they shall never be damned and I tell you more saith Christ if men will not believe Moses and the Prophets no traditions will prevaile with such men to move them to repentance and turne them from their evill waies no not miracles For if they will not heare Moses and the Prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rose from the dead Luke 16. ver 28 29 30 31 32. Therefore the Scriptures of the old Testament were not onely sufficient to save those that were under the Law but they were tied onely unto them But for further proofe of the sufficiency of the Scriptures of the old Testament and that they contained all things in them necessary to the salvation of those that were under the Law I shall adde some other arguments and proofes out of the holy Scriptures to evince it Our blessed Saviour in the 5 of John ver 32. Search the Scripture saith he for in them ye thinke to have eternall life and they are they which testifie of me Here is an exhortation yea a command and that from the King of his Church to search the Scriptures which were enough to put all Christians upon that imployment although he had given no reason of it but laid downe his bare simple command onely but he giveth them a reason of this his injunction and that was from the emolument and benefit that would accrue unto themselves by searching of the Scriptures and that was life eternall if you will search the Scriptures saith Christ they will make you happy and save your soules for they containe all things in them necessary to salvation and have eternall life in them and that is manifest by two witnesses and you know saith he what the Law speaketh By the mouth of two or three witnesses every thing shall be confirmed Now saith Christ you your selves give witnesse unto this truth that the Scriptures have life eternall in them and your witnesse is true and I joyne with you in your testimony and I assert and witnesse the same also that they containe all things in them necessary to life eternall Therefore if you will not upon my command search and study the holy Scriptures yet if yee tender your owne eternall good and the saving of your soules which is better to you than the gaining of the whole world then search the scriptures For in them ye have eternall life But it will not be amisse a little more fully to consider and weigh the words of our blessed Saviour for as there is an irrefragable argument and a pregnant proofe in them to evince the al-sufficiency of the Scriptures of the old Testament to those that were under the Law so there will from hence be deduced an infallible demonstration for the confirming of the al-sufficiency of the whole Scriptures those of the new Testament being joyned to those of the old Search the Scriptures saith our Saviour for in them ye thinke to have eternall life and they are they which testifie of me In these words there is a twofold reason or a double argument to prove the al-sufficiency of the Scripture of the old Testament that they contained all things necessary to salvation and in that a greater engagement to the Jewes and stronger motive to put them upon the diligent searching of them The first is the testimony of the Jewes their owne witnesse Yee your selves thinke in them saith our Saviour to have eternall life that is ye acknowledge and verily believe that they containe all things in them necessary to the salvation of your soules and your beliefe is good and your witnesse is true and according to the holy Scripture for all errour and sinne arise from the nescience and ignorance of the Scriptures Ye doe erre not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God saith Christ Matth. 22. ver 29. Now errour and sinne brings men to perdition and eternall misery and by the knowledge of the Scriptures you come to the knowledge of God and of his power and what a just righteous and holy God he is and a consuming fire and how he hates all sinne iniquity and abomination and by that ye learne to hate sinne shunne and avoyd it and are taught all the right way of pleasing him and how to walke in his Commandements Statutes Ordinances and Judgements by which you shall save your soules and be eternally blessed and because you know not the Scriptures you walke in the by-waies of sinne and vanity to your owne eternall ruine and perdition according to that of Solomon in the 29 of the Prov. v. 18. Where there is no vision the people perish but he that keepeth the Law happy is he Happy here and eternally happy hereafter for ignorance of the Law is the cause of all miseries here and hereafter but the knowledge and the keeping of the Law maketh them forever happy and saveth their soules The same doctrine our Saviour taught Matth. 19. ver 16 17. the Ruler that came to him demanding of him what he should doe that he might have eternall life If thou wilt enter into life saith Christ keep the Commandements For God had made that gracious promise unto his people of life upon their perfect obedience Levit. 18. v. 5. Ye shall therefore keepe my Statutes and my judgements saith the Lord which if a man doe he shall live in them I am the Lord. And the same promise againe often renewed in many places and amongst others in the 20. of Ezekiel vers 11. And I gave them my Statutes and shewed them my judgements which if a man doe he shall even live in them So that all the people of God and the whole Nation of the Jewes were sufficiently convinced of this truth that the Scriptures contained all things in them necessary to salvation and this was
their common and generall faith even in our Saviours time though they were then much degenerated from their ancient purity in the service and worship of God and had brought in their owne Traditions which our Saviour so often reproved them for Matth. 15. and Marke 7. and by that also shewed the al-sufficiency of the Scriptures of the old Testament for the Salvation of them that were under the Law without any traditions of men so that the witnesse the Jewes gave of the sufficiency of the Scriptures that they had in them eternall life was as a cloud of witnesses a whole Nation testifying the same thing and Christ himselfe approving of their evidence and allowing of their testimony and addes his owne witnesse for the confirming of the same doctrine and backes it with an unanswerable reason You believe saith he that the Scriptures containe all things necessary to salvation and in that you believe well and rightly for so they doe I will give you also my reason of it another argument to prove the truth of your witnesse and of the sufficiency of the Scriptures without traditions and to move you to read them for they testifie of me saith Christ for they speak of me preach me and bring you to me who am the Messias the Saviour of the world and they are the Schoole-master God hath appointed for that purpose to teach you to believe that I am he Galat. 3.24 Rom. 10. ver 4. for all the Law sets me forth all those washings and purifications of the Law and all those Ceremonies and Sacrifices have me for their end they are but shadowes and not the body nor the truth it selfe Yea and the Morall law also and all the Commandements that are the waies God would have you walke in bring ye unto me who am the doore of Heaven the doore of the sheepe John 10. v. 9. Who am the way the truth and the life and no man commeth unto the Father but by me Now then when all the Scriptures testifie of me and teach you how ye may come unto me where ye may finde rest unto your soules Matth. 11.28 and bring ye to the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ which is life eternall John 17. v. 3. they containe all things necessary to salvation So that Master Montague if there were no other argument in all the holy Scripture but this very place in the 5. of St John for the proving of the al-sufficiency of the Scriptures of the old Testament for the saving of those that were under the Law without any humane Traditions this alone were sufficient to prove it For that which hath the testimony both of God and men that it containeth all things in it necessary to salvation that is by the knowledge and faith of which they might have eternall life and be blessed for ever that comprehendeth all things in it sufficient for the attaining to life eternall and for saving of mens soules But the holy Scriptures of the old Testament have this testimony from God himselfe and from the Lord Jesus Christ and from the whole Nation of the Jewes which is an Iliad and cloud of witnesses that they have life eternall in them that is by the knowledge and faith of which they might have eternall life and be blessed for ever Ergo they containe all things in them necessary to salvation And if the Scriptures of the old Testament containe all things sufficient to salvation then the whole Scriptures when they also of the new Testament are joyned unto them of the old must of necessity be most absolutely compleat and have in them eternall life and neede no Traditions of men for the perfecting of them and making of them an absolute Rule which is a high point of Blasphemy to affirme So that Mr. Montague hee that shall dispute against the Al-sufficiency of the Scriptures shall dispute against Christ himselfe and call the very witnesse of God himselfe into question who cannot lie You will finde it a hard thing to kick against prickes as Christ said unto Saul persecuting him Acts 9. And this shall serve to have spoke concerning this place in S. John for the proofe of the sufficiency of the holy Scriptures under the Law And I will prove it by other places also of the old Testament before I come to those of the new Deuteronomy 4. verse 2. Yee shall not adde saith the Lord unto the Word which I command you neither shall you diminish ought from it that you may keep the Commandements of the Lord your God which I command you That to which nothing was to bee added nor from which nothing was to be detracted or taken away by the command of God himselfe that was absolutely perfect But to the written Word of God nothing was to be added nor nothing to be detracted or taken away and that by Gods own Commandement Ergo the written Word and the Law of God was absolutely perfect For the Major Mr. Montague no man will as I suppose deny it and for the Minor the place above cited proves it David also in Psal 19. vers 77. The Law of the Lord is perfect saith he converting the soule the Testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple from the which words I thus argue That which is perfect in it selfe converting soules and giveth wisdom unto the simple and furnisheth them with all saving knowledge that containes all things in it necessary to salvation and is a perfect and absolute Rule and has no neede of humane Traditions for the making of it compleat But the Law of the Lord is perfect in it selfe converting soules and giveth wisdome unto the simple and furnisheth them with all saving knowledge Ergo it containeth all things in it necessary to salvation and is a perfect and absolute Rule and hath no need of humane Traditions for the making of it compleate For the proof of my whole Syllogisme the words themselves of the Text are sufficient I might here Mr. Montague accumulate proof upon proof out of the old Testament to evince the sufficiency of the Scriptures of Moses and the Prophets for the salvation of those that were under the Law without the helpe of any Traditions of men but because I have been very large in my former discourse I shall produce no more out of the old Testament at this time only let mee say thus much that our Saviour and all the Apostles for the confirmation of the absolutenesse and perfection of the holy Scriptures of the old Testament comfirmed all their Doctrines of faith from them only and send the people ever to the written word as a sufficient and compleate rule of Direction Yea all the Prophets of the old Testament likewise did the same as wee see from Moses in Deut. 30. to Malachy the last Prophet who in Chap. 4. v. 4. sendeth all Israel to the Lawes of Moses and so also the Prophet Isaiah in the 8 Chap. To the Law and to the Testimony saith
to whom he is not their Lord he will be obeyed and have his pleasure submitted to or else we cannot be his disciples nor obtaine life eternall So that inevitably and most necessarily it followeth that we must renounce our owne merits and justification by our owne workes if we will believe in Christ as we ought to believe All which when the Church of England teacheth it is built upon the foundation of Peter and therefore is a true Church But that I may conclude this point and clearely evidence the truth of it to you Mr. Montague and all men and by other testimonies confirme it and in so doing prove the Church of England a true Church which you stifly deny I will briefly declare wherein our justification before God consisteth and what it is that makes us acceptable with him and to believe aright which is not to rely upon our own righteousnes but upon the righteousnes of Jesus Christ apprehended by faith And this doctrin we learn out of the holy Scriptures which teach us a twofold righteousnesse Rom. 10. v. 3. a righteousnesse of God and a righteousnesse of our owne which the Jewes relying upon as all Justiciaries do did not submit themselves to the righteousnesse of God therefore did not deny themselves and come unto Christ rely upon him Who was the end of the Law for righteousnesse to every one that believeth vers 4. For Moses saith the Apostle describeth the righteousnesse which is of the Law that the man that doth those things shall live by them But the righteousnesse which is of faith speaketh on this wise that if thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thy heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved For with the heart man believeth unto righteousnesse and with the mouth confession is made to salvation Here faith alone is the hand that reacheth forth the righteousnes of Christ unto us and by which apprehending Christ we stand justified before God So that out of the words of the Apostle this twofold righteousnesse appeares the righteousnesse of the Gospell and the righteousnesse of the Law which the Apostle so describeth as no mortall man ever living besides Christ onely since the fall of Adam was righteous or just or indeed could be as is sufficiently by the places above mentioned proved But the righteousnes of the Gospell is that whosoever believeth in Christ shall not perish but have everlasting life John 3. For the just shall live by his faith Rom. 1. Gal. 3. Now then when the righteousnesse of the Law consisteth in the absolute and perfect observation obedience and fulfilling of the whole Law and no man can perfectly keepe observe and obey it it of necessity followes that we cannot attaine unto righteousnesse by the Law but we must seeke another righteousnesse which is onely to be found in the Gospell and that righteousnesse is the remission of all our sinnes and our reconciliation with God and the imputation of Christs righteousnesse freely bestowed upon us of God for Christs sake who is our onely Saviour and redeemer And this is to be built upon the foundation of Peter And this is the righteousnesse by which we must be saved and justified before God For we are justified freely by grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ As Paul saith to the Rom. chap. 3. ver 24. and in vers 28. farther expresseth himselfe saying We conclude therefore that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law The sense and meaning of the which words if we do duely consider them will so cleare unto all men this Evangelicall and everlasting truth that there will be no doubting of it to any rationall creature For the finding out therefore of the true sense of these words three things offer themselves to be deliberated on First what is meant here by being justified Secondly what is meant to be justified by faith Thirdly what are those works and deeds which are excluded from justification As concerning the first we are to observe three distinct actions of God in it First the freedome absolution of a sinner from the guilt of his sins and iniquities for the merits of Jesus Christ Acts 13. v. 38 39. Be it knowne unto you therefore men and brethren that through this man is preached unto you forgivenesse of sins And by him all that believe are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses That is by Jesus Christ they are freed and absolved from the guilt of those sinnes which the Law could not free them from And in this sense doth the Apostle oppose justification to condemnation in Rom. 8. v. 33. which is nothing else but a binding over a man to undergoe the due and deserved punishment The second action of God is imputation or the esteeming or the accounting of a sinner as just for the merits of Jesus Christ Woe be to him that justifieth the wicked Esay 5. ver 22. that is that doth not make him just but accompts esteems and declares him as just So in the Gospell wisdom is said to be justified of her children that is approved of and acknowledged The third action of God is the acceptation or receiving of a sinner to life eternall in Christ For after God hath freed and absolved a sinner and imputed righteousnesse unto him this receiving of him after that to life eternall doth necessarily follow which is therefore cald justification of life Rom. 5. ver 18. where the reason of it is likewise rendered for as Adams sinne and offence was imputed to all or came upon all and by it death entered into the world and reigned so the obedience of Christ being imputed to all believers they are made righteous and obtaine justification of life From the consideration of all which this definition of justification is easily gathered That it is an action of God the Father absolving and freeing a sinner from all his offences and transgressions for the merits of Jesus Christ and imputing righteousnesse unto him and receiving of him to life eternall And now I come to the second thing viz. What is meant to be justified by faith The sense and meaning of the which as it is a matter of great moment and consequence and concernes no lesse than our eternall happinesse so it cals for and requires at our hands all care and diligence for the right understanding of it which the great Rabbins of the Church of Rome are ignorant of and that it may the more easily be delucidated and understood I will declare first what that thing is for which a sinner is justified and accounted just And that is the obedience of Jesus Christ our mediator and redeemer and that both his active and passive for those are not to be separated that God hath joyned together the last of which doth consist in Christs suffering of the first death in respect of his