Shadows without Substance, OR, Pretended new LIGHTS: TOGETHER, With the Impieties and Blasphemies that lurk under them, further discovered and drawn forth into the Light: In way of rejoinder unto Mr john Saltmarsh his Reply: ENTITLED Shadows flying away. Wherein nothing less is showed to have been performed, than what the Title Page importeth, or the Preface promiseth. AS ALSO, Divers points of Faith and Passages of Scripture are vindicated and explained. BY THOMAS GATAKER, B. of D. and Pastor of Rotherhith. Published by Authority. LONDON, Printed for Robert Bostock dwelling in Paul's Churchyard at the Sign of the Kings-head, 1646. TO Mr John Saltmarsh. SIR, WHether according to your hope in the very entrance into your Epistle professed, you have returned an Answer unto all things material in my Book, though I might well, without further trouble, refer the trial of it unto any that will take the pains to compare this of yours and that together; yet I shall, I hope, as occasion shall offer itself, in the further pursuit of this Debate, make it appear to be fare otherwise; and that you have wittingly and willingly overslipped many things as material as any that you have been pleased to take notice of. Mean while, to give you a taste of some few of them; you may among others be put in mind of, your palpable a See Answer page 34, 35. glozing and dissembling, in a professed desire to have the names of Legalists and the like, laid down; when in that very Discourse you so oft use them yourself: your b See Ans. p. 27 30, 31. 40. insolent censures and uncharitable aspersions of those whom you are pleased so to style; one while charging them with gross ignorance, as c Treatise p. 40 85. unable for want of that spiritual discerning, and d Treat. p. 28. more glorious light, revealed to yourself and those of your way, to distinguish those things that Antichrist hath jumbled together; another while with no less gross perfidiousness, and notorious wickedness, e Trea. p. 37. 85. in devising ways and courses, to keep open the wounds of their spiritual patients, for the lengthening of their cure; besides other reproachful speeches uttered of them, as that f Treat. p 82. they exalt men, to cry down Christ: your g Treat p. 77. See Answ. p, 41 paralleling the way acknowledged to have been used by the Prophets, with the Pope's giving out his Pardons: your declining to render an account where you find in God's word that h Treat. p. 85. Scripture assurance (as you term it, pronouncing withal, i Ibid. see Ans. p 32. 33. all other assurances, though such as are showed to be found in Scripture, to be rotten conclusions from God's Word) to wit, k Treat p. 84. that Christ Jesus hath perfectly believed for us, and perfectly repent for us: the l See Ans. p. 27 28. other base terms heaped upon those ways of Assurance, that by the Apostles have been delivered: and lastly, (to let pass the rest for the present, that you stoop not so low as to look after) your encouraging Christians m Treat. p. 173 174. see Answ. p. 17. 18. not to be troubled for any sin; nor to imagine that God is displeased with them, or that any afflictions do befall them for their sins, or that they shall ever be called to any account for them. But these, it seems you account matters of no moment, nor do I much marvel that such things as these should be so slighted by one who tho he reproach, revile, calumniate, and wrong any in any kind whatsoever, traduce the truth, broach errors, belch out blasphemies, yet professeth not to expect or fear any after-reckoning with God for it; and either jeers, or at least and best, pities them n Treat. p. 171. as silly souls that so do. Howbeit, Sir, we cannot yet so persuade ourselves; nor do you deal so kindly with us, in letting these things slip, and not endeavouring to rectify our judgements herein, out of God's word (which we desire to make, as we conceive it to be, both in these things and in all other, o Esay 8.20. 2 Tim. 3.16, 17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Chrysost. in 2 Cor. Orat. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Basil. ascot defin. 72. our Rule of direction, as well for opinion as for practice) that so we might not with those silly creatures you speak of, hold and carry ourselves so straitlaced in these things, but being better informed of our liberty, as you, it seems, are, may know ourselves to be in this regard much more loos-girt then as yet we are ware of. And thus much shall at present suffice concerning your Hope of having done that which indeed you never meant to do. After this your hope professed, you fall to snatch and snarl at my margin; which though you tell me you will not meddle with p Epistle. ; (nor is it any great matter whether you do or no; though you may peradventure find some things there, that you list not to deal with) yet in the very next words, breaking your word so lately given, as repenting you of what you had said, you fall foul upon it, charging it both in this Answer and in other my books, to be filled with such things and Autors as are of little value to Christ crucified; and to be such as argue me to be Comical and Poetical in mine old age. Concerning which there needs here no large Apology, nor long Answer. In brief, many things are useful, which are yet of no great value to Christ crucified, and such indeed are all humane Arts and Sciences; which notwithstanding are and may be made many of them q 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Aristot. Met. l. 2. c. 2. Ancillantur Theologiae humaniores disciplinae. Lips. manuduct ad Stoic. Dist. 3. handmaids unto Divinity; and are of special use for the finding out of truth, and r Verè hoc mihi dicturus videor; nisi accuratius homines incipiant philosophari, futurum, ut nullus sectarum & errorum futurus sit finis; quondoquidem ignoratione ac cidât, ut neque accipere legitimè, neqe reddero rationes disputatores imperiti valeant. Schaegh. adv. Antitrin. praef. discovery of errors opposite thereunto; nor is it marvel therefore that the Sectaries of our times do so much decry them. The Apostle, though he profess s 1 Cor. 2.2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that he determined to know (that is, u Docere, Cameron in Myrothec. ad Marc. 13.32. Profiteri. Illyric. Beza. Praedicare, Calvin. to teach, preach, regard, or take notice of) nothing in comparison at Corinth but Christ Crucified; yet in the very same Epistle, wherein he so professeth, x 1 Cor. 15.33. he citys a saying of y Ex Menandri Thaide. Scholar Graec. & Hieronym. ad Magn. qos pleriqesequntut. At Clemens 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 storm. l. 1. Menander a Comic, as is most generally agreed: and though concerning himself be elsewhere professes, that a Phil. 3 8. he esteemed all things, besides, as b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, scoria, faex. Dioscorid. l. 5. c. 85. unde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plut. in Themist. dr●sse or c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, stercus. Glossar. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Hesych. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Etymol. At Suidae, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, mensae decidu●. Charisio, qisqiliae. Prisciano, frumenti purgamen a, aceres, paleae. Synesio, capitis furfures, sordes. dung, (for the word may bear either) in regard of Christ, the eminent knowledge of him, and his interest in him; yet did, he not so abandon his former reading in Poets, as wholly to refuse or reject all use of them; but is observed to have d Ex Arato, Act. 17.28. ex Epimenide Tit. 1. 12. alleged some passages out of them; and that in likelihood also in his elder age. For mine own part, Poetry I never professed, nor was ever heard or seen on any Scene: whether yourself have, or no, I know not; nor is it ought to me, nor do I list to inquire. Howbeit in their writings I acknowledge, that, I have been sometime somewhat versed: and some of those things that I then red in them, are not yet utterly lost with me: nor am I ashamed, as occasion is offered, to make use of them, no more than that blessed Apostel was: though they be the least part of that which you might have met with in my margin, either here or elsewhere. z Euripideum Socrat. hist. l. 3. c. 16. utriusqe esse potuit. Vide Clem. storm. l. 6. & Gell. l. 23 c. 17. But Sir, what is all this to any point in qestion between you and me at present? what is the filling of my margin with things and Autors of less value than Christ crucified (which yet for want of better and more pertinent matter, helps to fill and make up the main body of your Epistle, and comes in again to eech out the e Conclus. p. 17. close of your book) unto the business in debate; either the clearing of yourself from your arrogant censures, and groundless aspersions of Gods faithful servants, and your blasphemous jeers fastened through their sides, on God's Prophets? which wind and turn you, which way you will, you will never be able to elude; and which, had you any dram of ingenuity left in you, you well might and would in the eyes of men at least be ashamed of; (though in God's sight f See God's eye on his Isr. Pref. p. 2. the principles laid by you and those of your strain, do openly profess and proclaim, that you neither are, not aught to be ashamed of aught) and which being altogether unable to wipe off, you therefore slily slip by, and return no Answer at all to? Or what is my being Comical and Poëticall in mine old age? which you have once again a fling at, making it g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Prora & puppis. ut Graecorum proverbium est. Cicer. ad. Tiron. epist. 24. prow and poop (as they use to say) h Caput & cauda. head and tail of your discourse; (though I know no reason why any Divine may not exercise his Poëtry, if he have a vain that way, which myself never had; and that in his old age too, as i Gregor. Naz. Paulin. Nolan. Theodor. Beza, alii innumeri. many worthy and religious persons have done) but what is this, I say, unto the clearing or strengthing of aught excepted against in your book, or to the removing or weakening of any objection made against it? It was long since observed to be an k 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Aristot. rhetor. l. 3. c. 14. ill sign, and such as might well give just suspicion of a bad cause, when men fly out from the matter in present debate, and either l In adversae partis advocatos invehuntur, & ubi defecerint alia, conviciis implent vacua causarum; si contingit, veris, si● minus fictis. fall foul upon the person of him, with whom they are to debate it, or make m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aeschin. ad Ctesiph. excursions into by-matters, snatching and catching at every thing that comes in their way, as desirous to be dealing rather with any thing then that, wherein they find themselves wringed. Which whither herein you do or no, I am well content that others judge. As for what you subjoin, concerning your former raptures, which you profess now to be shamed of; and of your present strains of a more glorious Spirit: for the former, what they have been, I wots not, nor am I curious to make inqiry. If they were such as you may justly be ashamed of, you have good cause to repent of them; as n Psal. 25.7. David did in his later days of his younger slips and excesses; if you think David at least a fit precedent for you to follow; which the insolency of those of your way doth disdain: And for the latter, to wit, your strains of a more glorious spirit, not unlike your vaunting elsewhere of o Treatise, p. 28. a more glorious light, it will peradventure with some no injudicious Readers be deemed, not to want some smach of vainglory; especially laid together with the glittering Title of your former Treatise, and that height of scorn and contempt, which therein you express, of p Treat. p. 40. the divinity and the Divines (a term that ye here seem to jeer at tho formerly used by you) both of these days and former times. Your conclusion is, That you hope you shall be no more in passion with me, then with my brother of the Assembly, M. LEY. Truly, Sir, this latter hope seems wholly frustrate as well as the former; for you have already here expressed passion enough, if not pride and Magisteriality also mixed with it. Or what was it but passion, that carried you into this digression? and what is it, but pride and Magisteriality, to censure for that, which you convince not to be evil, and to reprove without proof? And surely, Sir, if your Answer to me, be of the same stamp with that of yours to Mr Ley, I shall look for little in it, but a few frothy sqibs, slight of matters objected, and vain boastings of yourself. For of such is your Answer to him in a manner wholly made up; fruits of passion rather, then of judgement and reason. But, you writ, you say, to edify, not to conqer, nor to teach others, but that we may be all taught of God. Sir, you writ riddles; whom intent you by your writing to edify, if not others? or how to edify them, if not by teaching? it is true indeed, that unless men be q Esai. 54.13. joh. 6.45. taught of God, all humane r 1 Cor. 3.6, 7. teaching will do little good: but neither can man edify any without him; and the case therefore being alike in either, where the difference in this regard should lie between edifying and teaching, my shallow brain is not able to conceive. As for writing to conqer: he that writes barely to conqer, without respect had to truth, is at best but s Superbae stultitiae perseverantia. Senc. de ben l. 4. c. 38. a pertinacious, or vainglorious fool; it is t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Philonid. A veritate vincires p●●cherrima. Qi vincitur à veritate, triumphant. Moses Amyrald. defence. doct. Calv. c. 3. a conqest fair and honourable enough, to be overcome by truth. Yet to u jud. 3. contend and that earnestly for the truth, that it may not be overborne by such as oppose it; and to further its conquest, by beating down errors, that are raised up against it, is a just and commendable endeavour: and so to strive to conqer, is no evil, but x 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Henod. ●per. a good and laudable strife. In which kind I profess freely, that I do in this my writing y Tu pertinaciam esse hanc praedicas: Ego pervicaciam a●o, & à me uti volo. N●m per●icacem dici me esse & vincere, perfacile patior; pertinacem nil moror. Haec fortes seqitur; illam indocti possident. Accius' apud Nonium. endeavour to conqer, to wit, by holding out and maintaining the truth opposed; and thereby to establish and edify others with myself in the same, through God's blessing upon my labours; whereunto whither your writings conduce or no, in the ensuing discussion of this Reply, shall by God's assistance be more fully made to appear. Which, having thus dispatch your Epistle, I shall in the next place address myself unto. Your Reply gins with mine Epistle, out of which and the forepart of mine Answer, you have these ships. 1. Whereas I say, that I was advertised of a Treatise of yours, wherein I was among other late Writers, produced, (traduced, I might say) as giving testimony to some tenants of the Antinomian party. You fasten on the word traduced; which as of others there cited, so of myself, I may well say. And whereas z Reply p. 1. you refer the Reader to our books, I do therein very willingly join issue with you. Let my book speak for me, how I condescend to them, or approve of their tenants. But my words you gave, my meaning you could not come at, nor dive into; nor were you to discover to the world, mine intents, nor to judge of my reserves and secret senses; but of words and writings: that which a Reply p. 1. 2. more than once or twice you insist on, to salv your double and deceitful dealing. But Sir, first, we leave such reserus to those of your own way, whereby to help out their hideous and blasphemous assertions of which more b See God's eye, etc. Preface, p. 26.30. elsewhere. 2. I deem you not so shallow brained, but that you might, had you listed, have easily conceived my meaning, not lying deep in my heart or breast (as you pretend) but c See Ans p. 4.5 as expressed before in my book, so laid there before you, in that clause inserted, [as was before said] pointing and directing you as with the finger, to that place, where my meaning was fully explained: which clause in your qotation of it was advisedly left out, because you listed not to make use of it. But Sir, suppose you had not had that help, to disclose mine intent to you, and that my words should be taken as they stand, without reference to ought before intimated. Yet the charge of traducing me, as by those words taken in the strictest sense that may be, acknowledging little difference between us and the Antinomians, stands firm still against you: since that you cannot with all your witty and wily Sophistry (wherein you are rise enough, I confess; though Logic you disclaim) conclude that, which you would father and fasten upon me, from aught you cite out of me: which by divers instances in mine d Answ p. 5. Apology I evidently show; whereunto you return here no Answer at all; and remain therefore convict of abuse and wrong herein offered me. But what forehead that man hath, that hath the face to allege me out of that book, as acknowledging little difference between them and us, I shall leave to any person whatsoever friend or so to determine, that hath but cursorily read over the Preface to that book, out of which my words are cited. But Sir, you profess herein to have done me a great kindness, and to have showed me much love: for herein e Reply p. 2. you accounted me better than I desire to be, and took me to be more a friend to the truth, than you now see I am: and abusing f 2 Cor. 12.13. the Apostles words, desire to have that injury forgiven you. Sir, These are your wont scoffs and jeers: wherein yet you might have been pleased to spare the Apostle, and not dally with his words. But what a friend I am to those g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Basil. ubi sup. Counterfeits of truth, that instead of God's sacred truth are obtruded upon people, and instilled into too many, to the preverting of their faith, and the poisoning of their souls; my book itself, whence you snipped of that shred might sufficiently have informed you: Whereby, as you needed not to have been thus mistaken in me, so may you easily suppose, that I esteem it a very sorry courtesy to be deemed warping towards those, whose Tenants out of their own books, mouths, and writings, I there show to be so hideous and blasphemous. As for your h Reply p. 2. exception taken to the styling of some Antinomians, as if I had now newly done it, and not before in my book; and the wrong you therein pretend done them, I shall without further ado, refer the Reader to i Answ. p. 3●. mine Answer. Secondly, Where I say, k Preface to Answer. you were a man utterly unknown to me before save by one or two short Pamphlets. You pitch l Reply p. 1. upon the term Pamphlet; and interpret it as a slighting of your works, which it seems, you have an higher conceit of, then that they should be so styled. Yet Sir, you know, that it is a term commonly given to small things of a sheet or two; such as those of yours were, that had then come to mine hand. Nor truly Sir, to deal freely and ingenuously with you, did I meet with any such matter in any of them (for many they were not) that should necessarily exempt them from being so termed. Howbeit, to make you some part at least of amends, if it stick so much in your stomach, I am very well content (as * Quod Alpha dixeram te penulatorum, si fort. bilem m●vit hic tibi ver●us, Di●as liceb. 1 Beta me togatorum. Mart. l. 5. ep. 27. he sometime in somewhat the like case) that you call, if you please, mine Answer and this rejoinder, being neither of them overlong, two short Pamphlets, so you may be even with me herein; and this qarrell I hope at an end. Yea, but m Reply ibid. You could call my Treatises by a worse name than Treatises. And so do Sir, if you please, they will be never the worse; for the worst terms you can give them, no more than the faithful servants of God, whom you and your brother Eton have in your books so bespattred, are any whit the worse for all those opprobrious reproaches that you have endeavoured to overwhelm them with. * Reply ibid. Yea, but one of them you knew long since, that of Lots, wherein I defend cards and dice playing; which it had been happy for others as well as yourself, in your times of vanity, had I therein following Augustine's example, printed a Retractation of it: for you believe I have strengthened the hands of many to sin. 1. For writing of Retractations after Augustine's example; it is that I somewhere promise, if opportunity serve, and God be pleased to lend life and strength, to review what I have abroad, and amend such mistakes in my writings, as upon further consideration may be discovered in them. But for retracting of that which you instance in, I must crave pardon of you, if I profess that I may not; because I cannot so do without betraying of the truth against mine own knowledge: Which I continue still the more firmly strongly assured of, because it hath upon due trial n Videatur Antidiatriba, qa Amesio, & Voetio respondetur. held out opposition free, against other manner of Champions, than I yet take Mr S. for. Howbeit if by dint of Argument to show your Goliah-like might, you shall deygn to deal with it, I hope I shall not greatly need to fear your encounter. 2. For your belief, That I have thereby strengthened the hands of many to sin: I know, and am well assured, that there is nothing in that book, that may encourage any thereunto. But if yourself, in the days of your vanity, (which it may justly be feared, are not yet over; to much of it still appears in you both here and elsewhere) or any other, * Aranei ex eisdem floribus, unde apes mel conficiunt, ven●num colligunt. Const. Emper. praefat. ad clav. Talm. Spider-like, besides yourself, have sucked poison out of the say of truth (I am bold so to style them having not been hitherto convict of error; and disprove you if you can, what I say) therein delivered; the fault is not in my book, but in your own, and their own o Homines malè sumentes salubrem cibum in venenum vertunt. Aug. de temp. 45. corrupt affection, that converts that into venom that is wholesome and harmless of itself. Nor is it probable, that the freeing of a Lot used, either in those games or any other, from that superstitious conceit, that some had laboured to fasten on it, should spur any on to an excessive use, either of those disports or any other. They that were so conscientious as to forbear them only for that scrupel, there is no likelihood, but would be as strict and precise in the moderate usage of them, if they thought good to make use of them, when they were freed from that groundless scrupel. And well may it be deemed therefore, that your own idle vain and lose disposition, was it that carried you on to excess, if you were in game overmuch, rather than my book (which not only gives no allowance for it, but p Treat. of Lots, chap. 9 expressly condemns it) or ought you found or read in it. 3. I know none who by their teachings and writings do more strengthen men's hands in sin, than those that infuse such principles as these into them; That God see: no sin in them, live they never so ill; nor likes them any whit the less when they do sin; nor is an all displeased with them, or will ever call them to account for aught they do, and the like. 4. As was before said, What is either my frequency of qotations, or my use of Poets, or this now concerning my book of cards and dice, either unto mine Answer of your Treatise, or your Reply to mine Answer? Of what force or strength is it, either unto the impairing of the one, or the improving of the other? And yet is this also as well as the former, both Aleph and Tau with you; it beginneth your discourse; and it helps to conclude, as if it were one of the principals of your Reply. Howbeit Sir, if to cry qittance with me for laying open some of the unsound and rotten stuff contained in your Treatise of Freegrace, you will take the pains to discover such dangerous matter, as you pretend to be delivered in my Treatise of Lots; and that the rather that others may thereby be warned to shun those rocks, that yourself you say have formerly struck on, howsoever you got off again; do with me as I have done with you, I shall be very well content with it: Lay open as much as you please of the unsound matter you find in it; but withal show it to be such, and when you have so done, I will give you mine honest word, that I will either refute you or else do as you here advise me, retract. Secondly, for the unsound stuff in your book, that I have undertaken to lay open: I yield to you, q Rep●y p. 2. § 2. that it is neither your sayin it is sound; nor mine that it is unsound, r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Ar●stot. de ininterpet. c. 10. that must decide the matter: Let the trial be by God's book, the only sure touchstone of all saving truth. Yet Sir, let me mind you withal, that the foulness and unsoundness of some stuff in your book is such, that being laid open to view, by your silence you seem either ashamed, or unwilling at least to own it; and suffer it therefore to be charged upon you without Answer, as was intimated and instanced in before. The last thing you nibble at in my Preface, is of s Reply p. 1. § 3. some that think they have found a shorter cut to heaven, than (say you) some former Divines: where you tell me, that you know not what I mean by a shorter cut; and that Papists find a way by works; some Protestants by Jesus Christ and works others by Jesus Christ alone, and make works the praise of that Freegrace in Jesus Christ. Where Sir, 1. You relate not my words to the full; I say not, a shorter cut than former Divines, but a shorter cut and more compendious passage than God's Ministers out of his word have formerly chalked out unto them. 2. Because you pretend ignorance (though I doubt not but you understand well enough, what the shorter cut and easier passage spoken of imports) I shall plainly and directly point to it, not yourself so much, being already well acquainted with it, as the Reader, who, it may be, hath not formerly heard of it: It is the way that yourself, and other of the Antinomian party propound, to wit, that there is nothing reqired to be done by any, for the obtaining of a sh●re, in the redemption and salvation procured and purchased by Christ, or for the application of Christ's merits unto any; and they may therefore be saved by Christ, without faith or repentance or new obedience; though they continue in infidelity, impenitency, and the worst sins that are. To this purpose take these assertions from some of those Writers, whose works, I presume are no strangers with you. t Christ's Counsel to the Angel of Laodicea, p. 27. The end, saith one of them, for which Christ came, was to die for the ungodly, to purchase redemption for their sins, and to reconcile them unto God; and all this he did freely, upon no condition, fully and perfectly, leaving nothing undone or to be done by way of application: for in the performing thereof he fully and perfectly applied it; for he took upon him our nature; and by virtue of this our humane nature in the person of Christ, we are made truly the Sons of God, heirs and coheirs with him. And again, u Ibid. p. 35. Salvation is not tied to belief; nor is faith a condition without which a man can not be saved: All men, women and children, that is, the whole Church of God, are all saved only and totally by the merits of Christ; whose merits are applied unto us sufficiently and effectually too, by hi● own assumption of our nature, by which we are incorporate into him. * Ibid. p. 40. And they are false teachers that make redemption conditional, and make it depend upon duties: x Ibid. p 41. Nothing at all being required in any respect of him for whom Christ died, (they are deceivers that teach otherwise) neither faith, nor repentance, nor self-denial, nor hearing, nor use of ordinances, nor observation of Sabbath, nor doing as we would be done to, and the rest: y Ibid. 42. they are falls teachers that make these duties, and teach that we must exercise ourselves in these things, or we shall have no part in Christ. And another of them: z Power of Love, p. 30. This work of our redemption and reconciliation with God was perfected, when Christ died; and nothing shall be able to separate you from his love then purchased; neither infidelity, nor impenitency, nor unthankfulness, nor sin, nor any thing whatsoever can make void this purchase; no, though with the jews you should deny the Lord, that bought you. And for want of this knowledge many of us have walked very uncomfortably, spending our time in fasting, and weeping and mourning, in praying, reading and hearing; and in performance of other duties, and all to get Christ; while we consider not what the Scripture setteth forth unto us, to wit, salvation purchased and perfected for ever, to sinners, to the ungodly, to all the world; a work perfected, depending on no condition, no performance at all. Now I would gladly understand from Mr S. whither the course that these propound, be not a shorter cut and an easier passage, than God's Ministers out of God's Word, or God's Prophets, and Christ's apostles, yea, God and Christ himself in the Word, have formerly chalked out unto us; and how these things agree with those words of our Saviour, a Mark. 16 16 Whosover doth not believe shall be damned: And, b Luk. 13.3, 5. unless you repent you shall perish; And, c Math. 11.20, 24. It shall be worse in the day of judgement with Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum, then with Tyre and Sidon, Sodom and Gomorrah, because thy repent not at his preaching: And, d Math. 10.33. He that denys me before men, I will deny him before my Father in heaven; and those passages of the Apostle, e Phil. 3.12. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; And, f Rom. 8.13. If ye live after the flesh ye shall die; And, g 1 Cor. 9.27. I keep under my body and bring it into subjection, lest having preached to others, myself prove a h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rejectaneus, ut 2 Cor. 13.5, 6. castaway. And i Heb. 12.14. Fellow holiness, without which no man shall ever see God: and that of Peter, who telleth us, that those that k 2 Pet. 2.1. bring in damnable heresies, denying the Lord that bought them, bring swift damnation upon themselves. Let any man lay these two ways together; and then tell, whither of the two is the shorter cut and the easier passage; For they are not sure both the same. Now Sir, if you shall disclaim and refuse to own these and the like, as pretending, that you are not to make good what every one prints or preaches. Yet 1. hereby may appear what new cuts are abroad: which there was just cause and good ground therefore to give warning of. And 2. that yourself are not far from compliance with them herein; it is too palpable, too apparent. For 1. that main part of your Treatise, contrived dialogwise, wherein in a jeering and scoffing way, you traduce, as they also do, the faithful Ministers of Christ, and their manner of propounding and pressing such things as these men make wholly needless and unnecessary unto the attaining of life eternal, runneth all along just in the same tone with them; as may appear by those parcels in mine k S●e A●s. p. 9 10. 14. 17. Answer thereunto, thence represented. 2. In that your Treatise you tell us in express terms, that l Treat. p. 126. in the Gospel, God agrees to save man; And that all the conditions are on Christ's part, no conditions on our parts; And that m Ibid. p. 191. Salvation is not made any puzzling way in the Gospel (a puzzling way, than belike before time it was) it is plainly, easily, and simply reveiled: jesus Christ was crucified for sinners, this is salvation, we need go no further; all that is to be done is to believe that there is such a work; and that Christ died for thee amongst all other sinners he died for. n Ibid. p. 193. This is short work: (And it is short work indeed) and this is the only Gospel work and way. You see Sir, what a short cut yourself here make; for here is Repentance, and new Obedience, and Mortification, and the study, pursuit and practice of Holiness and the like, all cut off at one blow, as being neither Gospel work, nor way. And it may justly be questioned, whether this be o Matth. 7.13. the straight gate and narrow way, that Christ pointed his to. Yea, but Faith may some say, is at least reqired by you, for the application of Christ, and the attaining of interest in him. How it is reqired by you, yourself inform us; p Treat. p. 189. Christ you say, is ours without Faith; but we can not know him to be ours but by believing: and you reject this under the Title of the Reformed opinion and more general, q Ibid. p. 198. That none are justified or partakers of salvation, but by faith. And if no conditions at all be reqired for obtaining salvation by Christ as was formerly affirmed by you, than neither Faith also: Yea, to this you come fully home, where you say, that r Ibid. p. 15●. 153. The Covenant now under the Gospel is such a kind of Covenant, as was established with Noah, Gen. 9.11. clear against the strain of the old, wherein man was to have his life upon condition. And in this your Reply, you deny s Reply p. 14. § 8. the receiving of Christ to be acknowledged by you as a condition. And indeed, if the promise of salvation by Christ, be as absolute and free from all condition as that Covenant made with Noah; then may a man be saved by Christ, though he never know or look after Christ; as he is sure never to perish by an ecumenical deluge, though he neither know nor believe, nor do ever hear of such a Covenant concerning it. Whereunto also, t Answ. p. 8. 9 24. 25. where it came to be scanned (whence you might have informed yourself, what this shorter cut meant) as a thing material, you have returned nothing at all. But thus the Reader may be pleased to take notice of that shorter cut and more compendious way, and easier passage to heaven, that yourself have cut out as well as those other of your way, not without only, but contrary to all warrant of God's Word. 3. For what you add; of the Popish way by works, whereby men are said to merit heaven, we abhor and detest it, as much as you do. Of some protestants by jesus Christ and works. Sir, when you set jesus Christ and works, as cheek by joull the one with the other; you wrong those whom you would by such an expression aspers. They teach Christ jesus to be the only purchaser and procurer of our justification and salvation; and his blood to be the only price, that was laid down and paid for the purchase thereof. But they hold withal, that faith and repentance, and self-denial, and new obedience are necessarily required in the Gospel, as conditions to be performed by all those, that will have part and interest in Christ or look for salvation by Christ; and that none shall without these ever attain to that salvation so dear purchased by Christ. And for this; Sir, we have the Scriptures pregnant and plentiful; as yourself can not be ignorant; and as in the Answer to your book hath sufficiently u Answ. p. 11. 15. been showed: which how you seek either to shift off, or to slubber over, shall appear, when we come to that part of your Reply. Lastly, for taxing me x Reply p. 2. § 3. with frowardness and qarrelsomnesse; which yet you impute partly to mine age, and partly to the remainders of my disease, rather than my judgement, and the infirmity of my body, not the strength of my Spirit: but withal demand of me, why I chose not a better time to try truth in, when I were not so much in the body. 1. Sir, froward or qarrelsome I have not showed myself in this business. The beginner of the qarell here was yourself, who as an insolent Goliath first entered the field, with a flag of defiance, y Treat. p. 40. to the Divinity both of this age and former times, reproaching in base and scurrilous manner God's faithful Ministers, men many of them much better than yourself; and endeavouring by your unchristian charges and vile calumnies to bring shame and contempt upon them and their Ministry; and were pleased to single me out and draw me forth among others, (whom, though coming all within verge of your magisterial censure, you call in for seconds) as complying in part with you and the party you fight for; acknowledging little difference at least between us and them; nor doth it argue any frowardness or qarelsomnesse in one so engaged, to endeavour z 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Menander Olynth. & Chaeremon Thers. Svid. Principium non est â m, qi me vindico. Et Achaus, apud Athen. l. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, etc. N●n haec ego ultro di●o, sed me vindicans. to vindicate himself and those with himself, whom he finds to be so abused. 2. For my years, Sir, scof not at old age: you may live if God pleas, to come to it yourself; and for the remainders of my sickness, which I am not yet freed from, nor am like to be in haste: a Eccles 3. 1, 2, etc. Vide Iu●. & Coch. sickness and health are passages of God's providence, above man's power to dispose of: nor was it therefore in mine hand to make choice of my time for this trial of truth; but was necessitated to take it, as the wrong offered by yourself occasioned it, and as God had pleased to dispose. Besides, that the trial of truth in this cause was not now to be first new taken up by me, but had formerly been laboured in (as by b God's Eye on his Israel. my other work may in part appear) in time of better health: and you may see if you please thereby to understand, that my judgement then was the same, that now still it is. Nor is sickness I suppose, wont to make men much in the body, as you seem here to imply but less rather. Howbeit, Sir, I seem to understand your jeer and to conceive what spirit and body you intent; such spirit and body as may be justly suspected, notwithstanding all your vaunt of such a glorious spirit and light, that you have little yet of the one, but too much still of the other; otherwise being c 2 Cor. 4.16. & 12.10. much in bodily weakness, is not wont to be deemed any means of impeaching the work of grace in the soul. And thus fare shall suffice to all that you have replied, either to my Preface, or to the former part of mine Answer; all in effect as good as nought. Pass we now to consider of your Reply to the latter part, concerning divers Passages in your Treatise. Here at the very entrance into this Part of your Reply, you manifest yourself to be of that qarelsome disposition, that you pleased even now to fasten on me. For to pick out matter for a new qarell to begin with, you d Reply p ●. § 1. relate my words thus, That our Antinomian freegrace is not the same with the Prophets in the Old Testament and the Apostles in the New. And then you fall, as one in a chafing heat to chide, and demand, Why do you tell us of Antinomian, of Prophets and Apostles free grace? It is not the free grace of any of these.— I could as easily say, Mr Gatakers freegrace and the Legalists freegrace, as he the Antinomians freegrace; but such words and repoaches make neither you nor I speak better truth. Good Sir, e Ne saevi mag●e Sacerd●s. have patience awhile, I pray you be, not so hot and eager in your first encounter; do not begin with so much passion, especially having so lately promised, that you would not be in passion; unless your meaning were, for you are many times very ambiguous) when you said you hoped you should be no more in passion with me then with Mr Ley, that you intended to be in passion as much with me as you had been with him. But Sir, to come to a calm and serious reckoning with you: what is the cause and the ground of all this windy bluster? where doth Mr G. say, Our Antinomians freegrace, or the Prophets and the Apostles freegrace? I say only, as in the Frontispiece of my Book, so in the discourse itself, f Answ p. 6. That freegrace which we find here described and is by our Antinomians usually asserted, is such as differeth much from that which either the Prophets held forth in the Old Testament, or Christ and his Apostles preached in the New. And yet had I said, The Prophets and Apostles freegrace; I might well enough have justified it; for why might not one as well say, g Ephes. 2.20. ●od est ab ●psis positum & praedicatum. ●un. ad. Bellar. count. 3. l. 3. c. 23. the Prophets and Apostels' freegrace, as the Prophets and Apostels' foundation, and * ● Cor. 4.3. the Apostles Gospel? not theirs as Authors and owners of it; and yet theirs as taught and promulgated by them. But Sir, it seems you liked rather to be picking somewhat out of my work to find yourself work, which you found not in it; or to be piddling with that which had it been there found, had been of no moment, then to be dealing with those things that are indeed material, but you either shun or slight. And let any indifferent Reader now pass sentence; or let Mr S. himself, being by this time I hope, out of the fit he was in when he writ this, and in a calmer and cooler temper whither all this wind and dust were not raised to little purpose, and without any just occasion given, unless the matter propounded, and undertaken to be proved and made good against him, finding it somewhat too sound set on, and perceiving he could not so easily shift it of, might cast him into this frivolous and groundless distemper. And indeed, Sir, this may well the rather be deemed so to be, because you appear plainly so puzzled in that which ensues; that you shuffle much, and mash yourself like a fish in a net that 〈◊〉 not get out, in answering to what is objected in the one part, and again you slily slip away as an eel out of the fisherman's fingers, taking no notice at all of what you are charged with in the other. For first to prove, that according to these men's grounds freegrace was not preached by God's Prophets in times past, h Answ. 7. I reason thus from his own words there related. Where Gods love is to be had in way of purchase by duty and doing; and the whole efficacy is put as it were on the duty and obedience performed, there is no free grace, much less as these men describe it. But so it was, saith Mr S. in all the Ministry of the Prophets. No free grace therefore was preached by them. Now to this he Answers nothing but this, that i Reply p. 4. § 2. those terms inserted, as if, and in the way, and as it were, do clear him from such positive and exclusive assertions of freegrace, as I would make him speak. Which had need of some Oedipus to unfold unto us, and to tell us what he would have, or to which Proposition of mine argument, what he here saith, is to be applied. Sure the man was somewhat distracted or disturbed when he writ this: One would have thought, that these qalifying terms should rather have imported no such absolute denial, than no such absolute assertion of freegrace. But Sir, this plaster, make it up which way you will, and apply it where you please, will not serve to cover, much less to cure the foul sore of your assertions, or any whit to amend the matter. For look in what manner the Prophets propounded and preached it; in the same manner, and no other, could the people apprehend it; and if the Prophets then so propounded and preached it, as if it were to be had in way of parchase by duty and doing, then was it not either propounded or preached, as if it were freegrace, nor were the people then taught that it was to be had otherwise then by way of purchase; for in that way, say you, did all the ministry, that then was run; and if freegrace were neither preached to them, nor believed by them, than neither were they saved by freegrace; ( k 1 Cor. 15.1, 2. for it is that, that is preached to people, whereby they are saved, and not some other secret reserve) which yet l Act. 15.11. the apostle saith that they were. But Sir, to draw up all this debate to an issue; If the Prophets in their preach propounded God's love and favour so as if it were to be had by way of purchase, when as yet they knew, that it was to be had by freegrace, and not by purchase, and so intended, whatsoever they said; then they deluded God's people, and taught them one thing, when they knew and intended an other. Or if they taught in express terms, that it was a Psa. 55.1. not to be had by way of purchase; as yourself know they did, and b Treat. p. 24. 30. press their words to that purpose; (though abusing them grossly, as others of your strain do, to make people believe, that we do not preach such freegrace as they did) then Sir, you did wickedly and wretchedly, against your own knowledge, wrong and calumniate God's Prophets as well as other his Ministers, in affirming, that they propounded Gods love so unto his people, as if it were to be had by way of purchase. Now, Sir, out of these briers, wherein you have unadvisedly ensnared yourself, how with all your wit (for they give you out to be a very witty man) you will be able to unwind yourself, I see not. Mean while by what hath been said, may appear, how vain and idle c Reply p. 4. ● 2. your expostulations here are, and your complaints, of being unjustly dealt with; as if your words had been strained beyond their extent; when as nothing is drawn from them, but what they willingly yield, and by just and necessary consequence afford: nor are they racked any one jot beyond your intent; which is to prove that the Legalists (as you style them) of these times, do not preach free-geace, d Treat. p 163. because they preach as the Prophets did; both which also, by what after ensueth, shall yet more fully be made to appear. Nor do I marvel therefore that this unhappy Logic should so shrewdly stick in your stomach. e Reply ibid. I may see you say, what this Logic hath brought me to, e Reply ibid. to deceive myself, as well as my neighbour. Sir I neither desire to be deceived; (that f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato apud Epictet. l. 1. c. 28. & l. 2. c. 22. & Marc. comment. l. 7. §. 63. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉; Epict. l. 4. c. 1. Qis est, qi velit decipi? da religiosum, non vult fallere; da impium, sacril●gum, fallere vult, falli non vult; nolunt fallere boni: falli autem nec boni volunt, nec mali. Aug. de verb. Ap 30. Idem enchir. c. 17. falli nolunt etiam qi fallere amant: no man they say, would) g Oculum simplicem duo faciunt, cognitio veri, & dilectio boni; sive prudentia & benevolentia, ut animi oculus & pius sit qi fallere nolit; & cautus sit, qi falli neqeat. Bern. de praec. & disp. nor to deceive any: What should I gain by so doing? My desire and endeavour rather, is to undeceave those that have been deceived, deluded and led aside into error by you and and such as yourself, nor have you yet made it to appear, how I have here deceived either myself, or any other; or dealt any way unjustly with you. They rather may justly be suspected, to mind and intent deceit, who reject and labour to have that removed, whereby deceit may be discovered. But Sir, have you, who are reputed and reported by those of your party for a great Scholar, now qite cast of all Scholarship? or together with your Poetical raptures, as you term them, (which for my part I was never acquainted with) have you laid aside also your rules of Logic? If you have, it is to little purpose to debate or discuss aught with you, that will not be tied to rules of reason; for that privilege once obtained, you may without check or control, affirm what you list, and prate what you please; Or would you prescribe your adversary not to proceed Logically with you? you may as well bid him enter the lists with you, but lay his weapons first aside: or invite him to flourish, h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 9.27. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Loc●an de sect and beat the air round about you; but upon condition that he strike you not. Or do you imagine, as many now adays maintain, that in matter of divinity there is no use of Logic? for that is it, you seen to intimate in your Epistle Dedicatory, where you complain of a Miscelanie of Logic and Divinity: as if these two were things inconsistent the one with the other: and to make use of Logic in matter of Divinity were to i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Synes. Epist. 57 sow together things unsuitable. Concerning which absurd fancy, I might turn you over to a Divine of great note, that hath written a k N c. Vedeli Rationale Theol●gicum lib 3. comp●ehensū. large and learned Treatise, both to show and prove, the manifold and singular use of it Divinity. But that it may be, you would then tell me as l An end of one controversy. Sumw. p. 8. you do Mr Ley, that it is no good payment, to turn you over to an other, for what I stand bound to pay myself: though therein the m After-reckon. After-reckon it seems, hath given you so full satisfaction, that you are well content to let your action fall. Howbeit Sir, a little to satisfy, if not yourself, yet some others, that may peradventure be in danger of taking in this ridiculous conceit from you. 1. I would demand of you, or of any of them that so hold, how any point of Divinity, that is not in express terms laid down in God's Word, can but by the help of Logic be thence deduced; and yet how many points are there of undoubted truth, that have no other necessary ground, such deduction excepted? 2. Did not our Saviour himself make use of Logic, when from Moses by way of Syllogism, n M● th'. 22.31, 32. Luk. 20.37, 38. against the Saducees he confirmed the doctrine of the Resurrection? when o Math. 1●. 4, 6. from the Story of the Creation, and God's institution of Marriage, he discovered the unwarrantableness of groundless Divorces? when from the words of the Psalmist, p Matth. 22.43, 45. he asserted his own Deity; and from a passage of the Prophet Hoshea, q Math 12.7. the Lawfulness of that which his Disciples did on the Sabbath? Yea, do not the Apostles freqently by Logical Arguments prove points of Divinity, and confirm matters of faith; as Paul r Rom. 3. 2●, 28. justification, not by works, but by faith, s Rom. 6.2, 12. the necessity of sanctification and newness of life, in persons by faith justified; t 1 C●r. 6.15, 19 the foulness of fornication; u 1 Cor. 8.7, 1●. & 10.16, 21. the heinousness of feasting with Idolaters in Idoll-Temples, x 1 Cor. 15.12, 23. the resurrection from the dead and the like: or how think we, disputed he at Athens with y Act. 1●. 18. the Stoics, the men z Stoici ●ogicam sive Rationalem Philosophiū cum primis excolebant: qam Epicurei, licet repudiarent, tamen cum ambigua discernendi, salsa coargu●ndi, necessitas incumberet, alio nomine, Canonicae scil. introducere cogebantur. Laert in Zenon. & Chrysip. Senec. Epist. 89. of most repute for Logical skill in those times? doth not his Sermon itself show it? I might well, Sir, say to you, as Augustine to Cresconius, * Si Paulus dial●cticus erat, & ideò conferre cum Stoicis, qi Dialectici maximi erant, non timebat; cave ne Dialecticam cuiqam pro crimine objeceris, qa usos Apostolos confiteris. Aug. ad Crescon l. 1. c. 12.13. Sed & Christum ipsum. Ibid. c. 17. If Paul at Athens disputed with those chief Logicians the Stoics, beware how you object the use of Logic as a fault to any; which that the Apostles, yea, and Christ himself used, can not be denied. But I shall spare to spend more word in pursuit of this point, until Mr. S. further herein explain himself, and let us know what he will own in it, and how fare forth he will give those that deal with him leave to make use of their Logic. Sure, if reason be the eye of the soul, and Logic a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. the art or way, or method b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Plato Alcib. 1. of using reason aright; they that would debar men of the use of Logic, would have them either put out or seal up their eyes, that being blind or blinded, they may lead them as c 2 King. 6.19. the Prophet did the Syrian Troopers smitten with blindness upon his prayer, or transfer and carry them as the Falkner doth the Hank hoodwinked, whether themselves please. But Sir, I shall entreat you to give me leave, or shall be so bold as to take leave, whither you list to give it or no, to be a little further troublesome unto you with my Logic in something, wherein forbearing to relate mine Argument, you slubber over the matter after your wont manner of answering, as if so you said somewhat, it were not material whither or no it were to the purpose. I charge you with making Gods Prophet's del●ders of God's people; which though it be apparent enough, by what already hath been d Answ. p. 7 8. said, yet I do by this Argument further make good. Those that profess to Preach freegrace, and yet propound it with such conditions and qalifications, that though freegrace may be in the notion of it, yet it is not in the truth of it; they delude the people to whom they so preach. But the Prophets of God, say you, though they profess to preach freegrace, yet they propounded it with such conditions and qalifications, that though freegrace might be in the notion of it yet it was not in the truth of it. The Prophets therefore according to your assertions, deluded the people to whom they preached. Of the Proposition of this Argument, no man I suppose, will make doubt. And for the Assumption you must be enforced to own it, wind and wriggell you which way you will. For first, concerning the former part of it, that e Treat p. 24● 30. the Prophets professed to preach freegrace, you grant and produce as others also of yours do f Esay 55.1. a passage of Esay, to that purpose. And secondly, for the latter part, to wit, that it was by them tempered with such conditions and qalifications, as did eat out the very heart of freegrace, that though it were in the notion of it, yet it was not in the truth, I thus prove to be yours. If the conditions and qalifications used by the Legalists (as you style them) of these times, in preaching of the Gospel, being no other than such as the Prophets of God formerly used, are such as the free grace may be there in the notion, yet it is not in the truth of it; then was it by the Prophets so tempered, that though freegrace might be there in the notion of it, yet it was not in the truth of it. But the conditions and qalifications, say you, used by our legal teachers in preaching the Gospel, being no other than such as the Prophets of God formerly used, are such as though freegrace may be there in the notion, yet it is not in the truth of it. Therefore according to your assertions, the Prophets so tempered it that though fr●e grace might be there in the notion, yet not in the truth of it. The Proposition cannot be by any colour denied; for whatsoever destroys the nature and truth of freegrace, must needs be of the same force, wheresover it is found. And for the Assumption, neither do you, nor can you deny any part of it to be your own: For all that herein you charge the Legalists with, both now again and before, is g Treat Oc●●s ●●rd p ● preaching the Gospel with such conditions and qalifications as the Prophets did; and of such preaching you say in express terms, h Treat. p 16●. that though it may have a notion of free grace, yet it hath not the truth of it. Now Sir, let others judge, whither or no, I have justly charged you, with making Gods Prophet's deluders of his people; Yea, with casting an impious and blasphemous aspersion upon God himself, in making him i Occas. Word, p. 4. like a Master, that to seem liberal bad his servants fill his wine out freely, but had before ordered them to burn it so; that it should be too hot for them to drink. But your eagerness against the Legalists, makes you, with others of your strain, to oft too forget yourselves, and to aspers Prophets, and apostles, yea and God himself, together with them. For all that you reply here in defence of yourself, is no direct answer unto any part of the Argument: but (as if indeed you had never been acquainted with rules of Logic, or had wholly forgotten them, or were resolved utterly to relinquish them) you address yourself to the conclusion, which alone you relate, and tell us withal, that k Repl● p. 4. 5. § 3. The Prophets were no deluders of God's people, because God's people were then in their pupillage; and the way of teaching, which they then used, by pressing repentance, reformation, humiliation with commination and the law, etc. was the method and the strain, that the Spirit than taught them; but if they should so have held out Christ now, when the Ministration of the Spirit exceeds in glory, they should have sinned. Which, howsoever part, of it be true, and part of it most false; for neither did Christ, nor his Apostels' sin in preaching and pressing these things; as shall hereafter be showed they did; nor doth the preaching and pressing them any whit derogate from the glorious Ministration of the Gospel: Yet no part of it is at all to the purpose; nor helps any whit to clear you of that aspersion cast upon them, and upon the Spirit of God that then taught and directed them. For how doth this take off the crime you stand charged with, of aspersing God's Prophets, and God himself, as by them deluding his people, in pretending to preach and propound freegrace to them, whereas there was no truth, but a mere notion or fiction rather of it, (for what other thing is a notion without truth?) in that they taught? How doth it in any wise take it off I say? or not rather further confirm it, by telling us that they did no other but what the Spirit of God taught and directed them to do; and so devolving that base and unbeseeming carriage, wherewith, under the person of Legalists, you had aspersed God's Prophets, from them unto God himself and his Spirit? For what is this but to say, that God directed his Prophets so to propound free grace to his people, that though it might carry some semblance thereof with it, yet it should have no truth thereof in it: nor are they therefore to be taxed, as deluders of God's people; (though the Legalists delude them, when they do the like) because God taught them so to do. Thus you see, Sir, how in labouring to shift of your shameful abuse of God's Ministers and their manner of teaching, you do but plung yourself into further impiety, and set your mouth blasphemously against heaven itself. Yea, consider, how you add blasphemy to blasphemy; a new one concerning Christ and his Apostles, to your former concerning God and his Prophets; For if the Prophets, say you, have held out Christ in the New Testament as they did before, pressing repentance, reformation, humiliation, and with commination and the Law, they had sinned against the glory of that Ministration. Now Sir, to make a little further use of my Logic; l Mensura hypothetica est propositio aliqa categorica, ad qam semper revoc. ri debet. Bert. Logic. l. 2. c. 7. An hypothetical Proposition, they say, may be turned into an universal categorical; for example, this Conditional, If a man can see, he is alive; is all one with this, Every thing that seethe, liveth; this Proposition, If a man do evil, he sinneth; imports as much as this, Every one that doth evil, sinneth: When you say then, that the Prophets, if they had preached in the New Testament as they did in the Old, pressing repentance, reformation, humiliation, with commination and the Law, etc. they had sinned: It is just as much as if you had said, Those that preach under the New Testament, as the Prophets did under the Old, pressing repentance, etc. do sin ●n so doing. Now Sir, take we your Proposition, and subsuming what of the Apostles preaching will be made good, see what these premises will produce. Those that preach under the New Testament, as the Prophets did under the Old, pressing repentance, reformation, humiliation, and with commination and the Law, etc. do sin in so doing. But the apostles did under the New Testament preach, as the Prophets did under the Old, pressing repentance, reformation, humiliation, and with commination, and the law, etc. The apostles therefore sinned in so doing. Nay, rise we a little higher, Sir, and subsume what may with good warrant, yea, with clear evidence of truth be avowed; that Christ himself so taught; and consider seriously in what extreme impiety you here further involv yourself. Nor will it help you at all, what you add of such veils over Christ, and so much Law over Christ. For these, Sir, not the Types, are the veils you speak of: nor do degrees of more and less alter the truth and nature of the thing itself; nor are you able to show, that Christ preached and pressed these things any whit more sparingly then did the Prophets. But thus, Sir, the extremity of your malevolent affection to the Legalists doth so transport you, that m Qod de Cyro Xenoph. paed. l. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Democrit. ●racundia in temeritatem prona est: & pericula, dum inferre vult, non cavet. Scen. de i●a. l. 1. c. 12. while over-eagerly you desire and unadvisedly strive to wrong them, you either forget or regard not how you wrong yourself. Meanwhile, Sir, I suppose I have by your own grounds and grants made it good, that the freegrace which the Legalists teach, is the same with the freegrace that the Prophets preached: and that the freegrace which you and other Antinomians now teach, is not by your own confession such freegrace as the Prophets preached; unless you will acknowledge that which you hold out for free grace, to be nothing else (as of that, which with the Prophets we preach, you say) but a mere counterfeit of it. Proceed we now to examine, whither according to these your grounds Christ and his Apostles preached Gospel and freegrace or no: and whither our manner of preaching freegrace and the Gospel be not the very same with Christ and his Apostles preaching. And here, Sir, your assertions excepted against, whereof I made bold to mind you before; of n Treat p. 125. 126. no Covenant at all made with man in the Gospel; o Ibid. p. 193. nor any condition at all reqired on man's part but all on Gods own part; as in that with Noah, Gen. 9.11. as also, of your contradicting of yourself elsewhere, where you say that p Ibid. p. 163. the Gospel is made up among other things, of conditional promises; and of the q Ibid. p. 193. short work, and only Gospel work and way, you tell us of here; and your r Ibid. p. 17. 19 21. See Answ. p. 9 girding at those that tell men of repentance, and sorrow for sin, and self denial; or press these upon any as things reqired of all those that expect a share in the salvation purchased by Christ, etc. All these I say, with silence you let slip, as if they concerned you not to make good. Only your girding at those that bid men repent and be humbled, as legal teachers; you make some offer to justify in a Magisteriall manner thus demanding. s Reply p. 5. § 1. If you press repentance and humiliation legally, why wonder you at such words as legal Teachers? will ye do ill, and not be told of your faults? And so you proceed in a supercilious way of checking and scholing us, satis pro imperio. But Sir, 1. We might justly have expected other terms from one that had before professed so great t Occas. Word. p. 1. a desire to have the name of Legalist laid down. 2. I might return you your own Arguments: when you, or those you maintain, u See God's eye on his Israel p. 17.18. c. 2. affirm, that the moral Law is of no use at all to a believer, no rule for him to walk, nor to examine his life by; and that Christians are free from the mandatory power of it: yea, when in Pulpits they cry out, Away with the Law; in most horrid and hideous manner blaspheming it, and in it God himself the Author of it, by giving out and affirming, that x Ibid p. 18. the Law cutteth off our legs and then bids us walk; (which impious assertions I could never yet hear, that the Author of it ever recanted, though they give out that he professeth himself altered in his judgement, which if it so be, he may do well to make it more public for the undeceiving of those that were formerly misled by him) when I say, those at least whom you abet, if not yourself, do in this manner oppose and oppugn all use of the Law among Christians, and speak so opprobriously and despitefully of it, Why wonder you, if the name of Antinomians be given them? 3. You are to hasty with us, you tell us we do ill; but you show us not wherein; you charge us with ill doing, but you make it not to appear wherein it is that we have so done. If we press faith, repentance and humiliation, we are sure we do no other, than Christ and his Apostles before us did. Yea, but a Reply ibid. you press them legally. 1. And so saith your brother Eton, b Honeycomb. c. 5 p 84. Ans. p. 10. that Christ himself did. 2. But Sir, you might have done well to inform us, what it is to press these things legally: Is it because we press them, as things necessary unto the attaining of life eternal, and as reqired of all those that expect any share in the salvation procured and purchased, by Christ? What else do all those speeches of Christ and his Apostles before related, and the like amount unto? c joh. 8.24. Unless you believe that I am he, you shall die in your sins; d Luk. 13.3, 5. unless you repent, you shall perish? e Math. 18.3. unless you be converted, and become as little children, you cannot enter into the Kingdom of heaven: f Rom. 8.13. If ye live after the flesh you shall die: g Ephes. 5.5. you know, that no Whore-mongers, nor unclean person, or covetous man, who is an Idolater, hath any inheritance in the Kingdom of God and of Christ, with many others of the like strain. But h Reply p. 5. § 1. you blame not you say, any that bid men repent; or be sorry for sins, & be humbled, etc. if they preach them as Christ & the Apostles did, as graces flowing from him, and out of his fullness, and not as springings of their own, and waters from their fountain; as if these legal Teachers with Moses, would make men believe that they could with such rods smite upon men's hearts as upon rocks, and bring waters out of them, be they never so hard and stony. But Sir, in all this your rhetorical flourish (for that it seems you have not lost or left with your Logic) you do but i Omissis super qibus pugna est, de scammate & loco certaminis egred ens in peregrinis & alienis disputationibus immoratis. Hier. ad Pammarh. run out of the lists, and leaving your adversary k 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Non potest adversarium vincere, qi in dimicando non hostem, sed umbram petit. Lactant. l. 3. c. 28. skirmish with your own shadow. For 1. That they preach these things, as Christ and his Apostles did, hath formerly been showed; and shall hereafter again be further made manifest, when we have occasion to consider of, and compare together the particulars of either. 2. It cannot be proved, nor doth it any way appear, that either Christ or his Apostles in the pressing of these things (no more than the Prophets before them) did always in their sermons and preach, make mention withal of Christ as the person from whose fullness the grace did flow, whereby they were or might be enabled to do that which was then required. 3. That we preach these things to people as springings either of their own, or our own, and waters from our own fountain, or theirs, to whom we preach them (for you so speak as it is not easy to tell, whither you mean; but whither of the two it be, that you intend) it is a calumny, and l Turpe est hominem ingeniosum (aut ingenuum etiam) id dicere, qod si neges, probare non possit. Lact. Ibid. such a charge, as you are no way able to make good: but would fain fasten somewhat, whereon to ground matter of reproof, on those, whom you have engaged yourself to traduce, that you might have some colour to bear out your satirical jeering and girding at them in that your dramatical discourse. 4. You grant, Sir, that we press these things, as the Prophets did. But Sir, should either you or any other, say, that the Prophets of God did so preach them, as you here imply that we do, he should therein do them most notorious wrong, as charging them with a denial, or not ackowledgment, at least, of that grace of God, whereby those whom they preached these things unto, should be enabled unto the doing of them; nor can there be any difference assigned between the spring and fountain, from whence any such grace then issued, and that from whence the like now flows. In plain terms, look from whence or from whom any now receive power to believe, repent, be humbled and the like; from thence, and from him so many as in those times believed, repent, were humbled, received the like power then; and the Prophets teaching herein was according to the truth of God, and of the thing itself in those times, as well as Christ's and his apostles in their times was. 5. You abuse us notoriously, when you bear men in hand that we would have them to believe, that we can by such rods as these so smite upon their rocky hearts, as to make water run out of them. No, Sir, you speak untruly; we profess no such matter: yet we believe, that by such preaching God is able to break and mollify the most flinty heart that is; and we find by good proof, that by such preaching and pressing of repentance and reformation as you scof at, God hath to admiration wrought in this kind; and m See Act. 2.23, 38, 41. & 3.19. with 4.4. given thereby such success to his own ordinance, as may justly give you cause to be ashamed and abased, as well as abashed, for your jeering of it, and girding at it in that manner as you do. 6. How bold soever you think you may be with us, you might have done well to forbear your unmannerly dealing with God's Prophets, with whom too oft you are overbold: Can it not suffice you to spend your purulent matter on us, but you must needs spit some of it in Moses his face? where find you that n Exod. 17.6. Moses believed that he could with his rod make the Rock give water? It was neither Moses nor the rod, that made the Rock run with water; but God, who stood by to the deed, upon his smiting of the Rock. Nor did Moses believe that he could himself effect such a work by any power that himself had; nor did either he, or any other of God's Prophets presume that by any power of their own, they or their preach, were able to work on the hearts of those whom they spoke to: o See Deut. 29.4. & 30.6. Esai. 1. ●5. & 57.18. & 63.11, 17, 18. jer. 5.23 & 31.18. Zech. 12.10. unless God pleaseth to second them, and to accompany that his ordinance by them with the powerful work of his holy Spirit. But say you, p Reply p. 6. § 1. we agree with you, that repentance and sorrow for sin, and humiliation, and self-denial are all to be preached; and shall contend with you, who preacheth them most and clearest. And Sir, for this I may very well refer myself unto those that have been frequent auditors of your Antinomian teachers, how rise and serious, or how sparing rather and superficial, they are in this subject, if ever at least they light on it. It is to to well known, to be concealed or dissembled, what their deal are in this kind; by the concurrent reports of persons judicious and well affected; who having either occasionally, or living in those places where they have lectured, oft heard divers of them, too constanly and consonantly affirm, that they could seldom or never hear them handling this theme; unless it were by telling them, as you do in this Treatise, that it is enough for them q Treat. p. 84. to believe, that Christ hath repent for them, and confessed r See God's eye, etc. p. 25. their sins for them. No Sir, their teaching runs in an other strain, and bends mainly an other way, to incite to joviality, and being frolic, and making merry. To which purpose they have not stuck some of them to tell their hearers, that Jesus Christ when he was here upon earth, lived all his life long as if he had been set upon the merry pin: and why should not believers live in like manner? especially knowing that he now rules the roast in heaven: Yea, Sir, how you have in your Treatise preached and pressed repentance, may appear by the several passages formerly dealt with, and further yet to be discussed. 2. If you be so frequent in preaching of these things; why, do you check others, for doing as you say yourselves do? Yea, why do your hearers shun our Teachers, and are offended with them, because they press these points which their nice palates are nothing pleased with. s Reply ibid. But then, say you, because John said, repent; and Christ said repent; and Peter said, repent; are we to examine the mystery no further? know we not that the whole Scripture in its fullness and integrity reveils the whole truth? and must we not look out, and compare Scripture with Scripture, spiritual things with spiritual; and so finding out truth from the degrees to the glory and fullness of it, preach it in the same glory and fullness of it, as we find it? Sir, if they preach repentance and press it as necessary unto salvation, I hope we may be so bold as to preach the same after them in like manner; and in girding at us for so doing, you gird not at us alone but them. Nor are we ignorant, that the t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Basil. de fide. whole Doctrine of Faith, is to be received, that is contained in holy Writ; and that u Manifestorum lumine illustrantur obscura. Aug. Epist. 48. Obscuriores locutiones de manifestoridus illustrand. Idem doct. Chr. l. 2. c. 9 Collation of Scripture with Scripture, may afford much light unto places more obscure. But Sir, neither are these passages of any obscurity; being of the clearest almost of any, either in the Old Testament or New: Nor can any parcel of Scripture contradict or take away the truth of another; nor are any therefore to be taxed for the delivery of any truth that in Scripture they find recorded, or for urging & pressing any duty that they find there urged and pressed, and so frequently by such as you here instance in yourself. This is all therefore nothing but a pile of mere impertinences; as would plainly appear, would you but be entreated to rub up and resume your old Logic and truss up your lose stuff into some Syllogistical frame, that it might appear what you here oppose. Of the like condition is all that to little purpose, that ensueth, where you tell us; that a Reply ibid. We hear Christ preaching b joh. 7.39. before the Spirit was given, Repent; and we find when the Spirit was given, Christ is said c Act. 5.31. to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins; and shall we not now preach Jesus Christ, and repentance in Jesus, the fountain of repentance, the author of repentance; and repentance thus and repentance in the glory of itself more. 1. Christ then preached repentance; and repentance as of necessity unto salvation; and where find we, that ever he revoked this precept, or the doctrine concerning the necessity of it? 2. But this was before the Spirit was given; what Spirit Sir, is it you mean? was not that Spirit, which was given to those that believed and repent upon d Math. 21.32. John's preaching, and e joh. 4.41, 42.59. Christ's, before his passion, and before that f Compare joh. 7 39 with Act. 1.5. & 2 3, 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Scholar Graec.) & 19 more ample effusion of it, and the extraordinary gifts of it, spoken of by the Evangelist, in the place you seem to point at; the very same with that Spirit, that was given afterward for the working of faith and repentace in those, who in times ensuing g joh. 17.20. Act. 2.38.41. & 4.1. & 8.12. upon the Apostles preaching repent and believed? Or had they power to repent and so did without that gift of the Spirit, which the other afterward had not? So that these things in the one, should be (to give you your own words) as springs of their own, and waters flowing from their own fountain, in the other as graces flowing from Christ and his spirit. 3. But after the Spirit was given, Christ is said to give repentance and forgiveness of sins. And by whom, Sir, I beseech you, were these things given before? The Apostle tells us, that h Hebr. 13.8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Scholar Graec. Jesus Christ is yesterday, to day, and the same for ever. And whatsoever saving grace is now given from Christ by the Spirit, was always and in all times given unto all, that ever were saved by Christ; nor is there herein any difference between those times and these. If you think otherwise, you may do well to speak your mind plainly, for you talk very perplexedly; to make men believe, that we preach not repentance, as a grace of God by his Spirit, wrought in our hearts in and for Christ; which is most untrue; for we say and teach, that it is not only so now, but was ever so in all ages: whereas you by your ambiguous expressions seem to intimate the contrary. 4. But Sir, what is here to repeal the former precept of repentance? or to give any just, much less necessary cause, to alter our preaching and pressing of repentance, and the necessity of it, in the same manner I might well say, as the Prophets, but much more as Christ himself, before the Spirit was in that manner and measure given as after it was; when as the source and Original of it was ever the same, and the necessity of it, as well now as then yea, in all ages no less alike? 5. All therefore that hereafter followeth, concerning i Reply Ibid. the preaching faith in the glory of it, and faith in the revelation of it, and faith from Christ, and faith in Christ; because the Apostle saith k Act. 16.31. , Believe in the Lord jesus and thou shall be saved; and l Hebr. 12.2. jesus Christ is the Author and finisher of our faith, etc. All these, I say, are but flaunting flourishes brought in on the by, partly m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Plut. de vit. Epic. to put by what you should speak to, and partly to make heedless people believe that there is some new doctrine of faith by our new-light-men lately discovered, other and more excellent, then ever was taught, either by the Prophets of God in former times or by Christ himself in his preaching here upon earth; or by any the ordinary Ministers and Teachers of the Gospel, either in those times or in former ages. 6. For (not to stand upon the version of the word used by the Apostle, which signifieth rather o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Heb. 2.10. a Captain or Leader, than an p 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Heb. 5.9. Author or worker) who of us denies faith to be r Eph. 2 8. & 6.23. Phil. 1.29 the gift of God; or that God out of his love to us in Christ freely works it in us, that thereby we may be enabled to s joh. 1.12. receive Christ, and t Eph. 3.17. Christ by it may dwell in us? yea, we say that it was so, and was taught so as well before Christ's passion as since the same. As little to the purpose is what you subjoin, of a Reply ibid. one Scripture telling us, that b 2 Cor. 7.10. godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation; and an other saith c Zach. 12.10. , They shall look on him whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him etc. and then ask, Shall we not preach sorrow for sin from Christ piercing and wounding and melting the heart? 1. Who forbids you, Sir so to preach? or who denies, that the sight of Christ crucified for our sins by the eye of faith, is a singular mean of melting men's hearts into godly sorrow; and that even after they are in the state of grace, yea, and assured to of the pardon of their sins thereby purchased and procured? contrary to what you teach, that d Treat. p. 44. no trouble for sin can arise in the soul, but from the obligement of the Law, and the satisfaction it demands: against which to what is e Answ. p. 18. objected, you return nothing. 2 We teach therefore herein, as much as God's Word warrants: But we teach also with good warrant from the same Word, that God's ordinary way of bringing men over unto Christ, is by f Act. 16.18. & 16.31, 32. openi g their eyes unto a sight of their sins, and apprehension o● their lost and forlorn condition, unless they be saved by Christ; and by working their hearts unto a willingness to come out of their sins and go out of themselves, that they may by a true and lively faith, repair unto Christ, lay hold on him and receive him, that they may be saved by him. Thus were those g Act 2.23, ●7, 41. that Peter preached to, brought in; thus was Paul h Rom 7.10, 11 wrought on, as himself professeth. And Sir, because Christ calleth to come to him with promise of refreshment, such only as are i Math 11.28. weary of, and burdened with the weight of their sins: nor do we find any invited unto the waters of life, (which yet are k E●ai. 55.1. freely propounded) but such as spiritually l joh. 7.37, 3●. Revel 2●. ●7. thirst after them: nor are any by the Prophet presumed so to thirst, but those only that are m Esai. 55.2, 3, 6, 7. willing to hear and obey, and reform their lives, and return to God● We therefore dare not presume to tell men as you do and others of your way, that they may come to Christ and receive him, though no such work at all be wrought on them but they continue still in their wont sinful courses; and this indeed is that that you scof us for, because we dare not be so presumptuous to say herein as you say. 3. Yea Sir, we say further, from that very place of Zachary which you here cite; that, as n Zach. 12.10. ● 13.1. there is no fountain opened for sin and uncleanness unto any, until this work be wrought on them; so that all those who now believing on Christ, do by the eye of faith behold Christ pierced by their sins, cannot but be much grieved and troubled for them; and that as well for those sins that after their conversion they commit, as for those which before it they committed: since that the one was a procuring cause of Christ's sufferings as well as the other; nor is there less cause to be humbled and grieved for the one, then for the other. 4. Little to the purpose therefore is it, for you to tell us; that o Reply p. 6 ibid. Christ was s●nt p Act. 5 31. to give repentance, and pardon of sins; for not q Luk. 24.47. this without that, nor pardon of sin without (I hope) but upon repentance; which none of us ever denied; but tell us, Sir, plainly, if you dare speak it out; that men though they repent not yet may believe in Christ, and be saved by Christ (that which is commonly asserted by those of your way; and is also covertly hinted by you, as elsewhere is and will be showed) otherwise you here r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor 9.27. ut qi a●tema jactat Brac●ia p●oterd●ns, & verberat ictibus aeras, Vng. Aen. l. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Eustath. ad II. ●. beat but the air about you, you smite not us, nor touch by way of reproof or rejection ought that is held or taught by us. The like doom belongeth (to give it his due) to what followeth next with you, that t Math. 16.24. One Scripture biddeth, s Reply, Ibid. He that will follow me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross: an other saith, u Phil. 2.13. It is he that works in us, both to will and to do; and v Phil. 4.13. I am able to do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me. 1. For what is all this also to the present purpose? 2. And yet Sir, you may do well to add the Apostles inference; x Phil. 2.12, 13 It is God that works in you both to will and to do▪ of his good pleasure: and therefore work you out your own salvation with fear and trembling: a lesson that those of your way lust not to hear of, to learn and take out, much less; yet a better, safer, and wholesomer inference then that of one of yours from the place of Zachary: There is y Zach. 13.1 a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. Therefore let believers sin as fast as they can, there is a fountain open to wash them in: and what such wholesome exhortations tend to who seethe not? z See God's eye, etc. Pref. p. 18 C. 2. But how these things make to the matter in hand, you will show us, I hope in the close. For there you undertake to state a Reply p. 7. the difference between you and us. 1. That we preach Christ and the Gospel and the graces of the Spirit in the parts as we find it: whereas you dare not speak the mystery so in pieces: you see such preaching answers not the fullness of the mystery, the riches of the Gospel, the glory of the New Testament, as belike yours doth. But Sir, 1. Do we preach these things, as we find them in parts? where do we thus find them but in the word? and if we preach them so as we find them there; we are sure, that we have warrant for such preaching good enough: and need not therefore fear either yours or any man's censure, for our so doing. 2. Is there any piece we find in the word, that we leave unpreached? if we wave none at all, though we preach them in pieces, as we find them preached by Christ and his Apostles before us yet preach we the whole, for b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Arist. metaphies. l. 4. c. 26. all the parts and pieces make up the whole, and your censure of us is most frivolous. 3. Consider Sir, what an insolent claim after your wont manner you here made; as if you were the only men forsooth, that preach the fullness of the mystery, the riches of the Gospel, and the glory of the New Testament. But Sir, I see we must bear with you; for you seem so highly conceited of, and strongly yea strangely transported with the conceit of your own way of preaching, that unless you be vaunting and bragging of it you burst. 4. Consider what aspersions you cast hereby upon the Apostles of Christ, yea, upon Christ himself, to wit, that they preached not the fullness of the mystery, nor the riches of the Gospel, nor the glory of the New Testament; (for they delivered these things in pieces, as by their Sermons and Epistles whence we take them, yourself confessing it, as we find them, appears) but left that it seems to be done by you, and those of your side. Whither will not the insolency of man's haughty heart dare to ascend? and yet observe their hyprocrisy; they dare not forsooth, do as we do, preach these things in pieces as the apostles did, humble minded men, that dare not be so presumptuous as we are, and yet under colour of this not daring to do as not we alone, but the Apostles also before us did, dare advance and extol their own way of teaching above not our teaching alone, but theirs also, and the Holy Ghost itself that taught by them; c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, M rc. Imp. l. 12. § 27 no pride worse, or more abominable than that, which cometh shrouded under the weed and wimple of humility, and by seeming to stoop, strives to lift up itself. 2. d Reply, Ibid. You find, you say, that in the fullness of the New Testament, Christ is sit up as a Prince, as a King, as a Lord, as a crown and glory to every grace and gift: nay, he is made not only righteousness, but sanctification to, and so you preach him: Whereas to preach his riches without him, his graces by themselves, singel, and private; as repent and believe; and be humbled, and deny yourselves, we make the gifts lose much of their glory, Christ of his praise, and the Gospel of its fullness. To all which vain glozing I Answer. 1. Which of us deny Christ any part of this his honour? or how preach we faith in Christ, repentance unto remission of sin by Christ; or self-denial, as a duty reqired by Christ of all those, that look for salvation from Christ; how can we preach any of these thus, and not withal preach Christ? But Sir, still you proceed, without fear or shame as if you had cast both away, to asperse our Saviour himself and his blessed Apostles, in whom and with whom we find the duties by you here mentioned, in the self same manner pressed, as you here propound them; nor is there any ground or colour of reason for any to imagine, that whensoever they preached any of these duties unto any, or pressed them upon any, they did withal instruct them in the whole doctrine and mystery, concerning the power and principality of Christ. Read over our Saviour's e Math. 5. & 6. & 7. large Sermon in the Mount; his other long f Math. 13. Sermon by the Seaside; his discourse g Math. 24. on Mount Olivet with his Disciples; his h Math. 16.23.27. lessoning of them upon Peter's carnal advice; i Act 8.20.23. Peter's spiritual exhortation and advice to the Sorcerer; James whole Epistle, and john's and Judes; and as you find their exhortations to be framed, so judge whither they come not within the compass of this arrogant man's censure, who little regards how he brands or upbraids God's Prophet's, Christ's Apostles, yea Christ himself, and their preaching and teaching, so long as together with them he may ding some dirt on the faces of them and their doctrine, whom in the height and pride of his censorious spirit he looks upon, either k See Ans. p. 30 as mere impostors or as punies to himself in the mystery of Christ and the Gospel. But 2. Sir, we have learned to distinguish between Christ himself and the Graces of his Spirit, and those duties or actions, the performance whereof is reqired of all those, though by grace from God received thereunto enabled, that desire or expect to be saved by Christ, and to give each his due and proper place; nor do we jumble these things together, as you and those of your strain are wont to do: whereof to give the Reader a taste, though of no very good relish, I shall relate some passages that myself heard delivered by c Heydon a ●usie spread r of Mr eaton's books. one of them in a Sermon, which as I was afterward informed, had been preached in divers places. The Scripture he undertook to handle, was 1 Joh. 3.7. Little children, let no man deceive you, He that doth righteousness is righteous even as he is righteous: In opening whereof he told his Auditory, that there was a twofold righteousness, a righteousness inherent, and a righteousness imputed; an active and a passive righteousness: the former was the righteousness of the Law, the latter of the Gospel and that the latter, to wit, the imputed or passive righteousness was the righteousness that the Apostle here spoke of; and in prosecution of his matter, he expounded all the places he qoted, wherein any duty was reqired, not as to be done by us but as done by Christ for us, & so to be believed of us. For example, d Math. 7.21. Not every one that calls me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father in Heaven; that is, he that hath done it in Christ and believeth that Christ did it for him, and e Math. 12.50 He that shall do the will of my Father in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother, that shall do it in Christ, and believe that he hath done it for him; and f Eph. 4.24. put on the new man, which is after God created in righteousness and true holiness, that is, Jesus Christ by believing his holiness and righteousness imputed unto you: and g 1 Cor. 15.58. abounding in the work of the Lord; that is, in believing in Christ, (for that is h joh. 6.29. the work of God) and what he hath wrought for you. Beside many other Scriptures in likemanner vexed and racked, and being afterward charged with wronging his text, in expounding it directly contrary to the express words of it; and to the coherence of it with the rest of the context; he boldly and peremptorily affirmed that all that went before of i 1 joh. 3.3. purifying himself, and k Ibid. v. 6. not sinning, and that followed after, not of l Ibid. v. 9 committing sin, and m Ibid. v. 10. doing righteousness, was all to be understood of imputation and justification, or of imputed and passive righteousness, as he was pleased still to style it. But thus he, to which I might add what an other of them writes; that n H. Den Confer p. 30. in some, p. 18. Faith is, as the learned know, (but what learned, I know not) a part of repentance: and Repentance and faith differ, as whole and part, and o Ibid. p. 32. or 20. Faith is our new life. Nor Sir, do yourself much swarve from this manner of teaching, when you tell your readers, as was before showed, that p Treat. p. 84. 85. Christ hath believed and repent for them; and they must believe that their faith and repentance is perfect in Christ. 3. As for what you say, from the Apostle q 1 Cor. 1.30. that Christ is made not only righteousness, but sanctification also to us (and do not we say and teach the same?) good Sir, keep you close to this; and be pleased to press it upon your people; for if it be so, then undoubtedly r Rom. 6 2, 16. 1 Cor. 6.10, 11. no unsanctified person hath any share yet in Christ; nor are any justified by him, who are not with all sanctified, and the one consequently may be a good evidence of the other, all which yet your positions impugn and oppose; as in due place shall appear. But proceed we to the residue of your reply. In the next place therefore, s Ans. p. 9.10. skipping over (belike you found the ground to hot under your feet) all the instances given of our Saviour's assertions; which should you set your Amen to, you must needs pass sentence against yourself on our side for delivering the like: and t Ibid. p. 10. that blaspehmous inference which from your own grounds you stand justly charged with, and will never be able to wipe off; as also u Ibid. p. 11. the Answer to your Objection, of Christ's mentioning faith only in some places; which you endeavour not to take away; and being duly considered, might in one line have blown away all the dust that you have raised in the last foregoing passages, wherewith to dim your reader's eyesight. These things over-skipt, you proceed to answer that plea of ours, as unjustly taxed by you, and termed Legalists, x Ibid. p. 11.14. for preaching faith and repentance and newness of life, in the very same manner and method that John, Christ and his Apostles did; who by collation of places are evidently showed from the first to the last, to have observed the selfsame method. The Answer you return hereunto (not denying at all that they all therein conspired) is this, that a Reply p. 7. § 1. you tax us only, for that we preach it not as they aid according to the full revelation of it in the New Testament; but we preach it only, as we find it in their Summaries, and in the brief narration of their doctrine: which we ought not to do. But Sir, this is your old ᵇ Cuckoos song; q 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. which ever anon to little purpose you repeat; and helps to fill up your pages, and take off your Reader, when you are at a loss and find yourself destitute of any satisfactory Answer to matters objected. For 1. Is there aught in their Summaries, that is not sound doctrine and good Gospel? 2. Are not these things pressed by them, as duties to be necessarily done and performed by all those that are saved by Christ? 3. Can you justly charge us with concealing any part of the Gospel, found in any book of holy writ? 4. Was this the meaning of John, or Christ, or Peter, or Paul, when they called upon people to repent, Repent: that is, Believe that Christ hath repent for you; and you have perfectly repent in him? or when they exhorted men to believe, was this their meaning, Believe that Christ hath believed for you; and you believe perfectly by virtue of that his belief? For this with you, Sir, is the full revelation of the New Testament, which yet you must pardon us, if we believe it not on your word, because we find it not in Scripture. Mean while Sir, you are to Magisteriall in telling us, that we should not do so, as we see such as these are before us do, and we must reqest you, c Patere nos cum istis errare, ut Hieron. ad Aug. Siqidem, Tales honestus error est seqi deuces, ut Fab inst●t. l. 1. not to blame us if we deem their practice better warrant to bear us out herein, than your bare word to beat us out of it. But, d Reply p. 7. 8. you will herein condemn me you say, out of mine own mouth. For I say of the apostles, that we have but Summaries of them, as in Act. 2.40. and 16.31. and we knowing this, preach only by their first methods and Summaries, not looking to the revelation of the mystery, which the Apostle saith e Rom. 16.25, 26. it now made manifest. Sir, He that hath but half an eye may easily descry, what monsters you are secretly brooding, though you dare not yet offer them to open view: But let us discuss your words a little. 1. Where do I say of the Apostle, that we have but Summaries of them? no such matter, Sir; I say only f Answ. p. 13. we have not their whole sermons; but some brief summaries, and principal heads of them: wherein yet we find more preached, enjoined and pressed, than you would have taught; to wit, repentance as well as faith: That which is sufficient to stop your mouth, and to cut of your g Treat. p. 123. short cut, of making faith the only Gospel work and way, because the other in some places is not mentioned: But I say not, that we have brief Summaries only of the Apostles doctrine. For we have whole Epistles, and in them very large and plentiful discourses and disputes; Yea, in those Summaries of their Sermons, and their other writings, together with those pieces of holy Writ, penned by other holy men, immediately directed, and infallibly guided by the Spirit, we have all things necessary to be known, believed or practised, for the attainment of salvation by Christ, fully delivered. 2. If we do ill in preaching after their first methods; good Sir, be pleased to show us where or when they altered their methods; or where having at first preached, and pressed upon people, faith, retance, and newness of life, they afterward revoked and repealed any part thereof, as though formerly needful, yet no more necessary then, or where they imposed aught on any, that came not within compass of these; which if you be not able to do, you have little reason to control us for preaching after that method which they retained, and constantly held on to the last. 3. Whereas you say (and that it seems is the mischief, and the main ground of the qarell, that we admit not h Treat. p. 204. your more glorious new lights, as you term them) we look not to the revelation of the mystery, which the Apostle said is now made manifest: Sir, you put me in mind of Dr Alabasters dotage, of i Apparatus mysticus in Revelationem Christi. a new way of expounding Scripture, which Solomon had foretold, should in these latter days come to light; and was accordingly now reveiled to him: For in like manner, it seems you would make us believe, that the Apostle in his times foretold of some mysteries, that should in these days be made known; and that the same are now reveiled to yourself, and your associates. But, good Sir, when the Apostle saith in the place you point us to, k Rom. 16.25.26. The revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began; but now is made manifest, and by the Scriptures of the Prophets made known to all Nations, for the obedience of faith: did he not speak of the times wherein he lived; and of that mystery of the Gospel, which though concealed formerly from the Gentiles, yet had been manifested by God's Prophets from time to time to his people, and was l Act. 3.24. & 26.22. & 28, 23. out of their writings, and according to the same, by himself, and other the Apostles and Ministers of Christ, in those days preached, reveiled, and made known also to the Gentiles? Or, can you hope that any, unless fanatical and fantastical people (I will not say, like yourself) can be persuaded (and yet, what are not such prone to believe?) that the Apostle, when he spoke that, should so much as dream of Mr S. or I know what other Enthusiasts, and of some Mysteries, that in these times should be reveiled to him or any other; which the Apostle himself was either ignorant of, or was loath to trust pen and paper with? But this, Sir, may well render you justly suspected, to be one of the Revelationists, reported to be rise abroad. Howbeit, you must excuse us if we take you not, for any such extraordinary man, either Prophet or Apostel, until you produce a better patent for it. And by your own grounds such an one you must be, if you will profess yourself a dispenser of the Gospel; what else import those words of yours elsewhere, that * Reasons for uni y, § 7. Both Presbyterians and Independents have need of Seekers, because none of them have the Ordinances by the first pattern in the Word, as by Apostleship and Baptism of Spirit: But concerning this more anon, where you are harping on this string again. As for John's manner of preaching, m Reply p. 8. his preaching, you say, aught to be no more an example to us then his baptism; and that we know the least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 1. It is true, we know, n Math. 11.11. our Saviour so saith; and in that respect wherein he so spoke, we deny it not; though we stand not now to discuss it; because it would reqire a large discourse. 2. But Sir, for the exampell of John's preaching, and the duties he reqired of those that should be saved by the Messiah, whom he preached, we may well make him our pattern; for that the things reqired by him were such as were in all ages the same; and the rather are we emboldened so to do, because we find the Apostle Paul in his preaching by his own report (as I have o Answ. p. 14. showed in mine Answer) treading precisely in his steps, and p Act. 26.19, 20. paralleling him to an heir: howsoever such preaching (it seems) is now out of date, since the day of other more glorious mysteries reveiled unto you and yours. 3. Nor know I any reason, why his baptism for the substance of it, should not be an example to us also in these times, being q Mark. 1.4. the baptism of repentance unto remission of sins; that is, if I mistake not, baptism obsigning remission of sins upon condition of repentance. But this expression you take exception to, and cannot endure to hear faith, repentance, and new obedience, termed conditions of life and salvation; and ask r Reply p. 8. § 2. why I keep not the wholesome words of Scripture; and where the Scripture calleth these conditions of salvation. Sir, I will not make stay to insist on the like demand from you, whether Christ's believing for us, and repenting for us, be either Scripture phrases or contain in them Scripture doctrine; either such as is found expressed in Scripture, or such as may by necessary consequence be thence deduced; It may peradventure be one of those mysteries that have since the Apostles writings been revealed unto yourself and some others, who take upon them to mould us out a new notional Divinity, not in words and terms only, but in matter of faith, other than from the Scriptures which with many are now grown into contempt, we had formerly received. Nor will I stand to examine whether by such demand you intent to help out Paul Best, that blasphemous beast his impious assertions: (For s Videantur Dionysius Alex. apud Athanas. de ejus Sent. Gregor. Naz. de Theolog. Orat. 5. Ambros. de fide c. 5. Aug. epist. 178. that was the main objection the Arian and others of that way used, that the Names and Terms were not found in Scripture:) the rather to be suspected, because you are so eager a pleader t Reasons for Vn ty, § 4. for opinions of all sorts. Nor will I take exception to your misrelating of my words, that faith, repentance, and new obedience are conditions of life and salvation; for I not where so speak, but that u Answ. p. 11.12. pardon of sin and salvation are propounded and preached upon condition of faith, repentance and newness of life, which are the conditions of the Gospel; and yet may they also be so termed, as conditions of peace, x Luk. 14.31. upon agreement unto, and performance whereof, peace may be had, which otherwherewise cannot be obtained. Only Sir, I shall endeavour by help of Logic out of Scripture thus to y 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Athan. de Syn. Nic. Idem fere Cyr l. de Tr nit. dial. 1. justify the use of that term. That which is so propounded as that being performed life and salvation may undoubtedly be attained, and without which it cannot be had; may well be termed a condition. But such are the things before mentioned. They may therefore justly be termed conditions. Yea, but this say you, is a Reply ibid. to make a condition by consequence; and the interpreting of the Spirit thus in the letter, and by consequence hath much darkened the glory of the Gospel; and when as b john. 6.53. some of Christ's Disciples took his words as I do, under a condition, c Ibid. 63. Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, & c? the words, saith he, that I speak are Spirit. Sure the man is in a strange humour; he would have those that deal with him, to make themselves no better then mere bruits; for they must divest themselves, not of Logic only, but of Grammar too; both of common speech and common sense; they must not interpret the Spirit by consequence: as much as to say in plainer terms, they must deduce nothing by consequence from Scripture; especially when it shall cross any Tenent of his, nor must they say, that such a speech imports a condition; though they find it usherd in with a conditional particle; and therefore, though nisi or except, be such an one in our Saviour's assertion, yet it must by no means there import a condition. For as for what he subjoins, that some of the Disciples should stumble at those words of our Saviour, because they took them as I do, under a condition: and that our Saviour therefore told them, that the words he spoke were Spirit: And what then? that they were not to be taken rherefore under a condition? as if in Spiritual things conditions could not be as well as in carnal; these things are so palpably absurd, that it is a wonder how they could possibly find entrance, I say not, into any Scholar's skull, but into any illiterate fellows head piece, unless his brainpan were not lightly crafied only, but clean cracked. For who is so void of common sense, as not easily to apprehend, that the ground of their startling at that passage, was not the taking of the words as conditionally conceived, which our Saviour no where waives; but the d Carnaliter intellexerunt, qod spir tualiter int●lligendum erat. Aug. in joan. 27 & de doctr. Chest. l 3. taking of that carnally, which was to be understood spiritually, was that wherein they were mistaken, and which our Saviour meets with in that after-speech. But some things, they say, are so apparent of themselves, that though it may well be deemed a fond labour to spend many words about proof of them, yet e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Epict. l. 1. c. 5. it is not so easy by argument to confirm them against an obstinate opponent; not because they are not of unqestionable truth, but because they are of themselves so clear, being in the nature of principles, that it is hard finding out a medium to prove them by, that is not less clear than themselves; as that two and two make four; and that contradictories ever divide truth and falsehood: And just such are those assertions that Mr S. here opposeth, that Collections may by consequence be framed from Scripture; that Conditions may be in spiritual things, as well as in carnal; that Conditional particles imply a condition: that a Condition is where the whole nature of a condition is found. But that this man herein striveth against the clear light of truth shining into his soul, or within him rather by that candle of natural reason that God hath set up in his soul; only to run counter to the Legalists, whom his soul so much abhorreth, may hereby appear, in that when this fit of opposition is a little over, and this heat of passion somewhat allayed with him, and the man is come again now to himself, he freely of himself confesseth, that f Treat. p. 163. the Gospel is form up of exhortations, conditional promises, etc. (unto which elsewhere objected, he returned not a word;) and what other promises but these, and such as these, the Gospel should be made up of, I suppose Mr S. himself is not able to show, nor do I believe that he meant any other. Howbeit, it may be, that out of some nice subtlety, though he grant conditional, he will deny condition, as in an other subject he seems to have some such subtle reserve, where, though he use the word divinity, yet he scoffed the title of a Divine: as I am informed that some other also now do; but they perchance merely for some want of Scholership; but Mr S. a professed Scholar, I am sure, cannot be ignorant, that a Divine and Divinity, condition and conditional are vocabula, yea and argumenta conjugata. But however, Sir, lay aside, if it be so offensive to you, the term of condition: for to maintain strif about words, is but a vain expense of time. Do you but acknowledge, that upon believing in Christ, repenting of sin, and leading a new life, life and salvation may undoubtedly be attained; and that without these it cannot be had; and we shall herein be soon agreed: or if you dare, deny it, and so give our Saviour Christ himself and his Apostles the lie; whom I have showed in express terms by testimonies unavoidable so to affirm. But here you object; 1. That g Reply p. 8. § 2. th●se that are Christ's, do not repent and believe and obey, that they may be Christ's; for God hath chosen us in him, and predestinated us unto the adoption of Children in Jesus Christ. But, Sir, 1. All this proves not that these things are not conditions of the Gospel, or that any can have part in Christ without them. i Gra●is hoc qoque pr●stitum est; gratis, qod ad t● att●●et; n●m qu●ad ●ll● n●n gratis: salvus fact●s es pro nihilo; sed non de nihilo tamen, Bern. Ser. in Psal. 90. 2. The Apostle telleth us in express terms, that h Gal. 2.16. he believed in Christ, that he might be justified by Christ, thereby implying that he was not actually justified, or had part in the justification procured and purchased by the death of Christ, until he believed. And albeit the ransom, whereby we are freely (in regard of ourselves) justified, be wholly in Christ jesus; yet is he said to be k Rom 3.24.25. set forth for an atonement unto us through faith in his blood; nor were those l Rom. 11.23, 24. branches of the w●ld Olive, which were taken to succeed in the room of those who were broken off, actually in Christ, but m Epes 2.12. out of Christ, until upon their believing they were engrafted into Christ. 3. As n Epes. 1.5. God hath predestinated us unto the adoption of sons in Christ; (that is, to be adopted through Christ; as he is said to have blessed us with all spiritual blessings in him) so hath he elected, them whom he was pleased so to single out in his counsel and purpose from eternity, o Ibid. v. 3. p jam. 2.5. to be rich in faith, saith one Apostle, q Ephes. 1.4. to be holy and unblameable before him in love, saith an other Apostle, and the same again; r 2 Thes. 2.13. he hath from the beginning chosen you unto salvation, by the sanctification of the Spirit and the belief of the truth; or by sanctification of the Spirit and true Faith; nor can any man therefore have life and salvation without these. 2. s Reply ibid. Consider (say you) what straits you bring the Gospel into; first y●u make life appearing to be had in the covenant of grace, as at first in the covenant of works; do this & live, so believe, repent, obey and live; thus runs your doctrine; nor can you with all your distinctions make faith in this consideration less than a work, and so put salvation upon a condition of works again. Is this freegrace? I pass by your first here without a second; we shall meet with the like again hereafter: as also, that to say believe and be saved; repent and be saved, is to put salvation upon a condition of works again. t Q●d ille a●ud Co●●icum A●lul. 1. Pactum non pactum est; p●ctum non pactum, ubi vobis lub●t. A condition is a condition, when it pleaseth you and may seem to make for you: it is no condition, when you list to mislike it, because it will not serve your turn. But 1. Sir, you should do well, or ill rather (if you dare be so bold) to tell our Saviour, he hath brought the Gospel into straits by saying, a Mark. 16.16. whosoever doth not believe shall be damned, and b joh. ●. 24. unless you believe in me, ye shall die in your sins, and, c Luk. 13.3.5. unless you repent you shall perish: and, d joh. 6.53. unless ye eat my flesh, and drink my blood, you have no life in you: and e Math. 18.3. unless ye be converted, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of heaven: and, f Math. 7.21. none shall enter into the Kingdom, but he that doth the will of my Father in heaven: according whereunto also the Apostle, g Heb. 5.9. He is Author of salvation to all that obey him. Now suppose, Sir, we were not able to answer all your cavils, yet were we bound to stick close to these truths so expressly delivered and taught us by Christ, and not suffer ourselves to be beaten off from them, by any exceptions, that any froward heart or wanton wit, should to puzzle us, make against them. Be pleased therefore, Sir, to set us a while aside, and if you lust to be contending with Christ, advise or request, (whither you please) him to consider a little better of the business, what straits he hath brought the Gospel into, by these and other the like assertions; for we have no cause to doubt, but that he will own his own words; though you may well have just cause to doubt, what thank you shall have from him, for qarelling with, and cavilling in this manner against them. 2. You say, that thus runs our doctrine; but we demand of you, whither Christ's doctrine run so or no; whereunto you dare not return any direct answer, for you cannot deny it: only you tell us of a further mystery, that is of late reveiled unto yourself and I know not who: which is all nothing to the purpose; nor doth any thing, that out of Scripture you have alleged, at all cross or contradict that which you here call our doctrine, but is indeed Christ's; as unless you have so brazed your brow, that you have rubbed all shame off it, you cannot but acknowledge; but whither you do or no, others seeing it thus laid in precise terms before you, will thereby easily know what to deem of you, unless you so do. 3. But h Reply ibid. we cannot, say you, with all our distinctions make faith in this consideration less than a work; and so put salvation upon a condition of works again. 1. The Apostle could distinguish, and doth distinguish, between faith and works: and we know therefore that in this business they may be distinguished, and are distinct; and though we were not able to show, how they are to be distinguished, yet would not that prove, that distinguished they could not be. But Sir, you are not able with all your Sophistry (for Logic you renounce) and fond flourishes, to take off that aspersion which you have cast upon the Apostle as if he therefore preached life to be had in the covenant of grace, 〈◊〉 otherwise then as before in the covenant of works, because he presseth faith as n cessary to the attaining of salvation by Christ: whereas he thereby in express terms distinguisheth the two covenants, the one from the other; not by rejecting or excluding faith, but by taking it in, as opposed to works in that manner as in the former they were exacted; for these are his words: i Rom. 10.5, 6, 9 Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the Law, that the man which doth these things, shall live by them. But the righteousness, which is of faith, speaketh on this wise;— If thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe with thine heart, that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved: and the words are so clear, to evince his acknowledgement of that that you would fain fasten as an aspersion upon us, that if the aspersion be just, it must of necessity light as well on him as on us; and k Cernis nempe, cum q●bu● tua maledicta sustineamus; cernis cum qibus nobis sit causa communis, qam nulla consideratione sobria pulsare calumniis & expugnare conaris; cernis qam tibi pernici sum sit tam horribile crimen objicere talibus, & qam nobis gloriosum sit qodlibet crimen audire cum talibus, Aug ad jul. l. 1. c. 2. we are not unwilling with him to bear it. 2. Nor yet is this spoken, as if, according to your vain and peremptory sentence passed upon us, we were unable to distinguish between the act of faith reqired in the latter covenant, and works exacted in the former. For we might stop your mouth with your own words in your next paragraph, where you tell us, that faith is the glorious Gospel work; and so point us to a distinction, that we might make some use of in this argument; but that we find you so flagging and fluttering too and fro, that we scarce know where to have you, or how to lay hold on you. The difference between these hath by our writers been long since observed, whereof from their writings you might easily have been informed, had you deigned to consult them: to wit, that in the Covenant of works, works are considered, as in themselves performed by the parties to be justified and to live, without reference unto aught done or to be done for them by any other: whereas in the Covenan of grace, Faith is required and considered, not as a work barely done by us, but as an instrument, or mean, whereby Christ is apprehended, & received, in whom is found, & by whom that is done whereby God's justice is satisfied, and life eternal meritoriously procured for us; that which carrieth the power and efficacy of all home to Christ. Now Sir, what a vast difference there is between these two may appear, if you will be but pleased to consider, how fare these two propositions are asunder, Pay your debt of a thousand pounds, and be free; and, Rely on such a friends satisfaction made for it, and be as free as if you had made full payment and satisfaction yourself. He is either very dim-sighted, or wilfully winks, that sees not what distance there is between these two agreements, and how they suit with the two Covenants, that we to are distinguish: which Mr S. would here make to be a matter of so great difficulty that we must needs be non-plussed in it. As for repentance and new obedience; there is, as much difference between them and faith, in regard of its peculiar office, in this latter Covenant; so much more between them and works in the former. 1. Between them and faith, in the point of justification, or the discharge of a sinner from the guilt of his sins; for that, howsoever they are both reqired as conditions to be necessarily performed by all those that expect life, or pardon of sin, and salvation by Christ; yet neither of them comes in, as having any hand in the business of our justification, or discharge of us from the guilt of our sin; because that neither do they cast aught in toward the discharge of our debt, nor have they any peculiar act in the application of, or special relation unto, that whereby our debt is discharged. Whereas our faith, though it afford not the least mite of itself toward the making up of that price, wherewith our debt is to be discharged, yet it is that whereby we h joh. 1.12. receive Jesus Christ and in him and with him the price by him paid for us, and whereby we trust to him, and rely upon him, for the discharge of our debt by the merit of his sufferings: in regard whereof it is called, as i Act. 20.21. & 26.18. faith on Christ, so more specially, k Rom. 3.25. on his blood. 2. Between repentance and new obedience in the latter Covenant, and works in the former: for works in the former are required as fully and exactly answering God's justice, and the utmost rigour of the Law: whereas in the latter, they are reqired, though as necessary duties, and such as without which none can expect salvation by Christ; yet not, as any way answering God's jstice, but as finding gracious acceptance with God, notwithstanding their manifold defects, through his mercy in jesus Christ. Thus Sir, you see, that such silly novices as we are esteemed by you, yet are able to distinguish those things, which you presume impossible to be distinguished, by such shallow wits at least as you conceive or conceit ours to be. Now what hath been said, being duly weighed, will meet with all, that is, by you here further objected. For 4. to your first demand, l 〈◊〉 ibid. is this free grace? I shall crave leave, to return you a counter-demand: Suppose a King be content at the suit either of the parties themselves, or some friend of theirs, to grant his gracious pardon to a company of notorious rebels that had risen against him, set up some base desperate rogue in his room, done him all the despite and mischief they were able to do; and being apprehended, arraigned and condemned to such death as by their wicked demerits they had most justly deserved, upon condition that they acknowledge their offence, and their sorrow for it, with purpose and promise of living loyally for time to come; whether you would deem this to be free grace, or no? Or, because I may well doubt, that you would little regard what you say, to put off aught for the present; I shall not stick to refer it to any indifferent Reader whatsoever to determine, whether he were not a most ungracious wretch, that having his pardon on such terms granted and signed him, should in regard of those conditions, deny it to be of free grace: and whether they do not blaspheme God's freegrace, that deny it to be free grace, if it be propounded on terms of belief, repentance and amendment of life; Sir, whatsoever you say of us, take heed how you tell Christ, that he doth not freely save you, if he will not save you unless you believe. And for your next Qere m Reply ibid. , concerning faith granted to be a gift of God, whether this be more free grace respectively to what we do, than the Covenant of works had; since that all the works wrought in us then were freely of God, and of free gift to, as Arminius you say, well observes, and we wrought only from a free-gift given. To pass by many differences, that might be observed between the one Covenant and the other; not to stand to discuss what Arminius saith, who I suppose, would deliver his mind there clearly then you here relate him. It is not denied, but that whatsoever Adam wrought, or was reqired to be wrought by him, did proceed, and was to proceed from such power and ability, as God together with his reasonable soul at first freely conferred on him; but yet this proves not that there was no other difference between the one Covenant and the other; or that life promised is no more of freegrace in the one then in the other; since that such exact working as might fully answer the justice of God was to life reqired in the one; whereas that which comes fare short of it, is in and for Christ unto life accepted in the other. And not frivolous only, but scandalous also is that which you further subjoin. n Reply ibid. Either place salvation upon a free bottom, or else you make the New Covenant but an old covenant in new terms; instead of Do this and live; Believe this and live; repent and live; obey and live: and all this, is for want of reveiling the mystery more fully. This I say, is frivolous, because as hath been showed, salvations free bottom is no way impeached by such conditions as these reqired; scandalous, because therein the Apostles doctrine is not covertly, but directly challenged as overthrowing and razing the very foundation of freegrace. For what is, o Act. 16.32. Believe in the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved; but Believe and live? or what is, p Act. 3.19. Repent, that your sins may be done away, but Repent and live? or what is, q Heb. 5.9. He is the Author of salvation to all that obey him; but obey and live? And I demand then what this amounts unto, and whither it be any better than blasphemy to say, that the Apostles by such their doctrine, did not place salvation upon a free-botome; but brought in the old Covenant again in new terms. Sir dare you say in your new revealed mystery, Believe not, and yet live; Repent not, and yet live; Obey not, and yet live? or believe, repent and obey; and yet be damned? understanding such belief, repentance, and obedience, as the apostles speak of. If you dare, speak it out that we may understand from you, what your mysteries are, and together with us give the holy Ghost the lie. But in your wont manner you proceed; and r Reply p. 8. § 3. to that, say you, that where we find faith only preached, and so salvation made short work, it is because we have but the Summaries; I agree with you that we have but the doctrine of the Apostles as john's; of whom it is said, he spoke many other things in his exhortation to the people; It is true, we have much of what they said, and we want much. You misrelate me, Sir, as once before in this very passage. 1. I say not, that in the Apostles preaching salvation is made such short work; but that s Answ. p. 9.11. you so make it, in cutting of all those reqisites elsewhere mentioned, and which are necessary and inseparable attendants of true faith, that which also I express; but you deign not to take notice of. 2. I say not, that we have the doctrine of the Apostles, as john's, etc. I say only, that we t Answ. p. 15. have but the Summaries, or principal heads of some of their Sermons. Nor do I therefore herein agree with you, who if u Vnciâ concessâ, libram totam tollitis, Optat. l. 2. one give you but an inch, I see, will soon take an ell; much less, dare I to say as you do (which amounts to little less than blasphemy against the Scriptures sufficiency) concerning their doctrine, (for that yours words manifestly imply) that much of it we have, and much we want. Of which manner of speaking let others judge, and from what spirit it doth proceed. v Reply p. 9 § ●. Yet we have so much, say you, as may show us, that according to the work of salvation in us, Faith is the work which gives most glory to God; Abraham believed and gave glory to God: they that believe give glory, and Faith of all the works of the spirit, is the glorious Gospel work, Christ calls it the work indeed; this is the work that ye believe. So as the only reason, why we hear so much of faith in the Gospel, is not only and merely as you insinuate, because we have but their Sermons in Summaries, nor because of another reason of yours drawn from the qualifications of those they preached to, that had other gifts and not Faith: but because faith is of all spiritual increasings in us, the most gloriously working towards Christ; faith goes out and faith depends; and faith brings down Christ, and faith opens the riches, and faith believes home, all strength, comfort, glory, peace, promises. But Sir, what doth all this glorious flourish here? or to what purpose is it here inserted? doth it either prove that life and salvation is not propounded in the Gospel upon a condition of believing in Christ; or that repenting and amending are not to life eternal as necessarily reqired as it? If not, (for that is the subject we are about) this is all but a needless x De qâ vere u●u pa ●p test i●lud Scaligeri, exe●c. 107. § 20. Decl●mati●nes (in disputando) am●itiosorum opera, ●tiosorum ci●i sunt. declamatory digression, whereby you endeavour cunningly to divert your reader, fr●m the matter that is in hand. Yet let us see what it is you say. 1. That faith is a grace of great excellency, and most useful, is by no man denied; or that thereby we give glory as did a Rom. 4.20. Abraham to God: but that is not the reason, why b Rom. 3.28. & 5.1. by faith we are said to be justified; for to omit that c Iosh. 7.19. by confessing out sins we give glory to God & we bring glory to him both by our d Math. 5.16. constant obedience in life, and e joh. 21.19. Phil. 1.20. Christian patience in death: this were to found life on the worth of the work; the excellency of the gift: and so other graces might as well lay claim to the same privilege with it, as shall afterward appear: but because it is that whereby we f joh. 1.12. receive Christ, and g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost. in Gal. 220. make him our Christ; (according to that that you at length come to in the close of this paragraph, though else where again you fall from it, & wherein we consent with you) that which is the peculiar office of faith, as was before said. So that here, Sir, you run yourself on that rock, whereon even now you told us that we miscarried, in placing the foundation of our justification and salvation on the eminency and excellency of something in us. ●. Albeit faith be a glorious grace, yet I dare not say, that it is the most glorious of any of the graces of the Spirit; for should I so say, I should contradict the Apostle, (which though you make no bones of, yet dare not we do) who expressly tells us, that h 1 Cor. 13.13. love, or charity is greater than either faith or hope; and although faith be the most useful and beneficial grace to us, yet is it such a grace as carrieth us out of ourselves, implying us to be i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Rom 5.6. impotent, insolvent, very bankrupts, unable to contribute any one farthing toward the payment of our debts. And albeit thereby we give glory to God; yet by it are we bereft and utterly k Rom. 3.27. & 4.1, 2. 1 Cor. 1.29.31. stripped of all glorying in ourselves. Nor is the term of glory therefore (to speak exactly) the peculiar of this grace; which shall also cease, and become useless, together with l Rom. 8.24. hope, her most proper fruit when glory shall come; when as yet m 1 Co. 13.8, 13. love, though the last of the three in the Apostles recital, yet pronounced the greatest of the three, because the longest lastre shall continue, and abide with us and in us for ever. 3. Christ, it is true, saith of Faith, n joh 6. 2●. This is the work of God; that is, the work that God reqires of us, that we believe on him whom he sent. But the same Christ tells us, that o Io●. 15.12. this is his commandment, that we love one an other: and p I●h. 13.34. the new commandment: and that which he makes q ●oh 13.35. his cognisance and the very r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Chrysost. in joan. orat. 72. & i● H b. 31. At Basil. apud Greg. Na●. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Character of a Christian; love therefore is the work of God, as well as Faith: and s 1 joh 3.23. John joineth them both together. 4. I give other reasons, why faith alone is sometime mentioned, which you pass by; but that which you say I give, is untrue; to wit, that those they preached to, had others gifts, and not saith. For t Answ. p 13. neither of Paul nor of Cornelius, do I say that they wanted faith either of them, before that Ananias resorted to the one, and Peter repaired to the other; nor do I omit that, which you close with concerning u Answ p. 11. the peculiar office of faith. Concerning which this may further be added, that that howsoever the sweet and comfortable effects of faith here mentioned may evince the beneficialness of that grace unto ourselves, yet they argue not any excellency or eminency above other graces simply considered, which in regard of their proper nature, and peculiar employments make us more beneficial and useful to others. Faith is as the housewife; Love as the Almoner: Faith brings all in, Love layeth all out: faith brings God and Christ home to us; love carrieth us out, and x Act. 20.24. & 21 13. Phil. 1.20, ●1. & 2.17. 2 Cor. 12.15. expends us in all pious offices, unto the glory of God; and good of man. Now this add I the rather, to take off your ensuing complaint of that, from which yourself here are not wholly free; to wit, that a Reply ibid. Faith hath so much put upon it, as becomes a stumbling stone, and a rock of offence to many. justification, Imputation of Righteousness is put upon faith; Salvation upon Faith; as Christ's blood is put upon the wine; b 1 Cor. 10 16. the Cup that we bless, is it not the Communion of the blood of Christ? and Christ's body upon the bread: c Ibid. the bread that we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? and yet neither the wine, nor the bread, is his blood or his body, no more than faith is either justification or righteousness; but such a work as goes out most into him, and caries the soul into him, who is righteousness and Justification to us. The word were no mystery, if it were not thus ordered, and things so mingled, that t e Spirit only could discern and distinguish; the Papists stumble at works, because they see not faith for works; and others stumble at faith, because they s e not Christ for faith. What all this aims at, is hard to say: It concerns nothing, I am sure, that Mrs S. and I had in debate. But let us rove a little, to bear him company, and go along out with him into his impertinent excursions and his intricate discourses. 1. Truly Sir, I descent as much if not much more than yourself, from any that put too much upon faith; as some of the Ancients have done, making it d Chrysost in Rom. 4. a matter of more worth and excellency, than the keeping of all God's commandments, from whom I have also therein e Animadv. in ●ud. ●ucii Scrip. de justif. part 1. Sect 9 n. 7. elsewhere testified my dissent. But Sir, it is yourself, rather than any of us, that trip at this stone, when you would have faith so much pressed in the doctrine of salvation, in regard of the gloriousness and eminency of the grace itself which to assert is not sound. 2. As for the putting of justification, and imputation, to righteousness, and salvation upon faith, as Christ's blood is put upon the Cup, and Christ's body upon the bread: I mislike not much the resemblance; though it be nothing exact, nor conceive well what it drives at. But Sir, who of us ever affirmed faith to be either justification, or imputation to righteousness, or salvation? we affirm with the Apostle, that f Rom. 5.1. we are justified by Faith; and g Eph 2.8. we are saved by Faith; and that h R●m. 4.9. Faith is imputed to righteousness. And in all this we say no more than the Apostle himself in express terms doth. Yea, even those of us who maintain Faith to be taken in a proper Sense, and not by a metonymical Trope, as well in any one of those phrases as in another do not say any more than may well be justified; nor do they differ at all in doctrine, so fare as I am able to conceive (and I love not to make differences, where I apprehend none) that say the one or the other; but contend only about the Analysis of the Text, and the Grammatical acception of one term in it: to make this clear, by some instances of the like kind, when it is said, This Child is fed not by the breast but by hand: if one shall hold that the hand is in such speech taken in a proper sense without trope or scheme for the hand of the dry Nurse wherewith the child is fed, it being the instrument whereby meat is conveyed into the mouth of it: and another shall maintain, that the hand is there taken not properly, but by a trope or a metonymy, for the meat wherewith the child is indeed fed; because the hand of itself hath no power to feed the child, but is said to feed it as it hath relation to the meat; would any understanding man from hence conclude that they were of divers minds concerning the thing itself, and not rather that they dissented in a qestion of School-learning concerning the Analysing of an Axiom, and the Grammatical interpretation of a word in it? Or, when it is said, The mouth feeds the body: if one should contend that the mouth were taken for the meat, that goeth into the mouth, another for the mouth itself whereat the meat goes in; what difference were there in matter of judgement here between the one and the other concerning the thing itself? Or to make use of an instance given by k ●ubbert. collat. cum Bert. § 57 an eager stickler in this Argument, who l Ibid. § 58. reckons up for his party a larger bead-roll of Writers, than I suppose, he is able to produce: Suppose a Painter holding out a Pencil shall say, m Si dicis Pencillum dealbare parietem. This Pencil drew that Picture; if one shall affirm, that the word Pencil in such a sentence must not be taken properly for the Pencil itself, but for the Picture-drawer himself that made use of that pencil in the drawing of that picture, or for his hand that guided it in that work; or for the colours wherewith the picture was drawn; another, that the word pencil is to be taken properly, as well as the word picture, the one for that very instrument which the artist held in his hand, the other for the work he pointed to, when he so said. I suppose, it would not be deemed, that there were any difference at all between them, concerning the thing intended, notwithstanding the controversy between them about the phrase or form of speech. In like manner concerning the word Faith in the fore mentioned forms ( * Phrases sum aeqipollentes: Paraeus ad Rom. 4.3. Obs. 3. which in effect come all to one) when some shall say, that the word is taken properly, for that grace, or that act of grace whereby we apprehend Christ and his sufferings, n Vide Calvin. & Lubbert. insra. the meritorious cause or subject matter (term it whether you please) of our justification, or that whatsoever it be in Christ, for which we are justified: others, that faith is by a Metonymy put for Christ, by whom, as our surety, having paid the full price for the discharge of our debt, and satisfied the justice of God for our sins, we are delivered from death, and have life purchased for us. here is no difference of judgement in what on either side is averred for matter of doctrine: a dissenting only about the resolution of a term used in those axioms; and conseqently (for aught yet I see) thus far forth a mere o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. wrangling about terms and words. And for my part, to declare my judgement herein, which I desire I may do freely without offence to either party; it being, as I conceive, not any matter of faith, but a point only of School-learning. As p Videatur Barthol. Keckerman. System. Logic. l. 1. c. 2. p. 395. by divers learned men of no small note it is well-observed, that in those Propositions, wherein Mr. S. doth here instance, q Matt. 26.26. This bread is my body; r Ibid. 28, 29. This wine is my blood: neither bread nor body are taken tropically, but properly, in the one; neither wine nor blood likewise in the other: by the bread is meant the bread that Christ then broke; by body, that body that hung the next day on the cross: by wine that liqor of the grape that was then in the cup; by blood, that very blood of our Saviour that was shed upon the cross. All the impropriety of the speech is in the predication, or in the copula, in the verb-substantive, that as a knot or a clasp coming between the two terms of either Proposition, fasteneth them the one to the other,; which is to be understood not properly, as if the one were really and essentially the other; that which even the s Bellar. de Euchar. l. 3. c. 16. & 19 Papists themselves are enforced to confess, cannot so be; but figuratively or tropically, as implying the one to be typically, symbolically, or representatively the other. So here in the forementioned Propositions, the word faith is taken for faith, as the word t Rom. 8.24. hope for hope in the like: all the impropriety of speech, if any be, is in regard of the manner, how we are said to be justified by it, to live by it, to be saved by it, to have it imputed unto us for righteousness: all which indeed is to be understood not principally, immediately, meritoriously, in regard of any worth or dignity of it, or efficaciously, in regard of any power or efficacy in itself; but mediately, subserviently, organically, instrumentally, as it is a means to apprehend Christ, his satisfaction, and his sufferings, by the price and merit whereof we are justified, and saved, and consist as righteous in God's sight, and as it hath a special respect and relation thereunto. Nor do the most of the testimonies in this controversy usually produced hold out a Lubb. ipse. Vtroqe penicillo & albedine paries dealbatur; sed non eodem modo: illo enim instrumentaliter, hac materialiter. Ita fide & justitia Christi homo justificatur: sed non eodem modo: illo enim instrumentaliter, hac vero pene materialiter. any more; nor do they therefore deny faith to be taken properly in the Propositions before proposed. This the rather I here insist on, because I observe our late Antinomians to make a bad use of the other exposition of some of those Texts, to put by the necessity of faith unto justification: for so one of them; b H. Den Confer. pag. 18. We are justified by faith; that is, by the object of our faith the blood of Christ: (and so c Rom. 3.25. through faith in his blood, should be through Christ's blood in his blood) faith is taken for the object of faith, as hope for the object of hope, d 1 Tim. 1.1. Christ our hope: To which purpose it grieves me to find in one of ours to confirm this tropical exposition, that forced interpretation of somewhat the like phrase; e Rom. 8.24. Spe servati sumus, i. e. Christo in quem speramus: Pemble of Justif. Sect. 2. cap. 1. At rectius Chrysost. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Scholar Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Spe futurorum, Calvin. Salutem illam (de qa v. 23.) nondum reipsa, sed spe obtineri, Martyr, & alii fere universi. We are saved by hope; that is, by Christ in whom we hope. Howsoever, as in the former sacramental speeches, those of ours that take the words body and blood properly, with an improper predication; and those that take them improperly, with a proper enunciation, do not differ at all either from other in the doctrine of the Sacrament; and are as free and far off the one as the other, from those two monstrous opinions of Transubstantiation and Consubstantiation: as also in expounding those words of the Apostle, f 1 Cor. 10.4. The rock was Christ; albeit some understand g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Chrysost. in 1 Cor. 10. & reliqui Graeci. Ambr. de Sacr. l. 5. c. 1. Jun. parallel. l. 2. par. 36. & alii. the word Rock tropically, the word Christ properly, the Verb was essentially: others take the word rock properly, the word h Christus, i. e. figura Christi. Rei nomen metaphorice transfertur ad signum: Calv. Sicut imago Herculis Hercules nominatur. Christ tropically, the Verb was essentially: a third sort i Keckerm. ubi sup. Petra erat Christus, in mysterio: Primas. Nec secus in omnibus illis locutionibus, Mat. 13.19, 20, 22, 23, 37, 38, 39 praedicata omnia proprie sumuntur; verbum substantivum symbolice. take both the words rock and Christ properly, the Verb was only symbolically: yet do none of them differ in aught, either concerning the truth of the Story, or any doctrine of faith: in like manner those that here press a trope in the word faith, and those that stand for the proper sense of it, (so far forth as they proceed no further) do not at all differ in any point of faith concerning justification, would they be pleased aright to understand one another. But Sir, there is none of us, either the one or the other that do (as you closely here would intimate) affirm faith to be either Justification or Imputation of righteousness; we distinguish these things warily one from another: and though we sever not those things that are not to be severed; yet we distinguish those things that are to be distinguished, and are in their proper and genuine nature distinct: neither confounding justification with faith, nor faith (as some fantastical spirits k Tortuosas Sophistae hujus figuras non admitto, qum dicit, Fidem esse Christum. Inscite fidem qae est instrumentum duntaxat percipiendae justitiae, dico misceri cum Christo, qi materialis causa, tantiqe beneficii autor simul est & minister: Calvin. Instit. lib. 3. c. 11. Sect. 7. in calvin's time, by him then opposed) with Christ: which yet some treading in their steps, have endeavoured to do in these days: But such fanatical fancies we abhor, and your ensuing censures therefore reach not us. We are neither of those that cannot see faith for works, nor of those that cannot see Christ for faith: a strange prodigy, how men should not see Christ for faith, when they see Christ by faith: nor are these things in the Gospel so mingled, (as you would make men believe) but that we can discern and distinguish them, without the help of that new spirit that undertakes now adays to reveal such matters of doctrine as the Apostles are pretended to have preached, but not to have left upon record. But Sir, we may truly say, that you and yours are they that either cannot, or will not see the wood for trees; the conditions on which salvation by Christ is propounded, though in the Gospel they do occur, and offer themselves, will ye, nill ye, to your eyes. In your next, you relate me as objecting against you, that l Repl. pag. 9, 10. Sect. 1. Christ and his apostles never preached freegrace, without condition and qualification on our parts, Rom. 8.1. Matth. 5.8. etc. Where Sir, me thinks you grow weary of your work; for you draw up whole pages into little more than a line. But Sir, you dissemble mine Argument because you felt where it pinched you, and knew not which way to rid your hands of it. The argument runs thus. m Ans. p. 15. If the Gospel propound and promise pardon of sin and salvation without any condition at all required on our part; and all such conditions and qualifications of belief, repentance and new obedience destroy the freeness of Grace, than neither Christ, nor John Baptist, nor the Apostles preached either Gospel or freegrace: for they thus preached, and propounded pardon of sin and salvation upon such terms from the first to the last; as I there at large show by their express professions and speeches: and according to your grounds therefore they never preached freegrace. Now out of this whole argument, you only pick one piece, letting pass all the rest, with the proofs thereof, that it may not appear to what purpose it was propounded; nor attemping once to take of the crime laid upon you, the stain whereof sticks as close to you and your tenants, as your flesh to your bones, and your skin to your flesh. Only you annex two places, with an etc. the n Matth. 5.8. one whereof I produce not for the proof of aught I affirm: but o Answ p. 14. to show what your brother Eton saith of it, who makes it a parcel of Christ's Legal preaching; the p Rom. 8.1. other indeed I allege, but q Answ. p. 15. insisting principally, on the words of the twelfth and thirteenth verses of that Chapter; which you saw so inconsistent with your presumptuous novelties, that you listed not to take notice of them. Yet let us hear, what you say unto that which you have pitched upon. r Repl. p. 10. Sect. 1. They preached faith and repentance and obedience; 1. in degrees of revelation; the Gospel came not all out at once in his glory. 2. not in parts, as we have their doctrine, as you confess they preached them: but all along in the New Testament there is more of their glory and fullness reveiled concerning them. So as the degrees of reveiling, the parts and summaries of their sermons, the fuller discovery in the whole New Testament, are those things you consider not: we only consider; and so dare not preach the Gospel so in halfs, in parts and qarters as you do; and yet will not believe you do; which is so much worse; you say you see, and therefore your sin remaineth. But Sir, what is all this, to take off the edge of mine Argument, which cuts to the qick with you, convincing you, by necessary consequence, of blaspheming the doctrine of Christ and his apostles as teaching such doctrine, as not only doth not hold out Gospel, or freegrace, but doth utterly overthrow and take away the very truth and essence of either. For the conditions and qalifications here mentioned, which you deny not to have been taught by them, are such, you say, as though the Gospel so propounded and preached may have some notion of free grace in it, yet it hath no truth thereof at all: the guilt whereof therefore you stand justly still charged with, notwithstanding aught, that beside the point in qestion, you prate here to no purpose. 2. The two branches of your Answer, (for it seems you were in some perplexity, or disturbance at least, when you were putting pen to paper) do apparently enterfere, cut and cross the one the other. For if the Gospel came not all at once to them, but was reveiled to them by degrees; which you affirm in the first branch; then how could they choose but preach it in parts? which yet you deny in the latter branch. Thus Sir, your forces, like s Suoqe Marte cadant subiti per mutua vulnera fratres. Nafo Met. lib. 3. the men in the fable that sprung up of the snakes teeth of Cadmus his sowing, fall foul one on another, and destroy either other, without the help of any adverse party: for how could they preach it otherwise then it was reveiled? and if by pieces reveiled to them, then sure in pieces preached by them. 3. Grant that some things were afterward reveiled to them, wherewith at first they were not made acquainted. Yet 1. there was at the first so much reveiled to them, and preached by them, as was sufficient to convert and save souls: for to what end else was their preaching? Either therefore you must of necessity grant, that men may be converted and saved without notice of free grace, and Gospel; (of free grace, or Gospel, I say; for no Gospel without grace, nor grace that is not free) or, that the apostles, if by their ministry, they did at first convert any, than the doctrine of freegrace was reveiled to them and preached by them at first: which how could they do, if at the same time they preached that that was directly contrary to freegrace, and did take away the truth of it? unless any man will be so void of reason and common sense, as to say that the Apostles preached contradictories in the very self same sermons. 2. There was nothing in matter of doctrine afterward reveiled unto them, or taught by them, that crossed or repealed aught, that had formerly been made known unto them, and by them made known to others. Divine revelations concerning matter of faith cannot possibly contradict one another, though such as yours are may both cotradict some contained in God's word, and some other also of your own. what they taught at first was the truth of God, as well as what they taught at last: nor did they ever revers aught of what was taught at first by them, but continued teaching the same still to the last. you and those of your faction may have your reserves, and your new-lights, controling and contradicting your former, as new fancies and falsehoods t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. 2 Pet. 1.16. cunningly contrived, are either suggested to you, or forged by you; but with them it was not so. It was God's truth they taught at first, and it was God's truth they taught● at last; and if in process of time aught were further reveiled unto them, then at first, it could not, being truth, but of necessity be consonant to what at first was reveiled to them; for u 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Arist. truth and truth cannot jar. 4. For what you say of their Summaries, hath been fully answered before: nor is it meet to trouble and tyre the reader with needless repetitions. But Sir, what you say, we consider not, we do consider and acknowledge as well as yourself; nor do we reject, or refuse, or forbore to preach aught that we find reveiled in the word: and that therefore, which you here charge us with, is most false and a base calumny, without ground or colour of truth. And here I challenge you to show what point concerning freegrace, as it is revealed in the writings of the Apostles we preach not, which unless you can do, you must justly undergo the censure of one, that care not how you belly your brethren against your own knowledge and conscience. 5. For your vain boasting of your only considering what you say we do not, and of your preaching the Gospel in the full glory of it: if you preach it not otherwise than it is discovered and reveiled all along in the New Testament; there is none of us that blame you for it; it is our endeavour so to do; nor do we restrain any from so doing, nor aspers them when they do it. But Sir, if you shall presum to piece out the preaching of the Gospel, with some additionals of your own under pretence of some mysteries in these times reveiled, which in the Apostles times were not; or shall cross and contradict aught, as repugnant to, and destructive of freegrace, that was first or last taught by them, we must of necessity crave leave here to leave you; and not to abhor only and abominate, but to oppose and impugn such ungodly courses, that others may not be perverted and poisoned therewith. 6. For our preaching of the Gospel in halfs, in parts and qarters: it is but a parcel of your scurrilous Rhetorik; which you are grown very rife in, since you laid down your Logic. And yet, Sir, still you consider not whom you strike at, while you play thus upon us and our preaching; for you told us (if you have not already forgot what you said) but even now, that the Apostles preached the Gospel in degrees of revelation; and that it was not all revealed unto them at once: and if it were in halfs, and parts and qarters reveiled to them, than could they not otherwise preach it to others, than you are pleased to say that we do; so by your own words you stand enforced to acknowledge that charging this (be it true, or false) as a fault upon us, you therein censure the Apostles together with us. Mean while your reply is here made up, not by halus and qarters, or by half-qarters, or qarter qarters, but by snips and shreds, letting pass the main pieces of mine Answer: for out of the next whole page and an half, you pick out only this pitance of one passage, a Rep. p. 10. Sect. 2. that Christ's blood is not to be filled out to rogues and dogs. Wherein you deal, as in the former; neither relating my words as they lay before you; nor showing on what occasion I speak what is there spoken. b Occasion. word p 9 If you have faulted in aught, you say it is with filling that wine out Too freely; which yet you suppose the Master of the feast hath bidden you, Cant. 5. This c Answ. p. 16. I wish you to be well advised in; and show you that the place produced by you, speaks of wine reserved for friends; which if a servant should pour out to the dogs and hogs, or serve out to sturdy rogues and vagrants at the door, that shall refuse to to come in, or to have any commerce or acquaintance with his Master, though invited thereunto, he should from his Master have small thanks for his labour. But neither do you relate my words as they there lie, nor mention the occasion of them, nor take any notice of my pressing upon you the Too free filling out of the wine as unjustifiable, and the abuse of the Text: nor your wicked, malicious, and uncharitable charging of us, as those that d Treat. p. 82. to exalt men, cry down Christ, recharged upon you: but pass them all over; being indeed not able either to justify the one, or to make good the other. Howbeit, let us hear what beside the matter you say. 1. e Repl. ubi sup. Take heed you charge not Christ for being with Publicans and sinners: You may upon this ground say he preached false doctrine, because he said, He came not to call the righteous, but sinners. But Sir, what is this to the Too free filling out of the wine spoken of in the Canticles? unless this be a good Argument; Christ was with Publicans and sinners: Ergo Master S. hath good warrant from that place of the Canticles to fill out the wine there spoken of too freely. Or, therefore the wine there spoken of, to which Christ's friends alone are there invited, may by his servants be poured out to dogs and swine: and is there any colour of reason in such kind of reasoning? But I do you wrong, you will say, in reqiring sound reason from him who professeth to have left his Logic. Howbeit Sir, give me leave to tell you, that he is an overbold servant, who, because he hears his Master say, Come and drink my wine freely, my friends; shall presume as in his Master's name, to say, Come and drink both friends and foes: and because he sees his Master free of it to the one, shall lavish it out therefore to the other. 2. You deal with Scripture, as the f Matt. 4.6. Devil is commonly (how justly, I stand not to discuss) deemed to have done, when he tempted our Saviour. As you clipped out the middle words from that passage of the g Cant. 5.1. Canticles; which might soon have stopped your mouth: so you pair away the latter end of our Saviour's speech here, which you knew would not stand for you; that h Matth. 9.13. he came to call sinners to repentance. And you may do well to remember, that the same our Lord and Master, who was in company sometime i Matth. 9.11. with Publicans and sinners, yet k Matth. 7.6. forbade his servants to give holy things to dogs, or to cast pearls unto swine. And I suppose therefore, that I have better warrant for what I say from this injunction of our Saviour, than you have, or can have, for your professed profuseness, from that speech of his directed to his friends in the Canticles. 2. You ask, l Repl. ibid. What were all of us in our unregenerate condition? sinners, or righteous persons? unholy, or holy? men of faith, or unbelief? or not rather dead in trespasses and sins, till qickned with Christ? And Sir, what tends this Qestion to? Who denies, or makes doubt, but that m Eph. 2.1, 5. we were all such, until God qickned us with Christ? and yet how were any of us fitted to taste, or able to drink of that precious spiritual liquor, before we were so qickned? But in stead hereof you might have been pleased to consider what you found objected n Ans. p. 17. a little after, against your second Assertion, which you there waiv; it seems, unable to answer. Nos actum non agimus. Your next work is to justify some of the Assertions in your Treatise excepted against, as warping too much toward the way of those that o Judas 4. turn God's grace into wantonness; some whereof you take notice of, and seek to salve; others you leave to shift as they may for themselves. The first is, that p Treat. p. 102. The promises belong to sinners as sinners; not as repenting or humbled sinners. The second, that q Treat. p. 186. None ever received Christ, but in a sinful condition. In justification hereof, you give us a large reply, (though not answering at all the objections r Answ. p. 17. made against either, nor showing how what you say is appliable to either) in these words. s Reply p. 11. To whom do all promises belong first, but to Christ? and from whom to us, but from Christ? and what are the elect and chosen in him, before they are called and believe, but sinners as sinners? do you look that men should be first whole for the Physician, or righteous for pardon of sin, or justified for Christ, or rather sinners, unrighteous, ungodly? while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us: He died for the ungodly. Christ is the Physician, the righteousness, the sanctification: and makes them beloved, that were not beloved; and to obtain mercy, that had not obtained mercy; and saints that were sinners; and spiritual who were carnal: So as we look at Christ and the promises coming to men in their sins. But those men were beloved of God in Christ, who suffered for sins before: so as they begin not now to be loved, but to be made to love: God gins not to be reconciled to them, but they begin to be reconciled to him, t Rom. 5. the love of God being shed abroad in their hearts by the Spirit which is now given unto them. So as we looking at persons as chosen in Christ; and at their sins, as born by Christ in his body on the tree, we see nothing in persons to hinder them from the Gospel and offers of grace there; be they never so sinful to us, or themselves, they are not so to him who hath chosen them, nor to him in whom they are chosen. And this is the mystery, why Christ is offered to sinners, or rogues, or whatsoever you call them; u Rom. 11.28. They are, as touching the election, beloved for the Father's sake: I speak of such to whom Christ gives power to receive him, and believe on him, and become the sons of God: and Christ finds them out in their sins, and visits them who sit in the region and shadow of death; and them that are darkness, he makes light in the Lord. Sir, All this long discourse of yours concerning God's election of men in Chrst; the estate they were in when Christ died for them; God's reconciling them to him, & loving them before they loved him, etc. Do not all prove, that the promises of the Gospel, to wit, of pardon of sin and salvation, do belong to finners as sinners, and not as repentant and humbled sinners, x Mat. 11.28. such alone as Christ invites, and promises to refresh: nor do you frame hence any formal argument, whereunto a direct answer might be duly shaped and returned: but heap us up a pile of words, affording no premises, from which what you should prove, can be necessarily concluded. For, (to pass by that your uncouth phrase, of all the promises belonging first to Christ: not unlike that which you have elsewhere, that a Treat. p. 125. God makes no covenant with man, but with Christ. though we deny not, but that b 2 Cor. 1.19. God's promises are all yea and Amen in Christ) Election and Predectination either of Christ's, or of any other in or unto Christ, must be distinguished from the actual exhibition of Christ, either by his incarnation, or by the application of him unto any. As c 1 Pet. 1.20. Christ was predestinate to be made man, and to suffer, from eternity; but was not actually exhibited, d Gal. 4 4. until that set time that God had before appointed: so God e Eph. 1.4. elects men from eternity, he f Rom. 8.29, 30. calls and converts them in time; he g Eph. 1.5. predestinates them to be adopted, (it is the Apostles own language) but he doth not actually adopt, until he give them power to h John 1.12. receive Christ, in whom they are adopted: he determineth to justify them from all eternity; but he doth not actually justify them, until he work faith in them, i Rom. 5.1. whereby they are justified, and whereby they k Gal. 2.16. believe that they may be justified, as the Apostle speaks of himself; thereby implying, that he was not justified until he believed: He decrees to pardon and remit sins from eternity; (for l Acts 15.18. from the beginning were all Gods works known to himself, and resolved upon with himself) but doth not actually remit or release sin, until he give grace to repent; which in the Gospel phrase and method m Luk. 24.47. Acts 3.19. & 8.22. goes constantly before pardon; and so doth in nature, though not in time: He purposeth from all eternity to sanctify all his, who are therefore said to be n Eph. 1.4. elect thereunto; and yet were they not, nor could be actually sanctified before they were, nor were for a long time after they were, many of them, it may be the most. Nor will it avail to object, as some do, that sanctification is a transient act, and causeth a real change in the person of the party sanctified, which justification doth not; for justification doth the like; though not in the person; yet in the state and condition of the party justified; and may in that regard be termed a transient act also. Howsoever for School-terms it be, sure it is, that justification and adoption are herein both alike: and since that the Apostle, in saying that we were o Eph. 1.5. predestinate to be adopted, doth thereby imply, that the very act of adoption is no more from eternity, than the act of sanctification, or the act of salvation, unto which p 2 Thes. 2.13. through sanctification, we are said to be elect: the like may we concerning justification, from those words of his justly conclude. We grant then, that from eternity God purposed to bestow Christ on his elect: but we say withal, (and that with good warrant from God's word) that Christ is not actually exhibited unto any of them to be his, until he work faith in them whereby they may receive him, that he may become theirs. The elect Ephesians were out of Christ, and q Ephes. 2.12. without Christ, until they believed; nor doth he bestow faith on any, without repentance and humiliation, which are two unseparable companions of it, and spring all three from the same principle of spiritual life. Nor doth all therefore that here you say, either confirm your assertion, that the promises of the Gospel belong to sinners as sinners, and not as penitent or humbled sinners; or to justify your offers of grace, and gracious promises propounded in the Gospel, unto sinners, though never so sinful, either to yourself, or in themselves, as belonging unto them: because r Rom. 11.28. as touching election, they are beloved for the Father's sake; (another of your uncouth phrases, and Scriptures grossly mis-applied) unless you make your tender thereof to them, if they believe and repent; (nor doth Christ offer them otherwise) or dare presume to say, as of the Thessalonians the Apostle, that s 1 Thes. 1.4. you know them to be elect, though they be not converted, but lie wallowing still in their sins. But for the point itself a little further: If the promises of the Gospel belong to sinners as sinners, not as penitent and humbled sinners, then to all sinners, whether penitent or impenitent; and as well to t Luk 7.30. those Pharisees and Lawyers that contemned the counsel of God against themselves, and refused to repent and believe upon John's preaching; as to u Mat. 21.32. the Publicans and harlots, who did thereupon believe and repent: and as well to the x Mat. 12.31. Mar 3.29, 30 Pharisees that blasphemed against the holy Ghost, as to y Luk 7.37, 38 that woman, whoever she was (for that it was z Luk. 8.2. Mary Magdalen is a groundless, and tho commonly received, no probable opinion) who having been formerly of lose and lewd life, testified her repentance and inward humiliation by those offices performed about the feet of our Saviour. For if they belong to sinners as sinners; then sinners as sinners may lay claim to them, as having right to, and interest in them: and being so absolute, especially as you have formerly avowed, free from all condition whatsoever, they shall undoubtedly, whether they repent or no, be made good to them: and so all sinners, even the whole world, according to your assertion (not differing from what out of another of your strain was before recited) shall be saved. Again, If the promises of life and salvation be made to sinners simply and absolutely as such, without any respect to faith, repentance, humiliation, and the like (for we will waiv the word of condition at present, because it is so unpleasing to you) what meaneth the mention of these things in the propounding of the promises? for I hope you will not return me that answer that a Doctor of some note sometime did, pressing an exception made in a * Matt. 19.9. proposition of our Saviour's, that they were etiosa verba; and being charged with the guilt of no small crime for so saying, to salve the matter, said, his meaning was, that they were but as some expletive particles in Greek●, used in a kind of elegancy, only to make up the sentence. But Sir, I hope, whatsoever you think, if you do think at least as you writ, you will not be so bold, as in express terms to avow, that the mention of faith, and repentance, and humiliation, and the like in the promises, is but idle and superfluous matter, inserted to make some show of a conditional promise, where nothing less than any such matter is intended: and much less, that those menaces annexed usually to the promises, and denounced against all those that do not believe, repent, and be humbled, are such. Which yet unless they so be, it will necessarily follow, that promises do not belong to any sinners, but such as are so qualified as was abovesaid: And indeed, to whom otherwise shall the comminations appertain? Certainly, you cannot say, that both the promises and the menaces belong to the same persons, and that the same persons have a like right to, and an interest in either; for that implies a contradiction: And if the menaces do belong to all that do not believe, repent, and be humbled; then what manner of sinners the promises belong to, any man by just consequence may easily apprehend. Nor Sir, is it therefore any a Reply Conclus. p 17. sporting with a poor wounded conscience, (for there is no sporting matter in it) to tell any, in way of discovery of the evil and unsound courses of those who teach them, to reason thus; God will save sinners: But I am a sinner: Therefore God will save me: which manner of reasoning you seem to approve, and is agreeable to the principles and grounds that you here lay: To tell them, I say, that they may with as good ground reason thus, God will damn sinners: But I am a sinner: Therefore God will damn me. No Sir, It was one warping to your way, that endeavoured to make a wound where none was; as Mountebanks do sometimes in their own flesh, thereby to make way for their own counterfeit plasters, the efficacy whereof the party justly misdoubted; and seeing it further by such a parallel shown to be vain and ridiculous, reposed herself quietly on her former grounds again, wherein he endeavoured to disturb her. Which if it were a fallacy, as you affirm it to be, nor was it propounded for any other; then that other, being of the very same form and stamp with it, must admit the same censure: and how can it be other then (if not a false, yet) an uncertain Conclusion at least, that is grounded upon a fallacy? yea, how other then certainly false that hath no other ground but a fallacy? or what is the endeavouring to satisfy people with fallacies in matters concerning their souls state and safety, other then to teach them to build their faith upon falsehoods? This is not therefore as you say, b Conclus. ibid. by the use of Logic to cast a mist on the promises of the Gospel to sinners: but by the help of Logic to dispel such mists as are by your party raised, to dazzle men's eyes, that they may not discern what sinners they are that have part in those promises. And it is idle therefore to demand here again, clipping and paring our Saviour's speeches, c Ibid. Know ye not that Christ came to call sinners? (yea, but you know also what followeth, d Matt. 9.13. to call sinners to repentance) to save sinners? but not, unless they repent: for e Luk. 13.3, 5. unless they repent they shall perish, notwithstanding his coming to save; himself saith it. But we shall not need stand longer to debate the matter with you; yourself in the close are pleased to close with us, and after all your long excursion, and heaps of impertinent discourse, to conclude against yourself. For when you say, f Reply, ibid. You speak of such, to whom Christ gives power to receive him, and to believe on him: It is just as much as if you had said, Not of sinners as sinners, but such sinners as have power given them to receive Christ, and believe on him. And do, or can any but repentant and humbled sinners so do? And yet your second Assertion excepted against, implies that they may. But thus Sir, as the common saying is, When you have given, as you suppose it, a great deal of good milk, much matter to little purpose; at length with your heel you kick down the pail, and spill all: Or rather, to show us your skill at fast and lose, g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Aes●hyl. Gypsie-like, you knit us a number of knots; and then to ease us of the labour, with whom you deem them indissoluble, you lose them all again yourself in a trice. And all therefore that hath been here said, is rather to satisfy others, then to answer aught that you oppose, yourself having in fine so concluded the matter, that no other answer needs then your own. But pass we on to your third Assertion, wherein you either deride, or pity them as * Treat. p. 171, 173. melancholic creatures, who suppose that God may be provoked to wrath by his children's sins, and may chastise them for the same. In defence whereof you reply thus with a multitude of queries. h Rep. p. 11, 94. Can God be as the son of man? Is there any variableness or shadow of change with him? Can he love, and not love? Doth he hate persons, or sins? Is he said to chastise as fathers, otherwise then in expressions after the manner of men; because of the infirmities of our flesh? must we conceive so of God, as of one another? Can he be provoked for sins done and abolished? Hath Christ taken away all the sin of his? Hath he born all upon his body, or no? Speak we of anger otherwise then by way of allusion and allegory, as a Father, etc. and is that, He is a Father, after the manner of men? Or, speaks he not in the old Testament according to the revelation of himself there, and in the new Testament of himself now, only because of our infirmity, and his own manner of appearing? which is not yet so, but we may bear him in such expressions; and yet not so in such expressions, but we may see more of him and his love, and the glory of salvation in other expressions: and not make up such a love as you commonly do, of Benevolence and Complacence. i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, praecipit Arist. Top. l. 6. c. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. The manner of those that would not have something discovered, is k Gen. 31.34. Josh. 2.6. Acum in acere. Scal. de subt. ex. 216. to hid it in a heap of some heterogeneous matter. In like manner do you Sir, your answer here to the point charged upon you, in a multitude of impertinent demands; and hook in such things here, (without any removal of it) that belong to another place. It would be but lost labour, though it might render you ridiculous, to take the subject matter of your several demands, and by making mediums of them, show how your Assertions are proved by them. Letting that pass therefore, especially dealing with one that renounceth reasoning, I shall return distinct answers to each of them in order. 1. God may be, and is in some things as the son of man: for proof whereof I turn you over to l Answer, p. 19 mine Answer, and the Arguments there used: which if you meant to reply to, you ought to refute. Nor is it a sound reasoning or good consequence, God in some things, to wit, such as argue some imperfection or faultiness, is not like unto man, nor can do as man doth; he is not like man m Tit. 1.2. to lie, or n Num. 23.19. 1 Sam. 15.29. to repent, or o 2 Tim 2.13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Greg. Naz. ad Eunom. 4. Hae● posse, non potentia sed impotentia est. Anselm. prosol. cap. 7. to deny himself, he cannot lie, or repent, or deny himself, as man sometime doth: Therefore he is in nothing like to man, nor can he do in aught as man doth: Or, therefore he is not like man in being provoked to wrath by his children, or in chastising them when they do amiss. Sir, your Logic, had you not left it, or laid it aside, would have taught you, that * Syllogizari non est ex particulari. a particular will not infer an universal; nor one particular an other. 2. Tho there be p Jam. 1.17. no variableness or shadow of change with God in regard of his essence, and nature; or in regard of his affection to good or evil, as if at some time he should dislike and disallow sin, and at other times like and allow it, yea, q Ibid. v. 13. tempt and incline to it: that which the Apostle in those words principally aimed at; which is not commonly observed: Yet in regard of his disposition and dispensations toward the creature, he carrieth himself in divers and various ways; he loved, liked, approved of, and was well pleased with those Angels before they fell, while they continued in their original estate, whom yet r 2 Pet. 2.4. Judas 6. after their apostasy, he hated, abhorred, disapproved, and so far forth was displeased with, as to adjudge unto eternal torments, and throw them headlong into hell. 3. Tho God cannot both love, and not love; (taking love in both members alike) or love and hate; for that implies a contradiction: yet may he * Amat & irascitur, dici potest: Amat & e●it, dici non potest, Aug. homil. 5. & 40. love and be angry too; yea, therefore be be angry, because he loves. As a father may be very angry with that child whom he loves most dear; yea, be the more angry with him, because he loves him so dear. 4. God both s Psal. 45.7. Zech. 8.17. hates sin, and t Pro. 6.16, 19 Psal. 5.5. & 11.5. Zech. 11.8. hates persons for sin: and hates sin in those also whose persons he loves. 5. God is truly and really said to chastise his, as parents do children, by inflicting on them real and penal things in way of correction for their sins, therein intending their amendment, and to make them examples unto others. And he that intendeth to do this, had need shut his eyes very close, that he may not discern that bright Sunshine of light, that through the whole word of God ever and anon breaks out, and in most conspicuous manner offereth itself to his eyesight, able to pierce and strike through the very eyelids of those that shall strive to wink strongest. 6. God m●y be provoked by those very sins, the guilt whereof is abolished and done away in Christ; for u Exod. 4.14. Moses his and x 2 Sam. 11.27. David's were; and yet was God provoked by them. 7. T●o Christ hath taken away all the sins of his, and by his sufferings made satisfaction unto God's justice for them, yet doth it not thence follow, that God therefore cannot either be angry with any of those, for whose sins Christ hath satisfied; or out of his paternal indignation and displeasure chastise them for their wilful oversights and defaults. What he hath done, we know he can and may do; and that the one doth no way cross the other, nor infer or enforce a forbearance of the other. David's sins, in his adultery, murder, and numbering the people, were satisfied for, and taken away by Christ, as well as a Matt. 26.70, 75. Peter's in the denial of his Master, or the sins of any other Saint; and yet how sharply b 2 Sam. 12.10, 11, 13, 14. & 24.10, 15. God chastised him for the same, he felt, and by c Psal. 32.3 4. & 38 1, 2, 3. & 51.8, 14. his own acknowledgements we know. Nor can all your sly shifts serve to shield you from the guilt of palpable obstinacy, in opposing so express and clear Scripture; or to cover and conceal ei●her the nakedness and sham●fulnesse of your cause, or the shamelessness of your faces in the maintenance of it, and of those things that do of necessity thence ensue. It was not the end of Christ's sufferings to free any of those for whom he suffered, from God his and their Father's useful and needful chastisements, which are professed to proceed d Prov. 3.12. Heb 12.6. from his love, and to be e Psal 9.12. Heb. 12.10, 11. for their good: much less was this the end of his satisfaction for their sins, that they might have the rains let out lose to them, and so to lie on their necks, that they might freely follow the swinge of their corrupt nature, or the remainders of it still abiding within them, (which you confess to be so powerful, f Treat. p. 51, 59, 62. as to carry them oft into the same, and those great sins) without check or control. But Sir, what this doctrine tends to, all men may soon see; and as well those that abhor it, as those that are willing with open arms to entertain it. Nor have any cause to wonder, that all sorts of lose people do by whole shoals flock to, and run after those that teach it. In many of whom, what dreadful and dismal effects it hath had, though I could give hideous instances, yet I forbear to relate, and proceed to the rest of your demands. 8. I apprehend not any allegory yea or allusion in the words, As a father, & ●. Whether you understand thereby those words cited by me, in g Answer, p. 19 mine Animadversion on your eighth Assertion, which you seem here to be nibbling at, h Psa. 103.13. As a father pities his children; so the Lord pitieth them that fear him: or whether you have an eye to those of Solomon; i Prov. 3.12. Whom the Lord loves, he chastiseth; as the father doth the son whom he delights in. The same with that of Moses, k Deut. 8.5. As a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee. And indeed, what allegory or allusion is there in either? What Scholar is there so simple, that is not able to distinguish between either an allusion or an allegory, and a direct, plain, and express similitude? But Mr. S. it seems, together with his Logic, that does him so many shrewd turns, hath cast off all his School-learning, that he may the better comply with those Sectaries, who with open mouth cry it all down in these days. 9 That anger is in propriety of speech given unto God, though both Stoics and Epicures of old l Nec bene premeritis capitur, nec tangitur ira, Lucr. l. 1. & 2. denied it, is by m Ita eo sensu, quo Scripturae dant illam Deo, vere & proprie ei attribuitur. Zanc. de attri. lib. 4. c. 6. q. 1. Thes. 1. Deus peccatoribus tam electis qam reprobis irascitur. Ib. Thes. 2. some good Divines avowed. But not to stand upon that, but leave it to dispute in the Schools. Albeit that anger be not such in God, as it is in man, no more than love or hatred; which yet are not denied to be spoken properly of God: and indeed, if the one, (which I suppose no man ever doubted of) by necessary consequence than the other: Yet the effects of anger, as well as of love and hatred, may be, and are the same usually with God, that they are with men. As men out of love do good to those whom they love; and out of anger and displeasure chastise those whom they are displeased with; and n Gen. 27.41. 2 Sam. 13.22, 28. Qem qisqe odit, periisse expetit, Cic. Offic. l. 2. 1 Joh. 3.15. seek to destroy those whom they hate: so doth God likewise o Psal. 11.7. do good to those whom he loves; and p Psal. 89.32. chastiseth those whom he is displeased with; and q Psal. 5.5, 6. & 11.5, 6. destroys those whom he hates. Which (though you seem bold enough to say any thing to support your own principles, yet I'll hope) you dare not deny. 10. What you tell us in an intricate discourse, like a man in a wood, that hath lost himself, and knows not how to get out, of expressions divers in the old Testament and in the New, is idle and frivolous, and not at all to the purpose. For, 1. Those expressions and actions of this kind, recorded in the old Testament, were not mere fictions and fancies, as you would make them; as if God were not at all displeased with David for his adultery, nor was it indeed at all evil in his eye, (as of Abraham's denial of his wife your brother Eton r Hony-comb, c. 5. p. 79, 80. affirms) but that he made some show or semblance only, as if he were offended; when as yet he liked well enough what David had done, or was not, at least in regard of it, the less pleased with him. But Sir, the Scripture expressly tells us, that s 2 Sam. 11.27. the thing that David had done was evil in God's eyes: and David himself found and felt to his smart, that God's displeasure toward him was no imaginary matter, but the fruits and effects of it real arguments of true wrath. 2. The very same expressions are found in the new Testament: and it is extreme impudence for any man to deny it; the proofs of it are so pregnant. Which being t Ans. p. 18, 19 in mine Answer, some of them represented unto you, you dissemble: and after your usual manner, both here and elsewhere, having jumped clean over the premises, give a snap at the Conclusion; or fasten your fang on the Proposition in question, not regarding, or taking notice at all of the proof. As for the distinction between Love of benevolence, and love of complacence, it is sufficient for you to jeer it: you do not so much as attempt to refute or remove it. But this is the usual manner of your reply both here and elsewhere. But we pass on to your new demands, tending to the justification of your fourth Assertion, and the removal of mine Animadversion on it. u Reply p. 12. Did David or Peter, say you, make up their peace with God by repentance? Is there any that makes peace but one Jesus Christ, who makes peace through the blood of his cross? Can repentance make peace? Is there any sacrifice for sin but that which was once offered, and is called by the Apostle x Hebr. 9.28. & 10.12. one sacrifice for sin for ever? I answer, 1. David and Peter did both of them make up again that breach that they had made between God and them by their sins, and did make their peace again with God by their repentance. If you will not believ me herein, you may believ y Psal. 32.5. Davia himself, if you so please: and you must give us leave to believe him whether you will or no. 2. Christ is the only peacemaker, who z Col. 1.20. by the blood of his cross hath made our peace, by a Eph. 2.14, 15. abolishing the enmity that was between God and us. And yet in that peace so purchased, without faith, repentance, and new obedience can no man have any part. 3. By renewed repentance, such b 2 Sam. 24.17, 25. 1 Chro. 21.16, 17, 27. breaches may be made up, and peace repaired, in regard of God's fatherly displeasure, that believers have contracted by their sins. 4. There is c Heb. 9.26, 28 no sacrifice for sin, whereby the condemning guilt of it is, or can be removed, or satisfaction is, or can be made unto the justice of God for it, but that of Christ only: and yet is d Psal. 51.17. a broken heart, and a contrite spirit such a sacrifice as finds acceptance with God, as well in these times as in David's days. And Sir, if you go on to teach men, as you do, otherwise; you dissuade them from that which God himself is said to e 2 Chron. 7.13, 14. expect, and f Psal. 34.18. & 51.17. accept of, and which he himself doth profess to g Isa. 57.15. & 66.2. respect, and h Psa. 147.11. delight in. But you add a little further, to gratify us herein, that i Reply, ibid. Repentance, obedience, etc. may make way for the peace made already for sin, that is, in such working of spirit, the love of God in the face of Jesus Christ may shine upon the soul more freely and fully; and the more the spirit abounds in the fruits of it, the more joy and peace flows into the soul, and the more the soul looks Christ in the face; so as peace with God is not made, but more revealed by the Spirit in obedience and love, etc. Sir, You heap up, after your wont manner, many words, little or nothing at all to what is objected to you, or against you; but much wild discourse beside the mark or the matter, to lead your Reader aside from attending the present dispute. The Question is, Whether God be not truly displeased with a believer fallen into wilful gross sins, and whether he were not so with David upon some of his sins, until he was humbled for them, and repent of them. And what is all this that you tell us of here, roving to and fro, as one that were treading a maze, unto the refuting of aught that is objected against you, or the making good of aught asserted by you, whereunto exception is here taken. In the next place you pass from your fourth Assertion excepted against, to the seventh; skipping over, among other things, that of which it will not be amiss to mind, if not yourself, yet the Reader; to wit, that k Treat. p. 44. Nothing can trouble the quiet & peace of any soul, but the taking in of the law, and the accuse and condemnations of it. And that l Ibid. All trouble for sin ariseth from the obligement of the Law demanding satisfaction of the soul for the breach of it. Which doctrine, how wholesome it is, let others judge. I repeat not again what I have m Ans. p. 18. there said to it. Out of mine Animadversion on his seventh Assertion, he culls out this a little to dally with, that I say, n Ans. p. 19 God loves us also for his own graces in us, and our exercises of the same. And having picked out of it a principal particle, the word also, (which made the Proposition adverse to his, wherein he denies, that o Treat. p. 80. God loves us for aught in ourselves: which yet by express testimony of Scripture I there show to be agreeable to truth) that so he may find somewhat to cavil with; he thus replies, p Rep. p. 12, 95. I thought he had loved us too in himself: and from that love given Christ for us; and yet loved us in Christ too. Can any thing without God be a cause of God's love,? Doth God love us as we love one another, from complexions and features without? Or loves he not rather thus? God is love, and therefore we are made, and redeemed, and sanctified: not because we are sanctified, therefore he loves us. We love him because he first loved us: he loved us, because he loved us; and not because we love him, not because of any spiritual complexion or feature in us, because of his image upon us: that is but an earnest of his love to us, that is only given us, because he loved us. He loves us from his will, not from without; for though we are like him, yet we are not himself: and he loves us as in Christ and himself. Sir, though you have left your Logic, yet you have not lost your Rhetoric: How plentiful can you be in the proving of that that no body denies you; and in dilating of your own denied Assertions; not once offering to answer the objections made against them? For Sir, whatsoever you thought heretofore, or think still, I do not think it, but am sure of it, that you do nothing here but trifle, in setting up an imaginary opposition, q 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Plato leg. l. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Lucian. de Sect. a man of straw of your own making, and then exercising yourself in shooting some shafts at it, as if you wanted other work. But You had thought that God had loved us too in himself. And good Sir, keep you still in that thought. Who questioneth you for it? Who ever denied it? Or what is it to my Proposition, if you restore me my stolen goods, if you return it again what you filched out of it? And yet as you propound it, it is no whit inconsistent with that which to no purpose you give us your thoughts of. For though my Proposition, as I delivered it, contradicted your Assertion; yet as yourself have now framed it, it is not at all disproved by that which in these words you oppose against it. God may love us for his graces, and yet love us in himself. This shaft therefore, though a sound one, doth not so much as strike at, much less fasten on, or pierce the mark that you set up to shoot at, the man that yourself made to encounter with. Some other rotten reedy ones there are, that you make use of here, which though they hit it, yet they hurt it not; they hurt no body but yourself. For it is not true that you say, that God doth not love us because we are sanctified: nor doth he love us because we love him. And did you not profess to have given over your Logic, I might tell you, that these are no good consequences: God loves us before we love him: Therefore he doth not r Libenter Dei amor nostrum, quem praevenit, subseqitur. Bern. Ep. 107. love us when we love him, even for the loving of him. And, God sanctified us because he loved us; he loves us not therefore when we are holy, because we are holy, and because we are lovely, which before s Amarus est non amandus. Idem de Deo dilig. we were not. For what hindereth, but that the same effect of love may become an object of that love, whereof it was at first an effect? t 1 John 4.10. God loves us before we love him, without respect to aught in us: and u Ibid. v. 17. we love him because he so loved us: and God loves us again for our loving of him. And this our Saviour himself assures us of, as you were told x Ans p. 19 before; and I am compelled again to mind you of, because like one of those, who have no very graceful title given them in the Schools, you deny the close of the Argument, and dispute against the Conclusion; letting the forepart, the promises, wherein the proof of it consists, stand untouched and unspoken to. For our blessed Saviour in express words tells us, not only that y Pro. 8.17. he loves those that love him; but that z Joh 16.27. the Father loves them, because they love him, and believ on him: as he saith elsewhere of himself, that a John 10.17. Therefore the Father loved him, because he laid down his life for his sheep. Thus you see Sir, how either for want of Logic, or for some selfish humour, you stick not again to give our Saviour the lie, though you were formerly told of it; and your work here should have been, either the clearing yourself if you could, or (which had been the better and more Christian course) the crying peccavi, and confessing your fault; rather than the troubling of yourself and your Readers with a tedious discourse and needless dispute about a feigned opposition of your own setting up, by mangling of my Proposition; and attracting a further guilt by a renewed opposition in more direct terms to our Saviour's own express Assertion. As silly a shift, and sorry a shaft is that that ensueth: that though we are like him, yet we are not himself: And what then? Cannot God therefore love us for his image in us? Yea, but the reason annexed will (I hope) make all cocksure: He loves us as in Christ, and himself. I may still ask, and what then? for this is also as little to the purpose as the rest. It is true indeed that you say, God loves us not as we love one another, from complexion and feature without: for b 1 Sam. 16.7. God sees not as man sees, as he sometime told Samuel: Man looks on the outward appearance; but God looks on the heart. And doth he not love therefore for complexions and features within? c Psal. 11.7. The Lord is righteous, and loves righteousness; and the d Psal. 146.5. righteous for their righteousness. And he e Ps. 147.10, 11. delights, though not in an horse's strength, or in any man's legs, yet in those that fear him, and trust in his mercy. For what, think we, but for that their fear of him, and confidence in him? and for what he delights in them, for that sure he loves them: for how can he delight in that that he loves not? But I fear, I may justly incur blame and censure, for spending time, and wasting words, in labouring to prove that by argument, f Siquidem videtur hoc esse, qod Plut. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Quale enim est, die non esse contentum, nisi igniculus aliqis alluxerit? Aut qod potest in hac ●laritate habere scintilla momentum, Sep. Ep. 92. which our Saviour himself hath so expressly averred, as if his word were not of itself all-sufficient proof for it, and able to bear down all contrary cavils; and attract that guilt that I charge Mr. S. with, in endeavouring g In rebus apretis argumentari, tam est stultum, quam in clarissimum Solem ●umen infer, Fabius lib. 1. cap. 13. Et Fabio prior Aristoteles, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Stob. cap. 4. by reason upon reason to confirm that, which, till these days, no man in his right wits and sober mind, ever made doubt of, much less denied. But you see what exigences men's prodigious conceits, and their obstinacy in them enforceth us unto. Yet one thing, I confess we are here beholden to him for; but that I doubt, he wisheth it had not dr●pt out of his pen. He saith, that God's image upon us, is an earnest of his love to us; only given us, because he loved us. For if God's image renewed in us, be an earnest of his love to us; then may it give us good assurance of his love. For to what end is ●n earnest given, but to assure the party to whom it is given of that whereof it is an earnest? and ●hen sanctification by his own ground and grant here, is a sound and sure evidence of just fixation; unless any man will undertake to give better assurance than God's earnest. And yet with what base, broad, and opprobrious terms this assurance hath been vilified and reproached by him, shall in his due place appear. But thus the adversaries of God's truth are sometime by a secret providence induced, ere they are ware, to give testimony thereunto. Concerning your eighth Assertion, and the Animadversion on it, which you were piddling with a little before, you return us here nothing more than you there ●ad, save a Magist●ri●ll and censorious reprehension of all others beside yourself and those of your side, in these words: h Rep. p. 12, 13. Whereas you say, G d is as man, and as a Father: I hope you mean not as in him● lf, but as in his ways of speaking and appearing to us; and if so, we are agreed. But your taking things more in the letter then in the spirit, makes your divinity less divine, and your conceptions more like things of men, then of God. This makes the glory ●f the Gospel so legal and carnal, when we rise no higher than the ba●e l●tter of Scripture, not the inspiration by which it came: All Scripture being given by inspiration. Where Sir, 1. You mangle my say after your wont guise. I say only, i Ans. p. 19 In some things he is as man: and what I say, I render reasons for, more than one; and instance in such things as you oppose: all which you take no notice of. A worthy manner of replying: such as the meanest, I say not, Scholar, but person whatsoever of common capacity, might well be ashamed of. 2. I show that he is so; not in ways of speaking and appearing only, as you speak, (as if in deed and truth he were nothing less than what he seemed to be, and in such speakings were pretended) but in reality and truth. 3. Clear yourself if you can, from guilt of blasphemy, for averring, that k Exod. 34 6. God in way of speaking and appearance only proclaimed himself to Moses, a God merciful, and gracious, slow to wrath, and abundant in goodness and truth: and that Moses in way of speaking and appearance only told the people, what so seriously he advised them to l D●ut. 8.5. consider, that as a man chasteneth his son, so God chastened them: And that the Psalmist spoke in the like strain, when he saith, m Psa. 103.13. As a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth those that fear him; for that is the instance I there bring, which you were nibbling at here before. 4. Sir, we dare not allegorise the Scriptures, where the letter of it yields us a clear and proper sense: much less expect such new inspirations as the Enthusiasts of our times, whom you seem overmuch to comply with, pretend, that they may obtrude on us their vain and profane fancies in stead of God's sacred Oracles. 5. What you conclude with, that Scripture was given by inspiration, who denies? but what followeth thence, I beseech you? that therefore we must rise higher than the letter of the Scripture, and expect some new revelation for the raising of some other spiritual sense of it then the letter will afford? This is a way to draw n Qod de Rabbinis Judaicis, Constant. Emperat. ad Dan. 10.1. De nostris etiam qibusdam, Sixt. Amam. videndus Antibarb. Bibl. l. 1. err. 7. pag. 256. etc. quidlibet ex quolibet, and to make the Scripture o Nasum cereum, uti Pontificii. a nose of wax, that men may wind and turn which way they list, as their acquaint fancies and wanton wits are pleased to play with it: for Sir, was not p 2 Tim. 3.16. every parcel of Scripture, whether Historical or Doctrinal, given by inspiration, as well as any one of it? But this is not unlike that idle dotage of the Jewish Doctors, who tell us, that * Menach. in Gen. 29. every Scripture hath seventy several faces or senses: and the Popish conceit of four several sorts of interpretation of Scripture; which our Writers do justly oppose. Nor could I therefore, I confess, without much grief of mind, yea and some kind of godly (I hope) indignation, read what I lately lighted on, among some Treatises of a Protestant Writer of no small note, lately published; a q L. C. Exercitatio ad locum Zoharis. large discourse, wherein this mystical manner of expounding plain and historical passages of Scripture by I know not what analogical and allegorical senses, is not justified only, but highly commended: and a great deal of pains taken in relating, translating, and unfolding, for a pattern thereof, a most absurd, ridiculous, and putrid explication, or profanation rather, of some r Gen. 2.4, 5, 6 few verses in a passage of Moses concerning the creation, taken out of one of those Jewish brainsick, and fantastical Writers. And truly, I could not but wonder not a little, that one of that learning and piety, that I presume him to be of, nor dare otherwise to deem, (and whom ever since I have been acquainted with his Writings, I have ever in either regard reverendly esteemed, and still shall) could induce his mind to undertake such a work, as to commend to students in Divinity that course and practice, wherein he could not but know, how foully divers of the Ancients had failed and faulted, and whereby some of them had taken occasion to broach and bring in many erroneous, both fond and impious conceits: or could endure to waste so much precious time and serious study, in beating out and laying open that intricate texture and prolix train of most uncouth and unsavoury fancies, wherewith that addleheaded Writer hath cloyed and clogged that Scripture; the very bare reading whereof were enough to turn any judicious man's stomach, and alone sufficient to make a religious spirit zealous and jealous of preserving Gods sacred oracles in their genuine purity and simplicity, to abhor and abomitate such irreverent and irreligious abuse of them, in writhing and wriggling them to and fro, as some s Nihil qaerendum in verbis, nisi loqentium voluntas, cui demonstrandae invigilare debent omnes veridici enarratores, Aug. de cons. Evang. lib. 2. cap. 46. Mysterium ex rebus qibusvis obviis & apertis effodere, eorum est qi via hominum pervulgata sapere fastidiunt, qae res saepe excidit in febriculosam putiditatem. Cun. de Rep. Hebr. lib. 3. cap. 5. puppetlike artifice, to make them express variety of forms and shapes, as such did, this one while, and that another, things as much discrepant one from another, as all of them from the truth of the text: and * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Marc. Imp. l. 7. Sect. 3. qae nervorum, sive verticillorum opera pro tractantis arbitrio attracta citaqe varias subinde figuras exprimebant. De his Arist. nom. de mund. c. 6. Xenoph. in Sympos. Petron. in satire. wring that out of them, that they neither speak directly, nor by just consequence flows from them, nor can be proved ever to have t Litera sua●iter excutienda & non more captivorum acerbe torquenda, donec restituat, qod non accepit. Joan. Sarisb. Metalog. l. 3. c. 1. been intended in them. This I thought good to give an item of by the way, the rather, because I perceive too much liberty in these licentious times taken by divers, and the people much applauding them, who play and dally with Scripture, to fish and fetch out of it some abstruse mysteries, and strange crotchets, beyond ordinary apprehension; dealing nothing so religiously with God's word, as any sober-minded man would do with any humane Author of any profession, u Interpretis professio est, non qo ipse disertus appareat, sed qo eum qi lecturus est, faciat intelligere, qomodo ipse intellexit, qi scripsit. Hieron. ad Marcel. de Rhet. Commentatoris officium est, non qid ipse velit, sed qid sentiat ille quem interpretatur, exponere. Idem de Jovin. Apolog. 1. whom he were to open and expound. As for your abuse Sir, of this Scripture testimony concerning Scripture, were but your words brought into a Syllogistical form, it would plainly appear how impertinently and ridiculously it is by you here produced. And for your censure passed on our way of handling Scripture, I will say no more but this, that if we should take that course of dealing with Scripture, that yourself and some of yours do, our Divinity would not only be less divine, but much more fantastical then (we bless God for it) as yet it is. From these Assertions you pass to others excepted against, which are specially concerning Faith. The first whereof is this, that w Treat. p. 94. Faith is truly and simply this, A being persuaded more or less of Christ's love. This being excepted against as containing no more than any man, the wickedest and most profane may have: and indeed, who almost hath not? Your Reply is only in a poor chiding way; that no whit salves the looseness and unsoundness of such a libertinish and licentious Assertion; thus: x Repl. p. 13. Sect. 6. I pray you mistake not. Can all believe from the Spirit? Can all be more or less spiritually persuaded? Do I speak of any persuasion of Christ's love which is not spiritual? Deceive not yourself nor your Reader, nor wrong your Author. Or do I speak of Faith abstracted from all Repentance, Obedience? etc. Why deal you thus? 1. Sir, all your pitiful complaint of wrong done you is idle and frivolous. I wrong you not, I misrelate you not: but give you your own words entirely as I find them in you. If any other mistake you, and by mistaking of you be encouraged to soothe up themselves with a vain conceit of being possessed of true faith, when indeed there is no such matter; yourself is to be blamed, who by such speeches as these give ground to such a pernicious error, by not speaking your mind more fully and plainly, (if you meant one thing and spoke another;) and stand guilty of the blood of the souls of such as shall, or may perish by such mistake. 2. If when you profess to deliver your mind truly and plainly, yet you mean otherwise then you speak, and speak otherwise then you mean, (as it was said of a couple, y Pontificem nunqam qod diceret facere, Valentinum nunqam qod faceret dicere, Guicciard. l. 1. the father and the son, of no very good note either) how shall we know when your speeches and your meanings concur? 3. Can all believ from the Spirit? No Sir, none can believ from the Spirit, but those alone that believ from God's word. But many, that have no ground of belief from God's word, but from such principles as without warrant from it, you and yours infuse into them, nor ever had aught of God's spirit in them, may yet have such a persuasion as you here mention. And we therefore tax this for an unsound Assertion, and a rotten principle, the same term that you z Treat. p. 85. brand some notes of Assurance with, which yet you cannot but confess to be found in God's word. And to mend the matter, you afterward tell us, that a Treat. p. 92. none ought to qestion whether they believ or not: and so dissuade those that have swallowed down this your poisonful principle, from examining whether their faith be true and sound or no. And it is an absurd thing for you to ask, whether you speak of any persuasion of Christ's love that is not spiritual, when not only you say, persuasion in general, making no mention of spiritual, but forbidden any to try it, whether it be spiritual or no. 4. But, Can all be more or less spiritually persuaded? 1. Where is that spiritually in your text? If it were in your breast, as a secret reserv, (which is your b Repl pag. 2. Sect. 1, 4. vain plea concerning some words of mine abused by you, where you were as by the finger pointed to my meaning, not concealed, but expressed) like a backdoor, or a starting hole, for you to slip out at, when occasion should be, and yourself closely pursued, and hard pressed with it: You do but juggle with us, and delude your Reader, that you may make our doctrine herein not complying with yours, to be deemed too strict, as devised on purpose to pinch men and c Treat. p. 37. keep them in pain, to make the cure after the more admired. 2. You talk still in ambiguous terms to us. For what intent you by being spiritually persuaded? If from such grounds as God's Spirit in the word suggests, and such operations as the Spirit is wont ever to work in the soul wheresoever it gives ability to believ; you cross yourself, who are ever and anon girding at us, (as d Reply, p. 5. Sect. 1. yourself deny not) and traducing us, for teaching men, with the Apostle, thence to draw ground for such persuasion, and thereby to examine the truth of it. If you mean by an immediate voice of the Spirit speaking directly to the soul, as some of your party seem to maintain; then I see not how there can be more or less in it, notwithstanding whatsoever you talk elsewhere of e Treat. p. 99 degrees: For what the Spirit speaks in such an immediate manner to the soul, cannot but fully satisfy and persuade that soul to whom it so speaks. Nor will you ever be able to prove, that to every believer the Spirit so speaks. 5. But, Do you speak of faith abstracted from all repentance, obedience, & c.? 1. If such persuasion as you mention may be without any of these, as there is no qestion but it may be; then a faith abstracted from these comes within compass of your definition or description of faith, term it whether you please. 2. You do speak of, approve, and justify such a faith; yea, more than that, you affirm, all true faith to be such; when you maintain, that f Treat. p. 186. every one that receivs Christ (which is done g Joh. 1.12. by faith) receivs him in a sinful condition; and consequently, in an impenitent condition. And that to be your meaning, you acknowledge, though you return no answer to mine Argument against it. 3. If you intent no other faith, why do you so oft tax us, for pressing these things as required of all those that have interest in Christ. 4. What other faith is it that you intent, when you say, that h Treat. p. 98. men ought not to stay the exercise of their faith, for repentance or humiliation, or any other grace? Of which more hereafter in your Model. 6. Since you have dealt so ambiguously and covertly (by your own confession at the best) in this and other your Assertions, (which you are not able to justify) being delivered in your own words, and well sorting, as they are delivered, with what you affirm elsewhere; you have no cause to ask me, why I deal thus: but we may well ask you, why you deal so deceitfully, and delude silly souls, in teaching them to rest on such rotten reeds as these, (which you are loath to own, though they be your own) to the ruin of their souls. Your next Assertion is, that i Treat. p. 97 No man can believe too suddenly. To which I answer, That k Ans. p. 20. men may believe too suddenly, as did Simon the Sorcerer: too soon and too suddenly they may presume, and he persuaded of Christ's love; if that be faith, as you define it. l Reply p. 13. Now to this you reply, 1. Was Simon Magus blamed for believing too suddenly, or for misbelieving: because he believed that the gifts of the holy Ghost might be bought with money? 1. Grant it, that he was blamed for the latter; that misbelief of his, and the evil act thence proceeding, discovering the unsoundness of his formerly pretended, and externally professed faith: yet what I say stands still firm, That a man may too suddenly believ as he did. And if his belief were unbelief, and a mere groundless presumption, then that which I say is true: For sure it is, men may too suddenly misbeliev and presume. 2. If to believ be no more then as you say, To be persuaded more or less of Christ's love; not Simon Magus alone, but many millions, nay, any other in his estate, may too soon and too suddenly believ: yea, if your former tenants be true, Simon Magus, though m Act. 8.23. abiding still in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity, had as good right unto, and interest in the promises of the Gospel, running absolutely and simply without any condition of faith and repentance, and belonging to sinners as sinners, not as humbled or repentant sinners, and therefore to him, unless you will deny him to be a sinner; as Philip or Peter, that preached Christ to him: and might conseqently believ as well as they, and be on good ground persuaded that Christ loved him; since the promises belong to none but such as Christ loves. But you proceed in your chiding and expostulating language. 2. n Repl. ibid. Can any believe too soon? If some mis-believe, or believe falsely, what is that to them that truly believe? o Rom. 3. Shall the unbelief of some make the faith of God without effect? God forbidden. Can Christ be too soon a Saviour to us? Can the fountain be too soon opened for sin? Can the riches of Christ be too soon brought home? Paul counts it an honour to be p Rom. 16.5, ● first in Christ: as to some that were in Christ before him, and to others that were the first-fruits of Achaia. 1. No man can truly believe too soon, no more than he can truly repent too soon. But Sir, you compel us to sing over your own song again to you. Men may too soon be persuaded more or less that Christ loves them; because sooner than they have any good ground for any such persuasion, that which is the very essence of faith with you; and they that so believe before they repent, believe too soon; their impenitency showing such belief of theirs to be no well-grounded faith, but a presumptuous fancy. 2. If there be mis-belief and false belief, as well as true belief; How dare you dissuade men from trying their faith, whether it be sound and sincere? Should one dissuade or forbid men to weigh or try the gold they receive, when they know light and base coin to be rife abroad; yea, so rife, that there is far more store of the faulty commonly tendered in payment, then of good and weighty gold; what could it be deemed but a mere knavish device, of one either desirous to cheat and cousin people himself, or willing to have them cheated and cozened by others? 3. You misapply and abuse Scripture, as elsewhere, so here. Tho q Rom. 3.3. the unbelief of some cannot make the faith of God of none effect, but that his promises shall in their due time all undoubtedly be made good to all his: yet what is that at all to our present debate? For may not therefore some persuade themselves, (and that from your grounds encouraged so to do) that God's promises belong to them, when indeed they do not? 4. Tho Christ cannot too soon be a Saviour, if he please, unto any; yet may many, yea, too many do persuade themselves, that Christ is their Saviour, whom yet he never will save. 5. The fountain in some sort and manner may, in the ministerial dispensation of it, be too soon set open; if it be otherwise set open than it was by Peter in his preaching r Acts 2.38. & 3.19. to the Jews, and s Act. 8.22. to Simon Magus afterward: and if, as it is by many of your strain in these times, who tell men that sinners of all sorts may be washed in it from the guilt of their sins, although they continue still in the practice of them; and your own principles prove and approve the same. 6. The riches of Christ cannot too soon be brought home to any soul. It is God; not you, or I, or any other that can do that. But the riches of Christ, and the waters of the forementioned fountain, are (I suppose) of those t Mat. 7.6. holy things, which we are by our Saviour himself forbidden to throw to dogs, or to expose to swine. And we may be over hasty therefore in our dispensation of them. 7. For the Scriptures wherewith you seal up this impertinent discourse, I should endeavour to show how miserably and palpably you abuse them in your vain and ridiculous citing of them to no purpose, if I deemed any Reader to be so sottish or dim-sighted, that he were not able to discern between an apple and an oyster. But in stead thereof, I shall only make bold to present him with a brief Model of your Divinity concerning these points. 1. u Treat. p. 94. Faith (you told us) to speak truly and simply, (which indeed you, and those of your strain seldom do) is (no more then) to be persuaded more or less of Chricts love. 2. w Ib. p 97, 98. Men cannot too hastily or too suddenly (thus) believ. (for unto this your definition your words must have reference, unless you will acknowledge, that your writings hang together like ropes of x Arena sine calce. Suet. Caio. cap. 53. sand, without lime to bind it: and by faith you mean one thing, and by belief another). 3. y Ibid. p. 98. Men ought not to stay the exercise of their faith for repentance, or humiliation, or any other grace. (As much as to say, they ought not to forbear persuading themselves that Christ loves them, though they do not repent, nor be humbled at all for their sins.) 4. z Ibid. p. 92. None ought to qestion whether they believ or no: (and so need not, yea, ought not to examine their faith, whether it be sound and sincere, or no.) 5. a Ibid. p. 57 In the Gospel all are immediately called to believe: (that is, according to the former tenants, to be persuaded that they are of the number of those that Christ loves, and will save, whether they be yet humbled and repent, or no.) 6. b Ibid. p. 93. Christ commands to believ: (whom, but those whom he calls? and he calls all immediately without more ado;) for this is his commandment; and commandments of this nature must be obeyed, not disputed: (and men must not therefore stand disputing whether they believe aright or no: for to that purpose is this alleged.) Now Sir, endeavour you to salve these Assertions with what qualifications and modifications you please, and out of your subtle wit you can devise; let any indifferent person judge, what encouragement you have hereby given unto silly souls, to build hopes of attaining heaven and happiness, on such a sandy foundation as man's corrupt and profane heart is of its self over prone to entertain and r●ly on; to wit, being persuaded more or less that they are of Christ's beloved ones, and true believers, though they have no dram of repentance, or other grace in them. But the most of all this (which indeed you might justly be ashamed of, had you not made an utter riddance of all ingenuous disposition) together with what is against the same in mine c Ans. p. 20, 21. Answer objected, you let pass, only out of mine exception to the last, you snip off that one shred, wherein I say, that d Ibid. p. 20. Christ commands us to repent as well us to believe; yea, first to repent, and than to believe. Whereunto, in your wont fashion, to little purpose, you thus reply: e Repl. pag. 13. Sect. 7. Yea, but will you take the doctrine of the Gospel from a part, or summary of it, as you say, and not from the Gospel in its fullness, and glory, and revelation? will you gather doctrines of truth, as Ruth for a while did glea●ings, here one ear of corn, and there another; and not rather go to the full sheaf, ●o truth in the harvest and Vintage? Will you pick up truth by pieces and parcels, in Repentance, and Obedience, and self-deny all? and not reveal these as Christ may be most glorified, and the Saints most sanctified, and these gifts most spiritualised and improved? Will ye preach doctrine as it lies in the letter; or in their Analogy and inference of truth? The Papists preach Christ's very flesh and blood to be in the wine, and why? because they look but half way to the demonstration of truth in the Spirit: they shut up Christ in one nation, and not in another▪ and so lose the truth by revealing it in that form of words which is too narrow for it, and too short of f Ephes. the height, and depth and length of it. But Sir, 1. You have here a great deal of your Rhetoric; which it seems, you have not yet renounced: but very little of your Logic; which, it seems, you have so shaken hands with, that you never intent to admit, or to be reconciled unto again. For here is nothing but idle flourishes, like some Fencer in disport, laying about him with his two-handed sword, to make passage for some sight, when he hath no body to fight with: nothing but a mere sound of words, the same that we had oft before, with one or two qeint similitudes, that may serve for a new garnish: all as much to the matter, as an answer of chalk to a question of cheese. Sir, put your discourse into some form of Argument, and you may from you self soon have an answer; you will soon see the looseness of it yourself. 2. If you did but well weigh what you say, you might easily discern, that the edge of this your rhapsody, (for it is not worth the name of an Argument) leaving us, turns directly upon yourself. For who be they that glean, picking here an ear, and there an ear, and refusing to resort to the whole sheaf, but yourself? You tell us, g Joh. 14.1. Christ commands to believe: there you pick up one ear. We tell you, h Mark 1.15. he bids us repent and believe: we would have you take the rest of the sheaf along with you; and that you refuse. You tell us, that i Acts 16.31. Paul bids the Jailer believe: there you pick up the same one ear again. And we tell you, that the same Apostle saith, that k Act. 20.21. he preached to all (that he preached to) Jew or Gentile, as well repentance, as faith; yea, l Act. 26.20. faith, repentance, and new obedience: and would have you join them together, binding them up in one sheaf, as he did. And you not only refuse so to do, but jeer and deride us for so doing: and when we complain of your so dealing with us, you demand of us, m Repl. p. 5. Sect. 1. Why we think much to be so dealt with, when we do therein amiss. Now Sir, whether of the two pick up ear by ear, or whether go to the full sheaf, you or we, in that particular at least, that is now before us, let any man, not wholly void of common sense, judge. We require to have the sheaf kept entire, and not broken asunder, n Mat. 19.6. nor those things disjoined, that God and Christ hath conjoined: You over-saucily and presumptuously sever them. And when we find fault with you for your so doing, you charge on us the fault that you yourselves offend in. 3. If there be any truth in our doctrine concerning repentance, self-deny all, and obedience; and concerning the necessity of these unto salvation: confess at length to your shame, unless you regard your own credit more than God's truth, your heinous impiety, in wilful opposing these truths, against your own knowledge; and with Achan, o Josh. 7.19. Give God the glory, whose doctrine of truth in his Ministers preaching and pressing of it, in no other manner then as Christ himself did, you have wickedly and wretchedly derided. 4. If these be but pieces and parcels of truth, what is faith any more? 5. Before you taxed us for p Reply, p. 8. Sect. 2. interpreting Scripture in consequence; and now for not preaching it in Analogy and inference. Do you know what you would have? you are very wayward, it seems: nothing that we do, or not do, can please you. How differ consequence and inference? Be pleased good Sir, to show us, and arread us this riddle: for but q Rep. p. 14. a little hereafter yourself make them all one. 6. No sound inference or analogy doth or can destroy any truth: nor doth the analogy of one truth with another, inhibit the preaching of one truth as well as another. 7. For what you prate so much of spiritualizing the letter of the Text, we justly suspect that lurking in it, that we deservedly detest and abhor: the doctrine of repentance, and self-denial, and obedience, is no allegorical matter, that we need fancy or fish for some mystical senses of, by some I know not what new forged lights. But of this enough before. 8. For the Popish doctrine, either of Transubstantiation, or of concomitancy; what have we to do with it? were it any part of God's truth, we had no cause to reject it. We deem of it, as we do of your Antinomian dotages, that they are both alike mere novelties, fruits of men's wicked and wanton wits, enamoured too much on their own vain speculations, and therewith endeavouring to delude and seduce others. 9 Popish errors and Scriptures you make much alike use of; alleging them to as little purpose the one as the other. To the refidue that ensueth, r Ans. p. 21, 30. in five entire leaves, in way of exception to his eighth, ninth, and tenth Assertions, the justification and establishment of our grounds of assurance assigned out of God's word by us, and by him opposed; and the discussion and rejection of his newfound assurances, he returneth indeed some few short slubbring answers; but so as that the main matter, the most of it, is let go, and left as wholly buried in oblivion. 1. Concerning his dissuasive from any trial of faith, which with much eagerness he had formerly insisted on; affirming, that s Treat. p. 73. for a man to qestion his faith, were to qestion Christ himself, and to make our Saviour a Sorcerer: He is now somewhat allayed of his former heat; and out of his kindness he is content in some sort to close with us, and to stoop so low from his Magisteriality, as (though contrary to his own tenants) to condescend in some things to us, that we may not utterly disagree. His words are these. 1. t Repl. p. 14. You say, We are to try our faith: I say so too; if you would not pick and choose in my book, to make me some other thing than you find me. 1. Do you say, Sir, that we must try our faith? You do indeed now here so say: but do you say so in your book? or do you not there flatly avow the clean contrary, and that, in as express terms as may be? else what is the English of those words there; u Treat. p. 92. None ought to qestion whether they believe or no? and w Ibid. p. 95. We ought no more to qestion our faith, than we ought to qestion Christ? Unless I have forgotten mine English, as you have your Logic, these words are directly repugnant to what you now say. Nor do I in charging this upon you, make you any other thing than I find you: the rather, finding you, as x Ans. p. 22, 23. mine Answer shows, not barely propounding these things; but with much vehemency pressing them, and deeply censuring what you seem how to acknowledge, as derogatory from the credit of the Gospel, and the honour of Christ: both which in truth you do hereby not oppose and contradict only, but much dishonour and disgrace. Sure, you made full account, that no rejoinder would ever have appeared to this your Reply; you would never else have thus written. 2. y Repl. ibid. But my meaning is, that we must try our faith for assurance; as my other words imply: and you say so to. Sir, I say, we must try our faith itself, whether it be sincere or no, as well as take trial of our assurance; which a man may want, though he have true faith. Nor do my words imply any other thing, or exclude either. But Sir, this puntilio we will not stand upon; (though your words here be nothing clear) a small matter shall not part us. The rather since that in both you freely profess to say the same; and are of late become so liberal, where you seemed so extreme tenacious and hidebound before. But where is the difference then between us? what is it, that sets us at a distan●● and such a distance, that for saying no more than you now gran●, we must needs be held guilty of making our Saviour a Sorcerer? Speak on your mind Sir, plainly; you are much mistaken in us; we are willing enough to hear you. 3. You say; z Repl. Ibid. We would have the best assurance from trial: and there you leave us; and do not say 〈◊〉 we say. 1. The question at present is not concerning the best assurance, or the worst; but whether any trial is to be taken at all. And here your words are peremptory and general: that none ought to qestion their faith: and consequently, that no trial at all is to be taken. And here Sir, should I leave you, sticking fast in the mire of your own former assertions, which it seems you are grown ashamed of, and are loath therefore now to own; and so entangled in the briers of your own cross contradictions, that you know not how to wind yourself out of them; and so rid mine hand of you, having forced from you a confession of what you formerly denied; there could be nothing further exacted of me as concerning the present debate. For all that here followeth is nothing at all, either to the clearing of yourself from the point charged on you, or the removal of mine exception made thereunto. Yet resolved we are to hear what you say, though you speak not to the point. 2. Where then do you find me say, that the best assurance is from trial? and here I might return you again your own coin, expostulate with you in your own words; Why do you make me some other thing than you find me? deceive not yourself, nor your reader; nor wrong not your Author. Set not up a stake, as the young a Ad palum tirones exercebantur, Vege. l. 1 c. 11. & l. 2. c. 23. Ind, Pali vulnera, Juvenali Sat. 6. novices of the Roman trained bands had wont to do, wherewith to exercise yourself. Howbeit, that you may see, we are not so quarrelsome as you deem us; if you will be pleased to do, not us, but the Apostles of Christ the courtesy, as to acknowledge the assurance that they have pointed us to, and given us assurance of, to be true, sure, sound, certain; and not vilify, debase, disgrace and traduce them, as b Ans. p. 27, 32. narrow, puzzling, perplexing, distracting courses, broken ware, weak work, rotten stuff, and the like, we will let fall this controversy, and leave contending and qestioning what assurance is the best, we will be content to take these, and teach them, such as they be, and as the writers of holy writ have ascertained them to be. And yet, give me leave to be so bold, as to tell you so much of my mind by the way, that I shall ever conceive just cause to qestion that faith, that shuneth this touchstone, that refuseth to be tried by such signs and marks as the Apostles have propounded for that purpose. c Repl. Ibid. But is that (say you) the best spiritual assurance, that is from our spirit in part, or from God alone? from our reasoning, or his speaking? can a spouse argue better the love of her friend, from his tokens and bracelets, or from his own word and letter and seal? 1. Sir, we contend not for prerogative, as was before said, that is a qestion of your own; no assertion of ours. 2. The assurance gathered from the gracious work of god's spirit on our souls, and the effects of the same, is not an assurance taken from our own spirit, but from God's spirit. d 1 Joh. 4.13. Hereby we know, that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his spirit. 3. Our assurance rightly and truly raised by our reasoning from God's gracious work in us, is a true and a divine testimony; as a e Habent testimonium in verbo Dei, suntqe non minus divina mandata, qae ex certa Scripturae sententia, bona consequentia deducuntur, qam qae totidem literis & syllabis in Scriptures exprimuntur. Chemnit. exam. tried. part. 1. p. 19 conclusion necessarily deduced from Scripture, is a divine truth, as well as that that is expressly found in Scripture: yea, the Apostle tells us, that f Rom. 8.16. the Spirit of God bears witness together with our spirit. Nor doth the one therefore simply weaken the work of the other. 4. A bracelet, or a frontlet barely sent or given, may argue some good will, but makes no engagement; there must be some letter, or g Pignus est donum verbo vestitum. Reg. Jur. word of promise added, that must effect that: And that these spiritual endowments want not. We have God's word, h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Maca. hom. 39 his letter, his hand writing, his seal, both testifying to us, and giving us assurance that these things are his earnests; as yourself before confessed. 5. Yea, but i Repl. Ibid. the Spirit is k 1 Joh. 5.8. one of the three that beareth witness on earth: and, in whom after ye believed, you were sealed with the Spirit of promise. That l Rom. 8.16. The Spirit bears witness, and that together with our spirit, is acknowledged; and that the faithful are said to be m Ephes. 1.14. & 4.30. sealed by the Spirit, the Apostle is express for it: but the qestion is, what manner of sealing it is that is there meant: And it is such, I suppose, as rather crosses, then furthers what you would have. Which to make manifest, I shall in the first place crave leave, that I may without offence or prejudice a little rectify the Translation, and render the text as the Original yields it; the words run thus, n Ephes. 1.13. In whom o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ita 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, credens, Marc. 16.16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 credentes, Luc. 8.12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 credere, Marc. 9.23. 2 Thess. 2.11. Sic 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 audience, Mat. 2.3. & 4.12. & 8.10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 audientes, Mat. 15.12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 audire, Mat. 13.42. & 13.15, 17. believing, or having believed, or when you believed, you were sealed. Now the sealing here mentioned I take to consist in the inward endowments of sanctifying grace, whereby the Spirit set God's mark and seal on them at the time of their conversion and receiving of Christ. My reasons are briefly: 1. The sealing here mentioned is general, common to all believers; p 2 Cor. 1.21, 22. us with you, and you with us, saith the Apostle of those at Corinth; and the selfsame he presumeth here of all the faithful at Ephesus. 2. It is said of them, that they are thereby sealed, as elsewhere; not that thereby redemption is sealed unto them; but that q Ephes. 1.13. & 4.30. they are thereby sealed unto it: which implies some impression of a seal, or signature stamped on them. And herein some difference seems to be between the outward seals, to wit, the r Rom. 4.11. Sacraments, and the inward seal of the Spirit; that they seal the covenant to the soul, this seals the soul to the future benefits contained in the covenant, which in due time they shall be possessed of: the Sacraments seal to all that receive them indifferently, for the truth of the covenant (else were not wicked ones s Jer. 34.18. covenant-breakers with God) effectually, for their good and benefit, unto those alone that believe and repent. The Spirit seals in the manner above mentioned, not the truth of the covenant alone, but the benefit of it, unto the party thereby sealed, as having interest in and unto all the good things therein contained; and being, by what he hath already received, marked out for, and sealed up unto whatsoever thereof is yet behind. 3. That which is here called the seal of the Spirit, is elsewhere called the t Rom. 3.23. first-fruits of the Spirit, as a parcel of that, which in the full crop is hereafter expected, and of the same nature with it. 4. That other place plainly parallel to this, wherein by divers several tropes, under several distinct notions, this one and the self same thing is deciphered, to me seems to carry it along this way. u 2 Cor. 1.21, 22. He it is, saith the Apostle, that assureth, or rather, w 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. ensureth us, in Christ, or x 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. into; or unto Christ; and hath anointed us; who hath also sealed us, and given or put, the earnest of his spirit on our hearts, Whence I thus reason: Look how God ensureth us, so he anointeth us; and how he anoints us, so he seals us; and how he seals us, so he gives us his earnest, or puts his earnest into us: But it is the gracious endowments of his sanctifying spirit, wherewith he anoints us; as all Interpreters hold, that ever I read: And it is the same therefore, whereby God sealeth and ensures us, as by his y Ephes. 1.14. earnest to himself. And this being, as I take it, with other good z ●llyric. Cal●. Pisc. Ba●n, alii. Autors, the genuine sense of that scripture, (the contrary whereunto, I suppose, you will not be able easily to evince) it little helps you in aught▪ that you would conclude from it; but it much strengtheneth that which you so mightily oppose. 6. * Repl. Ibid. Can any inference or consequence drawn from faith, or love, or repentance, or obedience in us, so assure us, as the breathing of Christ himself, sealing, assuring, persuading, convincing, satisfying. a Psal. I will hear, what God will say; for he will speak peace to his servants. A Saint would rather hear that voice then all his own inferences and arguments; which though they bring somsthing to persuade, yet they persuade not so answerably, till the voice speak b 2 Pet. 1. from that excellent glory. Sir, 1. Comparisons we use to say, are odious. We make no comparison between any assurances that God gives and affords unto his. Nor do we cry up one, as you do, to cry down another: like those of the prelatical faction, that cried up prayer, to cry down preaching. And though all you plead here therefore were granted you, it neither hits us, much less hurts us, or our cause; nor yet clears you, from the heinous guilt contracted by you, and cleaving still fast to you, in traducing and vilifying Gods own sacred assurances, the general and ordinary pledges and pawns of his special favour and love in Christ. 2. I might demand of you: Are not these graces you mention the very breathing of Christ himself into the soul? were the ministerial abilities conferred on his Apostles c Joh 20.22. such? and are not the sanctifying graces of the spirit such also? or doth not Christ by these seal, assure, persuade, convince, and satisfy? and I might here challenge you, or any other of your way, to deny this if they dare. 3. Where did the Psalmist profess his desire and endeavour to by inqiry to hear d Psal. 85.80. what God would speak, but e In verbo suo: Moller. In promissionibus: Calvin. in his word? or what speaking of peace are we to understand there, but a real speaking; not a verbal or vocal speech, either inward or outward, but a f Pacem loqi, largiri, Moller. real exhibition, such as God's g Deus, cum benedicit, facit qod dicit: Aquin. benediction is wont to be, of peace, that is, of h Pacem, prosperum successum: Calv. Ita passim. Isa. 48.18. Psal. 119.165. prosperity, and prosperous success, to the people? so that this place is little to your purpose. 4. It is not denied, but that i Luk. 7.48, 50. Christ's immediate voice to the poor penitent woman, could not but be matter of exceeding great comfort to her, and such as might well afford inexpressible refreshment to her drooping spirit, inconceivable tranq●llitie to her troubled mind, inconcussed settlement and assurance to her soul; but neither can such now be expected: nor is the security drawn from the grounds of God's word (as k Matth. 5.18. infallible and unfailable as the pillars and groundworks of heaven and earth; yea l Mark 13.31. more unfailable than the foundations of either) less powerful and efficacious in itself; and might be so also unto us, were it not for the weakness of our faith, and want of our firm apprehension of them. Nor is it denied but that God's spirit in a more immediate way, may at sometime insinuate itself into the soul, by sweet and sensible raptures and soul ravishing comforts, in times especially of tribulation and extremity of distress; thereby to encourage God's servants to depend upon him, and with the more alacrity of spirit to go thorough with such bitter brunts as God hath pleased to call them to: and that God may in such manner, and oft doth, in such sort communicate himself to his servants, according to his good pleasure, and the divers manners of his dispensations to his: and that such irradiations and insinuations are for the present matter of singular comfort and contentment to the soul. But these are m Heu, Domine Deus, rara hora, & brevis mora: Bern. in Cant. neither general, nor perpetual; many a soul (no doubt) hath gotten into heaven, that was never much acquainted with them. Nor doth any such extraordinary or more unusual courses any whit infringe (much less take away and annul) the force and efficacy of assurances drawn from the word, wherein God's voice is as well as in these; and which are commended to us in the word, and that for such as every one ought to try himself, and to be tried by. We speak of such ways as every true believer is, or may be capable of; and such as, if the Spirit of God speaking in his word do not delude and deceive us, may give us abundant of n Rom. 15.4. comfort and assurance o 1 Joh. 1.3. with joy. 5. For the place you cite out of Peter to confirm your comparison, let but any Reader consult p 2 Pet. 1.18. the place, wherein the testimony of the word written and enroled in the records of the Prophets is pronounced q 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, 2 Pet. 1.19. more firm and certain, than the immediate voice heard in the Mount; and he may soon discern, how you misapply and abuse Scriptures (a practice too common with you) to serve your own turn, as yourself please. 6. For such grounds of assurance as we plead for, we have express Scripture, as you cannot deny: of such an immediate voice or enthusiasm as you seem to plead for, no Scripture produced by you is yet proved to speak: Scriptures only are to that purpose by you mis-applyed. That which I say of it at present shall be this only, that that voice that shall inwardly speak peace to a soul, where those marks of faith, repentance, self-denial, and obedience are not found, may undoubtedly be avowed to be no voice of Christ, nor testimony of his spirit, (for the Spirit of God cannot cross itself) but either some vain and groundless suggestion of a man's own corrupt heart, or a mere delusion of the Prince of darkness, transforming himself into the Prince of light, the Lord Jesus. Mean while Sir, consider, I beseech you, seriously, and weigh well what you do; you beat men off from those grounds and assurances which Gods word holds out to them; and in room thereof, you propound either some devices of your own, as that Christ hath repent and believed for them, which they cannot admit, because they find no footing for them in God's word; or some extraordinary and immediate voices, or what else you please to term them; which, though being true believers, and wel-grounded in the faith, yet it may be they never had, nor dare to expect. Now whether this be not a puzzling way indeed, let others decide. From hence making a long jump, or an almond leap, and skipping over all that you find objected against that your most unreasonable motion of not taking any trial of faith at all, and the branding of it as above: you light at length on a by-passage in the Animadversion on your tenth Assertion; forbearing to trouble yourself further, as your wisest course was, with the exceptions taken to the main matter: which yet is the chief principle and groundwork of almost your whole book. The passage together with the occasion of it is this: Mr. S. blames us q Treat. p. 27, 29. for propounding the promises of the Gospel to men with conditions of repentance, sorrow for sin, etc. as so clogging them with conditions and q●lfications, that because they are things they cannot do, in stead of drawing a soul to Christ, we put it further off from him. Now to return the reproof upon him, r Ans. p. 24. I tell him, that he may as well be said to do the same, when he propounds them so clogged with conditions of receiving, taking, and believing on; unless he dare say, that it is an easier matter to believe, then to repent. Whereunto Mr. S. returns us this answer: 1. s Repl. p. 14. Sect. 8. I preach not receiving as a condition, as you do repenting. But Sir, your precise words are these: u Treat. p. 30. The way of coming by a right, or purchasing an interest in this righteousness or salvation wrought by Christ, it is held forth without price or work, only for taking, and receiving, and believing in. Where, to omit that you say more than we dare do, in ascribing a purchasing power unto faith; whether these words imply not as much, if not more than a bare condition amounts unto, let any man that hath not utterly lost his wits, judge. We attribute nothing near so much to repentance, as concerning faith these words import. 2. x Repl. ibid. I preach Christ the Power, and Life, and Spirit, that both stands, and knocks, and yet opens the door to himself. Sir, we preach as much in this kind as you here mention, and as much as you do, if you preach no more than Christ himself doth in his word: Nor doth this or any other part of sound doctrine, concerning God's work in the act of conversion, either take away, or contradict those other parcels of Scripture, wherein upon such conditions part in Christ is propounded. Nor is any man to be blamed for the pressing of the one, any more than to be taxed for preaching of the other. You might as well pick a quarrel to Peter for his y Acts 2. & 3. two first Sermons, and with Paul for his whole discourse of justification by faith, in the third, fourth, and fifth chapters of his Epistle to the Romans, as to any of us in this regard. 3. z Repl. Ibid. I preach not receiving as a gift, or condition given or begun for Christ: but Christ working all in the soul, and the soul working up to Christ by a power from himself. Sir, you prate and vaunt very much of your preaching: But Sir, compare what you say you preach, and what we present you with from yourself in print; and see how well they sort together. For as for Christ's working all in the soul, you have been answered more than once. 4. a Repl. Ibid. If you would preach repentance and obedience as no● either preceding or previous dispositions, we should agree better in the pulpit, than we do in the press. If we preach otherwise then the word of God warrants us, reprove us out of it: Otherwise Sir, blame us not, though we agree not with you, either in pulpit, or in press. In the next place, taking a new leap, you pass over all that was b Ans. p. 25. excepted against your parallelling of the promises of salvation by Christ, with the covenant made with Noah: and to the result of your Assertions, and sum of your Divinity thence extracted; to wit, that c Ans. Ibid. The promises of the Gospel belong to all sinners without exception: and that all are therefore bound to believe the said promises, being not conditional, but absolute; even as absolute as the promise to Noah, of never drowning the world again: Nor is any man to qestion his faith, or what ground he hath for such his belief. From whence it necessarily follows, that men may be saved, whether they believe or no, repent or no; as from that concerning the promise to Noah, and other your Assertions there related, is inevitably inferred. To the last branch, I say, of this, to wit, That men may be saved whether they repent or no, believe or not: silencing the whole residue, you thus reply; 1. d Repl. p. 14. Sect. 9 Should I say to you, The sum of your Divinity is this, That faith, and repentance, and obedience are helps with Christ, and conditions with Christ to man's salvation; and that salvation is not free, but conditional; the covenant of grace is as it were a covenant of works: Should I do well in this to upbraid you, and those of your way? Sir, If you should upbraid us with aught that we teach not, or doth not necessarily flow from aught that we teach, you should wrong us, as in part here you do: Concerning which, and your doctrine herein, enough already hath been said, for the clearing both of us and it. But Sir, there is nothing here charged on you, but what either in express terms you deliver, or of necessity follows from what you affirm. 2. e Reply p. 15: Say not then, that I think men may be saved that never repent nor believe. Sir, what you think, I know not; and it may be you scarce know yourself what you think or would have, you seem to be of so many minds. But what you have written and taught, both you and we know: and if you think otherwise, as you here say, why take you so much pains to possess your Reader with such principles, as f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Greg. Naz. ad Eunom. S. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Plut. ad Golot. being admitted, do necessarily infer as much as is here avowed? Yea, why do you not clear yourself hereof, by showing that such things do not follow from the grounds by you laid, and by removal of the Arguments, whereby the same is evidently evinced? Mean while, you must give us leave to say what we see, and to relate what we read. And to meet with that your unjust and groundless charge, wherein you do so passionately expostulate with us, as if some apparent wrong had been offered you and the rest of your crew; g Repl. Ibid. Why do you set up and counterfeit opinions, and then engrave our names upon them? Sir, 1. Show what the opinions are that are by me fathered on any of you, that have not been proved to have been taught by them whom I have therewith charged. But you are like h 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Lucian. de Gymn. slippery eels the most of you: i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Athanas. de Arian. in Synod. Nicen. defence. one while you stoutly avow your erroneous conceits, where you misdoubt no opposition or discussion of them. Another while you cry out that you are of an other mind, and wrong is done you in them; not sticking to report that you have made the same manifest, by repair to those, and giving satisfaction to them, who were never once in that kind spoken with: And otherwhile pretending to be altered in judgement, and otherwise now minded then formerly they were; when as yet, where you find opportunity, you are in effect still venting again your former opinions; sometime indeed more covertly, and sometime more openly, as you suppose you may do with most safety: whereof divers instances might be given. But Sir, 2. For yourself, no opinion is here set up, with your name engraven on it, but what comes out of your own forge, what was minted by yourself, and hath received its impression from the mould of your own maxims. For to omit, what besides in mine Animadversions doth inevitably evince it, If the promise of life and salvation in the Gospel, be as absolute, and as free from any condition on man's part, as the promise made to Noah for never destroying the world by water again: then a man may as well attain life and salvation without faith and repentance by virtue of the one, as safety from destruction through such a general deluge by the other. But the former you say: and the later necessarily thence followeth, unless Logik be lost. Do not you tell me therefore, that k Repl. Ibid. you could so piece up my book, if you would be unfaithful, as to make me appear as great an heretic as any whom I thus fancy. 1. Talk not too much of your faithfulness, Sir; how unfaithful you have been in relating my say hath more than once been manifestly made to appear. 2. But here is no unfaithful dealing at all with you, here is nothing wrung from your assertions, but what lay couched in them, and flows freely and naturally, without force or torture from them. If otherwise, why make you it not to appear? 3. If you can by like due course of Argument draw such rotten stuff from aught of mine, I crave no favour from you; do your worst: and I shall tell you beforehand, l 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. M●th. apud Epiphan. Haer. 64. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Mar. Imp. l. 6. Sect. 21. that if you charge me justly with ough in them, and convince me of it, I will thank you for it, and recall it. For Sir, I am not herein so obstinate, as you are m Concl. p. 17. hereafter pleased uncharitably to affirm of me. If otherwise, I shall take leave, whether like you to give it or no, constantly to defend, while God shall be pleased to affordabilitie, what I deem agreeable to truth. 4. But Sir, give me leave mean while to tell you, that it will be hard for you to persuade an intelligent and advised reader, that shall peruse your ragged Reply, that you would not have been forward enough, to have done in this kind what you could, had you met with matter fit for your purpose in my book; when he shall observe how you take liberty both in n Epist. the van and in o Conclus. the rear here, to run out impertinently, into other by-matters concerning me, and some other of my works, that have no reference at all to the business in hand, but you supposed (though vainly) might some way asperse me. And there is little reason to imagine, that you should make such excursions to seek and fetch in matter of that nature abroad, when you had so much of it so near at hand, close under your nose, but you were loath (forsooth) to take notice of it, or to file your fingers with it. Howbeit, I doubt not, but that by such Logic as you make use of, you may draw heresies enough out of Christ's Sermons, and Paul's Epistles; whose express doctrine how you have traduced in our teaching, hath abundantly been showed As for your stivolous flourishes, concerning p Repl. Ibid. your teaching faith and repentance, not as gifts to procure us God, or his love, or Christ; but as gifts from God's love, and fruits of the spirit, given to such as Christ hath suffered for, and are chosen in him: and in that full revelation, in which they are leaf tin the New Testament; not in that scantling of doctrine, as they are merely and barely revealed in the history of the Gospel and Acts of the Apostles, and that because you preach thus, you are all Antinomians, heretics, men not worthy to live. 1. All this varnish hath been washed of again and again: and yet you will be still glazing over your rotten stuff with it, to conceal the badness and baseness of it from common view; which yet every qick-sighted soul, through all your colours cast over it, will easily discern. 2. What the opinions are, for which you are justly termed Antinomians, and which your companions, if they continue yet in what then they professed, were sometime publicly charged with and stand still convict of, it is well known: some of them I relate else where q God's eye on his Israel, Preface p. 17, 18. : and too much of them is found in your book. Those Sir, either clear yourselves of, or make them appear to be consonant to God's word; and do not abuse men by telling them idle tales, that you are so termed for preaching this and that, concealing your unsound wares; for which you are no otherwise deemed, then as your hideous and uncouth dotages deserve. As vain and frivolous is your next expostulation where you begin with a fawning compellation: r Repl. Ibid. Brethren, must ye forbid us to preach, because we follow not with you? because we preach not the Law as you do, nor faith as you do, nor repentance as you do, therefore do we not preach them at all? 1. Sir, this your smooth compellation, may justly be suspected, to be but a s Luk. 22.48. Judas his kiss. You cannot sure have so soon forgotten, what mountebanks and qacksalvers you erst while compared them to; what cheating and cozening companions you made of them; (not therein unlike the Compassionate Samaritan, a bird, it seems, of the same feather with you) of kin to, or kind with, such unfaithful and ill minded Chirurgeons t Treat. p. 37. as keep men's wounds open for sinister ends to lengthen their cures; and such as u Ibid. p. 77. deal out Christ's blood, as the Pope doth his pardons. Were they but even now such abominable beasts? and are they now become your brethren? This was sure no brotherly course, if you accounted them then your brethren. Or if you desire to admit them into brotherhood with you, such vile wretches as then you made them; either w 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Matt. 18.15. convince them of what you then charged them with, that being convinced of it, they may repent and reform, and so be made fit for the society of such upright and faithful dealers as ye profess yourselves to be, (for honest and faithful Chirurgeons will refuse to own those that are notoriously known to be such cheaters as you charge them to be) or if you cannot convince them by making your charge against them good; confess ingenuously your base calumny, and ask forgiveness in print, as in print you have wronged them, before God and the world, in the face of whom you have traduced them. In so doing you may give some liklyhood of your willingness to embrace them as brethren; and there will be some hope of acknowledgement and amendment of other oversights with you, that have been laid open before you, as well in this, as in other of your works. Till than we shall justly deem, that you little mind or regard, what you acknowledge them here to be. 2. As to the matter of your expostulation, we forbidden you not to preach, because you follow not with as; or because you preach these things otherwise then we do. But Sir, it is you that scoff and diride us; and by consequence so much as in you lies, inhibit us, for teaching these-things as Christ and his Apostles taught them; and are justly therefore charged with impiety for jeering in us, the doctrine expressly delivered by them. And for what you add, that x Repl. Ibid. you preach them all, as you are persuaded the New Testament will warrant you; and as you make Christ to be the power of all, and fullness of all, and may exalt him whom God hath exalted. 1. you are so far from preaching them as necessary duties required on our part, as Christ in the New Testament, and the Spirit of Christ by the Apostles did (nor could they contradict themselves by aught, that they preached further, either before or after:) that you scoff at us for so pressing them: yea, as hath abundantly been showed, you preach and print, that without them men may have part in Christ, and without them consequently be saved by Christ 2. And for all your vain boasting & vaunting so much of what, or in what manner you preach, as if that would serve to wash off all your other filth; it may discover your vanity, but it covers not, much less cures your impiety. It is no more than any sect, though maintaining things never so v●le and abominable, is not wont to do. Sir, crack not to us thus of your preaching; but return answer directly to the crimes and erroneous assertions wherewith you are charged; refute the exceptions taken to them, and remove the arguments brought against them, and then you have done somewhat. Till than you must justly look to lie under the guilt and imputation of either, as a party, that being charged with some treason, or felony, shall in steed of answering to his indictment, run out into discourses, of what good service he hath sometime done to the State, or what good offices to others. But these things in your reply you have warily shunned; and may well therefore be deemed to have replied as good as just nothing, notwithstanding all the noise you have made to no purpose; as those at the bar are said y Non est hoc respondere, qod est non tacere: Aug. ad Gaud. l. 3. c. 1. to stand mute, when they decline a legal trial, though they talk at large never so much otherwise Lastly for your closing wish, that z Repl. Ibid. we and all that here you, were almost, and altogether as you are, except in reproaches. If your meaning be, to have them all Antinomians, and so principled as the Antinomian tenants import; howsoever you may much desire it out of a selfish and sinister respect, to enlarge your faction by multitudes added to your party; wherein the worst and wickedest that are, will easily concur with you: it were to wish the poisoning of millions of souls with pestiferous and pernicious opinions; tending directly to beat them off from all trouble or sorrow for sin; or craving pardon of any sin at God's hands; or fearing to commit any the most horrible and hideous sin, in regard of Gods either fight of it in them, or displeasure for it with them; or making any qestion of the truth of their faith, if they be but more or less persuaded that Christ loves them; or making the least doubt, but th●t God loves them and likes them as well, when they cheat, and cousin, and eqivocate, and lie, and swear, and forswear, as when they deal truly and justly. Nor Sir, are these forged calumnies, but well-grounded charges; such as have in part been made good here, and are further * Preface to God's ey● on his Israel. elsewhere, against those whom here you profess to take part with. As for reproaches; your exception of it is idle: for either they must not be like you and yours, for such principles as these, and much less for such composure of mind, and practice of life as is suitable thereunto, if they will not minister matter of just reproach: or if they would keep free from just reproach, they must waiv your principles, and such practices much more, as they either exact of them, or encourage them unto, and too many, to their worthily deserved reproach, have exhibited the fruits and effects of already. Hitherto Sir, your Reply reacheth; such as we have seen: many words besides the matter, little to the purpose: short enough, because it falleth short of reaching what it should have been returned unto: and yet a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Philem. apud Stobaen. too long, because it detaineth and taketh up your Reader with much impertinent discourse: which I shall impute either to your known guilt, which you are unwilling to acknowledge; or to your fixed resolution of abandoning all Logic, which you are unwilling to revoke. Your Conclusion followeth, patched up of unsuitable, and much of it likewise impertinent pieces, loosely put together. 1. You tell your Reader, that * Conclus. p. 16. from pag. 29. to the last, (some 14 or 15 pages) my replies all amount not to any thing of substance, but of qarelsom● and humourous exceptions. An easy way indeed of reply, as you term this: but whether there be not there some store of such matter as concerned you to answer, and to clear yourself of, those that read it impartially will as easily espy. Had I said the like of your whole Reply, from the first to the last, and so left it; those that shall seriously survey and weigh this rejoinder, will peradventure deem, that I had neither spoken nor done much amiss. Tho those of your own party, it is not unlikely, would have been extolling your work, and have given out, that it was unanswerable. But Sir, your Reply here I have not so either put off, or posted over. I have traced and pursued you, not from page to page only; but from line to line, even through all your idle and extravagant excursions. But I find you here no other than I observe you to be in your Replies upon, and Answers unto others, both annexed to this, and elsewhere. To make up somewhat that may rise a little higher than the common appellation of a Pamphlet, (a term that you much stomach) you entertain your Reader with some impertinent discourses of by-matters; tending mostly, under specious pretences of Love, Peace, and Unity, to plead for a toleration of all abominable opinions, and liberty for every one in matter of religion, to profess, vent, and practice what he please, without check or control by censure, either Ecclesiastical or Civil. What else means b Reasons for etc. Sect. 4. several spirits, consciences, opinions, judgements, without limitation or exception of any? But what you return Answer to, or reply upon, that you make very short work of: here a snatch, and there a snatch, c Qod canis in Nilo, bibit, & fugit. Constat enim in regionibus illis canes raptu crocodilorum exterritos currere & bibere. Macrob. Sat. l. 2. c. 2. De hoc Aelian. l. 1. c. 4. Plin. l. 8. c. 40. as the Egyptian dog, lapping in Nilus, and as Antony in his flight, after his discomfiture by Augustus. d Letter to Mr. Ley, p. 3. After-reckon. p. 7. Seventeen sheets posted over in a sheet and an half: e Repl p. 9 See rejoinder. whole pages in a line and an half: f Answ. to Mr. Edward's, and After-reckoner. two large books in little more than two pages: forty five pages here in seventeen: and yet by-matters sometime in the way plentifully enough prosecuted; and additionals prefixed, to detain and take up the Reader, that your failings in the matter that concerns you may the less be looked after; and your dealing haltingly and by halus, or by snips and shreds rather, the less regarded. Yet in the Front of your writings you pretend and promise to do great matters; but in the works themselves there is so little performed of what is looked for, that the old saying may not unfitly be applied unto them, being verified in them, g Plus habet rubium qam nigrum. There is more in the Title then in the Text. 2. In stead of what you should have done, you tell me h Conclus. Ibid. what I might have done, Indeed, I suppose, you would rather have had me done any thing, then have meddled with the ulcerous sores of your book. But Sir, you are not to cut me out my work. And for the Argument you would here have put me upon, such an one as those of your strain condemn and cry out against, I have somewhat largely i Meditation on Psal. 97.11. in Signs of sincerity. done elsewhere already; and that (I bless God for it) with some good success, as I understand from those, who having made use of it, profess to have received much comfort thereby. 3. Yet to quit me of that labour, (in way of kindness no doubt) you tell me, that k Conclus. Ibid. I say of myself, (how becoming such a one, you leave) that I am an old Steed that neighs, and prances, but is past service; so as you must take this of mine age and infirmity, as a fuller answer, or supplement of what I have failed in against you. True It is, Sir, in regard of mine age, being now upon seventy two complete, and infirmity by a late sore sickness accrueing, having never been of much strength, and finding my natural abilities, as well inward as outward, ( l 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Aristot. Physiogn. cap. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Ibid. cap. 1. Animus, languente corpore, nec membris, nec sensibus uti potest: Cicer. de Divin. Animo qi aegrotat, videmus corpore hunc signum dare: Tum doloribus confectum corpus animo obsistere: Lucil. lib. 26. the one usually suffering with the other) memory especially, much impaired; I am willing rather to set others of younger years, fresher parts, and better endowments, on work, to prosecute the discovery and discomfiture of these monsters, which the Sectaries of these our times daily produce, and to undertake some further and larger survey of your Treatise, which, but upon occasion of being called in by you to attest for you, I had not at all taken notice of; it may be, had never seen: and do therefore in acknowledging mine own inability to undertake such an over-burdensome employment, compare myself, not as he in the Tragic Scene only, but as one of the Greek Fathers, to an old Steed, who though past years of such service as the field and fight reqires; yet by bestirring himself as well as he may, incites others to do that which himself is not able to do. And this is that which Mr. S. is so much pleased to play upon, and to make sport with, that he began with it in his Introduction, and returns now again to it in his Conclusion; as being bare and barren of better matter, to make up his Reply with, and enforced therefore with renewed patches to piece it out. But Sir, neither do I suppose it any uncomely thing, for any Minister of the Gospel, much broken with age and sickness, to acknowledge himself either well near, or wholly past some kind of service: m Num. 8.24, 25. God himself was after some term of years content to discharge his Attendants in the Tabernacle and Temple of some more laborious employments. Nor do I plead either of these in way of excuse for, or (as you speak; which to me seems little better than nonsense) as a supplement to what I have failed in against you: which if in aught I have done, it is your part to show, not barely to say; but to declare, why I took no further pains with you; but contented myself with such parcels of your broken wares, as I thought good to deal with at present. And truly Sir, unless you can better discharge and defend yourself and your Assertions in the things objected and excepted against either, then in this your Reply hitherto you have done; there will be little need to wade further into your work: there is folly and unsoundness enough discovered in it already to make it worthily to be abhorred. 4. Howbeit, n Concl. Ibid. two or three things, you say there are (in that rif-raf of so many pages, which you told us even now had not any matter of substance in them) more observable than the rest. But you repent you, it seems, again of what you had said; or you had no great lust to deal much with any observable matter. For instead of two or three, you present us (as I remember a great o Bellarm. de sac. Euchar. l. 3. cap. 19 Cardinal sometime) with a first, without second or third: so that your first must be such a first, as the Lawyers speak of in some cases; such a first as p Primus est qem nemo praecedit, etiamsi nullus seqatur, Reg. Jur. none follows; and must therefore go for both first and last: for it is all you produce. q Conclus. Ib. First therefore, you say, that I tax you for saying, The marks in the Epistles of John and James, (where Sir, you leave out r Treat. p. 32. your &c.) are delivered rather as marks for others, than ourselves to know us by. And this, say you, I affirm again; not excluding that other of ourselves, but rather for others. To which purpose you instance 1. in James 2.24, 18, 21. where works, you say, are made a sign rather to others, than ourselves. Which how I s Answ. p. 29. show to be not agreeable to the Apostles main scope, who directs his speech there to the party, thereby to undeceive him in himself; you pass by, and return no answer unto. 2. In 1 John 3.14. concerning which passage, how absurd and senseless it is so to say, how directly contrary, both to the Apostles scope in that Epistle, and to his express words in that very place, though the bare reading of the Text be sufficient to make evident, yet I shall refer my Reader (to t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Suid. in Pythag. avoid needless prolixity, and unnecessary repetitions) to what I have said u Ans. ubi. supr. in mine Answer; whereunto there is no one word here replied: And much less to that of Peter; which ought to come within compass of your & caetera; but you have no mind at all to take notice of: and that the rather, because with it this your rather, wherewith you would evade, could have no colour, as here also it hath no truth. And Sir, for what being enforced by evidence of truth, shining forth so strongly and brightly in your face, that in spite of your teeth it strikes through your eyelids, though you close them as fast as you can possibly against it, you do in a scanty and malignant manner elsewhere x Treat. p. 81. acknowledge; (which also I conceal not, but y Ans. p. 27, 28. give it expressly in your own words) after you have spent all your fleam and spittle upon it, to bespatter it, and throw so much dirt and filth on the face of it, to deface and disgrace it; it neither makes amends for your former abuse of it, nor doth it take off aught that is herein charged on you. And for your pitiful complaint therefore of a Concl. Ibid. my pulling your Treatise in pieces, to make myself work; and then binding it up again after mine own fashion; It is so poor, as might b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Suid. vel Priamo miseranda: Mar. l. 12. move even a professed adversary to pity you; and shows indeed how inconsistent your Work is, one part of it with another. But Sir, I want not work at home; that I should, with c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Suid. Zenob. Plut. ad Colot. the Lydian, go to seek some abroad. much less wanted I any then, when my work rather wanted me, I being neither fit almost for any work at all, and wanting workmen for that work, which God had at that time disabled me unto. Nor had I any reason to undertake that task that then I did, had I not conceived a kind of necessity in it. Yet neither have I pulled your book in pieces; nor have I bound it up again after my fashion. Your book lies by me still entire; bound up in the same manner as it was brought me at first: only I have made bold to pick out of it, and lay open some neither sound, nor savoury passages of it, and have dressed them indeed as they deserved; but representing them no otherwise then as I found them in the book: the precise words whereof you have not hitherto showed, that I have any where swarved from; nor suppose I, that I did amiss in so doing: for neither did I undertake to deal with the whole book, but to give some taste of what it contained: nor if any thing be sound in it, will that serve to excuse and justify aught, that is rotten and unsound. As for d Concl. p. 16, 17. the story of the Lady, what you except against my speech to her, it is already answered elsewhere, where the proper place of it was, and where all this might have come in more seasonably, than it doth here. But in steed of it, Sir, you might have done well, not to say over the same things again; but to have asserted and confirmed by Scripture, that way of assurance, that e Treat. p. 84, 85. you propound as the only Scripture way, and in regard whereof all other assurances (those that Peter, James and John hold out, not excepted) are affirmed to be but rotten stuff; to wit, That we are to believe, that Christ hath believed for us; and we have believed in him; that he hath repent for us; and we have repent in him. For this, Sir, being one of your main shores, yea the only main shore in effect, (your immediate enthusiasm excepted) erected and set up by you for the support of poor afflicted Spirits, when you have beaten them off from all other, ought not to have been deserted by you, where you found it opposed, much less dissembled, and shifted off, and shuffled, or shoveled away, as a thing not worthy of any notice, among the rubble and rubbish, wherein you say, there is nothing of any substance. And the truth is, I am therein of the same mind with you, if you think as you speak, as concerning this particular, that it is a mere shadow without substance; and such therefore as is no more able to afford any true stay, or sound satisfaction to a wavering soul, or a wearied spirit, than f Aesopi fab. the shadow of the sheep's shoulder that the dog catched at in the water, or some delineation of the like on the wall, to relieve and refresh an hungry body. Take heed, Sir, how whilst you dally and delight yourself with such sublimated notions, distilled through the limbeck of your own qaint invention; you delude God's people, and cause them, as Ionas spoke, while they g Jon. 2.8. follow lying vanities, to forsake their own mercy; and so attract a greater guilt, than you are ware of, or at least consider well of at present. But to what end spend I words, and waste wind unto one, who in plain terms professeth, that should he so sin, yea sin never to much, being a beleiver, (as I doubt not but he believes himself to be, especially glorying and vaunting so much as he doth of the glorious light and spirit that he is now possessed of,) he never looks to be called to any acount for it, and scoffs at those as silly souls drowned in melancholy, that do ever so imagine? In the last place a little to ease your stomach, and empty your h Jecur pro felle; cujus vesicula jecori adhaeret: Job 16.13. Lam. 2.11. liver, you take occasion at parting to spend, out of your gall, some of your bitter choler upon me; by demanding of me, i Conclus. p. 17. now I am an old man, (for you are oft playing upon mine age) how if I were to account to you I would gather up my assurance; whether it would be of such a measure of faith, so much obedience, so much love to the brothers, so much zeal, prayer, repentance, and all of unqestionable evidence: than you proceed to qestion me concerning my failings, when I writ in defence of cards and dice, and of the common prayer book: then whether my luxuriancy in qotations, be all out of pure zeal; no selfishness, no vain glory; my love to the Antinomian brothers, without bitterness; my preaching and obedience all out of love, and not seeking mine own, and making a gain of Godliness: all my fastings and repentance, from true melt of heart, and sound humiliation, or because the state called for it, and constrained it: my praying and preaching not much of self, of invention, of art, of learning, of seeking praise from men. To all which rabble, Sir, 1. I might in a word return this; that, for aught I yet know, neither have you any authority herein thus to shrive me, nor I necessity to return answer unto these your interrogatories. But yet, 2. That if I were to render account of mine assurance either unto you, or, any other, I shall assure you, that it should be none of that, that you propound and commend, as the only Scripture assurance, though in Scripture no where extant; to wit, my believing that Christ hath believed and repent for me; until you can give me better assurance for it out of God's word, than you hitherto have done. 3. For my grounds of assurance concerning myself, I shall need to profess no other, than what is common to all true Christians, and for which we have good warrant of assurance from God's word; our faith in Christ, who hath made satisfaction to God for our sins, and purchased eternal happiness for us: the sincerity whereof is approved to us in our conscience, by by such holy graces as are in the word found to be inseparable attendants of it. 4 We use not to meet out our faith, as drapers do cloth by the eln and the nail; or to weigh it our, as merchants some wares, by the pound and the stone; or as wary men do their gold, which they refuse to receive, be it never so good, if it come never so little short of its allowance; as if the sincerity of faith, and its acceptance with God depended upon the scantling and the quantity of it. we know, that k 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Mat. 6.38. & 8.26. & 14.31. & 16.8. small faith may be sound; and l Mark 9.24. faith weak and mixed with much infidelity, as good gold with much dross, yet may be sincere. Nor is the weakest faith less efficacious unto justification then the strongest, no more than a plaster is more or less efficacious in regard of the strength or feebleness of the hand, wherewith it is applied unto the sore. The like may be said of other sanctifying graces, such as you here mention; they are Gods m 2 Cor. 1.22. & 5.5. Eph. 1.14. earnests; and an earnest is available for security, not according to the value or qantitie of the sum given in earnest, but according to the fidelity of the party we deal with: your qestion therefore concerning so much faith, and so much of this and that, might very well have been here spared. 5. For my defaults and failings, I may say, of myself, as you of yourself, n End of one Controversy, p. 12. I have indeed many, which you and the world sees not. And I bless God, as for o Cui deputat ille qod dimisit, huic iste deputet qod non commisit, Aug. homil. 23. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Demades. keeping me from many sins, that my corrupt nature might otherwise have carried me unto; so for keeping those that I may have failed in from the notice of such as yourself. For to what end, Sir, do you here call me to this account concerning my failings, but to disgrace me, what you could in the eyes of the world, and to cast shame and reproach thereby upon me? and what think you, Sir, have you gained thereby with any modest, prudent and intelligent reader? as much, surely, as by your frequent vaunting and vain boastings of yourself in your book; the note of an extreme insolent and arrogant spirit by the one, and of a no less spiteful and malevolent disposition by the other. So that the p 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Marc. Imp. l. 9 S●ct 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysip. de justit. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dio orat. 74. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clem. Paed. l 2. c. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Simocat. Epist. 40. wrong will in fine redound, I doubt not, to yourself; and your q Malitia ipsa maximam partem veneni sui bibit: Attalus, Sen. Epist 81. malignity, as he sometime said, take in again, and drink up the greatest part of its own poison. For yourself, I list not to make enquiry into your life. To what end were it? or r 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Marc. ubi supr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Idem l. 4. Sect. 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Idem lib. 12. Sect. 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ibid. lib. 9 Sect. 38. what is it to me what you either are, or have been? although there be, it seems, some reports abroad concerning you of some things that sound not well; which wether true or false, I take no notice of, as not at all concerning me: yet such as true or false, coming to your ear, I should in likelihood have heard of on both ears again from you. 6. But Sir, I am glad, that one so spitefully minded, as you have manifested yourself here to be, could take up no worse matter to cast in my dish, than you were able (for goodwill, it appears, you wanted not) here to do. For the truth is, you bark and snail indeed; and by't you would, but you cannot: you will s Genuinum fregit in illis: Pers. Sat. 1. Vbi tamen Duza legit, Julis. break your fangs, Sir, ere you will be able to enter, where you have endeavoured to fasten them. The failings you charge me with are two only, they are drawn into a short and narrow sum. The former, which I was told of once before, that I writ in the behalf of Cards and Dice. Sir, no otherwise in the behalf of them, then in the behalf of any other lawful game lawfully used: nor more in behalf of a Lot used in them, then of the same used about any other light affair, either in sport, as for mating men at bowls, or for moving first at Chess; or out of it, as drawing cuts for the partition or assignment of some trifle: For that is all that my writing aimeth at, that it is not the use of a lot in them, that makes them, or any other wherein the same is used, unlawful. Wherein Sir, t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Marc. Imperat. lib. 5. Sect. 22. & 28. l. 9 Sect. 11. & l. 10. Sect. 4. & l. 11. Sect. 13. if I have failed, do you show me my failing; or else u Reprehensores non audio; seqor magistros: Hieron. apolog. de Jovin. forbear to reprove me for, or reproach me with that, which you cannot prove to be a fault. The later is my writing in the behalf of the book of Common-Prayer. Sir, Where saw you that writing? or who told you of it? What writing is it? or how far forth in that writing have I written in behalf of it. Sir, when you produce it, I shall know what to say to it. It is some Treatise or other, sure, that slipped from me in my sleep: for, of any such Work of mine abroad, is more than I am ware. But, it seems, you were driven to some streits, when for want of other matter, you were fain to be feigning somewhat to object to me as a failing. So that here, Sir, you have engaged yourself to a twofold task; first, to prove that I have written in defence of the book of Common-prayer: and secondly, that I have failed if I had so done, in so doing: neither of which, I suppose, you will easily be a●le to make good. 7. But Sir, suppose I had failed in both these, or twice as many things more as these, as in many more than so, I know I have: neither were that sufficient to weaken my assurance, even gathered from those grounds that by the Apostles are given us, and which you purposely here oppose; nor to argue the insincerity and unsoundness of my faith. For the same Apostle who telleth us, that a Jam. 3.2. Impingimus ait, non impingitis; nec in uno, sed in multis: nec multos sed omnes impingere dixit: Aug. Ep. 29. Non dixit, offenditis, sed, offendimus, inqi●: & in maltis praemisit, omnes su●junxit, Beda. in many things we sin, or slip all: doth withal inform us, that a true Christian, notwithstanding these many slips, may have the sincerity of his faith and profession justified even by his works, in the eyes both of God and man. And that I take to be the genuine sense of James in that place, and the right way of reconciling Paul and James in that argument, the one with the other. The case or cause in qestion that they deal with, is divers. In Paul the case is concerning sin in general, whether a man be a sinner or no: and if that be the qestion, b Rom. 3.23, 24, 25. he cannot be justified but by faith only, resting on the blood of Christ, and pleading that in way of full satisfaction to God for his sin. In James the case is concerning a particular sin, to wit, hypocrisy, or counterfeit faith, and counterfeit profession, whether a man be c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, 1 Cor. 9 27. 2 Cor. 13.5. cui opponitur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, 1 Tim. 1.5. & 2 Tim. 1.5. a counterfeit Christian or no: and where that is the qestion, he that is unjustly so charged, may d Jam. 2.24. by his works be justified in the eyes both of God and man. To which purpose makes that of a learned Author, e Fides justificat hominem: opera justificant fidem: Zanc. Faith justifieth the man; works justify his faith. Thus, to omit f Rom. 4.1, 3. Heb. 11.17. Jam. 2.23. Gen. 22.12. Abraham's example, which both of them instance in; David, though conscious of g Psal. 19.12. & 40.12. & 51.5. & 149.2. many sins to himself; yet h Psa. 7.3, 4, 8. & 26.1. & 18.22, 23. for his sincerity dare appeal unto God, and offer himself to be tried for it by his works and his ways. And the like might be said of i Job 9.2, 3.15, 21. & 19.25. with cha● 13.16. & 23.10, 12. & 27.5, 6. & 31. Job, and of other of the faithful; were it seasonable here to expatiate into discourses of this kind. It would little therefore avail you, though I should plead guilty in all wherewith you here charge me, to beat me off thereby from mine assurance; unless you could prove these failings to be k Deut. 32.5. such blots or bloches as are inconsistent with sincerity. 8. From these failings wherewith you thought you had me on the hip, you pass on to such corruptions as might adhere to me in my works and writings, in my preach and fastings, and other like employments. And truly, Sir, I shall freely confess unto you, since you will needs be my ghostly father, as they use to speak, that I find and feel to my heart's grief, many more corruptions accompanying me in all my performances, than any one beside myself is able to espy. But Sir, if it should be demanded of you, for what cause or end you were pleased to make up this long Catalogue, and to pitch upon most of those particulars, I doubt your heart would tell you, that it was not to shrive me alone; but to be girding at, and traducing of those, against whom with rancour you swell almost till you burst, and upon all occasions therefore are still venting your gall. For to give a little touch at least upon each of them: 1. As concerning my luxuriancy in qotations: which you had once before a fling at; and which l The end of one controversy, p. 7. you twit Mr. Ley with: your qestion is so frivolous, whether it be all out of pure zeal, that it is unworthy any answer: It is a most ridiculous m 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Marc. Imp. l. 9 cap. 31. semblance of affected sageness and severity, to expect or reqire zeal (if you understand what zeal means) and pure zeal, in every qotation of an Author, or passage of a discourse, though in Divinity; and a mere frothy frump therefore to object as a fault, the absence of aught there, where it is neither needful, nor suitable. 2. For my bitterness against the Antinomians, wherewith my love to the brethren you imply to be tainted. Good Sir, give me leave to mind you, or thy Reader at least, a little of your great and palpable partiality. It is not so long since the Ministers by the call and command of authority met and sitting at Westminster were styled by Mr. S. n Epist. Dedic. prefixed to Animadvers. on M. Fuller's Sermon. An Assembly of most sacred and reverend Divines, for the reformation of the Church, convened by the Parliament. But now since he is fallen of to the Antinomian party, and is become an Architect of a new Sect, that wants as yet a peculiar distinguishing name, (for the most of those that are of that note and notice, as to have gained any special denomination, he disclaims and o In a discourse prefixed before his Smoke. excepts against) and he perceives that the frame of government commended by them to the Parliament, is adverse to his idol of immunity and impunity for all sorts of sectaries; now that most sacred and reverend Assembly, are with Mr. S. like p Frontispiece of An end of one Controversy. See After-reckon. p. 4. that confused Assembly at Ephesus, q Act. 19.32. raised by Demetrius and his fellow craft's men, for the support of their trade, whereof some said one thing, and some another, and the more part knew not for what they were come together. Thus is the Assembly turned and transformed, as Master S. his weathercock turns to and fro. Now Sir, just in the same manner you deal with Master G. For while, it seems, you conceived some hope of gaining him to your side, at least so far forth to win and work on him, as to render him somewhat favourable and inclinable thereunto, by feigning him one, that acknowledged no great difference between us and you; while this I say, lasted, Master G. was one of those r Treat. p. 210. men of learning and judgement, that do not cry out Antinomianism on free grace or free justification, as others do. But since he hath begun to touch your free hold, and to deal a little more freely with your work; and that hope, it seems, is utterly qasht; now is Mr. G. become a s Repl. pag. 2● froward old man; and one that may justly come under censure for his bitterness against the Antinomians his brethren. and yet all the bitterness I stand charged with, must be out of that book, concerning my carriage, wherein Mr. S. himself was pleased formerly to afford me this testimony, sufficient, I hope, if his certificate may serve, to discharge me of this guilt. Nor is it an argument of an embittered Spirit, to discover the vileness and perniciousness of such Opinions, as persons either of corrupt judgement, or bad conscience, or both, endeavour to taint and poison the souls of God's people with. 3. What your next interrogatory tendeth to, of seeking mine own things in preaching and obeying, and making again of godliness, he that hath but half an eye, yet may easily descry. This you would cast as an aspersion, not upon me alone, but upon our whole Ministry, as t Reas. for Unity, 13. Sec. 5. elsewhere, that receive and are sustained by such maintenance as the Laws of the land have allotted us. And it must be returned back unto you as a base calumny, until you are able to see into men's hearts. 4. Concerning our fastings and repentance; they are such themes indeed, as those of your way cannot endure to hear of: and it is not unlikely, but they could very well be content, to have all exhortations to, or injunctions of repentance, razed out of the New Testament; as well as u See God's eye, Pref. p. 18. that petition for remission of sins, out of the Lords prayer. For as for Fasts, it is well known what some of them have been convinced to have taught; to wit, that x In Star-chamber, before the Commit of the House of Commons; by them reported to the House. There aught to be no Fasting days under the Gospel. Nor ought believers to afflict their souls; no, not in a day of humiliation. that, To fast in obedience to civil commands of men, is to be servants of men. And your aim, Sir, here is apparent enough, to aspers and traduce our monthly fasts by authority enjoined. But the impress of authority commanding us to convene, is not of that nature, that it must needs either imprint such a stamp of impiety and profaneness upon our hearts, or so damp all gracious affections and dispositions in our souls, that we should thereby be disabled to the performance of that duty with true melt of heart and sound humiliation: no more than it was presumed or deemed so to do, in those solemn fasts, recorded in the word, that were a 2 Chr. 20.3. Joel 2.15, 16. called and commanded by religious Kings, yea and some also b John 3.7. scarce such. And I marvel why you let slip the observation of the Sabbath, by authority enjoined: which those of your way begin also to disclaim, affirming, that c Qomodo Diogenes, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plut. de Tranq. Vel potius ut Theocr. Idyl. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. every day, with them is a Sabbath. 5. For your last, of invention, and art, and learning, (under which head also, I hope, that heathenish piece of Logik comes, which your soul so much abhors) used in preaching and praying: any one, that is but lightly acquainted with the humours of the times, may easily discern the drift of it; to comply with those that cry down all necessity and use of any learning; and to help to bear up and bear out the rude rhapsodies of those that from the loom-work, or the cutting-bord, or the washing ball, and the like, stepping up into the pulpit, and supposing it enough to make there a great noise, throw out boldly what comes next to hand with them, making prayers and sermons without head or foot. 9 But to pass from your not professed aims, though to any eye apparent and transparent enough, through the choice of such matter, as you picked out, to instance in and insist on: and to come to that, which you pretend, and would seem, only to drive at, that upon due consideration, d Concl. Ibid. there would be found so much of self, and hypocrisy, and vanity, and flesh, and corruption in all those our performances, that all would prove unprofitable. 1. It is not denied that even the best-performances of the very best of God's servants are more or less tainted with sin, some with a slighter stain, some with a deeper dye. Paul himself, that e Act. 9.15. choice vessel of grace, found within himself, the flesh and the spirit so intermingled, that f Rom. 7.21,— 23. nothing came with him from the one, but it still received some light tincture at least from the other: yea, that which was sometime spoken by the Prophet Esay, though I suppose g De sensu genuino videantur Luther, Calvinus, & Muscul. in loc. & conferatur cum Mic. 7.4. the genuine meaning of the place to be other; to wit, that h Isa. 64.6. All our righteousnesses are as a menstruous cloth: yet may truly be affirmed of all even the good actions of the godly: and i Orig. in Rom. 3. Hieron. in Isa. August. nom. soliloq. cap. 28. Greg. in Job. l. 21. c. 15. Hugo in Job. 9.30. Bern. de verb. Isa. 5. & alibi saepe. Perald. sum. tract. 6. Dionys. in Psal. 132. Ferus in Matth. 12. & alibi. Oecolamp. Buleng. Alii in loc. Luther. assert. art. 31. Perkins Reform. Cath. Abbots Defen. Chamier. Panstr. tom. 3. lib. 11. cap. 18. Cajet. in 2 Cor. 5. Pigh. de fide & justif. Morus Apol. pro Erasm. Alii. so not a few, as well Papists at Protestants, old as new Writers do either expound it, or apply it. Nor is it denied, but that many, yea the best of God's Saints, have had their failings, and some of them grievous ones; of other manner, than any of those by Mr. S. here mentioned. 2. It is apparent, that notwithstanding these, either defects, or defaults, yet the Holy Ghost hath pronounced them to be k 1 King. 3.6. & 9.4. & 15.11, 14. 2 Chr. 15.17. upright-hearted and l Luk. 1 16. righteous in God's sight: and that they have hereupon assured themselves of m Psal. 18.20, 24. being in favour with God; and been so far forth thereby emboldened, though in submiss and humble manner, to n Job 23.10.12. plead the sincerity and integrity of their heart and life unto God; and both o Isa. 38.3. Psal. 86.2. & 119.94. to ask, and p Nehem. 13.14, 22, 31. to expect favour, and mercy, and goodness from him in that regard. 3. Your main drift herein (and that not concealed, but professedly held forth) is, in plain terms, impious. For it is (as hath already in part also been shown) directly to contradict the Apostle John, and to make him a liar: for he telleth us, that hereby we may know and have assurance, that we are in the state of grace and life; q 1 Joh. 1.7. if we walk in light, r Chap. 3. 14. if we love the brethren; s Ibid. Ver. 19, 21, 22. if we do those things that are wel-pleasing unto God. And on the other side, you tell us, that we cannot hereby know, or have any assurance of it: and what is this, but in express terms to contradict what he saith, and to give the holy Ghost speaking by him the lie? Or what other end can you pretend that you propounded to yourself in this your prolix and curious sifting and shriving of Mr. G. but to make this assertion good? And yet, alas, Sir, what is he? a feeble wretch, t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 5.2. beset one every side with manifold infirmities; a sorry creature, made up of a multitude of imperfections; one of the meanest in his Lord's house, of the most unserviceable in his Master's family. Why should you pick him out as a pattern, or an instance, whereby to disprove the Apostle? For what if Mr. G. a man of so many failings, were not able to make out any good account of his assurances from such grounds as John there gives; or were found so faulty, that he could not pass the trial, and attain approbation, by such marks, as he there propounds: and that Mr. S. here had laid such load of iniquity and hypocrisy upon him, as must of necessity force him off from his hold. Yet what is that to the truth of the Apostles doctrine, or the proving of it to be vain, and fruitless, and useless, and frivolous, and such as no other, though sincere and upright, might gather ground of assurance from? To what purpose then is it, Sir, that you u 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Mat. 1.19. Catamidiare: Sparta. in Pio. An Catomidiare, ut Salm. bring him thus here on the stage? either it is only to traduce him: and that is mere malignity; or else it is to cross the doctrine itself delivered by the Apostle; and that is gross impiety. Make your choice, Sir, yourself, for whether of the two, you reserved this to the last: and let it then go for an assay of the rest, if you so please. 10. That all we do, or can do, is unprofitable, either unto the discharge of the least and lightest of our sins, or to the meriting of aught more or less at God's hands, you need not tell us: we are not to learn it from you; nor need we to light our candle at any of your new waxed tapers for the discovery of this truth: we had it long since from x Matth. 23.8. our common Master; that y Luk. 17.10. when we have done all that ever we can do, we are unprofitable servants. But withal we have also from him, that even such a Isa. 42.3. Mat. 12.20. smoking b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. ut Isa. 43.4. Ellychnium, Jun. weeks, as you jeer at, c Treat. p. 171. that have more smoke than light, he will not qench: and that the very buds and blossoms of sanctifying grace are d Rom. 8.23. the first fruits of the spirit; and that the being of them in us, and the diligent and constant exercise of them with us, are a good e 1 Joh. 4.13. & 3.14, 19 evidence of the state of grace and life: and that true f 2 Cor. 7.10. repentance, and Godly sorrow for sin, are good assurances of the pardon of sin, and g 2 Cor. 1.21, 22. & 5.5. sure earnests of eternal salvation: and that by these therefore, though we h Job 22.2. & 35.7. Psal. 16.2. cannot be profitable unto God; yet we may be profitable, as i Tit. 3.8. unto others, so herein also to ourselves. 11. But, l Conclus. p. 17. for your part, you say, you cannot be so uncharitable, but to wish us a better assurance, than what I and my brethren can find in our own works and righteousness. For it is not what we approve, but what God approves, is accepted. k Luk. 16.9. Gal 6.7, 8. 1 Tim. 6.18, 19 1. Sir, I and my brethren are much beholden to you for your charity. Which yet as appears by the fruits of it, is not very fervent towards us: and which in the very next clause, wherewith you consign all, you bewray some want of it; when you charge us, with maintaining the truth formerly taught by us, (which yourself cannot but confess to be found in God's word, and in the Sermons and Sammaries of Christ and his apostles) and opposing you and these your newfound and new forged lights, m Concl. Ibid. out of a loathness to lose our reputation, by going out of an old tract of divinity. Tho that indeed would be the readiest way rather, to get reputation with the multitude in these humorous times; wherein men's appetites are not more nice than their n Jo● 34 3. ears, and nothing relisheth with them, but o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. either new diet, or old diet newly dressed. But whether this be not against the rules of charity, thus to sit upon the consciences of others, I shall appeal, not so much to your own conscience, (whose doctrine professedly teacheth not to make conscience of aught in regard of God's sight and displeasure) as to the conscience and judgement of any other that understand and acknowledge what charity and conscience import. 2. Nor unsuitable to this your qick and sharp, though short censure, is the longer tail or train it draws after it; the rather, it is not unlikely, drawn out thus in length, because it goes great with secret insinuations, such as are not unusual with you (which any intelligent Reader therefore will yet easily discern) of the glorious excellencies of your illumination by virtue of your new-lights attained: Wherein you tell us, that p Concl. Ibid. when our spirits shall once begin to be unclothed of forms of darkness, (which we must conceive yourself to be devested of; howsoever we silly souls remain enwrapped up still in them) and self-righteousness; and do q 2 Cor. 3 18. with open face behold the glory of the Lord, (as yourself do; we as yet do not) we will cry out, r Isa. 6.5. Woe is me, I am undone, for I have seen the Lord; which none of us belike, you and your brethren, to return you your own words, only yet do:) and, s Luk. 5.8. Lord depart from me, for I am a sinful creature: and, t Matth. 11.7. What went you out to see? mine own unrighteousness? or rather, a reed shaken with the wind? (a not unfit emblem, if your frequent shifting and flittings to and fro be well weighed, of yourself): which long sage admonition, or premonition rather, wherein like a cunning vizard, you u 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lucian. foretell us what is already done by us, (for there is none of us but acknowledge as much already as you tell us we will do, when we have attained to your light; and we are like to be no great gainers therefore by your new light, if that be all we should get by it.) Whether it discover not some height of spirit above Christian modesty, and rash censure of others beyond Christian charity, I leave it likewise unto the consideration of others. 3. For our assurance of our peace made with God, we rest wholly on the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, whom by faith we pitch ourselves upon, as the sole procurer and purchaser of it; and we renounce our own righteousness, which yet we acknowledge to have received from God through Christ, or aught else in us, as utterly unable to satisfy for the least of our sins, or to x Psal. 130. & 143.2. appear at the bar of God's exact justice. Howbeit, from such graces wherewith God in any measure hath been pleased to endow us, and the workings thereof, as well outward as inward, we take encouragement (Gods own word affording us good warrant so to do) thereby further a 1 Joh. 1.7. & 4.14. to assure our souls, that we are of the number of those that are reconciled to God in Christ, and are thereby b Eph. 4.30. sealed up unto life eternal. And whosoever shall charge us with presumption for so doing, shall withal be enforced to condemn, not only multitudes of God's faithful servants, whose practice we find u on record in Scripture as guilty of the same crime with us; but even the penmen also of Scripture, as teachers of doctrine tending to presumption, who have taught us so to do. And yet dare we not be so presumptuous, as to offer to persuade either others or ourselves, that we or they have interest in Christ, though not repenting of our sins, but remaining wholly still in them; or that our faith or theirs may be c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Tim. 1.5. & 2 Tim. 15. sound and sincere, though not accompanied in some measure with other such spiritual qualifications. 4. It is true, that d 2 Cor. 10.18. not what we approve, but what God approves is accepted. But Sir, we know, that e Psa. 119.108. Isa. 567. God doth approve and accept the weak and unworthy services and sacrifices of his sincere-hearted servants: and that they are f Pro. 15.8, 26. Phil. 4.18. Col. 3.20. 1 Thess. 4.1. Heb. 13.16. wellpleasing to him, notwithstanding those manifold defects and taints either attending them, or adhering to them; they being also, for the guilt of them, washed away in the blood of our Saviour, who hath undertaken the discharge as well of g Exod. 28.38. the iniquities of our spiritual performances, as of h Isa. 53.6, 7. our excesses otherwise: Which yet we d●em that we have just cause to be i Rom. 7.18, 23, 24. humbled for; and that as well for the one, as for the other. So that neither do we rest on the worth of aught that either is in us, or is done by us, which we know and acknowledge to have much more matter of humiliation mixed with it, than you can know by us, or can truly therefore tell us of: Nor yet do we in regard thereof deem our assurance the weaker: since that it is not the qantitie of it, but the sincerity, not the worth of it, weighed in its own intrinfecall value, but considered as God● earnest, and a seal of our portion in Christ, from whence this our assurance ariseth. And we shall desire you, if this do not satisfy you, either concerning us or other faithful, to propound your captious cavils unto John the Evangelist, and demand of him, why he put us and other Christians on such a puzeling course of assurance, as by the fineness and subtlety of your sublimated wits, you and those of your way have discovered that to be, that he hath delivered, and directed us and them unto Lastly, Sir, for a farewell, I shall in friendly manner advise you, to be hereafter more sparing, then here you have been, in insulting over, and trampling on the the blindness and darkness of others, lest by your new pretended light you lay open your own folly, in the impotency and insolency of your spirit, unto the light and fight of others; men are not usually so blind in this seeing age, but that they can descry daylight at a little loophole. Thus having ripped up and uncovered your Reply from the first stitch to the fag end, I may truly say of it, that I have, as I found it, so shown it, to be such, as one of your Hyperaspistae, or Encomiastae rather pronounces of his book, whom he opposeth; to wit, k I.P. his Answer to Mr. Vicars in his Epistle. a work consisting, the most part of it, of inconclusive notions, having no more to underprop them, but your own Ipse dixi. And though I will not be so bold with you, as he is with his Antagonist; whom he tells, that l Ibid. he cannot imagine him to be yet out of his hornbook in divinity, that expresseth so little Logic in his writings: which blow so unadvisedly given to his Client, whom he had undertaken not to defend only, but to commend to, being one that cannot endure to hear of Logic in matter of divinity, how he will by his Sophistry teach him to ward, I know not, and must leave him therefore to crave him mercy. Yet I believe your Treatiset to be in some kind such as he saith, m Ans. to Mr. V p. 9 Sect. 3. to subtle to old men; (those of the n Jer. 6.16. old way, that God by the Prophet advised his people to look after,) whom he therefore pronounceth to have the old man still in them; (which we all, indeed with o Rom. 7.17. the Apostle howsoever it be with these new illuminates, deny not to have more or less still in us) and to have been infected (which himself belike never was) with the old leven of outward dispensations, (one of the fairest terms that these men's black mouths, can afford God's ordinances, and and the doctrines and deal of God's Prophets and Apostles with his people) and self conceit: (one of the truest and most conspicuous characters of those of his own way) as also that Mr. S. spins too fine threads in Divinity; (that which Mr. S. himself p Treat. p. 37. chargeth the Legalists with as a fault in them) and that he is too sublime and spiritual (the term that all your Familisticall, fantastical novelists, as well as the old q Qui se solos pneumaticos indigetabant, orthodos Psychicos. Nos agnitio Paracleti, atqe defensio, disjunxit a Psychicis, Tert. ad Prax. c. 1. Et de Monogam. cap. 1. Nos spirituales merito dici facit agnitio spiritualium charismatum. Sed Psychicis non recipientibus spiritum, ea qae sum spiritus, non placent. Mountanists affect) for those that take all in gross (in those plain terms, in which Christ and his Apostles preached them) and have not yet attained the more excellent way; (the new way now revealed, but till now concealed, and in the sacred writings of former times not to be found) wherein (if you will upon his own experience, and that is proof, I hope, sufficient, believe him); and yet, according to his way, we need not stick much at it with him. Mr. S. Treatise (he saith) doth so lay down the doctrine of Freegrace in that manner and with that demonstration of spirit. (that he and his professeth) as no other writing yet extant in print doth the like. But I believe withal, that the Doctrine of Freegrace in the way that it was taught both by God's Prophets and Christ's apostles, is so far from being either cleared or advanced by this Treatise of his, that it is much obscured aspersed and scandalised thereby: as hath evidently been showed both here and before. Concerning which, Sir, to make an end at length with you, let the Reader, that will be pleased to take the pains, to compare mine Answer with this your Reply, and your Reply with this rejoinder to it, when he shall perceive what a poor pittance you have returned aught unto, in regard of what you have wholly let slip, and how little you have spoken to the purpose, in that whereunto you have returned aught; judge, whether this were not rather undertaken by you, that you might seem to have done somewhat, then out of hope that any good fatisfaction should thereby be given unto any that would advisedly consider of either, unless those only of your own party. Unto whom I shall only wish more wisdom then to suffer themselves, forsaking the light and conduct of Gods saving truth reveiled in his word, to be seduced misled by such false, though flairing, lights as may bring them into, and leave them in, those miry qags, wherein finding no firm footing, nor being able to get out of, they may stick fast irrecoverably, to their eternal perdition. FINIS. Escapes of moment to be amended. Pag. 6. lin. 9 read dispatched. p. 8. l. 37. and strongly. p. 13. l. 36. not material. p. 19 l. 22. seem. l. 29. it in. l. 32. reckoner. p. 25. l. penult. tion. p. 28. l. 17. to do. p. 43. l. 24. condition and conditional. p. 61. l. 2. deny this. p. 70. l. 5. anagogical. l. 29. abominate. p. 77. l. 21. as well as. p. 78. l. 6. two-hand sword. p 81. l. 22. hands. p. 86. l. 7. abundance. p. 91. l. 1. ought. l. 4. it like. l. 29. left in. p. 93. l. 7. with us. p. 100 l. 3. you. p. 109. l. 33. put out it. p. 112. l. 23. unravelled. pag. 113. lin. 13. and fanta. l. 14. Montanists. l. 21. with him; Mr. S. etc. p. 114. l. 4. put out only. l. 6. and misled. In the Margin. Pag. 24. lit. m. Sen. pag. 26. lit. i moraris. p. 63. l. m. Ira. p. 67. lin. ult. Sen. p. 68 lit. g. aper- ib. mortale lumen. p. 83. l. t. Rom. 8. p. 94. l. a. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. ib. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. pag. 113. l. q.- thodoxos.